BOC, the UK & Ireland’s largest provider of industrial, medical and specialist gases, began procuring specialist articulated flatbed trailers and rigid bodywork solutions from Tiger Trailers in 2023, and the 59 vehicles supplied by the Cheshire manufacturer in Q1 2025 take the running total to 135. Comprising 29 trailers and 30 rigid solutions, they signal an ever-strengthening and growing relationship.

Lorraine Purvis, BOC Head of Deliver – Cylinder Transport PGP, says: “The Tiger team have worked hard to deliver the needs of our business to a very high quality. The transport team are looking forward to integrating these vehicles into our fleet. I would like to thank them for their attention to detail and continued support they show us as a business. Also, a big thanks to Mark Beal our Fleet engineer who has worked tirelessly with Tiger to seek improvements on our fleet.”

Tiger’s flatbed trailers for the gas cylinder division of BOC’s fleet are designed for each transporting up to twenty-six BOC pintle pallets, secured in three rows of fifteen bottles, with a central aisle featuring a portable safety gate that closes off the load when part-laden. When not in use the gate is stowed within the front headboard. Following driver feedback from Schenk (formerly Suttons Tankers), various operational improvements have been implemented to the constantly expanding fleet.

The rear of the chassis is designed to provide an access ladder up to the central aisle, various components from the pintle blades to the grab handles are finished in yellow for safety, and a fire extinguisher and a tube document holder are fitted to each trailer to comply with ADR & IMDG regulations.

Ignacio Torres-Manzi, Tiger Trailers’ Technical Sales Manager, comments: “It is a great privilege for us to work with another fantastic customer and continue building upon the working relationship. A huge thanks to the wider BOC team for the continued efforts, with a particular shout-out to Mark Beal for all his expertise offered into the process. We look forward to the continuation of Tiger being a key partner to BOC for hopefully many years to come!”.

These new pintle trailers will be operating within the customer’s cylinder trunking network across the UK, Ireland, as well as into Europe, feeding the supply chain with full and made-up loads for onward distribution to its end customers. The trailers are operated by Schenk UK on behalf of BOC.

The latest order of rigid bodywork solutions from Tiger for BOC are built on DAF XB 18-tonne chassis from the Ford & Slater DAF dealership in Leeds. Designed for transporting eight pallets for easy delivery to a wide range of customers, the bodies are framed by galvanised plates on all four sides, with a pressed steel fabricated and galvanised walkway down the middle, and a large stowaway cylinder trolley fitted to the offside rear, completed with a kerb ramp. A downrated 1-tonne Dhollandia DHVOG.15. K1 1000.800 tail lift is incorporated at the back.

Other specification details of BOC’s latest Tiger rigid bodies include a small medical cylinder holder, a toolbox, cellar rope, full-enclosure wraparound safety gates, and solar platform lights to fully encompass the comprehensive BOC specification.

The new rigids will join a 100% fleet of DAF trucks and undertake the network distribution from 35 UK sites stretching from Inverness to Plymouth and Port Talbot to Thetford.

Part of the Linde Group, BOC’s fleet size is 650 vehicles from light vans, rigids from 14t to 32t, plus tractor units operating at 44 tonnes. The BOC trailer fleet, which includes tankers as well as the specialised pintle trailers consists of 320 vehicles across the UK & Ireland. The gases delivered cover every aspect of industry, from manufacturing and science to aviation and healthcare.

Tiger Trailers

About the Author: John Loughran