Following a comprehensive market review, Flanagan Flooring, the largest independent wholesale flooring distributor in the UK and Ireland, has added the first Renault trucks to its 30- strong fleet. Ten new vehicles in total, including eight Renault Trucks D18 High 4X2 R250s and two Range T380 26T 6X2 rigids, have been supplied by Diamond Trucks, with additional capacity, fuel efficiency, comfort and the ability to provide a more reliable service prompting the significant conquest deal.
The decision to purchase new vehicles was driven by two key aspects; firstly the dramatic upturn in Flanagan Flooring’s business volumes, and secondly the reduced capacity and condition of the existing fleet.
Gareth McCollum, Head of Operations explains: “The new Renault trucks were purchased as a combination of both replacements and additions to the existing fleet to provide a suitable footprint for increased capacity and to allow future business growth. We conducted a comparison with several of the other main manufacturers and, together with some industry recommendations, Renault Trucks came out on top.”
The 11 litre T380 rigids come with Optidriver AT 2412F gearbox providing a maximum torque of 2400 Nm and 12 forward and 3 reverse gears and gearshifting strategy optimised for Fuel Eco. The vehicles have also been specified with optional extras including hydraulic power steering, 4-point cab air suspension with ridge height control system, ECO cruise control with Optiroll and FMS Gateway fleet management interface 3.0.
The D18 Highs are fitted with the Global cab and Optitronic 6AS 1000 automated gearbox with automated clutch and 6 forward and 1 reverse gear. Like the Range Ts, the new Range Ds are packed with optional extras including the Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS), FMS Gateway fleet management interface, Optifleet Check, Optifleet Map, rear air suspension, adjustable roof deflector, external sun visor, 4-spoke leather steering wheel and cruise control.
Drumack Coachwork constructed the bespoke 8.5meter long GRP vehicle bodies designed to complement the 18 and 26 tonne Renault Trucks chassis and enhance the company’s existing fleet of vehicles. Tailored to Flanagan Flooring’s requirements, the bodies include a 2-tonne rated winch complete with pulley system and snatch block, a Palfinger F1500 tuckaway tail lift and a bespoke track and rail system that assists in segregating the flooring and facilitates efficient load and unloading.
As a wholesale flooring distributor, the new Renault trucks deliver a variety of products to the company’s customer base, ranging from rolls of carpet & underlay, pallets of wood to door bars, scotia and glue. Working across Northern Ireland, ROI and Scotland the vehicles will cover Flanagan Flooring’s extensive geographical footprint in all the regional areas that are serviced daily.
Explaining how the vehicles fit into their operation Gareth McCollum says, “Both the D and T ranges have the exterior appearance, cab capacity and finish we were looking for. The box work was completed to our own specification and the company colours and branding and we are extremely pleased with the results. The drivers are suitably impressed with the greatly improved cab space, comfort and finish, good driving performance, smooth gears, reactive braking system and excellent visibility.
Commenting on the service from Diamond Trucks, Gareth says: “Diamond Trucks are a local Renault Trucks distributor and came strongly recommended during our quotation comparison exercise. From start to finish we received excellent service, regular communication, guidance and recommendations from both Iain and David and were a pleasure to deal with.”
“Our main objective is to provide our customers with the most comprehensive and compelling service, selection, quality & value. With the recent investment in these trucks, we believe this will give us a platform to provide a better service in terms of reliability, additional capacity, fuel efficiency and comfort,” concludes Gareth.
