In Bressuire, in the Deux-Sèvres region of western France, Piejac Maingret has been hauling goods for more than 70 years. For more than 20 years, its semi-trailers have come out of Libner’s workshops. At the heart of this relationship: the “Maingret” semi-trailer, designed together, down to the last detail.
Piejac Maingret, a Deux-Sèvres haulier since 1952
It all began in 1952, when Alphonse Maingret founded his company to deliver coal across the Bressuire countryside.
As his customers’ needs changed, so did the company. Piejac Maingret broadened its activities and today carries all kinds of goods.
A member of the Astre group for more than 20 years, the haulier relies on a European transport and logistics network. Its fleet now numbers more than 110 trucks, including several 26-tonne Volvo rigid truck and trailer combinations with Libner bodies, some of them delivered in 2024.
A fleet of this size leaves no room for approximation. Every vehicle must be reliable, easy to operate and suited to the real constraints drivers face.
The “Maingret” semi-trailer: custom-built is in the details
From a distance, it looks like any other curtainsider semi-trailer. Up close, it is not.
Piejac Maingret and Libner’s design office shaped it together. The haulier brought its knowledge of the field: its goods, its loading docks, its delivery rounds, its drivers’ feedback. Libner turned these requirements into technical solutions, then built them in its Deux-Sèvres workshops.
The result now bears the customer’s name: the “Maingret” semi-trailer.
What makes it special? We won’t go into detail. Its features are part of the know-how shared by Piejac Maingret and Libner, and they are a well-kept secret.
What we can say is that every detail answers a specific operating constraint. That is the whole difference between a semi-trailer bought from a catalogue and a semi-trailer designed for a trade.
Why custom-built makes the difference for a haulier
A standard semi-trailer is designed for average use. Yet no haulier has an average use.
Libner’s custom approach starts in the field:
- listening to the customer: their business, their goods, their loading and unloading constraints;
- in-house design: our own design office draws every solution;
- made in France: bodies built in our workshops in Saint-Maixent-l’École and Augé;
- continuous improvement: each new generation of vehicles builds on the experience of the previous one.
This is the approach that gave birth to the “Maingret” semi-trailer.
More than 20 years of trust
Piejac Maingret has trusted Libner for more than 20 years. That loyalty has been built vehicle after vehicle, on durability and quality of service.
The two companies also share their roots in the Deux-Sèvres. Bressuire and Saint-Maixent-l’École are about fifty kilometres apart, which makes discussions, trials and vehicle follow-up easier.
Piejac Maingret at a glance
| Business | Road haulage of goods |
|---|---|
| Head office | Bressuire (Deux-Sèvres, France) |
| Founded | 1952, by Alphonse Maingret |
| Fleet | More than 110 trucks |
| Network | Astre group, for more than 20 years |
| Libner partner for | More than 20 years |
| Flagship vehicle | “Maingret” semi-trailer, co-designed with Libner |
| Website | piejac-maingret.fr |
Frequently asked questions
What is a custom-built semi-trailer?
It is a semi-trailer designed from a haulier’s specifications: goods carried, loading method, equipment and operating constraints. Its technical details set it apart from a catalogue model.
Does Libner design vehicles for other hauliers?
Yes. Libner designs and builds custom industrial truck bodies for road hauliers, logistics providers and specialist fleets, in France and for export.
