Leading logistics provider Victorian Freight Specialists (VFS) has taken a major step towards lowering its carbon footprint by acquiring and operating an Isuzu NPR 300 CNG.
The company chose the NPR 300 CNG because it delivers reduced exhaust emissions, eliminates the release of harmful particulates and is cheaper to run than other clean fuel options. The company is considering adding more CNG-powered trucks to its growing fleet.
VFS Owner and Director John Rowe says that while adding the CNG truck to its fleet reduced the company’s own carbon footprint, purchasing clean fuel-powered vehicles can help win business with customers whose own operations acknowledge environmental benchmarks and requirements.
“We chose to purchase the Isuzu NPR 300 CNG because when we respond to a range of tenders for large corporations, it’s important to show that we are thinking about our environmental impact and reducing our carbon emissions – we must meet very strict environmental policies,” he says.
“When we were in the market for a vehicle to meet these environmental requirements, no other alternative-fuelled vehicles compared to Isuzu’s CNG models.”
With the advent of the carbon tax, Australian businesses, especially those in the transport and freight sector, are coming under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions.
Isuzu’s CNG-powered trucks provide environmentally-focused operators with a viable alternative to traditional diesel fuel.
As VFS is a newcomer to CNG-fuelled vehicles, Rowe says the NPR 300 CNG – which has been fitted with a six-pallet tautliner and one-tonne tailgate lifter – was purchased as a trial to test the truck’s performance, and the results proved very pleasing.
“This truck has a designated route. It covers a round trip of approximately 200-220 kilometres each day in the hills of the Yarra Valley, Diamond Creek and Mernda. The driver makes around 40-50 deliveries per day in the NPR 300 CNG,” he says.
“After running this CNG truck, we have found that it provides sufficient power for its requirements.”
Rowe says VFS is considering adding more Isuzu CNG trucks to its fleet with the increasing number of refuelling stations in Victoria. VFS is also considering installing a CNG refuelling station at its main depot.
“We have had no issues with the Isuzu product at all, including the after-market service – we still take all of our trucks to the Isuzu dealerships for maintenance. We have 30 country depots, so it’s great to know that we are close to more than one major Isuzu Dealership,” he says.
Servicing not only Victoria, but parts of southern New South Wales, VFS began operating in 1998 as a small regional provider with a fleet of just two trucks.
Now the Isuzu NPR 300 CNG joins a fleet of 40 company vehicles, approximately 60-80 sub-contractors and more than 140 staff completing overnight intrastate and metropolitan deliveries.
VFS is a supplier to leading national and interstate brands, so the firm requires trucks with a wide range of capabilities.
Of the company’s 40 vehicles, approximately 90 percent are Isuzu trucks.
“All of our trucks serve a different application, which is one of the reasons we choose Isuzu trucks. As a brand, Isuzu has a truck for almost every need,” Rowe says.
Aside from the CNG truck, VFS operates a variety of Isuzu trucks, ranging from the smaller NPRs to FVLs. And to meet their heavy-duty requirements, VFS also runs several of Isuzu’s Giga models.
“I cannot remember the last time our Isuzus have let us down. The diversity and reliability of the Isuzu product are the factors that keep us coming back,” Rowe says.