Foton assists Pacific Highway upgrade

A NSW North Coast traffic control company has turned to Foton Trucks to assist it in its role in the upgrade of a key section of the Pacific Highway

Based in Port Macquarie, NSW, traffic control and labour hire firm Men At Work recently purchased four new Foton trucks after winning the contract to direct traffic flow in and around a key Pacific Highway upgrade.

A 37-kilometre section of the highway is being upgraded between the Oxley Highway interchange at Port Macquarie and Kundebung, just south of Kempsey. The work, which is expected to take three years to complete, will see the old highway replaced with dual carriageway and new bridges constructed over the Hastings and Wilson Rivers.

To assist it in safely guiding traffic through the construction zone, Men At Work has purchased three new Foton 65.115 models, which will soon be added to the 45.110 of which it had only recently taken delivery. The 45.110 is a short-wheelbase, narrow-cab model, while the 65.115s are medium-wheelbase, wide-cab models.

According to David Bagini, Principal of Men At Work, Foton's products made sense on a number of levels.

"The initial factor was price, which was very, very good, but the use of SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) in the Cummins engine was another major attraction because we have found the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) pollution systems used on most Japanese trucks have problems in hot weather and when idling for long periods of time," he said.

"Our traffic control trucks spend a lot of time idling so that we can run the powered Variable Messaging Signs (VMS) they carry. It can get fairly hot up here on the North Coast so the SCR is a much better option.

Men At Work purchased the first truck from Port Foton and then decided to purchase three more after securing the additional work.

"The Foton worked very well and so based on that when we picked up the three-year contract on the Pacific Highway upgrade we decided to buy three more, choosing the wide-cab models to give a bit more room for our operators and the medium-wheelbase option to carry more equipment."

The trucks will be on the road every day through the construction period, controlling traffic and lugging equipment.

The four Fotons will be joining a primarily Japanese truck fleet at Men At Work, with the new additions seeing that fleet grow from 15 to 19 trucks.

"The driver of the original Foton loves the truck and reckons it works very well, so that obviously was another factor in us ordering the three new Fotons," says Mr Bagini.

The Foton 45.110 is powered by a 2.8-litre Cummins ISF turbo-diesel boasting 110kW and 360Nm, while the larger 65.115 wide-cab models have a Cummins 3.8-litre ISF turbo-diesel with 115kW and 500Nm. Both are mated to a ZF five-speed manual gearbox.

The Foton Trucks Australia range comprises two cab widths, two engines, three wheelbases and GVMs from 4.5-8.5t, with prices starting from $32,990 drive away.

Distributed in Australia by Ateco Automotive, the trucks are backed by a three-year/160,000km factory warranty with full roadside assistance. Foton Trucks Australia now has a 22-strong dealer network stretching the length and breadth of the country.

For more information visit www.fotontrucks.com.au.

Foton assists Pacific Highway upgrade

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