If you are a committed buyer of used Mercedes Trucks and you have built a rapport with the used truck salesman of the local franchised Mercedes truck dealer then it perhaps comes as no surprise that you could be convinced to try a Fuso Canter.
As part of the same Daimler group, Mercedes dealers must also sell Fusos in the UK.
That’s just what happened with John Dinham Transport having bought 14 used Mercedes from local dealer, City West Commercials in the last four years.
Though initially reluctant even to try the Canter, Mr Dinham agreed to take the test drive offered by City West Commercials’ Used Truck Sales Specialist Tim Sutcliffe, who has become a trusted supplier. He was so impressed with the experience that he purchased it there and then.
The Truck
A 66-registered 7C18 model, the Canter is powered by a 3.0-litre common-rail turbodiesel which produces 175 hp. It works alongside a Mercedes-Benz Axor on the Pall-Ex pallet delivery network contract which John Dinham Transport took up last year.
The Canter is proving highly productive, thanks to its large payload and the compact size that makes it exceptionally agile. “We cover Bristol postcodes for Pall-Ex, and the Canter is ideal for delivering palletised goods in and around the city, as well as heavy consignments for builders’ merchants and the like.
Ours offers an outstanding payload allowance of approximately 3.8 tonnes, while its tight turning circle is also a huge advantage. It doesn’t carry as much as the 18-tonner, of course, so might have to do two trips for every one by the bigger truck, but the fact that it gets around so much more quickly gives it a big advantage. I’d buy another without hesitation.
John Dinham
Explaining his approach to vehicle acquisitions Mr Dinham said: “We’ve always preferred to buy used rather than new vehicles because they represent such good value for money. That’s particularly so with those we’ve acquired from City West Commercials.”
“We maintain our trucks in-house but rely on City West Commercials’ very good parts back-up – only on very rare occasions have they not had the item we’ve needed in stock.
“Tim Sutcliffe, meanwhile, provides a brilliant service. He’ll always go the extra mile to find me the truck I need, and whenever I’ve had an issue, which you’ll always get from time to time with even the best trucks, he’s jumped on it straight away. I’m very glad I took Tim’s advice on the Canter, because it’s proving to be a highly productive addition to the fleet.”
The Company
Established by Mr Dinham in 2013 with a single truck which he drove, the company that bears his name now runs 20 vehicles and puts work the way of sub-contractors as well. Most of the trucks on the John Dinham Transport fleet are Actros tractor units, one of which trunks nightly to the Pall-Ex hub in Coalville, Leicestershire.
Mr Dinham plans to replace four remaining Renault Trucks with more by Mercedes-Benz at the first opportunity. “The Actros has been a great asset to the business over the last four years, due to its reliability and low running costs,” he confirmed. “It’s also very popular with our drivers, not least because we choose big, flat-floored cabs, which helps when it comes to retention”.
