Twelve new DAF XDC tippers for Rory J. Holbrook

First two of 12 New Generation DAF XDC 8x4 tipper enter service to boost fleet expansion

NORFOLK-based aggregate supply specialists Rory J. Holbrook are currently taking delivery of 12 New Generation DAF XDC 450 8x4 tippers. The first two have entered service and are equipped with PPG insulated bodies and Edbro tipping gear.

Driver acceptance has been extremely positive, with individuals reporting a significance improvement in direct vision and an upgrade in vehicle specification, with a marked improvement in comfort in the XDC sleeper cab.

The new 11-litre, 450hp DAF eight-wheelers – with DAF’s double-drive ‘FAD’ rear bogie – boost Holbrook’s fleet to more than 120 vehicles, with the DAF marque accounting for 70% of the total.

The extremely robust construction-spec DAF XDC trucks are added as Holbrook win business to supply aggregates to Aggregate Industries for the Sizewell C project and to Associated Asphalt for major new developments at Heathrow Airport.

The trucks were supplied by the local DAF dealer in Norwich, Ford & Slater, with whom Holbrook have enjoyed an excellent relationship for over many decades. Holbrook acquired their first DAF CF 8x4 tippers in 2003, a number of which are in ‘semi-retirement’ yet remain in service. Regular repair and maintenance are carried out at Holbrook’s wholly-owned Attleborough Service Centre company.

The 8x4 XDC tippers join recently acquired New Generation DAF XF 6x2 tractor units and a flagship XG+ tractor unit. In 2020, the company was also the UK’s first recipient of six CF 410 rear-steer 8x4 ‘FAW’ sleeper-cabbed trucks.

‘I’m thrilled with the reaction from our drivers, they’re over the moon with them,’ said managing director Rory Holbrook. ‘The drivers tell me the XDC is a significant upgrade on previous CF models, with much better visibility, better driving characteristics, and far more comfort in the sleeper cab. I’m looking forward to an uptick in productivity, too.’

He continued: ‘We remain very loyal to the DAF brand because they build outstanding trucks and, arguably more importantly, because of the service support. Back-up from DAF, and from Ford & Slater, is first rate and ultra-reliable.’

He added: ‘We’ve always had DAF embedded in our fleet, and I go back a long way with the brand. I had a Leyland Constructor before DAF even had an established presence in the UK.’

Now in their 35th year in business, Rory J. Holbrook are based in East Harling, Norfolk, with railhead operations in nearby Norwich and in Brandon, Suffolk, plus a substantial 10-acre recycling centre in Lakenheath, Suffolk.