TRANSPORT AND MATERIALS HANDLING
The demanding nature of the merchant industry is something that Shaw says the company understands, offering a complete fleet solution designed specifically to service and support the building, timber, civils and drainage merchant industries. “Efficient fleet management is paramount for builders’ merchants to streamline operations and maximize productivity. We have proven to our customers, who would traditionally have bought new or operated used trucks, with huge annual maintenance bills that vehicle ownership doesn’t necessarily make sense.” He explains that running old brick grab trucks, especially cast-offs from national operators, is becoming increasingly outdated due to several factors. “Firstly, the maintenance and repair costs for older trucks and cranes is significantly higher. As vehicles and cranes age, they require more frequent repairs and replacements of parts, which can be costly for businesses to manage, especially if they don’t operate their own workshop. “Secondly, vehicle disposal at end of service is becoming increasingly challenging due to limited export markets and a shift in attitude to operating newer more fuel-efficient, low emission vehicles.
Downtime benefits
“Additionally, downtime not only impacts your business financially but also how customers perceive your service and with fewer rental companies offering 1-3 year old vehicles for spot rental, hiring in replacements to minimise disruption could result in a double whammy with replacement vehicles breaking down due to age.”
One customer that has significantly benefited from Alltruck’s fleet management service is St Andrews Timber & Building Supplies Limited. Established in 2002 it has four branches across the central belt of Scotland. With a fleet of twenty-three commercial vehicles, it operates a mixture of 26-tonne brick grabs and Moffett mounted curtain-siders, as well as 3.5-tonne dropside pick-ups. As a company prior to being introduced to Alltruck they purchased a mixture of new and used vehicles for their fleet.
Managing director Ronnie Robinson says: “Over the past eight years, their support and expertise have contributed to the growth of our transportation and helped us control our costs. They take a partner approach in keeping our vehicles working efficiently. Our relationship with Alltruck in terms of switching over to fully maintained leasing in 2017 was a big factor in reducing overall service costs. Offering full maintenance on trucks and equipment is a huge thing for us. Switching to leased vehicles also meant less big costs for older vehicles as our new vehicles are seldom off the road, meaning more overall deliveries for our company.”
“Our near symbiotic relationship with St. Andrews fleet is the perfect example of how our partnership approach, combined with our team’s huge experience can add incredible value to a non-transport led business”
He adds: “They also have great communication and keep us informed, for example on ETA of new vehicles, service dates, and scheduled downtime. Alltruck is able to service all our vehicles, cranes and forklifts which for us is a huge benefit – having the one company that supplies our fleet which is also accountable for the maintenance, uptime and service of them. It streamlines our fleet logistics and eliminates the middlemen as we
June 2024
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
are dealing directly with the fleet distributor with a single point of contact. We are also able to specify our vehicles from factory through Alltruck and have total control over the vehicles we receive. It is hugely beneficial for us to get our trucks from Alltruck along with all the services too. It keeps the supply line simple for us and we deal with the top of the supply-chain and not anyone in between. They also deliver all new trucks to us complete with livery which means no downtime on our part. We lease all our trucks, so it is helpful handing them back after 4 years or so and being furnished with a brand new one. It allows us to keep our fleet always looking fresh and new.”
Shaw confirms this: “Our near symbiotic relationship with St. Andrews fleet is the perfect example of how our partnership approach, combined with our team’s huge experience can add incredible value to a non- transport led business,” he says.
“By outsourcing their vehicle requirements, builder’s merchants like St. Andrews can access a modern and diverse fleet without the capital investment associated with purchasing vehicles outright.”
He points out that this frees up financial resources for other strategic investments while ensuring access to reliable transportation for delivering materials.
“Additionally, contract hiring trucks provide flexibility, allowing merchants to scale their fleet according to fluctuating demand without the burden of ownership. Overall, contract hiring trucks contribute to operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and agility, enabling merchants to focus on core activities and drive sustainable growth. Contract hiring trucks offer several advantages over outright purchasing in the builder’s merchant industry and the team here at the Alltruck Group are always happy to engage with forward thinking merchants.” BMJ
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