Leyland Trucks, the UK-based manufacturer of the full range of DAF trucks, has celebrated the production of its 500,000th vehicle. The milestone truck – a 16-tonne GVW DAF LF 210 – was handed over to customer Minoli at a special pro-duction line ceremony.

The DAF LF 210 is the first of four new trucks for Minoli – a leading importer and distrib-utor of Italian porcelain tiles. Two of the vehicles are spec’d with a 210 hp PACCAR PX-5 engine and rear air suspension for the transport of the finest ceramic. Minoli, with its headquarters and distribution centre in Oxford and offices and showrooms in London, has remained an exclusive and loyal DAF operator for almost 40 years.

DAF LF is UK’s most popular distribution truck

In a relationship that spans several decades, Minoli has chosen DAF and the London based dealer HTC Group to meet its requirements for reliable, robust vehicles that have been purpose-built in harmony with the company’s exacting and often changing needs. Increased demand for Minoli’s products, a drive for constantly enhancing efficiency and a concerted effort to reduce emissions has required an ongoing cycle of investment in expanding and upgrading the Minoli fleet. With the latest additions, Minoli will be run-ning 14 DAF trucks. The company’s reasons to opt for the UK’s most popular distribu-tion truck include the LF’s industry-leading payload and driver comfort, as well as outstanding vehicle handling and unmatched manoeuvrability.

Built in Britain

“We as a company and a family, feel very privileged to have been invited to Leyland Trucks to mark such a momentous milestone in the company’s history,” said Jonathon Minoli. “We’re proud to know that our trucks are built in Britain and that we are supporting British industry. We’ve been a DAF operator for almost 40-years now – and our relationship with the brand has been built on quality and reliability, that in turn allows us to meet our customers’ needs, day after day and year after year.

The Leyland Assembly Plant was constructed in 1979 with full production starting in 1980. Today, Leyland Trucks occupies an 86-acre site with 93,000 square metres of covered production space. A workforce of 1,000 includes several fourth and fifth gener-ation employees. The current vehicle ranges include LF, CF, XF models and now also the New Generation DAF range of XF, XG and XG+ vehicles – ‘International Truck of the Year 2022’.