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DSF Trucks at Freight in the City

DAF Trucks arrives at Freight in the City equipped with a raft of new product innovations to meet the ever-increasing demands of urban operations. PIEK-certification for its LF at 7.5t means DAF Silent Mode is now available across the DAF product range, while a clear focus falls upon cyclist safety with the inclusion of a number of active and passive safety enhancements.

DAF-Distrubtion

Market-leader DAF Trucks is showing two models at Alexandra Palace. Its CF 400 FT 4×2 tractor is equipped with Silent Mode, allowing it to meet low-noise standards for night time deliveries. Silent Mode is engaged by the driver by simple activation of a dash-mounted ‘Silent’ button. Beneath the cab, engine software alters performance characteristics to reduce noise levels to less than 72 dB(A).

As announced at last week’s RAI Show in Amsterdam, DAF Trucks’ Silent Mode offering now extends to the LF range. With confirmation of PIEK-certification on PACCAR PX-5 engine variants (150bhp and 180bhp) DAF’s lightweight 4×2 rigid models for early morning and night-time urban operations are now available in the UK. Silent Mode is available on both CF and XF models powered by the Euro-6 PACCAR MX-11 engine.

Importantly for customers of LF, CF and XF Silent models, acquisition costs remain low thanks to conventional driveline technology. Other PIEK-certified vehicles on the market are powered with gas engines or have hybrid drivelines resulting in prohibitive up-front acquisition costs.

DAF Trucks’ second exhibit, and a truck which takes cyclist safety to the next level, is the CF 440 FAD low-height 8×4 rigid tipper. The Construction Logistics & Cyclist Safety (CLOCS) DAF demonstrator is already under evaluation with a number of London-based tipper operators with many making serious enquiries. The vehicle is based on DAF Trucks’ successful CF low-height haulage chassis, with its cab mounted 150mm lower than its CF Construction 8×4 stablemate, thus greatly improving direct visibility in the vicinity around the cab.

For added driver awareness, DAF’s CLOCS demonstrator boasts Side Scan technology from Brigade Electronics. The system warns cyclists when the vehicle is turning left while alerting the driver should a cyclist encroach on the nearside of the vehicle.

This truck also benefits from a VUE camera system. Linked to two monitors, one of which is mounted on the driver’s A-post, VUE provides camera observation along the entire nearside of the vehicle.

Completing the driver’s command of his immediate surroundings, the vehicle is fitted with an additional floor-height window in the passenger door to provide a direct view of cyclists and pedestrians. Importantly, the design, developed by Cheshire-based Astra Vehicle Technologies, allows the main passenger door window to open; a key benefit that enables drivers to have a clear view of traffic during poor weather and to allow access to the mirrors from the passenger seat for cleaning purposes. Astra’s floor-height door window makes its debut at Freight in the City.