Meynell introduce Renault trucks to fleet

Meynell Plant Hire, who supply trucks to Leicester construction contractors Jelson Holdings Ltd., their parent company, have broken the mould by acquiring the first Renault trucks to join their fleet of 50 trucks. The Renault Kerax, Midlum and Premium models will become part of the fleet, which also contains Mercedes, Volvo and new and used DAF trucks. The Renault Keraxs are tipper trucks, and will be utilised in the delivery of stone, as well as transporting debris and earth. The Premiums, meanwhile, will be used to transport breeze blocks for Jelson's subsidiary, Interfuse Ltd., a manufacturer of breeze blocks. The Midlums will be used in the transportation of residential items, for example kitchen sets, across the country, particularly to new developments which are under construction.

Meynell Plant Hire's Operations Manager Troy Harrison, said:

The Renault Premium Lander is versatile enough for delivery to our building sites, with the comfort of a high spec cab and automatic gearbox for motorway driving. One of the best advantages of the Lander is its fuel economy.The first Renault Premium Lander has been on the road for a couple of months now and already we are seeing an excellent fuel return of 8.3 miles per gallon - more than any other truck on our fleet which average at approximately 7 miles per gallon. The Kerax is a great looking vehicle and its ground clearance is second to none. The Kerax offers good bhp and a build quality for construction that is simply made for the job.

Meynell Plant Hire have worked with Renault before, as they operate a franchise for Renault automobiles, but the adoption of the trucks indicates a new level of cooperation. The logic, according to Troy Harrison, was thus:

We had never really considered Renault Trucks before but looking at the quality of the trucks you get for your money, we felt that it was a great value and, with the local support of the new RH Commercial Vehicles depot on our doorstep in Leicester, we thought we would give it a go. This decision has already proved a very positive move, both for quality and for fuel efficiency.

Meynell Plant Hire is one of the subsidiaries of Jelson holdings Ltd., one of the largest construction firms in the UK which is still privately owned. It is a family run firm, and was established in 1889, building residential properties across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire, for more than 120 years.

MAN to release product range in China, in collaboration with Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd.

A complex web of interests between industry giant Volkswagon AG, trucker makers MAN SE and Scania, famous for new vehicles as well as MAN and Scania used trucks, and Chinese firm Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd. can be carefully unravelled, as MAN SE announce their partnership with Sinotruk.

MAN SE own 25 percent of Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd., and chief executive officer Georg Pachta-Reyhofen revealed that they may increase that stake, on the back of the products that they plan to introduce into the Chinese market together.

MAN SE, itself part-owned by Volkswagon AG, has seen its figures improve significantly in recent months, as demand in Europe slowly begins to climb following the recession, and, more importantly, demand in Brazil rockets. Profits for the second quarter were almost seven times higher than in the previous year for the German firm. The net income was €153, up from a mere €22 million in the same period of 2009. The Latin American boom drove a 16 percent increase insales, to €3.6 billion. Pacht-Reyhofen stated that emerging markets such as Russia, Africa and Asia can be a huge market for the firm, and the collaboration with Sinotruk is part of the strategy to take advantage of these markets.

MAN SE and Sinotruck Hong Kong Ltd. plan to bring out a range of heavy duty trucks for the Chinese market in 2011, with no further information being released as yet.

The relationship between the companies is byzantine, with MAN SE owning 25 percent of Sinotruk, and Volkswagon AG owning 29.9 percent of MAN SE, which they acquired in order to assist Scania, the Swedish firm, in which they also own a majority stake, in resisting a hostile takeover by MAN SE. MAN now own 17.4 percent of Scania, and are interested in opening talks upon the subject of cooperation; a synergistic proposition which Volkswagon will surely facilitate.

Volvo display new FL Narrow Track

A number of luminaries from the petrochemical industry in the UK were amongst the guests at a seminar at the Volvo Trucks headquarters in Warwick. The seminar involved the launch of the new Volvo FL Narrow Track tanker, with the guests being able to view them alongside an FE 6x2 rear-steer tanker. The seminar, whilst focussing on the Narrow Track's specifications, also demonstrated how Volvo can work with their customers on a number of issues. There are a few variables, such as using Dynafleet telematics and Volvo Service Point Online, which can be customised, allowing the customer to reduce their fuel usage and manage the vehicle effectively.

The FL Narrow Track fuel tanker features a payload of 11,000 litres, and the FL Narrow Track gas tanker can hold 6200 Kg of Liquid Propane Gas (LPG). The size of these payloads, and the subsequently less frequent need to reload, mean that they are able to be effective alternatives to a GVW truck, or a Scania P94 fuel truck.

The FL Narrow Track measures 2.1 metres in width over the doors, and 2.3 metres over the mudwings. In order to ensure that the vehicle can be serviced by Volvo's network of dealerships, without recourse to special parts, there have been two modifications: the mirror arms have been made narrower, and the rear wheels and tyres have been replaced by super singles on 8 stud steel wheels. It can also be equipped with Volvo's I-Sync, the automated transmission.

The Narrow Track FL is suited to applications which aren't reliant upon axle loading tolerance, as it is 5.8 tonnes at front and 10.3 rear. Another vehicle that was displayed was the 6x2, which featured a rear-steer tag-axle that is operated by hydraulics, and was there to draw attention to a new rental offer by Volvo and Haartz Tanker Rentals. The offer is a Volvo FE 340 with a capacity of 20,000 litres, replete with pumping equipment, for £804 per week, with a minimum term of 12 months.

Iveco emphasises alternative fuels.

Iveco, alongside other truck manufacturers such as Scania UK, is following a policy which emphasises natural gas and electric power, as it concentrates upon reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Iveco already produce engines which run on natural gas, in this case compressed biomethane or compressed natural gas, and many customers already utilise this, including Coca Cola and Tesco, which recently ordered 795 vans, including 25 powered by natural gas. Mainland Europe has embraced Iveco's EcoDaily Electric, an electric powered model available in either a 3.5 tonne or 5.2 tonne version. These vehicles use a three-phase traction motor, which is linked to a DC/AC inverter. The two versions deliver power of 30 kW continuous and and 40 kW continuous respectively. The components and the batteries are located either in the engine space or the side chassis, which means that load space is not affected, with Iveco saying, At the end of the vehicle's life, recycling is not compromised; the Zebra batteries are completely recyclable.

Roadtransport.com's group technical editor Colin Barnett test drove an EcoDaily Electric 3.5 tonne vehicle, and said, Negotiating the streets of London was slightly more challenging thanks to left-hand drive, but in every other respect the Daily Electric was simplicity to drive. The steering is not assisted at standstill to save battery life, but comes to life as soon as you move. In normal mode, progress up to the limited 43mph maximum is brisk, surprisingly so for other road users.

Cadzow acquire new Mercedes-Benz Actros Titan

Cadzow Heavy Haulage, an abnormal load specialist, has acquired a new vehicle; a huge Mercedes-Benz Actros Titan. The vehicle was made at the Mercedes-Benz facility in Wörth, and features a customised 6x4 tractor unit, equipped with a V8 engine that delivers 609 hp. It was subsequently converted into an 8x4 version at the Titan Spezialfahrzeugbau GmbH.

In order to prepare the vehicle for the operations that it will be required to undertake, the chassis was significantly reinforced by Titan, and the air tanks, batteries, exhaust stack and transmission coolers were moved in order to maximise space. It also features a 900-litre fuel tank.

Cadzow Heavy Haulage is a Lanarkshire based firm, and this is the fourth Mercedes-Benz Actros Titan that they will have acquired, and they were supplied by Western Commercial, a dealer which also deals with tipper trucks for sale. Managing Director Jim Macauley said, Our Mercedes-Benz Titans have done us proud since we bought our first two from Western Commercial in 2003. They’ve always been man enough for the job and very reliable, our only outlays having been on the kind of wear and tear items you would expect. There’s no doubt that Mercedes-Benz makes a good heavy truck, which explains why most of the guys in this very specialised business choose to run them.

The vehicle features a luxurious long distance sleeper cab, which features uspended seats, air-conditioning, a refrigerator and a blue-tooth compliant CD-radio player. Jim Macauley commented, Unsurprisingly, our driver Campbell Stewart is over the moon with his new truck.

Southwark council goes green in its choice of vehicles

The council for the London borough of Southwark have decided to invest in a fleet of 'green' vehicles. 47 new Mercedes-Benz Sprinters have been chosen by Southwark council, who were looking for the most environmentally friendly vehicles that they could find. The new fleet are all powered by engines which meet both Euro 5 emissions regulations, as well as the criteria for being an Enhanced Environmentally friendly Vehicle (EEV).

The vehicles were sourced through London Hire, a firm which supplies many vehicles, including from Scania UK, to the majority of London borough's, as well as to a variety of other public sector institutions.

They are also equipped with Mercedes's ECO-Start system, which automatically cuts the engine when the vehicle is still, thus reducing fuel consumption, emissions and wastage. An example of how it works would be stopping at red lights; the driver just has to go into neutral and release the clutch. After two seconds, the ECO-start system will turn off the engine. When the lights turn green, simply depress the clutch and the engine will immediately revive.

Mathew Trott, the business unit manager for Southwark council, said, Choosing vehicles that would cause the lowest possible impact on the local and global environment was right at the top of our list of priorities when we made this decision. We looked at several options - not many could offer Euro 5 engines, even fewer could provide vehicles to EEV specification, and only Mercedes-Benz could combine those two features with the ECO-Start system. Of course we also had to be satisfied that the vans would be 'fit for purpose', and would provide a reliable and efficient service to our council tax payers. The Sprinters are extremely well built and very cost-effective, as well as providing a comfortable and safe working environment for our staff.

Whale Tankers hit Truckfest

This year's Truckfest Scotland saw a particularly good impression made by Whale Tankers. It was the first time that Whale Tankers had been present at the Truckfest, and people visiting the Volvo truck stand had the opportunity to explore their rigid vacuum tankers. The VacuumWhale is a 3300 gallon tanker, the only tanker at the exhibit, at was liveried in the colours of Glasgow's Waste Water Services.

Rhona Paterson, the total solutions executive for Volvo truck trader UK in the North, said, To many in the industry, Volvo Truck & Bus included, Whale represents the very best when it comes to product quality for specialist vehicles of this type. We were delighted to be able to feature the only tanker of its kind on one of our chassis at this year's Truckfest - the popular FE 6 x 4 26-tonne GVW chassis with day cab - and we received many favourable comments about the unit and its prominent appearance. It certainly helped Volvo's truck display stand out from the crowd.

Gordon McShannock, the Managing Director of Waste Water Services, who continues to utilise Whale Tankers, said, Not only is the best that money can buy, so too is Whale's service and support back-up. They do all of our servicing, maintenance and tank testing, and we know that there are two highly-qualified and dedicated service engineers just a phone call away should we need them. We are now looking forward to the new vehicle helping us promote our own quality service to both current and future customers.

Whale Tankers' Area Sales manager for Scotland, Alan Steel, said, As Gordon's comments clearly demonstrate, Whale prides itself on the outstanding levels of service support and back-up it has the capability of offering, not just north of the border but UK wide.

Crossroads complete acquisition of Hartshorne Group

The has been an acquisition in West Yorkshire, as Crossroads Truck & Bus completed the takeover of Hartshorne Group, a Midlands-based company which, like Crossroads, are a truck trader, specifically for Volvo.

The two businesses will continue operate with their own identities, running as individual companies, but within the same group. Martin Cronin, the Managing Director of Crossroads, said:

The addition of Hartshorne to the Group will give us greater opportunity to add value to customer's operations by providing consistency and continuity across the key distribution centres of the Midlands and Yorkshire. We believe, that by working together, we can create even more opportunities for our employees, provide even greater customer service locally and build for the long-term future of both businesses.

Between the two companies, they employ nearly 1000 members of staff across 20 separate Volvo dealerships, and produce a turnover of £200 million per year. Their pedigree is shown in Crossroads' status as former holder of the Motor transport Dealer of the Year award.

Buying at the right time could help avoid Euro-6 price rise

The added cost of purchasing first generation Euro-6 vehicles can be avoided, claim DAF trucks, by upgrading your fleet now, with Euro-5 vehicles. The new emissions control legislation becomes effective in September 2013, and a cunningly timed purchase will help operators to avoid the initial phase of introduction, and its associated costs.

Tony Pain, Marketing Director for renowned truck trader DAF, explained:

Historically there's been an upswing in sales in the run-up to a new Euro-standard, but the difference with the changeover from Euro-5 to Euro-6 will be the significant price increase on the trucks. This is due to the additional exhaust after-treatment systems needed to meet the strict legislation. So if operators renew their fleet now on a three-year lease and then upgrade again on a five-year lease just before September 2013, they will have missed the initial take-up, and added cost, of Euro-6.


The size of the investment that truck manufacturers have made in terms of the development of Euro-6 vehicles means that a price rise is inevitable. Renault UK's commercial director Nigel Butler said, For Euro-6 we are anticipating a pre-buy as operators look to capitalise on the run-out of Euro-5 vehicles in 2013. This surge in sales could mean longer lead times because manufacturers have to gear-up production cycles to meet the peak in demand.

Confidence beginning to grow in travel sectors

Travel, transportation and haulage firms, such as an airline or a truck trader, are a good indicator of the state of the economy as a whole. Air travel is rapidly affected by economic declines, and this was the case in the recession of the last two years, as airlines lost billions of Euros, as both individuals and businesses tightened their belts and refrained from flying. Likewise, when the numbers of these transportation industries begin to pick up, it tends to indicate that the economic climate is improving. The airlines have reported that it has almost returned to the pre-recession numbers, with Asia in particular driving the growth. China, the primary growth economy of Asia, and indeed the world, is vitally important, and although the government has begun to shrink some of the incentives and stimulus offers that were introduced in the face of the global recession, it still continues to grow in terms of its demand for equipment and products. Europe presents a less rosy picture, where the levels of growth are sluggish, and many governments have introduced so called 'austerity' policies in order to cut public deficits.

The industry continues to recover faster-than-expected but with sharp regional differences, said Giovanni Bisignani, Director General of IATA, Business confidence remains high and there is no indication that the recovery will stall any time soon. But, with government stimulus packages tailing off and restocking largely completed, we do expect some slowing over the months ahead.

The IATA said that air freight had grown by 26.5 percent, which points to a general increase in business. The world's largest steel-maker, ArcelorMittal, posted quarterly profits of €1.31 billion, which was a surprising level of growth, considering the figures for the commensurate period last year recorded a loss of more than €600 million. The reason for their 43 percent increase this quarter from the first can be accounted for by the return to profit of automobile groups. PSA Peugeot Citroen reported earnings of €680 million in the first half of the year, compared to a loss of €962 million in the first half of last year. Truck manufacturers are also superb indicators of the economic state of nearly every sector, and both Scania trucks for sale and Volvo trucks have been reported as being surprisingly robust. In Germany, the largest market in the EU, confidence in business rose remarkably, with the IFO Institute, a Munich based organisation, said, Firms are reporting significantly more favourable business conditions. The German economy is in party mood again.

Recovery begins in the truck industry

The gradual worldwide recovery of the trucking sector is finally beginning to be felt further down the line, with automotive parts dealers in London seeing a small upsurge in business.

London, Ontario based wheel manufacturers Accuride have been forced into staff cuts in recent years, but recently was able to recall 40 workers who had been let go, making the staff numbers up to 130. Four years ago, the Accuride facility had 500 employees, and so the levels are still much lower than the pre-recession years. However, the beginnings of a recovery are an encouraging sign, with Tim Carrie, president of Canadian Auto Workers Local 27, saying, It is a good sign. It is good news when a company that supplies the trucking industry recalls workers — that is positive.

The fortunes of a company which is a truck trader is generally a good arbiter of wider economic situation, as a successful trucking industry indicates that goods are being purchased which require transportation. Someone buying used DAF trucks represents a pyramid of spending. The recovery is slow; as Carrie puts it, It is coming back in dribs and drabs.

Ceva logistics, which transports items for General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, is another firm which has recently been able to resume hiring new staff. They are recruiting 30 new employees, in various capacities; warehouse, shipping, forklift drivers and administration. To this end they are hosting a job fair on the 5th of August.

The Cami car facility, located in Ingersoll, is working to keep up with a large demand for two utility vehicles, the Terrain and the Equinox.
As a result it is looking employ a further 200 staff by the end of the year. As the recovery trickles down, Cami' supplier Rieter Automotive is also able to add staff, with 40 more jobs created. Carrie is cautiously optimistic, saying, I don’t think we will ever rebound to the level we were at, but this is a good sign. I measure a rebound in workers getting their jobs back, and that is happening now.

Ryder acquires new vehicles for rental fleet

Ryder have acquired 100 new trucks, after investing £4 million in expanding their stock available for rental. These include a number of vehicles from renowned truck trader DAF.

The new acquisitions include 7.5 ton boxvans, 18 ton boxvans, 44-ton tractor unit lorries and curtainsiders. Ryder's commercial vehicles sales director, Nigel Martin, indicated that many firms are opting for renting vehicles as opposed to purchasing one of the DAF trucks for sale, primarily due to the impact of the economic climate upon the haulage industry, saying, The trend for operators renting vehicles for six to 12 months is growing at a phenomenal rate, with many extending contracts for much longer.

Ryder's fleet now stands at 2200 vehicles, following this purchase and the £18 million replacement programme that they undertook in the spring. The importance of these refresher programmes was underlined by David Hunt, the vice-president and MD of fleet management solutions for Ryder Europe, who said, We are seeing a significant uptake in demand for premium quality Euro-5 vehicles, and this additional investment will ensure that Ryder is in a position to fulfil this increased demand.

DAF CF85 wins Fleet Truck of the Year for the third time

The Motor Transport Awards have awarded the Fleet Truck of the Year to one of the DAF trucks for sale, the DAF CF85, for the third year in a row, and it is the tenth time overall that one of the CF series has won the award. It is the first time in the quarter of century that the awards have been running that a hat-trick of consecutive wins has been achieved.

The trophy was presented to Ray Ashworth, the managing director of DAF Trucks UK, at a dinner and reception for 1400 luminaries of the industry.
Ashworth was delighted, saying, We are proud that the DAF CF85 has earned this important industry award. Everyone in our industry and throughout the DAF team recognizes the significance of this award since it is an accolade from the fleet operators themselves. To win in 2008, 2009 and 2010 – three of the most challenging years the UK transport industry has ever experienced – underlines the value of this award. It highlights the exceptional fuel economy and overall efficiency of the CF85, together with the outstanding in-service support provided by our nationwide network of dedicated dealers.

Upsurge in sales for Daimler AG

Daimler AG, the automotive behemoth based in Germany, has seen released figures for the quarter that show an upsurge in demand for Mercedes trucks, with the current relative weakness of the Euro driving higher exports. The operating profit for the second quarter was reported to be €2.1 billion, which represents a remarkable turn around from the same time last year, which showed a $1 billion loss. The difference in sales revenues between this quarter, and the same quarter last year was €5.5 billion, with the revenues being €25.1 billion and €19.6 billion respectively. The majority of the profits were form the Mercedes cars division, with Benz trucks also performing strongly.

The auto division recorded sales of €14 billion, with many sales occurring in China and the United States. Auto analyst Juergen Pieper also highlighted, an advantageous product mix as well as better price penetration and positive exchange effects as the euro declined in value against other major currencies. Pieper, who works Metzler Bank, also said, A lot of positive things are coming together. It is almost a boom in premium cars this year, double-digit growth for these products. We had very positive comments from BMW this week and we have the same now from Daimler, he noted, with makers of high-end cars almost back at levels of profitability seen before the global economic crisis.

Daimler also implemented a variety of cost cutting measures in its truck division, which is the largest producer of heavy vehicles in the world. The full second quarter results are to be published on the 27th of July, and BHF Bankk analyst Aleksej Wunrau said, We can expect a very nice upward rrevision, before adding that his own predictions had been surpassed by 10 to 15 percent.

It has also been announced that Daimler are to embark upon a joint venture with Foton Motor in China. The growth of the market in China, now the world's largest, is huge. The trends also look good for Daimler, with Pieper noting, Especially in Asia, we are coming back to a trend towards bigger cars and bigger engines.

Sisu and Daimler AG enter joint venture

2011 will see a joint venture between Daimler AG and Sisu, with components for Mercedes benz trucks being shipped to Karjaa in Finland, where Oy Sisu Auto Ab. is based. Sisu will provide axles, frames and drive-shafts, whilst the cabs, transmissions and engines will be supplied by Daimler, form the Mercedes-Benz Actros range, and the volume is projected to be between 200 and 400 vehicles a year, contingent upon the results of a 'feasibility study'. At present the Sisu range of commercial vehicles is based upon the Premium cab by Renault, but at the moment it is speculation as to whether this range will continue, or be phased out. Similarly, the engines in Sisu vehicles are currently manufactured by Caterpillar, but whether that will be continued in tandem with the new Actros-based range is, at this juncture, mysterious. A press release stated that the trucks will marketed and sold by the Sisu brand, and that the feasibility study will be complete by the end of 2010.

Hubertus Troska, head of Mercedes-Benz trucks, has said:

We are delighted that Sisu has selected us as a supplier of high-quality components. Sisu is a traditional brand known for first class trucks. Once the feasibility study has been successfully concluded, we will be able to open up a new area of business and generate additional sales potential for our vehicle components.

The press release went further, stating:

The vehicles will be sold via the Veho Commercial Vehicles sales network in Finland. The Veho Group Oy Ab. has been importing Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles since 1939 and also sells the Fuso Canter and Setra buses in Finland. The market for medium-and heavy-duty trucks in Finland encompassed about 2,600 units in the crisis year of 2009 (approx. 3,500 trucks are sold in a normal year). There were around 390 new Mercedes Benz trucks delivered, giving thee brand a market share of 15%. Following the conclusion of the feasibility study, the future delivery of all key components to the independent truck manufacturer Sisu will particularly benefit the VEHO Group Oy's workshop network, as VEHO Group Oy also maintains and repairs SISU vehicles in its role as general representative for Mercedes Benz commercial vehicles. In addition, it is expected that Mercedes-Benz's share of this Scandinavian truck market would increase.