First Cat pushes on in Tassie

Tasmania's SRT Logistics says its Cat CT630 – the world's first Cat truck to be produced – is delivering the goods

Nearly three-and-a-half years after it became the world’s first Cat truck to roll off the production line, a Tasmanian road freight specialist, SRT Logistics, says the CT630 in question is delivering the goods day in, day out, and with impressive fuel economy.

The truck, which was the first Cat model produced at Cat Trucks Australia’s Melbourne facility under the NC2 joint venture between Caterpillar and Navistar, has covered around 600,000km since it rolled off the line in November 2010.

Largely hauling B-double sets between SRT’s Hobart base and Launceston, company Principal Jim Miller says the vehicle has been one of his fleet’s top performers.

“It immediately went to work and it hasn’t missed a beat since,” he says.

Jim says the CT630’s economy has been particularly impressive, with the truck recording an average figure of 2.1km per litre.

“It has been our best B-double truck on fuel economy right from the start,” he says.

“We have a few others which get to that sort of figure, but certainly none better.”

It’s also excelled in terms of reliability.

“Like any truck, there have been a couple of issues over the past three-and-a-half years but they’ve only ever been minor,” he says.

“It’s a truck that just keeps doing the job. Really, I don’t think anyone could ask for a better run than what we’ve had to date.”

Miller says his preference for Cat engines sealed the deal back in 2010, and he’s been thoroughly satisfied with his truck’s 550hp (404kW) C15 powerplant.

“The decision to buy the Cat truck had nothing to do with wanting to be first with a new brand,” he says.

“It just happened that way. What I wanted was a Cat engine, simple as that, and the engine has given us no issues whatsoever.”

Miller says he now has his eye on Cat’s recently released B-double specialist, the CT630S.

“I can see some real benefits with that model in our B-double work,” he confirms.

First Cat pushes on in Tassie

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