Fleet of the Month

Steelers wheels

APEX STEEL PRODUCES AND SUPPLIES STEEL PRODUCTS TO ROOFERS USING A PURPOSE-BUILT FLEET IN WHICH WESTERN STAR PLAYS A PROMINENT ROLE IN CARRYING THE EXTENDED LOADS.

The unusual size of the steel cut-tolength and its variants like aluminum and colorbond dictate the customised approach to the trailer combinations used at Apex Steel. That key requirement for the delivery business is fully realised through Western Star and more specifically the 4800 FS2 model, given its unique wheelbase helps keep the combination within the legal limit of 26 metres. As it offers a wide range of commercial roofing, cladding, rainwater goods, sheet metal, purlins, battens, sheet and coil, pipes and structural steel, the task of supplying these products is wholly specialised for Apex Group. It must include a mounted crane on all its trailers. The Fassi vehicle loading crane, supplied by 600 Cranes, has been standardised across the fleet for efficiency of use, maintenance and repairs. Heavier loads, topping out around 25 tonnes, involve use of extendable trailers. These are nominally sourced from long time partners Vawdrey and occasionally Barker Trailers. The company also runs a super

Crane spec’d trucks are standard for Apex Steel. extendable trailer with steerable axles it had commissioned by Lusty Trailers in Swan Hill a few years back. In the main the company, which maintains a head office and depot in Dandenong South, supplies to independent roofing specialists for the construction and refurbishment of commercial and domestic properties. Commercial roofers require, according to Apex Building Products Road Transport Manager Clint Rockman, a bespoke service for the overscale considerations of moving materials for factory roofs. “If the customer orders a roof we have to be able to supply what they need. So it’s our job to cut it for them from a coil and then we have it delivered,” he says. “We do a lot of long roof sheets.” The inclusion of the three new Western Star trucks comes in the midst of the fleet being rejuvenated. It has been a conscious undertaking on the part of Clint, who sees the long-term strategy of upgrading the equipment offsetting costs associated with downtime and repairs. “The fleet has been purposely built to cart

Western Star 4800 FS2 with mounted Fassi crane.

long lengths,” he explains. “All of our trailers are full extendable 48 footers. Once you put a crane on the Western Star it comes under the legal limit. So that’s why we buy them and they’re a top truck.” While little Isuzus are deployed for smaller tray truck deliveries, the Western Stars are assigned the much longer steel sheets. With a longer wheelbase, the heavy duty 4800 FS2 cling reliably to the unsealed roads and enclosed areas customary of their final destination. “For the most part the jobs are offroad. As you can imagine it’s factories and similar locations,” says Clint. “There’s not a lot of asphalt welcoming the drivers at these sites. But the Western Star is a great truck in the mud and slush. It handles variable conditions very well.” Westar Trucks Derrimut oversaw the complex build in which underslung pipes for the exhaust were necessary to accommodate the rear mounted crane. Shortened fuel tanks and toolboxes were also required as part of a host of modifications which have been observant down to a 10mm tolerance.