G&P Batteries positive about new Iveco fleet

G&P Batteries, the UK’s largest nationwide collector of waste lead acid batteries, has added five new Iveco’s to its 19-strong commercial vehicle fleet, supplied exclusively on contract hire by Fraikin.

The deal sees the Wolverhampton-based company take delivery of three Stralis Active Time 26 tonne rear-steer rigids (AT260S31YPS), along with two 3.5 tonne Daily 35S12 chassis cabs, fitted with dropside bodies and mini-cranes.

The five year contract hire agreement includes full servicing at Fraikin’s West Bromwich branch, as well as comprehensive fleet management, tyres and UK breakdown support. The vehicles will be in operation five days a week, with the Stralis’ covering up to 100,000 km a year and the Daily’s 72,000 km.

Michael Green, Managing Director of G&P Batteries says: "Our heavy truck preference has tended to be DAF over the years, but Iveco won the order as the Stralis cab offered a higher level of comfort for our drivers and featured more standard equipment.

"Trialling a demonstrator resulted in a lot of praise for the automated EuroTronic gearbox, and with no compromise on payload in comparison with the equivalent DAF, it was an easy decision to go for the Stralis," he adds.

The Stralis rigids feature curtainside bodies and have been fitted with Palfinger forklift trucks to aid with loading and unloading.

Inside the cab the drivers benefit from air conditioning and an air-sprung cloth upholstered seat. Like other models in the Stralis range, they feature a state-of-the-art dashboard and instrument panel design, which is dominated by an easy-to-read colour screen relaying detailed operational and vehicle performance data.

The new Daily dropsides will be used to target an emerging market for the collection of portable and household batteries, as well as collecting smaller volumes of lead acid batteries. With each collection weighing up to 100 kg, the 250 kg mini-cranes will be used to ensure safe loading and unloading.

G&P Batteries took delivery of its first vehicle from Fraikin in 1994 and has a customer base covering the whole spectrum of British industry, with batteries being collected from Government departments, Utilities, PLC’s and major international companies, all the way through to sole traders. Batteries are collected from thousands of locations including civic amenity sites, automotive and forklift truck dealers and service centres, as well as defence and telecommunications establishments.

All batteries collected by G&P Batteries are fully recycled. The company was also the first in the UK to open a recycling plant for household alkaline and zinc carbon batteries.