Your licence, please

Transportation is an important issue for Andries Schouten, manager of sales and leasing for access rental company Gunco in The Netherlands. It has ten trailer mounts in its 1000-odd fleet, and one reason that number is small, he tells AI, is because of licensing laws.

Trailers weighing over 750 kg require a special driver's license in The Netherlands. Compounding that user restriction, says Mr Schouten, “Sometimes when renters do have the proper license, they don't have the right vehicle to pull the trailer.”

However, “Trailers are easy to rent because customers can pick them up at the depot and just go.” That benefit remains attractive as the cost of delivering other types of access equipment rises because of escalating fuel prices and increasing traffic congestion, he says.

Trailers in Gunco's fleet include Teupen GT 22 m and 25 m working height models, which “... are easier to use, compared to some other makes, because of their auto stabilising feature. They also have good outreach, which is very important”, says Mr Schouten.