Tankfreight's Irish connection
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• Tankfreight has won its first overseas order — to distribute Texaco fuel throughout Ireland.
The contract will involve about 30 trucks, and Tankfreight will take control of Texaco Ireland's fleet, fitters and workshops. Chief engineer John Prise says that Tankfreight is looking for more overseas contracts.
Under Irish law Tankfreight will have to put orders for new trucks for the contract out to tender. Price says: "I would hope that we put more ERFs on the road in Ireland."
His preferance for ERFs is reflected in a switch to ERF El0 325s in the UK. Tankfreight is expected to order around 200 of them this year, worth almost 27 million.
The new ERFs will replace Scanias, Volvos, Dais and Mercedes in the Tankfreight fleet and Price estimates that by the end of this year 320 of Tankfreight's 850 tractors will be ERFs.
"We can get the ERF trucks
fitted to Petroleum Regulations on line," says Price, "which gives us a considerable price advantage. Also, they are light, and we are very much in favour of the Cummins 325 engine with the Eaton twin splitter gearbox."
The first 35 ERF E10 325s are now in operation with Tankfreight; another 35 are awaiting fitting out. All have been supplied by Reliance Commercial Vehicles of Brighouse as part of an order for 172 of the vehicles.