CLEANING UP WITH DAF

One of New South Wales leading commercial laundry services, Patto’s Delivery and Sorting Services Pty Ltd, in Albury is undergoing a significant fleet renewal program following the exceptional economy and reliability of an FAP CF75 (single drive with pusher axle) that went into service over 18 months ago.

The first class back-up and service from their local dealer, Twin City Truck Centre was another key factor in the decision by Patto’s Delivery and Sorting Services Pty Ltd to order an additional pair of DAF rigids for their growing fleet.

The trucks are being used by the company to collect used linen and return with clean linen to motels, hotels and hospitals from a diverse area that encompasses the Victorian snow fields and NSW Riverina region to the nation’s Capital Canberra in the north.

Patto’s Delivery and Sorting Services Pty Ltd partners Stephen Paterson and Ross Bradbury are constantly looking at the efficiency of their operations and they’re more than pleased with the savings the new DAF trucks are providing.

Using state of the art equipment is nothing new to Steve and Ross; their latest tunnel style washing machines wash up to 100 kg of linen every two minutes. Currently they are washing 127 tonne of linen per week.

The DAF FAP CF75 is loaded to maximum 22.5 tonne in both directions and does two return trips from Albury to
Canberra daily.

Steve said, “The economy of our first DAF at 23.6 litres per 100 km is a significant saving compared to the truck it replaced which ran at 34 litres per 100 km. We are also achieving greater service intervals using DAF branded oil that are now out to 35,000 kms compared to only 20,000 kms we could achieve previously.”

Even though the trucks have long haul sections in their routes there is predominantly a lot of short, urban delivery sections and they come fitted with a 12AS1630: 12-speed, automated manual, ZF AS-Tronic transmission for better fuel consumption and driver comfort in congested city streets. For further improvements in fuel economy, they are fitted with engine idle shutdown, which cuts power to the unit when it is stationary for a given period of time.

Rated to a GCM of 38 tonne, the FAP CF75 is a versatile model suited to a wide range of applications. It is powered by a PACCAR 9.2-litre PR 265 engine, generating 360 hp (265 kW) and 1,070 lb/ft (1,450 Nm) of high torque.

Steve, said, “We traditionally run our vehicles on a 10-year replacement cycle so they need to be reliable and deliver the goods no matter what. The back-up service and support that we have received from Twin City Truck Centre was a key consideration in purchasing more DAFs and the vehicles are popular with our drivers for their comfort and ease-of-use, especially with the AS-Tronic gearbox. All the new models have been optimised for fuel efficiency and will subsequently help us to reduce our carbon footprint from transport activities”.

“Right from the moment you open the driver’s door you immediately experience the quality of the CF interior. Their styling and standard of finish resemble that of a luxury passenger car. The colour schemes and materials used mean that the CF cab offers a practical, pleasant and comfortable working environment, which is easy to clean and maintain and that’s really important in this business.”

“Our drivers comment on the dashboard and modern instrument panel, as well as the adjustable steering wheel with
integrated controls and airbag. Meanwhile the well positioned handles and switches all demonstrate how the creation of an ergonomic working environment was a well thought out process by DAF’s engineers.”

The FAP CF75 with its 3.2-meter high, 9.1-meter long streamline body is used mainly for multi-drop work direct to motels. The unique body has been designed to make manual offloading safer from either side when making drops in congested town centers.

The second truck is a 24.6 tonne FAS CF75 6×2 three-axle model features a lifting tag axle that can be used to improve traction in slippery conditions as well as reducing tyre wear when running empty. The main difference between the FAS CF75 and FAP CF75 is the FAS has a liftable lazy axle behind the drive axle while the FAP has a liftable non driving pusher axle in front of the drive axle, making it more cost effective and efficient to carry various payloads.

DAF’s extensive option offering of either a forward or rear placement of the non driven axle gives operators the ability to better tailor a vehicle to achieve best functionality to suit their specific requirements. For instance the FAP CF75 is best suited where rear over hang could be an issue. Because the pusher axle is in front of the driven axle the rear over hang never changes, which is an advantage in certain applications.

Each of the trucks is covered by a DAF’s comprehensive 3-year warranty package and service work is sometimes
undertaken at weekends by Twin City Truck Centre to ensure full availability throughout the working week.

“This is a very convenient and flexible arrangement for us,” says Steve. “It means that we can plan our runs with confidence knowing that we can get the routine safety inspections and servicing carried out at times to suit us. I’m very pleased with the after-sales back up that we are getting from Twin City Truck Centre and it’s helpful that they too are located just across the river in Wodonga.”

The DAFs have plenty of power to cope easily with the hilly terrain around the border region and up through the snowfields to ensure good journey times.

“Our initial DAF FAP CF75 has been flawless since it went into service with us over 18 months ago and the economic gains really add to our bottom line,” Steve Patterson concluded. “That’s why we had no
hesitation to order two more DAF trucks from Twin City Truck Centre.”

DAF Trucks Australia, a division of PACCAR Australia, distributes a range of medium and heavy-duty trucks throughout Australia. PACCAR Inc, a Six Sigma company, is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of high-quality light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. PACCAR also designs and manufactures advanced diesel engines, provides financial services and information technology, and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.