SAVANNAH, Ga. — Great Dane has recently completed production of Celadon Group’s first refrigerated trailer, part of a 200-reefer order being built at Great Dane’s newest manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Ga. The reefers represent the first refrigerated trailers that Celadon has purchased from any manufacturer.

“As a long-time supplier of Celadon’s dry freight trailers, we’re especially honoured that Celadon selected us for its initial order of refrigerated trailers,” said Dave Gilliland, Great Dane’s vice-president of national accounts. “These trailers will enable Celadon to expand its customer service by hauling temperature controlled freight in addition to its already wide range of services. We’re confident that these new trailers will prove to be a sound investment for Celadon.”

The reefer trailers being built for Celadon are based on Great Dane’s Everest TL model and will include the ThermoGuard reefer liner. Other features of Celadon’s customized Everest TL order include a wedge design for maximum rear opening height, Hendrickson HD Air Ride suspension, Bridgestone R197 Ecopia tires, Transtex side skirts, Carrier 2100 APX reefer unit with auto fresh air exchange and Intelliset temperature control, rear door switch, StarTrak GPS, side air chute, air return bulkhead and pallet stops. The trailers are also designed for occasional rail usage.

“We’re very fortunate to have high quality suppliers right here in Indiana and we’re extremely excited to continue our long term partnership with Great Dane, and at the same time, provide a new area of service coverage for our core customers,” said Celadon president and CEO Paul Will.