The latest 13 vehicles arrived as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and the UK was placed into lockdown. However, they have since been kept busy, as KCS adopted a new strategy dubbed KCS Connect. This move was in aid of supporting the parents who suddenly found themselves having to educate their children from home, following the total closure of schools.
By offering home-delivery of national curriculum teaching resources and equipment directly to the region’s temporary educators, one of the latest batches have already managed to clock up nearly 13,000 miles in four months.
The vehicles are also used to transport PPE equipment as well as cleaning supplies to the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, care homes, schools and local councils across the South of England, and together with KCS have provided a valuable service to the area during the pandemic.
Due to the weight of paper and the need to carry multiple 20-litre containers of cleaning products, the company needs to maximise the load carrying capacity of their vehicles. At this time of year, the vans are running with up to 3,700kg every day.
The IVECO Daily offers a payload of up to 4,023kg, which the company says is almost an extra 1,000kg over its competitors in the medium truck market.
KCS’s IVECO Daily vans are leased through Days Fleet and replaced on rotation every three years.
It worked with Haynes Trucks in Maidstone to supply and maintain the vans, commented Jenny Ware, framework manager at KCS Professional Services.
Most of KCS’s delivery locations are in busy urban areas and schools where there are hazards aplenty. “We take the safety aspect very seriously,” said KCS professional services marketing business partner Kirsty Bridgland. She adds: “We must maintain a duty of care over our drivers and the customers we are delivering to”.
With that in mind, the new vehicles are equipped with a reversing camera with external audible warning, built-in 7-inch HI-CONNECT infotainment system featuring DAB radio, Bluetooth, voice control, truck-friendly navigation with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay compatibility, Connectivity Box and Business+ Pack of driver amenities.
The Connectivity Box enables several key features for any business user. This connects vehicles to the IVECO Customer Centre that can monitor the vehicles’ health and book proactive/optimised maintenance appointments and manage remote diagnostics with over-the-air software update capability. Customers can also access personalised maintenance plans and vehicle data management through the MYDAILY app and web-portal, minimising vehicle downtime while helping to promote and increase efficiency.
Each vehicle is attached to a comprehensive Elements 3XL Repair & Maintenance (R&M) Package, assisting in the clear management of costs. 3XL covers the MAINTENANCE (standard vehicle servicing), DRIVE LINE (engine, injection, gearbox, axles), EXTRA DRIVE LINE (electrical systems) as well as WEAR (brakes).
KCS’s IVECO Daily vans are powered by the Euro VI-D compliant heavy-duty 3.0-litre F1C turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine producing 177bhp and 430 Nm of torque. Power is distributed to the rear wheels via the eight-speed HI-MATIC automatic transmission.