To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, Earl Transport has selected the right hand drive Range T High with flat floor cab as its flagship vehicle. Proudly liveried with a ‘40 years of service’ crest and striking blue stripes, the new addition has been put into service with one of Earl Transport’s prominent customers delivering pet food across the UK to the grocery trade.
Taking pride of place in Earl Transport’s fleet, a special truck was required, as Managing Director Peter Hughes explains: “To celebrate our 40th Anniversary I wanted something unique – something more spacious and luxurious and a bit of a head-turner. The T High is just that vehicle”. Supplied by JDS Trucks and Vans, the 13 litre Range T480 High 6×2 is on full contract hire through BRS Ltd and comes with a top specification Comfort trim including Alcoa matt alloy wheels, ultimate upper bunk, 40L quiet fridge, microwave and air-suspended leather driver’s seat, and features an ISO 11992 tyre pressure monitoring system.
Since its launch in 2013, the left hand drive Range T High has been highly coveted in Europe and widely admired by UK operators and the press too, also impressing Peter Hughes: “We’ve had six Magnums and absolutely loved them as well as two T460s and two T480s but when I saw the T High left hand drive for the first time on a factory visit in 2014, I knew I had to have one – unfortunately I was told I couldn’t have one in right hand drive at the time.”
Peter continues: “In 2017 David Wilson from BRS messaged me to tell me I could have one. I was on my way to Ascot and I couldn’t have been happier if I’d won a small fortune on the horses! And 12 months to the day I had one delivered; I’m thrilled!”
On celebrating Earl Transport’s 40th Anniversary Peter comments: “It’s a very competitive industry and we’ve seen lean times, but we’ve reached our 40th year so we must be doing something right. We are solid and reliable, not a here today, gone tomorrow business and I want to make sure that we do everything right for our long standing and loyal customers. Our key aim is to always deliver products on time and I like to go to bed at night knowing that I’ve done my best.”
With an industry-wide shortage of trained drivers, retention is key. The T High, with its flat floor delivers a spacious and comfortable home-from-home environment specifically designed to enrich the driver’s life on the road. As Peter explains: “One of the key reasons I got the truck is driver comfort and ultimately driver retention. It looks the business and the driver is absolutely made up. In fact I took him off another manufacturer’s vehicle, which is considered to be one of the best, and he loves the T-High.”
It’s not all about looks however, it’s also what’s on the inside that counts and crucially the Range T High is offering operators strong fuel economy, as Peter says: “We are already getting 10.4mpg and, as this is only the first week on the road, that’s pretty astonishing. I’m looking forward to seeing the figures when the engine is run in.”
Peter has high praise for their Renault Truck dealer, too: “JDS is a cracking dealership, their work ethic is excellent and I love them to bits. Unlike other manufacturers, where you are left in the waiting room, they are great guys who are so friendly and approachable. I can’t praise them enough.”
The T High joins Earl Transport’s 22-strong fleet and is on full contract hire through BRS which includes full repair and maintenance, road fund licence, tyres, 24-hour breakdown assistance, online vehicle documentation and a dedicated account manager.
