The Hampshire gas supplier’s new F135.240 (E) nearly doubles the payload of the 7.5-tonners it replaces, just in time for the winter peak
For a gas bottle supplier, winter is when the fleet gets stretched. HBS Fuels, a family-run business in Stockbridge, Hampshire, used to send several 7.5-tonne trucks to the same site to finish a day’s deliveries. It has now tried a different approach: a bigger truck.
The company has taken delivery of its first Isuzu, a 13.5-tonne F135.240 (E) supplied by local dealer Ferndown Commercials. It replaces one of its six 7.5-tonne rigids from another manufacturer and offers nearly twice the payload.
Specified for the job
The truck carries a bespoke dropside body built by Horton Commercials, with high sides and a tail lift for gas bottle handling. It can carry up to 80 bottles per load.
“Previously we would find ourselves sending multiple trucks to a single site in order to complete a day’s deliveries, especially during the colder months,” said Steve Walker, Operations Manager at HBS Fuels. “With the 13.5-tonner we are hoping to achieve the same amount of work with just one vehicle, which is a much better use of our drivers’ time and the fleet as a whole.”
The choice came after the company compared the 11- and 13.5-tonne options with Ferndown’s field sales specialist Dale Johnson, who advised on gross vehicle weight and wheelbase.
Built to last seven years
On the road five days a week, the truck is expected to cover up to 20,000 miles a year and stay in the fleet for at least seven years. It carries Isuzu’s three-year unlimited mileage warranty with 24/7 roadside assistance.
The case is a reminder that right-sizing a vehicle can save as much as a new technology: one larger truck, correctly specified, can free drivers and cut trips.
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