This one’s a small truck, really, but I thought it was worth a mention as it’s only the size of a large van, and is a little different to standard small dropside trucks, thanks to its shortened wheelbase and specially designed high-sided body.
Coal is heavy stuff, so CPL’s choice of a 5,020kg GVW Isuzu truck for kerbside deliveries made sense, even though the vehicle is shorter than a large van. Mandy Gill, transport manager at CPL Distribution Ltd explains more:
“As we had a specific requirement for this particular vehicle in South Wales, we worked extremely closely with Isuzu Truck on the final specification to achieve the right choice of vehicle that would enable us to carry the maximum payload on the most manoeuvrable and versatile chassis currently available.”
Featuring a split drop-side body, specifically designed for kerbside deliveries, the Isuzu N50.150 4×2 rigid is currently working in south Wales. It handles a range of delivery operations including daily house-to-house residential drops in rural areas, as well as deliveries to the company’s commercial customers locally.
The wheelbase of this Isuzu N50.150 day cab rigid was shortened from 3395mm to 2480mm, and both of the axles uprated. A split dropside body was also specified and features pull-out steps on both sides of the truck as well as at the rear. This allows the drivers to gain easier access to, and helps the unloading of, the bagged coal when delivering to customers.
“By having a high-sided body, this enables the open coal sacks to be safely contained within the truck body itself,” commented Mandy Gill. “Whereas on previous flat bed trucks, the open coal sacks would normally have had to be strapped in, as well as netted over.”
True, although the coal merchants in the rural area where I live don’t bother with either, using carefully loaded bags on a flat bed with no load restraints… Health and safety, eh?
Based out of the CPL Distribution depot in Onllwyn, close to Neath Port Talbot, this new Isuzu will have a five-year working life there, predominantly working locally and will travel up to 40,000 kms per annum.