From an IVECO Daily 70C van purchased five years ago, Brisbane-based Farlow Transport has worked its way up to something much bigger, in the form of an IVECO X-Way AS Highway B-double.
Singing true to the tune “from little things, big things grow”, the fleet has welcomes IVECO models that have covered the light, medium and heavy-duty segments, as the company has grown and diversified its operations.
Company owner Phil Farlow started the company in 2000 with a single van, delivering the Courier Mail to newsagents around Brisbane. His business steadily expanded and ventured into new areas, which led him to purchase a 6×4 ML140 Eurocargo, to target general freight work as well as for newspaper deliveries.
With a noticeable shift in his customer base, Farlow realised that the brightest future lay in general freight, and last year the company added three IVECO Stralis ATi 360 rigids to the fleet.
Keen to offer an interstate service, Farlow Transport recently purchased its largest truck yet, an AS Highway B-double.
Currently Farlow Transport’s newspaper work accounts for less than 40 per cent of its work, with the remainder being general freight – a complete reversal compared to just a few years ago.
“Our relationship with IVECO all began with the Daily van,” Farlow said. “Compared to a cab-over cab chassis, it was much better to work with – it was easy to get in and out of; a lower chassis height made it easier to load and unload and it still provided a generous 4t payload, so there were no worries about being overloaded.
“Then from a driving perspective it was just so comfortable and quiet. With the full 8-speed auto and 170hp engine it was responsive and nice to drive around town.”
Although sales of printed newspapers have generally fallen in recent years, over this same time, Farlow Transport managed to increase its work within this industry – the result of the company’s ‘can-do’ culture, according to Farlow.
“Less newspapers were being printed but we were still winning new contracts,” he said.
“It’s one of the reasons we purchased the Eurocargo, to provide additional capacity for the newspapers while also allowing us to go after other opportunities.
“At Farlow Transport, there’s always been an emphasis on providing a high-quality service – we say what we’re going to do and deliver on our promise – our customers appreciate this commitment.”
It’s this close relationship with customers that gave the company the confidence to increase its exposure to general freight, with Farlow putting out the feelers with existing clients and receiving an overwhelming response.
The three Stralis rigids are fitted with curtain-side bodies and deliver a range of general freight around greater Brisbane, north to Gympie and eastwards to Toowoomba.
“Our drivers absolutely love the Stralis – there’s never a complaint,” Farlow said.
Still getting in the driver’s seat from time to time to cover busy periods, Farlow added, “I’ve driven them and they’re great. The AMT is smooth and you hardly get any engine noise – we’ve got 360hp and 1500Nm. It’s perfect for the metro and regional work they’re doing, and spending eight hours behind the wheel is easy. We’re also getting good fuel consumption.”
When it was time to dip a toe into the waters of interstate freight, Farlow Transport again turned to IVECO. “Given our track record, there was no reason to look any further than IVECO,” Farlow said.
“We were confident the X-Way AS Highway B-double would give us the comfort, ergonomics, payload and fuel efficiency we wanted.
“There’s plenty to like about this truck – the driveline at 550hp/2500Nm combined with the 16-speed AMT is ideal for our return trips to Sydney. We also like the fact that it’s Euro6-rated so performs well environmentally, and of course with the full range of safety features it gives us the peace of mind that we’re doing the right thing by our drivers and other road users.”