Cwmbran, Wales: Euro Foods has taken delivery of 14 new Iveco light trucks; eleven 7.2 tonne Daily chassis cabs and three 12 tonne Eurocargos.
The Eurocargos have Gray & Adams bodies with Carrier Supra fridges and willoperate from Euro Food’s five depots.
Bodywork for the Dailys is by Solomon. Three of the new Dailys have box-fresh bodies, while Solomon have transferred the remainder from de-fleeted competitor vehicles to give them a second life.
The fleet replacement has coincided with the launch of Euro Foods’ new Kukd brand livery.
Payload on the 4100mm wheelbase twin-rear wheel Daily is 3.26 tonnes to 3.345 tonnes depending on whether it has a new or swapped body. The 12-tonne Eurocargo has 5.5t payload on a 4185mm wheelbase.
The 7.2-tonne Daily has been on group transport manager, Neill Cannell’s ‘radar’ for some time. “We had a 7-Tonne Daily demonstrator on test from Glenside two years ago and the driver feedback was very positive. Levels of comfort and performance were very favourable compared with our outgoing Japanese trucks. Drivers liked the manoeuvrability and high level of specification and most importantly it gave us an impressive payload which is vital across the fleet.
“On new vehicles to the fleet I also like to get second opinion which I did with our friends at Caldicot Group Vehicle Recovery. They run the 7.2 tonne chassis cab with slide and tilt vehicle recovery bodies which are real workhorses. They have been very pleased with them and two years later we have taken delivery of our first 7.2-tonne Daily,” Cannell said.
The 14 new Iveco’s are the results of Cannells work to developed an ideal specification for the fleet from the view of driver comfort, operator utilisation and running costs. “We have spent a great deal of time evaluating what the best specification and body type is for our operation and by working with Solomon we have developed the perfect vehicles for our business,” he said.
“Daily came highly recommended while we chose Eurocargo as it is a durable machine. We like the fact that it’s not a complicated truck, but is a real workhorse,” he said.
The Dailys have 8-speed Hi-Matic automatic transmission and the new Business trimline, adding fog lights, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, cruise control and air conditioning.
Euro Foods have added LED headlights, a leather steering wheel, 7” Hi-Connect satellite navigation system Bluetooth, USB, DAB radio and smartphone mirroring and Traction Plus and Hill Descent Control for difficult delivery locations.
Euro Foods has opted for the 210hp diesel engine on the Daily and the 220hp engine for the Eurocargo which will cover up to 60,000 and 80,000 miles respectively per year.
They cover a mix of urban and motorway mileage with each one undertaking daily delivery schedules depending on the volume and payload of customer orders. Typically, they will stay on fleet for between five and seven years and have a two-year repair and maintenance package.
