A truck headed for a tour around Australia
One of the joys of our industry is that we meet some of the most interesting people – often with interesting objectives in their purchase of a truck.
And a classic case is that of David Fleming who has recently purchased an NPR 5.2 short wheel-base with the aim of towing a caravan for touring around Australia.
David has retired (interestingly from truck driving and trucking company management) and has decided what better way to enjoy his retirement than with an extensive slow and steady around-the-country sojourn.
Prior to heading off on the journey, which is planned for July, he is headed to the UK for a month, then there will be a body to have built for the truck that will be best suited for his mission.
David’s decision to use a truck for towing the caravan was based on some fairly extensive considerations.
He strongly believes as a result of his studies that not only has the truck better weight and grunt to pull a substantial sized caravan, but on a costing, the actual fuel consumption is no greater than most reasonable sized four-wheel drive SUVs.
‘It’s the same fuel consumption per 100kms and a truck can not only carry more but be safer in towing ability, so it just makes sense to go via this type of vehicle,’ he said.
All we can add is that we are delighted to see a client undertake the analysis that David has done and to wish him well for his journeying.
Footnote: Light-duty trucks that don’t exceed a GVM of 4,500 kg can be driven on a standard car licence.Light-duty trucks are becoming increasingly popular for towing boats, dirt bikes, campervans, and motor homes as they have a significantly increased payload and towing capacity compared to a car or ute – making for a very appealing vehicle for both work and leisure.