Essential Trading, a Bristol-based wholesaler and worker co-operative, has taken delivery of a new 18-tonne Scania P-series rigid truck with a split temperature body.
Built by Horton Commercials, the unit has a refrigerated box section at the front powered by a Carrier Transicold Supra 450 and an ambient goods section at the rear with curtains.
The vehicle will operate out of the company’s Bristol headquarters and deliver a range of sustainable wholefood products to customers across London, as well as making a weekly trip to a major supplier in Devon.
The P-series replaces an older Scania rigid that utilised cooling plates for its chilled transportation, and joins a mixed fleet of five 7.5-tonne Isuzu rigids used exclusively for ambient deliveries, two 11-tonne and one 13-tonne Isuzus, a 16-tonne DAF LF and a 26-tonne Volvo drawbar combination. The new truck is capable of transporting between 12 and 14 pallets of ambient produce, with space for around two pallets of chilled good in the front.
“The refrigerated element of our business began to grow significantly three or four years ago, making a dedicated fridge section on our larger vehicles a necessity,” said Rob Baird, transport manager, Essential Trading Co-operative. “Carrier has been supplying that equipment from day one; their systems work well with the split bodies and provide the cooling capacity we need, allowing us to collect and deliver a much wider range of produce.
