Construction works and carriage activities receive a major boost as automobile manufacturer Ford introduces its new range of smart trucks.

Construction works and heavy loads carriage activities across the country are expected to receive a major boost with the introduction of the automobile manufacturer, Ford’s new range of ‘smart’ trucks onto the market.

The company which is one of the world’s leading light and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturer has upgraded its existing fleet installing electronic safety and security systems onto the trucks.

The Construction, Tractor and Road series of the Ford trucks which include trailers, tipper trucks, concrete mixers, sewage collectors, among others according to the company have been expertly engineered to not only effectively execute heavy-duty tasks, but at optimum fuel-efficiency.

The operating cost of owners is expected to be slashed substantially especially, with the introduction of the next generation Ecotorq engines due to their fuel efficiency.

This will enable owners to make some savings.

The framework of the trucks also known as the chassis has been enhanced to enable them take a lot more load yet, remain stable even in rough conditions.

Speaking with JOY BUSINESS the Head of International Markets Ercan Emrah Duman said the company is really obsessed about the fuel consumption of its vehicles “so we are always looking for every opportunity to reduce the fuel consumption.

Even as we launch these models, our engineering team is still working on ideas for the future models on how to reduce the fuel consumption because we believe that every single gram of fuel is important to our customers.”

Ford he added is also obsessed about reducing the maintenance cost of owners hence, is always looking to increasing the spare parts needed for maintenance.

“If we are replacing a part after 60,000km or 100,000km why can’t we increase it to 200,000km? We are always asking ourselves these questions in order to improve our products on the basis of the cost of ownership” he stressed.

Safety and security he noted are of paramountcy to the company. For this reason, the company has installed electronic safety systems in almost all the trucks, considering that they are in the business of transporting heavy and hazardous materials.

To further boost the security of the trucks, immobilizers have bene fixed in the trucks making it almost impossible for anybody to start the vehicle without the permission of the driver.

Safety-wise, Mr. Duman indicated that control systems (ESB systems) have been installed in all the trucks. This system supports the vehicles’ maneuvering, by pulling the truck back onto the road if it is over-steered out of the road.

He however, noted that some extra features can be found in other trucks depending on the markets in which the trucks are being shipped to “because safety regulations in each market vary. We also have the lane-departure warning system where if the vehicle sways from its lane, the driver is prompted by a warning signal in the vehicle so that the driver could control it back into the lane” he stressed.

One other feature which is very important according to Mr. Duman is the emergency brake  system which kicks into operation when a driver is not able to recognize the distance between his/her truck and the vehicle ahead, “an advance emergency braking system in the vehicle warns the driver first and then brakes itself before the driver puts his foot on the brake pedal.”

Managing Director of Maripoma Enterprise Ali Seidu expressed satisfaction after test-driving the trucks saying, the new trucks would go a long way to enhance his business.

He was particularly impressed by the introduction of a ‘retarder system’ which automatically slows down the vehicle in treacherous conditions like going down a slope with a heavy load.

This he noted would go a long way to reducing the maintenance cost on the vehicles.