For Scotland’s leading telecom infrastructure partner, C-Plan, sourcing vehicles to cope with the peaks and troughs of business has become a bit of an art form for experienced transport manager Stewart Duffy. Juggling suppliers and working with off the shelf rental vehicles has become second nature for the seasoned manager. Earlier this year, however, with newly appointed contracts on the horizon, Stewart had four new 18-tonne tipper grabs to source which proved more difficult. With the specialist rental industry awash with ready to go tipper grabs, you would think it would be simple to source ready to go vehicles, but not so according to Stewart, hiring 18-tonne trucks suited to the utilities work that C-Plan provides, is more challenging than you would think.
C-Plan Telecommunication Fleet is now in excess of 110 Commercial Vehicles.

With over 160 staff and a fleet of 110 commercial vehicles, Scottish owned C-Plan Telecommunications Ltd has grown to be a formidable player in the telecom sector, providing fibre network solutions to many high profile customers including Scottish Power, Vodafone and Virgin Media. With such a substantial mixed fleet, of pickups, vans, tipper grabs and hot boxes, Stewart is no stranger to coping with the trials and tribulations of transport management.

So, when you need to hire trucks in Scotland as unique as your business is, where do you turn?  Alltruck Scotland of course, the one truck rental company who are always ready to go with a plan for bespoke vehicles built to your exact specification. We are Scotland's complete fleet partner and fast becoming the go-to truck rental business quick to react to bespoke requirements.

It was clear from the initial discussions that we had on replacing the four tipper grabs with Stewart that he knew precisely what he wanted to be built and by whom. He was very clear that he wanted to fit all four 18-tonne DAF LF290 FA 4x2 rigid chassis with an Epsilon M105L68 “muck-away” crane and Kinshofer 4.5t rotator with a clamshell bucket, not your standard crane model for this weight of truck. Still, Stewart's experience was, that this was the crane for his fleet, proven to withstand the punishment that a loader crane can take on street works. The extra stresses of grabbing operations, grabbing spoil from the roadside and dumping it in the truck body can result in damage to the crane, causing downtime, and when on time-critical contracts or 24/7 response call-outs, minimising the potential of such damage is a crucial factor to maintaining C-Plans service levels. Choosing a heavier muck away crane makes for a more robust and reliable solution from Stewart's experience, and certainly worth the additional cost and weight penalty.
Epsilon M105L68 “muck-away” crane and Kinshofer 4.5t Clamshell

Stewart also specified a heavy-duty body, finally opting for Thompson's tried and tested workmaster body which is made from all steel for strength and durability for crane work. The floor of the body was fully insulated for small tar jobs to keep the heat in the tar, providing C-Plan with the ability to perform quick tar reinstatements without the need for secondary vehicles. Due to the drop-sides being made from heavy steel, there were concerns over the weight when opening and closing, Thompson's were quick to react by fitting springs to the sides, improving safety, and making it much easier for the operator to use, one of several special requirements requested by C-Plan's transport manager. Stewart was clear from the outset that safety was paramount to the new builds and that he wanted a number of “extras” fitted to the body and crane. The body had pull out steps added to aid access to the body, a detachable goalpost frame for carrying special over length ducting, and a cab controlled fully air operated door with safety twist locks. The crane gantry had additional handles and safety chain fitted to aid the driver when climbing on the truck and operating the stand-up controls. A pulltarp sheeting system from Harsh and Harsh PU18 under floor tipping gear completed the high-spec tipping body from Thompsons Scotland.
Thompsons Scotland Workmaster Bodies All Liveried Ready For Work.

With maintenance high on the agenda, Thompson's also fitted additional grease points to the body, allowing for improved maintenance, preventing seized components which could lead to damage and time off the road. All in all, Thompson's supplied a high strength body for a hard-working application with ease of use for the driver which both C-Plan and Alltruck are delighted with.

Over the past few months, we have worked with Stewart to provide bespoke trucks specifically to suit the utilities work that C-Plan is involved in at present and on major ongoing contracts for the next four years. The new vehicles are part of a fleet replacement programme aimed at utilising more reliable fuel-efficient trucks that can deliver cost and environmental benefits whilst also specifically suited to the utilities work C-Plan delivers throughout Scotland. The vehicles are on fully maintained contracts with inspections, servicing, maintenance and repairs all being carried out by Alltruck on-site or at our modern facility in Grangemouth. Providing C-Plan with purpose-built high specification vehicles, which will be hugely reliable and offering peace of mind at a fixed monthly rental cost.

With sites in Bonnybridge and Grangemouth, Alltruck is a Scottish owned independent group of companies with experienced management and staff who pride ourselves in offering unrivalled customer care coupled with a wide range of services to the commercial vehicle industry.

We stand out from our competitors by providing a one-stop solution in Central Scotland, supplying a variety of heavy commercial vehicles which are all purpose-built to customer requirements and industry standards.
The 18 Tonne DAF LF290 Tipper Grabs take pride of place in C-Plan's Fleet

Since 2012 Alltruck have been providing maintenance, rental and flexible leasing solutions tailored to operators specific needs. All backed by an experienced team who deliver trouble-free fleet management, and industry-leading service, allowing business owners to focus on their business while we expertly manage your fleet maintenance and compliance. Highly skilled and with the largest mobile team of hydraulic crane engineers in Scotland, the company is leading the loader crane service market and are ideally positioned to support businesses who operate vehicles with loader cranes, grabs and multi-lift equipment. From one truck to an entire fleet, Alltruck fully understands that no two businesses are the same and offer a flexible approach to working with operators. One thing we will always encourage, however, is to forward plan, allowing time to build solutions unique to your business will get the most productivity from your transport and return on your investment.

If you would like to discuss your business transport requirements, speak with Martin Shaw or Mark Main on 08451 809 809 selecting Option 4.


Alltruck Scotland's Complete Fleet Partner