The deal brings Expect’s contract hire fleet with Ryder to 115 and follows the delivery of 31 vehicles – a mix of tractor units, trailers, and trucks – during 2016.
The curtainsiders include eight bespoke double-decker step frame trailers, which are being built to service one of Expect’s furniture customers, where there are height restrictions at the delivery location. The remainder are all straight frame trailers, two with tail lifts.
Last year, Ryder supplied Expect with 21 SDC tri-axle curtainsiders, two 18-tonne Mercedes-Benz Antos 1824L curtainsided trucks, and eight Mercedes-Benz Actros 2545LS 6x2 tractor units.
“Ryder works closely with Expect to understand our vehicle requirements – the bespoke double-decker trailers Ryder has supplied for deliveries to one of our furniture customers demonstrates that,” enthuse Neil Rushworth, Expect Distribution managing director.
"We have partnered with Ryder for 15 years, starting with just a single trailer, and have steadily increased the fleet size to well over 100 vehicles today,” he continues.
“Their service has supported our expansion into a nationwide operation, and we are currently growing organically at around 10% a year.”
As part of the package, Ryder is providing daily onsite service and maintenance for all of Expect’s trailers, and Rushworth says the firm has “demonstrated continuous improvement across all our KPIs, including vehicle uptime, defects, and roadworthiness”.