Deals on Wheels issue 485

Deals News

Data –

Truck Sales

Spring proves popular for truck sales

Showcase

radio station

Deals

for Truckies

2012 Kenworth T409 SAR

2011 Kenworth T409

2017 Hino 920

news

We take a look at the latest news from the industry

Driven to distraction

shares its learnings from serious crash data

legacy

F inemore Transport's focus on operator safety has helped the business grow through tough times

history

It's not all about making a profit at Followmont Transport

booming for trailer maker

Trailers has big plans to keep up with demand

Special Deals

Deals

calling card

Jeff and Lori Turner's' stunning Kenworth T909 is a rolling billboard for their growing business

Tractor or truck?

The versatile Mercede's Uni-Mog takes on all terrain

Work of art

H ino work truck helps a Cairns' business to paint the town, one job at a time

Cattle runner

The Mack Super-Liner bringing cattle to market by the B-double load in Queensland

Tech

revolution

Diesel's not dead yet, but there's little doubt battery

hydrogen powered trucks will soon be a reality

on Show

Lowood shines

Big trucks and big crowds at the Lowood Truck Show

Truck sales climb higher in September

Heavy-duty

The top five performers in the heavy-duty segment for September were Kenworth (230), Volvo (225), Isuzu (173), UD Trucks (110) and Scania (105). Fuso, Hino, DAF, Mercedes-Benz and Mack all sold more than 50 trucks to round out the top 10. A total of 1279 units were delivered for the month.

Year on Year it was a great result for UD Trucks which sold 52 units in September 2021 and more than doubled that result for September 2022 with 110 sales. Another climber on the leaderboard was Fuso with 40 more sales this September than the same time last year.

On the flip-side, Mercedes-Benz was at number five in September last year, and dropped to ninth this year, recording 64 sales for September 2022 against 118 in September 2021.

The gap between first and second on the sales list this month narrowed to just five trucks, bringing Volvo close to knocking Kenworth off the top of the table.

Heavy Vehicles – Year to date

3.4%

2.7%

MAN 2.0%

WESTERN STAR 1.7%

DENNIS EAGLE 0.4%

INTERNATIONAL

KENWORTH 20.2%

KENWORTH VOLVO ISUZU SCANIA

TRUCKS MERCEDES-BENZ FUSO HINO MACK DAF FREIGHTLINER IVECO MAN WESTERN STAR DENNIS EAGLE HYUNDAI INTERNATIONAL 0

2 5

Medium Vehicles – Year to date

UD TRUCKS 2.4%

1.7%

VOLVO 0.5% DAF 0.5% MERC-BENZ 0.5% HYUNDAI 0.7% MAN 1.0%

ELECTRIC 0.2%

KENWORTH 0.0%

FUSO 17.3%

5.0%

MERCEDES-BENZ 3.3%

FIAT 3.1%

RENAULT 2.4%

HYUNDAI 1.3%

0.4%

0.6%

Light Vehicles – Year to date

Medium-duty

In the medium-duty segment a total of 673 units were delivered, 23 more than in September last year to bring the segment YTD sales figure to a total of 5,896, which is 536 ahead of the same time in 2021.

Isuzu continue to dominate the category selling 313 vehicles, up 12 on September 2021, and ahead of their nearest competitor, Hino, by 109 sales.

Fuso fell in at third place with 115 sales for September, followed by UD Trucks on 13 and Iveco with seven sales.

While the top five positions mirror this time last year, the sales volumes for Fuso were 37 less than their results in September 2021, while Hino’s were up 50 units on the same month last year.

Light-duty

If the light duty sales volumes keep going the way they are right now total sales for 2022 could well be topping 16,000 units by the end of this year.

For September 2022 there were a total of 1479 sales recorded in the category with Isuzu (809) taking the top spot, followed by Fuso (261), Hino (156), Iveco (105) and Renault (54) in the top five.

Isuzu’s results are a remarkable 73 per cent higher year on year than the 461 sales it clocked up in September 2021.

The other stand out from this month’s figures, at least when compared to the same month last year, is Renault who managed to deliver 54 vehicles in September 2022 compared to 28 in September 2021.

Turn on to

AUSTRALIAN TRUCK RADIO

Modern technology and the internet deliver the opportunity for listener-focussed broadcaster Australian Truck Radio to be ideally positioned for the captive niche market of Australian trucking. Founder and manager Simon Smith recognises the need for a connection to trucking community, and also the responsibilities which come with it.

“They’re a huge mobile community and they are looking for their own station, and now we have to technology and resources to provide that nationally 24/7. The mobile phone is today’s radio transmitter and receiver,” says Smith, a veteran of radio broadcasting who initiated the successful ‘truckers’ radio’ format at several stations in southern NSW during the late 1980s, mostly on the midnight to dawn shift.

An unexpected bonus after the original show was on air for a time, was an anecdotal reduction in fatigue-related accidents involving heavy vehicles in the areas where the broadcasts were being received.

The consolidation of commercial radio networks in Australia during the past few decades has led to focus shifting from categories such as trucking as more stations chose to concentrate on specific consumer groups such as young homeowners, or even attempt to be all things to all listeners while ultimately only satisfying the overall listening needs of a few.

Australian trucking is a huge mobile community looking for industry specific news and information. Drivers are also looking for a radio station they can lock in and leave on while they are occupying their cabs and listening to the information and entertainment which apply to their own work activities as well as their, often unique, lifestyles.

“If you’ve got a radio station and you’re trying to be everything to everybody it’s not going to work,” says Smith.

“We provide something that people want

with a music-driven format, and in between the songs we can have a bit of a laugh and a bit of variety including regular on-air conversations with industry people.”

“The trucking industry has changed,” he points out.

“It’s mostly dual carriageway between capital cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

“In the past, drivers would pull up at a roadhouse and sit around and have a meal together, but now with the dual carriageways, that opportunity for camaraderie is no longer there.

“We want to provide a radio station that’s like a truckies’ campfire where they can sit around and talk and listen.”

Smith says Australian Truck Radio, dubbed the ‘voice of Australian trucking’, can be heard simply by downloading the designated Radio Station app.

“The mobile phone is today’s radio transmitter. You can download the app straight onto your mobile plus you can of course listen online from our Australian Truck Radio website,” he adds.

“The Australian Truck Radio program format is designed to be a radio station that truckies around Australia can lock onto 24/7.

“There’s loads of trucking classics every hour with heaps of handy industry news and information plus lots more all day every day.”

Music can range from anywhere between Slim Dusty and Lee Kernaghan to Jimmy Barnes, Midnight Oil, INXS and Bruce Springsteen.

“It’s a jukebox for truckies that goes everywhere you do,” says Smith.

“The trucking industry is the biggest niche market in Australian radio and this huge mobile community deserves to have their own 24/7 radio station – now they do.”

Simon Smith of Australian Truck Radio says the format is designed to be a station that Australian truckies can lock onto 24/7

radio

To find out more, visit australiantruckradio.com.au

station that’s like a truckies’ campfire

We want to provide a

Truckies now have access to a radio station created specifically for them and the trucking lifestyle, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week

BOLD

Beauty

When it comes to eye catching trucks, the stubby bonnet and abundant chrome of the Kenworth T409 SAR is hard to beat.

This red beauty had a new Paccar engine installed at 740,000km and has only just clocked over 1, 139,232km all up.

With an 18-speed Road Ranger gearbox there’s plenty to like about this Short-bonnet Australian Right-hand drive truck.

For

call Cahill Transport on 03 8547 8785.

AAATRAILERSFLATTOP 2022,curtainside.S51.

AAATRAILERSFLATTOP 2022,curtainside.S52. TA1149708.

AAATRAILERSDROPDECK

AAATRAILERS45'DROP DECK curtainside.S54. TA1149711.

AAACONCRETEPANEL TRAILER 2022,NEW,paneltrailer.S26. TA982460.

AAAQUADAXLELOW LOADERWIDENERWITH BI-FOLDRAMPS 2022,NEW 2.5-3.5M.S25. TA948716.

AAA45'FLATDECKTRAILER

AAAAAA40'3WAYLIGHT

AAATANDEMAXLETAG TRAILER-EBS 2022,NEW.S33. TA1051493.

AAA45'LOWLOADERWITH

SUSPENSION 2022,NEW.G0011236. TA811018.

Comfot

With a 50inch (127cm) sleeper this Kenworth has seen some of our country’s great sights in its former life as a road train prime mover.

Driven by a 550hp (410kW) Cummins ISX diesel and loaded with Kenworth’s EBSS Safety package including ABS, Drag Torque Control, Traction Control and ESP, the truck comes with a complete service history.

Other extras include a custom bull bar, extra spotlights, an ice pack, power take off and hydraulics.

Barnsey’s Trailer and Truck Sales on 07 3073 8145.

Chill

When it comes to transporting frozen goods in style this 2017 Hino 920, six pallet freezer van fits the bill.

With a GVM of 8500kg and a Scully 6 Pallet FRP Freezer Body, Carrier Citimax 700 freezer unit, triple rear doors and side barn doors, this truck offers plenty of versatility for anyone with a frozen goods run.

Add in alloy non-slip floors, SATNAV and a reversing camera, and just 52,000kms, it’s well worth a look.

For more information call City Bus and Truck Centre on 03 8373 7111.

“As someone who grew up around the trucking industry here in Australia, and is still close to it, I love what I do both here in Australia and overseas with the industry. I know just how important it is for truckies to have a voice in this huge mobile community that carries the nation 24/7. What Australian Truck Radio is building is a really great thing for the trucking industry. I very much look forward to contributing and supporting what they do at Australian Truck Radio, which I reckon will make a real difference to hardworking Aussie Truckies.”

www.jaynedenham.com

rangerfitted,2yearsago,ihaveallthedetailson,itcomeswith100%newtyresall

pumpinggear.S158. TA1147861.

suspensiondone,wheelbearingschecked&replacedasnecessary,samewith brakesetc,newramprams,newHondapowerpackfitted,comeswithQLDRWC, workready,justhadwheelalignmentdone,ondiscwheels,availableimmediately comeswithQLDRWC.S157.

MACKTITAN150TON

SYDNEY AND GRIFFITH

Phone: (02)

SYDNEY AND GRIFFITH

Drive,

Phone:

Productivity booster

Building company strengthens its foundations with a pair of Isuzu Tradepack trucks

In this issue

ATA reveals zero emissions drive Level crossing upgrades in Victoria Behind the scenes at Moore Trailers New faces for top jobs

Productivity boosters

More cabin space, greater storage capacity, the ability to be driven on a car license, and a great heater are just a few of the reasons the team at Complete Builders and Contractors give for loving their new Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack trucks

Complete Builders and Contractors operate in Sydney and around the Central West of New South Wales, undertaking renovations, putting up new house frames or adding gazebos or pergolas for clients looking to upgrade their homes.

Owner Tim Johns recently took over the business when his father retired, and continued the family’s association with Isuzu trucks, upgrading from the NQR model to the NPR when it came time to refresh the fleet.

Johns grew up on residential constructions sites with his father, counting down to the moment he could jump into the trade as well.

“Building houses is all I know. I have

been on construction sites since I was five years old,” Johns says.

“The job I do for my customers it’s extremely important and it’s all I’ve ever done. I treat everything as if I’m building it for myself or someone I know, so I take a lot of pride in the craft.

“I was running the business after Dad recently retired, which led to reimagining the operation under the name, Complete Builders and Contractors.

“Those memories from my childhood, of spending time with Dad on-site and watching him building houses has sparked this lifelong passion of mine.”

With 4.30am starts most mornings,

Complete Builders and Contractors’ Isuzu Tradepack truck has proven to be a great solution for the long days on the tools

and most days stretching to 12-hours, dusk until dawn, Johns spends a lot of time in the cabin of his truck.

“The business has two NPR Tradepacks, which are critical to the business because of the long days in the cabin and out on the road,” Johns says.

“The trucks are our lunchroom, the office – they’re extremely important for productivity.”

Having upgraded their transport fleet recently, Johns says the N Series cabins are perfect for their needs, with additional occupant and storage space a key feature.

“These models can be driven on a standard car licence, which is great for the whole team, especially our

apprentices when they are behind the wheel.

“The larger the load the better they seem to go – it’s a powerful little truck!”

With the standard GVM rating of 4,500 kg and GCM of 9,000 kg, Johns’ Tradepack duo are adaptable to a range of needs such as carrying tools, generators, materials and even site waste when the job calls for it.

Both trucks are fitted with Isuzu’s two-pedal, six-speed fully automated manual transmission (AMT) and are powered by Isuzu’s four-cylinder, 16-valve 4HK1-TCN engine outputting 114 kW (155 horsepower) @ 2,600 rpm and torque of 419 Nm @ 1,600 - 2,600rpm.

“Both units have generators and compressors mounted on the back. The generators supply power to the tools and equipment we use on site. Whether it be charging up equipment, power tools, or spotlights,” Johns says.

“I’ve also had toolboxes mounted on the back and there’s still plenty of room to carry planks, ladders and timber packs.

“Lately the powerful heaters are my favourite feature of my trucks. I crank the heater up and switch it onto my feet because it’s been really wet around Sydney with some flooding. It’s so important to dry out your feet between jobs.

“Prior to purchasing the Isuzu trucks, I had a ute and a trailer, but it

was way too much of a hassle to use them effectively and I just couldn’t carry enough weight.

“My dad had an NQR before I bought the NPR 45-155, so I guess you could say we have intergenerational Isuzu ownership.

“Isuzu are the only brand of truck we have ever owned; they really are a great truck!”

As for the purchase process, Johns says he bought the trucks from Gilbert and Roach at Huntingwood, and couldn’t fault the customer service.

“We needed the trucks to carry some material from Sydney out there [to Forbes]. They had the trucks ready, and we picked them up on the Friday to drive out there on the Saturday. The timing was perfect, down to the minute,” Johns says.

“We’ve never, ever had a drama, or a breakdown and never had trouble getting parts, Isuzu and Gilbert and Roach are just super reliable.”

As for Johns’ business, he said having people forced to live and work from home for the past couple of years had increased the interest in upgrading the space.

“Many people have changed the way they work so they need

that space at home, or they notice things around the house that need renovating,” says Johns.

“Lots of people are renovating their homes right now, plus the cost of a new house is ridiculous in Sydney.”

As with most industries, material supplies are a challenge for builders too.

“With the bushfires two years ago and then closing of many timber mills across Australia, getting timber

has been almost impossible,” Johns says.

“Material shortages were slowing down builds for a while over the past few years, but thankfully things seem to be picking up.”

Michelin has recalled certain models of truck tyres sold between 2017 and 2021

Separation issue sparks recall of Michelin truck tyres

Four thousand units are impacted by a major manufacturing recall of a Michelin truck tyre

Michelin Tyres Australia has issued a recall for 4,000 affected units over a manufacturing issue affecting owners of the 295/80R22.5 X INCITY XZU3+ TL 152/148J model between 2017 and 2021.

The regulator says owners can check if their tyre is included in the recall as the recalled tyres have the following tyre identification numbers on the sidewall: • DOT B8EA, followed by the number (week and year) 4017 (inclusive) to 3120 (inclusive)

The recall has been issued due to some aspects of the model not meeting manufacturing specifications.

As a result, a small separation may generate along the edge of the radial steel belts which may lead to a larger separation developing.

As this separation generates over time, the tyre is safe to use until the end of its first life (original tread worn out) but should not be re-treaded. If this separation occurs, it could cause rapid loss of air pressure and may lead to a loss of vehicle control.

This could result in an increased risk of accident, with Michelin offering to inspect and rectify the component free of charge for those impacted.

Volvo starts electric production

Fans of the Volvo FH, FM and FMX models may soon be able to buy versions powered by electricity

As the first global truck manufacturer to do so, Volvo Trucks is now starting series production of heavy electric 44-tonne trucks.

Volvo Trucks is beginning series production of the electric versions of the company’s most important product range in its heavy-duty trucks, including models like the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX.

These trucks can operate at a total weight of 44 tonnes and the three models represent around two thirds of the company’s sales.

With these new additions, Volvo Trucks has six electric truck models in series production globally – the broadest electric truck line up in the industry.

“This is a milestone and proves that we are leading the transformation of the industry. It’s less than two years ago since we showcased our heavy electric trucks for the very first time,”

Volvo Trucks president Roger Alm says.

“Now we are ramping up volumes and will deliver these great trucks to customers all over Europe, and later on also to customers in Asia, Australia and Latin America.”

Series production of Volvo’s heaviest electric trucks will start in the Tuve factory in Gothenburg,

Electric trucks to roll out at Volvo

Sweden and next year the factory in Ghent, Belgium will follow.

Volvo produces the electric trucks on the same line as its conventional trucks, which gives high production flexibility and efficiency gains. The batteries are supplied by Volvo Trucks’ new battery assembly plant in Ghent.

The demand for electric trucks is rapidly increasing in many markets, with one driving force being the need for transport buyers to shift to fossil-free transports in order to meet their sustainability goals.

Volvo Trucks’ electric portfolio could cover around 45 per cent of all goods transported in Europe today.

“We have sold around 1,000 units of our heavy electric trucks and more than 2,600 of our electric trucks in total. We expect volumes to increase significantly in the next few years. By 2030, at least 50 percent of the trucks we sell globally should be electric,” Alm says.

Volvo Trucks’ electric line-up of six truck models covers a wide range of applications such as city distribution and refuse handling, regional transport, and construction work.

Hino recalls 500 and 300 Series trucks

Hino has issued a recall on both its 500 and 300 series truck models over manufacturing defects.

The recall impacts 83 hybrid 300 Series trucks between 2019 and 2022.

The same issue also impacts 17 units of the 500 Series AMT variant between 2018 and 2019.

For both recalls, the starter Emergency Control Switches enables the vehicle to be started whilst in gear.

“In the event of an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) malfunction, using these switches when starting the vehicle could cause unintended movement of the vehicle,” the recall notice says.

This means the vehicles aren’t compliant with the Australian Design Rule (ADR) 42/04 7.2.1 – Standard Controls for Automatic TransmissionStarter Interlock.

This unintended vehicle movement increases the risk of an accident, causing serious injuries or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.

Hino says owners of affected vehicles should contact their nearest authorised Hino dealer to arrange to have the Emergency Control Switches removed free of charge.

Emission free trucks on show in Germany

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) says sparks were flying at the IAA Transportation event in Hanover as the world’s leading truck manufacturers unveiled the latest in net zero emission vehicle technology.

As part of the releases, the ATA says Volvo Trucks unveiled a completely new, fully electric rear axle for extended range.

Volvo says this design frees up space for more batteries and provides even longer range for its battery electric trucks.

Daimler presented its batteryelectric long-distance truck in the eActros LongHaul.

Daimler says the eActros LongHaul will have a range of around 500 km without intermediate charging.

It says in the future, it will be possible to charge the batteries from

20 to 80 per cent in significantly less than 30 minutes.

The ATA says DAF Trucks (PACCAR) revealed a completely new series of fully electric powertrains for the New Generation DAF XD and XF trucks.

PACCAR says the new trucks feature completely new modular drivelines for ‘zero emission’ ranges from 200 to over 500 kilometres on a single charge.

It says fully electric ranges can even exceed 500 kilometres.

In addition to these new electric truck announcements, leading truck manufacturers remain committed to the development of hydrogen truck models for longer distance transport.

Hanover’s IAA Transportation event was a showcase of all things green

PacLease continues to expand on its full service leasing opportunities

Long term leases an option with PacLease

Due to seasonal patterns, PacLease offers its rental service to assist businesses who require short-term rentals. What transpires, though, if a business needs a longer term for its truck?

That’s where PacLease’s FullService Leasing comes into play.

Lindsay Smith, PacLease Australia’s newly appointed General Manager, says: “When it comes to fullservice leasing, [PacLease] takes care of everything; vehicle specification, preventative maintenance, freeing our customers up to focus on their core competency.”

With starting his new role, Smith plans to help expand the opportunities and flexibility that full-service leasing has to offer.

PacLease Australia has prepared for this nationally by ensuring it has ordered sufficient stock in order to serve the full-service lease market in 2023. This includes some new additions to the fleet, such as the Kenworth T410 Crane truck and the Kenworth W900SAR Legend truck.

“Plans are in the works to start

including the newly released Kenworth K220 in the PacLease fleet,” Smith says.

“It would be a great additional offering once we get them in.”

PacLease full-service leasing “is a great product for customers attempting to tie units into their own contracts”, Smith says.

The full-service leasing is offered at flexible three, four and five year options in order to best suit the customers needs.

The contracts also include the PacLease Premium contract maintencance agreements, where everything from preventative maintenance, tyre management and 24-hour roadside assistance is included to aid with the leasing process.

Smith says a further inclusion in a full-service lease is onboard telematics that are configurable, robust and reliable fleet management tools.

Currently servicing more than 300 full-service lease contracts Australiawide, PacLease Australia prides itself

on the relationships built between its business and the customer.

“The lease business is a different kettle of fish to our rental portfolio” says Smith.

“Both sides of the deal are investing in a long-term partnership with each other, and that is a partnership our sales team take very personally.”

PacLease Australia has rental and lease sales staff representing 19 locations Australia-wide, ready to understand its customers’ business needs and tailor a package suitable to their application.

PacLease is a global commercial truck leasing company that provides customised full-service lease, rental and contract maintenance programs for Kenworth and DAF trucks.

PacLease’s direct connection with Kenworth, DAF and PACCAR, according to the company, means its customers receive premium equipment and services which have been thoroughly tested and assessed for suitability for the needs of each and every customer.

Industry welcomes AdBlue action

The federal government says working with the likes of the ATA and other Australian diesel exhaust in dustry stakeholders had helped it to understand the issues surrounding the AdBlue shortage.

In response to industry lobbying, the federal government devised a $49.5 million package over four years to secure supplies of AdBlue by

stockpiling technical grade urea, the key ingredient in AdBlue production.

Natroad CEO Warren Clark says the package was important for the transport and manufacturing sector in Australia.

Clark says the funding would support manufacturing of AdBlue locally with a grants program to encourage local manufacturers to

start producing the product here.

“The government needs to keep engaging with industry, and that includes road transport operators who are at the coal-face,” Clark says.

“The government’s commitment to collection of voluntary data from industry is a step in the right direction.

“The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission needs to increase its scrutiny and apply its powers where gouging is occurring.”

The package includes a government controlled strategic stockpile of 7,500 tonnes of technical grade urea (TGU), providing an additional five weeks of supply beyond industry stock levels in case of a supply shortage.

It also features a grants program to support local manufacturing projects to produce TGU here as well as the collection of data to provide market awareness of available stock.

Fuel tax credits and fuel tax excise are back on the agenda

removed the excise tax at the end of March, it made it clear it would take a while for the cut to hit the pump due to the remaining stock in the ground,” Shearer told ATN. “They told us it would take two to four weeks for the price to drop”.

Heavy vehicle charges on the agenda

The consultation comes in the wake of a tumultuous time for the industry as fuel tax credits were rushed back into action on September 29 at a rate of 18.8 cents per litre on the one hand, while heavy vehicle road user charges jumped by 0.8 cents a litre from midnight on September 28 on the other.

Another complicating factor in the cost of fuel for operators came in the form of the return of the fuel excise tax at a rate of 46 cents per litre on September 28.

The former federal government had

reduced the excise in March to 22.1 cents per litre in a bid to lower the costs for transport. It returned in September at 46 cents per litre.

At the time South Australian Road Transport Authority’s Steve Shearer urged drivers to be on the look-out for price gouging behaviour from businesses selling diesel bought under the old tax regime pricing structure for excessively high prices in the weeks after the new rate hit on September 29.

“When the old federal government

“If anyone sees prices whacked straight back up, they need to report it and make sure those outlets are then forced to explain how they are charging the extra 46 cents on the first day of the excise’s return”.

The Transport Workers Union welcomed the return of the Fuel Tax Credit as a positive for operators in the industry where cost recovery was critical to viability.

“The return of the Fuel Tax Credit is an enormous relief, particularly for owner drivers who operate small businesses, often on a hair’s breadth,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kane says.

It also supports plans by Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke to empower the Fair Work Commission to set enforceable standards in transport for supply chain accountability.

“We welcome the federal government’s intention to make transport a fairer, safer, and more sustainable industry by setting enforceable standards through the Fair Work Commission,” Kane says.

Industry associations welcome federal government’s decision to begin stockpiling key AdBlue ingredients

Trucking excellence award nominations

The winner of this year’s Craig Roseneder Award will receive an overseas trip as a reward

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) says it has now opened nominations for its 2022 Craig Roseneder Award for trucking excellence in the industry.

The ATA is putting the call out for those in the trucking industry who have committed to technical and maintenance excellence in the industry.

The winner of the award will be announced on Thursday December 1, with the ATA saying that nominations close Friday November 11 at 4PM.

Courtesy of Castrol, the winner of the Craig Roseneder Award for 2022 will be sent on an all-expenses trip to the US to attend a Technology and Maintenance Council’s Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition.

The winner will also be invited to the attend the next in-person ATA Technology and Maintenance Conference.

The ATA says selection criteria and the nomination form for the award are available at www.truck.net.au

VTA warns drivers of new monitoring cameras and signage

The VTA is warning heavy vehicle drivers that new monitoring cameras and signage are being placed in the Port of Melbourne area to track curfews

The Victorian Transport Associa tion (VTA) says heavy vehicle drivers should prepare to see monitoring cameras and new road signage communicating important information about restrictions.

The VTA says it has been working closely with Freight Victoria and the Department of Transport to ensure a sensible balance is maintained between operator productivity and community amenity with respect to heavy vehicle movement in the inner west Port of Melbourne precinct.

The new cameras and road signage are now in place, with the VTA wanting to update operators about curfews and restrictions in the inner west that have caused recent confusion.

The VTA says curfews have been in place on many roads in the inner west for nearly 20 years, with the re-defining of these curfews having taken access one step closer to the completion of the West Gate Tunnel.

The VTA says operators should note the following:

24/7 Curfews

Heavy vehicles are prohibited at all times on Hyde Street, North of Francis St.

Watch out for monitoring cameras around Port of Melbourne precinct

• Hyde Street – (Francis Street to Napier Street).

Partial Curfews

Heavy vehicles are prohibited from 8pm-6am weeknights and from 1pm Saturday to 6am Monday.

• Somerville Road

• Francis Street

• Moore Street

• W hitehall Street – (Francis to Somerville Road)

• Hyde Street – (South of Francis Street)

• H igh Productivity Freight Vehicles may operate on permit conditions.

• Williamstown Road.

No Curfews

• Footscray Rd

• Napier Street

• Buckley Street

• W hitehall Street – (Somerville Road to Napier St)

• Sunshine Road

• Geelong Road

• West Gate Freeway

The VTA also says bridge height clearances in Napier Street of four metres must be observed and asks that any operators unsure on these restrictions contact them.

NHVR’s truck safety message hits the road

The NHVR is partnering with a logistics group to spread its ‘Don’t #uck with a Truck’ message

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has partnered with CEVA Logistics to spread its “Don’t #uck With A Truck” message across three B-double trailers that will travel across Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the CEVA trailers will become travelling billboards, informing young drivers of how to remain safe when they need it most – driving behind a truck.

“We welcome CEVA Logistics’ support of our campaign and look forward to seeing Don’t #uck With A Truck take to the road and extend this important road safety awareness message,” Petroccitto says.

“While the target audience for this campaign is our youngest drivers – especially Learner (L) and Provisional (P) licence holders – it’s important all road users understand what to do when a truck is turning, stopping or how to safely overtake a truck.

“This campaign is provocative by design, and we hope it not only attracts attention, but also serves as a conversation starter about safe driving practices when encountering trucks on the road.”

CEVA VP Ground Transport ANZ Nick Galliano says partnering with the campaign strategically aligns with the company’s commitment to

Mobile billboards encouraging road users to take care when driving around trucks

the ongoing safety of all personnel, team members and customers.

“We are extremely proud to work with the NHVR and promote the Don’t #uck With A Truck road safety campaign and raise awareness of how to share the road safely with heavy goods vehicles,” Galliano says.

“With light vehicle drivers at fault in approximately eight out of 10 fatal crashes, it’s critical we spread the message and improve road safety for everyone. It’s an initiative that resonates with our drivers to ensure everyone makes it home safely.”

CEVA’s commitment to road safety is seen through its investment in new technology and equipment.

The three Don’t #uck With A tuck branded trailers are part of a new fleet of 20 Mercedes Actros, nine Scania R540 Prime Movers and 42 Super B-Double trailer sets from long-time partner Vawdrey.

Don’t #uck With A Truck was launched in early 2022 to educate young drivers on how to drive safely near a truck, to change behaviour and lower the road toll.

For more see www.nhvr.gov.au/ dontmuckwithatruck

Road surface trial shows promise

A recent Austroads inspection of a long-standing trial shows promising signs for a new way of keeping roads sealed and safe

Austroads says it recently conducted a site inspection of its ongoing testing of polymer modified binder sprayed seal road surfacings on the Stuart Highway in Coober Pedy, South Australia.

The trial is designed to gain an in-depth understanding of the performance of different bitumen seals under real-life climatic and traffic loading conditions over the duration of the pavement surface’s life.

Austroads says the inspection proved that seal performance is increasing as a method of keeping roads sealed and safe for heavy vehicle users.

“This trial was initiated in 2011. We are very keen to look at long-term monitoring sites in addition to the laboratory testing,” Austroads transport infrastructure program manager Ross Guppy says.

“We know that in a laboratory you get good results, but they don’t necessarily reflect performance onsite. Laboratory testing can’t replace the cooling and heating cycles, the wet and dry cycles, the effects of the sun and oxidisation and over time these things have an impact.”

Core samples from the trial sections have been collected for over a decade, from which binder is extracted and characterised using testing devices at ARRB’s testing laboratory.

The outcomes of this trial will be presented in a report that will deliver new insights into the performance of the seals at different stages of their life.

“We will use that information to build the next generation of polymer modified binder specification requirements and deterioration models for asset management,” Guppy says.

Ofload acquires CIA Logistics in company first

Sydney-based logistics start-up Ofload has announced the acquisi tion of Melbourne freight specialist CIA Logistics, as part of an ambitious growth strategy aimed at expanding its offering and national footprint.

Ofload’s first acquisition has increased the start-up’s headcount to more than 120 employees across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with CIA Logistics’ founder and director Tony Couttie stepping into a general manager position at Ofload.

A phased, post-merger integration and growth strategy is underway, during which the CIA Logistics brand will be retained as its operations, sales and finance teams continue to report to Couttie.

“We are thrilled to welcome CIA Logistics into the Ofload family as our first acquisition. Tony has built an incredible business, and the natural synergy between our teams was clear as they worked together to digitise analogue road shipments for some of Australia’s leading brands,” Ofload CEO and founder Geoffroy Henry says.

“This exciting milestone for Ofload is just the start of our next phase of growth, which is focused on expanding our footprint and building our digital ecosystem and network of shippers and carriers,” Henry says.

“Uniting both businesses will accelerate Ofload’s objectives to increase shipment visibility,

minimalise manual and analogue processes, and ultimately remove inefficiencies across Australia’s freight industry.”

CIA Logistics general manager Tony Couttie says: “We are delighted to become part of a leading innovator and mission-driven company, in what we believe will be a game changer for the logistics industry.

“Ofload’s technology will bring a wealth of new opportunities to our customers and carrier partners and will support us in growing our reach across the Australian freight landscape.

“We see the integration of CIA Logistics into Ofloadas a perfect fit.”

Founded in 1987, CIA Logistics delivers customised or standardised local and national freight solutions via air, road, rail and sea. It has since grown to become a leading independent provider of freight services to some of Australia’s foremost companies and brands.

CIA Logistics’ Dispatch Management System technology will be merged into Ofload’s domestic end-to-end digital road freight solution. The consolidation will support Ofload’s plans to reduce the number of empty trucks on Australian roads and eliminate all waste in road freight.

60th birthday celebrations for Bandag

Tyre retreading business Bandag is celebrating 60 years of local manufacturing in Australia.

Bandag is Australia’s only producer of pre-cured retread materials, after car manufacturing stopped in 2009, giving

the anniversary extra significance for the business.

Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand managing director Heath Barclay says Bandag is growing in importance, because retreads play a big role in shaping sustainable trucking.

Bandag says its retreads use considerably less raw materials, including rubber, oil and carbon black, to produce, and take significantly less water and energy resources than that of a new tyre.

The anniversary celebrations will continue for Bandag over the coming months.

Dangerous distractions

The latest Major Accident Report from the National Truck Accident Research Centre shows our industry is on the right track regarding safety. It has also raised some clear flags for areas of improvement.

While the 2022 report shows little overall change on the previous year’s results, historical data confirms a significant reduction in major crashes and deaths involving trucks since publication started in 2003.

In “statistician speak”, the incidence of truck-related fatal accidents has declined by 0.04 deaths for every billion-tonne-perkilometre since the report’s kick-off.

To put that in context, there has been a 55 per cent increase in trucks on the road and a 51 per cent rise in road freight volumes.

Inappropriate speed was the cause of almost one third of crashes (31.8 per cent) in 2009. It has dropped to a record low of 12.5 per cent.

Fatigue-related incidents causing major crashes have dropped from 27 per cent in 2008 to just 10 per cent.

In serious crashes where human factors were to blame, the main causes were inattention/distraction (16.3 per cent), inappropriate speed (12.5 per cent), inappropriate vehicle positioning (10.5 per cent), inadequate following distance (8.6 per cent) and fatigue (8.2 per cent).

Safety should underpin everything we do. I believe the Australian road freight industry is one of the most

vigilant and safety-aware in the world. I just wish regulators and road designers would catch up.

For example, re-starting the Heavy Vehicle National Law reform process is a golden opportunity to re-cast enforcement. Let’s wipe out the drivers who try and game the system but make the penalty system be relative to risk.

Our shared objective should be to make roads safer and not to arbitrarily fine somebody for drawing a crooked line in a work diary.

If public servants were fined almost 200 bucks every time they made a clerical error you’d see riots in the streets of Canberra.

If distraction and inattention are on the rise, we need to know why. It seems obvious that the barrage of road signage confronting drivers is a contributor.

NatRoad sought Member views for a recent road safety submission and this comment was telling:

“Contributing to this is the plethora of speed limit changes on an otherwise consistent stretch of highway; in the absence of GPS speed

limit monitoring, it is remarkably easy to lose track of the prevailing speed limit, and point to point cameras embracing multiple speed zones with no indication of what the target travel time or average speed set for the section leaves drivers unsure of what they should be doing. This leads to inconsistent speeds as each driver tries to guess whether they are compliant or not.”

On the other hand, inappropriate speed’s decline as a cause of heavy vehicle accidents should send a message that mandating lower speed limits and enforcement for its own sake are not antidotes to road deaths.

Better road design as a positive influence on speed and accident occurrence should be fundamental to infrastructure planning.

Making better use of lane separation for heavy and light vehicles in high-risk areas would also save many lives.

We should all be grateful for the $80 million worth of funding for heavy vehicle rest stops in the Federal Budget in October, but let’s hope it’s allocated smartly.

Rest areas need to be strategically placed in relation to each other to have an impact - and there are scientific studies to prove it.

NHVR combines with government for $3.5 million industry safety projects

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) says it has joined forces with the federal government to issue $3.5 million in industry projects to improve heavy vehicle safety.

Fifteen industry-led projects will receive crucial funding as part of the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), supported by the federal government.

$3.5 million will be invested into the projects through round seven of the HVSI program to improve heavy vehicle safety.

These heavy vehicle projects are created for industry, by industry, to make their workplace safer.

The federal government has invested in 132 HVSI projects over six years to progress a safer, more

Keeping it safe on the road for heavy vehicle operators is the focus of new funding for industry projects

NHVR opens new NSW office

The NHVR has continued its transition into NSW with the official opening of its headquarters in late September

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) officially opened its Parramatta office on September 23 with Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway attending, alongside NHVR Chair Duncan Gay and NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto. The ceremony included speeches by Farraway, Gay and Petroccitto, as well as questions about the new centre.

The office opening comes after the NHVR assumed control of the NSW heavy vehicle services from Transport for NSW on August 1 this year.

NSW is now the fifth state or territory after South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and Victoria where the NHVR is directly delivering heavy vehicle regulatory services.

The headquarters are at Level 11, 32 Smith Street in Parramatta.

productive heavy vehicle industry.

The federal government has also committed a further $1.7 million to the NHVR to fund targeted projects to improve heavy vehicle safety, taking total commitment for HVSI projects to $5.6 million in 2022-23.

“Australia’s freight task is expected to increase by 80 per cent by 2030,” federal transport minister Catherine King says.

“To make Australia’s roads safer for the growing transport and logistics sector, we have listened to what the industry said they need, and are supporting the safety projects that will make a real impact to their dayto-day operations.”

Federal assistant transport minister Carol Brown says the government will also invest in other programs to help prioritise safety.

“The federal government is also investing in further driver training, including a road hazard program that helps new drivers navigate driving in different conditions, managing fatigue and the importance of conducting daily safety checks to ensure a heavy vehicle is roadworthy,” Brown says.

“Another project is a web-based calculator that can be used across multiple different heavy vehicle combinations, to instantly identify the risk of a heavy vehicle rolling over.”

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says this collaboration with government will help the regulator achieve greater road safety outcomes.

“There are some exciting grassroots projects included in round seven of the HVSI that can create meaningful change across a local, regional and national level,” Petroccitto says.

“I urge anyone who has a heavy vehicle safety project idea to get a head start on their application for round eight of the HVSI program, to contribute towards making Australia’s roads safer for all users.”

Government responds to national truck crash accident report

The federal government has issued a reply to the NTI’s national truck accident report

The federal government has labelled truck driving as Australia’s deadliest industry as it responds to the 2022 national truck crash accident report released by the NTI.

The report found that in 2021, there was 1001 incidents involving a heavy vehicle on Australian roads.

The federal government says it works closely in collaboration with state and territory governments, industry, and the community to advance road safety measures to keep truck drivers safe at work and on our roads.

During the election campaign, the now federal government committed to funding a Rest Area Program to address the lack of quality rest areas along major freight routes across the country.

The Rest Area Program will be delivered in conjunction with truck drivers and industry experts, ensuring that lived experience is front and centre of program delivery.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative program supports projects that will deliver tangible improvements to heavy vehicle safety and flow-on improvements to the safety of the whole community on our roads.

“The annual report from NTI is an important measure of truck related incidents on our roads,” assistant Transport Minister Carol Brown says.

“Within the next 10 years, Australia’s freight task is expected to increase by 80 per cent. With more trucks on our roads than ever before, the federal government is investing in road safety through infrastructure and dedicated programs for transport workers.

“I am proud to be delivering the Rest Area Program which will work with truck drivers and industry experts to build and upgrade rest areas across freight routes across the country.

“As a government, we know that quality rest is essential for safe trucking.”

New trailer and dog notice offers simpler options to operators

The NHVR has issued a new notice allowing operators to use combinations on approved networks without going through the PBS process

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) says the National Class 3 20m Long 3-axle Truck and 4-axle Dog Trailer Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2022 (No.1) will allow operators to use this combination on approved networks without having to go through the Performance Based Standards (PBS) approval process.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the notice is an important first step in moving ‘mature’ combinations out of the PBS scheme and into the ‘normal’ regulatory framework – helping to get safer and more productive vehicles on the road.

“With more than 15 years knowledge and experience of hundreds of 3-axle truck and 4-axle dog combination designs, we are confident we can remove the need for them to go through the PBS assessment process,” Petroccitto says.

“Rigorous, tried-and-tested templates for these combinations have been developed through the PBS scheme, and the combinations operating under this notice will use these templates and adhere to the same strict safety standards.

“By moving these common, well-understood truck and dog trailer combinations out of the PBS scheme, we can reduce the regulatory and cost burden for industry, as well as allow PBS to focus on new vehicle innovation.

“As part of ongoing reform of the PBS scheme to ensure it remains fit for purpose, the NHVR will continue to work with industry to identify other combinations that can also be transitioned out of the scheme.”

Petroccitto says operators can still choose to operate these truck and

dog combinations under the existing PBS arrangements if preferred or they can opt to use the new notice arrangements.

“The change does not affect the current access available to PBS operators of 3-axle truck and 4-axle dog combinations,” he says.

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) Chief Executive Todd Hacking says the reform reflects the maturation of the PBS scheme.

“This is an excellent example of the PBS scheme’s ability to enable the introduction of innovative new combinations,” Hacking says.

“Australian design, engineering and manufacture of benchmarksetting, high-productivity combinations are the envy of the heavy vehicle industry worldwide.

“This move allows the scheme to get back to focusing on the next iteration of innovative vehicles, further enhancing productivity and safety.

“Firstly, it will increase the level of productivity within the truck and dog fleet, while simultaneously removing the burden for both industry and the NHVR during the PBS assessment process of these combinations.

“We congratulate the NHVR for listening to, and working with industry, on this important initiative.”

Eligible vehicles under National Class 3 20m Long 3-axle Truck and 4-axle Dog Trailer Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2022 (No.1) will operate on Level 1 (up to mass 50.5t) and Level 2 (up to mass 57.5t) networks.

Further information on eligible vehicles and the approved networks for the notice can be found in the Operator’s Guide.

Austroads sets new targets

Austroads has released a set of new guidelines related to the charging of low and zero emission vehicles for operators. Austroads has published these in its new Guidelines for Low and Zero Emission Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Installation.

Austroads says the guidelines are the first of their kind in Australasia and are designed for use by local government

and transport agency staff planning infrastructure to support the use of plugin hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles.

“We are seeing a rapid increase in the number of electric and hybrid vehicles on our roads. If we can get ahead of the demand for readily available charging infrastructure, we can support a more seamless transition for users,” says

Austroads say getting ahead of the demand for electric vehicle charging stations is key to a smooth transition for users of the technology

Austroads future vehicles and technology program manager Vibeke Matthews.

The guidelines detail lifecycle considerations such as site selection and planning, access, energy supply, design, operations, maintenance, decommissioning sites and the potential for further technological developments in the field. Use cases for both rural and urban contexts are provided.

With low and zero emission vehicle car sales in Australia expected to increase from 0.6 per cent per year to 23 per cent in 2030, electrical vehicle charging infrastructure must continue to develop alongside such rapidly evolving technology.

“While the transition to low and zero emission vehicles is still in its infancy in Australia and New Zealand, the application of the guidelines will improve user experience, and encourage further use of these vehicles,” Matthews says.

A report, Low and Zero Emission Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Installation, details the development of the guidelines.

NHVR has urged operators to check grain harvest exemption rules for their state

intelligent access systems to eligible workers.

The changes made to Victoria’s Class 3 Grain Harvest Management Scheme Mass Exemption Notice 2017 (No. 1) came into place on Tuesday September 27 for drivers.

Changes to grain harvest exemption in NSW and Victoria

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has warned heavy vehicle operators to be wary of recent changes made to grain harvest management scheme mass exemption notices.

In both New South Wales and Victoria, changes have been introduced to the schemes as part of its renewal this month.

The new notice came into effect in NSW last week, with three changes

made to the NSW Class 3 Grain Harvest Management Scheme Mass Exemption Notice 2021 (No. 2).

This includes removing the requirement to carry the notice in a heavy vehicle compartment, removing the requirement to travel to the nearest grain receiver for vehicles that qualify for access to higher level networks like Higher Mass Limits and Performance Based Standards and clarifying the application of approved

This also included removing the requirement to carry the notice in a heavy vehicle compartment, while also removing the requirement for eligible vehicles to be enrolled in the Grain Harvest Management Scheme.

For operators who transport grain in Victoria, the notice has also updated the description of eligible vehicles to alleviate confusion.

This means Rigid – 2 Axle has been renamed to single steer, single drive rigid truck and Prime Mover (Single Drive) & Semi Trailer – 5 Axles has been changed to single steer, single drive prime mover and triaxle semitrailer.

The NHVR emphasises this means that there is no change to eligible vehicles, as the change refers to the way they are described.

The NHVR has warned operators in the two states to stay up to date with the latest notice changes

Hydrogen truck trial for PepsiCo deliveries

PepsiCo Australia and Pure Hydrogen Corporation will trial a Hydrogen Fuel Cell 160kW 6 x 4 prime mover for deliveries in Brisbane in late 2023

In an announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange on September 30, Pure Hydrogen Corporation Limited shared the news of its partnership with PepsiCo Australia which will see the truck deliver goods for about six months to assess its potential value as a commercial option.

PepsiCo ANZ sustainability manager Brent Gapes says the group is looking forward to seeing the results of the trial.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with Pure Hydrogen on what is a first for the FMCG industry,” says Gapes.

“This trial demonstrates our commitment to net zero emissions across our value chain by 2040 – a goal that forms an integral component of PepsiCo Positive, a sustainability framework for how we operate within the planetary boundaries and inspire positive change for the planet and people.

“As one of the largest food manufacturers in Australia, we recognise we have a role to play in reducing our impact on the environment and I look forward to working with Pure Hydrogen on how we can extend the trial further.”

Pure Hydrogen has a similar trial in place with JJ Waste & Recycling which will be putting a hydrogen fuel cell refuse collection vehicle through its paces to see how it performs in the work environment.

The partnership with PepsiCo Australia is another step towards showcasing the viability of the hydrogen powered products in the market.

“It is exciting to be partnering with a globally recognised and respected company such as PepsiCo to commence trials for a prime mover vehicle powered by hydrogen fuel cells,” Pure Hydrogen managing director Scott Brown says.

“This trial will further showcase the potential of Australia’s hydrogen energy markets –particularly for the commercial trucking industry which currently relies heavily on the use of diesel fuel,” Brown says.

NSW rolls out new bush fire tank trucks

The NSW government is set to introduce new Isuzu fire trucks to help ahead of summer

The New South Wales government says bush fire-battling capability across NSW is set for a major boost with 18 new Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) state-of-the-art tankers rolling out across the state ahead of the peak danger season.

Minister for Emergency Services Steph Cooke says the trucks are funded through the NSW government’s response to the independent Bushfire Inquiry.

“Replacing Fire and Rescue’s existing 22-year-old fleet of bush fire tankers is a priority for the NSW government, which is why we committed a further $9 million in this year’s budget to take the total number of new appliances to 34,” Cooke says.

“The trucks have been locally assembled by Isuzu and are currently being fitted out with equipment before being deployed to some of the state’s most at-risk locations.

“They will enable our firefighters to access bush fires in difficult terrain as well as be used for building fires,

rescues and other emergency incidents.”

Each $530,000 multi-purpose four-wheel-drive truck features a water spray system to protect the crew, a compressed air foam system and a 3,500-litre water tank.

FRNSW Acting Commissioner Megan Stiffler says the new appliances will help firefighters where they are needed most.

“We welcome these new trucks as they will provide our firefighters with the best possible equipment and technology to protect life and property,” Stiffler says.

“The fleet of modern, advanced and environmentally-friendly appliances will also ensure our firefighters are safe while undertaking their vital role in the community.”

A total of $80 million has been provided to FRNSW in response to the Bushfire Inquiry’s 76 recommendations.

Level crossing upgrades for Parkdale Station in Victoria

Major construction on the project is set to start in 2023 with the level crossings scheduled to be replaced completely in 2025.

Currently, the state government says, 20,000 drivers pass through the two level crossings on the Frankston line every day, and the boom gates are down for more than a third of the morning peak.

Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan says the plans

will bring new life to the area.

“We’re removing dangerous and congested level crossings across the state to improve safety for drivers, train passengers and pedestrians for years to come,” Allan says.

“When these level crossings are gone by 2025, Parkdale and Mentone will be safer and less congested – allowing more trains to run more often on the Frankston line when the Metro Tunnel opens.”

The new rail bridge will form part of a total project including a new Parkdale Station which is to include modern, accessible station facilities, a new station office, more lighting and better CCTV.

Elements of the existing station will be retained and repurposed within the new precinct in response to feedback gathered during community consultation that found station users wanted to retain some of its history.

SA Barrier Highway set for upgrades and improvements

The Australian Logistics Courastructure.”

The government of South Australia (SA) reports that a tender has recently been released to market for a package of improvements along the highway, with works expected to commence in 2023.

The Barrier Highway’s junctions with Main Street and Whyte Road, in Yunta and Whyte Yarcowie respectively, will be

upgraded to enable future provision for use by Performance Based Standards Level 3B heavy vehicles (up to 42-metrelong double road trains).

The state government says three new rest areas will be constructed along the highway; one located 17 kilometres west of Cockburn, and two near Yunta (one 25 kilometres east of the township

and another 11 kilometres west), while an existing rest area 32 kilometres west of Cockburn will be upgraded. Three culverts will also be replaced.

These works are all expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

The package forms part of the South Australian and Australian governments’ $62.5 million commitment (on an 80:20 basis) to upgrade the Barrier Highway between Cockburn and Burra as part of the Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) initiative.

As part of this program, more than 110 kilometres of pavement widening, rehabilitation, shoulder widening, and spray sealing has been completed to date along the Barrier Highway.

Upgrades to a 305km section of the Barrier Highway are expected to improve road safety and freight productivity once completed next year

The Barrier Highway is being upgraded including the addition of three new rest areas

Our ports can do better

The federal government’s productivity commission says Australia’s port system is underperforming

The federal government’s productivity commission is calling for Australia’s port system to be reformed in a report on the sector’s current underperformance.

The report, titled Lifting productivity at Australia’s container ports: between water, wharf and warehouse, was released after industry members put forth 79 different submissions earlier this year.

A primary point made in the report says that Australia’s container port inefficiencies have cost the nation around $605 million each year.

After analysing system performance and technology uptake in the sector, commissioner Stephen King says the inquiry proves Australia’s major container ports underperform.

“Underperformance on Australia’s ports directly costs business and consumers,” King says.

“Any sustained disruptions to imports or exports magnify these costs across the economy because of the critical role of ports to trade and commerce.”

The productivity commission says that increased productivity at ports

The spotlight is on the performance of our ports

is still possible, despite the nation’s container ports having slower ship turnaround times.

The report also says workplace arrangements are reducing the efficiency at ports, with Fair Work Act changes being recommended.

Commissioner Julie Abramson says workplace arrangements at container terminals are holding back productivity.

“Highly restrictive clauses in terminal operators’ enterprise agreements limit the ways that workers and equipment can be deployed,” she says.

“Changes to the Fair Work Act and operation of the Fair Work Commission are recommended to tackle protracted enterprise bargaining in container ports and the disruptive industrial action that comes with it.”

Also mentioned in the report was lack of competition in the market, meaning customers face increased fees.

B-triple road train combinations now allowed to travel at 100km/h in Queensland

Queensland changes B-triple speed rules

The ALRTA says the Queensland rule change means B-triple combinations can adjust their speed

The Queensland Transport and Main Roads (TMR) department has recently made amendments to its B-triple road train combinations.

The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) announced in its weekly newsletter that the TMR changed its Transport Operations (Road Use ManagementRoad Rules) Regulation 2009 (Queensland Road Rules) for B-triple combinations.

The changes include the definition of a B-triple road train combination in the Queensland Road Rules aligning with the Heavy Vehicle National Law while allowing B-triple road train combinations to be permitted to travel at speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour.

The ALRTA warns that all other road train combinations are only permitted to travel at speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour.

Under the new law, B-triple road train combinations are a prime mover towing three semitrailers.

Under the Queensland Road Rules, the first semitrailer must be attached directly to the prime mover by a fifth wheel coupling, while the second semitrailer has to be mounted on the rear of the first semitrailer by a fifth wheel coupling on the first semitrailer.

Finally, the third semitrailer has to be mounted on the back of the second semitrailer by a fifth wheel coupling.

Multi modal rail terminal for Townsville Port

Logistics leader Aurizon says it will invest a further $5 million to upgrade its facilities in Townsville

Aurizon says its confidence in the continued growth of import and export trade through the Port of Townsville is the reason the national freight and logistics company has invested a further $5 million to develop the Port’s first multi-modal rail terminal.

The project involves investing in a direct rail corridor into Aurizon Port Services’ (APS) container and handling park, with almost two kilometres of track across three rail lines.

This means APS customers in North Queensland will have access to the full range of multi-modal

solutions – road, rail and port – for their logistics requirements.

Aurizon says it is creating efficient pathways for export commodities in North Queensland, helping unlock development opportunities for customers, as well as income and jobs for regional economies.

A key focus for Aurizon is harnessing the economic, environmental and safety benefits of putting more bulk freight on rail on the Mount Isa corridor.

Aurizon Port Services provides bulk transport, handling and stevedoring services with bulk storage warehouses and handling

Aurizon trucks on in Townsville with hydrogen hub

Townsville heavy vehicles could soon be trucking-on with hydrogen thanks to up to $5 million from the Queensland government for new prime movers and a refuelling facility.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Steven Miles says Aurizon is a successful applicant through round two of the $35 million Hydrogen Industry Development Fund (HIDF).

The announcement comes after the release of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan, which is the Queensland government’s plan for a bold clean energy future for Queensland including the biggest pumped hydro scheme in the world.

“Aurizon’s project will put four hydrogen-fuelled prime movers on the

road in Townsville and create more opportunities for other businesses to convert their transport fleets to new technology fuel,” Miles says.

He says as part of the Energy Plan, the government has announced it will build transmission infrastructure from Townsville to Hughenden, connecting the North West Minerals Province to the new electricity Super Grid.

“We’re also working on fast tracking the connection to Mount Isa and the North West Minerals Province, which would unlock hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.”

Minister for Energy, Hydrogen and Renewables Mick de Brenni says the clean energy transformation in Townsville had already generated

facilities at the Port of Townville, adjacent to rail lines.

APS integrates with Aurizon’s existing bulk rail haulage operations between Townsville and Mount Isa and allows Aurizon to aggregate products onto rail as part of end-toend logistics service for customers.

In June 2021, Aurizon Port Services (APS) completed the $2 million stage one of its Port investment program, including a 10,000sqm concrete pad with capacity for 1,200 shipping containers.

The $5 million stage two now underway comprises laying down almost two kilometres of rail track; a 270m runway for heavy-lift reachstackers to directly access trainloads and the container park, and upgrades to allow for efficient truck movements to the site.

Work commenced on site in June and is scheduled for completion in late 2022. Local contractors Gabrielli Construction, who delivered stage one of the project, were re-engaged for the stage two works.

“This $5 million investment is a big vote of confidence in the North Queensland economy,” says Aurizon Port Services manager Jackie Gregory.

around $800 million investment in more than 400 MW of large-scale renewable energy, creating more than 900 jobs.

“The plan will create 64,000 jobs in clean energy infrastructure including new skilled jobs in construction of transmission and renewable energy projects,” de Brenni says.

Aurizon Managing Director and CEO Andrew Harding says renewable hydrogen offers enormous opportunities to Australia’s transport industry.

“Renewable hydrogen is one of the emerging energy options that will assist industry to decarbonise operations throughout the supply chain while remaining cost competitive,” Harding says.

“Aurizon is Australia’s largest rail freight company and renewable hydrogen will play an important role in enabling us to reach our target of net zero operational emissions by 2050. Queensland government funding will assist us to look at replacing diesel-powered trucks with new technology hydrogen fuel cell electric heavy vehicles.”

Scan Global Logistics continues its worldwide expansion with new office

NatRoad emphasises Kanofski Report position

NatRoad has confirmed its support for the Kanofski Report’s suggestions on HVNL reformLogistics group Scan Global Logistics is continuing to expand globally as it opens a second office in recent months

Only seven months after opening its first wholly owned operation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) city of Dubai, Scan Global Logistics (SGL) has opened a second office in Abu Dhabi.

SGL says the move is another step towards enhancing its presence in economically flourishing global regions.

Strategically located in the Abu Dhabi Airport Freezone, the new office is equipped with a dual license of a Freezone and a mainland company for offshore and onshore requirements.

As the first logistics provider in Abu Dhabi, the new office is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For customers within verticals such as aid and relief or pharma often requiring urgent handling of shipments, the round-the-clock service hours enable fast customs clearance, even at night.

“By having customs close by, we can provide our air and ocean customers with fast inspections and efficient solutions in no time. Customs optimization can save considerable time and money and keep our customers’ vital supply chain running smoothly,” says

The Scan Global Logistics team opening their new Abu Dhabi office

Leslie Farnworth, general manager, Abu Dhabi, who holds 23 years of experience in the industry.

“Our proximity to import and export gateways enables us to provide speedy turnaround times, especially for our customers in the Abu Dhabi area. And, in close collaboration with our sister office, we can ensure smooth operations for customers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including land transportation to our neighbouring countries in the region.”

SGL offers a range of tangible, low-emission solutions to help decarbonize its customers’ supply chains. For example, customers worldwide can opt for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

“Sustainable logistics can provide customers a competitive edge. Therefore, we engage daily in helping our customers reduce their CO2 emissions, including long-term planning, allowing for choosing the most environmentally friendly modes of transport,” says Farnworth.

The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) has emphasised its position on the Kanofski Report and the current Heavy Vehicle National Law.

The report is public and delves into the reform process being undertaken to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).

While some in the transport industry are keen to go back to square one on the reform process, NatRoad says it attended August’s Australian transport ministers meeting with the view that some reform was better than none.

NatRoad says most of the Kanofski recommendations are focused on practical changes that can be achieved in the near term.

NatRoad believes improving access for heavy vehicle (and thus boosting national productivity) while reforming fatigue and enforcement are priorities.

The association says it likes the idea of a national approach to access, using technology to map road freight routes and make access pre-approved for specific classes of heavy vehicles.

It also wants petty penalties abolished and replaced by a system of warnings where punishment is in proportion to risk.

Finally, NatRoad says it was pleased that the ministers took a similar view and it’s hopeful that their referral of the recommendations to state and territory bureaucracies for advice on how to take things forward won’t be slowed by red tape.

A safety legacy – inside Ron Finemore Transport’s growth

With a respected history in the transport industry, Ron Finemore turned to starting his own company in the early 2000s. Its growth can be put down to a family feel and an unwavering commitment to driver safety

As a transport company, Ron Finemore Transport carries a strong legacy.

The family-owned and run country- Australian business was established by Ron Finemore in 2004 after he acquired Lewington’s Transport. With a respected reputation in the industry, Finemore then completed the founding of his company when he purchased Smith’s Transport in Orange in 2005.

Ron Finemore Transport has been on an upward trajectory ever since, operating in southern NSW and working up and down the eastern seaboard.

Shane Tucker is the safety, operational risk and compliance manager at the company and says

Ron Finemore’s legacy has been a key reason for the operator’s growth.

“Through Ron’s lifetime involvement in transport, he has worked in a number of areas when it comes to various types of deliveries and transport,” Tucker told ATN.

“Ron is founder and chairman of the board. His involvement in the industry goes back to the 1970s and has shaped what we do as a company.”

Ron Finemore Transport’s main focus currently is on the delivery of consumable goods to supermarkets and service stations, including food and fuel.

Finemore’s experience in the industry involved various areas from livestock to car carrying, before

settling on food and fuel transport since forming the company in the early 2000s.

With a predominantly Europeanbased fleet of 289 prime movers, the operator is flourishing under a high utilisation model of its trucks.

Tucker says the company averages around 1.3 million kilometres per week as a company based on loops and shuttle services.

He says the prestige aligned with Finemore’s name in the industry and its focus on food and fuel delivery has helped it grow as a company quickly.

“What we do has certainly helped our expansion,” Tucker says. “As a company we’re constantly evolving and growing since our establishment was complete in 2005.

“The transport industry is always challenging, but we believe our company is now in a good spot.”

While the company has grown fast, Tucker says it has already remained rigid when it comes to safety.

He says the inspiration comes from Finemore, who has had a lifelong dedication to developing safety standards in the industry.

Among Ron Finemore Transport’s core values is the need to prioritise safety, people and reliability when it comes to providing cost-effective options for customers.

If the operator can remain safe, legal and compliant, Tucker says it is satisfied.

A key way the operator remains safe is by maintaining its massive fleet of heavy vehicles. Tucker says the fleet age averages between 1.8 to 2 years, with fleet turnover a regular occurrence.

“We make sure our trucks have the latest safety equipment and options all installed,” Tucker says.

“We have a strong focus on the latest technology to protect our

drivers, as well as on training and upskilling them.

“When we onboard our staff, we make sure they’re managed correctly when it comes to fatigue management, while during their ongoing development we emphasise driver safety.”

It can be difficult to maintain this meticulous approach to safety while also attracting enough skilled workers into the company. Throughout the staff and skilled driver shortage, Tucker says the company has become nimble in its recruitment and training approach.

“We’ve been actively recruiting and offering internal training programs to support potential drivers,” Tucker says.

“We try to interact with schools, TAFEs and other areas in the industry to give the insight that our industry is a career and that there’s lots of options for those wanting to join it.

“Whether it be mechanics, technicians, operational support or financial teams, we promote that it’s a

A Meticulous maintenance of the Finemore fleet helps to keep operators safe

B

Finemore’s safety and compliance manager Shane Tucker says driver care is key to their success

great long-term industry to be in.”

Tucker says he’s certain that Ron Finemore Transport is a company worth working at because it provides a future and invests in the development of its people.

With its family feel and rapid growth, Tucker says now is the time for potential employees to get on board and grow as an industry member.

“We have strong family values as a company and are focused on looking after our people,” Tucker says.

“It’s an agile organisation to work in with Ron being so hands on.

“His family members like Alan, Shane and Scott Finemore are also heavily involved in the operation side of the business, making it a great family business to be part of.”

Steady as she grows

supply the same service to everyone in these regions.

Customers range from mining companies to pharmaceutical brands, to the likes of Australia Post and hardware businesses. Followmont has ensured it remains enshrined in delivering media across its network to pay homage to the industry that helped it first grow and learn as a company.

“We have a number of legacy accounts that we keep because they pushed us to either build a network or a service capability,” Tobin says.

Followmont Transport now boasts 22 owned and operated depots in Queensland and regional New South Wales. Its trucks travel upward of 39 million kilometres each year, making it one of Queensland’s leading freight operators. It all started in the ‘80s through a strike that had positive repercussions for the new business.

“Followmont was founded by my father and a business partner in 1984 off the back of a rail strike,” Followmont Transport managing director Mark Tobin told ATN

“They went and bought one truck to start delivering magazines. From that point, for 10 years it was hard work and long hours,” Tobin says.

After starting off transporting magazine and other media, like newspapers, Followmont diversified into express freight.

The family business has grown, with depots littered around Queensland being specifically designed for certain transportation that creates self-sustaining businesses. Yet Tobin says Followmont has always retained its family feel, and that has remained crucial to its success.

“We place a huge emphasis on our people. I don’t own the business, our people do,” Tobin says. “We’re very big on training and development and

putting money into that to create our future.

“We’ve got a clear strategy that all 1,000 of our staff know and we aim to remain clear in our communication while prioritising customer service.”

Despite this simple business method, Followmont’s business matters are the opposite.

The company has more than 12,000 customers that it evenly delivers for.

Followmont is committed to regional networks in both Queensland and New South Wales, which took decades to establish.

Even if some networks aren’t profitable, Tobin is committed to servicing these communities to

“It formed the heart of the business, so it makes sense to have our service stay and continue pushing it to the next level, as these accounts gave us these ideas that competitors can’t rival.”

Tobin says Followmont doesn’t pay much attention to what competitors do, as the company is confident it is growing and operating well.

It all changed for the Followmont team 12 years ago, when the business found it was being run by its shareholders and not its employees.

“We found we were working hard and not smart,” Tobin says.

“We put together our board and senior leadership team. My brother and I got off the floor and began working on business strategies and positioning for growth.”

From there, Followmont built hubs

in regional depot prime real estate, including near airports, to escalate its growth. Tobin says positioning has been critical to Followmont’s success.

When employment issues began to hurt companies over the past few years, Tobin knew the company’s focus on people would be key.

Remaining positive, Followmont looked to upskill its people and run programs to empower them. It’s paid dividends.

“We developed our own leadership program as well as a safety leadership program,” Tobin says. “We run these at head office every week at every level.

“My goal is in three years I want every person working here to have completed a training and development program.”

Tobin encapsulates Followmont’s people focus. He says he feels incredible pride when he sees someone working on the floor develop into a manager and begin running a major hub.

Outside of the business, Followmont also fulfils a deep community drive to give back to those around it. Tobin says Followmont isn’t a business for profit – instead it looks to reinvest and be philanthropic to the region it serves.

“Our value is that we care,” Tobin says. “Whether you walk into reception or get a delivery from us, it’s about care and being a family.

“We live and die by these values. We aim to be a family and not just a corporate company.”

Along with this corporate social responsibility, Followmont is also investing in sustainability. The company has invested in solar power and LED lighting that remains as efficient as possible while reducing its carbon footprint.

Tobin says the company is acutely aware of environmental obligations. It’s what’s fuelling its investigations into electric trucks, as well as robotics programs in two planned

hubs in Brisbane and Sydney. While looking to diversify its employees, Followmont is also focusing on sustainability and growing carefully.

Although Tobin says Followmont wants to continue to grow, he is ensuring the company does it in a sustainable and steady way that makes the family business a freight force for years to come.

“It’s easy to grow quickly as a business, but you can also lose

control fast,” Tobin says. “We’re about empowering and educating. We’re focused on our core values and keeping our rhythm of growth steady.”

Strategic depot positioning has helped the family business to grow

Followmont Transport makes a point of supporting causes in the regions it serves

Executive appointments

Leadership team boost at Lineage Logistics

A new board member and chief legal officer will add depth to the leadership team at Lineage Logistics.

The Board of Directors will be boosted with the addition of Lynn Wentworth, and, former Lineage staffer Natalie Matsler is returning in the chief legal officer and corporate secretary role, bringing with her significant experience in real estate development and logistics.

Matsler’s role will oversee Lineage’s global Legal, Safety & Compliance, Food Optimisation and Corporate Compliance functions.

Wentworth currently serves on the boards of Graphic Packaging (NYSE: GPK), where she chairs the Compensation & Human Capital Committee, and Benchmark Electronics (NYSE: BHE), where she chairs the Audit Committee. She is a former chairman of CyrusOne and Cincinnati Bell and chaired the Audit & Finance Committees at both companies before her role as board chair.

Before her board service, Wentworth was the chief financial officer and treasurer of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BXC), a leading distributor of building products in North America. Before that

she held numerous leadership positions with BellSouth Corporation across tax, strategic planning, investor relations, financial planning, sales and operations and was ultimately appointed CFO –Communications Group.

“At such a pivotal time in the company’s history, I’m excited to join Lineage’s board of directors and to work with the leadership team as we continue to innovate and grow the global cold chain,” Wentworth says.

As the newest member of Lineage’s Executive Leadership Team, Matsler reports directly to president and CEO Greg Lehmkuhl.

Most recently, she served as general counsel of McCourt Partners, a private investment platform based in Los Angeles, California, where she was a member of the executive team and successfully led several projects in real estate development featuring green technology and resilient design.

This is her second time working for Lineage, as she originally joined Lineage in 2014 and served in multiple legal leadership roles at the Company, including senior vice president and deputy general counsel up until 2021.

“We are thrilled to welcome Natalie back to the Lineage family,” saysGreg Lehmkuhl, president and CEO of Lineage. A sentiment Matsler shares.

“I am honoured and grateful for the opportunity to return to Lineage and lead these incredibly talented teams in such a fast-growing, dynamic organization,” says Matsler. “I look forward to supporting Lineage as the company continues its global growth, all while serving Lineage’s purpose of transforming the food supply chain.”

PacLease Australia appoints new general manager

PacLease Australia has announced a former branch manager will become its general manager.

Lindsay Smith will take over as GM of the business, as announced on PacLease Australia’s Facebook page.

Smith will assume the role after spending two years at the Laverton branch as manager.

PacLease is part of PACCAR and rents out trucks from DAF and Kenworth.

PacLease Australia passed on its congratulations to Smith, who says he can’t wait to start in the role.

“I’m excited for the opportunity and looking forward to doing my best for PacLease Australia,” Smith says.

Toll Global Forwarding appoint new president

Toll Group have appointed Matthew Warrington to the position of president for the Group’s Global Forwarding division.

Toll says its Global Forwarding division provides international freight forwarding solutions across a network spanning 150 countries, with annual revenue of $3 billion.

Warrington joined Toll 18 months ago to lead the company’s strategy function, where he oversaw the successful divestment of its Australian Express business.

He has more than 30 years of experience in contract logistics and freight forwarding.

Toll says Warrington has a unique perspective, having worked on both the customer and operator sides across global companies, including Linfox, BevChain, Visy Group and GrainCorp.

Before joining Toll, Warrington was a Partner and Director at the Boston Consulting Group, leading the Supply Chain practice area for ANZ.

He says he is excited for the opportunity.

“I’m delighted to lead Toll’s global forwarding business and support our customers’ growth in a changing market.

I’m excited to lead to the business as we implement new digital solutions and plan to expand into new markets, which will benefit our customers and help deliver our next phase of growth.”

Alan Beacham, Group Managing Director, Toll Group, says Warrington is the right man for the job.

“He brings a wealth of industry expertise and has a proven track record in delivering results in a competitive industry. I am confident that our customers and team members are in good hands as Matthew builds on our growth momentum,” says Beacham.

Business is booming for Moore Trailers

With a new factory almost completely operational, and extra workers on the way from the Philipines, Moore Trailers is on track to tackle an order list that stretches out for the next 24 months

Moore Trailers joint managing director Shayne Moore says demand is through the roof right now for tippers, with farmers in particular keen to add this style of trailer to their collection as more of them opt to store their grain on-farm and sell it when the price is right, rather than ship it all out in one hit at harvest time.

“Our motto is every farm in Australia needs a tipper,” Shayne jokes.

The business, based just outside of Toowoomba at Pittsworth in Queensland, has continued to expand this year, opening Stage 2 of its 15,000sqm factory on the nearly 285ha of land the company owns.

Shayne says Stage 1, the office and drafting side of the factory, is pretty well ready to go too, however issues with bringing high speed internet to the building have prevented the company from shifting staff in.

“Our factory’s been up and running for nearly two years and I still don’t have a phone line to the front of the building,” Shayne says.

The challenge the Moore Trailers team face is bringing fibre optic cable 80m under a road and a railway line to the front of the factory.

It’s the railway line which is

the sticking point. As much as it’s barely used, Shayne says there’s a reluctance to tunnel under it. He’s been in touch with ombudsman, local members and even ministers in a bid to get things moving and says it’s a fight he’ll keep having until they see results.

Now in its 34th year, the familyowned business has 120 staff and is seeing volumes never seen before.

“We’ve got a backlog of over 500

units,” Shayne says. “We cannot believe the current environment”.

Being based in a small country town, staff have always been hard to come by.

With the pandemic hurting the influx of overseas workers, Shayne says it’s only been in the past six months, after a long and often

complex process, that the business has secured the help of about 30 workers from the Philipines.

Shayne said the business is now investigating options for building a worker’s camp on-site as a way of accommodating the workers who may otherwise struggle to find a vacant property in the extremely tight local rental market.

Supply challenges and shortages on some electrical components have been another frustration with trailers all but ready to go out, just waiting for a $400-part to arrive from overseas.

Shayne says the business has evolved with the industry it serves over the years.

While tippers might be the hot ticket item now, in the past it’s been cattle trailers, or tankers.

“We still do a lot of custom trailers for customers too, I think all of that has helped us to keep growing,” Shayne says.

“The more trailers we get out there, the more the word spreads. They sell themselves.”

The Moore Trailers range is one of the widest in the country – ranging from conveyor floor trailers, to drop deck, flattop and extendable trailers, along with at least seven varieties of tipper to meet client needs.

In 2021 the team delivered 290 trailers and 78 dollies to clients

from across the country, and 2022 is shaping up to be even bigger.

As a big employer for its local region Moore Trailers also contributes to community events and supports local artists, commissioning large murals to adorn the walls of its administration building and brighten the days of those driving past.

Safety alert issued in Northern Territory in the wake of tilt tray truck accident

A WorkSafe safety alert went out this month in the wake of an accident that saw a worker at an East Arm worksite sustain serious crush industries after the compactor he was unloading off the back of a tilt tray truck toppled over, pinning him under the roll-over protection frame.

WorkSafe says safety equipment was available, including a winch on the tray, however it wasn’t used.

“The compactor, which operates on two metal drums, was being unloaded when it lost traction and toppled onto its side.” WorkSafe says.

“The worker was pinned under the roll over protection frame, causing multiple injuries to their lower body.”

The WorkSafe alert provides a list of possible contributing factors to the accident including:

• No risk assessment conducted prior to the unloading of the compactor and no safe work procedure for this type of work in place.

• T he winch fitted to the tilt tray truck was not used during the unloading.

• T he compactor’s metal drums may not have had enough traction on the tilted metal tray to prevent it from sliding.

• T he tilt tray was wet due to the overnight rain, reducing the level of friction compactor’s metal drums had on the tilt tray.

In a bid to provide clear direction on how this sort of accident may be prevented in the future, WorkSafe suggested the following actions:

• E nsure a risk assessment is carried out before commencing any work, especially if conditions (including

environmental conditions) in the workplace have changed.

• E nsure safe work procedures are developed in consultation with workers.

• E nsure workers are provided appropriate training, instruction, information and supervision to understand and use the safe work procedures.

• A lways use the provided equipment and mechanical systems to load and unload unmanned machinery.

• I f the manufacturer’s instructions allows the machinery to be operated during loading and unloading, have another person operate the winch the same time as the machinery is driven on or off the tray.

VTA honours transport icons with W.F.D. Chalmers Award

Addressing his first President’s Dinner since taking on the role prior to the pandemic, Lean reflected on some of the issues and achievements of the Association over the three years of his presidency.

“It’s been my great privilege over the last three years to lead an active and dedicated Executive Council whose focus has been on the issues that matter most to our members,” Lean says.

“Training and education continue to be a major focus of the VTA, with the pandemic exposing the chronic labour shortages that has been rife in the sector for years.

“We continue to lead the charge for higher standards because in the 21st century mandatory training must be a requirement for entry into our profession.

Bruce Forsyth and Dennis Ryan took to the stage at the VTA President’s Dinner at Melbourne’s Atheneum Club at the start of October to receive the prestigious W.F.D. Chalmers Award for their service to the trans port industry.

Forsyth, is the former general manager of Glen Cameron Group and a long-time VTA vice-president, while Ryan is the founder of the Ryans Group.

The dinner, sponsored by Volvo Group Australia and CMV Truck & Bus, was attended by a wide range of industry leaders, including the VTA’s most senior members and associate members.

The W.F.D. Chalmers Award was instituted by the VTA in memory of Daryl Chalmers, who was a member of the Executive Council for over 40 years. It is presented annually to recognise individuals who have supported and worked within the Industry and the Association over many years, with dedication, loyalty, and commitment.

With the pandemic restricting the ability to host events for the past two years, the President’s dinner

presentation recognised the 2021 and 2022 W.F.D Chalmers Award recipients, with Forsyth receiving the 2021 accolade and Ryan recognised for this year.

VTA CEO Peter Anderson says Forsyth and Ryan epitomise the qualities we all aspire to in transport and offered congratulations for their respective decades of service to the industry and support to the VTA.

“Bruce and Dennis are among the most recognised and respected members of the transport industry and between the two of them have decades of experience building successful businesses and employing hundreds of people in worthwhile transport roles,” says Anderson.

“At the same time, they have shown a remarkable commitment to serving the interests of the VTA and its members, so it is befitting that they have been recognised with one of our Association’s highest honours.”

VTA president Mike Lean echoed Anderson’s remarks and extended his thanks and appreciation to Forsyth and Ryan for their decades of service.

“Recognising the faster shift to lower greenhouse emissions under the new federal Labor government, attention is rapidly turning to decarbonising the transport industry.

“We as operators are up for the fight to drive decarbonisation in our industry, but the reality is that we need very clear direction to be provided by Governments at all levels around the transition. VTA advocacy on this matter over the transitional period will be for incentives to decarbonise, as distinct from penalties.

Lean says the Association has worked constructively through its affiliations with ARTIO to achieve minimum road freight industry standards, consistent with the structural change needed for a viable, safe, and sustainable industry.

“We understand the new Federal Government’s emerging thinking on the topic but once again, this is just not a purely Industrial Relations issue,” he says.

“Minimum standards must include every activity.

“Transport operators have for years been regarded as just price takers - we are beyond that now, with the shortages in the industry, customers are starting to value our industry for what it achieves.”

Scania Australia appoints new acting director of truck sales

to Scania’s truck business over more than two decades. When Dean joined Scania in 2000, we delivered 366 trucks that year, and in 2021 we delivered 1,129, underlining the impact he has had on our business, not to mention the successful mentoring role he has undertaken internally while building his national team of new truck account managers.

“Dean has also developed strong relationships with our customers from the largest national fleets to the single truck owner-driver.

The task of driving truck sales for Scania in Australia now sits firmly in the hands of newly appointing acting director of sales Benjamin (Ben) Nye.

Nye moved into his new role at the end of October in the wake of a decision by former sales director Dean Dal Santo to take a break from the industry after more than 20 years with Scania.

Nye, 39, joined Scania in 2010 as a retail account manager with substantial truck industry experience that began with a spare parts traineeship at 18, sales experience in workshop machinery, and at a large Victorian multi-franchise truck dealership, and later with a trailer maker.

Scania says Nye progressed to key retail accounts manager for Scania in Victoria, during which time he was Scania’s Truck Salesman of the Year, before moving to become national fleet manager for fire and specialist vehicles, and then into the product manager position.

“I am very pleased to be stepping into Dean’s role,” says Nye.

“I worked for Dean for eight years and watched him build a very successful truck sales team.

“I am very fortunate to be inheriting

what I believe to be the best truck sales team in Australia, especially at a time when the industry is in transition, and Scania globally is driving the shift to a sustainable transport system,” says Nye.

“We have exciting new dieselpowered product just launched, and our first our battery electric vehicles are already on the ground.”

Dal Santo’s history with the company stretches over decades.

He joined Scania as commercial analyst in 2001 directly from university, quickly rising through various national and state-based sales and wholesales roles to sales director in 2018, in time for the launch of the New Truck Generation, Scania’s most successful truck product to date.

Manfred Streit, managing director of Scania Australia says Dal Santo made great contributions to the company.

“Dean has had a long and successful career with Scania and has been a great asset to the business, across a number of roles,” says Streit.

“While we are very sad to hear he will be departing Scania, he does so with our blessing, and our sincere thanks for his immense contribution

“Dean has been an effective and result-driven member of our executive management team, and we wish him well as he charts a new direction.”

For Dal Santo, the time is right to catch his breath and plan the next steps in his career.

“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to take a break from the industry, after 22 years with Scania,” says Dal Santo.

“These have been very rewarding, challenging and ultimately very successful years for me, and for Scania, and it is always good to have the flexibility of choosing when to move on.

“I am especially proud of our sales team at Scania Australia.

“ They have shown imagination and determination to continuously deliver for our customers and to grow the Scania family in the truck market.

“ I thank them for their support and their efforts, and I am sure they will continue to enjoy success with our new, exciting, and very capable product.

“While it is always hard to make these big career decisions, I feel the time is right for me, and I thank Scania for the opportunities to grow and flourish within an industry I have loved with some passion over the past two decades,” says Dal Santo.

AIT Worldwide Logistics forms partnership with Kalitta Air

Strategic alliance will boost Kalitta Air’s ability to expand its global freight services

Global supply chain solutions company AIT Worldwide Logistics has entered into a new Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) partnership with Michigan-based Kalitta Air.

AIT says the strategic alliance continues its longstanding designation as a CRAFsponsored freight forwarder, enabling the company to continue critical supply chain support for United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) missions, while also increasing access to global routes, capacity, and charters for customers.

“For more than 10 years, we’ve been proud and always at the ready to support USTRANSCOM through the CRAF program,” says AIT’s chief business officer, Greg Weigel.

“As AIT continues to grow our global footprint and scope, securing a CRAF partnership with an airline that has similar global reach, with some of the world’s largest cargo aircraft made perfect sense to our team — and that’s Kalitta.”

Kalitta operates B747-400 and B777F freighters for long-range international charters and scheduled services. Their fleet also includes B737F’s as well as smaller jet and turbo-prop aircraft serving the North American market with support for time-critical charter, life sciences and aircraft on ground missions.

“We’re excited to enter into a new phase of collaboration with AIT,” says vice-president Cargo Marketing for Kalitta Air, Lynn Stauffer. Weigel says that Kalitta has been an AIT core carrier for decades, especially vital for the company’s government and aerospace business. The airline is also one of AIT’s top three carriers since the COVID-19 pandemic. Cleared to land and take off from military bases all over the world and with aircraft strategically positioned at hubs across United States, Europe, Asia, and South America, Kalitta has the capacity to move cargo anywhere in the world in a matter of hours.

Two decades of NTI data highlights truck safety improvements

A review of almost two decades of truck accident data by HVIA’s Principal Partner and Australia’s largest logistics and transport specialist insurer, NTI, has revealed a vast improvement in the trucking industry’s safety performance

NTI has just released the 2022 Major Accident Report from its National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) and has analysed trends since 2005.

It found while there’s been a 55 per cent increase in the number of trucks on the road and a 51 percent rise in road freight volumes, the rate of serious truck accidents has not followed this trend.

Report author since 2019, Adam Gibson, said the data shows a combination of tighter government regulation and industry investment in safety, technology, professional development and leadership has improved road safety.

“We saw, for example, fatiguerelated crashes fall by a massive 50 per cent in the year after driving hours reforms and standardised logbooks were introduced,” Mr Gibson said.

“They dropped from a high of 27.3 per cent in 2008 to a low of 8 per cent in 2020.”

The other key improvement was in crashes caused by inappropriate speed for the conditions.

“In 2009, inappropriate speed was the cause of almost one third of crashes (31.8 per cent) but encouragingly, that dropped to a record low of 12.5 per cent last year.

That’s likely related to Chain of Responsibility laws coupled with new safety technologies, including electronic braking systems (EBS) and electronic stability control (ESC).”

Truck safety continues to improve, even with more trucks on the road

Mr Gibson said outside of these positive trends, what remains as opportunities for improvement are Driver Error, Inappropriate Speed and Fatigue.

“Our data helps address what we need to change in drivers’ working environments to better support them and to deliver safer outcomes.”

NTI’s chief sustainability officer, Chris Hogarty said the industry and its supporting bodies have been transformative through working together and shifting to a safer and more sustainable way of operating.

“The Australian transport and logistics industry has made considerable progress nearing the last two decades. We are committed to sustaining the momentum and creating safer conditions for all road users,” he said.

NHVR acting chief regulatory policy and standards officer Ray Hassall said while the safety improvements show industry’s effort in prioritising safety in the workplace and on the road – there is still more work to do.

“Tragically safety risks such as driver distraction, speed, inappropriate vehicle positioning and following distances continue to cause crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities on our roads,” he said.

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Hino expands into Gippsland

Richard Emery, vice president Brand and Franchise Development for Hino Australia says he is excited to announce the opening of the company’s newest Victorian branch.

“We warmly welcome Gippsland automotive stalwart David Turnbull and his family-led team to Hino. In addition to running a successful Toyota dealership for over 30 years in Yarram and Sale, David hails from a family with a rich automotive heritage spanning four generations over 70 years in the Gippsland region,” Emery says.

“Gippsland is a region best known for its primary production such as mining, power generation and farming, which are industries that our Hino range of light, medium and heavy-duty trucks are particularly suited to.”

Dealer principal David Turnbull is enthusiastic about joining the Hino network.

“Having owned and operated Hino trucks and buses for over 60 years as part of our Turnbull Hire business and rural school bus operations, we identified an exciting opportunity to further expand the Turnbull Group to open Turnbull Hino, a full-service truck dealership in Sale.

“We have always been impressed with the quality, durability and reliability of Hino products, and are very excited to now offer these

products to the broader Gippsland community.

“The Turnbull Group is focused on supporting our local community –our goal is to provide better support to our local transport industries and trades that would have previously travelled hours to Melbourne for sales, servicing and repairs,” says Turnbull.

Conveniently located on the busy Princes Highway in Sale, Hino says the purpose-built, brand-new facility is in a prominent and easily accessible location.

“Planning began for the new building three years ago, and throughout the build we focused on using as many local tradespeople as possible.”

Hino says the Turnbull Hino dealership features an impressive,

indoor showroom with a comfortable guest lounge, large parts storage facility, seven service bays and a wash bay. It also has an undercover driveway drop-off for servicing which Hino says offers added convenience for customer.

An official opening was held recently and attended by key officials including Mr Emery, in addition to loyal Turnbull Group customers who were also able to experience the Hino National Roadshow.

The Hino convoy is travelling over 130,000 kilometres around the country this year, bringing its full range of next-generation trucks valued at over $3 million to a diverse selection of cities and towns.

The Roadshow is the biggest-ever joint undertaking between Hino Australia and its dealers.

“The concept of the Hino Roadshow is fantastic and was a perfect way to celebrate our official opening,” says Turnbull.

“We showcased vehicles from across the 300, 500 and 700 Series range, while also celebrating 80 years of Hino globally,” says Turnbull.

“The entire model line-up has received significant enhancements over the past five years, and it is a terrific opportunity for our new customers to see a selection of awardwinning light, medium and heavyduty trucks.”

Hino says its Australia dealership network of sales and service centres continues to grow with over 65 locations nationwide.

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HVIA in Hanover

After four years one of the biggest truck shows in the world was back –not bigger, but certainly with an exciting new story to tell. The Heavy Vehicle Industry Association (HVIA) has shared its insights from the event.

HVIA says virtually every one of the 1400 exhibitors found a way of showcasing their role in a world of sustainable transport solutions and the theme was overwhelming in its application.

TCO for ZEV vs ICE

HVIA says the quest for an answer to the question of total cost of ownership (TCO) for zero emissions vehicles (ZEV) compared to current internal combustion diesel engines (ICE) was not as succinctly answered as many might have hoped, but almost every major OEM played their hand. The fact that Volvo’s display was all electric certainly laid down a commitment and positioning statement with no grey areas.

Likewise, HVIA says Mercedes made a very big deal about its electric offerings. Their test track commencing within their stand and then heading outside the building was

a particularly impressive initiative.

The IVECO stand gave a first look at the Nicola offering. DAF, MAN and Scania all had electric drivetrains in their line-ups.

There were plenty of smaller players spread throughout the show too, but not the diversity we are offered in Australia with our American, Japanese and Korean vehicles that give us such a wealth of choice for our comparatively small population (but large freight task).

HVIA’s representatives say BPW’s stand was amongst the best for articulating their understanding of the environmental question, and inviting operators to partner with them to uncover an answer.

Heading down under HVIA says it sent two of its team across to promote attendance at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show, with tours organised in partnership with the Queensland Government, Brisbane Economic Development Agency and facilitated long-term accommodation partner OzAccom+.

HVIA says it was excited by the enthusiasm of delegates who were

looking towards making the journey to Australia for our event.

It is no small feat to travel here, and between the uncertainty of the economic outlook and steep costs of international travel right now, we are lucky that Australia has so much on offer for those who make the effort, the HVIA says.

HVIA representatives say they were equally delighted to share their pavilion with an Aussie specc’ed MAN, which drew enormous attention for its chrome bullbar and tandem drive setup – both unusual on European roads.

Likewise, HVIA says the impressive roadtrain images supplied by PACCAR were the cause of great fascination and made for the backdrop for countless “selfies” now circulating across Europe and beyond.

It says thanks to the numerous Aussies who made the effort to come and say g’day, and particularly to Mario and the SAF Holland team, along with the Byrne Trailers boys who took their representatives under their wings and helped to make the visit one to remember.

Volvo Trucks will deliver fully elec tric heavy-duty trucks to Amazon in Germany by year end.

The 20 Volvo FH Electric are expected to drive more than one million road kilometres annually, fuelled with electricity instead of diesel.

Volvo says heavy goods vehicles and other commercial vehicles make up around 36 per cent of Germany’s domestic transport emissions, which makes road transport decarbonization an important issue to address.

“Big actors in the transport business play a key role in leading the industry’s efforts to lower its carbon footprint. Therefore I´m glad that Amazon is working with us to help reduce their emissions in longer and heavier transport assignments,” says Jessica Sandström, senior vice president of Product Management at Volvo Trucks.

Volvo Trucks started the series production of heavy-duty electric trucks in September this year and the availability of electric trucks for inter-city and regional haulage marks an important milestone for decarbonizing road transport.

“Globally we now have six electric truck models ready to order and in series production to meet the increasing demand for decarbonising goods transports. This is an encouraging step forward for reducing climate change impacts,” says Sandström.

The electric versions of its most important product range – the heavy-duty Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX trucks – will play a vital role in reaching Volvo Trucks global target that in 2030, 50 per cent of all new trucks sold will be battery or fuel cell electric.

These electric heavy-duty trucks can operate at a total weight of

44 tonnes and the three models mentioned represent around two thirds of the company’s sales.

For Amazon, the trucks will replace their diesel counterparts and play a key role in electrification initiatives through its transportation chain.

“Amazon is committed to decarbonizing its fleet, and the middle mile has been a notoriously hard-to-abate sector,” says Andreas Marschner, vice president Transportation Services Europe at Amazon.

“That’s why welcoming these electric heavy goods vehicles from Volvo into our fleet is such a critical milestone. We’re operating one of the fastest-growing commercial transportation electrification programs, and we’ll continue to invest and innovate to decarbonise and deliver packages to customers with zero emissions.”

Volvo Trucks’ latest order is helping it drive towards its sustainability goals

to supply 20 electric trucks to Amazon

New system retrofits diesel engines to run on 90 per cent hydrogen

engine, which resolves the problem of harmful nitrogen oxide emissions that have been a major hurdle for commercialising hydrogen engines.

“If you just put hydrogen into the engine and let it all mix together you will get a lot of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, which is a significant cause of air pollution and acid rain,” says Kook.

“But we have shown in our system if you make it stratified – that is in some areas there is more hydrogen and in others there is less hydrogen – then we can reduce the NOx emissions below that of a purely diesel engine.”

Importantly, the researchers say their new Hydrogen-Diesel Direct Injection Dual-Fuel System does not require extremely high purity hydrogen which must be used in alternative hydrogen fuel cell systems and is more expensive to produce.

And compared to existing diesel engines, an efficiency improvement of more than 26 per cent has been shown in the diesel-hydrogen hybrid.

Engineers from UNSW Sydney say they have successfully converted a diesel engine to run as a hydrogen-diesel hybrid engine –reducing CO2 emissions by more than 85 per cent in the process.

The team, led by Professor Shawn Kook from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, spent around 18 months developing the Hydrogen-Diesel Direct Injection Dual-Fuel System that means existing diesel engines can run using 90 per cent hydrogen as fuel.

The researchers say that any diesel engine used in trucks and power equipment in the transportation, agriculture and mining industries could ultimately be retrofitted to the new hybrid system in just a couple of months.

They say green hydrogen, which is produced using clean renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, is much more environmentally friendly than diesel.

And in a paper published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Prof. Kook’s team show that using their patented hydrogen injection system reduces CO2 emissions to just 90g/kWh –

85.9 per cent below the amount produced by the diesel-powered engine.

“This new technology significantly reduces CO2 emissions from existing diesel engines, so it could play a big part in making our carbon footprint much smaller, especially in Australia with all our mining, agriculture and other heavy industries where diesel engines are widely used,” says Kook.

“Being able to retrofit diesel engines that are already out there is much quicker than waiting for the development of completely new fuel cell systems that might not be commercially available at a larger scale for at least a decade.”

High-pressure hydrogen direct injection

The UNSW team says their solution to the problem maintains the original diesel injection into the engine, but adds a hydrogen fuel injection direct ly into the cylinder.

The collaborative research, performed with Dr Shaun Chan and Professor Evatt Hawkes, found that specifically timed hydrogen direct injection controls the mixture condition inside the cylinder of the

The research team hope to be able to commercialise the new system in the next 12 to 24 months and are keen to consult with prospective investors.

They say the most immediate potential use for the new technology is in industrial locations where permanent hydrogen fuel supply lines are already in place.

That includes mining sites, where studies have shown that about 30 per cent of greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by the use of diesel engines in such items as mining vehicles and power generators.

And the Australian market for diesel-only power generators is currently estimated to be worth around $765 million.

“In terms of applications where the hydrogen fuel would need to be stored and moved around, for example in a truck engine that currently runs purely on diesel, then we would also need to implement a hydrogen storage system to be integrated into our injection system,” Kook says. “I do think the general technology with regards to mobile hydrogen storage needs to be developed further because at the moment that is quite a challenge.”

Dirty BUSINESS

Aaron Campbell is the young ’un who is charged with operating the sharp 909 and is loving every minute of it

Admission time! I go from one extreme to the other sometimes. I will sit down to write a story and spend countless glasses of bourbon trying to work out a starting line or I will have an abundance of opening acts and spend countless glasses of bourbon trying to choose which one to use. The lesson being. I probably need to restock my bourbon.

However, this month I have a dilemma. I can’t decide which opening stanza best represents the amazingly cool truck on these pages.

Option A was starting this cool story on Method Earthworks exquisite Kenworth T909 tipper with a wedding speech cliché, using the dictionary to define ‘method’ purely because it truly does reflect the company that Jeff and Lori Turner have built.

‘Method: a quality of being well organised and systematic in thought or action’.

That definition encompasses all that Jeff and Lori have prided themselves on and has led them to putting one of the coolest T909 tippers in the country on the road. It represents a small fleet of well-organised and successfully run tippers

That was starting option A.

Starting option B is driven by a quote from Greg McDonald, a man that knows how to put a cool truck together.

At a function in early 2021 Jeff Turner, the man behind Method Earthworks, met McDonald and was floating the idea of purchasing a Kenworth T909 to add to his small fleet.

“I admitted that a 909 was my dream truck, but it was probably too big a truck for the job,” Jeff recalls.

McDonald then dropped some philosopher-level wisdom on Jeff that would ingrain itself in him and upon deep reflection aid Jeff in making the decision to purchase his dream truck – “Life’s too short to have s#@t trucks, ya just gotta buy the cool ones.”

While that quote will never be inscribed on monuments or quoted in lecture halls, it doesn’t diminish the profoundness of it. This extremely deep citation has led to Queensland’s roads being graced with one of the coolest Kenworth tippers around. Thank you, Greg, for pushing Jeff over the line with this cool truck named ‘Hard Yards’.

Obviously starting up a successful

company and purchasing a whopping great tipper wasn’t as simple as defining the company name and riding the coat tails of a cool quote. Jeff has been in among dirt and rocks his whole life. While my sand pit as a kid was about 2X2 square metres, Jeff quite literally had a monster sand pit to play in.

Jeff’s father Gavin got into the construction game back in the early ’80s when his old Bedford J5 and bobcat were the starting blocks for Brisbane Earthmoving.

Shovelling dirt

Brisbane Earthmoving’s formative years coincided with Jeff’s formative years. Meaning he literally grew up in a yard full of construction equipment. The company began as a plant hire company, with emphasis on the wet hire more than dry hire. As the work came along, Gavin grew as needed.

“Dad had that attitude of ‘I’ll dig deep and get into it’,” explains Jeff as he recalls the company growing alongside emerging outfits like BMD Constructions. He adds that it was the era of ‘one in, all in’.

The late ’90s and early 2000s were boom years for construction in the Brisbane area and, after starting as a plant hire company, Brisbane Earthmoving found themselves becoming the go-to guys for anything and

everything related to rock walls. With crushing and screening plants, direct quarry access and all the other tools needed for rock wall preparation and construction, the only thing Brisbane Earthmoving lacked was a more appropriate name. In the early-2000s Brisbane Earthmoving changed its name to Boulder Wall Constructions.

By the time Jeff was old enough to be running around the company workshops and understanding what was going on, Boulder Wall Constructions had morphed into BWC Contracting.

In order to avoid the pitfalls of an industry susceptible to mother nature and also under constant threat from ever decreasing property blocks, BWC branched out, adding more freight transportation to the company.

By late 2015 almost 60 per cent of the company’s work was coming from the transportation side of things. While plant hire had been the mainstay, trucks had always been a part of the company structure, from the original Bedford to the Western Stars and Freightliners that came to the company in the late ’90s.

While Jeff grew up around this mix of machinery, ultimately it would be the arrival of the Geoff Richards-inspired SARs in the early 2000s that would influence his choices in the years to come.

The new company mud flaps really finish off the new Kenny

Sam Keddie’s magic shows up all over the unit

I will take a breather here to explain that last comment.

Most people in the trucking world are aware of the late Geoff Richards and his ability to turn out classy looking rigs.

For quite a while BWC was operating out of the yard next door to Geoff Richards Transport in Queensland and Gavin Turner and Geoff got along very well.

Gavin admired the clean, tidy units that Geoff ran and appreciated the effect of multicoloured vehicles.

This led to Gavin following Geoff’s lead and, as new trucks were added to the BWC fleet,

there was a diverse range of colour options. The only stipulation being the colours had to come from the Ford Falcon colour range.

I must be careful with the next part because we all know what growing up in a family business means and there may be some ‘Karen’ out there that will report him if I admit that he was working in the workshop as an assistant from the age of 12. Even though it was only during school holidays, maybe some weekends and the occasional afterschool session, someone may jump on the child labour laws bandwagon. It wasn’t work for Jeff though, both him and his brother Bradley were part of the family business and loved it.

It may come as a little surprise then that upon completion of school Jeff didn’t head straight for work boots and high vis gear. Instead, he bought a hacky sack and tied dyed t-shirt and headed off to university.

“I grew up around the workshop but when I finished school, I wanted to try something different,” Jeff says. “I tried it and realised it wasn’t me, I just wanted to drive trucks and dig holes.” He did stay long enough to get his Bachelor of Urban Development while still working part time at the family business.

“I knew about two years in that I’d made a mistake, but I had to see it through and get my course finished.”

Jeff jokes that both he and his brother tried “something else” but couldn’t resist the family business. “Bradley did a house drafting course for three months then went straight into dad’s ‘cos he didn’t want to do anything different either. It just took me longer to realise.”

However, rather than heading back into the

too big

It was probably a truck for the job

The Method Earthworks team took a break from the Saturday morning’s hard work for this photo.

From left, Brad Fairburn, Phil Dickson, his son Todd Dickson (as an undercover agent) and Aaron Campbell

workshop, Jeff spent a bit of time getting his hands dirty doing site clean-ups in one of the company’s twin-steer tippers.

From there he found his way into an office role, becoming the contracts and estimating manager. It was a role that couldn’t have been further away from grease and dirt of the workshop, but it was a role that he thrived in.

All the time behind a computer screen didn’t diminish the enthusiasm for the frontline work though and, after watching his brother branch out and start running his own trucks under the RockHaul banner, he decided to look at starting his own company.

I say ‘he’ but the correct tense would actually be ‘they’. For Jeff and his wife Lori are both integral to the success of Method Earthworks and its predecessor Rock Star Transport. Don’t worry, it’s not that confusing – there’s a short version.

A rock star history

In 2015 when Jeff and Lori first broached the idea of running their own truck, they came up with the name Rock Star Transport. The idea being ‘rock’ was what they would be predominantly carting and ‘star’ in reference to the 2007 Western Star 4800 tipper they

bought to start the company. The truck was purchased off BWC so Jeff knew its history.

“It had done a million km or close to it – 950 I think,” Jeff says. “Dad said, ‘I’m flicking that one; if ya wanted to go out and have a crack at it we’ll subcontract it back to the company fleet’.” It was a great way for a young couple to crack into a very difficult industry.

Rock Star Transport would contract the Western Star back to BWC; it meant consistent reliable work. It also meant alongside running Rock Star Transport, Jeff was also working at Boulder Wall Constructions to ensure there was plenty of work for all the trucks.

“In 2016 one of the SARs was up for renewal and I said to dad, ‘yep, we’re enjoying this, it’s going well, what are you doing with the SAR?’,”Jeff recalls.

Even with his increased workload and with Lori taking on the bookwork as well as her fulltime job, Rock Star Transport was finding its feet and keen for more. His dad was leaning away from rock trucks himself as he now had both Jeff and Bradley running rock bins for BWC, so was happy to sell the SAR off to Rock Star Transport. Suddenly, young Jeff and Lori were a two-truck fleet.

Obviously, the SAR couldn’t last long. It

didn’t fit with the ‘star’ side of Rock Star.

Jeff eventually sold it off in early 2017 and purchased another Western Star off BWC. This particular 2013 Western Star was painted in Ripcurl Green. Officially the colour was known as ‘breeze’ but it had been used on a limited edition Ripcurl XR6 Falcon, hence Ripcurl Green. That’s beside the point as I was trying to explain that this second pre-painted Western Star would end up being the fleet colour from that point on. (Side note: The SAR was actually sold because they were getting good money in the second-hand market, it’s just my version reads better.)

The year 2017 saw the purchase of a second Western Star as well as the sale of the first one. The original Rock Star was now more of a slow-moving stone and it was time for Jeff and Lori to invest in their first brand new truck – a Mack. A fair change from the Stars or even the SARs.

“In 2017 BWC were running quite a few Macks,” Jeff explains. “The workshop and everything was heavily influenced by the Mack brand.”

It made sense at that stage for Jeff to go down a similar road. His trucks were kept at and serviced in the BWC yard and all the equipment was there to focus on Macks.

Hence a Ripcurl Green Mack joined the team.

“I had it painted green and for the first time had a uniformed fleet. That was when I was pretty proud of what was going on,” Jeff recalls. “I also had a few of my own Rock customers as well and was carting for other people.”

Words of wisdom

In 2020, after several years of burning the candle at both ends (by that I mean running Rock Star Transport and working at BWC) it was time to make the call – one or the other.

“I sat down with dad, and he suggested I look at the residential market with the rock walls again,” Jeff says.

He recalls his dad telling him, “If you can lob up, be honest with people, provide a quote quickly, be there on a broom sweeping up and leave a beautiful product. They’ll love you for ever and you’ll make a good honest living out of it.” That’s some serious TV dad advice there which Jeff heeded and ran with.

First step was a name change. “The Rock Star name just didn’t seem right anymore,” Jeff laughs.

Both him and Lori wanted something more representative of the business they were growing.

Jeff Turner’s other pride and joy. The old FLD Freightliner that his dad bought new is now Jeff’s local truck

trucks

just

hard yards

We’d gone through the to get there

They settled on the ‘Earthworks’ side of the name fairly easily.

“We didn’t want to use ‘contracting’ as we were only a small operation. Earthworks was perfect for what we were planning on doing.”

The ‘Method’ however was the hard part to find and inspiration would eventually come from Jeff’s Landcruiser.

“I was putting new wheels on the cruiser, Method wheels. I thought it sounded good and Lori looked up the definition.

‘Method: a quality of being well organised and systematic in thought or action’. Spot on!

The new Kenworth was ordered around the same time Jeff and Lori had decided he’d finish up at BWC and throw himself into Method Earthworks.

“I thought if I’m leaving, I’m going to go hard at this,” he says.

While that statement was an indication of his business intentions, that ‘go-hard’ approach was also applied to the new truck itself.

“I thought this truck is going to be what would put us on the map, in terms of something that stands out and reflects our approach to business.”

With that in mind, Jeff’s next call after Brown & Hurley was to young Ryan Northcott at Bling Man HQ near Brisbane. Jeff had used Ryan previously to add a little bling to his Mack and, in an industry where the trucks are literally rockin’ and rollin’, Ryan's quality of work meant Jeff was heading straight back to him with the 909.

“I rang Ryan the same day I ordered it and told him what I’d done,” Jeff says.

It’s an extremely sharp fleet with a great variety of some classic Aussie trucks

“We had a budget, we stuck to it. I had ideas in my head but basically let Ryan loose on it”.

The truck was due in early 2022, but like every truck order at the moment it was several months after that before it finally made it to the Bling Man HQ shed. “We were talking at least once a week, coming up with different ideas, lights and stuff.”

Mirror lights, drop visor, wrapped tanks, grill bars, you name it – Ryan found a way to squeeze it into the budget.

One of my favourite transformations was the battery boxes though. Built by Ryan himself out of aluminium, he painted them in the same Ripcurl Green. It’s a feature that really sets the truck off.

With all Ryan’s shiny bits added, the last maestro called in was the legendary Sam Keddie of Sam Keddie Signs.

Much like Ryan, Sam was given freedom to express himself on the big Kenworth. Jeff’s only real request was that the cab be the feature. He wanted the logo on the bins but aside from that he wanted the cab to be everything. Sam’s scroll work stands out on the cab and the battery boxes, breaking up the green just enough.

Jeff also got Sam to add the trucks name ‘Hard Yards’ to the bonnet as well. “I knew that’s what I was going to call it,” Jeff says. “Hard Yards is inherently tippers, peaks and troughs.

“The industry is up and down. Hard Yards being that it carts 4ft to 5ft boulders – it does

hard yakka. It is also my dream truck – we’d gone through the hard yards to get there.”

It was a very appropriate name with Jeff laughingly adding in that the Hard Yards represents the fact he’s now also got to make the repayments on it!

After a long delay waiting on the truck to get off the production line, he then had to be patient while the team at Shephard Transport Equipment built the truck and trailer bodies. Later, he had to wait for the team at Arrow Transport Repairs paint it up, and then letting Bling Man HQ loose on it. Finally, the big 909 was handed over to Jeff and Lori.

“I was blown away, I was that rapt, seriously. I was like a kid in a candy store,” Jeff exclaims.

I must admit I can see why. The end result is a stunning looking truck, one I really wouldn’t want to take into some of the places Jeff’s driver Aaron takes it.

However, it still is a working truck and has been built to get into the tough sites. It just happens to look damn good while doing it, which is exactly what Jeff and Lori were chasing.

“It has definitely put us on the map,” Jeff enthuses. “We’re just a little player, I’ve never aspired to have an empire. I just want to have a bunch of cool trucks and have a well-oiled machine with good blokes like the ones I have operating it.”

It’s job done I say, Jeff. I’ve met your drivers, I’ve seen your trucks and you definitely have a good bunch of guys and very tidy gear.

It’s not always rock going into the Kenworth; it’s able to cart whatever is needed

Power

To the benignly uninformed, the blatantly uninterested and especially the belligerently unimpressed, advanced new technologies can be confronting, confusing and ponderously difficult to decipher. A mental minefield, easier undermined than understood.

Quite often, and particularly in the early stages of development, there can be so much that just doesn’t compute in the cerebral cavern of most minds – this one included –when something appears a very long way outside the square of ‘normal’.

Much depends, I guess, on how advanced, complex or different the new technology is and the product or component it affects. At its most extreme, radical technology can appear to the average layman as a world of unnecessary intrusion, a dark art, inhabited by tedious technocrats, staid scientists, fairy tale futurists, commercial carpetbaggers and at the end of the chain, manipulative marketeers.

Still, there’s no shortage of examples where seemingly complex technology has also been hugely successful. Like, the arrival of electronic engine controls in the ’80s and specifically, Detroit Diesel’s original Series 60 engine, delivering the world’s first completely new heavy-duty diesel engine developed from the outset with full authority electronic engine controls.

Those old enough to recall those days will also recall that this was radical stuff indeed, and with typical predictability, frustrations and derision were rampant as the technology went through its inevitable growing pains on the way to maturity.

Yet, despite its early issues and snarling complaints, the electronically controlled Series 60 quite literally changed the world of diesel engine design and efficiency, to the point where it is today unimaginable that any powertrain is not completely controlled by the microprocessors of an electronic control module.

The first drive of the Mercedes-Benz eActros was short but impressive with Australian trials to start early next year

Big believer. Daimler

Truck supremo, Martin Daum. ‘We are clearly committed to the decarbonisation of our industry.’

Similarly, the evolution of automated mechanical transmissions wasn’t without its early detractors. Again though, the technology has gradually developed to the stage where highly advanced and incredibly intuitive automated shifters are simply accepted as the norm while manual transmissions – and the drivers capable of using them with any proficiency – are on a greasy pole to history’s scrapheap.

currently know them. In their place are revolutionary energy systems designed to drastically reduce dependence on fossil fuels by utilising electrical power provided by batteries and, not too far down the technological track, certainly before the end of this decade, the full-scale production of trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells. And beyond that, technologies and systems still encased in imagination and invention.

Build quality of eActros appears excellent. The electric truck runs down the same Wörth production lines as its diesel counterparts but safety decrees that high voltage electrical work is done in a specialised area

The point of all this is that the formative days of any new technology, and especially radical new technology which completely upends accepted practice, will initially, and almost certainly, beckon resentment and ridicule rather than respect or regard for its potential to improve and impress.

And it is happening again, right now.

However, the difference this time is that we are on the cusp of change so great, so extreme, and so far beyond anything that has gone before it in the history of motorised transport, that to deny its existence and accelerating evolution is effectively a denial of mankind’s pursuit of progress.

Nonetheless, some will bemoan technology’s intrusion, others may be excited, but those born in this decade and beyond may well wonder what all the fuss was about and why it took the edge of a climatic cliff to forge a new future. And let’s face it, the reason for the rush to new energy sources is because the world now largely accepts that climate change is a real and present danger.

Consequently, we are now experiencing the early forays of a quantum shift in motive power which, at its dramatic conclusion in the commercial vehicle industry, will ultimately see the diminution of engine and transmission powertrains as we

The changes are mind boggling in both their scope and increasing certainty, all happening on a technological and economic scale of seemingly boundless proportions.

The thing is though, it’s not until you’re actually staring at it, sitting in it, driving it, and talking about it with the people at the coal face (okay, bad choice of words) of these quickly evolving technologies that some understanding of the commitment and reasoning behind their development starts to truly sink in.

Even so, the technology and its systems are undeniably complex and confronting for the simple reason that so much is so different to anything we’ve ever known before. Thus, for us simple folk who have already endured and adapted to the life-changing evolution of computers and mobile communications, the same open mind is needed to accept that the holy grail of carbon-neutral road transport won’t be delivered by more of the same fossil-fuelled hardware but rather, an entirely new approach to the energy sources that move freight. Energy sources that are being constantly developed, evaluated and refined as evolution continues its never-ending journey.

Whatever the exact outcomes, the operational merit of new technology is becoming ever more apparent and over a

A waste industry specialist, eEconic is now in production at Wörth, capitalising on urban demand for quieter, cleaner electric trucks. It, too, will start Australian trials next year

few intense days in Germany, Daimler Truck wasn’t shy about showing a few of us just how determined and close it is to bridging the gap between potential and reality.

There was, however, more to it than an overview of current and future technologies. After all, battery-electric and even hydrogen fuel cell technology are not new news and while both have been for many years reported and publicised as advanced development projects by the world’s automotive giants, high-profile entrepreneurs and investor companies have to date been quickest to capitalise on the technological revolution. Tesla, for example, and closer to home, Sea Electric.

Yet as we’ve regularly commented over the past five years or so, in the commercial vehicle world it will require the commitment, technical resources and extensive model range of automotive giants to drive new technologies to operational reality on a vast scale. Giants such as Daimler Truck.

The stakes are high but so, too, is the German superpower’s corporate ambition. Indeed, the obvious observation after just a few days of quick-fire presentations was

Daimler Truck’s unflinching pursuit of operationally practical and economically feasible alternatives to oil-based automotive energy. As the company states, ‘the goal is to have its new trucks and buses in the vast markets of Europe (Mercedes-Benz), Japan (Fuso) and North America (Freightliner) in CO2-neutral driving operation by 2039’ and ‘battery-electric series-production vehicles by 2022 in all core regions.’

‘We are clearly committed to the decarbonisation of our industry,’ says Martin Daum, the formidable, no-nonsense head of Daimler’s global truck and bus business.

‘Having CO2-neutral transport on the road by 2050 is our ultimate goal. This can only be achieved if competitive conditions for CO2-neutral transport are created for our customers in terms of costs and infrastructure.

‘Truly CO2-neutral transport only works with battery-electric or hydrogen-based drive.’

Daum and his kind are not kidding, with the path to the future already set, sealed and vitally, budgeted. There will be no turning back.

Meantime, detailing Daimler’s developments is no easy task, and this report does not purport to achieve anything more than scratch the surface of technical understanding. Again, the technology is complex and at times, confounding to those of us raised on a diet of diesel. And not for a moment does this report suggest that diesel will be dead anytime soon but equally, as economists emphasise, crude oil will only continue to be extracted so long as it is profitable to do so.

What was seen, heard and experienced in Germany simply further confirmed the fact that global powerhouses such as Daimler Truck are not just responding to the modern world’s awareness of environmental stress, but actually taking an authoritative lead in forcefully fast-tracking viable solutions to commercial reality.

Powering up the suburbs

Summer was continuing its unusually brutal assault on the northern hemisphere. Severe temperatures, fierce fires and in other parts, wickedly destructive floods. According to news reports, climate change was the major

culprit and within the walls of Daimler Truck, 2022’s weather patterns were just further vindication for the growing imperative of creating viable alternatives to fossil fuels.

It was also uncharacteristically hot at Wörth in Germany’s south-west, topping 40 degrees Celsius. Gratefully, the air conditioner in the eActros was in full swing as the truck stood in the blazing sun while the driver trainer explained the various features and simple driving instructions of the battery-electric truck before pointing me into local traffic.

Somewhat surprisingly, he seemed totally unconcerned that the aircon might be pulling valuable charge from the truck’s three battery packs. And fair enough. After all, for a driver stuck in traffic in sweltering heat or freezing weather, an electric truck needs to be just as convenient and comfortable as any other truck.

Soon enough we were on the road, driving through suburbs, along narrow rural roads and a quick stretch along a motorway. All up, little more than 30 minutes in what’s known as an eActros 300 model, signifying three batteries in a two-axle rigid loaded to a gross weight around 15 tonnes. In three-axle form, eActros is said to be rated up to 27 tonnes. Electric trucks are not, of course, a new science to Daimler’s technical boffins. As the company stated several years ago, ‘Daimler has been gaining experience with electric trucks since 2010 and has had its first allelectric truck in series production on the market and in customers’ hands since 2017.’

That truck is the Fuso eCanter and we’ve had the opportunity to drive it several times, initially on Fuso’s test track in Japan followed by several stints in Australia.

The eActros, however, is the heaviest battery-electric truck driven to date and like its Fuso counterparts, the quietness, brilliant acceleration and remarkable retardation of the Mercedes-Benz were no less outstanding, even at its substantially higher gross weight.

Still, there was something different about this truck, perhaps best explained as an extraordinarily high level of smoothness and operational refinement, reflecting not just the build quality from Mercedes-Benz’s nearby Wörth production plant but also the ongoing evolution of development which significantly broadens the operational potential and appeal of battery-electric trucks.

Since that drive, Daimler Trucks Australia has announced it will next year begin a local evaluation program for the all-electric eActros, setting four trucks to work in

Australia and one in New Zealand, and the likelihood of more to follow in both countries. From all appearances, our neck of the woods is firmly on Daimler Truck’s radar for electric models and we’re confident a more detailed appraisal of eActros will emerge after driving a test unit in local conditions.

Launched in Germany late last year, eActros is the first of four CO2-free (carbon neutral) models in Daimler Truck’s stated product strategy.

Recently joining eActros on the Wörth production line is eEconic, the batteryelectric municipal waste collection specialist, to be followed in 2024 by the eActros Longhaul (prime mover) batteryelectric model which made its first public appearance as the star of the Mercedes-Benz stand at the huge IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover in September.

Then comes the truly big player in the technological stakes for heavy-duty long distance work, the hydrogen fuel cell development truck known at the moment as ‘Gen H2’ and slated for production in 2027 or ’28.

In its current form, the ‘alternative energy’ product plan appears simple enough with several Daimler insiders asserting that battery-electric models from the lightweight eCanter to the heavy-duty eActros Longhaul will satisfy shorthaul urban roles while the hydrogen fuel cell will obviously target linehaul duties.

Metro work, however, figures foremost in the current plan and eEconic is seen as a model with significant potential as inner city councils across Germany and many parts of Europe increasingly insist on electric trucks to reduce noise and pollution. And helping the electric cause in no small way are diesel costs which in some parts have doubled since Russia’s vicious assault on Ukraine.

Indeed, the case for battery-powered trucks in municipal waste collection is particularly strong according to eEconic product manager, Linda Fritzenwanker, who explains that while politicians have joined the chorus for electric trucks in cities and urban areas, the push is more notably coming from Daimler’s own culture to reduce CO2 emissions wherever possible.

Still, while purchase cost of the eEconic remains prohibitive at around three times the price of a current diesel equivalent, Fritzenwanker insists price will come down as sales volumes grow and appeal will increase as the price of diesel continues to climb. What’s more, working in urban

environments provides easier access to recharging infrastructure, she says.

As for the life expectancy of batteries, it is said to be around six to eight years. However, she was quick to assert, “But that’s being very conservative.”

Meantime, while it was recently announced that eEconic will join eActros in Australian and New Zealand trials early next year, there is not yet a version with the dual steering controls required by the majority of Australia’s waste collection operators.

Critically though, Daimler’s intention is to build all models – battery-electric, fuel cell and diesel – on Wörth production lines where the massive factory’s maximum capacity is up to 470 trucks a day, making it not only the biggest of Daimler’s plants in France, Turkey and Brazil, but the biggest truck manufacturing facility in the world.

However, as deputy plant manager Manuel Bogel remarked, eActros and the upcoming eEconic run down the same line as their diesel-powered counterparts only to the point where cab and chassis come together. After that, the electric model is rolled a short distance to a highly specialised Future Truck Centre where battery packs and all

associated wiring are fitted and tested before heading to customers.

As Bogel explained, safety is the key reason for completing production of the batteryelectric trucks in a separate specialised facility where electrical technicians install the high voltage systems. “It is very different to simply fitting a diesel engine on the main lines,” he says.

As for future production of hydrogenpowered fuel cell models at Wörth, he left no doubt that plans are already well advanced. “It will happen,” he says with absolute certainty.

Cell based transport

So, what is a fuel cell and more specifically, a hydrogen fuel cell?

In raw simplicity, hydrogen fuel cells work by putting hydrogen into close contact with oxygen to create electricity and water.

Yet perhaps one of the more detailed and easily understood explanations we’ve found comes from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy which starts by citing ‘… the benefits of a fuel cell over conventional combustion-based technologies.

Daimler Truck’s two ‘Gen H2’ prototypes, pictured above on a high-speed loop, represent the starting point for Daimler’s on-road development and testing of hydrogen fuel cell technology before going into production in five or six years’ time

performance capabilities of a hydrogen fuel cell

extraordinary

The prototypes left no doubt about the

‘Fuel cells can operate at higher efficiencies than combustion engines and can convert the chemical energy in the fuel directly to electrical energy with efficiencies capable of exceeding 60 per cent (and) have lower or zero emissions compared to combustion engines. (By comparison, the thermal efficiency of a diesel engine struggles to reach 50 per cent.)

‘Hydrogen fuel cells emit only water, addressing critical climate challenges as there are no carbon dioxide emissions. There are no air pollutants (and) fuel cells are quiet during operation as they have few moving parts.’

As for how a hydrogen fuel cell actually works, the explanation becomes somewhat more involved: ‘Fuel cells work like batteries, but they do not run down or need recharging. They produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied.

‘A fuel cell consists of two electrodes – a negative electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode) – sandwiched around an electrolyte. A fuel, such as hydrogen, is fed to the anode and air is fed to the cathode.

‘In a hydrogen fuel cell, a catalyst at the anode separates hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, which take different paths to the cathode. The electrons go through an external circuit, creating a flow of electricity. The protons migrate through the electrolyte to the cathode, where they unite with oxygen and the electrons to produce water and heat.’

Simply stated, the end result in practical terms is a cleaner and far more efficient energy source with more than an enough muscle to significantly outperform existing diesel designs.

In a remarkable display, several laps on a highly restricted test track in the passenger seat of one of Daimler’s two ‘Gen H2’ prototypes left no doubt about the extraordinary performance capabilities of a hydrogen fuel cell. It was, in fact, one of those occasions when you had to experience it to believe it before confidently coming to the conclusion that this is the eventual future for long distance road freight.

Behind the wheel was Andreas Hoefort, an engineer of zero emission technology at Daimler Truck Advanced Engineering, who delighted in demonstrating the truck’s stunning standing start performance on a severe 18 per cent grade at a gross weight of 42 tonnes. It was, unequivocally, a super-smooth, super-quiet and superstrong performance but as he also pointed out when driving at highway speed on

a fast section of the track, the system is programmed to conserve energy and dispense only the required amount of power for a particular role, be it full effort for heavy, severely steep starts or partial power for slowly moving in heavy traffic or manoeuvring in tight areas. Or as he put it, the mix of fuel cell and battery outputs adjusts to suit fluctuating operational demands.

As he further explained though, it’s still very early days and Daimler’s two test units are notably different. The truck provided for our visit, for instance, uses hydrogen stored as a gas, starting trials more than a year ago and to date clocking around 24,000km in an intense research and development program on test tracks and public roads. This unit is, he emphasised, effectively the starting point in Daimler’s on-road fuel cell development as it strives to reach production stage in five years or so.

However, the latest prototype uses liquid hydrogen stored under pressure in special tanks at a temperature around 250 degrees below freezing, providing substantially greater range between refuels than the gas version.

From a short distance, both fuel cell trucks look little different to their diesel counterparts but up close it’s a totally different view, particularly at the back of the cab where the power distribution unit and the various cooling systems for the high voltage batteries, fuel cell and electric (motorised) drive hubs bear no resemblance to current componentry. It is nothing like anything that exists today despite Andreas’s somewhat optimistic assertion that the aim is to make the design “… as normal as possible.”

Moreover, there’s no gearbox, just a constant application of torque from fuel cells and batteries into drive motors in the wheel ends. “It is,” as he remarked with sublime simplicity, “a total reinvention of power.”

Yet one thing the two prototypes do share with diesel trucks is limited chassis space for fuel tanks and associated hardware, and a battle to keep tare weight within viable limits.

Accordingly, says Andreas Hoefort, the wheelbase of the Gen H2 demonstrator is 300mm longer than normal to accommodate componentry and still maintain a reasonable gap between truck and trailer. It is also around two tonnes heavier than its diesel equivalent but the European Union grants an ongoing two tonne concession for electric vehicles, though Daimler’s goal is for tare weight

Diesel isn’t dead but over the next decade or two its dominance will dwindle as technology races ahead

parity with diesel versions by the time the fuel cell models are ready for production.

As for life expectancy of a fuel cell truck operating in European conditions, he says the target is for 10 years or around 1.2 million kilometres but he casually suggests this may prove to be conservative. What’s more, while the two test units are typically European 4x2 models, he confirms that 6x2 and 6x4 versions are also locked into future development plans.

“Of course, there is still much work to be done,” he said plainly before quickly adding, “but we have already come a very long way.”

Our time with Hoefort and the fuel cell truck was over too soon.

In some ways though, it was an experience generated a day earlier in a nondescript, underwhelming building in a light industrial area about an hour or so from Daimler Truck headquarters in Stuttgart. On the outside was a sign simply stating ‘Cellcentric’ but inside, once guided through the security system, a new world unfolds in short, sharp detail with verbal and visual presentations about things like the proton exchange membrane and the

catalyst coated membrane, or the membrane electrolyte frame assembly. In one form or another, there’s a lot of brain in this place. Literally!

Simply put, this is where fuel cell technology, current and coming, is born and bred. Well, actually, it’s one of four such centres – three in Germany, one in Canada – operated by Cellcentric since the company’s formation in 2021 as a 50:50 joint venture between the trucking world’s two superpowers, Daimler Truck and Volvo Group.

Led by a high-level executive team from both camps, several hundred highly specialised technicians and engineers are working at facilities across both countries, with Cellcentric reporting, ‘Around 700 patents have been issued, underlining the leading role played by the company in terms of technological development (and) the goal now to transfer this technology to mass production and to significantly reduce costs.’

Critically, however, the creation of Cellcentric and the major funds committed to its research and operation blatantly

confirm Daimler’s and Volvo’s absolute belief and confidence that fuel cells are the motive force of the future, near and far, for heavy long distance road transport.

Moreover, it’s no secret that Volvo Group spent €600 million (almost A$900 million) as its contribution to the formation of Cellcentric while for Daimler, Volvo’s commitment helps share the financial load of capitalising on its 25 years’ experience in fuel cell research.

Sure, it can seem an odd match between these two commercially combative giants but their aims for Cellcentric are united, ‘… to become the number one supplier for fuel cells to support Daimler Truck and Volvo Group vision of CO2 neutral transportation.’

Likewise, their individual ambitions are profoundly similar. For Daimler Truck, all its new vehicles in the European Union, North America and Japan ‘to be CO2-neutral by 2039’ and for Volvo Group, ‘all its new vehicles to be fossil-fuel free from 2040.’

As for Australia’s involvement in this brave new world of motive power, it seems our potential is already on the corporate radar.

According to Cellcentric chief technical officer Nicholas Loughlan, the asset of hydrogen is that it is relatively easy to transport and the infrastructure for storage and refuelling is easier than battery-electric, and not dissimilar to diesel.

Most notably though, he contends, “Australia is perfectly placed environmentally and geographically to make the most (of this technology) and become a world leader in the use of green hydrogen.” That is, hydrogen produced by renewable sources such as wind, solar or hydro energy.

So, yes, it’s complex and at times, confusing. It will confound many and concern more. But it is the future and it’s closer, much closer, than many might think.

Little more than a month after visiting Daimler Truck in Germany, Steve Brooks travelled to Sweden for a detailed presentation of Volvo’s extensive development work on battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell models. His full report will appear in our next issue.

BIGGEST AND

Best

As I slowly attempt to revive my wedding photography business, I have discovered a secret that will guarantee my clients perfect weather on their big day. The secret, book your wedding for the same time as the Lowood Truck show. I am serious, contact Rob Liston and the team that organise the Lowood event, find out the dates they are proposing for the following year’s convoy and show, and book your wedding for that weekend. It’s a sure-fire winner. Without fail, every single Lowood Truck Show I have been too has blasted me with nothing but sunshine and sparkles. Consequently, the ensuing day normally has me regretting not wearing my hat more and not drowning myself in sunscreen. But that’s on me. The point I want to emphasis

is that, after missing last year’s event due to the dreaded C-word, the show returned in 2022 and kept up its tradition of turning on fantastic weather.

Alongside the sunshine, the Lowood Truck Show brought a bigger and shinier convoy to the streets of the small south-east Queensland town in its return.

With the weather playing its part, the burden of responsibility fell on the truck entrants to ensure they turned up for the show and, boy oh boy, did they deliver. I’m not just talking about the numbers; I am talking about both the size and quality of the gear that turned up. Phenomenal is the best word for it.

The numbers were big and the trucks were even bigger. Numbers-wise, there were 236 trucks registered and paying their dues this

Three points of contact at all times. Scott Ward and Korey Ward support Shane Perret as he finishes off the cleaning

year, those entry fees contributing to the total of $16,136 that was raised for this year’s charity – The Craig Hannum Foundation ‘All in the Mind’. The All in the Mind cause is all about raising awareness and funds for brain cancer research. Hence the big turnout was much appreciated by all those involved.

Sponsor, supporter and this year’s King Rig winner, STA Trucking, had one of their T909s with a couple of fridge vans hooked up for a double road train. A permit was also granted to the MFT C509 to pull his AB-triple through the tiny streets. You may recognise ‘Lone Ranger’ as the 2022 Casino Truck Show King Rig.

Growing pains

Those who happened to be in town on the Friday before the show would have seen a couple of trial runs along the convoy’s designated path, just to ensure there was no unmanageable turns on show day.

Drivers and truck owners gathered for the prize giving. There were a fair few trophies handed out

I was also being rather literal when I said the trucks were bigger this year as well. For the first time, and thanks in no small part to the local police and the team at Permits @ BSF, the convoy included a couple of decked out road trains.

That leads me into one of the biggest issues facing this increasingly popular truck show. The Lowood Truck Show has grown exponentially over its 10-year history. Oh yeah, did I mention this was the show’s 10th anniversary? Anyway, it is. Over those 10 shows the number of trucks keeps increasing. While the township of Lowood has seen some

Show

Bondwoods Transport’s Kenworth rolling in nice and early to register and await the parade

The STA Trucking 909 looked impressive on the streets, so much so that it ended up taking out Rig of the Show

Rocky Black’s stunning Kenworth was a real eye-catcher

Very Impressive. That’s all that needs to be said about Truck and Machinery Heavy Towing’s gear

The Tow Trucks Brisbane team had a great fleet of tilt trays on show

Show

Jason Whitty had the button switched on and let the smoke fly, keeping us photographers happy

growth, it is well below the growth rate of the truck show. Consequently, what used to be a small convoy through town is now a massive convoy.

In a town with almost more pubs than main roads, running a huge convoy along those streets results in scenes reminiscent of the M1 on a Friday night.

Add in a couple of massive road trains at the pointy end of the convoy and it resulted in the head of the convoy arriving back at the Lowood Showgrounds before some of backmarkers had even started.

On one hand it was extremely cool, an entire loop of gleaming glossy rigs encompassing the town. On the other hand, it made it very difficult to get myself to different

locations in order to snap photos. In the end I had to revert to the unthinkable of walking and running. It was worth it though.

Seeing such big rigs on residential roads, witnessing full sized road trains navigating the main street, observing hundreds of kids waving and arm pumping made for great photos as well as being a thrill for the thousands of locals positioned along the convoy route.

Another feature of the Lowood Truck Show and part of the fundraising is the bidding war that fires up for the role of lead truck. This year it was won by a familiar sight, Jason Whitty and his stunning Peterbilt.

The winning bid of $2700 had Jason leading off the convoy of trucks and utes, and

also saw him get prime parking when they all started rolling back into the showgrounds.

Eventually, once all the trucks had made it out into the neighbourhood streets and back to the showgrounds, the judging could begin. The drivers and their crews of cleaners were able to kick back and enjoy the different stalls that had set up, selling everything from some cool Jax cleaning products to locally sourced honey – even some of my own calendars.

The charity auction was flooded with donations and was almost as long as the convoy itself. Though the cobwebs stayed in my closed wallet there were plenty of people bidding for some cool stuff. In between soft serves and the barbecue, the thousands in attendance were entertained with not one, but two, burnout trucks.

Mick from Truck’n Stainless was first up on the designated burnout pad with his iconic ‘Filthy’. The crowd was hard to find among the smoke and smells of burnt rubber. Then

when Laurie Williams backed up the Bullet Burnout Truck for his turn the crowd all but disappeared amid the smoke. It is extremely entertaining to see people get so excited when they cannot see their hand in front of their face.

At around 4pm the live music finished up and the trophies were handed out, over 50 in total.

All in all, it was another successful Lowood Truck Show. Ideally a couple of extra food trucks would have saved me melting in the line-up for the barbecue, a few longer streets in town will save the convoy feeding back on itself and someone reminding me to put on sunscreen would save me days of painful showers for some time following the convoy.

Well done to everyone involved and let me reiterate for all those brides-to-be. To guarantee perfect wedding weather, talk to Rob Liston and the Lowood Truck Show crew.

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Versatility CELEBRATION OF

If you’re looking for a commercial vehicle capable of tackling a wide array of terrain with ease, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog has more than 70 years’ experience doing just that.

It was an obscure, unmarked dirt track draped by tall trees, just a few kilometres off a busy German motorway. Deutschland’s version, perhaps, of ‘off the beaten track’ and for a few imaginary moments under a blazing summer sun and drifting dust, Down Under didn’t feel quite so far away.

But there was, of course, more to this diversion than just a curious detour through a foreign forest. A few hundred metres further, the track opened up to reveal a man-made torture course of off-road

obstacles designed to test, demonstrate and dramatically accentuate the abilities of various all-wheel-drive models from the Mercedes-Benz ‘special trucks’ range. None more dramatic though, than possibly the world’s most adroit and diverse commercial vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz Unimog.

Initially engineered as part tractor, part truck, purists might suggest Unimog is not a freight-carrying commercial vehicle in the true sense. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. Sure, agriculture was the main purpose behind the initial design

in the immediate aftermath of World War II, but it was also created to be many things to many people; a vehicle capable of powering, pushing or pulling implements as well as transporting loads and people over and through terrain generally impassable to more conventional trucks, even those with a driven steer axle. And unlike a tractor, entirely at ease rumbling along at pace with the rest of the motoring masses.

Indeed, in a modern world where versatility can often appear to run an increasingly distant place behind high-

tech wizardry and knife-edge efficiencies, Unimog stands as something of an understated masterpiece in utilitarian performance and practicality.

Nowadays, Unimog is built in a ‘Special Trucks’ section of Mercedes-Benz’s massive Wörth production plant, widely held to be the biggest truck manufacturing facility in the world. Around 2500 of the specialist workhorses are produced each year which is, of course, almost miniscule compared to the vast volumes of regular trucks rolling off Wörth’s lines.

Created in the immediate aftermath of World War II, Unimog’s agricultural roots have expanded far beyond farm work

Chassis and coil spring suspension design give Unimog exceptional articulation over tough terrain

As insiders quietly concede though, there’s comparatively modest demand for the high cost associated with the specialised engineering and operational ability which have seen Unimog go to work in some of the most remote and difficult terrains on Earth, from frozen Poles to blistering desert and everything in between.

Unique and certainly unconventional in general trucking terms, Unimog nonetheless plays a significant role in the Daimler Trucks range, not least for an established reputation to cope with applications that few others are able to match, with a track record compiled

over more than 70 years. As Mercedes-Benz proudly boasts, ‘there is no other vehicle in the world that offers such a broad scope of operational capacities.’

For our foray into the forest, sited just a dozen kilometres or so from the Gaggenau facility in south-west Germany where Unimog was built for generations before production moved north to Wörth, Mercedes-Benz brought in test units from the two specific platforms which typify the modern ‘mog – a U5023 model from the widespread off-road range and the extraordinarily specialised U530, designed largely as an implement carrier for an equally extraordinary range of agricultural and municipal attachments able to be attached to almost any part of the vehicle.

Throughout the world, Unimogs are routinely used as snowploughs, mowers and blowers in municipal applications, agricultural implement carriers, forest management and firefighting vehicles, remote area construction units, road-rail maintenance trucks and typically, a wide range of military and emergency vehicle functions. On Australia’s east coast, for example, Unimogs recently played a vital role during devastating floods.

Yet for all its enduring diversity and ultimate durability, Unimog actually grew out of the ruins of World War II in 1946.

The unusual name derives from UniversalMotor-Gerät (universal motorised vehicle) and as the history books tell it, ‘The roots of Unimog were planted in the months after the allied victory in Europe, when engineer

Albert Friedrich and others began work on a medium-sized, four-wheeled agricultural tractor that could perform a number of jobs in the field and on the road.

`The list of goals for this machine, laid out differently from most agricultural tractors of the time, was quite long: It had to be able to carry attached tools on all four sides while also offering four-wheel-drive, being able to carry cargo, act as a tractor by pulling a plough and also be able to have a highenough on-road speed to keep up with city traffic.

‘There were small trucks at the time that could carry cargo, but most were not four-wheel drive and they certainly could not carry attachable tools on all four sides. Likewise, there were wheeled agricultural tractors that could do some of these tasks, but they couldn't carry cargo without a trailer and were not great to drive on road.

‘The first prototype sought to do it all, featuring a complex suspension with portal axles, designed with permanent all-wheeldrive, with equal-size wheels in order to be driven on roads at higher speeds (and) with very high ground clearance and a flexible frame that is essentially a part of the suspension.’

Still, while Unimog was never designed to carry as much load as regular trucks, it is essentially engineered to carry its load just about anywhere.

However, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler was not Unimog’s original manufacturer.

Herr Friedrich’s design was, in fact, initially developed by the small German automaker Boehringer Bros which first showed a production-ready prototype of the highly versatile truck at a machinery show in Frankfurt in 1948.

Up or down, forward or reverse, with several tonnes on its back, Unimog’s abilities on severe grades up to 80 per cent were extraordinary

No other vehicle offers such a

of operational capacities broad scope

On the German test course, every angle is covered.

Behind the wheel, it’s a daunting experience

Apparently, success came quickly, no doubt buoyed by the desperate need for effective machinery in the aftermath of a devastating war. Consequently, after a positive first appearance in Frankfurt, 600 units were produced in the same year, and it wasn’t long before demand was outpacing supply.

For the limited capacities of Boehringer Bros, demand became problematic as it became increasingly apparent that huge investment would be required to not only satisfy demand for Unimog, but to continue its development into the economic boom of post-war Germany.

Enter, Daimler-Benz!

The German giant obviously recognised Unimog’s immense potential and in October 1950, as Daimler-Benz states, ‘… signed the contract to take over Unimog production, lending its manufacturing base and expertise to what was rapidly becoming a sought-after machine both for farmers and for many other uses.’

Accordingly, ‘the OM636 diesel engine, initially developed for the Mercedes-Benz 170D sedan which was the first diesel passenger car engine produced in postwar Germany, found a natural home in the Unimog, serving up 25hp.’

Steep descent

Fast forward to the northern summer of 2022 and a forest not too far removed from Unimog’s historic heartland at Gaggenau, the opportunity to experience the two top-end models was both appreciated and a vivid reminder of this exceptional vehicle’s extraordinary abilities.

It was, for instance, like looking down the face of a cliff as first the four cylinder U5023 model and soon after, its six cylinder snubnosed sibling were driven over the lip of an 80 per cent grade. It wasn’t far, maybe 25 or 30 metres to the dirt below, but from behind the wheel it seemed a hugely precarious

drop even with the advantage of deep off-road gearing and a two-stage retarder comprising an exhaust brake and engine (Jake) brake. Yet, in 4th gear and with just the exhaust brake engaged, each of the partially loaded ‘mogs walked down the slope with consummate ease.

But then, just before reaching the bottom, the smiling Unimog specialist in the passenger seat said, “Stop here. Now put it in reverse and go up backwards.” And so, with the benefit of a semi-automated transmission sporting eight forward gears and six reverse ratios, each unit walked backwards up the seriously sharp hill just as easily and confidently as they’d done going down.

Words probably don’t do the exercise or the seemingly effortless performance of the Unimogs justice but over a few hours, the various hill climbs and jaw dropping descents became just part of a showcase of the vehicle’s immense capabilities as it waded and walked, crawled and climbed, and dipped and dived its way up, over, across and through a series of extreme obstacles.

Ironically perhaps, around the same day as our trial on the German test track, it was

Unimog has a strong history in Australia. An early version during construction work at Perisher Valley in the Snowy high country

announced that the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) had taken delivery of the first of three Unimog 4023 models, quickly put to work responding to extreme flood events where its wading depth of 1,200 mm is a critical factor.

Typically, the SES Unimogs will be employed in a wide range of roles where front and rear diff locks, a central tyre inflation system and the high articulation of coil spring suspension will be vital for accessing difficult terrain in often dangerous conditions.

cylinder turbo diesel engine that generates 231hp (170kW) and 900Nm of torque while meeting Euro 6 emissions standards.

‘The SES units are initially being fitted with standard trays in order to get them into service as soon as possible and be used to move people out of dangerous situations or to provide logistic support to isolated communities.

NSW State Emergency Service has ordered a batch of Unimogs for a wide range of emergency and recovery roles

As a press statement on the SES units further explained, the ‘M100-8 gearbox features a transfer case and optional lowrange mode that enables a total of sixteen forward gears and 14 reverse gears.

‘This is an automated system and can be operated in full automatic mode. The driver can also choose to use a special fold-out clutch pedal that assists at low-speed in slippery conditions where minute clutch control is valued.

‘The Unimog is powered by an OM934 four-

‘Further upgrades, including fitting a crane and flood rescue module, which includes an inflatable rescue boat carried on top and other features for flood operations work, are being planned for these units.’

And finally, ‘The Unimog U4023 features a factory hydraulic pump with front and rear quick release hydraulic couplings that will be used by NSW SES for cranes and front and rear mounted hydraulic winches.’

Meantime, back in Germany, the two Unimogs just kept showing why this supremely capable and immensely versatile workhorse has been for so long a MercedesBenz family favourite. There’s simply nothing quite like it.

in a wide range of roles

employed

The SES Unimogs will be

Painting IN STYLE

Purchasing your first major commercial vehicle is always a big decision. The question of what brand and model to choose to suit particular needs can take time and a lot of research. So, when Cairns-based Rick Morgan wanted to upgrade from his 4WD ute and trailer setup to take his painting business to the next level, he sought advice from his father, Scott Morgan.

With around 30 years’ experience in road transport, Scott has worked for QRX and is now the Laos country manager for Linfox. He also spent time in the mining logistics sector in Laos and Papua New Guinea.

“I didn’t know anything else about trucks,” Rick admits. “But my father said he would personally go for a Hino if he had the choice.”

Rick’s new 300 Series Hino 616 Trade Ace crew cab arrived in 2021, serving not only to carry all the gear he needs, but also acting as a mobile billboard for the business he operates with his partner Liza – Morgan’s Master Painters.

With the old ute and trailer measuring around nine metres long, including what Rick says was wasted space between vehicle and trailer, the 7.2 metre-long Hino rigid made for an even more attractive proposition.

“The amount of gear we can carry and the trestles and planks and all the heavy stuff I can compact into a smaller space, it just made sense,” he says.

“What I liked about Hino as opposed to Isuzu was the trucks were a little bit longer in the range I was looking at. And it also had engine brakes,” he says.

“People laughed because they said it wouldn’t carry enough weight for exhaust brakes, but I put it on the scales and it’s 4.3 tonne loaded. That’s a a lot of weight.

“So I quite liked that aspect of it and the extra room for the length.”

In addition, the Hino comes with precollision system as standard, including autonomous emergency breaking, pedestrian detection and lane departure warning.

“It’s got seven seats, which is amazing,

because it’s got four in the back and three in the front,” Rick adds.

“I’ve got two kids – a six and a five year-old with two booster seats – and I can still fit in everything else under the sun.”

To add the custom-built box on the back, Rick drove 25 minutes down the Bruce Highway to Shane and Trisha Stroud of Decked Out Fabrications in Gordonvale.

“They weren’t the cheapest quote but I went to them because of reputation,” he explains, adding that the Strouds went the extra mile to accommodate Rick’s needs.

“Because the box spread out across the width of the truck, he was quite worried that it might crack because the aluminium tray would twist slightly when you’re going over bumps.

“So he ended up putting it up on industrial springs, which are bolted to the tray, and it moves independently, which was a great idea.”

For the signwriting on his new Hino truck and trailer it was simply a case of driving around the block from Rick’s regular paint supplier, Paint Right on Scott St. Again, the choice of Adrian Fernandez from Design Lab who wrapped the rig except for the front of the truck, was one through strong word-of-mouth reputation.

“The signwriting was important because for me it’s like driving a giant billboard and I’m still a new company in the industry,” Rick explains.

“We’ve only been going for four or five years so still trying to get our name out there. We obviously want to look professional because we try to give professional workmanship on each and every job.

“So, for me, it was about getting something that was not only practical but I wanted people to say: ‘Oh wow, that’s different.’”

The Hino 300 Series 616 Trade Ace crew cab can fit in “everything under the sun”

The right brew

Rick founded Morgan’s Master Painters in March 2018, starting out with just himself and a tradesman. After eight months he hired an apprentice and, later, another tradesman. Before painting he worked in the family business, Marlin Coast Home Brew, operated by his mother Terri Morgan. He then decided to try his hand as an adult apprentice employee, a vocation he says suited his “meticulous nature”. All up, including being at the helm of Morgan’s Master Painters, Rick has been in the painting game for close to 15 years. Now in its fifth year, the business is actually a team of five. With Rick, his apprentice and two tradies out on jobs, Liza takes care of the office essentials.

“She helps me out with a lot of the paperwork side of things,” Rick says. “I do all the quoting and invoicing and pays online but Liza, my bookkeeper and our accountant, basically handles everything else.

“I’m not real good with the tax paperwork but I can get by with all the standard stuff.”

The bulk of Rick’s work is for high-end residential and commercial buildings. He

Outside Paint Right, ready to pick up more supplies

In comparison to Rick’s previous ute and trailer, the Hino Trade Ace offered space saving and stability

avoids doing project homes, preferring to work for smaller builders. Residential repaints, however, are his core business.

“People appreciate quality,” he says. “We’re not the cheapest company but we go out of our way to try and be the best at what we do and do everything by the book and make sure it’s an A-grade finish.”

That’s one of the reasons he only uses the

Haymes ultra-premium range of paints.

“Out of the big brands, Haymes is the only one that’s still Australian owned and operated,” Rick points out, adding that Haymes has won Canstar Blue’s award for number one paint brand in Australia five years running.

“But I also like them because we’ve never had a problem there. They have great customer service and, for the smaller companies,

got seven seats, which is just – four in the back and three in the front

they actually help you out on price to stay competitive.”

The Hino has helped make life much easier for Rick; it’s a truck that he plans to keep running for some time yet.

“I’m hoping to get 20 years out of it,” he says. “I’ve been told if you service and look after them you’ll get every bit of 20 years.

“It’s been a big difference for us as far as just

ease of having everything in the one spot.

“If it got to that point where I was big enough and I could get a fleet I think I would always keep it myself,” Rick ponders.

“So yeah, I don’t imagine I’d ever get a fleet of trucks, but you never know. It might work out as something that no one else has. Morgan’s Master Painters might one day be 20 trucks strong!”

Driving CATTLE

Martin Rieck swapped his Western Star for a Mack Super-Liner and hasn’t looked back

Anyone regularly travelling Queensland’s Warrego Highway will, at some point over the past six months, caught a glimpse of Martin Rieck’s new Mack Super-Liner hauling B-double livestock trailers. However, Reick has been on the road for much longer than that. His association with trucks goes back to his family’s property in north-east South Australia which he says was ”nearly one million acres in the desert”.

The property, south of Innamincka and west of Cameron’s Corner, ran cattle. Out of necessity Reick bought his first livestock truck and more trucks were upgraded over the years.

“Dad always had trucks, not livestock trucks, but he had an earthmoving business, so we always had trucks to shift around and supply the fuel,” Reick explains.

“Working with the stock was first and foremost, so I was bought up more machinery to start with before trucks. My father didn’t really like trucks.”

The Riecks’ home state of South Australia

was the obvious choice for sending cattle to sales yards and abattoirs. However, in the early to mid-1990s they soon realised that southern Queensland provided more opportunity.

“Earlier on South Australia was always the place to go with the cattle,” Martin recalls. “We started coming this way (Queensland) because there was a lot more competition with the buyers and the feedlots, a lot more places to go with your cattle. South Australia was limited to only a few buyers back in them days.

“It was a little bit further, 300km or something, but it was still going to be better to come this way. Better weather and, when we did move, there were more opportunities with the truck.”

Earlier, the Rieck family had sold the property to Australian oil and gas exploration and production giant Santos, leasing the same land back for around 12 years. That lasted until Santos began selling its properties following the oil price crash.

In the large parking area outside the Roma saleyards after dropping off a load of cattle

Wool master Martin, wife Kate and children Mason and Taylor, made the permanent move to southern Queensland close on five years ago.

Sadly, Martin’s father Ted Rieck had passed away in 1990, but not before leaving behind a major personal achievement.

“He was a champion shearer, he was the first one to break Jackie Howe’s shearing record,” Reick proudly exclaims.

“My father was the first one to break it with mechanical shears. He sheared 327 sheep in seven hours, 39 minutes and ran out of sheep before the end of the cut. That was up near Brinard Station, Julia Creek.”

Reick’s relocation across the Queensland border came after selling almost all the gear from the South Australian property.

He brought his family along, as well as his Western Star prime mover, one of two he’d owned over a 16-year period.

However, running a small owner-driver business means the less downtime, the better.

The six-year-old Western Star, with around 480,000km on the clock, wasn’t cooperating.

While Martin enjoyed his long history with the brand, a series of engine issues, namely the Cummins EGR, forced him to look for an alternative.

He began turning his attention towards the Mack brand. “I knew people who had Macks and they had a good run out of them.”

Placing an order for the Mack Super-Liner in October 2021, he received delivery of it

in April this year and then sold the Western Star, admitting that he “should have put more on it”.

The Mack comes with an MP10 685hp engine and mDrive automated manual ’box. After years of operating an 18-speed Roadranger, Martin became an auto convert, especially as his runs take him through regional townships as well as trips to Brisbane. “That’s one thing you don’t worry about, changing gears,” he remarks.

However, he often switches to manual override, especially on roads such as the Toowoomba range. Putting it into 7th gear, he says holds it all the way down with the engine break on.

He’s also pleased with the Mack’s engine and its fuel economy, believing that if he’d

had stuck with the Western Star, it would have worked out around a $30,000 a year.

“The way things are going with fuel at the moment, the old truck would have broken me,” Reick says.

As for the Mack’s safety features, including lane departure warning and automated cruise control, he opted out.

“I could have got all that, but they deleted it for me. Being it’s a bush truck, I really didn’t want it,” he says.

Reick’s only regret is the Super-Liner’s single bed. His old Star had a double-bunk and he would have preferred a 64-inch in the Mack but he says that spec wasn’t available. At any rate, he still has enough space for a TV and microwave, handy for the three or more nights a week he spends away from home.

Transport stink

The majority of Martin’s subcontracting work is around Roma where the saleyards are situated, and south to Surat and east to the feedlots around Dalby, with only the occasional run further west.

“Nine times out of 10 you always do a load in Roma on Monday before the sale, the rest of the week you might take cattle to a feedlot or a meat works down in Brisbane,” Martin says.

The Brisbane run takes him to the Beenleigh meat works, his most easterly destination. That brings Martin to the issue of effluent and hauling cattle through suburban streets.

“There's a big argument with the effluent side of things as a truck driver. Because I’ve owned cattle myself, even coming 1200km, we’d curfew them for 12 hours before we load them. The simple fact is that they travel better,” he explains.

He says others will load the cattle full of water to keep the weight on.

“But as soon as you put them on the truck full of water they start emptying out, and that causes another problem. You need to wash them out and that’s a cost that’s getting higher and higher.”

He says he can be up for around $300 to wash his crates out. Then there’s the everchanging regulations and the inconsistency between meat works.

“Some are very good, some are very ordinary,” he says. “Because my crates are sort of set up more for road train work, they haven’t got the sliding doors on the back.

“It makes it harder in some of the meat works because you’ve got to back in. I still do it, no worries at all, but the rules and regulations are getting tighter and tighter from dropping through your three load doors at the back.

“As far as unloading, Roma’s good, nice wide dumps, you can pull up and open all three doors sideways.

“A lot of feedlots haven't got ideal unload facilities, you’ve still got to unload down a

ramp which is a lot narrower, so you can’t open all your doors. That way there’s a smaller gap to try and get out.”

Reick runs either three, four or five decks on cattle, with five the ideal combination as he can get a permit to go into Dalby from St George.

“With six decks you can’t get the permit anymore,” he says.

Nevertheless, Reick enjoys the job, travelling along the wide-open spaces and working with livestock. However, he has words of warning for young would-be drivers and owner-drivers.

“Money is the big thing these days,” he says. “There must be easier jobs they look for, and the rules and regulations and fines put a lot of people off.”

Beware the red lights

Reick says going through Brisbane’s suburbs on the way to Beenleigh can get tricky with red light cameras put it a position where it’s

The names of the Rieck’s children, Mason and Taylor, names are neatly scrolled on the Mack

difficult for trucks, especially those loaded up with cattle, to pull up safely.

“There’s some cameras going to Beenleigh where you can be right on them and they’re green, then they’ll change and if you roll through, you can then get a fine.

“The amount of points you lose, you only have to lose them three or four times and you’ve lost your licence.”

Still, Reick has managed to cut costs in a couple of areas. Five years ago he gave up the dreaded ‘nicotine sticks’, which he says cost him $200 a week. “I don’t know how people can afford to smoke,” he adds.

Other cost-saving areas include doing 50 per cent of his own maintenance, especially on his trailers while Kate covers most of the billing and banking.

“At this stage between the fuel, insurance and registration, the future is a bit of a mystery at the moment,” Reick says.

“Something’s going to have to change, especially for the small operator.”

SOUTHERNCROSSFLATTOP

WESTERNSTAR4864

Making the grade

Brendan Hunt, of Tamworth-based Phil Hunt Parts, has had plenty to do since the new and used parts supplier started stocking John Deere construction parts.

“We’ve worked very hard at stocking as many John Deere machines as we can. We’ve got a significant number of John Deere graders already dismantled, and just recently we purchased a brandnew John Deere grader for the Dry Hire component of our business.

“We believe in the John Deere product so much, we’re prepared to invest our own hard earned on a brand new grader – We’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

Hunt says the Hunt Plant Hire division of the business has been a slow burn over the past two years, but adds that the purchase of the new grader is another step towards developing this further.

“We have a good relationship with our local council and have helped them with Parts for their John Deere graders in the past. There’s potential for us to provide a Grader on Hire whenever they pull one into the workshop for maintenance, or their workload demands an extra grader”

The business also supplies parts from a range of other manufacturers, including, Allis-Chalmers, Fiat, Hanomag, Clark, MF Industrial, Galion and Mitsubishi Graders.

“We specialise in Champion Grader parts as well, and we’ve now secured access to genuine and aftermarket new parts.”

As graders become more popular, Hunt says he is seeing more operated by small contractors or farmers.

“We like to think that we do a pretty good job of supplying a new and used option. And we’re the only business in Australia that does that.”

With continuing heavy rainfall and flooding affecting large parts of NSW, including in the regions surrounding Phil Hunt Parts, he says graders are in high demand, fixing damaged roads once the waters recede.

“As you can imagine, the second it dries up, everybody’s in their graders trying to tidy up roads so they can gain access again. Anytime there’s rain around, graders are hot to trot and we’re in a position to cater for any machine breakdowns, that may occur.”

Phil Hunt Parts has been buying and wrecking a large number of machines to keep its stock of used parts high, as supply chains continue to suffer delays.

“Importing new stock and the lack of new stock worldwide on the back of COVID, has been challenging,” Hunt says.

“Because we had such a huge volume of stock here pre-COVID, we’ve been able to service our customers without a hitch. I’ve been pleasantly surprised how well we’ve coped and pleased our customers haven’t had to suffer long waits on incoming overseas parts, as others have had to.”

To see what parts and attachment Phil Hunt Parts has available, visit: www.philhuntparts.com.au

Teacher’s pet

Nationwide Training, based in the Perth suburb of Osborne Park, provides training courses and accreditation for businesses to do with forklift and order picker operation and dangerous goods handling and storage, among other workplace training.

For more than 10 years, Nationwide Training has used Toyota forklifts, with Nationwide Training CEO Gavin Trim saying that he rates them above other brands.

“We’ll go out to sites and they obviously have their own brands of machines as well, but even with all the different machines I’ve used, Toyota has been hands down the best machine,” Trim says.

Currently, Nationwide runs two 8-series gas forklifts and a Toyota order picker.

“There’s lots about the machine I like – the reliability is fantastic,” Trim says.

“The machine also has the system of active stability, which other manufacturers don’t have. The new machine has even got a steering wheel indicator and mast leveling feature on it – the layout, design and ergonomics of the machine are great.

“People laugh at me because I love my machines so much!”

For Nationwide Training, another reason to stick with TMHA has been the service and aftersales support offered by area sales manager Tony McGuire and his team.

McGuire says he was acutely aware of how important it is for any business to have their forklifts in prime working order.

“If the forklift doesn’t start you lose a class, and he’s got six or eight a day,” he says.

“You don’t want to put them off to the next day or the day after because you’re doublebooking yourself.”

Trim says the machines he has invested in have been worth every penny.

“Not everyone wants to pay the money for a Toyota, but I’m sure that if they realised how good they are they’d soon make it one of their first priorities to buy one,” he says.

“Every time I’ve needed anything or wanted something or considered getting a new machine, things like that, they’ve always been there to support us and make things happen.”

HAULOTTEHA260PX

19-29 Curlew Cresc

Tamworth NSW 2340

www.philhuntparts.com.au

brendan@philhuntparts.com.au

PHIL

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YEARS OF ISUZU TRUCKS When you’re building a business, reliability is everything.

Since Isuzu Trucks launched in Australia half a century ago, generations of businesses have relied on our trucks to deliver, day-in and day-out. As they’ve grown, we’ve grown along with them to become Australia’s number one truck brand. And we’ll be right here helping build businesses for a long time to come, because we know that reputations are riding on us. To find out how Isuzu can help you grow, visit isuzu.com.au