Abbey Logistics adds nine new Road Tankers to British Sugar Fleet

The new food tanks from Feldbinder form part of a long-term fleet replacement and refurbishment scheme, as Abbey Logistics and British Sugar modernise the fleet used to transport bulk homegrown sugar throughout the UK.

Running more than 90 food-grade road tanker trailers and completing over 350 deliveries each week, Abbey’s food transport operation on behalf of British Sugar is a major undertaking.

To ensure reliability and security of service for British Sugar’s customers, Abbey Logistics has embarked on a substantial fleet upgrade programme that includes replacing a large number of tractor units and food-grade road tankers, and a tanker trailer refurbishment programme to completely overhaul older units on the fleet.

The new FORS Silver accredited road tankers feature several improvements over units being replaced, including Feldbinder’s roll stability protection technology that helps maintain the stability of the tanker while on the road.

An additional improvement that greatly improves usability for the driver and delivers further operational efficiencies is in-built on-board weighing as a driver aid, which provides important information to the driver when discharging.

The new tankers will all run on Goodyear fuel max 2 tyres which improve fuel efficiency through lower rolling resistance and also provide enhanced mileage, traction and reduced noise emissions.

Helping our drivers, the new tanks are all fitted with an improved product discharge valve which enables the driver to have much more control over the flow of product, making deliveries safer by giving the driver greater control over the discharge process.

The new road tankers and the tankers being refurbished will all feature British Sugar’s distinctive livery, providing consistency throughout the fleet and reminding other road users about the environmental benefits of homegrown sugar.

Stewart Dickson, British Sugar’s Interim Head of Logistics said:

“Abbey Logistics’ team of fleet engineers have worked closely with British Sugar’s logistics and commercial team to design road tankers tailored specifically for our business.

“As a result of this upgrade and refurbishment programme, our entire Abbey fleet throughout the UK will carry the message of the benefits of homegrown sugar and provide our customers with the security of service they need.”

Gary Lawson, Abbey Logistics’ National Fleet Manager said:

“These tanks are the first Abbey has been able to specify having inherited the fleet when we began working with British Sugar. We have looked closely at the good and bad points of the fleet to understand where changes can be made.

“By identifying and understanding the weak points we have applied what we have learnt and engineered solutions and improvements to ensure the new tankers provide a reliable, robust and longer operational service life.

We have also built as many of these engineering solutions as possible into the refurbishment programme which is a major step forward in standardising and strengthening this bulk food transport fleet.”