Story and quotes adapted from Prime Mover Editorial by Bill Craske
In just a few years, vehicle and equipment hire specialist, CST Hire has significantly enhanced its fleet safety and broadened its footprint across Australia with the help of UD Trucks.
Operating out of Brisbane, Queensland and Perth, Western Australia, CST Hire has a client base across the construction and infrastructure industry. And since its inception in 2016, CST has swiftly built up a fleet in excess of 600 total vehicles including both trucks and light vehicles.
Today it carries a variety of commercial brands with UD Trucks an increasing presence. There are now, with the latest two UD units delivered in August, 30 UD Trucks in total – the majority being Quon twin-steer 8x4s as well as a small selection of UD Croners.
Over the past 7 years, CST Hire has remained responsive to the needs of its clients that represent a fast growing and respectable portfolio and include the likes of Spiecapag Australia, Yurika Energy, Wasco Energy, Nacap and McConnell Dowell among many others. To cater to this growing customer base, CST’s fleet consists of a range of service trucks, tilt trays, water trucks, crane trucks and fuel trucks in an assortment of different wheelbases and cab sizes.
UD has been a key partner since 2017 when CST Hire introduced its first UD truck into it’s Queensland operations, a UD Condor. When UD launched its first Quon 8x4 in 2019, CST Hire jumped at the chance to mobilise the new model on the basis of its safety features, most notably the new electronic stability control – a requirement on many projects the business found itself catering to.
“Many of our customers were needing it on trucks and it wasn’t available on other brands," recalls Todd Wilton, CST Hire General Manager.
"So that was the main reason we were drawn to it. It was the first mainstream Japanese truck to receive stability control. Some European trucks had it for a while but that was the major attraction for us.”
Since this initial purchase, CST has continued to welcome UD additions to the fleet, particularly UD Quon units.
“The Quon has all the safety features expected of a modern truck,” says Todd. “All trucks come with a host of safety features these days and UD is at the forefront of providing these features as standard fitment.”
“It’s well equipped for the Australian market,” says Todd. “This is why our customers enjoy driving it so much.”
The new UD Quon incorporates into its architecture a range of new features including a Blind Spot Information, Lane Change Support as well as an optional Driver Monitor. That is, in addition to the Quon’s existing safety systems including Lane Departure Prevention function, Traffic Eye Brake, Driver Alert System and a Lane departure warning system. Meanwhile, a highly rigid cab known as the SAFES CABIN, redirects collision impacts to the rear and the side-door beams improve safety by enhancing interior strength.
Just as CST Hire is conscious, as a company, about offering the best safety options available to its customers, the fleet must consist of quality, fully maintained and serviced vehicles and trucks. Both of its sites, run workshops where mechanics are fully trained and have over 50 years worth of combined experience.
"We strive to be a complete vehicle supplier in one of the most important sectors within Australia," says Todd. "By listening to our clients and tapping our extensive industry experience we are developing a fleet of project trucks offering clients an efficient and cost-effective project fleet."
