09 August 2022
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New tractor units specified with Carrier Transicold’s ECO-DRIVE technology mean that Carmarthenshire-based food wholesaler Castell Howell can now drive its Vector trailer systems via the trucks’ own engines. The move is designed to help reduce running costs and increase fleet sustainability.
A Carrier Transicold customer for 30 years, Castell Howell added two new ECO-DRIVE-equipped Volvo FH tractors, as well as the first of two new 13.6-metre Gray & Adams double deck trailers mounted with Carrier Transicold Vector HE 19 refrigeration units, to its fleet.
Martin Jones, transport director at Castell Howell, said: “As a business, we’re always looking to stay at the forefront of the technology curve and adding the ECO-DRIVE to these tractor units was an exciting next step for our operation. They will interface perfectly with our existing Carrier fridge units, giving us genuine hybrid flexibility across our trailer fleet.
“If you couple that with the associated backup and support we can call on throughout their service partner network, it’s a win-win for the business. The great thing about ECO-DRIVE is that with the technology supplied by Carrier, I know it will interface perfectly with my fridge equipment.”
Compatible with the electric architecture of its existing Carrier Transicold Vector HE 19 and 1950 MT trailer units, the technology delivers improved sustainability through reduced emissions and lower fuel requirements, key features that are becoming increasingly important with rising fuel costs.
The ECO-DRIVE power module uses a hydraulic pump connected to the truck engine’s power take-off, which drives a generator that delivers the electrical power required to run any of Castell Howell’s Vector units. The power is delivered independent of the truck’s engine speed, ensuring 100% refrigeration capacity even when the vehicle is idling.
“Castell Howell has been an early adopter for many of our new technologies,” said Tony Biggs, key account manager, Carrier Transicold. “They were one of the first to specify the Vector HE 19 and have seen the performance benefits of the ECO-DRIVE on the engineless Iceland units they run in their rigid truck fleet.”
