New Launches
Show Report: CV Show 2012
What a cracking event the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show turned out to be, thanks in no small part to Ford… Read More
Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Long-Term Test 1
We has just taken delivery of a Mitsubishi L200 4x4 Club Cab for long-term appraisal… Read More
Ford Transit ECOnetic Brief Test
We’ve been putting a SWB 100hp 2.2TDi Euro 5 Transit 280 ECOnetic through its paces… Read More
Renault Kangoo ZE 2011 European Launch
Renault is at the forefront of manufacturers offering a mass produced factory-built electric van… Read More
Fuso Canter 2011 European Launch
Fuso has completely revamped its range of light and heavy truck Canter chassis and chassis crew cabs… Read More
Iveco Daily 2011 European Launch
Iveco has introduced new, latest generation diesels to its Daily range, along with detail changes inside and out… Read More
Ford Transit 2011 European Launch
Ford takes the iconic Transit to the next stage with an all-new range of 2.2-litre Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 UK Launch
VW’s large panel van has undergone a serious makeover with changes to the front-end styling and the cab interior, as well as new Euro 5 diesels… Read More
Ford Transit Connect Electric Brief Test
We spent a day with the battery-powered Connect to get a better idea of what it’s like to live with in its natural, urban environment. Read More
Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Brief Test
Currently undergoing trials with selected fleet customers in the UK, we managed to get behind the wheel of a battery-powered Vito E-CELL… Read More
Volkswagen Crafter 2011 European Launch
Volkswagen’s Crafter has undergone a midlife makeover and gets a new front-end along with new Euro 5 engines… Read More
Red is a lucky colour for Isuzu Truck
Refrigerated food distribution company Lucky Red’s latest acquisitions are two Isuzu Truck Forward 7.5-tonners. Part of the Yearsley Group, Lucky Red chose them because of a combination of a strong reputation for reliability and the impressive payload potential. Sporting Solomon 4.26m refrigerated bodies, they are operating on multi-drop regional work delivering frozen food, predominantly in the north of England, each covering around 80,000 miles a year. They are fitted with Isuzu’s Easyshift automated manual semi-auto transmission and the reefer bodies feature a Carrier Transicold Xarios 600 direct drive refrigeration system, along with triple-opening rear doors and a single-pallet-width hinged nearside door.
“We’ve been operating vehicles at 7.5 tonnes, but we now need the improved payload that is achievable by switching to Isuzu,” said Mark Haslam, head of logistics at the Yearsley Group. “Before committing to the brand, however, we did speak to other operators of Isuzus and were even given access to telematics information. From that we could see accurate fuel consumption figures and reliability performance, which certainly helped us to make our final decision”.
Keith Child, marketing director at Isuzu Truck UK commented: “Temperature-controlled food distribution is a very significant market sector for us. The proven performance of our 7.5-tonners, in terms of reliability and payload, has become recognised as industry leading. Our customer CARE philosophy has generated unprecedented levels of customer loyalty and as a consequence many companies such as Lucky Red are switching to Isuzu.
“At the end of the day, commercial vehicle operators have to trust the products they buy and the organisation they’re dealing with. I think it’s fair to say that, certainly among the food distribution fraternity, word is getting around that we’re living up to their expectations.”
