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Allied Bakeries is adding 93 Iveco Eurocargos to its 1,000-strong distribution fleet.
The bakery, which is a division of Associated British Foods, opted for the Eurocargos because of the automated gearbox and Euro 5 engine featured as standard.
By adopting Euro 5 technology ahead of the 1st October 2009 deadline, when Euro 5 becomes mandatory on new vehicles, the company is eligible to receive a combined discount of £2,785 per year in Vehicle Excise Duty via the Reduced Pollution Certificate. The discount is expected to total £27,850 for the 93 trucks over their ten-year lifespan.
Christopher Davies, fleet engineer, Allied Bakeries, said: “We were in the market to place an order for 93 new distribution vehicles, split between 7.5, 14 and 18 tonnes, and took the decision to trial demonstrators from Iveco and Daf.
“Both trucks performed well but only the Eurocargo was available with an automated gearbox and a Euro 5 engine as standard. This worked heavily in its favour, as paying for these features as optional extras just didn’t make commercial sense after comparing the two trucks side by side.
“The great advantage of an automated transmission is that you can’t over-rev the engine, so the truck is always in the right gear. It also prolongs clutch life and offers enhanced comfort and safety for our drivers, since routine traffic congestion these days means stop/start driving is commonplace.”
The total order includes 55 Eurocargo 75E16S, which will be used for multi-drop urban distribution, 27 Eurocargo 140E22Ps and three Eurocargo 180E25Ps, for direct deliveries to larger stores and supermarkets across the UK.
A further eight Eurocargo 140E18s, fitted with a manual transmission, have been supplied for driver training purposes.
The trucks come with a software control package developed to help monitor and improve fuel consumption.
