Norwich, UK: D&F McCarthy, a fresh produce merchant, has taken delivery of three Renault Midlums into its Iveco-dominated fleet of 18 trucks and vans.
The two 14-tonne Midlum 270.14s and one 18-tonne Midlum 300.18, all with Optitronic gearboxes, have refrigerated bodies by Gray & Adams and slide-away tail lifts.
The Midlums are the company’s first mid-weight trucks, a move from 7.5tonne up to 14 and 18-tonnes aimed at improving operational efficiency says Martin McCarth, director at D&F says.
The decision to purchase higher GVW trucks follows an audit and recommendation by Matthew Alexander from Renault Trucks dealer Brand of Beccles. “The Midlums are enabling us to deliver far more than we were achieving with the 7.5 tonners, with only a moderate impact on running costs, which are more than compensated by the additional payload,” McCarthy says.
“With this increased payload allowing us to have a tail lift and the ability to carry a pallet truck, our drivers are now able to offload pallets without the need for the customer to have a forklift, which is a huge advantage.”
McCarthy says that on the basis of the Renault Midlums’ performance so far, there will be repeat orders. The trucks operate from McCarthy’s temperature controlled depot in Norwich.
