Isuzu rises to asbestos removal challenge

For Brisbane-based firm, ICON Asbestos Removal, the purchase of an Isuzu FRR 107-210 Tipper was a crucial step in securing the business's future – up until that truck's arrival the fledgling firm was getting by with rental trucks.

Company owner and founder, Curtis Lyons, had worked in the asbestos removal sector for several years before establishing ICON in 2017. The firm began with just himself and an Isuzu truck borrowed from a friend, before he switched to renting trucks, as he slowly added further employees to the business.

However, Curtis soon realised that hiring vehicles was costing him more than it would to purchase a new truck, and so he headed to Brisbane Isuzu, in Burpengary, in search of a truck of his own.

That search ended with the Isuzu FRR 107-210 Tipper, which makes loading and unloaded the hazardous material easy.

Asbestos has been used in construction since the 1800s, and while it was first linked to lung diseases as early as 1897, its use wasn't banned in Australia until 2003. The material is still present in many older buildings and its safe removal has led to the emergence of a dedicated sector of specialists.

Lyons says the purchase of the Isuzu FRR 107-210 Tipper instantly delivered a range of benefits to his company, not least of which is the elimination of the time-consuming task of decontaminating each hire before returning it to the rental fleet before close of business.

ICON does everything from residential to commercial removal, including work that requires a Class A licence (Workplace Health and Safety). Class A asbestos removal includes a higher risk, such as in removing friable asbestos—asbestos that is in a powder form and therefore more likely to release fibres into the air—and removing asbestos in locations including government facilities, factories, schools and hospitals.

Employee safety is paramount; crew members are suited up with respirators and other personal protective equipment, and decontamination showers are provided. With ICON’s already stringent safety and sanitary measures, their standard operating procedure has gone relatively unchanged during COVID-19; the only difference now is it's quoting jobs via photography or postponing jobs that require close physical contact.

Once the asbestos is carefully removed, it is then carefully loaded onto the back of the Isuzu FRR 107-210 Tipper, which is double-lined with plastic to seal up the removed material, and it's then brought to licensed dumps.

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Lyons says he couldn't be happier with his Isuzu tipper, which produces 154kW at 2400rpm and 726Nm at 1600Nm.

"It still surprises me sometimes on the hills," he says.

"It probably shocks a few other people in traffic when they see the size of the truck and the heavy load, zooming up a hill without a problem."

And with a 10.7-tonne GVM and a 16-tonne GCM, those loads can be significant.

Despite its capacity for work, the truck is still compact enough to access tight work sites, Lyons adds.

"With residential works, we can easily get the FRR Tipper down the side access or through driveways with tiny gates… But the truck bed size—you can get two asbestos sheets next to each other, side by side.

"This means we can keep the weight down nice and low, and get two or three jobs in each truck load without having to go to the tip."

And life behind the wheel is good too, Lyons adds.

"It's great because we can see what's coming up ahead and stop earlier if we have to," he says.

"I drive it every day, about five to six days a week, but it's not a chore to drive.

"It's actually very good and I'm more than happy to jump in the truck and go for a drive."

And the reliability?

Despite racking up 53,000km in a year and over 1000km per week, Curtis has not had any issues or downtimes.

Lyons says he's sold on Isuzu trucks, and is looking to expand his Isuzu fleet with an Isuzu Tradepack for transporting tools and equipment, which would allow their Tipper to leave site early for the dump and the guys to get home earlier.

"If I had an Isuzu truck and another truck side by side to choose from, I'd go with the Isuzu every time," he says.

"And we're excited to get our hands on the new Tradepack and really make the most of the opportunities that come with today's challenges… We want to come out flying when the restrictions ease."