DEALER NEWS
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Ensuring that the price is right
Jones picks Daf
Price has driven Wales-based Les Jones Transport to buy two 6x2 Daf XF105s rather than its usual Volvos
Words: Kevin Swallow
Competitive pricing led Cardiff-based Les
Jones Transport to add two Daf XF105s to its previously allVolvo leet.
The vehicles, priced at just over £70,000 (plus VAT) each, are the irst Daf trucks on its leet since 1999. Director Ian Dodd says the overall package was cheaper. “Price is now a bigger factor than ever. We have a wonderful relationship with Volvo, but in the end it came down to price.”
Specific requirements
Both trucks have been modiied to meet speciic height and load space requirements needed for the theatre work carried out by Les Jones, which has six trucks and 18 trailers.
They need to pull 4.35m straight-chassis trailers, which have a 3m side and rear aperture. To achieve a 1.05m ifth wheel height both trucks run on 295/60R22.5 low-proile tyres, and have a ifth wheel that is 150mm above the base plate, 60mm lower than a standard ifth wheel. The air suspension has been lowered by 20mm.
“We move scenery and the wardrobe from the Royal Opera House in London. The loads come in 10m-long and 2.3m-wide containers. The loor of the trailer has Hydraroll rollers to move the containers along the bed of the trailer,” says Dodd.
“At the Royal Opera House the truck backs into a lift and it goes down three loors, hence the height restriction,” he explains.
The trucks are itted with the Space Cab, will travel approximately 180,000km a year, and are on a ive-year repair and maintenance (R&M) contract through Daf Trucks dealer Watts Truck & Van (Cardiff).
Price-driven decision
“We keep the trucks for three to six years. The vehicles are doing just under 10mpg, which is equal to the Volvos.
We are replacing two more trucks later in the year. I am a big fan of Volvo, but the Dafs are doing great – it’s doing everything and we can’t fault it. The decision will be price driven,” he says.
Dodd will also be looking to replace two of his bespoke trailers later in the year. “They are quite specialist with the Hydraroll loors. We have used a mix of trailer manufacturers in the past and are looking to replace a couple of trailers later in the year as they are 10 years old,” he says. ■
GETTING THE CAPITAL COST RIGHT
Gary Clark, truck sales manager at used Daf Trucks dealer Watts Truck & Van (Cardiff), says securing any deal at the moment means getting the capital cost right, making sure R&M is the right monthly figure, and that aftersales is flexible enough to meet the operator’s needs.
“At the moment, 45% of the business we do is with new customers. In south Wales a lot of business is done on price. It’s a tough economic climate, although price is not for everyone. R&M cost and aftersales are increasingly important, as well as location,” he says.
The Cardiff depot is seven miles from M4 J33 and, with most operators based around the outskirts of the city, access is simple and straightforward, he adds.