B&Q, has switched part of its Home Delivery fleet to a 10 tonne operation running on 19 new MAN TGL 10.180 4x2BLs – a first for MANs at the home improvement giant.
James Prest, home delivery regional contract manager at B&Q, explains that 10 tonnes gvw rigids mark a significant departure from the firm's traditional choice of light vans or 18 tonners.
"With our product portfolio continuing to expand," he says, "and with an ever-increasing customer base, a versatile transport solution was required for urban and rural deliveries. The smaller 10 tonne chassis still provides us with an excellent payload. However, it's a much smaller, more manoeuvrable, less obtrusive truck."
Prest says it's all about putting together a more flexible approach to distribution. "For us, MAN was the best option. The whole-life cost package, and MAN's willingness to find the right specification was key. The TGL now gives us single-vehicle access to more locations, and that allows us to double-run."
And he adds: "Fuel economy from MAN's Euro 5 EGR [exhaust gas recirculation] engine looks to be very good, so why add the cost and inconvenience of AdBlue? Also, these trucks are running out of depots where AdBlue just isn't available."
