New Isuzu is right tool for Travis Perkins06 November 2013

Travis Perkins has taken delivery of 15 new 5-tonne Isuzu trucks for its tool hire division in a move to gain better capacity, more payload and better vehicle productivity for deliveries.

Based on the Isuzu 5.0 tonner, Isuzu Truck and dealer Westons Car & Commercials worked with Travis Perkins to devise a bespoke vehicle and body specification. The solution comprises the Isuzu Forward N50.150 5.02 tonne 4x2 chassis cab, fitted with a purpose-designed aluminium beavertail body, to replace some of the company's existing 3.5-tonne rigids.

The new specification delivers a 2000kg payload compared to the 900kg from the 3.5-tonne trucks. The vehicles can also tow a platform trailer for an additional 2800kg.

Andy Ray, group fleet manager at Travis Perkins, says: "Historically, we have run 3.5-tonne trucks on this operation, although we sometimes use 7.5 or 12 tonners at some of our larger centres... The new 5.0 tonne Isuzu plugs the gap perfectly. It enables us to achieve a 2-tonne payload on the chassis cab with the ability to tow a trailer with another 2.8 tonnes of payload, effectively reducing the number of journeys we need to make by half.

"For many of our operations this specification is ideal because the Isuzu 5.0 tonner can undertake some of the jobs a 7.5 or 12 tonne truck can do, but at a fraction of the cost."

Travis Perkins estimates that each 5-tonne truck will operate for eight years. The initial batch of 15 vehicles is working predominantly in Devon and Cornwall. On average, each is covering 35,000km per annum, although the first one that was supplied has already done 90,000km.

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
Isuzu Truck (UK) Ltd

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