Supplied by Scania’s Spalding branch, the new vehicles are all R450 Highline 6x2/2 mid-lift axle tractors and will be supplied on three-year R&M contracts.
Spalding-based FreshLincs has operated Scania trucks for more than two decades and, says fleet engineer Andrew Marchant, the marque has been “productive, reliable and cost effective”.
“We already run a number of new generation Scania trucks and have been impressed with their fuel returns, which have contributed to a marked price-per-week reduction in our transport operating costs,” he says.
The Highline option is new to FreshLincs, and has been chosen to boost driver appeal and vehicle residual values.
“We will keep the trucks for three years, running them as trampers in year one, during which time their drivers will live in the cab throughout the week,” says Marchant.”
“Thereafter, the trucks will move to double-shifted night and day running, to bring their mileages up to our projected figure of 180,000 kilometres per year.”
Most of the new vehicles will be based at FreshLinc’s Spalding HQ, with the remainder allocated to its Manchester facility.