Coles turns to Hino for online deliveries, while also announcing it plans to launch in-house transport program
December 14, 2010
When it comes to buying products online there is always the question of how the products that have been purchased will be delivered.
For retail giant Coles, the problem is even bigger, with tens of thousands of grocery orders placed via the internet every week, which then need to be delivered to the home address of the customer.
To solve this problem, Coles in Western Australia has just taken delivery of the first 32 Hino 614 Short automatic trucks, fitted with refrigerated bodies by Transport Refrigerated Services.
With 100kW of power and 353Nm of torque from the 4-litre common-rail direct-injection turbo-diesel engine, the trucks use Hino’s six-speed automatic transmission which adapts to the operator’s driving habits.
The transmission, which uses a lock-up torque converter on second to sixth gears to improve fuel economy, also saves fuel by electronically switching the transmission to neutral when the truck is stopped and the brakes are applied.
The trucks, which have a gross vehicle mass of under 4.5 tonnes, are driven by what Coles national customer delivery manager Peter Dixon says are “customer service agents” rather than truck drivers.
“We want to have Coles team members serving Coles customers so that we can improve the quality of our home delivery service, which is why we are rolling out our own transport program,” Dixon says.
As well as the initial rollout of vehicles, Dixon says Coles is looking for a long term relationship with Hino, and will be exploring other truck options for the future.
“The Hino Hybrid vehicle is an attractive option for the future that we’d love to trial once we get the main rollout under our belts,” he says.