B AKER'S
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C.,unr-rwarrisl M-tnr 91-90 11Ihr 1009
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Most hauliers would be pleased to win a year's free use of a new 7.5-tonner. But Seamus Higgins, sales and transport manager for Northern Ireland-based Hyndman's Bakery, wasn't too sure when he heard he'd got an 80E15 New Cargo for 12 months in the recent CM/Iveco Ford 7.5-tonne Truck Quest competition: "I was totally shocked to hear that we'd won the vehicle," he recalls.
But now those initial reservations have worn off. After three months and more than 14,000km Higgins is more than satisfied with the latest recruit to Hyndman's delivery fleet. "We're very pleased with it and so is the driver."
The 11 trucks are kept busy carrying the bakery's 150 product lines throughout the province. The Maghera bakery produces a staggering 18 million burger buns, 3.5m soda farls and 5.5m pancakes every year.
Hyndman's trucks are all box-bodied with the bodies normally outliving their chassis. The 104kW (143hp) turbocharged 80E15 is fitted with a South Derry Coachworks box which has obviously seen some hard work. Higgins explains: "We change the trucks every three years — at that stage we reckon we haven't spent any money on them — but the bodies can last anything up to 15."
The majority of the fleet is currently made up of MAN 8.150s and that has influenced some rivals. "A lot of people look to us to see what we run. We bought MANs and soon after another bread company took MANs too," says Higgins.
The Langley built-product seems to be beating the German marque on fuel consumption alone. "We're averaging 15.4mpg with the New Cargo compared with 13.5mpg for the MANs," says Higgins. "That's not bad based on an average of 30 drops a day and with Belfast included in that."
Higgins specs all Hyndman rigids with six-cylinder engines: "They've got that wee bit more power ... fuel and parts are the two key things for us. When you've got 12 vehicles running about about 1,0001un a week that's a lot of fuel."
Weight isn't a major concern as the average van load on one of Hyndman's 7.5-tonners is not much more than a tonne.
So far the 80E15 has attracted little criticism from either Higgins or Hyndman's drivers. "One of the complaints of the MAN has been its small cab," says Higgins. "We've had none of that with the 80E15. One of our drivers has spent time on heavies, he took it for a drive and was very impressed," The only moan worth mentioning, says Higgins, concerns the New Cargo's mirrors: "They're too narrow — for town driving you need a bigger curved mirror." They also seem to be less able to withstand the knocks encountered in the narrow Northern Irish roads, unlike the mirrors on the old Cargo, says Higgins.
Hyndman has two "old" Cargos. "The old Cargo mirror took a fair old thump," says Higgins, "maybe it had a tougher backing. The MAN mirrors aren't any better you only have to touch them and they go."
Many of the province's roads are regularly resurfaced with loose chippings so headlights also come in from some stick and Hyndman's 80E15 has already suffered a cracked lens.
The problem is exacerbated by the growing trend to replace the whole headlamp unit, as separate glasses are no longer provided, so replacements don't come cheap.
Higgins had the same costly problem with his MANs but says that after some pressure he finally managed to get MAN to supply separate glasses. "It's coming in a lot cheaper now".
Hyndman will be looking closely at the 80E15 over the coming eight months. "All of the boys have had a drive of it ... it's been the ideal opportunity to take the vehicle and see it at work," says Higgins who has bought another New Cargo — a lighter weight charge-cooled four-cylinder 75E14— on the strength of the 80E15's performance to date.
But while specification is important, Higgins reckons that the bottom line can't be ignored. "We always look around at the spec and the price — price is very important in Northern Ireland because it's such a small market."
So far the 80E15 has got off to a good start with Hyndman's — but Iveco Ford, along with other truck manufacturers in the province, can't sit back and rely on their products to do all the talking as Higgins is only too quick to note: It's a buyer's market at the moment, everybody's chasing the business". E by Brian Weatheriey