CVME adds Bevan rigid reefers to its rental fleet
Kent-based CVME Truck Rental has taken delivery of the first two rigid reefers to be built by Bevan Group in cooperation with Schmitz Cargobull.
The 18-tonne chassis cabs, which have temperature-controlled 7.5-metre bodies, are now in operation with one of CVME Truck Rental’s leading customers, a national high-street department store chain.
The bodies were assembled at Bevan’s production facility in Oldbury, West Midlands, using designs, components and materials supplied by Schmitz Cargobull. These include bolted and galvanised sub-frames and high-performance Ferroplast panels.
The bodies are fitted with single-temperature refrigeration units, but have moving bulkheads with thermostatic fans, which allow for dual-temperature operation. The trucks are also equipped with temperature recorders and 1.5-tonne tuckaway tail lifts.
CVME Truck Rental director Philip Browning said: “I’ve had Schmitz Cargobull products in the past so I know they’re designed and engineered to a very high standard, and offer long-term reliability.
“I had read about Schmitz Cargobull working with Bevan Group in the trade press and when our client approached us with a requirement for refrigerated rigid trucks, I decided to take a closer look. The dimensions, specification and high payload allowance offered a good ‘fit’ for my client’s needs and the pricing was competitive too, so I had no hesitation in choosing these bodies.”
He continued: “This was my first experience of working with Bevan Group but I’ve been very pleased with the highly professional service I’ve received. I visited its plant during the assembly of these vehicles and was impressed by the team’s quality of workmanship and attention to detail.
“The whole build, including fitment of the internal partitions and ancillaries, was completed well within the six week ‘window’ that our client demanded and the trucks were delivered in perfect condition.
“I’ve seen enough to be happy recommending these bodies to other clients and have already ordered another rigid refrigerated truck from Bevan and Cargobull, to add to our general rental fleet.”
Both trucks are now undertaking deliveries of ambient and refrigerated cargoes to stores across Europe, from a distribution hub in Kent. They were supplied to CVME Truck Rental via Cargobull Finance, Schmitz Cargobull’s in-house financial services division.
Said Bevan Group managing director Anthony Bevan: “The partnership between ourselves and Schmitz Cargobull is a very exciting one and brings something genuinely new and different to the temperature-controlled distribution sector. We were delighted to secure this first order and even happier to hear that the trucks we supplied have impressed CVME Truck Rental so much that they have already placed an order for another one.”
Schmitz Cargobull technical director Derek Skinner added: “We are taking our respective strengths in the manufacture and assembly of refrigerated trailers and rigid bodies, and combining them to enhance our offering to UK customers. While our rigid reefers are a relatively new proposition over here, we manufacture thousands every year for operators in mainland Europe.
“Importantly, our rigid bodies benefit from the same insulation concept used for our range of refrigerated trailers. Ferroplast is made up of high-quality expanded, closed cell, polyurethane foam which is housed between steel skins, ensuring completely vapour diffusion-tight surfaces which are energy efficient, hygienic and age-resistant.”
