Improved levels of driver comfort are a significant advance in modern truck design, says one experienced fleet owner
February 1, 2012
Improved levels of driver comfort are a significant advance in modern truck design, says one experienced fleet owner.
The part owner of Victorian-based Donegan Transport,Tom Donegan, says increased comfort levels are making a “big difference” to the lives of drivers.
Donegan says his company operates a mixed fleet of trucks, but says a recently purchased Isuzu Giga CXY is an example of improved comfort levels, without sacrificing operational capability.
“Our drivers are doing manual labour all day, loading and unloading the trucks, so the Giga’s automated manual transmission (AMT) has made it easier on them when they get back behind the wheel,” Donegan says.
“The Giga also comes with a bed, so it’s no problem if you get caught somewhere overnight. And it has a good turning circle so it’s easier for our drivers to get in and out of yards and tight spaces.”
Donegan uses the Isuzu Giga to carry bottled gas for a Kleenheat contract throughout victoria, South Australia and southern New South Wales, with the rigid pulling a 6.6-metre pig trailer.
While the Isuzu AMT is popular, Donegan’s drivers also enjoy the ISRI 6860 air-suspended driver’s seat and the touchscreen information system, which includes Bluetooth, satellite navigation, MP3 input and an SD Card slot for uploading data or music.
A separate multi-screen display also keeps the driver informed on trip data such as fuel consumption speed warnings and engine operating hours.