The drinks distributor has a 72-strong fleet of Iveco and Volvo vehicles, but selected the DAF trucks after a successful trial with two demonstrators.
Kevin Andrews, logistics manager for St Austell Brewery, says: “This was our first experience with DAFs and they fitted in really well with what we wanted. Overall the trucks look very clean and modern, and that works well with our marketing imagery.
“They performed impressively on our mix of A-roads, narrow country lanes and restricted village and town centre routes, and their fuel was very good – and that’s especially important in this part of the world, where environment is always very much front-of-mind for us.”
Supplied by dealer Wessex DAF Trucks, the five DAF 16-tonners will be split between the brewer’s Ilfracombe and Heathfield distribution centres. All have curtainsided bodywork to cope with the mix of beer, cider and lager kegs and cases of wines and spirits, and telematics systems are fitted to each.
St Austell Brewery acquires its vehicles on outright purchase, and the new DAFs are no exception, although the company is trialling the DAF R&M package.
Andrews adds: “Normally, we would handle R&M ourselves, but we have taken five-year plans on three of the new DAFs and will be watching the impacts of this approach very carefully. It is vital for us to ensure maximum uptime... and there ought to be real benefits in having manufacturer-led R&M services in that respect. We will see.”