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We followed the progress of an NETV demonstrator Stralis (see
Page 62
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panel) as it visited four operators in a month, and the first company to play host was Murray Hogg, based in North Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne. This thirdgeneration family firm has never used lveco products before and is the sort of potential customer dealers have to work on to get Stralis on their shopping list.
Next year Murray Hogg will celebrate its 80th year of trading. Its main concerns are haulage, storage and pallet distribution with Pall-Ex and car transporters.
The 90-strong fleet consists of vans, rigids, and artics from Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Scania. Director Colin Hogg admits the company had never considered using a Stralis. "We buy vehicles outright and keep them for seven to eight years. We consider price, aftersales, fuel, and driver feedback [in the buying process]," he says.
"We haven't had a Stralis before. The dealer pushed it so we trialled it," he says. "It was fine. We aren't buying trucks at the moment FACT FILE but when we're next Mileage: 3,074km purchasing we'll look Fuel economy: 8.0mpg at it," he says.
For its week's work Murray Hogg put the Stralis on trunking, temporarily replacing a Renault Premium. "We had it for five days, and ran it down to Leicestershire and back to a hub, carrying mixed freight. To be fair the fuel [economy] wasn't bad, but it's not going to be spectacular running a step-frame double-deck trailer," he says.
An appraisal form gives drivers the opportunity to comment on their experience, and feedback from Murray Hogg was generally positive. In 'driveability', gear changes uphill from 12th to 11th were highlighted as too slow, and brakes were given a 'poor' rating. 'Comfort' and 'ergonomics' were seen as 'average' and 'very good' respectively.