Barker Trailers is boosting payloads and productivity for waste, recycling and logistics companies across Australia.
Original equipment manufacturer and second-generation family business Barker Trailers has been manufacturing moving floor trailers for the waste and resource recovery sector since 1996.
In that time, the tried and trusted company has crafted in excess of 600 purpose-built moving floor units, working to drive efficacy and safety – one load at a time.
With ever increasing traffic flows on major roads effecting vehicle movement, Barker’s engineering team has been instrumental in managing design, build and Performance Based Standards (PBS) applications.
This in turn enables its customers far greater versatility in design to increase payload capacity, gain competitive advantages in the market, and importantly, reduce running costs.
One such customer is logistics company Wettenhalls, whose Environmental Services business provides state-of-the-art equipment to safely and efficiently move waste and recycling material from origin to destination.
Operating under the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme and PBS, Wettenhalls provides services to some of the largest waste and recycling businesses in Australia.
To support these operations, the company has developed a long-term relationship with Barker Trailers.
“In in our experience, it’s a quality product backed up by best in class after sales service,” Martin Kelly, Wettenhalls Director, explains.
Wettenhalls runs a number of its large waste contracts across Australia with Barker’s purpose-built high volume 53 foot quad axle trailers, which were developed by working closely with the individual customer to meet ever-changing requirements.
Barker’s customer-centric PBS design has proven fruitful for Wettenhalls, with the Quad Axle Single trailers regularly helping the company achieve an extra three and a half tonne payload compared to conventional trailers.
“We have a lot of high productivity vehicles and everything in the waste space is about efficiency,” Kelly says.
“Getting that extra payload saves us time, trips and therefore money. We can then share those benefits with our customers.”
Similar to Wettenhalls, Barker is not afraid to push boundaries when it comes to increasing payloads and productivity, Kelly adds.
This is demonstrated in Barker’s commitment to continually work with leading suppliers and global technology to deliver exciting solutions to its customers.
“Given our commitment to safety, we are continually looking for ways to improve the safety environment of our drivers,” Kelly says.
“For example our latest trailers, which operate on a new contract in New South Wales, can be operated from the cabin via a remote control, which is an incredible safety benefit as the driver doesn’t have to leave the cabin to load or unload.
“I think that highlights Barker’s willingness to adapt to their customer’s requirements.
“Whether its safety, productivity or performance, they are enthusiastic about achieving the best outcome. Our objectives are always front of mind for Barker.”
Barker’s trailers are quality crafted, using Australian steel and aluminium to offer a long road life. The relatively indestructible nature of their trailers, under normal operating conditions, translates to higher resale value and a resultant low, whole-of-life cost of ownership.
While Barker’s moving floor trailers are suited to a range of industries, for operators dealing with waste and recycling, the company provides specialised options, including fully chassis design for extreme duty applications, various levels of wall reinforcements, leak resistant floor options, along with roof tarp and rear door options.
The company’s unique steel top rail design protects the tarp system and trailer from loader damage when loaded from above, with a purpose-designed and fabricated shroud running the full length of the trailer.
Additionally, all hydraulic functions can be operated from the front of the trailer, allowing the operator to remain in the safe zone close to the truck and away from the discharging product.
Safety is one of the key benefits of the moving floor trailer, particularly its ability to operate safely on any surface, a feature that is critical in the varied and harsh environments of the waste and resource recovery industry.
Safety is also a key consideration for Tasman Logistics, which is why, when approached by waste management giant Cleanaway to move 200,000 tonnes of waste product a year, they looked to Barker’s for their moving floor trailer.
“These are the best trailers for waste products given the messy and varied nature of the material, and instead of using tippers and other equipment, Barker’s moving floor trailers are a lot safer – which is a big thing for us. Our Compliance GM is very strict,” Ivan Vanis, Tasman Logistics CEO, says.
“It’s also about the quality of Barker’s work. There’s only a couple of other players that do moving floors, and in my opinion, Barker are by far the best.”
Tasman Logistics, which has a total storage capacity of 100,000 square metres and moves between 35-40,000 containers each year, is committed to remaining a high-quality service provider that offers the market a reliable alternative in logistics and supply chain partnerships.
The company provides end-to-end transport solutions, third party logistics and cargo services.
As a successful logistics business that is built on fine margins, Vanis highlights the significant time savings facilitated by Barker’s moving floor trailers.
He adds that they are simple to operate, meaning the company doesn’t have to spend an abundance of time training its drivers.
“The trailers unload quicker than previous models we’ve had experience with, the old ones took roughly 45 minutes and Barker’s take 20, that’s more than half the unloading time,” Vanis says.
Since partnering up with Barker in 2020, Tasman Logistics has purchased 10 units, with another 10 set to arrive in coming weeks.
“This was our first foray into moving floor trailers, and the best thing about Barker is their expertise. They live and breathe trailers and advised us on what and what not to do with the units,” Vanis says.
“We like to think outside the square and so does Barker. As a business, we deliver a high-end, high-quality service and it’s important that we have equipment to match that.
“My pitch to clients is: do you want to fly at the back of the plane or the front? And Barker’s trailers reflect that.”
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