To succeed in the contested business environment that is Australia’s rental market, two key factors can decide for weal and woe – competiveness and quality. Sydney-based Rental Company Skel Hire has been investing in Krueger’s lightweight skeletal trailers, and has found a solution to combine both.
“We are the first rental company in Sydney to offer lightweight skel trailers,” says Todd Naylor, Skel Hire’s second-generation owner, who can draw on more than 24 years of experience in the transport industry.
Skel Hire is a family-owned company that was established in 1976 by Lou and Jan Naylor. The business specialises in renting commercial vehicles from its site in Ingleburn, 50km south of Sydney. “We service all businesses, large or small,” says Todd. “To compete in that game requires Skel Hire to sustain a diverse fleet that can cater to every imaginable request; hence our company is currently approaching a fleet of 300 semi-trailers, skels, low loaders, swing lifts, curtain-siders and prime movers.”
According to Todd, using Krueger’s lightweight version is an important building block to creating a successful business that is able to keep up with the ever-changing transport industry. “In 2011, we purchased more than 30 skel trailers from Malcolm Newcombe in Krueger Transport Equipment’s Sydney office – including five lightweight skels. Three of them have already gone into operation and are working nonstop,” he says.
Each lightweight skel measures 12.2 metres in length and has a tare weight of 3.7 tonnes; combined with Hendrickson’s LDA suspension. According to Todd, the beauty of a Krueger-built skel is that it is designed for carting shipping containers of various weights on the waterfront, as its high-strength steel frame is engineered to provide low tare weight and maximum payload capacity. “The lightweight model can give our customers a distinct advantage when carting heavy containers to and from Sydney’s container port,” he explains. “A great example is that we’ve already had success loading on a 30-tonne container. In addition, the skels are able to cart both standard and refrigerated containers”
Todd explains, “In general, we try to run good, modern and efficient trailers at all times, and if there’s an opportunity to make an upgrade we won’t hesitate to react. So, when people kept asking for a lightweight alternative, we felt it was time to take advantage of the opportunity to diversify our fleet.”
Impressed by Krueger’s willingness to innovate and fast turnaround time, Todd is convinced that the Victorian manufacturer will play an important role in Skel Hire’s future expansion. “Cost will always be a factor no matter who you purchase from,” he says. “But with Krueger’s trailers, you know you’ll always get a quality product that you can depend upon to not only get the job done, but last a long time.”
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