DAF has announced it will make available a limited supply of ‘in demand’ bodied vehicles for immediate delivery.

The announcement has been made following a prediction from Ray Ashworth, managing director at DAF, of longer delivery lead times.

Under its ‘Tip, Skip and Grab’ programme, DAF Trucks customers primarily in the construction and utilities sectors will be able to choose from a range of trucks including eight-wheel tippers, tipper-grabs, skip-loaders and hook loaders.

“The construction and waste industries are buoyant at present although we’re seeing long lead times at body-builders for associated models.

 “Therefore, we’re looking to provide a speedy turn around for customers that need trucks quickly.”

He added: “Thanks to high demand for trucks across Europe, DAF Trucks has already increased production to ensure that chassis lead times remain reasonable. “We have the chassis, but it’s getting them bodied and delivered in an acceptable time that may become an issue.”

He continued: “With the help of our industry-leading body-builder partners, we can sensibly make available a small stock of bodied, ready-for-the road trucks to help customers with their short-term availability requirements.

“Of course, customers will continue to prefer to spec their vehicles from the ground up, but, equally, we understand that immediate availability might be required where contracts suddenly crop-up or where a specific tipper, skip-loader or grab is needed to fill a gap in existing work.

“Our Tip, Skip and Grab programme will ease the pressure.”

According to DAF, through Tip, Skip and Grab, a DAF dealer could potentially have a bodied vehicle on the road within days, subject to finance, rental arrangements or any local specification amendments.

Ashworth said: “This is a pre-emptive measure and nothing more - a little foresight on the part of chassis manufacturers and bodybuilders.”