Traffic management specialist, Priority TM, has specified a new 18-tonne Iveco Eurocargo impact protection vehicle (IPV), which has a 4.5m body - 2.2m shorter than most - mounted to an 8m long chassis.
Featuring bodywork from Bevan Group, which includes a crash cushion and high-visibility light arrow board by Highway Care, the shorter wheelbase helps with manoeuvrability when working in and around London. So far, it’s delivered cost and efficiency benefits for the company.
The 250hp Iveco has proved its worth on assignments previously undertaken by 7.2-tonne or 3.5-tonne Iveco Dailys. Duncan Crome, MD of Priority TM, said: “Dual working remains the best practice in some circumstances, but its flexibility means the new vehicle can be used to undertake other jobs on a solo basis, without the need for a second. So of course, it has the potential to save us money.”
The automatic gearbox has two additional crawler gears that make it easier to drive at very low speeds to pick up equipment after an assignment. A manual unit would be “no good as the clutch would wear out too quickly”, explained Crome.
On board there are 4G safety cameras, including two that aid reversing; one is activated when the crash cushion is raised and the other when it’s deployed.
Crome added: “Our new impact protection vehicle is not intended for operation on motorways or major trunk road schemes. Rather, its main role is as back-up for utilities work. We don’t need a full-sized wagon that’s 10m long and capable of carrying upwards of 200 cones, so it made sense to restrict its length.”
Cones can be dropped from wells mounted on the vehicle, while two tonnes of steel ballast beneath the bed ensured the truck achieved the minimum 10-tonne gross weight required for an IPV.
At the rear is Highway Care’s heavy-duty Safe Stop 90 crash cushion, able to absorb rear-end impacts at speeds of up to 68mph, and able to be deployed at a moving speed of up to 55mph. Constructed out of galvanised external safety frame, this protects against what Priority TM calls, ‘nuisance impacts’.
Bevan Group’s “consultative approach to the design phase” impressed Crome. “Sales director Roy Shelton and his team demonstrated reassuring attention to detail, and were prepared to consider any requests – if they couldn’t accommodate us, they’d come back with an alternative suggestion.”
Crome concluded: “The truck is very well built, which is encouraging given that we anticipate running it for at least 10 years, while round-the-clock breakdown cover by Bevan Group’s Aftercare Response provides added peace of mind.”
