The new addition to the Preston-based operator’s fleet features an electric rear shutter door, which it now specifies as standard. The electric shutter door is operated by the driver using a key fob.
The operator is a primary wholesaler to Spar retailers throughout the north of England, distributing to more than 600 stores.
The trailer is built on a tandem-axle ‘wheel box’ chassis, and is equipped with a Thermo King Spectrum multi-temperature refrigeration system and a hydraulically tilting 1,500 kg Dhollandia column tail-lift.
The operator delivers fresh food to stores six days a week, explains Ian Farnworth, fleet engineering manager, adding: “We maintain an excellent distribution service level of 99%, and that is only possible because we use the finest transport equipment.
“Crucially, while other manufacturers struggle to provide anything beyond an ‘off the peg’ product, Gray & Adams will design and build bespoke trailers and truck bodies which are perfectly tailored to our needs.”
The electric shutter door, adds Farnwroth, is proving very popular with drivers. “Our primary motivation in introducing this system was to improve health and safety, by relieving colleagues of the hassle of having to bend down to open the doors manually. But there’s an additional benefit in the form of enhanced security, because it restricts the amount of time the door remains open during deliveries.”