Asset Alliance Group has strengthened its ties with NV Transport after supplying the haulage company with four refrigerated Longer Semi-Trailers (LSTs) – believed to be the first of their kind to operate in southern England.
The extra-long reefers have been provided on a seven-year full-service contract hire agreement and join the Chichester-based fruit and vegetable distributor’s 60-strong fleet of trailers, two thirds of which are supplied by Asset Alliance Group.
NV Transport Managing Director Steven Zwinkels was keen to take on the four refrigerated LSTs, built by UK manufacturer Gray & Adams, to enhance efficiency and ensure fresh produce can be delivered as quickly as possible to customers including Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
He says: “Supermarkets are pushing for environmental efficiencies, so these trailers are highly appealing to our customers. They allow us to load a lot more pallets, which means we’re getting more out of each chilled produce delivery.
“We’re not worried about weight as much as other hauliers because we have a lot of salad products, and we can’t use double-deckers because the pallet heights don’t allow us to. These longer trailers give us the efficiency we need and will benefit the environment because fewer vehicles will be on the roads. It’s a case of doing more with less.”
Under the seven-year agreement, Asset Alliance will retain ownership of the 15.65m trailers and will shoulder the associated operational costs including servicing, maintenance and repair requirements, tyre replacements, breakdown cover and safety inspections.
Zwinkels said NV Transport’s excellent long-standing relationship with Asset Alliance Group made the independent commercial vehicle specialists the obvious choice to fund its four refrigerated LSTs.
He explains: “Everything will be fully maintained – tyres, fridges, the whole lot – and it’s a fixed cost for the entire term which is so important for planning.
“We’ve been working with Asset Alliance for around five years now. We’ve grown with them, and they’ve grown with us. They’re an honest company and they’ve always got our back. We greatly value their commitment to reliable, no-nonsense and expedient customer service.”
