W ith 80 tractor units and 100 trailers, Blokes Chilled Distribution
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is a relatively recent convert to contract maintenance. Its agreement with 5 Jones came into effect last July, coinciding with a move from outright ownership of vehicles to contract hire.
"So far we're basically happy, and they seem to be doing a reasonable job," says operations director Simon Blake. They're certainly preparing trucks for test and getting them tested much more quickly than we were ever able to do. They seem quite flexible, they do our trailers as well, and they're prepared to service vehicles through the night. "Our old workshop is now standing empty, and we may turn it into warehousing," he adds. But while their basic servicing costs are very competitive, they do seem to charge quite heavily for non-contract work; repairs as a consequence of driver abuse, for example," says Blake. "You can end up arguing over grey areas, but we usually negotiate some sort of a deal."
The contract covers all servicing and annual test work, but not accident damage. It also excludes the replacement of items such as mud flaps, mirrors, and mirror arms. Blake runs some MANs too, but they're subject to a separate agreement with an MAN franchised dealership.
Any concerns that trucks might
sometimes be prevented from working because of the lack of an on-site workshop to rectify minor faults are allayed by the presence of two S Jones technicians—one of whom is a fridge specialist—and a service van. A small stock of parts is kept on-site.
"The technicians are available 16 hours a day, and S Jones provides round-the-clock emergency cover anyway," Blake explains. One key drawback is the distance between Blokes Chilled Distribution's Alcester, Warwickshire base, and Aldridge.
The 70-mile round trip adds to the length of time that Blake's trucks aren't earning their keep. "We're too far away, if the truth be known," Blake remarks.
Not every ERF operator within S Jones' catchment area—a 30-mile-wide swathe of country stretching from Aberystwth to the Ml—needs to plod over to Aldridge, however. The territory encompasses a dealer in Telford, together with service and repair points in Welshpool, Worcester, and Coventry.
Blake agrees with Squire that subcontracting maintenance spells an end to any need to invest in expensive workshop technology, and that it needn't result in 0-licence fears.
"S Jones is a professional outfit, and knows ERFs backwards," he says. "That said, we use independent outside engineers to audit any work we're not happy about, and carry out spot checks.