Martin Marietta Materials has entered into a licensing agreement with Composittrailer n.v., of Lokeren, Belgium, to manufacture and market commercial truck trailers in North America, using fiber-reinforced composite materials.

Under the agreement, Martin Marietta will produce trailers using Composittrailer's patented, all-composite chassis technology and will enhance the trailer products based on Martin Marietta's own composite fabrication expertise.
Initially, trailers will be manufactured at the Composittrailer factory in Belgium; however, Martin Marietta plans to relocate manufacturing to the United States within one to two years.
The introductory product will be an open-top trailer with a composite slat conveyor floor for the waste, agriculture and woodchip markets. A broader range of products is planned, including flatbed and refrigerated trailers.
Fiber-reinforced composites, made of continuous glass or carbon fabrics in a polymer resin, have long been recognized as having high strength, durability, low weight and corrosion resistance. Commercial truck trailers made of these composite materials are significantly lighter than aluminum trailers, enabling higher cargo loads, therefore, reducing freight costs by 5% to 15%, according to the company. In addition, the trailers have longer lives and lower maintenance costs.
Composittrailer recently received the European Road Transport Innovation Award for its composite commercial truck trailer at the 2002 International Truck Show in Amsterdam. The trailer also won an award for Most Innovative Application at the Fifth World Pultrusion Conference in Berlin in April 2000, and later won the Trailer Award at the 2001 International Trailer Show in Kortrijk, Belgium. The trailer was runner up for the Best New Product Award at the 2002 International Composites Exposition recently held in Paris, France.
Martin Marietta Materials is the nation's second largest producer of construction aggregates, a leading producer of magnesia-based chemicals products used worldwide in a wide variety of industries and a worldwide technology leader in composite highway bridge decks.