Gloucestershire-based Refuse Vehicle Solutions is offering waste and recycling industry operators a quick and easy way to purchase 26-tonne Mercedes-Benz Antos trucks, fully built and ready to go to work.
RVS Managing Director Spencer Law has teamed-up with Mercedes-Benz Dealer City West Commercials to launch his new RediTruck service. He is confident it will prove a hit with customers who prefer to buy vehicles from stock rather than contend with long manufacturer lead times.
The early signs are certainly encouraging. RVS has ordered seven Antos 2527L chassis from City West Commercials, all of which are being fitted with Dennis Eagle compactor bodies; the first five were quickly snapped-up by operators.
RVS operates from a site with seven-bay workshop and two-storey parts department at Cam & Dursley, near Stroud. Its core business entails purchasing, refurbishing and in some cases modifying, then retailing pre-owned refuse vehicles – all are subjected to rigorous quality checks and services, and supplied with 12-month MoTs.
However, as Mr Law explained: “Many waste management companies run used and remanufactured refuse trucks supplied by RVS alongside others which they purchased from new. The problem with buying a new vehicle, though, is that you can wait up to nine months for it to be delivered by the manufacturer.
“For operators who often have to start work on a recently-won contract at relatively short notice, the only alternative is to hire a vehicle to tide them over. But given typical costs of £800-£1,000 a week this can be very expensive.
“That’s where RediTruck comes in. We understand our customers’ businesses so have built our new Mercedes-Benz vehicles to a good, fit-for-purpose specification, with axle weight measuring systems and trade bin lifts, which we know will appeal to the market.
“Crucially, because they’re in stock and can be ready to drive away at very short notice, customers do not incur any of the delays and high costs associated with purchasing refuse trucks in the conventional manner.”
Mr Law continued: “We’ve been buying Mercedes-Benz chassis since 2005. The manufacturer has really raised its game over the last 10 years in terms of after sales support, while its product range is very strong too – the Antos represents particularly good value compared to its competitors.
“We have also developed an excellent relationship with City West Commercials, whose workshop team provide regular assistance from an engineering perspective. So I was delighted when I took the RediTruck idea to the Dealer and they agreed to support us.”
Three of the first five RediTruck vehicles are now in service with Exeter-based Devon Contract Waste, and a fourth is due for delivery before the end of February. Managing Director Simon Almond said: “If we take on a new customer or a vehicle starts costing too much to repair we may need to refresh it quickly.
“New trucks already built to a commercial specification are very hard to find, so RediTruck has great appeal to an operator like us. In fact, most would pay a premium to get such a vehicle quickly. In our case, though, we’ve actually save money by going with RVS, not least because our new Mercedes-Benz vehicles are proving to very fuel-efficient – the Antos are returning 9.2 mpg which puts them a good two miles per gallon ahead of our Swedish-built 26-tonners.”
