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The Renault Trafic Double Deck dropside was launched at this year's CV Show, and although initially a slow seller, demand is growing. It is already proving poplular with fleets and Renault says it is on the verge of signing a deal with a large international airline. Having spent a week with the van, we can understand its appeal. Double Deck is the brainchild of Devon-based Renault-approved converter Trucksmith. At first appearance it resembles a regular dropside, but hidden securely beneath it  is a weatherproof lower deck sliding load tray. It is constructed from pressed aluminium sheet and is easily accessed via an oval, powder coated, self-locking steel bar, and extends out 1,400mm from the bodywork.

The drawer has a large area at the front of the vehicle, which we found to be perfect for storing perishable materials such as cement and 8x4ft sheets of plasterboard. Meanwhile a separate compartment at the back proved ideal for keeping power tools away from prying eyes. It is brilliantly simple, yet incredibly effective. The design is only possible due to the front-wheel drive layout of the Trafic. For such a tray to be accommodated in a rear-wheel drive LCV the top deck would have to be raised - which probably explains why the feature has never appeared on a 7.5-tonne dropside. In the case of the Double Deck Trafic the top deck is just 900mm from the ground.

The only drawback we discovered was the payload, which at 1,100kg split over both levels, is not particularly  impressive. Include two crew and the usual ladders and tools, and you don't have a lot of spare capacity. While we were impressed with the van's build quality, only time will tell if the design is tough enough to withstand the abuse that dropsides receive. This is echoed by Glasses Guide, which says the residual value will remain the same as a regular dropside until the design proves it can pass the test of time. Double Deck is available with the Trafic DCi 90 and DCi 115, and costs £18,950 and £19, 450 respectively.