"Any of our drivers can drive this truck...it's very good for urban and city
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centre deliveries"Mark Doggett Powwow Water is the UK's largest bottled water cooler company. Mark Doggett, the company's national fleet operational supervisor, based at Oxford, has the overall responsibility for some zoo vehicles from 2.0 to ri.o tonnes operating throughout England and Scotland. The fleet includes 49 Mitsubishi Canter 75s used to deliver water in handy 18.5-litre bottles.
"Price and payload were two of our major considerations. We operate the trucks on a three-year contract hire basis which includes full maintenance. With Volvo's dealer backup there is a local service point near each of our depots. Volvo has a 'class-leading' support package," says Doggett.
We currently specify curtain-sided bodies built by Alloy Bodies of Manchester, which leave us with a 4.3 tonne payload. That's o.5 tonnes better than some of the Canter's rivals.
"The cab has a nice specification, with electric windows, exhaust brake, tilt and raised steering and a digital dock.
Our drivers have to manage paperwork, and they make good use of the storage box with the clipboard in the middle of the cab. The cab could be a bit bigger.
"The size of the driver can influence his perception of comfort. The height of the header rail can restrict forward vision for very tall drivers. But the truck is not too big, and drivers used to smaller vans don't feel intimidated by its size. Any of our drivers can drive this truck, and it's very good for urban and city centre deliveries.
"We bought our first Canter about r8 months ago, and haven't had any major problems. On a few the clutch gave us a bit of trouble with a stiff pedal, but that was nipped in the bud. The park brake has a long travel which can sometimes lead to problems if the driver has to make a delivery on a steep hill.
"A more powerful engine, perhaps rated at i5ohp, would improve lightly worked motorway fuel consumption. However, this is not a major problem, as they average about the same as the Daf 45s. The gear change could be smoother, and I don't think that the turning circle is quite as tight as the Dal's, but operational costs are good," he concludes.