Absolute Solar is a family-run business based in Leicester. They are an award-winning installer of tried and tested domestic renewable technology solutions.

From solar panels to cavity wall and loft insulation, Absolute Solar provides advanced renewable technology for homeowners and new builds. Absolute Solar’s mission is to save energy, save their clients’ money, and ultimately, save the planet.

Find out more about Absolute Solar on their website: absolutesolar.co.uk

Challenge

Before Alltruck plc started working with Absolute Solar, they were running a fleet of older 3.5-tonne vans. Although these are good for delivering their solar and electric solutions, they weren’t performing quite as well when it came to installing poly bead insulation to new builds.

In their 3.5 tonne vans, Absolute Solar can only carry 18 cubic metres of poly bead insulation. This meant that they would often have to do two or three runs a day to a building site in order to insulate a couple of houses.

Although a nuisance and a drain on time and fuel, when the company is working locally, running back and forth isn’t so much of an issue. But Absolute Solar offers nationwide services. Therefore, when they are working further afield, the cost of fuel and the time it takes to drive from their own site back to where they’re working quickly builds up.

Absolute Solar contacted Alltruck plc as they wished to marry their values of “save energy, save money, and save the planet”, with the way they carried out their work. To achieve this, they wanted an improved and efficient transportation solution. They hoped that the truck could be safe, comfy, and fuel-efficient.

Solution

Our aim was to help Absolute Solar make their poly bead insulation process more streamlined. At first, Absolute Solar requested a 7.5-tonne lorry. However, after carefully listening to their requests and the challenges they were experiencing, without compromising Absolute Solar’s budget, we came up with something even better.

Together, this is the solution we designed:

• One 10 tonne DAF LF 180 with a 30ft long box body and excellent fuel efficiency.
• A custom-made box body designed and produced at our Loughborough Bodyshop.
• A false wall inside the box body with a space of 62 cubic meters behind it for the poly beads to be stored in.
• A special ladder storage compartment to keep it neat inside the box.
• Attractive livery, designed by Absolute Solar and our livery partner, AR Signs.
• Spacious day cab with an air-suspended driver’s seat, armrest, soft-grip steering wheel, automatic gearbox, air-con and Adaptive Cruise Control – all with driver comfort in mind.
• For safety, the truck has Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collison Warning and an Advanced Electronic Braking System.
• Maintenance and servicing of Absolute Solar’s new truck will be carried out by Alltruck plc.
• Like all our clients, both experienced and new to Contract Hire, Absolute Solar have their own Account Manager and Business Development Manager to help guide them through the maintenance of the vehicle and answer any queries.

Results

We were able to bring Absolute Solar’s vision to life.

By opting for a 10-tonne vehicle over a 7.5-tonne vehicle after conversing with our truck experts, Absolute Solar now has a greater payload to play around with and, most importantly, an increased cubic capacity in the box. Instead of a 22ft body that would have been fitted on the 7.5-tonne chassis, they now have a 30ft body.

This means that Absolute Solar can now carry 62 cubic metres of poly bead insulation in their new truck – almost four times as much as they could carry in their vans!

Robin Gerrard, Alltruck plc’s Graduate Mechanical Design Engineer, comments on the way he was able to help with the body design for Absolute Solar:

I was involved in the design process for the Absolute Solar body. Tim Underwood [Business Development Manager helping Absolute Solar] brought me in to help translate the customers’ needs into a physical design. With the help of the Bodyshop technicians on the shop floor, I was able to design the bespoke features that the customer wanted: the ladder storage section, the false bulkhead (false wall), and their critical 62m² carrying capacity. This body was a challenge to work on initially due to the length and height of the body, we had to upgrade the load rating of our crane in order to lift the panels into position.

Thanks to Robin’s help with the bespoke body design and the skill of our Bodyshop technicians, Absolute Solar now has the perfect truck for their needs. This means that instead of traveling back and forth a few times a day, they will now be able to complete their job in one run and perform it much quicker, too.

Oliver Martin, Absolute Solar’s Operations Director, gave an example of how having this truck would improve their day-to-day work. He said that if Absolute Solar were providing a poly bead insulation solution to new houses on a large building site in Birmingham, they would usually allocate around 10 days to work there and expect to be driving to-and-fro a couple of times a day. However, with this new truck, that very same job would be completed in just 3 days, with one run to the site each day. Much more efficient!

Even though this new vehicle is slightly bigger and heavier than their current vans, the DAF LF has optimized powertrains, which means it provides industry-leading fuel economy. This will mean that Absolute Solar will not only minimize their carbon footprint, but they will also be keeping their fuel costs low.

Because Alltruck plc is here to offer guidance and deal with all the truck’s maintenance (including MOT’s, inspections, and servicing), Absolute Solar can focus on what they do best – providing fantastic renewable technology solutions to homes across the nation.