Ryder completed delivery of its 100th truck to Premier Paper Group, an independent paper merchant in the UK. This deal adds 17 DAF 18 tonne and 26 tonne rigids to the expanding Premier fleet.

With 18 locations across the UK, Premier Paper delivers more than 4,000 product lines to 30,000 customers, from large national wholesaling chains to small independent stationers.

Premier’s fleet ranges from 7.5 tonne to 26 tonne rigids and 44 tonne tractor units, with the rigids being custom-built to Premier’s operational requirements.

“Paper tends to be a weighty commodity, so our trucks were built with low height and compact bodywork to handle weight rather than bulk,” said Adrian Fraser, Premier Paper’s group fleet manager. “In addition, because virtually all of our trucks operate on daytime deliveries, we specified trucks without sleeper cabs.”

Ryder began supplying Premier Paper in 2003. “We originally owned and maintained all of our trucks, but the all-inclusive proposition and full maintenance contract hire package provided by Ryder has allowed us to refocus management time on our core business,” Fraser said.

“In addition, the positive management and effective communication channels we now have in place with Ryder has seen our contract hire fleet grow from just a few vehicles to the 100 we now have. In line with business growth, we will shortly increase the Ryder contract hire fleet to 108 vehicles, while retaining a couple of owned vehicles for unexpected peaks in demand.”