A fleet of Isuzu FYJ 300-350 8×4 trucks are relied on daily as part of the waste and recyclables collection service offered by Budget Waste Services.
The Victorian-based company, founded by CEO Levent Osman, covers parts of Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula.
Osman, who is also professional soccer player, previously spent 13 years working for one of the world’s largest waste companies, Veolia.
“I’ve been very fortunate with a 13-year apprenticeship of sorts with Veolia,” he said.
“We had every truck under the sun working for us, hundreds of trucks, and during my last two years there as the General Manager for Queensland, I was only buying Isuzu. “Down here in Melbourne, Jim McKinnon at Patterson Cheney Isuzu has been fantastic to deal with – it’s been a really good decision all round to go Isuzu,” Osman said.
According to Osman, when considering all the value for money elements including purchase cost, performance, longevity and maintenance, Isuzu always comes out on top.
“Isuzu offered us a solution at $50,000 less than similar competitors, which included their excellent ‘Priority One’ service and maintenance contract,” he said.
“We simply need a truck that’s reliable, consistent and that won’t break down with the constant stop-start operation and long distances of up to 1,500 kilometres per week.”
Having been founded in 2017, Budget Waste Services came out of the gate fast, picking up a book of clients primarily in the industrial sector but also taking care of retail customers, with a few schools thrown in for good measure.
The company recently took possession of its sixth FYJ 300-350, smartly outfitted with a Superior Pak front-hook body, with the seventh unit due in December this year.
Fitted with a high-torque 9.8-litre common-rail turbo-diesel engine and indomitable Allison HD4430 automatic transmission, the FYJ 300-350 features load-sharing twin steer axles with taper-leaf springs along with Hendrickson airbag suspension at the rear.
The comprehensive suite of standard safety features in the trucks is a boon for the drivers according to Osman.
“There are a lot of things going on at once operating the controls and driving conditions like overhead cables, traffic, tight spaces and working in the dark,” he said.
“When you look at an Isuzu truck’s safety suite combined with its operating environment, you feel safe driving it and sending your staff out in it too.”
Keeping downtime to a minimum was another high priority for the company, and again, Isuzu didn’t disappoint.
Osman signed up for Isuzu Essentials Plus (formerly Isuzu Priority One) at point of purchase, meaning all his new trucks’ scheduled services are covered for the first 60 months of ownership, with roadside assist and priority after-hours servicing for a known, fixed price per month.
“We pay roughly one to two per cent out of our revenue per month to cover maintenance for the whole fleet,” he said.
“A service agreement helps you manage the financials, so you know exactly where you stand.”