Isuzu in front of the herd

Cattle stalwart Anthony 'Bim' Struss knows only too well the importance of reliable stock transport, so when the time came to put on a new truck, it was an Isuzu FXD 1000 4x2 (FXD 165-350) that got the nod.

The AgForce Cattle President and Chairman of the Market Access Task Force for the Cattle Council of Australia took his first cattle job at the age of 18, but despite his career pointing him to success in marketing, far away from cattle yards, he and his wife Susan still have an active interest in the field through their Havelock property in Queensland.

"I still get very involved in the day-to-day work on the property," Bim said, while his role in AgForce Queensland sees him champion the interesting of the organisation's 5000-plus members.

In addition to these roles, Bim is also involved in an abattoir and a feedlot in the Philippines. To say he has a lot going on is an understatement, so when he was looking for a new cattle and horse transporter, no-fuss reliability was firmly in mind.

"I've already got a 20-year-old Isuzu tipper and that's still going strong… So I know a thing or two about equipment reliability," he said.

"However, I'm not a trucking expert, so when I was looking for a new truck I spoke to a lot of people—and the general consensus was Isuzu trucks."

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Now, after getting to know the vehicle thoroughly, Bim said his purchase was definitely the right decision.

"The FXD has been fantastic," he said.

"It's great to drive and very comfortable, and the ZF manual transmission shifts smoothly.

"We have a few areas of sandier country on our bush roads, and the truck handles it with ease."

Bim was so impressed with his new truck and the customer service at Black Truck Sales in Toowoomba, Queensland, that he approached Isuzu Australia Limited about forming a partnership with AgForce.

"Lots of Queensland farmers already use Isuzu trucks – they’re the truck of choice around here – so I wanted to partner with Isuzu, offering a fleet discount to AgForce members," Bim said.

"It's about the people as well as the trucks. The salespeople at Black Truck Sales provided their expertise to ensure that I had the right tool for the job.

"Isuzu also stood out because the model we purchased didn't require AdBlue for emissions control, which is very convenient for farmers. In our case, if we used AdBlue, it would expire before we used it up, plus we'd have to store it on the property.

"We need to get over some rough country, but we don't do a lot of kilometres; I've filled that truck up only three times in six months."

"We're very, very pleased with truck. And Susan and I have just bought some more country… it'll get a lot more use from here on!"