STAS says 'yes' to building longer trailers

Belgian trailer manufacturer STAS says it will build longer moving-floor trailers for the UK market if there is a demand.

The Department for Transport announced on 30 March 2011 that it is to begin a consultation on the proposed use of longer semi-trailers, with an increase of 2.05m to the maximum overall length to 18.75m to match drawbar combination.

One of the key areas the consultation could benefit from is moving-floor trailers that transport low density, high-cube loads.

Graham MacMillan, aftermarket director at Clitheroe-based Steadplan, the UK agent for STAS, says longer trailers can be built but it's a question of economies of scale to both the manufacturer and the operator.

"If a customer just wants one, the answer would be no, but if it's an order for 20 then the answer would be yes," he says.

Moving-floor trailers can carry loose loads as well as pallets. "Longer trailers would be advantageous for certain types of work in the industry, as it would provide a capacity advantage and increase the capacity by four pallets," he says.

The extra trailer weight that would be built into the chassis and body of a longer moving-floor trailer would be less than 300kg, he says, proving insignificant for many operators.