10pc rate cut now
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fE SWITCH to 38-tonners will mean a 10 per cent cut in rates larged to one Barnsley company's customers, it told CM this ask.
Malcolm Tomlinson, of Heparth Ceramic Pipes, said the .mpany has been carrying hire reward traffic on its fleet for .me time, and the commis)ning of 10 tractive units and trailers at the new weight nit (around a fifth of its fleet) mild enable it to offer lower tes to those customers.
He said a parallel move away from dealing with clearing houses has increased the rate earned by Hepworth by between 30 and 50 per cent.
The company plans to replace its entire fleet with 38-tonners and it aims to replace all of its trailers within 18 months. Its tractive units are being replated at 38 tonnes as they come due for testing. It has experienced some delays in having vehicles replated and has been told to expect delays of between two and three months in some cases. VTG10 "notifiable alteration" forms processed through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea are taking around two months to be processed, according to Mr Tomlinson.
The average payload of Hapworth's articulated vehicles goes up from 18.5 to 20.5 tonnes, although the range of goods carried means this can vary between 16 and 26 tonnes on 38tanners, said Mr Tomlinson.
He told CM he expected an eventual reduction in the number of vehicles the company will need, and already the total mileage is being reduced.
Tests carried out with 38 tonne vehicles since they were first delivered seven months ago have shown that tri-axle trailers are preferable to 6x2 tractive units. It believes the lower excise duty rate for the 6x2 combination would be wiped out by the loss of payload.