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Does size really matter?
Page 18
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Can an extra 20cm really make all the difference to temperature-controlled trailers? CM finds out if bigger really means better...
Words: Roger Brown
TEMPERATURE-controlled sector pressure group Transfrigoroute is lobbying the European parliament to allow longer, higher refrigerated trailers.
The owner of Lines Industries, and committee member of Transfrigoroute, Alan Lines, wants Brussels to increase the European refrigerated trailer length by 20cm to 13.8 metres, for safety reasons (Transfrigoroute calls for 20cm longer trailers' CM 28 August).
Lines maintains that cold air is unable to properly circulate around pallets in a regular 13.6m long trailer, leading to hotspots in the load, which can potentially cause a health hazard when foods and medicines are being transported.
Under the proposals, the current 33 pallet limit would remain in place. But is this something that UK hauliers and manufacturers really want?
David Frankish, managing director of chilled distribution specialists NFT, believes the problem only applies to full loads, particularly in cardboard boxes, using Euro pallets.
He says: "The 13.6m trailer is designed to take 33 Euro pallets, and with a full load, there is little room for air flow. But with a maximum payload of 26 Imperial pallets, no such problem exists.
"There is also good airflow if the load is placed in cages or baskets, since the cold air can circulate through the gaps."
Graham Millard. fleet engineer at Langdons, adds: "Since we are a multitemperature organisation, we support the call for a 20cm increase in trailer length to enhance air flow and improve product temperature control."
However, not everyone is so keen, and Tim Bolam, managing director at Eddie Stobart Chilled, which has been operating refrigerated trailers for over four years, says he has never had issues with air circulation around pallets in a chilled environment or any hotspots in the load.
"The majority of hotspots come from customers loading product at incorrect temperatures straight from production and hoping that this will chill down while on route to delivery" he explains Lines claims an increase of just 20cm in length and 10cm in height would make "a world of difference" to the correct air flow around pallets, and would enable operators to have the correct spacing at the front and rear of the trailer, as well as provide sufficient length and height for a multi-temperature bulkhead to operate at its optimum.
"We're not trying to increase payloads as some of the trials in Europe for longer trailers are,he adds.
"This is an issue of safety and a bid to help the cold chain network operate to the highest possible standards. -We definitely do not advocate that the 33 pallet limit be increased, and to prevent any malpractice, we recommend that the internal dimension must not exceed 13m 59cm.
"We also recommend the additional length of 20cm must not be split between refrigeration unit and body in order not to hinder new product development and to make multi-temperature vehicles with several bulkheads possible."
Bob Reid. technical manager at trailer manufacturer Gray & Adams. believes the original decision taken to standardise the overall length at 13.6m was taken arbitrarily, to allow generic trailers to carry an additional row of pallets.
"It wasn't really thought through with regard to the effect on fridge bodies in so much as the fridge unit has to throw the air further down the trailer to start with and has to pull it back up further also.
"This means that there needs to be a healthy gap behind the load for the air to flow around unhindered," he says.
"It is well known that pallets can be loaded with overhanging product, which means they cannot be stacked as closely together as would be expected, thereby reducing the air flow gap even more."
Graham Eames, regional director at Thermo King, adds if 33 pallets are crammed on to a trailer with limited air space. the possibility of damage will always exist.
"An extra 20cm will not cost the Government anything, and might give it extra kudos," he explains.
"The Government needs to take a lead, but it could take a serious incident before anything is done."
Trials of refrigerated trailers up to 15m long are being conducted in Europe. In particular, last year, Kogel unveiled its Big Cool-MA/IOC extended trailer, which has space for 36 pallets (CM 10 April). •