Cement firm lays solid foundations for safety 30-03-05

Cement firm lays solid foundations for safety

DAF tractor units with a list price of over £7 million have been acquired under a major fleet renewal programme by the UK arm of the world's leading cement producter, Lafarge.

The trucks are to a high level of specification that is centred on safety. They are DAF FTG CF85 mid-lift axle 6x2 tractors of which 49 are now in service with a further 40 joining the fleet during the summer. Lafarge, which makes the well-known Blue Circle brand of cements - is also acquiring 43Felbinder dry powder tankers of 36 cubic metre capacity.

All the DAFs feature the AS-tronic automatic gearbox and have ZF intarders. Add standard features like cruise control, a luxury air seat for the driver, air conditioning and a CD player and Lafarge believes that these trucks are amongst the most driver-friendly and therefore safest on the road.

David Shaw, UK Fleet Engineer for Lafarge, says that providing drivers with trucks equipped to this high level must contribute to better safety. On todays congested roads a driver needs to be in total control of his vehicle in all traffic conditions, he says. Automatic transmission allows him to do that and providing a comfortable working environment helps reduce strees and make for a more relaxed and therefore a safer driver.

On top of that we see a real payback from the additional investment in features such as the ZF intarder. There are clear gains in terms of reduced wear on the foundation brakes resulting in lower maintenance costs and less downtime. Its also a very reassuring feature of the truck, especially in hilly terrain such as our operation in the Derbyshire Dales. All-round disc brakes with EBS and ABS, which are standard on the DAF, provide a further margin of safety.

The company also benefits from reduced tyre wear from the life axle on the CF 85 tractor. On top of which, the positive twin-steer set-up of the FTG model improves directional stability, making cornering safer and smoother and reducing tyre scuff.

The tri-axle running gear on the Feldbinder powder tankers includes both a lifting front axle and a self-tracking rear axle. The combined effect of these features on both the tractor and the trailer helps to further cut our operating costs, particularly as our tyres are on a mileage contract with Goodyear-Dunlop.

The DAFs are spread between 13 works and depots from Scotland to Cornwall from where they deliver cement in bulk loads of up to 30.5 tonnes to ready mixed concrete batching plants and concrete product manufacturers.

With some of the trucks being double-shifted and others operating relatively local to their base, annual mileages can vary between 120,000 and 190,000 kilometres. Servicing is carried out by the neartest DAF dealer under a give-year Repair and Maintenance contract through PACCAR Financial. Most work is done at night or weekends to help maintain high levels of vehicle availability.

All the DAFs and their ancillary equipment, including the blowers, are on a five year operating lease with the residual value risk underwritten by the leasing company Contract Vehicles Limited (CVL). The residual value is also set against the initial capital cost with the effect of reducing the monthly rental.

Warrington-based CVL is a national contract hire and fleet management company specialising in bespoke packages from leasing to fully-managed maintenance and driver inclusive contracts. It currently has a fleet of more than 4,000 vehicles. Supplying DAF dealers are Doves and Huddersfield and Lex Commercials of Mackworth, Derbyshire.