Robinson Contract Services turns latest Renault Trucks C into moving MND message

Yorkshire-based Robinson Contract Services has put a new Renault Trucks C P8x4 Off Road 460 into service with a striking Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association charity livery, raising awareness of a cause with a close personal connection to the family-run business.

The new 32-tonne tipper, supplied by Thompson Commercials, Hull, is the latest of six Renault Trucks to join the biosolids specialist’s fleet in the past six months. Working seven days a week and expected to cover around 1,400 miles each week, it will transport biosolids to farms and land application sites across the company’s extensive operating area.

The vehicle’s distinctive livery, created with the support of Thompson Commercials, honours rugby league legend Rob Burrow CBE and MND Association patron Sir Kevin Sinfield, alongside MND Association branding and a QR code linking directly to the charity’s donation page. The initiative continues Robinson Contract Services’ support for the charity, which has a close personal significance for Managing Director Emma Marsland and her husband David, the company’s Operations Manager, following their own experience of MND within the family.

Emma Marsland, Managing Director at Robinson Contract Services, said: “We started fundraising while our family was being affected by MND and we’ve raised around £25,000 so far. We want to help find a cure, but raising awareness is really important too.

“This truck is out working seven days a week and travelling around 1,400 miles, so it gives us an opportunity to take that message with us wherever it goes. The reaction has been fantastic. People see it on the road and talk to us about it, which is exactly what we hoped it would do.”

From agricultural contractor to biosolids specialist

Robinson Contract Services was established around 90 years ago as an agricultural contractor and has since evolved into a specialist in biosolids recycling. Today, the Yorkshire-based business works with four water utility companies and farming customers across a wide geographical area, extending from Carlisle to Essex.

Its work includes transporting and treating biosolids for use in agriculture, spreading material on farmland and land restoration. The company also operates its own lime treatment facility in Yorkshire, providing additional treatment capacity for water companies before material is returned to agricultural use.

The business has expanded significantly over the past five years, doubling both its workforce and truck fleet. It now employs around 110 people and operates a core fleet of approximately 40 trucks, supported by eight regular subcontractors when additional capacity is required.

The fleet reflects the range of work undertaken by the business, with articulated trucks, tankers, bulkers and sweepers operating alongside around 10 excavators. Its six most recent truck purchases have all been Renault Trucks, joining the fleet within the past six months.

Specified for demanding on and off-road work

The new Renault Trucks C will spend much of its working life delivering biosolids to farms, regularly travelling off-road across uneven ground and temporary farm roadways. Its ground clearance and ability to cope with demanding site conditions were therefore key considerations for Robinson Contract Services.

The Renault Trucks C P8x4 Off features a reinforced chassis and steel bumper to support an operation that combines high road mileage with regular off-road work. A high-sided aluminium tipper body from Broughton Bodies provides the capacity and tipping height required for the company’s biosolids work. A VBG coupling allows the Renault Trucks C to tow a flatbed trailer carrying an excavator to a farm, leave the machine on site and continue with its deliveries, making more efficient use of both vehicle and driver.

Emma explained: “Our trucks have to go off road and we work on a lot of uneven terrain, so the ground clearance was really important to us. The VBG is useful too because we can take a digger out on a trailer, drop it at the farm and then the truck can carry on with its normal work. It means we can do two jobs with one vehicle.”

With Robinson Contract Services’ trucks operating seven days a week, driver comfort, safety and vehicle availability are also important. The Renault Trucks C combines its work-focused specification with Driver Alert System, Lane Departure Warning and side radar.

Supporting MND awareness

The new Renault Trucks C builds on Robinson Contract Services’ wider support for the MND Association, which has included a charity golf day and working day, helping to raise around £25,000 to date. Robinsons were proud to support Sir Kevin Sinfield’s latest 7in7 ultra marathon challenge by parking the truck at both Shiptonthorpe and Market Weighton during the first and second day of his challenge. The charity has also joined Robinson Contract Services at the Driffield Show and Yorkshire Agricultural Machinery Show for the past two years, with further fundraising and appearances for the MND-liveried truck planned.

MND Association patron, Sir Kevin Sinfield said “We are grateful to Emma and everyone at Robinson Contract Services for raising awareness of MND in such a unique way. They, along with the team, went to huge efforts to produce the truck wrapping, and the end result was superb.”

Emma added: “There’s a real sense of pride around this truck. It’s important to us that the business can make a positive difference where we can, and our staff have really got behind it. We deliberately kept the Robinson branding understated because we wanted the truck to be about MND rather than about us.”

Service supports growing Renault Trucks fleet

With six Renault Trucks joining the fleet in the past six months, Robinson Contract Services has been impressed by both the vehicles and the service and aftercare provided by Thompson Commercials.

Emma explained: “Price matters, but so does the service we get over the life of the truck. We’ve had a really good experience with Thompson Commercials. The communication and aftercare have been good, they keep us informed and they’re easy to deal with.”

She added: “The drivers love the Renault Trucks and we’re very happy with the relationship we’ve built. If the service and communication continue as they have, there’s absolutely no reason why Renault Trucks won’t continue to play a part in our fleet.”

Joe Uttley, HGV Sales Executive at Thompson Commercials, commented: “Robinson Contract Services has a demanding operation, and the Renault Trucks C is well suited to its combination of high mileage and regular off-road work. We’re delighted to be supporting the business and look forward to building on the relationship as Renault Trucks plays an increasing role in the fleet.”