FOR a transport company such as Fairfield Longhaul that specialises in transporting refrigerated or temperature-controlled products, reliability, safety and efficiency are paramount when selecting the right trucks for the job.
That’s according to Managing Director David Street, who said they had been steadily increasing their fleet of DAF Trucks over the last six years to transport fish, meat and dairy products to destinations across South Africa, and were first in line for the brand-new DAF Trucks introduced to the local market earlier this year.
In March, KwaZulu-Natal-based Fairfield took delivery of the first new DAF XF480 truck to arrive in the country, with five more to follow by July.
Street said that DAF Trucks’ reliability and fuel efficiency, as well as Fairfield Longhaul’s excellent relationship with local supplier Babcock’s sales and after-sales support teams, were the key motivating factors for their continued support of the DAF brand.
“We appreciate Babcock’s personal sales approach with great backup from the support teams, particularly from Ian Rall in Durban. Babcock is always willing to help with structuring deals, managing issues and is clearly passionate about the product,” said Street.
The latest DAF CF and XF Trucks, specifically engineered for local road conditions, hit SA highways this year to much fanfare from the transport sector in anticipation of even better fuel efficiency. Among the highlights of the new trucks compared to its predecessors are improved chassis, cabs, gearboxes and engines.
Central to the new trucks’ transport efficiency is a multi-torque PACCAR MX-13 engine offering more torque at lower revolutions per minute (rpm) for higher fuel efficiency, lower noise levels and reduced CO₂ emissions.
As a long-standing Babcock client, Fairfield Longhaul was involved with the testing and some of the gas trials for the new trucks, which have already indicated a fuel improvement of 6%+ for the company’s specific application.
Following the initial tests, Street described the safety features on the new trucks as “exceptional”, adding that that particular attention had been paid to driver comfort, with the XF offering the largest interior space on the market. He said the new trucks have aesthetic appeal with their fresh exterior design and excellent aerodynamics.
The new DAF CF and XF series are available from Babcock in a range of model variants. The DAF XF comes with an unlimited mileage driveline warranty and the DAF CF with a 3 year or 600 000km driveline warranty (whichever occurs first). Older DAF Trucks models can be traded in on the new trucks. Babcock will continue to provide full service and spare parts support for older series versions.
