Asset Alliance Group has supplied haulage company NV Transport with four refrigerated Longer Semi-Trailers (LSTs), believed to be the first of their kind to operate in southern England. The reefers have been provided on a seven year full service contract hire agreement and are now part of the distributor’s 60 strong fleet of trailers, two thirds of which are supplied by Asset Alliance.

The four refrigerated LSTs, built by UK manufacturer Gray & Adams, will enhance efficiency and ensure fresh produce can be delivered as quickly as possible to customers such as Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S.

“Supermarkets are pushing for environmental efficiencies, so these trailers are highly appealing to our customers. They allow us to load a lot more pallets, which means we’re getting more out of each chilled produce delivery,” said NV Transport Managing Director Steven Zwinkels.

“We’re not worried about weight as much as other hauliers because we have a lot of salad products, and we can’t use double-deckers because the pallet heights don’t allow us to. These longer trailers give us the efficiency we need and will benefit the environment because fewer vehicles will be on the roads. It’s a case of doing more with less,” he added.

During the seven year agreement, Asset Alliance will retain ownership of the trailers and will cover the associated operational costs, including breakdown cover, maintenance and repair requirements, safety inspections, servicing and tyre replacements.

The excellent, long-standing relationship that the two companies had made it easier for NV Transport to choose its refrigerated LSTs provider.

“We’ve been working with Asset Alliance for around five years now. We’ve grown with them, and they’ve grown with us. They’re an honest company and they’ve always got our back. We greatly value their commitment to reliable, no-nonsense and expedient customer service,” said Zwinkels.