Mercedes Axor fuels growth for GB
A pair of Mercedes Axor are helping to oil the wheels of business for Gateshead-based GB Lubricants and Fuels.
Both were supplied by local Mercedes-Benz dealer Bell Truck and Van. One, a 26-tonne Axor 2533 with curtainside body by Robinson Truck Bodies, of Blaydon, works for GB’s lubricants division. The second, an 18-tonne 1824 model, delivers fuel in a 13,000-litre tanker by Road tankers Northern, of Barnsley, which also fitted pumping equipment to the curtainsider.
Managing Director Tim Bates explains: “We run a fleet of 12 trucks, all 18- and 26-tonne rigids, split equally between the two sides of our business.
“Our tankers supply fuel to householders for domestic central heating, for heating and vehicles to the agricultural sector and to a growing network of independent petrol filling stations, mostly within a 40-mile radius of our home base.
“Our lubricants, meanwhile, are supplied to commercial vehicle and car dealers, independent garages and large fleet operators across the whole of Britain – they’re delivered in the curtainsiders, which are all fitted with sleeper cabs as the drivers typically spend several nights per week on the road.
“The new tanker was a replacement for a similar vehicle that’s been stood down, while the curtainsider represents an expansion of our fleet, to cope with a growing demand for our lubricants.”
He continues: “The Axor is extremely well suited to both sides of our operation; all but two of our trucks are now Mercedes-Benz and we find them extremely reliable and well-built. We recently retired one that was 12 years old, we’d been intending to stand it down for some time but it just kept going.
“Mercedes trucks are also competitively priced and we also receive a very high level of service from Bells. We’re a family business, just like them, and we also supply Mercedes-Benz-approved lubricants to their workshop. I’m a firm believer that family firms in the north-east should try to support each other where possible but first and foremost the Axor is an excellent vehicle at a good price, that’s guaranteed to provide dependable performance.”
