How does my rear look?
First impressions do count
As a motorist, I spend a lot of my looking at the backs of trailers on the road – as I assume many hundreds of motorists do too. It struck me recently that many firms are missing a trick by allowing locking bars to distort their branding, contact details or preventing the sale of the space for advertising.
Looking for an answer as to why this is such a regular occurance for the freight industry, I talked to Paul Avery, Managing Director of Schmitz Cargobull, who said: “Companies look to keep costs low and it’s therefore commonplace to see dry freight trailers with rear doors sporting conspicuous locking gear. While these doors might work absolutely fine on a practical level, at a time when everyone is ‘brand savvy’, the results can lead to a lacklustre livery, which won’t benefit a business. They can be a marketing department’s worst nightmare!”
Locking gear on the rear doors can often obscure valuable business information such as phone numbers and website addresses, or even block out a clear view of a company’s logo or brand names. Brands don’t seem to realise that the back of a trailer is prime advertising space – so by making sure it’s as attractive as possible, it could be much easier to make an impression or even a profit.
“We’ve many customers who have eye-catching liveries that simply wouldn’t be possible on a standard door with external locking gear.” Avery continued. “The result is their operations look neater, cleaner and more striking – while they still benefit from high quality German-engineered trailers, truly the best of both worlds.”
Schmitz Cargobull launched its new fixed-roof curtainsider 12 months ago, with key features including an aluminium front bulkhead with galvanised steel front and rear corner posts – a specification favoured by many domestic operators as it allows free side loading without the forklift truck requiring a side-shift capability. It also includes wraparound curtains and a front ratchet tensioner, together with flush rear doors.
