News

Ken Mallinson Transport has recently evaluated new Volvos, Dafs and Mercedes and chosen the Daf XF105 as "the vehicle for us", placing an order for 11 Euro-5 models.

The first three vehicles are already at work with four more promised for September and four on 1 January 2008. Stephen Mallinson, director, says: "The Dafs were slightly ahead on mpg which is important - but the crucial thing was Volvo and Mercedes couldn't give me Euro-5 at that time or that price. We're working with our customers  and everyone has a green campaign now. We made a conscious decision to stay ahead of the market and raise our profile with environmentally-friendly engines."

The Euro-5s will have onboard diagnostics and so qualify for Reduced Pollution Certificates. Mallinson has also ordered 10 Lawrence David curtainsiders with Moffat Mounty forklifts. "We've tried other trailers but we have run Lawrence David for many years. They have no side post, which is important for our loads, but also they are a very good build quality."

Mallinson runs 29 tractors and 11 rigids, delivering plastic tubing to the construction industry. Typically the tractors cover 140,000km a year, and achieve 9.5 to 10.5mpg, but Mallinson says they typically cube out and so often are not loaded past four tonnes.

The arrival of new kit has cheered Ken Mallinson Transport after three difficult weeks of pumping water out of its  new service depot. The £500,000 facility had just been completed when the Yorkshire flooding put its ramps and rolling roads under water. "We started to pump it out ourselves, but then our contractor came and got us running again," says director Stephen Mallinson. "Until then I would have said it has been a very good year."

Mallinson had built the warehouse and maintenance workshop one metre higher than its neighbours in line with regulations, which demand a build height of the highest flood-level in 100 years. "And it still got flooded," says Mallinson. "So let's hope it doesn't happen again for 100 years. It was just a temporary stumbling block." However, the company's compliance means its insurance will be honoured for buildings and consequential loss and its insurance against flooding will be unaffected.