Iveco Continue Building Fleets
Iveco, designers and manufacturers of commercial and specialised vehicles, have delivered four new Iveco Stralis Active Day 26 tonne rear-steering rigids to Hampshire’s largest independent builders merchant, Elliott Brothers, to join its 27-strong truck fleet delivering building supplies across the county.
The four Stralis AD260S31Y/FS-D 6x2s, supplied by Hendy Van & Truck, join a further nine Stralis’ already in service, confirming Iveco as the dominant brand in the company’s mixed commercial vehicle fleet. The trucks have each been mounted with a dropside body, together with a HIAB XS crane and rear parking sensors to ensure maximum safety when the vehicle is reversing. Each of the new vehicles has been factory-built with front air suspension and axle weight indicators, allowing the driver to know the exact weight over every axle.
“It’s an essential piece of kit to have on our trucks, but we’d previously always had it installed by an aftermarket supplier,” says Tony Adams, Commercial Director of Elliott Brothers. “By choosing to have it factory-fitted, we got the load weight indicators and front air suspension for the same price we used to pay to fit the load weight indicators alone. What’s more, since they are installed on the factory line it means they are covered by the eight year Iveco Elements repair & maintenance agreement we have taken out with Hendy.”
The company’s move, initiated in 2006, to operating 26 tonne vehicles has been driven by the requirement to maximise vehicle productivity. Adams explains: “A 26 tonner can be driven by the same person who drove the old 18 tonne vehicles, yet the payload potential is nearly double. This increases productivity as less time is spent going to and from the branch, making our fleet more fuel efficient and lowering our carbon footprint. Factor in the rear-steering axle on the larger Stralis, which makes them more agile than any 18 tonner in our fleet, and its a win-win situation. What’s more, as building sites are increasingly jammed into more restricted areas, the rear-steer axle ensures we can always deliver. The turning circle is fantastic.”
The trucks will be spread across different sites within Elliott’s network of ten branches, typically operating five days a week within a 25 mile radius and expected to cover up to 25,000 miles a year.
A popular model amongst builder’s merchants and construction companies, the Stralis AD is built specifically for short-haul transportation roles, warning lights and controls are grouped on the instrument binnacle, the steering wheel and its stalks, enabling the driver to control the decompression engine brake, hydraulic retarder, radio and cruise control without taking their hands off the steering wheel.
Elliott Brothers’ agreement with Hendy Van & Truck includes a mid-life refurbishment and re-spray of the chassis and body and allows scheduled servicing and maintenance to take place during evenings and weekends, ensuring the trucks not only look smart but are on the road when the company needs them.
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