POWERTORQUE ISSUE #81 FEB/MARCH 2018

A U S T R A L I A’ S L E A D I N G T R U C K A N D T R A I L E R M A G A Z I N E

Incorporating

ISSUE 81 FEB/MAR 2018 RRP: $8.95

www.powertorque.com.au

ISSUE 81 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2018

DDS TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS • KELLY TRANSPORT TOOWOOMBA • LINCON • S&D LEE HEAVY HAULAGE • SPEEDIE CONTRACTORS • WHITLEE TRANSPORT STEFANUTTI CONSTRUCTION

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driver and passenger airbags and Isuzu Electronic Stability Control (IESC), plus four-wheel disc brakes on selected models.

Best of all, you won’t have to hang around for months to get behind the wheel, because the Ready-to-Work range is already fitted with a body and is ready and waiting to drive away. So if it’s time to get serious, head to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer now.

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AT THE WHEEL Warren Caves keeps in touch with the bitumen ACROSS THE PADDOCK David Meredith reports from WA

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KEEPING THE WHEELS TURNING Manufacturing 60,000 trucks in Australia is no mean achievement

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MACK MOVES Mack plays its Anthem for onhighway ability

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THE BITUMEN HIGHWAY Knowing your business means always keeping busy A TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING A long-term association with MAN has been the key to success for DDS FAMILY TIES Kelly Transport of Toowoomba celebrates three generations of trucking ON THE ROAD WITH ATEGO Up close and personal with the all-new Mercedes-Benz 4x2 ATEGO 1630L THE BUCKET LIST LinCon aims high as Australia’s leading supplier of elevated work platforms THE V8 LOVE AFFAIR Australians love V8s, and Scania is no exception ON THE MONEY Warren Caves visits Goulburn operator Whitlee Transport REVENGE IS SWEDE Scania launches its New Generation Truck Range across its global platform A STATE OF MIND Eaton’s UltraShift PLUS in DualMode configuration

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CUSTOM AND CLASSIC – WALK THE LINE Warren Caves visits Shane and Debbie Lee of S&D Lee Heavy Haulage

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MAKING THE GRADE IVECO’s mid-range EuroCargo has great street appeal A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM Galvanising – why outsource when you can do it yourself?

TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS Planning your business is a lot easier when you get professional help TEAM BUILDING The emergence of Volkswagen Truck & Bus

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KEEPING UP APPEARANCES Joining the Scania master trainers THE RAM REPORT RAMBO heads to Adelaide to soothe the naysayers

93 TRAILER TORQUE The latest news in trailers and bodybuilding

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TRENDING MULTINATIONAL The success story of Stefanutti Constructions SEALING SOLUTIONS New technologies that can revolutionise the global bitumen tanker industry

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EURO TRAILERTORQUE The latest news from Europe’s leading trailer manufacturers TITAN TRAILERS Drop-deck trailers improve delivery and pick-up of plant and equipment

DELIVERING THE DREAM CMV Trucks at Derrimut on the western outskirts of Melbourne sets a world-class standard

Follow PowerTorque on

WASTE MANAGEMENT 110 ACCO compactors hit the road for SUEZ

For all editorial information and subscriptions please contact: Managing Editor - Chris Mullett Road Test Editors - Brenton O’Connor

Ed Higginson Contributing Writers - Stuart Martin Warren Caves David Meredith Rob Randazzo Photography - Torque It Up

Mark Bean Designer - Steven Foster Account Manager - Maree Mullett Editorial Division, PO Box 271AB, Airlie Beach, Qld 4802 Telephone: +61 (0) 7 4946 4658 Email: edit@powertorque.com.au Website: www.powertorque.com.au

For advertising rates and information please contact: Motoring Matters Magazine Group National business development manager: Email: edit@motoringmatters.com.au Telephone: +61 (0) 7 4946 4658 website:www.motoringmatters.com.au Newsagency disitrbution by: Integrated Publications Solutions, A division of Fairfax Newspapers.

Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information the publisher will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequence arising from the reliance on information published. The opinions expressed in PowerTorque are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher.

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Chris Mullett

FORWARD

TORQUE

2017 What a year!

Remember the Global Financial Crisis? If you run your own business you most certainly will, and if that little debacle didn’t nearly push you personally to the wall, you might well have been a casualty of the GFC through no fault of your own while working for another employer.

Negotiating your way through any major recession is never easy, but for those in business for most of their lives it’s not something they haven’t previously experienced (as in the recession we had to have), and it’s something that knowledge, determination and a certain degree of luck can get you through.

When looking back at 2017, it’s easy to put all the doom and gloom of despondency behind us and celebrate the T-Mark figures announced by the Truck Industry Council (TIC) confirming that Australian truck and heavy van sales for the 2017 calendar year totalled 36,825 units, up a significant 3861 units, or 11.7 percent, over 2016, and the best result for new truck sales since the GFC.

“The internet might be the chosen child at the moment for ordering goods online, but the execution of the order relies on trucks and vans to deliver to your door.”

In overall terms, 2017 saw much healthier HD truck sales than have been seen for the past decade. In fact, 2017 heavy sales of 12,002 were the best recorded since the segment peak of 2007 when 13,342 heavy duty trucks were delivered, thus bringing to an end five consecutive years of negative growth in this segment. These sales figures highlight the importance of trucks and light commercials to the Australian public.

The internet might be the chosen child at the moment for ordering goods online, but the execution of the order relies on trucks and vans to deliver to your door. The boom 6

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in heavy trucks also indicates that major infrastructure programmes are the key to Australians being in work at all levels. Without vision we can only expect financial stagnation, and 2018 will hopefully discover government that can focus on the future and the bigger picture, in place of the petty squabbles and inability to make decisions that have hobbled the nation’s development.

Unlike the examples of governmental indecision and constant back flipping, there remain Australian families prepared to put their faith, trust and finance into developing major infrastructure projects of their own in the private sector.

In this issue we report on the Crawford family that own and operate the CMV Truck businesses. The opening of their latest dealership at Derrimut, Melbourne, is not just impressive as dealerships go, it’s one of the largest truck dealerships in the world.

The Crawford family, and all those that work in the group, have put their faith and trust in the future of the Australian trucking industry.

Similarly, the Brown and Hurley families have also committed their resources and energy to provide amazing networks of dealerships to support those that supply all Australians with the goods they need to survive.

The Australian trucking industry at all levels is based on people with vision. There’s nothing easy about maintaining and operating one truck, let alone a fleet, but as we move into a new year, PowerTorque would like to congratulate all members of the industry at all levels and commend them for their enthusiasm, determination and ability to get the job done. It’s our privilege to report on the industry and its members, and may 2018 be a year of growth, good health and great opportunities.

The year ahead promises to be a good one, in terms of new trucks and the latest technologies they bring to the Australian market.

Last year it was the turn of Mercedes-Benz to launch its New Actros range and expand into replacement of its products at all weight levels. We also witnessed the rebirth of the MAN brand, with Penske Power Systems adding the necessary impetus behind the product range to bring this German manufacturer back to prominence.

Kenworth Australia launched the T610 and T610SAR, reinforcing the strength of PACCAR Australia and the reputation of the integrity and involvement of its Bayswater, Melbourne, workforce. In 2018 we’ll see an expansion of its local manufacturing base with the inclusion of DAF CF models to be assembled alongside Kenworth.

During 2018 we’ll be cataloguing the release of the Scania New Generation Truck Range, firstly in the onhighway sector, to be followed by the construction sector and then the emergency service and waste disposal segments. Navistar and the International Truck range will gain momentum as it relaunches into our market, now strengthened by the backing of the VW Truck and Bus Division on a global basis. Expect new products too from IVECO, plus the early information on the introduction of the Freightliner Cascadia and other new models from Western Star, together with the new MACK Anthem.

Amidst the release of the new technologies, PowerTorque will continue to bring interesting editorial features covering operators of all sizes from our team of writers around the country.

In this issue, we hope you enjoy our profiles of Kelly Transport of Toowoomba, Speedie Contractors, DDS Transport Solutions and LinCon of Brisbane, DB Galvanising of Melbourne plus Whitlee Transport of Goulburn and Shane and Debbie Lee of NSW. We also cover the latest ACCO trucks joining the Suez waste disposal fleet and many more interesting stories, all exclusive to PowerTorque.

Like so many truck operations, PowerTorque is the product of a husband and wife team, and our growth results from having great support from our readers and a supreme effort from our team of writers, including Warren Caves and Rob Randazzo in NSW, Brenton O’Connor and Ed Higginson of Melbourne, Stuart Martin in Adelaide and David Meredith in Perth, not forgetting Oliver Dixon in Europe and North America and Sven-Erik Lindstrand in Sweden, plus our head of design, Steven Foster, in NSW. Have a great 2018, and, as we always say, Stay Safe and Enjoy the Drive.

Kind regards, Chris & Maree Mullett, Directors of PowerTorque Magazine

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WHEEL

AT THE

WARREN CAVES GIVES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE STRESSES INVOLVED IN BEING OUT ON THE ROAD

W

ith the Christmas period well and truly over, it’s amazing that we are already into the second month of a new year. Hopefully you all managed a hard-earned rest and a little family time over the festive season and tipped the scales of the work/life balance in your favour.

Don’t feel guilty if you did, as in our profession as heavy vehicle drivers we know only too well that it can be very demanding on our time. With long unsociable hours, carrying out the often-thankless task of providing goods to the masses can have an adverse effect on relationships with family and friends. This makes the festive season, for many, a perfect opportunity to reconnect with family and friends and focus on the “life” part of the work/life balance with a break.

Some areas of this industry, such as food and fuel deliveries, which spring to mind, don’t lend themselves well to allowing drivers to take time off over Christmas. This can be tough, but even a couple of consecutive days may be all that is needed to get you through until a more substantial holiday break can be organised.

I have myself gone long periods without a holiday break, with it only becoming apparent after having a couple of weeks off how overdue it really was – although, it was quite possibly blatantly obvious to those around me.

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These work schedules, while quite legal, can affect your physical and mental health without you even realising it, particularly if your diet is also lacking, making holiday breaks even more important.

“Maybe it’s time to make time, and look after your health as well as your wealth”

Interstate drivers can be away all week and miss a lot, but even local/regional drivers who get home every night/day can go all week without seeing the family, due to the irregular hours that we work. There are so many facets of being behind the wheel that add to the stress of spending your days, and nights, out on the road. In addition to the skills and patience required for driving the truck, there are also the stresses involved when trying to achieve timeslots, chasing loads, maintenance, breakdowns and city traffic. Sharing the road with the everpresent seemingly suicidal car drivers in particular can take its toll on you physically and mentally, and a stressed, burnt out driver is more likely to be less productive and more prone to errors.

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In my mind, if you work interstate and leave on Sunday afternoon and come home on Friday night or even Saturday morning, the time available before you set out again is very minimal if you consider sleep debt and preparing to be rested for the week ahead. Even working 12-14 hours a day, six days a week on local duties does not give much time for anything more than recuperation for your next shift/week, particularly for those who may have to factor in up to an hour’s commute at either end of their shift.

Companies, large or small, if they are doing the right thing, understand the importance of repairs and maintenance of plant and equipment.

Engines like fresh oil and perform better over the long term as a result, as do many other serviceable items, but for some operations it’s easy to forget about one vital link in the transport chain, the driver.

Until the automation robots take over (if indeed they ever do), transport companies will have to make do with us mere mortals to pilot their trucks to locations far and wide. Just like mechanical equipment, we need a little maintenance every now and then in the form of time off to regenerate in order to operate at optimal efficiency upon our return to work.

While this is just my opinion, and family time is very important to me, others may disagree, but I’m almost positive I’m not alone in yearning for some more downtime in my life.

If you have an employer that understands the benefits of a balanced outlook, you’re one of the lucky ones. If you are your own boss, maybe it’s time to make time, and look after your health as well as your wealth.

Safe trucking, Warren Caves

SAFETY. IT’S AS IMPORTANT TO US AS YOU ARE TO THEM. Kenworth offers a comprehensive range of active and passive safety options to help get you home. After all, the most precious cargo we transport is you.

kenworth.com.au

ACROSS THE D AV I D

PADDOCK

M E R E D I T H

R E P O R T S

V

olvo Group Australia’s recent efforts to boost numbers of new entrants into the transport industry focused tightly on drivers, and took aim at the negative perceptions that are keeping people from taking up a driving career.

Some of the data it assembled through a major business consultancy, was that the conditions drivers had to work in were not only below standard compared to other blue collar occupations, but were sometimes an active disincentive.

That was hard to dispute, particularly when taking a look at the quality of rest facilities provided by state governments across the country. I have to acknowledge here, that, on a drive up from Adelaide northeast through the Murrumbidgee a couple of years ago, I went past several bitumised rest areas with toilets, clean water and plenty of room for multiple rig parking. Those state governments deserve plaudits for taking the industry seriously.

Unfortunately, my home state of WA isn’t yet up to that standard.

In some cases, the only available truck rest areas are casual spaces of dirt hacked out of the local scrub. Alongside, and behind local bushes, lie reams of evidence of those who’ve had to use fresh air as rest rooms.

But the critical task of managing driver fatigue management is weighted heavily towards regulation rather than helping to make it possible.

A wide range of bureaucrats dabble in the field: The Department of Transport manages driver licensing. It refers to fatigue management through the Department of Commerce, which has now morphed into the Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation and Safety – that publishes the code of practice (issued in 2004), through the Commission for Health and Safety.

PowerTorque ISSUE 81

W E S T E R N

A U S T R A L I A

Nowhere in those thick tomes of positioning statements are any indications of safe and accessible rest areas for trucks.

It’s the Heavy Vehicle Services section of Main Roads WA that is responsible for, “providing safe, efficient and sustainable heavy vehicle access to WA’s road network.”

That pretty much pins them for “providing” the rest facilities needed for drivers to meet the regulations.

The Department publishes a PDF with maps of rest areas at https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents, however, it is aimed at motorists rather than the trucking industry, with caravans a key focus.

“The only available truck rest areas are casual spaces of dirt hacked out of the local scrub”

The WA authorities have a mighty task ahead, with one of the largest networks of critical transport routes and low population.

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F R O M

With hundreds of communities depending entirely on road trains for everything from basic necessities to furniture and building materials, the need for rest areas where up to 53.5-metre combinations can park, then get back on the road and up to speed with minimal disruption to other traffic, is crucial.

Frankly, no matter how hard the WA Main Roads Department tries, it will always fall short when it comes to governmentfunded rest areas for trucks. It will always need to lean heavily on a healthy network of private sector ventures in strategic locations.

However, legislators could help, by recognising that providing adequate facilities for the state’s lifeline of truck drivers is a key and critical safety issue and funding them accordingly.

The paradox is the noise sometimes made by parliamentarians about truck safety, particularly the need for rigidly enforced rest periods, and the relative silence when effort is needed to provide even the lowest standard of facilities.

Things will not improve until the effort made to provide proper rest stops matches the rhetoric of rules and the policing of compliance. What you must do, and why you should do it, means little if you can’t do it. Essential services operators such as truck drivers need to get rest and clean toilet/shower support as easily as the public servants who tell them they must take their break at a specific time and distance.

FEATURE

KEEPING THE WHEELS TURNING

Manufacturing 60,000 trucks in Australia is no mean achievement.

For PACCAR Australia it’s all down to Kenworth, with Volvo and Mack Trucks combining to jointly hit the major milestone.

By Brenton O’Connor and Chris Mullett

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KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING

A

lthough its common knowledge to those employed in the Australian transport industry, it seems that very few Australians are aware that some of the world’s biggest heavy truck manufacturers still produce their vehicles locally, in Australia.

PACCAR Australia’s production facility at Bayswater produces Kenworths tailored to Australian needs, and, from the middle of this year (2018), production will also commence in Bayswater of selected models of the DAF CF truck range.

IVECO produces trucks including the longstanding ACCO and selected models of the Stralis, Powerstar and International ProStar at its Dandenong facility, and, since 1972, Volvo has been manufacturing its heavy-duty range of trucks, in tandem with Mack, at its manufacturing plant in Wacol, Brisbane, Queensland.

At the close of 2017, Australian truck manufacturing celebrated several major milestones in truck manufacturing.

PowerTorque is pleased to announce officially that in late December the 60,000th Kenworth truck to roll off the Bayswater production line was a T610SAR painted in the distinctive red and white colour scheme of Wickham Freightlines.

This very notable event was not quietly completed by handing over a set of keys out the back of the local dealership. It was a major event witnessed by every production-line worker and member of the PACCAR management team, as the production line was stopped and everyone gathered to enjoy the celebration.

Also present to witness the event were members of the Wickham family, with Peter Wickham, Darren Eather, Lynelle Eather (nee Wickham), Graham Keogh, Donna Keogh (nee Wickham), Thomasin Keogh (HR manager and Graham and Donna’s daughter) and her brother Rohan Keogh (operations), Haydn Lamb of the Wickham cattle property holdings and Kerri-Ann Lamb (nee Wickham).

Representing the long-standing association of the Wickham family with the Brown and Hurley Group that

have supplied the company with over 250 Kenworths, were Jim Hurley, Clare Hurley, Scott Walters, Kev Hurley and Rob Brown.

The 600-member production team at Bayswater was represented at the handover of the new vehicle by managing director Andrew Hadjikakou, with sales and marketing manager Brad May, and production manager Gavin Cleary.

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FEATURE

We mention some of the individual members by name because the whole event signifies the very personal family relationships that are developed within the truck industry that literally last for generations. Relationships that share the good times, and the bad, and that survive irrespective of the hardships of a market or business that can suffer a downturn that could break good people through the ensuing years.

The Wickham family has stayed loyal to the Kenworth brand, and, to further celebrate the event, Peter Wickham, who is well known as a bush balladeer, penned a special song for the occasion, which he performed with his trusty guitar in front of the entire factory workforce.

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510Hp + DAF EFFICIENCY =

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Here’s just some of the ways the new 510Hp CF85 adds up: Low tare with high strength

Multiple systems to keep drivers safe

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A supreme level of driver comfort

Aerodynamics with multiple benefits

The seat, the ergonomics, the fully adjustable multi function steering wheel, the ride, the handling and the quiet all come together to deliver this.

The CF85’s aerodynamics help engine performance and fuel economy, as well as helping to keep the windscreens and windows clean.

2,500Nm of torque from 1,000rpm

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Combined with low tare and high ratio differentials delivering an effortless, stress free driving experience with fuel efficiency.

In 2016 DAF was once more the biggest selling brand in the UK with 30.1% market share.

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FEATURE

Almost coinciding with the celebrations at PACCAR in Bayswater were those of Volvo Group Australia (VGA), as the Wacol-based manufacturer celebrated the completion of the 60,000 and 60,001 Volvo and Mack combined truck manufacturing milestone.

President and CEO of Volvo Group Australia, Peter Voorhoeve, was justifiably proud as he announced, “Our Wacol plant has been operating since 1972, and houses manufacturing and engineering facilities to produce both Volvo and Mack trucks.

“Furthermore, VGA produces its Mack and Volvo trucks without any government subsidies, a very different story to local car production, which was receiving up to $100,000 per employee of government money, which was ultimately still not enough for the Japanese and American owners of the plants to continue production.

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“Apart from operating without financial help from the Australian government, VGA makes a real impact on the economy, with much of the required products to build their trucks being sourced from approximately 85 local suppliers delivering 3500 different components to the Wacol factory – of which, many are produced right here in Australia,” Mr. Voorhoeve added.

As well as its support of local suppliers, VGA directly employs 450 Australians in its manufacturing plant, supporting local Queensland families.

In addition to announcing the 60,000th truck, Mr. Voorhoeve went on to explain why VGA still manufactures in Australia rather than fully importing their trucks like many of their competitors.

KEEP THE WHEELS TURNING

“We are committed to manufacturing trucks in Australia”

“Our trucks work harder than anywhere else in the world.

Our loads are heavier, the climate is hot and dusty, and the distances are greater. But our Australian engineers leverage the globally proven vehicle platforms and latest innovations to design trucks that are tailored for the unique Australian conditions,” he said.

“It’s a very competitive market here in Australia, but building trucks locally means we can meet and exceed the demands of customers in this competitive market, by building them a truck that is exactly to their specification,” he explained.

To meet the growing demands for its products, Mr. Voorhoeve outlined VGA’s plans for future investment in both

its production facilities and also in its customer facing outlets including both company owned and private dealerships.

“We are committed to manufacturing trucks in Australia and have invested over $27m in the production facility alone in the last six years, and will invest a further $3.7m in upgrading our chassis treatment and cab paint process.

We’re talking about a lot of money, which is a reflection of how confident we are in local manufacturing,” he said.

In addition to the investment in the production facilities, a further $160m has been invested in the dealer networks, including new dealerships in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

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FEATURE

I

t’s all systems go for Mack Trucks North America, as from January this year the company swings into action to deliver the latest addition to the Mack Trucks range, the Anthem, on the American market.

For Mack Trucks this is the new, next-generation highway hero. The Mack Anthem is a reengineered, redesigned and reimagined interpretation of what today’s highway truck should be – aerodynamic, comfortable and connected, all with a distinctively bold Mack look.

Details of the Mack Anthem were announced at the inaugural North American Commercial Vehicle Show by Dennis Slagle, in what turned out to be one of his final major media announcements as president of Mack Trucks, a position he has held since 2008.

“As one of the most significant new trucks in Mack’s 117year history, the Anthem combines our latest innovations with more than a century of truck-building know-how,” said Dennis.

audio system, and, behind the steering wheel, Mack’s CoPilot display has been updated with a new full-colour screen for improved visibility and more intuitive navigation.

“Every detail on the Anthem was designed with purpose,” says Jonathan Randall, senior vice president, sales, Mack Trucks North America. “We surveyed thousands of drivers and incorporated their feedback to deliver a functional, strong, efficient highway truck with an authentic design unlike anything on the road today”.

In addition to a new hood and grille, Mack engineers redesigned the roof and chassis fairings, mirror covers, and front bumper and air dam to more easily cut through the wind.

Standard features included in the new Anthem models include a day cab, 48-inch flat top sleeper and a 70-inch stand up integral sleeper. All the exterior lights will be LED as standard, and for the driver there will be a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and satnav.

MACK MOVES

Mack plays its Anthem to announce a new direction in on-highway ability.

“The incredible result is a truck that’s been built for our customers’ businesses and designed for drivers, all while delivering the power and presence that only a Mack truck can deliver,” he added.

The Mack Anthem gives drivers and businesses the tools they need to command the road. The truck features an all-new exterior design with optimised aerodynamics for improved fuel efficiency by up to 3.0 percent.

New driving and sleeping environments were crafted with an emphasis on increasing driver comfort and productivity.

Gauges on the instrument panel have been positioned higher for better driver visibility, the new steering wheel contains illuminated controls for cruise control, Bluetooth and the 18

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In the United States the power options include the Mack MP-Series of the 11-litre and 13-litre engines with power outputs ranging from 425 to 505 hp, with mDrive transmissions and Mack axles. The US market no longer offers the MP10 16-litre engine in Volvo or Mack products but it remains to be seen if that option will still be available for the Australian market when it launches here.

No date has yet been announced for the Australian introduction of the Anthem, but Mack Trucks Australia’s Dean Bestwick is on record as having said that a particularly exciting feature of the Anthem is the inclusion of a fully-integrated stand-up sleeper that would provide huge potential for sales in both the Australian and New Zealand markets.

MACK MOVES

“Looking at the new Anthem for the first time, most people are struck by its strong, distinctively Mack design,” says John Walsh, Mack vice president of global marketing and brand management. “But it’s also incredibly aerodynamic”.

Using predictive analytics and connective technologies, Mack Connect turns data produced by the truck, the driver and the service process into insights and actions, resulting in superior support and service to Mack customers.

Mack also introduced Mack Connect, which will serve as the reference for Mack’s growing connectivity and uptime service offers. With Mack Connect, current and future services will be structured under connected support, connected business and connected driving.

The existing ranges of Mack Granite and Pinnacle models have both been upgraded, with new ergonomic interiors for all-day comfort. Pinnacle also gains the new sleeper configurations rolled out with Anthem.

When service is required, the closest dealer location is identified and service bay space and parts availability is confirmed, all while the truck is still on the road.

Also available in this range is the Mack MP8-TC engine, which features turbo-compounding and offers ratings of 385-445 hp with torque outputs of 1460-1860 lb-ft and near zero emissions levels.

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FEATURE The turbo-compounding turbine in the MP8-TC captures waste heat from the exhaust gas and converts it into torque on the crankshaft. This results in a 6.5 percent fuel economy improvement and allows usable torque from as low as 850 rpm, with peak torque produced from 900 to 1250 rpm. The turbocharger used with the MP8-TC is of fixed geometry. All Mack engines, transmissions and drivelines are assembled in Hagerstown, USA. The engine line-up for Mack trucks in the US includes the 12-litre Cummins Westport ISX12G natural gas engine of 400 hp that is capable of operating on CNG, LNG and bio-methane, and the Cummins L9 that offers a 15 percent improvement in economy and 350 hp with 1150 lb-ft of torque.

Production of the new Mack Anthem starts this January and coinciding with the commencement of production is the announcement of the appointment of Martin Weissburg, currently president of Volvo Construction Equipment, to replace Mr. Slagle as president of Mack Trucks (effective June 1, 2018).

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Mr. Slagle will remain with the Volvo Group as a special projects leader reporting to Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO. Mr. Weissburg will continue to be a member of the executive board for the Volvo Group.

“Thanks to Denny Slagle’s leadership, the Volvo Group’s North American truck business has substantially improved its profitability and competitiveness, and is strongly positioned for the future,” said Martin Lundstedt.

“In Marty Weissburg, Mack Trucks will have another proven leader who is passionate about realising the full potential of this great truck brand,” Mr. Lundstedt added.

Born in 1962, Martin Weissburg has served as president of Volvo Construction Equipment since 2014. He joined the Volvo Group in 2005 as president of Volvo Financial Services Americas, and in 2010 became global president of Volvo Financial Services. He will be headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.

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FEATURE

THE BITUMEN HIGHWAY Knowing your business in depth can mean the difference between fighting for work and always keeping busy.

T

he need for specialist transport solutions spans such a broad spectrum that for many of us there remain areas of which we have no experience. While that can restrict the opportunities when looking for new work, for those with specialist knowledge of a niche area it can mean the continuation of regular work because of a lack of experienced competition on the open market.

Australia has more than 817,000 km of roads, and, of these, only around 355,000 km are sealed. This leaves 257,000 km of roads with a gravel or improved surface and 205,000 km of dirt roads.

The main composition of sealed Australian roads uses bitumen as the surface layer, but most sealed roads will have two or more other layers that stabilise the 22

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roadway. These layers are primarily made of a mix of bitumen, crushed rock, compacted sand, chalk and larger rocks, dependent on the local conditions. Most rural roads are usually made of earth, loam, gravel or bituminous spray seal.

Bitumen plays a major role in stabilising our road network and providing a durable sealing system, often combining other materials such as synthetic rubber compounds to promote integrity and adhesion.

Back in the ‘60s, Garth Knowles was a sprayer driver in the bitumen industry working at that time for BHP, before it became absorbed by Boral. For the ten years from 1960 onwards, Garth operated rigid tippers for sealing work, followed by asphalt work.

THE BITUMEN HIGHWAY

From the late ‘70s, Garth and his wife Helen started to expand into the bulk tanker and low-loader segment, and this diversity enabled them to expand the business again from the ‘90s as Queensland ramped up its infrastructure activities.

These days the company operates under the name of Speedie Contractors and its main focus is on carting bulk products, although it still retains an interest in spray seal and the asphalt work using rigid tippers and live-bottom trailers.

The live-bottom trailers are particularly effective in this application as they remove the risk of trailer tipping instability.

The original supplier of live-bottom trailers was Etnyre, but more recent purchases have been manufactured by

Trout River Australia and supplied through its Queenslandbased dealer, Shephard Transport Equipment of Larapinta, Brisbane. Shephard Transport also supplies and fits the hydraulic systems used on the trucks in the fleet.

The Speedie Contractors fleet comprises 34 powered units, which are predominantly bonneted Kenworth models such as the T408 and T409, plus T609s and the latest T610. With 30 trailers in the fleet the company operation includes running single trailers, B-doubles and road trains to peak weights of 97 tonnes.

“Our operations with Boral are based from the company’s Eagle Farm depot, whilst our work with SAMI Bitumen Technologies is based from a separate facility we operate at Pinkenbar,” said Simon Knowles.

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FEATURE

“Once NSW started the ball rolling about EBS and roll stability we made the decision to only build trailers that included these features” Cummins is the main engine supplier and this preference has continued with the T610, which features the latest X15 engine complete with UltraShift PLUS dual-mode transmission. There are also four PACCAR MX powered T409 prime movers and these again are fitted with the Eaton UltraShift PLUS Roadranger with the dual-mode transmission management option.

“With the bitumen industry you are always 50 percent unladen on trips. The dual-mode UltraShift PLUS is much more civilised. We first experienced a dual-mode UltraShift PLUS Roadranger at a Kenworth drive day and were really impressed. It’s particularly capable when coupled to the PACCAR MX engine and is a great match.

We also run a Mercedes-Benz with the Telligent AMT,” said Simon Knowles.

“Our fleet focus is on the standardisation of EBS and roll stability. We still find drum brakes to be more reliable given that a lot of the work we do is on less than class-one highway.

“Bitumen tankers do get exposed to less than ideal road conditions, and we find the disc brake does not handle the poorer quality roads as well as the drum brake. The durability of disc brakes versus drum brakes can also be affected by additional corrosion where the units are subject to coal dust water ingress with a high sulphur base that can occur on haul roads.

“Personally, I love disc brakes, and, with prime movers in different applications such as with low-loader work, they are fine and you wouldn’t have anything else. We have some DAF tippers with discs and they are fantastic. We also have a further eight trailers already fitted with disc brakes.

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“Drivers are now noticing the effect of EBS and adjusting their driving style accordingly. The latest systems also provide increased options for the monitoring of vehicle use and we are just about to move into evaluating downloads from the trailer ECM in association with the information we obtain from our NAVMAN vehicle tracking system.

“We were the 29th company in TruckSafe in Australia, we are in NHVIS and mass management and that all helps you in terms of relationships with State Road Authorities as well as insurance companies. With NSW commencing mandatory EBS fitment for dangerous goods transport from 2019, we expect that other states will follow suit,” Simon added.

As Ian Williamson, sales executive of Holmwood Highgate, confirmed, “Once NSW started the ball rolling about EBS and roll stability we made the decision to only build trailers that included these features.

“We don’t offer an EBS alternative and the difference between the pricing is minimal. Our preference is to use the two-axle actuation sensor as this provides the security of knowing that if one axle should suffer a sensor failure the remaining axle sensor is able to continue exercising AMS control,” he added.

Additional safety and operational benefits include WABCO TailGUARD systems. These apply the trailer braking systems automatically when a person or obstacle is detected in the vicinity of the trailer, such as during reversing manoeuvres. On-board weighing systems with driver notification inside the cab or via a mobile phone app are also available.

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With over 45 years’ experience, we are Australia’s transport insurance specialist. Talk to us about how our award-winning claims solution can protect you and your business.

nti.com.au *Source: NTI Claims surveys conducted FYJul2016/Dec2016 for Fleet and Commercial Motor customers Insurance products are provided by National Transport Insurance, a joint venture of the insurers Insurance Australia Limited trading as CGU Insurance ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 and AAI Limited Trading as Vero Insurance ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 each holding a 50% share. National Transport Insurance is administered on behalf of the insurers by its manager NTI Limited ABN 84 000 746 109 AFSL 237246.

FEATURE

A TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

B

eing in the right place at the right time is the basis for the foundation of DDS Transport Solutions, a Brisbane-based transport company focusing on time-sensitive refrigerated freight deliveries.

The fleet comprises six MAN TGX 6x4 prime movers, four being powered by the 540 hp Euro 5 engine, and the two latest models featuring the 560 hp Euro 6 engine.

What makes this fleet of particular interest is its policy of replacing and upgrading its vehicles at 300,000 km and three-year intervals, with 12 months and an average of 700,000 km warranty protection still in place at the time of their replacement.

As Steve McFadden explained to PowerTorque, “We deliver perishable goods from the Brisbane markets to distribution centres across the city. We have a variety of customers and we offer our service on a 24/7 basis every day of the year except for Christmas Day and Good Friday.

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“The issue with us is the timeframe we have each day, with everything we do being time sensitive,” he added.

Both Steve McFadden and Damien van Twest are convinced that the success of DDS Transport Solutions has been through its ability to always deliver on time, with high quality vehicles and equipment underpinning the performance of their drivers.

“It’s all the result of our service and reliability,” said Steve.

“We run a small company and we could buy older used vehicles, but these can come with high maintenance bills and the risk of the truck being off the road for repairs.

“Our customers demand complete reliability, and we get that from buying brand-new trucks, running them for 300,000 km and then replacing them. In the 12 years we have been in business we have only experienced one onroad breakdown, which related to a turbocharger, and that truck was repaired and back on the road within 24-hours.

A TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

A long-term association with MAN has been the key to success for Steve McFadden and Damien van Twest.

Damien van Twest and Steve McFadden of DDS Transport Solutions (L&R) with Derek Schroff, sales manager - Trucks Penske Power Systems (centre).

If something were to go wrong we still have the support of the Penske Truck Rental division attached to the local dealership as a back up.

“Our business model works because we have no major expenditure other than tyres, and no major component issues. We sell the truck for a high residual value, we then move straight into a new truck with a new warranty of four years and one million kilometres.

“We were the first operator in Australia to take delivery of the MAN TGX D38 at 560 hp, and with two now on the fleet we will be replacing the earlier 540 models as they reach three years old,” said Steve.

Each of the prime movers and trailers are identical, with 49 ft Maxi-Cube fridge pans fitted with Carrier Vector 8500 fridge units. Except for the badging that identifies the new 560 models, the immaculate condition of the fleet makes it impossible to tell the latest models from those approaching replacement.

As Callie Le Roux, sales executive for MAN Trucks at Penske Power Systems, Brisbane, explained to PowerTorque – from a mechanical perspective the major change between the 540 and the 560 hp versions of the MAN TGX D38 is the move from Euro 5 to Euro 6.

“The engine is a 15.2-litre, Euro-6-compliant, turbocharged and intercooled, in-line six-cylinder with 412 kW of power and 2700 Nm of torque. The latest 560 versions have the MAN TipMatic TX12 28 overdrive 12-speed automated manual transmission with the six-stage intarder that provides 3500 Nm of brake torque,” said Callie.

“We include features such as Emergency Brake Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control, ESP stability programme and ASR traction control plus Lane Departure Warning, and I just love the technology, it’s brilliant,” said Damien van Twest.

“We extend the technology right through our prime mover and trailer combinations with disc brakes throughout, plus PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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FEATURE EBS and roll-stability. We were running disc brakes and EBS long before it was compulsory. If there is a safety advantage out there for the driver we will run it,” said Damien.

“You get full torque from 920 rpm. Because of the 15-litre, and size of the load, the 560 is not working as hard as the 540 and is showing itself to be trouble-free.

“There has been a difference in fuel use with the move to Euro 6, and it’s all positive. By comparing downloaded data, generally what we have found is that the 560 has 10-15 percent better fuel numbers.

“As a single-trailer combination fuel economy has improved from 2.2 km/l with the 540 hp MAN at Euro 5 to 2.5 km/l with the 560 MAN at Euro 6,” added Damien.

“Through our 12-year history it’s taken us a number of years to get a good crew of drivers,” said Steve.

“There is no reason these days why a female driver can’t do the majority of tasks as well as a male. As an employer we are ambivalent towards the typical stereotypes to employ either gender, and consequently we have male and female drivers. We want people that do the job.

Those that come looking for a job want to make a positive change for themselves.

“We don’t judge them on their previous history, we judge them on what they do for us. Turn up for work, prompt and attentive, that’s what we are looking for. The condition of the truck is an obvious indication of the quality of driver that we have working with us.

“In the daily ten-hour period, each truck may be backing onto 40 different loading docks. This is particularly demanding on tyre life, and we find that, because of the constant manoeuvring to position on the loading docks, tyre wear is one of our major costs per kilometre.

“Our preference is to run with Pirelli FH65s Energy steer tyres and GT Radials on the drive, with these giving the best value for money and cents/kilometre return. Our tyre maintenance programme is handled by Tyreright of Yatala, Qld,” Steve added.

The reason for starting DDS Transport Solutions 12 years ago is in itself interesting, as the fleet basically came into being as the result of Steve McFadden’s passion for motorsport. Having been a keen competitor in V8 ute racing, he is currently campaigning a Porsche GT 3 in the National Series.

“Before we got into trucking I sponsored Damien’s brother, Justin, when he was racing Holden HQs and we were neighbours,” said Steve.

“We set about sponsoring more, when Justin moved to a national championship and then went V8 racing. Out of that we bought a car and franchise, then we bought a second franchise, and when that happened we needed to buy a race transporter, which we purchased from an owner in Young, NSW. 28

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“Having bought a race car transporter we needed a truck to pull it, and that led us to buying our first MAN, which was a 530 hp prime mover. Damien was working in the markets at that stage and was looking for additional work.

He took the MAN for a drive and liked it.

“So, we actually bought our first MAN just to pull a race transporter, and, while it’s nice to have toys, we decided to build up work for that truck when we were not heading to a race meeting.

“Damien continued to find more work for the MAN and was so successful that we found the truck was not always available to pull the race car transporter to race meetings.

Solving that problem meant buying another MAN, and with Damien building up work in refrigerated transport we sold the original race car transporter to buy a new one, which inadvertently then came with a truck.

“By then we had a race car transporter and two trucks, but with the expansion of our business we also started getting requests from other race car owners to transport their cars to different race meetings. Because we work hard to provide the best service possible, people were coming to us to do more work, and so we bought more trucks and equipment.

“People like to do business with other people they know and trust, and thanks to my involvement in motorsport we were getting more enquiries to transport race cars as well as prestige or classic cars.

“Our current race car transporter can carry six vehicles, and we are soon to take delivery of a new A-trailer manufactured by Graham Lusty Trailers to increase our capacity to a B-double car carrier. That enables us to cope with the additional work of transporting cars for the Supercar teams, the Carrera Cup, Australian GT and Development Series.

“What started as a hobby led to us buying a truck, which led us to starting the refrigerated freight transport, resulting in our having two distinctly different businesses.

“Having identical prime movers remains a major benefit because of the flexibility to move a particular prime mover between different operations. Because the typical runs the transporter covers are over longer distances, it means the fuel consumption differences are even more impressive. When hauling the transporter as a single trailer the MAN 560 is returning fuel economy of 2.6 km/l, or as a B-double at 2.4 km/l with gross weights reaching 52 tonnes,” concluded Steve.

PROFILE

FAMILY TIES

Kelly Transport of Toowoomba celebrates three generations of trucking. Images

by Nathan Duff

“Of course there were no bunks and sleeper boxes fitted to trucks at that time and it took two to three days to get to Sydney, whereas now it’s overnight.

W

hen a member of the family works with trucks, it’s something they share with all their relatives, and it’s only a matter of time before another cousin, sister or brother gets behind the wheel.

PowerTorque caught up with Mitch Kelly at the Kelly Transport terminal in Toowoomba recently, to learn how his family had created a medium-sized business with a strong reputation for doing the best they can for other members of the community.

It’s a family-owned company that’s growing, thanks to the enthusiasm of Mitch, who at aged 31 has been running the day-to-day operation of the company since his father Keith Kelly handed over the reigns some 18 months ago.

And with a measurable growth of 25 percent in his first financial year, Mitch is proving his ability to the extent that Keith is not about to spend more time than necessary away from his other business interests, checking on how things are going.

“My grandfather, John Kelly (Pop), started driving V8 B-model Mack’s for Western Transport back in the ‘50s. Dad used to travel with him as a kid and come back home with a black face after sitting in the cab for a few days,” said Mitch.

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“Dad was the eldest of three brothers and he obviously caught the same enthusiasm for trucking that’s been handed down the family almost genetically.

“Kelly Transport was started in 1974 when Pop retired from Western Transport, buying a shop in Toowoomba and a small truck that he bought from Westco Trucks. It was a little body truck that proved to be ideal for picking up fruit and other goods for people in and around Toowoomba.

That move prompted my father, Keith, to start driving for him in the early 1980’s after having worked locally as a piggery farm manager.

“Dad was 24 years old when he came to work with Pop and started driving a UD then went to Macks. When Freightliner brought in the FL112 around the start of the 1990’s we bought two of the first models that came out, one being a demo model in black with a CAT motor, and the other being painted blue with an N14 Cummins.

“We have stayed close with the Freightliner brand, buying around 23 Freightliners through our history. Seven of those have been FL112s, with the remainder being the Argosy and Coronado models.

FAMILY TIES “At the time of the Argosy launch in 2000, it satisfied the industry demand for 34-pallet B-doubles, and we bought three Argosy 101 cabovers to conform to the 25-metre overall lengths.

“When it went to 26 metres, we shifted to Argosy 110s for the longer wheelbase, larger interior and improved ride comfort, and have since purchased a further ten units. Our fleet now numbers 13 prime movers, including 9 Argosys, 1 Coronado 114 and a further Coronado built to road train spec. The difference from the early FL112 to the Coronado is amazing, with much higher levels of driver comfort and space.

“The Detroit DD15 is common throughout our fleet and I couldn’t say enough about how good they have been for us, running at 560 hp. When it comes to reliability and fuel economy they have been a lot better than the CAT ACERT that we originally operated up until they pulled out of the on-highway market in Australia.

“The DD15 easily outperforms other engines we have experienced in terms of power and fuel economy. They not only pull much better, they also hold on to their performance better on gradients. There’s also a major difference in terms of fuel economy, with the Detroit’s using 1250 litres of fuel for the Toowoomba to Adelaide run, versus 1400 litres per leg with the ACERTS. “The DD15s have been really good and reliable with nothing major going wrong.

“A typical annual distance per vehicle is usually about 200,000-300,000 km, although with three drivers and two trucks on a specific shuttle run this figure would probably average around 350,000 km per year.

“We traded a DD15 last year that had completed 1.35 million kilometres with the major component failure in that time being one turbo and a DPF. We run 40,000 km oil drains, including the road train, and servicing is completed in-house for basic maintenance and trailer work, with any major work being done at Westco Trucks in Toowoomba.

“With a four-year/800,000 km truck warranty and a fiveyear/1 million km warranty for the engine, that suits us.

We have discussed oil sampling and extended servicing with the Detroit reps, and, although they are confident we could extend drains out to 60,000 km periods, we are comfortable with 40,000 km intervals by using Delo 400LE (Life Extending), and are not finding any oil degradation.

“We’ve looked at B-triples instead of road trains, but it’s hard on general freight to get the deck length you need as most of the road train work is based on volume, rather than weight.

“If we had a set run for B-triples to take advantage of that extra pallet space, it then means changing our trailer specifications to airbag suspension with ABS and EBS, which in terms of practicality then restricts our flexibility in a trailer fleet of a limited size. I can achieve fleet flexibility by having a spare dolly and a single trailer, whereas in a B-triple operation I would need two additional A-trailers and then run them out separately to make up the combination. This all makes additional work for us, plus there’s also the extra costs of registration for B-triples rather than road trains.

“The overall length limitations are restrictive because we still have to choose between running a cabover with a bullbar or a conventional with just a bumper to get 34-pallet trailers. This restricts the driver from being able to have a decent bunk width in a conventional truck because of the need for a bullbar. We would far prefer to run Coronados as B-doubles, but the bullbar becomes part of the overall length measurement, even though it makes no difference to the turning circle or manoeuvrability of the combination.

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PROFILE “In terms of different trailers and fuel efficiency we find there is a substantial difference when running drop-deck trailers, especially on the Adelaide run where the dropdecks catch the wind. If it’s windy running between Cobar and Wilcannia, each truck will use 50 litres more because of the cross winds. Headwinds are not so critical and straight decks are not so affected,” said Mitch.

The DD15s are averaging fuel consumption of 1.65 km/litre when loaded everywhere they go in B-double applications.

The Coronado averages 1.44 km/litre for a two-trailer road train at 82 tonnes on mass management.

The fleet choice for tyre fitment is with Bridgestone R150 and R156 tyres as 295s on steer axles and 11R22.5 sized Hankook or Double Coin tyres for drive axle and trailer fitment. Mitch prefers this selection rather than using wide singles on the steer tyre fitment for reasons of added safety.

“I recently trialled a set of retreads for drive application, and while they were fine on cents/kilometre, the cost worked out the same as cleanskins, so we have stayed with new tyre replacements. Our typical axle spec for trucks and trailers includes drum brakes, and we run with grease bearings on K-Hitch axles with parallel bearings on trailers, which have been really good,” said Mitch.

“We have a mixed fleet of trailers between Freighter, Vawdrey and Krueger, having bought nine in 2017, plus four Argosys. All our trucks are sat-tracked with MT Data, and that gives me a level of information without hassling the drivers. I can look at it and not disturb a driver unnecessarily, and I find I mainly use it so that I don’t have to wake them up.

“Last year we turned over a 25 percent increase in the financial year, and since September we haven’t had a truck left in the yard looking for a load. Freight has been busy.

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Mitch and Keith Kelly of Kelly Transport

“We have seen a lot of large companies go out of business and others have decided to specialise on, say, the fuel industry, and not to compete in general freight.

“We try to assist our competitors as we aim for a good relationship with everyone. We could get bigger, but with every employee subject to payroll tax it’s an additional expense that impacts on a smaller company.

“We strive to take care of our drivers as they are our best asset. Through the strict modern award pay structure set out by fair work, as an industry we are now seeing a higher level of remuneration that interstate drivers well deserve.

Each operator shares the same overhead costs and if every company plays by the rules we can band together and make it work without cutting the freight rates and damaging our industry.”

“We have stayed with Freightliner products because of the reliability and fuel economy, and because of the service and support we receive from Westco Trucks of Toowoomba. We find Andrew Vaughan, the salesman, and Jamie Little, the dealer principal, are great up there to deal with, and bend over backwards for us. It’s the service reasons that we buy Freightliners and because Westco sells them,” added Mitch.

YOU

SCANIA

have fuel, power, reliability.

KEN ZAMBONETTI FLEET OPERATOR – ZAMBONETTI TRANSPORT

“With the V8’s we can run at a good steady pace and collect good fuel results at the end of the day.”

VICTORIA Scania Campbellfield Tel: (03) 9217 3300 Scania Dandenong Tel: (03) 9217 3600 Scania Laverton Tel: (03) 9369 8666 SOUTH AUSTRALIA Scania Wingfield Tel: (08) 8406 0200

NEW SOUTH WALES Scania Prestons Tel: (02) 9825 7900 Scania Newcastle Tel: (02) 9825 7940 K&J Trucks, Coffs Harbour Tel: (02) 6652 7218

QUEENSLAND Scania Richlands Tel: (07) 3712 8500 Scania Pinkenba Tel: (07) 3712 7900 Wideland, Toowoomba Tel: (07) 4633 1150 RSC Diesels, Cairns Tel: (07) 4054 5440

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Scania Kewdale Tel: (08) 9360 8500 Scania Bunbury Tel: (08) 9724 6200

DRIVEN

ON THE ROAD WITH ATEGO

T

he launch of a new truck can be of huge significance to its manufacturer. It’s all a question of timing and there’s always pressure on all concerned in the marketing team to introduce its features and benefits to members of the media for them to publish their initial report. Of equal importance is the need to expose the new arrival to prospective customers that might bite the bullet and immediately sign the company order book.

PowerTorque attended the launch of the all new MercedesBenz rigid truck range earlier this year (see review in October edition), where a preliminary evaluation that included a brief drive programme of those new key models provided the opportunity to make an early judgment on its potential for our market. Following on from that first introduction, PowerTorque was subsequently provided with the opportunity for a full day in the new medium-duty Atego to gain a better understanding of the new mid-size Benz rigid.

Brenton O’Connor gets up close and personal with the all-new Mercedes-Benz 4x2 and rigid 1630L 34

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ON THE ROAD WITH ATEGO The truck provided was the 1630L, which represents a 16-tonne GVM and 300 horsepower spec fitted with a steel tray manufactured in Melbourne by AllTruck. Our load on the day weighed in at a gross weight of 14.8 tonnes with concrete blocks.

A big change for the revised Atego range is the deletion of the 6x2 variant. The Atego range is now only available in 4x2 and 4x4 axle configurations, and, for those requiring a lazy axle or a tandem drive, they will move up the product line to consider the larger Actros range, starting with 300 hp, and available in both 6x2 lazy axle and 6x4 tandem drive.

Powering the 1630 is the all-new Mercedes-Benz OM936 LA engine. The OM936 is an inline six-cylinder engine, with 7.7 litres of displacement and producing 220 kW (299 hp) and 1200 Nm of torque. All Australian spec trucks will be specified to Euro 6 emission standards combining SCR, EGR and a DPF filter.

Particularly impressive is the new engine brake, now standard on the new OM936 engine. On the previous generation engine (OM906LA/OM926LA) Benz used a combination of an exhaust brake and AEB (active engine brake) that was a separate (decompression) valve in the head. Performance was mediocre, and high engine rpm was required to produce adequate levels of retardation.

Moving forward to today, and the new integrated engine brake is unbelievably impressive for an engine of this displacement.

For the first time in the Atego 300 hp range, Mercedes has introduced an AMT transmission version, whereas, on the previous three higher-powered incarnations of the Atego range, buyers were limited to either a nine-speed manual or a five-speed Alison automatic transmission.

For the latest generation, Mercedes has released an eightspeed PowerShift transmission, which is a fully automated manual (AMT) with a two-pedal operation. Selection of direction of travel is determined by a twist selector on the end of the right-hand stalk, and, for manual gear selection, either lift up for upshift, or press down for a downshift.

A particularly undulating route from Mercedes-Benz’s Mulgrave office through South Gippsland via Korumburra, Leongatha, Thorpdale and back to Melbourne via the Princes freeway was an ideal route to test out the new Atego complete with load, as it provided a variety of road conditions, as well as some steep inclines and long downhill runs in loaded realworld conditions.

Immediately noticeable was the power of the new engine. With its high torque output (given its modest displacement), this immediately showed it was well matched to the new eight-speed PowerShift transmission. Like most European trucks heading onto the global market these days, engine rpm is kept relatively low through tall-geared final drive ratios (3.583:1) and an overdriven transmission.

MERCEDES-BENZ ATEGO 4x2 Rigid 1630 L ENGINE: 7.7-litre OM936 with 299 hp and 1200 Nm. TRANS: Eight-speed PowerShift AMT. CAB: S-Cab Classis Extended.

WEIGHTS: 16,000 kg GVM and up to 28,000 kg GCM.

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DRIVEN The engine is smooth, and, with its flat torque curve, acceleration is delivered incrementally. There was a bit of engine noise entering the cabin through the rear cab wall, however, nothing unpleasant, and, as with most cabover trucks, the optional sleeper cabin will further isolate the cabin from noise ingress. For the test route we covered a total of 269 km, and, according to the onboard computer, the engine and driveline recorded an overall fuel consumption of 4.1 km per litre, which, given the undulating terrain, was exceptionally good.

The standout on the new Atego range has to be the new integrated engine brake, as it’s an improvement over both past Mercedes medium-duty trucks and also any other vehicle in a similar weight class. Producing 300 kW of engine braking from just 7.7 litres of engine displacement is truly outstanding, and this engine brake would, without doubt, be the most powerful in class. This means that, specifically for those operators towing trailers or operating in hilly terrain, it will prove to both reduce brake repair costs and make the life of the driver much easier.

The gearshifts of the new eight-speed PowerShift were both intuitive and smooth, with shifts being made at optimal times without the unnecessary ratio changes often found with many AMT transmissions.

Through the steep uphill sections encountered on the route through South Gippsland, the AMT made easy work of the downshifting as the truck completed the climbs. On the steepest of the hills encountered, the truck downshifted three full gears to fifth, with the straight-six engine lugging up the ascent with aplomb. Pleasantly, the viscous fan seemed much quieter than in earliergeneration Ategos, with fan-on time seemingly much lower than in Ategos of the past.

The ride quality of Ategos has always been a strong point, with the latest version not disappointing on that

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comparison. With parabolic springs on the steer axle, and two-airbags on the rear suspension, the truck both rode and handled well, despite the load on the tray. The rear suspension has full ECAS control, with a handheld remote enabling the driver to raise and lower the rear suspension to promote easier and safer loading.

Whilst the cabin shell is shared with previous models of the Atego, the grille is different and the interior is completely new. Benz has also included a touchscreen that incorporates radio, Bluetooth audio streaming, Bluetooth telephone connectivity and navigation with truck specific routing, something that will no doubt be of assistance to drivers.

The new interior is modern and feels of high quality, with no apparent rattles or squeaks surfacing from the interior appointments. Pleasantly, there’s ample seat travel, even for the tallest of drivers, and access in and out of the truck is safe and easy, due to the low overall height facilitated by the standard-fit 19.5” wheels.

Most settings are accessible through the multifunction steering wheel and colour display mounted in the centre of the main instrument cluster. Interestingly, Mercedes hasn’t fitted an air pressure gauge as part of the standard gauges. To check supply air pressures, the driver will need to scroll through the menus using the buttons on the steering wheel.

Overall, the new Atego is an impressive package, and will appeal to both fleet operators and owner drivers alike through its range of technology aimed to both reduce operating costs and to make the life of the driver easier and safer. The standouts over previous generations of Ategos include both the new eight-speed PowerShift transmission and also the new integrated engine brake.

www.cummins.com.au

www.roadranger.com

FEATURE

THE BUCKET LIST

LinCon aims high as Australia’s leading supplier of elevated work platforms

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hen discussing elevated work platforms there’s a tendency to think first of portable, self-drive, scissor lifts that beep as they travel between light poles so an operator can change the globes. There’s still a market for this entrylevel of equipment, but, with the strict operational controls covering the safe height access industry, there came the need for a total rethink of how to reach extreme heights in safer ways than using a box hanging from a crane.

Colleen Lindores is the director of LinCon, a company she founded in 2001 after 15 years experience working in the crane industry.

“Although I started in self-propelled elevated work platforms and scissor lifts, as we became more familiar with this section of the industry we realised there was a need to specialise in the bigger end of the market. We consequently moved from the self-hire light end of the market and tailored our business to work in areas that needed very specialised equipment,” said Colleen.

“Much of our success can be traced back to us being the first. We were the first in Australia to facilitate live line maintenance, the first to bring Palfinger Platforms – unique German manufactured machinery – to Australia, and we were the first to be appointed exclusive agents for Palfinger and Barin, plus the first to secure a contract as the Bronto service agent,” she added.

With its 17-year history, LinCon has become the undisputed leader in the supply of elevated work platforms, providing a national service in all states.

With over 70 highly specialised off-road access allterrain heavy-duty trucks, LinCon is one of Australia’s largest operators of MAN all-wheel-drive rigid trucks, on which are mounted highly sophisticated extended-reach equipment that can extend as high as 70 metres, with a maximum outreach of 41 metres.

Jeremy Wales, LinCon’s state operations manager for Queensland, explained that the company’s core business was to be able to supply access for maintenance to equipment that in most circumstances would be classed as inaccessible.

“We were the first company to mount elevated work platforms (EWPs) on all-terrain accessible trucks in this country. In Europe EWP-equipped trucks usually only travel on the bitumen. Out here, power lines cut straight across the country over terrain that can only be accessed by highly capable off-road vehicles,” said Jeremy.

“When building new power lines or testing existing installations the power transmission cables run in a straight line. If they have to go over a mountain, then so do we, as we provide service access to all the major power networks in Australia, together with wind farm and telecommunications installations”.

“Our fleet of 70 MAN off-road vehicles includes 4x4 units that can reach 30-metre work heights, 6x4 units that reach 45 metres, 6x6 units that can reach 45 metres and our 8x8

THE BUCKET LIST MAN trucks that can reach 53 metres, 61 metres or 70 metres, dependent on the equipment fitted to each unit,” said Jeremy.

As Callie Le Roux, MAN sales executive of Penske Power Systems in Brisbane that supplies the MAN chassis to LinCon explained: “Each new MAN is built to special order in Germany, with modifications made to lower the cab roofline, lower and relocate the front axle suspension to comply with axle weight requirements, and reposition components to facilitate mounting the Palfinger Platform.”

“The MAN all-wheel-drive capable chassis operates when on the highway as a single-drive axle, but when off-road the driver can lock in the transfer case to introduce drive to each of the remaining axles. Cross-axle and inter-axle differential locks can then be operated to further improve traction and vehicle performance,” added Callie.

The technology of the EWP is similar to that used in the design of fire appliance escape ladders, and, when the boom is extended, its stability is ensured by two-stage stabilisers that extend to 7.5 metres. The largest unit in the LinCon fleet has a reach height of 70 m with an outreach horizontally of 41 metres. A typical value for each unit is estimated at $1.4 million.

As the outreach increases the load capability in the basket reduces. Using a 70 m boom as an example, with an outreach of 33-34 metres the basket weight capability is 600 kg, at 38 metres it reduces to 300 kg, and at 41 metres the maximum SWL is 100 kg.

In all operating conditions, safety systems using interlocks take information from sensors that evaluate ground pressure to prevent any part of the system being operated unless all stabilisers and control systems are in place and operating correctly. When the boom is out of the cradle there’s an interlock that prevents the outriggers from being lifted through the Palfinger controls.

Prior to LinCon commissioning these MAN and Palfinger Platforms the only alternative for reaching heights such as 70 metres for service or maintenance was to use a dog box hanging from a crane jib. In these applications a crane is subject to a control of wind speed being not more than 7 metres/second. Using an EWP the control restraints are at 12.5 metres/second.

The increasing number of wind farms is also driving development by Palfinger of larger units, with the latest EWP design having a reach height of 100 metres and a 30-metre outreach at a height of 70 metres. At this level, the maximum permissible wind speed is at 17.5 metres/ second (approximately 60 km/h).

Current wind farm developments underway in Glen Innes, NSW, involve the erection of wind turbines using 60-metre blades, and applications are possible for turbines using 90-metre blades with a hub centre 143 metres from ground level. Specialised cranes complete the erection of these turbines, with the EWPs being used for regular maintenance.

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“Everybody has his or her forte. We are the largest company operating EWPs in Australia, and what we do we are extremely good at. We do not want to expand into new areas such as providing the maintenance crews, our job is to provide the access equipment,” said Tony Fish of LinCon technical sales.

“We are the agents for Palfinger in Australia and New Zealand and they work so well with the MAN. We have had experience of other brands, but the MAN will go to places that we would never contemplate if using another brand. The MAN will regularly outperform other equipment that is stuck and go round them because of the high ground clearance.

“It’s been that successful that we are going to put a 70-metre Palfinger EWP on a MAN 8x4 chassis because we were so impressed by the performance and ability that we believe in many circumstances an 8x4 unit will reach the destination, without having to resort to using an 8x8 unit at a higher cost.

“In the unfortunate event of getting bogged, we can use the outriggers to lift the chassis off the ground while we add material under the wheels to regain traction. This way we are very independent when in remote areas,” added Tony.

All maintenance on LinCon’s units is completed in-house, in accordance with Work Health and Safety service

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schedules that require 90-day inspection cycles with a further 2x50-hour inspections, every three months. The company also runs oil sampling at 400 hours at the same time as oil drains to monitor any diesel saturation.

One of the features of the MAN Electronic Control Units enables the monitoring of fuel use when the unit is operated in a stationary position on an hourly flow rate, as a contrast to simply monitoring fuel flow based on distance travelled. This can be a major benefit when monitoring engine idle rates.

“The uniqueness of our service is what drives our success,” said Jeremy Wales.

“We can provide a product range that extends from a Ford Ranger cab/chassis with a 13-metre EWP to an 8x8 all-wheel-drive MAN with an EWP reaching 100 metres.

We also supply and operate underbridge units that can extend their EWPs to check under a bridge from the roadway above by hanging the EWP under the bridge and extending to a maximum reach of 22 metres.

“You’re not just hiring our machinery, you are buying into our expertise. For us, everywhere is accessible. No job is too high, too complex, too specialised or out of reach. We go to great lengths to ensure that everything is possible,” Jeremy added.

Tony Fish, Colleen Lindores and Jeremy Wales of LinCon (L-R)

DRIVEN

THE V8 LOVE AFFAIR Australians love V8s, and Brenton O’Connor put Scania to the test in advance of the launch of its Next Generation truck range

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8 engines certainly have their place in the history of trucking. But, one by one, manufacturers in the US, Europe and Japan have reverted to inline six-cylinder engines, with Mercedes-Benz being the most recent through its HDEP programme and the fourth generation Actros. The contradiction to this trend of course is Scania, the only heavy truck manufacturer still using V8 engines in its 500+ horsepower range.

the mid engine rev range of around 1300-1700 rpm, the V8 produces a nice sound that is by no means intrusive to the otherwise near silent in-cab experience.

V8 engines, with their more compact dimensions, can ‘wedge’ in between the chassis rails rather than standing up tall like an inline six-cylinder. This benefits the overall cab height and enables the cab floor height to be kept lower, reducing tare weight and providing safer access for the driver through lower cab entry.

Another neat feature of the Scania air suspension is the standard equipment weight gauges, which show the actual tonnes on each of the two drive axles. Upon checking against a registered public weighbridge, I was able to confirm their accuracy. These are a great feature, as many operators load their vehicles without having a weighbridge, and due to the zero tolerance of both mass management and PBS systems, overloading is not an option.

Much publicity has been given to the New Generation range of Scania trucks to be released around April.

But given Scania still has stock of the current range, PowerTorque thought it timely to review a current model R620 V8 in B-double application.

Our test truck for the week was a R620 using Scania’s own DC16 engine that produces 456 kW (620 hp) and 3000 Nm of torque between 1000 and 1400 rpm. The torque figure is particularly impressive compared with other engines of comparable power.

The DC16 is currently spec’d at Euro 5 emission targets, using SCR technology. Mounted to the big V8 is Scania’s own 14-speed gearbox known internally as the GRS0905R, with Opticruise technology and two-pedal operation. Standard fit is also Scania’s own retarder producing extremely impressive levels of speed control.

Scania V8s have always had a nice growl, particularly when under load, and the R620 was no exception. Particularly in

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Unlike many of its European competitors, the Scania rear suspension is a four-bag arrangement compared to the usual eight bags, with ECAS control from a hand piece and also integrated into the dashboard.

For this test of the R620, we hooked it up to a set of tri-tri Hercules B-double tippers. Grain/fertiliser spec tippers are useful for testing as they are relatively ‘slippery’ through the air and don’t create a lot of drag compared to other trailer combinations such as stock crates. With an overall height of just 3.9 metres they don’t catch as much air as a full height set of curtainsiders at 4.3 metres.

V8 LOVE AFFAIR With a PTO and hydraulic pump already fitted to the R620, we could operate the tipper combination when it came to unload the bulk cargo. The PTO switching and the operation for the tippers, including tailgate locks and hoist raising and lowering, were all genuine Scania switches, rather than generic switches typically fitted into cabins of trucks by the body builder.

Post the evaluation, Scania provided us with a map showing where the truck had travelled over the course of the evaluation as well as a report showing how the truck had been driven including heavy braking, overspeed and other key factors. Also provided was a report on average weights and fuel consumption.

These reports were very impressive and benefit any fleet operator so that any poor operation or issues with the

truck, such as excessive fuel consumption, can be quickly identified and acted upon. If it’s a driver problem then additional training may be the solution, or if it’s truck related it becomes a workshop issue.

With an average weight of 50 tonnes we had a mix of time spent running both empty and at a gross weight of 68.5 tonnes, during which the system recorded an average fuel consumption of 1.90 km per litre.

For a full width cabin of 2.5 m and a cabover engine design, the Scania R-series has the best cab access I’ve ever seen. The cab floor is recessed so that all steps are visible to the operator when exiting the cabin. The steps provide good grip, and have a high degree of cascading, so that it’s more like ascending/descending a staircase rather than a vertical ladder.

The interior is typically European, with plenty of storage possibilities, including a fridge under the bunk, which, as it doesn’t slide out, can be difficult to open to get a drink while driving.

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FEATURE The bunk looks somewhat ordinary in appearance, but looks can be deceiving, as it can slide out, increasing the width of the bed, after having moved the driver and passenger seats forward. Thanks to a very comfortable mattress, and with full wraparound curtains, the driver is assured a good night’s rest.

The mirrors are somewhat unusual, as the spotter mirror is located above the main mirror on both the driver and passenger side. Whilst by no means a problem, it took some getting used to as most drivers will be accustomed to the spotter mirror located below the main mirror. We did find that, at night, the dashboard reflected badly onto the main mirror restricting vision and was distracting.

On the subject of nighttime driving, the Scania headlights were brilliant thanks to the driving lights discretely mounted into the sun visor, as standard equipment.

Furthermore, the truck is also equipped with both fog and spotlights in the bumper bar, also as standard kit.

The Scania V8 pulled well, and made easy work of the total gross weight through some rather demanding terrain on the test route including a few very steep inclines that brought the truck back to a speed of 20 km/h. As mentioned earlier, even under full load the big V8 is both quiet and smooth, there is virtually no driveline noise entering the cabin, but there is a bit of wind noise present, however.

The Opticruise gearbox and retarder combination works well together. As the Scania engine doesn’t have an integrated engine brake, the retarder is necessary, with Scania also fitting an exhaust brake for added retardation.

Reminiscent of a V-series Mercedes-Benz, the exhaust brake is operated via a button on the floor by the driver’s foot. The right-hand stalk handles the retarder operation by progressively increasing the level of braking by pulling the stalk back further towards the driver.

The level of braking achieved through the retarder is truly outstanding and would easily outdo any conventional engine brake. Best of all it’s silent, so it can be used through built-up areas without risk of complaint. I particularly liked the overrun feature, which, via a button on the steering wheel, allows the driver to dictate the overrun speed of

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the cruise control before the retarder would be activated.

For example, the cruise control was set at 100 km/h and I set the overrun to 103 km/h, which means, on downhill runs, as soon as the truck hits 103 km/h the retarder would automatically come on and brake the combination to below this speed, without cancelling the cruise control, which remained active.

A particular feature of the Opticruise gearbox I like is the way that the truck continues to drive, when at engine idle speeds and Drive is selected. Whereas some European trucks will simply disengage the clutch at idle speeds when there is no throttle input, the Scania keeps moving at an idle (either forwards or reverse depending on the gear selected) until the operator touches the brake pedal.

This makes manoeuvring and reversing a B-double easier.

There is a manoeuvring mode for fine work, such as for coupling up trailers. To initiate the manoeuvring mode the driver needs to press down and hold the right-hand stalk, and M (for manoeuvring) will come up on the dash.

The standard diff ratio of 3.42:1 from Scania’s own hypoid tandem axle group allowed the big V8 to cruise at 100 km/h at just over 1400 rpm, which no doubt contributed to both reduced fuel consumption and lower interior noise levels.

As expected from Scania, the levels of passive and active safety features are high. Included as part of the standard fit SSP (Scania Safety Pack), some of the standout features were the lane departure warning (LDW), advanced emergency braking (AEB) and the adaptive cruise control (ACC). The ACC is particularly useful on single-lane highways with little prospect of safely overtaking with a B-double, as the truck detects a slow moving car in front and automatically reduces the speed of the truck.

Fuel packaging with the 3100 mm axle distance (centre of steer axle to centre of first drive axle) is 1030 litres (710 litres on the left and 320 litres on the right side) with 75 litres of AdBlue also on the right-hand side. While 1030 litres should be adequate for most East Coast B-double operations, it is on the low side when compared to some of the other European alternatives.

The Scania R620 proved itself as a comfortable and honest workhorse. In 2017 Scania recorded over 1000 sales in Australia for the first time, further reinforcing our review of this truck and showing the confidence its customers hold for the brand.

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FEATURE

ON THE MONEY

F

or Leanne Whittaker, the owner and director of Whitlee Transport, the art of running a successful business stems from focusing on your drivers as your best asset. Leanne takes that focus a little further than most operators, welcoming the families of the drivers into feeling they also play an important role in the company.

“Our drivers are a huge part of our business and take great pride in their work and the appearance of the trucks.

When I employ a new driver, I like to get to know them and also their family, so I encourage their wives or partners and kids to come along as well. They don’t just come and work for me, they become part of the family,” said Leanne.

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Warren Caves visits Goulburn operator Whitlee Transport – Images by Mark Bean

This close-knit appreciation of the drivers extends to the latest Coronados wearing personalised number plates relating to the driver’s names. Above the doors are nicknames for the trucks reflecting the personalities of the drivers or a humorous story with a money theme. They are “Money Train” for Robert, “No Change” for Kevin, “Loose Change” for Scott, and, the newest recruit, William, gets “Small Change”.

Whitlee Transport has, in conjunction with Freightliner Trucks, seen a remarkable rise in business growth since its inception in 2015. Today the company operates a total

ON THE MONEY of six Freightliner truck and dog trailer combinations, servicing contracts with major companies specialising in bulk aggregate movements in and around the Southern Tablelands area of NSW, two hours south of Sydney.

Leanne explained how her business philosophy and planning produced her recipe for success, attributing her mother for the inspiration she instilled for running a business when Leanne was in primary school.

“Mum used to work for a trucking company doing the bookwork, so as a little girl in the school holidays and after school I would tag along with her and be given small filing tasks, or look after the morning tea orders for the staff. I loved it. My stepfather worked for the local showground as a curator, so, it was there, at his work, that I got the opportunity to drive tractors and other machinery.

Leanne openly displays a passion for what she is doing, which is evident in the way she talks about the business.

This is very much “her baby”, and as a very hands-on employer she is interested in expanding her knowledge to encompass a whole of operation, intimate insight into the day-to-day running of the business, rather than relying on someone else to look after things.

Already competent at driving trucks, plans are currently underway for her to obtain a HR licence. As far as the mechanical side of things go, Leanne says, “If I don’t know, I want to know, I make it my business. If I ring a repairer I want to know what I’m organising and not just repeating what someone else said.

“My poor husband Craig cops an earbashing regularly, with me asking all manner of questions as to why did that happen? How does that work?

How can we stop it from happening again?”

Whitlee Transport was formed in 2015. Prior to this Leanne, along with her husband Craig, had been running two other transport-related businesses locally, one of which operated a fleet of Freightliner trucks. The other was a small operation run by a family member, which was subsequently taken over by Leanne and Craig and eventually became the basis for today’s Whitlee Transport operation.

The company originally started with one Freightliner CL112 truck and quad-axle dog combination. When the need arose for a second truck to serve as a spare and to fulfil a commitment on a 24-hour-a-day contract operation, once again the choice was for a Freightliner, this time a FL112, which remains working that contract today, together with the CL112.

The choice of Freightliner partially stems from the need for a low tare weight truck for the other company operation and the good experience and reliability returned by the brand on that job. The winning of another contract saw the need to purchase further equipment, and the choice was clear, they were going to be Freightliners.

With her business expanding, the need for more equipment was once again a necessity, adding two new Freighliners and two CSTs. These trucks are running DD15 engines rated at 560 horsepower and utilising 18-speed Eaton Roadranger manual gearboxes. The low cost of ownership, reliability and low tare weight really appeal to Leanne.

The truck sales were handled by Richard Huer of Stillwell Trucks in Sydney, and Leanne cannot speak highly enough of Richard and the service he provides to her company.

“We have purchased all our trucks through Richard, he is great,” said Leanne.

“Our trucks are on 20,000 km service intervals with the work being handled by Marulan Truck and Bus and Mechanika Motors of Goulburn. Craig also looks after minor repairs and maintenance when practical,” she added.

Leanne, by her own admission, says, “I’m a colourful, unique girl and I don’t like to be like the rest”. This is where you begin to get an understanding of the unique colour scheme and quirky names that have been chosen for her trucks.

“I wanted to create some branding for our business, so I designed the logo and graphics and decided to use the same graphic design for each truck, but with a different colour. We enlisted Craig Maddren of Signage One, locally, to do the work.

“We now have our four newest trucks, being two tri-axle dog trailers and two quad-axle trailers, branded this way as well as my work ute. They really stand out in their PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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I love this truck, It’s my pride and joy.

It’s big, it’s tough, it’s fun, It’s my Freightliner toy.

That all those other brands just Don’t match up to this truck.

My freightliner is the best, And it’s not just by luck.

When I’m out on the road, I feel so alive.

It’s like being in a lounge chair, Such a comfy drive.

The service, the quality, the care, Well it’s second to none.

Nothing is a problem, My Freightliner gets the job done.

And it’s a great feeling when Everyone drives by and stares, My Freightliner is a standout, It’s kinda not fair.

orange, purple, red and yellow livery”. (The original two trucks on the 24-hour quarry work remain plain white).

While it’s not all fun and games, the trucks work between 10 and 12-hour days with the drivers taking the trucks home at night. Tablets are being installed in the trucks with Leanne saying that they are still learning their way around the software a bit, however, early signs are pointing to a more streamlined process for work allocation direct from plant operations – licence, service schedule and induction reminders can also be flagged. Remote access to completed tasks via the tablet can also increase productivity.

It’s Leanne’s concept to employ all local drivers, and Leanne’s husband Craig does relief driving when needed to cover a few shifts to allow rosters for the 24-hour quarry work ensure drivers have some time off night work.

The latest Coronado combination is PBS compliant with approvals currently being assessed, and the earlier Coronado and trailer are slated for some retrofit work with brake systems to allow for PBS approval.

The preferred trailer supplier is Tefco Trailers, which is itself locally based in Goulburn, together with a manufacturing centre in Brisbane.

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Like Whitlee Transport, Tefco Trailers is a family-owned business. Founded in 1988, the company manufactures aluminium and steel-bodied equipment for rigid chassis tippers, dog trailers, B-double and road train applications.

“Tefco caters to the quarry, grain, bulk materials and recycling industries. Richard and Sue Brown of Tefco are family friends and look after us very well, we wouldn’t have anyone else supply our bodies”, said Leanne.

“We have just renewed the contract for the 24-hour sand quarry work we complete, and with more contracts pending we may again require the purchase of another combination to handle the increase in work.

“We have recently purchased a 100-acre property at nearby South Marulan, with plans for shedding, our own fuel supply storage and truck parking. So, we have quite a bit going on at the moment. Fortunately, there are still a few colours left in the rainbow for new truck signage, maybe a pink one next,” quipped Leanne, cheekily.

Leanne loves her Freightliners and poetry, and, following a weekend motorsport event in the company of Steve Marton, a Freightliner executive who commented he wrote lyrics for a band in his younger days, Leanne was encouraged to pen a poem about her trucks.

FEATURE

REVENGE IS SWEDE

No longer overshadowed by other Western European truck manufacturers, this year belongs to Scania as it launches its New Generation Truck Range across its global platform.

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he first half of 2018 plays host to the launch of the New Generation Scania truck range, and, as the final plans are being drawn to make this Australian launch the most memorable in the company’s history, PowerTorque brings advanced information on other models that support the linehaul fleet.

Look around you when you next hear emergency service vehicle sirens and you might well notice how Scania has made inroads into the specialist market that covers fire and rescue vehicles, as well as the general distribution and waste removal industries.

Scania’s latest New Generation truck range takes into account the need for crew-cabs and low roof height options that work well with extendable rescue ladders just as much as they do with picking up refuse waste bins and heaving them over the cab roof to discharge into the compactor bodywork behind.

This is the role for Scania’s L-Series, low entry city-cab and a new crew-cab with greatly improved safety.

As outlined by Henrik Eng, product director, urban, for Scania Trucks, the time is right for a rethink when it comes to continuing to use traditional truck designs in earthmoving, emergency services response vehicles and waste removal and food distribution.

“There is a clear trend towards low-entry cabs, which were previously mainly used for waste collection vehicles but are now finding their way into more and more applications,” says Eng. “A decade or so ago many people would have raised their eyebrows at a rigid tipper or prime mover with a lowentry cab, but soon it will be an everyday sight in some big cities. The concessions you need to make in terms of ground clearance and attack angles are outweighed by the advantages for those who mainly drive in town, allowing them to be more level with their surroundings”.

According to Henrik Eng, there is a great deal of interest in making the switch to low-entry vehicles, given heightened interest in sustainability, which is driven in particular by local authorities.

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“They are making legitimate demands that trucks must be modernised to fit in,” he says. “A low-entry tipper with a Scania City Safe Window in the passenger door and a silent gas engine running on bio-methane is much more welcome on congested city streets than traditional vehicles. Zones with enhanced noise requirements, rules on emissions and interaction with other types of traffic appear to be banishing traditional tippers to applications not found in the city”.

L-Series cabs are always two metres in length, but are available in three roof heights: low, normal and high. The front ground clearance is around 240 mm. Most drivers are familiar with the kneeling option available with the front suspension systems used on coaches, but it’s not something that has been offered here on trucks.

The New Generation L-Series low roof height cabs include the kneeling option, which is activated by applying the park brake. Instead of using distribution trucks that claim to have low floor height access, this sets a new benchmark for ease of access in the trucking industry, changing the cab access to just one step entry, rather than two, and with a particularly wide step tread measuring 790 mm to access a cab with a floor height reduced from 930 mm to 800 mm.

Power comes from an updated 9.0-litre engine, which is available in three different performance levels for diesel, and during 2018 Scania will also release its OC09 gas engine in two performance levels fuelled by either CNG or LNG. Transmission options include the Opticruise AMT or Allison fluid automatic.

Vision of pedestrians and cyclists when operating through inner city areas has now taken on much greater significance, and, as a safety benefit for the driver, Scania has incorporated what it calls its City Safe Window available in P and L-Series cabs and mounted in the passenger door.

Scania’s crew-cab is collision and impact tested and can accommodate up to eight passengers. Available in two lengths, it protects the occupants by providing four rollover-side-curtain airbags. Based on the P-cab design, engine options extend up to 500 hp and the cabs have been designed from the outset to easily accept the various electrical and equipment inclusions necessary for emergency service vehicle fit-out.

REVENGE IS SWEDE

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“We’re now moving up a gear in construction, the Scania XT range is the perfect offering when dealing with tough challenges” 52

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REVENGE IS SWEDE Where the vehicle application requires a longer chassis length the crew-cab can be supplied with an electrically steered third tag axle for 6x2 configuration.

Although the initial launch of Scania’s New Generation trucks into the Australian market will be focused on linehaul and on-highway applications, the easy access low floor cabs, plus the crew cabs for waste removal and emergency service work, will equally fill important roles for operators.

Scania has a similarly strong reputation for its ability in the construction industry, and in the tougher applications its history dates back to the Scania-Vabis brand of the late 1940s.

“We’re now moving up a gear in construction,” says Anders Lampinen, product director of Scania Trucks. “The Scania XT range is the perfect offering when dealing with tough challenges and customers who need a solution that can always be relied on and always delivers”.

Scania is now introducing XT, a model that can be chosen for all cab versions of P, G, R and S-cabs, regardless of engine option.

The foundation of Scania XT is a highly robust heavy-duty bumper that protrudes 150 millimetres in front of the cab front. The bumper provides an approach angle of around 25 degrees, depending on the configuration in term of choice of tyres and chassis. In combination with a skid plate and headlamp protection mesh, the XT version has a particularly robust and rugged front, which easily copes with any fairly heavy impact or collision with objects without any damage to the underlying structure. A centre-mounted easily accessible towing bolt is classified for 40 tonnes.

the fuel-efficient 13-litre engines that Scania launched last year with three different power levels (and which had yet another addition in the early summer with a 370 horsepower version with Miller cam and SCR for exhaust gas aftertreatment).

“Scania XT is our range hero, but there are now a number of different axles, gearboxes, frames and various options available, and they naturally work just as well in guises other than the XT version,” he says.

Australia hasn’t had a significant love affair with LNG or CNG truck engines, largely as a result of the lack of infrastructure to support the fuel. As a way of keeping tabs on what happens in other countries, there is some interest developing in Scania’s OC13 engine, a six-cylinder gas engine with 410 hp and 2000 Nm on tap with a feasible range of 1100 km with LNG tanks. The advantage with this engine is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of 15-95 percent.

What is becoming very clear it that, whether or not the government and Truck Industry Council choose to recognise climate change and the need to reduce emissions, the manufacturers, especially those in Europe, are making the selection process that moves our fleets to Euro 6 an obvious decision process.

In the same way that renewable energy targets are achievable despite the government rhetoric indicating the contrary, Euro 6 vehicle emissions result in less pollution and a reduction of carbon emissions. The resulting change that will benefit the environment will force others to follow.

Whereas construction vehicles in different applications are initially the most obvious XT candidates, Scania’s modular systems also provide great potential for tailoring a solution in dialogue with Scania.

“We at Scania let the customers themselves define what they regard as a tough challenge and which features they think they need,” Lampinen says.

“As a result, XT-type vehicles can carry out a number of different tasks. Many forestry hauliers are likely to be drawn to it, but a typical 4x2 municipal vehicle with a platform and a crane might also be what the buyer chooses to order in the XT version. The point is that it’s up to the customer, not us at Scania, to make that choice”.

The freedom of choice does not, of course, stop at cab options and axle configurations. The range of engines is also extremely comprehensive, and a Scania XT can boast anything from the New Generations with V8 or 9.0-litre engines, which Scania introduced recently, through to

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FEATURE

THE NEW GENERATION TRUCK ENGINE RANGE A total of 15 different Euro 6 engines have so far been introduced into the New Generation, with power outputs ranging from 280 to 730 hp, based on three different engine families of 9.0-litres, 13.0 litres and 16.0 litres.

Joining them is a new smaller displacement engine of 6.7 litres, which is a joint development of an in-line, six -cylinder diesel with Cummins and called the Scania DC07. With a fixed geometry turbocharger, the engine uses SCR to reach Euro 6 emissions legislation.

Where higher horsepower and torque ratings are not required, the DC07 offers improved fuel economy, plus a weight reduction of around 360 kg.

Peak torque ratings start to come through from 1050 rpm up to 1600 rpm, and although some users will obviously draw comparisons with the five-cylinder 9.0-litre, Scania maintains the 7.0-litre can operate successfully with trucks rated up to 26-tonnes GVM, especially where operating with a reducing load weight through the course of its working shift.

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The more compact dimensions of the DC07 engine provide advantages to the operator by enabling the engine tunnel to be lowered by 95 mm. With Bosch fuel injection and Scania SCR emissions treatment it is available in three different power and torque outputs. These are 220 hp, 250 hp and 280 hp (162 kW, 184 kW and 206 kW) each at 1900 rpm with peak torque ratings of 1000 Nm, 1100 Nm and 1200 Nm between 1050-1500 rpm, 1050-1550 rpm and 1050-1600 rpm respectively.

Moving up to the DC09 engine of 9.3-litres brings in three power and performance ratings of 280 hp, 320 hp and 360 hp (206 kW, 235 kW and 265 kW) produced at 1900 rpm with peak torque ratings of 1400 Nm rated at 1000-1350 rpm for the 206 kW version and 1600 Nm and 1900 Nm rated between 1050-1350 rpm for the 235 and 265 kW versions.

For those looking for higher horsepower, the next shift up in displacement takes them to the 12.7-litre, six-cylinder Scania DC13 running from 370 hp to 500 hp in four power and torque options, before arriving at the V8 DC16 engine of 16.3 litres, which hefts out 520-730 hp in four options with torque ratings that run from 2700 Nm through to 3500 Nm.

Australia’s American Truck Specialists

FEATURE

A STATE OF MIND

Eaton’s UltraShift PLUS in Dual-Mode configuration is a reflection of Aussie ingenuity. Words by Chris Mullett.

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nlike most males, Eaton’s Dual-Mode transmission can actually have two or even three thought processes happening at the same time, determining which programme of the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) will provide the best performance, driveability and fuel economy.

It was about two years ago that the research and development team at Eaton in Melbourne, under the control of Graeme Weston, of AMT Business Development, started the development programme which today is unique to the Roadranger UltraShift PLUS automated manual transmission (AMT) and reflects some of the specific requirements of the Australian market.

Within the transmission is a selectable range of operating parameters that can alter the preferred start gear, the shift protocol logic of the computer that selects the various ratios, and the ability of the transmission to have a greater effect on how the truck drives, how the engine performs and how much fuel it uses.

Some of these variable operating parameters could be selected by a driver, but operating experience shows that, especially where power and performance are concerned, there is a tendency amongst some of our fellow colleagues to press the green “Go” button for more power and not take the thought process much further.

There are 15 parameters that can be changed or finetuned to create the thinking man’s favourite transmission, and, with the introduction of “Dual-Mode” configuration, it’s all about tailoring performance to the task at hand.

Yes, there are drivers that, even when running bobtail, like the sound of the Jake Brake, especially in the Burnley or M5 Eastbound tunnel complexes. Despite the obvious increases in driver fatigue, the same drivers also display their prowess in swapping cogs, managing to hit every ratio cleanly as though it was directive from God, in a somewhat noisy display as they work up and down through the gearbox.

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The introduction of AMTs did improve fuel economy in some cases, but, more to the point, their arrival behind Cummins, CAT, PACCAR and Detroit engines tended to develop a more common fuel economy use that was replicated through the fleet. Some cog-swapping experts with greater experience of life on the road were still easily capable of beating the best of the automated minds, but, in a world where replacement drivers are increasingly hard to find, that skill set is no longer attached to every driver.

The Dual-Mode configuration is aimed specifically at operators running variable loading ratios from full to part load and empty, with the ECU detecting variances in truck load weight through listening to messages sent through the CAN bus system as the result of input from sensors on the airbags.

The Dual-Mode selection senses the vehicle load and automatically switches its internal operating mode controls to select a more appropriate start gear, plus the ideal shift points for however many gear ratios the ECU considers it requires, and then matches all that information to the engine torque control during the gear shifts.

The ECU also senses the correct ratio to apply to the coast down gear, which is the point when the transmission selects neutral as the vehicle is coming to a stop. In loaded mode the coast down gear ratio might be 8th or 9th, whereas in unloaded mode it might be 11th or 12th.

Graeme Weston’s team at Eaton developed a kit for retrofitting the Dual-Mode operating system to existing UltraShift PLUS transmissions, on both four-airbag and eight-airbag suspension systems. Irrespective of which engine it’s attached to, the kit comes with just about every component needed by a typical workshop.

The Dual-Mode option with Kenworth can be included in the vehicle specification at the time of the vehicle build as the truck heads down the Bayswater production line. Although not available as a production line fit for Freightliners and Western Stars manufactured in the United States, the Dual-Mode kit can be retrofitted by local Australian dealerships prior to delivery.

A STATE OF MIND

As an easy explanation of what occurs, the adjustment of the truck performance occurs through a transducer that reads the airbag pressure – it send a signal to the system ECU that calculates the correct operating mode and transmits the message over J1939 of the CAN bus system as the transmission shifts to “loaded” mode. When heading from “loaded” to “unloaded” mode, the process is the same, other than the transducer sending its instruction from reading the low airbag pressure.

For the driver the benefit is that the transmission will start off in a higher ratio to improve the launch from stationary, it promotes a higher coast down gear, it presents smoother shifts through enhanced torque control and it reduces the need for shifting gears continuously.

For the operator it means the engine and transmission will operate jointly within the engine fuel economy zone.

Gear shifts will be reduced, accurate skip shifting will increase and there will be a longer time period with the transmission running in the specific gear ratios selected, especially in the top gears in the box. These benefits are happening automatically with less wear and tear on the engine, less stress and opportunity for fatigue on the part of the driver, and ultimately better fuel economy through enhanced torque control.

Just how much an operator will reap in terms of fuel savings obviously depends on how much empty or light load running is completed each day by the trucks in the fleet. Fuel savings are estimated to be in the region of 1-2 percent for heavy versus lighter load running, to as much as 5 percent for full load versus empty return running.

Graeme Weston, AMT Business Development, Eaton

In the best-case scenario each truck has the potential by using a Dual-Mode UltraShift PLUS to contribute up to $3000 per truck, per annum, in overall fuel savings. Putting a price on reduced vehicle driveline stress or the reduction in risk of damage caused by over revving is of course a matter for personal conjecture.

The beauty of the Dual-Mode configuration is in its simplicity. The benefits are easy to understand and for the driver it results in less effort and lower stress. For the operator it results in lower fuel bills.

As a final word on the latest UltraShift PLUS, PowerTorque still finds some operators and drivers have based their opinion on AMTs as a result of a first drive of the AutoShift now almost a decade ago.

So much has changed in the AMT arena that you owe it to yourself to experience the latest UltraShift PLUS firsthand to appreciate the smooth changes, the adaptive technology that downshifts when it detects speed reduction, and its ability to skip shift several ratios in one synchronised move through analysing torque demand, road speed and engine speed.

Dual-Mode is just a further advantage to an already highly impressive AMT that’s based, of course, on the traditional Eaton Roadranger. Maintenance and rebuild costs have changed little from the purely manual days, and once again this is reflected in the total cost of operation. When comparing the cost of rebuilding a European AMT with an Eaton you may find the result dictates your continuing loyalty to the Eaton brand for many years to come.

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FEATURE

DELIVERING THE DREAM

CMV Trucks at Derrimut on the western outskirts of Melbourne sets a standard for truck operators that is truly world class

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fter 18 months of construction, CMV Truck & Bus Derrimut is now officially open for business. Mack, UD Trucks and Volvo Truck and Bus Sales, Parts and Service departments are now operational in what is truly a state-of-the-art dealership.

Located at 392 Boundary Road, just one kilometre west of the previous location, the new centre replaces the previous Laverton sites and provides its customers with all the benefits of a brand new facility with the latest equipment and professionally trained staff.

The official opening was attended by almost every truck operator in Melbourne, a testimony to the standing and integrity of the Crawford family that owns and runs the CMV Truck & Bus network of dealerships across the country.

PowerTorque saw many familiar faces as we checked out the new premises, which, frankly, are awesomely huge.

The area of the site at 80,000 sq m covers 8 hectares, or just under 20 acres, with a boundary fence that runs for 1.1 km. Within the 14-million-litre concrete pour is a building than spans 20,490 sq m, covering the sales and service requirements of the brands that make up the Volvo Group Australia product range of Volvo, Mack and UD. Take your pick of 114 different workshop service bays, handling the specialist requirements of diagnostics, light

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mechanical, lubrication, heavy mechanical, bus service, used truck reconditioning and pre-delivery areas.

The move by the truck industry towards the implementation of Euro 6 emissions levels to reduce pollution has not gone unnoticed by the designers of the new truck centre.

The workshop floors are heated by using waste oil collected from the workshop bays, and solar panels on the roof area will contribute towards 30 percent of the electricity requirements for the site’s daily operation. And if the power should fail for any reason, a standby generator is able to supply 750 kVA on immediate demand.

Service opening hours run from 6:00 a.m. through until midnight on weekdays, and 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays, backed up by a 24/7 roadside assist service.

As a mini-city employing upwards of 250 personnel at full stretch, there’s an onsite canteen for staff and customers, plus sleeping accommodation and rest rooms for visiting truck drivers if they wait to collect their vehicle after servicing.

The CMV Group recently celebrated its 80th anniversary, and the opening of Derrimut adds a new dimension to the already impressive recent addition of South Central Trucks in Adelaide. Within five years, another first-class site will open at Dandenong, covering the east of Melbourne and reinforcing the standards the Crawford family believe truck dealerships should offer their customers. This new site is the latest in the CMV group, joining other CMV dealerships at their locations of Albury/Wodonga, Clayton, Dandenong and Gippsland that form part of the group’s 49 locations nationally.

DELIVERING THE DREAM

“There’s an onsite canteen for staff and customers, plus sleeping accommodation and rest rooms for visiting truck drivers”

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FEATURE

WASTE MANAGEMENT

110 ACCO compactors to hit the road for SUEZ

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t’s the truck sales order that company reps dream about, as leading waste management company SUEZ confirms its requirement for a record order of 110 IVECO ACCO compactors to service a newly-won 16-year contract with Brisbane City Council.

SUEZ has held continuous collection contracts with the municipality since 2002, with the new agreement officially beginning in July 2018.

The new ACCO models will comprise 103 6x4 units fitted with Bucher Municipal and Superior Pak side-loaders for kerb-side collection, with the remaining vehicles configured as 8x4s, featuring Bucher Municipal front loaders for high density, multi-dwelling collection.

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“There were several main factors that influenced our decision to select ACCO models for this new Brisbane City Council contract,” said Queensland state general manager at SUEZ Recycling & Recovery Australia, Peter Hudson.

“SUEZ has a long an extensive history with IVECO and with ACCO – the ACCO is a staple of the waste industry particularly for side-loader work.

“The ACCO has provided us with a great service history with over 95 percent uptime and helped us service Brisbane City Council to a very high level – we achieve a bin miss rate of just 0.06 percent, and this figure includes people that forget or place their bins out, or who bring them out late for collection”.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

“The ACCO is a staple of the waste industry particularly for side-loader work” Helping achieve this reliable performance is the ACCO’s premium American driveline, factory-built dual-control system and an extensive local development and engineering program.

While the truck performance itself was a key consideration in selecting ACCOs for the new contract, IVECO’s ability to offer a full service and maintenance provision also weighed heavily, according to Peter.

A large majority of the new ACCO fleet will likely see service for around eight years, and over this time the trucks will cover between 400,000 and 500,000 kilometres, accrue around 18,000 hours, and log average speeds of approximately 25 kilometres per hour, proof of the demanding start and stop nature of the work.

“Having IVECO based in Australia and having worked in partnership with the company for many years, it’s easy to pick up the phone if extra support is needed or if something comes up that needs attention,” he said.

This maintenance not only covers the truck cab/chassis but the compactor bodies as well, with IVECO working closely with Superior Pak and Bucher Municipal to provide a complete maintenance service.

“There’s never a problem in dealing with them and they can also offer additional flexibility during the truck build process – the 8x4 front-lift ACCOs, for example, will have a non-standard wheelbase. We’ve specified a shorter wheelbase to get an improved turning circle for servicing the multi-dwelling locations where space is tight.

“With IVECO we get a bumper-to-bumper maintenance solution – SUEZ doesn’t operate its own workshops, our preference is to concentrate on our core areas of business,” said Peter.

“One option may have been to go for a 6x4 front-lift, but then we’d be losing considerable payload. IVECO was happy to customise the wheelbase and work with Superior Pak on the body requirements.

“We pay a fee, and vehicle and maintenance is taken care of, there are KPIs set against vehicle performance so this provides the additional peace of mind of knowing that the trucks are maintained to the highest levels and will perform for us”.

“Most of our drivers have spent many years – and for some, their whole working life – using an ACCO, so they’re very familiar with the vehicles,” he said, “this means a seamless transition from the older vehicles into the new ones”.

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FEATURE

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M O T S U C SIC S A L C 8 0 9 T E N I L E H T K L A W

Warren Caves visits Shane and Debbie Lee of S & D Lee Heavy Haulage – Images by Torque it Up. 62

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CUSTOM & CLASSIC

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he venerable Kenworth T908 of Shane and Debbie Lee is our PowerTorque feature truck in this month’s Custom and Classic.

If you could transit through time and travel back to 2008, you would be able to view this truck proudly gracing the Kenworth stand at the Melbourne Truck Show that year as the manufacturer’s display model, generating a fair bit of attention in its “Kenworth Burgundy” coloured glory.

Replacing the tried and tested T904, the 908 was as equally versatile to handle anything from single trailer highway work to outback road train duties, making it a big seller for Kenworth. The 908 is still hugely popular with buyers in the secondhand market, and, with a little customisation work, these rigs really stand out in a crowd.

Shortly after the truck’s modelling and promotional career was over it found itself in the employ of the Southern Highlands based company, Kelly’s Transport, conveniently located adjacent to the Hume Highway at Braemar, 90 minutes south of Sydney.

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FEATURE

The 908 worked for the company predominantly carrying mining equipment in oversize and B-double configuration throughout eastern Australia for around half a million kilometres, before being purchased by the Lee’s in 2015.

Shane, at the time, was working as an employee for Kelly’s.

Shane and Debbie are still subcontracting to Kelly’s Transport carrying mining equipment with occasional general and scrap metal consignments to supplement workloads.

Transport must be in the genes, as their two sons also have their own trucks – one also subcontracts to Kelly’s Transport, while the other for a cement company.

Rounding out the theme is their son-in-law who also has his own heavy haulage truck. I assume that the topic of conversation around the dinner table would invariably revert back to trucking at Lee family gatherings.

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The tail end of the mining boom provided abundant work for the Lee’s and their 908, with Debbie joining Shane as a two-up driver on a near full-time basis moving all manner of equipment to mine sites far and wide. This is less frequently required these days, however, Debbie still manages a few trips away per month.

While talking with Debbie, she admits that while they (herself and Shane) are quite chalk and cheese, they work together really well. Whilst there are always deadlines to meet, they have managed to have some good times out on the road and manage to “stop and smell the roses” occasionally, taking in and enjoying this vast country, with regular runs to Rockhampton and Emerald in Queensland, to Melbourne and destinations west of the Great Divide.

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FEATURE The Cummins Signature’s 620 finest ponies provide ample power and torque through the 18-speed Eaton manual transmission to transport the often-heavy loads demanded by the mining sector. The 150-tonne GCM is an additional bonus. Currently, the odometer sits a little over the 800,000-kilometre mark.

As with most show display trucks, there was no shortage of shiny bits attached to the truck, and over time more personalisation has been progressively added.

An aluminium bullbar sits out the front as a necessary guardian from wayward cattle and confused marsupial

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pedestrians. Quad fuel tanks ensure no destination is out of reach and are polished to a mirror shine.

Stainless steel add-ons include rear guards, air cleaner covers and “elephant ears”, headlight surrounds, intake pipes and air rams, exhaust shields and 8.0-inch stacks, and a drop visor is fitted to tame the harsh western sun.

The High-Rise sleeper is fitted with double bunks and an ice-pack for comfort, as well as a TV and fridge. On the outside are custom graphics and designs that were on the truck when Shane and Debbie purchased it from Kelly’s. The original NED 098 registration plates were swapped over to represent the new owners.

CUSTOM & CLASSIC As regular exhibitors at the Trucks Across the Highlands charity convoy, a local event attracting around 120 entrants, Debbie uses the event as an excuse to convince Shane to have the truck professionally detailed and maybe knock off work a little early to prepare the truck for a great cause.

The 2016 Highlands Convoy saw the truck take out the best prime mover award, and 2017 saw them one-up that by achieving both best prime mover and the people’s choice award, adding another feather to their cap.

The much larger Illawarra Convoy has also been attended on a couple of occasions, with Debbie admitting that she

gets a little bit emotional when driving the route to see the amount of support and appreciation shown to the drivers and owners for the work they put in to preparing their trucks, donating their time, and the event in general. The convoy is of special importance to Debbie Lee as it reminds her of the assistance she received when her son was unfortunately in hospital for the first three months of his life.

PowerTorque was quick to catch up with the truck after the 2017 Highlands Convoy to take advantage of the once-ayear professional shine it was wearing for our photo shoot.

We hope you enjoy Walk the Line.

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DRIVEN

MAKING THE GRADE IVECO proves its mid-range Eurocargo has great street appeal – Words by David Meredith

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t was just over one year ago that one of the major global truck brands focused on and funded a new campaign to stimulate driver recruitment and training for the truck industry.

Part of the deal was an industry survey – no doubt expensive – by one of the big four accounting practices. One of the key findings from the data was that most people who could be classed as potential drivers had no idea of the technology and comfort level of today’s trucks.

Cue the entry of IVECO’s latest ML160 Eurocargo, entering stage right.

New drivers will be struck by a truck that has been styled by stylists with an aerodynamic twist, rather than an aerodynamicist with no regard for visual impact. Like it or not, a truck driver really does care about how the world sees him or her, and, in part, regards the truck they drive as an expression of their skill set.

The Eurocargo is aimed directly at business owners and fleets that want to be set apart from the crowd, and recognised as a quality provider, even before the signwriting can be read.

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Of course, ticking the right box for an attractive appearance is a bit down the list of features and qualities that operators initially look for in a new truck. But, provided the chassis and driveline meet the application requirements, a truck needs to look the part before it can impress customers and other road users, gaining valuable street cred for the business name.

Eurocargo has long had a name as a premium ride, with price the major reason more of them aren’t populating metropolitan mediumduty delivery runs. A consequence of that is a relatively low resale value compared to the popular Japanese market leaders.

The current ML160 is a truck that could convince almost anyone seriously thinking of hitting the road, that a day’s work in this rig would be comfortable, safe, and rewarding. In my view, it could also prompt drivers to imagine owning one, and kicking off their own enterprise.

MAKING THE GRADE The specs of trucks sold into the medium-duty market are as closely tied to application necessities as those of the heavy-duty segment. A rigid 16-tonne GVM distributor needs to be agile as well as robust. Building a bulletproof chassis is pointless if the truck hasn’t got the agility to manoeuvre around delivery points dozens of time a day, without exasperating the driver.

IVECO engineers have built strength and durability into the Eurocargo by clever design and extensive component analysis, rather than simply adding more metal, which just increases tare weight and reduces payload.

The ML160 I drove offers a low tare weight of no more than 5.34 tonnes, depending on the cab style.

Importantly, IVECO sales people are quick to claim it has the lowest chassis height for ease of cargo handling, a typically European trait.

The latest Tector 6.7-litre engine has been developed to deliver Euro VI emissions without EGR. Instead, a passive DPF and AdBlue additive is used, eliminating the constant threat of an automated regeneration interrupting progress, which inevitably happens at the worst possible time. WA Fire and Emergency executives take note.

The 280 hp and 1000 Nm of torque are generated with high-pressure common-rail electronic injection, turbocharging and 24 valves to deliver a high level of efficiency.

AV Truck Services in Perth handed me the keys to one of IVECO Truck Australia’s own Eurocargo demos. It’s doing service throughout the country as a provocateur to established fleets, attempting to get drivers hooked on a better quality experience.

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DRIVEN The Tector 6.7-litre engine has a feel about it that says, “torque is always there.” My feeling is that drivers used to rolling a truck along and exploiting the whole torque band will either modify their driving style or allow the Allison box to make the changes at the optimum time.

Plenty of infotainment features are at the driver’s fingertips, and the truck’s suite of safety software will keep all but the most determined in the lane and on the road.

The truck featured Allison’s rock-solid S3000 five-speed automatic. IVECO offers a silky-smooth ZF nine-speed all-synchro manual box as standard; however, there’s no substitute for a full auto box if constant torque’s what you want, especially when operating around the city centre and faced with rapid changing traffic light junctions and steep, sharp hills.

A characteristic of a high-torque engine matched to an Allison is that each gear change happens with a surge of progress as the torque bites into the next ratio. If a driver has only ever driven an AMT, he or she will be used to a hesitation and drop off in speed each time a gearshift occurs. The Allison is quite the opposite.

Operators in hilly areas will find trip times and component wear all reducing as this feature is exploited.

Eurocargo’s three-stage exhaust brake is closely matched to the gearbox ECU and pulls back strongly until it drops out when speed nudges below 20 km/h. Under braking the Allison kicks down, boosting the revs up above 2000 rpm to increase the braking effect.

My drive was across various road surfaces and included freeway, suburban and traffic congestion. However, I hardly used the all-wheel disc brakes, only hitting the pedal to come to a complete stop.

Two components of the fuel efficiency story are the reduction of internal friction and the elimination of parasitic power loss. IVECO has combined low-viscosity engine oil and an electronically-controlled two-speed electromagnetic fan clutch to minimise power drain.

I didn’t do any long distance runs in this truck as it is really aimed at the local distribution market. But, buzzing around the Perth airport environs allowed me to get a feel for how Eurocargo drivers are likely to react after a day or so on the road and managing their customers.

It’s worth noting here that the Eurocargo was made Truck of the Year in Europe last year and recognised by PowerTorque as the recipient of the 2017 Technology and Innovation Award. These awards are not given lightly, and there’s little doubt it was deserved. No matter what your configuration, I suspect you’d find the Eurocargo comfortable, fast, and efficient. The good looks are a bonus.

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For some reason that I don’t understand, IVECO doesn’t offer a towing capacity for Eurocargo. I’m told by IVECO people that it’s available on request, so clearly the chassis and driveline are up to it. In fact, the flexibility of the engine demands it. IVECO should really do better than list the GCM as “N/A.” Perhaps, as never before, service costs and intervals play a big role in a truck purchase decision. And so they should.

Manufacturers are more likely now to highlight the service intervals and warranty support, and put a ceiling on future costs with fixed prices on regular maintenance plans.

So IVECO has bumped the service intervals in Eurocargo up to 80,000 km – depending on application. There’s also a three-year/250,000 km warranty, with extensions available up to five-years or 500,000 km.

There’s no way of avoiding this bit – price. History says operators favour the Japanese mid-range truck solutions because they cost a lot less up front. I pressed the guys at the dealership about this, and asked them how the Eurocargo compares to the current market leader.

Here’s where the current market environment helps them significantly. Because more buyers are now looking at whole-of-life costs when buying a new truck, the price premium – of around five percent according to AV’s – is of less importance than previously.

The Eurocargo is a truck I could comfortably own, and look forward to heading off with each day. An ergonomic cab, with controls designed and placed by specialists, makes a big difference to the job.

If IVECO can focus their potential buyers on whole-of-life costs, and get them into a Eurocargo for an hour or so, the suggestion of them returning to their previous brand will be a lot more difficult than they anticipated.

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FEATURE

A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM Galvanising – why outsource when you can do it yourself? Words and images by Ed Higginson

W

hen you run a successful manufacturing business, there are a lot of options for distributing your products out to market. Such as using a 3PL or full 4PL model, or simply booking a transport company to make the final shipment. But when you want to stay in control and interact directly with your customers, some choose to run their own warehouse and fleet of trucks.

This has been the method chosen by GB Galvanizing since its early beginnings in the ‘80s so it could offer superior customer service. It also helps when the owners are passionate about their vehicles, and it shows with a pristine fleet of trucks mainly bearing the Volvo brand name.

The business started in 1980, when the Gucciardo family consisting of four brothers and a sister started a steel fabrication business in Bayswater, in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. After a couple of years, the family decided to specialise and went into galvanising, a business that has subsequently grown progressively with a workforce of over 200 employees and 15 trucks working across three sites.

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GB Galvanizing has been responsible for large projects such as the Sound Tube on the Tullamarine Freeway in Melbourne (the galvanised arch that lights up in multi colours) to everyday items such as highway barriers, fencing, car box trailers, plus more.

In the beginning, the family started with a small Hino tray truck, and then soon afterwards purchased a Hino prime mover rated at just 170 hp with a six-speed transmission.

The work proved too much for it, so it was soon traded in for a bigger unit, this being a Volvo N10 purchased from CMV Springvale and a fresh-faced Rohan Cook back in 1985.

A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM When speaking with Rohan, he still remembered the truck from years ago.

“Their early Australian-built N10 was a 1985 300 hp with a 16-speed gearbox. What a truck, and built here in Australia,” recalls Rohan.

“Volvo has a great history in Australia, and is linked to many great businesses like GB. It’s fantastic to have great working partners like Vince and Gian with links back to their first heavy truck they purchased. The steel galvanising products that GB Galvanizing transport across Australia are demanding loads as they are heavy and catch the wind with their odd shapes,” Rohan added.

In 2001, the next generation of the Gucciardo family, brothers Gian, Vince and Mick, along with cousins Frank and Marc, bought GB Galvanizing, at the same time also purchasing the neighbouring business of the Australian Galvanizing company.

As the five new owners had grown up together, living just one street apart and spending holidays helping out at the factories, they knew how to grow the business to where it is today, now having two of the most modern galvanising facilities in Australia.

Gian explains that, “The world is a different place now. As 12 and 13-year-olds we’d drive trucks around the yard and use the cranes to load up our trailers on the weekend.

But we can’t do that today, so our young kids just aren’t interested anymore”.

As Mick held the passion for trucks, and particularly Volvos, he managed the fleet and specced the trucks until he unfortunately contracted leukaemia, passing away in 2004.

Gian recalls, “Mick always said that our vehicles had to be “cool”, so we made sure they stood out. We have always ordered the trucks with white chassis and guards along with plenty of chrome so we can easily see when they are dirty”.

“The Volvo bearing the rego MICK10 is our oldest truck, being the last truck that Mick ordered. It was delivered just three days before he passed away, so it’s a special truck, to which CMV added the rego MICK10 in his honour.

It was a FM 9.0-litre rated at 380 hp with the I-Shift auto and a single drive on higher diff ratios for better fuel on the highway. It was specced well because Mick always wanted them to look cool”.

On the day of our interview, I took pictures inside the cab of MICK10, a 13-year-old truck with over 700,000 city kilometres, and also of the new MICK6, which is a brand new FM11 with just 16,000 km on the clock. Apart from the design, you would be hard pressed to spot the age difference. A testament to the driver who had it for the first 12 years of its life, and also of how the business looks after their trucks.

Over the company’s history, the family has tried various brands such as two Kenworth T400s with 300 hp Cummins running B-doubles, a K100, two Columbia’s from Freightliner, and also three Argosy models. Whilst also keeping an eye on other brands, the company has kept coming back to Volvos.

“Our brother Mick was a big fan of Rohan, and always stayed in touch even when buying other brands for specific tasks,” said Vince.

“From the N10, we had a FL10, then the original-styled FHs at 420, which we kept for eight years. We still see one of our early FHs running around Melbourne,” Vince added.

In the past year, the brothers have added another five new Volvos to the fleet, two FH540 6x4s rated for running B-doubles around Victoria and for runs to their Adelaide depot. These have the 13-litre, Euro 5 Volvo engine with 2600 Nm of torque running through the I-Shift 12-speed automatic transmission.

For the single trailers, three FM 11-litre units were purchased. One in 6x4 configuration rated at 410 hp with 1950 Nm of toque, and also two in 4x2 configuration rated at 370 hp with 1750 Nm. The single-drive units come with higher diff ratios of 3.44:1 as the business has found that these give better fuel economy for the weights that they run at along the highway.

“Volvo has a great history in Australia, and is linked to many great businesses like GB” PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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FEATURE “We now try to buy fit-for-purpose,” Gian explains.

“I was really surprised after jumping into the FM410 before Christmas. I hadn’t driven for over a year and wondered what the new FM would be like. Initially I thought it was a boring ride, but took Stud Road that is stop/start and soon realised how awesome the new FMs are. I got every set of lights and watched how the engine worked through the gears staying in the torque range so you got up to the speed quickly without realising it. They are quiet and great around the city for long shifts”.

All of the new trucks now come with sleeper cabs for extra room for the drivers, I-Shifts and Bluetooth handsfree connections for the phones, which operate from the steering wheel for added safety, plus a few more options for them to stand out on the roads.

One of the biggest challenges they now have is the competition for drivers in the Eastern Melbourne area.

With some big distribution centres opening, where drivers only need to hook up a trailer, it’s hard to compete when you carry loads that can be a challenge to secure down when they vary every trip. On the plus side is that the fleet of new trucks is specced to make the life of the driver as easy as possible.

The trailer fleet comprises predominantly of Vawdrey flat decks, but the company has trialled building its own, saving considerable money at the time.

“Mick was great at engineering, teaching himself AutoCAD in order to design our own B-double trailer for carting steel. Now with 28 trailers, we aim to bring 4 or 5 trailers in a year to refurbish them back to new,” said Vince.

“The fleet of new trucks is specced to make the life of the driver as easy as possible” 74

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A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM

GB Galvanizing has chosen full contract maintenance programmes on all its Volvo trucks, a decision reinforced by the close location to the dealership and for peace of mind when it comes to maintaining the fleet and organising maintenance records. For the trailers, they now rely on a mobile mechanic who regularly services them on site and attends to any repairs that are needed.

As well as the passion displayed by GB Galvanizing for its trucks, the company has also been a strong supporter of V8 racing over the past seven years, with its logo standing out on the Erebus V8 Holden last season. For the information of V8 race fans, the car had its best finish at Bathurst with a 4th position. And, of course, the company Volvo FH540 Globetrotter decked out in the GB Galvanizing branding played its own part in promoting both the sport and the company as it pulled the team trailers during the race season.

there’s a tat r a t o s u i t all your requirements

w: www.offroadtrucks.com.au PowerTorque ISSUE 81 75 e: sales@offroadtrucks.com.au

FEATURE

TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS Planning your business is a lot easier when you get professional help 76

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A

nyone that has ever started a business will know that if you achieve success you’ll hear comments that you were lucky and that things went your way. If, however, your business self-destructs and you lose everything, the comments will change to how you were obviously wrong to start in the first place and that it was bound to fail.

Statistically, there’s more chance of failure than success.

Although the risk-taker starting a business hopes it will prove to be a financial success, they must appreciate they may lose everything if things turn ugly.

Being successful is easier if you have expert help, and belonging to an association such as NATROAD provides all members with access to professional assistance.

The recent NATROAD Conference on Hamilton Island was a case in point, with expert comment on the legal issues you might face during your journey provided by Gillian Bristow, of leading law firm Cooper Grace Ward.

“Every year for the past four years, approximately 450 transport companies have gone broke. Transport is a tough industry to be in. The barriers to entry are low, and so too are the profit margins. Transport businesses also suffer from customer payment terms that can be problematic. It doesn’t take much for something to go wrong that will affect the viability of a transport company in a short time frame,” said Gillian.

“How many of us have heard the phrase ‘I’ve been in business for 25 years, this has never happened to me and will never happen to me’?

“Past performance is no guide to future returns. Just because you have operated in a particular way for a long time doesn’t mean that nothing will go wrong.

“It is important to think about your business structure.

We don’t like to see businesses set up as sole traders or partnerships. This is a question of risk management. If you conduct a business as a sole trader and just register a business name, there is no separation between your business assets and your personal assets.

“If you own your own house in your own name, you are effectively exposing that house to your business creditors.

You should set up your business in such a way that your personal assets are protected,” Gillian added.

Gillian outlined ten steps that lead to running a successful transport business, from the basics of setting up the company, through getting the work, to paying the bills, gathering the right team to do the work, buying or leasing the vehicles and premises, actually doing the work, getting paid for doing the work, and keeping the money paid to you so that you can enjoy the fruits of your hard work.

When you’ve achieved those objectives and goals (and, contrary to some hopes and aspirations, it will not be an overnight success), it’s probably time you also considered planning your exit from the business and your succession planning so that the business you leave behind continues to grow and be profitable.

TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS When you start your business, you need to understand your cost structure. This allows you to ensure you earn enough to make a profit without taking unnecessary risks.

As part of this process, you should carefully think about these issues: • Do you understand what is involved in providing the services you agree to offer?

• Can you deliver on the promises you make in any contracts you sign?

• Can you meet the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in any contracts?

• What is your strategy to deal with an increase in costs, such as a fuel hike?

• Does the agreement you make with your customer allow you to change your pricing structure if your operating costs change?

“Providing a customer with a guarantee of fixed long-term pricing comes with a high degree of risk,” warned Gillian.

It’s also really important that you read the fine print in any agreement you sign. Be extremely cautious with indemnity clauses where you promise to take on liabilities or obligations of your customer. An example of the kind of indemnity clause that can cause problems is as follows: “The Contractor shall fully and completely indemnify the Company in respect of all claims by any person whatsoever for injury to any person or persons and/or property caused by or in connection with or arising out of the provision of transport services and in respect of all costs and charges in connection thereof whether arising under statute or common law”.

“If you sign an agreement with a clause like this, you could end up being legally responsible for a damages claim where someone is injured and you were not at fault. You may also find that your insurance policy will not respond or protect you from that claim,” warned Gillian.

It’s also important to understand that a contract can be formed even where there is no formal signed document.

A contract can be formed verbally, by conduct, or by a combination of writing, conduct and orally. For example, you might discuss terms and conditions and never actually sign anything, but go ahead with the work anyway. Or your contract may expire, but you and your customer continue to do business together as if the contract were still in place.

You also need to think about how you are going to go about providing transport services.

Will you employ drivers/staff or will you engage subcontractors? Will your contracts with customers allow you to use subcontractors to do the work?

There are many practical differences between hiring an employee and engaging a subcontractor. In general PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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FEATURE “How you deal with the purchase or hire of vehicles and equipment for your business is also important.

Arrangements should be properly documented. Be very careful about buying or selling vehicles ‘with work’ and undocumented side deals,” Gillian said. When it comes to hiring out your own vehicles or plant and equipment, again, make sure the terms of hire are documented. Do not work on a handshake deal; get the terms in writing.

Cashflow is very important to all businesses and the transport industry is no exception. Allowing a customer credit is effectively like loaning them money. Because of this, it is essential that you research the company or entity you are dealing with and have them sign a credit application form. Make sure you know the customer’s name, its full address, ABN and ACN numbers.

PowerTorque wishes to thank Gillian Bristow, of leading law firm Cooper Grace Ward, for her assistance in this breakdown of just some of what is involved when you decide to go into business. The information contained in this editorial feature is provided as broad-based advice, and, if you have any specific concerns, PowerTorque recommends that you seek qualified legal advice.

Cooper Grace Ward’s transport and logistics team regularly posts video alerts and holds webinars and training sessions on issues facing the transport industry.

For further information, we recommend checking out their website at www.cgw.com.au.

terms, if you take on employees, you must pay minimum rates of pay and superannuation and provide annual and sick leave. You must also deduct PAYG tax and take out workers’ compensation insurance.

Except in some limited circumstances, a subcontractor is not entitled to these benefits. A subcontractor is paid to produce a result and is essentially running their own business and providing the necessary vehicles and equipment to carry out the transport services.

It is vital that you understand the difference between an employee and a contractor. It’s not enough for someone to have an ABN, or to sign a document stating they are a contractor. These factors alone do not mean that the person is a contractor in the eyes of the law.

“A ‘sham contracting’ arrangement occurs where an employer attempts to disguise an employment relationship as an independent contracting arrangement. Under the Fair Work Act, an employer must not misrepresent an employment relationship or proposed employment arrangement as an independent contracting arrangement, dismiss or threaten to dismiss an employee for the purpose of engaging them as an independent contractor, or knowingly make a false statement to persuade or influence an employee to become an independent contractor. A breach of this Act can result in significant penalties being imposed,” Gillian added.

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FEATURE

TEAM BUILDING The emergence of the Volkswagen Truck & Bus Division signals the intention of the group to consolidate its assets and make its move to rule the major league.

Andreas Renschler

E

very successful company needs a strategy, and, when the person announcing the strategy is Andreas Renschler, it pays to listen carefully and take notes.

As the CEO and member of the board of management of Volkswagen AG, Mr. Renschler has the background of success achieved by previously running Daimler’s truck and bus division and steering that group to global domination.

Unfortunately for Mr. Renschler, the timing of his move in February 2015 from one German giant to another was somewhat turbulent. While he was forming up the amalgamation of brands such as Scania, MAN, Volkswagen Caminhoes e Onibus (RIO) and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the global perception of the VW brand was shattered by the Dieselgate scandal.

Not only did the credibility of the car division brands plunge, the continual attack on their profitability by claims for compensation and retribution, now totalling $30 billion (US), reduced the funding for the formation of the venture, delaying progress and destabilising the group before it had even begun.

Time certainly either heals wounds or creates memory loss, and for Volkswagen the cloud of poor publicity that encompassed the group has cleared to the point 80

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where global sales appear to be back on track, with the exception of the US and Korean markets.

Spare a thought for Oliver Schmidt, VW’s compliance liaison with American regulators, who pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to defraud the US and another of violating the Clean Air Act. Herr Schmidt has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment in a US jail and fined $400,000 (US).

Schmidt is the second employee sent to a US prison for participating in the cheating scheme. James Liang, a veteran VW engineer, was sentenced by a Detroit Court to 40 months in prison and fined $200,000 (US) in August.

Liang, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy last year, has been cooperating with prosecutors.

A former Audi AG manager, Giovanni Pamio, has also been charged by the US for his alleged role in helping Volkswagen cheat emissions standards.

As reported in the Washington Post, Liang and Schmidt are among eight VW executives criminally charged for their alleged roles in the scheme. Attempts to extradite VW executives in higher positions from Germany to the US have been resisted so far by the car maker, although an investigation is ongoing in Germany and against individuals in the US.

TEAM BUILDING

In January 2017, a South Korean court sentenced a Volkswagen executive to 18 months in jail for allegedly fudging the type approval of Volkswagen vehicles, according to Reuters. South Korea’s environment ministry also filed a criminal suit against Johannes Thammer, CEO of Audi Volkswagen Korea.

According to The Korea Times, Mr. Thammer has refused to stand trial in Korea, and, having left Korea after the indictment, has stated he would not return to Korea from Germany. He has been indicted for VW importing 15 different models of 120,000 manipulated diesel cars to Korea between 2008 and 2015. In 2016 the Korean Government banned sales of Volkswagen vehicles and revoked certifications of 80 models, also imposing a fine of $16 million (US).

The latest development in the Dieselgate saga is the decision

by Volkswagen Group Canada and Audi Canada to further compensate Canadian motorists while continuing to snub Australians that have been affected by the same scandal.

In a proposed further settlement, Volkswagen Group Canada and Audi Canada have offered to pay more than CAD$290m to resolve class action claims on behalf of 20,000 affected 3.0-litre diesel Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche branded vehicles.

The compensation will include buybacks, repairs and restitution payments in addition to a CAD$2.9m fine to be paid to the regulator. This follows the earlier Canadian Court approved settlement in respect of 105,000 affected Canadian 2.0-litre diesel vehicles, whereby Volkswagen and Audi agreed to pay CAD$2.1 billion to motorists and a CAD$15m fine.

In announcing the settlement, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada, Daniel Weissland, is quoted in a media statement as saying: “This is an important milestone for making things right for all of our customers with affected diesel vehicles in Canada”.

Paradoxically, the German vehicle manufacturer’s parent company, VWAG, along with Volkswagen Group Australia – which is under the leadership of CEO Michael Bartsch (also formerly the CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada) – refuse to agree to any compensation deal for the equivalent 100,000 or so affected Australian 2.0-litre diesel vehicles, which contain the same emissions cheating software.

Jason Geisker, Class Action Principal at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, which is representing thousands of affected Australian Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda motorists in the Australian class action, said there is simply no PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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FEATURE credible excuse for Volkswagen to continue to refuse compensation for Australian motorists, particularly as VW profited from its decade-long deception.

“Promptly apologising and compensating Canadians and Americans whilst paying millions of dollars to defence lawyers here in Australia to defend exactly the same conduct is simply deplorable,” Mr. Geisker said.

“In its smokescreen attempts to justify shocking double standards, Volkswagen seeks to hide behind carefully worded and formulaic statements about differences in emissions standards around the world.

“But let’s clear the air – the deception of testing authorities and cheating on emissions tests was always prohibited – both in the US and elsewhere around the world including Canada and Australia.

“So until Volkswagen is prepared to admit and accept responsibility for its deceptive conduct and compensate affected motorists accordingly, it will continue to lack credibility and will further damage its already sullied reputation,” Mr. Geisker said.

Undoubtedly, the truck and bus division is maintaining a high degree of separation from the car division, especially in light of the strategy announced by Mr. Renschler to become the Global Champion in terms of profitability, customer innovations, global presence and employee satisfaction.

The truck and bus division product range includes light commercial vehicles, trucks and buses as well as digital services. This has brought the various CEOs of each division on board, including Henrik Henriksson of Scania AB and Joachim Drees of MAN Truck and Bus, all keen to make their contributions and share in the overall success of the programme.

The VW Truck & Bus group is imposing, with 77,000 employees, truck and bus sales that total 184,000 units, 25 vehicle/chassis production plants in 17 countries and 5 component plants in 4 countries. The revenue for 2016 was estimated at 21.3 billion Euros, producing an operating profit of 1.3 billion Euros. Market share equates

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to 30 percent in Western Europe, 37 percent in Brazil and 22 percent in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Group already has some significant runs on the board.

MAN is market leader in natural-gas-powered buses in Europe. In Brazil, the Volksbus division has optimised its products for biofuel from sugar cane to reduce NOx and particulate emissions by 30 to 70 percent. In addition to this line-up, Scania offers the broadest range of Euro 6 vehicles powered by alternative fuels of all manufacturers.

Over 500 Scania buses with hybrid drive are currently operating in public, and Scania’s hybrid truck can run on electricity only, or with renewable biofuels.

With 8000 trucks and 11,000 buses running on alternative fuels, between 2008-2015 MAN reduced CO2 emissions by 22.9 percent, VW reduced CO2 emissions by 40.8 percent and Scania saved 17 percent in energy produced per vehicle.

Monitoring that vehicle population has led to a major increase of vehicle connectivity, with 260,000 Scania vehicles and 40,000 MAN units currently supplying data to provide an overview of performance and operating conditions on which the manufacturers base their analysis for future product development.

In 2017, the VW Truck & Bus Group turned its attention to the North American market, acquiring 16.6 percent of the shares of Navistar International Corp. The strategic partnership includes a procurement joint venture and collaboration on various technical fields. VW Truck & Bus also holds a 25 percent share in Sinotruk in China.

The road to recovery for Navistar has started to improve under the control of chairman, president and CEO Troy Clarke. With the latest production figures (2016) showing a manufacturing total of 50,200 trucks and 13,100 buses, the annual revenue of $8.1 billion (US) produced a profit of $508 million (US) with the aid of its 12,400 employees.

Having identified the presence and market shares of the VW Truck & Bus Group in Europe and South America, the addition of Navistar and Sinotruk assists the global development through Navistar’s market share of 16

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FEATURE “By joining forces and merging the competencies of our brands in these focus areas, we believe we can massively increase efficiency – not only for our customers, but also for the entire transportation system, society, and the environment,” said Mr. Renschler.

“The data available as a result of connected vehicles will allow real-time capacity planning and seamless sales – bringing together supply and demand. This and other digital services will in the future raise capacity utilisation by up to 80 percent.

“Along with this, we can improve road safety. Traffic accidents are still the cause of far too many deaths on European roads. Today, seven percent of all European road accidents involve trucks, and, sadly, seventeen percent of them are fatal.

percent in North America, 21 percent in Mexico and 13 percent in South America, plus a 17 percent share by Sinotruk in China.

As VW Truck & Bus brings the various divisions under one umbrella, the final conglomerate changes the way the individual groups have operated in the past. The North American link with Navistar and International Trucks enables the American manufacturer to gain considerably from being able to source components from within the group, plus leverage cost savings from being part of the group when it purchases from outside suppliers.

The supply of components may result in Scania or MAN engines finding their way into Navistar products, expanding on the already present cooperation between MAN and Navistar with the MaxxForce engine. It also paves the way for the European manufacturers to push their engines into other areas in the North American market, such as with marine and power generation applications, while relying on the Navistar service and support network to provide the necessary customer service back-up.

International has an excellent range of defence force equipment, including the MaxxPro MRAP, the ATX forward control 6x6 and 8x8 cargo or troop carrier platforms, plus the 7000-MV bonneted cargo, tanker or recovery vehicles.

This could prove to be a valuable adjunct to the MAN and Scania military vehicle line-up, at a time when European nations are increasing their presence along the Russian border and unrest continues in the Middle East.

Synergies also exist between Scania and MAN for the global market, as PowerTorque understands, that the Scania Opticruise will provide an alternative automated manual transmission choice to that of the current ZF-AS Tronic or TraXon. The current interest by European and North American markets in automated trucks also comes into the VW Truck & Bus equation through the Rio Group and the intent to bring together autonomy, connectivity and cleaner emissions.

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“Advanced driver-assistance systems and the different levels of autonomous driving, from platooning up to fully self-driving vehicles on public roads, will significantly reduce the number of collisions, with accidents involving trucks estimated to go down from seven to two percent,” Mr. Renschler added.

The Group is already running trials for autonomous buses, and the European fixation on having autonomous trucks platooning on the highways may well have the potential to reduce accidents under very controlled circumstances.

From an Australian perspective that result is very much up for dispute, given that we already have multiple trailer combinations hauled by one prime mover, a considerably better result in terms of fuel economy and capital investment than having four prime movers each hauling single semitrailers in a platoon.

The reduction of accidents by five percent through the adoption of various levels of autonomy is undoubtedly an important goal for the industry. But, given the billions of dollars or Euros being spent in this area, just a fraction of this spend applied throughout all driver classifications would, in PowerTorque’s view, have greater potential for reducing fatigue and lowering the accident rate. Similarly, improved facilities and refreshment options at truck stops would also impact in reducing driver fatigue.

One aspect of technology adoption that is very interesting is the connectivity of vehicles to exchange information.

As Mr. Renschler explained: “In our Group, every new truck sold in Europe is equipped with built-in digital solutions. We have over 300,000 trucks on the roads that are fully connected and serving customers with higher efficiency and better performance every day thanks to our digital services.

“We believe that the vast majority of new trucks on the roads will be connected by 2020. For now, the focus of most of the industry’s connectivity applications is on compliance, such as driver log files and cost optimisation for single trucks.

TEAM BUILDING “Today, Volkswagen Truck & Bus is already the market leader in Europe when it comes to connected trucks on the road. And we are ready to rock the industry with our common, open, and cloud-based platform, which is jointly developed by MAN, Scania, and RIO. Right now, the ‘RIO platform’ is being tested intensively on 20 customers around selected European countries,” he added.

This level of connectivity within the European brands has also now been extended into North America through the strategic alliance partnership with Navistar, again made possible by the adoption of the RIO platform.

The first step will be the adoption of the in-cab connecting hardware device. This will serve as a major step towards creating a global connected platform – covering roughly 650,000 vehicles worldwide. That will make it the world’s largest global ecosystem for commercial vehicles once the migration is completed.

The advantages extend much further than being able to offer predictive maintenance programmes that can monitor engine functionality from any distance. The ability to identify faults, recognise a solution, order a component and have it available at a dealership on the planned route of the vehicle, and having a maintenance team standing by as the vehicle arrives, is impressive by anyone’s standards.

But telematics and connectivity can do much more.

With systems that monitor vehicle road speeds across a section of the country it’s possible to re-route trucks to engage with a shorter journey time by circumventing areas showing a delay. Telematic communication of when vehicles are using their windscreen wipers indicates where weather patterns are impacting on traffic flows and visibility, providing advanced warning to connected vehicles to inform the driver.

For inner city operation, especially at night where noise levels are regulated, it’s anticipated that electric hybrid drive trucks will become a positive option in terms of operating cost by 2020-2025. Not so for long haul, where diesel and LPG dual-fuel systems may provide an option.

One outcome from the formation of VW Truck & Bus is the ability of the Group to operate globally through the collective individual technical benefits of the individual brands.

The US market has proven resistant to cabovers, and dimensional and weight legislation has hampered the introduction of higher axle weights and more efficient trailer designs.

Scania could reproduce a bonneted version of its New Generation range to compete in the USA in similar fashion to that of Volvo North America, but PowerTorque understands that design option has so far not been approved at any level.

Similarly, introducing bonneted conventional design trucks into Europe doesn’t provide any advantages, only the disadvantages of extending the overall length of vehicle combinations at the expense of cargo deck space.

In the light commercial market the Group has a joint development programme that produces the new MAN TGE and Volkswagen Crafter globally. Current plans are to launch the new Crafter, which is built at a new VW factory in Poznan, Poland, into the Australian market in late April.

A date has not yet been announced for the introduction to Australia of the MAN TGE. MAN and VW previously collaborated on a medium-duty truck, and that option has now resurfaced in the form of the VW e-Delivery truck range. With its lithium-ion battery, this 4x2 urban distribution truck of 9-11 tonnes GVM can travel up to 200 km with a 4.5-6.7 tonnes payload. It’s the first 100 percent electric truck developed in Brazil and it offers three-stage regenerative braking, startability up to 25 percent and gradeability up to 30 percent.

MAN’s electric drive e-TGM, with its 250 kW power output, currently has a range of up to 200 km and started commercial operation with customers from Q4 2017.

Scania has been experimenting with a hybrid vehicle that features a pantograph on its roof to achieve connectivity trolley-bus or tram style with overhead electricity cabling for electric drive while also running on a Euro 6 engine on bio-fuel. Energy consumption is reduced by 50 percent with emissions reduced by 80-90 percent, but there are obvious doubts as to practicality.

Scania’s development of Euro 6 trucks powered by LNG that have been available since 2014 is probably a better solution, as particulate emissions are almost completely eliminated and CO2 emissions are reduced by 15-90 percent, when compared to a diesel-fuelled option.

One thing is certain, VW Truck & Bus division intends to grow its various brands covering the light, medium and heavy commercial sector in Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific basin. It’s definitely a work in progress situation currently, but, over time, it could significantly impact on the current status quo.

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FEATURE

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES

H

ave you ever jumped behind the wheel of a modern truck recently and wondered what all the buttons, symbols and acronyms meant? No matter how much effort is made by truck designers to make life easier for the driver with better ergonomics, if you regularly drove the previous model Volvo FH and then jumped into the new FH model, or from a Kenworth T609 into a T610, or the older Mercedes Actros into the New Generation this year, I’m sure it took you a few runs to get to know all of the features.

Most reputable transport businesses in Australia understand the importance of ensuring every driver is fully inducted before heading out on the road. But how many show each employee the new features of a truck when handed the keys, especially if it’s not their full-time drive, or they are only using the machine for a single shift. If you want to get the best out of your new trucks, improve your fuel efficiency, reduce wear and tear, increase driver safety or just lower driving stress, it’s well worth the effort.

Ed Higginson joins the Scania Master Trainers to keep his skill set up to date before the launch of the New Generation truck range in 2018 86

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KEEPING UP APPEARANCES Scania has known this for many years, spending a lot of effort and resources in providing excellent support to drivers. This is done through its in-house highly experienced trainers, Peak Efficiency training programs, onboard Driver Support functions, plus extra sources of useful information with online websites, YouTube videos and the Scania dedicated apps.

Recently I joined Lindsay Pollock, one of Scania’s Master Driver Trainers, for a run in a fully loaded G440 to experience the company’s Driver Peak Efficiency programme firsthand.

The day started with a full professional vehicle handover, showing just how this should be done. It would also be a good opportunity to refamiliarise myself with the current models before the New Generation Scanias hit the market around April.

Scania vehicle training programmes specifically focus on providing new drivers with all of the information they need to operate any of its truck and bus range at the optimum performance levels. The programme, which takes around four hours with one of Scania’s own Master Driver Trainers, is offered free of charge when you purchase a new vehicle, or for a small fee if you want refresher training during the vehicle’s life.

It covers all of the important aspects for getting behind he wheel, from pre-trip inspections inside and out, instruments, safety features and more. It also importantly runs through the Euro 5 low-revving engine, which gives maximum torque between 1000 and 1500 rpm, and requires a different driving style from trucks of just a few years ago.

On the day that I joined Lindsay Pollock, we kicked off at the Campbellfield dealership where our G440 demo truck was sitting connected to a fully-loaded curtainsider trailer.

Lindsay started off by showing me how to open the bonnet (latch is hidden in the driver’s door pillar so not easy to find) then proceeded to show me the essentials.

The main issue here is that the locally added bullbar had to be lowered down to access under the bonnet, so you then had to step through the bullbar or stand on it to check the oil, which can be tricky and a little awkward.

Once the outside was covered, we then jumped behind the wheel and started to run through the many features of the current model, such as how and when to engage diff locks, cross locks and the load share feature. Then onto the cruise control, downhill speed control and the offset speed control, all of which were conveniently operated from the steering wheel.

We then ran through the Scania Opticruise transmission, controlled with a single stalk just below the steering wheel and also giving the options to select standard mode, power mode, economy or off-road functions. As a side note, fleet operators can choose to lock the truck into economy mode if they want to persuade drivers to stay out of power mode and conserve fuel. With the stalk, you can also select manual shift changes if the conditions

need it, however, on the road, I’m more than confident to let the modern computers concentrate on the gears whilst I look ahead. Next Lindsay explained the instruments, braking systems, retarder controls, seat adjustments, climate controls, storage and more.

It all sounds like a very long start to a shift, but, realistically, it only took 15 minutes and much quicker than trying to figure it all out yourself whilst on the move. Drivers are also offered a 10-page quick guide that was a very useful reference for the key elements of the truck. This is ideal and very welcome for drivers that jump into any truck without having the benefit of a hands-on training session.

With everything explained, we fired up the engine and jumped out to do our walk around and check the lights.

Modern Scanias, like most trucks these days, only need a minute or two to warm up before moving off in the morning. The days of starting a truck then heading inside for your coffee are long gone.

Another key feature to Scania’s ongoing driver training is the Driver Support feature on all its models. This was launched back in 2009, with new features added since.

Driver Support is a dash display that constantly assesses how a driver is performing in four key categories: hill driving, use of brakes, anticipation and choice of gears.

Once the driver trainer has signed you off and you are familiar with the information available, the simple dash display offers tips and scores on each of the four topics, PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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FEATURE enabling the driver to maintain and improve their driving skills and benefit fuel efficiency over time. It may sound like big brother is constantly giving you a driving test, but, in fact, it helps you adapt your driving style to match the truck. Helpful suggestions could be to lift off the throttle slightly before cresting the top of the hill, not to accelerate down the hill, not to accelerate and then brake seconds later, use your retarder, or to let the truck roll (in gear and in control) to save as much fuel as possible.

The system can also be linked back to Scania connected services and driver development, which offers reports to drivers and operators on the truck and driver’s performance for further coaching, or for drivers to phone directly. These features are then also available through the online website or Scania app along with vehicle tracking data.

The cab of the G440 sits between the top end R-cab and smaller P-cab. The internal layout in each cab variant is consistent across the range, which helps with driver familiarity, but the size you go for will depend on the application and how many horses you need underneath.

The G-cab arrived in Australia back in 2010 and has gained favour in many local distribution fleets for single and light B-double work. Our truck for the day was fitted with Scania’s DC13 engine at Euro 5 (ADR80/03) with 12.7-litre, in-line, six-cylinder engine rated at 440 hp (324 kW) @ 1900 rpm giving 2300 Nm (1696 ft-lb) of torque @ 1000-1300 rpm.

This can also be rated up to 480 hp (353 kW) @ 1900 rpm with torque of 2400 Nm (1700 ft-lb) @ 1000-1350 rpm.

As we took the truck out of the Campbellfield dealership and turned right up the old Hume Hwy towards Craigieburn, loaded with a GCM of around 40 tonnes, it was striking how relaxing the drive was, particularly with the torque at such low revs. With Lindsay offering tips and guidance on all the features to assist along the way, the drive was very relaxing and not like a driving test at all.

Lindsay adds that he is not there to teach a driver how to drive, just to drive more efficiently and to enjoy the trucks.

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We would take the back roads through Kilmore to Puckapunyal then join the main Hume Hwy back into town. The short route gave us a good mix of slow and fast hills to gain an understanding on how the Driver Support system worked, and, importantly, scored us over the four hours. Once you get used to how far the Scania will coast without hitting the throttle, and how strong the retarder is, you soon learn to match your style with the truck to quickly reduce fuel burn.

This showed how effective the specific training with the vehicle could be. Without Lindsay’s guidance I doubt I would have driven the way he explained, and may have taken a while to get up to speed, if ever, at the same level.

Scania believes that they see up to 10 percent fuel savings after training, so the time spent is well worth the effort.

This in turn should see the Scania models favour well against their competitors in mixed fleets, with the aim to hopefully help with sales in the long run.

After getting a sneak preview of some of the New Generation models under evaluation prior to launch, specific product training will be crucial on delivery. The new interior and Euro 6 engines will take a bit of getting used to, so if you want to see the savings from day one, spend the time and effort in running your employees through the programmes so you can all sit back and enjoy the purchase.

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THE RAM REPORT The RAM 2500 heads to Adelaide for the equestrian season and shows it’s well suited to soothe the naysayers – Words by Stuart Martin

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inding the right tools for a towing job is a complex task now; with so many vehicles laying claim to a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity.

Some are optimistic, many can do the job but you know the vehicle is at its limit – then there are those machines, which are purpose-built for the job and feel it.

Affectionately known as ‘Rambo,’ the RAM 2500 Laramie under long-term evaluation by sister publications PowerTorque and Delivery is one of those machines. As it squats with menace in the Brisbane airport carpark, just squeezing in beneath the roof, you know it’s itching to put something on the tow bar. Not today, but soon its wish will be granted.

Adorned with a “Tuff” bullbar and sidesteps, it looks ready for cattle mustering north of Wilcannia – we’re not planning on testing it, but you never know, particularly with the road ahead.

The immediate journey has Adelaide as the first destination, just over 2000 km and two border crossings away from Brisbane’s domestic terminal, allowing the behemoth to canter along at a restful rate on the tachometer not that far above idle.

The big Cummins diesel, an overhead valve in-line castiron six-cylinder unit, produces 276 kW and 1084 Nm of torque in a smooth even manner, passing on little of its efforts to the cabin in terms of vibration or noise.

The tight squeeze out of the carpark continues through the roadwork-riddled Brisbane streets – if it had lane departure warning it might well be going off on both sides at once, such is the girth of this beast.

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The high seating position allows a view over the top of even ‘large’ SUVs, and lane choices are made to easily avoid snarls. The big mirrors have a programmable downwards tilt when reversing but blind spots need to be well monitored for ‘shopping trolleys’ and family sedans.

Not that many get in your way, although more than a couple times Neanderthal drivers felt the need to ‘teach the big boy a lesson’ – perhaps an automotive version of the tall poppy syndrome – and make life difficult in traffic, but there’s no accounting for idiocy.

Regardless, the gentle giant lopes easily through the traffic on a whiff of throttle, slipping through the relaxed-pace six-speed auto smoothly.

The column shifter hasn’t made the journey to the lefthand-side of the steering column during the otherwisecomprehensive RHD re-engineering program, but it’s not that difficult a set-up into which the driver can adjust.

The foot operated park-brake next to the right foot also takes some familiarity, but it feels solid (more than others of its ilk) and only the popping of the cable off the back of the plastic lever panel caused any grief, something for the technicians to reattach at its next service.

The satnav eventually got the big red RAM out of the Brisbane metropolitan area – although it and Google Maps on the iPhone disagreed on the quickest route – and the

THE RAM REPORT fuel use that was in the high teens per 100 km fell closer to single digits as the road opened up and highway speeds were a regular fixture.

At 100-110 km/h it is ticking over at the bottom of the boost range, around 1500 rpm, with gear-changes only elicited for the steeper hills or quicker overtaking manoeuvres.

Aside from those tasks the engine is quiet and distant from the cabin, the big six-cylinder not making much noise as it effortlessly swallowed distance. Rougher sections of country B-roads made snoozing co-drivers groan as the over-zealous springs and lazy dampers took the edge off an otherwise-comfortable cruising experience – smooth bitumen sections were a bonus for the weary in the lefthand seat.

Mind you, the climate control still sees that side as the commander-in-chief when it comes to the climate control – hit the SYNC button on the touchscreen to align the two selected temperatures and it’s the passenger’s selection that wins. Some – including the Speaker of The House here – would say that’s the rightful balance of power.

The Alpine sound system controlled from the same touchscreen is a little leisurely in its discussions with the iPhone’s music function, but once on speaking terms it fills the spacious cabin with plentiful noise and nice bass.

The large seats cosset occupants and offer some lateral support, although cornering in its current chassis guise is not going to set records for lateral Gs – that said, the Nexen tyres performed better than expected.

Low levels of wind or engine noise made for pleasant highway cruising, and once on the single-lane country roads of outback Queensland (then NSW, Victoria and SA), Rambo’s indifference to oncoming B-doubles and their turbulent wake of air was also a pleasant surprise.

With cruise control deployed – it has a nice natural gait at an expensive and demeritorious cruising speed if left to drift on the driver’s right foot – the fuel use average settled in between 10 and 11 litres per 100 km, and it ended our 2091 km Brisbane-Adelaide jaunt on 13 litres per 100km.

“The RAM has proven a great tow tug and easier than expected around town – just don’t take it to a shopping centre pre-Christmas” PowerTorque ISSUE 81

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FEATURE Suburban road use in the home of the Crows had fuel use climbing into the mid-teens, some of which was the result of rapid departures from traffic lights to amuse those within and confound other traffic, but heavier work to come also saw the thirst increase, but not by as much as expected.

Rambo has since shouldered the load of a Titan threehorse angle-load horse float – well over a tonne before any horseflesh gets on board – and it pulls the weight without concern, although the fuel use has crept back above the mid-teens as a result.

The tow ball is a little high for our low-slung US-built horse float, but the integrated trailer brakes speak proficiently to the float’s system and only locked the float’s front axle up when unladen again – remedied by a quick tap of the adjustment button that’s mounted with the electric brake controller as part of the dashboard instrumentation.

It’s easy enough to get the brakes balanced for the load on board when lanky and long-armed, but the stretch across to the left-hand-side of the transmission tunnel is not easily achieved for shorter folk – much of the switchgear has made the move across to the driver’s side, but perhaps the brake controller should have been a higher priority. The centre display’s trailer information screen is also handy, showing the results of efforts with the brake controller.

Switching on the exhaust brakes and the “tow/haul” mode is easy and worthwhile, taking the pressure off the big ute’s all-round disc brakes, with the six-speed auto transmission’s extra enthusiasm for a down-change resulting in easy descents when laden.

Vision from the standard mirrors down the flanks of the horse float makes reversing an easy task, but lining up the tow-ball with the trailer when the camera is slightly offset takes some familiarity – some more clarity from the cameras (there’s also one to monitor the load in the tray) would make that a little easier.

Ascents are just as relaxed – the considerable urge from the 276 kW/1084 Nm Cummins diesel straight-six makes the “slow-vehicle bays” on country roads merely an extra part of the scenery.

So far, the RAM has proven a great tow tug and easier than expected around town – just don’t take it to a shopping centre pre-Christmas – and we’ll keep it working at hauling horses and detail its efforts.

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THE LATEST INNOVATIONS IN

TRAILER TECHNOLOGY

TRAILERTORQUE

TRENDING FUNCTIONALITY MULTINATIONAL

Mixing national origins and vehicle buying preferences is just part of the success story of Stefanutti Constructions. Words by Warren Caves, images by Torque it Up

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rbanisation is driving growth in the civil construction and earthworks arena, and, with business growing strongly, it’s enabled Stefanutti Construction to form an alliance with Scania Trucks and Sloanebuilt Trailers to capitalise on our perpetual need for housing, roads and infrastructure.

Italian born, Loris Stefanutti moved to South Africa as a child and spent a good portion of his life there, eventually working in the building industry. Having always had a keen interest in earthworks, he made the decision some 20 years ago with his wife and three children (one son and two daughters) to migrate to Australia.

In a new country, and without knowing a soul, he set about setting up his civil construction business with an old F12 Volvo, a float trailer, one excavator, a front-end loader and two dump trucks (which they still own).

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PowerTorque recently caught up with Loris’s son, Giulio Stefanutti, company head of operations, for an insight into their growth and success.

“For Dad (Loris) it was really hard in the early days, and I take my hat off to him, he knew no one and worked extremely hard in those early days after coming to Australia and slogged away for eight long years with those eight original pieces of equipment,” said Giulio.

Originally the business was operated out of a premise at Kembla Grange approximately 90 minutes south of Sydney in the Illawarra. For the past seven years Stefanutti Construction has been operating from its current site at nearby Unanderra. It also has a 10,000 sq m site around the corner, which is earmarked for the development of a purpose-built facility comprising shedding, office space and the necessary infrastructure to accommodate their growing demands. This is scheduled for commencement in the next two years.

TRENDING MULTINATIONAL

Stefanutti Construction specialises in civil construction works on road establishment and repairs, subdivisions and bulk earthworks as its core business. With a large base of its own, the company uses its dozers, graders, excavators, scrapers, dump trucks and on-road trucks to fulfil their own contract work as well as subcontracting out their plant and trucks for the projects of other companies and bulk material movements.

A truly family-owned and run company, Loris and Giulio are both actively involved in the running of the company.

Lisa and Chiara, Giulio’s two sisters, joined the company a little later when things got busier, and they also employ over 100 staff.

Giulio said, “We have experienced steady growth over the last ten years with the last four years in particular seeing the business basically triple in size, which is why we are outgrowing our current premises.

“Currently we have no real need to travel any further than Sydney for most of our work, with the Illawarra and Southern Highlands contributing to our workload as well.

There was a quiet period of about three to four months in

2013 when we had to venture a bit further afield, taking on work in both Newcastle and the ACT, but we don’t find that necessary at the moment,” explained Giulio.

“Our routine scheduled maintenance, and basic repair work is handled in-house by our own workshop, staffed by four mechanics and our parts person”.

“We run a mixed fleet of Volvo, Scania and Isuzu trucks.

Southern Truck Centre is the Volvo agent around the corner in Unanderra, and Illawarra Truck Repairs is our local Scania agent located at Port Kembla. Between these two options, and with our own service and maintenance crew, unless it’s a major problem or a warranty repair that might need attention we don’t need to take our trucks back to Sydney for repair.

“The Isuzu trucks are fitted out as mini-tankers and are filled from our 30,000-litre trans-tank to handle all our on-site refuelling needs. We tend to try and leave our machinery on-site for the duration of the contracts, depending on the location, as we do suffer a little from fuel theft and vandalism on unmonitored machinery.

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TRAILERTORQUE “The most distressing event we have experienced was the setting fire to two excavators, one of which was Loris’s original unit that had just been refurbished. This hurt the most as it had an emotional connection to the family. However, floating machines constantly up and down Mt. Ousley is no cheap operation either, so, unfortunately, it’s a bit of a tradeoff as far as cost is concerned,” lamented Giulio.

To facilitate growth, the purchase of new equipment becomes necessary, and Stefanutti Construction has recently commissioned into its fleet a new Scania R560 body tipper and three-axle dog trailer combination, soon to be followed by a second identical unit.

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Two years previously, the company purchased it’s first Scania, being an R620 prime mover, which is alternated between floating machinery to site and towing a tipping trailer. Giulio says they have had great results with that truck and developed a good working relationship with Scania Trucks at Prestons in Sydney. This experience obviously influenced their final decision to purchase further Scania trucks, with a second body tipper and three-axle dog trailer combination already in the build and scheduled for completion in late January 2018.

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“We envisage that these new units will be split 50/50 between our own contract needs and subcontract bulk earth movement and we have been very pleased with the whole process,” said Giulio.

The Scania features the DC16 560 engine, a 15.6-litre V8 design with a single-stage turbocharger and SCR catalytic converter, producing 560 hp (412 kW) @ 1800 rpm and 2700 Nm (1991 ft-lb) of torque @ 1000-1400 rpm delivered to the Scania RB662/R660 differentials, with power divider and dual-axle cross locks via Scania’s GRS0905R automated manual transmission.

Ironing out the bumps, the front axle features parabolic leaf springs while Scania four-airbag suspension looks after the rear end.

Safety features on the truck include both active and passive systems offering passenger-car-like levels of safety.

Standard fare is, daytime running lights, lane departure warning (LDW), advanced emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control (ACC), and a driver’s side airbag.

Braking is via Scania electronically controlled disc brakes, with integrated EBS, ABS and traction control, also featured is Scania’s hill hold function, which proves to be a real asset when starting off from an incline on unsealed surfaces at high weights.

Scania’s hydraulic retarder further enhances safety providing rapid deceleration whilst reducing brake temperatures and minimising wear.

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When it came to selecting a tipping body manufacturer, Giulio said they evaluated other companies but came back to Sloanebuilt Trailers of Smeaton Grange, NSW and have been very impressed with both the level of service they have received and the speed of completion.

Prior to the aluminium tipping body being installed, there was a good deal of design work “nutted out” between all three parties to come up with the final design.

Due to the length of the standard chassis and wheelbase, the fitted body would have been set-back well away from the back of the cab, resulting in a large air space there. This would be both aesthetically unpleasing and impractical with regards to weight distribution, and simply moving the body forward would have more than likely resulted in excessive steer weights.

The solution? It was finally agreed that the best course of action would be to shorten both the chassis and the wheelbase by 400 mm and set the body a little further forward, resulting in a reduction in the rear of cab to body gap of 700 mm.

This kind of chassis development work required the truck being sent to Brisbane for the shortening and subsequent modifications to driveshaft, airlines and electricals, plus fuel tank and other component relocation.

The final result is a Sloanebuilt 4500 mm long, 1535 mm high, rock-lined aluminium tipping body with a CS13 Edbro hoist, LED lighting and topped off with a Georges Canvas

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12-volt Auto Tarp to keep the airborne dust at bay. The chassis and the side sheets are painted with PPG Autothane paint in Scania grey and Scania white respectively.

The three-axle low-body dog trailers are also of aluminium construction, 6700 mm long and 1535 mm high. The trailer is fitted with an Edbro CS15 hoist, plus a grain chute located in the tailgate and is rock lined with 5 mm plates for durability.

Although the trailers are to operate within standard weight parameters for the NSW road system, the chosen design, as far as safety is concerned, more reflects that required

by PBS regulations, with BPW axles featuring disc brakes, vertical shock absorbers, ABS and EBS to ensure safe and controlled operation in varying situations. This is a prudent decision influenced partially by the raft of safety features on the Scania R560 towing unit up front, providing a balanced and stable combination throughout its length.

A JOST ball-race mount is fitted and a 1550 mm tandemaxle spread is used, with two 63 mm axle weight pressure gauges fitted to the off-side of the trailer, adjacent to the aluminium water tank.

Stainless steel quarter arch guards sit over the front wheels and “Stefanutti” company mud flaps enclose the rear bogie. Six Alcoa Dura-Bright ten-stud rims are used on the outers and six level ones on the inside.

As with the truck body spec on top sits a Georges Canvas 12-volt Auto Tarp with manual override and gear reduction.

Lights are LED with seven marker lights per side and round rear indicator, stop and reverse lighting.

With the first vehicle complete and its initial performance already assessed, Giulio said the weights are just about perfect.

“We were a bit apprehensive as to how the weight would throw, and thought we may have had to pay special attention to the way it was loaded. However, we needed not worry as our drivers say that we are well shy of the 6.0-tonne mark on the steer axle without making loading allowances, so we’re quite happy with that”.

“We have been really pleased with the job done by Sloanebuilt Trailers, and we envisage that our new combinations will be run 50/50 in use between our own contract jobs and outsourcing to other companies for bulk earth movements,” concluded Giulio.

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SEALING SOLUTIONS

Trailer manufacturer Holmwood Highgate and Brisbane operator Speedie Contractors are developing new technologies that can revolutionise the global bitumen tanker industry – report by Chris Mullett

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Thanks to the innovative attitude of two brothers with a long history of bitumen transport, together with great communication with trailer manufacturer Holmwood Highgate, there are some major changes already taking place.

As bitumen cools its composition starts to solidify, so it needs to be kept warm while in transit. On arrival at its destination, the bitumen needs to be at an operating temperature of 180 degrees before it can be used in the roadbuilding and surface sealing process.

Simon and Tim Knowles of Speedie Contractors are the second generation of the Knowles family to maintain the association with the bitumen tanker business that dates back to the early 60s through their parents Garth and Helen Knowles.

But while the technology surrounding the composition of bitumen has been advancing since the 60s, when it was first introduced nationally, the method of transporting it and subsequently preparing it to be sprayed has pretty much stayed the same, until now.

Heating the bitumen has traditionally been a somewhat basic operation, incorporating an eight-inch pipe fitted inside of the tank. Running through the pipe is a 1 million BTU rated gas burner that runs on Autogas, fuelled from a 300-litre gas bottle.

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Tim Knowles, Mark Skinner, Simon Knowles and Ian Williamson (L-R)

itumen plays a major role in stabilising our road network and providing a durable sealing system, often combining other materials such as synthetic rubber compounds to promote integrity and adhesion.

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SEALING SOLUTIONS

“Replace the gas-fired burner system and move to electric internal emersion heating” State Roads Authorities have understandably refused to permit trucks and trailers running on the highways travelling with a gas-fuelled flame in operation. Consequently, the only acceptable way to deliver the bitumen on site at the correct temperature has been for the operator to arrive near the site location, and then when stationary light the burner and wait until the gas fired system has heated the bitumen to the required 180 degrees.

“In normal use the temperature rises by up to 10 degrees per hour. Sometimes we have to raise the temperature by 50 degrees and that can take up to six or even seven hours, during which the trailer has to be stationary,” said Simon Knowles.

Over the past two years Simon and Tim Knowles have been working with Holmwood Highgate salesman Ian Williamson and product development manager Mark Skinner to develop a superior alternative that will remove the substantial waiting time needed to reheat the bitumen while enhancing the safety aspects of bitumen transport.

“The original design brief for the engineers was to develop a tanker that we could load in Brisbane, and if necessary drive 2000 km to a worksite and arrive with the bitumen pre-heated to 180 degrees without having to stop prior to discharge to light the burner and wait for up to seven hours,” said Simon.

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“The size of the tanker barrel at 30,000 litres is identical to those that use the gas-fired system, but this is the first time we have moved to stainless steel from the more conventional mild steel,” he added.

The development of the new stainless steel tank by Holmwood Highgate included evaluating heat transfer and heat soak by using thermal imaging to identify hot spots throughout the tanker design. This analysis included the barrel, suspension, mounting systems, valve assemblies and pipework to determine where high spots of heat were found to be stored by the trailer.

Being able to maintain a stable temperature for the bitumen without major fluctuation also provides further benefits to the operator.

“Bitumen is just a hydrocarbon, and when it’s heated it forms carbon deposits in the tank that have to be cleaned out every three to four years. If we can maintain the bitumen at a stable temperature the build up of carbon should be reduced. A secondary benefit is that by being able to maintain a stable temperature through consistent heating, without the high and low temperature variances, it should also improve the quality of the product,” said Simon Knowles.

“If we can minimise the heat loss we can improve efficiency.

There’s a big difference in how stainless steel holds the heat compared to that of a mild steel barrel,” said Mark Skinner.

The next step of the development was to replace the gasfired burner system and move to electric internal emersion heating that is powered by an auxiliary Deutz three-cylinder, air-cooled diesel engine mounted on the trailer chassis.

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The engine drives a generator through a hydraulic system to power the electric emersion heaters. Unlike the gaspowered system, the electric emersion heating system can be used while the tanker is in transit.

As Mark Skinner explained: “The engine drives the hydraulic system which in turn can drive the alternator and the bitumen circulation pump. You do get some loss through your hydraulics system, but the engine drives everything as part of the overall safety system. If you shut down the engine then nothing else can operate.”

Southcott Hydraulics assisted with the hydraulic system design, with Penske Power Systems providing the Deutz three-cylinder air-cooled power system and alternator.

“The latest tanker design of electric emersion heating is an evolution from the original tanker design rather than requiring major change. Tare weights are similar, with the additional safety benefits of incorporating WABCO EBS and roll stability systems,” added Mark.

“Gaining approvals from the various roads and traffic authorities probably added six months to the project completion. We had to prove we have addressed all the operating risks through the fitment of sensors and protective systems, with failsafe shut down procedures in the event of an accident.”

“Bitumen tankers are covered by Australian Standards, and, with the risk assessment and design programme for the project, it enabled us to identify what was involved at all levels.

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This project highlighted how much potential there was for the previous technologies to create incidents and how this new system significantly raises safety levels,” Mark said.

One of the major developments in recent years for the bitumen industry has been the change from pumping out the bitumen product under pressure to sucking out the product under a gravity-assisted feed.

When discharging bitumen under pressure there was always the possibility of experiencing a failure in a pipe, which could result in high-pressure leak of product. By following the European trend to move from pressurised hoses to a non-pressurised system it means that the discharge system has the “Smarts” to turn off the flow automatically as a fail-safe option. This is a major safety advantage when compared to the previous system.

These developments are a major gain in productivity and efficiency, but with the approach to lateral thinking demonstrated by the Knowles family and Holmwood Highgate there are some further considerable benefits still under discussion that could significantly change trailer operating efficiencies.

Currently under discussion is the opportunity to replace the diesel-engined power plant mounted on the trailer sub-frame with axles able to generate electricity as an alternator and store the electricity in an on-board battery system. Electric motors in the axle assemblies assist in powering the vehicle when under load as well as being able to assist in braking efficiency with the addition of an electric retarder while creating regenerative energy that is directed back into the battery packs.

SEALING SOLUTIONS The idea to incorporate electrical energy generated by trailer axles resulted from an earlier trip to Europe by Simon and Tim Knowles. As recently as 18 months ago it wasn’t possible to include electric axles on the trailer, but that situation is changing.

“In the last few months we have received information from Europe that we should be able to do it. As yet the axles have not been approved for use in Australia, but the battery technology is already there,” said Tim Knowles.

“The fitment of axles that can generate electricity to power a trailer as well as store regenerative energy in batteries carried on the trailer is an exciting project.

“The trailer ECM can divert the stored energy back into providing motive energy by the axles that assists the prime mover as well as being able to power the emersion heating system,” added Tim. This breakthrough could also provide similar gains to refrigerated trailer operators, adding generated power from the trailer axles to run the fridges and assist the prime mover on hill climbs, while regenerating electrical energy for battery storage on the declines.

In future vehicle combinations the trailer should be thought of as part of the truck package. Imagine being able to marry the technologies of an electric truck matched to an active trailer and using the electricity generated to power the trailer up hills or provide electrical charge to assist the prime mover.

There’s all that opportunity to use those systems to reduce total operating costs while also reducing emissions levels.

“There are some axles designed originally for the bus market that will generate around 3 kVA of electrical energy, but we need 9 kVA in total. If you are operating a tri-axle trailer it could be feasible to have each axle generating energy to reach the 9 kVA level,” said Tim. “Boral has been a big supporter of the new trailer and has been following our progress with interest. As we developed the new trailer we revised the design of the side ladder and have made changes to valving arrangements and the control systems for the bitumen pump to improve the ease of handling by the operator.

“We have no doubt that over the next few years we will increase our experience with the new designs and we look forward to a future that holds tremendous opportunity for significantly improving efficiency, safety and performance,” added Tim Knowles.

CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY Cooper Grace Ward is presenting a masterclass for directors, executives and managers on the new ‘chain of responsibility regime’.

To assist the road transport industry and other participants in the supply chain to comply with their new obligations, we are running specialised half-day training courses.

This course will cover primary duties, due diligence obligations, compliance systems and policies, roadworthiness and vehicle safety issues, penalties, dealing with regulators, managing critical incidents and strategies for insurance and asset protection.

Toowoomba 21 February

Brisbane

27 February

Sunshine Coast 6 March

For more information on the content of the masterclass and to register please visit www.cgw.com.au/events/ or call 07 TrailerTorque 3231 2918

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EURO TRAILER TORQUE A snapshot of the latest news from Europe’s leading trailer manufacturers.

A

ny operator interested in European trailer operations and design would be well aware of the KRONE Trailer family business. As one of Europe’s market leading manufacturers of trailing equipment and agricultural machinery, its product portfolio includes semitrailers and coffer-type semitrailers, container chassis, swap systems, trailers, motor vehicle superstructures, and CEP vehicles for parcel services.

KRONE offers a comprehensive service package that includes telematics, replacement parts, financing, rental vehicles, and marketing used vehicles. In-house components, such as the KRONE trailer axle and the all-in-KRONE trailer that utilises the KRONE trailer axle completely integrated into the trailer, further emphasise the advantages of dealing with one supplier when it comes to manufacturing, service and aftermarket support.

In five decades, the KRONE Group’s annual sales volume has increased from roughly 8.5 million euros to nearly 1.8 billion euros today. The main revenue generators in the 2017

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fiscal year came from the manufacture of roughly 48,000 vehicle units comprising approximately 37,000 semitrailers and nearly 11,000 swap systems. Germany continued to be the Group’s strongest market at 27.2 percent. In foreign markets, Western Europe accounts for 43.8 percent and Eastern Europe for 21.6 percent of sales.

The KRONE Group employs 4300 workers worldwide, of which approximately 2500 employees are currently working on vehicle production at the Wertle, Herzlake (both in the Emsland/Lower Saxony), Dinklage (near Osnabruck), Lübtheen (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), and Tire (Turkey) locations.

KRONE chose the recent Transport CH trade fair in Bern (Switzerland) to showcase its latest step forward in telematics that has resulted from the joint association with software provider Astrata and enables a driver to view the available information on the performance of the trailer to maintain set temperature KPIs from within the truck cab.

EURO TRAILER TORQUE

“Mechanical-hydraulic lifting roof, making loading and unloading even easier”

KRONE transmits its KRONE Telematics data to Astrata through an interface. Astrata extracts the most important trailer data to show it on the driver’s display under “Trailer Control”. As a result, the driver is informed about the trailer’s statuses.

Using this system the driver is able to view the current temperatures in the cooling zones of his/her Cool Liner Multitemp trailer. Also displayed is the status of the doors in the cooling zones: open or closed. KRONE Telematics is already compatible with the prime mover telematics systems to connect the Daimler (Fleetboard system) and the MAN (RIO system). The RIO system is also being rolled out under the VW Trucks and Buses brand that includes Scania and MAN, plus International Navistar.

“When we vehicle manufacturers talk about data networking, we are referring to data from the prime mover and tractor unit,” said Jan Hermeling of KRONE Telematics.

“Here, all manufacturers are required to make their data compatible and readable. With Astrata, we are also moving away from isolated solutions towards greater connectivity and compatibility”.

Astrata Europe offers telematics services for the transport and logistics sector. With its headquarters in Eindhoven, Netherlands, the company operates throughout Europe.

In other European news, Euro TrailerTorque looks at Talson Trailers of Holland. With over 35 years of know how, Talson is acknowledged as one of the leading producers of high quality air cargo semitrailers to provide airfreight transportation companies’ best handling and cost effective options.

The company’s product range includes all type of solutions for box type transportation including air cargo, insulated box-type trailers, Tridec equipped distribution range as well as intermodal trailers and special vehicles for selected products such as carpet transportation.

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A recent order for Netherlands-based Jan de Rijk Logistics comprised 150 semitrailers and continues an association between the two companies that dates back to 1988 when Jan de Rijk Logistics become the first transportation company in Netherlands to acquire a Talson air cargo trailer. The operator offers warehousing and intermodal services and retail distribution in various industries, and plans to continue to upgrade its 1000 vehicle fleet across Europe with the delivery of 50 Talson air cargo trailers every year.

The Talson air cargo box trailer in the Jan de Rijk fleet provides a change for double-stack application and load security. Air cargo box trailers have roller bed applications on the floor, which accelerates loading and unloading operations.

Moving now to Germany, and Kögel is one of the leading trailer manufacturers in Europe with a production record that exceeds 550,000 trailers since the company was established in 1934.

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With its commercial vehicles and solutions for freightforwarding companies and the construction industry, the company has been providing ‘Made in Germany’ engineering quality for more than 80 years. During this period, it has maintained its passion for transport and innovation, enabling it to offer proven, long-lasting added value to freight-forwarding companies.

The company headquarters and main production facility of Kögel Trailer GmbH & Co. KG are located in the Bavarian town of Burtenbach. Kögel also has factories and offices in Ulm (Germany), Duingen (Germany), Chocen (Czech Republic), Verona (Italy), Zwolle (Netherlands) and Moscow (Russia) The Swiss forwarding company, SA Luciano Franzosini, based in Chiasso in the canton of Tessin, has chosen new Kögel Cargo Rails. With more than 70,000 vehicle movements a year, the forwarding company founded in 1929 is among the most important forwarding companies in Tessin and is also one of the top 50 in Switzerland.

HOLMWOOD HIGHGATE F R O M H U M B L E B EG I N N I N G S G R E AT T H I N G S E VO LV E

From the latest in PBS approved bitumen and petroleum tankers, to the unique stainless steel water and fuel modules developed for the Australian Defence Forces, Holmwood Highgate has the innovative technology to provide total transport solutions.

The PBS approved, quad axle road tanker for Simpson’s Fuel Supplies has a capacity of 48,600 litres, Hendrickson INTRAAX axles and a push steerable rear axle, ABS, multi volt TEBS and roll stability protection.

The latest design of Bitumen tanker for Speedie Contractors replaces traditional gas-fired heating systems with electric emersion heaters, improving road safety and productivity while reducing delivery times.

Contact: sales@holmwoodhighgate.com.au 20–26 Burchill Street, Loganholme, QLD 4129 – Telephone: 07 3440 9000

TRAILERTORQUE

With the new rail-loadable Kögel trailers, Franzosini is not only replenishing its vehicle fleet, but also making a significant contribution to protecting the environment.

With the combination of the two modes of transport by road and rail, the forwarding company is cleverly taking advantage of the ecological and economic benefits of both systems, providing valuable synergies for their customers.

Corrosion protection for the entire trailer is assured through the vehicle frame by nano ceramic technology and cathodic dip-paint coating, supplemented with a coat of UV varnish.

The Kögel Cargo Rail trailers designed for multimodal transport are equipped with a reinforced chassis frame.

Gripper edges are integrated into the frame, which features a gripper jaw protection for the tarpaulin. The specific axle design enables the trailers to fit onto the railcars, which are certified for transport by express freight train at speeds up to 140 km/h.

For more than forty years, T.S.K. CRANE SERVICE CO. LTD, which has bases in Mueang, Sriracha and Saraburi, has been one of the leading companies for integrated engineering services in Thailand where it operates under the Megatrans brand name.

The standard Kögel integral roof tarpaulin also guarantees improved handling with an open roof. Thanks to the roof straps being integrated in the roof tarpaulin, sagging straps are a thing of the past. This eliminates the straps snagging on the load.

The Cargo Rail Trailers developed for Franzosini feature a mechanical-hydraulic lifting roof capable of increasing the lateral and rear transfer height to more than three metres, making loading and unloading even easier.

A 720-millimetre-long transition plate, made of steel chequer plate, is mounted above the rear end beam. To protect the interior of the front wall from damage during everyday use, it has been fitted with a two-millimetre-thick steel sheet, which is 2500 mm in height.

For enhanced impact protection, the rear of the vehicle is equipped with reinforced steel rubber bumpers, an 8.0 mm lateral steel bracket, extending over the entire width, and locking cam protection, mounted centrally on the end plate of the frame. Additional special equipment includes a fire extinguisher, a toolbox, an odometer, an axle lift for the first axle and much more.

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Finally, no European report would be complete without mention of Goldhofer, the specialist German manufacturer of exceptional load trailing equipment.

The company operates an extensive fleet of over 400 different cranes with lift capacities between 8 and 750 tonnes plus the relevant accessories. Megatrans also offers high-tech heavy-duty transport solutions in various weight classes for both in-house crane logistics and challenging third-party transport operations.

In operations planning for heavy lift and transportation jobs, Megatrans provides its customers in the region with individual CAD simulation support to ensure that the equipment ordered is exactly configured for optimum onsite working.

Megatrans has operated Goldhofer equipment since 2008, and the company today can offer more than a hundred axle lines and a wide range of additional equipment for heavy-duty and oversized cargo transportation solutions.

The company is one of the technology leaders in the field of integrated engineering services in Thailand and is therefore always keen to maintain a fleet that is state of the art.

The latest Goldhofer unit to join the Megatrans fleet is a THP module with ADDRIVE, the first of its type to be operated in Thailand and the world’s first modular transporter with an EBS braking system, which can be

operated either alone or in combination with ABS. With its extremely high bending moment, it is also a safe solution for carrying concentrated loads.

“For us, the THP with ADDRIVE is the ideal reliable and time-saving solution for transporting heavy loads like cranes on routes that include sections with steep gradients.

“The ability to choose between maximum tractive force and higher travel speeds gives us outstanding flexibility with just one vehicle. With the switchable performance

boost available with the ADDRIVE, and the additional drop deck and turntable bolster for long loads, the module is a real all-rounder,” said managing director of MEGATRANS AND SERVICE CO. LTD., Meatharphatt Tanawattanachaiyabul.

“Since the ADDRIVE arrived, the module has been in use almost every day. In all probability, if the vehicle continues to perform so well, it will not remain the only one in our fleet,” he added.

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TITAN TRAILERS Drop-deck trailers can substantially improve turnaround times for delivery and pick-up of plant and equipment.

Words by Brenton O’Connor.

S

ome 26 years ago, George Fendyk and business partner Fabian Burder combined forces to establish Burder, in Wangaratta, Victoria.

Burder was originally set up as a manufacturer of front-end loaders to suit a wide variety of agricultural tractors. The Burder designs subsequently quietly revolutionised Australian-built tractor implements due to their unique features and benefits, which included selflevelling loader frames.

Starting from humble beginnings of just five staff members, Burder now employs 60 personnel, with full-time staff manufacturing not just front-end loaders, but various other implements and attachments such as forklifts.

It’s been some years now since Fabian Burder left the company, but, in 2005, George’s son Adam joined the business in a full-time capacity as general group manager overseeing all aspects of the running of the family-owned business. George is still involved full time in the business, and has taken a key role in research and development. In particular, George’s interest has been in another arm of the company called Titan Custom Trailers, building a variety of unique solutions directly for the transport sector.

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Titan’s revolutionary drop-deck trailer is certainly a new concept to the market. In a world of increasing

TITAN TRIALERS Work Health and Safety requirements, and even stricter compliance measures, any design that can increase safety for company employees is going to be of great benefit to all concerned.

An area that’s always been a point of concern is the loading and unloading of plant and equipment off machinery trailers (floats). This concern is due to a variety reasons, including the potential for back injury caused by lifting heavy ramps and the risk of falling from heights that can occur while climbing onto the deck of the trailer to chain the equipment to the deck. Furthermore, there’s a significant risk of a machine falling off the ramps while being driven up onto the deck, due to the angle of the ramps plus the potential for ramps to collapse, when not of sufficient strength to carry the weight of the equipment driven onto the trailer.

“The new Titan dropdeck trailer makes the loading and unloading of plant and equipment both safer and easier”

To combat all of the above challenges, George’s new Titan drop-deck trailer solves all these problems, making the loading and unloading of plant and equipment both safer and easier. Power for the trailer comes from an electro/hydraulic system, via a 12 V battery that is trickle charged via the standard seven-pin trailer plug when being towed. Using the drop-deck trailer is very simple, through the operator switching on the batterypowered electric motor and using a remote control with a simple up and down toggle switch for the raise and lower function.

The operation of the trailer is extremely simple. Apart from two safety shut-off valves on the hydraulic lines running to the main lift rams, there are no other pins to pull or locks to remove in order to either raise or lower the trailer. Once lowered, the trailer deck is flat on the ground, which means that equipment can be driven straight on without the need for ramps. For example, a local council could use this trailer to shift ride-on lawn movers from site to site, and once they reach the new site, the operator simply lowers the trailer (as described above) and then once tie-down chains/ropes are removed, the operator can simply back the mower off the trailer, as simple as that, and all risk of falling off the ramps, ramps breaking, or the operator injuring himself/herself climbing off the load deck are removed.

In current guise, the deck can lift up to 3500 kg, which would be suitable for a variety of equipment not limited to rideon lawn movers, small tractors, bobcats, or company excavators. In a recent order for a local council, Titan has manufactured the trailers in galvanized steel to prevent

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TRAILERTORQUE corrosion and has also installed large lockable lockers at the front of the trailer so that the user can securely store tools, jerry cans of fuel and other accessories such as a chainsaw safely and securely to avoid the risk of theft.

The Titan drop trailer uses fully independent suspension on all four axles, and, as such, this allows the deck of the trailer to be lowered down between the four wheels. The centre axle, where the deck platform pivots off, will sit directly on the ground. When fully raised, the trailer still has an impressive 300 mm of ground clearance allowing it to traverse off the bitumen and into golf courses and building sites, all likely places for the trailer to spend its life.

Braking is done electrically back to the towing vehicle through the seven-pin electrical plug, and also includes a breakaway system in the unlikely event the trailers connection via the 50 mm ball coupling becomes dislodged. Operators can either leave the trailer connected to the towing vehicle when lowering the trailer, or they can disconnect the trailer from the towing vehicle allowing for a fully-flat bed in order to load the equipment.

Another unique innovation PowerTorque was privy to was George’s new single-axle fixed dolly he has installed underneath a conventional three-axle side-loader trailer. Those operators in the business of container distribution will know all too well the problems of overloading when carrying a 40’ container fully loaded on a side-loader trailer. Even with mass management, allowing a gross combination weight of up to 46 tonnes, overloading can still be an issue. To help solve this dilemma, George has fitted a singleaxle dolly under the front of a conventional tri-axle side-loader.

Whilst some trailer manufactures have gone down the path of quad-axle trailers with steerable rear axle, George’s conventional tri-axle trailer with a dolly fitted has several key advantages. George explained that quad-axle semitrailers can potentially cause increased damage to the roads due to higher weights being carried over a small area, and they are also more difficult to tow due to increased cut in, particularly relevant around suburban streets of Australia’s capital cities. Furthermore, higher tyre wear can be expected due to the increase tyre scrubbing effect of a fouraxle group configuration. With the dolly setup George has built, all of the above problems are solved, and to overcome a common criticism of trailers with dolly’s – increased difficulty in reversing – George has fitted a dolly lock, so that the trailer can be reversed easily as would be the case with a conventional semitrailer.

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George and Adam Fendyk’s business of Burder and Titan are testimony to Australian innovation, design and manufacturing. Whilst we have lost our Australianmade car industry, it’s reassuring to see local businesses still innovating and producing high quality products here in Australian and employing Australian men and women.

PRIMAAX EX ®

Road train tough — Highway friendly

• High GCM - 180 t plus • 3 rear axle applications • Multiple trailer combinations • Heavy haul applications • High C of G applications • Superior handling and stability • Improve traction with high axle articulation • Unique suspension geometry controls suspension wind-up • Structural beam design with improved durability • Lightweight suspension design for improved payload and productivity Air Springs • Large volume, low frequency design for improved ride

Genuine Hendrickson Torque Rods • Optimized configuration helps improve handling and roll stiffness for expanded applications

• Advanced design air springs fill faster, lift and support the load with less air pressure Structural Beams • Integrated end caps for increased reliability • Redesigned beams utilize premium materials to deliver premium durability • Robust rubber bushings improve service and eliminate lubrication requirements

QUICK-ALIGN • Allows for easy axle alignment without shims ®

• Reduces maintenance time and helps extend tire life

Axle Connections • D-pin axle connection decreases torsional axle stress for reduced maintenance and improved joint integrity • Integrated axle stop contact pads reduce axle stress

Height Control Valve • Maintains proper suspension ride height Heavy-Duty Shock Absorbers • Positioned and tuned for optimum damping characteristics

PRIMAAX® EX is a tough, heavy-duty air suspension designed specifically for the rigorous demands of today’s heavy-haul applications; engineered for multiple trailer combinations, either on- or off-highway.

For more details, visit www.hendrickson.com.au Email: sales@hendrickson.com.au Or call Brad Sleath: 03 8792 3600

Cross Beams • Seamless fabrication technology forms a robust torsion system with structural beams, improving stability

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All that’s on top of the 500 Series’ unrivalled build quality, safety features, driver comfort, and innovative range of Hino Advantage business support solutions. The Hino 500 Series Wide Cab. It’s a game changer! Visit hino.com.au