Aylesford-based Gallagher Group has once again opted for Thompsons tipper bodies for its latest batch of 10 Volvo FMX trucks.
Gallagher has been running Thompsons tippers since the mid-1990s and they make up the bulk of its 15-strong tipper fleet.
Founded by Pat Gallagher in 1974, Gallagher has grown from a one-man band to one of the South East’s premier quarrying, civil engineering, building and property development businesses.
It now owns two quarries and a large fleet including 50 excavators, more than 50 dump trucks, 14 Bomag rollers, 15 tippers, 13 ready-mix concrete trucks and three tractor units and trailers.
While the company runs a number of Scania P-series mixers, Volvo makes up the majority of its fleet and the Thompsons Loadmaster Lite has been its body of choice for more than 20 years. When it came round to ordering its new batch of trucks, there was no hesitation about which truck and body to go for.
Gallagher transport manager Maxine Buckby said: “Loadmaster Lite really does deliver the goods. It’s extremely strong, completely reliable and inherently durable.”
Gallagher supplies more than 70 products from primary and recycled aggregates through to block stone and topsoil from its two quarries near the M20, and it is the last remaining company still quarrying Kentish Ragstone, a hard, grey, sandy limestone that gives many buildings in Kent their own unique character.
The 10 new 8x4 tippers feature Volvo’s 13-litre D13K420 engine, producing 420hp and 2,100Nm. The Loadmaster Lite bodies uses a lightweight, single-skinned design, allowing for impressive payloads of up to 19 tonnes. They were fitted and liveried by Thompsons and sister company Charlton, which it acquired in 2003.
They will be used to carry fine sand or aggregates out of the quarry, then return with various types of inert waste for landfill.
“The smooth bodysides are ideal both for carrying our livery and for keeping the trucks looking smart”, added Buckby. “In our industry, standards of image and presentation are particularly important, and we make a great effort to present ourselves in the most professional way possible”.
