Following the recent announcement of its merger with another business, DSE Transport’s expansion plans are well underway, with new trucks just added to the fleet.
DSE Transport employs almost 50 staff and has over 300 subcontracted drivers. It successfully merged with ITS Transport, effective July 1.
“This marks the creation of a formidable partnership that promises a future of re-markable opportunities,” said DSE Transport, in announcing the news.
“Through this strategic merger, we unite the exceptional capabilities, expertise, and resources of DSE Transport and ITS Transport, expanding the DSE operations into Newcastle, Wollongong and strengthening our Sydney business, with a strong fleet of company owned flattops and crane trucks.”
The company has now purchased three new Iveco S-Way AT 360 6×2 rigids to further grow the fleet and help service new contracts. The new trucks will also provide extra coverage to existing key customers across the homewares, building materials and supermarket space.
This is a first–time purchase of the IVECO brand for DSE.
According to DSE transport state manager – NSW, Mitch Sherry, the company eventually settled on the S-Way after a long search.
“We evaluated several contenders but ultimately were attracted by the features of the S-Way, the added safety compared to others in the segment along with the styling of the trucks was attractive,” Sherry said.
Having started with DSE as a company driver nearly 16 years ago, Sherry transitioned into the office and ultimately into management roles.
“My early life as a driver helps me better understand the challenges drivers face out on the road and from an operational perspective with things such as delays and other factors that are out of their control. I can also appreciate how important it is to have the right vehicle for the application,” he said.
The three new S-Way trucks are fitted with 14 pallet curtain-sider bodies, ‘StrapNGo’ load restraint systems and 3-tonne tail lifts. The curtains feature the company’s distinct livery and the cabins have also been wrapped to match.
With 360hp/1650Nm Euro 6 (Step E) engines coupled to 12-speed Hi-Tronix automated man-ual transmissions, the trucks undertake a variety of local work along with intrastate runs in-cluding multi-drop routes from Sydney to Lismore. Servicing a range of permanent and ad hoc customers, the vehicles travel anywhere between 500 and 1000 kilometres per week.
Sherry said that safety was a major consideration for DSE, which greatly influenced the pur-chase decision as well as how the trucks were specified.
“Safety and compliance is front of mind for us, it’s one of the reasons we went for the larger AT cabin rather than the day cabin. Having a spacious and quality cabin allows for proper rest should the drivers need it, whether as part of their fatigue break requirements or if they feel tired and just need to stop for a rest.”
Standard safety features in the S-Way include 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).
According to Sherry, the truckies behind the wheel of the new S-Ways have been extremely pleased.
“They love them. I’ve had feedback from them saying that the trucks were more comfortable and well appointed than their own cars. They comment on how quiet, smooth and easy to steer they are as well,” he said.
One thing that sets DSE apart from many competitors is an operating structure that sees a team of trained operators/allocators also act in a customer service capacity. This means that when customers contact the company, the person they speak with will be responsible for all aspects of handling the load, from booking, allocating, job monitoring to financial processing.
Sherry says this customer-centric approach, transparency and accountability is something that he has also experienced with S-Way selling dealer, Sydney IVECO.
“We’re enjoying a good relationship with Sydney IVECO. It’s the friendly staff, and they al-ways get back to me promptly and effectively. We’ll also use the dealership for ongoing ser-vicing and maintenance of the trucks,” he said.