Confidence in galvanised chassis for heavy loads

Blascotrans’s recent endorsement of Schmitz Cargobull’s technology has a very specific reason behind it: Among other things, the company transports heavy paper rolls, which are loaded and unloaded using forklift trucks – not from the side, but by driving the forklift truck into the semi-trailer.

It goes without saying that the combined weight of the roll and the forklift truck places a heavy mechanical load on the chassis. “The entire weight is borne by the rear section of the semi-trailer. The vehicle and its load have to travel the full length of the trailer,” explains Antonio Gonzalo, Head of Business Development at Blascotrans and the owner’s right-hand man.

As a result of the harsh operating conditions, Blascotrans has put a total of 37 new Schmitz Cargobull S.CS X-TOUGH curtainsiders into service. The chassis, designed for heavy loads of 44 tonnes and above, offers the ideal solution to these demanding requirements, particularly in view of the increase in maximum gross vehicle weight from 40 to 44 tonnes, which will be permitted in Spain from mid-2025. “That was the deciding factor. The robust chassis design has significantly reduced downtime in our operations and speeded up delivery processes,” summarises Gonzalo.

In addition, the TrailerConnect® telematics solution rounds off the specification of the new vehicles. Blascotrans makes particular use of the real-time tracking, tyre pressure monitoring and brake temperature monitoring functions. “You can keep an eye on the vehicle and make quick decisions. This directly means that the vehicles spend less time stationary,” emphasises Gonzalo.

Blascotrans’ relationship with Schmitz Cargobull has a specific date and a name: in 2004, Andreas Schmitz personally visited the company in Zaragoza, presented the brand and invited the staff on a tour of the factory. The enthusiasm was immediate: “We were very impressed by the production system and the galvanised chassis, combined with the long-standing reliability for which the brand was known in Germany,” recalls Antonio Gonzalo.

Those early models marked the start of a process that soon took on new forms. The more often the first Schmitz Cargobull semi-trailers demonstrated their performance on the road – during demanding operations involving heavy loads and intensive loading and unloading cycles – the more confidence in the Schmitz Cargobull brand grew.

Step by step, vehicle by vehicle, Blascotrans thus consolidated its fundamental decision: today, all the semi-trailers in the fleet are manufactured by Schmitz Cargobull. This 100 per cent ratio has been in place for several years now and is renewed every four years as part of the company’s internal renewal policy: on average, Blascotrans replaces 20 existing vehicles with new ones every year. “When you test the product and see how it performs on the road under our conditions, the decision practically takes care of itself,” explains Gonzalo. “Quality, price, service: everything just fits.”

Blascotrans’ growth has been, as Antonio Gonzalo puts it, “exponential, but always controlled and with a clear vision of the direction we want to take.” This roadmap was set out from the very beginning by the company’s founder, José Luis Blasco Pomar, and his philosophy shapes every decision: integrity, responsibility, trust and loyalty, both towards customers and towards suppliers such as Schmitz Cargobull. “We are an ambitious company,” Gonzalo emphasises, “but we always keep our feet firmly on the ground. Growth that you cannot manage is not growth.”

For Antonio Gonzalo, the relationship with Schmitz Cargobull goes beyond a purely business relationship. “We have a close and trusting relationship with the sales team and the used vehicles department. The workshop and spare parts team respond very quickly to any issues, keep us informed of the latest developments and support us through any changes. They’re almost like an in-house department for us.”

Receiving a call before you have to make one yourself: in Gonzalo’s view, this proactivity is what really sets a standard supplier apart from a strategic partner. “When you have that unconditional trust, you stop thinking about alternatives. You start thinking about how much you can achieve together.”

With a strategy that involves the ongoing introduction of new, more efficient vehicles that comply with current regulations, Blascotrans is looking to the future – underpinned by the solid foundations of a company that has learnt to grow without losing its identity. And along this path, Schmitz Cargobull will continue to be part of the story.

The transport and logistics company Blascotrans was founded in 1991 by José Luis Blasco Pomar in Zaragoza. Initially, the company specialised in the transport of bulk goods using tipper semi-trailers; since then, its activities have expanded to include warehousing and transport using curtain-sided lorries, silo lorries and tankers. The company currently has more than a hundred vehicles and around 150 employees, who work in logistics centres covering a total area of just over 26,000 square metres in Navarre and Zaragoza.

From day one, José Luis Blasco Pomar instilled in the company a set of values that continue to guide every decision to this day: integrity, responsibility, trust and loyalty – values that are upheld both internally and externally in dealings with customers and suppliers. This philosophy reflects a corporate culture in which people are not merely a resource, but the very heart of the company.