Leyland Trucks hits half million vehicle production milestone

The half million-milestone truck – a 16-tonne GVW DAF LF 210 – was handed over to customer, Minoli, at a special production line ceremony on 2^nd December.

Attending the hand-over were Minoli’s Managing Director, Jonathon Minoli, Marketing Manager at DAF Trucks, Phil Moon, and Leyland Trucks Director of Operations, Phil Jones, alongside representatives from supplying DAF Dealer - Heathrow Truck Centre (HTC).

The milestone LF is the first of four new vehicles for Minoli – a leading importer and distributor of Italian porcelain tiles – two of which are spec’d with a 210bhp PACCAR PX-5 engine, ZF AS-Tronic six-speed gearbox, rear air suspension, adjustable roof spoiler and cab collars. Minoli, with its headquarters and distribution centre in Oxford and offices and showrooms in Marylebone, London, has remained an exclusive and loyal DAF operator for almost 40 years.

The DAF LF remains one of the UK’s most popular lightweight fleet trucks, offering benchmark levels of payload potential and driver comfort, alongside outstanding vehicle handling and manoeuvrability.

The Leyland Assembly Plant was completed in 1980, with Leyland Trucks this year celebrating its 125^th anniversary. The company occupies an 86-acre site with 93,000 square metres of covered production space. A workforce of 1,000 includes fourth and fifth generation employees. The current vehicle ranges include the award winning DAF LF, CF models and now also the New Generation DAF range of XF, XG and XG⁺ vehicles – International Truck of the Year 2022.

In a relationship that spans several decades, Minoli has chosen HTC Group and DAF to meet its requirements for reliable and robust vehicles that have been purpose-built for the company’s exacting needs. Increased demand for Minoli’s products, a drive for greater efficiency and a concerted effort to reduce emissions has driven the expansion and upgrade of the Minoli fleet.

“We as a company and a family feel very privileged to have been invited to Leyland Trucks to mark such a momentous milestone in the company’s history,” said Jonathon Minoli. “We’re proud to know that our trucks are built in Britain and that we are supporting British industry. We’ve been a DAF operator for almost 40-years now – and our relationship with the brand has been built on quality and reliability that in turn allows us to meet our customers’ needs, day after day and year after year.”

The lightweight LF range was entirely designed, developed and engineered at Leyland Trucks, while the factory is also home to a unique in-house bodybuilding programme. With Leyland Trucks delivering the highest quality products in the truck industry, the Lancashire-based manufacturer has contributed significantly towards DAF’s position as UK truck market leader above 6-tonnes GVW for 26 years.

Coinciding with the ceremony, Leyland Trucks hosted the DAF New Generation UK Tour, which saw the DAF Showtrekker and the New Generation DAF models travel across the UK from Southampton to Aberdeen, and Exeter to Ipswich, before its final destination in Leyland. The tour included nine exhibitions starting with the new vehicle’s debut at the ITT Hub in Farnborough in June 2021. The New Generation DAF has been seen by thousands of truck operators, drivers and their families. In total, the tour has clocked more than 7,000 miles as it criss-crossed the UK.