The new vehicle is providing more operational flexibility, acting as a ‘fuel pod’ for the rigids to draw from, so reducing empty runs.
Supplied by dealer Evans Halshaw DAF, in Stockton, the DAF CF 440 FAN chassis is a 6x2 rigid chassis with a lifting and steering second axle. Coupled with a 16,000-litre capacity tri-axle trailer with lifting first axle from Tasca Tankers, the result is a 44-tonne drawbar combination with highly manoeuvrable handling ideal for maximum weight Hazchem deliveries to smaller locations.
Gary Branch, general manager at Mini-Tankers, says: “We have an N-reg DAF 7.5-tonner which we acquired when we bought the company over 10 years ago, and we couldn’t have hand-built the specification to be more suitable.
“We wanted to future-proof the specification, and DAF has provided us with successive models ever since, albeit higher up the weight range to suit our requirements.”
Of the latest acquisition, Branch says: “The drivers really like the three-over-three gearbox and, of course, for a drawbar on six axles, it’s highly manoeuvrable. A lifting/steering axle on the prime-mover and another lifter on the trailer allow us to get pretty much anywhere.”
