Isuzu delivers air advantage

A Cairns-based compressed-air specialist has enhanced its growing business with the addition of a fully equipped Isuzu NNR 200.

Queensland Air Compressors says the truck is now taking the company's services to clients all over the state's far north, and that it offers excellent driver comfort and safety along with potent performance and payload.

The Sunshine State's healthy mining and construction industries have kept Queensland Air Compressors on its toes – so much so that company director Peter Harben (pictured, left) recently added the new NNR 200 to handle the extra workload placed on his servicing fleet.

Powered by Isuzu's SiTEC Series III 150 turbo-diesel, good for a claimed 110kW and 375Nm, the new truck has a GVM of 4500kg and a GCM of 8000kg, meaning it's more than capable of handling the company's heavier assignments beyond the Cairns metro area.

Mr Harben said his business's success hinges upon fast and efficient service and so demands capable and reliable trucks.

"If you are a regular customer of ours we offer a one-hour breakdown response guarantee or the call-out fee is free," he says.

"We understand what downtime can cost the customer, with not having compressed air available, so this is a great service – responding to a reactive maintenance call-out."

Having to fulfil a wide variety of duties over a diverse range of locations, Mr Harben says the NNR 200 rose to the fore among the available contenders.

"It offered value for money with competitive fleet discount opportunities, as well as a large footprint for our special-build toolboxes," he says.

"The load-carrying capacity was impressive, and some of the numbers around fuel economy were attractive too. Adding to all of that was the fact that it was small enough to access tight areas for parking availability on sites."

Cab comfort and driver safety were also priorities, given some of the truck's longer forays. Equipped with anti-lock brakes, traction control, driver and passenger airbags and an airbag-compatible bullbar, Mr Harben says the NNR 200 gives drivers tackling the wilds of Cape York plenty of assurance.

"The NNR 200 feels a lot safer to drive than our previous four-by-two ute," he says.

"The vision from the driver's seat is exceptional and the cab is a lot more spacious.

"The Isuzu NNR 200 ticks all the boxes. We would seriously consider another NNR 200, with a duplicate setup for our Darwin branch, as the business grows and additional vehicles are required."