Hi
we are not a transport company, with O licence, but are looking at using 40ft box trailers for on site offices ( which woudl be transported by a 3rd party haulage contractors tractor unit) . These might be on site for anywhere from 4-8 months at a location, before moving to thier next destination. Maximum loading would be 1500 kg whenever on the road. i am looking for an honest opinion on what we should do on inspection, as googling around there seems to be very diverse guidance. As our application is a special one - where loading is very light, and use is very light, it is impractical to do regular inspections, is there a way we can justify doing every year only?
Are you sure you want 40ft trailers? They went out 25 years ago. The standard max length has been 45ft since 1990. You might find modern 40ft (12m) trailers that have been ordered specially.
No, any vehicle or trailer deteriorates from being parked unused for an extended period. This is sometimes referred to as Standing Still Disease. This is exacerbated if parked other than on concrete or tarmac. The tyres, braking and electrical systems will all suffer from, probably unseen, corrosion, mould, condensation or exposure to UV light.
4 to 8 months is a significant amount of time which any reputable haulier would find excessive, way exceeding an acceptable period between safety inspections. Particularly relevant will be that since the beginning of the month trailers (and vehicles) are required to have a loaded roller brake test at every safety inspection.
With respect, I would also guess that these will not be spring chickens that are being used for this purpose, you would need to bear in mind that the maximum allowable period between inspections for any vehicle or trailer aged 12 years or older is 6 six weeks. Since you mention trailers in plural I would suggest that you rotate them for inspection at an appropriate interval : either 6 or 8 weeks according to age.
Legally the relevant haulier chosen will actually be the one responsible for ensuring inspections are carried out. However I would be very careful about letting certain persons in an organisation know that since it may come back to bite.
A very important point.
The sub-contracted haulier will be (if at all competent) looking at the safety of theses trailers very closely before taking them on the road.
It looks like the trailers are not on anyone’s O-Licence? If so they would not be subject to any obligatory checks except an MOT would they?
Are they actually goods vehicles? If so they should be on an O-Licence shouldn’t they? I don’t know.
Given the deterioration @cav551 has mentioned to any vehicle sat for a while, would it not be better to think of along more conventional lines of Containers or portakabins?
Having expensive running gear sat still is not a good idea. The cost and time of getting it up scratch, especially away from home base is not small.
I haven’t personal experience of them, but is there a demountable solution that would allow the cargo space to stay in location while the trailer comes and goes as required?
It seems logical, and cheaper, to convert 40’ containers. Deliver and pick them up with a little, single drive truck and sidelift trailer.
1 Like
ok 45 ft is fine …
ok thanks for painting the picture…
Thanks for your input
Exactly what I was thinking.
Cheaper and easier to deal with than an actual trailer with all it’s running gear. Possibly easier to secure on an unmanned site if a steel one is bought. Possible to place in an awkward position by crane if necessary. No need for steps to access it.
20, 40, 45 ft available.
Cheaper than a decent running trailer. Maintenance of one trailer (your haulier’s anyway) instead of loads of them. No tyres to go flat or be nicked.
Hard to see a downside to containers.
Your last question first - can you do annual inspection only. Yes you could, but it would be a dodgy haulier who would tow it without knowing it had undergone a periodic inspection(PMI) in the recent past (within prev 12wks absolute max).
As others say, better modifying a traditional container and get it lifted as and when needed