Hanson Cement recently added six new DAF CF85 trucks for its Ketton works in Rutland following a year long trial of a demonstrator vehicle from a local dealer.

"We try different manufacturers on a regular basis, so when a cancelled order at [local dealer] Ford & Slater came up we decided to run it [the DAF] for nearly a year as a demo," says Callaghan.

Fuel saving results from the trial showed the DAF to be above the fleet average of 7.95mpg on 44t quarry work, recording an impressive 8.23mpg during 2010, with the new vehicles improving further still and notching up a 9.0mpg average throughout January.

Callaghan says: "Initial positive feedback from our drivers and now our own evidence of the fuel efficiency has prompted us to consider taking more DAFs onto the fleet.