BT Fleet invests in 145 New Daily 7.0 tonne vans

Monday 13th July 2015

BT Fleet, the specialist fleet management arm of BT Group, is delivering 145 New Daily 7.0 tonne vans.

The International Van of the Year 2015 was selected by BT Fleet for its class-leading payload capacity, enabling BT to downsize from larger trucks to a smaller, lighter vehicle offering capital cost savings and increased flexibility.

Each of the New Daily 70C17 vans meets the latest Euro VI emissions legislation and has been fitted with Bri-Stor modular racking and Gardner Denver hydraulic and pneumatic on-board power systems, which operate from a power take-off (PTO) installed by Iveco on the factory line. The hydraulic and pneumatic equipment enables each vehicle to operate as a self-sufficient mobile workshop to support the installation and maintenance of telecommunications infrastructure networks nationwide.

Commenting on the new fleet arrivals, Rob Pope, Head of Engineering at BT Fleet, explains: 'The New Daily vans enable us to enhance our fleet. They can carry the same equipment and tooling as the trucks they have replaced and can do 98 per cent of the same work, whilst offering a flexible operational package.

'Iveco secured the order as they offered the largest capacity panel van on the market, and we had full confidence in the New Daily to perform over a long service life. A smaller 5.5-tonne competitor model would have been too close to the wire on payload capacity, whereas with the New Daily, we have enough capacity for the crews to carry an additional one tonne of materials to site.'

Each of the New Dailys is built on a 4,100mm wheelbase and offers an 18m³ loadspace with an internal height of 2,100 mm, which allows even tall users to stand upright inside. A towbar has also been installed to allow the vehicles to operate with a skeletal cable drum trailer.

BT Fleet expects each vehicle to clock up a low annual mileage, although with relatively high engine hours, due to New Daily's 3.0-litre engine being used to drive the PTO when operating at worksites. All servicing and maintenance will take place within the company's 500-strong garage network, of which 65 sites are owned by BT Fleet.

BT Fleet expects them to remain on the fleet for at least 10 years and is authorised to carry out warranty work within its own workshops.

Each New Daily 70C17 is powered by a 3.0-litre heavy-duty diesel engine which is capable of producing up to 170 hp between 3,000 and 3,500 rev/min, and up to 400 Nm of torque between 1,250 and 3,000 rev/min.