Supplied by Orwell Truck & Van, the Beccles-based operator’s new additions are two 18-tonne Antos 1824s and two 15-tonne Atego 1523 models, all equipped with Hyva skiploading gear and supplied under a seven-year R&M contract.
The business was acquired last year by Radical Waste, a company set up two years ago by Julian Knights. His mission was to turn around B&B Skips: he started by investing in a new IT system and, in May, purchased 100 skips and a truck from another operator.
The order for new Mercedes vehicles came about after Knights visited the dealer’s stand at the 2015 Norfolk Show. “Orwell dealt with my enquiry very professionally from the outset,” he says.
“They supplied an 18-tonne Antos demonstrator with a skip body for us to try and that truck ticked all the boxes – it looked great and was impressively fuel efficient, while our driver loved it.”
The vehicles were acquired with funding from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and, says Knights, the combination of this and the R&M contracts gives him more than peace of mind.
“It’s allowed us to extend the period between vehicle inspections from six to 10 weeks, and means I can budget with confidence, knowing my costs are covered.” The Mercedes trucks also present a quality image, he says, which has transformed “the face we present to the public”.
He concludes: “When I took over, every aspect of this business was stressed. Eighteen months on, I’m really happy with what we’ve achieved. The situation has been stabilised and the foundations are now in place from which we can make sustainable progress going forwards.”