This is a multimillion pound contract with significant £9.5 million investment from Ryder and represents one of the largest contract hire deals to be signed this year.

The 187 vehicles include 15 tonne dry freight box bodied trucks, 38 tonne and 28 tonne tractor units from DAF and Mercedes. These will be incorporated into the Hovis fleet. More than 99% of all UK households brought a Premier Foods brand last year and 46.8 million people eat one of their branded products in an average two week period. Brands include Hovis, Mr. Kipling, Branston, Ambrosia and Bachelors.

The vehicles will be maintained through Ryder’s network of dedicated maintenance depots and its 349 strong FleetCare dealer network. The account will be supported by a senior account management team together with Ryder’s dedicated technology platform to provide detailed online vehicle management. In addition Ryder offers the flexibility of being able to provide spot or long term rental vehicles to support the fleet where needed.

“This is a major contract hire win for Ryder and represents a significant investment on our part. We have spent a great deal of time taking a consultative approach to Premier Food’s requirements before constructing a solution that combined the best support infrastructure network available with the perfect specification of vehicles which could be sourced across a number of manufacturers,” commented David Hunt, Vice President and Managing Director, Fleet Management Solutions (FMS), Ryder Europe. “Effectively we are providing Premier with a tailor-made solution which includes vehicle flexibility, a dedicated senior account team, a proven technology platform and a comprehensive network of maintenance locations.”