Another four new Charlton SuperLites sees Ardula Group’s fleet reach 50

Latest News | 28th Sep

With the addition of four new Charlton steel – bodied tippers, the fleet of Maidstone – based Ardula Group has just notched up its first half century.

Starting off with a single lorry in 1993, the 23 intervening years have seen Ardula’s fleet size steadily increase in clear parallel with ongoing improvements in tipper vehicle productivity. Having now added four more Charlton SuperLites to its fleet, Ardula stands to realize a greater performance potential than ever.

“Having operated quite a few trucks over the years , it’s fair to say we’ve learnt quite a lot about tippers” says Ardula’s Group Managing Director Ricky Hemmings. “We know what works and what doesn’t, so the objective now is to continually fine – tune our vehicle specifications so as to deliver the best possible return on our investment.”

The real key to Ardula’s choice of tippers is their ability to handle each and every type of job that comes along. On the face of it, such versatility might imply a compromise, but in actual fact such limitations are so small as to be insignificant when set against the everyday reality of running a modern, multi – faceted tipper operation.

“With a tipper, it’s really the body that does all the hard work” notes Ricky. “On the one hand, we want a really good payload when moving easier, high density products such as sand and aggregates. On the other, we want real strength and durability if we are doing heavy site work. We need one truck that can operate at both ends of the envelope and on everything in between. A premium chassis fitted with a strong, top quality lightweight steel body is therefore the only realistic solution. We had our first three SuperLites last year and have been delighted with them – hence these latest four.”

Mounted on Scania chassis and powered by 450hp engines, the on-road performance and economy of the new trucks is excellent. Further adding to Ardula’s operating versatility, two of the trucks have sleeper cabs should their work necessitate their drivers having to stay away from base.

Tipping each of the SuperLites is down to Hyva’s latest FCA137 separate ram and tank cylinder which combines a light 450kgs wet weight with genuine heavy duty performance. Finished off with electric sheeting and aluminium wheels, payload capacity of the new SuperLite tippers is comfortably over 19 tonnes.

One of the leading operators in the South East, Ardula Ltd is a major supplier of natural and recycled aggregates, topsoil and road salt whilst also being heavily engaged in moving waste from construction sites. The Ardula Group also owns two other transport business – the articulated fleet of PTC (South East) Ltd which specializes in bulk transport operations, as well as Mantransco Ltd, which hauls bricks and blocks throughout the South East.

Ardula has seen steady growth over recent years, adapting to and taking full advantage of changing economic circumstances, especially in its steadily widening business area that now extends from Kent, South London and Surrey down to Sussex and Hampshire. Further key developments are now in the offing, with Ricky Hemmings aiming to secure a management buy-out from Ardula’s founder in the very near future.

“The quality and versatility of our vehicle fleet is a key factor underpinning our confidence in the future” says Ricky Hemmings. “With rigid tippers, artic tippers and drawbar block carriers in our fleet Ardula can offer a truly bespoke level of service to almost anyone in the construction and waste industries.

As a fact, we believe the future offers Ardula a tremendous opportunity.”

Speaking for Charlton, Sales Manager Andrew Gunn notes:

“Once again, our all – steel SuperLite bodies demonstrate their complete suitability to today’s multi-purpose tipper operations with class – leading payload, performance and productivity. Ardula is a perfect example of a modern, totally professional tipper fleet where SuperLite’s strengths can be most easily recognised.”

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