When you’re a tradesperson and your services are booked out 18 months to three years in advance, and you haven’t spent a red cent on advertising, you’re clearly doing something right.
Since finishing his carpentry apprenticeship 29 years ago, the services of Darren Bailey – Director of Darren Bailey Builders – have been highly sought after.
“It went crazy pretty much from the time I finished my apprenticeship and it’s been crazy ever since,” said Darren.
Based in Warrandyte in Melbourne’s North-East and employing five full-time carpenters, the company specialises in constructing high-end new houses in some of Melbourne’s most sought after suburbs in the Canterbury, Hawthorn and Kew area.
That Darren Bailey Builders has relied solely on word-of-mouth is one of the greatest commendations a business can have, but that doesn’t mean Darren isn’t looking for improvements in his day-to-day operations.
A typical day for the company can involve picking up anything from white goods and appliances to timber, steel, sand, toilets or site rubbish.
Darren had been using a ute to transport a lot of this material but recently decided he needed something with the carrying capacity of a truck that his employees could still drive on a car licence. Enter Isuzu’s NLR 45-150 AMT Tipper.
With Isuzu’s Stability Control System (IESC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Anti-Skid Regulator (ASR) and Hill Start Aid (HAS), the NLR met the safety bar. It also boasts 110 kW @ 2,800 rpm and 375 NM @ 1,600 – 2,800 rpm, an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) and a 4,500 kg GVM – which means it can be driven by Darren’s employees on a car licence.
“We operate in pretty intricate terrain so we needed something with manoeuvrability, but also something able to carry a variety of loads,” said Darren.
“Previously we’d been using trailers on the back of a ute, but the Tipper makes it a lot easier. It’s nice to be able to push a button to offload rather than going through all the manual labour required to empty a trailer.”
The tipper has an all steel body with drop sides, an auto release two-way tailgate, shovel rack, rope rails, non-slip side steps, a 20 second raise and lower time, and a volume capacity of 2.0 square metres.
Rather than jumping to a decision to buy the NLR45-150 AMT Tipper, Darren trialed one he hired through Kennards.
Also coming into calculations were the truck’s aesthetics.
“A lot of guys on site have Isuzu, so you take that into consideration. They came highly recommended within the industry.
“Before deciding I checked out a couple of competitors but the look was very important. For my business, working at the high-end of the market, it’s important to have a vehicle that not only can handle the loads but also looks impressive,” Darren said.
In the future, Darren plans to pass the NLR 45-150 AMT Tipper onto his employees and to purchase a new Isuzu for himself, and of course to continue forging ahead with his thriving business.
