A NORTH Yorkshire storage and distribution firm which deliver 12,000 pallets a day and store around £100 million worth of products for its customers has invested in expanding its transport fleet.

Reed Boardall, based near Boroughbridge, has taken delivery of 50 brand new Volvo FH tractors with Euro 6 engines.

Supplied by the company’s regular Volvo partner, Crossroads Truck and Bus Ltd, the investment complements Reed Boardall’s 180-strong fleet of vehicles, all of which are under three years old.

The new tractors will be working with Reed Boardall’s fleet of 300 refrigerated semi-trailers, which includes around 78 double-deck trailers, the largest fleet of refrigerated double-deckers in the UK.

Group chief executive Keith Boardall, said: "After more than 20 years serving the frozen food sector, we have established a reputation as a reliable, responsive partner to leading food manufacturers and retailers throughout the UK.

"In order to stay at the forefront of the industry, it is vital that we continue to invest in renewing our fleet to ensure that our vehicles are modern and efficient and also that they benefit from the latest advances in technology, such as new safety features."

The new Volvo FH4 E6 vehicles incorporate an active safety package with driver support systems designed to improve driver comfort and safety.

For example, they feature a lane keeping video system which monitors the truck’s position on the road and alerts the driver if there is a risk of veering off to either side; and a lane changing support radar system which checks the blind spot on the passenger’s side and alerts the driver during lane changes if there is a risk of collision.

Howard Gill, managing director of Reed Boardall Transport, said: "As a business that prides itself on our next day delivery promise to customers, we have to have complete confidence in our performance, from the quality of our fleet and state-of-the-art cold storage facilities, to the efficiency of our systems and high standards of service.

"Ensuring that we can meet our customers’ needs to have stock delivered within 24 hours in the exact volumes needed by the retailers, is at the heart of our operation."