Suffolk-based Bacton Transport Services has taken delivery of 12 Mercedes-Benz Actros 2543 tractor units, all protected by a unique collision damage vehicle cover package provided by Ryder, a leading independent provider of commercial vehicle contract hire, rental, and maintenance services.
Ryder’s size, flexibility and Collision Damage Reducer (CDR) product were enough to convince the company to consider contract hiring for the first time, according to Nick Newman, General Manager at the haulier. “I was thinking ‘which company is big enough to deliver what we want but can also be flexible?’ I knew of Ryder, but I’d never used them before. I made an enquiry through the Ryder website, and as a result Steve Williams, Ryder National Equipment Director, called me. Steve and Ryder have gone over and above to be flexible,” he said.
The tractor units were supplied from Ryder’s existing fleet, the majority of which are now in service. The trucks are being used on one of Bacton’s supermarket distribution contracts, coupled to refrigerated trailers operating from two bases on the Isle of Sheppey and in Sawley, Derbyshire.
Newman had no qualms about taking on de-fleeted vehicles and deploying them on an important contract: “The average mileage on these vehicles is 220,000km – we hand vehicles back with anything upward of 750,000km, so that kind of mileage is not a concern for us. I know Ryder maintained and prepared the trucks, so I’m not worried. We haven’t had any issues with them, and we’re getting good fuel figures out of them.”
Newman also saw value in the CDR package that was offered with the trucks – an extension of Ryder’s own motor fleet insurance that gives Ryder customers a number of exclusive benefits, including cover for the full contract value of the vehicle and not just the market value for lease units. “The CDR package saved us 12% straight away because you don’t pay insurance tax on it,” he added.
Steve Williams, National Equipment Director at Ryder, said: “Our customers are increasingly interested in the CDR package available with our vehicles as it represents great value and is hassle-free. We’re off to a great start with Bacton Transport, and look forward to supplying more trucks to them in the future, whether from our well-maintained existing fleet or fresh from the factory.”
