ACCO bolsters Boral fleet

A leading Queensland subcontractor has added the latest Iveco ACCO 8x4 agitator to his fleet to service a contract with Boral, bringing the number of ACCOs in his stable to nine.

Ross Brooks has owned and operated a variety of ACCO agitators over nearly three decades, and his latest acquisition is one of six that have been purchased in the last two years.

"There have been enormous improvements made to the ACCO over the years," Ross said.

"The latest trucks are as tough and reliable as the ACCO has ever been and they ride beautifully. They have air suspension, an air-suspended driver's seat, air conditioning, electric mirrors and windows and Bluetooth. They've got all the creature comforts of a modern car – I think they're a great truck."

The 2015 ACCO is powered by an SCR powerplant rated at 340hp (254kW) and 1106lbft (1500Nm). The engine is coupled to an Allison six-speed automatic transmission while the truck rides on Hendrickson airbag suspension front and rear.

The load sharing, twin-steer front axle and air suspension combination provides optimum weight distribution for the 7.6-cubic-metre Cesco bowl, allowing up to 11 tonnes over the front axles.

Another important feature of the new ACCO 8x4 agitator is the locally developed electronic stability control (ESC) – a great addition given the high centre-of-gravity nature of agitator work. This is complemented by ABS brakes and traction control.

"Given Boral's focus on safety, ESC is a condition of our contract with them – all vehicles ordered after January 1, 2015, to work with Boral must have ESC," Ross said.

Safety aside, Ross said that reliability was also a key consideration in his fleet purchases, particularly given that concrete is a time-sensitive product.

"We carry a product that actually ages very quickly; the concrete should be out of the bowl within an hour and a half of batching. And it's all about consistency, especially if you have a concrete pump on site doing a major pour – the concrete needs to be turning up at the right intervals.

"While delivery and timing calculations are handled via a centralised computer system at Boral's head office, our control in the process is to operate reliable vehicles."

Ross said the ACCO makes a solid business case on many levels.

"I stand by Iveco because they stand by me; if ever I've had an issue with the vehicles, the company has supported me," he said.

"The ACCOs provide great value for money and their resale value is also good; they’re a known product, they’re an industry standard."