For many years now, Isuzu trucks have played a key role in the development of the distribution fleet at regional food company Waterdene Foodservice Ltd, who now operate 24 Isuzu 7.5 tonne rigid trucks within its total fleet of 25 refrigerated vehicles.
With the recent arrival of four more new Isuzu N75.190E rigids and a further two more to come later in the year, the popularity of Isuzu in the Waterdene fleet continues to grow and is based on a history of successful long-term service through a vehicle specification designed purely for the Waterdene distribution operation.
Waterdene Foodservice operates predominantly within a 60-mile radius of its Home Counties base supplying its customers with a comprehensive range of frozen, chilled, and ambient products. The four new Isuzu 7.5 tonne rigids all feature Solomon dual compartment refrigerated bodies with powerful Carrier Supra 550MT refrigeration systems. All these latest Isuzus have been supplied by local dealer Arlesey Car & Commercials Ltd, the family run Isuzu truck dealer based on the Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire border.
“The Isuzu 7.5 tonne specification with the Easyshift transmission is proven to be ideal for our distribution routes, which involve a mixture of town work and travelling through narrow country lanes. The compact overall footprint of the Isuzu with a Solomon body means that we can manage and contain potentially expensive vehicle damage, whilst the lightweight vehicle combination gives us excellent payload,” said Richard Stimpson, managing director, Waterdene Foodservice Ltd.
The Isuzu N75.190 rigids are now operating in the Waterdene fleet for between five and seven years, covering approximately 40,000 miles per annum. Each vehicle has approximately 20 drops per day and the vehicle specification allows for complete flexibility with a movable bulkhead between the frozen and chilled compartments as well as side door access to the frozen compartment and triple rear doors.
“Waterdene Foodservice Ltd is a long-term success story for Isuzu and its 7.5 tonne truck range, with the overall vehicle performance exceeding the expectations of the customer whilst also providing them with a distribution truck that fulfils their daily operational requirements,” said Lee Tansley, national fleet sales manager, Isuzu Truck UK.
