News

Hino was one of the hot topics of the CV Show, and there was no shortage of visitors to its large stand and impressive outside display. It seemed everybody was talking about its growing customer base and expanding product range. But what exactly did they think of the product? We polled some tipper operators as they examined the exhibits.

"They are cheap and they are available now, and for that reason alone I would definitely consider buying some," was the comment we got from a major Midlands-based  tipper operator who wishes to remain anonymous. "I am just about to place an order for some Dafs, but I could easily be swayed towards Hino as I'm hearing a lot of positive things," he said.

The "cheap and available" comments were heard time and time again, and were without doubt considered to be the brand's most redeeming features. Others liked the fact that although they are assembled in Ireland by Harris Assemblers, the company itself is part of Toyota. But comments certainly weren't all positive. John Verrall of Horsham-based Penfold Verrall wasn't happy with the company's decision to offer EGR engines.

"As far as I'm concerned this is the wrong choice," he said. "This technology goes against what engine manufacturers have been doing for the past 20 years and I'm convinced there will be a serious fuel economy penalty." But others we spoke to were in favour of EGR and liked the fact that there was no "messing around with AdBlue".

Verrall was also highly  critical of the lack of a two-pedal transmission. "We've been using auto tippers on muck-away for years now, and wouldn't buy anything else.However, I can appreciate that they will appeal to people who buy solely on price and don't care about auto boxes," he added.

Steve Dudman of the Dudman Group, who runs a mixed Volvo, Mercedes and Daf fleet, had similar concerns with Hino's manual gearbox. He took his first Volvo with I-Shift in 2003, and said: "I haven't looked back since. They already use ZF transmissions, so why not offer the automatic version? I certainly wouldn't buy one until they do," he said.

Walking around the eight-legger at the Show, Dudman spotted a number of other features that he believes Hino needs to address to improve its appeal to UK tipper operators. "Look at this," he said, pointing at the indicator on the door, "it's going to get knocked-off straight away." He wasn't impressed with the one-piece bumper either, which "will be costly to repair". He thinks the Hino should have a three-part bumper - which would allow operators to replace damaged sections instead of the whole thing.

Several of the people we spoke to described the vehicle as "basic" - but then most followed that with something along the lines of "but that's not necessarily a bad thing". Interestingly, most are confident that Hino will listen to the various criticisms UK tipper operators have, and act upon them. The general consensus was that UK operators won't be waiting too long for a two-pedal eight-legger with three-piece bumper.