MAN and Bevan Group have delivered a new fleet of eight specially designed logistics vehicles to St John Ambulance.
Set to be deployed imminently, the vehicles will be used initially to provide front-line support to the NHS and local communities during the pandemic. This will include supplying vital medical equipment to satellite sites, from where it is despatched to re-stock ambulances.
Post-pandemic, when the events calendar in England picks up again, the vehicles will be assigned to their primary role – ensuring that St John Ambulance volunteers have all they need to provide their potentially life-saving support.
Based on MAN TGE flat frame chassis cowls, the 3.5-tonners have been fitted by Bevan Group with crash-tested bulkheads and innovative plastic bodies which, as well as being easily cleaned inside and out, also deliver impressive weight savings.
The plastic box body is bonded directly to the chassis, rather than being bolted onto a sub-frame in the conventional manner.
This meant Bevan Group could devise a drawbridge-style, full closure rear door that doubles as a ramp – the relatively shallow load angle allows heavy equipment to be winched onto the load bed. This solution is easy to use and offers a further, valuable weight saving over a tail-lift that would require two LOLER inspections each year, and specific training for operatives.
