Canter cleaning up London's streets

Continental Landscapes is cleaning up on the streets of south-west London with the help of a pair of 7.5-tonne Fuso Canters.

The grounds maintenance and street cleansing services specialist, which is based in Bicester, Oxfordshire, has assigned the two trucks to its contract with Wandsworth Council.

Both Canter 7C15 models, they were supplied by Milton Keynes dealer Intercounty Truck & Van, as the Japanese light truck range is sold and supported in the UK by the Mercedes-Benz dealer network.

The Canters were fitted with Tippa tipping bodies and Meshmaster wire cages, by TGS Group, of Bristol. They are working throughout the busy borough and, according to Continental’s national fleet manager Paul Rhys-Davies, are perfectly equipped for the job.

“The Canter scores highly for this kind of work on several counts,” he said. “For a 7.5-tonner it’s very compact, which means it’s much easier to manoeuvre around congested streets. And though strong the chassis is also very light, which means the vehicle offers an excellent payload, once bodied, of close to four tonnes.”

Continental Landscapes has specified its Canters with Duonic automated gearboxes. The first twin-plate, dual-clutch automated transmission to be fitted to a light truck, it provides smooth shifting and economical performance with none of the frictional losses found in traditional automatic gearboxes. Features include an eco mode for even more fuel-efficient cruising, as well as parking and ‘creep’ functions for low-speed manoeuvring.

“This transmission makes life much easier – and safer – for our drivers, who spend most of their working day in heavy traffic,” added Rhys-Davies. “As well as relieving them of clutch work the two-pedal set-up leaves them free to concentrate fully on what’s going on around them.”

Current model Fuso Canters are powered by Euro 5 engines which also meet the more stringent, voluntary EEV (Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle) standard.

Rhys-Davies said: “The low emissions of these vehicles were a significant factor in helping us to qualify for the Transport for London Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme. We’re so pleased with them, and with the service we received from Intercounty Truck & Van, that we’ve already ordered another couple of identical Canters.”