RENAULT RANGE T HIGH 520
(^56) August 2019 Truck & Driver
was Huhtamaki, just off
Kennedy Way in south
Belfast, which also runs
another factory just 18 miles
away in Antrim. This progressive
Finnish company has a long
history in the production of
packaging for fast food and just
recently started producing the
paper straws that you might find
in a McDonald’s milkshake.
“It’s a busy factory, with trucks
coming in and out all the time,”
says Paul. “I was lucky enough to
take them on as a customer when
the previous haulier decided to
move on. Right then I had a bit of
a dilemma on my hands, including
what truck would best serve my
purpose starting off in the
transport industry. I didn’t want
something that would break the
bank, but I certainly didn’t want a
truck that was breaking down all
the time either.”
Bargain beginning
Paul looked around for the best
truck bargains he could find to get
him going. As the nature of the
work from the packaging company
involved relatively short distances,
Paul knew his fuel costs wouldn’t
be so high but still wanted a truck
that was reliable, could perform
well, and was cheap.
With so many trucks on the
road, all over the UK and Ireland,
the choice of used vehicles was
plentiful – which made the
decision of what to purchase just
that little bit more difficult.
“Basically, the nature of this
job is very circular in motion,”
says Paul. “We transport the raw
materials to the factory from the
nearby Belfast docks or other
close locations and then we haul
out the finished product back to
the docks for shipping or to local
distribution centres.
“So, when starting the
business, I knew our distances
were relatively short and
therefore fuel usage would not
be so high. I searched around for
a truck that would get me going
but also offer value for money
and reliability.
“In the end I found a
10-year-old Renault Magnum
with 800,000 kilometres on the
clock. That was back in 2014, so
the truck was a 2004 model and
was in decent condition. It cost
me £3000, so indeed was a real
bargain in my eyes,” he says.
That particular Renault
Magnum carried out good service
for Paul and for JP Transport, so
much so that it convinced him to
buy a second used Renault
Magnum to add to the fleet.
“I found the Magnum very
good value for money and
reliable as well. Plus they didn’t
seem too hard to buy in the first
place,” says Paul, “so I
purchased a second one, this
time a 2005 model that cost me
only £2000.
“I really liked the fact the
Magnum models were easy to
maintain and to work on. The
trucks were a good introduction
to the Renault marque and gave
me confidence to invest in that
brand again in the future.”
T High
As the business grew, so Paul
needed to invest in more trucks.
He didn’t hesitate to buy more
Renaults over the years and has
just acquired the latest Renault
Range T High model, which he
has been driving himself for a
couple of months now.
“Following our good
experience with the Renault
Magnums, we upgraded them to
Renault Premiums, some of
which still exist in the fleet today,”
adds Paul. “Today we run four
trucks in the fleet and all of them
are Renaults. There are two
Premiums, both manufactured in
2011, one 2015 T Range and the
new 2019 T High tractor unit. In
fact, we traded in another
Premium to buy the latest truck.”
With just weeks of use, Paul
is already very fond of his new
white-liveried T High, citing a
number of advantages it has over
the Premium. “First of all, the T
High tractor has more power with
the 520hp engine, compared to
the 460hp in the Premium
models,” says Paul.
“The cab visibility is superb
and the noise levels are very
low,” he adds. “I’m also pleased
with the smooth transmission.
There is plenty of room inside
the cab and the flat floor makes it
look even more spacious.”
Paul says the big Renault is
worth the money too. “Compared
to other brands offering similar
horsepower, the Renault T High
is much better value. It really is
the top-of-the-range model in the
Renault line-up. The new model
is supposed to offer better fuel
economy than the older models,
but I really haven’t had mine long
enough to give an accurate result
on that yet.
“A good back-up service is
essential to any truck driver and
the Renault dealer offers a good
programme. Now that JP
Transport is well established,” he
says, “I would like to keep the
fleet fresh and update a truck
once it’s about seven years old.”
Paul is enjoying running his
own transport company and says
it fits in well with having a young
family. “I have a good team of
drivers working for me now and
they are all very good at their
jobs. The packaging depot runs
24 hours for six days a week, so
we can work shifts to keep the
trailers rolling.
“It’s not the cleanest of work,
constantly hauling containers
and curtainsiders, but the drivers
are enjoying it,” he adds.
Family time
Paul is married with three
children, two girls and a boy,
aged eight, five and three, and
while trucking is a demanding
job, he still manages plenty of
family time. “Although our haulage
yard is based in Loughbrickland,
the trucks stay at the factory.
They are never in the yard except
when I bring the new one home
for the kids. My little son is crazy
about trucks,” says Paul, “and we
have camping nights out in the
T High to keep the children
happy, even though it is only
parked at the front door!”
Flat floor liberates even more space; overall, Paul reckons the Renault is great value