Long established haulier Browns of Carlisle has taken delivery of its first three Iveco Stralis tractor units from local dealer North East Truck & Van (NETV).
The three Stralis AS440S48TX/P's join a mixed fleet of 48 commercial vehicles and are operating solely on a Pirelli contract transporting tyres on three major routes, running from Carlisle to Burton, Barton-on-Trent and Edinburgh.
Typically loaded to 42 tonnes gross, each of the Stralis' are finished in the company's striking red and grey livery and will operate with tri-axle tautliner trailers, covering up to 225,000 km a year.
Mike Burns of Browns of Carlisle, explains: "The new vehicles represent the first Ivecos in our current fleet and were purchased following the successful performance of one of NETV's demonstrators, which really impressed us in terms of fuel economy, driver comfort and value for money."
The Ivecos will remain on the fleet for between three and four years and will be supported by a maintenance contract with NETV, which will see all servicing carried out at its dealership on the Kingstown Industrial Estate in Carlisle. Operating from a modern workshop which was opened in 2002, the site features eight full-length bays and offers Class 7 MOTs, analogue and digital tachograph calibration, brake testing facilities and comprehensive 24 hour roadside assistance.
The vehicles are powered by a 12.9 litre Cursor 13 engine which is capable of producing up to 480 hp between 1,530 and 1,900 rev/min and a peak torque of 2,200 Nm between 1,000 and 1,530 rev/min, driven through a EuroTronic transmission, which offers either fully, or semi-automated shifts.
From humble beginnings in the early 1950's, Browns of Carlisle was founded by Fred Brown who started out in agricultural contracting. He purchased small rigid tippers which were used to deliver lime and slag from the North East to local farmers. The business soon expanded and to compliment the haulage and agricultural contracting, Fred started an ever expanding plant hire division that was significant in the major construction projects of the day. Today the company concentrates on haulage and storage, providing a fast and efficient service to major organisations throughout the UK.
Background information: North East Truck & Van (NETV) is a privately owned limited company and is the largest independent Iveco distributor in the UK, and winner of the Motor Transport Dealer of the Year Award 2005. It employs over 320 staff across its eight dealerships in Blaydon, Billingham, Carlisle, Hull, Immingham, Lincoln, Scunthorpe and York, and sells the full range of Fiat, Irisbus, Iveco and LDV new and used commercial vehicles. NETV is also a franchised aftersales dealer for MAN ERF, Seddon Atkinson and Alexander Dennis, offering 24 hour opening at its three largest sites, with late opening elsewhere and Sunday servicing by appointment. It also offers all-makes servicing and parts, with customers ranging from owner-drivers to large national fleets. The company benefits from a fast-developing Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division and is the only Iveco dealer allowed to undertake SVO work on behalf of other distributors in the UK. It also carries out SVO work on vehicles from other manufacturers (work on Scania and Volvo models is particularly common). NETV has an annual turnover of £85 million, and routinely sells over 3,000 new and 600 used vehicles a year, with £1.7 million of parts held in stock.