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Pete Spooncer and Spanners
Page 52
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Pete Spooncer runs an unusual specialist mixer fleet under the name of Spanners. Some vehicles are contracted to suppliers in the conventional way and run in their colours. Others on the hire fleet may join a client for anything from a week to a month.
As a result, six of his high-specification, truck-show-award-winning wagons are fitted with sleeper cabs.
Spooncer is a strong advocate of Liebherr equipment. 'They're German, that usually makes a difference. Its the best quality, less prone to barrel and frame cracks. It's a bit more expensive, but the service centre [at Biggleswade, Beds] is good. I always buy new chassis and barrels and expect a truck to last 10 years, Average mileage is fairly low, typically less than 50,000km a year.'
Unlike some operators Spooncer won't run 8x2s or fit conveyors to his wagons. He saves weight by using aluminium fuel and water tanks and wheels. "When eightwheelers first came out they were going to be the big thing -but people only want them for big pours. It's horses for courses," says Spooncer, explaining his mixed three and four-axle fleet. "At the 4x2 end, Mercedes are the best,' he adds.
Spooncer initially opted for Scania "because it was interested" and has several on the fleet, including two with automated transmissions. "I went to Opticruise because Scania had a problem with clutchesit now has a failsafe device. Scania has been good: it has helped me with warranty claims, even at four years."
However he has recently added an I-Shiftequipped Volvo FH to the fleet.
"It's not a fuel-efficient job.' Spooncer admits. Engines never stop idling while waiting at batching plants, and short runs and the use of the PTO all militate against good fuel figures. As a rule of thumb Spooncer opts for 340hp engines in sixleggers, 420hp in eight-leggers higher outputs than many in this business, When it comes to disposing of kit he exports rather than see it go to local competitors.
"I do my own mixer repairs, including reskinning barrels. It can be hard to find decent drivers... I never seem to have a full set of good blokes, but after 15 years the first one I took on still works here,' says Spooncer.
Mindful of health and safety his trucks have two cameras, one for reversing and one focused on the loading hopper to enable drivers to reverse accurately under plant without leaving the safety of the cab.
Spooncer, who numbers Tarmac and Lafarge among his customers, began with a single truck. Noticing competitors running tatty old kit prone to breakdown, he sells himself on smart tackle and repeat business based on high levels of customer service. Such kit is expensive -Z100,000 for the last two six-leggers, which is a lot of investment, even taking into account the air-conditioning, essential if you want to keep windows shut on hot, dusty sites.
It is easy to be undercut, but Spooncer will stand wagons up rather than drop what he believes is a reasonable rate. "I'm not getting into price wars," he says.