Allied Bakeries is renewing its fleet with 105 new DAF trucks from dealer Imperial Commercials in Birmingham.
The order comprises five 7.5-tonne LF45s, 11 14-tonne LF55s, 66 18-tonne LF55s and 23 CF85 tractor units.
For its 7.5-tonne LF45s, Allied Bakeries has specified the 4.5-litre 160bhp Euro-5 EEV Paccar engine. As the trucks will be used predominantly on short, urban delivery routes, they come fitted with a six-speed AS-Tronic gearbox for better fuel consumption and driver comfort.
For larger distribution routes, Allied will deploy the LF55 14-tonne and LF55 18-tonne rigid vehicles powered by 180bhp and 220bhp EEV engines respectively. Like their smaller LF45 siblings, all 77 LF55s have been specified with AS-Tronic transmissions.
However, the fuel-saving measures don't end with the driveline, as each of the 14-tonners has been fitted with 28ft Don-Bur Teardrop aerodynamic bodies, while the 18-tonners get the larger 32ft sleek bodywork.
Christopher Davies, fleet engineer at Allied Bakeries, says, "We traditionally run our vehicles on a 10-year replacement cycle, so they need to be reliable and deliver the goods no matter what.
"The back-up service and support that we have received from DAF was a key consideration in purchasing DAFs and the vehicles are popular with our drivers for their comfort and ease-of-use – especially with the AS-Tronic gearbox," he adds.
