More than 450 new MAN TGX 440 tractor units featuring telematics systems from Microlise will take to the road with Bibby Distribution over the next 18 months as part of the company’s core fleet replacement strategy for 2012/13.

Bibby Distribution has become the latest operator to commit to a fleet refresh, with MAN set to deliver a total of 450 TGX tractors to the business during the next 18 months.

An initial 55 Euro-5 units have already entered service in the Bibby fleet, with 131 scheduled for delivery in September.

The remaining 264 TGX 440s will be presented throughout 2013. All units are fitted with Microlise telematics, so by the end of next year the whole Bibby fleet will feature telematics systems.

“Keeping the age profile of the fleet down is as much about providing a cost-effective and reliable service to customers as it is about considering the impact of our activities on the environment and the safety of our drivers,” said John Finn, fleet and procurement director at Bibby.

“By understanding how drivers perform, including driving characteristics such as acceleration, braking, gear changes, engine idle times etc, we hope to improve journey times, fuel costs and also driver stress and fatigue levels,” he added.

Earlier this week Fowler Welch confirmed it had ordered 130 MAN TGXs, in a deal that will see around one-third of its three year-old Volvo fleet replaced.

John Mitchell Haulage and Warehousing is also refreshing its fleet with 26 MAN units before the end of the year.

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