Finished in the company’s yellow livery and supplied by Iveco dealer Hendy Van & Truck, seven of the new vehicles were acquired to expand Abel & Cole’s fleet, with the remaining 35 replacing older vehicles.
As part of the deal, Abel & Cole’s bespoke refrigerated Paneltex bodywork was transferred from the company’s older vehicles to the New Daily chassis, helping the delivery company meet its goal of cutting the environmental impact of its operations.
“As an environmentally-conscious company, transferring our custom refrigerated bodywork to the New Daily makes perfect sense," explained Nick Cannell, logistics manager at Abel & Cole. "The bodywork incorporates a number of non-recyclable components, and we know anyone who bought our vehicles second-hand would likely dump the bodies in landfill. By refurbishing and transferring the bodies we do our bit towards ensuring a sustainable future for all.”
The Daily Hi-Matic has proven especially popular at the company, said Cannell: “The drivers love the driveability of the eight-speed automatic gearbox. We intend to operate an all-Hi-Matic fleet eventually as a result of our team’s positive experiences and the increased fleet efficiency the transmission provides.”
Developed in conjunction with ZF, the Hi-Matic automatic transmission offers Abel & Cole drivers the option of choosing between Eco mode, for smooth and low-speed gear changes to keep fuel consumption to a minimum – and Power mode, which carries out gear changes at higher speeds for enhanced performance. There is also a third mode – Manual mode – which permits sequential shifting via the gearstick.
Vehicles in Abel & Cole’s fleet typically cover 35,000-40,000 miles annually, with the 169 vehicles collectively completing approximately 65,000 deliveries per week – and more during peak periods. “We certainly put the vehicles through their paces,” said Cannell. “We know our fleet is up the task, though – the vehicles are sturdy, dependable and efficient.”
Abel & Cole intends to keep its 42 new arrivals in operation for six years, with each carrying out up to 82 deliveries every day – and up to 100 for those operating in London.
Abel & Cole’s New Daily chassis cabs are powered by a 2.3 litre Iveco diesel engine mission-matched to provide optimum fuel efficiency for the fleet. The engine is capable of producing up to 126 hp between 3,200 and 3,900 rev/min, plus up to 320 Nm of torque between 1,800 and 2,750 rev/min.
Abel & Cole delivers organic food produce to homes across most of England and South Wales , operating from nine depots across the country. The company pledges to provide an ethical, environmentally-friendly alternative to the supermarket.