29 (1)

Frozen and fresh foods distributor Euro Foods has taken delivery of 14 new Ivecos as part of its fleet investment programme.

The Cwmbran-based company, which has a fleet of 52 vehicles, has received 11 7.2 tonne GVW Iveco Daily chassis cabs and three 12 tonne Eurocargo, featuring Gray & Adams temperature-controlled box bodies with Carrier Supra refrigeration units. The vehicles will operate out of its five regional depots and their arrival marks mark the return of the Iveco brand to Euro Foods’ fleet.

Bodywork for the Daily fleet has been designed and built by Solomon. Three of the new Dailys boast box-fresh bodies, while Solomon has transferred the remainder over from de-fleeted competitor vehicles to give them a second life, optimising cost of ownership.

The fleet replacement coincides with the launch of Euro Foods’ new Kukd brand livery. Kukd offers a new online takeaway ordering and table booking system to consumers.

Payload on the 4100mm wheelbase twin-rear wheel Dailys is between 3,260kgand 3,345kg depending on whether they has a new or swapped body. The 12-tonne Eurocargo offers a 5.5t payload on the 4185mm wheelbase.

Euro Foods has opted for the 210hp 3.0 F1C diesel on the Daily and the 220hp 6.7-litre 6-cylinder Tector 7 for the Eurocargo which cover up to 60,000 and 80,000 miles respectively per year.

The vehicles will cover a mix of urban and motorway mileage with each one undertaking daily delivery schedules depending on the volume and payload of customer orders. They are expected to stay on fleet for between five and seven years and will benefit from a two-year repair and maintenance package.

Group transport manager Neill Cannell said the 7.2 tonne Daily has been on his radar for some time. He said: “We had a seven-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,” he added.

Cannell said his goal was to develop the perfect specification for the firm’s fleet from the view of driver comfort, operator utilisation and running costs, adding that he believes the 14 new Ivecos fulfil that vision.

“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.

“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 added.

Each Daily is fitted with 8-speed Hi-Matic automatic transmission and the new Business trimline, adding fog lights, electrically heated & adjustable door mirrors, cruise control and air conditioning.

Euro Foods has also added full LED headlights, a leather steering wheel, 7” Hi-Connect satellite navigation system with Bluetooth, USB, DAB radio and smartphone mirroring and Traction Plus & Hill Descent Control for difficult delivery locations.

Iveco UK light business-line director, Mike Cutts, said: “Daily 7 tonne is a truly unique string to our bow, bettering conventional cab-over light truck payload with all the driving comfort and manoeuvrability of a lower and more car-like cab. Both payload and TCO are critical to profitability, combining our strengths here with a reactive truck-based dealer network makes Daily 7-Tonne a compelling proposition to those operating at higher gross weights or in urban environments.”

Topics