SOUTHAMPTON: Independent builders merchant, Elliott Brothers, has taken delivery of four new Iveco Stralis Active Day 26 tonne rear-steering rigids to join its 27-strong truck fleet delivering building supplies across the county.

The arrival of the four Stralis AD260S31Y/FS-D 6x2s continues a trend which began in 2006 when the company started to replace its older 18 tonne vehicles with new 26 tonners. The four new trucks join a further nine Stralis' already in service, confirming Iveco as the dominant brand in the company's mixed commercial vehicle fleet.

Each of the new vehicles, supplied by Hendy Van & Truck, has been factory-built with front air suspension and axle weight indicators, allowing the driver to know the exact weight over every axle - particularly useful for applications involving the multi-drop of heavy products.

"It's an essential piece of kit to have on our trucks, but we'd previously always had it installed by an aftermarket supplier," says Tony Adams, commercial director of Elliott Brothers. "By choosing to have it factory-fitted, we got the load weight indicators and front air suspension for the same price we used to pay to fit the load weight indicators alone. What's more, since they are installed on the factory line it means they are covered by the eight year Iveco Elements repair & maintenance agreement we have taken out with Hendy."

The company's move to operating 26 tonne vehicles has been driven by the requirement to maximise vehicle productivity.