A Scottish-built Rokbak RA40 articulated hauler is tackling the tough terrain of a quarry in Cookville, the largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee.
The ADT is transporting overburden, shot rock and finished crushed limestone products for UC Materials, as part of a multi-group project.
Located directly between Nashville and Knoxville, the limestone rock quarry provides material to customers in the local area, and feeds other sites within the group in which the quarry operates.
UC Materials rents the RA40 from Ironclad Equipment LLC, which purchased the hauler in January from Rokbak dealer Diamond Equipment.
“The reason we went with Rokbak is uptime and price” explained Ironclad Equipment LLC general manager and co-founder Barry Reese. “I personally prioritise profitability and knowing that the truck will always be working, and the RA40 ticked the boxes. The fact that the RA40 is performing really well, our operators like it and it does everything other haulers do but for a lot less money, shows why we’re very satisfied!”
Since being acquired by Ironclad at the start of the year, the RA40 has already clocked up over 1,600 hours of operation. The truck has been on this site since September 2023 and been working at around 40 hours a week. This isn’t Ironclad’s only Rokbak truck – the company has one tasked with land-clearing on a residential site near Nashville, and a third RA40 has also just been bought.
“The RA40 has really been a hit,” Barry added. “We’ve seen what it’s brought to the construction site and UC Materials quarry, so it makes sense to add to our fleet and choose a proven performer. We know what we’ve got, and we know the benefits this particular dump truck offers our expansive operations.”
UC Materials uses the RA40 to move topsoil at the top of the quarry, as well as large amounts of rock from the face down to the base, and stockpile it in the yard.
“The quarry has the ability to continue for a very long time, so there is lots of hard work ahead for our Rokbak dump truck” said site manager Matt Davidson. “There is 1000ft to go back from the current wall face. The operators are happy with the truck and we plan on operating it within the quarry indefinitely, with low manual maintenance and cab comfort two particular strengths that have impressed the team.”
Acoustic insulation helps to minimise noise levels inside the cab while a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system ensures a stable temperature. Other features include a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, an adaptive air suspension seat with adjustable armrests, anti-vibration mounts for the engine and cab, and cushioned stops on the steering cylinders. A sharp reverse-camera is an added safety benefit.
The RA40 has ground-level test points, a fully tilting cab and an electronically raised hood. Only two grease fittings have to be greased manually on Ironclad’s RA40 every 250 hours.
“Success stories such as this in Tennessee emphasise that the Rokbak rebrand has led to accelerated demand in North America,” commented Rokbak regional sales manager Dan Meara. “Our trucks are out working across the United States and Canada, helping to generate further interest in the brand and contributing to the RA30 and RA40 being used on multiple large projects in this dynamic market.”
