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The long wait for new trucks is making purchasing decisions increasingly difficult for ARR Craib. "Business is very volatile these days," explains managing director George Craib. "It was difficult enough to plan ahead when you had to wait 12 to 16 weeks for a new truck, and it is almost impossible with current lead times. We need a crystal ball these days."

The Aberdeen-based haulier says it is in the process of ordering eight new Euro 5 Daf XF105s, but is waiting to hear when they will  be delivered.

Craib is hopeful that his long relationship with Daf, and the fact that he is purchasing Super Space cabs, might act as an incentive for the manufacturer to let him jump the queue and make the chassis available earlier than usual. He is expecting a 2008 delivery date. The company will also take delivery of six new Euro 5 Mercedes-Benz Actros tractors in March, and ten Euro 4 MAN TGXs in October.

MAN is currently supplying ARR Craib with 55 new TGAs, 25 of which are already in service and the other 30 will be on the road by January. Craib says these were purchased following an extensive trial, whereby six Euro 4 Dafs and six Euro 4 MANs were run alongside each other.

While there was very little difference in fuel economy, Craib opted for the MANs on account of their EGR engines. He explains that on this occasion he "didn't want the added complication of AdBlue".