Greencarrier loads safely with Krone Multi Lock
Greencarrier Freight Services is benefiting from the ability to safely and securely load virtually any cargo onto its expanded trailer fleet, thanks to Krone’s Multi Lock system.
With vehicle depots, warehousing and cross-docking facilities in Ipswich and Immingham, Greencarrier is strategically placed to handle Scandinavian and Eastern European freight to and from the UK. The Greencarrier Group has 1,000 employees, whose operations are based in 11 countries throughout Scandinavia, northern and eastern Europe and extends into central Asia and China.
The company has recently expanded its trailer fleet with the addition of 15 Profi Liner curtainsiders from Krone Trailers UK, on long-term lease from TIP Trailer Services.
“We run a busy, two-way operation between the UK and many other countries,” said managing director Chris Hunt, “and the trailers we use need to be able to cope with the rigorous demands of ferry work and intensive loading schedules.”
Accordingly, Greencarrier Freight Services UK operates a general haulage and groupage service between the UK, Nordic and European countries – for which part of the operation, the Profi Liners were specified.
“The curtainsiders were chosen, in preference to other makes, for their loading flexibility and are mainly used for groupage and unaccompanied ro-ro ferry work from the UK to the Nordics and Eastern Europe,” continued Chris.
“They carry general cargo, including palletised finished goods and outsized loads including timber.”
This, explains Chris, is where the Krone sliding roofs and Multi Lock side-raves – which have strapping points every 100mm along each side of the trailer – come into their own.
The trailers are specified with 10 multi-positional post pockets in the floor centre and 10 pairs along the sides, which means virtually any cargo can be loaded along the entire trailer length safely and securely.
“Also, the curtains can be strapped from inside the trailer, which is a safety benefit and much appreciated by our drivers,” Chris added.
The patented Multi Lock side rave forms part of Krone’s Multi Safe load securing system, which is designed to help minimise the risk of loads becoming detached and causing injury, damage or loss.
Multi Lock is supplied with approximately 126 strapping points on each side of the vehicle, which gives in excess of 3,000 options of securing the load; each of these strapping points is 2 tons, having maximum permissible load of 8 tons over a one-metre length, and is easily accessible with or without the curtains opened.
The system can be combined with a range of options, such as screwable pallet stops or lashing rings, a chain adaptor, or a transverse loading beam system.
Greencarrier’s new Profi Liners are also fitted with phenolic-coated plywood floors which meet the European load security certification, EN 12642 code XL.
The trailer chassis are KTL primed and powder coated, as part of the automated manufacturing process at Krone’s Werlte plant in North West Germany, and come with Krone’s unique 10-year guarantee against rust, through perforation of steel components.
New to this latest batch of Krone trailers is TIP’s BrakePlus EBPMS (electronic brake performance monitoring system) which enables Greencarrier to monitor the braking performance of the trailers in their fleet and provides an alternative to carrying out physical roller brake tests throughout the year.
“Using real-time telematics connectivity, it captures braking performance information from each trailer’s electronic braking mechanism and presents it to the fleet team in the form of a ‘braking performance value’ – which in turn, translates as a simple ‘pass’ or ‘fail’,” Chris Hunt added.
The system also produces a periodic braking performance report as part of the trailer’s service inspection record, which serves as evidence of the braking track-record of the trailer and helps ensure Greencarrier stays legal and compliant.
Chris goes on to explain that the system provides email alerts when a braking system for a trailer begins to under-perform so that regular brake checks and their associated downtime are no longer required.
“For a while now, the DVSA has considered EBPMS to be a valid means of assessing trailer braking performance, the output from which can be used as compliance evidence that forms part of our maintenance records,” he said.
Launched during 2020, BrakePlus forms part of TIP Insight, TIP’s range of telematics-based digital and connected services and joins TyrePlus, TIP’s Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and DoorPlus (door monitoring system) as ‘add-on’ services to a core ‘track and trace’ functionality.
Maintenance for the trailers is provided by TIP Trailer Services, while emergency service, should it be required, is available from TIP’s own European support network, Roadside Assistance, which is on hand to provide 24 -hour breakdown recovery anywhere in Europe.
