FoulgerActros16

Norfolk haulier Foulger Transport has taken delivery of seven new Euro-5 Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks. The units join its 100-plus strong, predominantly Daf, fleet.

Group transport manager Paul Willis told Motortransport.co.uk he convinced the business to invest in Mercedes trucks after he was impressed with two demonstrators’ performance on a month’s trial.

“We put them through their paces for a month on different jobs across the business, including agricultural and general haulage, and they were very strong on fuel efficiency,” he said. “We bought some Euro-5 Dafs last year and while they’ve been great, on a like-for-like basis, some of the Mercedes were more than three miles to the gallon more fuel-efficient.”

Foulger opted for Euro-5 trucks rather than pay the premium for Euro-6 vehicles, which was about £12,000 each, said Willis. All units were bought from Peterborough dealer Intercounty. “I’m not convinced about Euro-6 yet because of the price premium,” he added. “£12,000 more per unit is a lot of money, which is why we’re sticking with Euro-5s at the moment.”

The company aims to refresh its fleet approximately every five years and has bought between 10 and 12 trucks a year for the past three years.

In its last financial results, for the year ended 31 December 2012, Foulger Transport revealed a 7.2% boost in turnover to just under £16m, with pre-tax profit up 54% to £858,000.

The company, based in Snetterton, Norfolk, specialises in agricultural haulage, delivering more than 195,000 tonnes of sugar beet in the 2012/13 season. It also offers general haulage and warehousing and is a member of pallet network Palletline.

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