NZ Truck & Driver September 2022

NZ TRUCK & DRIVER

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BIG TEST Western Warrior | FLEET FOCUS Driving change | FEATURE: The History Vault

n r e t s e W r o i r r a W

Issue 260

FLEET FOCUS

Driving change

FEATURE

The History Vault

The Official Magazine of

ISSN 2703-6278

TOGETHER STRONGER.

Our uniquely Kiwi story is about family – and you are at the heart of it.

Piha, New Zealand, 2022

For 50 years, Kiwis and FUSO of Japan have worked together to test, refine and deliver world-class trucks that perform exceptionally in New Zealand and throughout the world.

Together, we have worked to maximise productivity and lead the cause of uncompromising safety and wellbeing for our people, environment and communities.

On FUSO’s anniversary of 50 years in New Zealand, we thank those generations who, to this very day, keep industry moving through our spirit of collaboration, innovation and sheer hard work, always striving to be the best we can be.

Our uniquely Kiwi story is about family and you are at the heart of it.

MITSUBISHI FUSO Authorised Distributor Fuso New Zealand Ltd www.fuso.co.nz

HEAVY TRANSPORT ENGINEERS

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Phil Hawkes 027 701 4000 phil@tmc.kiwi

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Ron Price 021 701 098 ron@tmc.kiwi

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Paul (Skippy) Goodman 021 701 110 skippy@tmc.kiwi

Christchurch 56 Edmonton Rd, Hornby www.tmc.kiwi

Truck & Driver 297x210mm Jun 2022.indd 1

15/06/22 9:02 AM

CONTENTS Issue 260 – September 2022 4

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41

44

News

The latest from the world of road transport including…. The technology behind hydrogen dual-fuel trucking; New Zealand’s first electric milk tanker; an upgraded UD Quon; more developments at the Ruakura Superhub and the latest roading project news and truck racing updates.

FEATURES: 60 Southpac Trucks Legends

Ian Emmerson looks back at the history of Emmerson’s Transport and his roles with various industry groups, including work to develop the HPMV regulations in the early 2010s.

63

Giti Tyres Big Test

Western Warrior: Mangatainoka’s Beale Trucking has added a new Western Star 4884 FXC to its growing logger fleet. We travel to Hawke’s Bay to test the sharp looking Detroit powered 8x4 which is hauling logs to Napier and Wellington ports.

71

Transporting New Zealand

The September update from Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand looks cost pressures in the transport industry and recent wild weather events which are highlighting maintenance shortcomings in the highway network.

Teletrac Navman Fleet Focus

Driving Change: With Mack trucks at the forefront, Ian and Shelley Newey have built a family-based logging operation working from Ruakaka. Ian is also a board member of the National Road Carriers Association and has just been appointed to the association’s new five-member steering group, the NRC Transport and Logistics Advisory Group.

MANAGEMENT

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REGULARS: 80/ Double Coin Tyres NZ Transport 81 Imaging Awards

Recognising NZ’s best-looking trucks… including a giant pull-out poster of this month’s finalist.

91

The History Vault

Along with writing about, photographing and filming trucks in action throughout the country, Bryce Baird has been building on online archive to preserve New Zealand’s trucking history.

95

Christchurch charges up

Nine new Fuso eCanter battery electric trucks have been deployed across multiple roles in two EV trials involving the Christchurch City Council.

Isuzu’s tech drive

Isuzu NZ launches its new Giga heavy-duty range and outlines its strategy to regain the leadership of the Kiwi truck market it held for 21 years.

Challenges in the industry

A look a workplace drug testing and the use of data to improve safety and working conditions in the transport industry.

Truck Shop

New products and services for the road transport industry.

CrediFlex Recently Registered

Latest NZTA registration data sees the heavy commercial segment continuing to perform just above record sales levels as the second-half of 2022 begins.

Plus, a bumper photo gallery of new trucks on the road.

COLUMNS 87 It’s Political

NZ’s major political parties are given the opportunity to offer their opinions on issues affecting the road transport industry. This month National and ACT offer their views.

93

National Road Carriers Association

NRC COO James Smith explores the idea that many of the challenges facing the road transport industry could also prove to be opportunities.

ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Publisher

Trevor Woolston 027 492 5600 trevor@trucker.co.nz

Sue Woolston

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CONTRIBUTORS

Bryce Baird Kirk Hardy Olivia Beauchamp Gerald Shacklock

ART DEPARTMENT Design & Production Luca Bempensante Zarko Mihic EQUIPMENT GUIDE AUCKLAND, NORTHLAND, BOP, WAIKATO, CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Advertising Trudy Woolston 027 233 0090 trudy@trucker.co.nz

AUCKLAND, LOWER NORTH ISLAND, SOUTH ISLAND Advertising Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

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NEWS The company uses a modular, containerised approach for its industrial cryocoolers, like this liquid nitrogen unit. A similar approach is being taken with the electrolysers to be used in the HWR trial.

Kiwi tech drives dual-fuel truck trial A CHRISTCHURCH COMPANY WITH EXPERTISE IN A wide range of advanced technology worldwide is a key collaborator in the HWR Group’s trial of dual-fuel diesel/hydrogen trucks.

Tucked away in the industrial suburb of Hornby, Fabrum is a leading producer of the cryogenic systems used to liquefy a range of gases – including nitrogen, oxygen, air and even hydrogen – and has used this expertise to develop what CEO Ojas Mahapatra calls an “end-to-end system to deliver hydrogen for transport fuel applications.”

Fabrum has been around for some 18 years, its core intellectual property being focused on cryogenic cooling and the composite materials used to fashion storage containers for the liquid gases. The practical applications cover a huge range – from animal husbandry (using liquid nitrogen to freeze bull semen) through the development of high-powered magnets and electric motors that depend on superconducting materials, to aerospace projects.

Among the more high-profile of these was the development of a CO2 sublimation system for NASA’s Mars lander’s future flight, while no less high-profile (if closer to Earth) is Emirates Team New Zealand’s recently launched foiling chase boat, powered by hydrogen fuel cells supplied by Toyota and with its onboard hydrogen storage courtesy of Fabrum.

In between these extremes is a collaboration with Magnix, a leader in the development of superconducting electric motors for commercial aircraft.

Fabrum was set up in 2004 by two engineering graduates from the University of Canterbury, Chris Boyle and Hugh Reynolds, with the aim 4 | Truck & Driver

of developing the cryogenic systems and associated composite-material storage needed for advanced superconducting materials, which call for very low operating temperatures.

Over the years Fabrum has become one of the world’s leading builders and suppliers of industrial cryocoolers. Key characteristics of these is their robustness and a standardised, modular design that makes them a virtually ‘plug and play’ proposition and allows multiple modules to be stacked for greater output.

The growing importance of hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels in transport fits neatly with Fabrum’s expertise, explains Ojas Mahapatra: “When the concept of a hydrogen ecosystem began to attract attention, it was simple to take our intellectual property and apply it.

“Recently we partnered with UK company CPH2 to integrate our cryocoolers with their membrane-free electrolysers to separate the comingled hydrogen/oxygen gas stream into its constituent parts. Oxygen becomes liquid at -183degC, while for hydrogen the point is lower again, -253degC. That means the two gases are completely separated, and also very pure.”

CPH2 electrolysers are at the heart of the HWR Group dual-fuel truck trial. They are based on a patented membrane-free design, unlike more conventional PEM (proton exchange membrane) designs which use a thin polymer membrane between the anode and cathode that allows the passage of positive hydrogen ions but blocks the oxygen ions that are the other

NEWS

Above: Fabrum board are (from left to right) Ojas Mahapatra, Chris Stoelhorst, Christopher Boyle and Hugh Reynolds. The company is proudly Kiwi-owned and its founders want to keep it that way.

Below: Emirates Team NZ foiling electric chase boat (left) and Cessna Grand Caravan (right) developed by Magnix and which first flew 18 months ago make use of Fabrum technology. product of splitting the water. The result is separate streams of each gas from the opposite sides of the cell.

By comparison, the CPH2 design produces the gases between the plates and co-mingled, calling for their cryogenic separation as described above.

Its benefits, says CPH2, include dispensing with the rare-earth catalysts (platinum, palladium or iridium) required by PEM designs and a far longer economic life, up to 25 years versus five.

CPH2’s MFE220 electrolyser can produce up to 450kg of hydrogen per day. At the 60/40 diesel/hydrogen mix that seems the sweet spot for keeping NOx outputs in check, this output would be sufficient to look after 11-12 typical heavy trucks, each covering 600km a day.

Fabrum is uniquely placed to offer a complete package for the transport industry as it transitions away from fossil fuels, says Mahapatra.

“As part of the complete hydrogen answer we also build the compositematerial storage tanks and have also developed the dispenser technology

for vehicle and aircraft refuelling.

“Shifting to green energy makes sense, which is why there is a big push in that direction. For the heavy vehicle industry, the transitional phase offered by hydrogen dual-fuel means that trucks can continue to operate over their full economic life. Their replacements could well be full hydrogen, but in the meantime the existing fleets can run with minor modification yet offer a significant reduction in fossil fuel use and carbon output.

“Industrial-level production, storage and transport of hydrogen presents significant challenges, challenges that are reduced markedly by the modular electrolysis systems that are the foundation of the HWR project. It is much easier to make and use it on the spot. HWR are in a perfect position to influence change. They have their own fleet, but, via Allied Petroleum they also have the infrastructure to sell the hydrogen to other users.

“There is a widespread sense that mainstream hydrogen applications for transport are maybe 5-10 years out – but in fact they’re here now.” T&D

Truck & Driver | 5

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FLEET Futureproof your fleet with electrification

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NEWS

The upgraded UD Quon offers improved efficiency and new safety technology.

Upgraded UD Quon range announced UD TRUCKS IS PREPARING TO INTRODUCE AN upgraded Quon range to the New Zealand market. Improved environmental performance and new safety features are the primary improvements for the Quon.

John Gerbich, General Manager of UD Truck Distributors (NZ) Ltd, welcomes the enhancements he describes as: “the next step in UD Trucks continual journey towards more efficient and sustainable heavy-duty trucks.

“Efficiency, productivity, and profitability are crucial success factors for our customers. UD Trucks understand this and are very focused on delivering improvements in the right areas. The upgrades to the Quon reflects this,” John says.

UD Trucks supports Japan’s climate change mitigation commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050. The upgraded Quon exceeds Japan’s current fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles by 10% (with the GH11 engine and ESCOT transmission) and complies with upcoming Japanese fuel economy standards.

An upgraded ESCOT-VI 12-speed automated manual transmission provides improved gear shifting to enhance fuel economy and environmental performance.

The Quon’s upgrades will also delivers a lower cost of ownership through a redesigned engine and rear axle that provides higher power and torque at lower engine speeds, allowing for faster acceleration. The upgraded Quon is also equipped with a lighter chassis (up to 200kg depending on model) designed for maximum payload.

UD Trucks is committed to safety and contributing to the automotive

industry’s Vision Zero goal of preventing injuries or fatalities from road collisions, while increasing safe and equitable mobility for drivers, communities, and other road users. The upgraded Quon delivers in this regard, where it puts the highest priority on the safety, well-being, and productivity of drivers.

New, advanced safety features introduced on the Quon include the improved Traffic Eye Cruise Control with new Stop & Driver Initiate Go function, that makes the vehicle safer and easier to drive by automatically controlling speed and reducing driver stress and fatigue. The upgraded Quon is also equipped with more active safety technologies, such as the Traffic Eye Brake System, Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) that triggers an alarm to alert drivers when they unintentionally leave the lane and UD Stability Control that automatically detects and adjusts engine output and braking to retain truck stability.

Drivers of the upgraded Quon can benefit from its attention to enhanced drivability and safety, through its innovative features, such as more accurate fuel readings, redesigned fuel tank that provides higher ground clearance, stainless steel muffler covers that minimize susceptibility to rust and an additional, second front axle park brake for increased safety.

Drivability and comfort are also elevated with the intuitively designed ESCOT-VI automated manual transmission that is simple and easyto-use, making gear shifting easier and faster, as well as the redesigned four-spoke steering wheel for a more ergonomic and comfortable grip.

Alongside dedicated driver development tools and fuel coaching feature, the Quon delivers operational efficiency and productivity. T&D Truck & Driver | 7

NEWS

P

•

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Fonterra’s first electric milk tanker is based on a XCMG E700 battery swap truck.

‘Milk-E’ ready for collections FONTERRA HAS PUT NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST ELECTRIC milk tanker to work collecting milk from Waikato farms.

The 8x4 truck and trailer combination built on a XCMG E700 battery swap truck supplied by eTrucks was unveiled in late-July and was due to start work based from Fonterra’s Waitoa site in mid-August.

Named by Fonterra farmer Stephen Todd from Murchison, Milk-E is part of Fonterra’s fleet decarbonisation work, which is one of a number of programmes that’s helping the Co-op towards becoming a leader in sustainability.

Speaking at a launch event at Fonterra’s Morrinsville workshop where the tanker was completed, Fonterra Chief Operating Officer, Fraser Whineray said: “Right across the Co-op our teams are constantly looking at how we can decrease our emissions – from on farm, to at our sites and throughout our transport network.

“The team here at our Morrinsville Workshop have done a fantastic job of pulling this tanker together. Being a New Zealand first, there’s been a lot Dr Megan Woods, Minister of Energy and Resources with Fonterra Chief Operating Officer, Fraser Whineray at the Milk-E launch.

8 | Truck & Driver

of creative thinking and Kiwi ingenuity to bring Milk-E to life.”

Changes to the battery configuration have given the team an opportunity to trial other additions to improve milk collection efficiencies, reduce safety concerns, and reduce the amount of work required to customise a Fonterra tanker. A battery swap system is being installed at the Waitoa site where Milk-E will be based to trial how this could work within a fleet to minimise downtime from battery charging.

The battery swap is estimated to take six minutes. A full charge of the battery takes about three hours and the 46-tonne GVM eight-axle tanker and trailer combination has an estimated range of 140km.

In the process of the build – which took 36 days to complete – the installation of an electric pump on the driver’s side has reduced the pipework on the truck by 3.4 metres, reducing tare weight.

Another design feature allows the milk hose to fall naturally back across the guards of the truck and is secured onto a bayonet connection which locks the hose in place and seals the end of the hose in transit.

Newly designed doors that open out sideways with minimal moving parts, result in improved safety and the need for a hydraulic tank and pump has been removed with a fully electric motor and pump installed.

“It’s been great to see the team turn challenges into opportunities so in addition to trialling Milk-E’s on-road ability, we’re also trialling a new electric pump, hose configuration and cabinetry,” says Mr Whineray.

Fonterra received co-funding from the Government’s Low Emissions Transport Fund (LETF), which is administered by EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority).

The electric milk tanker will operate from Fonterra’s Waitoa site, which Mr Whineray says is fitting given it was the site of New Zealand’s largest fleet of electric milk trucks 100 years ago.

The E-tanker is part of Fonterra’s Electric Vehicle strategy that will see a third of the Co-op’s light vehicle fleet converted to EV’s by the end of 2023, while also focusing on transitioning medium and heavy vehicles. T&D

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NEWS

Diversity Champions announced ELEVEN TRANSPORT INDUSTRY NOMINEES FROM diverse backgrounds and roles, including truck drivers, managers and business owners, comprise the inaugural group of diversity champions who will take part in Te ara ki tua Road to Success Driving Change Diversity Programme.

The programme is an initiative sponsored by Teletrac Navman and supported by Transporting New Zealand and the Australian Transport Association to address what the industry recognises is a workforce that doesn’t accurately reflect the diversity of New Zealand and New Zealanders today.

Te ara ki tua Road to Success Driving Change Diversity Programme brings a two-fold approach to creating a diverse and inclusive transport business.

First, it showcases diversity stories to the transport industry and wider community. Honest life stories of participants promote a positive perception of the industry and encourage new entrants into the workforce. Second, through a valuable package of professional development opportunities to build the right skills for participants, the programme teaches them how to embrace and celebrate a unique workforce.

Nick Leggett, Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive, believes that in an increasingly globalised world, transport companies should put diversity at the top of their agendas.

“We all know that diversity in skills, life experience and backgrounds is no longer a nice-to-have. In fact, it has been proven to have commercial benefits, enhancing staff retention, quality of work and business performance,” Nick says.

“We’re grateful to have the support of Teletrac Navman to drive this initiative, which aims to bring more diversity as well as equal career opportunities to the industry. It’s a promising sign of meaningful change to come, helping attract talent and shape the industry’s future.”

Joining the Te ara ki tua Road to Success Driving Change Diversity Programme, Bryan Ward, Senior Constable and diversity liaison officer for the New Zealand Police, says that it is a great opportunity to inspire and empower those who might not initially see themselves as a good fit for the transport industry.

“As diversity has grown to be so much more than just gender and ethnicities, diversity training also needs to evolve to reflect a more comprehensive definition. Coming out of the pandemic, employees increasingly seek companies that match their beliefs and values. It’s only natural that we work hard to make New Zealand transport industry more inclusive and appealing to diverse future generations. We need diversity — in teams, organisations and society as a whole — if we are to change, grow and innovate. Diversity jolts us into cognitive action,” says Bryan. T&D

The nominees are:

Brianna Wilson (Class 5 driver, Philip Wareing), Sheana Martin (Vehicle Recovery Operator, Parks Garage), Mickayla Kerr (CEO, Heagney Bros), Jodi McNamara (Driver Trainer, H.W. Richardson Group), Chelly Balasbas (HR Manager, Allied Concrete), Joshua Hart (Class 5 driver, Hart Haulage), Angela Davies (Class 5 Truck driver, Dynes Transport Hamilton), Marthe Lute (Health and Safety Advisor, Alexander Group), Hayley Alexander (CEO, Alexander Group), Jacqueline Smith (Managing Director/Co-owner, Renwick Transport), Lisa Gibson (Customer Operation and HSSE lead, Z Transport).

Joshua Hart, Angela Davies and Mickayla Kerr are three of the inaugural Diversity Champions.

10 | Truck & Driver

NEWS The new Kmart distribution centre at the Ruakura Superhub will open in late -2023.

Kmart making the move to Ruakura THE LATEST ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE RUAKURA Superhub development on the eastern side of Hamilton confirms plans for a new 40,000 square metre distribution centre for Kmart New Zealand.

Scheduled to be operational in late-2023, the new distribution centre will service the long-term needs of Kmart’s New Zealand stores and customers in the North Island as the company relocates its distribution centre from Wiri, South Auckland.

“Moving to a larger, purpose-built facility in the high-profile Ruakura Superhub will allow us to improve availability for customers and meet future business needs, through improved productivity, reliable flow of stock to stores and shipment diversification,” says Kmart CEO, John Gualtieri.

The new facility on a 9Ha site will include warehousing, distribution, storage, a container yard, and an office facility. The site will benefit from direct access to the Ruakura Inland Port, a joint venture with Port of Tauranga.

“This new building will be one of the largest of its kind in New Zealand, spanning the area of four rugby fields, and we’ll work closely with Kmart to get the full potential from their proximity to the inland port, rail and road connections,” says Chris Joblin, Chief Executive of Tainui Group Holdings.

“Alongside other global and national players set to commence operations at Ruakura in the next 24 months, this move endorses Ruakura and the region as the home of logistics. It will bring great economic benefits for the Waikato and New Zealand.”

The new Kmart distribution centre will be developed in line with the Greenstar 4 rating. Sustainability features will include solar panels generating up to 300kW of power, rainwater harvesting, onsite

stormwater treatment, electronic vehicle charging stations, bike racks and end of trip facilities. Construction of the facility will include low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, LED lighting and double glazing. HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems will use low emission refrigerants, and close to 20% of the overall site will be landscaped.

Kmart will close its Wiri distribution centre after the Ruakura facility is operational. All existing Kmart team members at Wiri will be offered a role at the new distribution centre, which will provide more than 100 jobs when operational. Until this time, the Wiri facility will remain in operation and continue to service Kmart’s customers across its New Zealand network of 25 stores.

“Kmart is confident that, along with our Christchurch distribution centre servicing the South Island, the new DC in Hamilton will ensure the business is well-placed to efficiently service our stores and customers across New Zealand and allow for further growth,” says Mr Gualtieri.

The Ruakura Superhub, is one of the country’s largest developments and will eventually include logistics, industrial, retail, and residential areas.

Strategically located, the Ruakura Superhub has easy access to the road network between Hamilton, Auckland, and Tauranga. It is next to the newly opened SH1 dual carriageway, the key transport corridor for the Waikato region. The site is also adjacent to the Ruakura Inland Port, providing a direct freight link to the Ports of Tauranga and Auckland.

Kmart is the fifth major tenant to confirm its move to the Ruakura Superhub following PBT Express Freight Network, a Waitomo Group service centre and new coldstore/logistics facilities for both Maersk and Big Chill Distribution. T&D Truck & Driver | 11

PATCH HE ELLLL PATC REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE “Patchell’s are awesome people that produce a high-quality product that lasts the distance.

They make the process easy” Regan Beale Beale Trucking Ltd

Patchell refurbished logging equipment fitted onto new Western Star for Beale Trucking Ltd

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12 | Truck & Driver

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NEWS The first beams arrive for the new Beaumont Bridge on SH8. Photo courtesy HEB Construction.

Beams arrive at Beaumont A KEY MILESTONE HAS BEEN reached in the replacement of the 137-year-old Beaumont Bridge on State Highway 8 in the Clutha District.

Colin MacKay, Principal Project Manager for Waka Kotahi, says the first of the steel beams for the new bridge started arriving at the construction site at the end of July.

“All 20 main beams are being prefabricated in Napier, ahead of the truck trip 1200km south to Beaumont, a journey that could take up to five days.

Two beams a week are being transported to the site over coming weeks,” says Mr MacKay. Mr MacKay says several different components make up the main bridge beams, which vary in size and weight, creating spans of up to 40 metres. The beams will be stored on site until they are positioned on the new bridge structure from late September.

Once they reach the South Island, the trucks will

travel south on State Highway 1 from Picton to Clarks Junction, just south of Milton. From there, they head inland on SH8 for the final 60km of their journey to Beaumont. A similar system has been successfully used over the last five years to move large beams to the sites of several new South Island highway bridges.

“While the truck drivers will pull over where possible throughout their journey, people need to build potential delays of up to 20 minutes into their travel plans. Waka Kotahi thanks everyone for their patience while these bridge beams are being transported over the next few weeks,” says Nicole Felts, Waka Kotahi Journey Manager.

The new, two-lane bridge will be 195 metres long, formed by curved steel girders, supported by four piers sitting about 12 metres above the average river level.

The weathering steel beams (with a rusty look)

are high strength structural steel which form a corrosion-inhibiting surface and do not require maintenance. They continue to “weather” where they are positioned resulting in minimal maintenance costs and a more economic long-life bridge solution.

Safety barriers will be fitted on the road approaches and the new bridge incorporates a shared walking and cycling path.

Designed to modern earthquake standards, the new bridge will safely connect people, products, and places.

The 137-year-old existing single lane bridge forms an important link on SH8 between Dunedin, Central Otago, and Queenstown, but it is no longer well suited to today’s higher traffic volumes, or the larger and heavier trucks regularly using this route.

Construction started in January 2022 and is expected to be completed by bridge builder HEB Construction in late 2023. T&D

An artists impression of the new bridge adjacent to the 137-year-old single lane bridge.

Truck & Driver | 13

NEWS

A heavyweight history

A TWO-VOLUME COLLECTOR’S EDITION BOOK documenting the history of Kiwi-built Mack trucks will be launched at the marque’s 50th Anniversary celebrations being held at Manfeild over Labour weekend.

Mack. The Life is the illustrated history of the first 1000 Macks built and operated in New Zealand. It also includes a section detailing the trucks built at the MTD facility in Palmerston North and then exported.

Authors Ed Mansell, Grant Gadsby and Paul Livsey have spent three years researching and producing the book.

“The book has been inspired by the Mack 1000 celebration in 1987, where the first 1000 Macks were displayed and celebrated in pictures when they went into service,” says Ed. “All three of us were at that weekend and over the years have taken and collected thousands of pictures of these Macks working from the Cape Reinga to Bluff. Our vision was to capture their life story into a book.

Mansell travelled the country for his job and took many photos of trucks in front line work and Grant Gadsby drove many Macks and collated the ownership details as well as photos.

Paul Livsey loved Macks from a young age, went for many rides and continued to track them and photograph them, often well off the beaten track.

“Although the inspiration was 35 years ago, it was only just over three years ago we decided to combine our knowledge to publish a book and preserve our combined knowledge,” Ed says.

The book is the life story – in pictures – of the Macks “born” in Palmerston North.

“They were loved by the lucky few that got to operate them and admired by the world they passed by,” says Ed. “Many worked harder than was envisioned and ended up being the parts for others to keep going. Some had life cut short by accidents while others are still working.

“Some have been restored and look like the day they went on the road by their original owners or people who have connected with Mack in New Zealand as children of the era or for many other reasons.”

After countless hours laying out the book, finding the best photos, repairing old photos, making sure the owner details are correct, the result over 1000 pages, containing about 10,000 photos and weighing 7.5kg.

The two volumes have a hard shell cover and the first 1000 are numbered with a second print run now confirmed.

Copies are still available by contacting paul@trgroup.co.nz T&D

Down-under testing for eActros DAIMLER TRUCK IS THE THIRD EUROPEAN manufacturer in the space of three months to announce an all-electric truck evaluation programme on New Zealand roads.

From early 2023 four Mercedes-Benz eActros trucks will go to work in Mercedes-Benz is preparing to test the battery electric eActros in Australia and New Zealand.

14 | Truck & Driver

Australia and one in New Zealand, with additional units to follow.

“We are excited to conduct this extensive testing programme on the roads of Australia and New Zealand for the advanced and innovative all-electric eActros, a truck that represents an exciting new chapter for sustainable road transport in our region,” says Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific director, Andrew Assimo.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks always makes sure the advanced technology we introduce locally is tailored for our unique conditions and meets the specific requirements of our customers with extensive local evaluation, and it is no different with zero emission electric technology.”

Daimler Truck is developing battery electric technology for trucks and buses but is also working on hydrogen fuel cell technology that is well suited to the requirements of longer distances at higher weights. While hydrogen fuel cell trucks are currently being tested, they are still some years away from introduction. Battery electric Mercedes-Benz trucks are already in production and in use with leading European fleets.

The focus of the eActros is for heavy-duty short radius distribution work. At this stage, Mercedes-Benz Trucks is not ready to announce when the eActros will be made available to customers in Australia and New Zealand. T&D

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NEWS Rod on the early stages of his North Island trip in the Hutt Valley and reaching the finish at Cape Reinga Lighthouse.

Rod’s mission accomplished FONTERRA TANKER DRIVER ROD RUTHERFORD HAS completed his cycling adventure from Bluff to Cape Reinga and says the accomplishment leaves him with some mixed emotions.

“I’m so glad I did it and I really enjoyed myself. But it’s hard to believe it’s over and I feel a bit bewildered and I’m thinking `what’s next?’ says Rod. “Part of me is looking for the next thing to do. I can’t go back to work because I don’t have a license.”

Rod’s goal of cycling the length of New Zealand has prompted by a cancer diagnosis in December 2020. He continues with that fight, which keeps him from returning to his driving job.

He says the idea of the cycling trip came to him in a dream and after telling his family his brother presented Rod with an e-bike.

The South Island portion of Rod’s adventure was covered in the June issue of New Zealand Truck & Driver.

After a break at home in Cambridge he returned to Wellington and began the North Island with the objective of finishing in July. Rod reached Cape Reinga Lighthouse on July 25.

“The roads were a lot busier in the North Island although I did go around East Cape where it was a lot quieter,” Rod says.

“The [East] Coast was wild and wonderful. Tolaga Bay is a great memory but so was sitting on the wharf in downtown Auckland and just looking at how busy everyone is.

“I had wondered if people in the north would be the same as they’d been down south. It turns out they are and wherever I went, and whether I met kings in castles or with paupers, everyone was good to me.

“The interesting people I met are one of the biggest memories I have.

“Quite a few truck drivers must have read the stories about me including in New Zealand Truck & Driver. I got a lot of toots from truckies after the magazine came out.”

On the last stretch of the northward journey Rod had company.

“For the last four days my brother and my wife cycled with me, and we had a wonderful time.

“Just at the last part of the trip my Go Pro lost its battery. As luck would have it, when we got to the Cape the only other person around just happened to be a professional photographer.”

Rod says he cycled through plenty of rain but managed to avoid the worst of the winter storms.

“I think sticking near to the coast helped in that regard. We arrived at the Cape on a nice afternoon. And after we had finished, we drove home through Northland in probably the worst weather I experienced anywhere on the trip.”

Rod’s latest medical check confirms he has four tumours, three in his lungs and one on a kidney.

“I feel okay apart from a few aches and pains, and I go for a walk each day. I went to work the other day to do a fire-fighting course, but I’m not allowed to drive.

“A friend of mine said ‘the way to beat cancer is to stay active. It’s when you stop that it gets you’.”

Rod says the fund-raising element of his journey, to raise funds for cancer research, has been a success.

“We’ve raised almost $7000, and the money is still coming in. I hope to get to about $8000.

Anything we can do to learn about cancer and try to beat it is great.” T&D Truck & Driver | 17

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NEWS

Star attraction THE NEW WESTERN STAR 57X LONG HAUL TRUCK for North America isn’t likely to be seen on New Zealand highways.

But the newcomer, announced in August, is worthy of a launch mention for its striking front-end design and status as the most efficient truck yet from the iconic US brand.

The new 57X is about 6% more efficient than its predecessor, the 5700XE, making it the most efficient Western Star truck ever. Customers can choose from Detroit DD13 Gen 5, DD15 Gen 5 and DD16 engines options and the 57X is available with Detroit DT12 Direct or High-Speed AMT transmissions, which reduce fuel consumption while improving shifting and reducing wear.

Intelligent Powertrain Management anticipates terrain and adjusts to road conditions and optimisations to the chassis and cab further reduce the fuel consumption figures of the new 57X. These include the aerodynamic hood and air ducts in the bumpers, as well as flexible skirts between the cab and chassis.

The Western Star 57X offers customers the Detroit Assurance 5.0 Safety System with Active Brake Assist 5 which includes the camera/radar “always-on” system, Adaptive Cruise Control and optional Active Lane Assist. All-new to the 57X is Active Side Guard Assist, an industry-first technology designed to mitigate blind side issues during right-hand turns.

The 57X is the first Western Star truck to have a digital display in the cockpit that allows instrument configuration and simplifies control of entertainment functions (via Apple Car Play and Android Auto) and

vehicle information. Steering wheel controls let drivers control most entertainment and information functions without taking their hands off the wheel.

The all-new 57X is designed primarily for customers on long-distance routes, especially in the small-fleets segment or as owner operators.

Production at the Daimler Truck North America production plant in Cleveland, North Carolina, will begin in Q1 of 2023. T&D The new Western Star 57X built for North American long-haul customers.

Fruehauf ownership change INNOVATIVE TRUCK BODY AND trailer manufacturer Fruehauf NZ is now fully owned by Jeff and Yvette Mear.

The couple took over the company on August 18, purchasing the remaining Fruehauf shares from Phil and Karen Watchorn, who are departing the company to pursue other personal interests.

“We purchased the remaining shares in Fruehauf because we believe it is a great company and capable of becoming even a better company,” says Jeff Mear, who becomes managing director of the company.

Fruehauf NZ has its head office and primary manufacturing facility in Feilding with a sales outlet and further manufacturing operations in Manukau City.

It’s currently positioned in a clear second place behind Patchell Industries in new trailer registrations (YTD 2022) with its range of livestock, tipper, curtainsider, skeletal, flat-deck and special purpose trailers. Fruehauf ’s truck body building focuses on curtainsider, flat deck and bathtub tipper designs.

Fruehauf New Zealand had been jointly owned

by Watchorn and Mear since 2009 and they set up the Auckland branch of the firm in 2011.

Jeff Mear says the company thanks Phil and

Karen Watchorn for all their past contributions and wishes them the very best for their future. He says the company has an exciting future.

“We have fantastic employees who are highly skilled and experienced,” he says.

“We also have excellent and loyal customers who appreciate the quality of our products, and we have great strategic supply partners who want us to be successful by leading a mutually beneficial pathway of further growth.” T&D Fruehauf NZ owners Jeff and Yvette Mear.

Truck & Driver | 19

NEWS The 2022 Mobil Delvac 1 NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame gala dinner is on September 30 in Invercargill.

Hall of Fame set for 2022 THE TEAM BEHIND THE MOBIL DELVAC 1 NZ ROAD Transport Hall of Fame is excited to be back connecting face-to-face at this year’s gala event.

Last year’s event shifted to a digital format because of the pandemic, but 2022 will see the return to an in-person version in Invercargill on September 30.

TW Events & Incentives manager Adam Reinsfield says while the online event in 2021 was successful – the event had more than 2000 unique views from around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe – you just can’t beat the real thing.

“We know our guests really relish the chance to catch up with their colleagues from throughout Aotearoa at the Hall of Fame, so to be able to get together and celebrate industry success stories alongside one another again is something I’m sure we are all looking forward to,” he says.

Every year, six people from around the country are inducted into the Hall of Fame, which honours their outstanding and significant contributions to the national road transport industry.

Inductees are selected to take their place alongside of the most respected names within the industry and they are recognised at a spectacular gala dinner,

which routinely draws a crowd of more than 500 people, at Bill Richardson Transport World: the largest private automotive museum of its type in the world.

“Our 2022 inductees have been selected, and our team is hard at work compiling their stories to share and celebrate together,” Reinsfield says.

“It’s always a privilege to help the road transport industry facilitate this event, and recognise the efforts of its long-standing contributors. 2022 will be no different.

“The event is only possible with the support of our amazing sponsors, and we are incredibly grateful and excited to bring the NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame back this year,” he says.

This year’s event will see some slight changes introduced. The past inductees and sponsors event, previously held the night before the gala dinner, will this year be held on the same day. All gala dinner attendees are invited to join in the festivities as well.

Those wishing to attend either the gala dinner, or both the gala dinner and past inductees and sponsors luncheon, can register and book their tickets at roadtransporthalloffame.co.nz T&D

Super Truck calendar taking shape THREE DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2022-23 New Zealand Super Truck Championship with a fourth round still to be confirmed.

The truck racing title will begin at Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon in Feilding over Labour Weekend (October 24-25) as part of the OctoberFAST meeting before heading south for a January 27-29 event at Levels International Raceway (Timaru).

Round three is scheduled for Southland’s Teretonga Park on March 1819 for the popular Southern Thunder meeting where the Super Trucks and Mainland Muscle Cars take centre stage.

Among the options being considered for inclusion in the championship is a return to Pukekohe – where truck racing began in New Zealand back in 1989 – before the circuit is scheduled to close. T&D

Reigning NZ Super Truck champion Alex Little.

20 | Truck & Driver

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NEWS

Kiss leads Euro racing series

Adam Lacko (Freightliner) in front of Jochen Hahn (Iveco) and series leader Nobert Kiss (MAN) at the Hungaroring.

HUNGARIAN DRIVER NORBERT KISS IS STRONGLY positioned to win his fourth title as the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship takes its summer break.

With four of the eight rounds completed, Kiss has driven his Revesz Racing MAN to victory in nine of the 16 races held in the first half of the season to build a tally of 208 points as he attempts to defend the European title.

His nearest rival is Germany’s six-time champion Jochen Hahn (Iveco) with 158 points followed by fellow German Sascha Lenz (MAN) with 152 and Czech racer Adam Lacko (Freightliner) with 122.

Spanish racer Antonio Albacete (MAN) and Germany’s Steffi Halm (Iveco) are next in the standings with 98 and 90 points respectively.

The early season rounds were raced at Misano (Italy), the Hungaroring, Slovakia Ring and the Nurburgring GP circuit in Germany.

The second half of the season sees a busy schedule with four rounds across five weekends beginning at Most in the Czech Republic on Sept 3-4 followed

by Zolder (Belgium) the following weekend.

There’s a fortnight break to the penultimate round at Le Mans (France) on Sept 24-25 and the final is at Jarama in Spain on October 1-2. T&D

New boss at MTD

Rob Woods 22 | Truck & Driver

EXPERIENCED HE AV Y TR ANSPORT professional, Rob Woods started in his new role as General Manager for Motor Truck Distributors (MTD) on August 8.

“Rob’s heavy transport expertise and leadership credentials quickly put him at the front of a strong field of internal and external candidates,” says Michael Doeg, General Manager, Retail Sales at Sime Darby Motors NZ. Rob began his career with Imperial, one of South Africa’s largest automotive groups, currently responsible for one in three of all car rental transactions, 40% of market in passenger vehicles, and around 7,500 heavy trucks.

He was appointed Dealer Principal for Mitsubishi Cars in his mid-20s, then became

Mitsubishi brand manager before moving into heavy transport. By the time he emigrated to New Zealand in 2017, Rob had held Franchise Director roles at both Freightliner and Hino and gained almost 20 years’ experience in the industry.

Once in New Zealand, Rob worked with Iveco and Isuzu before joining MTD’s parent company, Sime Darby Motors NZ mid-2021.

“I’m excited and proud to be working with two premium, top-quality brands like Mack trucks and Volvo truck and bus,” says Rob. “We have a very strong team of people at MTD with great technical credentials and well-established relationships throughout the transport industry.” T&D

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The Warrior’s Way ready for another day of logging work in the Hawke’s Bay.

THIS MONTH WE’VE HEADED TO THE EASTERN sunshine to discover Western Star ruggedness.

A brilliant Hawke’s Bay mid-winter day provides the setting for New Zealand Truck & Driver to join Beale Trucking’s new Western Star 4884 FXC logger for a NapierDannevirke round trip.

Named The Warrior’s Way, the Detroit-powered 8x4 Western Star became the newest truck in the Beale Trucking fleet early this year.

It clicked over 59,000km during our test with driver Chris Murphy who has been at the wheel of The Warrior’s Way since joining the company four months ago, clocking up roughly half of that mileage.

Beale Trucking headquarters is the Tui capital of Mangatainoka, although parts of its fleet work out of Masterton and three trucks are based across in Taranaki.

Owner Regan Beale says the company started 12 years ago with a second-hand Fuso tipper and has expanded steadily. Today the Western Star is the newest of nine loggers working in the Beale Trucking fleet and will soon be joined by an almost identical – but Cummins X15 powered – stablemate.

The logger fleet includes a pair of Kenworth K200s and a T659, a Freightliner Argosy, an Isuzu, a Scania and a third K200 that’s operated by an owner-driver.

The loggers are part of a Beale line-up of 25 trucks that includes four livestock units, six drop side tippers, a blower unit and some smaller trucks.

Regan says the decision process to add the new Western Star to the fleet had two parts.

“We needed a truck in a hurry and the Western Star was available.

But we also have an older one that has done 1.9 million kays and it’s been a very solid and sturdy truck for us,” says Regan.

So far, the new 4884 has delivered on all of Regan’s requirements.

“Bonneted trucks aren’t really my thing but having driven it, I’m starting to change my view,” says Regan.

“The Western Stars are good for traction in tough conditions and they’re pretty user-friendly with a bit more width inside the cab than a [Kenworth] 659 for example.”

The urgency to get a truck on the road is also reflected in the choice of a refurbished trailer and logging gear for the Western Star.

“All of our loggers have Patchells gear. I bought two old Mercs from Smith & Davies in Whangarei for their logging gear,” Regan says.

“It’s the same story as the truck. You have to wait about a year and a half for a new build slot, but they can turn around a refurb job a lot quicker than that.”

Playing an important role in the impressive visual presence of the Western Star is the red and black colour scheme which is the Beale Trucking signature.

It’s a theme that dates back to the original Fuso which Regan bought from Ongarue Transport and obtained permission to keep the original colours with some subtle changes.

“Reon Madden at Supreme Auto Refinishers in Masterton painted the truck and Jason Ngaturere from Signs & Tints did the signwriting,” says Regan.

With plenty of chrome to contrast the red and black along with red and grey for the chassis, trailer and bolsters it’s a colour scheme that works well on a tough-looking American bonneted truck.

Regan says the name The Warrior’s Way prompts a few questions.

“A lot of Western Stars have `star’ in their name. I wanted something a little bit different,” says Regan.

With some Google research he found the movie The Warrior’s Way. A Korean-New Zealand production which was shot in New Zealand, the plot sees the lead character guided by the stars through a Truck & Driver | 27

western landscape.

“Some people are a bit puzzled by it, but it makes sense when I explain it. The name links to the stars without the word actually being in the name.”

The stars shone on our test timing with a dawn start from Napier bringing blue skies and sunshine on the run out to Waitahora Rd, to the east of Dannevirke.

Beale Trucking is working with the Guyza Contracting logging crew felling a large farmland wood lot.

Chris Murphy took over the Western Star earlier this year in a big change to his driving career. His 30-something years behind the wheel include 20 on livestock trucks and 10 years driving in Australia, 28 28 || Truck Truck&&Driver Driver

including interstate work and mine work at Port Hedland before returning to New Zealand 10 years ago.

He’s driven Brisbane-Perth many times; “The first time my boss said I was going to Perth I was so excited,” he laughs.

Chris did a mixture of pest destruction and truck washing jobs in his teens and started driving soon after turning 20. On the road that is, because he’d been driving in hay paddocks from the age of eight.

“I’m third generation. My father is 75 and he still drives,” says Chris.

“Both my grandfather’s drove trucks, and my son Justin is a Cummins mechanic in Toowoomba. So, it’s four generations of Murphys in the truck industry. Lots of my cousins are truck drivers,”

Top left: Driver Chris Murphy is new to logging work but has 30 years of experience in New Zealand and Australia, mainly on livestock work.

Lower left: Detroit DD15 with 560hp powers the Western Star.

Right inset: The Warrior’s Way name comes from a Korean-made western movie that was shot in New Zealand.

Below: The 4884 is an impressive sight on the road in the red and black Beale Trucking colours.

says Chris.

“My grandfather on the Murphy side was one of the originals. He did that much reversing in his truck spreading gravel on the roads – with a shovel, not a hoist –that they actually replaced reverse gear in his truck for free. Six loads a day he would shovel on and shovel off.

“My grandfather and great uncle owned Murphy’s Transport in Pongaroa which became Eastern Equities and is now part of the Richardson Group.”

Chris says he’s enjoying the change from livestock to logging. It means fewer nights away from home and he’s making the most of the convenience of having his Otane home roughly halfway between the ports of Napier and Wellington – the two main destinations for

the Beale Trucking’s loggers.

“Typically, it’s an 700km day across 13 hours,” says Chris.

“Wellington is the longest trip. That’s quite common, probably four out of five days I do that. The rest of the time is to Napier port and sometimes to Kiwi Lumber in Masterton.”

Often a day will include trips to both Wellington and Napier ports.

“Everything is time dependent. You’ve got a three-quarter of an hour window and if you get a couple of hold-ups you need to make the decision to stop early, or the boss has to spend extra money on accommodation and meals.

“Your day has to flow good. Percentage-wise, we don’t get caught out too often.

Truck & Driver | 29

The Western Star 4884 arrives in New Zealand as a 6x4 and gets the second steer axle fitted locally.

“I’m lucky that I rarely have anything to do with peak hour traffic.

If you’re first away from the skid heading to Wellington, you are ahead of their peak hour traffic and against it on the way back out.

“And coming up to Hawke’s Bay there’s never really an issue. I’m often home before the school traffic starts in the afternoon.”

While he’s regularly on the same rural roads where he drove stock trucks, Chis says there have been some new skills to learn.

“The health and safety side of it is totally different to livestock.

And the driving skills are a bit different as well.

“I hadn’t driven with CTI before. It’s amazing how much traction you can control just by pushing a few buttons.

“And I’ve also had to get used to the bush radios.

“All the guys at Beale’s have been a great help. Burkey is an owner driver with the company and he’s been doing it for nine years and he’s really switched on.

“Regan thinks of the driver. He’s a guy who has been there and done it. He knows how to spec out a truck.

“It’s a great company and very family oriented. They are good people to work for and good people to work with.

“There are no short cuts, and we check everything multiple times.

I don’t think we’d have the work we’ve got without the team of guys we’ve got.

“All the gear is immaculate, and all of the guys take pride in their trucks. It’s a pleasure to come to work here.

“If you don’t see Regan during the day there’s always a thank you text at the end of the day. It makes you feel appreciated.

“The trucks look great but they’re not just a show pony. I’ve had more people take photos of this truck than any other I’ve had.

“I really like the look of the truck with the black and red, the shadowing and the chrome. Without being over the top I think it looks sharp and the colours really suit this truck,” he says.

“It’s nice to be in a truck that kids will wave at to get you to toot the horn.”

Chris says livestock and logging are quite specialist areas and it’s

unusual for drivers to switch from one to the other.

“I think livestock guys don’t usually go into logging and vice-versa.

But until you give it a go you don’t know.

“I’ve found it’s a hell of a lot easier to chain on three packets of timber than it is to push 700 lambs onto a stock truck. And you certainly don’t go home smelling like a sheep.”

Throwing chains is another new skill for Chris.

“It actually comes pretty naturally. I’m lucky to have a bit of height and a bit of weight to put behind it and I can put a fair bit of weight on the bar to tighten them down,” he says.

“With me still being pretty green at it, I probably check the chains more than I need too.

“I’m loving the change. If you do it [logging] correctly it’s a pretty easy job. You follow the procedures and do it safely. There is the potential for harm but if you follow the rules, you are as safe as you can possibly be.

“There’s also a really good camaraderie with the logging drivers.

“Most guys, if they are waiting on a truck to load at a skid will help the previous truck to chain up. It keeps the work flowing.

“Because if a logging truck stuffs up and blocks a road then it costs everybody. I definitely like the camaraderie of it.

“Everyone is here to help each other. They just want to do a day’s work and go home to their families.”

The Western Star 4800 Series trucks arrive from the US as long wheelbase 6x4s, and Penske Trucks complete the conversion to 8x4 configuration in Tauranga.

Several powertrain options are available, and Beale Trucking has the 14.8-litre Detroit DD15 six-cylinder with 560hp output at 1800rpm and peak torque of 1850 lb-ft at 1200rpm. There’s an 18-speed Road Ranger manual transmission and Meritor RT-46 160GP drive axles with rear Airglide suspension rated at 20.8-tonne.

The 4884 pulls the refurbished 4-axle Patchell Industries log trailer which works well accessing tighter skid sites. Regan has the paperwork underway for a 48-tonne permit but the narrow roads

30 | Truck & Driver

22-0884_

22-0884_NM_Transport Ad_Truck & Driver.indd 2

17/08/2022 10:45:05 AM

Left: Chrome work complements the red and black Beale Trucking colours.

Above: Dash layout is old school with analogue gauges and lots of switches on the centre console.

Right: Steps can be lifted to provide access to exterior storage space.

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look, but you get used to it.

“It’s reasonably basic with not too many bells and whistles and as a basically stock standard truck it’s awesome. It’s comfortable and it doesn’t throw you around. In a stock truck you feel every bump.

“I can get out after a 13-hour day and I still feel pretty refreshed,” says Chris.

“I think it’s one of the better rides I’ve had. The steering is light, just like a car but it doesn’t wander. If you look over the middle of the bonnet it puts you right in the centre of the lane.”

The last section on Waitahora Rd is much narrower and has many more twists and gradients.

“You see a lot of wildlife out here. You quite often see deer and pigs on the road here,” says Chris.

The logging crew lift off the trailer and carefully load three packets of logs – a single packet of 5.9m long logs on the truck and two 5.4m packets on the trailer.

TD31447

and bridges leading to most of the logging skids restrict trucks to a 46-tonne limit.

The “trailer-up” run south to Dannevirke, then east towards Weber before turning onto the narrower Waitahora Rd presents no challenges.

Strong points of the Western Star on these roads are the cabin quietness at highway cruising speeds and the ride comfort.

“You’d be hard pressed to find an American truck that rides much better,” says Chris.

“The Detroit is a quiet engine. It’s quiet and smooth and everything in the truck clips rather than clunks.

“You and I can have a pretty normal conversation in here and I’m not turning up the radio to drown out the noise when I’m on my own,” says Chris.

“Visibility out of the cab is great in the straight line. With those big air intakes, at intersections you definitely need to take a second

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Truck & Driver | 33

It’s the typical 29-30 tonne payload which the Western Star carts.

But it’s large diameter timber with each packet being only six to eight logs. The loader operator is careful in their log selection to get the truck loaded most effectively.

“We are usually putting a 12-13 tonne payload on the truck and 16-17 tonnes on the trailer depending on the logs,” says Chris.

Once on the move again the SI Lodec onboard scales settle to confirm a 45.3-tonne GCM for the trip to Napier and a truer test of the Western Star’s performance.

“It’s great at 46-tonne and it’s an honest motor. You can’t expect it to go like a 770 Scania, but it performs well and it’s very economical.

We are up over two kays per litre - about 2.2,” says Chris.

On the highway in top gear the DD15 is using a relaxed 1400rpm at 90kph in top gear.

At one point on the run to Napier the Western Star drops back to 70kph at 1200rpm on a gentle rise but Chris stays in top gear to find the peak of the torque curve.

“It’s meant to be a low revving motor but it’s very hard to get used too. There are few places I might still be using a few more revs than I really need too.

“But you tend to find if you let it drop down too far you then need to go down two or even three gears. And no-one wants to see you stopped on the side on a hill.”

Chris has done almost all of his driving with manual transmissions and says he hasn’t had much experience of the latest automated manuals.

“I’ve driven 18-speeds pretty much all the time. This one is still very tight being a new truck. It won’t let you change gears with the Jakes on because it’s just too tight.”

The last time NZ T&D tested a Western Star 8x4 logger it drew comment for the harsh response of the second axle across uneven 34 | Truck & Driver

surfaces.

Chris says he’s experienced the same thing, but he believes it’s largely down to how the truck is loaded.

He points out a dip on the northward run up Highway 2 where he has experienced the second axle hitting hard on some occasions. On our trip there’s little to complain about.

“If it’s [the truck] been loaded properly you hardly notice it. Even a foot further back or further forward seems to make a big difference.”

The main criticism that Chris has about the 4884 is its steering lock in tight situations. But he believes it’s the trade-off against what the Western Star excels at.

“The steering lock is pretty terrible but it’s brilliant for traction. If you are stuck in this, then you’re bloody stuck in anything.

“The day-to-day cornering on the road is really good and the steering only affects us on the skid sites. Where most trucks can make a three-point turn, we are doing about five.

“It’s a long truck with a long wheelbase [7120mm]. With the bonnet, to get the five-nines on (5.9m logs) you need the longer chassis.

“With a cab-over truck your weight is a bit further forward over your steerers. With this, there is more weight over the driving wheels.

“The way it locks up and the axle spacings seem to be great. It doesn’t sledge with all your axles locked up in the wet. With some trucks you get the traction, but you won’t get the steering. With this you’ve still got the steering.

“So, I’d much rather take another turn at the odd corner than sledge into a place you can’t get out of.

“Personally, I still think the American stuff is better for the bush.

They just seem to last, and most things are an easy fix. Things that go wrong are more likely to be a mechanical fix rather than an electronic one.

Left: The dash alyout is very traditional with no sign of modern touchscreens and displays. Centre console storage offers a handy 40-litres of space.

Above Right: SI Lodec onboard scales, Fleetlink and bush radio are positioned above the windscreen.

Above Left: Fuel tank is on the right-hand side and provides 453-ltres capacity.

Below: Almost loaded with three packets of logs bound for Napier port.

“Kenworth, Western Star and Freightliner, they all seem to handle it quite well.”

There’s been plenty of bad weather to put the Western Star’s mud skills to the test this winter.

“Our winter has been the wettest in history. Today is beautiful but up till two days ago we’ve had pretty much three months of rain,” says Chris.

“The skid sites have been horrendous with the amount of mud.”

“We also go to a crew at Bideford, just out of Masterton, and it’s a very steep gradient to go in and out of. You’re in creeper gear with

the Jakes on the lowest setting and feathering the brake most of the way down in the wet. But if it’s fine, it’s not an issue.

“There’s a sharp hairpin in the middle and you have to get around in one go. No way you could back up on it. It brings your skills out.

“Coming down a steep gradient fully loaded and keeping the momentum up and stopping the wheels from locking is a fine line of feathering the throttle and brakes.

“The combination of the Detroit engine and Jacob’s brake work really well together to give great engine braking.

“It’s got Big Foot CTI on the drive axles which is new for me. It’s four stages with the emergency stage at 23psi.

Truck & Driver | 35

Driver Chris Murphy says the Detroit engine and Jacobs brake work well together on downhill runs.

“It responds pretty quickly. I find when I get out and do a chain check, I’ll punch it back up into highway setting it’s just about back to 92psi when I’m moving again.”

Chris says that for the terrain and 46 or 48-tonne work the fouraxle trailer is a smart combination.

“The truck and the way Patchells have set up the trailer works really well. There isn’t much I could think of that would make it better.

“It’s a great set-up because it’s the same length as a 5-axle but you haven’t got the extra weight. It’s great for coming out of tight skid sites and the trailer tracks really well.”

Inside the cab the Western Star offers a contrast to the trucks that have lots of steering wheel buttons, multi-function stalks and touch screen displays. It’s a much more `old school’ arrangement with an array of analogue gauges and large woodgrain centre console panel full of switches.

The left-hand stalk controls the indicators and high beam and the right-hand is the trailer brake control.

Chris says it was easy to learn what initially looks like a busy switch layout.

He points to the engine fan, cruise control, engine override shutdown, fog lights, diff locks and airbag dump switches. The shortest reach to the top right is to the on-off switch for the Jacobs brake and alongside is another to change between the three stages.

“The layout puts everything in easy touching distance. We certainly know where the wiper switch is this year,” says Chris.

“The bush radio, Fleetlink and scales are above the windscreen and the cell phone is on Bluetooth which works really well.”

The small DataStar screen will display any faults and can be used to scroll through trip information, but Chris uses it primarily as a fuel gauge.

36 | Truck & Driver

There are some minor inconveniences in the cab. Converting the 4800 Series to 8x4 configuration makes the access up the two steps a little tight.

“Getting in and out can be a bit of an issue with the extra axle fitted. Being a bigger guy it’s pretty tight around the shoulders.”

And Chris drives with the optional National 2000 Series high-back driver seat with active air lumbar support as far back is it will go.

“I’m nearly six-foot and I’d like to move the seat back another inch or two. If you were six-two or six-three, it might be an issue.

“The seat is nice and comfortable with arm rests both sides,” Chris says.

He says the cab has plenty of headroom and some good storage.

“Most of the time I keep an overnight bag under the passenger seat. I probably spend one night away a week on average and its luck of the draw when that is.”

An optional storage console has been added between the seats with 40-litre capacity and it also provides two additional cup holders.

There’s also exterior storage in two alloy boxes that can be accessed by lifting up the steps and a toolbox is fitted just ahead of the fuel tank.

Chris says he’s very happy in the Western Star and says its specification and performance is well-suited to the work Beale Trucking needs it to do and the terrain it’s working in.

“I think it’s a bloody nice truck, but what I like and what someone else likes could be totally different. As a day driver for logging work, I would say it’s brilliant.

“I know the seat position could be better, and you have to be aware of the blind spot around the intake stacks but there’s nothing to hate. Sometimes you have to take an extra bite at the steering, but the traction it’s got makes up for that.” T&D

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Test

HTAYDEN REVOR

UMPING INTO A WESTERN STAR IS like taking a step back in time – well it is for me as I’m used to testing the newest technologies on offer.

Here is a brand that has not followed the rest (yet) but has stuck to its roots by keeping things old school and uncomplicated.

It’s a cracker Hawke’s Bay August day for our return trip from Napier to a skid site at Waitahora Rd, to the east of Dannevirke and back again in Beale Trucking’s Western Star 4884 FXC logger. The 8x4 with newly refurbished Patchells trailer and log gear is powered by the 14.8-litre Detroit DD15 sixcylinder engine producing 560hp.

After the truck gets loaded it is my turn to have a drive. The climb up into the cab is not great with the door opening being narrowed by the air cleaners meaning you have to take the first of the two steps side on. There is a grab handle on the left but the one on the right is towards the top of the

Fully loaded at just under 46-tonne and on the way to Dannevirke and a run north on SH2 to Napier.

38 | Truck & Driver

A-pillar, so I find myself lunging for it.

Once up into the cab it’s a comfy fit for me and the National 2000 Series high-back driver seat with active air lumbar support feels supportive with arm rests on both sides. You wouldn’t want to be any taller than me with the seat back at its furthest it’s just right and I am just under 6ft (182cm).

The dash display is simple with old school tachos and no touchscreens or similar. It’s a contrast to the last truck I tested which had six screens in the cab!

The steering wheel has no functions on it while the left-hand stalk controls the indicators and high beam and the right-hand operates the trailer brake control.

A big array of switches are all placed in reach on the wrap around dash. The top right switch is for the Jacobs brake and alongside is another to change between the three stages.

The bush radio, Fleetlink and scales are

Hayden Woolston above the windscreen and the cell phone is on Bluetooth. The cab has plenty of headroom and some good storage. An optional storage console has been added between the seats with 40-litre capacity.

As I pull out of the skid site the forward vision over the bonnet is not as bad as I thought it would be. Taking a second look at the bonnet it’s not very long so it does not impede my vision too much.

Using the old school west coast mirrors to

• SPECIFICATIONS • watch the trailer track out of the skid I find they work well, and I can see the rear axles of the trailer clearing the roadside drain with plenty of room to spare.

As I start to get through the transmission, I notice the 18-speed Road Ranger is very tight which puts me off. I do struggle with this including coming to a stop on a hill as I tried to change down a gear with the engine brake still engaged. Chris mentions “oh yeah that happens.”

Taking off again the DD15’s with 560hp output at 1800rpm and peak torque of 1850 lb-ft at 1200rpm has no trouble with the whole truck and load just coming in under 46-tonne limit.

On the highway in top gear the DD15 is using a relaxed 1400rpm at 90kph in top gear and Chris says the fuel consumption averages a little better than two kms per litre.

The engine working a bit harder on the hills doesn’t seem to affect the in-cab noise levels with Chris and myself able to have a conversation without the need to raise our voices.

The ride quality feels settled on nice country roads and the bumps don’t seem to have too much affect. I was interested to see if I would experience the second steer bang my father

experienced in an earlier test, but this did not come to fruition.

Chris thinks it’s how the truck is loaded and that if the logs on the truck are a little too far forward, he will experience it occasionally.

On downhill gradients the engine brake works really well but you need to remember to turn it off for the next hill.

At a couple of intersections that I travel through I do find that with the big air intakes you need to take a second look. The steering in this truck is just to my liking, for me it is perfectly weighted giving just the right feedback.

Once my drive is over and I hand Chris his truck back I find myself thinking of the Western Star as a complete package. It’s straightforward in its design and performance and it’s not trying to be anything else.

It’s a very honest truck in a logging role with the benefit of being available with both Detroit and Cummins engine options alongside the proven Roadranger transmission, Meritor RT-46 160GP drive axles and rear Airglide suspension.

When Regan tells us he has another Western Star that has done 1.9 million kms and proven to be a very solid and sturdy truck, it’s no surprise there will soon be third one in his red and black fleet colours. T&D

Western Star 4884 FXC 8x4 Day Cab Engine: Detroit DD15 in-line six-cylinder, Euro 5 (SCR) Capacity: 14.8 litres Maximum Power: 417kW (560hp) at 1800rpm Maximum Torque: 2508Nm (1850 lb-ft) at 1200rpm Engine Revs: 1400rpm at 90km/h in top gear Fuel capacity: Diesel 453 litres Transmission: Eaton Fuller RTLO 20918B 18-speed manual Ratios: Low L – 14.40

Low H – 12.29

1st low – 8.56

1st high – 7.30

2nd low – 6.05

2nd high – 5.16

3rd low – 4.38

3rd high – 3.74

4th low – 3.20

4th high – 2.73

5th low – 2.29

5th high – 1.95

6th low – 1.62

6th high – 1.38

7th low – 1.17

7th high – 1.00

8th low – 0.86

8th high – 0.73

Reverse – Hi H 3.43, Hi L 4.03, Low H 12.85, Low L 15.06 Final Drive ratio: 4.30:1 Front axle: 400-008 Meritor FG941 front axle, 6.6t capacitv Rear axles: Meritor RT46160GP R Series with mechanical differential locking, 20.8t capacity Brakes: Full disc brakes with WABCO anti-lock braking system and traction control.

Auxiliary brakes: Three-stage Jacob’s engine brake Front suspension: Parabolic leaf spring Rear suspension: Airliner air suspension GVM: 33,500kg GCM: 90,500kg @ 5% max grade

Truck & Driver | 39

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Driving the economy

Transport businesses face stress despite RUC discount extension

e.

Survey results clearly highlight many operators are facing increased anxiety and stress caused by cost pressures.

W

by Nick Leggett Chief Executive

EG31584

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

E ARE DELIGHTED THE Government has heeded the call from Transporting New Zealand to extend fuel tax discounts and the reduction in road user charges (RUC) until early next year. It’s a good win and it shows our association is a proven and effective voice for our industry.

In recent weeks we had written to the minister and spoken with officials and media about the need to extend the RUC discount. Our recent survey showed that 96% of the industry supported our move to secure the extension, and over 40% of transport businesses said that their costs would be eased by the continuation of the road user charge discount.

Road transport is massively impacted by the cost of fuel. Only a year ago, 20% of companies said that fuel made up a quarter of their total business costs; today almost 70% of the industry report that fuel is in excess of 25% of costs.

Stress and anxiety on the rise Over three-quarters of operators listed increased anxiety and stress caused by cost pressures as their biggest concern; the second was financial strain at 70%; and the third was the inability to pass on those increased costs to customers.

We are urging businesses to contact Transporting New Zealand if they have had cases of customers deducting the RUC discount from invoices, or being instructed by customers that they must pass the discount on. We can then seek legal support on behalf of members.

Almost half the industry say they are cancelling or delaying

capital investment. That’s not spending on new trucks, plant and equipment, and there will be a downstream economic consequence of this. Economist Cameron Bagrie warns of the risk of stagflation, which is high inflation and low growth, and that appears to be where New Zealand is heading.

In this stressful environment, it’s important to say look after yourselves and your staff, many of whom will be under significant stress because of rising household costs, or postCovid trauma. As an industry, we have traditionally been pretty stoic but when people are under stress, they need to ask for help.

Transporting New Zealand can arrange support for you through counselling services or advice on any aspect of your business. For example, Cameron Bagrie, who is a close adviser and supporter of the industry, can help businesses arrange finance.

Wild weather also takes a toll It’s winter so we have got to expect bad weather but last week has been extreme. We are seeing the result of poor investment in the roading network and we are also seeing the impact of climate change and more extreme weather events. It’s a perfect storm.

In the Buller area, a slip blocked vehicles in exactly the same place where there have been previous slips. Good infrastructure maintenance and a decent capital fund would ensure that this wouldn’t happen again in the same place. Last year, South Canterbury experienced what authorities called a “one-in-200year storm”. Well, it’s happened again this year.

Taranaki operators also told us about the poor condition of Truck & Driver | 41

Driving the economy

Cameron Bagrie will help Conference delegates understand the current state of the economy and where we are heading.

roads in their area. We made the case with Waka Kotahi and the media. Operators lost tyres and had damage to gear as a result of roading conditions.

Eighteen months ago, I talked to the agency and gave them exact spots between Hawera and New Plymouth where there were big maintenance mountains. Much of that work was done but now there are other places requiring maintenance. We are not attacking Waka Kotahi or contracting staff; they are

Ia Ara Aotearoa – Transporting New Zealand PO Box 1778, Wellington 04 472 3877 info@transporting.nz

frustrated, too. This is a political decision to underfund roads.

It’s up to the Government to spend more to keep up with the maintenance mountain to improve roads and to ensure we don’t keep going backwards.

If you know of a road that has damaged your vehicle and you’ve got photographic evidence of the road and damage to your vehicle, then please send it to us so we can advocate on your behalf. T&D

Nick Leggett, Chief Executive 04 472 3877 • 021 248 2175 nick@transporting.nz Mike McRandle, Regional & Sector Manager 027 556 6099

www.transporting.nz 42 | Truck & Driver

Keith McGuire, Region 2 027 445 5785 Sandy Walker, Region 3 027 485 6038 John Bond, Region 4 027 444 8136 Jim Crouchley, Region 5 027 261 0953

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Truck & Driver | 45

ACTION MANUFACTURING GROUP PURCHASE MAXITRANS NEW ZEALAND OPERATIONS

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ction Manufacturing Group expand locally to purchase New Zealand MaxiTRANS business as of August 2022.

MaxiTRANS NZ is now renamed Freighter and will continue to operate business as usual. As a result, Australian Trailer Solutions Group (ATSG} has withdrawn the MaxiCUBE products from the NZ Market. However, Action has agreed to continue to provide service and support for MaxiCUBE products aftermarket, and will complete all existing orders.

The new expansion adds to New Zealand's growing network of locally manufactured goods, and supports the economy by providing jobs and generating further customers.

"The new purchase will extend our product range and offer general transport services, utilising our existing skill set, design thinking and resources." - CEO Chris Devoy.

Action Manufacturing Group now incorporate, Freighter alongside Fairfax Industries, Recreational and Specialised Vehicles.

Action will be developing a new range of Fairfax products as a result of the acquisition of MaxiTRANS, which will complement their uniquely moulded trailer products.

These will include: • Fairfax Premier Series • Fairfax Signature Series • Fairfax Eva Series We are pleased to welcome Freighter to the Action team.

Action Manufacturing has the largest range of locally manufactured and imported rigid bodies/trailers with operations in Hamilton, Auckland, and Christchurch.

The new business follows Action's acquisition of Fairfax Industries in 2018, which is a refrigerated truck body and trailer manufacturer.

A

ACTION.

actionmanufacturing.co.nz

.Q

One of the I.K. and S.M. Newey Transport Mack Trident’s carting logs out of Northland’s Poutu Forest.

AN NEWEY’S PASSION FOR TRUCKING BECOMES obvious within a few minutes of meeting him.

He’s one of those truckers who grew up in the cab of his dad’s truck. As a kid, it was all he wanted to do — drive a cement tanker, like his dad. Dad Keith Newey owned a fleet of four trucks carting cement. At 22, Ian got the chance to make his lifetime ambition come true, driving one of his dad’s trucks. “I lasted six months,” says Ian. “I got bored.”

So, cement tankers didn’t have the x-factor, but another budding career had pointed him in the right direction. He had left school at 16 and gone into forestry. He did a government-funded TOPS training course in farm forestry while he was boarding in Clevedon. After that he got a job thinning, cutting, and stacking posts in the Aupouri Forest north of Kaitaia.

“I did that for six months too, earning good money but ended up getting dragged home by my ear by my parents. I was no good with money. I ended up working in harvesting crews in the Woodhill Forest as a cross cutter.”

He worked his way up through the ranks, running logging crews but the trucking bug got him a job with Craig Stokes in Riverhead driving log trucks there and around Gisborne. After that, he took the chance to fulfil his burning desire to drive cement tankers, which, as we saw, quickly burned out.

Ian decided a year’s OE would help him decide his next step.

He travelled through the Middle East to Europe. It seemed to have worked. When he came back, he took the opportunity to buy a logging truck. After his cement dream had crumbled, he had found his calling back in the forests.

“Logging is the one. I had $15,000 and we got going with that.

I bought a log truck as an owner driver working out of Pouto in 2002. I met Shelley three months later. It became obvious that

that was the passion, logging trucks, the challenge of it. No two days are the same,” Ian says.

“The places we go are a challenge and you get to see parts of the country that without doing this you simply wouldn’t see — hidden parts of the world; hidden communities scattered all over the country, nice little farm lots.”

Shelley used to ride along with Ian and got to see why he loved it, before the demands of family and running a bigger business took over. She never got her truck licence. Ian told her it wasn’t a good idea. If she did, he would put her on the road.

We are at the head office of IK and SM Newey Transport in Ruakaka, in the building that was also their first family home. It was where they moved to, just down the road from Northport, two years after they set up their business in 2002. Ian had been up since 2am, having driven south to get a load of timber from Riverhead Forest.

“I think the thing that appealed was the camaraderie,” says Ian. “It doesn’t matter who you drive for there’s a real camaraderie between the drivers. Transport is competitive but on the coal face there is a lot of camaraderie. You are out in the mud in the wintertime. I climbed out of the truck this morning at 5am. The stars were out, you could see the shadows of the treetops against the sky and there’s the fresh smell of the pine. You hear the loader drivers talking to each other through the forest — they’re all on the same channel. There’s no cell phone coverage, for a moment you are off the grid and that has an appeal sometimes.”

“That’s why he loves driving so much,” says Shelley. “There’s only so much corporate stuff you can take every day.”

Running a logging truck business with 14 of their own trucks on the road, a staff of 18 including an administrator, a health and safety manager, a dispatcher and three mechanics, and 16 Truck & Driver | 47

Above: Ian Newey with father Keith and oldest son Blake.

Below: Ian and Shelley’s first new truck was a 2005 Mack Quantum 470.

Right: Shelley Newey at work in the company office at Ruakaka.

48 | Truck & Driver

contract owner drivers keeps Ian and Shelley busy.

But that’s not all Ian does. He is a board member of the National Road Carriers Association, and he has just been appointed to the association’s new five-member steering group, the NRC Transport and Logistics Advisory Group, which will be chaired by former Transport Minister Simon Bridges.

The largest of the three industry bodies, the National Road Carriers Association, which dates back 86 years, and the New Zealand Trucking Association, declined to throw in their lot with the RTA and advocacy group Transporting New Zealand.

An exit settlement was agreed.

The upshot is that the NRC is focused on working more directly with the government on the key priorities for transport, supported by the Advisory Group. As Ian says, they are not just priorities for the industry, but given transport’s central economic role, the country as a whole.

“The rate at which things are going to change over the next two to five years is going to be so steep we won’t be able to do it all at once. We’re going to have to prioritise, and the hot topic right now is roading. Roading is falling to bits in front of our eyes, especially in the regions.

“Roading infrastructure is on everyone’s lips. It doesn’t matter who you are, we’re all affected by gridlocks, potholes, it affects soccer mums as well as truck owners and truck drivers and school bus drivers, doctors, nurses — first responders are impacted.

If State Highway 1 is the backbone holding the country up, it’s got

arthritis. And the only way forward is to work with the likes of Waka Kotahi and our government agencies.”

Ian’s passion for logging fades into the background when compared with his passion for helping those in power see that better roads are vital to improve everyone’s lives, not just transport operators.

He says the group will advise the NRC board and give it direction on the challenges that are the most important, and partner with government agencies to deliver better outcomes.

The NRC is being re-energized. Ian at age 44 has been on the board for three years. The board has just delivered a new strategic plan and it has a new CEO, Justin Tighe-Umbers, who joined from the Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand, where he was executive director. Ian says the strategic plan is the steering group’s framework, but the rubber meets the road at the steering group — setting priorities and finding ways to put the plan into effect, as well as responding to changing circumstances.

“The advisory group has got the freedom to change things, tackle things, challenge the narrative, have the honest conversations,” says Ian. In that respect, Ian says the ‘divorce’ from the RTA was a good thing. “It couldn’t have happened without the split. There was a constitution at play. We were walking on eggshells. Everything had to come through the forum but as you went to the next level you were constrained and tied.”

Joining Newey and Bridges on the group are Pamela Bonney, who is also a board member of the NRC and heads up Customer Experience at L.W. Bonney & Sons Ltd; Jo Wills, co-owner of the Hugo Group, working in government relations and business strategy consultancy; and the new CEO, Tighe-Umbers. When we spoke, the steering group was yet to have its first meeting.

Ian’s 20 years’ experience running IK and SM Newey Transport with Shelley, and still driving when he can, means he sees things

from the same perspective as drivers.

“Being at the coalface of the industry gives me the opportunity to evaluate the issues from the same perspective as our drivers.

On the road, I see how quickly the roads are deteriorating through lack of maintenance, and how many additional movements we have to do because bridge restrictions on council roads mean bridges can’t bear the weight of larger, more efficient trucks.

“We can’t just keep putting prices up, that’s simply not sustainable. We need to look at new ways of doing things.

“To be fair the government is not the industry and who knows trucking better than the industry itself? So, we have to partner with government. There’s no point sitting across from Minister Woods and smashing your fist on the table; it’s going to get you nowhere.”

While the advisory group has yet to set its agenda, Ian’s priorities are already clear.

“We need safer roads. Transport operators share the roads with their families. You quite often wave at your wife and kids going the other way or your parents or grandparents.

“There’s a place for trains, cycleways, coastal shipping but one shouldn’t offset the other. It doesn’t matter what the future holds whether it’s electric, hydrogen or hybrid, if it’s got wheels it’s going to need a road to drive on.

“The hot topic from a transport operator, from a father, as somebody who uses the road not only as a business but to take the kids to school and sport … to live, to thrive, we’ve got to invest. As a country it’s paramount. We have to invest in the roading; it’s the backbone of the economy; it’s the backbone of our lives.”

So where did this extra level of passion come from?

“You get a lot of time to think when you are driving a truck.”

While it will be Ian sitting on the advisory group it’s clear coTruck & Driver | 49

The Mack brand has always played a leading role in the growth of the Newey’s operation.

director Shelley is equally motivated and animated by the same issues.

“I think as our business has grown — we currently have 14 trucks and 16 subcontractors so on any given day there are 30 trucks working under the Newey name — so it’s almost like our exposure is greater and by default I think our frustration has got greater too.

“Seeing the amount of money we pay in RUCs – and don’t get me wrong, we very much appreciate the rebate that we have been given – but prior to that the amount of money in RUCs that we pay and those working under us and seeing the state of our roads you become quite disillusioned and you think if you are not willing to do something then you can’t complain. You’ve got to be willing to say the hard things – be brave, put your head up and say it’s not good enough.”

Shelley points to the move to reduce speeds on some roads and says that can’t be used as a reason not to improve roads, while the government promotes other changes in transport.

Ian adds the problem is only going to get bigger and that there won’t be fewer cars as a result of the lifestyle changes, we saw through Covid. More people are working from home but an increase in remote working also means more people are moving to the regions. He says freight movement is tipped to grow 3540% by 2035, largely through population growth and most of that population growth is most likely to be in the regions.

Ian says a key role of the new group is to form effective partnerships, so he was delighted when New Zealand Transport Agency’s CEO of regulatory services Brett Aldridge attended the NRC recent summit with the NTA and asked industry to partner with Waka Kotahi. He’s looking forward to the conversations they will have in the advisory group.

“I’ve never been shy to have an honest conversation with someone and especially in this day and age I think people appreciate that.

“I’ve never been afraid to ring clients up when I need to and say `hey this is not working.’

“If you can demonstrate why, then you generally get a result.

As you get along in business and we’ve been doing it for 20 years 50 | Truck & Driver

— it’s an age thing too; if you’ve got your head in the game you see a lot of what people outside the industry don’t see.”

Ian says he and Shelley built their business on straight dealing and relationship building.

They created a partnership, Marsden Transport Solutions, in 2006 with Glen and Suzie Curran when they still had only one truck. They built that business up to a total fleet of about 10 and in 2011 they sold their shares to Glen and Suzie to take up roles in running Aztec Forestry Transport Developments.

Ian was northern operations manager and Shelley joined later as health and safety manager. They ran the northern end of that Rotorua based business from their home for six years, growing the fleet from 23 to 50 trucks as the northern industry grew. They started at Aztec with three trucks of their own and grew it to 10 before they decided to go out on their own in 2017. They gave six months’ notice.

Says Shelley, “We got our debt levels quite low so we could take the risk, but we had no work. There were other parts of the industry that were untapped that they weren’t aligned with, so we decided to brand as Newey and get busy.”

Ian says the business was hand to mouth for three months, but their timing was good. Changes were taking place in forest ownership and the new forest owners were going to the market for contracts.

Shelley says it wasn’t all luck. “We worked hard over the years on building good relationships. We go into meetings as a team, and you see our health and safety. I think that team approach is quite unique.

Ian says a key part of their relationship building was taking on the ‘Share the Road’ programme with the Northland Wood Council, taking trucks to schools to educate rural school children about safety around trucks, but also the vast opportunities in all aspects of the forestry industry.

“It was a good opportunity to be in the room with those people and have conversation with them and build relationships with them,” says Shelley.

“This is also something we can give back,” says Ian. “A lot of log trucks go past schools so it’s part of the partnership with the

“The other part of the family are our staff and contractors,” says Shelley. “We have been so blessed to have some really amazing people working around us. They have been there for us through some tough personal battles and the support they provide us is immeasurable. We are so thankful for all that they do for us.”

Ian makes the point that it is the level of support that has enabled him to get involved in industry issues at a relatively young age.

“I think there’s plenty of people with a desire to do things like this and the drive to be on the board or an advisory group, but have they got the support behind them to give them the time to do it?” says Ian. “We definitely have that.”

Shelley says Keith, Ian’s dad, is his mentor but also his best

TD32754

rural community and to give back to them.”

The other key ingredient in their success, says Ian, is the support they have had.

“What we have been able to achieve in 20 years, having a fleet of 14 trucks and 16 contractors and having time to be a board member on National Road Carriers, and having time to be on the advisory group, and Shelley having time to be on the PTA, and having time to be a coach for our daughter’s hockey team; me having time to do the Share the Road programme, and taking trucks into schools is because we’ve got a fantastic support network around us. From where we live three kays in one direction are my parents and two kays in the other direction are Shelley’s parents so it’s very much a family business, because we’ve got support as well.

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Left: One of Keith Newey’s original R-Series Mack cement tankers was located seven years ago and has now been fully restored.

Right: The `Share the Road’ programme with the Northland Wood Council takes trucks into schools to educate rural school children about safety around trucks and opportunities in all aspects of the forestry industry.

friend. “He sees things differently and he thinks about things differently. He welcomed me into the family like a daughter – but he’ll also tell you if you are being a dick.”

Keith drove log trucks for Smith & Davies in the ’70s out of Northcote. In 1982 they moved north and bought the Kaiwaka service station. They sold it in 1989 and moved to Orewa and took up a contract with Golden Bay Cement carting it from Portland all over the North Island. He did that for 20 years, wearing out 11 trucks, all Macks. Now retired, he owns the yard they lease, just along the road from Newey’s head office, with a four-bay drive through workshop and a commercial truckwash.

Ian’s grandfather was also a fan of Mack. He used to own and drive a Mack school bus in Colac Bay, near Invercargill, making this a third-generation family association with the Mack brand.

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About seven years ago, Ian found his dad’s old truck, the first one he bought in 1989, derelict in a paddock. He had the 1989 R Model Mack 6x4 fully restored. When Keith turned 65, they held a retirement birthday party for him in the workshop. It was a bit bigger than Keith had expected with 150 guests. After about an hour of drinking and reminiscing, one of Keith’s longest serving drivers, Dave Kerr, went out and drove the truck in, unannounced.

There were tears.

Naturally, Ian runs a predominantly Mack fleet. Asked if he considered other trucks when he was starting out, he said: “I wasn’t allowed to.”

“We standardised deliberately. It makes maintenance a lot easier. You learn the product; you understand what its issues are and what you typically find if you have an issue with a certain

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Loading another Newey Mack with logs in the Poutu Forest.

brand, you have that issue right through the brand so you can diagnose it quite quickly.

“And then when carrying parts inventory, you only have to carry one set of filters and so on.”

His first truck was a Foden but the first truck he bought new in 2005 was a Mack Quantum 470 6x4, which he still has today.

Occasionally other people get to drive it but “they get the speech”.

“The Mack product has been very good to us; it’s been a very very good reliable truck,” says Ian. “They have done very well by us. We have a relationship with the sales team, and we have a very good relationship with the after sales team. Owning trucks is all about the after sales support, that’s very critical.

“They are not all the same model. We wish they were, but they keep changing the bloody models.

“We’ve had Quantums and CHs and those are running the 470 Mack engine which was an unbreakable engine and we’ve moved into the Granite/Trident era which is running the MP8.

The current fleet is six Tridents, one Granite, two CH Macks and one Quantum.

“Truck ownership is about what you’re comfortable with.

“Some are 8x4 with 5-axle trailers, 50-tonne; other 6x4 4-axle trailers and others are 8x4 with 4-axle trailers. Being in Northland there’s a range of configurations because we have bridge restrictions.”

They also have a couple of International Skycabs that they bought with a contract about a year ago. They have also recently

converted one of the International’s trailers to a three-packet configuration, which improves safety through lower centre of gravity loads. Ian says they asked clients if they did this, would they have enough work with shorter logs to support the move, before they went ahead.

The fleet got to 18, now it’s down to 15, including one being built up in the workshop. “We’ve retired a couple of old girls.”

Ian says they make a decision on each truck when it is five or six years old. They will decide whether to sell it when it comes out of finance when it still has about 60% of its value or keep it until the end of life.

As there were good deals on new trucks to be had as orders were cancelled due to Covid, in the past year Newey Transport has ordered three new trucks to be delivered over nine months.

A new Mack Granite is being built as a lightweight unit specifically for maximum payload bridges. It’s a new cab and chassis and for the first time the workshop is adding the logging gear -— the headboard and bolsters themselves, recycling them from a decommissioned truck.

A Mack Titan is also on the order list, a tractor unit for a new venture. At present all of the fleet are loggers.

There are also a couple of Hino 700s in the fleet and another on the way. “They are also very reliable — and not everybody likes a bonneted Mack. Not all drivers are into driving bonnets.

“The Hino has also got a better turning circle,” says Ian. “Each truck has its own unique set of features that make it stand out from the other and some of the jobs we go to we know we’re not sending that truck. We’ve got to have a range of different Truck & Driver | 55

Part of the family BERNIE GUNSON HAS SEEN IT ALL. HE’S been with the Neweys for 17 years from before their time at Aztec and has moved with them as their business has grown and changed.

“He has the newest truck in the fleet and he’s just family,” says Shelley. “We took him on our family holiday at the start of the year. He just told me he’s booking in six weeks off in 2024.

“He was with us in MTS days. He has been on this ride with us the whole way. He was one of the people who when we decided to go our own way and put our own name on the door he said, ‘about bloody time’ and that he was really proud of us.

“I suppose he sort of thinks of us as his kids sometimes but he’s really proud of everything we’ve achieved. He’s a special man and he still does an honest day’s work.”

Shelley said they have offered him reduced hours or a truck that works just a couple of days a week, but he didn’t want that. “He said `I’m going to keep doing it while I can still do it’.”

56 | Truck & Driver

Top left: Shelley and Ian Newey with their three children, Luke, Blake and Jess.

Lower left: Bernie Gunson has worked with the Neweys for 17 years.

Above: There’s a high degree of self-sufficiency in the Newey operation with a full workshop that can complete new builds and salvage parts from old trucks.

configurations to suit the work we do.”

Ian says they used to have three CHs, but they have mentored a young driver into a seat as a contractor. “We’ve owned the truck outright and he’s paying us back monthly over 18 months.

“Why? Because that’s where I started. There are so many quality people out there. Transport’s an expensive game to get into and there’s some quality people out there who need a leg-up to get into the industry.”

Shelley says they treat contractors very much as part of the team. They wear the company’s PPE, and they sign up to the

company’s culture. Shelley says Newey Transport puts a lot of effort into culture. She says there’s no point just deciding on the company’s values and just pinning them on the wall. The important aspect is how that translates into behaviours. At meetings they talk about how the things that happen every day at work are examples of their culture at work.

“I want to make sure every part of the business gets love,” says Shelley. “It’s very easy to focus on drivers but we’ve got workshop staff, a dispatcher who does a really good job – probably one of hardest jobs in the business — an administrator Truck & Driver | 57

One of the six Mack Tridents in the Newey fleet at the Ruakaka weighbridge.

who sorts the dockets, bills and wages and a health and safety manager.

“To me health and safety is just about keeping people safe — because there is someone out there that loves them. We don’t want to see anyone get hurt. To us the right culture will breed the right behaviour and you will get health and safety, because they will care about each other.”

“If our contractors are successful Newey Transport is successful as a result,” says Ian. “We share the pain, and we share the gain.”

In 2020 there was some pain to be shared. In 2020 they halved the fleet and had to let half of the drivers go. The freehold trucks were parked up. China was hit by Covid first and that had an immediate impact on the log export to China business.

“The government didn’t come out with wage support until April, and we were feeling it in February. We were on a 50% reduction in February,” says Ian. Ian and Shelley asked their contractors to shed 50% while they did the same. “We called everyone in around this table on a Monday morning and we laid off 50% of our staff and our contractors had to lay off 50% of theirs or drop their workload by 50%.

“We had to make some critical decisions to save the company from a cashflow point of view. You’ve got to be bold early; you can’t just bleed cash.”

They decided the fairest way to do it was last on first off.

“We told them to go and get a job anywhere. We are giving you a two-week head start. Five of the six got other jobs, not necessarily truck driving.”

58 | Truck & Driver

They also told them they would all be welcomed back, but that was their choice. Three months later three had returned.

Now things have swung the other way. China had had no logs, so when the demand came back it came back hard. The Neweys have had “18 months of insanity” but it gave them confidence to invest in new trucks.

Shelley said early on that her background was different to Ian’s. “Yes, I finished school,” she says, laughing. She got a degree from the University of Waikato in human resources and had always known that was what she wanted to do.

She says that before she met Ian, she would have thought that their three children needed to go to university too, but he had shown her that ‘book learning’ wasn’t everything. That if you worked hard and got stuck in – and had the right support – you would succeed.

“You can’t do it alone,” says Ian. “You’ve got to have some drive and some support. The world is everyone’s oyster but you’ve got to have some drive. People notice other people that are moving forward.”

Which is why Shelley is quite happy to see their eldest son Blake (14) walking across the fields from Bream Bay College on Tuesdays and Thursdays to put on some overalls to do work experience in the workshop. The mechanics put some jobs out for him, which can be anything from sweeping the floor, but he’ll soon be moving onto relining brake shoes.

Blake could be the fourth generation Newey in the trucking game one day. Middle son Luke (11) is another option, but Shelley says daughter Jess (9), who is still at One Tree Point Primary, has no doubts. “She’s very keen. She’s already said she wants to run the business one day.” T&D

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Ian Emmerson

URING A LIFETIME WORKING IN THE TRUCKING industry, Ian Emmerson has developed a strong philosophy that, while competition is vital to driving business efficiency, just as much can be gained from cooperation – between transport operators and their customers, and between industry groups.

This month’s Southpac Legend also admits to being passionate about the engineering side of the business, in terms of specifying and setting up units for optimal efficiency and suitability for their jobs.

To this end he was very active in the industry group that worked with government agencies to develop what became the HPMV regulations in the early 2010s.

Early, and successful, products of the group’s work were the 11-axle Super-B Emmerson Transport curtainsiders carting palletised export wood pulp from Pan Pac at Whirinaki to Port Napier.

Running to a 62t permit gave the units a payload capability of 40t, double that of a standard 44t GCM combination.

Born and raised in Hastings, Ian decided at 15 he’d had enough of schooling and started to work full-time on the family’s process cropping and horticulture property. He gained his truck and trailer licence at 18, not a big deal he admits, for he had been driving a variety of machinery on the farm long before that. The family had its own trucks, and in 1978 branched out into the commercial side with the formation of Emmerson Transport.

This side of the business grew rapidly, and the farming was downsized and consolidated into apple growing.

60 | Truck & Driver

Ian and his brother Peter helped their father John on the transport venture. In common with most fledgling transport businesses of the era, the company relied initially on TK Bedfords.

“After that, for a time our mainstay linehaul truck was a 250 A-Series ERF, and then we ventured into Internationals, 3070s and T-Lines. I did a lot of my driving in Inters.

“The company expanded dramatically in the wake of deregulation during the late 1980s and early 1990s. What had started primarily to cart our own export produce to the ports of Tauranga and Auckland grew to include livestock and rural work and after that, general freight.

“Peter stayed more hands-on with the driving, while in the mid1990s late 1980s I shifted into a management role. By that time, I had put up around a million kilometres on the road.”

In that era the company moved out of livestock and was rebranded ETL. Growth continued, and by the mid-2010s the company was the biggest general freight transport operator in the Hawkes Bay and had six depots across the North Island.

In early 2021, ETL was sold to Chester Perry Securities, with Ian has staying on as a director and business consultant. He says the sale has allowed ETL to grow and take on new opportunities: “I didn’t want to load my son Shaun and daughter Karly up with the responsibility for a major company, which can be a real minefield to handle.

“The transport industry isn’t as simple as it looks. It’s quite complex, and the passion of younger people to be involved is

not as keen as it was 40 years ago. In addition, the industry has gone from a relatively low level of regulation to a high level of compliance, and that does put people under more pressure.

“The senior team with ETL now are doing a very good job. The current situation means the company has the backing to expand.

During our years of maximum growth, we were expanding up to 25% per year, which meant we were always in capital debt with equipment.

“The margins were enough to support this in those days, but a lot of the margin has now disappeared from the industry, which makes it more of a challenge. One positive now is that the stakeholders have a greater capacity to invest in capital outlay.”

He’s proud of Emmerson Transport’s involvement in the introduction of HPMV vehicles.

“It gave our customers and ourselves more margin to play with.

The country as a whole gained, too, for it gave us the opportunity to shift a greater tonnage with the same equipment, reducing vehicle movements. Everyone benefited.”

The consolidation and streamlining of the Road Transport Association and Transporting NZ over the past few tears years has meant a welcome reduction in Ian’s responsibilities on the boards of these bodies, he says: “Reducing the number of regions in the RTA has led to greater efficiencies, without limiting their ability to be heard.

“The regional structure is important for rural carriers, because the issues faced by firms in the Waikato, for example, can be quite different from those in Southland, and different again in the cities, so it’s vital that these varying concerns can be tabled. Often, a regional issue can be handled at that local level.”

Then there’s the social aspect: “Operators might fight like the Devil on the front line, but a lot of good come from being able to get together occasionally for a beer and a yarn.

“In a wider context, my vision is to see the road transport industry represented by a single entity, with a uniform membership across the country, rather than what we have now, with several groups, not always working together, unfortunately.

“Unless we can present a single voice to government and regulatory authorities the message will always be confusing.”

Ian reckons he has progressively worked to be a little more than simply truck mad, pointing to years playing squash and a keen interest in rugby. He and wife Sue also enjoy travelling, heading to Europe every couple of years pre-Covid.

He also has a classic project truck, a 1984 International Eagle 4870 that came out of the ETL fleet and was the last truck he drove when he was still on the road. It’s one of the few 8x4 versions of the model, and Ian believes it’s the only one that’s been in single ownership all its life. The truck has a 400hp Cummins 855, a 15-speed Roadranger and Rockwell diffs.

The Eagle has done about three million kilometres. About half a million ago it was fitted with a brand-new crate engine, one of several imported by Cummins NZ to clear old stock from the USA. The project is around 75% completed, Ian says, but has been put on hold while he builds a new workshop. Finished, the model will be a flat-deck, a configuration it used for its first decade of service.

Expanding on his passion for developing optimal specs for units, Ian says customers play a big part in the process.

“There has to be a level of loyalty and trust when you’re selling a concept to them. You’ve got to have faith in each other, be prepared to work as a partnership. For primary producers especially, transport is one of their bigger costs. If you get it wrong, it will impact both of you. We have been more involved in perishable and time-sensitive products than manufactured goods, where even a few hours can get you out of step.

“One of the things we’ve tried to do with ETL is where we have a long-term association with a customer with, say, three truck and trailer units dedicated to the contract, we make the costs transparent and aim for a fair return on investment.

“You can’t do it for all products, but if it can be achieved it can work as a partnership. Sometimes, though, the costs can be driven by the internal efficiencies of the customer, putting them outside the ability of the transport operator to control.

“This model can assist though transparency to highlight areas that the customer can aid in cost control by changing some of their internal practices to achieve better efficiency, making the practice a win for both parties.

“I’ve always had a lifelong philosophy of not asking people to do anything I won’t do myself. It’s also important to put effort back into the community that feeds us, hence the involvement in the Life Education Trust and other local support groups.”

Via an annual ‘Ride in a Truck’ day, ETL has also supported a local trust that provides accommodation to families with children in hospital. Ian has been a chair on that for more than 20 years. T&D

Truck & Driver | 61

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FEATURE

This heavy-haul Leyland Hippo seen working for Roadways in the sixties, is representative of the archive of historic images hosted on www.truckarchive.co.nz

The site was created to safeguard, host and display what remains of the photographic and film history of the NZ road transport industry.

Credit: Harold Hemming. M.O.W. Photographer

The History Vault THE PRIME/SKY TV COMMISSIONED DOCUMENTARY SERIES Truck Files – The New Zealand Story, that aired last year on Prime and Sky had a two-fold agenda, explains producer Bryce Baird.

He says the primary objective was to educate the general public about the importance of the industry to the country and to counter some of the negative perceptions that are out there.

Simultaneously it was an opportunity to showcase the industry and make it aspirational – an industry that a young person might like to join.

“There are a lot of grey heads in our industry now, mine included, and there is a massive need to get proactive about encouraging new entrants into an industry that few young people now have access to,” says Bryce.

Convincing a TV network to air a documentary style programme about trucking was a story in itself.

“Most of the networks were only interested in a reality TV-based approach, which relied heavily on hype and drama, and reinforces entrenched stereotypes that paint our industry generally in a poor light,” Bryce says.

“TV programming has been greatly dumbed down over the last decade. I wasn’t interested in that, so it was gratifying to find that Prime wanted to take a more in-depth look at the subject.

“There is clearly an anti-trucking bias in the news media, not helped by an educational system that doesn’t regard a career as a professional truck driver as a serious option. As an industry we need to be seen to be proud of what we do, and promote what an

exciting industry it is, and that road transport offers many career options.”

Truck Files – The New Zealand Story was funded by a group of industry stalwarts that shared those concerns.

“They backed the project for the common good and our industry owes a great deal to Sime Darby, HWR, and Daniel Smith Industries who provided the key sponsorship to get it underway, and also to ETL (Emmerson), Transport Trailers, Patchell Industries, Williams & Wilshier, Summerland, three of the RTA branches, McCarthy Transport, SML, NZ Truck & Driver, Road Metals and a few others that also helped fund it.”

However, the making of the documentary also highlighted how fragmented the historic record of the industry had become.

“A great deal of the photographic and movie record has been lost, usually because nobody knew what to do with that box of photos or cans of film when the owner passed. It was either dumped or donated to a local museum, which usually wasn’t much of a better option,” says Bryce.

Bryce’s involvement in the industry spans 45 years, and in that time he has gone from driving to writing and photography, and then videoing and archiving the industry, to documentary maker.

He joined forces with Trevor Woolston and Jon Addison in the early days of NZ Trucking Magazine, which they founded, and he came onboard as the South Island contributor for the magazine, specialising in writing feature articles and historical pieces about the road transport industry.

Truck & Driver | 63

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Some days, truck driving in New Zealand can’t be bettered.

This was one of these days when a pair of Sollys’ Nissans were headed into the Anatori region on the upper West Coast of the South Island.

This scene and other clips are being used as part of a QR resource for careers advisors, and institutes to sell our message - that trucking is an option that can lead to a great and satisfying career.

While Trevor and Jon sold that magazine sometime later, Baird stayed on as a contributor, enlarging his role under various editors, until the Christchurch earthquakes of 2011 instigated a major change of direction.

Nearly three decades of feature writing, along with the photographic, and then later the video-graphic side of his main business activities, resulted in an impressively-large archival resource.

“I’d be guessing that there’d be something in the order of 40,000 images in my photo archive, and many-terabytes of video footage, which covered the 40 years of great change in the industry between the `eighties and the present,” he says.

It was this resource that provided the nucleus material in order to convince Prime/Sky that “we had the footage to tell the story.”

The advent of digital video technology in the late 1990’s allowed SD broadcast quality footage to be captured economically, and Baird was an early adopter of the technology, and filmed the first of his Truck Files DVD series in 1999.

“I could see that many aspects of our industry were undergoing rapid change, especially in the rural sector,” Bryce says.

“The high-country tenure review process was locking up a lot of the back-country and big stock movements were becoming a thing of the past. Native logging was coming to an end and there was a lot of reorganisation in the truck manufacturing industry resulting in brands disappearing or changing distributors, vertical integration and increasingly powerful trucks. It was a very kinetic period, a time we will probably never see the like of again.

“My main focus was on filming the remote aspects of our

The R-series Mack profoundly changed what could be expected of a truck when introduced in the seventies, and it ushered an era of reliability and capability that other brands strove for.

‘Southern Pride’ is a fine example of the type of combination that evolved after de-regulation for line-haul work.

It can be seen as part of an ever growing portrait gallery of significant NZ trucks.

‘Menu - Photo Archives - Portraits’

Truck & Driver | 65

4:53 PM

Much of what we do as an industry goes under the radar of the general public. www.truckarchive.co.nz is a storehouse of video and photographic material for the industry to promote itself, record the history, educate the public and provide an image and video bank to aid recruitment.

This 8x8 MAN was used by SML in Canterbury to cross the Waiau River and service a difficult to access forestry-block.

industry, the work and places that not everybody gets to see. The by-product of this was an archive of professionally shot footage of a great number of trucks no longer in work.

“R-series Macks, Foden Alphas, Sterlings, Pacifics in the Kaingaroa Forest, and a plethora of other brands that are no longer on our roads - created a rich resource for TV programming some two decades later.

“I’d inadvertently recorded some really cool stuff, that time and earthquakes has made into history,” he says.

“Daniel Smith Industries had one of their 400-tonne cranes dismembered and being carted to the North Island and I got a great sequence of four of his Kenworths in convoy coming through one of the Kaikoura tunnels – tunnels that have been rebuilt since the Kaikoura earthquakes. I’ve filmed stuff that isn’t there anymore, bridges, equipment and people. Of course, you never see the big picture while you are doing these things.

“DVD sales never covered the cost of production, but that didn’t matter at the time. Filming the industry took me places that I would have never got to see otherwise, and I still get a kick out of looking at this material. New Zealand is an incredible place to be a truckie, and a film-maker.”

Then in 2011, working from a basement office below the family home in Opawa – just 0.6 kilometres from the epicentre of the February earthquake event in Christchurch – the house sheered from its ring foundations. The street lost 60% of the buildings in an instant and Bryce’s home was barely habitable, and eventually written-off.

“It was a wake-up call as to how vulnerable our history is,” says Bryce.

“All those photographs, articles, books and video hard drives could have just as easily ended up in the debris pile at the Burwood Forest super-dump like thousands of other houses did.

“It was just good luck that all that stuff wasn’t lost. Another few seconds of shaking and it may well of been.

“Hard drives don’t like earthquakes and we had something like 17,000 quakes of varying sizes over three or four years. Some drives did die, so this experience motivated me to find a way to safeguard this footage in case of another disaster.

66 | Truck & Driver

“YouTube and Vimeo were relatively new to the scene at the time, and it seemed logical to start loading up the important stuff from the Truck Files DVD series so I created www.TruckArchive.co.nz over a decade ago to protect some of this material.

“Back then, the streaming infrastructure couldn’t cope with the amount of material I had to archive, and it’s been a case of waiting for the technology to catch up. The site has undergone more than 10 years of experimentation and development to reach the stage it is now, and thousands of hours of time invested in creating it over the last decade.”

Bryce says the site currently sits at around 450 pages, comprised of infinitely expandable photographic libraries, video libraries, hidden QR code modules for use in museums, collections and education.

And it’s still very much in an expansion stage; “I’ve only scratched the surface of what I think needs to be hosted,” Bryce says.

“Facebook is a great thing, and great entertainment, but the archive is a collection point, designed for a different purpose.

“It provides three or more levels of redundancy, firstly with content being hosted on the web, as well as across multiple TruckArchive hard-drives, and thirdly, with the image owner having the original in whatever form it that may be.

“It’s all searchable, and if I was to die tomorrow, the structure of the project could be easily understood by anybody with a passing familiarity of how a website works. Levels of editorial control can be granted, and I envisage that people can add information to the photographs or video content to build on the history through the editor.

“What we are providing is a place to showcase these, and create as comprehensive a list as possible of the companies, equipment and brands that have long exited from the industry. It will provide material for film makers, historians and those with an interest in the industry to research, as well as produce new content about the industry.”

While most of the site is free-to-view, some content is pay-to-view in order to cover the running costs, and provide funding for the development of future content.

“The Truck Files TV series generated a phenomenal amount of

new footage, and together with the older archive of photographic and other historic footage. I have a list of at least 30 programme ideas, which are in varying stages of development, covering a wide range of subjects, some of which are in development for future possible free-to-view TV broadcast programming,” Bryce says.

“TV still has its place, and I am working on something new at the moment.

“Producing a programme to broadcast standards is an expensive exercise, and there are many constraints as to what can be aired. A website can host a much broader range of items than we could ever hope to get on TV, and it may be that TruckArchive becomes a defacto trucking-content channel as much as it is an archive.

“NZ On Air funding is hard to come by, and that means almost all content for any type of programme has to come from the industry it is showcasing. Watch any fishing show, or building show and see who funds it, very little funding comes from NZ On Air anymore.”

An industrial-strength linear-actuator was developed specifically to film some the majority of the Truck Files content. The system

allowed for fast set up and mobility, and as far as Bryce is aware, it is the only system of its type in New Zealand.

It can raise and lower an independently suspended and stabilised, gyro-controlled camera system from ground level to windscreen height in seconds, which allowed quick and safe filming especially in remote or rugged regions.

“The up-side was that we could generate a huge amount of footage in a short space of time, but the down side was that we could generate a huge amount of footage in a short space of time,” Bryce says.

“This resulted in huge amounts of footage, all shot in 4K at a fast film rate that required massive hard drive storage systems, which swallowed a lot of the budget.”

It’s a well-known cliché that a lot of film is left on the cuttingroom floor.

“We’ve got gorgeous footage of trucks working over much of the country, just waiting to be made into content.

“We had the same problem, if you can call it a problem, with

Photographed in 1999, this Ryal Bush FH12 460 Volvo livestock unit was hauling deer out of Lilybank Station, and seen here crawling out of the Macauley riverbed. The original article hosted about six images, but the full shoot can be seen among others with a historic context here ‘Menu-Photo Archives-Significant trucks/fleets/shoots-Volvo’

Truck & Driver | 67

New Zealand was a difficult country to lay down a roading network, and SH94 into Milford Sound was perhaps the most difficult of all to create.

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....and this Allied Petroleum FH Volvo is seen here plying the same road in 2018.

This is a good example of the depth of history www.truckarchive.co.nz hosts, and these items and others will contribute to a mini-doco coming out later this year about this historic road.

For the MAN - ‘Menu-Photo Archives -Significant trucks/fleets/shoots- MAN - Gore Services’

For the Volvo - ‘Video Archives - The Modern Industry RAW footage - By Location - Fiordland Te Anau to Milford Sound’. articles during my magazine days,” Bryce says.

“You might shoot 300 images for a story, and then only use 10 or 12 in the article. The web allows me to put the rest up for viewing, and that’s another thing I am doing – just throwing as many of these shoots as possible onto the site, and over time we’ll fill in the details.

“There is still much to be filmed. We are entering another era of great change. We’ve been through the horsepower to petrol-power, petrol-to-diesel, from four-wheeler truck to nine-axle combination eras, and now we are entering the demise of diesel and the age of autonomous vehicles. It’s important to record this in a professional

manner.

“I very much see this as a trucking-community project,” says Bryce.

“I’m a safe pair of hands. I’ve seen every aspect of the industry, and have the equipment and skill set to record it. History keeps on being made on a daily basis, and I’ve made it easy for anyone to have a little ownership of this project by helping fund it.

“Or not. It’s up to the individual as to whether they see worth in this project or not,” says Bryce.

“Either way, join the newsletter to keep up with what we have discovered.” T&D

Truck & Driver | 69

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FEATURE

The nine Fuso eCanter’s taking part in the Christchurch trials were launched at the Ruapuna race circuit.

Christchurch

By Brian Cowan

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NINE FUSO ECANTER BATTERY-ELECTRIC TRUCKS HAVE HIT the streets of Christchurch in a Christchurch City Council-led project to demonstrate what’s possible with the electrification of commercial vehicles.

The project aligns with the Council’s commitment to halve greenhouse gas emissions, from a 2016/17 baseline, by 2030.

The trucks are being run by nine companies and are fitted with a range of bodies suited to various applications. They are leased through TR Group.

The project involves two distinct elements, with the eCanter common to both. One is fairly representative of its type, monitoring the energy use and economics of vehicles covering a modest distance each day in urban civil construction maintenance services work.

The other is more intriguing, in that it is monitoring the viability of possible future emission-free zones covering the delivery of goods and supplies to suburban shopping precincts. It is being run in the Northlands/Northlink complex in Papanui and the recently-developed cluster close to the Christchurch airport.

What makes this second trial unique, says Christchurch City Council resource efficiency manager Kevin Crutchley, who is coordinating the projects, is that it involves the private sector, the shopping property landlords.

“In essence, we’re investigating the potential for future implementation of zero exhaust-emissions delivery zones on their properties.

“Where such zones have been set up overseas, they have been for the most part in the CBDs and administered by the

local authorities. In contrast, this is bringing the private sector into the mix.

“It’s exciting to be working with property landlords to investigate the possibility of having zero-emission delivery zones,” Crutchley says.

“What’s impressive is that the shopping complex owners are willing to discuss the possibility of in time setting up such zones, thereby playing a critical role in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Four delivery companies have a truck each in the shopping precinct project. They are Bidfood Ltd, Hall’s, PBT Transport Ltd and Toll New Zealand.

The other eCanters are being run by five of the Council’s civil construction and maintenance contractors – CityCare Property, Fulton Hogan Ltd, HEB Construction Ltd, Higgins Contractors Ltd, and Isaac Construction Ltd. All the nine companies have primary charging points at their depots, but the shopping district project is also investigating the provision of charging facilities at the shopping centres for the delivery vehicles, so they can be receiving a top-up charge while servicing their customers. Depending on load, a typical day’s work for the maintenance group involves more modest distances, generally within the 120-150km range of the eCanter on a full charge.

As Kevin Crutchley explains, part of the shopping precinct project is to look at what easy to use charging infrastructure might be needed when more battery-electric trucks are used for delivery services.

“Private battery-electric cars are normally charged at home, Truck & Driver | 71

The Christchurch trials have seen the FUSO eCanter fitted with a variety of body options.

and currently there is also a good, and growing, range of Council and commercially provided public car charging options available in Christchurch.”

He adds that EROAD’s involvement in the projects will provide detailed information on the movements of all the trucks.

“We’re gathering practical lessons from the projects so that truck operators can see how best to use battery-electric truck technology for their work.”

The trucks involved in the projects have been fitted with a variety of application-specific body types. These include chiller bodies for fresh food distribution, curtainsiders for express freight delivery, and a range of flat deck and utility configurations for civil construction, maintenance work and traffic management.

FUSO New Zealand general manager Kevin Smith says it’s a tribute to the eCanter’s versatility.

“The broad range of applications to which these trucks have been put to work demonstrates their adaptability and suitability for emission-free operation across a range of industries,” Smith says.

The model’s electric drivetrain is fitted to a standard 3400mm wheelbase Canter cab/chassis. It features a permanent

72 | Truck & Driver

synchronous electric motor, delivering 135kW and 390Nm and powered by an 81kWh lithium-ion, liquid-cooled battery pack, operating at 420V. Two-stage regeneration captures energy from the vehicle’s momentum when braking or slowing and returns it to the batteries for future use. A standard CCS2 plug is used for charging, with a DC fast-charge capability able to bring the battery to 80% capacity in 45 minutes and full charge in 80 minutes. The model also comes equipped with an AC charge cable, allowing for a full charge overnight using off-peak power.

The electric model offers the same suite of safety features as the standard Canter. These include active emergency braking, lane departure warning and electronic stability control. The emergency braking uses forward-facing radar to detect the possibility of contact with pedestrians or other vehicles, while a camera mounted on top of the dash monitors lane markings to warn of direction changes that aren’t accompanied by an indicator.

Kevin Crutchley says the information gained from the two projects will assist in reducing greenhouse gas reduction from key transportation sector.

“Some 36% of emissions for the Christchurch district currently come from on-road petrol and diesel use. The

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projects aim to show what’s possible with the electrification of commercial trucks. With transport making up a high proportion of our district’s emissions, it’s critical that we find a path towards zero exhaust emission trucks, in addition to batteryelectric passenger cars.

“I see the Council’s role as being that of the facilitator for projects like this, bringing willing businesses together. Both projects are great examples of the Council and businesses working on a common objective to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The firms involved are early adopters, and are

paving the way for both themselves, and the wider transport sector, in learning more about battery-electric truck technology.

It is a delight to work with them.”

More than $3 million is being invested in the two projects, with funding coming from the nine companies leasing the trucks, the Low Emission Transport fund (administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) and from EROAD. Mercury NZ is also supplying some funding towards on-route truck charging infrastructure as part of the shopping district delivery services project. T&D

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The first Isuzu Giga CYJ530 models have recently arrived in New Zealand.

Isuzu’s tech drive

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TIPPED FROM THE TOP OF THE KIWI TRUCK MARKET SALES leader board in 2021 following a late surge from FUSO, the Isuzu marque has spent early 2022 strengthening not only its model range but also warranty offerings and the dealer network.

Last year was the first time in 21 years that Isuzu wasn’t New Zealand’s number one truck brand.

The response says Dave Ballantyne, General Manager of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand, has been to bring new models and safety technology to the market.

“We have been in catch-up mode a little bit in bringing these features to the market,” he says.

“We know that because we haven’t had the safety features, we have missed out on some business. Demand for those safety features has been increasing, so now we have the horsepower, so to speak, to win back some of that business.”

Isuzu’s model range in New Zealand has grown to 119 models with an almost equal three-way split. It has 40 N Series variants competing in the light duty segments along with 38 mediumduty F Series models and 41 variants across the Heavy F Series and just refreshed Giga C and E ranges.

Isuzu’s roll-out new safety features began in late-2021 with upgrades across most N Series models followed by F Series enhancements.

Ballantyne says the F Series continues to perform strongly

– Isuzu is a clear leader in the 7.5-15t market segment with a 35% share YTD – particularly around traffic management, utility services and elevated platform roles.

“We’ve got really good penetration in those markets,” Ballantyne says.

The full scope of Isuzu’s new technology is deployed on the Model Year 2022 Giga which has just arrived in New Zealand.

It builds on the Dual Optical camera safety system launched in the N Series by adding radar support as part of an ADAS (Advanced Driver Assist System) suite that also includes an Electronic Brake System with Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist (on AMT models only), AEB Braking and Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Driving Beam headlights, Forward Collision Warning and Traffic Movement Warning functions.

All models have dual airbags and seat belt pretensioners.

Adaptive Cruise Control is fitted to the models equipped with the 16-spped automated manual transmission. The Eaton RTLO18918 is now standard across all manual transmission models and a clutch brake replaces the counter shaft brake for these transmissions.

Previously there had been 20 models in the Giga range and the choice is now boosted to 29 variants. Part of the increased choice is due to a Super High Roof design available on CYJ530 (8x4) and EXY530 (6x4) models.

Truck & Driver | 77

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All-new cabin layout and instruments, Adaptive LED headlights and ISRI air suspension driver’s seat are among the 2022 upgrades for the Isuzu Giga CYJ 530.

Aimed at line-haul operators, the Super High Roof enhances all-round functionality with the introduction of a number of roof mounted storage spaces. The first units were scheduled to arrive late-August.

“In terms of configuration the actual dimensions of the truck haven’t changed. But we’re adding the high roof models and a couple of models with the AMT transmission that we didn’t have before,” Ballantyne says.

The AMT models now comprise about half of Giga sales.

Interestingly, South Island customers are more likely to stick with a manual truck.

Ballantyne says the safety package and improved driver comfort are the main benefits for drivers of the new Giga.

“And the AMT has improved gearshift performance and there’s the warranty package. That’s been well received by customers who have already ordered.”

Giga models now feature a new additional warranty cover, taking the total warranty period to five-years/ 500,000km coverage. It’s an extension of the standard threeyears/250,000km warranty and requires the truck to be serviced at an Isuzu dealership throughout the five-year term.

Further benefits include a modernised interior layout with new instrumentation, including a more pronounced wraparound design and multi-information display.

“The previous model had the woodgrains and we’ve gone away from that for a more modern look and feel,” Ballantyne

says.

An all-new ISRI driver’s seat (on CYJ AMT models) provides enhanced comfort and adjustability along with the comfort of heating and ventilation functions.

The upgraded Isuzu Giga continues with the 15.6-litre 6WJ1 sixcylinder engine in Euro V specification using Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).

There’s a 20hp increase in power at the entry level to deliver 420hp.

“The guys who have 6x4 tippers will benefit from a bit more horsepower to tow trailers,” Ballantyne says.

The 460hp and 530hp engine choices are carried over.

The flagship 530 models are identified with a chrome appearance treatment and new look lights package, consisting of front LED with auto headlights and LED rear lamps (not available on EXY model).

Ballantyne has high expectations for the new Giga “We haven’t been doing as well in the heavy-duty sector as we have done previously. The previous model range was coming to the end of its life. It’s been overdue for a refresh,” he says.

Alongside the product enhancements there has been an expansion of the Isuzu dealer network in recent months.

“The dealer network has been very stable with a core of 11 main sales dealers, but we have taken on two new ASCs (Authorised Service Centres), one in Hawera and one in Cromwell,” says Ballantyne.

Truck & Driver | 79

Isuzu New Zealand general manager Dave Ballantyne says new safety features will boost the sales of the Isuzu truck line-up.

“The Cromwell and Central Otago area is a key area for us, and an opportunity came up there.

“From a dealer perspective we have a network that is stable and has good coverage.”

Electric and alternative fuel trucks is something the Isuzu NZ management team is hoping to learn about during a visit to Japan

The 8x4 CYJ 530 (pictured) and its EXY 530 6x4 stablemate are the flagship versions in the new Isuzu Giga line-up.

80 | Truck & Driver

in late-August.

“We are talking to Isuzu about EVs and low emission vehicles but there is nothing to reveal today,” says Ballantyne.

“We know they are doing development work on alternative fuel vehicles. We are going to Japan next week for the first time since 2019, and that’s one of the areas we’ll be discussing with them.” T&D

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FEATURE

Businesses incur great costs, both financially and timewise, to ensure employees are fit for work and are not a danger to anyone.

Challenges in the trucking industry

By Kirk Hardy, Chief Executive Officer and founder, The Drug Detection Agency LABOUR SHORTAGES IN THE NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING industry have become pervasive over the past two decades. Two reasons for this shortage are the lack of young Kiwis entering into trucking and more recently, the lack of immigrants being allowed into New Zealand to work. While these historic problems show no signs of abating, there is another ongoing problem which is affecting many heavy-industry occupations including transport. That is the issue of widespread substance use.

The pandemic and lockdowns have been accompanied by rising levels of drug and alcohol use, with many trucking and haulage companies finding it a challenge to get enough employees who can consistently pass drug tests.

Having spent well over a decade advising groups within the transport industry on drug-testing, policy design and training best-practices, I understand the consistent effort and rigour that must be applied by company owners to reduce risks when on the road and on site. Business owners incur great costs, both financially and timewise, as they try to ensure that their employees are fit for work and are not a danger to anyone.

Improving working conditions and employee satisfaction is a priority The misnomer of low unemployment being a good thing disguises the fact that there are empty jobs, particularly Truck & Driver | 83

Global expertise KIRK HARDY IS A FORMER NEW ZEALAND POLICE Officer, a qualified detective and he also served in the Drug Squad where he investigated national and international drug dealing syndicates, and New Zealand’s organised crime groups.

With over 17 years of experience in workplace drug testing, Kirk is an expert on substance use and testing technologies. He is a former long-standing board member of the U.S based Drug and Alcohol Testing Association (DATIA) and National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA), and the former chair of both organisations’ international committees.

Kirk is qualified as a drug abuse recognition trainer from the California Narcotics Officers Association ‘CNOA’. He regularly presents at international conferences on drug and alcohol use in the South Pacific and is New Zealand’s leading expert on current global and local drug trends. T&D Kirk Hardy

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The integration of new systems for testing and recording the results of drug tests will speed the process up and minimise wasted time and money.

within trucking, which are contributing to lower industrial and commercial productivity for the country. Actions need to be taken both by the government and other educational bodies, not just to re-paint trucking as an attractive and viable career for young people, but to materially improve working conditions and employee satisfaction Technological advancements affect every industry, and digital technologies are changing workplace drug testing.

We are now able to leverage drug-testing technology to incorporate it with new, streamlined data-systems. The utilisation of data and data-systems helps to make information regarding drug testing more secure, quicker, and easier to access, and easier to check against current drug regulatory requirements.

There is a period of time between when an employee is administered a drug test, and when the results are obtained.

In the interim, the employee may not even be allowed onsite, and certainly is not able to drive. If that interval was to span several hours and phone calls, that translates to lost productivity from that worker, and a corresponding period of stress for the employee, their manager and employer. The integration of new systems for testing and recording results of drug tests will speed this process up and minimise wasted time and money.

These new data-systems are also able to report on current drug trends in any particular region or industry. This allows business owners and operators to stay up-to-date and potentially prepare for or be able to understand the signs of an emerging problem.

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Leverage real-time drug testing information to improve safety outcomes Testing workers to ensure HSWA (Health and Safety at Work Act 2015) compliance is part of creating a safe working environment.

Having access to test results and drug trends instantly, on a secure, state-of-the-art platform, is the best way to reduce risk. It is also a good way for business partners and employees to build confidence in you. If they know that you take company drug policy seriously and are up to date with your testing and regulations, they are going to be more confident in you providing a safe workplace and more confident in doing business with you in general.

A good data-management system will allow a company to monitor, measure and manage employee health and substance testing data as it’s collected, providing the ability to identify, stop and mitigate potential risks within their business. Data sets on each employee will be able to be developed, allowing problememployees to be identified and dealt with.

The use of data will also allow greater predictive power, allowing a business to get ahead of problems before they happen. Data on its own is useless. It must be transformed into real-world solutions to problems. A comprehensive data-management system will accommodate for this.

Businesses want their employees to be healthy, happy, and safe.

Similarly, no one wants to work next to a co-worker high on drugs, as they can contribute to an unsafe work environment. Implement quality data-management systems, remove the trouble of drugs from your business and you’ll find that good people will actually want to work for you. No one should get hurt at work and everyone should go home safely at the end of the day. T&D Truck & Driver | 85

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It’s political...

WHAT THE POLITICIANS THINK ABOUT TRUCKING THE NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING INDUSTRY FACES many challenges – many of them influenced by Government policy.

Apart from the many problems currently created by the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s the ongoing driver shortage, the worsening state of the nation’s roading network and looming emissions reduction legislation…

So, who among our political parties offers any

salvation for the industry in these situations?

To have some insight into what politicians are thinking about issues impacting the road transport industry, NZ Truck & Driver has offered each of the major political parties the opportunity to voice their views on trucking matters each month.

This month the National and ACT parties offer their views on the industry. T&D

1000 more staff at NZTA, but worse outcomes

By Simeon Brown, National Party Spokesman for Transport and Public Service.

THE NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT AGENCY (NZTA) IS MEANT TO have a purpose of delivering world-class transport infrastructure to keep our country moving and to maintain our roads to a high standard. Families, businesses, and communities rely on our state highways and roads to stay connected and remain productive.

However, many Kiwis get the sense that transport investment is going nowhere under Labour and the money for road maintenance is not getting to where it is needed.

NZTA under Labour has cancelled so many important infrastructure projects. For example, there’s Mill Road, Christchurch to Ashburton, Whangarei to Port Marsden, and Cambridge to Piarere, just to name a few.

Meanwhile at NZTA headquarters, the number of staff has been growing, while the actual investment in transport infrastructure has been shrinking.

There are now 2,306 FTE staff at NZTA, compared with 1,368 when National left office, with the major increases being in back office roles rather than frontline services.

NZTA has doubled the number of its Managers, with 456 of them compared with 214 five years ago. Evidently, more managers doesn’t necessarily mean more work gets done. In fact, how many managers does it take to fix a pothole?

Also doubled is the number of Human Resources Staff with 118 HR Staff, which is up from 51 in 2018. I guess NZTA needs more HR staff to keep track of the 900 other staff they’ve hired…

There are now 485 Administrative Staff, up from 306 in 2018.

With so many pen pushers, you would have thought things would run more smoothly at NZTA. Perhaps most concerning, NZTA’s Communications Staff has tripled from 32 staff in 2018 to 97 this year. With millions spent advertising that the Road to Zero policy exists, rather than broadcasting an actual safety message, it should come as no surprise that NZTA is more concerned with drawing attention to itself and creating a brand image than actually getting things done.

Simon Brown While Labour has gone on a hiring spree, the outcomes delivered by the agency are getting worse.

Cancelled projects and the proliferation of potholes peppering our roads are just two examples. Key safety outcomes are not being delivered for the flagship Road to Zero policy, such as the fact that only half of the required three million breath tests were completed last year , despite alcohol and drugs contributing to 47 per cent of all deaths on our roads.

This is just another example of more bureaucracy, but worse outcomes under a Labour Government which doesn’t know how to deliver.

Maybe if NZTA was more focused on fixing potholes and building bridges rather than radically increasing the number of HR staff and spin doctors it hires, our roads might be in a much healthier state than they are now. T&D Truck & Driver | 87

It’s political...

The absolute state of our highways

Simon Court

By Simon Court, ACT Party spokesperson on transport

NEW ZEALAND DEPENDS ON EFFICIENT TRANSPORT NETWORKS to get goods to and from our markets. The newly opened Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway is a great example of a road that supports a thriving economy and healthy communities - safe, efficient and with a 110km/h speed environment.

Waka Kotahi claim that the expressway, now that the latest of seven stages is complete, will: • Reduce travel times between Auckland and Tirau by 35 minutes • Significantly reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes • Increase the highway’s capacity and passing opportunities • Reduce traffic congestion within smaller communities like Huntly, Ngaruawahia and Cambridge • Reduce fuel costs and contribute to economic growth.

Yet, after Cambridge, this four lane highway reduces to two lanes, back to the 1990’s state highway network that is simply no longer fit for purpose.

Given the way Waka Kotahi rave about the benefits of the expressway, you would assume they have a plan to keep going, to extend the four-laning to Tirau and south.

Before any work can continue, land needs to be purchased and consents obtained. However, apart from updating the planning maps to show where a future four lane road would run, there is no work underway to extend the modern highway into the 1990’s danger zone.

Instead, according to information obtained by ACT, Waka Kotahi has spent $44.8 million over the past three years on reviewing speed limits with a view to lowering speeds on state highways across New Zealand.

Rather than look at opportunities to improve the efficiency of the road network, the Labour Government ‘s solution to safety concerns is slowing the movement of freight and people.

Waka Kotahi told ACT that they “conduct extensive stakeholder engagement, iwi and community consultation and engagement as well as implementing speed limit changes. The cost to-date for speed management plans, investigating speed limits, and making changes to limits is $44.8 million.”

88 | Truck & Driver

I recently spoke to a police officer about the condition of the state highway network beyond the new expressway. He was concerned about repeated repairs to the same potholes, and how much time truckies are wasting while stopped at road works.

What he was most concerned about was the arbitrary and uncoordinated reduction in speeds on sections of State Highway One. He said it was difficult to justify handing out speeding fines when it is difficult for motorists and truckies to keep track of the posted speed limits.

Waka Kotahi have lowered speeds to as little as 60km/h in some areas, and long sections have been reduced from 100 km/h to 80km/h where there have been few, if any, accidents in recent years.

The police officer asked me - please find a way to upgrade the roads and return speed limits to what they used to be.

So why are speed limits being reduced instead of increasing like they have on the Expressway, to 110 km/h?

Building high quality road infrastructure is expensive, even more so as fuel and bitumen prices have soared because of the war in Ukraine. But that is no excuse to simply turn off the lights on major projects.

Taxpayers should not be the only source of infrastructure funding. Increasing the level of private sector funding will inject much-needed discipline into decision-making while allowing the Government to maintain prudent levels of public debt.

Between 2007 and 2017, more than NZ$300bn was raised by funds globally to invest in infrastructure. Most of that capital was raised from insurance companies, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds (including our own New Zealand Super Fund) looking for long-term investments with reasonable returns.

ACT would harness the funding and expertise from the international investors and apply this to our roading network.

We would also use New Zealand’s independent Infrastructure Commission as the project manager, and take politicians out of the decision making loop.

This Government might be allergic to business, but ACT is not T&D

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Concept artwork showing how the new Scania Waikato facility will look when it opens later this year,

Scania on the move S

CANIA NEW ZEALAND IS OPENING A NEW dedicated workshop in the rapidly developing commercial Hautapu location to support its customers in the wider Waikato area.

The new branch is located at 167 Victoria Road, Hautapu, Cambridge and is due to open in October this year.

Tidd Ross Todd Ltd has supported the Scania brand in the Waikato for many years but with an overwhelming increase in demand for Scania product within the region, the decision has been taken to establish a dedicated Scania facility.

Tidd Ross Todd Ltd will remain an authorised dealer until the end of this year. Scania extends its thanks to Tidd Ross Todd Ltd for its continued support for many years.

Scania New Zealand is now actively recruiting a professional and energised team of people to fill positions from Technical Apprenticeships through to Branch Management in order to provide its customers with an industry leading experience.

Scania New Zealand Retail Director Mark Wright says the new workshop in Hautapu will further strengthen the capabilities of Scania’s service dealer network and will be of benefit to Scania customers, providing greater capacity as well as improving its service offering that underlines Scania’s renowned quality customer focus.

In another recent move in its network Scania also has new representation on the West Coast of the South Island with Service Diesel in Hokitika appointed as a service dealer.

Service Diesel is a local general cartage and freighting company that has been servicing the West Coast and Canterbury regions for almost 20 years.

As a result of the new appointment, Scania New Zealand also confirms that Scania Greymouth is closed.

Further developing Scania’s renowned quality customer service and regional support was top of mind in appointing Service Diesel.

This new service dealer means its customers will benefit from a larger site than previously, which means more capacity while also increasing the size of the Scania team on the coast – now with eight team members on board. T&D

Scania New Zealand Retail Director Mark Wright.

Truck & Driver | 91

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National Road Carriers

OPPORTUNITY IN OUR DIFFICULTIES

By James Smith, COO, of National Road Carriers Association

James Smith

W

INSTON CHURCHILL SAID, “A PESSIMIST SEES THE difficulty in every opportunity: an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

It’s time to wheel out our optimistic selves – especially as New Zealand is doing comparatively okay.

I recently attended a briefing from Treasury Chief Executive, Caralee McLiesh, on the state of our economy. The meeting highlighted one of New Zealand's biggest advantages. We get round a table and work through issues, can access senior officials easily and there is genuine interaction.

Our economy has shown incredible resilience during the pandemic and our growth is still among the best in the OECD. Inflation at 7.3% is at the lower end of the range in the OECD – not good but better than most. It is likely high inflation will remain in the short term although there are indications it will ease as the Reserve Bank has increased interest rates quickly and the economy has reacted with an easing of demand.

Treasury is not forecasting a recession. The trick is balancing demand with supply which, as most of you that run businesses know, is harder than it looks.

There is still very strong demand in our economy although it is constrained by labour and material shortages brought about from supply chain constraints and the conflict in Ukraine. Growth forecasts for the global economy are cooling but New Zealand is still expected to fare better than most as forecasted demand for our exports remains high.

The national workforce reduced by 4% due to the borders being shut and this will take time to address. Nine per cent of the workforce are under-employed and unlocking the barriers to fuller employment will be important for New Zealand as we compete on the very tight global talent market. Everyone underestimated how resilient our economy was and the expected rise in unemployment did not occur, with unemployment actually falling.

There will be a transition to self-management of COVID with less direct Government intervention. There is now a greater understanding by all agencies of the importance of supply chain and its role in ensuring resilience in the economy.

The transition to a low carbon economy will be one of the biggest transformations ever and it will occur over a compressed time. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change and we will need to adapt to changing weather patterns. Carbon budgets are going to become at least as important as fiscal budgets as global carbon pricing ramps up.

New Zealand remains one of the best positioned economies to adapt to change but more work is needed to help businesses prepare. My advice to road transport operators is five simple points: 1. Understand your business – stop looking at other people and look at yourself. What are the influences on your business and what can you do about those?

2. Understand your staff – especially drivers, who are an aging workforce. What are their plans? Who is at risk of resigning or retiring and how will you replace them?

3. Understand your customers – especially in a time of economic uncertainty. For example, in this time of decarbonisation will your customers ask or require you to go electric?

4. Don’t cross-subsidise – make sure each part of your business is profitable. If you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, you’re in big trouble if you lose Peter. Also, don’t have all your eggs in one basket.

5. Don’t worry about what you can’t influence – the chain of influence has links to the left and right. Too often people worry about links that are far away. Just influence what you can.

In summary, while there are real challenges, there are also opportunities and one of the biggest advantages we have is our ability to access the policy makers, who do respond to constructive engagement. We don't always get everything we ask for but every week we get better at asking.

The best thing NRC members can do is to engage. Do not sit on a concern. If you see an issue, tell one of the Commercial Transport Specialist team so it can be fed into whatever workstream is best to address it.

The team is always available to assist anyone who chooses transport as their occupation. If you need any assistance, please call us on 0800 686 777. T&D Truck & Driver | 93

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22/2/22 12:05 pm

A new FUSO Shogun 510 6x4 has joined the fleet at Warkworth-based Transcon. Stu Mawson drives the FV2651K Shogun – named Marilyn (as in Monroe) – carting produce into Auckland and general freight from Auckland to the North Auckland region. With 510hp the Shogun has a 12-speed AMT and 4.22:1 rear axles with cross locks and limited slip. It tows a 6-axle, 34-pallet refrigerated Fruehauf curtainside B-Train. Extras include an Airplex roof kit, sun visor, stone guard, colour-matched Rhino guarding package, blue neon lighting in grill, stainless step/battery/chassis covers, Jost sliding fifth-wheel, Eroad Ehubo and Clarity camera. The chassis, lighting and custom work was completed by Keith Andrews Trucks Whangarei.

Truck sales still strong THE NEW ZEALAND NEW TRUCK MARKET CONTINUES to run ahead of record levels with July registrations of 486 units being two units ahead of the previous best July market in 2018.

With 3,213 registrations year-to-date in the 4.5-tonne GVM and above category, the new truck market is now 412 units ahead of 2021 registrations in the same period and 117 units ahead of the 2019 record for the first seven months of the year.

In contrast the trailer market remains subdued with a YTD tally of 802 registrations being down 21.1% on 2018 year-to-date total of 1017 trailers. It’s also 53 units behind the same period last year.

Fuso was New Zealand’s top-selling truck brand (4.5-tonne GVM and above) in July with 110 registrations, boosting its YTD total to 687 and a 21.4% share of the market.

Isuzu (570 YTD/85 July) retains second for the year, ahead of Hino (536/67). Scania (258/61) holds fourth position ahead of Iveco (165/22), UD (163/20) with Mercedes-Benz (143/15), Foton (143/21), Kenworth (142/16) and Volvo (92/23) completing the top-10 brands.

In the 3.5-4.5t crossover segment, Fiat (210/51) remains dominant ahead of Mercedes-Benz (53/5) followed by Volkswagen (47/0), Chevrolet (35/10) and Ford (28/0).

In the 4.5-7.5t class, Fuso (327/52) is extending its lead YTD, ahead of Isuzu (183/35) and Hino (109/9). Next are Iveco (96/11), Foton (92/13) and Mercedes-Benz (84/8).

The 7.5-15t category saw Isuzu (221/30) building its lead over Hino

(175/30). Fuso (139/25), Foton (51/8), and Iveco (21/2), all retain their places.

In the 15-20.5t segment, Hino (70/10) continues as the leader ahead of Fuso (37/5), UD (32/3), Isuzu (18/3), Scania (15/2), and Iveco (15/2) who remain tied for fifth.

There were no surprises in the ever-shrinking 20.5-23t segment, which was led by Hino (10/0), followed by Fuso (4/3) and Sinotruk (2/0) while Iveco and Isuzu have each registered one truck in this segment YTD. In the premium 23t-maximum GVM division, Scania (243/59) extends its leadership ahead of Fuso (180/25). Hino (172/18), Isuzu (147/17), Kenworth (142/16) and UD (124/16) all maintain their positions while Volvo (89/20) enjoyed a strong month moving ahead of DAF (81/10). Mercedes-Benz (52/5) and MAN (41/3) both retain their spots to round out the top 10.

The July trailer market was tied with Patchell and Fruehauf both achieving 16 registrations. With 86 registrations YTD, Patchell leads the market ahead of Fruehauf with 74.

Roadmaster (64/13) moved ahead of MTE (61/8) while Domett (57/13) in fifth place, also matching the 13 monthly registrations of Roadmaster. Transport Trailers (47/7) and TMC (46/7) also had a match up for the month with 7 registrations each, taking out sixth and seventh position respectively. Fairfax (22/3) and Freighter (22/4) are now tied in ninth to round out the top-10. T&D Truck & Driver | 95

12:05 pm

Scania is building a clear lead in the premium 23t-plus category

23,001kg-max GVM 2022

4501kg-max GVM 2022 Brand FUSO ISUZU HINO SCANIA IVECO UD MERCEDES-BENZ FOTON KENWORTH VOLVO DAF MAN HYUNDAI VOLKSWAGEN SINOTRUK FREIGHTLINER INTERNATIONAL MACK SHACMAN FIAT RAM WESTERN STAR PEUGEOT JAC Total

Vol 687 570 536 258 165 163 143 143 142 92 83 52 44 33 31 15 14 13 10 9 5 3 1 1 3213

% 21.4 17.7 16.7 8.0 5.1 5.1 4.5 4.5 4.4 2.9 2.6 1.6 1.4 1.0 1.0 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 100

July 22 Vol % 110 22.6 85 17.5 67 13.8 61 12.6 22 4.5 20 4.1 15 3.1 21 4.3 16 3.3 23 4.7 10 2.1 5 1.0 10 2.1 8 1.6 2 0.4 2 0.4 2 0.4 2 0.4 2 0.4 2 0.4 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 0 0.0 486 100

3501-4500kg GVM 2022 Brand FIAT MERCEDES-BENZ VOLKSWAGEN CHEVROLET FORD RAM RENAULT LDV IVECO PEUGEOT TOYOTA Total

Vol 210 53 47 35 28 17 14 8 7 6 1 426

% 49.3 12.4 11.0 8.2 6.6 4.0 3.3 1.9 1.6 1.4 0.2 100

July 22 Vol % 51 64.6 5 6.3 0 0.0 10 12.7 0 0.0 2 2.5 4 5.1 1 1.3 1 1.3 4 5.1 1 1.3 79 100

4501-7500kg GVM 2022 Brand FUSO ISUZU HINO IVECO FOTON MERCEDES-BENZ HYUNDAI VOLKSWAGEN FIAT RAM PEUGEOT Total 96 | Truck & Driver

Vol 327 183 109 96 92 84 37 33 9 5 1 976

% 33.5 18.8 11.2 9.8 9.4 8.6 3.8 3.4 0.9 0.5 0.1 100.0

July 22 Vol % 52 35.6 35 24.0 9 6.2 11 7.5 13 8.9 8 5.5 8 5.5 8 5.5 2 1.4 0 0.0 0 0.0 146 100

Higgins Family Holdings in Palmerston North have a new DAF FAT CF tipper working in its HiRock fleet to cart aggregate to concrete plants in the lower North Island. The 6x4 Day Cab is powered by the 530hp Euro 6 PACCAR MX-13 with a 16-speed TraXon AMT and DAF SR1364T tandem drive axles with dual axle locks. DAF ECAS 8-bag air suspension is fitted and there is a 5-metre Jackson Enterprises alloy tipper bin with flywheel driven Hotshift PTO drive unit for the hydraulics and hoist gear. Alloy wheels, Central Tyre Inflation system and full DAF safety package, handsfree phone kit, stoneguard, sunvisor and DAF grill badge lighting are other highlights.

Brand ISUZU HINO FUSO FOTON IVECO UD HYUNDAI VOLVO MERCEDES-BENZ MAN Total

Vol 221 175 139 51 21 7 7 3 2 2 628

% 35.2 27.9 22.1 8.1 3.3 11.0 1.1 0.5 0.3 0.3 100

July 22 Vol % 30 29.4 30 29.4 25 24.5 8 7.8 2 2.0 1 1.0 2 2.0 3 2.9 0 0.0 1 1.0 102 100

15,001-20,500kg GVM 2022 Brand HINO FUSO UD ISUZU SCANIA IVECO MAN MERCEDES-BENZ SHACMAN DAF SINOTRUK Total

Vol 70 37 32 18 15 15 9 5 2 2 1 206

% 34.0 18.0 15.5 8.7 7.3 7.3 4.4 2.4 1.0 1.0 0.5 100

July 22 Vol % 10 35.7 5 17.9 3 10.7 3 10.7 2 7.1 2 7.1 1 3.6 2 7.1 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 28 100

20,501-23,000kg GVM 2022 Brand HINO FUSO SINOTRUK IVECO ISUZU Total

Vol 10 4 2 1 1 18

% 55.6 22.2 11.1 5.6 5.6 100

Vol 243 180 172 147 142 124 89 81 52 41 32 28 15 14 13 7 3 1383

% 17.6 13.0 12.4 10.6 10.3 9.0 6.4 5.9 3.8 3.0 2.3 2.0 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.5 0.2 100

July 22 Vol % 0 0.0 3 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3 100

July 22 Vol % 59 28.5 25 12.1 18 8.7 17 8.2 16 7.7 16 7.7 20 9.7 10 4.8 5 2.4 3 1.4 7 3.4 2 1.0 2 1.0 2 1.0 2 1.0 2 1.0 1 0.5 207 100

Trailers 2022

7501-15,000kg GVM 2022

Brand SCANIA FUSO HINO ISUZU KENWORTH UD VOLVO DAF MERCEDES-BENZ MAN IVECO SINOTRUK FREIGHTLINER INTERNATIONAL MACK SHACMAN WESTERN STAR Total

Brand Vol 86 PATCHELL FRUEHAUF 74 ROADMASTER 64 M.T.E. 61 DOMETT 57 TRANSPORT TRAILERS 47 TMC 46 TRANSFLEET 28 FAIRFAX 22 FREIGHTER 22 TES 17 JACKSON 16 CWS 16 HAMMAR 14 MTC EQUIPMENT 13 TANKER ENGINEERING 12 MAXICUBE 12 KRAFT 11 EVANS 10 MILLS-TUI 9 LUSK 8 MD ENGINEERING 8 TIDD 7 LOWES 7 MAKARANUI 7 SEC 6 WHITE 5 STEELBRO 4 4 ADAMS & CURRIE PTE 4 LILLEY 4 TEO 4 SDC 4 WARREN 3 MODERN TRANSPORT 3 COWAN 3 KOROMIKO 3 OTHER 81 Total 802

% 10.7 9.2 8.0 7.6 7.1 5.9 5.7 3.5 2.7 2.7 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 10.1 100

July 22 Vol % 16 12.9 16 12.9 13 10.5 8 6.5 13 10.5 7 5.6 7 5.6 2 1.6 3 2.4 4 3.2 2 1.6 2 1.6 3 2.4 1 0.8 3 2.4 2 1.6 4 3.2 0.0 1 0.8 0.0 1 0.8 1 0.8 1 0.8 1 0.8 1 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2 1.6 1 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 9 7.3 124 100

Green Transport in Taupo has a new Scania R 730 8x4 for Central Plateau logging work. The Euro 6 Scania DC16 develops 730hp paired with an Opticruise GRSO926R 12-speed AMT with 4100D retarder and RB375 hub reduction rear axles. The R 730 has a new Patchell Shorts set-up and 5-axle Patchell trailer. Scales, V8 trim, fridge, CTI and DuraBright alloys feature on the new Scania with cab and chassis paint by Fleet Image and signs by Caulfield Signs Rotorua.

Geoff and Mel Futter of East Coast Haulage in Masterton have a new Kenworth K200 2.3 flat roof logger on the road. ECH contract to Akitio Trucking and the K200 is working with a 4-year-old Patchell 5-axle trailer refurbished by Patchells. A 600hp Cummins X15, RTLO20918B 18-speed manual transmission, Meritor MT21-165GP 4.30:1 dual axle locks and Kenworth AG460 suspension are the primary hardware. Dura Bright alloys, dual intakes and exhausts, custom grill and stainless drop visor and extra roof marker lights plus many other extras including a fridge for those hot days. The cab was painted yellow in the Kenworth factory and Reon Madden of Supreme Painters in Masterton laid out the cab striping and Jason Ngatuere did the final cab graphics.

Truck & Driver | 97

THIS IS NOT FOR YOU

UNLESS YOU THINK YOU CAN CRACK ANY DEAL IN THE WORLD UNLESS YOU ARE EXCELENT AT COMMUNICATION UNLESS YOU CAN HAVE AN INTERESTING CONVERSTAION WITH ANYONE UNLESS YOU CAN THINK SMARTER THAN THIS ADVERT UNLESS YOU HAVE AN IMMENSE PASSION FOR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING UNLESS YOU ARE A SUPERHERO THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.

IF THIS IS STILL FOR YOU, GET IN TOUCH TODAY EMAIL CV TO: HAYDEN@TRUCKER.CO.NZ

Harrison Transport’s new Scania S 620 8x4 has started general freight and pallet work around the North Island. The 16-litre 620hp unit runs the Opticruise GRSO905R 12-speed AMT with 4100D retarder, Scania RB662 rear axles and Scania air suspension front and rear with built-in scales. The Highline cab features microwave, fridge and V8 interior trim. Rob Jowers and Gagan Singh drive the S 620 which has a Roadmaster curtainsider body and 5-axle curtainsider trailer with full mezzanine floors. Signwriting was completed by Nelson Signs of Napier.

G BTS Earthworks at Whangaparaoa have a new 6x4 Isuzu CYZ460 working on North Shore earthworks projects. Brendon Smith is driving the 460hp unit with 16-speed AMT, Isuzu RT260 rear axles and steel spring suspension. It’s fitted with a Newport Engineering 5m Hardox tipping body with external rope rails, internal anchor points and trailer gear. It runs on Alcoa rims with Super Single front tyres.

Greg Cooper of GMC Haulage recently put two DAF XF Super space cabs on the road contracted to Mainfreight 2home. The duo have 530hp Paccar MX-13 power along with ZF TraXon 16-speed automated transmission, disc brakes, full safety package and leather interior. The custom chassis side skirts, light bars, stainless rear guards and marker lights are fitted by HPDS Engineering.

Truck & Driver | 99

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Bulk Lines has a new Volvo FH700 operating from Mt Maunganui to carry food grade products around the North Island. The 6x4 Sleeper tows a 6-axle Patchell B-Train tanker. The Volvo D16G engine develops 700hp and 3150Nm of torque driving through a 12-speed I-Shift ATO3112F transmission.

Features include Volvo RTS2360B rear bogie and eight airbag rear suspension, disc brakes, EBS and full safety package including Blind Spot Monitoring Camera and Driver Alert Sensing System. The FH was factory painted, rigged by MTD and signwriting is by Truck Signs.

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g A 560hp Detroit DD15 powers a new Western Star 4884 FXC 8x4 Day Cab for R.G Lord Ltd of Hawke’s Bay carting logs for Pan Pac. An Eaton Fuller RTLO-20918B transmission drives to Meritor RT-46-160GP rear axles with Hendrickson INTRAAX air suspension and disc brakes. Roger Lord is the driver of the 8-axle unit which features SI Lodec onboard weigh system and Bigfoot central tyre inflation. The Patchell log gear and trailer have ExTe air operated load restraints with auto tensioners. The striking blue paintwork was done by Haddock Spray Painters, Whakatane and signage is by Marty’s Signs, Mt Maunganui.

100 | Truck & Driver

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Safety alert: alert: Safety

Cardan shaft shaft park park brake brake failures failures Cardan

Waka Kotahi Kotahi has hasissued issuedaasafety safetyalert alertbecause becausethere therehave havebeen beenseveral severalincidents incidentswhere wherethe the Waka Cardan shaft shaft park parkbrake brakehas hasfailed failedand andthe thevehicle vehiclehas hasrolled rolledaway. away.

Cardan

The key key points points of of the thealert alertare: are: The Due to to the the design designof ofthe thebrake, brake,the the •• Due vehicle may may roll rollaway awaywhen whenparked parkedon onaa vehicle slope, especially especiallyififthe theload loadisischanging changing slope, and/or the the vehicle vehicleisisparked parkedon onan an and/or unstable surface. surface. unstable

Cardanshaft shaftpark park Cardan brakeassembly assembly brake

Avoid parking parking on onslopes slopesor oruse usewheel wheel •• Avoid chocks when when parked parkedon onaaslope slopeand and chocks when the the vehicle vehicleisisjacked. jacked. when You need need to to understand understandthe thebrake brake • You mechanism and andits itslimitations. limitations. mechanism Vehicle owners ownersare areresponsible responsiblefor for • Vehicle ensuring the the brake brakeisisserviced servicedregularly regularly ensuring to maintain maintain performance. performance. to

Cardanshaft shaftpark parkbrakes brakes(also (alsoknown knownasasdriveshaft driveshaftpark park Cardan brakes)are arefitted fittedtotomany manysmall smalltotomedium mediumtrucks trucksand and brakes) smallnumber numberofofpassenger passengerservice servicevehicles. vehicles.They Theyare are aasmall designedtotohold holdthe thevehicle vehicleand anditsitsload loadbut buthave havelimitations limitations designed whichcan canlead leadtotothe thevehicle vehiclerolling rollingaway. away. which

Changes Changes to to CoF CoFrequirements requirements The The current current certificate certificateof offitness fitnessstall stalltest test does does not not adequately adequatelyassess assessparking parkingbrake brake performance. performance. ItItwill willbe bereplaced replacedby byaamore more rigorous rigorous roller rollerbrake brakemachine machinetest testfrom from 11 October October 2022 2022for formost mostclasses classesof ofvehicle vehicle with with Cardan Cardan shaft shaftpark parkbrakes. brakes.

Read Readour oursafety safetyalert: alert:nzta.govt.nz/safetynzta.govt.nz/safetyalert-cardan-shaft-park-brake-failures alert-cardan-shaft-park-brake-failures Read Readmore moreinformation informationabout aboutCardan Cardan shaft shaftpark parkbrakes brakesat: at: nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes

Napier’s Stephen Ward has put a new International 9870 R8 to work on aggregate cartage around the North Island. The NZ-built 8x4 bulk tipper was a 615hp Cummins X15, Eaton 20918B transmission and Meritor 46-160 axles. Extras include an Ali Arc bumper, Dura-Bright wheels, stone guard, ECAS suspension, disc brakes, window tints, under bunk fridge, CTI, SI Lodec scales, monsoons and LED beacon. It tows a T & G 5-axle tipper trailer.

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Harry Mills is driving a new MAN TGX 26.640 for Gisborne-based Allbulk Haulage. The 6x4 XLX Elite sleeper cab is powered by the MAN D38 engine developing 640hp and 3000Nm of torque. The driveline comprises MAN Tipmatic with Retarder 35 and MAN hypoid rear axles with diff lock. Bulk aggregate is carted in the Morgan Engineering 4.9m alloy bulk tipping body and 7.8m 5-axle alloy trailer.

Features include electric cover, Tiremaxx CTI and Hendrickson Intraax air suspension.

Masterton’s Livestock Trucking Ltd has a new Scania S 730 driven

by Andrew Hutchinson on livestock movements around the lower North Island. The 730hp and 3500Nm V8 is fitted with SCR and EGR emission control technology and runs with the OptiCruise AMT with retarder and RB662 rear axle. The S 730 rides on full air suspension and works with a 5-axle Jackson enterprises trailer. Extras include V8 leather trim package, LED lights, electric mirror, TV prep, fridge, extendable bunk, sub-woofer and additional storage.

Truck & Driver | 103

Jae Haulage recently put this fully equipped Kenworth K200 2.8 Aerodyne on the road. Contracted to 4D Freight for Bascik Transport, the K200 is owned by Craig and Debbie Pearson and driven by their son Jaden. The name “Winter Soldier” is a tribute to father Snow Pearson.

It will work throughout the country powered by a 615hp Cummins X15 with RTLO22918B transmission, RT21-165GP Meritor rear axles and AG 460 rear suspension. The Aerodyne cab has a full interior cupboard package and Icepack air conditioning mounted rear of chassis. Southpac Engineering and HDPS Engineering completed the finishing work with sign writing by Andrew at Timaru Signs.

Kerepehi-based Adam Speir is driving a new DAF CF FAD 8x4 tipper for Taylor Bros. Working mainly through the Waikato Hauraki Plains area, the CF Day Cab is powered with a 530bp PACCAR MX-13 driving via a ZF TraXon 12TX2620 16-speed automated transmission and Paccar SR1360T rear axles with dual diff locks. Other features include air suspension, full safety system, extra marker lights in sunvisor and mirrors, LED roof beacon and Right Weigh digital scales mounted in cab. A Transfleet Trailers Clip Chip Panel high cube truck body and a new 4-axle trailer complete the combination. Fleet Image Te Awamutu painted the cab & chassis into Taylor Bros. fleet colours.

104 | Truck & Driver

Hawke’s Bay-based S&B Haulage has a new Scania R 620 B8x4NA for logging work. The 620hp Scania DC16 is partnered with a 12-speed Opticruise GRSO905R AMT with 4100D retarder and Scania RB735 hub reduction rear end. Rear air suspension, AEB Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, CTI, and scales are fitted and the cab features leather seats and a fridge. Caulfield Signs in Rotorua did the signwriting.

BOP Oil Supplies K & L Distributors BOP Ltd

Auckland Oil Shop

BOP Oil Supplies is a locally owned and operated company and is proud to be the Caltex oil distributor for the eastern bay of plenty covering from Turangi up and across to Opotiki.

We pride ourselves on being able to offer the best product backed by the best service in the industry.

Along with our oil shop network Caltex lubricants are available in many different locations.

Give us a call to discuss quality Caltex lubricants to suit your requirements.

AND HAWKES BAY

Westland Engineering Supplies 03-768 5720

BOP Oil Supplies Caltex Oil Distributor 19 Old Taupo Rd,Rotorua PH:07 349 2090 Email: ronnie@bopoil.co.nz Parts & Services Ltd 1 Miro St, Taupo PH: 07 378 2673 Jacks Machinery Ltd Main Highway, Whakatane PH: 07 308 7299 Caltex Opotiki Cnr King & St Johns St, Opotiki PH: 07 315 6298

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The second of two new Volvos for Taupo-based Hog Haulage is this FH700 8x4 on nationwide general freight work with a Roadmaster High Tensile curtainside body and 5-axle curtainside trailer. The Volvo D16G develops 700hp paired with an I-Shift 12-Speed automated transmission, RTS2370A rear bogie and air bag rear suspension. Along with the Volvo driver safety package the FH is equipped with factory blind spot camera, load indicator, fridge, alloy cab roof bar, TV, additional marker lamps and Jost offset front rims.

A K200 Aerodyne is the first new Kenworth for Laurent Contractors at Waharoa. Built to Laurent’s livestock spec, the K200 is driven by Dometts in Tauranga and crates by Nationwide at Mt Maunganui. A Cummins X15 develops 615hp and 2050 lb-ft of torque with an Eaton RTLO 20918B manual 18-speed road ranger and Meritor 46-160 rear axles with full X locks and 4.1 ratio.

Hendrickson Primaax rear suspension, Big Foot CTI, Dura-bright alloys, twin 6” air intakes with pre cleaners and painted drop visor are fitted. The cab features a microwave, double bunks and night heater.

A new Scania R 540 Chipliner has joined the Booth’s Transport fleet working out of Palmerston North.

Carting wood chip North Island-wide, the R 540 8x4 CR17N Rest Cab develops 540hp and 2700Nm of torque with OptiCruise transmission, retarder, RB662 rear axle and full air suspension. Domett built the body and 5-axle tipping curtainsiders with roll over sheeting system. Extra include reverse cameras to truck and trailer, Lane Departure Warning, Advanced Emergency Braking, blind spot warning and vulnerable road user collision prevention.

Truck & Driver | 107

NEW ZEALANDS ONLY LICENSED DISTRIBUTOR LOOKING FOR THE SAFEST AND BEST SEAT FOR YOUR TRUCK? MAKE SURE THAT IT’S AN ISRI FROM GEEMAC TRADING. Geemac Trading (NZ) Limitedhas been the only official Isringhausen (ISRI) distributor in New Zealand since 1995. ISRI are renowned as the best drivers seat in the world and are OEM in the majority of vehicles out of Europe, America and Asia. Including but not limited to - Kenworth, DAF/Foden, Isuzu, Mercedes, Mack, MAN, Hino, Freightliner and a large portion of off highway machinery brands.

We carry the full range of ISRI seats for all vehicles, including OEM replacements, as well as any ISRI spare parts needed to get your vehicle back on the road safely.

GET IN TOUCH TODAY! BUYER CHECKLIST HAS THIS ISRI SEAT COME FROM GEEMAC TRADING?

6860/880 NTS

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IF CONVERTING, IS THERE AN ISRI BRACKET CERTIFIED FOR YOUR SPECIFIC VEHICLE? IF SEAT IS A DIRECT OEM REPLACEMENT, WHAT IS THE SEATS’ PART NUMBER? DOES IT MATCH THE ORIGINAL OEM SPEC SHEET. AFTER THE DRIVER, THE SEAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IN THE VEHICLE... BUY QUALITY AND LONG LASTING, RATHER THAN CHEAP ALTERNATIVES.

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Office: + 64 9 630 1856 Mobile: +64 21 577 542 Sales: callum@geemac.co.nz www.geemac.co.nz I www.isringhausen.co.nz

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www.brokersunited.co.nz 112 | Truck & Driver

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Bobby Khan P: 09 264 1666 M: (64) 027 2661233

Shacman New Zealand Limited Distributor for SHACMAN Truck 264 Roscommon Road, Wiri, Auckland 2104

TD32613

www.shacmantruck.co.nz