Shorts Group

Published on: 30th June 2025

Introduction

With over 60 years of operational excellence, Shorts Group has grown into a respected, independent, family-owned business, proudly serving the South of England. The company delivers a diverse portfolio of services across plant hire, skip hire, demolition, trade waste, road sweeping, DIY retail, and agricultural contracting. This unique versatility has earned Shorts Group a reputation for reliability, quality, and exceptional customer service across the construction, waste management and rural industries.

Their plant hire division supports a wide array of industries and projects – from major construction sites to residential renovations – offering a range of essential machinery including excavators, dumpers, and rollers. With such a varied client base and an expansive service range, reliability and uptime are vital to meeting tight project timelines.

Fit For Purpose:

To bolster their plant logistics capabilities, Shorts Group selected the Sterling Megaload beavertail, professionally mounted on a Volvo FMX 8×2 chassis. This heavy-duty combination adds dependable strength to Shorts Group’s plant delivery fleet, enhancing their ability to transport general plant equipment quickly and safely.

The Sterling Megaload is engineered for enduring performance. Designed to handle frequent, high-impact operations, this plant body features a robust structure and a functionality-focused layout that seamlessly aligns with Shorts Group’s operational demands.

Engineered Strength Meets Everyday Practicality:

Built for the heavy haulage of diggers, rollers, and other construction plant, the sterling Megaload is the definition of dependable. Its heavy-duty construction, coupled with timber decking and double flip ramps, provides maximum durability and functionality with minimal maintenance. The double break beavertail and integrated grouser bars further improve safety, making it especially effective for loading steel-tracked excavators. Key to its long-lasting performance are several standard features that enhance both durability and operator safety:

• Heavy-duty angle side raves reinforce the structure of the plant body, offering greater protection during loading and transport.
• 1600mm heavy duty headboard provides enhanced durability and corrosion resistance, maintaining strength, integrity and appearance over years of service.
• Post and socket fall arrest system adds critical fall protection, improving operator safety when securing loads.
• Hardwood deck with a Durbar knuckle plate at the rear of the flat deck, engineered to withstand the pressure of steel tracks and heavy machinery, ensuring excellent longevity and minimal surface damage.
• 12,000lb electric winch, offering powerful, reliable assistance for self loading broken down or non-powered machinery.

Each of these components contributes to safer, more efficient loading and unloading, with minimal wear and tear, making the Megaload the ideal solution for transporting heavy plant machinery day after day.

Simplicity, Without Compromise:

What sets the Megaload apart is its intelligent simplicity. Its streamlined design reduces the number of moving parts, which means fewer chances of mechanical failure – an essential benefit when uptime is crucial. This simplicity doesn’t come at the cost of functionality; in fact, the Megaload is packed with thoughtful, safety-centric features designed to meet the rigorous demands of the plant hire industry. For Shorts Group, this means fewer maintenance delays, a lower cost of ownership, and a vehicle that stays out on the road rather than in the workshop.

Long-Term Value and Operational Peace of Mind:

The Megaload is more than just a beavertail plant body – it’s a long-term business asset. Designed with both safety and strength in mind, it delivers real operational value through its longevity, low maintenance needs, and excellent residual value. By investing in the Sterling Megaload, Shorts Group gains a rugged, high-capacity plant truck that strengthens their service reliability and supports their continued growth across multiple sectors.

Feedback from the Customer:

Shorts Group recently purchased a Volvo FMX 8×2 fitted with a Sterling GP plant body. This is not the first body acquired from Sterling GP and will not be the last. The communication has been excellent, with regular updates on the progress when constructing the bodies. Any issues that arise are resolved in a straightforward manner. The team at Sterling GP provided exceptional service, ensuring that all our questions were answered, and the specification met the needs of Shorts Group. It is a fantastic investment that has exceeded all expectations. The plant lorry itself is impressive. It offers robust performance, reliability and versatility, making it ideal for heavy-duty tasks. The advanced features and technology integrated into the lorry have significantly improved operational efficiency and safety on the job.

Damian Ayling – Head of Transport at Shorts Group

Conclusion

With the addition of the Sterling Megaload to its fleet, Shorts Group is better equipped than ever to support its wide-ranging customer base. This rugged, high-spec plant body enables efficient, secure, and dependable transportation of heavy machinery, supporting daily operations across construction, agriculture, and waste services.

The Sterling Megaload’s robust build, thoughtful design, and reliable performance make it a perfect match for Shorts Group – an investment in long-term capability, safety, and operational excellence.