Driver shortages in Australia are an issue as freight tasks are expected to grow, but Isuzu is set to tackle this issue with its next-generation products.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news and classifieds from Australia’s transport industry.
- Don’t miss a second and subscribe to our monthly Deals on Wheels magazine.
- Sell your truck with Australia’s #1 truck classifieds
Isuzu Australia Limited’s (IAL) chief of product, Matt Sakhaie says shortages can be linked to a range of factors including a lack of young people entering the profession.
“One critical aspect that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Isuzu can influence is the continued development of safe, comfortable and professional workspaces for drivers to ply their trade,” he says.
On the cusp of the largest model launch in the brand’s history, Isuzu Australia’s next-generation product deals directly with this issue, encompassing a range of driver comfortability improvements, with operator wellness top of mind.
“Well beyond the raft of new and exclusive active and passive safety features coming as part of its Australian release, Isuzu’s all-new line-up has amassed a string of critical in-cab improvements that rarely catch the headlines,” he says.
With a reimagined cabin structure, Isuzu’s design team have dramatically improved overall safety, dimensions, visibility and storage.
Not only do they have a new, smart exterior, but they are also roomier, ensuring operators have an ergonomic, comfortable and safe environment to spend their time on the road.
The new driver’s seating is noticeably more comfortable, and positioning has been optimised, accommodating greater visibility, and easier access to driver controls, stalks and other dash functions.
“To the everyday operator, many of these in-cabin comfort and control features may be deemed as periphery and in many ways, that’s to be expected when pitted against other headline features,” he says.
“In unpacking some of the thought and consideration that has been channelled into these new cabins drives home just how central driver wellbeing has been to their design and development.
“Put together, the overall benefit to the driver is as compelling as it is reassuring.”
An extension of this is a revised driving position with a wider STRG tilt and telescopic steering shaft range, a wider seat slide and a more accommodating pedal layout.
Drivers will appreciate a smaller diameter, more user-friendly steering wheel, assisting in safer overall operator handling and vehicle manoeuvrability.
Offering total driver control, Isuzu’s new wheel works seamlessly alongside onboard safety technology such as Isuzu’s Advanced Driver Safety System ADAS, audio prompts and handsfree functions via the in-dash multimedia unit.
A new seven-inch, easy to see, meter cluster display screen adds to the functionality, directly in the line of sight of the driver, and oversees a range of ADAS-attuned safety controls as well as vital trip, range and economy intelligence.
Isuzu’s updated glass specifications feature IR/UV cut glass, which uses a green glass inner layer, dramatically reducing cut-through.
A huge 99 per cent reduction in UV and a 59 per cent reduction in IR cut-through has been achieved, helping to dramatically enhance visibility, prevent sunburn and retina damage and markedly improve cabin insulation.
“It’s this granular attention to detail, however small it may appear, that goes a long way to getting more people into the truck driving profession and hopefully keeping those already there behind the wheel of an Isuzu truck for many years to come,” Sakhaie says.
Read more:
- How Dean Campbell’s iconic fleet built up a cult following
- Powerful new SAR Legend kitted out to look like a vintage model
- Great day out at 2024 HCVCA Truck Show at Yarra Glen
- From dance teacher to queen of a ‘Kleen’ Kenworth
- Gold Coast Truck Show went off with a bang
Check out the Deals on Wheels Facebook here.