My Gaffer is planning on expanding our courier firm from running just 3.5t vans to either 7.5t or 18tonners.
So from a drivers point of view which one would you recommend? i.e. whats good on fuel and payload etc.
I used to love driving the DAF 18 tonne lf cab!
Don’t know what it was like on fuel I used to drive it like I’d stolen it ha ha
Try a daf LF 12 tonner, nippy to drive plus takes 5+ tonne
glen958:
My Gaffer is planning on expanding our courier firm from running just 3.5t vans to either 7.5t or 18tonners.So from a drivers point of view which one would you recommend? i.e. whats good on fuel and payload etc.
I think a lot of driver’s priorities will not lean towards fuel consumption and payload, more than likely they would want a 730 Topline Scania or a 750 Globetrotter XL 
For what it’s worth, the Atego is the best 7.5tonner you can buy, it’s a little heavier than the IVECO or Daf, lighter than the Renault and much lighter than the MAN, pricewise it’s a little more expensive, but you get what you pay for 
As for an 18tonner, it depends what you want, if you want to carry the maximum payload then the 55 series Daf is the one to have, if not the choice for a workhorse is between the 65 series Daf, the Axor, the IVECO and a Midlum. For a premium rigid a high spec Daf or Merc or the two Swedes are your choices 
Volvo fm and 8m trailer with tail lift
Trouble is with a 7.5t once you add a body and tail lift then the payload is not the best.
With new drivers having to take a test to drive them and the dcpc and other associated crap, then a bigger vehicle looks like a better option.
12 / 15t size might be the most sensible route.
I did a few shifts in an Isuzu 7.5T Puddle Jumper back in the day, no frills but very nippy
My 18t axor has done me a great job, don’t get me wrong for day to day work it’s been great I’ve just klicked 650k on a 05 plate and it as been a great buy but I wouldn’t like to live in it 
Isuzu NPR & NQR are good on weight, but have a very small cramped cab and a choppy ride
Mike-C:
Mitsibushi Canter, a great 7.5 tonner
Very light and very cheap, a solid little lorry too, but servicing is not great and after a couple of years they’re worth two balloons and a goldfish…if you’re lucky 
i would’nt go above 7.5 on courier work,you will spend more time fixing wagons and sorting fines out.just an opinion.
Mike-C:
Mitsibushi Canter, a great 7.5 tonner
Can see why they might be attractive to a gaffer but as a driver, a Canter / the Isuzu equivalent would be bottom of the list. Bloody awful uncomfortable things to drive about all day.
rob22888:
Mike-C:
Mitsibushi Canter, a great 7.5 tonnerCan see why they might be attractive to a gaffer but as a driver, a Canter / the Isuzu equivalent would be bottom of the list. Bloody awful uncomfortable things to drive about all day.
^^^true story^^^
rob22888:
Mike-C:
Mitsibushi Canter, a great 7.5 tonnerCan see why they might be attractive to a gaffer but as a driver, a Canter / the Isuzu equivalent would be bottom of the list. Bloody awful uncomfortable things to drive about all day.
I thought they where ok Rob, i found them a little bit car/van like as opposed to truck like.
Mike-C:
rob22888:
Mike-C:
Mitsibushi Canter, a great 7.5 tonnerCan see why they might be attractive to a gaffer but as a driver, a Canter / the Isuzu equivalent would be bottom of the list. Bloody awful uncomfortable things to drive about all day.
I thought they where ok Rob, i found them a little bit car/van like as opposed to truck like.
Didn’t you spend all day parked up being conspicuous with your feet up 
newmercman:
Mike-C:
rob22888:
Mike-C:
Mitsibushi Canter, a great 7.5 tonnerCan see why they might be attractive to a gaffer but as a driver, a Canter / the Isuzu equivalent would be bottom of the list. Bloody awful uncomfortable things to drive about all day.
I thought they where ok Rob, i found them a little bit car/van like as opposed to truck like.
Didn’t you spend all day parked up being conspicuous with your feet up
No that was only ■■■■■■ vans on that job. I drove the Canters quite a bit over the years i really liked them. In my experience the drivers that did not like them wanted to be driving something more like a ‘real lorry’, so them being asked to drive a Canter was like asking them to drive an Astra van, they just didn’t like it. They wanted to be driving a real lorry. According to their website, Mercedes does all their servicing now? I can’t remember where they where done before, i did deliver them also when i worked on truck rental.
They were initially imported through Volvo, but then Daimler AG bought Mitsubishi Fuso and took over. They are serviced at MB dealers (good luck with that 
)
I hear you on the Billy Big Wheels thing, personally I’d rather drive an Astra van than a lorry if the money was the same 
Mike-C:
No that was only ■■■■■■ vans on that job. I drove the Canters quite a bit over the years i really liked them. In my experience the drivers that did not like them wanted to be driving something more like a ‘real lorry’, so them being asked to drive a Canter was like asking them to drive an Astra van, they just didn’t like it. They wanted to be driving a real lorry. According to their website, Mercedes does all their servicing now? I can’t remember where they where done before, i did deliver them also when i worked on truck rental.
As someone over 6 foot, I just found the Canter’s uncomfortable & cramped. I used to bash my head getting in and out & I like a high driving position in a truck which you just don’t get in them things, your higher up and much more comfortable in a Transit van. And yes, I suppose I did want to be driving something a bit more like a ‘real lorry’ if only for some proper air brakes. Didn’t trust the handbrake when fully loaded & parked on a slope I was paranoid and parked with the wheels turned towards the kerb.
newmercman:
They were initially imported through Volvo,
Thats right, i’d forgot that. I worked for BRS when it was taken over by Volvo and thats when they first appeared . I can’t remember where they went for service as i never recalled a Mitsibushi dealer, they probably went into Volvo (Thomas Hardie ) dealers?