SDC is one of the leading trailer manufacturers in the business, and a familiar name to haulage drivers. Now they’ve released two new models, recently certified to the exacting EN 1264 XL standard. What does this mean? Read on to find out more.
Two New Models
SDC’s two newest models, a dry freight boxvan and a hydraulic lifting deck curtainsider, bring the total number of EN XL-certified trailers the company offers up to ten. Each is designed to be top of the line in trailers of its type, and both meet all industry standards for a safe and reliable trailer.
Certification
EN 1264 XL, or EN XL for short, is a European standard certification for containers. It assesses the whole body of the container, detailing technological and safety features. Accreditation looks closely at how loads are secured, and haulage drivers can recognise a certified trailer by looking for the TÃœV-NORD decals on the front and rear of the container. If you still have any uncertainty, customers are also given a branded certificate, detailing the chassis number of their trailer.
TÃœV-NORD, the Peterborough-based company that tests trailers for certification, carries out a comprehensive and rigorous assessment. They are tested for a variety of conditions, put under stress to ensure they maintain their structural support.
Manufacturers also have a lot of faith in the testing. In the words of SDC’s engineering manager Jimmy Dorian, ‘certification guarantees the quality, build strength and safe load containment of SDC’s new boxvan and hydraulic lifting deck curtainsider.’
Benefits of Certification
All this is well and good, you might say, but how can EN XL-certified trailers benefit the haulage drivers?
For one thing, SDC’s new models offer extraordinary durability, high volume and pleasing aesthetics. The GRP Boxvan, for instance, boasts a galvanised rear frame and crossmembers, while the curtainsider’s built-in control panel allows for easy access and adjustment.
What’s more, they don’t just secure your cargo. As Dorrian notes, the new models ‘have been designed to provide a number of economic cost savings for the operator.’ Both are designed to make the best possible use of space, enabling hauliers to carry more cargo in a single load.
One of the key features of certification, alongside strength and reliability, is ease and speed of loading, and this offers still more benefits to haulage drivers. Certified products require less or no additional load restraint measures, which means that they’re as simple to load and unload as possible. Simpler loading means faster loading, which means greater efficiency for drivers, leading to savings all round.
SDC is proud of its new trailers, noting that they came from continuous review and close work with customers. And, given their high-level certification, the company is right to be confident. Haulage drivers who want quality containers with quick load times need only look for that TÃœV-NORD decal.
Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage drivers with available haulage jobs. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.
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