In a move designed to improve the sustainability of its commercial vehicle fleet, Carmarthenshire-based food wholesaler Castell Howell has taken delivery of six new Carrier Transicold ICELAND TWINCOOL units – the first time it has specified the company’s engineless refrigeration technology.
Mounted to new 15-tonne DAF LF rigid trucks, featuring bodies from Solomon Commercials, the ICELAND TWINCOOL undermount units derive power from the vehicle’s ultra-clean Euro VI diesel engine. Key to the system is Carrier Transicold’s ECO-DRIVE power module, which uses a hydraulic pump connected to the truck engine’s power take-off. This generates electricity to drive the unit and is capable of providing 100% refrigeration capacity, even at standard idle speed.
“We take great pride in being at the forefront of new and exciting technology in our industry, so we were eager to investigate Carrier’s engineless solution,” said Martin Jones, director of transport operations, Castell Howell. “By removing the need for a separate diesel engine we’re bolstering our green credentials and improving fleet sustainability; and with less moving parts we’re also cutting fuel and maintenance costs – it’s a win-win.”
The new units are additions to the company’s 170-strong commercial vehicle fleet and will operate on multi-drop delivery routes around Wales and its border counties, clocking up to 85,000km per year. Their arrival follows the delivery of a Vector HE 19 system earlier this year, when Castell Howell became one of the first fleets in the UK to operate Carrier Transicold’s new flagship trailer refrigeration unit.
“In our 30 years’ experience of running Carrier fridges, we’ve enjoyed great reliability. Even though the engineless technology is new to us, we are confident we’ll still get the same impressive performance, as well as the excellent levels of service and maintenance we’ve come to expect,” added Jones.
Castell Howell typically replaces rigid trucks in its fleet after six years, but with these latest vehicles it is considering replacing them after five. This will allow it to transfer both the ICELAND TWINCOOL units and Solomon bodywork onto new vehicles, for a projected total life of 10-years in the fleet.
To maximise uptime, all new units have been supplied on Carrier Transicold’s comprehensive everCOLD full-service repair and maintenance package. This includes annual temperature control testing and certification, full regulatory checks and access to Carrier Transicold’s Europe-wide oneCALL 24/7 incident management service.
Castell Howell was founded in 1988 and has established itself as Wales’ largest independent food wholesaler. Its fleet transports a range of ambient, chilled and frozen products across Wales and the south west of England.
