A pair of Isuzu FXY 240-350 Auto 6x4s have recently joined the 13-strong fleet of Isuzu trucks operated by S&J Australian Scrap Tyre Disposals.
Fitted with moving floor bodies manufactured by Allroads Transport Engineers in WA, the new Isuzus are supplied by Brisbane Isuzu.
S&J Australian Scrap Tyre Disposals is owned and operated by father and son team Steve and Josh Hayes, with Steve having over 30 years’ experience transporting and recycling scrap tyres across southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Having started in 1991, a sizeable portion of the business has been devoted to cleaning up the stockpiles left by failed tyre collectors.
Steve Hayes teamed up early on with leading tyre recycler, Chip Tyre Pty Ltd, supplying tyres for its recycled crumbed rubber production facility.
Crumbed rubber has many varied uses today: from roads and matting to tile adhesives and blast resistant concrete.
“Since 1991, we’ve always tried to support next best use for the tyres,” said Hayes.
“Dumping of whole tyres is no longer acceptable and with the state of our landfill, it’s just not a good idea,” he said.
“I started out with one truck and my own tyre shredding facility, but we’ve grown a lot from there.”
Sustainable business is something Hayes is passionate about, and while he’s looking out for the environment, he’s also looking after his driving team.
“Some of these trucks do a fair old distance – up to 12-hour shifts for the drivers to complete their rounds,” he explained.
“Our recent purchases have all been Isuzus with automatic transmissions to reduce driver fatigue and for ease of operation.
“The Allison auto in the FXY is bulletproof. The drivers fight over the automatic trucks, they just love them.”
According to Hayes, reducing the manual handling aspect of tyre collection and disposal is another way to keep the team happy, with the bonus of enhanced workplace safety.
“We’re in a manual handling industry, no denying it,” he said. “However, our new Isuzu FXY trucks with walking floors have alleviated manual labour by almost 50 per cent,” he said.
“Instead of taking an hour to unload a truck, we’re doing it in a very economical eight minutes now.”
Hayes is also rapt with the service provided by Brisbane Isuzu, particularly the night-time servicing option.
“We get exceptional service from Brisbane Isuzu; they’ve helped us reduce downtime significantly – which is a big part of why I chose to go with Isuzu in the first place,” said Hayes.
“We take a truck in at 4pm and it is back on the road again the next morning.”