Transport Investments Ltd, the parent company of Hooker Pacific, Pacific FuelHaul, TNL Group, Actus Transport and Roadstar Transport, has taken delivery of the first of many new MAN trucks that will be joining the company’s fleets in the future.
The occasion was commemorated with an official handover ceremony in New Plymouth attended by directors, partners and senior managers of TIL Group as well as senior executives from New Zealand MAN distributor, Penske Commercial Vehicles, and MAN Truck & Bus Asia Pacific. TIL Group is commissioning forty-three TGX 6x4 tractor units and twenty-five TGS 8x4 rigid trucks in 480 to 540hp outputs for its general freight, furniture and fuel
delivery operations.
Most of the trucks are equipped with an MAN TipMatic automated manual transmission and feature a high level of safety and environmental systems like electronic stability programme (ESP) which merges the dynamic stability programme (DSP) with the roll over prevention (ROP) functionality to significantly help in critical driving situations. European studies show that installing ESP in vehicles prevents 44 percent of all single vehicle accidents.
“We expect reliability in any new vehicle, and we also expect that any vehicle we purchase will provide us with a commercially acceptable whole of life cost.
These expectations are not always met,” said TIL Group Chairman and CEO Jim Ramsay. “With MAN we had confidence that we would have our expectations met – and more importantly, we are certain that any issues that may arise will be addressed efficiently. Other prime requirements of the TIL Group which the MAN provides were driver comfort, safety features, fuel efficiency, and a reasonable tare weight. In an extremely competitive industry capital cost is also a significant factor, and TIL were pleasantly surprised at the value for money inherent in the MAN. “It’s a lovely truck,” he said.
Dean Hoverd, Penske Commercial Vehicles national sales manager, said, “This is a landmark order for MAN in the Asia Pacific region and follows on from our supply agreement with the NZ Fire Service and the 200 trucks going to the NZ Defence Force. We’ve worked very hard over the past five years to improve the infrastructure to support MAN in New Zealand and these significant orders are clear proof we’re on the right track.”
Distribution of MAN and Western Star trucks was taken over by US-based Penske Automotive Group in September 2013. “Under Penske ownership we have the passion and the firepower to improve further and fulfil our mission of providing excellence to the transport community through our people, products and service every day,” said PCV NZ general manager Jason Cann.
