There are few bigger names in refuse collection than Solo Resources and IVECO, and the two long term partners have again teamed up, with IVECO recently delivering 50 vehicles to the company, comprising ACCO, S-Way and Eurocargo models.

The diversity of the latest delivery is testament to IVECO's leading position as a vehicle supplier to vocational industries such as waste, with each model filling the unique needs of several new contracts.

While the latest vehicles are predominantly factory-fitted dual control ACCO 6x4 trucks that Solo has equipped with its side loading compactor bodies of various capacities, among the deliveries are two S-Way 6x4 550 AS prime movers that haul hydraulic walking floor trailers on bulk haulage duties, and for commercial skip work, an S-Way 550 8x4 rigid hooklift truck that tows a dog trailer.

Also included in the recent deliveries are two medium duty Eurocargo ML160 models - these are fitted with rear loading compactor bodies and owing to their smaller dimensions are used to collect waste from congested areas, such as the foreshore and public spaces on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, which are often busy with holiday goers.

Solo Resource's National Fleet Manager, Mark Taylor, acknowledged the strong relationship between his company and IVECO; it's one that has endured for decades.

"Solo Resources has been manufacturing refuse collection bodies from our Tweed Heads site since the late 1930s. We began building on the ACCO platform when the model was first developed and we've manufactured on every generation of the truck since," Mark said.

"We work closely with IVECO when we design a new body and the engineering and field support they provide us is strong - it's a close relationship."

The new ACCOs are working in several different local government contracts in South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, with a number of units to enter service in Western Australia in the future as well. The trucks all feature Euro 6 (Step E) 310HP / 1300Nm engines and Allison 3200 fully automatic transmissions, offering proven reliability in demanding start and stop driving applications such as waste collection.

Mark said the ACCOs were a great choice for the application.

"As well as giving us the driveline we need, the ACCO is very manoeuvrable and the newer trucks also offer good driver comfort and safety features; the latest models have certainly come a long way," he said.

"And as a body builder, we find the chassis to be 'fit-for-purpose' - the balance is good, giving us the weight distribution we need to achieve maximum payloads. Body and cab chassis integration is also straight forward making for an efficient body build process."

A further benefit of the IVECO heavy duty range is the availability of 'IVECO On' Telematics, which comes standard with a 12-month subscription. The technology allows owners and fleet managers to monitor a wide range of vehicle performance parameters and driving style.

Mark said IVECO On complements Solo Resources' telematics system which has been developed especially for the waste industry.

"IVECO On is particularly useful for monitoring areas such as fuel use and other operating data covering scheduled maintenance reporting, alerts and diagnostics," he said.

"It has broader driver monitoring capabilities as well, but given the start and stop nature of our work, there's less need for us to use this."

Solo Resources' most recent truck purchases cap off a busy 36 months for the company, with this period seeing just over 200 new IVECO vehicles joining its ranks both as part of fleet renewal programs, and to service new contracts.

The majority of the trucks are serviced and maintained by Solo in-house at its various locations around the country.