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It is all change at BRS, the UK's largest manufacturer-owned truck rental company, with a new five-year business plan to be presented to new management next year. Although still owned by AB Volvo, the company has been moved within Renault Trucks' operational responsibility. It is wholly operated by the European Sales Operation in Lyon, France, and is being headed-up by former financial director Hugh Cawley. A spokesman for Renault Trucks says the change will offer an opportunity for increased  business to its UK dealers, although stresses that the composition of the BRS fleet will not alter as a result of the change.

When asked whether BRS depots will move to Renault Trucks dealers, the company says: "Opportunities for co-operation between the two UK companies for mutual advantage will, of course be considered on a case-by-case basis, but an assumption that such things as depot moves will happen as a matter of course would be wrong. BRS will be run as an independent business."

The company confirms that there are no immediate plans to relocate BRS to Renault Trucks' UK HQ at Dunstable. Nor are there plans to make any redundancies at BRS, which currently employs 500, including 400 drivers. It says it will respect all current contractual relationships like R&M contracts. "We will actively work with BRS on its growth strategy to realise the full potential of this strong brand," says Heinz Low (2 dots over the o), European sales director at Renault Trucks. "Both parties will benefit more fully from our complementary customer bases in the UK."

Renault Trucks plans to "win back fleet customers" next year according to new managing director Laurent Farman. "We stopped selling to some fleet customers, but will change now we have learned how to manage the buy-back business" he says. These are sentiments echoed by marketing director Bruce Allison who explains to MT that it will be actively chasing fleet business that it has been turning down over the past few years. "But we will be doing it in a controlled manner" he adds.

The company says another key objective for 2007 will be to increase its UK market share, which is currently 4.5%. Farman says one of the ways it will do this is by improving the service it gives to its customers by "improving the quality of the network". He acknowledges that Renault Trucks currently has some weak dealers in the UK, but plans to tackle this. "We have the best range of trucks we have ever had and deserve a larger share of the market."

STD Developments is reporting huge improvements in fuel economy from Don-Bur's EcoStream step-frame double-decker, and as a result will be purchasing a pair of aerodynamic trailers over the next few days. The Congleton-based haulier, a member of Pall-Ex, conducted a two week test on local and trunk routes behind an Iveco EuroTech. It achieved an average of 9mpg compared with 7.5mpg with conventional double-deckers doing the same work, representing a 16.7% improvement. Director Craig Stevens tells MT that the EcoStream also proved popular with the driver. "It was very stable, followed the tractor well and was easier to manoeuvre than the other six trailers we currently have" he says.

Stevens was expecting the fuel economy benefits to be outweighed by the loss of potential load volume, but says this didn't happen. "It might be an issue for companies moving identical nine-foot pallets, but ours are a mix of heights. We found we could still carry six-foot pallets in the droop nose. By putting some thought into loading the trailer there was no compromise of load space at all." Although Stevens is impressed with the Don-Bur trailer, he says he is yet to decide which manufacturer to buy his new aerodynamic double-deckers from. "From what I can tell they all pretty much do the same job. We would like to do a deal with Don-Bur as they are local, but so too are Boalloy" he says.