Logistics giant orders 123 Petit Forestier trucks featuring Carrier Transicold refrigeration technology

Petit Forestier has supplied 123 rigid trucks to a major logistics customer, all featuring Carrier Transicold Syberia MT (multi-temperature) systems.

The move comes after a successful trial of two seed vehicles and represents the largest UK order for Carrier Transicold’s engineless truck refrigeration technology,

Petit Forestier declined to reveal the identity of the customer but said the the new vehicles will help to significantly improve sustainability across its fleet.

Supplied on full-service seven-year contract hire, the new assets include a mix of 15, 18 and 26-tonne DAF trucks and will make food and beverage deliveries to well-known high street coffee shops and a national chain of hotels.

The vehicles feature specialist bodywork from Solomon Commercials, with chilled and frozen compartments that incorporate a moving interior spine to allow both cages and pallets to be transported. The Syberia unit is mounted above the cab with no need for a separate fuel tank. This provides space on the chassis to store and carry waste intended for recycling.

Commented Petit Forestier MD Helder Ribeiro: “We’ve worked closely with Carrier and our customer to ensure every aspect of the build helps them improve the sustainability of the fleet.

“Having performed impeccably on two trial vehicles, Carrier’s engineless technology plays an integral role in this process. With no need to run an auxiliary diesel engine, we can deliver a significant cut in emissions, without sacrificing performance.”

The vehicles delivering to coffee shops feature twin compartments for transporting chilled and frozen food to a chain of 2,500 outlets.

Those operating on the hotel contract benefit from triple compartments for delivering frozen, chilled and ambient products. All the trucks will operate on high-intensity, multi-drop delivery routes, making powerful, reliable refrigeration unit performance imperative.

The Syberia system runs on power derived directly from the truck’s Euro-6 diesel engine, thanks to Carrier Transicold’s Eco-Drive power module. The system uses a hydraulic pump connected to the truck engine’s power take-off, driving a generator capable of delivering electrical power to the unit that can provide 100% refrigeration capacity, even at standard idle speed.

Each Eco-Drive unit is fully integrated into the Syberia system above the cab, leaving more space on the chassis to house the truck’s recycling lockers. The system also boasts rapid temperature pull-down capability and operates at a PIEK-compliant level below 60 dB(A) – aiming to make it ideal for intensive urban delivery routes.

“The build process has gone seamlessly from start to finish, and that’s down to how closely all involved have worked together,” said Ribeiro. “This project was designed to showcase our customer’s commitment to sustainability and the environment, and Carrier has played a major role in this successful outcome.”

The vehicles will operate across the UK, clocking up between 45,000 and 67,000 miles per year.