Shotts-based haulier Stuart Nicol Transport ran one of the last Renault Magnums sold in the UK – and has now replaced it with one of the country’s first right-hand-drive Range T Highs.
Any visitors to the Renault stand at Truckfest in Peterborough over the May Day bank holiday weekend cannot have failed to see the gleaming new Range T High, resplendent in Stuart Nicol Transport’s distinctive blue and red livery.
It was a proud moment for the Shotts, North Lanarkshire-based company because it was the public debut for their latest addition to the fleet – and it is one of the first Range T High right-hookers on the road in the UK.
It was a long-awaited moment for the eponymous boss of SNT. “I was quite disappointed when [Renault] said they were bringing out the equivalent of the Magnum but only doing it for left-hand drive,” says Stuart.
“So when I got a phone call to say Renault were going to do be doing a limited run in the UK of 60 righthand-drive Range T Highs to see how it went, I asked for a price and did a deal. We were one of the first in the country to order one.”
Stuart adds that the local Renault salesman had been talking to them for some time about buying a Renault but the clincher was that the company that does all SNT’s bodywork and painting, David Philp Commercials, of Kirknewton, is also a Renault service agent.
“It was through seeing that they looked after their customers that we decided to go for the Range T High,” says Stuart. “The salesman looked after us from start to finish with the deal, so much so that we bought another one straight after.”
All snapped up
Take-up of the right-hand-drive Range T High has been strong – according to Renault, the initial production run has all been snapped up.
The T High was delivered to SNT at the beginning of April, and it went straight to the paintshop so that it could be ready in time for Truckfest.
This story is from the Summer 2018 edition of Truck & Driver.
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This story is from the Summer 2018 edition of Truck & Driver.
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