I hope we all had a good Christmas, I know I did, but I should be sober by the 2nd of January.
As a follow up from my previous post about Truckfast, I don’t think I’ll go down the route of taking a truck from them, I can’t find any positive reviews of their equipment or customer service. My conscience won’t let me take a risk, also the thought of one of my team struggling with a unit in poor condition is something I won’t do.
I currently have a MAN rented from j&b in Swindon, which is ok, but the fuel economy is poor and the Adblue tank is tiny and my team are out all week tramping. I don’t fancy another one, as it doesn’t match the rest of my fleet of DAF XF’s (owned outright) for performance or driver comfort.
I need to get another vehicle for 6 months to a year, not likely longer than that, so can anyone recommend a rental firm that won’t charge me the earth, as in standard week to week type contracts. I really don’t want a 2 or 3 year contract, and I am moving away from owning any more trucks (I’ve had more than my fair share of bad luck with mechanical failure, despite buying from a DAF main dealer).
I haven’t tried Heathrow yet, so I’ll give them a shout next week and see what deal they can offer.
I had approached Dawson’s when I first started 3 years ago, they wouldn’t touch me then, but they might fancy my business now I’m established.
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Hi all,
I thought I’d give an update, I spoke to Heathrow yesterday, they want £400 a week, Dawson’s still don’t want my business and mc didn’t return my call.
There does seem to be a void between the likes of Truckfast and the high end rental companies. I don’t need a new, or nearly new truck, just an honest company supplying equipment to a good standard. Perhaps it is a commercial impossibility to offer older trucks that require more maintenance for a realistic fee, I know that I’d be very happy to be offered my own DAF XF trucks, which are 6 years old now, for around £300 a week.
I may end up renting a second MAN from J&B for the short term and see how things go.
I’ve no idea what work/weight/distance your covering but it is worth considering the fuel savings on some new trucks might cancel out the extra rental cost. As always depends on many variables.
That’s a fair point Wildy, I considered this, however I’m struggling with my team trying to meet impossible deadlines set by the shipping line, all my drivers try their very best to get to places in time, but when th the deadlines set they often feel a compulsion to put their foot down and this negates much of the benefit of economic trucks if they are driven hard. We have introduced a fuel bonus scheme to encourage a sympathetic driving style and I always let them know that I don’t expect miracles. It is tough going at the bottom end of the pecking order, shipping lines want the earth but won’t pay for it. My team are good guys, they’re just trying too hard to get the job done.