Story Wayne Munro Photos Gerald Shacklock BIG TEST - Isuzu

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The F Series driver’s lot is regularly backing into driveways, with parked cars to make life difficult. To-ing and fro-ing to get the trailer pointed the right way is made easier by the Allison auto passenger side, a couple of cupboards above the windscreen and door pockets inside, an alloy gear locker outside, in front of the driver’s side rear axles. Even a tall guy like Anthony or a big guy like Trevor (Woolston) can get comfy behind the wheel, thanks to the seat and the easilyadjusted steering wheel and column. Function-wise, the dash is very plain and simple – a digital clock at the top of the display, a speedo and a tacho (with a 1000-2000rpm green zone). Surrounding them are smaller gauges for brake air pressure, fuel and water temperature. Driver-friendly features include electric windows, central locking, a stereo/CD player, aircon and two drink-holders that pull out from the dash. In the friendly AND safe category is a driver’s airbag. There’s nothing fancy about the interior – just comfy….and practical. Like the light grey vinyl hard surfaces and the darker grey trim. And a big central ceiling light as well as the usual smaller courtesy lights above the doors that go on when the doors open. Outside there are two decent-sized oblong rear vision mirrors, with smaller optical mirrors inset. There’s also a stoneguard, a sunvisor and a roof aerofoil. There’s no hiding that this is a very angular, square-edged truck – probably not very aerodynamic. But for the work it does that’s not critical. On the passenger side behind the steer axle there’s a 200-litre steel fuel tank. The Isuzu badges, by the way, have been sacrificed for the Bullet Freight branding – so the only mention of the Isuzu word is on the TCL Isuzu number plate holder. One of the major points about this interior though is how quiet it is when you’re on the move. As Owen Ferguson says, that’s been THE feedback from all of the drivers on the new Isuzus. Soon after 11am our last delivery (to a building supplies company) is done and, as per usual, Anthony now gets a break. Typically, within an hour, the pickup orders will start to roll in from his local customers. And so it happens: Just before midday he gets the call to head to a local packaging company that’s another of Bullet’s main customers, to pick up the best part of a truckload of palleted packaging. And, around 12.30pm, we start the return journey to the Bullet Freight depot, the reasonably busy motorway prompting a bit of discussion about the perils of Auckland traffic. “Yeah they do cut in on you – a lot. I leave myself a gap, but they still cut in front. It’s inevitable.” And so yes, in clocking up 14,500-odd kilometres in four months, almost inevitably the ABS system has had real-life testing – and wasn’t found wanting: “About two weeks ago a guy just cut in front of me – from nowhere. I had to slam the brakes on otherwise I would have ended up in the back of him. It was excellent.” There was no lockup and no accident. Another notable feature of this truck is the smooth-shifting nature of the Allison automatic. It may not be super-swift, but you couldn’t call it sluggish either – and it is super-smooth. Under normal acceleration and loading it shifts at 1600 to 1700rpm, but pushing the Power button prompts it to have the engine rev harder – upshifting later and downshifting earlier. On our run up the Harbour Bridge, for instance, it keeps the revs up around 2200, even Truck & Driver | 31 MAGAZINE
The morning’s run comprises five deliveries and one pickup – all in relatively tight confines, one of them necessitating the use of the Zepro tail-lift How well it does its job is indicated by the way its operators judge it: Owen Ferguson says that “we’ll see how the economy’s tracking….but in the next financial year and maybe a little bit earlier we’ll be certainly looking at maybe another couple of them” 2400rpm. The redline on the tacho is, by the way, set at 2800. The Allison takes itself down a gear to fifth as we come down the city side of the bridge. It does have an air-controlled exhaust brake that Anthony generally doesn’t bother using, except maybe when the trailer’s on and the combination’s at its heaviest. On the climb away from Victoria Park, Anthony takes it out of Power mode in the interests of comparison – and the Allison is more relaxed, running the engine 300-400rpm lower. Anthony reckons that the nature of the loads means that the truck probably only ever has to haul a maximum 24-tonnes all-up. That’s with the trailer behind. And most of the time, he says, it’s probably more like 18 or 19-tonnes. As Owen Ferguson mentions, the company doesn’t closely monitor the fuel economy of its metro fleet, so that remains an unknown in our test truck. If the gearchanging in the FVY is smooth (and it is), the ride is too: It comes courtesy of Hendrickson HAS400 air suspension on the Meritor RT40-145G tandem axle set. On the Meritor FG941 front axle there are taperleaf springs, shocks and a stabiliser bar. We’re back at the Bullet Freight logistics centre not long after 1pm. The whole process will now repeat – Anthony loading up with anything else in the warehouse for Albany (although often there’s nothing)…. then returning to the Shore, to begin a round of pickups, including hitching up the now-loaded trailer. So this is a typical day in the life of a real city truck: It’s only been out of Auckland once in its life, on a special delivery up to Warkworth. How well it does its job is indicated by the way its operators judge it: Owen Ferguson says that “we’ll see how the economy’s tracking….but in the next financial year and maybe a little bit earlier we’ll be certainly looking at maybe another couple of them. “I’m totally happy (with the Isuzus). There haven’t been any problems or any issues….well, with the exception of little things on the first one – like the misplacement of the controls for the tail-lift, on the suicide side instead of the left-hand side, you know. It was very, very quickly rectified.” And the driver? Anthony concedes that this isn’t a pretty-looking truck – but it is effective: “It gets my job done. And yeah, I’m happy with it. I enjoy this truck – if they took it off me I don’t know what I’d do.” In fact, he adds with a laugh, he’s actually told the boss: “I love this truck – and if it goes….I’d go with it!” T & D 32 | Truck & Driver MAGAZINE
Page 1 and 2: Big Test City slicker Story Wayne M
Page 3 and 4: Back at the cavernous Bullet Freigh
Page 5 and 6: moment that are looking pretty tire
Page 7: Even with its rooftop aerofoil the

Story Wayne Munro Photos Gerald Shacklock BIG TEST - Isuzu

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