DAFs help keep the traffic flowing in Central Scotland

Fifteen DAF trucks featuring specially designed bodies and equipment are now entering service with Stirling Council to help keep the traffic flowing freely across a key part of central Scotland whatever the weather conditions.

DAF dealer Imperial Commercials of Cumbernauld won the roads maintenance fleet renewal contract, worth in excess of £750,000, following a comprehensive tendering exercise by Stirling Council.

All the new trucks are two-axle models with eight being 7.5 tonne LF45s, six are 15 tonne LF55s and one is an 18 tonne LF55. The chassis, which meet Euro 4 emission standards through the use of SCR technology, were built for DAF Trucks at Leyland in Lancashire.

Jon Jeffress, who is responsible for the fleet of roads maintenance service vehicles at Stirling Council, said: “The tendering process included a full assessment of cost and quality, not just the purchase price of the vehicles. We looked at whole life operating costs and the cost of financing the new fleet. Residual values were a key factor and DAF’s reputation for achieving good residuals did undoubtedly influence our decision.”

Each of the DAFs is fitted with a tipper body by D & B Engineering of Motherwell and which uses Binotto gear. All have either a sleeper cab with dual passenger seat or a crew cab by Hatcher to carry up to five. At the work site the cab doubles as a rest room, complete with an external hand wash unit to enable crew members to clean up before taking their breaks. In those with a sleeper cab the bunk has been removed to create ample space for the crew, normally three, to stow all their personal protective equipment and wet weather clothing, as well as small tools and equipment.

The six 15 tonners are dual purpose and have a two-way tipper body. This is insulated and has a roller sheeting system for carrying tarmac when doing resurfacing work. When winter snow and ice arrives the DAFs double as gritters and snow ploughs. The bodies have a barn-type rear tailgate which folds away to allow grit spreading equipment to be slid into the back without the need to remove the tailgate and each has a snow plough frame on the front.

On the nearside the body is fitted with a hydraulic platform to assist in the safe loading and unloading of heavy items of plant and materials. When out of use this platform forms one of the dropsides to the body.

The 18 tonner has been equipped specifically for use on bridge maintenance work and has a tipper body and a Palfinger PK10000A crane of 10 ton/metre capacity with a reach of 8 metres and fitted by local firm Outreach Limited. This is powered by a gearbox-mounted Knowles PTO. The crane has both a 450 litre clamshell bucket for use in clearing spoil and a standard hook lift for handling heavy items.

An unusual feature of this truck is that both the body and the crane are on a demountable subframe. This can be quickly removed to allow a Schmidt gritting body to be fitted along with a snow plough. Bringing this vehicle into use in this role has avoided the necessity for the council to hire in a vehicle, which it has previously had to do at critical times.

Smaller jobs and emergency repairs are the domain of the 7.5 tonne LF45s. Seven of them have two-way tipper bodies with a side-mounted hydraulic lift and one has hooklift equipment for use with demountable bodies.

“Including a range of different features has given us trucks that can be quickly adapted for a variety of tasks,” says Jon Jeffress. “When looking at their design and specification we’ve also placed a strong emphasis on health and safety aspects of their use, with features like the hydraulic platforms to eliminate manual handling of heavy pieces of equipment.”

Executive Member for Environment Services, Councillor Tom Coll, said: “These vehicles represent a major investment in the future of roads maintenance in Stirling. The vehicles are cutting edge and are very flexible in their potential uses, having been specifically designed to meet the diverse needs of Stirling’s roads.”

At 840 square miles (2000 square kilometres), Stirling covers the third largest area of Scotland’s 32 councils. This means that the DAFs have a lot of ground to cover to ensure that the 600 miles (975 kilometres) of roads for which the council is responsible are properly maintained and kept open in the winter. Not only is this important for the benefit of the local economy and people, but also for the thousands of tourists who visit the area to enjoy its stunning scenery.