Lockwood Group lands 50 new UK-built trailers

Lockwood Group has added 50 new Schmitz Cargobull S.CS FIXED ROOF semi-trailers to its busy operation, helping support the business’ ambitious growth strategy.

The curtainsiders – which were built at Schmitz Cargobull’s production facility in Manchester – will be used for general haulage duties across the UK.

Jason Lockwood, Group Operations Director at Lockwood Group, says: “These are the first trailers we have had from Schmitz Cargobull and the early impressions are hugely positive. We wanted to try something new, and Schmitz Cargobull were able to offer us a very competitive price.

“The lightweight build of these curtainsiders will help our payload, and we were keen to try out the disc brakes on these new additions too, which we had heard very good things about in comparison to the drum brakes that we have on our existing trailer fleet.”

Supplied by Aaron Howarth, Area Sales Manager East Midlands at Schmitz Cargobull, the new S.CS FIXED ROOF semi-trailers are built on the manufacturer’s fully galvanised MODULOS chassis, which comes with a 10-year warranty against rust-through. They also have ROTOS axles that are covered by a 1,000,000km or six-year warranty, whichever comes first.

Each new trailer features an XL load securing side curtain with standard anti-theft protection and a Schmitz Cargobull aluminium roof, allowing a side loading height of up to 3,100mm. Load security is enhanced further, with each body complying with EN 12642-XL specification – the highest level of load protection available.

“The build quality is very impressive and the level of service we have received from the whole team at Schmitz Cargobull has been first-class from start to finish,” adds Lockwood. “The lead time was excellent and the fact that they are manufactured in the UK worked really well from a sustainability perspective. We do a lot of collections in Manchester, so we were able to send drivers up in an uncoupled tractor unit, collect a trailer and make a collection on the way back.”

Schmitz Cargobull’s TrailerConnect® telematics is fitted to the S.CS FIXED ROOF as standard, providing 24/7 monitoring of the trailer’s exact location, plus other important data including tyre mileage, speed and axle load. An Electronic Brake Performance Monitoring System (EBPMS) is included as part of the package, allowing the Lockwood Group to utilise permanent monitoring of the braking performance of both the truck and trailer. This allows the user to identify potential problems early, helping to prevent accidents and reducing any downtime related costs. The technology also provides detailed brake performance reports that are available 24/7 via the TrailerConnect® telematics portal.

Family-run Lockwood Haulage was established in 1965, by father and son Frank and Doug Lockwood. Today, the Lockwood Group is a multi-depot operation – with its headquarters in Ambergate, Derbyshire – comprising several different businesses, employing more than 200 people and operating a commercial vehicle fleet of 150 trucks and 350 trailers.