Acklea extends plastic traffic management vehicle range

Acklea has extended its range of recyclable plastic-bodied 7.2t commercial vehicles with a new tail-lift model.

Created for highway service provider Ringway Jacobs, the new plastic-bodied tail-lift truck has been designed as a dual-purpose vehicle, both for the installation of a lane closure or for the deployment of temporary traffic lights.

The payload capacity enables it to carry twice as much as a typical 3.5t vehicle, enabling it to replace multiple 3.5t traffic management vehicles and trailers on typically narrower, slower roads, says the traffic management vehicle specialist.

Clive Brocklehurst, product manager at Acklea, said: “Our lightweight plastic-bodied trucks are becoming a mainstay of traffic management as operators look to increase sustainability and reduce cost.

“This new tail-lift design is the first built for use both on and outside the high-speed road network, creating greater flexibility.

“It makes maintenance and replacement of traffic lights far more efficient and reduces congestion as it requires just this one vehicle rather than several working together.”

A recyclable co-polymer plastic body makes the family of 7.2t vehicles as lightweight as possible and reduces both fuel consumption and emissions.

“The copolymer plastic is lightweight, recyclable and incredibly tough, which reduces downtime and additional repair costs,” continued Brocklehurst.

“The vehicles can also be further tailored to match each customer’s individual requirements.”

The modular design, says Acklea, can reduce wholelife costs by up to 30%.

It uses durable, recyclable copolymer plastic means the bodies can be reused with a new chassis and cab, increasing the lifespan of its reusable parts into a second or potentially third life and enables the vehicles to benefit as new chassis technology is introduced.

The material is lightweight, low maintenance, zero corrosion, heat- and chemical-resistant and also impact-resistant, explained Acklea.

The truck is based on the Iveco Daily 7t chassis and includes: Axtec on-board weighing system with audible alarm to indicate axle overloading based on combined front and rear axle weights; Motormax vehicle warning and camera system to protect unsecured equipment when doors are left unlocked; vehicle immobilisation when the tail-lift is not stored securely; and LED illumination throughout.

Furthermore, it includes non-slip floor, galvanised fall protection rails and powder-coated drop sides; and full chapter eight-compliant beacons, markings and signage.

David Bonehill, head of fleet at Ringway Jacobs, said: “We needed a new kind of traffic management vehicle for our work on rural and urban roads in Cheshire East, and Acklea has delivered a remarkable unit that is able to replace multiple vehicles.

“It also means we’re using a bespoke vehicle rather than relying on a traffic management truck built for motorway usage that might not have the right equipment for our needs.

“The Acklea team’s commitment and dedication in ensuring we received exactly what we needed, with the right level of safety equipment, was second to none. I can see this new vehicle being invaluable for operators around the UK.”

Acklea was acquired in July 2019 by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and operates in the Flex-E-Rent division, which has over 45,000 commercial vehicles for rental including a fleet of traffic management vehicles.