Tiger fleets benefit from latest trailer tech
Since launching its Siberian range of temperature-controlled trailers and rigid bodywork in Summer 2020 in partnership with Lecitrailer, Tiger Trailers reports that it has experienced growing interest in tri-temperature solutions – with food/drink and 3PL fleets recognising the operational benefits and efficiencies of being able to use one trailer to service various types of drops by incorporating frozen, chilled and ambient segmentation in one vehicle, whether it be an urban trailer or a full double deck.
“Solar power is increasingly being harnessed in the cold chain sector to power temperature-controlled trailers’ refrigeration units, which is both environmentally cleaner and helps reduce fleet fuel spend,” said Darren Holland, Tiger Trailers’ sales director.
“Along with multi-temperature double deck trailers, we also envisage ‘connectivity’ becoming part of our Siberian personalisation programme in the near future, as operators learn of the possibilities available from remote cargo monitoring and control, and advanced features such as geofencing.”
A rapidly growing number of products manufactured by Tiger Trailers are being fitted with innovative solar technology, from urban kerbside delivery vans utilising solar energy for their tail-lifts and lighting, followed by 26t rigids, to heavy-duty moving deck double decks with internal four-ram hydraulic decks powered by energy from the sun and featuring an ultra-modern digital touchscreen display in lieu of traditional button controls.
The technology available, such as from Trailar, creates electrical energy for powering ancillary equipment such as internal moving decks, tail-lifts and lighting by utilising solar energy harvested from thin roof-mounted panels rather than relying on the vehicle’s alternator. This is said to enable annual fuel savings of up to 500 litres and CO2 emissions reductions of up to 1,400kg per vehicle, regardless of driving style.
Solar energy combined with continuous monitoring ensures optimum trailer battery levels without the need for a truck unit, says Tiger Trailers, resulting in longer battery life, reduced alternator wear, fewer call-out costs and mitigated flat battery issues.
From tail-lift counts and battery status to GPS tracking and fleet utilisation, hundreds of millions of data points are analysed by Tiger Trailers’ solar partners’ telematics platforms and IoT cloud technology, enabling operators to make better-informed decisions.
The company has also reported strong interest in its safety system offering.
“Partly influenced by the arrival of London’s Direct Vision Standard and partly motivated by welcome campaigns by road safety organisations such as Brake, road transport operators are keen to specify the latest in safety systems for their trailers and rigid bodywork orders,” said Darren Holland.
An increasing number of Tiger’s clients are requesting components such as the super-bright, FORS-compliant LED cycle warning light screen from Amber Valley Developments, which works in conjunction with audible warnings to help keep cyclists safer in the trailer’s nearside blind spot.
Safety-focused operators are also ordering reversing cameras for their trailers and rigids, which can be either top or bottom-mounted, and one Tiger customer has also turned to camera technology for monitoring its internal loads while the truck and trailer are on the move.
Thirty rigids the manufacturer produced for one chemicals customer in 2020 were fitted with NuVech’s innovative AirBar system that boosts the safety of the vehicles’ operatives and also that of pedestrians and road users including cyclists. AirBar is a vehicle-mounted, retractable device with a flexible membrane that inflates under pressure, forming a physical barrier that is also highly visible through the incorporation of bright ‘sweeping’ LEDs.
