Experience transport innovations, and try out trailers for free

A click and a forceful tug – that’s all it takes for Jürgen Bannasch to release the pallets on his semi-trailer from the safety straps, and the goods can then be transferred to the loading ramp. ‘It is very fast and simple,’ explains the driver, who works for Spedition Ansorge from the German town of Biessenhofen. ‘There are really just two handles to undo the pallets. This means that I can get away quickly and stay on schedule.’

When the trailer has its new load, he can reach straight for the lashing straps hanging over the goods. The straps were automatically pulled up close under the vehicle’s roof by an intelligent pulley and tensioning system when they were not in use. ‘It makes it so much easier not having to throw the straps over the cargo,’ says Bannasch. ‘Even if you are used to doing this as a driver, you still usually have to pull the straps back and forth until they are in the right position. And you have to walk around the entire loading area to do this. The system simply does away with all that.’

CargoMaster is the strap lift system from HESTAL, a subsidiary of BPW. The system and other solutions from the company group are integrated into a test trailer that Spedition Ansorge is using for a few weeks. The vehicle is part of the Movin’ Stars campaign, which is showing hauliers the benefits associated with BPW products. Together with the vehicle manufacturers Fliegl, Kögel, Kässbohrer and Schwarzmüller, BPW has prepared four test trailers for this purpose, which are equipped with solutions from the BPW Group. The vehicles can each be rented for four to eight weeks through PEMA, Euro-Leasing and TIP Trailer Services, with BPW paying the costs. Hauliers can apply for a hire period and experience for themselves just how much of a difference choosing the right components and services makes to the economic viability of trailers in the day-to-day business in the transport industry. ‘Our aim is to enable people to experience our systems in this way,’ explains Ralf Merkelbach, Head of Key Account Management Major Fleets Europe at BPW. ‘You can of course find information online and read the facts, but as a customer, you also want to touch things, feel the products and put them thoroughly to the test in everyday use.’

The model being tested by Spedition Ansorge is kitted out with systems including idem telematics cargofleet, BPW landing gears, the AIRLIGHT II running gear and the HESTAL SmartMaster II rear portal door – and features the particularly light and low-wear ECO Disc disc brake. ‘I already knew how easy it is to change the brake disc,’ says Jürgen Bannasch. ‘But it is still very impressive when you experience it for yourself. We tried it out in the garage: it really is three hours quicker than with braking systems from other providers.’ He has also been won over by the Self-steering axle fitted in this Movin’ Star: ‘On the way here, I had to drive through several small villages. You can really feel the effects of the axle at roundabouts and on small and narrow roads in particular. I can control the trailer more accurately and therefore more safely.’

The next customer is waiting, and Bannasch needs to get going. He does a quick walk-around check of his vehicle and discovers some splinters of red plastic on the ground. With a quick glance to check the tail lights on his trailer, he calmly decides that the pieces must be from another vehicle. ‘That doesn’t happen with these, you see,’ he says and bashes his fist forcefully against the light on his vehicle. ‘It’s hard as nails!’ A high-performance plastic makes the LED lights from BPW subsidiary Ermax virtually everlasting. That means that they are worth installing on existing vehicles too. Whereas conventional tail lights must often be replaced every year because they cannot withstand the potholes, vibrations, temperatures and parking mishaps during day-to-day business in the transport industry, Ermax lights last as long as a trailer. This not only saves on the cost of work in the garage but also reduces downtime.

Such carefully thought-out transport innovations are right up the street of Wolfgang Thoma, Managing Director of Spedition Ansorge. ‘We try to grasp every innovation that exists in our market segment,’ he explains. ‘That’s because we want to stand out from the crowd – together with our customers and partners, who are passionate about innovation.’ His greatest motivation is seeing how the haulage industry is constantly developing: ‘Simply taking goods from A to B is something that teams of oxen and carts were able to do in the early days of transport. But movement is in our industry’s DNA, and I would find it impossible to just sit here on my chair and oversee everything. For me, innovation is a core element of our business.’ His company therefore regularly takes part in practical tests in order to find out about new solutions: ‘Ultimately, this is a great way to see whether a product really meets the requirements that we will place on it in everyday use.’

Spedition Ansorge driver Jürgen Bannasch is on the move again. The telematics system from idem telematics that is installed in the semi-trailer doesn’t just mean that he has an overview of all the details for his job and can find out if he will arrive at his destination on time – he also receives feedback on his driving style. ‘We did a training course on how to drive as economically as possible,’ he says. ‘The feedback that the system gives me really helps me to persevere with this. It’s how it needs to be: the technology makes our day-to-day work easier, increases efficiency and helps us to keep on making transport better for the customer.’

There are benefits all round: choosing the right trailer components can mean a significant boost to transport efficiency in particular. Even though truck drawbar trailers and semi-trailers may look similar at first glance, the differences have a clear positive effect on the operational costs. ‘As a company group, we have a comprehensive portfolio of perfectly matching products and services,’ explains Ralf Merkelbach. ‘With us at their side, hauliers can thus capitalise on the great potential of the technology and save time and costs, not least because they have one contact person over the entire life expectancy of the vehicle.’