NRG Riverside celebrates its 30th anniversary

From left to right: Liam Wolfe, Rebecca McKevitt, Kirsty Hillsden, Tom Brierley, and Liam Cronin

As the business marks this milestone, the focus is firmly on the future, building on three decades of sustained growth and continued investment across fleet, infrastructure, and people. “Reaching 30 years is a significant milestone for the business,” said Amber Greenhalgh, Chief Revenue Officer, NRG Riverside. “As the industry continues to evolve, we’re committed to investing in the capability, technology, and people needed to ensure we deliver consistent, high-quality service for our customers across the UK.”

Now operating from 17 locations across the UK, NRG Riverside continues to expand its national support capability, with recent additions including new depots in Waltham Cross and Newport alongside ongoing investment in mobile service support and customer infrastructure. In just the last ten years alone, NRG Riverside has purchased approximately 2,000 Dennis Eagle vehicles and bodies, reflecting the scale and importance of this partnership.

“We’re focused on ensuring our customers are given the best possible service at all times, no matter where they’re based across the UK,” said Chris Snelson, Fleet and Asset Director, NRG Riverside. “That’s why we’re working to grow our national coverage and accelerate the diversity and effectiveness of our fleet. As such, we’re proud to be able to provide every model of Dennis Eagle and Terberg Matec UK refuse collection and specialist recycling vehicles, from the Olympus Midi to ORUS food waste trucks and everything in-between.”

NRG Riverside is also keen to continue investing heavily in its people, with an apprenticeship programme currently nurturing the talent of over 30 apprentices company-wide and career progression opportunities such as leadership pathways dedicated to upskilling its existing expertise. “Wherever possible, we do as much as we can to address the UK skills shortage currently impacting our industry,” added Chris. “We’re big supporters of Dennis Eagle’s new Technical Training Centre for this reason – not only does it give our apprentices the skills they need to maintain the future of the sector, but its bespoke learning pathways enhance and hone our people’s expertise to help fill those gaps.”

Craig Young, Mobile Technician

Impressive infrastructure for an attentive service

With roughly a £50 million budget invested in short-term vehicles each year, in addition to contract hire requirements, NRG Riverside is host to a substantial mix of refuse collection vehicles (RCVs), including every weight class up to 32 tonnes, and chassis and bodies from a broad range of different manufacturers, depending on its customers’ needs. Its specialist refuse fleet includes skip and hook loaders, food waste vehicles, glass collection, and compaction. This sits alongside a highways division consisting of gritters and impact protection vehicles, as well as a refrigeration fleet that specialises in food transport and distribution.

Headquartered in Skelmersdale, this acts as a 24/7 support hub for the fleet hire specialist’s customers, housing both a national rental and service support desk. All calls are dealt with by NRG Riverside’s dedicated team, offering a one-stop shop for all queries, with a cohort of 24 mobile engineers on hand to rapidly support any issues and maintain fleet uptime. Customers are also given access to a live portal, providing essential real-time information that includes compliance records, vehicle status, and a log for any RCVs off the road. This infrastructure is supported by longstanding supplier partnerships, including Dennis Eagle, which continues to play a key role in the provision of RCVs across the fleet.

“The strength and longevity of our partnership with Dennis Eagle speaks volumes about the trust that exists between our two businesses,” said Chris. “We’ve had a constant relationship since day one, consistently supported by their attentive aftermarket services, industry-leading vehicles, and exceptional training offering.”

Readily equipped to embrace change

As customer demand for data and performance insight continues to increase, NRG Riverside has evolved its fleet and support capabilities accordingly. Telematics is now standard across its RCVs, enabling improved performance and monitoring, compliance, and operational visibility.

The business has also noted a considerable uplift in the demand for food waste vehicles across the industry. Driven by emerging legislation, this has resulted in an additional 100 food waste vehicles being introduced to its fleet over the last two years, including dozens of Terberg ORUS vehicles. This flexibility ensures NRG Riverside can continue to respond as customer and regulatory requirements evolve.

From humble beginnings in 1996 with only 20 RCVs to its name, the business has expanded exponentially over the past three decades, having welcomed more than 300 team members and 2,700 vehicles to its impressive national footprint. “NRG Riverside is a remarkable success story, a huge testament to the outstanding end-to-end services it offers its customers,” said Richard Taylor, Sales and Marketing Director, Dennis Eagle. “Our partnership over the last 30 years has only continued to strengthen, enabling us to deliver true value and world-class technology to its customers time and time again. We are privileged to be a part of their journey.”