Calor Gas has ordered 20 new ‘Minibulk’ tanker vehicles based on DAF’s 18-tonne Euro-6 LF 220 FA chassis.

Bodied with a 17,000-litre LPG pressure vessel by Lakeland Tankers, the DAF LF offers Calor Gas a 500kg weight advantage over competitor chassis.

tThe new DAF/Lakeland Tankers ‘Minibulk’ specification is the first in the UK to receive Whole Vehicle Type Approval through the Individual Vehicle Approval process.

Equipment also includes LPG pumping and metering equipment, and a wealth of interlocks and other safety devices, combining to offer an unladen weight of 9,750kg.

As part of the same fleet delivery package, Calor Gas has also ordered 27 DAF LF 210 FA chassis at 15-tonnes GVW and three LF 150 FA 7.5 tonners, all with Cartwright bodies, for its gas cylinder distribution operation.

51 units on order thus far in 2015 follow a delivery of 64 Euro-6 DAF trucks previously in 2014. The DAF brand now makes up over 90% of Calor Gas’s 550+ vehicle fleet.

“This is the first time we’ve gone out to tender for many years,” said David Brown, fleet asset manager at Calor Gas. 

“I’m delighted that we’ve proved ourselves correct with our previous and long-standing DAF purchase policy. DAF really led the pack on weight. Including all the bodywork and equipment, anything under 10 tonnes is good, so, 9,750kg offers us a real scope to boost productivity.

“Fundamentally, the weight was right for our Minibulk rigid-tanker specification, but, crucially for the quantity of DAF trucks we operate, DAF’s dealer network has truly nationwide reach and its aftersales support is the best in the business.

The new Euro-6 DAFs will be based at Calor Gas’s nine sites throughout the UK.