Success in the transport game isn’t just about having wheels on the ground – it’s also about choosing the right ones.
When you’re hauling heavy gear like VIP Towing & Transport, building a reliable truck fleet means smart planning and partnering with a truck brand that delivers not just horsepower, but staying power as well.
VIP Towing & Transport’s founder, Adrian Frangiosa, has successfully implemented this strategy, turning a one-man towing operation into a 15-truck fleet that specialises in the transport of industrial and heavy construction equipment.
“We’ve got two divisions: a heavy haulage division that looks after site machinery, excavators, and a lot of road maintenance machinery, and a second division, which is trucks with tilt trays bringing in smaller gear, forklifts, and shipping containers,” he noted.
Adrian expects to bring in two new trucks yearly to meet growing demand. From unmatched reliability to a model range that meets every job, Isuzu has provided the right trucks to support VIP’s road to growth.
And, with the next generation of Isuzu models arriving later this year, Adrian’s fleet plans are well supported for the future.
“Isuzu has a proven combination of payload and power for our application; they work well and fit us perfectly,” Adrian said.
“I have found over the years that Isuzu trucks are very driver-friendly. Their service intervals are good, and the trucks are reasonably priced to maintain.”
VIP Towing & Transport runs a mixed fleet, primarily comprised of Isuzu models. New additions include an FRD 110-260 Auto, two FVY 240-300 Autos collected in 2024 and an NLR 45-150 Traypack from Isuzu’s Ready-to-Work range collected earlier this year.
These join an FRR 110-260 Auto flat tray, an FYJ 300-350 for heavy-duty transport and several prime movers already in the fleet.
The two FVY 240-300 Autos – one with a flat top and the other with a tilt tray – are used for transporting heavy machinery, demountable buildings, and building materials to construction sites.
These hefty medium-duty trucks have an optimal power-to-payload combination, sitting at 24,000 kg GVM (36,000 kg GCM) matched with beefy six-cylinder Isuzu 6HK1-TCS engines that output 221 kW of power (300 PS) at 2400 rpm and 981 Nm of torque at 1450 rpm.
Loads are smoothly supported by Hendrickson rear airbag suspension and 6-speed Allison 3500 automatic transmission, which assists VIP Towing drivers to focus on navigating Melbourne traffic.
The business chose the new FRD 110-260 Auto for its handy size. Its relatively compact chassis footprint – just over seven metres in length on a medium-wheelbase model – combined with another of Isuzu’s six-cylinder turbocharged engines provides plenty of grunt to get things moving while being easy to manoeuvre on crowded job sites.
The new NLR Traypack, a step down in size but a step up in productivity, plays a supporting role as a service truck and takes care of lighter duties such as delivering smaller machinery and gear on short notice.
Isuzu’s NLR Traypack has a GVM of 4500kg and generous GCM of 8000kg that makes the NLR suitable for standard licence holders, with ample capacity to carry materials and tow up to an additional 4000kg.
VIP’s trucks cover roughly 65,000km per year, so it’s critical that the fleet is maintained in prime condition for driver safety.
Adrian explains that older vehicles are replaced after seven to eight years of service, with new equipment and technology helping him retain his loyal team of long-term employees and promote the company’s safety-first culture.
“We have been progressively switching to automatic transmissions over the past four years as we retire old trucks and purchase new trucks for driver comfort and ease of use.
“We also see consistent servicing as vital to our business and a major step in keeping the trucks covered by their warranty and safe for our drivers.
“Isuzu trucks are so reliable that if you stay up to date with servicing, there won’t be a problem.”