The 5,000th DAF truck to be both built and bodied in-house at Leyland Trucks was handed over to Royal Mail at an event on Friday at the company's award-winning assembly plant in Lancashire.
The DAF LF 7.5 tonne model will be one of the first Euro 6 compliant trucks in the Royal Mail fleet and is the latest of more than 700 PACCAR bodied vehicles which have been supplied to the UK’s postal service.
Paul Gatti, director of fleet and maintenance services, and Rob Cooksley, procurement director – vehicles, assets and logistics, at Royal Mail received the truck from Ron Augustyn, managing director of Leyland Trucks and DAF Trucks UK managing director Ray Ashworth. Both DAF Trucks and Leyland Trucks are subsidiaries of PACCAR Inc, one of the world’s biggest truck makers.
Leyland Truck’s in-house bodybuilding capability, which is unique amongst major European truck manufacturers, gives DAF the ability to offer its customers a complete vehicle which fully complies with EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) regulations. These came into effect last year for vehicle manufacturers but will not apply to the vehicle bodybuilding industry until October.
As a result of meeting these regulations DAF LF vehicles equipped with PACCAR bodies built exclusively in the UK by Leyland Trucks are now being sold in all EU member states without the need to meet regulations in individual countries.
Outside the UK the body being sold is the advanced aerodynamic Aerobody which is designed to enhance fuel consumption and is also available in the UK. The Aerobody has shown fuel savings of 5% in real operating conditions and up to 8% when the vehicle is running at normal cruising speed of 53 mph compared to a conventional body.
Ron Augustyn, Leyland Trucks managing director, commented: “Our ability to produce PACCAR bodies in-house can significantly reduce delivery lead times. From the first part of the production process, where we assemble the truck chassis, to a finished vehicle coming off the line fully bodied, painted, lettered and ready for the road can take as little as 24 hours.
“In the case of the trucks we are building and bodying for Royal Mail, we complete the vehicle, livery it, organise its registration and taxation and deliver it direct to a designated depot where it immediately enters service.”
