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Trucks in the livery of Butch bulk operator Van Bentum

23rd December 1999
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Page 86, 23rd December 1999 — Trucks in the livery of Butch bulk operator Van Bentum
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are a regular sight on British roads. Here he reveals how he has made his operation pay by designing ultra-lightweight trailers and developing a partnership with a UK haulier.

THE NETHERLANDS

As far as Hendrik Jan van Bentum is concerned, the secret of outsmarting his competitors lies in two areas. The first is running the lightest trailers he possibly can; the second is operating in the most fuel-efficient manner possible. His most impressive development recently is a chassis-less bulk trailer, which not only tilts the tank, but the wheels with it.

So how was this achieved? Three years ago, the tare weight of an empty 6om3 bulk trailer was around 7,2 ookg. The solution thought out by van Bentum and his technical partner, realised by the Belgian trailer builder Atcomex, resulted in a

tare weight of just 5,900kg. "And that is what our customers are looking for," says van Bentum. "To take more load on a truck, without exceeding the legal weight limits. You gain the sympathy of the customer, and we have more material on the road."

He smiles when asked why there are no competitors operating the same trailer. "Obviously our competitors are more conservative, mainly because they're not familiar with the concept," he says. 'Our way of thinking gives space to any new technology, giving our customers the benefit of more load per journey. Others think the other way around. They keep their current material to run as long as possible, to make the most of it."

The untra-light bulk trailer is not van Bentum's only achieve ment—his company also runs some of the lightest flatbed trailers in the business. He explains: "We replaced the conventional trailer chassis by a honeycomb metal structure, enabling us to take two tonnes more on the same trip than anybody else."

The company won a contract to transport beverages, because van Bentum's trailers could take six more pallets than the competition. And in bulk haulage, a new kind of compressor was developed which had a noise level of only 79dB(A), when 92dB (A) was the regular level.

Van Bentum's attention to technical detail comes from the fact he started as a driver on his own in 1969. Eighteen years ago, his trucks found their way to Britain for the first time. He recalls: "I saw that the Brits pay special attention to two things. First, weight, and second, once on the weighbridge, they pay special attention to your tyres. This made us decide to subcontract our tyre management to a specialist who, once the trucks are cleaned every Saturday morning, checks all the tyre pressures and other possible irregularities."

Apart from general haulage to Britain, van Bentum also specialises in bulk transport, mainly dry powders and granulates. Its customers include some of the major chemical multinationals. But van Bentum is a realist: "We realise that we are not big enough, despite running Go tractors and operating more than 280 trailers, which means that we move 5,000 tonnes daily. Sounds impressive, but we're not big enough for the really large contracts."

Warehouse

The company is based in Woudenberg, a village in the centre of The Netherlands. Van Bentum has a 4,000naz warehouse, and he can store L000 tonnes of granulates and powders as well.

The strict British rules on weight and tyres have led van Bentum to be keen on careful fleet management. The company operates its own workshop, employing six mechanics. The workshop proved to be another opportunity to stand apart from the crowd: "We have very good co-operation with Mobil," he says. "All our vehides use Mobil synthetic oil, including axles and gearboxes. With Mobil we tackled the problem of cracking wheel bearings in trailer axles due to the salt water caught dur ing the boat trip. Mobil delivered us a special grease which stopped the bearings from cracking."

Oil is being replaced once a year—in that time each truck covers about 17o,00okm. "In the year we check the trucks three times, mainly a visual check," he says. "Once a year, every truck is taken off the road for a week for a full check and to replace everything necessary. It has proved successful. We don't need repair and maintenance contracts from manufacturers if you see how efficiently this system runs."

Van Bentum operates Scanias, Volvos and Dafs. "They score top marks in fuel consumption, especially Scania. I'm a bit of a fan of

the Scania V8s," he adds, "but they are too heavy for our End of work and insufficiently fuelefficient. Fuel efficiency is a key thing—just look at what happened with prices in Britain. In Holland the price has gone up this year as well." Even so, fuel remains nearly half the price of the UK.

All trucks have retarders and a camera on the right side to overcome the blind corner and to ease driving in the UK. An audible device warns when the truck is reversing. And every truck has a mobile phone because van Bentum wants to reduce damage and lost time in traffic jams. Driver comfort is taken seriously—the seats are sometimes changed after a fortnight on the road to make sure the driver gets the best working position.

Van Bentum reckons it's common sense for drivers to be involved in truck buying decisions: "We really do have to agree. And I see the T-model Scania is more popular with our drivers, as well as the Daf 95XF. We consider our drivers specialists— especially when working with the bulk trailers. Drivers are scarce in

The Netherlands. All I can do is to give them a decent truck, which looks good, and to pay them properly. I've got four British drivers on the payroll on Dutch rates." In the UK van Bentum has a partnership with Swain of Rochester. "Our co-operation means we are represented throughout Britain," he says. "Something our competitors cannot always cope with."

Van Bentum has great respect for Eddie Stobart. "I paid a visit to Carlisle and I was amazed how .Stobart has built his business," he says. "And then there's this fan club and everything around it...I wonder if I could do a similar thing in Holland!"

Eby TimdeJong

Van Bentum

BASED Woudenberg, Holland, with 14,000m2

warehousing.

FOUNDED 1969 by Hendrik Jan van Bentum CONTACT Hendrik Jan van Bentum, proprietor.

FLEET 60 tractor units, around 280 trailers.

Runs Scania, Volvo, Daf. Buys new. Most recent purchase: Scania D Series, August 1999, SPECIALITY Distribution, groupage and national CONTRACT same-day delivery.


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