PD Ports invests £1m in bulk tipper trucks

PD Ports has invested £1m in five bulk tipper trucks for the company’s operations at Teesport. The STAS Agrostar bulk tipper trailers, designed for the unloading of complex compound products such as grain and powder, were deployed this summer alongside five Volvo trucks.

The STAS trailers have advanced safety features, including a pneumatic automatic tailgate which can be operated from inside the driver’s cab for safety – the tailgate is also suspended by a double hinge which allows the door to swing up higher to avoid damage during the unloading process.

Each trailer has a heavy-duty, wear-resistant floor, fitted with underbody vibrators to help avoid the product becoming stuck in the trailer and a PM1155 weighing system, operable by a remote control that can weigh the load to within 10kg.

An additional 10 drivers have also been employed to operate the trailers, with existing drivers in the transport team also undergoing extra training.

More equipment for Tees Dock

The new fleet of bulks tipper trucks is the latest in a series of investments in Tees Dock’s bulks quay, including £9m on two 140t rail-mounted Liebherr electric-hydraulic mobile harbour cranes and self-propelled hoppers and additional load shovels, all of which have seen vessel discharge times improve along with wider efficiencies for customers.

In support of the new fleet, PD Ports has also achieved TASCC Accreditation, the AIC Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops; additionally, all drivers have also had product and TASCC training.

The scheme aims to combine food/feed safety legal requirements with recognised industry good practices and specific customer requirements to provide confidence in the food/feed chain.