You made it harder than ever for us to pick a winner – so much so that we could not strip back to just one and, for the first time ever, have awarded the title to joint winners. The following pages showcase our three runners up and other entry highlights.
Small but perfectly formed –the fantastic mini tanker from Ferguson Fuel Oils
• Ferguson Fuels DAF LF 12 Tonne Mini Tanker
• 230hp
• Manual gearbox
• 3.15m wheelbase
• Built and painted by Morrow Tankers, Lisburn. Northern Ireland
• 8000L aluminium vessel
• 3 compartments: 2500L, 3000L, 2500L
• Alfons Haar air operated hose reel
• Alpeco Tex metering system with bottom loading
Nominating the company’s new DAF mini tanker, Clark Hamilton of Ferguson Fuel Oils gave us a little background to the fleet addition: “We are a family run fuel delivery company based in Derry, Northern Ireland that has operated for over 50 years. We cover the North West area of Northern Ireland and Co. Donegal, Ireland.
“It was time to retire our old mini tanker & we were looking for its replacement. We made contact with Simon from Morrow Tankers, Lisburn and arranged a visit to their workshop.
“Simon offered us a DAF LF 12 Tonne Chassis from their stock with a 8000L, 3 compartment aluminium vessel. This vehicle is the 1st DAF we have purchased, having had, up until now, a Mercedes fleet.
“All our previous tanker trucks use Alpeco metering systems so we installed their new TEX System with remote control functions and the Alfons Haar air operated hose reel.
Highly impressed
“Since our new truck has gone to work for us, we have been highly impressed with both its performance and accessibility on narrower country roads. This has enabled us to reach the most remote customers to fulfil their fuel needs. The powerful engine makes it a dream to drive and it can handle a great payload. The interior is modern and comfortable for the driver.
“We would happily recommend this model to any other oil business thinking of purchasing. If you wish to contact me, I would be only too glad to discuss this wonderful truck further.”
Such high praise and big belief for a small tanker – sold it for us!
Broadening delivery capabilities – introducing an unbeatable tractor trailer combo from Oilfast
Chris Donaldson, a driver for the Oilfast haulage team, based out of Grangemouth, submitted the distributor’s new Cobo trailer and MAN TGX 510 tractor unit explaining: “My submission has a 6 x 7000l compartment which is very common but what makes this one stand out is the hose reel fitted to the rear of the body with a 200ft hose and an Emco Wheaton pumping system for added delivery functionality.
“This is the same system with which our rigid tankers are fitted which means it can work with them seamlessly when required. But it also means we can offer the following delivery methods:
• Gravity delivery
• Bulk delivery
• Hose reel delivery
• Stripper pump delivery
• Tanker to tanker transfer by hose reel and bulk
“Adding these methods has enabled us, as a company and as a haulage team, to broaden our capabilities – offering new ways to deliver product to our customers on a bulk scale as well as to marine vessels – including those with smaller capacity fuel tanks.
“We can now deliver a high quantity to multiple vessels at the same location or travel between locations without refuelling, which cuts down on fuel cost and down time and increases productivity.
“Our flexibility makes life for customers so much easier and gives the top of the range service we are known for.
“To date we have used the hose reel to deliver to oil rigs, offshore wind supply/support vessels, barges, standalone fuel tanks, wind turbine freight vessels – where the fill point is 3 to 4 storeys high above the quay side, fishing vessels, super yachts and MOD and NATO vessels – to name just a few.
“The new MAN TGX 510 tractor unit has added horsepower and torque which allows for effortless driving – especially on the hills where the extra horsepower really comes into play. Other useful features include the ‘tanker’ gearbox setting which allows seamless gear changes even when fully loaded, and the automatic exhaust brake saver that is extremely effective even on steep descents.
“Altogether this enables very economical driving, saving on fuel and maintenance, bringing down overall costs and reducing our carbon footprint.”
New customers. New sectors
“Everything on our tractor unit and trailer has been thought out with the driver in mind but also, and most importantly, to deliver top of range service. We can now cover a huge range of tasks all from one single platform by making the whole process simple, safe and extremely effective and, by doing so, we have reached new customers as well as new sectors.”
And this increased delivery flexibility is what made this one stand out for us!
Emphasising community connections – don’t miss the eye-catching new liveries from Barton Petroleum
Howard Marriott talks us through Barton Petroleum’s submission for TOTY 2023: “We decided that this year we would do something completely different, in terms of livery, and ask each depot to choose a landscape/landmark from their local area and get the vehicle wrapped in the chosen image.
“This nomination is from our Oakley, Bedfordshire depot and features 3 different images from the local area.
“It is a Cobo-built 26t DAF 6-wheeler with a rear steer axle to access those hard-to-reach drops that a traditional double drive 6-wheeler just can’t reach. We are finding that many of our traditional 4-wheeler drops can now be done with these vehicles, so this in turn helps with our carbon footprint.
“This vehicle is equipped with the latest Alpeco TEX delivery system with features including excellent anti-crossover prevention and a full colour screen with on-board contents. It can also be operated from any smartphone, tablet or wi-fi enabled device.
“It also uses the DreamTec OTC system which we have had in place at all our depots for well over 12 months now and is a real game changer for us.
“This vehicle is equipped with a 4-way camera system, side sensors and a left turn audible warning to alert pedestrians and cyclists.”
And, for us, alongside the fantastic community connection, delivery capability and safety features of this tanker, the cherry on the cake of this submission is that: “The hotel in the background on the banks of the Great Ouse River is the Swan Hotel and the driver of this tanker, Craig, actually got married here in the summer of 2023.” Congratulations to Craig and congratulations to Barton Petroleum on the new community-focussed liveries.
