Safety seems to be on a lot of people’s lips in the truck industry at the moment, well at least select manufacturers who have grasped the importance of it to road users.
With Hino’s launch of its new 300 with a full suite of safety equipment and Daimler’s endorsement of the NHVR safety and emission technology uptake plan there has been a lot of news around about light duty truck safety lately, particularly from those to makers.
One of the largest truck rental fleets in Australia has clearly putting safety first by purchasing Fuso Canter for its fleet, mostly because of the strong safety tech, most notably its Active Emergency Braking or AEB.
The Fuso Canter was actually the light duty truck in Australia with Active Emergency Braking beating the recently released Hino 300 by almost 11 months.
Hertz Australia Licensee, Australian Truck & 4WD Rentals, has recently taken delivery of its first 10 Canters fitted standard with AEB, Lane Departure Warning System, Electric Stability Control, dual airbags and a reversing camera. It will introduce the trucks across its fleets in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales.
All Canters, except for the off-road 4×4 model, come standard with AEB, a radar/camera system that can automatically brake the truck if it senses an imminent collision. This system can even detect, and start braking for, pedestrians.
Australian Truck and 4WD Rentals State Manager, Paul Jukes, says Hertz highly values the safety of its customers.
“We are very excited to have the Fuso Canter with AEB join our Hertz fleet,” Mr Jukes says.
“The safety of our customers is paramount, so it makes sense to order a truck with the best safety equipment available. Having the pedestrian detection capability of the AEB is fantastic because many of these trucks operate in built-up areas,” Mr Jukes adds.
All Hertz Canters can be driven on a car-licence and are specified with Duonic dual-clutch automated transmissions.
“The Duonic is fantastic for us and our customers,” Mr Jukes says. “It just makes it easy for our customers to concentrate on driving without having to worry about changing gears and managing the clutch. It also takes away the risk of clutch damage.”
The Canter 515 selected by Hertz also features independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering, which delivers a more car-like feel, while it also boasts class-leading tare weight.
