Lostock Skip Hire welcomes first Renault Trucks

Family-run waste disposal and recycling specialist, Lostock Skip Hire, has taken delivery of four new Renault Trucks, the first to join the 30-strong fleet. Two C440 8x4, one D12 Low 4x2 and one D18 High 4x2 will operate out of Lostock Skip Hire’s base in Horwich, Bolton and its satellite depot in Leyland, delivering and collecting skips from a mixture of domestic and commercial customers covering a large area of Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

A long-time customer of a competing truck manufacturer, Lostock Skip Hire decided to diversify its vehicle maintenance by choosing Renault Trucks, influenced by recommendations from local operators and the exemplary reputation of the local dealership, JDS Truck and Van.

Specified by Peter Wilson from JDS Truck and Van, the new D12 and D18 have been mounted with lightweight steel HIAB Futura skiploaders, made of EvoLight™, a lightweight steel construction providing greater payload while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Both vehicles have been specified with passenger side vision door with lower tinted windows to provide its drivers with enhanced visibility of cyclists and other vulnerable road-users.

The D18 is fitted with the Optishift 8AP gearbox with gear shifting strategy optimised for construction with automatic gearbox cooler as well as air-suspended “comfort” driver's heated seat, with lumbar support.

The two 13 litre C440 OFF ROAD, mounted to HIAB Multilift Ultima 24S hookloaders, provide a maximum torque of 2200 Nm from 925 rpm to 1400 rpm. They have also been specified with optional extras including leather steering wheel, a heated and ventilated driver’s seat, as well as Renault Trucks’ audio, navigation and entertainment system, ROADPAD+.

Joanna Dyke, Director at Lostock said: “Our primary focus is meeting customer expectations, with a key emphasis on vehicle uptime. Our trucks are reliable workhorses, and we buy new vehicles every 3-4 years to ensure optimum performance.”

Joanna continues: “We opted to spread our vehicle maintenance across two manufacturers rather than relying solely on one.  One significant factor in choosing Renault Trucks was the reputable aftersales service offered by JDS Truck and Van who are very well-regarded in the local area. Our vehicles are covered by a comprehensive 4 -year repair and maintenance package, including warranty, ensuring complete peace of mind. As a result, we plan to transition to a 50/50 split in the coming year, expanding our Renault Trucks fleet from 4 to 15.”

Lostock Skip Hire is a DVSA Earned Recognition Operator. The scheme is voluntary and is a way to prove operators meet driver and vehicle standards through continuously monitoring compliance of vehicle and road safety standards. 

Joanna says: “As a DVSA Earned Recognition Accreditation operator, our inspection frequency has extended from every 6 weeks to every 8 weeks. This proactive approach helps us to maintain the integrity of our systems and overall compliance. Our comprehensive system for both trucks and drivers generates reports, which are then submitted to the DVSA for checking, helping us to stay on track. JDS is compliant to work with our DVSA-validated approval and IT systems during the vehicles’ repair maintenance contracts, ensuring all necessary KPIs are met.”

Joanna adds: “Our fleet consists mainly of 12 tonne, 18 tonne, and 32 tonne roll-on, roll-off hooks. As a busy operation managing 2,000 skips, reliability is paramount, and having a local dealer capable of super-efficient maintenance is crucial. This is why we selected Renault Trucks and JDS Truck and Van, as both were recommended by local operators. This, together with the favourable price point, ensured it ticked all of our boxes and we look forward to working in partnership in the future.”