After being impressed with the performance of a truck supplied on short-term rental, Leicester-based plant and access hire specialist, Powered Access Services, has signed its first long-term hire agreement with Mac’s Truck Rental for a new Volvo FMX 460 8×2 rigid, mounted with a bespoke-built beavertail body.
The 32-tonner has been supplied on a five-year deal and has been spec’d to Powered Access Services’ precise requirements. Used to support the company’s new Warrington depot, it features bodywork built in-house by parent company Mac’s Truck Sales Group at its modern Huddersfield manufacturing site, with the design standing apart for featuring an extended 12-metre deck and inset winch, to enable the loading of up to three large machines.
Image: Mac’s Truck Rental
Jim Dorricott, Commercial Manager at Powered Access Services, says: “What sets the team at Mac’s Truck Rental apart is their ability to tailor the vehicle to our exact specifications. For this application, achieving the right payload capacity was our top priority. Standard beavertails are generally about six inches too short to carry a third machine, but working with Mac’s Truck Rental we were able to find that extra space – something other suppliers we spoke to couldn’t match.”
Key features include a double flip mesh ramp with an ultra-low 9.8-degree loading angle, which combined with the truck’s full air suspension, allows for all types of plant to be easily loaded and unloaded. Further customisation includes Flow Forge flooring for added grip and longevity, extra heavy-duty lashing rings and side-mounted stainless-steel toolboxes for the secure transport of equipment and gear. The build also incorporates a full working at height system, front and rear strobes, and a beacon bar for maximum safety.
“We’ve taken a couple of trucks in the past from Mac’s Truck Rental on a short-term basis, and every time we’ve been hugely impressed by the available spec, the outstanding build quality and obvious durability, alongside a level of service and support from the team that you don’t often see – it’s a combination that made the decision to commit to a longer-term arrangement that much easier,” adds Dorricott.
Mac’s Truck Rental’s long-term hire package allows Powered Access Services to focus on its core business, confident that its predictable, fixed monthly costs include all vehicle maintenance, servicing, inspections, emergency roadside assistance and road fund licencing. There is also no residual value risk for the customer, or hassle associated with selling the vehicle, at the end of the hire period.
Chosen for its ability to operate both on and off-road, the construction-spec FMX features a rear lifting and steering axle, reducing the truck’s turning circle and making it easier to operate within tight construction sites and on narrow urban streets. The ability to lift the axle when running empty or lightly laden also improves fuel economy and reduces tyre wear, improving efficiency and sustainability.
On the road five days per week and expected to cover up to 100,000 miles per year, the new truck will be delivering a range of plant to customer sites across the UK. It joins a 10-strong fleet, mostly owned outright, and including both rigids and artics.
Powered Access Services is a family run rental company, established in 2003. It supplies scissor lifts, boom lifts, telehandlers, materials handling equipment and other specialised plant for working at height from its depots in Coalville, Hitchin, Kettering, and now Warrington.
