The move follows concerns expressed by two of Gray & Adams' top customers – Marks & Spencer and Tesco –about the deterioration of trailer chassis by corrosive environments on delivery routes in the highlands.
Paul McCafferty, sales and marketing director at Highland, suggests that conventional trailer chassis are too complex to be galvanised easily, but the partners' new 13.6m x 2.5m double-deck chassis comprises six separately galvanised sections, bolted together once coated.
McCafferty also makes the point that, because it is a twin-deck chassis, greater loads can be carried with one truck. He claims that saving of nearly £37,500 and 25 tonnes of CO2 per year are possible, assuming average HGV mileage and £1 per litre of fuel.
Meanwhile, harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) found in paints and varnishes are absent from the galvanizing process.
"The hot dip galvanising process out-performs even expensive paint jobs," insists McCafferty. "This type of coating can give over 75 years' corrosion protection to steel, so is perfect for these trucks and the environments they encounter."
He says that the latest of these trucks to get the hot dip treatment will be galvanized at Highland's Elgin plant and ready to hit the road later this year.