Ashfield Trailer's activity is controlled from the Luton Cold Store,
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which is close to the Ml. Proprietor Ron Adams has been in the haulage business for 26 years and runs 12 trucks on Continental work, taking out dry freight and bringing back chilled goods. A year ago he took delivery of his first Renault Magnum. Now he has nine, which run alongside two Oaf XF480s and a Volvo FH380.
"We run all 4x2 units, because we can carry larger fuel tanks than on a 6x2," says Adams. "On the Magnum we install a 1,000-litre tank, which is quite good, but the Volvo RI has a 1,300-litre tank. The amount we save in buying fuel abroad more than compensates for the higher level of tax."
Ashfield has taken the Magnums on a three-year
operating lease "to avoid the eventual aggravation of trying to sell them", says Adams. "No-one wants second-hand trucks at the moment. Leasing takes out the risk factor by giving us fixed costs, but we still have to pay for tyres, insurance and road tax. The trucks cover 200,000km a year, but we may decide to extend the lease for a fourth year if the price with Renault is right.
"We have seven 430s and two 470s," he adds. "We took one 470hp model in the first batch to weigh up any advantages. We run fully laden on volume, so it's quite heavy work. The 470 is better on fuel and returns 8.6, against 8.1 with the 430s. The reason we have more 430s is simply that they are easier to get hold of. They offer ample torque and we don't really need the power of
the 470hp engine." Renault Trucks Chiltern operates a 24-hour service from Monday to midday on Saturday, and this falls in quite well with Ashfield's needs,
"The 818 may be long in the tooth, but it's reliable, although gear changes can become a bit notchy," says Adams, "The mounts for the passenger seat could be improved—they tend to rattle. The cab used to be a bit short on stowage space for the bits and pieces the driver uses every day but Renault has added a table and that has improved the situation."
The company uses Michelin tyres, and has 385s on the front axle. Tyre wear is about equal front to rear, although the inners are wearing slightly more quickly than the outers at the rear Adams pulls out a file: "This one has covered 183,000km and there's still an average of 7mm of tread remaining. They will do very well.
"The Oaf is better to drive, but the Magnum Is better to live in. If I were a driver I would want the Magnum," he concludes.