Leading fuel supplier Rix Petroleum is investing more than £1 million to update and expand its fleet of fuel tankers. The firm, based in Spyvee Street, Hull, has ordered a total of six new Scania tankers and two new tanker units for use at its depots in East Yorkshire, East Anglia and Shropshire, at a total cost of £1.1 million.
The vehicles, which are all due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2016, will be used to transport domestic heating oil and commercial fuels to rural homeowners, farmers, hauliers and other commercial business.
The new fleet includes four six-wheel tankers, one four-wheeler, one eight wheeler and two tractor units, and will replace older tankers coming to the end of their working lives as well as expand the company’s overall fleet.
Duncan Lambert, director of Rix Petroleum, said the company had seen an increase in sales across all of the areas in which it operates, making the investment a necessity for the year ahead.
Mr Lambert said: “These vehicles will replace some of our tankers that are around 10 years old and as such, have served their time with us. They will also add to our existing fleet to enable us to fulfil the growing number of orders coming in.
“The new tankers will ensure that we are able to maintain the levels of customer service we are known for, delivering the required quantity of product to our customers at exactly the time they require it. By not investing we might have compromised that, and that is not something we are prepared to risk. We have been delivering fuel for more than 80 years and know that people and businesses depend on us. Buying these vehicles means we can continue to serve their needs in the way they expect.”
All the new trucks conform to the Ad Blue Euro 6 emissions standards, ensuring they are among the most environmentally friendly on the road.
The truck chassis are supplied by Swedish firm Scania and the liquid flow meters are supplied by Aylesbury firm Alpeco Ltd. They are assembled by Tasca Tankers Ltd of Wakefield before being delivered to Rix.
Each truck is equipped with the latest equipment including heated driver’s wing mirror and fully air-conditioned cabs to ensure driver safety and comfort while out on the road.
Mr Lambert added that residents and motorists in East Yorkshire, East Anglia and Shropshire will soon see the new tankers on the roads, delivering fuel across the area.
“With their distinctive red, white and blue colours you really can’t miss our tankers,” he said.