Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) has taken delivery of 315 new vehicles since Specialist Fleet Services Ltd (SFS) won a seven-year fleet replacement contract with the authority in 2017.

SFS has provided a wide range of vehicles since taking over the contract including tippers, road sweepers, gully machines, mini-buses, transit vans, and cars.

This month a new fleet of 11 x Dennis Eagle 26 tonne 6x2 rear steer refuse collection vehicles (RCVs) fitted with the latest ISS 360° camera recording systems has arrived at the council depot. These will be followed by eight new Nissan e-NV200 electric vans, to facilitate the provision of services such as Meals on Wheels and building cleaning, which will go towards reducing the council’s carbon emissions.

The council is utilising SFS’s back office support to control and monitor the vehicles, and the contract includes maintenance of the vehicles, which SFS has subcontracted back to the council.

Robert Mitcham, fleet & vehicle maintenance manager at CCBC, said: ‘The team at SFS are great to work with, both as a supplier and a customer with regards to the maintenance of the vehicles. They continue to assist us with improvements in our maintenance systems, and health and safety standards. They also ensure that the replacement vehicles are the right specification and fit for purpose in terms of operation, interior design and safety.’

SFS has employed a dedicated contract manager located on site at the council depot to ensure the contract runs smoothly and can utilise the services of its own municipal vehicle hire division, CTS Hire, for the provision of any short-term vehicles.

Bob Sweetland, managing director, SFS said: ‘The contract is running very well and we enjoy an excellent working relationship with the Caerphilly team. We are particularly delighted that we have been able to continue delivering replacement vehicles, on schedule, throughout the pandemic.

‘Our extensive experience in the provision of complex fleets has enabled us to improve the efficiency of the council’s fleet operation and, with the assistance of our municipal vehicle hire division, we can provide any short term hire vehicles as and when required.’