Trailer Auto Group revitalises aging trailers with state-of-the-art refurb centre

For many fleets, a six- or seven-year-old trailer might well be coming to the end of its life, but Trailer Auto Group (TAG) is giving a new lease of life to hundreds of trailers with its refurb centre and testing site in Stoke.

Opened in August 2022, the 12-acre site on Whieldon Road has just opened a two-lane authorised testing facility (ATF), adding much-needed testing slots in the area and giving its customers a faster and more seamless turnaround on full trailer refurbishments.

“We set up as a facility just to refurbish trailers and give them a longer life,” explains Sara Boyd, MD, who is also the owner of Graylaw International in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

“Instead of trailers – when they get to that seven-year mark and start to look tired – going into the second-hand market, they can come here and get a full refurb and the finished article looks like a brand-new trailer. There is no other facility like this. It’s a great cost-saving for fleet operators as it’s roughly a third of the cost of a new trailer, but also good for sustainability as you’re not having to build a new trailer. You’re re-using and extending the life of an existing one, giving it another lease of life,” she explains.

Trailer refurbishments are, of course, nothing new, but working on this scale is certainly unprecedented, with 44 bays, 10 spray booths and two shot-blasting chambers. TAG aims to ultimately complete 30 refurbs per week and at the time of our visit, less than 18 months since opening, it had already reached an output of around 26 brand-new looking trailers each week.

“This really is industry changing,” says Paul Glover, ATF co-ordinator, who has been the driving force behind adding the two testing lanes. “The whole site is a one-stop shop for refurbishment, including curtains and livery, for servicing, and now for vehicle testing, which is the final part of the puzzle.”

TAG’s work is predominantly for one large customer refurbishing some of its sizeable fleet of trailers on a rolling basis, but other operators in the area are also using its services and it is expected that the ATF lanes will open the door (and the refurbishment services) to many more operators as a result.

“The local area is screaming out for testing – and it’s not just trailers,” Glover says. “There are several local [manufacturer dealerships] who are having to use other dealers for their testing. Before we opened, an outside customer pledged 1,100 tests a year, and another is looking for three tests per day – that was previously work that was heading out of the area. I’ve got customers wanting to bring trucks, trailers and even coaches. We can also do prohibition removals, so there are plenty of customers that this site will benefit,” he adds.

The availability of DVSA testers still remains an issue in some areas of the country, but Glover, whose previous role saw him overseeing testing at Stan Robinson, is confident TAG can secure availability and satisfy local demand.

“I’ve worked with the DVSA for 14 years. I’ve built up a good rapport with them and they know this [site] is going to be run right. The industry can’t afford for test appointments to be missed. If you come here, you know that it’s going to be done right. If someone can’t make it, we can then put a [contract customer] trailer through. There will never be any missed time. The DVSA likes to see 95% utilisation, so it’s nice to know that we’ll have something to test.”

Of course, securing testers is still not a given. Initially, Glover says he was given three days per week for one lane, but after getting written support from his customers, he has been able to secure testing for five days per week from the start. Going forward he says he would like to eventually secure testing for five days per week on both lanes. 

No sooner had the first vehicle passed its test on the new testing lanes and been dispatched through the drive-in drive-out bay, than the next tractor unit from a local operator was readied for testing. The site has been purpose-built with this conveyor belt in mind, with a traffic light system to queue vehicles as soon as they pass the gatehouse. Unsurprisingly, it is bang up to date with the latest regulations, and is also suitable for ADR testing.

Boyd adds: “It’s been great to change it from a disused old pottery industry site to something that’s brought over 120 jobs to the community. It’s all about providing a great service, improving sustainability, and playing an important role for our customers and the area.”