One of Australia’s leading suppliers of heavy building materials, Hanson, has taken delivery of the first of 82 ACCO 8×4 trucks, which will be deployed to sites across metropolitan Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
IVECO, the global commercial vehicles brand of CNH Industrial N.V., has begun delivery on a record order of its ACCO medium range trucks. In a move to rejuvenate its fleet, Hanson, which produces aggregates, including crushed rock, sand, gravel and premixed concrete, has ordered 82 units of the ACCO Agitator, a range that covers a broad selection of applications such as concrete agitators, waste compactors, tankers and general haulage.
ACCO is Australia’s most popular vocational truck model
Built locally at its plant in Dandenong, Victoria since 1961, the ACCO is Australia’s most popular vocational truck model. “We are pleased to be supporting Australian manufacturing and boosting local employment through this latest purchase,” said Neil McDermott, Hanson’s National Procurement Manager.
An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) complements the 7.5 cubic metre concrete mixer bowls fitted onto the trucks. This adds further stability safety measures for this high centre of gravity application, which calls for the mixing bowl to constantly rotate. While the ESC safety feature is not a substitute for careful driving, it is an important piece of technology that reduces the likelihood of a rollover. These vehicles represent the current Euro V fuel and emissions regulations.
Given the time-sensitive nature of concrete delivery, all vehicles are also equipped with Trimble tracking and dispatch software, which helps manage the product delivery cycle by automatically updating dispatchers on the real-time location and status of the vehicles.
The first batch of the new ACCOs is already operating, with the remainder expected to be delivered within the first quarter of 2019. They will remain in service for 13 to 14 years. The first eight years of their working life will be in a metropolitan environment after which they will be relocated to regional and rural areas which are normally a little easier on the equipment thanks to less stop and start work and a reduced overall workload.
CNH Industrial first entered the Australian market in 1902. Presently, the Company employs a workforce of over 900 people in the market where it operates through three offices, three parts depots, three retail branches and 23 stores. Its commercial vehicles manufacturing site in Dandenong, Victoria was founded in 1952 and today is the only manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the country. With over 230,000 trucks built to date, 85% of the components used on site are Australian-sourced. Dandenong is also home to a commercial vehicles R&D centre dedicated to the building and testing of prototypes for Australian conditions.