Is it just confined to tippers or are other transport sectors having to wait ages for vehicles?
Tipper firms around here have new vehicles, but no bodies to go on them. We’ve been waiting ages for an Isuzu puddle jumper, the chassis was “off the shelf” but the body builders are taking forever and a day. Another tipper firm were meant to have half a dozen new motors in March, the first two have only just gone on the road.
Is that due too a shortage of skilled labour ,welders ,fabricators,fitters etc , I know when I worked in engineering factories they struggled to get those skills and there were few apprentiships .
When I worked at Wordsworth holding ( bar fords ) they were really struggling for skilled labour to work on freuhauf trailers ,big d top plates ,site dumpers and dumpers ,rollers ,graders etc.
They tried too just train a few up ,but it’s different kettle of fish putting a few runs down on bench on a test piece too welding up a 30/40 ton hopper for dump truck 
You’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s a lead time for the bodies. A lot to do with the size of operations. If you want a volvo, you can’t get it from iveco, so volvo staff their operations accordingly. But you can put whatever body you like on it, which means companies try and get by with reduced staff and premises, so they can stay competitive and protect themselves during the lulls. But it’s the customer that suffers on the peaks
Go back to Cleaver.
kiss his arse and you’ll soon get one.
Steve66:
Go back to Cleaver.
kiss his arse and you’ll soon get one.
You forgot playing follow the leader instead of making your own way, getting past said ■■■■■■ tasters and going home early. 
Firm my mate works for has 12 scanias ordered but can’t get them into Thompson until after Christmas.
Someone I know is seriously looking at importing a couple of new muck body’s from Poland as he can’t wait that long to replace the insulated body’s that are on the motors he has bought.
Seen another firm local with a scania with a boweld body on it and they have only had Thompson body’s for as long as I can remember.
Boweld are considerably lighter than Thompsons, even if you spec the Stonemaster (a muck body without the front corner posts). A lot of the Merc Arocs that are about have those Predator bodies on. A lot of firms around here are using Kelbergs, who buy in a chassis and make their own.
I bet it doesnt help when the big players such as esl,maritime and dhl etc banging massive orders in for 100,s of trucks at a time then selling them after 2yrs and banging another order in,scania volvo and man must be constantly making trucks for these firms and small orders get the knock on effect getting put to one side and knocked up when there quiet…
We waited about 18 months for a new 26t tipper with hiab iirc.
Average is around 12 months I reckon.
Ordered 1st week September. Delivered 2nd week March. It had a Roco Truck body stuck on the back. I thought that was a long time, but apparently not!
I was quite impressed with Roco when I went up to go and see it, and check the Manitou fit etc.
seth 70:
I bet it doesnt help when the big players such as esl,maritime and dhl etc banging massive orders in for 100,s of trucks at a time then selling them after 2yrs and banging another order in,scania volvo and man must be constantly making trucks for these firms and small orders get the knock on effect getting put to one side and knocked up when there quiet…
I think you misread it there seth,the trucks are available ,it is the tipper bodybuilders who are the issue 
norb:
seth 70:
I bet it doesnt help when the big players such as esl,maritime and dhl etc banging massive orders in for 100,s of trucks at a time then selling them after 2yrs and banging another order in,scania volvo and man must be constantly making trucks for these firms and small orders get the knock on effect getting put to one side and knocked up when there quiet…I think you misread it there seth,the trucks are available ,it is the tipper bodybuilders who are the issue
mmmmm yes you are right norb,i just quickly looked at the topic and jumped in feet first 
It was 12 months for a wilcox body last time I heard ,perhaps longer now ,but well worth the wait in my opinion .
Dan Punchard:
It was 12 months for a wilcox body last time I heard ,perhaps longer now ,but well worth the wait in my opinion .
Agree they’re good bodies but they wont last long on muckshifting and demolition work.
We deliver Domex and Hardox Swedish steel into ABBA , Thompson and Townend truck body builders and must say that there’s plenty of Chassis in all sights but not many finished items but they are all busy and taking in plenty of steel plate
Most of the tipper operators in this area, order well in advance for a tipping body ready for a new vehicle.
Muckaway:
Boweld are considerably lighter than Thompsons, even if you spec the Stonemaster (a muck body without the front corner posts). A lot of the Merc Arocs that are about have those Predator bodies on. A lot of firms around here are using Kelbergs, who buy in a chassis and make their own.
Kelberg building there own bodies? Since when?
If Kelberg really are building themselves I would be very interested to know. Kelberg are a sales and marketing company, they buy chassis, rams, hydraulics and bodies then get all the bits assembled put Kelberg badges on it and sell it as a finished vehicle from stock. They do however design some of the bodies themselves, so in some cases the Kelberg would not look the same as one with the actual manufacturers name on The business model works well, but if they manufacture I’d like to know.
Muckaway:
Dan Punchard:
It was 12 months for a wilcox body last time I heard ,perhaps longer now ,but well worth the wait in my opinion .Agree they’re good bodies but they wont last long on muckshifting and demolition work.
Depends what spec you order ,a 10 mm floor ,6 mm sides with close runners under the floor will out last all of them except for a steel body and that’s doing pig iron ,small bales general scrap ( not O,A) and 4-6 inch limestone .