Pacton is no stranger to the PreZero fleet. The company works with many trailers and semi-trailer chassis from the trailer builder from Ommen. The most recent purchase from Pacton concerns four three-axle trailers for the efficient and safe transport of portal containers. “Standardization in trailers is necessary for the national interchangeability of our fleet. Our challenge is that there are different types of containers in circulation and we transport every shape and size. The equipment must also last 20 years, so we set high standards for the finish of the trailers. At Pacton we know that this is good,” says fleet manager Richard Bierhuizen.
PreZero’s impressive, modern fleet includes roughly 230 semi-trailers and 625 trucks, including a large number of – increasingly electrically powered – squatter trucks. This fleet is deployed at more than 50 PreZero locations in the Netherlands. Transport planning is managed from four regional locations. Central fleet management is arranged from the head office in Arnhem, including management of repairs, maintenance and replacement/expansion of the fleet.
Bierhuizen: “When efficiently managing such a large fleet, standardization is of great value. Not so much in terms of brand, but mainly for functionality and therefore the specifications for sizes, weights, materials/parts used and lashing systems. In principle, every PreZero truck or trailer is interchangeable throughout the Netherlands. This is also reflected in our most recent purchase. Two of the four Pacton trailers are 11.95 meters long and the other two are 7.5 meters. long. In a busy urban environment we opt for a short trailer and for longer distances, however, apart from the length, the trailers are exactly the same.”
Height control
PreZero purchased four FLOOR three-axle trailers of the type FLA-10-18 (AXD.328.LS). The long variant is suitable for the transport of three portal containers and the shorter trailers for two of those containers.
The front axle weight is 10 tons and the rear axle weight is 18 tons. The turntable has a 13-ton double-row ball slewing ring. The low triangle is equipped with air-operated height adjustment by means of an air bellow. The SAF Modul air suspension with disc brakes has a height adjustment to lower the chassis when transferring a container. The front axle of the tandem axle is a lifting axle, automatically controlled via the EBS system. The trailers are equipped with twin wheels, fitted with Goodyear tires and TPMS.
There are aluminum air tanks, light rope hooks all around, two stake pots each at the front and rear, central Groeneveld Triplus lubrication, a stainless steel box and a galvanized tarpaulin box in the wheelbase, left and right. To secure the portal containers, there are 4 certified Lifting Plus consoles per container with also certified chains. There are 6 storage options for the chains, recessed into the floor.
Bierhuizen: “The difficulty in our industry is that there are many different types of containers in circulation. The dimensions of portal containers in the Netherlands are not standardized, which means that companies order their own, and therefore different, containers. We all have to transport those containers with one standardized trailer. Then you have to think carefully about, for example, securing options, dimensions and floors, but also about ergonomics and safe working. That is why we opt for a safe and occupational health and safety-friendly lashing system with spindles and chains and also for height adjustment. with a chassis height of 1.04 meters in transfer position and 1.11 meters while driving.”
Reuse and recycling
PreZero believes in ‘Zero Waste’. In a society where less is thrown away and more is reused. PreZero is part of the Schwarz Group (just like Lidl, Kaufland and Schwarz Produktion), a European food retail company. More than 30,000 colleagues are working on ‘closing cycles’ in 10 countries. PreZero helps companies and organizations with sustainable waste collection. A lot of attention is paid to encouraging reuse, recycling and saving raw materials. PreZero has already developed numerous sustainable solutions with many municipalities, companies, hospitals and schools.
A fixed value within the company’s practice is the modern fleet. At Pacton, PreZero finds ‘a solution-oriented trailer builder who thinks along in design and construction’, according to Bierhuizen. “Pacton Trailers builds exactly what PreZero needs. We rate the quality of the Pacton trailers and semi-trailer chassis in particular as very good. This concerns the choice of materials, strength, robustness and the beautiful, solid finish. The preservation is very good and that is a must, because these trailers have a lifespan of 20 years with us. So there is added value in investing in a good and solid product – I certainly agree with Pacton.”
