TruckandTrackAutumn2019

Truck and Track Autumn 2019 www.truckandtrack.com 54 TRAILERS Leading driver training organisation 2 Start Training is adding four new 11-metre box van trailers to its expanding vehicle fleet. The trailers are required to ensure that 2 Start Training’s students get the full experience of driving the most up to date vehicles on the road. 2 Start Training’s Head Office is based in Portsmouth and has a total of 5 training centres across the South of England. The company prides itself on providing customers with up to date equipment, replacing all old vehicles for brand new as part of its values in order to make the training experience more enjoyable and comfortable. Fully qualified on the National Register of LGV instructors, 2 Start Training has also invested in its own DVSA customer test site available to all its Hampshire customers and has built up an enviable reputation since its launch in 2008. The four new Cartwright trailers are the latest additions to the 2 Start Training fleet and have been liveried in four different colours – blue, white, orange and mint green. The mint green trailer was selected by 2 Start’s customers in a recent social media campaign. Specification includes a Haldex braking system with roll stability, Cheetah aerodynamic side guards and a phenolic coated plywood floor rated to ISO 1496 loading specification. Paul Moon, Managing Director of 2 Start Training commented: “We chose Cartwright because we have used other suppliers in the past and their service and issueswith trailers ledus tofind a newpartner. “The quality of the trailers has been excellent and dealing with the staff has been easy and efficient,” he said. Specialist haulier, Tomato Plant, has taken delivery of four new bespoke-built plant bodies from Andover Trailers, renewing its rigid truck fleet in a move designed to future-proof it against the newULEZ regulations. The new 32-tonne 8x2 Volvo FM500 rigid trucks – which were purchased through commercial vehicle dealer MC Truck and Bus – join Tomato Plant’s other Andover build, a 2011 8x2 Volvo plant body and drawbar combination, whichwas the company’s very first vehicle. Keith Williams, Owner of Tomato Plant, says: “When we were purchasing our first drawbar combination it was MC Truck and Bus that recommended Andover Trailers – and we were suitably impressed. Since then we’ve also taken some vehicles with competitor bodies and they simply haven’t stood the test of time. Our original Andover build is still going strong, sowhen it came time to implement our fleet renewal plan, we had to go back to the best.” The newtrucks each feature Andover Trailers’ trademark low-profile deck, which sees the cross members transect the body runners, rather than simply sitting on top. Each body includes a double crank beavertail that is connected to a pair of 3.3m long hydraulic power toe, knife-edged ramps, built with Andover’s pioneering fold- forward design to deliver impressive fuel savings by reducing drag. Elsewhere, each truck benefits from a full working at height system – an extra safety feature that has become a requirement for many of the sites Tomato Plant delivers to. The bodies also include a hydraulic winch to aid loading and unloading and eight pairs of lashingpoints on thedeck formaximumload security andflexibility. As a long-standing Volvo user, Tomato Plant was impressed at how Andover Trailers designs, and precision engineers, each body to the individual truck chassis, finishing each in the company’s bold red livery. “We take great pride in the way our fleet looks – we want all of our vehicles to stand out on the road and look good for our drivers. What we love about our original Andover is that the paintwork still looks fantastic, even after eight years in operation. Combine that with the impeccable build quality and you’ve got a truck the drivers really enjoy driving,” adds Williams The vehicles will predominantly be working in central London, but they will also be called to jobs across the UK. Each of the trucks will be on the road five days a week and clock up between 60,000 and 70,000 km per year. Tomato Plant began operations in 2010 as a plant haulage firmand has since expanded to include a tanker fleet, plus a drainage and CCTV division. Tomato Plant sources new truck bodies from Andover Trailers 2 Start Training adds Cartwright Trailers to its expanding vehicle fleet COMBINED TRUCK & TRAILER SOLUTIONS 01543 420 121 www. deker .co.uk