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Quality fl seconds 41.
Page 52
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Second-hand trucks ••••• Warebousin underpin the competitive
streak at Oldham warehouse and distribution operator TTX as it weighs up the pros and cons of providing a service repair franchise.
Words /Images: Kevin Swallow The purchasing policy for TTX, the Oldhambased warehouse and distribution operator, is secondhand. TT'X employs 120 staff, runs 60 trucks and has more than 120 trailers. The vehicles, dominated by Renault and MAN, are all sourced from the second-hand market.
Managing director Dave Taylor says an industry colleague spent £100,000 on a new Scania., with that money, he could have put up to 10 second-hand trucks on the road and have them earning cash.
The company, started by his father, Malcolm Taylor, in 1974 with a Ford D-Series, expanded from a transport company into warehousing and distribution, and is a nominated carrier for Makro, Shop Direct, Littlewoods and Toys Itr Us.
Company policy
As it began to expand, vehicles were needed fast. The policy then was to buy new from MAN. "We had eight vehicles and started getting busier. Instead of buying a new one, we bought two second-hand ones," he recalls.
"We bought a couple of Renaults and ran them. They were two to three years old, good value and they ran really well. At that time Renault had lots for sales with good deals," Taylor says.
His approach now is more economic than contract hire or lease deals: "On a lease over three years I don't think it's any cheaper. You are paying the whole life of the vehicle anyway. We like to own and maintain our fleet. We are a bit old-fashioned that way."
That approach also lends itself to in-house vehicle maintenance. TTX moved in to the former Seddon Atkinson factory, where Taylor served his apprenticeship as a tool-maker, in December last year and built a state-of-the-art five-lane workshop for 10-technicians.
General manger Pete Shepherd says in-house maintenance gives TTX control of the fleet rather than it being in the hands of a dealer. However, recent additions to the fleet — Mercedes-Benz's Actros — is opening the way towards enhanced electronics.
Maintenance
"I think you will reach a point, with the way trucks are going, where maintenance is more specialist. Then you do the maths and there may be policy changes," he says.
In-house could play a bigger part following Renault Trucks dealer JDS Trucks' decision to turn its Oldham branch into a DAF Trucks service and repair outlet.
This means TTX has to travel to MS Trucks in Salford for servicing. It takes an hour to get there, says Taylor, and he can lose more than four hours by sending the truck with a driver and a second vehicle to collect the driver while the service is carried out.