Versatility tips it for council trucks18 November 2013

Lancashire County Council (LCC) is introducing 27 bespoke tippers that have been designed to carry out a greater variety of tasks, while boosting health and safety for the driver and crew.

Jointly developed between LCC and Thompsons, the aim was to produce a new light tipper truck, with a design that delivers improved productivity and a reduced overall operating cost.

Built around the 12-tonne gvw DAF LF, the tippers feature a bespoke version of Thompsons' Roadmaster highways body.

To achieve low body height, each chassis has been fitted with an underfloor tipping gear, removing the need for a subframe.

This saves weight, but also gives extra space behind the cab for additional equipment such as the truck's gantry assembly – used for carrying long items such as street lighting equipment – and a 600 x 1,100mm heated locker for PPE.

The new trucks' primary task is road repairs so, to keep tarmac hot, both the steel floor and aluminium dropsides are insulated, and each vehicle has a front to back Pull-Tarp roller sheet.

Detachable tarmac shutes also feature in the rear tailgate design and the trucks have an offside whacker-carrying compartment. Inside the body, a removable aluminium partition enables different payloads to be carried.

Another key feature of the tipper design is a removable tailgate, as Mark Wilkinson, LCC's fleet specifications engineer, explains.

"Having a fully removable tailgate gives us the key advantage of being able to fit an electric tail-lift," he says.

"This makes loading and unloading the trucks with a whole variety of ancillary items safer for the crew, as well as offering greatly reduced damage potential for the cargo being carried."

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
DAF Trucks Ltd
Thompsons Group

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