1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152 
"Driver response ha: been favourable...
Page 28
Page 29
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
the L type cab has good vision, which ideal in a distributio
vehicle" Geoff Mitchell
Bibby Distribution is part of the mu larger Bibby Line Group, whose origins in shi ping date back to 1807. The group is still hea ily involved in the shipping world as it ape ates four LPG carriers, six chemical par( carriers, 14 shallow water vessels and ti offshore support rigs.
This family-owned business diversified in distribution 15 years ago and fleet engine Geoff Mitchell is responsible for a fleet of 4 trucks running out of 34 depots through° the UK. "We operate 101 17 and 18-tonne Sc rigids; 69 of those are 220hp MAN 2000s," I reports. ''Prior to a large replacement pr, gramme two years ago we had just two Mi 14-tanners in the fleet.
"At 18 tonnes we were predominantly Di with 20% Volvos and 5% of other makes. TI Volvos' fuel consumption was significant Iwn across the fleet so that excluded them. stead we trialled the MAN 2000 alongside e Daf 17-tanner and they came out about 'val. Depending on the route and type of ieration they returned between 12-13mpg. the end it was down to making a judgement I whole-life cost and the MAN 2000 came it on top. Initially we bought 45 vehicles to :place 30 Daf 60 Series and 15 Volvos.
"They work on dedicated operations, such drinks and food, as well as non-dedicated ulti-user network carrying all types of palt-based products. We specified the M2000 ith the smaller, lighter L type cab. Most are daily operations and only five are engaged occasional long-distance work that somemes involves a night out.
"Driver response has been favourable. As ost had come from 180hp vehicles they opreciated the extra power and torque and ley have commented on the truck's good irning circle. The L type cab has a reasonbly low step height and it provides good sion, which is ideal in a distribution vehicle. "Our policy is to buy the trucks outright trough just three dealerships (one each for igland, Scotland and Northern Ireland) with guaranteed buy-back and full R&M packge that covers everything except damage, fres and glass. Southfields Coachworks applies and mounts the box and curtainded bodies along with a roof spoiler (that is not a factory fit). Southfields also paints the chassis, "With a tail-lift we get a payload of about 10.5 tonnes so we tend to cube out before we get to maximum load. Our longest bodies are 28ft long, which gives enough floor space for 16 pallets. Fuel consumption has been as expected and the trucks have been extremely reliable. We haven't had any major mechanical problems. The fleet runs 100% on Michelin tyres because of the whole-life package that they offer. They give very good initial mileages. Damage apart, we get 145,000km from the fronts and 260,000km from the rears.
"The M2000s cover 100,000km a year and up to 150,000km if double-shifted on night trunking. We'll keep them for a period of three years or up to six years, depending on the contract the truck is used for. One of our purchasing criteria is that the manufacturer must have a dealer close to each of our operating centres.
"MAN has been very flexible in this respect and has nominated an independent dealer in the few cases where a franchised dealer was not already in place to handle the R&M contractual obligations. At dealer level the backup is good but the breakdown service does not measure up to what either Daf or Volvo provide. MAN's roadside assistance just takes too long to get to the vehicle."