Rockfield Union is expanding its fleet of refrigerated rental and contract hire vehicles. Already the company is using a quantity of Hubbard Transport Refrigeration Solutions 380 Alpha units for its specialist applications. Now the company is ordering Hubbard units.
The company has a fleet of 800 vehicles plus from Citroen Despatch-sized vans to 26 tonne multi-temperature vehicles. Based on five-acre site with 24hr workshops, it aims to keep its customers on the move 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The success of the original units helped Rockfield decide to stick with Hubbard for its new vehicles. Pat Skelly, managing director of Rockfield, says that it was not a difficult decision: “These refrigeration systems meet the requirements of our busy company. They really work. Our existing Alpha 380s have performed well and Hubbard has provided an extremely efficient and friendly service.”
The Hubbard 380Alpha refrigeration system has an under bonnet condenser and Rockfield chose the slimline evaporator combination for its requirements. This system will be used in chill operations, where multi-door openings are required. With the condenser being within the engine compartment, the van is ideal for low height or restricted access situations as well as providing less drag on the vehicle, giving potential fuel savings.
Michelin has won a three-year contract with Fowler Welch-Coolchain to supply and service the tyres on the majority of its core fleet of about 250 vehicles and 700 trailers nationwide. The contract uses Michelin’s network of independent distributors, known as MBA dealers, to service the tyres at the company’s key operating sites, which include Spalding, Teynham, Southampton, Gateshead and Chatteris.
It is based on a pence per kilometre agreement and replaces Fowler Welch-Coolchain’s previous contracts which were arranged at a local level and involved a mixture of suppliers and products.
The Fowler Welch-Coolchain fleet compromises mostly tractor units used in conjunction with tri-axle refrigerated trailers operating 44 tonnes. The fleet is on the road 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with each vehicle covering over 100,000 miles a year.
