Purpose-Built Partnership: CMI Hino Melbourne and Active Tree Services reaching new heights

Managing vegetation around power lines is a complex and highly specialised task that calls for reliable and custom-built vehicles. It’s this shared focus on safety and performance that makes the partnership between CMI Hino Melbourne and Active Tree Services such a strong fit.

Electricity powers Australia and ensuring its safe and reliable transmission requires constant and ongoing maintenance of overhead power lines. Vegetation management is critical, not only to prevent interference with power infrastructure, but also to reduce the risk of bushfires.

Active Tree Services has been at the forefront of this important work, delivering vegetation management solutions nationwide. In 2025, Active Tree Services are celebrating 50 years of operation, having been founded by Mark Willcox in 1975.

At the heart of Active Tree Services’ success is their impressive 900 pieces of mechanical equipment. This includes an extensive fleet of more than 270 specialised trucks, with over half of these based on Hino cab-chassis models proudly supplied by CMI Hino Melbourne.

Nationally, Active Tree Services operates approximately 170 specialised vehicles, produced in-house by a division of the company, Aerial Access. Established in 1992, Aerial Access is specifically dedicated to the design, manufacture and maintenance of these essential pieces of equipment. Aerial Access also provides support Active Tree Services through specialised fleet management and maintenance.

The strong partnership between CMI Hino Melbourne, Active Tree Services and Aerial Access is key to delivering the reliability, safety and performance that Active Tree Services need, particularly working in some of Australia’s toughest environments.

Active Tree Services has fostered many long-term working relationships with a variety of clients, including major power companies and electrical authorities, local governments, construction companies and smaller businesses within the arboriculture and vegetation management industries.

The majority of the Hino truck orders for these businesses are fulfilled through our sales team at CMI Hino Melbourne, which means we can deliver the trucks completed by Aerial Access as a ‘turnkey’ deal.

This helps businesses focus on the important work they do, knowing that CMI Hino Melbourne can be their one-stop shop for their specialised truck requirements.  

The Active Tree Services’ fleet also includes over 80 tippers that transport vegetation and are frequently towing woodchippers.

“Our typical working environment involves tough conditions and our cutting crews work off-road continuously following the electrical powerlines and infrastructure to maintain vegetation growth to prevent bush fires,” says Jason Gaskin, Manager of Builds and Sales at Aerial Access.

“We ask a lot of the trucks and therefore we need reliability foremost.”

Reliability is one of the many reasons why Hino stands out.

Having the option for larger diameter truck wheels to help increase ground clearance and the choice of an automatic transmission are also an important factors when it comes why CMI Hino Melbourne and Hino Trucks are the go-to option for Aerial Access.

The type of work being performed can also involve extensive periods of engine idling to operate the PTO driven hydraulic cutting equipment, which can be tough on engines.

 “We like the Hino because it’s Japanese and it’s good quality, it’s not the most expensive but it’s also not giving us problems,” says Jason.

“For the larger 50- to 60-foot reach towers we go for the 4x4 Hino GT 1528. It’s unmatched in that category and there’s nothing else in its GVM range.”

Active Tree Services was one of the first to utilise truck-mounted insulated elevated work platforms (EWPs) to facilitate the safe operation of removing vegetation, without the risks related to working close to live wires.

According to Active Trees Fleet Manager, Luke Hounslow, the fleet often opts for a Hino 4x2 with a 40-foot platform which is equipped to take into the scrub on jobs.

“Our industry is tough on gear for a few reasons. Wherever they run the power lines, in order to maintain growth of the vegetation under it, we’ve got to access it. They (Hino Trucks) do a bloody good job for us,” he says.

A trio of Hino 700 Series prime movers are also utilised to transport various pieces of heavier equipment in the Active range.

To further demonstrate the versatility of the Hino range, the team at Aerial Access have designed various unique plant and equipment in-house, typically built on the back of Hino cab-chassis products.

The designs of tipper bodies fitted to Hino trucks have evolved over the years, now offering options such as a tipper with a rear-mounted chipper and the ‘combo’ model, which includes a tipper bin, a truck-mounted chipper and an elevated work platform.

“Hino trucks have been a great support in this area over many years and understand our business and have worked closely with us to help perfect the various designs,” says Jason.

“Many of the rigid trucks come in a variety of wheelbase dimensions which match our EWP and tipper builds, negating the need for chassis modifications.”

Our team’s commitment to always meet customers complex and specific needs is evident thanks to our long-standing partnership with Active Tree Services.

“We are extremely proud of the relationship we have built with Active Tree Service and Aerial Access throughout the years and it’s been incredible to see the range of applications their Hino Trucks are used for. It truly demonstrates Hino’s versatility and reliability,” says Marta Gawlik, CMI Hino Melbourne General Manager.

Together, CMI Hino Melbourne and Active Tree Services are committed to keeping communities safe and green through world-class vegetation management solutions backed by trusted trucks and equipment.

We would like to thank the Active Tree Services and Ariel Access teams for choosing CMI Hino Melbourne. We are looking forward to continuing to partner with you as your Hino fleet continues to grow.

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