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NEWS
Isuzu N Series cool in the West
After 20 years of driving Isuzus, this owner reckons his latest NPR will see him to retirementHot and Cool Haulage has been delivering air-conditioning in and around Lockridge, Western Australia for 20 years, but owner-operator Bruce Watts says it started from humble beginnings.
“A friend told me they needed trucks to deliver air-conditioners and I had a truck, so I went in and got the job.” Bruce said.
“Now we’re 20 years old and most air-conditioning companies have their own drivers, but I’m still an independent going to multiple businesses and moving their units around for them.
“I service the entire Perth area, anywhere from Mandurah to Yanchep,” he said. “I reckon I’ve only got about five years left before I retire, but with an Isuzu I don’t expect a single problem and I’ll be able to re-sell it and get a good price for it when I’m done.”
Bruce says he has always stuck with Isuzus, and his latest is an Isuzu NPR 400 Premium.
“I’m a fully-qualified mechanic, so I know my way around an engine, and that’s why I was happy with the Isuzu over their competitors,” Bruce said.
“Since I founded the business I’ve had three Isuzu trucks. I’ve bought them over the years and I’ve stuck with Isuzu whenever I’ve updated.
“I picked up the NPR in June last year. I put a tail-lift on it and a Pantech body and because I got an extra-length chassis, there was a bit of a gap between the cab and my pan, so I had an extra box bolted onto it to store moving blankets and other gear.”
“The Isuzus have always been very good. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t have kept buying them.
“I had my first Isuzu for about four years before I sold it to my brother-in-law when he went into business with me,” Bruce said.
“I bought another straight away and had it for 12 and a half years, did 880,000 km in it, and it was still going strong when I sold it on.
“I originally chose Isuzu trucks because they had the heavier frame, an automatic transmission and it just looked like a better, heavier duty truck than the competition.
“Over 20 years of driving Isuzu’s I’ve had hardly any downtime.”
Isuzu says that while reliability is a top priority, the NPR 400 also has plenty of features directed to enhancing the comfort and overall safety of the driver, such as driver and passenger airbags with seatbelt pretensioner, ABS, anti-skid regulator (ASR) and cornering lamps.
“The Isuzu’s have always offered the best range of safety features,” said Bruce.
Air-conditioners are precious cargo in the west where temperatures regularly top 40 degrees, so it’s important the NPR also has the power and engineering to make sure these valuable items get to their destinations on time.
Thanks to 114kW of power at 2600rpm and torque of 419Nm at 1600 to 2600rpm, the Isuzu NPR can handle just about anything that’s thrown at it.
When you add to the mix Isuzu’s latest generation six-speed Automated Manual Transmission with fully manual and clutchless operation modes, you can see why Bruce has been leaning towards Isuzu for near on 20 years.
“I’m a big fan of the AMT transmission. Mainly I deliver to warehouses and homes but I go down dirt-roads here and there and I don’t have any issues with it at all,” Bruce said.
“I’ve got a bad arthritic knee on the left and can’t push a clutch in all day, but the automatic transmissions in all my Isuzu’s have worked a treat,” he added.
With his latest truck, Bruce is looking forward to an enjoyable and stress-free wind-down towards retirement.
While his customers will miss Bruce’s down-to-earth nature and the consistent reliability Hot & Cool Haulage offers, Perth’s Major Motor’s Isuzu will miss a dedicated customer as well.
“I’ve bought my trucks from Richard at Major Motors,” Bruce said. “He measured up the truck body, worked out how the tailgate would fit, and for the service in general he’s first rate – best in the business.
“Isuzu always compares favourably with other brands. I’ve driven anything between two and twelve tonne trucks over the years while I’ve worked for transport companies and I really think Isuzu stacks up the best in the market for rigid trucks.”
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Written byTrucksales Staff
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