Review by Paul Neal

Paul Neal, who has recently been named as the 2020 Future Fleet Forum Driver of the Year. gives his insight into working with Transcovers and their unique UnderCover sheeting system for hookloaders.  As an HGV driver and Logistics Supervisor operating in London, he has vast experience of working in one of the busiest cities in the world; the City of London.  Paul has worked for the multi award-winning O’Donovan Waste Disposal for 22 years – a leading independent waste management company specialising in construction and demolition waste, operating a fleet of 100 lorries in the capital.  Paul helps train and mentor colleagues and  is involved in O’Donovan’s community work – sharing his experience and promoting best practice to other road users through educational safety programmes.

How long have you been operating the UnderCover sheeting system?

When we first used the UnderCover sheeting system in 2017, we had it retro-fitted to one of our hookloaders and we were very impressed.  Now, when ordering new UnderCover Systems for hookloaders, we have them factory fitted. A lot of thought and consideration went into the specification and we wanted it to meet all the demands needed to work in London. Narrow streets, underground loading docks and cycle safety were all factors alongside being able to do the job of a 32 ton truck.

How does the design compare to previous sheeting systems you have used?

The innovative design of the UnderCover is the main reason we chose to have it fitted. The arms come right into the body and underneath the container, they do not add any width and do not obstruct any part of the vehicle while travelling. On other available sheeting systems, the arms are generally  6 – 8 inches wider than the truck on each side, which not only makes the whole vehicle wider, but leaves the arms more prone to damage.

What features do you like best about the system?

The ability to see all of the vehicle in the mirrors while manoeuvring is paramount. The remote control has also been a welcome addition, occasionally the sheet has been caught on waste in the bin but easily freed using the remote control and pole supplied. 

Have you found this system to be reliable?

Yes, the system works perfectly fine. We have found that showing the operator exactly how to use the equipment helps with reliability and longevity. 

What would you say to other customers thinking of choosing an UnderCover system?

We think it is a great sheeting system that meets all of our requirements. If you are in the market for an easysheet, you seriously should consider  the UnderCover from Transcover. 

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Sales Manager for Transcover Colin Bartram commented; “We would like to thank Paul for his feedback and kind words. Transcover have taken over 4 years designing and testing the UnderCover and it is really great that operators are experiencing the benefits.”

The UnderCover is a patented British design, for more information visit http://www.transcover.com

So, as 2019 draws to a close the time has come to tell you that our last opportunity for UK pre- Christmas delivery is Thursday 19th December.

The year has seen some great internal projects come to fruition as bolt-on interchangeable initiatives and packaging improvements begin to filter through to our customers, all designed to improve production and delivery times and to keep the wheels turning once on the road.

We have also seen a healthy growth in sales as operators buy in to the focus that Transcover have on automatic covering. Whether it be the cost and availability of parts, our level of support or the functionality of the equipment itself, customers are beginning to dictate what works for them. No longer is a sheeting system just an unspecified after thought.

So, thank you to all of our customers for your business this year, we really appreciate working with you and look forward to what the future holds.

Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year from all of us at Transcover.

Transcover are to exhibit our new URBAN™ collection of sheeting systems at the Freight in the City Expo later this year.

The stand will be displaying our new URBAN™ TipperCover and URBAN™ UnderCover sheeting solutions for hookloaders and tipping trucks.

In recent years we have seen initiatives on trucks including more cameras, direct vision door panels, blind spot sensors and side void covering panels to ensure a safe environment for cyclists and pedestrians alike. Yet sheeting system arms on tippers and hookloaders have continued to protrude from the body at low level; reducing driver vision whilst remaining a potential collision threat.

The urban range of products will allow operators for the first time to truly keep the area below 2m free from protruding sheeting arms and give pedestrians, cyclists and other road users more confidence to venture out on the City streets.

We look forward to seeing you there where we can show you these innovative new sheeting solutions in action.

The Transcover DoubleCover™ sheeting system has proven popular in Australia and these pictures are of one of a number of units that have been working for Sims Metal Management in the Pilbara region and have been supplied by our exclusive dealer West-Trans Equipment.

The DoubleCover is particularly popular with scrap metal operators and those working in harsh loading environments as there are no central hinges or framework to damage when loading as the rear apex is operated simply by the steel cables running the length of the body. This also allows for the natural swell of a loaded trailer and keeps the weight to a minimum. This version of the product was designed by the team at Transcover to comply with the strict height and width requirements in Australia and has now been included as our standard product for this application.

The kit comes in both manual and fully hydraulic versions and is also a great solution for trailers loaded by crane.

West-Trans Equipment have been making and supplying equipment to the Australian waste and construction industries for over 25 years and have been Transcover partners for nearly 5 years supporting Transcover products from their 5 locations throughout Australia.

For more information on West-Trans Equipment: http://www.west-trans.com.au/tarping-systems

This week sees the launch of the Transcover UniCover sheeting system; a project which has come about to bring fixed arm sheeting systems into the 21st century.

Although we have many customers who still weld our sheeting systems onto the sub-frame and send the equipment to paint we have seen operational shifts towards entirely bolt on requirements and with these come other challenges.

Paint and handling of equipment becomes much more important as goods need to be received and handled in a way that gives the customer the delivered finish that they deserve on their new vehicle. For this to be the case packaging must be fully considered and one of the great things about the UniCover is that it shares our UnderCover jigged packaging solutions that support and protect the parts in transit. (Please see our previous blog on packaging for more information.)

A fast and consistent installation is also something that benefits the bolt on style. The UniCover system saves 8-10 man hours and also has the benefit of allowing our partners to reach to a nearby shelf should an item be dropped or scratched and access spare parts because the UniCover and UnderCover share 95% of components and offer the full solution. Equipment manufacturers at the top of their game often have trucks queued out the door so our aim is to help them make the turn around times of Transcover sheeting systems as fast as possible whilst maintaining a consistently high quality product. This allows them to concentrate on their core business and delivery schedules.

Once in the field support is also better as the UniCover is independent of the hook equipment making diagnostics much more simple as there are no variations in installation. Spare parts will also no longer need to go to a workshop for welding as customers will have the flexibility to either use a Transcover agent or service their own repairs on site with painted replacement bolt on items. Also, the cylinders are now shared with our UnderCover which means they have greatly improved rod diameters, check valves and over-centre valves for improved safety.

Overall the UniCover takes from our experiences and those of our agents and customers to become part of an improved and unified sheeting range alongside the UnderCover (hydraulic width adjusting system.) One fixed system that adjusts for whole vehicle type approval and trailer applications, offers a remote control option and covers 15-55 yard containers. For more information contact sales@transcover.com

The delivered quality of Transcover goods has always been important but as the industry moves towards fully bolted solutions our kits are often installed as delivered without ever coming in contact with a paint booth.

In response to this challenge we have looked at all of our processes and have used CAD software to develop jigged packaging for all of our systems. This ensures that not only are our products picked and packed correctly through our facility, they can be easily checked and installed with minimum disruption to both to the workshop and the paint finish.

Small items will be packed in individual boxes corresponding to images which makes them simple to find and soft modelled spacers will keep the goods secure and unblemished during transit.

Bespoke wooded cartons (designed and built in-house) offer further protection and allow the kits to be stacked and stored safely outside if necessary and can be collapsed for shipment and reused.

The project will continue as the environmental and recyclable elements of our packaging will remain a focus for our ongoing improvement.

We are very pleased to announce that we have further expanded the Transcover family with 5 more staff employed across our machining, fabrication and sales departments in order to keep up with our customers ever growing needs.

Colin Bartram comments; “There are some exciting development projects in the final stages of research and development here at Transcover and it is of huge importance that we recognise the trends and put a structure in place to support these areas of growth.”

Welcome to the team Deke, Aaron, Josef, Adam and Emily; we look forward to working with you for many years to come.

Transcover are pleased to introduce our new team member Rex Wingham.

Rex is a 9 week old Chocolate Labrador who has been specifically chosen for both his good temperament and his previous experience of working within a team. He has already shown an interest in dealing with office tasks such as paper shredding and greeting visitors and will be working closely with Vicky at the factory in Aylesford, Kent.

We hope that you will join us all in welcoming young Rex to the business and wish him all the best as he settles in. *

(*Please feel free to make a fuss of him because he seems to like the attention!)

Transcovers Mark Bridger achieved his dream of becoming England ABA Light-Middleweight Boxing Champion on the 27th May.

Mark has worked at Transcover for over 10 years now as part of our Assembly and Dispatch Team and spends his spare time training hard with the Swanley Boxing Club.

We know all the time, hard work and dedication Mark has put into his boxing training and for him to reach his goal is such an amazing achievement.

Congratulations Champ!

Huge congratulations to Rick and Joanna Oliver who tied the knot on Saturday.

Rick has worked at Transcover for over 10 years as part of the engineering team specialising in CAD design and will be familiar to those of our customers who have had bespoke equipment designed here or have required adjustments in fabricated parts or engineering drawings.

On behalf of all of us here at Transcover we wish Rick and Joanna every happiness in their future lives together.