Fogarty cosies up to Mercedes-Benz trucks 31 May 2011

Fogarty has taken delivery of two Actros 1841 Lo-liner rigids, equipped for drawbar operation and matched to trailers having Don-Bur demountable box bodies.

The Boston, Lincolnshire-based pillows and quilts manufacturer is also now running two new Actros 2544 tractor units with flat-floored MegaSpace cabs, an Axor 2543 tractor and three 18-tonne Axor 1824 rigids.

They have joined another Actros MegaSpace tractor and an Atego 7.5-tonner, which entered service last year, and all supplied by local dealer H&L Garages.

"We rack up a lot of miles delivering to most of the UK and the drawbar system, with demountable boxes, allows us to maximise efficiency," explains warehouse and distribution manager Paul Painton.

"We typically send the two trucks out on a Monday morning; one heads north and the other south, to some of our furthest drop points. The drivers can drop their trailers and make their deliveries with the rigids alone, so gaining access to customer premises is not an issue. Then, when the truck is empty, they can simply swap the demountable bodies and continue."

Painton points out that this approach means fewer journeys to and from base, which cuts both fuel costs and our carbon emissions. "Comfort is also an important factor on such long trips, and our drivers certainly appreciate the spacious and well-appointed Actros cabs," he adds.

The new Mercedes-Benz trucks replaced a batch of earlier Mercedes units that had reached the end of a five-year contract hire deal. This time Fogarty decided to buy its vehicles via a Mercedes-Benz Agility flexible hire purchase plan, which includes a guaranteed buy-back value.

"The trucks we stood down still looked smart and had plenty of life left in them," comments Painton. "With the new ones we can decide when to dispose of them. We know from experience they are very well built and extremely reliable, so we fully expect to achieve an operating life of at least seven years."

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd

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.