I knew when I posted the questions about if a Renault Premium was good long haul truck it would be contentious. I would get the view that unless it was Superspace Cab or similar it wasn’t a good truck. My first serious driving Job was working a Daf 2500 drawbar with sleeper pod mounted on a day cab and I was doing 2-3 weeks in it at a time before getting home (working or Jan De Rijk). A Renault Premium would look a luxury — may be now I see thing as a boss and I look only at numbers but I believe I am sensible enough to realise a unproductive unhappy driver will be counterproductive.
I still think buying the 3 Renaults on a contract hire lease will be the best option I have got other quotes over the last 2 days and nothing comes close as a package- so this Friday pm I’m getting 2 of the guys who may be getting them (1 drives a Daf CF spacecab the other a FH12 Globetrotter) to come with me to the Renault dealer to have a look. —the refreshing thing - but not to me is that they are open to having a good look.
One thing leftfield was that I am being offered a new Scania R class 560 6x2 for about £75 a week more — maybe I should say to the guys that they work nearly a day for me free of charge and they can a shinny V8 instead
The actual lease / buy price is the smallest of all the costs.
If after looking around, the Premium GENUINELY does as well on fuel and performs as well, then it’ll be fine for the drivers, they’re not a bad truck at all in my opinion.
NOT the best, but not a bad truck.
The only thing I don’t understand with trucks, why do they make cabs that are thinner than the box or trailer? A nice square cab really does make the job easier I think.
I’ve not drove the brand new Premium, but I’ve drove an 11 plate and it was fine - they really feel like the pick up well from the line, no idea why. Crazy electrics and sensors and a little noisier than the bigger cabs, but it’s certainly not a truck 99% of drivers would complain about I’d have thought.
After running Scanias for years, we are about to get our first Renault premium in about 6 weeks. The deal offered was very competitive compared to Scanias. In terms of reliability they appear to have come on in leaps and bounds. We’ve run 7.5 Midlums for a good few years and they’ve been excellent. Our only issue was cab space with the Premium, but as we don’t have a lot of nights out in the cab, then I feel it will be OK.
As for a sleeper pod - luxury! What’s wrong with a board across the seats
I looked inside a Kerax grab wagon earlier, 60 plate and the drivers’ seat was falling to bits. Could be driver abuse but I’ve never seen one of our motors (even when we ran 14 year old 3000s) get that bad.
That said, there are getting more and more on the bulk tipping fleets that bring stone into our place.
Please don’t be tight, for the sake of a few quid please get the drivers decent motors. They don’t have to be scanias even, surely MANs can compete & would give Renaults a run for their money on fuel alone…
At the end of the day a driver will be able to stand up and move about in the premium its fine as a long haul truck I 3 early ones at city and they were more than comfortable. There a lot of truck snobbery that goes on they are fine for the job of the deal is good the. Go for it I the drivers moan the n tell they can have a 150 quid a week pay cut and they can have the scania as the scania will use more fuel and the cab inertior is about the same between the Renault and the scania
The m.a.n are gutless piles of junk.We have two and both are 440 so no adblue needed but the mirrors are terrible you can lose a truck in them let alone a car.Everytime you accelerate the cab rocks back and forth like your in a boat.The seats are confier i think in the renault aswell.As for the scania who can be bothered to faf on with the daft bunk when its bed time and the gearbox isnt nowhere near as good.Unless you get a v8 they are gutless.I am talking from experience as driven the 420 and 440 and 580.If the lads want a bigger cab get the magnum as you will get a 500.They have come on leaps and bounds and why pay more for a name because deep down some folk dont see past it.I am a scania fan but if i was running my own i wouldnt buy one when the renault will do the job better for less money which is what its all about.The only thing i would say is buy them the top model the excellence.
Seriously the Premium is a fine truck, ok it doesnt have the biggest of cabs but it has a comfy bunk, can easily be stood up in,a large cupboard, a shelf with a power socket, ideal or the microwave or telly and an excellent engine and auto box. If your buying though surely the main thing is the best warranty, if leasing then the best r+m deal. As I said I drove one for 18 months and found it fine but must admit that I do prefer the space of my MAN TGX XLX. Just make sure it has a fridge and not a worse than useless coolbox`.
Pimpdaddy:
Please don’t be tight, for the sake of a few quid please get the drivers decent motors. They don’t have to be scanias even, surely MANs can compete & would give Renaults a run for their money on fuel alone…
This!
MAN’s are brilliant, I’d have an XLX XXL whatever they are over a topline anyday!
Pimpdaddy:
An XL on days/nights is good enough for me, an XLX at most if tramping, XXL is for the big boys
I use to have a tga with the windows at the top, dont really keep up with the names. Awesome lorry but they fall to pieces, also because the windscreen is so big you get a sun tan on both arms not just the one lol.
Pimpdaddy:
An XL on days/nights is good enough for me, an XLX at most if tramping, XXL is for the big boys
Why do you need an XL on daywork? Are you homeless or something?
A local haulier near Oxford told his drivers that the FHs would be sold and replaced by secondhand Dafs and MANs. Drivers threw their toys out but changed their tune when he said they could keep the FHs but no pay or allowance rises for a couple of years. All bar one driver changed their minds.
They’re perfectly capable tools for the job. They are on our shortlist for a new one at the moment, at my suggestion, and I’m the man that will be driving it. I used to own one and spent, with ease and comfort, up to 3 weeks away in it as did the absent Bobthedog. The outside storage isn’t the best but running 4x2 we can throw a box on the chassis (something you could do with a 6 legger if you shift the batteries) and all our trailers have plenty of kit boxes on them too.
I can occasionally in this job spend up to 2 weeks away and my current steed is not a super mega dooper cab either yet somehow I manage without issue or feeling insulted to wander all over the UK and Europe in it
I could have something much bigger and more expensive but I felt the Premium was a better fit for us all round. Operationally in terms of size/specs, financially and dealership.
So long as I can stand up to put me strides on, it’s got decent aircon, decent radio and drives well I’m happy.
I also had a CF skycab on the list and had one to try. Use of interior space is I think a touch better but in terms of drivability the Renault beats it hands down
All I would say to you is make sure you get them at decent trim level. Too many moan on here as they’ve only ever driven cheap spec fleet versions which often spoil a good truck.
billybigrig:
All I would say to you is make sure you get them at decent trim level. Too many moan on here as they’ve only ever driven cheap spec fleet versions which often spoil a good truck.
Perharps thats the problem. I’d rather a CF personally, with a zf manual and a 9ton front axle they out drive the renault easy!
billybigrig:
All I would say to you is make sure you get them at decent trim level. Too many moan on here as they’ve only ever driven cheap spec fleet versions which often spoil a good truck.
Perharps thats the problem. I’d rather a CF personally, with a zf manual and a 9ton front axle they out drive the renault easy!
It is a lot of the problem. Ever tried a not-fleet-spec Axor ■■ I have and it was ■■■■ good.
billybigrig:
All I would say to you is make sure you get them at decent trim level. Too many moan on here as they’ve only ever driven cheap spec fleet versions which often spoil a good truck.
Perharps thats the problem. I’d rather a CF personally, with a zf manual and a 9ton front axle they out drive the renault easy!
It is a lot of the problem. Ever tried a not-fleet-spec Axor ■■ I have and it was ■■■■ good.
I’m a lazy git and want auto
No i havnt, always thought of narrow cab motors as fleet spec really.
Muckaway:
Why do you need an XL on daywork? Are you homeless or something.
Maybe I am… Im most certainly deprived of sleep @ home, don’t need I high roof one so the lowest would be an XL I think, good enough for days/nights as long as it has a bunk…
Either way it’s a better truck than anything French on the market…
Ever tried a not-fleet-spec Axor ■■ I have and it was ■■■■ good.
Really…■■? April fools must be coming twice this year…
