On the Strait and narrow

Fresh Freight is modernising its cold chain fleet with Vawdrey Australia. A new batch of Iceliner freezer vans are expected to boost productivity along Bass Strait.

Fresh Freight provides door-to-door freight forwarding services between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Michael Leonard, General Manager of the Fresh Freight Tasmania business, says the company specialises in the transportation of temperature controlled and ambient food grade products.

“Since our inception in 2003, we have experienced significant growth and continue to service a diverse customer base which includes aquaculture, horticulture, agriculture, dairy and meat,” he says.

Currently, Fresh Freight has four depots – three in Tasmania (Spreyton, Legana and Bridgewater) and one in Victoria (Laverton North) – and primarily focuses its operations on the Trans-Bass lane but also offers an Australia-wide service.

“Our service and transit times in to and out of Tasmania sets us apart from the competition,” Michael says. “Fresh Freight’s goal is to offer its customers a practical and efficient solution for their freight requirements.”

Fresh Freight Tasmania, according to Michael, has experienced significant growth since it commenced operations in 2003.

“We are committed to continuing to offer our existing customer base the highest level of service and strive for excellence across all aspects of our business,” he says. “We are constantly looking for ways we can innovate and develop as a business, this includes investing in and upgrading our equipment. Recently, we have installed 30 new Carrier HE19 model fridges on our trailers as well as working on the build of several new Iceliners to add to our existing fleet with Vawdrey Australia.”

Vawdrey, according to Michael, are recognised as a reputable supplier within the industry. “Fresh Freight understands the importance of investing in the best equipment to service our customers’ requirements,” he says. “We appreciate the personal touch and better service that comes from working with family businesses like Vawdrey.”

The Iceliner entered the Australian market in 2002 – on the back of the extremely popular Vawdrey dryfreight FRP van – and has since developed a strong presence in the refrigerated transport industry. This specialised reefer design is manufactured and assembled at Vawdrey Australia’s Dandenong South plant, offering fleet operators greater flexibility in specifications along with faster turnaround times.

Vawdrey’s refrigerated trailer builds are robust and Australian-made, addressing the needs of the Australian heavy duty refrigeration market.

Locally engineered and manufactured to suit the requirements of Australian refrigerated transport operators, Iceliner trailers are available in -18°C, -28°C and multi-temperature specifications. These complete units, manufactured in-house at Vawdrey Australia’s Dandenong South plant, are well suited to both distribution and heavy duty applications.

A full-length lightweight steel chassis, according to Vawdrey, gives the trailer the added strength and durability that is necessary for heavy duty applications without adversely affecting payload capacity.

Other Iceliner features that come as standard include full width skid plate and lead in plates as well as cross member end cap side rails in one piece that provides a stronger join between the trailer walls and the floor. Also, laminated fibreglass internal joins provide a stronger, leak proof and more efficient body.

A recent extension to Fresh Freight’s Bridgewater freezer has taken it from a 2,000 pallet facility to a 5,000 pallet facility.

“Our sister company SeaRoad, which Fresh Freight has a shareholding in, has a new ship that has just arrived,” Michael says. “This will have a significant impact on the Trans-Bass shipping lane and will offer the Fresh Freight business greater flexibility and continued support for volume growth.”

The Iceliners joining Fresh Freight’s fleet are engineered and manufactured for long-term use and optimised for high productivity.

Fast Fact: The Iceliner is also well suited for Performance-Based Standards (PBS) applications including 30m and 36.6m A-doubles, 30m B-doubles, 26- and 28-pallet single trailers in tri- and quad-axle configurations and 42m AB-triple combinations.