Taking the lead

As part of an ongoing commitment to keep its fleet of trucks and trailers fresh and relevant for its latest contracts, K&S Corporation has taken delivery of a substantial quantity of Vawdrey Titeliner drop-deck semi-trailers and dollies.

The units were purchased to fulfil a contract in Western Australia to service the mining industry and will be combined together in pairs via dollies and operating as double road train combinations. As per the process of designing and manufacturing bespoke road transport equipment, Vawdrey worked closely with K&S Corporation to ensure that these curtainsiders and dollies are suitable for Australia’s harsh operating conditions.

Market activity in the region has gained momentum since the second half of the year, according to K&S Corporation, following contract awards and new mine developments. Earlier this year, the company announced it was well positioned for growth, with improved trading in Western Australia as well as the Northern Territory markets.  This ethos aligns with Vawdrey’s commitment to supplying quality road transport equipment spec’d for long-term gains and supported nationwide.

The combinations will service the mining industry, providing an express service for machinery spare parts and other time-critical freight to mine sites. Each of the trailers has a 22-pallet capacity and features mezzanine decks to enable maximum payload efficiency with double height loading.

As a proud Australian operator, K&S Corporation is keen to use Australian-built equipment and describes the Vawdrey trailers and dollies as durable and well-built with the inherent capacity to thrive in rugged outback environments of Western Australia, such as the Pilbara region.

The company is also adamant that the safety and wellbeing of its employees is its number one concern. For this reason the new trailers are fitted with a number of workplace health and safety (WH&S) enhancements including Vawdrey’s innovative Lift-A-Gate system.

Lift-A-Gate takes the strain out of the action of removing the gates from the coaming rail. Instead of the traditional method whereby the operator must lift the gate out of the pockets by hand, Lift-A-Gate has a strap which hangs down from the top rail from which the gates are suspended. The strap operates on a pulley system, reducing the effort to lift the gate by half. This means the operator can use one hand to pull down on the strap which lifts the gate up with ease, then the other hand to glide the gate out of the way. It’s a simple yet effective way of reducing the likelihood of back, arm or shoulder strain from repeatedly lifting gates.

In addition to promoting optimal vehicle operator safety, the Lift-A-Gate system also enables significant productivity advantages. For K&S Corporation, the process of loading and unloading is much simpler due to how user-friendly and quick the Lift-A-Gate system is to handle.

As a leading trailer manufacturer, Vawdrey realises the importance of providing a nationwide service network, which is why it has a branch in Western Australia dedicated to the preventative maintenance and regular servicing of everything from single Titeliners to B-triple road train combinations. This is of particular importance, especially for K&S Corporation, where its new road train combinations will see great use throughout Western Australia.

In relation to future equipment purchases, K&S Corporation expects to continue its support of Australian-owned enterprises moving forward, as it seeks to update and expand its fleet in line with the needs of its highly valued customer base.