Long term IVECO customer, Monson Logistics, has begun taking delivery of 20 new IVECO S-Way prime movers; it marks an exciting growth phase for the Tasmanian company which recently included expansion onto the mainland.

And while IVECO trucks have always been a familiar sight at Monson Logistics depots in Burnie, Bell Bay and Hobart, over the past few weeks, several 460 AT prime movers have also infiltrated a location in Brooklyn, Melbourne, rubbing shoulders with the old, bonneted trucks they will gradually replace. 

The company’s move into Victoria follows Monson Logistics’ acquisition of one of its sub-contractors, and the recent S-Way purchases are all part of the bigger picture, according to company owner, Bruce Monson.

“We had an opportunity to establish a greater presence in Victoria, and the bulk of the IVECO S-Ways that we’ve bought – both 460 AT units and 550 AS trucks – will be based in Brooklyn, replacing a fleet of 19 older prime movers,” Bruce explained.

“The majority of these are 600hp trucks approaching 20 years of age, and for the predominantly urban and metro delivery work they’re doing, they’re just not fit for task.

“A shift to S-Way 460 AT prime mover makes a lot of sense for this application: the cabins are much quieter and comfortable, the visibility and maneuverability is far better, fuel use will be cut, and at 460hp, that’s more than enough for the job.

“We’re also pleased to be taking 19 old trucks off the streets in Melbourne’s west and replacing them with IVECO models that meet the very stringent Euro6 (Step E) emissions measure – it’s a good outcome for all. Increasingly, many of our customers are also requesting that the trucks used to transport their goods meet certain environmental criteria.”  

Among the Brooklyn based S-Way 460 AT trucks which will be running single skel trailers for container work, are two 550hp B-Double 550 AS prime movers which are designated for intrastate runs into regional Victoria.         

Bruce said that another benefit of the S-Way versus the vehicles they’re replacing, is the Hi-Tronix automated manual transmission (AMT), which is much easier to drive than the non-synchro manuals.

“Operating in a metro environment and in start and stop traffic, the AMT is the way to go, it’s a lot easier for the driver and fatigue is reduced, it makes for better all-round safety,” he said. 

“Having good safety features has been an important purchase consideration for us in selecting the S-Way and the X-Way models before these.”

Among the standard safety equipment in the new S-Way range is an Advanced Emergency Braking System, Brake Assistance System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System, Electronic Stability Program with ABS (disc brakes all round) and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), Hill Holder and Driver Style Evaluation plus Driver Attention Support (DSE + DAS), keeping Bruce happy.

Although most of the latest company news for Monson Logistics seems to be coming from Melbourne, at home in Tassie, Bruce said that plenty more had been happening.

“We’ve consolidated our position in Tasmania and just finished installing new security systems at our Burnie depot to meet Australian Border Force requirements, this includes facial recognition technology, giving us greater control and surety of bonded containers. Over 90 per cent of import containers under Australian Customs bond to Tasmania now go through a Monson Logistics facility,” he said.

The remaining S-Way prime movers that are on order will join the Monson Logistics fleet by year’s end and bring the total number of company-owned IVECO models to over 60 trucks. The new models were purchased with extended warranties of 5 years / 500,000 kilometres, and the bulk of the servicing and maintenance will be handled by selling dealer Adtrans in Melbourne and WB Truck ‘N’ Trailer in northern Tasmania.