The new truck will be used to support the installation of domestic and commercial fencing across an area of the Highlands spanning Buckie in the east, to Dingwall in the west.
One of four Isuzu trucks operated by the company, this latest arrival has been selected for its impressive payload carrying potential which, when combined with a 3.5-tonne towing capacity, enables the three-person crew to arrive on site with all of the materials needed to get underway, including concrete, aggregates and wood – plus the required tools for the job.
David Nicoll, managing director of Nicoll’s Landscaping & Merchants, said: “The payload we get from the Isuzu is phenomenal. Its compact footprint also gives us a huge advantage as we can fit onto just about any domestic driveway. That can be worth its weight in gold on some jobs, and it just wouldn’t be possible with many competitor chassis at this weight.”
The truck stands out for being the first in the customer’s fleet to be spec’d with a lockable tool box – a feature which is saving the company around 90 minutes every day, through no longer having to load a full complement of tools each morning, and unload at night.
Nicoll explained: “The cost of the lockable tool box has already been recouped through time savings. It’s brought a whole new level of efficiency to our operation, and it’s incredibly well built and keeps our tools safely locked away.”
The vehicle also benefits from a petrol-powered compressor mounted above the tool box, with air lines situated along the bodywork to allow the crew to arrive on site and have their pneumatic tools connected and ready to work within minutes.
Summing up his reason for specifying another Isuzu, he added: “The Isuzu trucks we’ve had are bullet-proof, and the support we get from Elgin Truck & Van Centre is fantastic. Together, it’s a perfect combination of a robust product which punches above its weight on payload, and a dealership which bends over backwards to support us.”
The new vehicle is expected to remain on the fleet for three years, clocking up in the region of 20,000 miles per annum. All servicing and maintenance will be undertaken at Isuzu Truck UK’s northernmost dealership, operated by Elgin Truck & Van Centre in Inverness, just 20 miles from the customer’s base.
