A Lockwood Group first after choosing Schmitz for semi-trailer delivery

The curtainsiders – which were built at Schmitz Cargobull’s production facility in Manchester – will be used for general haulage duties across the UK.

Jason Lockwood, group operations director at Lockwood Group, said Schmitz had been able to offer it a very competitive price: “These are the first trailers we have had from Schmitz Cargobull and the early impressions are hugely positive,” he said.

“The lightweight build of these curtainsiders will help our payload, and we were keen to try out the disc brakes on these new additions too, which we had heard very good things about in comparison to the drum brakes that we have on our existing trailer fleet.”

The semi-trailers are built on the manufacturer’s fully galvanised Modulos chassis, which comes with a 10-year warranty against rust-through.

They also have Rotos axles that are covered by a 1,000,000km or six-year warranty, whichever comes first. Each new trailer features an XL load securing side curtain with standard anti-theft protection and a Schmitz Cargobull aluminium roof, allowing a side loading height of up to 3,100mm.

Lockwood added: “The lead time was excellent and the fact that they are manufactured in the UK worked really well from a sustainability perspective.

“We do a lot of collections in Manchester, so we were able to send drivers up in an uncoupled tractor unit, collect a trailer and make a collection on the way back.”

The family-run haulier was established in 1965, by father and son Frank and Doug Lockwood.