Still fighting the duel
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Any spin doctor will tell you that a campaign needs a beginning, a middle and, above all else, an end. But ERN Fuel Duel shows no sign of finishing, with fresh challenges arriving every day. After 12 months it's still a thorn in the side of rival manufacturers...
by Brian Weatherley • According to ERF's marketing manager Matt Thompson: "You should always leave a party when you're enjoying yourself." He shows no sign of taking his own advice—and neither, it seems, are the UK's truck operators.
Like the TV Daz challenge, there's no shortage of hauliers willing to pit their "Brand X" tractors against ERF's EC11 in a Fuel Duel.
Up to the beginning of August ERF's Fuel Duel fleet had won 625 duels, tied eight and lost only six. Not a bad score, except that 191 challenges have been refused, while 190 yielded no meaningful result. According to ERF the six defeats were all to Scania's 4 Series. But Thompson stresses: "We've won far more duels against the 4-Series than we've lost."
Definitive
No one's suggesting that a Fuel Duel is a definitive test...especially ERF's rivals. Iveco Ford's tart response is typical: "We don't see the value apart from it being a good PR exercise." Good PR or not, no other manufacturer has put its trucks on the line in quite the same way. But where does Fuel Duel go from here?
"While Fuel Duel is continuing, it's now part of an overall product emphasis," says Thompson. "We're moving into driver comfort, fleet management, parts—all the other elements that form part of a service. I think we've made our point on fuel."
ERF's timing couldn't have been better. As the Government remains hell-bent on annual fuel price hikes, Fuel Duel has helped concentrate hauliers' minds on ways to control their fuel bills. So far ERF reports that 874 vehicles have been quoted for "directly as a result of Fuel Duel", leading to 307 sales, worth more than £15m. Coincidentally (or maybe not) that's about the number of extra trucks ERF sold during the first six months of this year compared with 1997. Its registrations are currently 37% up on last year.
But how much of this is attributable to Fuel Duel? "I don't think we would, or even could say," says Thompson. "But we've had tremendous brand awareness as a result of Fuel Duel. We've managed to equate ERF as a brand with fuel economy."
The old complaints haven't gone away. After all, a brand
new Euro-2 tractor should perform better than a well-worn fleet machine, as ERF's critics have been quick to point out— with some justification. ERF hits back by publishing its Fuel Duel results under separate headings for pre-Euro-1, Euro-1 and Euro-2.
Advantage
In Euro-2 duels it claims its ECs are averaging a 0.92mpg advantage over the opposition (see panel). Rivals might well deride such figures, but in lieu of anything else operators are bound to take notice.
And the show goes on. In May ERF launched a new Fuel Duel fleet of 29 vehicles, complete with flowerpower decals, to continue the campaign.
Is the Fuel Duel campaign likely to run out of steam? "I don't think so," says Thompson. "Fuel is with us forever—it's the main cost that we as a manufacturer can affect, and how we can best help operators manage their costs. It's really an ongoing proposition."
If there's one small cloud on
the horizon it's that, in the words of operators CM has talked to, fuel consumption is not the be-all and end-all. If ERF is to move beyond Fuel Duel, it has to prove its back-up service is as good as, if not better, than its rivals. And that's an altogether different challenge.
Fuel-Duel results to date*
Duels won
625
Duels lost
6
Duels tied
8
Duels refused
191
No result possible
190
Duels arranged
152
To be arranged
68
Non-Duel enquiries
58
'Up to 7 August. Source. ERF The 1,298 operators registered on the Fuel Duel system operate a total of 48,491 vehicles
Operators who bought,after a fuel duel
Stoford Transport bought 10 ECs after a Fuel Duel late last year which ran for two weeks, over all the company's routes. It operates 60 trucks on general haulage and contract distribution, with depots in Cul ompton, Southampton and Warrington.
Managing director Chris Tancock says: "We also tried a Scania. The Scania was good—but not as good as the ERF. It did 9.5mpg across the board which was a good result, with the figures varying between 10.2 and 9.1mpg." Did the Fuel Duel convince Tancock to take ERFs? "I'd have thought so after buying 10," he says. "We were considering them, because of the price of fuel, but we were also looking at payload and price. The ERF came across as the best of them."
Stoford's drivers were previously on Seddon Atkinson Stratos. "The ERF's always been seen as a boss's motor, but now they've got them they're really pleased with them," says Tancock.
Cross Hands-based temperature-controlled operator NR Evans saw a 1mpg improvement when it ran an ERF back-toback against one of its Volvo FHs. As a result of the trial managing director Neil Evans has bought eight EC11-400s.
"We were very impressed," he says. With four Scanias in the 26-strong fleet Evans also considered the 4-Series before opting for the ERF, and he stresses the choice wasn't made on fuel alone.
"Overall they've been good," says Evans, "although we've had niggling things, the same as you get with all new trucks. I have to say that I was disappointed at how long they took to get out to us on one occasion—and when you're on reefer work the clock's ticking all the time." However, he's been assured that things will improve in that quarter and he approves of ERF's hands-on approach: "They've listened when we've had a problem." Some of the company's drivers miss their Volvos, not least due to extras such as air-con and its ride quality. But either way, Evans reckons the Fuel Duel concept is a winner: "It actually allows you to try something out before you buy."
Skelmersdale-based clothing retailer Matalan was certainly impressed by the performance of its original FuelDuel EC tractor back in April 1997—it's bought 21 of them. Transport manager Sandra Massam reports: "We put it on the schedule with our fleet. We had an old dying drawbar fleet doing nothing more than 7-8mpg, but we also ran it alongside new Daland Renault demonstrators."
So was she surprised by the ERF's 11.2mpg? "A bit yes, but wouldn't you be? We were expecting 10-10.5mpg."
Before settling on ERF, Massam also considered residuals, repair and maintenance options and guaranteed buyback prices—but fuel was a deciding factor.
What about the drivers' reaction to the ERF? "It's a bit basic but they like it," says Massam. "They liked the Renault too, but not all of them do overnights. I've been in it myself up to East Kilbride and it's OK to sleep in, although the curtains could do with being lined." The ERFs are currently averaging 10.8mpg, which is not what Matalan got with its Fuel Duel demonstrator. But Massam points out that the Fuel Dueller had a 16-speed box with different trailer heights and aerodynamic kits, "I'm pleased with the figures," she concludes.