Timber, building and fencing supplier Lawsons has taken delivery of the first of four new Iveco Daily chassis cabs, based on the vehicles’ practicality and Iveco’s strong aftersales support.
The Hi-Matic 3.5-tonne chassis cabs were chosen after strong driver feedback and due to their increased payload over competitors; supplied by Northern Commercials in Dunstable, the new arrivals benefit from a 100kg payload advantage over the competitor models they replace.
The business, which already runs a CNG-powered 26-tonne Stralis Natural Power rigid, also ordered the vehicles on the back of the Iveco dealer network’s ability to provide truck-levels of aftersales care for light commercial fleets – including servicing and maintaining the new Daily fleet overnight.
Mike Kelly, group transport assistant manager at Lawsons, said: “We considered Iveco for our light commercials as we’ve previously struggled to get the aftersales support we really needed. If we had a problem with a 3.5-tonner, we’d drop it off at the nearest dealer, but a technician might not be able look at it for days!
“Acorn Trucks is the closest dealership to our London branches and can’t do enough in looking after our Stralis NP; and they have assured us our new Dailys will be treated in the same manner. This means a driver can drop a vehicle off in the evening and pick it up early the next morning, so we never miss a day’s work.
“It’s highlighted the gap between a predominantly car-focused network and one used to supporting transport companies which can’t afford non-productive downtime. We’ve got full trust in Acorn Trucks to look after our new vehicles and that’s why we’ve put the Dailys in their care.”
The new vehicles join Lawson’s 25-strong light commercial fleet, with three Dailys operating from Lawsons’ Camden depot and one from its branch in Belvedere – delivering supplies to customers across London and the South East.
Finished in the customer’s distinctive green livery, the Dailys will remain in service until at least 2026 and will clock up around 30,000 miles per year. They will be on the road up to five days a week, with all maintenance carried out by Acorn Trucks, split between its sites in Waltham Cross and Crayford.
“Driver feedback on the Dailys has been excellent,” added Kelly. “The Hi-Matic gearbox makes them very easy to drive and being able to carry an extra 100kg of payload is a real bonus.
“We plan to introduce our first CNG-powered Dailys into the fleet later this year – building on the very positive experiences we’ve had with our first Stralis NP, which has performed seamlessly.”
The company expects to order its first Daily Hi-Matic Blue Power NP vehicles once the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and Department for Transport finalise a training syllabus for the five hours’ training its Category B drivers will need to complete before they can drive 4.2-tonne alternative-fuelled vehicles on a standard 3.5-tonne licence. This new legislation means operators can transition to alternative fuel vehicles without any loss of payload versus a traditional 3.5-tonner.
