ATLANTA, GA – Stoughton Trailers is returning to the market with a refrigerated trailer, unveiled on Tuesday at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show.

Known as PureBlue, the trailer took two years to develop, including almost 5,000 kilometers of tests that involved carrying 55,000-pound payloads over harsh surfaces, said marketing manager Ron Jake.

Jake said PureBlue is “one of the lightest, most thermally efficient units available, with one of the lowest costs of ownership.”

Bonded side posts require fewer rivets, giving it a clean design. The rear doors have a composite frame, and are triple-sealed to prevent moisture penetration and air loss.

There’s no wood to be found. The trailer is made from composite materials, aluminum and steel. Crossmembers can be spec’d as aluminum or steel, depending on payload requirements.

The trailer comes standard with a new rear impact guard that complies with both Canadian and U.S. underride protection requirements. Eicher noted the enhanced guard added no cost or weight to the trailer.

It can be spec’d with any refrigeration unit, and the box has 18 inches of scuff protection along the bottom of the walls. Stoughton used a platen foam insulation method, which it feels is the best option available. This method involves filling each section with foam and then fitting them together.

“We chose platen, because we feel it gives us much better control of the distribution of the foam,” he explained. “We have a more uniform density throughout the structure and better control of where we place the foam, so we can control the weight. The other benefit is, we get better control of the flatness of the wall. If your wall isn’t flat, you can imagine customers loading cargo and running a forklift down the side and hitting those bumps – that’s going to create damage.”

The floor is fully enveloped so water can’t get inside.

Asked why Stoughton chose now to re-enter the reefer segment, Eicher said it was an important part of the company’s growth strategy.

“It’s the right time for Stoughton to grow,” he said. “Stoughton has a very strong, well thought out growth agenda, and this fits right into it. The market segment is strong, and it’s a good time to enter into it.”

PureBlue will be available in the first quarter of 2018.

* An earlier version of this story incorrectly named the PureBlue trailer. Today’s Trucking regrets the error.