Waste specialist invests in Iveco

New South Wales waste collection and disposal specialist JR Richards & Sons has just received a major order of new Iveco trucks, with which it will now meet its obligations for a new waste collection contract with Wollondilly Council, on Sydney's south-western outskirts.

The company recently took delivery of eight Iveco ACCO trucks along with an Iveco Eurocargo Pantech.

The ACCOs have a 6x4 driveline and have been fitted with a selection of compactor bodies including six sideloaders: two each in three different configurations to suit waste, recycling and organics collection.

The other two are set-up as rear loaders for conducting kerbside clean-ups, while the 4x2 Eurocargo is equipped with a Pantech-style body and tailgate lifter to collect items such as old whitegoods and batteries.

According to JR Richards & Sons Associate Director, Rob Marlow, the company has been using the venerable ACCO for decades.

"We purchased our first new ACCO in 1979 – I can't remember the exact model but it was possibly a 1310 – but prior to '79 we also had several second-hand ACCOs," he said.

"Currently we have over 200 on the road and a further 18 in the pipeline for upcoming work."

The new ACCOs feature an American driveline beginning with a Cummins 8.9-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel. Fitted with an SCR system for emissions compliance, the engine is said to produce 209kW and 1055Nm, while a 239kW/1350Nm rating is also available.

The power is fed to the rear via an Allison fully automatic transmission, while the truck rolls on Hendrickson suspension and Meritor axles.

The trucks also feature antilock brakes and traction control as standard, while the steel cabin surpasses ECE-R29 strength regulations.

Mr Marlow said the ACCOs have proven themselves over many years of successful service.

"The waste industry is fairly hard on collection vehicles with constant stopping and starting, as we collect bins doing door-to-door servicing at low speeds with lots of braking," he said.

"We also travel all roads, not just the tarred ones, and landfills are not known for their great driving surfaces, so the vehicles have to be very robust.

"Add to this the specialist nature of what we do; if a truck breaks down you cannot just go and hire a replacement to perform what are essential services with public health implications. So the vehicles must be very reliable and parts need to be available to ensure downtime is kept to an absolute minimum.

"These are the areas in which the ACCO excels, and the major reasons why we keep coming back to them."

Mr Marlow also said the ACCO's status as an Australian-made vehicle, with 85 per cent locally sourced componentry, was another major drawcard.

"We're extremely pleased to be able to purchase Australian-made vehicles," he said.

"As a 100 per cent privately owned Australian company, we like to support local industry wherever possible and obviously, to still be buying ACCOs after 35 years, we are happy with the product – it's reliable and enduring."