Member Article

MAN are top of the class for haulier

Cumbria’s leading haulier has added strength to its business with the acquisition of four brand new MAN Euro 6 trucks.

In a deal worth over £300,000, WM Armstrong took delivery of four new MAN Euro 6 TGX 26.480 trucks this month, raising the percentage of this particular manufacturers brand in their fleet to almost 50 per cent.

WM Armstrong’s Fleet Manager, Robbie Fenwick, said they chose MAN simply because they came up trumps when tested against their counterparts.

“MAN came top of the class when we reviewed whole life costs during our in-house procurement exercise,” he said. “We evaluated everything from miles per gallon, repair and maintenance costs and depreciation, to aftersales support, warranty, and found that MAN was the perfect fit for our trunking operation.”

“The Euro 5 MAN trucks we currently operate in our general haulage fleet and on nightly runs from Scotland to the Palletforce hub have really proven themselves they seemed the perfect choice for our Milk Reload fleet, where reliability and good fuel consumption are vital for long- haul activities”. “Coupled to 30,000 litre tankers these vehicles will play a key part in the process of collecting milk from farms throughout Cumbria and South West Scotland, and delivering to dairies throught the country. Reliability is key in this process which operates seven days week, 365 days a year,” added Robbie.

Robbie said the new trucks have been a hit with the drivers, adding: “Before purchasing new vehicles, we get feedback from our drivers and this is one of the reasons we made the switch from manual to fully automatic transmission tractor units. The drivers love the spacious cabs and are very pleased with the new vehicles.”

WM Armstrong Ltd is a family run business operating 100 trucks and serving Cumbria, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders from Longtown, Glasgow and the surrounding area from Uddingston. MAN as a brand was first introduced into the Armstrong fleet almost 10 years ago and the company has since established itself as a loyal customer for MAN Truck & Bus UK.

Robbie said: “As our main point of contact at MAN, Graham Coulthard, is always extremely helpful. We always work closely with the local service provider to minimise downtime on these time-critical operations. We wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”

MAN Truck & Bus UK’s Sales Executive, Graham Coulthard, said: “Our relationship with WM Armstrong has grown significantly over the years with 44 of their vehicles coming from us. They have been so satisfied with the service provided by MAN that they keep coming back.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amandeep Garcha .