FLEET BUYING POLICY
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In an effort to buy British, the first Milbank truck was a four-axle Volvo F7 (then made in Irvine), which has lieen subsequent}, reacquired and is currently Undergoing restoration.
The fleet mainly consists of rigids, a large number with drawbar trailers for operational flexibility. Spending a lot of time on site, they average only around 80,000km per year and are thus depreciated over 10 years.
A chassis, body, crane and trailer rig can cost a company or individual up to 1250,000 and is usually urchased rather than leased.
Two-thirds of the current line-up is Volvo with all Makes dealer-maintained. Cranes a mix of frontand rear-mounted, depending on application are also dealer serviced on site.
The first a Cormac crane was purchased from Ernest Doe at Colchester. Service backup is a key decider in crane purchases, and David Watson Transport also uses Fassi, PM and Palfinger, mainly remote wireless controlled.
Collier Truck Bodies of Madan has long provided bodies and trailers for the business, and it works in close conjunction with David Watson Transport to refine the design and specification.
There are eight artics on the fleet as well as a variety of specialist long-load and STGO trailers. The smallest vehicle (used for difficult access jobs) is a15-tonne Mercedes-Benz Atego. All new trucks have automated gearboxes, and recent purchases 'leapfrog' straight to Euro-5 to ensure London LEZ compliance. David Watson test-drives and evaluates possible new models. "A perk of the job," he calls it.
Specifications vary, one driver out all week has a V8 Topline Scania while some trucks shifting temporary buildings have day cabs to ensure maximum bed length. At David Watson Transport. there's a one-driver, one-truck policy.
With some vehicles weighing 23 tonnes unladen, constant use of PTOs and non-aerodynamic loads means fuel use is a big Issue.
"A 1p increase in price adds a £100 to our daily fuel bill." reveals Watson.
Consumption averages 7.5mpg across the fleet, with the worst 5.5mpg and two new DAF units doing best at 9.5mpg.