THE FLEET HELP FROM NEW MANs
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Photographs on the Caledonian website show a line-up of five brands of tractor in the fleet. With all servicing being handled by a dealer workshop, it seemed the operation was spreading its business a little too widely. But things have changed. In the past six months, Caledonian has invested £1.7m in a new MAN fleet of 14 artics and nine 18-tonners. The first two were TGX 540s and they are bedding in on the Lichfield trunk.
Why MAN? As is often the case, the service and support from the dealer was a strong motive. Norscot DAF, which has looked after much of Caledonian’s fleet in the past, also owns the MAN dealership.
“It’s been a conscious decision to invest heavily in MAN trucks, and to take them on contract hire,” says Derek. “They are off my balance sheet too. We went to Scania, MAN and Mercedes-Benz to source the new vehicles and MAN looked like the best option. We got a good trade-in for our existing trucks and I guess the known value of the dealer service was the clincher.” Norscot was a loyal supporter of the business venture in 1999, underlining the value of long-term relationships in this business. With previous trucks from Volvo, DAF, Mercedes-Benz and Scania, as well as MAN, CM asks if AdBlue supplies have been problematic.
“We’ve got by with 1,000-litre IBCs, but the consumption will be dropping away with the MANs not needing it, except for the 540s on the trunk,” says Derek. He’s clearly not been wedded to either SCR or EGR technology in the past, but welcomes the reduced complexity of not using AdBlue for the vast bulk of his new fleet. With Euro-6 on the horizon, this holiday might not last too long.
In detail, the new fleet intake consists of nine MAN TGM 18.250 4x2 BL curtainsiders, 12 TGX 26.440 6x2/2 BLS units with XLX cabs, and the pair of 540hp XXL tractors, which will all be maintained by Norscot MAN in Aberdeen. Caledonian’s remaining lone DAF tractor continues in service.
The trailer fleet stands at 27, with a number of the double-deckers needed for the multi-cargo Palletways runs. They have the fuel-saving sloped front roofs, which can deliver a useful 7%-8% gain in fuel.