Dawsongroup truck and trailer supplies Tile Mountain Group with new DAFs

The Tile Mountain Group has added nine DAF LF 18-tonne low height curtainside trucks to its fleet.

Supplied by Dawsongroup truck and trailer, the DAFs are on a three-year contract hire agreement. Seven of the LFs replace taller vehicles that were unsuitable for some of the group’s routes with low bridges. The additional two trucks will be used to support the tile and bathroom retailer’s growing business. 

Mark Wood, transport manager at Tile Mountain Group, said: “Previously, we owned and operated a sizable fleet of vehicles, including 24 7.5-tonne trucks. However, following the Covid pandemic, we reevaluated various aspects of our business operations and identified transportation as an area that required adjustments. Although we already possessed a few 18-tonne and 26-tonne vehicles, after consulting with Dawsongroup, we discovered that contract hire was a more cost-effective solution that would also provide us with a brand-new fleet!” 

The hire agreement includes all repair and maintenance costs, so the operator only has to pay for tyres and fuel on top of the hire fee. The trucks are liveried for the group’s three brands: Tile Mountain, Bathroom Mountain and Walls and Floors. 

Wood added: “Out of the nine trucks we acquired, seven were intended as replacements for existing vehicles while the remaining two were to accommodate the Group's growth. A key part of that fleet profile today is the low 3.9m body height. There are low bridges on many of our regular delivery routes, and that can add as much as 40 miles to a round trip, which is expensive, both in terms of driver hours and fuel costs. The height of the new fleet will enable us to make financial savings whilst also being kinder to the environment.”

Over a year, Wood estimates the extra mileage required to avoid low bridges would have amounted to 1,500 gallons of fuel.

• Dawsongroup truck and trailer will be exhibiting at Road Transport Expo. Registrations are now open.