Newton Aycliffe logistics business invests £1.7m in truck fleet

Family-run logistics firm Stiller has invested £1.7m in a fleet of 20 new vehicles.

The Newton Aycliffe-based company refreshed its 45-strong truck fleet with 20 new Mercedes Actros tractor units, each of which can operate with a gross vehicle weight of 44 tonnes.

Stiller’s vehicles collectively cover around 4.3 million miles annually, which is around 95,000 per truck.

Each is equipped with a recording accident camera, fixed vehicle phones, GPS trackers and second-generation Euro 6 engine.

Matthew Stiller, managing director of Stiller Warehousing and Distribution, said: “All vehicles are more fuel-efficient than the units they have replaced, but we’ve really done it to keep on top of our ongoing investment and keeping the equipment we’re running as new and reliable as possible.

“We run our trucks 24 hours a day, with each truck double-shifted doing 95,000 miles a year, so it’s essential all our vehicles are 100% reliable.”

He continued: “They’re also safer for our drivers, with the new driver catwalk in particular improving the hitching-up process and minimising the risk of trips or falls.

“The economical lifespan of these trucks is about three years, so this is a major freshening up of our fleet.”

Stiller plans to spend an additional £200k to refurbish 50,000 sq ft of its warehousing space and bring it up to modern standards. The project will including repairing and enhancing floors, installing LED lighting and the creation of extra palletised storage space.

Speaking further, Matthew said: “We’re seeing a lot of new and existing customers stockpile goods for next March, which we had anticipated, so we’re already working on preparing the extra palletised space we’re creating ready to accommodate that demand.”

Earlier this year, Stiller invested in a new £2m, 40,000 sq ft palletised distribution centre at Aycliffe Business Park.