Hampshire's largest independent builders merchant, Elliott Brothers, has taken delivery of four Iveco Stralis Active Day 26 tonne rear-steering 6x2 rigids, which join its 27-strong truck fleet delivering building supplies across the county.
The company started replacing its older 18 tonne vehicles with new 26 tonners back in 2006 in a bid to maximise vehicle productivity, and the four new rigids join nine other Stralis trucks already in service.
Each of the new vehicles, supplied by Hendy Van & Truck, has been factory-built with front air suspension and axle weight indicators, allowing the driver to know the exact weight over every axle – particularly useful for applications involving the multi-drop of heavy products.
"It's an essential piece of kit to have on our trucks, but we'd previously always had it installed by an aftermarket supplier," says Tony Adams, Elliott Brothers' commercial director.
"By choosing to have it factory-fitted, we got the load weight indicators and front air suspension for the same price we used to pay to fit the load weight indicators alone. What's more, since they are installed on the factory line it means they are covered by the eight year Iveco Elements repair & maintenance agreement we have taken out with Hendy," he adds.
Commenting on the move to 26 tonners, Adams says: "A 26 tonner can be driven by the same person who drove the old 18 tonne vehicles, yet the payload potential is nearly double. Factor in the rear-steering axle on the larger Stralis, which makes them more agile than any 18 tonner in our fleet, and its a win-win situation."
All these rigids are mounted with a dropside body, together with a HIAB XS crane and rear parking sensors.
