With an infrastructure maintenance budget of almost $70 million for the 2010-11 financial year, Wollongong Council’s City Works staff are responsible for repairing and maintaining roads, footpaths, cycle-ways, car parks, buildings and other assets throughout the municipality.
To get the job done they need reliable vehicles that can handle a range of demands in both suburban and semi-rural settings; it’s therefore no coincidence that more than 90 per cent of the city’s truck fleet is manufactured by Isuzu.
Wollongong Council’s City Works Engineering Services Coordinator, Mark Mills, says Isuzu trucks have proven popular with his organization because of their all-round suitability for council’s operational needs.
"Our aim is to buy something that’s fit-for-purpose," Mr Mills said.
"The last thing we want to do is modify or change the manufacturer’s product. We aim to purchase a product that meets our requirements as closely as possible."
The Council’s trucks are used in a variety of applications ranging from parks and general maintenance to construction, repairs and asset refurbishment.
The fleet also includes two unique trucks based on FRR 600 and NQR 450 chassis – the former employed as a field refuelling truck and the latter as a mobile plant servicing truck.
"We’ll use the field refuelling truck to fuel major items of plant on site such as our waste handling and construction-type equipment and other vehicles that can’t be driven to a service station," Mr Mills said.
"It’s specified with a bulk diesel tank with a 4,500 litre capacity, fuel dispensing and storage areas, its own greasing unit and low voltage/high intensity lighting.
"This lighting is used when we have emergencies like bushfires where the truck will be working through the night supplying fuel to emergency services mobile units in a fire area."
The Council’s NQR 450 mobile plant servicing truck carries all the equipment needed to conduct plant maintenance in the field and attend vehicle breakdowns.
"It pretty much has everything imaginable on it," Mr Mills said.
"There’s a 600-litre tank built within the centre of the chassis rail which is used to carry oil removed from Council’s major plant.
"This is great for occupational health and safety and the environment. Instead of lugging around barrels of oil our employees plug a hose from the servicing truck into the plant’s oil sump to suck the oil out. It’s all nice and clean."
The mobile plant servicing truck is based on an NQR 450 service body and features pneumatic hose reels, a dual battery system for jump starting machinery, a compressor, a pneumatic greasing reel and drum, and storage cupboards.
Truck body fabrication is handled by Berry Howe Industries (BH Industries) in Unanderra, which works alongside the Council and Isuzu Dealer, Dwyers Truck Centre, to specify vehicles before delivery.
"We’ll oversee the project management after going to BH Industries with our Isuzu representative to discuss layout and specification," Mr Mills said.
"BH Industries has fabricated the majority of bodies we’ve received over the past 10 years and their workmanship is excellent."
Aside from maintaining its 75-strong fleet of trucks, Wollongong Council is responsible for ensuring 18 of the New South Wales Rural Fire Services (NSWRFS) Isuzu trucks are ready for deployment throughout the year.
The Council works to keep the NSWRFS trucks roadworthy, safe for operation, fit for purpose, and covered by after-hours support service.
See more from Isuzu Truck Australia at http://www.isuzu.com.au/.
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