Yuill and Dodds purchases first Iveco Trakker

Major Scottish haulage contractor Yuill and Dodds has taken delivery of a new Iveco Trakker, marking the first Iveco eight wheeler to be operated by the Hamilton-based company.

The Iveco Trakker 8x4 (AD340T38K) joins a 120-strong mixed vehicle fleet, which already includes two Iveco Stralis Active Space tractor units, and has been fitted with a Thompson’s steel tipping body.

Supplied by local Iveco distributor Kerr & Smith, the Trakker is one of the first 8-wheelers in the fleet to benefit from an automated transmission and has been supplied on a three year repair and maintenance contract.

Brian Yuill, Managing Director of Yuill and Dodds Ltd, explains: “The Trakker is a robust off-road tipper chassis and ideal for our type of work, which can range from general construction projects to large scale soil clearances.

“The two Iveco Stralis’ we operate have fitted into the fleet seamlessly and the drivers have been particularly impressed with the EuroTronic gearboxes. The arrival of the Trakker will allow us to put Iveco’s automated transmission to the test on much more demanding on/off road operations,” he adds.

Expected to cover up to 110,000 km a year, the Trakker will be on the road five days a week and will remain on the fleet for three years.

The Trakker has a cab width of just 2.28 m, ensuring vehicle manoeuvrability in confined spaces is excellent, thus reducing risk of collision with obstacles. The cab also benefits from anti-slip access steps which make getting in or out even safer and features a bottom step which is flexible and hingeless, so if it makes contact with an obstacle whilst manoeuvring, it simply bends and then returns to its original shape.

Inside the Trakker cab, the driver’s seat has air suspension and is fully adjustable with a headrest and an integrated seatbelt. It is upholstered in vinyl which makes it easy to wipe clean.

The vehicle is powered by a 12.9 litre Cursor 13 engine producing up to 380hp and a maximum torque of 1,800 Nm between 940 and 1,480 rev/min. This availability of high torque at low engine speeds is particularly useful for hill starts, and smooth driving even on rough terrain is guaranteed thanks to peak torque and maximum power being available from intermediate speeds.