London, UK: Temperature-controlled transport business P&S Logistics has taken delivery of an eye-catching Mercedes-Benz Actros GigaSpace rigid truck, with Schmitz Cargobull M.KO Cool body. The bespoke vehicle was designed and built over the course of 15 months – a process that owner-operator Phillip Hudson describes as a “labour of love”.
Hudson embarked on the upgrade of the 26-tonner with the aim of maximising the flexibility of his Middlesex-based European food distribution operations. Built by Schmitz Cargobull in Lithuania, the refrigerated box body M.KO Cool was shipped to the UK and fitted with Carrier Transicold’s Supra 1150 multi-temperature fridge and Eco-Drive power module. The tail-lift was sourced from Germany, with additional truck specifications including Kelsa light bars, safety cameras and interior equipment. The rigid was finished with a hand-painted livery, in original designs to reflect different aspects of the business.
Hudson also operates a Schmitz Cargobull drawbar reefer with a Carrier Transicold Supra 1050 unit. The Eco-Drive is able to run both the truck fridge and the trailer cooling unit electrically off the truck engine’s power take-off.
The drawbar was built to the same high specification as the rigid. “What I have is very rare. I wanted to create something highly-specced which stands out from the crowd that I can use for the long-term. With the technology fitted, the truck and drawbar meet all the regulations, which has future-proofed my business,” says Hudson.
“I am very happy with it. It was a labour of love putting it together, but now it allows me to do things that some other businesses cannot. I have the ability to use three different temperature zones – ambient, chilled and frozen, depending on what my customers want. If I have work that only requires a 26-tonne truck, or there are weight restrictions, I can just park the drawbar. The bespoke, mechanically operated tail-lift also enables easy and quick loading and unloading of pallets by electric pump trucks.”
P&S Logistics’ relationship with Schmitz Cargobull dates back more than five years. The company first supplied Hudson with a rigid reefer in 2016 to expand the business. “Schmitz Cargobull are incredible at dealing with my requests for each order. I wouldn’t buy a box body from anybody else. Despite the build being so complex, they resolved all the challenges in a timely manner. I keep returning to them because of the quality of their products and excellent customer service,” he says.
