Sofa retailer plumps for Iveco trucks31 October 2013

Furniture retailer DFS has placed an order for 50 Iveco trucks, including the first new-generation Stralis Hi-Road tractor units to join its 240-strong fleet.

The order includes six Stralis Hi-Road 4x2 low height tractor units and 44 Eurocargo rigids, including a pair of 18 tonners and 42 7.5 tonne home delivery vehicles. The vehicles are a mix of additions and replacements, and continue the retailer's tradition of running an Iveco-only commercial vehicle fleet.

Barry Dennis, commercial director at DFS, says: "Few companies can say they've been a one-marque fleet for three decades. It's the performance and reliability of the Iveco vehicles in our fleet that keeps us coming back."

DFS saw the Stralis Hi-Road at the CV Show earlier this year and Dennis says he sees "genuine potential" for it to reduce the firm's running costs. They are powered by EEV-rated FPT Industrial 10.3 litre Cursor 10 engines, which produce up to 420bhp between 1,550 and 2,100 rev/min, plus 1,900 Nm of torque between 1,050 and 1,550 rev/min.

Like the other Stralis units in the DFS fleet, they feature a 12-speed automated EuroTronic transmission, designed to reduce total cost of ownership by selecting the optimum gear for economic driving. It also protects the transmission against over-revving and reduces clutch wear, noise and fuel consumption.

Supplied by Guest Truck & Van on an Iveco Elements repair and maintenance contract, the new trucks are expected to remain in service for between five and six years. The Stralis tractor units will trunk products from the company's three manufacturing sites and its central despatch hub, while the Eurocargos will be used for home deliveries. All vehicles are fitted with vehicle tracking systems.

Each of the Eurocargo rigids is mounted with an Adcliffe demountable box body and will make an average of 12 deliveries per day. Based across the 80-plus store network, the Eurocargo fleet covers 30,000-40,000km each year.

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
Adcliffe Drawdeal Ltd
Iveco

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