Curtainsided LGVs deliver on cost and time, says operator16 April 2014

Transport business Euro-Track is trumpeting the benefits of curtainsided light goods vehicles (LGVs) which, it says, enable loads to be moved more quickly and cheaply.

The LGVs combine the advantages of Tautliner HGVs with small vans, according to Euro-Track managing director Lee Fearne.

"They're uncommon here [in the UK], but very common on the continent," he explains.

"There are no tachos and you can drive them on a normal licence. But you can still get 10 euro pallets on one, rather than six on a normal van," he adds.

Fearne explains that goods can be loaded from the side and the vehicles take up to 1,600kg, rather than the standard 1,200kg. Loading flexibility also enables larger loads to be carried, with the same running costs of a van.

"If you've got a normal van you can only put [the load] through the back door, and standard pallets are 1.2m. If you've got a 2m- or even 4m-pallet, you can't take it. But with a curtain van, you can," he says.

Euro-Track uses operators with curtain vans across Europe which, it says, means loads can be transported at half the cost of a 7.5-tonner.

"We've got many automotive customers. As an example, they could have 10 euro pallets – 1,500kg – in Cardiff to be in Bilbao, northern Spain, by 10 the next morning. You couldn't legally do it in a 7.5-tonner. With these, the driver can drive there overnight."

Fearne emphasises that the cost savings are significant.

"It's cheaper than air freight: 10 euro pallets from Cardiff to northern Spain would cost £4,000. A van's going to cost you £1,200.

"Nobody's really marketed these curtain vans. We'll definitely see more of them: companies have to keep costs down and it's more effective to use these."

Author
Laura Cork

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