IVECO’S ACCO: The journey of Australia’s favourite garbage truck

ACCO

IVECO’s popular ACCO model is a familiar sight on Australian roads, normally engaged in demanding refuse collection work, where its tough design and durable construction has meant that many older trucks are still in service.

The ACCO’s history is a long one with roots to 1961. Back then it was known as the ‘AACO’ (Australian A-line Cab Over), and was developed from the International Mark 3, a vehicle with military origins.

In 1966, a manufacturing line change from A to C line resulted in a change of nomenclature to ‘ACCO’, as the vehicle is still known by today.

In 1972 ACCO had its original cabin shape (known as the Butterbox) updated, along with many other major changes. This cabin design continued for more than 40 years, with more than 4000 revisions applied to the model over this time. The last iteration was in 2014.

This familiarity of design had benefits for bodybuilders and customers and there’s unlikely to be a body type that hasn’t been mounted on an ACCO cab chassis.

A new era begins

To meet increasingly stringent emission requirements, and to offer the latest in active and passive safety features for customers, changes were required to the ACCO that weren’t viable on the long serving platform. In a quest for the latest technology, IVECO looked to Europe, and particularly the X-Way product, as the basis for the next ACCO model.

The X-Way was developed in Europe for a mix of on and off-road applications and was an ideal fit given the demanding applications in which the ACCO operated within Australia.

The latest ACCO boasts advanced safety systems.

This new generation ACCO continued to be manufactured at IVECO’s Dandenong, Melbourne, facility and combined some of the best features of the previous generation trucks, that made it a favourite for tough vocational applications, while including the latest innovations from Europe such as Euro6 power.

For refuse collection work, the ACCO continued to be available with a factory dual control system and IVECO consulted extensively with the waste industry to develop a variety of body mounting and chassis layout options. The model was also available with a Parker Chelsea PTO, a favourite for waste collection.

Other benefits included Adaptive Cruise Control [ACC], Anti-lock Braking System [ABS], Electronic Braking System [EBS], Advanced Emergency Braking System [AEBS], Electronic Stability Program[ESP], axle load indicator, electronic battery cut-out and L.E.D daytime running lamps and rear L.E.D lights.

The latest generation

In 2023, the ACCO was again updated after aligning with IVECO’s multi-award-winning S-Way heavy duty range, bringing greater levels of driver comfort and interior appointments, added safety equipment and even more stringent ‘Step E’ Euro6 emission control.

Now fully imported from Europe following a long Australian testing and development period, the current ACCO is available in both 6×4 and 8×4 configurations and features IVECO’s 8.7-litre Cursor 9 engine, with buyers able to select from three output ratings spanning from 310hp and 1300Nm to 360hp and 1650Nm. The standard transmission across all models is the proven Allison 3200 6-speed full automatic, a favourite for demanding stop and start applications.

Available exclusively with a day cab, the ACCO’s interior has been further refined to provide more usable space and accommodate dual control hardware for those relevant models. Driver storage solutions have been amplified with additional areas allocated.

The 2014 ACCO was the last revision of the cabin shape.

Previous generation ACCO models were a favourite for bodybuilders owing to their clean chassis rails and mounting options; this legacy has continued in the latest ACCO, with a chassis layout that’s been honed to closely align with requirements of waste industry bodies in consultation with popular body manufacturers and leading companies within the sector. New systems for improved integration between the cab chassis and bodies are also featured.

Other waste industry-specific adjustments include redesigned steps for extra ground clearance, an engine hour metre and three-blade windscreen wiper system. The latest ACCO also boasts the advanced safety equipment featured in the S-Way including Advanced Emergency Braking System, Brake Assistance System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System, Electronic Stability Program with ABS disc brakes all round and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) and full LED lighting.

To provide owners with lower total cost of ownership, ACCO features IVECO ‘EasyRoad’, which covers maintenance and repair costs for 12 months / 150,000 kilometres or 3000 engine hours, whichever comes first. Additionally, ‘IVECO ON’ telematics is complementary on the latest ACCO models for five years.

For more information, visit: www.iveco.com.au

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