Trimboli Services is a family-owned civil construction company based in South Australia which has been operating for 20 years since it was started by Director, Matthew Trimboli, who has been leading its navigation through the transport industry ever since.
Running a fleet of 13 combinations from Freighter Group consisting of Trout River Live Bottom and Hamelex White trailers, Trimboli Services’ primary freight task is carting asphalt and quarry materials for Boral.
While this typically sees the business doing asphalt replenishment at four of Boral’s asphalt and concrete plants throughout SA and transporting rubble to its various quarry sites, each day is very different to the other according to Matthew.
“We could be anywhere from one day to the next,” he says. “We could be running from a Gepps Cross asphalt plant to Port Augusta, doing jobs in Victor Harbour, Lochiel or Pine Point and we could be on replenishment work from Maslin Beach down to Gepps Cross. Or, we could be running sand out of Golden Grove to a concrete plant and then working locally for a council five kilometres up the road. We could be anywhere on a given day.”
According to Matthew, transport initially wasn’t a top priority for Trimboli Services. But, when the company began a full-time contract with Boral, it was clear that an extensive and dependable fleet would be required. So, he turned to Freighter Group to start building one.
Two decades down the track, Trimboli Services has accumulated 13 trailers from Freighter Group. Its latest additions, arriving just at the end of last year, are four Trout River Live Bottom trailers.
Measuring in at a length of 33’ each, they’re made up of a Hardox body with insulation on both sides, electric tarps and remote controls for tailgate operation (just to name a few) while also being packed with a range of inclusions designed to get the most out of their freight task.
Running on Higher Mass Limits (HML), the trailers have a Gross Combination Mass (GCM) of 46 tonnes and a 29-tonne payload.
One of the Trout River trailers being loaded with aggregate rock. Image: Freighter Group.While Matthew says the Trout River trailers have been performing flawlessly in every way, a standout feature has been their ability to retain the temperatures of the asphalt they’re carrying extremely well.
“Considering we’re carting anywhere from Adelaide to Port Augusta to Victor Harbor on some days, their insulation and retention of the asphalt’s heat has been really good,” he says. “It’s critical that you keep the heat in them and that you can maintain the temperature of the product until it comes out of the other end, especially when you’re dealing with asphalt. You want to maintain its heat as best you can.
“That being said, the Trout River trailers are fantastic. As far as reliability goes, we haven’t had any issues.”
Trimboli Services Transport Coordinator and driver, Glenn Bull, attests to this.
“I love them,” he says. “They drive beautifully. Their centre of gravity when loaded is great, and they track really well.”
For Glenn, their ease-of-use – particularly the remote-control operation of the tailgate – has made the job of unloading material seamless.
“They’re an easy setup,” he says. “When we go to do asphalt, I just hand the remote to the spotter and they already know what to do.
“Their simple operation is definitely a big factor, but everything is really easy to access as well. For example, you can easily get to the valves in the back to tighten them. So, they’ve been brilliant.
“The product speaks for itself, and I’m really happy with it.”
Due to the quality of these trailers, Trimboli Services has also been able to completely avoid downtime and delays. This and the reliability of Freighter Group’s service department has resulted in increased productivity for the business.
“The main thing you don’t want is downtime, and the more you can minimise it the better,” Matthew says. “We rotate our fleet every five to six years to try to minimise it that way. But we’ve also found that Freighter Group’s service department is quick to jump on things. They try and reduce as much downtime as possible.”
While these efficiency gains have been key, Trimboli Services has also benefitted from Freighter Group’s local presence. This was a big factor which led to its choice on the OEM for this recent application and the previous ones to begin with.
“They’re local which is convenient for us if we need anything,” Matthew says. “They’re basically 15 minutes up the road from our depot, so it’s really good for us in terms of servicing and maintenance.”
The other factor to Trimboli Services’ continued dealings with Freighter Group has been the outstanding customer service received.
“Freighter Group is great to deal with and have always made the transaction easy,” Matthew says. “It’s a one-stop shop for us. We can go there and get whatever we need, and we know who we’re dealing with each time because it’s the same salespeople and the same service people. You just make the phone call and you get sorted out.”
Building on the quality which Trimboli Services receives with each unit is the extensive commitment to customer service which was clear to Matthew from day one. It’s what has kept him coming back for more.
“We bought our first lot from Freighter Group eight years ago, and we never had anything go wrong with them,” he says. “Everything was so easy. We would just book our servicing in for all of the trailers and it would be done.
“We’ve had a great relationship with Freighter since then and I’m still dealing with the same people that I was eight years ago. When you deal with the same people regularly, they know your applications, your combinations, what you want and what you need, meaning everything is very simple.
“So, it’s the relationship you build which makes everything much easier. That, and the fact that the Freighter Group product is fantastic. It’s great value for money.”
Reliability has been a standout feature of the new units. Image: Freighter Group.The post Trimboli Services launches four Trout River trailers appeared first on Trailer Magazine.