Knowles Transport adds Renault trucks to its fleet for the first time

Cambridgeshire-based Knowles Transport has taken delivery of the first Renault Trucks to join its 120-strong fleet.

Two Renault T440 6x2s trucks, decked in Knowles’ orange livery and supplied by Renault Truck Commercials, have been added to the company’s line-up and will be used to transport food, drink and ambient to retailers across the UK and Ireland.

The addition of the first two Renault Trucks coincides with Knowles Transport’s 90-year anniversary.

The company said the new vehicles were selected for their fuel performance, driver comfort and dealer back-up service.

MD Alex Knowles added that the relationship with the Renault Trucks salesman Dean Hall was the catalyst for introducing the T440s to the fleet.

He said: “I’ve worked with Dean Hall before and he clearly understands our business and its requirements.

“So when Dean came to me and explained how the Renault Trucks T will work well in our operation, including fuel performance which is the sweet spot for our fleet, I trusted his judgement and was convinced to give them a trial.”

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Knowles said that, since the operation runs across seven East Anglian warehouses, the back-up service at Renault Trucks’ franchised WTL Truck and Van Centre in Duxford was crucial to the deal.

“Knowles provides the infrastructure and scalability of a multi-national third-party logistics company, combined with the flexibility, agility and dedication to customer care you would expect from a family-run business.

“Making sure our vehicles are out on the road, with minimal downtime, is key and Renault Trucks was able to tick all the boxes, offering timely pick up, good communication with the workshop and efficient replacement of parts,” he explained.

The T440s are specified with optional extras that include luxury driver’s seats, Ultimate leather steering wheels, Ultimate convertible upper bunks, performance roof consoles with four storage compartments and doors, 4-point cab air-suspension with ride-height control system, ROADPAD + and Eco drive control with Optiroll.

Knowles said that, having run competitor’s vehicles for many years, driver acceptance to a new brand was essential: “Our drivers liked the demo and we’ve spec’d the trucks out nicely.

“Overall, the vehicles look impressive in the livery and, although it’s still early days, the performance is in line with where we need it,” he added.