The supermarket arm of logistics powerhouse, Toll Group, has taken delivery of eight new UD Quons.
These are the first units in an order of 30 trucks to service the Woolworths site at Minchinbury for deployment across the Sydney metropolitan area.
The Euro 6 UD Quon GW460 is powered by an 11-Litre engine delivering up to 460hp and 2200Nm of torque.
It is paired with an ESCOTT-VI transmission.
A TN360 Teletrac Navman telematics system in the vehicles provides the capability of operating as an electronic work diary in the future and will accommodate other projects Toll is working on as it moves to a more digital environment according to Mark Haworth, Toll Operations Support Manager.
“We have also added the Seeing Machines Guardian DSS system in the trucks which detect driver fatigue and driver distractions, alerting the driver to these events, as well as alerting supervisors of these events, of which fatigue events are acted upon immediately,” he said.
The Guardian technology has been at the forefront of the fleet for detecting fatigue and distraction related events.
Other standard safety features in the truck include Traffic eye cruise control, lane departure warning system, and UD’s own stability system.
These new UD Quons will form part of Toll’s fleet, along with 2022 Mercedes-Benz Actros prime movers, presently in service for over 200 Woolworths stores in the Sydney Metropolitan area.
According to Haworth, reliability, servicing, fuel economy, and a driver-friendly interface are a cut above on the new UD Quon. There are other immediate benefits, too, that have been relayed by the drivers.
“Definitely the turning circle, for getting into and onto loading docks,” says Haworth.
“This is a crucial aspect of the truck.”
“The JOST JSK-42 Air Release Turntable, which we run already, but again is proving beneficial for the drivers,” he adds.
Visibility when in the truck, as one driver David Andrew relayed via Haworth, is also outstanding.
“All the blind spots are covered which is important when travelling in Sydney traffic,” he said.
“In cab safety features are less intrusive, cruise control works well and driver comfort is very good.”
The new Teletrac Navman systems are being introduced for the first time at Toll Minchinbury.
“All our new trucks will have it added, [it’s] much easier to use and a lot more driver-friendly,” said Haworth.