Trailer Mag June 2009
Paul Cootes of PR Cootes Holdings Pty Ltd has been operating Hamelex White tipp ers since becoming involved with CEMEX thr ee-and-a-half years ago, and looks set to add another unit to his fleet.
Having been in the transport game for the last 24 years, Paul understands the importance of running a quality fleet that he can depend on. Paul currently runs 13 aluminium tippers, 10 of which have been designed and manufactured by Hamelex White. A new order will bring this figure up to 14.
“We have just ordered a PBS approved aluminium quad-tipper that will have a 57.5 tonne gross mass. The design process has already been finalised and it looks likely to be delivered in August this year,” Paul says. Prior to this order, Paul’s most recent addition to his fleet was a tri-axle super dog that was delivered in March and is currently in operation (see box for specs). He says, “It has been performing very well since being put to use a few months ago. This unit is being used to deliver to CEMEX concrete plants and for the crushed rock demand work, largely for road construction, that is running out of CEMEX quarries throughout the south-east of Melbourne. Like a large portion of the vehicles operating under CEMEX, this vehicle has already been fitted with the Body Up alarm system and other unique safety features jointly designed and implemented with CEMEX.
“The support we have had from Gary Clarke from CEMEX has assisted us with a continuous improvement approach to the practical design of these assets once operating in the field. Other features include wheel nut indicators, blind spot mirrors, ladder design, grain door latches, and a risk management approach to signage within the cab for body and truck heights as well as overhead electrical hazards.” John Koutsogiannakis is the driver of this triaxle super dog and he couldn’t be happier with the new unit. “Basically, it’s a clean, well built unit. People have stopped me on several occasions out on the road, to comment on how great the vehicle looks and in the two months that this vehicle has been in operation, there hasn’t been an ounce of worry,” says John.
Staying close
The fact that the long-standing partnership between Hamelex White and Paul Cootes has continued to develop over the years is down to the close relationships that have formed between the two companies. As Craig Wallace of Hamelex White explains, “Paul has worked closely over the past few years with Alan Beggs, who is our Spare Parts, Repair Bay and Service Manager for Victoria. Alan has made several visits to the PR Cootes facility. “As with all of our clients, we focus on listening to what the customer wants and putting that into practice when building their unit. “That’s why when we deliver the trailer, there are no surprises; we build exactly what our customers ask. “Hamelex has a detailed process that it goes through in order to achieve that reliability, including confirming the full layout and the complete spec details. By the time we deliver our units, there is no hold-up, they can be put straight to work without any dramas.”
Craig adds, “Paul Cootes is one of the major contractors for CEMEX and is well respected within the industry. He is known to be innovative and is always looking at how he can maximise payload through new technology, to benefit not only himself, but also his customers and the safety of his drivers.”
From Paul’s perspective, local back-up support was a key factor influencing his decision to order another tipper from Hamelex White. Other considerations that came into play were tare weight, build quality and the ability of Hamelex White to deliver the trailers on time, every time. “I have been using Hamelex White tippers since buying the business, so I basically inherited a Hamelex White fleet and have decided to keep on going that way,” he says. “The people at Hamelex White are always very proactive in their approach. They are very service and quality focused, which is exactly the way that we operate.”
The Hamelex White Super Dog This tri-axle super dog measures 5.9 metres long and a sliver under 1.3 metres high. It has been fitted with York axles and suspensions, pre-set hubs, Edbro hoists, Camilleri tarp, CentriFuse brake drums, automatic slack adjusters, and an automatic axle lift which operates through the air bags. When the trailer is laden, the axle lift senses the pressure on the air bag and duly lowers the axle; when the trailer is unladen, the axle notes the reduced pressure, thus enabling the axle to lift off the ground, therefore reducing tyre wear and increasing fuel economy. To finish, the super dog is fitted with Alcoa aluminium wheels, Durabrite polished on the outside, and Michelin XTE2 tyres. Hamelex White prides itself on its reputation for building strong and innovative equipment. Attention to design and a strong customer focus allows Hamelex White to cater for a wide range of unique requirements, using a mix of aluminium and steel blends. As one of Australia’s largest trailer manufacturers, Hamelex White’s trailers are backed up with the experience and expertise of a large number of distributors across the country and are all supported by a two year warranty.
