Sunbelt Rentals is fielding Williams Innovations' TeleSwivel brand proximity hitches to all its vehicles that tow trailers, starting with hitch adapters on new pickup trucks for managers and sales reps and receiver hitches in new rollback, stake body, and service trucks. Retrofit plans are also in the works for vehicles in the existing fleet.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Ashtead Group plc, Fort Mill SC-based Sunbelt Rentals provides equipment rental systems for the industrial, construction, and municipal markets from its locations in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
TeleSwivel hitching systems extend and swivel to give drivers a target zone up to 25 times larger than a traditional hitch to connect the trailer coupler to the truck. TeleSwivel users can get close and move the hitch, rather than repeatedly repositioning the vehicle or trying to muscle a heavy trailer onto the hitch. TeleSwivel's larger target area enables first-pass connections and reduces excessive idling.
“The TeleSwivel technology is a game-changer for us in terms of more efficient and safer trailer operations,” said Bret Wolf, strategic purchasing manager at Sunbelt Rentals. “Initial trials indicate that we'll be saving six to eight minutes on every trailer hookup, and we connect to trailers thousands of times per month. We estimate that TeleSwivel will save more than 197,000 gallons of fuel and $2.21 million across our fleet each year.”
For more information, visit www.teleswivel.com.