It is with a lot of anticipation when we finally receive a new asset. Trucks are no different and putting them to the task finally gives the owner a chance to see if the vehicles live up to expectations. In January, Novan Hing, Managing Director of Soong Ki Trading Sdn Bhd, received his first MAN truck in a spectacular hand-over event (Asian Trucker reported). After six months, it is now time to hear from him how the truck performs.

“We purchased a total of five trucks from MAN and this vehicle has been commissioned now for six months. So far, everything has been very good.” Hing told Asian Trucker that prior to purchasing these trucks, the company has had a journey that took them from using re-built trucks to new ones. However, prior to this batch, it was different brands that the company has been using. Having used re-built trucks, Soong Ki Trading soon realised that the joy over the lower cost is far outweighed by the hassle of having to deal with the increased downtime. Hing mentioned that there are always minor issues that have to be dealt with, however, the new MAN trucks have performed to expectations thus far.

With a change in the focus of the business, Soong Ki Trading’s trucks also needed to change. Initially, the business operated tipper trucks, whereas now, the operation is more focused on haulage, needing different truck models. Overall, Hing observed two things happening: uptime has been significantly improved with new trucks and drivers are more motivated. The latter is important to him as the drivers remain the most important component in any transportation business.

Evaluating the various brands available in the market, Hing opted for the German marque based on two factors: reputation as being highly reliable and the access to an extensive service network. He told Asian Trucker “We need to ensure that there is sufficient support for the vehicles and MAN has proven that they can offer this service.” Overall, Hing said that the biggest advantage of using these trucks is an upgrade in the company’s image as a result of improved uptime. Downtime and breakdowns being the worst possible scenarios as they are typically very visible and clients would take note of those operators that are deemed unreliable as a consequence of such incidents.

Hing is anxious about the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) though. “We have to remember that modern trucks feature a lot more technology. These trucks have a lot more sensors and computing power, so I would think that a repair or any scheduled maintenance could be a bit more costly. Hopefully, the spare parts won’t be too expensive.” With long service intervals, Hing is looking at two or three stops for service, considering that his trucks will clock in about 100 000 kilometres a year. For him, this is good news as previously, his reconditioned trucks would have to be taken out of operation more often as they required more care and repair.