A weekly roundup of fleet news from
Leasing Life, the sister publication of Motor
Finance.
Major rental fleet upgrade for
Ryder
Go deeper with GlobalData
Commercial vehicle hire company Ryder has
announced a £25m upgrade of its rental fleet in the UK
Ryder will add 530 new vehicles including 250
tractors, costing £24.6m (€29.5m) over the next two months.
The investment will bring the average age of
Ryder’s trucks and tractors to 27 months and is part of the
company’s commitment to the UK commercial vehicle rental market
following its acquisition of Hill Hire in mid-2011, according to
the company.
The additional vehicles expand Ryder’s
offering in heavy goods vehicles, which now account for 82% of the
company’s fleet.
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By GlobalDataAround 80% of the new trucks are Mercedes-Benz
with most of the remaining 20% DAF vehicles.
David Hunt, vice president and managing director of Ryder Europe,
said: “This latest investment underlines our commitment to
providing customers with the most current and efficient rental
options in the UK market today.
“The acquisition of Hill Hire has already
brought many benefits, not least the merging of our fleets which
has provided more product choice for customers including a wider
range of makes. This latest investment improves our rental fleet
profile even further.”
This most recent purchase of new vehicles follows Ryder’s earlier
investment of £22m in new rental vehicles in 2011 and £18m in
2010.
Asset Alliance gets £25m
investment
UK fleet lessor Asset Alliance has received a
£25m funding injection from investment firm Cabot Square
Capital.
The two-year-old commercial vehicle specialist
will use the funds to develop its product offering and strengthen
its team, according to a statement from the company.
Willie Paterson, managing director of Asset
Alliance, who founded the firm in 2010, said the deal would give
Asset Alliance a chance to enhance its business position.
“This deal is excellent for both parties
involved offering Asset Alliance the chance to enhance our
portfolio of clients while strengthening Cabot’s position in the
asset based lending sector.
“We are now in the perfect position to
capitalise on the banks’ continued reluctance to lend,” he
said.
Citroën provides contract hire fleet
for IT firm
Citroën has signed a deal with IT engineering
firm Logistics International for 43 cars and vans on 36-month
contract hire.
The deal was signed between the French
manufacture’s Slough Business Centre and the Leatherhead-based IT
service, as part of a fleet replacement programme.
The new fleet, of 26 vans and 17 cars,
operates on a 36-month contract hire agreement with maintenance
from Citroën Contract Motoring. Dependent on application and
location, Logistics International’s vehicles will cover between
90,000 and 105,000 miles, both in the UK and Europe, during their
service life with the company.
George Kyle, Logistics International’s Fleet
Manager, explains: “Our new Citroëns replace a mixed fleet with a
single make.
“We already run some Citroëns and, in
acquiring these latest vehicles, we have enjoyed an excellent level
of service from the Citroën Slough Business Centre, both in
achieving the correct vehicle specification for each user and in
selecting the right contract hire deal through Citroën Contract
Motoring.”
Fleet safety awards deadline
extended
The deadline for entries to the
Arval-sponsored Fleet Safety Forum Awards for Excellence has been
extended to Monday 16 April.
The awards, organised by road safety charity
Brake, recognise organisations which have worked to improve fleet
safety and reduce the number road crashes involving at-work
drivers.
In their 10th year, the Fleet Safety Forum
Awards cover categories from fleet safety innovation and road
safety to green fleet initiatives.
Entries are invited from organisations running
any type of fleet, and from companies which provide products or
services to fleets, who have worked to improve safety.
Tracey Scarr, fleet and road safety manager at
Arval said: “Road safety is vital; companies cannot afford to
neglect their duty of care responsibilities for the safety of their
drivers.
“That’s why we work in partnership with Brake,
and other road safety professionals, to develop and implement risk
management and fleet safety policies that will help protect
employees, pedestrians and all other road users.”
Roz Cumming, Fleet Safety Forum Manager at
Brake, said: “The Awards present a fantastic opportunity to receive
national recognition for your commitment to fleet safety.
“We urge all types of organisation to get
involved by entering and participating in a great night’s
entertainment and networking.”
The awards will be presented at a gala dinner
at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel, Birmingham on Thursday 14 June
2012 and the evening will include a charity auction and casino with
all funds going to Brake.
To book tickets for the dinner dance or to
enter the awards, visit http://www.fleetsafetyforum.org/
and click on Awards or contact Brake on 01484 559909 or forum@brake.org.uk.
