A £1m investment in five specialist bulks tipper trucks has strengthened PD Ports’ services for customers importing grain and powder products at Teesport.

The STAS Agrostar bulk tipper trailers, designed for the unloading of complex compound products such as grain and powder, arrived this summer alongside five Volvo trucks.

The investment highlights PD Ports’ commitment to portcentric logistics and providing all customers at Tees Dock with an end-to-end service.

An additional 10 drivers have also been employed to operate the trailers, with existing drivers in the transport team also undergoing extratraining.

The STAS trailers have advanced safety features, including a pneumatic automatic tailgate which can be operated from inside the driver’s cab for safety – the tailgate is also suspended by a double hinge which allows the door to swing up higher in order to avoid damage during the unloading process.

Each trailer has a heavy duty, wear-resistant floor, fitted with underbody vibrators to help avoid product becoming stuck in the trailer and a PM1155 weighing system, operable by a remote control that can weigh the load to within 10kg.

The new fleet of bulks tipper trucks is the latest in a series of investments in Tees Dock’s bulks quay, including £9m on two 140t rail-mounted Liebherr electric-hydraulic mobile harbour cranes and self-propelled hoppers and additional load shovels, all of which have seen vessel discharge times improve along with wider efficiencies for customers.

In support of the new fleet, PD Ports has also achieved TASCC Accreditation, the AIC Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops; additionally all drivers have also had product and TASCC training.

The scheme aims to combine food/feed safety legal requirements with recognised industry good practice and specific customer requirements to provide confidence in the food/feed chain.

Chris Poole, PD Ports transport manager (bulks), who has joined the company to run the new service with 20 years’ experience in the haulage industry, said: “Bulk products are a huge part of our business at Tees Dock but until now we haven’t had an inhouse transport service for free-flowing powder or grain.

“We’ve worked hard to build a strong relationship between our team in transport and the team in bulks so that we can offer customers the option of a service that sees us handle their product from quay to end destination, making it more efficient and cost effective.

“By achieving TASCC accreditation and training all drivers in the details of each product, we can be sure to provide the best service and maintain the highest standards