A third Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 7.5-tonner has gone into service with specialist builders’ merchant Rudridge and is operating out of its new branch in Brentford, west London. With a head office in Farnham, Surrey and another depot in Gravesend, Kent, Rudridge specialises in distributing groundworks and civil engineering materials aimed primarily at the drainage industry.
Unliike the other two Canters — both 7C18 models powered by 180hp 5.0-litre engines — the newcomer is a 7C15 powered by a 145hp 3.0-litre. “This one will be spending much of its time working in and around the capital so we don’t need as much power,” says group logistics manager, Eddie Rourke. “We wanted to maximise the payload too, and of course the smaller engine is that bit lighter.”
Offering a payload just shy of 4.0 tonnes, the 7C15 is fitted with a 6.4m dropside body built by A L Musselwhite of Romsey, Hants. “That’s a big asset given that a lot of the materials we supply are very heavy,” Rourke says. “We also use the Canter to carry plastic drainage pipes which, although they’re not all that heavy, come in lengths of up to 6m,” he adds.
All the Rudridge Canters have been supplied subject to three-year contract hire deals with CharterWay, Mercedes-Benz’s in-house commercial vehicle financial services arm. Like Mercedes, Mitsubishi Fuso is part of the Daimler empire and its products are sold by Mercedes dealers in the UK.
