Kent County Council has put plans to future-proof its library into effect with the deployment of five new Iveco Daily commercial vehicles.
Providing a valuable all-year round community service across the county for the next decade, the vehicles are cleaner and more efficient than their predecessors while standardising the design and specification across the council’s mobile library fleet.
The design and specification of the vehicles are the result of an 18-month collaboration between supplying dealer, Haynes Trucks of Maidstone, Kent County Council and a local specialist bodybuilder.
The fleet is built on the 5.1m wheelbase, twin rear wheel seven-tonne Daily chassis cab, which has been specified with the 180hp F1C turbo diesel engine coupled to Iveco’s Hi-Matic eight-speed automatic transmission. This reduces emissions compared to before, while enabling relaxed driving by drivers.
Typically, the Daily fleet will be carrying around 800-900kg of books on purpose-built shelving, and the vehicles have been fitted with a single passenger seat instead of the standard bench to enable the driver direct access to the library area from the cab.
The design also incorporates a rear passenger side wheelchair lift, a powered door and internal librarian’s workstation.
Onboard tech includes air conditioning, solar panels and Wi-Fi.
Two large solar panels have been fitted to the roof to support the running of the vehicle’s air con unit when dispensing books, as well as powering the internal LED lighting. It stores power on board in lithium-ion batteries and negates the need for a petrol generator, thereby reducing noise and emission pollution during its daily stops.
Rear air suspension has been specified to maximise ride comfort and to minimise disruption to on-board displays and equipment.
James Pearson, head of libraries, registration and archives at KCC, said: “We know from customer feedback that the mobile service has been a real lifeline to many residents during lockdown, and I am pleased that our new vehicles will be reliable, comfortable and improve the customer experience.”
Kent County Council has purchased the vehicles outright, supported by Iveco’s five-year Repair and Maintenance package, which includes access to Iveco’s Assistance Non-Stop (ANS) in-house roadside recovery service.
