With a fleet of over 150 trucks operating from distribution centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Wodonga and Brisbane, Don Watson Transport is one of Australia’s leading refrigerated transport companies.
The business has always taken pride in looking after its drivers, and making sure they are comfortable in the cabin of the trucks is an important part of the process.
That’s why last year, fleet manager Adrian Apap made the decision to install Truck Art’s reverse cycle heating and cooling system, the Koolkat – and hasn’t looked back since.
Apap told Big Rigs: “We’ve had constant issues with heating and cooling units from other brands in the past.
“Those units were mounted underneath the cab, so unfortunately they would be affected by everything from dust to rain to the heat of the engine.
“They needed so much maintenance, it was costing us time and money.”
A friend of Apap’s told him about the Koolkat system, and he decided to give it a try.
“We only have it in two of our trucks so far, but any new trucks we get from now on are going to come with a Koolkat unit,” he said.
“Being able to install the unit on the wall of the cab, or up in the party hat, limits it from being exposed to the elements.
“It’s definitely a lot easier to maintain it.”
Apap said the truckies at Don Watson Transport who are lucky enough to have the Koolkat system in their cabins are loving it so far.
“We’ve had the Koolkat in the trucks for about seven months, and I have not heard one complaint against it,” he continued.
“They reckon it’s a lot quieter and it lasts longer.
“If they mount it on the roof they can position the fans facing them so they can keep cool air blowing towards them the whole time. They are really happy with it.”
He added that the company’s drivers will often need to sleep in the middle of the day, when temperatures are high.
“They need a cooling unit they can rely on,” he said.
“The Koolkat does the job, so they can relax and get a decent sleep.”
Apap said Don Watson Transport has saved a lot of money by switching to the Koolkat system.
“The overall price of the unit is cheaper than other ones on the market, and it hasn’t needed any maintenance or new batteries or anything so far,” he said.
“Our trucks are running all the time, doing road trains to Brisbane and things like that.
“They are not always on the best roads, so they cop a bit of a pounding – but the Koolkat is definitely withstanding our trials!”
He has been working with Truck Art since he became the fleet manager at Don Watson Transport about eight years ago, and has always found them easy to deal with.
“I can call or even just message them any time and they get back to me straight away!” he said.
“They are gentlemen, and always more than happy to help.”
Truck Art has worked within the heating and cooling space for more than 15 years.
The business offers a wide range of sleeper cab cooling and heating options, ranging from where it all started with the Evaporative Viesa range, the popular Kompressor III and diesel-powered EcoWinds, through to the modernised and first of its kind, reverse cycle heating and cooling system, the Koolkat – to help drivers get a comfortable and good night’s sleep.
Truck Art’s Koolkat is the only reverse cycle unit in Australia with fantastic cooling capacity and low-power heating, allowing it to run all night at a reasonable cost to the user, for a full night’s sleep.
Truck Art is located in Wagga, Melbourne and Adelaide but also has the added benefit of having fitters and contractors Australia-wide.