Gritter builder Econ Engineering has signed a deal with tracking systems provider Exactrak for its winter maintenance vehicles.

The deal means all gritters manufactured at Econ’s Ripon factory will be fitted with the system, which combines vehicle tracking telematics and automated salt spreading technology.

Econ and Exactrak have worked together for 20 years but the new deal means Exactrak becomes its exclusive supplier.

The solution enables drivers to navigate any given route, giving local authorities the ability to share human resource and make the job of gritter drivers easier and safer.

Econ Engineering MD Jonathan Lupton said: “We have a strong and long standing partnership with Exactrak but this exclusivity agreement will enable us to continue delivering winter maintenance vehicles with the very latest in telematic technology.

“It will not only make the role of a gritter driver much safer, but it will also provide our customers with a more efficient and reliable way to ensure cost-effective route management.”

Econ Engineering is the UK’s leading manufacturer of winter maintenance vehicles, supplying 85% of the nation’s gritters.