Commercial fleet briefs: Latest from Tual, Teletrac Navman, Adams Morey, Durite, Whistl, Parcelhub, Andrews Tippers and Podfather

Tual wins funding to develop Powerbank for fleets

Tual has won funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s (APC) Technology Developer Acceleration Programme (TDAP).

The investment aims to help develop a route to market for its PowerBank Pro-Charging product to charge electric commercial vehicles.

“The APC distributes £1bn of UK Government funding to support the surest bets in future mobility, so it adds huge credibility and kudos getting selected for TDAP,” said Philip Clarke, CEO and founder of Tual. 

“Providing enterprise fleets with guaranteed access to the energy they need, at the time and place of their choosing, plays a critical role in transforming vehicle suitability, driver satisfaction, and fleet profitability.”

Josh Denne, APC’s head of product (start-up, scale-up, investment), said: “As previous iterations of this programme have shown, it can lead to greater private investment and commercial success.”

Tual has developed modular powerbank solutions designed to help fleets overcome grid and vehicle constraints.

Teletrac Navman named telematics partner for Readypower Group

Teletrac Navman has increased its existing contract to secure sole telematics partner status to Readypower Group and its fleet of more than 750 vehicles in the UK.

Readypower Group provides specialised on-track plant equipment as well as civil engineering, drainage, haulage and operating services.

The new contract will see Teletrac Navman extend its support to Readypower Group across three key areas of fleet improvement that are central to the business’ strategic objectives: these being safety, compliance and sustainability.

Location tracking, digital tachograph integration, and engine management telematics will be rolled out across the entire HGV fleet, with all data monitored in real-time through Teletrac Navman’s leading AI-powered fleet management platform, TN360, delivering smart, predictive and actionable insights.

A mixture of Teletrac Navman’s fully integrated forward-facing, 360 degree and driver-facing cameras are also being installed, with additional external vision and proximity aids being added to vehicles required to achieve DVS Safe System compliance.

Russell Jack, CEO of Readypower Group, said: “As well as streamlining operations we’re particularly committed to improving our sustainability and this is where Teletrac Navman’s solutions will be supporting our business.

“With TN360’s sustainability dashboard, we’ll now have full ability to monitor and report on our carbon emissions and driver efficiency on the road, as well identify opportunities for improvement and future energy transition across the fleet.”

Barney Goffer, UK product manager at Teletrac Navman, added: “We’re looking forward to helping Readypower Group advance to the next phase of their fleet operation.”

Andrews Tippers using Podfather software on M25 works

Andrews Tipper Hire is using Podfather’s logistics software to manage the transport of materials to and from Junction 10 on the M25.

Working for Balfour Beatty, Andrews is operating a dedicated fleet delivering aggregates and removing waste material from the site.

Using the Podfather App, Andrews’ drivers access detailed load information, whilst real-time tracking provides total visibility for management teams from Andrews and Balfour Beatty. Drivers also use the Podfather app to capture evidence of loads collected and delivered.

Andrews has a fleet of more than 100 trucks working on high-profile sites such as the M25 junction improvement works as well as HS2 construction, A12 concrete road scheme with Tom Blackwell, and the A249 improvement with Graham Construction.

“Podfather simplifies the management of a complex, fast moving and ever-changing schedule,” said Tim Page, transport manager at Andrews Tipper Hire.

“Using Podfather we have complete visibility of where our drivers are, what materials they are carrying, and where they are going. This information is available to our client’s on-site management team which means we, and they, can react as situations change and evolve.”

Moving between 150 and 300 loads a day, Andrews’ drivers also use the Podfather app to record evidence of materials transported or loads ‘dropped’.

Date, time and location stamped photographs, together with signatures from the on-site Plant Vehicle Marshall are captured and stored within Podfather and used to produce daily reports and inform billing.

‘Outstanding service’ helps auto electrical specialist win fleet deal

One of northern England’s oldest motor factors has praised Durite’s service and support for helping it secure a major truck fleet contract.

GE Middleton and Co works across the UK, supplying auto electrical parts to vehicles ranging from cars, vans and trucks to boats and ships.

The company recently won a significant contract with one of its biggest clients, to supply and install Durite power inverters on a haulage operator’s substantial fleet of HGVs.

Bob Middleton, director of GE Middleton. Said: “Durite were incredibly supportive throughout the process. They provided a competitive package and always ensured that we received the stock at the right times to meet the customer’s installation roll-out.”

Durite offers a range of sine and modified wave voltage inverters, covering almost all automotive applications. Factors and fleets can choose from compact and heavy-duty models with power ratings ranging from 125W up to 3kW. Suitable for 12v and 24v vehicle systems, the fan-cooled inverters come with a quick charge USB 2.1 output, are CE-marked and R10 certified.

Daf dealer Adams Morey receives Daf Service Dealer of the Year award

Daf Trucks dealership Adams Morey, part of the Greenhous Group, has won Daf Service Dealer of the Year 2023 for its dealership in Saltash.

The award recognises the very best performers within the DAF dealer network for customer satisfaction, overall performance and growth.

Mike Carwithen, Adams Morey Saltash depot manager, said: “Recognition like this award means a lot to Adams Morey and within Greenhous Group as it reinforces our commitment as a group to continue to provide leading levels of service to our customers and position ourselves as a trusted partner for all their commercial vehicle needs.”

The trophy was handed over by Daf Trucks UK representatives alongside Carwithen, business development manager, Tom Yelland and the wider team at Adams Morey Saltash.

Scott Cocks, dealer principal at Adams Morey South West, said: “This award is only the start of our ambitions. We’re continuing to invest heavily in the southwest region to continue our growth and better serve our customers.

“Most notably, we’ve recently purchased a new site on the outskirts of Plymouth. The new site is currently being refurbished into a state-of-the-art nine-bay workshop and is due to open in Q1 2025.”

Whistl unites parcel offer under Parcelhub brand

Whistl has united its parcels businesses under one brand, Parcelhub, to leverage the strengths of both businesses.

Parcelhub offers scalable multi-carrier solutions covering tracked and untracked services and integrations for ecommerce businesses both in the UK and internationally.

Under the one brand it caters for both large volume and SME multi-channel ecommerce retailers and brands that benefit from the scale of the Whistl Group through a network of depots nationwide.

Nick Wells, executive chairman at Whistl, said: “I am delighted that we have simplified our parcels offering to the market through one brand, Parcelhub.

“Now ecommerce businesses both large and small can access through one contact our scalable multi-carrier solutions that provide top rate customer service, competitive pricing and a can-do-attitude to enhance the end-user delivery experience.”

Steve Marjoram, managing director of Parcelhub, added: “The team is working hard on continual development of the services customer receive from Parcelhub and we look forward to announcing new additions to our service offering in the coming months.”