Belinda Smith with the newest vehicle to join the delivery fleet at KG Smith & Son
Deliveries at a canter as merchant expands vehicle fleet
Smokeless fuel is a new venture for solid fuel merchant KG Smith & Son. But it is one that enables the family business to keep pace with the latest legislation.
The company, founded in 1947, has grown to become the UK’s largest independent supplier of house coal. It also offers a range of products that includes smokeless alternatives such as natural anthracite and Homefire Ecoal 50, an ‘eco fuel’ made from crushed olive stones, a natural waste product of the olive oil manufacturing process.
From its headquarters at Hartwell near Northampton, KG Smith & Son uses its 13 trucks to serve customers across much of the East Midlands and Home Counties. Deliveries to the rest of the country are via third-party transport providers.
“Business is good but we are always looking at new ventures that will allow us to stay ahead of legislation,” said Belinda Smith, who runs the business with her father Keith, the firm’s managing partner.
Such is the demand for their smokeless fuel products that KC Smith & Son has added a new FUSO Canter 7.5-tonne truck to its fleet. The company acquired its first FUSO from dealership Intercounty Truck & Van in 2016 and has added four more over the last three years. “The Canter has proved to be a highly reliable workhorse and is now firmly established as our preferred 7.5-tonner,” said transport manager Chris Caws.
Key to the truck’s appeal for KG Smith are its body and payload allowance – the Canter will carry upwards of a tonne more than most competitors in the same gross weight class.
“Payload is crucial as coal and solid fuel products are heavy,” says Mr Caws. “We will get four tonnes on the back of our latest Canter – more traditional 7.5-tonne tonne trucks would not get close to that.”
The vehicle also has a compact footprint and a tight turning circle. “We do a lot of village deliveries that can entail getting up and down little alleyways,” said Mr Caws. “We will get a Canter into the sort of space for which you would normally have to use a van yet it will carry three times more product. The fact that it is so manoeuvrable makes life a lot easier for our drivers.”
