Real ale brewery Moorhouse’s has added a Fuso Canter to its delivery fleet.

 

Since joining the company before Christmas, the 7.5-tonner has already proved a valuable addition to the Burnley-based brewer’s fleet.

The Canter 7C15 arrived via Mercedes-Benz dealer Ciceley Commercials. The dealer is inspecting and servicing the vehicle under a repair and maintenance contract at its Blackburn workshop.

“Ciceley delivered the vehicle just in time for our busiest period of the year, so we threw it in at the deep end and it’s performed brilliantly,” enthused transport manager David Foley.

The light chassis is fitted with a curtainside body by Fosters Commercials, of Preston, and offers a highly impressive carrying capacity of 4.2-tonnes.

“We can load our new Canter with no fewer than 82 nine-gallon casks,” said Foley.

“For a vehicle of this size that’s excellent. It’s more than three times what we could manage in a 3.5-tonne van, which takes up almost as much road space, and also far ahead of the payload capacity of a traditional – and far heavier – 7.5-tonne truck.”

He continued: “The Canter’s manoeuvrability and relatively compact dimensions mean it’s also well suited to making deliveries to some of the city centre pubs that we service, where access can be very tight.”

Moorhouse’s fleet also includes a pair of Mercedes-Benz Atego 12-tonners and a 3.5-tonne Sprinter van, as well as two trucks by another manufacturer.

“We did a lot of homework before ordering the Canter,” added Foley.

“I visited another brewery to see a similar truck in action and was very impressed. Although we’re new to the FUSO brand, we were also reassured by the fact that it would be supplied by Ciceley Commercials, a supplier we have come to know and trust, and which provides a very high level of service.”