More information about C. A. Stevens & Son Transport Ltd. in an article by Truck % driver. Grahame Stevens’s father, Cliff, started running his own lorry in 1969. Cliff worked for an animal feed company called Scats before heading out on his own. His first truck was an Albion Clydesdale four-wheel tipper with bulk blower, delivering animal feed to farms. He went on to a six-wheel Dodge, followed b an Atkinson Borderer with a 180 Gardner engine.

Then, in 1971, he bought an F86 and for many years Volvo became the brand of choice. Growing up, Grahame remembers the trucks well. “We had loads of Volvos and a 110 Scania too at one point. We also had a few ERFs and Seddon Atkinsons; we wanted to buy British but that wasn’t always the best option!” The company has been at its current site – at Grateley, near Andover, Hampshire – for more than 25 years. Four trucks are run on bulk, with 10 on contract for a national aggregates company – and aggregates are sold from the site too.

Its little DAF LF is in and out all day doing seven or eight and it’s proven to be a superb buy. To celebrate the eight jobs and it’s proven to be a company’s 50th superb buy. “We picked it up a year ago and it’s a lovely little truck. We fitted a side-opening body for carrying pallet of blocks or cement, which makes it very flexible. It’s a six-speed manual and it’s like a car to drive.

A pair of ERF E-series, bought new in 1990, have been immortalised on the rear of the DAF XI, which is of course built in Leyland. The DAF is a new marque for the tractor unit fleet, joining the LF 14-tonne tipper.

“There are two important things to consider with a new truck,” explains Grahame. “There’s the driver – you have to keep him happy, as good ones aren’t easy to come by. Then there’s the dealer. It’s vital to have the back- up there when you need it. We went for the DAF because the local dealer, Adams Morey, is superb, and Gary Wells, the driver.

“As it’s celebrating our 50th birthday, it’s specced to the hilt. “We took the plunge and ticked every box and I’m delighted with the way it’s turned out. It’s nice that DAF builds trucks in the UK, plus the price tag came in at (30,000 less than a comparable rival.”
The truck is bedding in nicely, and Grahame is looking forward to seeing how it compares with the other trucks on the fleet. “I always think a truck needs 50,000km to settle in from new.
We have high hopes for the XE Looking at the driver report, Gary is doing 89% on it so on our type of work that’s brilliant. “We run into quarries all day, which can be dirty work – but if you look at how clean the truck is, it shows that Gary always puts in 110%.”
Truck customisation experts Tranz-Tech are the people responsible for all the metal and lighting work on the XF.

The truck was up at Wisbech to get hydraulics fitted and then we sent it to Tranz-Tech. “Everything on the truck was done by Tranz-Tech, all at short notice,” he adds. “We are aiming for FORS Silver so we had the cameras and side-scan on it done there – our usual camera guy was impressed with the work.

Every additional wire was labelled, explaining what it’s doing, which is really important given the complexity of a modern truck.” Tranz-Tech custom-made the A-frame, side-skirts, cat-walk and rear-end metal-work, fitted the sun-visor, LED lights and supplied the Truckmax stacks. The truck was then sent for paint at Adams Morey. A special livery designed between Grahame’s son Shane and the signwriters was also added, and it will roll out onto the next trucks to join the fleet. The colour, Flame Red, is a Renault hue, from a Kadjar. Software switch The engine is the MX13 with the top output of 530hp mated to a 12-speed TraXon auto box, which, on the day of our photoshoot, was just six weeks old – in its transformed state at least.

“We found the performance quite flat to begin with,” says Gary. “A mate of mine has a nearly identical 530 and his was returning better fuel economy and was pulling harder.’ The solution? A trip back to dealer Adams Morey to have the gearbox software changed, from Eco-fuel to Eco-performance. It’s important to note that Daf offers different software options for the TraXon transmission, aimed at different applications. This XF Super Space is true five-star accommodation with microwave, fridge, TV, Pioneer stereo and even an air-con seat for the passenger as well as the driver.