The commercial vehicle provider also stepped in with rental assets to ensure Menzies could deliver for a major new contract while the new vehicles were in build.
Deliveries of the 27 new 44-tonne DAF XF tractors, with 42 single-deck and six double-deck Montracon curtainside trailers, have now begun and bring Fraikin’s share of the operator’s 600-strong fleet to around 70%.
Lee Anderson, transport and assets manager at Menzies Distribution, says: “We’ve enjoyed a strong relationship with Fraikin since 2005, and we see them very much as a trusted partner.
“This key contract began in December 2018, so we thought getting 75 assets to seven locations across the UK in time for the peak Christmas season was going to be a very tall order – we couldn’t have been more wrong, everything went like clockwork.
“It’s this level of commitment to their customers that sets Fraikin apart. They really stepped up when it mattered. Now, it’s fantastic to see the new vehicles ready to join the fleet.”
Fraikin will manage all repair, maintenance and servicing of the new assets, both in house and through third party repairers.
Fraikin is also arranging for Menzies to trial a pair of IVECO Stralis NP tractors, to enable the operator to assess the viability of having gas-powered (CNG or LNG) vehicles on its future fleet.