The Manchester-based operator is one of the country’s newest providers of impact protection vehicles (IPVs), also known as crash cushion or impact attenuator trucks, and placed its entire order with Iveco.
Supplied by Brighouse-based dealer Northern Commercials, these Eurocargos have the 250bhp, 6.7-litre engine, delivering up to 850Nm of torque between 1,250 and 2,050 rpm.
The vehicles have bespoke traffic management bodywork built by PPS Commercials, with cushions made by Verdegro and supplied by Highway Care.
Phil Glaiser, fleet manager at Crash Cushion Rental Solutions, says the highway maintenance sector has very specific requirements for vehicles and the Iveco Eurocargo “ticked all the boxes”.
He adds: “One of the major selling points was the fact that Iveco offers a factory-fitted passenger bench seat in the high-roof sleeper cab, which ensures maximum internal cab space for the driver and two operatives.”
And he continues: “The cab also offers easy walk through access – allowing the operatives to enter and exit the vehicle without having to open their doors on to traffic.”
In addition to the crash cushion, said to reduce the impact of a collision by up to 50%, the truck’s traffic management body features sign storage compartments, a cone storage area to the rear of the working platform, light and sandbag storage compartments under the vehicle, cone wells to the left and right, a moveable load locking system for both cone and sign storage points, and a moveable railing system.
Glaiser also says the Eurocargo’s reliability was key to the decision: “Because of the mileage and safety-critical nature of the job these vehicles have to do, we need our fleet to be both economical and reliable,” he explains.
“In particular, we found the 18-tonne Eurocargo offers us the load carrying capacity our customers required while the HI-SCR [selective catalytic reduction] Euro 6 engine delivers excellent fuel consumption.”
As for the response from its clients, Glaiser says that has been “tremendous”. The vehicles have been delivered straight from Northern Commercials to Crash Cushion Rental Solutions’ customers and, “as yet, we have not had one returned from hire”.
The vehicles were supplied on a full Iveco Elements R&M contract, covering all inspections and maintenance.