Iveco Daily chosen by hire firm for unrivalled payload

Specialist hire company N D Brown has taken delivery of six Iveco Daily 7.2-tonne chassis cabs to be fitted with an asphalt mixing machine for emergency road repairs.

The Daily was selected for its unrivalled 7.2-tonne gross vehicle weight, which gives it the highest payload capacity of any light commercial vehicle (LCV) on the market, and features bodywork by Northwest Tippers. It also offers a 3.5-tonne towing capacity.

The new assets will be hired out to local authorities and highway maintenance contractors nationwide, for works including filling in potholes, repairing damage left by utilities contractors and installing or removing streetlamps.

Mark Fernyhough, managing director at N D Brown, said: “We chose the Daily because it was the only model in its class capable of carrying the asphalt mixing machine, crew and bagged materials on one vehicle.

“Being an LCV, the Daily’s lower chassis height also makes pouring the asphalt much easier and keeps the crew safe when loading heavy raw materials. We’ve got no other vehicles like it on our fleet, and they are attracting a lot of attention.”

Traditionally, fleets such as N D Brown would supply vehicles equipped to transport ready-made asphalt in hot box containers, which needed to return to the local depot each time they had to refill. With the 7.2 tonne Daily, customers can carry a stock of cold, bagged materials which can be mixed on-site and takes only 10 minutes to prepare.

Fernyhough adds: “Another advantage of the Daily is we can also tow a roller behind it, which enables crews to work completely independently - meaning fewer vehicles are required per job. This makes our customers even more efficient and reduces their fleet running costs.”

The 7.2 tonne Daily is the only LCV with a truck-like solid steel load-bearing chassis made of high strength steel up to 5mm thick, which has made it possible for N D Brown to operate an asphalt mixing machine on a vehicle of this compact size.

Powered by a 3.0 litre diesel engine, the Daily 72C18 can produce up to 180PS and 430Nm of torque, delivering plenty of power to suit all types of road.