Haulier Arthur Spriggs & Sons has ambitious plans to open a string of maintenance depots across the South of England.

The company already has a large workshop at its headquarters site in Tewkesbury, which has been granted ‘Authorised Repairer’ status by Mercedes-Benz and FUSO Trucks.

Now it is building on this foundation by embarking on a programme of extensions and improvements at the site, as well as laying plans to develop similar facilities elsewhere.

The project is being headed by Perry Reeves who said: “I was hugely impressed by the drive and ambition of managing director Chris Spriggs, and by the size and potential of the Tewkesbury site. The established facilities rival those of any commercial vehicle dealership and our plan is quite simply to create one of the finest workshops in the country.”

The depot has 17 full-length bays and five inspection pits, as well as two dedicated lanes in which inspectors from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency undertake MOT tests on trucks.

By the end of the year Reeves plans to recruit as many as 25 more staff, extend the workshop opening to 24 hours a day, install at least two new 28-tonne commercial ramps and create a dedicated while-you-wait servicing area for van customers.

Until recently around three quarters of the Arthur Spriggs fleet of Mercedes-Benz trucks was based at the same premises, but the company has acquired a new site close by to which the haulage operation is now being transferred.

“This will allow us to focus this entire facility on providing the best possible levels of after sales service to our customers,” explained Reeeves. “Our message to hauliers is this: We’re on your side, we understand your business and can provide the help you need – come and talk to us.”