ECON Engineering doubles up on gritter order01 September 2011

The UK's largest gritter hire fleet, owned and operated by ECON Engineering, is set to expand even further, following the delivery of 30 DAF LF55 trucksa; with a further 30 scheduled to enter service before year-end.

All the trucks are powered by Paccar's GR 220bhp Euro-5 engine, coupled with a power take-off for the specialised spreading equipment, while the day cab – finished in ECON's yellow paint and livery – completes the vehicle.

The Yorkshire-based company has increased the size of its mixed hire fleet of winter vehicles, which, with the new vehicles, now stands at 338 trucks.

"There has been and an increasing demand for the hire of winter vehicles, due to the harsher winters that have been experienced in the UK over the past two years," says Jonathan Lupton, operations director at ECON Engineering.

"Coupled with councils' budgetary constraints, rental of vehicles has grown as contractors look to capitalise on the benefits and convenience of reduced risks and fixed running costs," he continues.

For Lupton, a key consideration for buying DAF's 18-tonner was that it has proven itself to be a reliable and driver-friendly vehicle that is robust and has acceptable running costs.

During the summer months ECON services and maintains its sizeable fleet at its plant in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

"All our vehicles have a seven-year operating life and the corrosive nature of the job means that they require specialised maintenance in the summer to ensure that they are reliable and ready to tackle the perform their duties when the seasons change," says Lupton.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
DAF Trucks Ltd
Econ Engineering Ltd

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