In a conquest deal, Sparks Commercials has sold a Renault Trucks D Wide 26-tonne rigid to Broughton Transport Solutions Ltd. to service increasing demand on their pallet network business.
Based in the picturesque village of Broughton Gifford, near Melksham, the new Renault will join the existing fleet of 42 trucks and 40 trailers (nine of which are rigids), providing a range of both ambient and temperature-controlled services across the UK and Europe.
Unusually, the company is also a member of two pallet networks. Broughton collects, delivers and trunks for both UPN and TPN, covering BA, SN, SP and GL postcodes.
The D Wide with high-spec, rear-steering chassis was an operator-requested preference due to tight access in many of the rural areas they deliver and collect from.
With a driver-friendly, 2.3 metre D Wide day cab, the new addition is powered by Renault’s DTI 8, producing 320 hp and 1,200 Nm of torque through a 12-speed automated transmission with 31′ Fred Smith & Sons curtainsider bodywork and a 1,500 kg Dhollandia ‘tuckunder’ tail lift.
The firm’s Managing Director, Toby Ovens, said the rigid Renault would be a much-needed addition to the expanding fleet. “The past 12 months has been nothing short of hectic. Within minutes of the salesman delivering the truck, we were unbuckling the curtains to load it up and send it out,” Ovens told us.
The company saw sizeable traffic volume gains at the pandemic height, which has shown little signs of easing off, averaging circa 400 pallets a night designed for the two midlands hubs.
Sold by Roger Millett, Transport Solutions Executive at Sparks Commercial Services Ltd, Swindon, the 26-tonner will be the first Renault to join the Broughton Transport fleet. After a cold sales call, the order was placed following favourable feedback regarding Sparks’ aftermarket service and continued poor back up from a rival manufacturer.
