Three more long reefers for Fransen
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• After a nine-month trial of Britain's first extra-long 26pallet insulated semi-trailer, Fransen Transport of Kidderminster has put three more into service.
The four reefers are 2.58m wide and have an internal length of 13.1m, allowed under the recently-revised 1986 Construction and Use regulations. Together they can carry more 1,200 x 1,000mm pallets than five conventional 12.2m semitrailers.
Unlike the original reefer, which was built by Freight Bonallack, Fransen's latest trailers are Gray and Adams composite panel chassis-less models, allowing a payload of around 21 tonnes.
To avoid problems with trailer and tractive unit compatibility within the overall 15.5m length limit, Fransen runs its 26 pallet trailers with Daf 2800 6x2 tractors with top-mounted sleeper pods. The fridge unit on each trailer is underslung using a shallow (500mm) evaporator. The latest triaxle reefers have air suspension with a lifting front axle to save tyre wear during light running. Trailerent's Oldbury branch supplied the four trailers on a long-term contract, and all future trailers for the company are likely to be 26 pallet models, according to Fransen's managing director Henk Buzink.