"Our fitters say they are easy trucks to work on."
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Chris Metcalf
Hepworth Minerals and Chemicals was bought by SibeIca in July, and when CMtalked to logistics manager Chris Metcalf at the company's headquarters in Sandbach the fleet was in the process of being reliveried. "The trucks are still white and we have retained the distinctive camel logo," he told us. "The main part of our operation is based in Cheshire at two sites; one at Congjeton and another at Chetford. We have a fleet of 68 tractors and 125 trailers. Only a small part of our operation is dedicated to transport of liquid chemical resin from our West Bromwich site: our main operation is minerals in the form of sand for applications in the glass. foundry, building and ceramic industries.
When I joined the company in 1996 the fleet was basically ERF with a few Fodens," says Metcalf. "There is a mix of 4x2 and 6x2 tractors. We have replaced some since then. We looked at what was on offer and concluded ERF still met the criteria we were looking for We needed a truck we knew would be able to operate with a blower and tipping gear for our tanker operation. The durability of the nonsteel cab was also a consideration as at that time we were working an an eight-year depreciating cycle and not replacing some before 11 years. To add to that the factory was just down the road and Beech's of Stoke was very well known to us, with a good track record for performance. At the time we didn't think anyone could beat what we already had, so we stuck with ERF.
The II-litre was rated at 380hp. which was what we needed, and ERF was claiming good fuel returns for it," he says. "We are now in the final stages of selecting some new trucks and we're specifying everything on 6x2 with the option of operating at 41 or 14 tonnes. We are leasing some new trailers but a number of those we already have could operate at 44 tonnes. In the past we have purchased our vehicles but the next batch will be obtained on contract hire with a full maintenance package. It's a purely financial decision. Existing trucks and trailers will continue to be serviced in our own workshops. For reliability we are looking at a five-year maximum and the quotes I have in front of me from ERF appear to be as competitive as any from the four manufacturers we are considering.
"We get a payload of up to 26 tonnes," Metcalf reports. "Some contracts run around the clock covering up to 220,000km a year. The fuel consumption, at 7.3mpg, includes the use of the blowers averaging out at one hour per customer. Where we do have trouble it is more to do with the age of the fleet rather than any one particular problem. I remember there was a modification carried out on the retaining bolts for the suspension. Brakes last about 80,000km. and we are replacing clutches at around 300.000km, depending on the driver. Electrics are fairly reliable: we have had some minor problems with the wiring to the light clusters on the rear arches but these are picked up on routine maintenance. Our fitters say they are easy trucks to work on."