Recycling operator First Mile has assigned a 7.5-tonne Fuso Canter to its new low-cost food waste collection service.
Fitted with a high-sided tipping body and side-mounted bin lift, the truck was chosen, according to First Mile, for its payload and a compact footprint, which lends itself to urban operation.
The Canter's powertrain comprises a 150bhp Euro 5 engine and Duonic dual-clutch automatic transmission. The truck's lightweight chassis allows a payload of 2,780kg.
"Other 7.5-tonners are too big to operate efficiently in the centre of London, and don't have anything like the same carrying capacity either, or the easy cab access of the Canter," explains First Mile chief executive Bruce Bratley.
The Canter 7C15 arrived via Heathrow Mercedes-Benz dealer Rygor Commercials, which has also recently supplied First Mile with six Mercedes-Benz Sprinter LCVs.
All but one are 5-tonne 513CDI chassis cabs – the exception being a 3.5-tonne 313CDI panel van. Used to collect dry recyclables, the larger vehicles have cage bodies by R&G Engineering, of Darlington, which also built the Canter's double-skinned tipper.
"The 5.0-tonne Sprinter is the optimum size for our operation – it gives us more capacity but still drives like a 3.5-tonner," explains Bratley.
"We have also embraced the fact that at this weight the Sprinter requires a tachograph, and as a result our drivers are becoming more professional and better qualified."
