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Helping the haulage
Page 18
Page 19
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industry to wash dn go
Keeping trucks free of the grime of winter and Looking smart is a full-time job for most. For Laurie Moon, the managing director of LPW Truckwash, it's always time for some spring cleaning.
Words: Andy Satter / Ima O m Richar PEOPLE SAY image is everything, and in today's challenging economic times, it is essential that companies maintain their strong public perception.
This is particularly important for the transport companies that 'pull' for well-known and popular brands.
Ensuring these trucks and trailers are in good condition and look smart is absolutely essential and is often written into the terms of a contract.
During the wet winter months, this can present problems for even the most image-fastidious operator, a fact which is not lost on Laurie Moon, managing director at LPW Truckwash.
"We are the brand guardians for our clients,he tells us. "They will often be hauling for some major UK names, and our strength is in working with these customers to ensure they are presenting the right public face to the world every time the truck goes out on the road."
LPW Truckwash is the largest, indeed one of the only, nationwide truckwash companies., it currently operates 23 truckwashes in the UK, 13 of which are located on motorway service areas (MSAs). There are a further three sites opening in the first quarter this year, all at MSAs — Corley, Birchanger and Oxford — with 22 in the planning stages at present.
The location of the washes at motorway services is, in our opinion, a masterstroke on behalf of LPW because it puts the wash where the trucks are, and allows the driver to combine a truckwash with a tacho break while en route. A great time-saving measure.
LPW Truckwash has agreements in place with some of the main MSA organisations to locate a truckwash at every location, and while getting planning permission for the site has presented a number of challenges, the latest design of truckwash is effectively a self-contained unit that simplifies the whole process.
"We have effectively designed a wash unit that is completely self-contained," Moon says. "It has a gantry wash with the brushes to cover the majority of the vehicle and then the operators complete the detail areas.
"The unit comes with its own plant room, driver rest area and water recycling. Approximately 85% of the water used in the wash is recycled, and we capture all the waste and take it away for safe disposal."
Room to grow
The very nature of these units allows for 24/7 use, although during the "night" (5pm to 8am) the sites are unmanned — automated operation will offer a partial wash using the gantry wash. All the units are owned and operated by LPW using its own employed staff. Moon adds: "We thought this could be the perfect franchise operation, but investigations in that area proved to be unsuccessful."
To avail yourself of the LPW Truckwash services, you have a number of different tariff options depending on usage. The standard drive-up tariff for a typical tractor and curtainside trailer comes in at £21. while you can reduce that by a fiver if you are an LPW Truckwash member (membership requires you to sign up for a minimum number of washes per week). In addition, Moon has just signed an agreement with ReD Fuelcards allowing all ReD cardholders to take advantage of the Truckwash facility.
"We're currently washing about 4,000 trucks per week," Moon explains. "Our facility at Purfleet is the busiest, carrying out 1,000 washes a week. A typical motorway site at present is doing approximately 100 washes per week." This indicates there is plenty of room for expansion at the MSAs.
Supply and demand "From the operator's point of view, the location of our truckwashes is perfect for their delivery schedules," Moon tells us. -It takes approximately 10 minutes to wash the truck, there's no need to take the vehicle off the road or pay the driver to wash it, and we are opening more of these facilities to satisfy the traffic patterns of all major contracts."
Despite the recession, Moon is still optimistic about the outlook. "We've not seen any tail-off in demand," he says. "We're growing about 3% month on month, and we are committed to the continued roll-out of the network.
Firms are recognising the importance of their brands in these tougher times, and to satisfy their customers, they have to ensure they portray the right image.
Let's face it, the trucks on the road are the only connection they will have with some of the bigger household names. If those trucks look dirty or are covered in messages scrawled into the dirt, that is a reflection on not just your customers' brand, but on your image as well. • FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT; 1 www.roadtranspart.cOMicm