As you can see from the size of the fork lift truck in the picture, Walls and Floors FUSO Canters have been fitted with fairly compact curtainside bodies — any more height or length would impact fuel efficiency and be unusuable, due to the high weight of tiles.

When considering what size of van or truck will best suit your requirements, you need to consider both the weight and the size of your typical load.

At one extreme you’ll find ultra lightweight products such as polystyrene packaging, which weigh very little but take up a lot of space.

At the other end of the spectrum are compact, heavy products, such as tiles. As anyone who has ever shifted a few dozen boxes of tiles knows, despite their deceptively small size, they are very heavy.

As a result, vans and trucks delivering tiles need above-average payloads for their size if they are to be fully loaded, while staying safe and legal. The obvious answer to this dilemma is a compact 7.5t truck, rather than a large 3.5t van, and tile retailer Walls and Floors is a faithful adherent of this practice.

The Kettering-based firm recently replaced its previous fleet of Canters with eight new Euro VI models, and John Steel, the firm’s operations director, confirms that payload and footprint are key to the Canter’s appeal:

“The Canter’s industry-leading payload is, of course, key to its appeal. Its size is also important, though – the Canter has a relatively compact footprint for a 7.5-tonner, which allows the vehicle to access tight locations and makes it very manoeuvrable.

The Canter 7C18 is powered by a 129 kW (175 hp) engine that offers a useful combination of economy and performance. Walls and Floors’ vehicles are also equipped with fully automated DUONIC dual clutch transmissions, which deliver smooth, fuel-efficient gear changes and incorporate an Eco Mode feature as standard.

Like their predecessors, the trucks offer impressive payload capacities. Most can carry in excess of 3,750kg, the only exceptions being the two which are additionally equipped with 1,000kg Anteo tuckaway tail-lifts weighing in at around 250kg, which are used for building site deliveries.