Bell Waste cleans up again with DAF
- LF 250 FA skip-loaders already in service - CF 400 FAD hook-loader on order
- Manual gear-box and ‘small’ cab key factors in selection
- Automatic skip sheeting saves time and money
- ‘Confidence’ in dealer and support critical to decision
The family firm of Bell Waste Control in Scunthorpe has returned to DAF trucks after many years, with the arrival of two new DAF LF 250 FAs fitted with Boughton Engineering Power-Reach skip-loader bodies.
Steve Kent, Operations Director of the specialised waste business, which operates its own Transfer Station handling over 1000 tonnes of waste every week, said, “We had operated DAF many years ago, but moved away for a while as they started introducing more and more technology – we liked to be able to get our hands on them and fix any minor problems ourselves, but the new technology made that more difficult.
“But times move on,” he said, “we have great confidence in our local DAF dealer, Imperial Commercials, to support us, and these two LFs and the CF hook-loader due shortly, have firmly re-established our interest. It’s also nice to have a British-built truck back on the fleet, that means something to us, and in truth the LFs are the ideal truck for the skip-loader work.”
He went on, “We wanted a ‘small cab’ and this is perfect for us – every other truck we were offered had huge cabs, which is all very well, but this is a very dedicated operation and drivers don’t want a big ‘battle wagon’ for this type of work. The LF is a great cab, very compact but very comfortable. It is a simple uncluttered working environment, which is great for the drivers, and the very modern exterior gives us a very positive presence on the road and around customers,” he said.
As important to Bell Waste as the cab size was the choice of a good manual gear-box. “Every other manufacturer wanted to sell us their automated box,” continued Steve Kent, “but in our work, drivers are far better able to manoeuvre in the tight town centre and housing areas we work in with a manual box. Automated gearboxes are fine in the right place, but throttle and clutch control are far more valuable to our drivers in the manoeuvring they are called on to do, day-in, day-out.” As a further driver aid, Bell Waste has included Boughton’s ‘Intacova’ automated sheeting in the body spec., which Steve Kent saves both time in loading and unloading, as well as possible money if waste should escape on the move. He says, “Boughton put a lot of bodies onto DAFs. They seem to like the clean chassis the LF offers and it’s very versatile for our sort of operations, so we get a really good job out of them.”
The firm has also addressed concerns for other road users, with the inclusion of cycle-safety cameras that automatically put a view of the near left-hand side of the vehicle onto a screen in the cab, whenever the left-turn indicator is activated.
Overall, the new DAFs are a response in part to the continuing growth of Bell Waste Control, as well as of continuous modernisation in its 36 vehicle fleet. The firm reports positive contract growth around the area they cover and is up-beat about the future. Having their own Transfer Station is clearly a major advantage, and as Steve Kent remarked, “Recycling is a huge consideration for everyone now and we are running very close to 100% recycling through our own Station.”
Bell Waste Control’s new DAFs feature the PX-67 engine, which the operator says is ideal for its type of business, and though fuel is not easy to measure on its stop-start, intense urban operations, the operator declares itself very satisfied with the results it is getting.
ENDS
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