Sherwood Truck and Van is capitalising on renewed market confidence with new truck sales to expand the fleet of a South Derbyshire haulier.The sale of Iveco's Stralis tractor units will complement an existing fleet of 40 trucks operated by the long established Jeffreys Haulage, based in Swadlincote, is being seen as an indicator of market movement.
Sherwood, located across the Midlands and South Yorkshire, has been asked to supply four top-of-the-line Stralis 'Super CUBE' units to Jeffreys, which operates storage, distribution and haulage from a strategic location near the M1 and M42, alongside an Iveco servicing and maintenance facility.
Mike Lancaster, sales director at Sherwood Truck and Van, said: "Jeffreys is a well established haulage company and one of our partner Iveco servicing specialists. The sale of these units to complement the company's already strong fleet clearly signals some confidence in the market.
"General industry conditions are more favourable and there is a genuine perception in the marketplace that we are moving out of recession. Fortunately, we carry a level of stock to support opportunities like this and Jeffreys clearly have confidence in Sherwood and Iveco in supporting their fleet growth."
The Jeffreys fleet expansion comes amid current industry fuel duty concerns with the Road Hauliers Association calling for Government clarity on fuel duty as foreign contractors able to capitalise on cheaper fuel on the continent provide harsh competition to UK based operators.
Mick Warren, co-owner of Jeffreys Haulage, said: "We have sufficient capacity to undertake this fleet expansion with market conditions in a reasonably robust state. Our operations run for twenty-four hours, seven days a week so it's critical to maintain a healthy and reliable fleet for full continuity.
"Our long-standing relationship with both Sherwood Truck and Van and with Iveco trucks means that we are confident that the units will perform admirably."
The new 450 horse-powered tractor units taken by Jeffreys feature one of the most spacious two-man high-roof cabs available on the market and are specifically tailored to long-haul operations.