"Actros brakes are very efficient and Telligent [PS
Page 36
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
is a lot better" Robert Wilcox
Over the past 45 years Massey Wilcox has established strong links with the local paper industry through its distribution and warehousing organisation, operating from five sites in Chilcompton, just south of BristoL The company runs 54 tractive units in its own colours and some in other people's liveries.
Robert Wilcox says: "We did a deal with Mercedes-Benz. The local dealer, Lancaster Truck and Van, rents our workshops and looks after servicing on-site for all of our trucks and trailers. It actually works out cheaper than doing it ourselves. Although we've run Mercedes-Benz trucks since 1976 we also have a number of ERFs on the fleet but they will now be replaced by M-B models as they come up for renewal.
"About a third of the main fleet consists of owner-drivers' vehicles," he says. "We have an advantage in purchasing power which we pass on, and there are now three 2543s with the MegaSpace cab and we have three 2540s with the standard sleeper cab, which is the regular fleet spec. The big cab is supplied at an affordable price for the owner-driver—it's fio,000 less than a Topline Scania. We have run three-axle units with tandem-axle trailers since 1984 and are now gearing up to run on six axles by replacing some of our older trailers and converting the newer ones over the next decade. We have Go trailers and are only one sixth of the way through the exercise. The Actros will give us a z6-tonne payload capacity at 41 tonnes gross, "We still prefer to own than to lease but like the R&M contract with its fixed costs," says Wilcox. "Fuel consumption is better in broad terms than our ERF ECiz powered by the Perkins 375. At 38 tonnes the 25405 are returning 7.77mpg against the ERFs' 7.25. We have an hour of poor roads and hilly terrain in any direction we go from here but our owner-drivers do even better, reporting 8mpg and above. It's never been heard of in this fleet before, They do 8o,000 to too,000 miles a year so the saving can pay for the road tax.
"Our distribution fleet does slightly less—about 75,000 miles a year—and we replace them after five years," he says. "Depending on the state of the market we would usually sell them through the trade. Sometimes M-B's guaranteed buy-back deals are more price sensitive than others, but they are not always worth taking up. It would be nice if someone could come up with a recognised formula that was fair to both parties.
"Actros brakes are very efficient and Telligent EPS is a lot better," he reports. "All our drivers find it nice to drive. On tyres we place Michelin at the top of the tree; we have our own casings remoulded twice by US of Weston-super-Mare. M-B's backup on site is excellent. We haven't had much experience of the company's roadside cover, but with the R&M contract warranty issues are never a problem to us. Today it's not really a matter of picking out the best truck—there isn't too much between the bigger names. It's more a case of what cost the overall package can be supplied for." r