Leading Australian trailer manufacturer, Freighter, has generated enthusiastic driver interest during a nation-wide demonstration of its revolutionary new EziLiner curtain sider trailer, at selected BP truck stops.
Now available from Freighter dealerships, the EziLiner was first unveiled as a prototype at the Brisbane Truck Show in May; the unique trailer offers transport operators time savings of up to 15 minutes per load/unload cycle, along with improved ease of use and reduced OH&S risk, when compared to conventional buckle style curtain sided trailers.
The reduction in the load/unload time has significant potential to provide operators with an opportunity to reduce operating costs and improve profits.
The need for buckles and straps is eliminated in the EziLiner through the adoption of a high tensile synthetic cable running through a series of arcs along the bottom of the curtain, to generate vertical tension.
Horizontal tension is achieved via a two-stage air-operated tensioning device that reaches out and hooks on to the high tensile cable, pulling it down to create the necessary tension in the arc.
The curtain is made in the conventional way aside from the bottom section which is modified to accommodate the series of arcs in which the high tensile synthetic cable is incorporated, while the cable itself is comprised of a new generation synthetic material used in extreme applications by NASA, the US military and in ocean yacht rigging. The arcs have a unique geometry to ensure even tensioning of the curtain.
According to Freighter General Manager, Rod Cunningham, since debuting the EziLiner prototype at the Brisbane Truck Show, the company has been inundated with enquiries from transport owners keen to exploit the efficiencies the new semi-automatic curtain side trailer provides.
"The Freighter EziLiner concept was designed and engineered in Australia and there is nothing like it available anywhere in the world," Mr Cunningham said.
"In the hugely competitive transport industry efficiency is paramount; subsequently interest in the new EziLiner has been enormous, from large transport multinationals through to smaller fleet operators and owner drivers. Extensive field trials have proven the durability and potential benefits of its revolutionary design.
"Fleet operators see benefits in the time savings EziLiner offers, which over the course of the day can amount to additional drops, and for the driver the loading and unloading process is also much easier because they're not confronted with unfastening and refastening around 40 buckles every time they unload.
"At a time when the current truck driver's average age is mid 50s, and with limited new blood entering the industry, any product innovations we can introduce to make the life of current drivers a little easier and encourage new people into the transport sector is very worthwhile," Mr Cunningham said.
The EziLiner demonstrations took in truck stops on major arterial routes in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Mr Cunningham said holding the demonstrations at truck stops had been an ideal way in which to reach the product's core demographic.
"Holding the demonstrations at BP truck stops provided truck drivers with ample opportunity to take a closer look at the trailer and its workings during their stop," he said.
"It was also a good way of encouraging word of mouth promotion over the CB once the driver returned to their delivery route – the demonstration program was an outstanding success with many orders currently being taken by Freighter dealerships."