MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Trailcon Leasing is now testing a new prototype trailer for use in hauling automotive parts and it’s a design the company helped to pioneer.

Trailcon has built three prototypes that are currently being used at Ford Motor Company of Canada, General Motors of Canada and Daimler Chrysler Canada Ltd.

TNT Logistics and Mackie Moving Systems have the units in service — in the most abusive applications, according to Trailcon — to test their strength and durability.

Each 53-foot unit is equipped with interior stand-offs to protect the sidewalls and front from damage. The ceilings are protected with a new product called Bulitex-ES — its .2-inch thickness is stronger than steel yet just one-fifth of the weight.

“By installing Bulitex walls in these prototype trailers, we have been able to add strength and more useable space to trailers,” Trailcon president Al Boughton says. “Without the added weight and installation time of steel.”

Bulitex can be quickly mounted with ordinary hand tools using adhesives or common fasteners, which he says reduces installation time by as much as 50 per cent.

“Preliminary results show that the Bulitex material is holding up very well.”