Spinks Rounds Out Mercedes-Benz Truck Fleet With 7.5-Tonne FUSO Canters

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Family-owned builders merchant Spinks operates a 21-truck delivery fleet consisting of Mercedes-Benz Arocs and FUSO Canters. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

AE Spink’s delivery fleet once consisted exclusively of Mercedes-Benz trucks, many supplied by Northside Truck & Van over the last 15 years. These days, the Doncaster-based building, plumbing, and heating products supplier—better known as “Spinks”—also relies on the compact footprint and versatility of 7.5-tonne (8.3-U.S.-ton) FUSO Canters to deliver products like insulation panels to tradesmen and retail customers. The fact that FUSO Canters are sold, serviced, and financed through the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Network in the UK is a bonus.

“There’s not a lot of weight in insulation panels, so it’s all about the volume of product these vehicles can carry,” says Spinks Transport Manager Tony Billam. “We use them for local deliveries. The Canter scores because it’s a bit smaller than a conventional 7.5-tonner and has an excellent turning circle, too. This makes it highly manoeuvrable and ideally suited to work in residential streets and on sites with restricted access.”

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Spinks transport manager Tony Billam poses with a FUSO Canter and a Mercedes-Benz Arocs truck from the company’s fleet, which includes primarily 26-tonne Mercedes-Benz Arocs models. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

“Business Is Good”

Founded in 1926, the family-owned Spinks has five branches throughout Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire. Of its 21 trucks, 18 are Mercedes-Benz models. The latest additions include a 32-t (35.3-U.S.-t) 8x2 Arocs 3248 with a PM 15.5 crane and dropside bodywork from Truck Hydraulics, and another Arocs with a VBG coupling that’s also Spinks’ first truck to pull a drawbar trailer. Spinks is slated to receive another 8x2 Arocs in September.

“Business is good, and we’re making larger deliveries to more building sites over greater distances. The new truck effectively does the job of two, so it allows us to operate in the most cost-effective manner,” says Billam. “We’d typically put 17 t of blocks, bricks, and other building materials on the back of one of our eight-wheelers, while the trailer will carry another 16 t. If he needs to get in and out of a tight location, the driver can always drop his trailer then go back and pick it up again afterwards.”

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Spinks acquired its first 7.5-tonne FUSO Canter 7C15 in 2019. It now has three Canters in its fleet that are used primarily to deliver insulation panels to customers. (Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.)

Reliable & Economical

Spinks acquired its first 7.5-t Canter dropsider in 2019 and brought on the latest, a 7C15 with a 3.0-litre 175-horsepower (129-kilowatt) common-rail engine that produces up to 430 newton-metres (317 pounds-foot) of torque, in January. The Canters are fitting right in with Spinks’ fleet, which primarily includes 26-t (28.7-U.S.-t) vehicles with builders merchant-specification dropside bodies and cranes.

“Our Mercedes-Benz trucks have always been reliable and economical to operate, and the same is proving to be true of the FUSO chassis now working alongside them,” Billam says.

Find Your Next FUSO Canter

Truck Locator has a big selection of new and used Mercedes-Benz and FUSO trucks for sale every day, including numerous Arocs and Canter models.

Source: Mercedes-Benz