The car manufacturers have to spend millions of dollars developing a new car range, so getting the right name that fits the aspirations of the potential customer base are equally vital. How they must envy the specialist Dutch manufacturer Terberg.
For while there has been some equally serious investment behind developing an all-new range of two metre wide refuse collection vehicle (RCV) chassis for tight urban operations, finding the name was easy.
The 'Urbin' range - that's as in 'urban bin collection' - was launched at the recent Entsorga event held in Cologne and Waste Management World magazine's transport and plant correspondent, Malcolm Bates, has been promised the first drive of a completed, bodied unit next Spring.
Terberg is already well known for binlifters of course - and has a long history of producing specialist chassis for the waste and construction sectors, but the Urbin - available in both 18tonne 4x2 and 30tonne grossweight three axle rearsteer form - is a bold move. Underlining the belief that in any old quarter collection rounds, existing 2.5metre wide three or even four axle RCVs could be having an adverse effect on the environment they are supposed to be helping keep clean, it will be interesting to see how well the Urbin sells in competition with other 'compact' truck chassis with a reduced payload potential.
While no prices have been announced yet, the Terberg will clearly cost more than existing compact mass-produced trucks in the 7.5 to 13tonne gross weight range. But in payload terms, the Urbin should offer higher utilisation - and with a very tight turning lock, run rings around standard RCVs. See the next edition of Waste Management World
