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"We like the reliability and our customers like the

25th January 2001
Page 28
Page 28, 25th January 2001 — "We like the reliability and our customers like the
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prestigious image"Mike Higgins

Watkins and Sole Transport Is based at Colnbrook, close to Heathrow Airport. Commercially this is a vibrant area and the company's business has grown steadily over the past 13 years to the point where it now runs more than 100 trucks. As well as contracts with some major own-account companies, Watkins and Sole operates in the general-haulage sector with a fleet ranging from small vans to maximum-weight artics on national and international work.

"The only trucks we operate day-to-day are Scanias and Mercedes-Benz," says general manager Mike Higgins. "'They are both quality trucks—which one we choose to buy depends on who is giving the best deal at the time. We have 30 7.5-tonners but as Scala doesn't build a truck lighter than 18 tonnes they are all Mercedes, by default. We used to run News but changed over about seven to eight years ago.

"We ran 814s before we took on the Atego 815s; 150hp is sufficient for our needs. Some are on steel and others have rear air suspension, depending on the type of work. We specify a range of bodywork supplied by Kemps of Essex—they were recommended to us by Mercedes. Some are boxes with taillifts; others are curtainsiders.

"We use roller beds for the air-freight containers. They are quite heavy and the light alloy bodywork offsets Mercedes heavy chassis to some extent. We don't have a rigid policy when it comes to purchasing or leasing; again it depends on the deal. "We used to have our own workshops but now they all come with a maintenance contract. Normand Eurotrucks does all our servicing overnight—they understand our need to keep the vehicles on the road. If we have a problem with a vehicle we phone up and they fit us in, again overnight if necessary.

"All new trucks have a few teething troubles but overall the Ategos are reliable. Our only problem is with the truck's modern computerised electronics. At one time if a warning light came up on the dash then our own mechanic could sort the problem. Now it has to go back to the dealer, who is the only one with the diagnostic package. It's particularly annoying when you take a vehicle off the road and it turns out to be a false alarm.

"We have all types of cabs: day, sleeper and highroof versions. They stand up to the daily wear and tear well. The sleepers are fitted with night heaters and if they were not comfortable then our drivers would soon let us know. The low cab height benefits visibility when working in town.

"We try out other makes from time to time and running costs for the Atego are comparable. We're getting about 15-16mpg running 100,000km a year. They are loaded for most of the time. We like the reliability and our customers like the prestigious image.] know we won't get rid of the electronics now but Mercedes-Benz is still one of the best makes of truck on the road."


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