In response to rising volumes, Shoreham Port has started running its own trucks and trailers for the first time and has chosen to partner with Ryder Ltd (“Ryder”) for the supply of its fleet.
Ryder, a leading independent provider of commercial vehicle contract hire, rental, and maintenance services in the United Kingdom, has supplied five DAF XF480 Super Space Cab tractor units and 10 curtainsided trailers to the Port.
Shoreham Port is the largest timber handling port on the south coast of England: it is estimated to handle up to 20% of all UK timber imports; most of the timber is FSC- and PEFC-certified and has been shipped from the sawmills of Scandinavia, Latvia and Russia.
Despite the impact of Covid-19 last year, the Port discharged 328,000 tonnes of timber, beating its previous record set in 2018. With the construction sector booming and the demand for timber increasing, the Port has launched its own transport service to supplement its long-standing relationships with third party hauliers who deliver the timber to builders’ merchants throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
Heading up the Port’s new haulage fleet is Simon Matthews, an experienced transport manager who had worked with Ryder during his time with DHL: “Ryder is an extremely professional organisation to deal with and very fair. The people are straight-forward and easy to work with.”
The trucks are ex-fleet and have between 200,000km and 300,000km the clock on average. Matthews said: “The trucks are two years old – they’re bedded in; if anything, we may benefit in terms of fuel consumption compared with brand new trucks.”
The trucks are all fitted with the Microlise telematics system, allowing Matthews to monitor and manage his drivers’ performance.
To ensure that the trucks are compliant with London’s Direct Vision Standard (DVS), Ryder advised on the specification of camera systems, retrofitted them and then applied for and secured DVS permits for the Port’s fleet.
The trucks will be maintained by a Ryder-approved dealer, while the trailers will be maintained on site by Ryder Mobile Maintenance Services. Shoreham Port will be able to access all service, repair records, certificates and inspection sheets via Ryder’s online compliance and fleet information portal.
Matthews added: “Ryder has the expertise and inspires confidence. It’s nice to know that Ryder has the resources to sustain its service in the long term.”
Ryder National Equipment Director Steve Williams said: “We’re delighted that Shoreham Port has put its trust in Ryder. We’re proud to partner with them as they start this exciting new venture, and look forward to offering our further support in the future.”
