Claimed payload and fuel economy gains of 500kg and 8.0 per cent respectively per vehicle are primary reasons why South Australian waste collector East Waste has moved to Isuzu trucks.
The company uses up to 40 side and rear loaders – including a fleet of new Isuzu dual control trucks – to service seven councils covering over 1,200km2 of collection area in the greater Adelaide region in a five-day-per-week operation.
North East Isuzu put in a successful tender to support East Waste with 15 new Isuzu FVY 240-300 Dual Control models, the last of which is due to hit the roads in early 2021.
East Waste’s fleet is managed by Operations Co-ordinator, Ray Pawa, Manager of Operational Services, Brian Krombholz, and Risk & WHS Co-ordinator, Ian Lampre.
In the suburbs close to Adelaide’s CBD, Pawa’s Operations Logs record the drivers navigating around 100km a day of waste collection, while in the Adelaide Hills precinct, it’s closer to 300 kms per day.
“We take our rules and regulations very seriously, constantly monitoring the weights, making sure we don’t overload the vehicles and looking out for the staff,” said Pawa.
With 20 years of experience behind the wheel as a side-lift operator and eight years in management, Pawa’s industry knowledge stands him in good stead supporting East Waste’s operations team.
“The councils are absolutely focused on financial performance and efficiency of the business, in terms of how we’re running things and the equipment we use to assist us – as they should be,” he said.
“We need to keep a close eye on the return figures, and a big part of that is the weight.”
According to Pawa, the Isuzu FVY Dual Control trucks offer 500kg in weight savings per truck compared with the previous brand the company was running.
“When you talk about 500 kg across an entire fleet, that’s a considerable weight saving of around a truck or a truck and a half.
“We’ve also experienced around an eight per cent reduction in fuel costs with the new Isuzus over our previous trucks,” he said.
Typically, the company looks at changing over their side and rear loader trucks every 190,000 to 250,000km, ensuring the fleet is up to date with the latest technology.
The FVY 240-300 Dual Control features identical twin steering for maximum operator ease; the left-hand steering input is transferred through a gear driven cross shaft mounted inside the cab.
The units feature Hendrickson airbag rear suspension and are powered by a six-cylinder Isuzu engine rated at 221kW (296hp) at 2,400rpm and peak torque of 981Nm at 1,450rpm.
Meritor axles front and rear, with the rear tandem featuring driver-controlled inter-axle and cross-locks, Meritor Q-Plus air brakes and an Allison LCT 3500 Series six-speed automatic transmission complete the package.
Pawa says driver acceptance of the new FVY models has been high, with positive feedback provided on the functional dual control layout, with steering column adjustability courtesy of a simple switch on the dash.
The comfort of ISRI 6860 pneumatic lumbar support driver’s seats on both sides of the cab have, according to Pawa, also been well received.