Why large rigids & small artics on company HGV fleets?

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

For example, a supermarket has 35 foot long, large rigids and also artic trailers that are about 30 foot long. Why is that?

Because potentially the rigid is can be used in more places (safer to reverse around joe public than an artic). The main reason I can think of, is that the artic unit is flexible, it can be paired up with any kind of trailer you might have in the yard. And also, if you have damaged panels on a rigid then the whole vehicle is off the road, whereas the tractor unit just marries up to a different trailer and gets on with the job.

But still! - I can’t quite see the logic, why not have small & rigids, then proper sized artic trailers? There’s something logical here I’m missing.

2

You mean like how Stobart and Waitrose and co have smaller trailers? It’s so they can fit in to the smaller drops obviously. Also, the MPG figures might be equal or better on a large rigid than putting a small artic on the run.

3

Plus they want to get the most out of their vehicles. By having a small or mid rigid they are limiting what they can carry. With the artic they are flexible to send an artic and small trailer into a drop a rigid would normally only visit but for whatever reason that rigid isn’t available today, and the drop needs to get done!

4

Saratoga:
Plus they want to get the most out of their vehicles. By having a small or mid rigid they are limiting what they can carry. With the artic they are flexible to send an artic and small trailer into a drop a rigid would normally only visit but for whatever reason that rigid isn’t available today, and the drop needs to get done!

Sometime’s artics are more maneuverable than what rigids are also.

5

If doing supermarket work, I find the the shorter urban rear steer trailers much easier to manourve in & out of the tight yards / bays / car parks etc than a standard rigid

6

When I was doing agency work for the Co-op I knew that if I was out in a rigid I would have some difficult reversing to do to get the drops.

7

Only ever had an urban trailer on in the yard but you’ll spin one round in half the space you need for a rigid.

8

You can have two trailers to one tractor unit and load one whilst the other is being used. With a rigid you can’t use it whilst it’s being loaded.

9

I used to collect milk from farms and a short artic was easier than a rigid for tight spaces.

You can have a ridged and use demountable boxes, but I suppose there is the cost of the boxes compared to the trailers you might already have.

As my Mum used to say “six of one, half dozen of the other”