Palletways’ owned depots in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Oxford have geared up for the growth of the home delivery sector, investing more than £50,000 collectively in a new fleet of electric pump trucks.
The owned depots, part of Palletways, Europe’s largest and fastest growing express palletised freight network, have invested in 50 electric pump trucks to assist with tail-lift deliveries.
Zac Brown, director of owned operations at Palletways, said: “Tail-lift deliveries can be physically demanding for drivers and this new equipment will assist them with their day to day activities. The vehicles are semi-electric which help reduce driver fatigue and feature an automatic cut-off safety feature which means they’re less likely to experience a run-away incident, therefore reducing the risk of accidents.
“This is a significant but necessary investment – we’ve forecasted a substantial growth of the home delivery sector over the coming years and this equipment will support this growth.”
James Ferguson, business development manager at SHS Handling, added: “SHS are delighted to be the approved supplier of the semi-electric pallet truck to Europe’s largest pallet network. It shows how forward thinking Palletways are – the trucks add hugely to driver safety and demonstrates that Palletways value their drivers. With driver retention being a huge issue within the transport industry, I’m sure this will help ensure Palletways attracts and keeps the best drivers. This truck has been proved to help deliver heavy pallets for all kerbside deliveries giving the client the best possible service and the depot a greater efficiency level.”
Palletways consists of 400 depots across Europe, of which more than 100 are in the UK. The company’s distribution network is made up of independent transport companies that share each other’s resources to deliver consignments of palletised freight to market with the highest levels of service.
Pictured (l to r) Garry Curtis from Palletways Birmingham receives the trucks from James Ferguson on behalf of Palletways UK
