Getting a puncture or damaging a tyre is hassle enough in a passenger vehicle, so spare a thought for operators of construction and quarrying equipment, where tyre issues are not just an inconvenience, they can also lead to costly downtime.

For Bridgestone Mining Solutions, having a responsive fleet of vehicles to support its mining and quarrying customers is a critical component of its overall service offerings, and this capacity was recently enhanced with three IVECO X-Way AT 8x4 rigid trucks adding to its capabilities.

Based in Townsville, Mount Isa and Darwin, the new trucks which are fitted with tray bodies and tyre handling cranes by Obieco Industries in Tamworth, are strategically located to offer the best possible breadth of coverage, while also taking response time into consideration.

The latest trucks complement several IVECO Stralis models already on fleet and were chosen for a number of important reasons, according to Operations Manager – Northern Region, Andy Gee.

“We’ve enjoyed good outcomes from our other IVECO trucks – repairs and maintenance and whole of life costing has been very good with these,” Andy said.

“They’re also a flexible size proving good payload (X-Way rigids feature 30t GVM) while still remaining agile and proving great maneuverability, and from an operator perspective, they’re easy to use as well.”  

The three new trucks all feature 11 litre, Euro6 engines producing 460hp and 2150Nm of torque from a low 925rpm, and are matched to the highly regarded Hi-Tronix 12-speed automated manual transmission, which provides seamless gear changes coupled with extended durability (tested to 1.6 million kilometres).

Servicing customers in remote areas of Queensland and Northern Territory, the X-Ways can spend considerable time on the road traversing a range of conditions, which meant that safety was an important consideration in selecting this model.

“Bridgestone has a ‘zero harm policy’, meaning we strive to operate without negatively impacting people and the environment, which is why the X-Way’s safety and low emission package was so attractive to us,” Andy said.

“Increasingly, these standards are also being required by our customers.”

As standard, the X-Way offers Electronic Braking System (EBS) with Brake Assistance System (BAS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill Holder, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Advanced Emergency braking System (AEBS) as well as daytime running lights. Additional optional safety equipment such as Lane Departure Warning can also be specified.

To ensure the vehicles are fit-for-task and capable of delivering to a wide range of clients, the trucks are mine site-compliant, however are predominantly being used to transport Bridgestone’s range of loader, dozer, compactor, grader and dump truck tyres to quarrying and construction sites. Once there, the onboard tyre handler can easily manage tyres up to 57” in diameter.

Given the tough conditions in which the trucks are often operating, they’ve been modified with steel bumpers borrowed from the ACCO range. As well as providing protection from animal strikes and worksite scuffs, these bumpers feature three-piece construction allowing individual sections to be replaced if required, minimising cost.

According to Andy, the new trucks have been well received by the drivers.

“The operators can’t believe how comfortable and quiet the X-Ways are – they love them,” he said. 

“One of the trucks was driven from Brisbane to our site in Darwin by one of our experienced operators, who has worked for many years as a driver and driven a heap of truck brands, and he was really impressed. The trucks are also proving to be good on fuel.”  

The latest IVECO X-Ways will be kept on fleet for up to 12 years, with service and maintenance carried out by the IVECO dealer network, including selling dealer, IVECO Brisbane.