UK first for Rory J.Holbrook with new DAF FAWs

Aggregate supply specialist Rory J.Holbrook has taken delivery of two DAF CF 410 FAWs, rendering it the first operator in the UK to adopt the manufacturer’s latest 8x4 rear-steer tridem chassis. 

The firm has four more units on order and all six are kitted out with rear-steer capability, sleeper cabs, air-suspension, lightweight highway chassis and Fruehauf’s Aggri-Roll Mk III non-tipping V body, which dispenses aggregate via a conveyor floor to distribute loads directly to the road surfacing machine.

The trucks are being supplied by Ford & Slater of Norwich and the inaugural pair has been deployed for the operator’s contract with road construction company, Kier Highways.

DAF claims the fixed V-shaped body is safter than traditional tippers when the vehicle is close to power lines, trees and other overhead road furniture, while the 16 cubic-metre hopper can allegedly pump out almost 20-tonnes of aggregate in less than two minutes.

The FAW is the latest of the manufacturer’s multi-axle models, has a 10-tonne front axle and is said to mix four-axle payload potential with 6x4 manoeuvrability.

“After my contact at Kier saw a conveyor floor on one of our trailers, he asked if the methodology would transfer onto an eight-wheel rigid,” said managing director, Rory Holbrook, “we sat down with DAF, Ford & Slater and Fruehauf and the answer was ‘yes’… Apart from the health and safety and productivity benefits, the new truck is a massive hit with the drivers – especially the [TraXon] auto-box and the high-spec CF sleeper cab.”

“The introduction of the non-tipping DAF with the conveyor floor body for our surface dressing operation has delivered a significantly safer working environment,” said Kier Highways general manager Andy Mayos, “we no longer contend with overhead cables and the associated risks of cable strikes. Also, our clients no longer need to undertake time-consuming overhead cable surveys, and there’s no requirement for us to implement ‘no tipping zones’.”