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Story Wayne Munro Photos Gerald Shacklock BIG TEST - Isuzu

Story Wayne Munro Photos Gerald Shacklock BIG TEST - Isuzu

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The morning’s run comprises five<br />

deliveries and one pickup – all in<br />

relatively tight confines, one of them<br />

necessitating the use of the Zepro<br />

tail-lift<br />

How well it does its job is indicated by the way its operators judge it:<br />

Owen Ferguson says that “we’ll see how the economy’s tracking….but<br />

in the next financial year and maybe a little bit earlier we’ll be certainly<br />

looking at maybe another couple of them”<br />

2400rpm. The redline on the tacho is, by the way, set at 2800.<br />

The Allison takes itself down a gear to fifth as we come down the<br />

city side of the bridge. It does have an air-controlled exhaust brake<br />

that Anthony generally doesn’t bother using, except maybe when the<br />

trailer’s on and the combination’s at its heaviest.<br />

On the climb away from Victoria Park, Anthony takes it out of Power<br />

mode in the interests of comparison – and the Allison is more relaxed,<br />

running the engine 300-400rpm lower.<br />

Anthony reckons that the nature of the loads means that the truck<br />

probably only ever has to haul a maximum 24-tonnes all-up. That’s<br />

with the trailer behind. And most of the time, he says, it’s probably<br />

more like 18 or 19-tonnes.<br />

As Owen Ferguson mentions, the company doesn’t closely monitor<br />

the fuel economy of its metro fleet, so that remains an unknown in<br />

our test truck.<br />

If the gearchanging in the FVY is smooth (and it is), the ride is<br />

too: It comes courtesy of Hendrickson HAS400 air suspension on the<br />

Meritor RT40-145G tandem axle set. On the Meritor FG941 front axle<br />

there are taperleaf springs, shocks and a stabiliser bar.<br />

We’re back at the Bullet Freight logistics centre not long after 1pm.<br />

The whole process will now repeat – Anthony loading up with anything<br />

else in the warehouse for Albany (although often there’s nothing)….<br />

then returning to the Shore, to begin a round of pickups, including<br />

hitching up the now-loaded trailer.<br />

So this is a typical day in the life of a real city truck: It’s<br />

only been out of Auckland once in its life, on a special delivery<br />

up to Warkworth.<br />

How well it does its job is indicated by the way its operators<br />

judge it: Owen Ferguson says that “we’ll see how the economy’s<br />

tracking….but in the next financial year and maybe a little bit earlier<br />

we’ll be certainly looking at maybe another couple of them.<br />

“I’m totally happy (with the <strong>Isuzu</strong>s). There haven’t been any<br />

problems or any issues….well, with the exception of little things on the<br />

first one – like the misplacement of the controls for the tail-lift, on the<br />

suicide side instead of the left-hand side, you know. It was very, very<br />

quickly rectified.”<br />

And the driver? Anthony concedes that this isn’t a pretty-looking<br />

truck – but it is effective: “It gets my job done. And yeah, I’m<br />

happy with it. I enjoy this truck – if they took it off me I don’t know<br />

what I’d do.”<br />

In fact, he adds with a laugh, he’s actually told the boss: “I love this<br />

truck – and if it goes….I’d go with it!” T & D<br />

32 | Truck & Driver<br />

MAGAZINE

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