Hino is at the centre of a milestone in the relationship between Australian towing giants Ekebol and Nationwide Towing & Transport.
Ekebol has been designing and manufacturing towing equipment in Kunda Park, Queensland, for 37 years. And Nationwide has grown from its humble beginnings in 1987 as Blackburn Towing in Melbourne with four tow trucks. It is now the largest towing company in Australia.
In 2005 Nationwide made Hino their preferred brand and has purchased a total of 200 Hino vehicles since 2003.
Ekebol has recently delivered the 250th vehicle (a Hino FE 1426 with six-tonne tilt tray body ) built by the Queensland company for Nationwide since the beginning of their partnership in 1988.
The 500 Series FE 1426 is powered by the 6.4-litre J07E-TN five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces 260HP (191kW) and 794Nm. It features advanced safety and comfort features, with ISRI air-suspended driver’s seat, ABS brakes, SRS driver’s airbag and ECE-R29 crash safety compliance.
CEO Rob Nicholls says Nationwide will continue to build its fleet, which operates in Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth, with Hino because of their strong product and excellent service.
“Over the years we have found Hino to be very reliable, and the company itself to be professional and easy to deal with,” Mr Nicholls said.
“Our tow trucks work hard – 24 hours, seven days a week all over metropolitan areas, the countryside, on busy freeways and isolated outback roads. They also work on construction sites and at major events, including the Australian Grand Prix, the Australian Open and various concerts.”
Mr Nicholls added that Nationwide’s trucks tow very diverse loads, including cars, trucks, boats, buses, excavators, forklifts, containers, generators and portable buildings.
“A robust, durable and reliable truck and tray are critical – Hino and Ekebol clearly fulfil these key criteria and have performed at very high levels for Nationwide over the long term.”
Mr Nicholls is also pleased with Nationwide’s long-lasting relationship with Ekebol. “It’s great to have such a long and successful relationship with them, and I’m proud to be a part of this milestone,” he said.
Ekebol Managing Director Gary Roe agrees Hino trucks are a solid base for a reliable tow truck. “The Hino Ranger 6 then FD models have been great products to install our most popular TFS 4000 tilt tray body on, and you can see these in operation all around Australia” says Roe.
Ekebol is proud to be supporting Nationwide’s growth across the country. “Everyone at Ekebol values the long-term relationship that we have with Nationwide and we look forward to supporting them into the future,” confirms Roe.
“We pride ourselves on supporting our customers’ businesses with parts and excellent customer service, even for our earliest bodies still operating after nearly four decades.”
