Operating from purpose-built plants in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and Brandesburton, East Yorkshire, Newlay manufactures and supplies asphalt to a diverse customer base, including local authorities, housebuilders, major surfacing contractors, smaller builders and driveway companies.
The company runs its own transport fleet to maintain control over delivery availability and service levels, with vehicles split across the two plants and typically working within a 50-mile radius. The latest order further strengthens Newlay’s core 32-tonne asphalt delivery fleet, which is now built around Renault Trucks C Range 8x4s.
Fleet growth follows Brandesburton investment
Newlay began producing asphalt in May 2015 and has been running Renault Trucks since 2017, when it took delivery of its first 67-plate vehicle from Thompson Commercials. Its latest order includes both replacement trucks and additional fleet capacity, supporting a major period of growth as the business expands its reach across East Yorkshire.
Jamie Brown, Managing Director at Newlay Asphalt, said: “Opening Brandesburton has changed the scale of the business. We had been delivering from Dewsbury across to the East Coast, sometimes 75 or 80 miles, because there was a real gap in the market in East Yorkshire for a locally based asphalt plant.”
“Brandesburton gives us a production site much closer to that market, and the extra vehicles have been essential in supporting that growth. The fleet has more than doubled in size on the back of the new plant, so the trucks are a really important part of how we service customers across the region,” he added.
Built for asphalt delivery
The new Renault Trucks C 430s have been specified to give Newlay maximum flexibility across its asphalt delivery operation, with each vehicle fitted with an alloy insulated tipper body from PPG Fabrications and three rear asphalt chutes.
Jamie said: “All our wagons are set up the same way, so it doesn’t matter which vehicle we send out, it can do the job. They will bring raw materials into the plant first thing and then go out with asphalt deliveries to customers.
“It might only be three deliveries a day, but with asphalt you can be held on site for a couple of hours, so the truck has to be right for the work. The PPG bodies have worked really well for us and PPG have developed the body with us, making changes that suit the way we operate.”
The vehicles can tip directly, feed paving machines or support hand-lay work where customers need material offloaded into wheelbarrows for smaller jobs such as footpaths, driveways and housing developments.
Reliability and driver feedback keeps Newlay with Renault Trucks
Reliability, whole-life cost, driver acceptance and dealer support have been key factors in Newlay’s move to Renault Trucks C Range.
Jamie said: “The Renault Trucks vehicles have been very reliable, and they work well for us from a maintenance and whole-life cost perspective. They are competitive in the market, the price point has always been good, and the drivers are happy to spend eight to 10 hours a day in them.”
He admits they did “demo another brand” recently but the feedback from the drivers was very clear: “They wanted to stay with Renault Trucks. The new models are very smart inside, with the comfort features and built-in navigation, and the drivers really appreciate that.”
Newlay has also moved to the latest Optidriver automated gearbox specification through Thompson Commercials’ recommendation, with positive feedback from drivers on performance and driveability.
Connected, visible and safety-focused
The latest trucks are specified with a strong package of connected and safety technology, including camera-based driver behaviour and lane departure warning systems, side radar covering both sides of the truck, intelligent speed assistance, tyre pressure monitoring and Renault Trucks’ 4G telematics gateway enabling subscription to Optifleet services.
Newlay has also fitted an exterior camera system covering the front, both sides and rear of the vehicle, alongside onboard weighing and overhead hazard detection to support safe operation when tipping near cables and other site risks.
Optifleet has become central to Newlay’s fleet management approach, giving the business a single dashboard for tracking, fuel economy, driver performance and tachograph downloads.
Jamie said: “Optifleet is the big one for us. We can monitor tracking, fuel economy and driver performance, and we use it to create a driver league so the team can see how they are doing. It helps us look at things like harsh braking, idling and fuel use, and we can give drivers advice on how to improve.
“It is all built into the truck, so we do not have to add an external system. We log in to one dashboard and can see everything.”
Backed by Thompson Commercials
Thompson Commercials has played a key role in Newlay’s Renault Trucks fleet growth, helping shape the vehicle specification and recommending the PPG Fabrications body solution as the business has expanded. Newlay’s vehicles are backed by a full Renault Trucks Premier repair and maintenance package, covering six-weekly inspections, servicing and MOTs, with Thompson Commercials’ Sheffield depot supporting Dewsbury and its Hull site supporting Brandesburton.
Jamie said: “The location of the Thompson Commercials depots works very well for us. It is a real benefit when it comes to six-weekly inspections and changeovers. If we do have an issue, they sort it out, and Renault Trucks 24/7 support gives us cover if there is ever a problem out on the road.
“John and the sales team at Thompson Commercials have been brilliant. The recommendation to move to PPG bodies has worked really well, and they understand what we need from the vehicles.”
John Robinson, Sheffield Area Sales Executive at Thompson Commercials, commented: “Newlay Asphalt is a long-standing and valued customer, and we’re very grateful for Jamie and the team’s continued confidence in Thompson Commercials and Renault Trucks. They know exactly what they need from their vehicles, and the Renault Trucks C 430 8x4 gives them the strength, driveability and driver comfort required for demanding asphalt work.
“The latest eight vehicles continue a strong partnership between Newlay, Thompson Commercials and Renault Trucks. With the business expanding into East Yorkshire, the specification had to deliver across productivity, uptime, safety and driver appeal, and the C Range is proving to be an excellent fit. We’re proud to support Newlay’s continued growth and look forward to working closely with the team into the future.”