Emissions Compliance a Key Consideration for TW Drainage

In light of the new emissions regulations and the launch of inner-city Low Emission Zones it is becoming increasingly incumbent on drainage contractors to purchase new machinery that is Stage V compliant. For Kent-based TW Drainage, who undertake a wide range of drainage work across London and the South East, the new 7.5t RioCom PTO (power take-off) combination unit seemed an obvious choice.

Tommy Ward, founder and Managing Director at TW Drainage, says that the new Stage V emissions regulations have played a large part in recent equipment purchase decisions.

“We’ve spent a lot of time and money ensuring that the drainage fleet is compliant,” he says. “Our Logistics Manager Charlie French, has overseen this process and has been the guiding force on the purchasing decisions.”

“But we’ve also been using Rioned equipment a long time. My first ever jetter was a Rioned machine and we’ve built up a very good relationship with Mark Cox (the Rioned UK Sales Manager). He’s able to jump on things quickly and respond faster than others. We also regularly use their equipment hire service, which works well for us during periods of very high-demand.”

TW Drainage operate over 40 vehicles across its fleet, with the drainage team accounting for approximately 65% of company revenue. Choosing the RioCom combination unit made sense for several reasons, not least because of its green credentials.

The base vehicle is a Mitsubishi Fuzo Canter 7C18 chassis with Euro 6 turbo-charged, direct-injection engine. The unit meets new non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) Stage V emission standards by featuring a PTO (Power Take-off) drive that uses power from the vehicle engine to operate two very powerful pumps that can operate simultaneously.

The additional secure, shuttered storage space added to the vehicle was also a big selling point for TW Drainage.

“We don’t necessarily have work for our tankers all day, so the new tanker works well for both external and internal jobs,” explains Tommy. “The storage space on the unit means we can carry all the drain cleaning equipment the engineers need for carrying out work indoors. For instance, if we have a team working during the morning pumping a drain in West London, they can also carry out smaller, internal jobs nearby. On the strength of that we haven’t had to buy an additional van-pack jetter.”

Tommy also says the size of the unit at 7.5t also means this is an efficient process and the smaller unit is better suited to the firm’s inner-city work, a core of which is with housing associations and local authorities.

For work in central London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), the RioCom has full European type approval and is ULEZ ready. Mark Cox says Rioned’s new product range allows contractors to work without fear of penalties in areas where special environmental measures apply.

“For contractors purchasing new equipment, particularly in those areas, compliance with the new regulations is paramount,” he says. “Our philosophy to “prepare for tomorrow today” means we’re at the forefront of drainage equipment developments, a fact reflected in our relationship with a progressive company such as TW Drainage.”