Category Archives: Vans In Business

News and information relating to the use and function of vans by UK businesses.

Nissan Boosts LCV Fleet Credentials With 275-Van Order

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Nissan NV200 owned by Richard Irvin Services Group

One of the 220 Nissan NV200 vans ordered by Richard Irvin Services Group.

Nissan has never been a big player in the UK fleet van market, but it is gradually making in-roads into this important sector.

Earlier this year, British Gas added 138 Nissan Primastars to its fleet and the Japanese manufacturer has now announced that it has received an order to supply 275 NV200 and Primastar vans to Scottish building services and engineering company, Richard Irvin Services Group (RISG).

The initial order comprises 220 NV200s and 55 Primastars and will be delivered in stages over the next 30 months. Each van will be kept for four years and all will be finished in striking RISG livery. The NV200s will have roof racking fitted with a roller bar plus internal racking for equipment and tools storage.

24 NV200s and 10 Primastars medium vans are already with RISG field engineers who will use the new vehicles to provide an around-the-clock maintenance service when visiting customers who require an on-call reactive service. This order is Nissan’s largest corporate LCV order yet in the UK, highlighting the progress it is making in this key sector.

RISG receives in excess of 60,000 customer calls per annum, and covers the whole of Scotland. As a result, it needed vehicles that are reliable and can comfortably house repair equipment, as well as keep their drivers in comfortable and safe when covering long distances.

Feedback so far has been positive, with drivers praising the vans for their handling, performance and fuel economy.

George Robb, Richard Irvin Services Group procurement director said:

“We’re currently going through a period of investing in our people and capital and this deal marks an integral part of this strategy. We took a product rather than price led selection approach by making sure our drivers tested the vehicles first to ensure they were fit for purpose and we’re happy the feedback so far from the drivers has been so positive.”

Although the Vauxhall Vivaro and some Renault Trafic models are manufactured at the Vauxhall plant at Luton, the Nissan Primastar — despite being essentially the same vehicle — is manufactured at Nissan’s plant in Spain, near Barcelona, as is the NV200. Nissan remains one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the UK, however, building several of its popular car models, including the Juke and the Qashqai, at its Sunderland plant, which employs 6,000 people.

Glasgow City Council Chooses Fiat Doblò Work Up Solution

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Fiat Doblo Work Up Glasgow City Council

Some of Glasgow City Council’s Fiat Doblò Work Up vans have been fitted with tail lifts.

Glasgow City Council has taken delivery of 31 new Fiat Doblò Work Up vehicles which will join its existing fleet of over 200 Fiat Professional vehicles.

The new Doblò Work Up deal is part of an on-going four year Framework Agreement between specialist Fiat Professional dealer, Imperial Commercials Glasgow, and Glasgow City Council for the supply of commercial vehicles.

Fiat Professional models already supplied under the agreement are the Fiorino Combi, Fiorino Cargo, Doblò Cargo, and Ducato. The models are used in a variety of applications across several departments and will be used in all council services including Roads & Winter maintenance, Cleansing, Parks and Homecare.

The Fiat Doblò Work Up is a dropside vehicle with much more compact external dimensions than most other dropside models, allowing easy use in urban areas such as Glasgow. The external dimensions are not, however, a limit to its performance. The load box is 2.30 m long and 1.82 m wide, with 4 m2 of loading area which can accommodate a payload of up to 1,000kg. Additionally, the bi-link rear suspension permits a rear axle load of up to 1,450kg.

The new vehicles are all powered by Fiat’s 1.3 MultiJet II 16v Diesel engine which employs Fiat’s latest MultiJet II technology, helping to lower running costs and reduce emissions. The 90 bhp 1.3-litre MultiJet II diesel has an official Combined Cycle fuel consumption figure of 55.4 mpg and an emissions figure of  133g/km.

Options fitted to the vehicles include Remote Central Locking, Blue&Me, Steering Wheel Controls, Start&Stop and ESP. All vehicles will be supplied in white and feature Glasgow City Council’s unique livery.  Some will be equipped with tail lifts which have been fitted by George Newberry Coach Builders Ltd, Coatbridge, Lanarkshire.

“During the selection process we were looking for vehicles that provided high quality and the best possible value, and Fiat Professional’s models met our requirements perfectly. Reliability, competitive whole-life costs and reducing our environmental footprint were also big considerations in our final choice,” says Emil Laiolo, Transport manager, Glasgow City Council.

“We are delighted with how the vehicles are performing and are looking forward to the addition of the new Doblò Work Up vehicles to the fleet.  It has also been reassuring to know that we have the full back-up and resource of Imperial Commercials Glasgow who have understood our requirements and who have provided tremendous support throughout.”

The Fiat Doblò has already won a number of awards, thanks to its versatility and the wide range of choice included in the range. The Work Up is an unusual model — as far as I know, there aren’t any comparable small pick-up or dropside models available from mainstream manufacturers in the UK.

NCH Chooses Volkswagen Crafter Luton Conversions

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NCH Volkswagen Crafter luton

The Crafter with Luton body conversion

Industrial maintenance provider NCH (UK) has taken delivery of 10 Volkswagen Crafter Luton-bodied vans for its Pure Solve division.

The Crafter Luton vans is a bespoke solution that’s one of a range of conversions available from Volkswagen’s ‘Engineered for You’ programme, which enables customers to order a range of van conversions directly from their main dealer.

NCH, which is based at Bilston, near Wolverhampton, said that residual values, reliability and fuel economy all played a role in the choice — Matt Rivers, operations manager at NCH (UK) said:

“We wanted to acquire a fleet with an outstanding all-around performance, great residual values, but above all excellent fuel economy.

It’s absolutely vital that we have a fleet of vehicles which can meet the high standards of reliability to enable us to provide our services.  The Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles range meets those needs and stands out as an excellent investment.”

The Volkswagen Crafter range includes panel vans, crew-cabbed vans and window vanss with up to eight passenger seats, as well as chassis cab modesl and the ‘engineered to go’ range of dropside and tipper conversions. Volkswagen is currently offering a finance deals for contract hire and finance lease from £299 a month (plus VAT and initial rental), including a £1,000 deposit contribution and four free services.  Alternatively, if financed with lease purchase or hire purchase, a £2,000 deposit contribution is available.

County Contractors Doubles Up As Renault Vans Impress

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County Contracts take delivery of new Renault vans

County Contractors take delivery of 14 Renault Trafic Vans and 2 Renault Kangoo Vans on the beach at Weston-super-Mare.

A healthy order book and continued success has led to one of the country’s leading commercial refurbishment contractors taking delivery of its second fleet of Renault vans.

County Contractors, based in Weston-super-Mare, has taken delivery of 14 Renault Trafic vans and two Kangoo Vans. The firm was formed in 1976, and specialises in the refurbishment, fit out and maintenance of business premises, particularly the hospitality and retail sector.

The prominent local company took delivery of their first Renault fleet of 14 vehicles just 18 months ago.  They were so pleased with the practicality and value-for-money of the Renault brand, coupled with rapid expansion in their sector, that they recently returned for a further 16 vehicles.

The investment represents the second phase of a replacement programme designed to update the company’s remaining commercial vehicles.

Kevin Lee, Director at County Contractors, said:

“Our decision to continue with Renault for the second phase was based on the excellent value-for-money and high level of standard specification that we hope will prove invaluable to our employees who travel the length and breadth of the country. Combine this with the good fuel economy and lower CO2emission achieved by the Renault Trafic van as well as our experience of our initial purchases and it all made our choice of manufacturer a relatively simple decision.”

Supertrucks 7 Day Fleet Deal Showcases Lightweight Glass Racking

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7 Day Windows Volkswagen Crafter

Volkswagen Crafter fitted with Supertrucks racking for 7 Day Windows

Hot on the heels of its German export success, racking specialist Supertrucks has delivered six vans to window company 7 Day Windows, on hire from commercial truck and van hire firm Burnt Tree Group.

The six VW Crafter vans have been fitted with full interior and exterior glass racking from Supertrucks‘ lightweight, all-alloy range, and are designed to provide maximum operational versatility for 7 Day Windows, as they can carry double-glazed windows, doors and sheet glass.

Externally the Crafters have an off-side mounted, all-alloy 4250mm long x 2540mm high rack, which is equipped with three System 1 retaining poles.  These external racks, like most Supertrucks racks, are installed without the need to drill the side panels of the van.  Also the vans are fitted with full length, all-alloy, roof racks.

Supertrucks’ latest light-weight, all-alloy glass racks fitted to the 7 Day Windows Crafters incorporate a unique range of standard features, including:

  • rubber base blocks, incorporating side reflectors, to provide better in-transit load protection and improve vehicle visibility
  • reflective white safety markers, to effectively define the rack edges front and rear in poor visibility

Inside the vans are fitted with the company’s latest, light-weight twin, all-alloy racks, with retaining poles. All the racking comes with Supertrucks’ standard 3 year/100,000 mile warranty, which should allay any fears about the quality of the kit.

Peter Wright, Supertrucks chairman, explains:

“This latest fleet order demonstrates Supertrucks’ ability to meet both customer requirements and those of contract hire and leasing companies.  Unlike many other racking companies’ products our racks have been extensively tested and have industry-leading warranties.

In addition most Supertrucks external racks are installed without the need to drill the van’s side panels – a feature that has significant value to customers wishing to maximise residual values at the end of a three or four year operational life.”

Speaking as someone who has bought used vans with screw holes from previous racking fittings, I certainly agree with the last point!

Great Wall Delivers Pick-Up Solution To Derry

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The Great Wall Steed SE

The Great Wall Steed SE is the official partner vehicle for the UK City of Culture 2013, Londonderry.

The Great Wall Steed SE has been chosen as the official Vehicle Partner to the UK’s City of Culture 2013, which is Derry — or Londonderry — in Northern Ireland.

With more than one million people expected to attend events in the historic walled city in Northern Ireland during the year, the Steeds will be essential for transporting artists and their equipment, as well as media and guests between the many venues and events.

Great Wall has supplied two co-branded Steed SE pick-ups, which will be used to facilitate logistics for the many events planned to celebrate Derry~Londonderry’s UK City of Culture status, and as part of the agreement Great Wall will also provide additional vehicles to help carry the load during peak times in the schedule.

Sarah Hughes, Sponsorship Manager for the City of Culture, commented:

“This vehicle partnership with Great Wall provides essential support to our logistics operations.  From transporting drum kits and amplifiers to marketing materials and key personnel, Great Wall’s Steed SE is the perfect workhorse for our purposes, offering high load and passenger capacity, excellent durability and a comfortable ride.”

The Great Wall Steed SE is the UK’s best-value high specification 4×4 double-cab pick-up. With a load capacity of 1,050kg, a spacious cargo bay measuring 138cm x 146cm x 48cm (length, width, depth) and features including a body-coloured hard-top canopy, rear parking sensors and a cargo load-liner, the two five-seater Steed SE’s are perfectly suited for the challenging job.

“The strategic vehicle partnership with Culture Company 2013  is a fantastic opportunity for Great Wall to work exclusively with the City of Culture and support the many exciting events taking place in Derry~Londonderry,” said Neville Mathews, Managing Director of Great Motor in Ireland.  “The demanding schedule will demonstrate the Steed SE’s considerable strengths to the full. With excellent build quality and reliability, copious load capacity, generous equipment levels and excellent fuel economy for its class, the Steed SE will show it is more than equal to the task.”

All Great Wall’s vehicles benefit from the ‘Great Wall Promise’, which includes inflation-proof servicing plans, a six-year anti-perforation warranty, three-year paint warranty, three-year roadside assistance and free service pick-up and drop-off.  Great Wall recently announced an extended six-year/125,000 mile warranty (special offer valid from 1/4/13 to 30/6/13) on all Steeds purchased in the UK, underlining the company’s confidence in the Steed.

All Steeds feature Great Wall’s 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged diesel powerplant that delivers class-leading fuel economy, making it one of the most economical pick-ups currently available on the UK market (34.0 mpg combined), as well as a low-range gearbox and an ‘on-demand’ four-wheel-drive system that can be selected by the driver when needed.

London City Airport Stays Loyal To Toyota With Three New Hilux Pick-Ups

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London City Airport Toyota Hilux pick-up London City Airport has taken delivery of three new Toyota Hilux Double Cabs to serve as airside support vehicles.  The new pick-ups are replacements for three previous Hilux pick-ups, which have provided great service over the years.

The new Toyotas will be used for carrying out various airfield activities and will spend most of their time ‘airside’ — on the operating roads and runways of the airport. To support some of the airport’s special requirements, the vehicles are fitted with extra lights, communication equipment and bird scaring equipment.

London City Airport is the UK’s leading business airport with flights to more than 40 destinations across the UK, Europe and the USA. It is located in Docklands close to Canary Wharf and financial heart of London.

Kevin Wincell, Airfield Operations Manager at London City Airport said:

“The Airfield Operations team at London City Airport is responsible for making sure that the airfield is safe and running smoothly.  They need to be able to mobilise officers quickly in an emergency scenario and it is essential that we are able to have confidence in reliable and well equipped vehicles.  We look forward to continuing our relationship with Toyota.”

The Hilux – two HL2 models and an Invincible – were supplied through the Business Centre at Hills Toyota Woodford, which will also be looking after their servicing requirements. The purchase was funded via Toyota Financial Services. Not only is Hilux one of Toyota’s longest established models, it also has a global reputation for being one of the hardest wearing and most reliable too.

British Gas Opts For Same Again with 520-Van Transit Order

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British Gas Ford TransitBritish Gas central heating engineers have got used to their Transit vans — and it seems they don’t want to part with them.

The firm has just ordered 520 new Transits to replace its current fleet, saying that the choice was a “no brainer” from both a financial and a driver perspective.

Brentwood-based Ford has long been the top choice of UK van fleets, and this latest order from British Gas should help cement the firm’s position at the top of the pecking list — and with good reason, as British Gas fleet manager Colin Marriott explains:

“It was a no-brainer really, the vans used by our central heating installation engineers are a vital resource for them and they love the Transit. When we asked, they said: ‘Give us the same again, please.’ On top of that, by sticking with the same body shape, we have been able to take fantastic advantage of being able to recycle all the racking systems, saving tons of steel, energy and a lot of money.”

The Transit also offers class-leading economy and low emissions from its Dagenham-built 125PS 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine, and the vans meet British Gas’ sophisticated vehicle whole life cost model, which determines the replacement timing for its vehicles.

All the Ford Transit vans being supplied are 330 medium wheelbase, medium roof models, equipped with air-conditioning, speed limiter and winter tyres, enabling the engineers to carry out their work in the toughest of environments. Thirty-two of the vans will be four-wheel drive versions, which will be located strategically around the country by British Gas, for use in the most severe weather.

Supertrucks Delivers Supersized Glass Rack To German Customer

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Supertrucks Glass Rack mounted on Iveco vanBMW and Audi cars may still be more desirable than a Vauxhall, but there are some areas where British manufacturers are excelling — to the extent that German customers are ordering equipment from us.

St Helens-based glass rack specialist Supertrucks has just custom-engineered a high-specification individual glass rack system to meet the requirements of its German export customer for maximum operational versatility and efficiency.

This customer specified its new Iveco Daily long wheelbase, high-roof van with a large 4,465mm long x 2,600mm high external rack.  To make matters more complicated, this very large external rack had to be mounted so that the overall vehicle height did not exceed 3,200mm.

To meet this request, Supertrucks used its specially designed, low-mount, bottom rack mountings to bring the overall height down to 3,200mm.  Like most Supertrucks external glass carrying racks this one is installed without the need to drill the side panels of the van and comes with a 100,000 mile/3year warranty.

Peter Wright, Supertrucks chairman, explains:

“This latest export order reflects our growing presence in markets outside of the UK.  As this order shows Supertucks is able to meet the most specific and demanding requirements for custom-engineered glass carrying vehicles.  This expertise comes from over 30 years’ experience in the glass transport business and considerable investment in the latest design and manufacturing technology.”

Demanding Specification

In addition to low overall height the customer also specified a number of optional safety and efficiency boosting options.  These included the use of light grey rubber mounting surfaces to prevent marking white UPVC window frames during transit.

The rack was also specified with Supertrucks’ patented System 2 security poles.  These versatile load retaining poles can safely and quickly clamp both sheet glass and window frames. The rack was also fitted with the firm’s extra-wide 1700mm carrying ledge, which can be folded up to reduce overall vehicle width when the rack is not in use.

Other options included anodised finish for the all-alloy lightweight rack, the Supertrucks’ GLASS STOP!, which prevents glass sliding forward in sudden deceleration and, for access to the roof rack, an integrated ladder incorporated at the rear of the rack.  The Supertrucks near full-length, full-width roof rack is fitted with a central walkway for improved operator safety.

It’s worth noting that Germany is one of the world’s more demanding export markets, with high standards of safety and quality legislation. Supertrucks’ custom glass rack is fully compliant with all relevant European regulations and has also passed the internationally-recognised German TUV certification, a significant quality hallmark.

Isuzu 7.5t Choice Delivers For P&H Direct

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P&H Direct Isuzu 7.5t truck

One of Palmer and Harvey’s new Isuzu 7.5t trucks, which will be used for its P&H Direct operation, servicing food service outlets.

When Palmer and Harvey rolled out its new nationwide van sales food service operation last month under the ‘P&H Direct’ banner, the vehicle fleet used for this service is based on 50 Isuzu Forward N75.150 7.5t rigid vehicles. The trucks were specifically purchased for this brand new initiative and all specified with purpose-designed Paneltex bodywork.

The addition of these 50 new vehicles now means that Palmer and Harvey’s national vehicle fleet currently incorporates over 110 Isuzus covering a range of distribution applications, all at 7.5 tonnes GVW.

P&H Direct is a brand new van sales operation set up by Palmer and Harvey to service retail food outlets such as cafes, snack bars, garden centres, sandwich shops and pubs – this move into food service is a first for the wholesaler.

Each Isuzu vehicle stocks market-leading FMCG lines including crisps, countlines chocolate, chilled drinks, chewing gum and key catering essentials such as tea and coffee. A FMCG category specialist, who can provide expert advice to any of the outlets on ranging, merchandising and promotions, staffs each vehicle.

According to Huw Davies, Managing Director at P&H Direct:

“We pride ourselves on providing the most reliable distribution service to our customers and for this we require a dependable vehicle fleet. As a company, Palmer and Harvey has operated Isuzu trucks for well over 10 years within its national fleet and the proven performance and reliability of the products, supported by unrivalled customer service, is second to none. Furthermore, the payload capacity we achieve from the Isuzus is by far the best in the industry.”

These latest 7.5t Isuzus all feature Isuzu’s popular Easyshift transmission and Hull-based manufacturer Paneltex was chosen as the exclusive supplier of bodywork for the vehicles. Each truck has an extra-long Paneltex Ecofont S dry-freight body, which has an interior length of 6100 mm. Whilst the dry-freight body is principally designed for ambient products; there is a provision for chilled products through the supply of a mobile refrigeration unit within each truck. Mounted on castors, the container has an approximate capacity of 500 litres and is fitted with a top-mounted fridge that can be plugged into either 12 V DC or 240V A/C supply.

To facilitate ease of access into the truck body for the driver/salesman, there is a single, centre rear door with double-folding step. The body also has a compact Penny Hydraulics Load Lift 250 platform at the rear that can handle the loading and unloading of roll cages and trolleys up to 300kgs. Within the body itself, there is a specific office facility with additional electronics for iPads and overall vehicle security is provided through Maple, Twin-Active, Lock-Secure systems to the rear door.

According to P&H Direct, these new Isuzu trucks will each have a working life of seven years covering approximately 20,000 miles per annum operating as sales vans working on a localised geographical area.