Transdek provides double deck trailer for Thomas Ridley Foodservice

Transdek UK has supplied a high-specification multi-temperature DUET Wedge double deck trailer to foodservice operator Thomas Ridley, along with a new loading bay facility. The project, which forms part of Thomas Ridley’s supply chain efficiency programme, has also won the Temperature Controlled Storage & Distribution Award for Innovation 2015.

Thomas Ridley Foodservice provides a total solution for the catering industry, delivering a comprehensive range of chilled, ambient and frozen products, both locally and nationally. The company services a wide range of customers, such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, schools and leisure facilities.

Paul Farrow, Distribution Manager at Thomas Ridley, said: “We aimed to introduce a cost effective, environmentally friendly solution to trunk multi-temperature produce from our national distribution centre (NDC) at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, to a new facility at Paddock Wood in Tunbridge Wells to support our continued growth.

“By commencing two daily Wedge trailer trunk deliveries, we can transport the equivalent of four 13.6-metre single deck trailers on this 216-mile round trip. This equates to saving 432 miles per day, or more than 157,248 miles a year, generating an annual reduction of over 190,000kg CO2 and over £200,000 in transport costs.”

Transdek, specialists in the double deck sector, custom designed and built the multi-temperature Wedge double deck trailer for Thomas Ridley. It is capable of transporting up to 50 standard pallets or up to 90 roll cages, twice the load of a standard single deck reefer.

The trailer incorporates Transdek’s unique, patent applied ‘Wedge’ chassis design, which allows full-height loading on both decks, including over the slimline 76mm neck. It is also fitted with Transdek’s patented insulated twin-slide vertical door system, with a four-part sliding insulated curtain on the inside of each deck to create additional thermal integrity. Opening one deck at a time after docking, the system offers further improvements in thermal efficiency, driver safety and anti-theft security.

The trailer is specified with a low-noise, low-emission Thermo King SLXe Spectrum 3 Zone refrigeration unit and three off S3 remote evaporator units, giving three independent temperature zones with a range of -20ºC to +7ºC. A removable bi-fold plug type insulated bulkhead is fitted on the bottom deck to separate frozen/chilled or chilled/ ambient compartments.

The fixed second deck comprises a 40mm aluminium panel with 30mm base insulation and an innovative fully-bonded angle to eliminate thermal bridging. Compared to lifting deck alternatives, the Wedge trailer offers at least three-tonnes more payload, enabling more efficient transport with lower running costs, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

All internal and external lights are based on ultra low-energy LED technology, with two-off PIR-operated 12,600 lumens strip LEDs fitted internally on both top and bottom decks – a first in the UK. A lightweight, slimline, two-tier column tail-lift facilitates easy offloading at the Paddock Wood distribution centre.

Farrow added: “From the start Transdek understood our requirements and we’ve worked closely to develop a bespoke trailer that provides a flexible solution to manage multi-temperature deliveries and reduce cost and our carbon footprint.”