Fleet managers have plenty of moving parts to consider, from daily truck and driver movements to the longer-term maintenance requirements of the fleet.
Each manager will have their own strategy, but a few key goals remain consistent across all fleets; such as maximising truck uptime and reducing the total cost of ownership of vehicles.
The use of genuine OEM parts in conjunction with a solid preventative maintenance routine can assist in both of these areas of operational management.
Isuzu Australia’s National Parts Distribution Centre, located in the trucking heartland of Truganina, Melbourne, is working hard to supply the brand’s 81 dealerships and Authorised Service and Parts Outlets – ensuring that fleets and smaller businesses such as owner-operators have fast access to genuine Isuzu parts, nationwide.
Supporting fleet modernisation
Servicing the Gippsland region and Melbourne metro for just shy of 50 years, Tequa Plumbing & Civil first opened doors in 1975 with a small base situated in the regional centre of Sale.
Over the decades, the business has flourished and now offers services across the breadth of plumbing and civil works: commercial and residential plumbing, sewer and stormwater works, electrical and gas through to directional drilling and bulk earthwork.
A smartly specified truck fleet is well maintained to transport Tequa’s highly specialised equipment and tools.
The fleet features several Isuzu FXY 240-350 Autos (GVM of 24,000kg) fitted with beavertails for transporting heavy capital equipment and FSD 140-260 Autos (GVM of 14,000kg) fitted with hydro tankers for non-destructive digging.
These two key models join a variety of light and medium-duty Isuzu NMR, NQR and FRR Ready-to-Work Tippers with automated manual transmissions, which are utilised as site clean-up vehicles.
Purchasing all Isuzu trucks from the local Gippsland Truck Centre, Tequa relies on support from the dealership to move forward with its fleet modernisation program—introduced five years ago—which sees two older trucks upgraded each year with brand new Isuzu models.
This strategy ensures Tequa has reliable equipment, suitable to tackle any job presented by a client.
“As our business has grown and we’ve ventured into new areas of operation, we’ve also expanded our client base—so naturally, our fleet needs to cater for this,” explains Managing Director, Daniel Smolenaars.
“The client has an expectation that we want to hit and exceed every single time.
“We need to make sure that we continue to upskill our staff with the right training and provide the right equipment that’s going to support them.”
Daniel chooses to maintain the fleet using genuine Isuzu parts and componentry, intending to avoid putting any “Achilles heels” into his trucks, thus sustaining their longevity.
“The relationship we have with Gippsland Truck Centre is fundamental, as is their relationship with the Isuzu brand for the success of our business.”
Mechanics in-the-know
Grealy Motors & Towing has been supporting the regional city of Wodonga in Victoria with its mechanical repair shop and towing services for over 50 years.
Outside of towing breakdowns and providing maintenance services for local vehicle owners, Grealy also offer transportation of capital equipment and vehicles, which keeps its truck fleet on the road seven days a week.
The Grealy fleet is comprised of 10 medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks including a large number of Isuzu F Series models and FY Series models. The newest edition to the fleet is the FYJ 300-350 Auto XLWB with a customised CTE tilt tray, recently collected from Blacklocks Isuzu in Wodonga.
Grealy enjoys a great working relationship with its local dealership, which helps to match new Isuzu cab chassis with the tilt trays needed for towing, as well as the supply of genuine Isuzu parts for the workshop.
Managing director Peter Grealy, who proudly represents the third generation of the Grealy family at the helm of the business, has a ‘hands-on’ view of his directorship.
He is up behind the wheel and keenly on the tools in the mechanic’s workshop from day to day—and is happy to share his opinion on having Isuzu support the operation.
“The bit I appreciate the most about Isuzu Trucks is how parts have been kept the same from ‘go to whoa.’
“I can service my 2000 model Isuzu F Series and put the same oil filter on it as I do the 2022 model.
“As a mechanic, I love that they’ve found their sweet spot with genuine parts which they back up with their dealer network.”