When a heavy-duty truck hits one million kilometres on the clock and is ready for more, there’s reason to celebrate – and to tell its story. In this case, a 2007 Hino from the 500 Series range conducting daily duties in KZN has found a new owner, shifting payload from plants to groceries, with trusty Hino dealership support alongside for a new adventure in longevity and reliability.
“The Hino 15-258 500 Series heavy truck, which dates back to 2007, now has more than a million kilometres on its odometer and has begun a new chapter in its working life after being sold out of the KZN-based CPS Seedlings fleet to a Mr Singh to use for collecting and delivering stock for his grocery business in the Midlands area,” says Itumeleng Segage, general manager, Hino South Africa.
“The truck has been trouble-free over the past 18 years having been regularly serviced and maintained by Hino Pietermaritzburg in its early days, but subsequently the CPS Seedlings account has moved to Hino Pinetown,” Segage adds.
According to Julian Chaning-Pearce, founder and managing director of the Greytown branch of CPS Seedlings (his brother, Adrian, looks after the Pongola operation): “This Hino has pulled a pup trailer for at least half its million kilometres in CPS Seedlings’ service. Average fuel consumption has been around 25 l/100 km without the trailer and 31 l/100 km when towing the pup.”
Hino’s ticket to hassle-free trucking
CPS Seedlings is a leading wholesaler of vegetable and forestry seedlings to the commercial farming sector, as well as supplying growing mediums such as vermiculite, Perlite, coir and peat moss to other commercial nurseries across the country. In recent years, the company has branched out into agriculture and now also farms sugar and citrus at its Pongola Farming operations.
Founded in 1985 and operating in Cato Ridge as a one-person business with one bakkie, the company has now reached its fourth generation within the Chaning-Pearse family. “Our fleet covers a combined one million kilometres annually, while the company has produced and delivered more than 1.8 billion plants in the past 40 years,” says Chaning-Pearse.
The CPS Seedlings fleet consists currently of 13 commercial vehicles based in Greytown, with 12 of them Hino’s from 2-12 ton, with a further four commercial vehicles of which two are Hino’s at the Pongola branch. In addition, the fleet operates 14 Toyota light commercials.
When asked if he would buy another Hino truck, Chaning-Pearce replies: “They are on order all the time! I can honestly say that transport is the least of our worries when running our business.”
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