Scottish construction group turns to Thompsons06 February 2012

One of Scotland's leading construction groups has just replaced more than half its eight wheeler tipper flee with new trucks bodied by Thompsons.

The Harte Group's new 8x4 tippers comprise five Scania sleeper cab models, one Scania day cab and one MAN truck.

The MAN chassis is the lighter, more payload-conscious 32-tonne version, with single reduction drive axles.

All seven trucks carry Thompsons double skinned, all-steel Loadmaster Lite tipping bodies, but with the addition of smooth exterior sides enclosing full body side insulation.

"Above all, we chose Thompsons bodies, because of their reputation for standing up to continuous hard work," says Harte's transport manager Colin Crawford.

"We are looking for at least five years' operation for the new vehicles, and with minimal downtime. And when selling vehicles, we now know that one of the very first questions people ask is 'has the truck got a Thompsons on it?'," he adds.

Crawford says Harte chose a part-insulated version of the Loadmaster Lite body to improve operating versatility.

"We generally don't do third-party tarmac work, simply because the trucks can be standing around for far too long," he comments.

"On the other hand, we do need vehicles that can handle our own in-house tarmac work, where we can determine the timing of loading and discharge much better."

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd
Thompsons Group

This material is protected by MA Business copyright
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.