"Preventive maintenance is the key...the engines are
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rock solid" Martin Oliver Family firms seem to have an affinity with MANs. Stuart Oliver, operations manager of Hexham-based Martin Oliver Transport, runs 62 of them, mostly 6x2 tractors hauling 115m3 mega-trailers. He also operates eight izom3 drawbar rigs. The company bought its first MAN tractive unit is 1974 and has not bought any other make of new truck since, although it has taken some second-hand Volvos, Scanias and Dafs. Today almost half the fleet comprises 364, 414 and 464 Evolution models.
"We buy all of our trucks and trailers outright and maintain them in house. We are slowly expanding our fleet and it gives us better flexibility," Oliver explains. "Very often a truck only just comes into its own after three years. If it were a lease vehicle then someone else would get the benefit of a very good truck. One of MAN's good points is that major components such as the driveline and chassis don't change much from model to model. This makes maintenance easier and we don't have to hold a large stock of parts.
"Before we buy a new truck we consider what other manufacturers have to offer. Some price packages can look very enticing in the short term, but in the long term we think MAN has had the edge over them.
"The products we carry vary in density to the extreme—they range from timber to plastic bottles. Half the fleet operates at 28 tonnes and the other half at up to 44 tonnes. We run the 364 4x25 at the lighter weight and 44 and 464 6x2s with push and lift axles up to maximum weight. Payloads vary with the trailer we put behind them: there are lighter models but individual units compare with those from other major manufacturers.
"Across the fleet we average 8.5mpg running with a 15.2ft (4.6m) trailer height. Some 28-tonners do better than 9.5 while some of the heavyweights return less than 8.ompg. The drawbars are turning in over 9.0mpg. We run them for four to six years; there are good and bad trucks and occasionally it pays to keep one longer, even Wit needs a bit of a face-lift. In the past we have bought two identical trucks. One we parted with after three years and the other hardly had a spanner laid on it in all of six years.
"All our work from here in the NorthEast is long haul, from Aberdeen in the North to the South Coast. The trucks average 140,000-160,000km a year—we have very few problems over six years.
"Preventive maintenance is the key to reliability. The engines are rock solid. On the 403 failure of a circlip in the Eaton gearbox gave us a bit of trouble—it came loose and allowed the synchro cones to spread apart so that the gears grated on the change. One of the 414s, fitted with Autoshift, has been very successful; the driver is pleased with it.
"We have never had a problem with clutches, and brakes are pretty good. Wiring and support harnesses on MAN's later models are more robust and now we have very few problems. We had a bit of trouble with an A-frame bush on the Evolution and that was attended to by the dealer. We have never had any conflict over warranty issues.
"The wiper linkage has been a problem from the 19o: it has a steel ball held in a plastic cup that wears. It's about the only component we source from a spurious supplier. Parts prices are generally competitive and availability is good: if the dealer at Penrith hasn't got it then Swindon delivers it the next day.
"The trucks are specified on Michelin tyres. The dealer tracks up the wheels before delivery and tyre wear is very good. The TG-A is more computer based and we may need a bit of extra diagnostic equipment in the future, but servicing should be just as quick if not quicker."