Its Cwmbran head office has taken delivery of eleven 7.2-tonne GVW IVECO Daily chassis cabs and three 12-tonne Eurocargo trucks featuring Gray & Adams temperature-controlled box bodies with Carrier Supra refrigeration units.
Bodywork for the Daily fleet has been designed and built by Solomon. Three of the new Dailys boast new bodies, while Solomon have transferred the remainder over from de-fleeted competitor vehicles to give them a second life, optimising cost of ownership. The fleet replacement has coincided with the launch of Euro Foods’ colourful new Kukd brand livery which offers a new online takeaway ordering and table booking system to consumers.
Payload is very important for Euro Foods, particularly on the 4,100mm-wheelbase twin-rear wheel Daily which currently provide between 3,260kg-3,345kg depending on whether it has a new or swapped body. The 12-tonne Eurocargo offers a 5.5t payload on the 4,185mm wheelbase.
The IVECOs were supplied by Caerphilly-based dealer Glenside Commercials and mark a return of the brand to Euro Foods’ 52-vehicle fleet. The 7.2-tonne Daily in particular, however, has been on group transport manager, Neill Cannell’s radar for some time.
“We had a 7-tonne Daily demonstrator on test from Glenside two years ago and the driver feedback was very positive. Levels of comfort and performance were very favourable compared with our outgoing Japanese trucks. Drivers liked the manoeuvrability and high level of specification and most importantly it gave us an impressive payload, which is vital across the fleet.
“On new vehicles to the fleet I also like to get second opinion, which I did with friends at Caldicot Group Vehicle Recovery. It runs the 7.2 tonne chassis cab with slide-and-tilt vehicle recovery bodies, which are real workhorses,” explained Cannell.
Euro Foods has opted for the 207bhp 3.0 F1C diesel on the Daily and the 217bhp 6.7-litre six-cylinder Tector 7 for the Eurocargo, which cover up to 60,000 and 80,000 miles respectively per annum based out of five depots around the country. They cover a mix of urban and motorway mileage with each one undertaking daily delivery schedules depending on the volume and payload of customer orders. Typically, they will stay on fleet for between five and seven years and benefit from a two-year repair and maintenance package.