Keep the Good Times Rolling: Clean Vibes & Isuzu

It used to be a festival rite of passage to wade through knee-deep mud and litter through the crowd to get the best spot in front of the band, but there is something to be said about events that go the extra mile to keep venues clean and sanitary. 

Clean Vibes is helping to keep the good times rolling with a mission to provide exceptional event cleaning, sustainable waste management, and business sanitation for Australian events. 

From pubs, clubs, music halls, theatres, festivals, showgrounds, office spaces, and outdoor sporting events, Clean Vibes offers waste management plans with teams that are not afraid of hard work—or a bit of bin juice. 

Since opening in 2017, the business has seen success right off the bat. It now employs 55 full-time staff, including 12 dedicated truck drivers, and a mammoth casual workforce of roughly 2,500 temporary workers around the country. The workforce is coordinated from a head office in Sydney and hubs in Brisbane and Melbourne. 

Earlier this year, Clean Vibes celebrated the opening of its New Zealand branch and a rebranding of its waste truck fleet. 

Managing Director, Andrew Macarthur, was keen to share the details on the fleet—which transports a literal janitor's closet of cleaning equipment: bins and bin bags, sanitisation products, hi vis clothing, and loo paper to and from events, along with waste and recycling that has been carefully sorted by staff on site heading back to the Clean Vibes facility for processing. ​ 

Waste has never looked so slick, thanks to the wraps featuring company livery by Hunt Signs in Sydney, according to Andrew. 

“We have recently rebranded and refreshed our Isuzu trucks fleet with the assistance of Suttons Trucks Arncliffe. 

“Waste management planning is a 24/7 operation, with all our trucks on the road seven days a week. 

“Reliability is incredibly important in our industry, so having vehicles that are maintained well, ready to go, and that don't break down are a must.” 

Clean record 

Waste can take up a lot of space—and get heavy, especially when catering to the massive range of music festivals and sporting events that Clean Vibes does. ​ 

It's no surprise that payload is a foremost consideration for their truck fleet, which also needs to be nimble enough to collect bins full of recyclables and corflute fence signage and get around venues easily. ​ 

Isuzu Trucks is favoured for its high-payload, low-fuss model range here, with Clean Vibes employing an NNR 45-150 AMT MWB Vanpack, four NNR 45-150 AMT MWB pantech trucks with the tail lifts, a FRD 110-260 AUTO LWB pantech, and a FVY 240-300 Auto rear lift compactor truck for the task. 

Navigating back roads for waste collection for festivals and events, the NNR 45-150 AMT has a medium wheelbase of 3.4 metres and a kerb-to-kerb turning circle of 11.8 metres, which slots smoothly into just about any loading bay, back dock, or crowded event site. 

With a GVM of 4,500 kg and a GCM of 8,000 kg, this light-duty truck is rated for standard car driver's licence holders with the necessary payload for cleaning supplies and bins. ​ 

Bins are loaded via a custom rear tailgate lift for Clean Vibes, shaving time off the bump-in and bump-out process. ​ 

The NNR 45-150 has a bulletproof Isuzu 4JJ1-TCS engine under the hood, providing a meaty 110 kW of power (150 PS) @ 2,800 rpm and 375 Nm of torque @ 1,600 – 2,800 rpm, matched with a 6-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). 

Also tackling bin collection is Clean Vibes’ NNR 45-150 rubbish raider. This truck features a 4.3-metre by 2.2-metre pre-built body fabricated with sturdy fibreglass panels, featuring barn door access, internal tie-down rails and a customer fitted rear tailgate lift. This all combines for making loading and unloading bins plus cleaning equipment, a breeze while keeping everything secure inside. 

A 6x4 FVY 240-300 Auto rear lift compactor truck gets called in for large-scale events such as multi-day camping festivals and street parades like the Sydney Marathon and Sydney Mardi Gras. 

Underpinned by an Isuzu 6HK1-TCS engine that offers a maximum 221 kW of power (300 PS) @ 2,400 rpm and 981 Nm of torque @ 1,450 rpm, the FVY has a substantial 24,000 kg GVM that streamlines the collection process, eliminating the need for multiple runs back to base. 

It’s automatic 

Clean Vibes has opted for AMT and automatic transmission across its Isuzu units, stating ease of use as the primary reason, supporting the dozen-strong driving team. 

This extends to the last of the fleet, an FRD 110-260 Auto (long wheelbase model) primed to tackle their biggest events and cleaning operations. ​ 

This medium-duty workhorse features with a driver-coveted 6-speed Allison LCT 2500 automatic transmission, Isri 6860/875 NTS air suspension seat, and a rugged six-cylinder 6HK1-TCC engine. 

“The FRD is a nice truck to drive... the air suspension driver’s seat is very comfortable,” noted Andrew. 

“I've driven other truck brands in the past and found that there was quite a lot of lag, especially when we had a full consignment load on board—sluggish going uphill and not much power compared to our new Isuzus in the same weight range.” 

Try before you buy 

In the early years as Clean Vibes was finding its feet in the competitive waste market, Andrew hired trucks from rental companies wherever an event booking was located. 

However, he found this wasn’t a viable long-term solution due to the inconsistent availability of new or reliable trucks when he needed them for a job. 

Reaching out to Suttons Trucks Arncliffe and sales manager Alex Bil, Andrew ordered his first Isuzu truck in 2021 and hasn't looked back since, maintaining a close working relationship with the dealership. 

And with such a large geographical area to support, extending from their hubs right across the country, Clean Vibes make the most of Isuzu’s massive Dealer Network—getting all trucks serviced using Isuzu genuine parts at accredited dealerships. 

Backed by a 12-month, unlimited-kilometre warranty, genuine Isuzu parts installed by OEM-trained technicians provide additional peace of mind for Andrew, ensuring assets are well-cared for and drivers are safe. 

“Since purchasing my first Isuzu, we have only had great experiences with the brand. ​ ​ 

“We're extremely happy with the service that we're currently getting, both from Alex in the sales team, the Isuzu brand, and the service team, who do an amazing job. 

With Isuzu, we can continue to provide fantastic waste management and recycling for our customers.”