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"The 7.5-tonne Ivecos are good workhorses, they are easy to maintain and parts availability is
Page 28
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good." Ian Harding Ian Harding is living proof that it is still possible to make a go of it in the transport industry. In 1985 he started up in business as one man and a van. Today, based just off the Mr at Groby, Hardings Transport operates a fleet of 24 commercial vehicles plus eight trailers and has warehouse facilities that generate a turnover of £2m a year
"My whole fleet was Iveco until I bought five Sprinters from Mercedes-Benz this March," he told us. It was a deal I couldn't refuse. The price was keen and it came with full backup. Our core business is print. We operate nationally and internationally. The 7.5-tonne Ivecos are good workhorses, they are easy to maintain, parts availability is good and we get a good response at dealer level.
"At the moment we have six 75E15s all with the six-cylinder engine and five-speed transmission. They have a good power-toweight ratio and they last well. We have built up a strong relationship with CD Brarnall at Leicester that allows us to negotiate on price. The 7.5-tonners cover about roo,000km a year and travel all over the country. Iveco has a good network and if we do get into trouble then it only takes one telephone call to get assistance.
"We run r6ft-long boxes and curtainsiders. Payload for the box is 3400kg and the unladen weight for the curtainsiders is 5okg heavier. It suits our needs as we have pallets that weigh up to 500kg each. We operate loaded one way and are happy with an average fuel return of 17.5mpg. That can vary a little, up or down, depending on the driver. The bodywork starts to show its age after four years so we like to sell them while they still fetch a reasonable price. "Mechanically they are still fine and we are able to sell them easily both privately and through the trade. We don't suffer many problems. The cloth trim is quite robust but the driver's seat squab chafes at the edges. The brake calipers gave trouble five to six years ago and the clutches on the E7514s were just not man enough for the job but it is a range that has improved with age with bigger or better components. We try to keep one driver to one truck as far as possible and they look after them. It has good all-round visibility and good creature comforts. The drivers say that the day cab is big enough for them. We plan to stay with Iveco for the longer term so long as the price is right." a