In a pioneering new development designed to offer greater service levels to its customers, TCR Food Service has put its first 11 tonne refrigerated truck on the road, specifying an Isuzu F110.210 rigid chassis cab, fitted with a 5.4m fridge body from Jackson Coachworks that uses a brand new system of eutectic refrigeration.
Based in Nechells, West Midlands, TCR Food Service has, by tradition, run a 10-strong distribution fleet, consisting of vehicles up to 7.5t GVW. By choosing a new 11tonne Isuzu for the first time, TCR are now looking to carry a far greater payload, whilst retaining vehicle performance and on the road versatility.
Specifying the Isuzu together with the Jacksons triple compartment 22 Series body system, means that TCR are able to carry a more comprehensive range of frozen, chilled and ambient products for its customers, with little or no penalty in terms of vehicle performance and manoeuvrability.
Brian Matthews from TCR Food Service explains, "We specialise in the wholesaling of 'Chip Shop' products to fish and chip shops throughout the Midlands. Many of our customers are located in places with limited vehicle access so the Isuzu is ideal for this type of work. By moving up the weight range to 11 tonnes GVW, the Isuzu's additional payload capacity enables us to offer our customers a wider choice of products from one delivery vehicle."
"We already have a 56 plate Isuzu 6.2 tonne rigid, which has given us complete reliability so far and this was the major influence in choosing Isuzu for a new higher weight vehicle," added Brian Matthews.
With an estimated working life of between 7 and 10 years covering approximately 50,000 miles per annum, the Isuzu Forward 11 tonne truck will handle in excess of 25 daily drops on its intensive distribution routes across the Midlands.
The Isuzu 11tonner has a multi compartment 22 Series fridge body from Jackson Coachworks that has been fitted with an interior bulkhead, thermal curtains and frozen, chilled and ambient compartments.
On this new vehicle, the frozen section houses all the 'Chip Shop' products, including pies, sausages and kebabs at -20° C, whilst the chilled compartment is dedicated to TCR's core activity of fresh chicken. Cooking oils, fats and other company ambient products are carried in the rear of the vehicle within a two pallet width area.
Refrigeration is provided by the new award-winning Eistechnik eutectic system developed by Jackson Coachworks. These environmentally-friendly systems create no CO2 emissions or noise in use, which is a critical factor as the vehicles are delivering in traditional noise-sensitive residential areas during anti-social hours.
The Eistechnik technology used on this vehicle has recently won the Food & Drink iNet Food Champion Award for best product in the Food & Drink Supply Chain as well as the Silver Category in the National Green Apple Awards for the automotive industry.
The systems have significantly reduced charge down times with the Barents Gel freezing mixture and approximately 25% more refrigeration power than comparable systems. It is also recognised as being an extremely reliable refrigeration unit, requiring significantly less maintenance.
"With this refrigeration system, when the Isuzu returns to base, it can be immediately reloaded during the evening so that it is ready for leaving first thing the next morning. The high quality specification of the Isuzu and its bodywork will enable us to run the vehicles for a minimum of seven years giving us an attractive return on our investment," added Brian Matthews.
Full details of the 2010 Isuzu Truck product range can be viewed and downloaded from the company's website on www.isuzutruck.co.uk