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"Payload is not the best hut the truck does have
Page 30
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driver acceptability" Ivan Roy
W Wright and Sons is a contract-hire firm with a national reputation among small and large fleet operators alike. It has some 200 vehicles, from 3.5 to 44 tonnes. Hire periods start from a single day. Managing director Ivan Roy is based at Cogenhoe, near Northampton . close to the 445, from where he provides his customers with 24-hour backup.
"We provide a complete service but we can't do that properly unless we get equally good backup from the truck manufacturer," he points out. "Most of our fleet consists of Scania and Mercedes-Benz. We used to run Ford Cargos at 7.5 tonnes and tried out an 814 Mercedes when Ford stopped production. We liked the Mere and bought two at first and then just kept on buying them—we had 50 at one time.
"The later ones came with the four-cylinder engine. We bought our first Atego in January 1999 and now have 23. They are all 815s and we have just ordered an 817. They are all day-cab models. We have a couple of tippers and the others are fitted either with dropside, box or curtainsider bodywork.
"Believe it or not we still have a few Volvo 7.5tonners but the drivers like the Ategos. Getting the driver on your side is half the battle in getting repeat business. Customers are becoming more aware of the implications of Health and Safety at Work legislation and they want a cab that's easy to get in and out of.
"It has to have a comfortable driving position, give a good ride and run quietly. The Atego meets all of these requirements and it has the image we need for contract-hire customer's.
"Payload is not the best but the truck does have driver acceptability. We haven't had any comments from customers on fuel consumption. We had reservations about the reliability of the fourcylinder engine at first but they were unfounded. We've only had two real faults with the truck: the windscreen cracked and the gear linkage joints went floppy. The front screens were too thin and I believe that the gear linkage for right-hand drive models wasn't tested sufficiently at the development stage. They last for three to four months but failure is unpredictable—we had seven trucks with one customer all with the same work pattern but no two packed up at the same time.
"We do all of our own maintenance but the vehicle warranty is good and Fengate, our local dealer, is so helpful. We only use genuine parts and this reflects on the condition of the trucks. We look to replace them after three-and-a-half to four years. Some we trade in but more often than not we sell privately. Buyers come back to us again because they know our trucks are maintained in good condition. I can't remember the last time we sold a truck at auction. We haven't sold any Ategos yet but we get a reasonable price for the 814s.
"Mercedes-Benz are a little more expensive but you get what you pay for and we get the payback on the residuals and running costs. Over the past two years running costs for the Atego have been on par with the 814.
"If I could change one thing it would be to make the rear cab window standard. We tend to buy from dealer stock, and dropsides always have to have windows added. It doesn't matter with a box or curtainsider but drivers of dropsides like to be able to see out of the back for some reason."