According to Chris Stout from Stouts Plumbing Services, nothing compares to a truck when you’re carrying tools every day. His marine blue Isuzu NPR Tradepack featured in the Suttons Trucks 2022 calendar and has been a welcome addition to their fleet since 2021.
Adam Lewis, Sales Manager at Suttons Trucks Arncliffe, included the Stouts truck in the calendar because it’s a great looking truck with the blue cab, black branding and personalised number plates.
“The NPR Tradepack comes in a range of colours and we thought plumbers would like the blue ones,” explains Lewis. “Our customers have loved the different colours because they can pick one to match their company logo and it makes it feel more like a ute than a truck.”
Chris was full of praise for the Isuzu truck and has seen significant savings in running costs compared to the vans and utes he has in his company fleet.
“With the utes we notice the costs every time they need a service because we carry so much weight,” explains Chris. “And the mechanic is always talking to us about reducing the load we carry”.
“We run three utes, two vans, a tipper and the Isuzu NPR. We track the fuel and service costs and the Isuzu compares to the others. Its built to be loaded all the time so it doesn’t get the wear and tear like the other vehicles which makes the maintenance more predictable which is great for our business.”
Like most trades, Chris and the team at Stouts spend a lot of time on the road getting to a job site. The travel can be a hassle when you’re in a manual changing gears all the time which is why many businesses continue to favour utes and vans over trucks.
The Isuzu AMT transmission is perfect for long commutes across Sydney to get to a job. It’s an automated manual gearbox that drives like an automatic. There are two pedals so it takes the stress out of driving in traffic and allows non-manual approved drivers to get behind the wheel.
Another thing Chris likes about the Isuzu is the durability. After 100,000 kilometres it still feels solid and ready for another 100,000. He said the utes and vans don’t age as well. After a few years of carrying a big load they look and feel worn out.
“We still need utes in our fleet to access some jobs in car parks and laneways,” says Chris. “But if I could, I would have more Isuzu trucks because the current models drive like a ute and they just keep on going.”
