Coventry-based Reason Transport has purchased five new Scanias to meet soaring demand from the pallet side of its business, with plans to add to its 30-strong vehicle fleet.
The company has added five trucks: four 18-tonne rigids and a 44-tonne Topline. As part of the expansion, it has also recruited five new drivers and a customer services rep.
MD Alan Reason tells Roadtransport.com that a surge in pallet volumes of 32% in the past year - resulting in 350 to 400 pallets a night being put through the Palletways network - means he's planning to contract-hire three more vehicles to add to his currently all-Scania fleet.
"We're doing really well thanks to a pallet uplift, and that's all about our customer service," says Reason.
The family-run firm introduced a customer monitoring program from son James's company Live Data Solutions 18 months ago, and Reason says this has helped drive volumes by keeping hold of customers.
The software in effect flags up any decline in average volumes from customers, allowing the Reason Transport team to proactively address any issues before they become too big to reconcile and the business is lost.
The family-run general haulier, which has been with Palletways for six years and was named its Member of the Year at the company's European congress last month, has already licensed the software to 22 network members.
Reason believes it to be an attractive technology for any haulier operating in a pallet network with the potential to be adopted beyond Palletways.
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