A curtainsider in Burton upon Trent earns its keep at loading bays. Between the town's warehouses, the distribution sites at nearby Fradley Park and the breweries, a trailer may call at several bays in a week, and every visit brings a forklift close to the curtain. Most of the damage we repair comes from ordinary days like that, not from accidents.
When damage stops the trailer working
A torn curtain cannot hold a load in place, and a buckle or strap that won't fasten cannot be used to secure one. DVSA publishes guidance on load security, and a trailer with damaged fittings can be stopped from continuing its journey at a roadside check. A small tear also grows quickly at speed on the A38, so a split that looked minor when the trailer left a yard in Horninglow can be a replacement job by the time it comes back. Getting curtains, straps and buckles fixed early keeps the trailer earning and its loads legal.
Panels, gates and welding
The same loading work bends gates, dents panels and cracks brackets. We repair body panels, doors and gates, and carry out welding repairs on bodies, frames, brackets and fittings on trailers, rigids and light commercial bodies. Damage that affects the structure or load security can fail a PMI or the annual test, so it is worth having it looked at before the inspection rather than at it.
Repair it or replace it
Not every damaged curtain is worth patching, and not every one needs replacing. We will say plainly which makes sense for the damage in front of us, so you are not paying for a new part where a repair will hold, or paying twice for a repair that won't.
Workshop or yard
Smaller curtain and fitting repairs can sometimes be done on site in Burton. Larger repairs and welding are better done at our workshop at Calke Mill Farm in Melbourne, open for planned work Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 17:00. Where the dates line up, bodywork can be booked alongside a service or inspection so the trailer only comes off the road once.
Sending us the details
Ring 01332 916028 with the trailer or vehicle, a description of the damage and, if you can, a photo. A picture of the tear, the bent gate or the cracked bracket helps us judge whether it is a yard repair or a workshop job before anyone sets off. If a driver spots a split or a loose buckle on a walkaround check in Burton, that is the moment to send it, while the repair is still small.
