Isuzu’s FY Series - The Super Hero Hauler

FS Transport’s employee, Craig Jones stands proudly beside his superhero hauler.

A famous caped crusader was once asked, “Why do we fall? So, we can learn to pick ourselves back up”. Whilst he’s not quite Batman, this was a trial that, owner and operator of Sydney-based FS Transport, Fred Sassine, experienced firsthand.

“To be honest with you, we nearly went under in the first six months. Now eight years later, we are the leader in natural and engineered stone product distribution on the east coast of Australia.” Established in 2010, FS Transport have risen to prominence through sheer hard work, determination and having the right equipment to service the unique needs of transporting materials such as granite, marble and engineered stone slabs. Having worked in the building industry prior to establishing FS Transport, Fred’s experience with transporting bespoke building materials gave him the edge he needed to deliver a tailored and diverse range of transport solutions. The Isuzu FYX is much like a utility belt- highly adaptable and can be customized to undertake a multitude of tasks. “Our service, our honesty and our reliability help us to build customer relationships that provide confidence. We just try to tick all the boxes for our customers, so whatever they are after and wherever they are, we make it happen.” With FS Transport trucks covering upwards of 200 kms a day and operating at full capacity, it’s imperative that their vehicles have the reliability and adaptability to perform in a range of environments and over vast distances. Enter Isuzu’s heavy-duty FY Series of trucks. FS Transport certainly have heads turning with their striking looking truck. “We purchased the FYX platform and had it fully customised by adding an additional axle for weight distribution and a 6-tonne capacity crane. We also had the entire truck wrapped in a Batman and Gotham city decal, as we intend to take the truck to charity events”. While the new FYX 2500 10x4 has been suitably customised for FS Transport’s unique line of work, the real hero is the factory specifications of the vehicle – boasting a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 35,000 kg, power at 257 kW @ 2,000 rpm and torque of 1,422 Nm @ 1,400 rpm. In addition, the truck features Isuzu’s load-sharing front suspension, Hendrickson HLM-2 tag axle rear suspension and a six-speed Allison 4430 series automatic transmission - all combining to deliver unmatched access on work sites and in loading bays. On the safety front, the FYX has all the boxes ticked with driver side airbag, an ADR 42 compliant sleeper with mattress, an ECE-R93 compliant Front Underun Protection Device (FUPD)and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). With driver safety taken care of, the transport of such niche and often one-off building supplies also required a certain level of versatility and adaptability, hence the FYX has been positioned as a bit of a ‘swiss army knife’ by Fred and his team. FS Transport are regularly required to hoist, position then transport extremely heavy, unconventional items, so just like a super hero’s utility belt, having every transport contingency covered provides a massive advantage on other configurations. “We don’t just specialise in heavy freight. We can also relocate factories and warehousing, crane hire, crane lifts, unpacking, storage and general freight. We don’t place our eggs in one basket, so a highly specialised vehicle was a necessity. “Isuzu has always been a very reliable brand, you get in, start it and go,” he said. “They are easy to operate and are not as complicated to drive like other brands. They are pretty much unbreakable trucks. That’s why I have kept my fleet exclusively Isuzu, because after all, reliability is king in my line of work”. The highly detailed Dark Knight watching over Gotham city wrap is the perfect finishing touch for this fully customized FYX. In fact, the dynamic duo of FS Transport and Isuzu goes back a long way with the origin story of Fred’s love affair with Isuzu Trucks beginning some time ago. “The Isuzu FVZ was the first truck I started with about nine years ago. It’s probably my favorite one. She’s done over 750,000 km and I had the whole truck refurbished because I didn’t want to get rid of it,” laughed Fred. Now with the imposing figure of the new FYX, with its slick black and yellow livery and ‘monster’ crane, Fred and his staff may just have a new favorite on their hands. Its little wonder too. Isuzu’s FY Series has been a huge success since its introduction in 2012, finding a home in a multitude of industries and applications across Australia. “Yeah, the boys fight over who gets to drive it - they love it. Everybody wants to be Batman! “I have driven many other brands over the years, but I wouldn’t go back. Isuzu is definitely my preference.”