DAF CF410 ‘tridem’ scores with DM Boyles

CF 410 FAQ 8x2 is first DAF on family firm’s growing waste liquids fleet
Tridem triple rear-axle delivers tight space manoeuvrability and payload
Stainless steel tanker body cuts weight and corrosion risk
Drivers enjoying DAF and performance

DM Boyles, the family-owned liquid waste management operator based in Market Rasen, has added its very first DAF to a growing fleet. A DAF CF 410 FAQ, with a triple rear-axle ‘tridem’ bogie arrangement of steer / drive / steer axles – not only the first DAF, but also the first tridem specification vehicle on the fleet. The truck has been fitted with a stainless steel vacuum tanker body with a nominal 4500 gallon capacity by Whale Tankers.

For 12 years now, Ashley Boyles has been running the specialist business, set up originally by his father in the 1980s as an agricultural contracting company. “We moved into liquid waste work in the early 1990s,” says Ashley Boyles, “and that is now our sole focus. We cover the East Midlands and Yorkshire and handle both commercial and domestic waste. Increasingly though, we had been finding the number of restricted collection points, especially for domestic septic tanks, becoming more and more of a problem. Manoeuvrability is a key factor in these types of operation, especially on all our rigids.”

DM Boyles has other eight-wheel tankers on the fleet, but Ashley was concerned most about manoeuvrability. “Eight-wheelers are the worst thing in the world to get in anywhere,” he says, “and the double-drive models are like sailing a super-tanker! I had heard a lot of really good fuel, comfort and reliability reports about DAFs from friends in transport and decided to talk to my local dealer, Ford & Slater, about them. I had just bought a couple of Swedish six wheelers with rear steer as part of our general expansion plans, but when it came to a new eight-wheeler I was determined to see what all the fuss was about and try a DAF CF 410 and particularly the tridem configuration.”

DM Boyles buys its trucks outright, so with a top-quality stainless steel tanker body and all the associated pumping and other PTOs in place, the value of the latest eight-wheeler is close to £200,000. However, the use of stainless steel allows Whale Tankers to reduce overall body weight as the barrel construction can be handled using 4.00mm thick material. The stainless steel also extends tanker life as there are no corrosion issues.

“This is almost all about payload and manoeuvrability,” confirms Ashley Boyles. “We have always been delighted with Whale Tankers, and the bonus now is that our drivers love the DAF cab. Then there’s its overall performance, both fuel and reliability. We don’t expect record-breaking fuel figures on our sort of work, what with the pumping and other PTO work, but I am happy that the DAF is doing well. Very well.”

Ashley Boyles

Supplied by DAF Dealer Ford & Slater, the DAF CF 410 tridem came with two-years full R&M and a third-year driveline warranty. “We’re happy with what we got in terms of service from the dealer and the new truck itself,“ says Ashley Boyles. “We are growing as a business and that’s based on delivering a quality service, so we keep looking for the best trucks to allow us to do that. Right now, I’d have to say the DAF CF tridem is a very good fit with that philosophy.”