News

Boughey Distribution conducted a fuel economy "shoot-off" last week to help it decide which trucks to buy when it adds to the fleet this year.

The company is considering buying Volvo, Daf, MAN or Scania. Although it has experiences with Euro 4 demonstration vehicles from all four manufacturers, it wanted more conclusive fuel economy figures from MAN and Volvo - so pitted examples of both against each other in a head-to-head battle.

Paul Brimelow, group fleet engineer at Boughey Distribution , tells MT that both manufacturers were keen to cooperate - supplying Euro 4 tractors from their press test fleets along with demonstration drivers.

"This was never supposed to be EGR versus SCR," he says, "it just happened to turn out that way."

Brimelow explains that this was a scientific test, with no chance of error. Both tractors were attached to identical trailers, with the same 22 tonnes on board. The cargos were loaded identically, the ride heights were checked and the tyre pressures monitored.

In the morning the two manufacturers' demonstration drivers embarked on a 144-mile round-trip, taking in various road types, traffic conditions and terrains. In the afternoon the trailers were swapped around and two of Boughey Distribution's driver assessors, who had previously sat in the passenger seats, took to the wheel to repeat the same route. Back at the depot both trucks were refilled with diesel  and precise measurements were taken. The result was that the EGR-equipped MAN consumed less diesel than the SCR-equipped Volvo, though the exact figures have yet to be revealed.

But Brimelow stresses that although MAN won the test, this doesn't automatically mean that it has won the contract. "Yes MAN did better on fuel, but our overall decision will be based on a number of other factors," he says. "Scania, Daf and Volvo are still very much in the running."