Dennis Eagle is building an urban skip-loader version of its low-entry Elite 6 chassis to go out on trial with operators as part of the Clocs initiative next spring.

The Warwick-based manufacturer, already a major player in the low-entry RCV market, is now aiming to gain a foothold in the urban construction and general haulage sectors.

It will offer its Elite 6 chassis initially as a 4x2 skiploader as part of Clocs programme, with six and eight-wheeler variants to come. Body options will include tipper, skip-loader, concrete mixer and curtainsider.

Lee Rowland, sales & marketing manager at Dennis Eagle, said the company's low-entry cab, with larger windows providing enhanced direct vision for drivers [compared to traditional high-cab designs], offers a narrow chassis option for greater manoeuvrability in built-up areas.

“The Elite 6 narrow is a firm favourite with our customers, as it can navigate heavy traffic with ease,” Rowland said.

The Clocs demonstrator model will be fitted with a Dawes Highway Drop-Down side-protection barrier for vulnerable road users, which the company discovered when it was launched at the Freight in the City Expo in London in October.

Rowland said: “In a marketplace that is flooded with technology designed to make vehicles safer, the Drop-Down product stood out as a true innovation.”

He added: “We have been working very closely with Clocs to improve safety for vulnerable road users, and have seen recent legislation to enforce the use of lateral protection to the side of vehicles.

"This is great, but there is still a gap between the vehicle and the road which leaves cyclists/pedestrians open to being dragged under the vehicle in the event of a collision. The Drop-Down product bridges that gap by maintaining constant contact with the road.”

The Clocs demonstrator, which will hit the roads next March, will also feature a four-way camera system developed by ISS.

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