Bearcat Tyres was established in Sydney in 1973 as an outpost for a larger parent company based in the United States to supply Australia with industrial tyres for the construction business.

Now regarded as one of the leading suppliers of specialist tyres to the construction, industrial and earthmoving sectors of industry, Bearcat Tyres in its 30 year history has expanded ten fold from its small beginnings.

According to Bearcat Tyres New South Wales Branch Manager, Lyle Pearce, a focus on excellent customer service has allowed the company to grow steadily. It now has branches and warehouses in all mainland states, as well as a wide regional distribution network through independent tyre dealerships.

"In an industry such as ours where there is a lot of competition, good customer service equates to less down time for clients' equipment, which is why Bearcat Tyres offers on-site tyre fitting from all of its five branch locations in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia," Mr Pearce said.

Bearcat Tyres' decision to acquire two new Isuzu trucks was based on its experience with the brand - which spans over a decade - as well as the trucks' strong environmental credentials.

"All our trucks are Isuzus, there are around 15 of them Australia-wide and they have all performed very well over the years," Mr Pearce said.

"Bearcat Tyres has had a working relationship with Isuzu for around a decade and has found the relationship to be very positive in terms of the service we get from its dealerships and the reliability of the trucks," Mr Pearce added.

The latest acquisitions to the Bearcat Tyres fleet are a pair of Isuzu NPR 400s; one based in Sydney, the second in Brisbane. According to Mr Pearce the trucks' EURO IV rating makes them among the cleanest available on the market.

"For both Bearcat Tyres and myself, getting the most efficient and environmentally friendly truck available on the market was essential, and the Isuzu NPR 400 with its EURO IV ratings are among one of the cleanest conventional diesel powered trucks in its weight class," Mr Pearce said.

Fitted with a tyre press, hydraulic jack, compressor, sanitising kit and an awning for Occupational Health and Safety, the newly purchased Isuzu NPR 400s are set up specifically to change forklift tyres in high density commercial and industrial sites.

The tyre press and hydraulic equipment on the trucks is powered through the PTO which is run from the Isuzu SiTEC Series II 185 engine; the set-up provides ample power to efficiently fit solid forklift tyres on-site.

"We specifically purchased the NPR 400s for the metropolitan forklift task. We needed a truck which was easy to manoeuvre, compact and powerful enough to carry the load," Mr Pearce said.

"The Isuzu SiTEC engine has performed extremely well in terms of fuel efficiency and reliability, as the built-in compressor, the hydraulic lift and press are all fed from the PTO.

"Furthermore, the drivers have also been impressed with the SiTEC Series II 185 engine's on road performance which delivers strong torque and power at low crawling speeds and feels at home in stop and start city conditions," Mr Pearce said. 

The design and construction of the truck bodies was undertaken after extensive research by the Bearcat Tyres engineering team to ensure that they were fit for purpose and well matched to the Isuzu cab chassis.

Each of the trucks is expected to cover around 50,000 metropolitan kilometres per year, so they are kept busy and on the road every day, according to Mr Pearce. 

"We based our design on the Isuzu cab chassis because we believe they are the best and as such they are the only trucks we use. They may not necessarily be the cheapest but we buy them new and service them according to the handbook and they are always reliable," Mr Pearce said.

"Timely response to customer call out is essential and in order for us to do the job efficiently we can't afford breakdowns."

The NPR 400s are supplied with a comprehensive array of safety features as standard which added to the overall value proposition of the vehicles, according to Mr Pearce.

"Fitted with a driver and passenger airbag, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Anti Skid Regulator (ASR) and Electric mirrors, our management has the peace-of-mind that all our drivers are as safe as possible in the unfortunate event of an accident," Mr Pearce added.

"The two NPR 400s were acquired following the company's recent purchase of two Isuzu FVR 950, which are based in Adelaide and used for the fitment of large industrial, construction and earthmover tyres, also on-site," Mr Pearce said.

With the building and construction industries showing tentative signs of recovery, Bearcat Tyres and its fleet of Isuzus looks to have plenty of work in the months ahead.