CRS Building Supplies has taken delivery of four new 7.5-tonne Fuso Canters, to benefit payload and productivity gains.  

The company operates a chain of 10 builders’ merchant branches in and around Somerset. It acquired its new Canter 7C15 models from Mercedes-Benz Dealer City West Commercials, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in business this year.

CRS Building Supplies’ transport manager Paul Gibbard said: “Our smallest vehicles are 3.5-tonne tippers which offer payloads of 900 kg. The Canters are barely any bigger in terms of their external dimensions, but can carry an impressive 3.8 tonnes.

“Their compact footprint and excellent turning circle mean they’re also every bit as manoeuvrable, so they can easily get on and off domestic driveways, and small building sites where access can be tight.

“We can therefore deliver significantly more product on a single journey. The resulting reduction in total vehicle miles is helping to cut our fuel bill while also reducing the impact of our operations on local air quality and traffic levels.”

Safety was another high priority for CRS. The Canter’s low seating position, and deep windscreen and side windows, allow drivers to make eye contact with pedestrians, cyclists and other road users easily, while the Lane Departure Warning System helps keep the vehicle on the straight and narrow.

The operator has added all-round recording cameras supplied by Leeds-based SM UK, strobe-light beacons and side repeating marker lights to boost safety still further.

Gibbard said: “Of course, as 7.5-tonners the Canters fall into operator regulations so we have trained more staff to meet these requirements. The cost of so doing is more than outweighed, though, by the significant gains they’re delivering in overall efficiency and productivity.”

CRS acquired the first two Canters with funding support from Mercedes-Benz Finance, but purchased the second pair outright. All four are the subject of fixed-cost Complete Service Contracts and will be maintained at City West Commercials’ Highbridge workshop.

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