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"This year's crop of entries emanate from a hard core
Page 34
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of British firms who design, engineer and market extremely cost-effective transport systems in typically bespoke fashion."
Commercial Motor's Trailer of the Year, now entering its tenth year, is the only event of its kind that promotes and rewards the innovative engineering capability of our trailer manufacturing industry.
As well as providing a shop window for home-spun ingenuity. manufacturing and marketing skills, it gives smaller British manufacturers the chance to pitch against the larger and more reticent UK conglomerates.
Inadvertently, it also gives hungry ECwide businesses an opportunity to help their expansion (or survival) plans.
This year's crop of entries emanate from a hard core of British firms who design, engineer and market extremely cost-effective transport systems in typically bespoke fashion.
The entries, including a drawbar rig, demonstrate an abundance of innovative design, clever use of materials and methods of construction.
In searching for the trailer manufacturer's holy grail—weight saving without compromising build quality or durability—many here seem to have found just the right balance.
Another vital factor is operational safety and, commendably. many entries include a host of built-in safeguards.
Spectrum
Collectively, the entries serve to illustrate the extraordinary spectrum of goods that need transporting today, including forestry bi-products. frozen foods, food grade liquids, grain and granules, hot bitumen, sand and gravel. pre-packaged tractor cabs, 20 to 45ft containers. pal
letised goods. and supermarket trolleys.
It's a seemingly inexhaustible application list that really does test the resourcefulness of today's transport designers and engineers—which is exactly why we have introduced a new Designer of the Year category.
The aim is to reward the originator of what the judges believe is the most innovative yet effective design entered.
And who are the judges? They're a broad mix of fleet engineers, owners and transport managers from the very bedrock of the haulage profession, and Commercial Motor is extremely grateful for the way that they and their companies have most kindly given their valuable time. their experience and judgement to the competition.
Judging took place at the Fleet Auction Group in Coalville and we are indebted to Mike Gray and his fellow directors there for allowing us to use this superb facility.
Our thanks also go to Terberg DTS and its after-sales engineer Mick Butler for enabling us to manoeuvre the competing trailers around the busy auction site for the event.
Sponsors
Sponsorship is an absolutely essential ingredient for any competition and in Commercial Motors Trailer of the Year Awards. we are extremely fortunate in having the support of six prominent members of the haulage profession.
They're not only major manufacturers in their own right, but are all-important elements of the UK road transport industry, across the EC and worldwide too.