Eurocargo fleet rises to the challenge for Allied Bakeries
Allied Bakeries, one of the UK’s largest bakery businesses and a division of Associated British Foods plc, is putting an additional 73 Iveco Eurocargos into service to support a major new nationwide contract.
The fleet additions are all Eurocargo 140E18Ps – 14 tonne rigids mounted with Ecostream teardrop box bodies manufactured by Don Bur and with tuck under Dhollandia tail-lifts. Their sleek profile is further enhanced by bespoke wind deflectors and cab collars, provided by Don Bur as part of its aerodynamic bodywork package.
The 73 Eurocargos will be used for a combination multi-drop urban distribution to smaller retailers, as well as deliveries to major multiples. Each vehicle has been carefully specified for its ability to transport up to 540 baskets of bread, carrying out a number of drops per day.
Chris Davies, Fleet Engineer at Allied Bakeries, best known for grocery brands including Kingsmill, Burgen, Allinson and Sunblest, explains: “We put this order out to competitive tender and Iveco came out top based on the Eurocargo’s competitive whole life costs.
“We also considered every element of aftersales service provision from different manufacturers, looking at dealer network coverage and roadside assistance performance to engineering back-up. We operate a fleet of more than 1,000 commercial vehicles, and the aftersales care on our Ivecos has been second to none.”
Allied Bakeries began specifying 14 tonners for its fleet several years ago, and Davies says that the vehicles suit the company’s requirements perfectly in terms of manoeuvrability and payload capacity.
“Unladen chassis weight has gradually increased on all marques of commercial vehicle with the introduction of new technology and emissions legislation, so we took the decision to step up from 12 tonne rigids to 14 tonners. It suits our business and the types of deliveries we make, whilst cutting down on vehicle journeys,” he adds.
Each of the new Eurocargos will cover in the region of 40,000 miles per annum. They will be on the road seven days a week to maintain a supply of the freshest baked products to customers.
Like all 4x2 models in the Eurocargo range, the 140E18Ps feature a two-pedal automated EuroTronic transmission as standard, complete with a software control package developed to optimise fuel economy.
Power is provided by an FPT Industrial 3.9 litre Tector engine which is capable of producing up to 182 hp at 2,700 rev/min and up to 610 Nm of torque between 1,300 and 2,100 rev/min. Meeting EEV emissions limits, the new fleet is even cleaner than current Euro V and features an engine immobiliser as standard, for maximum security, together with a driver programmable speed limiter up to 90km/h.
