The flat bed truck or simply ‘flat truck’ is a truly flexible workhorse. With a minimalist body, there is not much to bend or break and there are no loading restrictions like side rails, posts or curtains to get in the way. Also known as platform trucks, the major downside to a flatbed lorry is that the loads are exposed to the British weather as well as the time it takes to cover the load with sheets. Every general haulage company will have at least one flatbed truck on their fleet – usually at different weight ranges. A 7.5 tonne flatbed is just the job for running local errands, as the journeys are shorter and the weather more predictable. Eighteen tonne flatbed trucks – or indeed even triaxle flatbed semi-trailers are great for longer distance work, but the driver will need to be fully up to speed with how to safely rope and sheet a load.
There is always a great choice of used flatbed trucks for sale on Truckpages. There is less to go wrong with a flat truck, as there is a lot less bodywork to damage, so inspecting a used example on sale at your local dealer should be less of a challenge. The buyer can focus all efforts on checking over the driveline and cab, tyres etc. rather than inspecting the bodywork in more detail.
Even if a truck only works within a 10 mile radius of its base, it has to be reliable and safe. To buy their first truck for local operation, Wessington Cryogenics chose a Mercedes Actros. The 18-tonne Actros was supplied by local Dealer Bell Truck and Van and boasts the manufacturer’s new MirrorCam system. The vehicle has a Classic Space S day cab and, as an 1824 variant, employs a 7.7-litre in-line six-cylinder engine that produces 175 kW (238 hp); this is paired with an eight-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated manual transmission. Its platform body, meanwhile, is by Dependable Bodies,…>
National provider of plant and site equipment, Garic, has taken delivery of four new Volvo FH 8x2 rear-steer rigids and one Volvo FM Globetrotter 6x2 rigid, with several additional FMs to follow later in the year. Supplying dealer Thomas Hardie Commercials fought off two rival manufacturers to win this latest order, with Volvo now the dominant force in the company’s 30-strong fleet. Barrie Ashcroft, Fleet Maintenance Manager at Garic commented: “We’ve had a great working relationship with Volvo for the past three years and we’re keen to add more of their products to our operation. In total, around 85 per…>
It was avoiding the need to stop for forced regeneration of the aftertreatment system that led to Iveco Retail’s sale to Navajo Leasing of three new 18-tonne Eurocargo flatbed rigids to its fleet, with a further order planned for later in 2020. If a truck does not carry out any motorway work for a while, there is insufficient heat generated in the exhaust system to burn off the deposits in the treatment system. As the trucks spend their life inside an airport, they are unlikely to reach…>