The hectic and frenetic transport activity surrounding the Sydney produce markets at Flemington is no place for the faint hearted, especially in the wee small hours as trucks busted around the site being loaded before heading out to distribute the loads of fruit and veg to keep the products suppliers around the city and surrounding regions stocked and ready for the fresh food buyers to stock the pantry for dinner that night and beyond.
For Rocky Napoli, like a lot 9f other transport operators it’s an early start to the day – while most are pushing out Zs, he’s at Flemington by 3.00am making sure his newest Iveco S-Way AD 8×4 is being loaded with the freshest fruit, vegetables, dairy and other grocery products.
Rocky seems immune – or at least tolerant – of the early starts, because he’s followed this schedule for around 17 years, having moved into refrigerated transport from quarrying, to service a contract with leading New South Wales grocery and produce chain, Harris Farm Markets.
The new S-Way is the sixth Iveco that Rocky has operated under the R and A Napoli Transport banner, having started with a Eurotech before moving onto Stralis models, withy the most recent of which was retired with over 1.1 million kilometres on the odometer. The relationship with Iveco was also strong during Rocky’s quarrying days.
“I’ve used Iveco trucks over many years and have always gone back to the brand – the trucks have always been reliable and performed well for my business,” Rocky explained.
Once loaded in Flemington, the twin steer S-Way which features a Thermaxx refrigerated body, travels to a Harris Farms outlet in Bowral about 110 kilometres away in the Southern Highlands, before being unloaded and returning to Flemington to collect a second load. It’s a routine that’s repeated six days per week, with Sunday being just a single load.
Rocky’s latest Iveco S-Way features a 11.1 litre, 460hp / 2150Nm Euro6 (Step E) engine which is matched to Iveco’s 12-speed HiTronix transmission, it’s a strong combination that’s good on both power and fuel efficiency, according to Rocky.
“The S-Way is lovely to drive and although it replaces a Stralis which had an extra 40hp, we’re not wanting for power – you can’t tell that on paper that it’s a few horsepower down on the previous one,” Rocky said.
“The fuel economy has also been very impressive; that seems to be a trait of Iveco models, mine have always been good and the reliability is there – in this line of business breakdowns are costly.”
Along with its premium driveline, 32,500kg GVM and frugal fuel usage, the S-Way is well specified when it comes to safety features, with standard equipment including an Advanced Emergency Braking System, Brake Assistance System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System, Electronic Stability Program with ABS (disc brakes all round) and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), Hill Holder and Driver Style Evaluation plus Driver Attention Support (DSE + DAS).
Rocky said that with the labour market being competitive, it was important to operate well specified vehicles to attract the best drivers.
“Our drivers have always been complimentary of our Iveco trucks for their overall performance and great ergonomics. The S-Way takes this to a higher level and the driver that’s assigned to the truck, Chris Leonello absolutely brags about this new truck.”
Given his long and successful relationship with the IVECO brand, it’s no surprise that Rocky’s association with local dealer Sydney Trucks and Machinery (recently awarded Iveco’s metro Dealer of the Year for the second time running), is also exceptional.
“We go to Sydney Trucks and Machinery for all our truck needs, we’ve gone there for years, and the team always does the right thing by us both in terms of sales and support,” Rocky said.
Rocky opted to extend the S-Way’s standard 3 year / 750,000-kilometre warranty to an optional 5 year / 1,000,000-kilometre package, for added peace of mind, .
