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News - Commercial Motor
November 16, 2009
Yorkshire-based haulier Ken Mallinson & Sons has invested in six new tractors and 10 refurbished trailers.
The Cawtorne-based company spent £220,000 on four Mercedes-Benz Actroses from Northside Truck & Van, £112,000 on two DAF CF85 tractors from F&G Commercials, as well as buying 10 refurbished trailers from trailer-maker Lawrence David.
Business development manager Ian Egan is impressed with the latest-generation Mercedes-Benz Actros 2546 6x2 tractors with the MegaSpace cabs and flat floors. He especially likes their PowerShift 2 automated transmissions.
"They seem a lot better than the first ones, and a lot smoother," he says.
In the mixed fleet of Mercedes, DAF and Volvo brands, there are 52 trucks, including six 26-tonners, and 130 curtainsider and flat trailers. The fleet's average fuel consumption is 8.7mpg.
The new Actros [units are] returning 8.8mpg, Egan reveals.
"The Actroses were specified with the big MegaSpace cabs because they'll be used primarily for long trunking runs. We look carefully at the nature of the work any new vehicles will be doing, and specify them accordingly," explains Egan.
"This explains why our next four Mercedes tractors, which will be on more local, multi-drop-type duties, are Axor models with smaller cabs."
The most recent additions are two new 6x2 DAF CF85 tractors with sleeper cabs for the trunking operation. Acquiring the new tractor units has coincided with a deal for 10 refurbished Lawrence David trailers, which have taken less than five weeks to buy, get them refurbished, delivered and into operation, Egan says.
The purchases come just months after the haulier moved into a new new site.
With its in-house maintenance and workshop, Egan wants to develop its portfolio with night-time operations first to be implemented, before growing its third-party service from other local operators.
