February 2022, NZ Trucking Magazine

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CONTENTS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Dave McCoid Ph: 027 492 5601 Email: editor@nztrucking.co.nz EDITOR

Gavin Myers Ph: 027 660 6608 Email: gavin@nztrucking.com For all advertising enquiries: Matt Smith Ph: 021 510 701 Email: matt@nztrucking.co.nz Pav Warren Ph: 027 201 4001 Email: pav@nztrucking.co.nz SUB EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

Tracey Strange

John Berkley

CONTRIBUTORS

DIGITAL IMAGING

Craig Andrews Carl Kirkbeck Faye Lougher Craig McCauley Jacqui Madelin Alison Verran Mike Verran Shannon Williams

Willie Coyle

Niels Jansen (Europe) Paul O’Callaghan (Europe) Howard Shanks (Australia) Will Shiers (UK) VIDEO PRODUCTION

Jonathan Locke Izaak Kirkbeck Milly McCauley Howard Shanks

DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

Louise Stowell OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Georgi George PUBLISHER

Long Haul Publications Ltd 511 Queen Street, Thames 3500 PO Box 35, Thames 3500

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PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ricky Harris

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER Rural Daf A Southern Celeb

New Zealand Trucking magazine is published by Long Haul Publishing Ltd. The contents are copyright and may not be reproduced without the consent of the editor. Unsolicited editorial material may be submitted, but should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. While every care is taken, no responsibility is accepted for material submitted.

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of New Zealand Trucking or Long Haul Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

This magazine is subject to the New Zealand Press Council.

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If unsatisfied, the complaint may be referred to the Press Council, PO Box 10 879, The Terrace, Wellington 6143 or by email at info@presscouncil.org.nz Further details and online complaints at www.presscouncil.org.nz

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THE

REST

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

WATC H T H E VID EO O N YO UT UB E

6 Editorial 8 Road Noise – Industry news 60 Just Trucking Around 62 Top Truck – Hino 700 66 Gallery – Grant Schofield 72 Unsung Heroes – PermaPine Mitsi 74 Cool Things – Mini Scania Rideon Rig 76 Where’s That Road?

78 Aussie Angles – C509 at the Coalface 82 International Truck Stop – America’s Lost Marques 86 Wanaka Memory 88 New Rigs 94 New Bodies and Trailers 96 Million Mile Club 98 Mini Big Rigs – Magic Mini Macks 102 Little Truckers’ Club 104 What’s On/Cartoon

108 Moving Metrics 116 Vipal’s Knowing Your Retreads 118 Industry Comment 120 Truckers’ Health

68

A TRUCK RUN PAR EXCELLENCE Dave Carr Memorial Run

112

HYUNDAI’S HYDROGEN HEAVY IS HERE Xcient Leads The Hydrogen Revolution

Health & Safety 122 124 Legal Lines 126 NZ Trucking Association 128 Transporting New Zealand 130 The Last Mile BROU GH T TO Y OU B Y

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

EDITORIAL

FOR THE

LOVE A

t the beginning of the year, Dave and I met a truck driver with one of the most storied pasts we’ve encountered. He’s driven in interesting places and has had countless adventures and misadventures. He’s one of those drivers who couldn’t walk you through all the ins and outs of a truck, doesn’t care too much for the specs or the flash, doesn’t mind very much what badge is on the front. But he can tell you about how much he just really enjoys a drive, how much he loves the job all the same.

There definitely are two distinct emotive sides to trucking. There’s that bond between man and machine that comes from countless kilometres conducting the rumble of the engine, the whistle of the turbos and the sweet reverberation from the twin stacks as each gear is ticked off up to cruising speed; from following the bonnet’s leading edge chasing down the horizon; and bringing proceedings to a more sedate pace with the Jake thundering away. Or spec’ing it up, making it your own, giving it that personal touch, polishing the stainless at the weekend.

On perhaps at a deeper level, there’s the freedom, adventure, solace and catharsis that comes with the cab being one’s office

and the open road one’s workplace.

Sometimes these two sides converge, sometimes they don’t. For most who elect a career behind the wheel – those who grew up in and around the industry especially – they probably go together like a pie and Coke.

Either way, they still result in a love and passion for the job.

All of which has to beg the question, what happens when one of those elements is changed or removed? When old-school become new? When man is supplanted by machine?

Well, let’s not get too carried away. I do think global trucking is a way off from man and machine coming to blows over superiority. But there can be no doubt that in the lead up to that, should it come to pass, there has to be change.

Driven by factors such as global legislation and OEM competitiveness (and collaboration), the amounts of official news, media comment and industry chatter concerning next-generation, alternative-fuelled, leaner and greener (a debate for another day) machines have increased dramatically over the past three or four years.

The OEMs are advancing at an exponential rate and are rightly proud of their achievements. But from what we’ve seen and heard,

there’s little enthusiasm for it among those whose emotive connection to the job is directly influenced by their love for the machines.

The truth is there’s always been change. Look back three, two, even one decade and it’s easy to see.

Realistically, how many would step back into a full-time seat in something generations old – and stay there? And so it’ll be in the future. The biggest difference now is we’re all a lot more sceptical of the change coming because it is so dramatically different.

It’ll be a while off yet; diesel won’t disappear entirely. But, in time, I’d wager that same exercise of looking back will yield similar results. I’d also wager that that love for the job will be similar, especially in a country such as New Zealand where it’s palpable, enviable even.

The symphony may be more electronica, but man will still command machine, still chase the horizon, still give it that personal touch, still live for the open road.

Because, in the end, it’s the passion that really drives us – from wherever it stems.

Gavin Myers Editor

8/02/2012 11:02:47 a.m.

TRADER

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge Wayne Munroe’s last issue as editor at NZ Truck and Driver magazine (February 2022 issue).

As founding editor, Wayne’s near-23 years in the hot seat represents an incredible effort. For me, as a newbie to the full-time side of the journalism industry seven years ago, Wayne was and has always been a fantastic industry associate. His ability to walk the line of commercial separation between two competing mastheads, yet honour the journalism industry he loves via the encouragement and direction of new blood, marks the man’s true professionalism. The late John Murphy always said “Wayne’s a good bugger”, and Murph was rarely wrong. All the very best mate from all of us. You’ve done both industries proud.

– Dave McCoid and the New Zealand Trucking Media team.

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NEW MODELS

ISUZU’S NEW TECHFEST BABY Story by Carl Kirkbeck and Gavin Myers

Isuzu has launched its ‘safest truck range ever’ as the latest iteration of its light-duty N Series enters service in New Zealand. This is a little truck packed with some big tech.

I

n the latter half of 2021, Isuzu Trucks New Zealand lifted the covers off its new MY21 N Series. However, due to various ‘restrictions’, we had to wait until the end of the year before we could see it in the flesh, jump aboard and experience the improvements for ourselves.

Following trends in the more upmarket sector of the

8 New Zealand Trucking

Photos by Carl Kirkbeck and as credited

passenger vehicle market and the long-haul, heavy-duty segment of the truck market, the smallest, lightest range in Isuzu’s lineup now offers buyers a comprehensive suite of safety equipment ideally suited to its inner-city operating remit.

In addition, selected models in the updated range now feature an additional warranty cover that takes the total warranty period to five years/250,000km at no extra cost.

Grouped within the Isuzu Intelligent Safety Suite, those safety upgrades include both active and passive safety technology and come fitted to all 4x2 N Series models. The headline technology within the suite is the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) package. Making up ADAS are electronic vehicle stability

February 2022

control (EVSC), advance emergency brake system (AEBS), distance warning system (DWS), lane departure warning system (LDWS), and hill start assist on some models.

Isuzu says these systems are designed to reduce the probability of an accident and help mitigate damage should one occur. The foundation is a dashboard-mounted Dual Optical Sensor Camera, which provides a wide coverage area and is designed to detect three-dimensional objects at the close range typical of urban environment operation.

AEBS uses the camera hardware to detect and monitor distance and relative speeds to other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

Depending on their distance from the front of the truck, the forward-collision warning

system can determine if a collision is likely and alert the driver to brake. If the driver does not react, the system can autonomously apply the brakes.

The system is designed to avoid a collision with a speed difference to 50kph and reduce the risk of a collision impact at higher speed differentials. It is unaffected by day or night operation.

Allied to the AEBS is the distance warning system, which helps to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead. The driver can pre-set a desired minimum distance depending on the application or environment in which their vehicle is operating. Isuzu has taken cognisance of this as DWS activates only when the truck exceeds 30kph. Nobody wants constant buzzing, beeping and flashing when

Out on the road, the Isuzu Intelligent Safety Suite proves its value.

QUICK SPECS

Isuzu MY21 N Series GVM: 5500 – 8700kg CGM: 8000 – 12,200kg Wheelbase: 2490 – 4475mm Engine – NLR, NLS, NMR and NNR:

3.0-litre 4JJ1-TCS, 110kW @ 2800rpm

Engine – NPR, NPS 5.2-litre 4HK1-TCS, 110kW @ 2800rpm and NQR: / 140kW @ 2600rpm Emissions: Euro-5 – DOC exhaust emission control, maintenance free, no regeneration or AdBlue Transmission: 5-/6-speed manual or 6-speed AMT The Dual Optical Sensor Camera has a wide, near-field view ahead specifically for operation in urban environments. sitting in rush-hour traffic.

Speaking of which, traffic movement warning provides the driver with a subtle nudge when the vehicle ahead moves more than 5m away from the stopped truck. Handy.

Finally, ADAS includes the lane departure warning system. Sensors detect and monitor the vehicle’s trajectory in relation to the lane markings on roads or the road edge itself. Should the vehicle begin to wander out, an audible and visual alarm is provided. LDWS is activated when the road speed exceeds 60kph.

The MY21 N Series also receives automatic headlights with LED low beams – which are a truly invaluable piece of kit for easing night-time

driving. There is also a customisable speed limiter that the dealer can set between 70kph and 120kph.

Having the opportunity to drive one of the new models through the congested industrial streets of Mangere in Auckland, as well as a jaunt at highway speeds on the South Western arterial, immediately demonstrated the real-world benefit of the Isuzu Intelligent Safety Suite.

Purposely placing the little Isuzu into what the system would deem a hazard evokes an instant response that has you refocusing your attention and taking remedial action.

The likes of a deliberate nudge of the steering wheel towards the fog line has the N Series responding with

that audible alarm and visual indication in the dash cluster.

There is no mistaking that you have upset the Isuzu’s equilibrium, and correction is required.

It was also nice to experience the updated cab interiors, which now sport a lighter-colour headliner, complemented by a darker dash and seat trim. Isuzu says the new upholstery also offers added fire resistance. Single and crew cabs are offered, and you can choose narrow and wide cab variants, but all cabs conform to ECE R29 standards of cab strength and integrity designed to help keep the cabin structure from deforming excessively and reduce occupant injury in an incident. Seatbelt

pre-tensioners and dual airbags are fitted.

There’s little doubt that the MY21 N Series moves the game on for safety in the light-duty segment. And, we’re told, this is just the beginning as these updates are the first of many that will appear across several forthcoming Isuzu models.

Dave Ballantyne, general manager of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand, dropped a hint: “In addition to N Series, we’re on the cusp of some exciting and significant developments for the brand and look forward to being able to deliver a comprehensive new truck range with higher levels of specification and technology to Isuzu customers in New Zealand.”

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 9

ROAD NOISE NEWS

L B L B L B

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE – GET YOUR ENTRIES IN

O

n Tuesday 1 February, New Zealand Trucking Media and Resilienz Ltd launched this year’s Trucking Toward a Better Future competition. The competition provides a forum for road transport industry people to share their thoughts on how the world can be made ‘better’ and more efficient, especially from a supply chain and general business process perspective.

While trucking and transport might be a driver’s natural frame of reference, there are no limits to what can be suggested. Have more than one idea?

No problem, enter as many times as you like. Entry is free and open to any person or group actively engaged in the trucking sector.

“We want to tap into what we call the ‘truck-a-net’ – the vast pool of knowledge in truck cabs currently roaming New Zealand. Daily, you see more of the ‘economy at work’ than any other profession. You must have seen things done in one place better than another. You must have had thoughts and ideas about how the world can be

10 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

better,” says New Zealand Trucking Media editorial director Dave McCoid.

“Climate change is the single biggest issue facing future generations. I know you listen to podcasts, read, think, and ponder. I know truckers and truck people are as invested in our children’s future as anyone else. We have the broadest potential view of the economy and no one’s asking what we see and think.

“This year we have group entries also.

You can still enter individually, or you can form a group, or enter as a business even. Not everyone’s comfortable with the limelight solely on them so the group or team option helps with that.

We’d hate to miss a great entry because someone was hesitant about that sort of thing.

“The prize money’s up this year too, and we’ve simplified it in terms of just first, second, and third, with some spot prizes also. Total prize pool is $7500, with first taking $5000. “ Everyone we’ve talked to is just so enthusiastic about letting the trucking industry have its voice on this.”

YOU CAN ENTER IN TWO WAYS: Mail: Trucking Toward a Better Future 2022 C/o New Zealand Trucking Media PO Box 35, Thames 3540 Email: climatecompetition@nztrucking. co.nz SUBJECT – Trucking Toward a Better Future 2022 – ENTRY The competition runs for two months until 31 March 2022, and there is a prize pool of $7500. Entries will be judged by a panel that includes acclaimed business and climate commentator Rod Oram and well-known transport leader Chris Carr of Carr and Haslam.

To get all the details and access the full terms and conditions of this competition, scan here:

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

KEEP ON MOVING IN 2022 WITH NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING MEDIA PODCASTS New Zealand Trucking Media has launched its fifth podcast episode under its Keep on Moving brand.

P

odcasts are something our late business partner John Murphy said would become ‘a thing’ and, my gosh, how right was he!” said New Zealand Trucking Media editorial director Dave McCoid. “There are podcasts on just about every field of interest you can imagine and they’re just a superb way to link people, ideas, content — and media platforms for that matter.

“We recorded our first three as one-offs at the time of the first Covid lockdown in 2020.

They informed drivers on the situation as it unfolded, and the podcast medium provided a format listeners could quickly find over again to relisten to information if they

12 New Zealand Trucking

needed to. Then, around the middle of the year, I did our first entertainment-focused episode, and that got a huge response, with steady enquiry since it launched on where the next one was,” he said “Last year was huge for us, and so we decided to look at what we’d done previously, bring it all together, and kick 2022 off with a new regular, monthly podcast to complement our significant suite of existing content. This latest one, Episode 5, is ‘liftoff’ on that project. It’s so exciting!”

There’s something for everyone with news, upcoming events, interviews, reports from the classics world, updates on all the things happening in the New Zealand Trucking Media world, industry comments, and industry association updates.

“What we needed was a bit of broadcasting oomph,” McCoid said. “We’ve been so

lucky to meet and build an amazing association with one of the county’s long-standing broadcasters, Murray Lindsay.

I tell you; we’ve always coined our very own Carl Kirkbeck as Capt. Happy, but Murray gives Carl a run for his money. He’s just fantastic and brings so much fun, good humour, polish, and calm to the broadcasting process.

Normally a studio is a place that gives the average person palpitations, but with Muzz, we left with our ribs aching.

For him, the studio setting is like the old T-Line you’ve done 2,000,000km in.”

Episode 5 covers off events on the boil in the industry.

Dave Ching reports on last year’s Dave Carr Memorial run in Canterbury and Matt Smith tells us about Little Trucker Down Under magazine. The feature interview is none other than Guy Knowles, one of the country’s most enthusiastic and inspiring transport operators, who together with

his wife Helen runs a fleet of K-model Kenworths that go well beyond the phrase ‘instantly recognisable’.

On top of that, there’s fascinating industry insight from Transcon managing director Blake Noble and an update from Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett, National Road Carriers COO James Smith, and New Zealand Trucking Association CEO Dave Boyce.

“We wanted to give the association leaders the chance to tell everyone where they’re at and what they’re achieving for their members,” McCoid said.

“Everyone’s had a ball putting Episode 5 together. If it’s a taste of things to come, then the poddies are going to be just another wonderful celebration of an amazing industry and the incredible people who keep it moving.”

February 2022

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

TRUCKSTOPS MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2021 ZERO-EMISSIONS BATTERY-ELECTRIC KENWORTH T680E DEBUTS

I

n January, the zero-emissions Kenworth T680E battery electric vehicle debuted at the CES 2022 Technology Expo.

Designed for pick-up and delivery, regional haul and drayage applications, the Kenworth T680E is available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6x4 axle configuration.

The model is offered in a 37,194kg gross vehicle weight rating. It is equipped with 400kW (396hp) continuous power, up to 499kW (670hp) peak power and 2200Nm of torque, and a top speed of 104.6kph.

The zero-emissions T680E has an estimated operating range of 241km.

Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president, said Kenworth was leading zero-emissions solutions.

“The Kenworth T680E builds upon Kenworth’s excellent heritage of providing fleets and truck operators with outstanding and productive trucks driven by quality, innovation and technology,” he said.

“The new Kenworth T680E provides our customers with a true, zero-emissions solution that will help to achieve their own green programme objectives.”

14 New Zealand Trucking

A

ccording to Dean Pine, recent recipient of Truckstops Manager of the Year 2021 award, a good manager makes themselves redundant and can step away from the branch and have it work perfectly in their absence. But there is always more that can be done, and Dean and his team are firm believers in providing solutions that keep trucks moving.

A relative newcomer to Truckstops, Dean has been working with the 11-strong Taupo team since July 2020. He brought a wealth of experience and skills to the branch, developed across a range of previous roles in freight forwarding, accounting, and business ownership – in New Zealand and his native Zimbabwe.

“You draw on knowledge and previous experience regardless of what you do,”

commented Dean. “The common factor in every job is people. If you treat people with respect and integrity, they look forward

JOST CELEBRATES ITS FIRST 4 YEARS IN NEW ZEALAND

S

ince incorporation in February 2018, JOST New Zealand has gone from strength to strength, says James Mackie, managing director JOST Australia & NZ. “We are delighted with the rapid growth of our young company. It has exceeded all our expectations, particularly when you consider the challenges posed by repeated Covid-19 lockdowns over the past two years.

“Now, at the beginning of our fifth year, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Jaco de Kock to the position of general manager.

Jaco joined the team in late 2018 as operations manager, coming with 14 years’ experience with JOST products and 27 years with brake systems, 23 of those with EBS. In that role, Jaco has made a significant contribution to the growth of

the business and has been a cornerstone in those start-up years.”

Jaco replaces Kate Bucknell, who has led JOST New Zealand since its beginnings in 2018.

“Kate was the perfect choice for JOST as the ‘founding’ head for our new business in New Zealand.

She has done an outstanding job. We’re delighted that Kate has agreed to push back full retirement for a few more years and remains as director of the company. She will also continue to focus on the development of TRIDEC Systems and JOST Axles systems in New Zealand,” added Mackie.

JOST Axle Systems were introduced in 2019 and have seen a positive uptake from the market. The JOST axle system offering is strengthened now that JOST New Zealand is a distributor for Knorr-Bremse Electronic

Braking Systems and also provides brake certification.

JOST New Zealand took over the TRIDEC distribution for New Zealand in 2021.

TRIDEC is a world leader in the engineering, design, and manufacture of mechanical, hydraulic and electronically controlled Steering and Suspension Systems for trailers and has been part of JOST World since 2008.

With the expanded product portfolio, the team at JOST New Zealand has grown to several staff members, all of whom have many years’ experience with JOST products and in the road transport industry.

“We have a huge wealth of industry experience within our business, and that has ensured the brand is well supported and accepted in the market.”

February 2022

NZT 21

to coming into work and achieving things. I inherited an A-class team and all I did was provide a little help and direction.”

His firm belief in motivating and encouraging people was one of the reasons that Dean was nominated for the award

by Bay of Plenty regional

manager Simon Rose, who details the Taupo branch manager’s enormous positive impact on the business. “Turnover of branch staff is the lowest it has ever been, and the team culture is notable. Dean regularly gets staff and their families together for social events to celebrate wins

and milestones.”

The Taupo branch is also delivering on the 7Cs, providing great customer service, exceeding financial targets, and continually improving Health and Safety performance.

Although Dean isn’t a qualified mechanic, he has both the interest and

aptitude. Never shy to get stuck in, he’s been known to throw on a pair of overalls and lend a hand in the workshop. “The team treat me like an apprentice – nothing is in the too-hard basket. We offer a first-class service and follow through on our promise.”

An open-door policy is another marker of Dean’s management style – and he welcomes interruptions. His priority is looking after and supporting the team on the shop floor. “As trucks get more sophisticated, there’s an increasing amount of mental and intellectual capital that goes into a technician or parts guru role. We’ve got to value what parts and techs do,” commented Dean.

Well done to Dean and the Taupo branch – what an outstanding achievement.

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27/04/21 8:08 AM

ROAD NOISE NEWS

BOP’S BIGGEST ROADING PROJECT UNDERWAY

F

ulton Hogan and HEB Joint Venture have been awarded the Takitimu North Link roading project in the Bay of Plenty.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency director regional relationships, David Speirs, said the Takitimu North Link would provide an alternative route for drivers, improve safety and accessibility, and provide more transport choices.

“We are now into the construction phase of the project, with enabling works underway, essential ecological and environmental investigations continuing, and main construction beginning this summer,” he said.

The five-year project includes 3,000,000m3 of earthworks and the construction of eight bridges, 29 culverts, eight stream diversions and seven wetlands.

The design portion of the contract was awarded in May 2021, and contractors FH/ HEB JV have since progressed site investigations, technical assessments, and detailed design.

“The contract was split into two parts, design and construct, allowing the design to continue while property negotiations were completed. The progress over the past 18 months has brought us to the construction phase,” said Speirs.

“Fulton Hogan and HEB Joint Venture bring significant experience to the project, having previously built the Tauranga Eastern Link.”

16 New Zealand Trucking

FUSO TAKES TOP SPOT AS NATION’S LEADING TRUCK BRAND

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uso New Zealand Ltd (FNZ) has realised its ambition to take the brand back to No.1 in the New Zealand truck market, having achieved 1012 sales for the 2021 calendar year. The addition of a further 84 bus sales completes a new record for the company, of 1096 units across truck and bus.

Since being awarded distribution rights by Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Company (MFTBC) in 2016, FNZ has delivered a renewed focus for the manufacturer in this country across every aspect of customer experience. The Fuso dealer network has been further strengthened, parts stock and supply has significantly increased, and a slew of new models have expanded options for New Zealand truck and bus operators.

FNZ managing director Kurtis Andrews paid tribute to the loyalty of customers to the Fuso badge and to the passion and commitment of his FNZ team and dealerships across the country, which have delivered this result.

February 2022

“We are all extremely proud to be the number-one truck brand in New Zealand,” said Andrews. “Since Fuso New Zealand was established, one of our milestones was to reclaim the top market position. We knew we could only get there if customers valued what we have to offer and we promised to deliver better and to look after our own. This result is the outcome of that.”

Over the past five years, FNZ has overseen the introduction of the highly-regarded Canter Tipper, the Enduro workhorse range, and brought back the highly popular Shogun badge on an all-new line-up of advanced, highly efficient medium to heavy-duty trucks – headlined by the latest 510hp models.

Advanced safety features are now standard across light, medium and heavy classes, while the Fuso eCanter – the world’s first seriesproduced electric light truck – is now in the hands of emission-conscious customers.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

GOVT INTRODUCES SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS MANDATE

T

he government will introduce a Sustainable Biofuels Mandate to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.

The mandate will apply to fuel wholesalers – those who first import or refine fuels. From 1 April 2023, fuel wholesalers are expected to reach a starting emissionsreduction target of 1.2%, increasing to 2.4% in 2024 and to 3.5% in 2025.

The mandate will be reviewed after two years.

“Biofuels offer a practical, low-emissions solution to reduce New Zealand’s transport-sector emissions and will be scaled up over

time, resulting in greater emissions reductions from transport fuels,” said Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods.

From 1 April 2023, fuel wholesalers will be required to cut the total greenhouse gas emissions for transport fuels they sell by a set percentage each year by deploying biofuels as a part of their fuel supply.

“Land transport accounts for almost half of all of our national carbon dioxide emissions, and we need to take action to start to mitigate transport’s impact on climate change,” Woods said.

“The Sustainable Biofuels Mandate will prevent around

one million tonnes of emissions from cars, trucks, trains and ships over the next three years and up to 10 million tonnes by 2035 to help us meet our climate commitments.”

Woods said biofuels mandates were common overseas, with more than 60 jurisdictions having them.

New Zealand had one on the cards more than a decade ago, but it was repealed before it came into effect.

Transport Minister Michael Wood said: “We need to transition to low-emission vehicles, and biofuels will help

reduce emissions while we make that transition. Biofuels have the potential to boost economic recovery through encouraging a local industry and creating jobs.”

Given the unique challenges the sector faces, the government will develop a separate mandate for aviation fuel during 2022.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is working with Air New Zealand on a feasibility study on the potential for domestic production of sustainable aviation fuel and this will feed into that work.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

A SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ROAD TOLL

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adly, as Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand predicted, the summer road toll has been tragically high, and the overall number of people killed in road crashes in 2021 was also high, at 319, comments CEO Nick Leggett.

“From 4pm on 24 December 2021 until 6am on 5 January 2022 – the official holiday period – 17 people lost their lives in crashes across New Zealand, and many more were injured. This compares with 11 road crash deaths for the previous year’s holiday period.

“The 2021 toll is disproportionately high given the pandemic lockdowns, including the lengthy

lockdown of our major city Auckland,” Leggett said.

“The government will have us believe that slowing speed limits on roads is the panacea to our appalling road toll. They plan to cut 100kph speed limits around the country, which is a simplistic approach that does not address all the issues contributing to New Zealand’s high road accident and death rate.

“The appalling state of some roads is also a contributor, along with driver behaviour. If the roads weren’t in such a sorry state, in some situations drivers would be able to get themselves out of trouble. But add an unsafe road surface to poor driver

decision-making and you’ve got the recipe for disaster,” Leggett continued.

“Anyone who has been on the road over the holiday period will be aware speed is an issue, but not the legal speed limit, rather the idiots going well above it and flying past other motorists on the wrong side of the road.

Slowing a legal speed limit from 100kph to 80kph is never going to stop this,” he added.

Leggett said that lowering speed limits was “the hobby horse of the anti-car lobby, who actually believe we should be walking and cycling everywhere, with no regard for those people who don’t live in cities or any understanding of

the supply chain”.

“Reliable and safe regional roads and highways are the lifeblood of our economy, with 93% of the food and goods we rely on every day moving across them. Upgrading high-risk roads and key highways, spending more on road maintenance and road surfaces, and looking at driver behaviour, including drink and drug impairment, need to be part of the solutions for lowering our road accident and death rate.

“Road users pay about $4 billion a year in charges, which is supposed to be for investment in roads. In recent years, large chunks of that money have instead been allocated to the bottomless

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cost pit that is rail, and to infrastructure for cycling and walking,” he said.

Leggett noted that the cost of maintaining roads had increased 30% in the past five years, but there had been no real increase in budget from the government.

“Despite the Waka Kotahi board’s request for more money, the government came in several hundred million dollars less than requested for road maintenance. This highlights something that is worth understanding.

These are political choices and political decisions; they are not the fault of Waka Kotahi. Responsibility lies with the Cabinet. It is bad news for people who think maintaining roads is a job for the government. And that’s before we even start on new road projects, which seem to

be on hold. Covid-19 can only be blamed for so much.”

Leggett said that the road toll was not going the right way, and Transporting New Zealand wanted to be part of finding solutions. “After all, the roads are the workplaces of our truck drivers. That will require being listened to, which is another problem.

“Just before Christmas, I met with Hastings District Mayor Sandra Hazelhurst and other interested parties about SH5 between Napier and Taupo. From 18 February, the limit along SH5 between Rangitaiki and Esk Valley will be permanently lowered from 100kph to 80kph.

“The affected community does not agree with Waka Kotahi’s wholesale lowering of the speed limit on this road and does not believe they have been heard during

the consultation process.

People living in the area are aware of the time that will be added to journeys because they use the road every day and are not relying on a desktop exercise to calculate additional journey time.

“The community using the road notes the success of the Stay Alive on 5 campaign, launched at the end of 2020 to reduce fatalities on the highway. This combined some road repairs with additional policing and in the 15 months since it was launched, there have not been any deaths on the road.”

Leggett said decisions were being made before engagement with affected communities even begun. “It is a recurring theme we are hearing from communities – and feeling ourselves – that consultation on speed limit

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reductions has become a bit of a sham. “People are wise to that and quite rightly, deeply offended by it. No doubt the Hawke’s Bay MPs will hear that loud and clear when they meet with the community about this speed reduction.

“The government refuses to believe that slowing speed limits on long stretches of regional roads and state highways adds to the time, efficiency, and ultimately the cost of moving goods.

It puts more trucks on the road, rather than reducing truck numbers because when journey times increase, consideration needs to be given to truck drivers meeting their legal driving time limits,” Leggett said.

“The more it costs to move goods, the more the end consumer pays for them.”

ROAD NOISE NEWS

TUI TRUCK STOP SHOW AND SHINE MAKES ITS RETURN

T

he Tui Truck Stop Show and Shine is scheduled to return to Mangatainoka on Sunday, 27 March 2022.

This annual truck show is a highlight on the New Zealand trucking calendar, where trucks from all over the country descend on Tui Brewery for a great day out – providing a display of big rigs for drivers, owners, truck lovers and families.

Previous events have seen up to 150 trucks displayed

at the brewery. Trucks from as far away as Pukekohe, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and Christchurch have attended previous shows.

“We’re thrilled to be kicking off our 2022 Toki Motors events with the Tui Truck Stop Show & Shine,” said event organiser Kate Steminger.

“This is by far our biggest Toki Motors event year on year and a great day of celebration for the trucking community. The truck owners and drivers put so much

effort into shining up their vehicles, taking time off the road to come to Tui Brewery and really make a day of it,” she said. “This event just gets better and better every year.”

The event includes live music and activities, brewery tours, food and refreshments.

It is free to attend, and visitors are required to show their My Vaccine Pass.

Truck enthusiasts can register their rigs for just $10 through the Tui website.

Tui Brewery will put all

proceeds from registrations towards the show’s regular beneficiary, the Mangatainoka Reserve Restoration Project, for ongoing work such as native planting, fencing and pathways.

The Toki Motors schedule continues throughout 2022, with a total of nine events.

Each show will take place on the last Sunday of the month.

The series starts with the Truck Show & Shine in March and finishes with Vintage Car Day in November.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

IXOM EXPANDS PRODUCT RANGE WITH SCR ACQUISITION

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ater treatment and chemical distributor Ixom has expanded its product portfolio by acquiring New Zealandbased Air1 and AdBlue distributors SCR Solutions.

The sale was finalised at the end of November last year. The company said there would be no changes to employees, products or the service model as part of this acquisition.

Ixom is the market leader in water treatment and chemical distribution in Australia and New Zealand, with a growing presence in Latin America and Asia. It

provides products services across key business areas of trading in chemicals, water treatment, manufactured products and bulk liquids and gases.

“SCR’s expertise and knowledge of the manufacturing and distribution business, as well as its commitment to its customers, are enormously valued at Ixom,” said Sean Eccles, general manager NZ, Ixom. “I’m delighted that this acquisition supports our strategy.”

Eccles said the addition of AdBlue into Ixom’s product portfolio broadened the

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range of products it offered customers and had growth potential in the Australian market.

“Being an environmentally friendly product that reduces emissions, it gives us a stronger foothold in the green-chemicals sector and complements our existing distribution of GoClear Blue with Ballance in New Zealand,” he said.

The acquisition comes as the Australian trucking industry faces a shortage of AdBlue.

However, Eccles said Ixom had a “healthy, resilient supply” of AdBlue and was

well placed to meet local demand.

“We work hard to maintain multiple supply channels, with imported and locally produced product, to ensure continuity of supply to our customers,” he said.

“Most people understand that there is sufficient product available. We’d like to thank the end users of AdBlue – truck drivers, bus drivers and farmers – and our customers for their collective response; most are purchasing product in line with their normal buying patterns.”

ROAD NOISE NEWS

TRANSDIESEL OPENS NEW WAIKATO HUB

T

ransDiesel has opened a new national distribution centre in Hautapu, just south of Hamilton and adjacent to the Waikato Expressway.

The new facility will enhance the service offered to customers throughout the country.

“The new hub represents a significant investment in all-new infrastructure at a greenfields site and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our customers,” said Mike McKessar, TransDiesel CEO. “It offers multiple benefits to our clients and will enable

many associated positive flow-ons, ranging from improved customer service, enhanced satisfaction thanks to shorter wait times and employment for local residents,” he said.

McKessar said all of the new construction had been done with environmental considerations in mind, with the new facility showcasing several sustainability-oriented features.

He said the purpose of the new facility was to provide a consistent supply chain solution by relocating product to a more cost-competitive in-house solution, in turn

enabling better controls and stock management.

Its location next to the Waikato Expressway will enable TransDiesel to offer great national coverage promptly, while the additional space and central location will give the facility an added advantage of using the new infrastructure investment being made around the Tauranga port upgrades.

The new site would create employment, TransDiesel said. “There will be three warehouse staff to start the process, and there will be additional employees required to keep pace with future

growth,” he said.

“From a TransDiesel perspective, the number of employees in the region has now risen to six technicians.

I am sure this number will climb as demand for products increases alongside sales and market growth.”

The size of the site is just over 4ha and, with 170m of road frontage, the new TransDiesel facility will be easily recognisable from the Waikato Expressway. It has also been built with an eye to the future, with an extra hectare of land available on-site for development as and when required.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

DON’T #UCK WITH A TRUCK

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ustralian National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has launched a new major road safety awareness campaign, titled Don’t #uck With A Truck.

The campaign targets learner and provisional licence holders. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the campaign demonstrated how L and P licence holders could drive safely around trucks, including rules to follow when trucks were turning and stopping and how to overtake a truck.

“The campaign is intentionally provocative and is designed to grab the target audience’s attention and start important conversations around road safety,” Petroccitto said.

“Our goal is to prevent situations where a young driver could be in a lane next to a turning truck, or they pull in front of a truck too soon.”

A survey of 500 L and P licence holders aged between 16 and 25 found that more than three-quarters (78%) of participants could not identify the correct stopping distance for a prime-mover semi-trailer truck travelling at 80kph, which is 116m.

Less than half (45%) knew to keep one lane on either side of a truck free when it is turning.

When it came to how to overtake a truck safely, 30% of respondents didn’t

know you should only pull back in front of a truck when you can see its headlights in your rear-view mirror.

Don’t #uck With A Truck will appear online on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and across billboards and university O-Week pop-ups. The campaign is funded by the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, supported by the federal government.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

US TO ALLOW TEENS TO DRIVE BIG RIGS ACROSS STATES

T

he United States is moving forward with plans to let teenagers drive big rigs to help address the global supply chain issues.

The move, launched as an apprenticeship programme, will allow teenagers between 18 and 20 to drive big rigs from state to state. Currently, truckers who cross state lines must be 21.

The pilot programme will screen the teens, barring any with driving-while-impaired violations or traffic tickets for causing a crash.

According to the Associated Press, safety advocates

claim the programme runs counter to data showing that younger drivers get in more crashes. They say it’s unwise to let teenage drivers be responsible for rigs that can weigh 36,000kg and cause catastrophic damage when they hit lighter vehicles.

The American Trucking Association supports the measure as a way to help with a shortage of drivers.

The group estimates that the nation is running more than 80,000 drivers short of the number it needs.

Drivers will be able to cross state lines during 120-hour and 280-hour probationary

periods if an experienced driver is in the passenger seat. Trucks used in the programme must have an electronic-braking crashmitigation system, a forwardfacing video camera, and their speeds must be limited to 104kph.

After probation, they can drive independently, but companies must monitor their performance until they are 21. No more than 3000 apprentices can take part in the training at any given time.

The programme will run for

up to three years.

“This programme creates a rigorous safety training programme, requiring an additional 400 hours of advanced safety training, in which participants are evaluated against specific performance benchmarks,” said Nick Geale, vice president of workforce safety for the trucking associations.

“The programme will ensure that the industry has enough drivers to meet growing freight demands.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

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Toyota BEV Ute. NZ Post has signed an agreement with New Zealand Green Investment Finance to speed up its transition to electric vans or other lowemission versions. MercedesBenz eVito panel vans will likely lead the charge, with 100% of the NZ Post fleet and 25% of the contractor fleet to be EV-powered by 2025.

Teaser pics of a Farizon all-electric ute are circulating the internet. The commercial vehicle brand is owned by Geely Holdings, which is said to have based its EV ute on a ladder-frame chassis newly developed for commercial EVs, with the end product pitched directly at Ford’s F-150 Lightning EV. Chinese vehicle manufacturer BYD is partnering with American company Nuro to produce a third-gen autonomous delivery vehicle. Modular inserts will permit the EV van to customise compartments, while an external airbag and thermal cameras will improve pedestrian safety. Nuro has already launched two previous autonomous delivery vehicles, with Domino’s, FedEx and 7-Eleven already signed up.

Toyota’s EV plans still include hydrogen as a fuel. Hydrogenpowered electric boats and cars have been cleared for New Zealand by Toyota HQ, with three CityHop cars among the first wave, along with hydrogen-powered foiling chase boats capable of more than 50 knots for the next America’s Cup.

32 New Zealand Trucking

NZ INFRASTRUCTURE DELAY FOR TOYOTA GLOBAL EV PLAN

T

oyota recently revealed its fully electric future with an impressive line-up of 15 new vehicles – and the announcement there’d be a full line-up of new EVs on sale by 2030 – but it proved short on detail.

It was notable in part because the range included two compact box vans and a ute. But don’t start calculating electricity charges just yet. New

Zealand Trucking spoke to Toyota NZ CEO Neeraj Lala, who pointed out that New Zealand’s electric future relies not just on available technology, but also on infrastructure and affordability.

He expects our charging infrastructure to accelerate in the next five years but putting commercial EVs on the ground outside preplanned routes may take more time. “Hydrogen will

work for heavy freight,” he says, given freight routes are pre-set. “NZ Post, for example, has defined runs and bases.” But infrastructure outside that is harder to plan, not just in terms of how many sockets needed, but how to get enough power to them.

Lala says one key is the application for which a vehicle is designed. Privately owned passenger vehicles benefit from economies

VOLKSWAGEN TEASES NEW AMAROK PICK-UP

V

olkswagen Commercial Vehicles has released images and details of the new Amarok pick-up, set to debut in 2022.

Developed by teams in Australia and Europe, the third-generation Amarok is more than 10cm longer and 4cm wider than the current version and will look completely different inside February 2022

and out.

There will be more extensive equipment on board. The new vehicle has significantly more driverassist systems and promises to impress customers in terms of connectivity.

Volkswagen says the 2022 Amarok will feature innovations that have not been seen before in this segment while still being

exceptionally capable on rough terrain.

Lars Menge, head of product marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, says the new Amarok will continue to use TDI diesel engines, with the V6 remaining on offer, plus additonal market-specific power units.

The Amarok has been in series production since 2010. The premium pickup used to be made in Hannover, Germany, and will continue to be built in Pacheco in Argentina. The newest version will also be built in the South African city of Silverton. Over the past decade, Volkswagen has sold more than 815,000 Amaroks globally.

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Toyota Microbox. of scale and are aimed at owners who don’t do high day-to-day mileage. The first large-scale EV roll-out is likely to focus on that part of the market – a segment that makes up only 30% of overall sales in New Zeaand.

Utes need to be able to tow – 98% of Hilux variants are sold here with a tow bar – which dramatically cuts range, quite apart from the likely draw from power tools run off the vehicle battery.

So, Lala reckons vans will instead be next to appear here in large numbers. Their

primary application does not require them to tow, and last-mile deliveries don’t need a geographically widespread charging network away from the home depot.

Lala is confident all Toyota New Zealand’s major model lines – including a ute – will get an electric-powered model within the next nine years, and he’s currently negotiating with Japan what will be required to meet clean-air targets. After cars and vans, utes and heavy commercials will join the

Toyota Midbox. new trend, though the ute segment will shrink: he foresees those able to will migrate back to SUVs as prices drop, and the lower cost of electricity (as a fuel) starts to impact the buying decision.

Perhaps it’s no wonder the impressive array of new EV models photographed at the announcement didn’t come with specifics: New Zealand will not be the only market scrambling to get a commercial-ready infrastructure in place before it makes its model choices.

Illustrating a longdistance electric commercial vehicle journey, Aucklandbased bus-import company JW Group has driven a Yutong E12 EV bus from Wellington to Auckland.

It stopped just once for a rapid charge-up at Taupo, at a total cost of $184.06 for the power – considerably less than the amount a diesel bus would have cost for the fuel and RUC. The Chargenet rapid charger at Taupo is six times faster than standard chargers, allowing newer EVs to add 400km of charge in 15 minutes.

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COVER FEATURE

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER When it came to the CF variant of DAF’s Euro-6 range, we wanted rural, and we got it… literally. In a wonderful location that’s about as heartland as heartland gets, we found a truck that appeared the perfect match for all those around it.

Story by Dave McCoid Photos and video by Dave McCoid and Gavin Myers

Above and beyond Every now and then, the international space station probably bobbles its way over the top of Kurow in the South Island’s Waitaki Valley.

Inside the tinfoil contraption far above the village are people who went through all sorts of psychometric tests to ensure they had the ‘right stuff’ for the missions they would serve.

In the selection process, they were likely challenged with complicated and everchanging problems, after which their ability to respond calmly and offer workable solutions for all stakeholders would be critiqued to the nth degree.

However, little do humanity’s supposedly finest examples know as they pass overhead, that in the hamlet far below are folk easily capable of handling the crisis management aspects of their stellar situation.

Yes, folks, we’re in rural transport again, among rural transport people. Without doubt, one of our favourite places to be. The level of intellectual property that resides in the operational offices of places such as Rural Transport’s Kurow depot would mangle the brains of the average person. Textbooks on ‘best practice’ are more than likely used to ensure your two

computer monitors sit aligned to each other while you ‘figure shit out’.

Like those on the final frontier above them, the Kurow crew’s life is all about the reality of actual situations, juggling tasks, equipment, and people, against a backdrop of constantly changing and often extreme physical, behavioural, and meteorological conditions.

Like astronauts, the real selection process for people with the right stuff started years ago, and if there’s one thing the two disciplines do have in common, it’s the old biblical chestnut, ‘many are called, few are chosen’.

When it comes to transport

operations, especially rural transport operations, many talk the talk, few can walk the walk.

Sorting out how you’re going to get 200 tonnes of fert to a bin on an airstrip atop a hill that’s truck-only access, move 1200 hoggets from one farm to another 35km up the Waitaki, get two loads from Te Aakatarawa Station to the Pukeri meatworks near Oamaru, and 380 bales of Lucerne baleage from deep in the Haka Valley to a farm near Luggate all between Tuesday lunchtime and Wednesday knock-off. It is a day’s work for the likes of the legendary Rex Taylor, and his cohort

Kent Rowland.

Although a hot coffee, a bag of chips, and a cooked snarler help the problemsolving process immeasurably, like an astronaut, it’s time and practice that are the essence of success. Time and practice learning ‘what’; time and practice learning ‘where’; time and practice learning ‘how’; time and practice learning ‘when’; and time and practice learning ‘who’. Oh, and let’s not forget what is arguably the most important one, time and practice … remaining calm.

What all the time and practice rewards you with is knowing things like, ‘Bob hates the fert tipped on the

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 35

Left: Crossing the Aviemore Dam. Right: Two of New Zealand’s great all-rounders. right side of the hill-top bin because he parks the tractor on that side so the fuel hose from the portable diesel tank can reach; that the key to Len’s tractor when you go to load the bailage is under the hay in the middle egg-tray door of the chook-house, and watch the right side of the soft hands, it sometimes sticks, and don’t load No.8 too far forward, it’ll get stuck coming out the drive, just it keep a bit further back and if we need to move the back row to the front in the yard before you leave we can. And, lastly, don’t send Bruce for those hoggets; he and Phil had a disagreement in a ruck last Saturday, so we’re just waiting for things to calm and for everyone to re-establish speed and position. I see they were still sitting two tables apart in the pub last night. Once we’re at

Carrier, driver, and the Inn – hospitality personified.

one table, he’ll be good to go up there again.’

“Kurow? It’s a gem!” laughs Mark Wareing when we chat at Rural Transport’s slick Ashburton headquarters. “You never hear from them. They just sort it out and get stuff done. Rex Taylor’s away on holiday now, so that’s a real shame. He’s been there so long and knows the business so well. It’s just amazing.”

Then, of course, you need drivers, but not just any drivers, preferably drivers with the same rural genes.

Ideally, locals with their heart in the land. In the stock division, your ideal profile is essentially a shepherd who can drive. Not someone erratic and flighty, rather, someone calm who knows when animals are happy, stressed, or simply being naughty. Someone who also

knows the customers, knows farming, an ambassador not just for the brand on the door, but for the community they are a part of. Arriving on farm sensibly rather than in a cloud of mayhem, noise, and dust.

You need a person who would likely find filming their own ego on TikTok as abhorrent as mistreating the animals in their keep. Someone just like Kurow-based driver Aaron Tait.

Loose forwards It would therefore be fair to say that Rural Transport Kurow is full of intelligent, savvy, reliable, versatile, and above all, humble folk.

None of this should come as any surprise, because sitting in the middle of their town is a triple life-size image of the region’s famous son, a humble local who achieved stellar heights in his chosen field. We

are of course talking about one Richie McCaw. Currently Richie’s just a wood backed cut-out while the good folk of the Waitaki and Haka Valleys gather the shekels for a proper statue. Bugger knighthoods – for these people to erect a statue of you in the town centre is an accolade not even Oscar Wilde could have truly conveyed in words.

Yet looking at McCaw’s career, it’s as Kurow as you could get. He played rugby, he did well, and he went and did other things. Aside from a TV ad or two promoting the dairy industry, he’s made no effort to pursue any form of celebrity status on the back of his playing career. It’s almost like Rex or Kent were dispatching him all the way through.

‘Kurow base to 07?’

‘Receiving.’

‘How are you getting on?

Have you played those 148 All Black games and won two world cups yet, mate?’

‘Yep, yep, just sorting out my boots and putting the kit away now.’

‘Oh yep, okay. Hey, once you’re clear, can you shoot off and fly helicopters and gliders for 20 years?’

‘Yeah, no probs’.

‘Okay, good on ya. Oh, hey, can you chuck in the occasional insane adventure race?’

‘Yep. No probs.’

‘Okay mate. See ya when you get in.’

‘All good.’

Even McCaw’s No.7 playing position fits the mould. He was just as happy hard on attack as mowing down a line break from the other direction.

Temperamental specialists are about as much use as a wheelless Prattley ramp among these folk.

Having established just how high the bar is set in terms of operations and drivers, what about the truck? Is there such a thing as an immensely capable yet humble truck?

Which iteration of man’s most successful mechanical invention could possibly find consistent favour with those running a transport business

in Kurow? The answer is interesting.

The instant you turn up at the depot on ‘Main Road’, Kurow (‘Main Road’ – that’s all you need, you’ll work it out), what you’ll see is ... DAFs. There’ll be some sitting there in the yard awaiting orders, others will be out pottering around the region doing pretty much anything and everything, and others will be a lot further away on linehaul duties to the likes of Belfast in Christchurch, 274km to the north, or Lorneville near Invercargill, 378km to the south.

Rural Kurow is home to nine DAFs in a fleet of 12; a mix of both Euro-5 CF85s and the newer CF Euro-6s.

Wind the lens out over the broader Rural Transport fleet, and the DAF comprises 37 units out of 55. Even wider, to the parent company Philip Wareing Ltd, and there are 92 DAFs in a 240-truck operation.

That’s 38% of the entire fleet.

Philip Wareing is no slug, that’s a given in New Zealand ‘Transport 101’ education, and neither are his sons Mark and Simon. You, therefore, must ask the question: when one make accounts for over a third of their entire fleet, operating across a vast breadth of rural

and primary sector roles, where accolades are rare and reputation only as secure as the last job completed, what is it that DAF brings to the table?

Hills and valleys Relief despatcher Nick Kelland had apologised for only having local-ish work available during our one-and-a-half days in town, but that was just dandy.

Aside from giving us two nights enjoying the first-rate feed and a couple of beers at the Kurow Hotel with owners Ross and Trish, and front-ofhouse gem Sally, loading up a full barge of critters for a romp up the island to Christchurch would have revealed little in the way of clues as to where the McCaw factor resided in the DAF’s DNA. No, the answers we were searching for lay in the hollows of the Waitaki and Hakataramea (Haka) Valleys, and on the flanks of the Kurow and Kirkliston ranges.

We meet Aaron Tait in the yard on a clear, spring Friday morning. His list of tasks was typical of a ‘local day’ tidying up stuff in the area. With him was his trusty sidekick, Fleet No.503, a 2021 DAF CF530 Euro-6 8x4 FAD flat-roof sleeper, kitted up with Jackson

Enterprises deck and 5-axle trolley, complete with Total Stockcrates crates. Aaron had been in the truck about six months, and it had just ticked over 54,000km, so he was well settled in.

The scene instantly gave away our first clue. The DAF was just sitting there, like some enormous heading dog. It wasn’t vying for the limelight with ‘look at me’ radiating from every panel and trinket bolted to it. Harking back to Rod Gunson driving the Rainbow Park Nurseries CF410 in the April 2021 test, we remember being amazed at how quiet the idle was when you were standing alongside it. Likewise, the 530 was quietly ticking over, almost like it had its tongue hanging out to one side, lightly panting, its eyes half shut in the morning sun, waiting for a quiet ‘get in behind’ whisper.

Job one was a split load of four-legged woolly beggars from Te Akatarawa Station on the northern side of Lake Aviemore, some of which were heading to Otematata Station and the rest – 150-odd – to a farm up the Haka Valley following a weigh-up at the yard.

Aaron and the DAF crossed

Aviemore Dam and quietly motored the 20-odd kilometres up Te Akatarawa Road, turning right into the station’s cattleyard entrance about 5km shy of Benmore Dam. The track up to the yards is only about 600odd metres long, made up of gravel and small river stones.

It was narrow and lumpy climbing to a tight right-hand hairpin bend before a flat run to the spin-around and then back to the loading ramp.

“I flick it into manual idling into places like this, otherwise it gets a bit confused and tries to change gears and all that. My previous CF85 was a manual, but I’ve adjusted to this one now and know how

38 New Zealand Trucking

it’s going to behave pretty much. It’s all good. I don’t mind it at all.”

Backed in and butted up, the through doors are open.

We’re met by station shepherd Angus Foster, he and Aaron swinging into action, getting the flock to run onto the unit.

In no time, we’re loaded, the units closed and split, handshakes complete, and out we head. With its 21m kerb-tokerb lock, the DAF negotiated the tight bend mid-track in one swing, both on the way in and out. Thinking back to the MH Mack I once drove, its right and left-hand lock were like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but the DAF seemed more like McCaw February 2022

and Kaino.

“It’s longer in the wheelbase than in the old truck, so not quite as good on the turn as she was. You notice that 500mm extra. It’s not an issue or anything, but it’s noticeable.”

We ditch all but the Haka Valley crew, who are easily accommodated in the truck, and back in the yard, pull the DAF over the weighbridge in the fert shed.

Barely out of town on SH82, we cross the Waitaki River bridge and turn left onto Hakataramea Valley Road. Along a short flat, we then motor up and over a low saddle and are met

with the vast beauty of the Hakataramea Valley laid out in front of us on the most glorious of spring days. An immense valley of green pastoral land and feed crops with both a river and country road bearing its name meandering their way up its 45 or so kilometres length. On days like this, you wonder why you’d drive trucks anywhere else.

Again, the DAF seemed the perfect fit. In Rural’s red and green livery, its passage up the valley would certainly be seen if you were looking its way but more than likely not heard.

While that’s great for serenity and social licence, it has its

The DAF finds a happy home in the ‘Haka’ Valley.

Although a prettier truck than its predecessor, the CF Euro-6 still looks purposeful.

complications when the local pest is encountered.

“Yeah, interesting,” says Aaron. “I’ve already hit two wallabies in this one. They just never heard it coming. The old truck was just that much louder, but this one sneaks up on them, I think. You just have to be aware of just how quiet it is. Luckily, they’ve not done any real damage, but they can break lights and annoying stuff like that.”

Narrow country roads with no fog lines are the economic capillaries of the nation and the place where today’s modern trucks really come into their own. There was only an element of metaphor in the old-timers referencing steering wheels of their era as ‘tillers’, but today, Aaron could have nipped the wings off a sleeping cicada with the steer tyres of the DAF as he guided it up the road.

Many of the valley systems in this part of the country have alternative access routes, the roads less travelled you might say. The Haka Pass links this valley with Burkes Pass at Dog Kennel Corner, east of Tekapo,

and Danseys Pass connects the Waitaki with Naseby in the Maniototo. From there, you can get into the Clutha system in lower mid-Otago via Lake Onslow. In terms of trucking Nirvana, the Haka Pass is certainly summer-friendly, and pick your moments – usually truck-only – at other times.

Danseys is definitely truckonly, and Lake Onslow? Well, let’s just say there are better ways.

“Yep, I’ve been through the Haka Pass a few times with the units,” says Aaron. Then, in that typical lower South Island style, he says that thing that strikes fear into your heart. “You just have to be a bit careful in places.” When people from here say things like that, it could possibly mean the route is the truck equivalent of the Red Bull Rampage!

About 25km in, we turn deeper into paradise, onto Highland Farm Settlement Road, motoring a further 5km on gravel to the property of Hamish Kays, where we discharge our passengers.

They are now essentially

on the opposite side of the Kirkliston Ranges from where they started, but they’re a few million years of evolution and an opposable thumb or four from ever knowing that.

In rural trucking, visibility is everything. Before you can avoid the fencepost, back blade in the long grass, or surface drain, you must first know it’s there. We’ve always said of the CF DAF cab that it’s a light and airy place, and the company’s latest offering Down Under changes nothing.

The reason for the sense of light and space is in no small way down to those huge side windows, with their signature two-piece configuration allowing the opening section to drop fully below the sill.

Mirrors are ample and wellplaced, and of course, back in the homeland, DAF is the latest Euro OEM to enter the world of cameras as an option over mirrors.

Out of the valley, we pop back into the yard for the trailer. Our next assignment was transferring sheep from one block on the vast Otamatata Station to another

– roughly speaking, a 35km cart. Aaron popped into the office to make sure everything was on track. Back in the DAF he updated the situation.

“There’s two loads to do.

We’re assigned to one, but if the Isuzu stock unit on its way back from a job up Lilybank Road beside Lake Tekapo is in the vicinity at the right time, he’ll whip in and grab the other, otherwise that one is ours also.”

Otamatata Station is a 40,000ha sheep and beef operation split into five blocks along the southern side of the Waitaki Valley, pretty much across Lake Aviemore from where we’d been that morning. In Aussie outback station vernacular, we were doing some ‘paddock-carting’, but as big as Otamatata might seem when you’re on it, even she can’t hold a candle to likes of Lake Nash over the ditch at 1,200,000ha, Helen Springs at 1,020,000ha, and the absurdly huge Anna Creek, the biggest farm of them all, at 2,367,000ha. The point here being, rather than an intra-station haul on station

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 39

Gliding along the side of Lake Aviemore. roads, our paddock shift involved loading at one site, popping out onto the good state highway for a bit, and unloading at another site down the road. The mood felt similar, though. We were into it boots and all.

Aaron arrived at the loading sight, turning in off the road, down over a steepish culvert and into the paddock. The DAF has good clearances under the front bumper, so taken appropriately there’s no issue. Around in a big circle, then back into the ramps, and butt up. It’s a stock setup of 2021, so pneumatically controlled safety rails on top of the crates rise and click into

place with the flick of a valve – a tangible and useful safety apparatus.

Station owner Hugh Cameron was there to help Aaron load, and he shut all the gates so the DAF was paddock-locked for reasons that will become clear in a moment. Hugh’s a lovely bloke, and it was a real treat watching him work his dogs Doug and Jules in the yards, getting the wethers to run in batches, according to Aaron’s needs. The wethers were six-year-olds, which if you know your sheep, will mean something. If, however, like us, you don’t really know one Ovis aries from another, a

Leaving to pick up the second load of wethers.

40 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

six-year-old wether is a savvy, old, neutered sheep of the hills not about to willingly follow any instruction given by some human or his pesky mutts. As such, there were a number of escapees over the rails at times, which didn’t do much for Doug and Jules’ mental health, but explains why Hugh closed us in.

“We run about 25,000 stock units,” explains Hugh. “Thirty thousand sheep and 500 cattle. Our point of difference is the number of wethers we run – about 11,000. Not many stations run that level of Merino wethers, and they don’t rate as high in terms of stock units, hence the number.

These fellas will go down to another block for eight weeks to fatten up, and then they’ll head off to the works.”

All in a day’s work As loading continued, we took a moment to look around the cab. There’s no question DAF’s an evolver of trucks.

It’s instantly recognisable as a DAF the moment you arrive indoors – nothing’s really changed in this model in terms of ‘how’ you use it.

Just sitting in the CF gives away a lot when you’re looking for answers to DAFs appeal in deployments like this, not to mention its market assault since arriving officially

Turning into Te Akatarawa Station. in 1999. Yes, there are all the things we’ve mentioned before – mechanical familiarity, European comfort at a keen price, and a decade of strong economic growth that helped kick them along. But when you sit in them and look around, they’re a bloody easy truck to use, and at the end of the day – or a long hot week for that matter – isn’t that what it’s all about? When you’re knackered in hour 68, complexity is an irritant.

The CF’s super easy to get in and out of; there are grab handles in all the right places – love the one on the A pillar – and once you’re in, it’s a ‘clear’ working environment.

Clear, in terms of seeing everything, and clear as to what it all does.

The DAF’s binnacle is elegantly simple in the company’s rendition of the ubiquitous gauges separated by data screen set-up.

Odometer, fuel/DEF on the left, tacho and temp on the right.

Embedded in the lower part of the odometer are speed control readout stuff, and on the tacho, gear selection. The trip, driver, load, and truck info screen between the gauges is managed via DAF’s neat dashmounted knob on the lower left of the steering wheel. Love that!

The binnacle and wrap are

The face of modern stock trucks with safety rails up.

one big curvaceous moulding, and although all the usual suspects appear on the wrap, there’s a neat separation in the design language. The brake valves, entertainment (no infotainment on this one), knick-knack stow – all flow in a grey panel that runs around the wrap and through the binnacle, ending to the right of the steering wheel at the headlight switch. Under the grey panel is a black one, housing the forward/reverse controller, park brake, climate management, and switchgear.

The smart wheel sorts out the phone on the left and speed management on the right, with the left column

wand home to wipers, dip, and indicator; the right cog swapping and pulling on the reins.

It’s so very DAF: and works a treat.

Being a CF, it comes with a complementary engine tunnel, but that’s not really any sort of payoff for the truck’s low stance. If you do have to shoot over the other side of the house – even this low roof one – and find it difficult, then maybe a gym membership might have been the go for the Chrissy present, or at least start reading Laura’s Truckers’ Health column.

Fleet 503 is a flat roof sleeper, and although the Space-cab would be nice, it’s fine for the “occasional night away” as Aaron says, except on one count. Storage is the cab’s weakest point, really. There’s a fridge under the bunk – with a somewhat agricultural yet incredibly selfexplanatory handle – some netted stows in the front overhead, an oddments tray/ cup holder on the engine tunnel, a tray on top of the dash, door pockets, and that was about it for immediate access internal storage.

There is one external undercab locker on the left side of the truck. A ‘little-y’ by today’s standards, and only having the one, it will likely

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February 2022 41

6

1

5

7 5) That A-pillar grab handle really is a honey. 6 & 7) Say ‘Agh’ for top-ups.

Being a CF, it really is as easy as pie. be used for gloves, raincoat, leggings – ‘outdoorsy’ stuff.

I’m sure there are endless configurations you can spec, but a standard rear wall locker or two in the day-cab sleeper is probably a goer.

Outside there are some canny fold-out steps in the lower grille for tending to windscreen washing and the like, and the front lifts up and away to reveal top-up points, the topping up of which is done following instruction from the truck … if you get our drift.

Front panel down, stand back and have a look. The CF Euro-6 is a different-looking truck than its forebears, meaning prettier and less ‘dogged’. The 85 was a purposeful-looking truck. The big hips in the lower cab flanks are still very much there, along with the split side windows.

They’ve always been grist for the mill of the aesthetics discussion when it comes to the CF. As has been the case through history, looks are a personal thing, and that’s never going to change. I think it’s fine. Maybe the hip still annoys me a wee bit… Maybe.

2

3

Always take the wether with you

4 1) The DAF is such an easy vehicle to use. 2 & 3) A low-roof CF cab it might well be, but there’s no shortage of space and room and no mistaking the handle for the fridge. 4) She is a bit tight on storage however, and there’s only one external locker.

42 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

Loaded, doors shut, safety rails down, and unit split.

Aaron turned the direction wheel to ‘Forward Turtle’

on the dial, engaged the necessary traction aids, and eased the DAF away from the loading ramp with the big trailer from the house of Jackson Enterprises in Pahiatua following gracefully.

Both truck deck and trailer were built at Jackson’s, a long time Wareing group supplier. Looking around the entire unit, both trailer and Total Stockcrates crate confirms again New Zealand gear is at least the equal of anything built around the world. Interestingly, the trailer had inflation management, something that’s rapidly becoming a staple in the industry since we first had a sniff around it on Ricky Musson’s log unit (New Zealand Trucking, February 2020). We knew then if Ricky Musson swore by it, it was about to take off. This trailer was set-up with the SAF TirePilot system supplied through Transpecs.

“The system is becoming increasingly popular on our new builds,” said Transpecs regional sales manager Damien O’Hara. “The benefits include reduced tyre wear, reduced fuel use, along with reduced risk of failure. The SAF Tire-Pilot technology requires our SAF axles to be drilled to enable the axle beam to hold the air required for

TRADITIONAL VALUES, FUTURE-DRIVEN

I Doug leaps into fray on Hugh’s command. each Tire-Pilot axle set. These can come pre-drilled or we are able to retrofit this in New Zealand if required.”

It wasn’t goodbye to Hugh, just ‘so long’, as we now knew the second load was ours also.

Hugh kindly dons the hi-vis jacket and takes command of traffic management out on SH80, signalling to Aaron when to drive up and out of the paddock and onto the road. The DAF easily exits the paddock, with no issues at all, and we motor off.

“The DAFs are pretty good on traction,” said Aaron. “I haven’t been caught in this one. It still comes back to knowing where you can and can’t go in the first place.”

There’s no denying the PACCAR MX-13 punches above its weight. It’s been put to work in some pretty gnarly missions and has earned a reputation as an honest horse.

In Euro-6 trim, it’s up on power from its previous incarnation at 390kW (530hp), so it hits above that sweet spot of 10hp/tonne for 50Max HPMV and almost gets there at 54-tonne HPMV. Torque peak is 2600Nm (1920lb/ft) from 1000rpm to 1460rpm with power sitting at about 388kW (520hp) when the two curves shake hands at 1675rpm. What that feels like in the cab is a really relaxing

low-stress ride, aided in no small way by the smoothness of the 12-speed ZF TaXon transmission. “It took a little bit to familiarise myself with the AMT’s characteristics but, yeah, she’s all good now. I know what it’s going to do and when. Same with the safety kit. That caught me a couple of times early on, but we’ve got it sorted pretty much.”

The MX-13 just mumbles away and at 44 tonne GCM, Lake Aviemore rolls on by while Aaron and I chat in a library-like 68dB, and steady 80 to 90kph depending on the topography.

The first of the spring/ summer cyclists slowing our progress on a gradual rise was no issue, and the CF530 easily regained pace. “Here they come for another summer,” chuckled Aaron.

“Crossing the Alexandra Bridge into the hill on the other side, at full weight, she’ll climb the steepest pinch in sixth, at 1350rpm, and 20kph. And that’s from a near standing start.”

As useable as that may all sound, many see the modest high-end power of the DAF range as its Achille’s heel.

There’s no D16G, OM451, D26 or DC16 to trot out for those who desire more thrust in their working week, and that hasn’t changed even with

t’s a great industry.

The rural sector is still the backbone of the economy but, man, there are some changes coming that we have to be prepared for. The cost of carbon is really going to impact the industry, and we’re now placing huge emphasis on efficiency and the load factor. That’s really the core of my function in the business at the

moment, working with a team on efficiency and ensuring we get as close as we can to ensuring every kilometre we run is a loaded one.

You just have to.

“We’re also investing heavily in a storage and logistic hub at the depot here in Ashburton. It will have silos, controlled temperature storage, and a rail siding. If we’re going to get to where

Mark Wareing, in front of Rural’s modern headquarters in Ashburton, is excited about future opportunities. He believes that looking forward and managing compliance around emissions will intensify the relentless pursuit of efficiency in the road transport industry.

the latest generation recently launched in Europe. To be fair, the trucks are largely pitched at fleet purchasers in this neck of the woods, but even then, the power gap is ever widening between them and the competition. It’s not at all uncommon nowadays to find fleet buyers furnishing their drivers with machines of 448kW (600hp) or more.

Auxiliary braking in the new gig is well ahead of the old truck according to Aaron. The three-stage setup delivers a healthy 375kW (503hp) at full noise (2100rpm), but a commendable 365kW (490hp) at the 1400rpm mark.

Aaron’s comments reflect the performance. “This one’s got the three-speed auxiliary brake, which is actually important for us. Being able to descend at a good pace, in control, without using the brakes is a big thing down here. There are lots of big climbs, and big downhills, so if you have to crawl down, you lose a lot. The old truck only had a single-speed engine brake, and it was all right, but you needed to have the revs up and humming along to get the benefit. This is much better.”

Behind the transmission, DAF’s proprietary SR1360T single-reduction axles with inter-axle and cross-lock at 3.40:1 ride on eight-bag electronically controlled air

44 New Zealand Trucking

suspension with stabiliser bar and shock absorbers. Up front, twin DAF163N axles sit on parabolic leaf springs again, with stabiliser bar and shocks. The unit’s a full discbrake setup and, of course, not having the full safety suite is no longer an option, so she’s full of all that trick gear as well. (See specs.)

If you’ve taken the step into the world of Euro-6, you’ll know all about the fuel consumption benefits. We’ve yet to meet a Euro-6 operator who hasn’t enjoyed improved fuel use. To date, the DAF’s sitting on 2.01kpl (5.67mpg).

It’s a dedicated stock unit, so always big and cumbersome, with work that includes long runs to Ashburton, Christchurch, or Mataura, as well as days like this. Neither do the elements in the region do much for the preservation of fuel. “Take the run from Twizel to Tekapo,” says Aaron.

“It’s a long consistent pull of about 58km and the nor’wester is always blowing. It’s tough on the fuel. And as for the valley [Waitaki], six months a year, the wind’s blowing up the valley, and for the other six months, it blows down.”

‘Ramps away!’

The great benefit of having a cattleman driver is his concern for the welfare of his cargo plays out on the truck and trailer also. It’s no February 2022

we need to be in terms of emissions and carbon, we have to invest now.”

It sounds daunting, but Mark Wareing’s demeanour throughout the conversation is one of positivity and enthusiasm. That’s normally the case with blokes like him: when you’ve grown up surrounded by endeavour and ambition, it’s usually all about discovery and new opportunity. There is only one measure in the glass…

It’s half full.

“Rural’s [the business] great. Some people have worked here longer than I’ve been alive. We recently had three retirements of 50-yearplus staff.” Then Mark laughs, “Bloody hell! We still have customers who refer to us as Burnetts!”

Sitting in the head office of Rural Transport, 50-yearold Mark Wareing is the son of Philip Wareing, founder and managing director of the significant primary sector logistics business that bears his name.

Both Mark and his brother Simon are directors in the Rural Transport and wider Philip Wareing businesses.

Mark is typical ‘South Island’ regarding engagement, outlook, and perceived position. He started behind the wheel as a young fella

and loves talking about the trucks he drove as much as any of us: the Ford Louisville with the L10 Cummins and its successor with an M11.

And like so many in his position, he loves nothing more than going for a blast and ‘scratching the itch’. His business card simply has his name and contact details – no title. That tells you that he’d fit right in at the Kurow depot. South of the Cook Strait, it’s always been about ‘getting it done’ first, pats on the back second, titles, and accolades a distant third.

The irony is when you’re focused on outcomes, with a few kgs of ambition and prudence thrown into the recipe, you still end up sitting in one of the country’s state-of-the-art greenfield transport depots.

Rural Transport’s storage and logistics headquarters on Northpark Road in Ashburton was opened in 2014 on the company’s 10th anniversary in operation and is the match of anything between Cape Reinga and Bluff, probably Australasia for that matter.

“Yeah, it’s pretty much on the money. The only thing we’d do differently is turn the weighbridge access around. Sometimes the queues get too long.

The state-of-the-art wash facility is used by both company trucks and those in the area needing to wash out between loads.

In some ways, we’re outgrowing it already!

There’s just a constant flow of trucks in and out all day, either on business, or to use the weighbridge or wash.”

Agh! The wash. The Rural Transport wash facility is something that does have to be seen to be believed.

In a commercial world so stricken with compliance fear and stress, truck drivers are finding it harder and harder to access wash facilities to decontaminate between loads. Not so if you’re within a bull’s roar (or sheep’s baa) of Ashburton.

The colossal four-bay drivethrough wash at Rural, computerised, staged, is the godsend for many a local truck and passers-by.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” says Mark. “It bloody cost enough! It’s just used constantly! Day and night.”

Rural roots The name Rural Transport was born from the purchase of Owens Rural in 2004 by a consortium comprising Philip Wareing Contractors, Wilson Bulk Transport, and Owens Rural manager at the time, Brian Thomson.

Owens Rural was a direct commercial descendent of local and regional icon, Burnett Transport, hence

Mark’s comments about some of the old farming locals still calling them Burnetts.

“Owens boss Don Braid wanted to get out of rural transport, and Philip and the others saw a huge opportunity,” says Mark.

“The business was in a prime location for not just animal farming – it’s smack bang in the middle of one of the country’s horticultural food baskets. Philip Wareing Contractors and Wilson Bulk Transport both took 45% and Brian the remaining 10%. Brian worked up to a 20% stake but died in 2014 of a brain tumour while in his 40s. It was a bloody tragedy; he was a great mate of mine.

“Owens had run a lease model, but that wasn’t the model the new owners ran, so they shed all the lease gear in the course of a year, replacing it with their own trucks. TR Group were bloody outstanding to work with over that period. They understood that wasn’t our way and worked with us to exit.

“It was the eventual sale of the old Owens Rural depot here in town to a property developer that helped with the purchase of this site and allowed us to

build the facility.”

Focusing in on the Kurow branch – its roots hark back to Waitaki Transport, and the buyout of that company by Owens Rural.

“In the time we’ve owned it, we’ve opened depots in both Fairlie and most recently Waimate, and that’s all about closing circuits and making corridors more efficient. We’ve had a bit of a restructure in the stock division in the past couple of years and things are working well. We’ve put a lot in place, and it’s paying off.”

On the subject of trucks “The relationship with Southpac goes back to 1991. I was driving an International 3072B, and it had a leaking hub seal.

I called Philip, and it was never going to make it back to Methven, so he sent me into Timaru Motors. That’s when Philip met Russell Marr and Mike Gillespie, and the relationship started from there pretty much. When the split in that business happened, Russel went to PCV, and Mike went the other way to Southpac. We maintained relationships with both over the years, but Southpac’s certainly become the dominant supplier.

“It’s about back-up and support, Dave. That’s really the key. There are 92 DAFs across the group, with some in build, and about 31 Kenworths in the fleet also.

“The guys will always tell you more power would be good, but I remember the first 525 [hp] Foden turning up and thinking, ‘Man! That’s the ultimate!’ Now the DAFs are 530! Yep, I appreciate things have changed and weights are up, but running up and down the east coast, there’s really only the Kilmog, north of Dunedin, and the Hundalee hills south of Kaikoura that are a bit of a grind. Plus, there’s more and more traffic every day.

You’re not really getting anywhere any quicker. It’d be nice to have 700hp, but you’ll only be a minute or two quicker where we operate most of the time.

“Yeah, we’ve had great run from the DAFs, all in all.

The 60,000km oil change intervals are a real good thing. And that’s the same right across the spectrum of work.

“All things considered, we’re pretty happy with the trucks, but like I said, it’s about support, and Southpac has been very obliging the whole way through.”

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February 2022 45

wonder Aaron’s CF85 ran to 800,000km with minimal issues. He guides the truck along in a way you know is all about passenger comfort and condition. As we’ve always said, good stockies, heavyhaul, and off-highway logging operatives have that naturally gentle approach.

One thing we noticed was the ease of getting 23m of HPMV around the place, and although that’s certainly not always the case, Aaron says it’s generally pretty good.

“It’s all big farms in and around here, so single-pickup loads are really common.

The farmers understand the benefit of the big trucks and

46 New Zealand Trucking

why they came about so, by and large, they are really accommodating. If a fence has to be dropped so you can get around or something, it’s usually not a problem.”

Destination reached, Aaron turns into the Otamatata block 35km down the road. He rolls up the race, turns hard left through a gate, down though a wee gully, and up into a paddock. Looking on at either driver or truck, they’re both the same. No fuss, no noise and ballyhoo, just getting the job done.

Greeting us is shepherd Darrin Sinclair, who brings the portable loading race with him.

Darrin hand-cranks the

February 2022

ramp up so locaters on the underside of the ramp slot neatly into slots on the trailer.

Too easy. Again, butted up, the doors are opened, and the ‘you may now disembark’ order was definitely not required. The four-legged’s virtually unloading themselves while the lads chat away about things happening in the district; farming, families, hunting, whatever needed discussing.

With the load running for the hills, we were back up the road for the second round.

This time, Aaron’s son Ryan is along for the ride, super-keen and just in his element being out with Dad. His training

appears well underway, not just in trucking, but animal welfare, and customer relations also. This is truly where it starts.

Doug and Jules make short work of getting the balance of the recalcitrant cargo onto the back of the big Dutch wagon for Hugh and Aaron.

Summary – cashing cheques A great man once said, ‘Never write cheques with your mouth that your ability can’t cash’. It’s one of those sobering bits of advice that always serves as a wonderful caution before an overly ambitious act.

There are no surprises for

guessing the guy who said it was from Southland originally; it’s just how the folk in the bottom of the country are.

There’s no fanfare or instant gratification in and around the yard at Rural Transport in Kurow. No one’s interested

Aaron Tait is the exemplar of rural trucking in the Waitaki. Young Ryan has the perfect teacher and mentor for many of the challenges life is likely to throw at him.

HEARTLAND

L

ike Adrian in the December issue, 45-year-old Aaron Tait is a keen hunter in his spare time, and the relationships he has working among the local station owners pays dividends on that front.

“Yeah, they’re bloody good. You just organise with them, and they’ll tell you where to go, what areas they’re working in, where to keep away from, and there’s no problem. If you always ask and show the necessary respect, leave things how you find them, there’s never a problem.”

A native of Duntroon, just down the Waitaki Valley towards Oamaru, Aaron was born into local transport.

“Yeah, my dad Ray ran Transport Duntroon. My brother Hamish has it now.

The family still owns the

original truck – a 1929 Chev. Now that’s a pretty simple machine.”

Schooled at Waitaki Boys, Aaron cut out at age 20 and headed for Australia, where he drove trucks on stock and bulk as well as agricultural contracting work for McLennan Contracting in Western Australia.

“You soon work out driving trucks in Australia that you’re going to be a single man for a long, long time,” he laughs. Eventually, his adventures led him to Ireland, where he met his wife to be Edwina.

Returning home 15 years ago, Aaron found work at Rural Transport. Today the couple live locally in Kurow, where Edwina works as a pre-school teacher, and together they are raising their four children in what is a wonderful place and community to grow up in.

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February 2022 47

in notoriety. No, these folk are just interested in ensuring the farms in their keep get what they need in the way of transport services when they need it. They’ve been at it a long time, they live in the same community as their customers, drink at the same pub, their kids go to the same schools, they play in the same sports teams. On many occasions, they’ll be able to pre-empt what their farmer clients want long before the phone rings with the request.

When it comes to equipment, they need a machine that’s their equivalent – low on flamboyance, high on capability. They need something versatile, reliable, simple to use, well-supported, and cost-effective to run.

It’s interesting: the first European to set eyes on New Zealand was a Dutchman – old Abel ‘T’. Like those in New Zealand’s south, the Dutch have a reputation for

hard work, frugality, and understatement. They, too, are difficult people to impress.

In some ways, it’s almost like Abe said, ‘Ang on! I’ll be back in 347 years with just da right truck for you fellas!’

The DAF CF is a machine that rarely screams ‘look at me’, yet it’s seen in every corner of the nation, doing all manner of work.

It’s no real surprise it finds favour with companies down here. So far, it’s done a pretty good job of ‘cashing its cheques’ and adding positively to its purchasers’ reputations and balance sheets.

The 530 Euro-6 version of this most humble machine looks like continuing the trend its forbears have established, retaining all the elements that make it the appealing proposition it is.

Time will tell if this is the model that gets a life-size statue in Kurow.

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

DAF CF530 FAD 8x4 rigid – sleeper cab Tare: 10,920kg (load certificate), 9545kg (cab chassis ex-OEM) GVM: 30,700kg GCM: 70,000kg Wheelbase: 6000mm Engine: PACCAR MX-13 Capacity: 12.9-litre Power: 390kW (530hp) Torque: 2600Nm (1920lb/ft) Emissions: Euro-6 Transmission: ZF TraXon 12TX2820 12-speed (12.92 – 0.77) Clutch: Sachs (ZF) with ZF ConAct pneumatic actuator Chassis: 260mm side member, 7mm thick with fulllength inner Front axle: DAF163N Front-axle rating: 2 x 7.1 tonne Front suspension: Parabolic leaf with stabiliser bar and shocks Rear axle: DAF SR1360T single reduction – inter-axle and cross-lock at 3.40:1 Rear-axle rating: 2 x 9050 = 18,100kg Rear suspension: 8-bag electronically controlled with stabiliser bar and shocks – 21 tonnes Brakes: Disc EBS and ABS Auxiliary braking: PACCAR exhaust/compression brake Additional safety: Full safety suite – adaptive cruise control (ACC), including forward collision warning (FCW) and advanced emergency braking (AEBS). Lane departure warning, vehicle stability control, auto slip regulation (ASR), hillstart assist, reverse warning, FUPS Additional productivity: Driver performance assistant (DPA) – displayed, eco-roll Fuel: 430 litres DEF tank: 45 litres Wheels: Alcoa machine-finished rims Tyres: 275/70 R22.5 Electrical: 24V Cab exterior: Sleeper cab, electrically controlled and heated mirrors. Four-point mechanical cab suspension. Galvanised steel bumper.

Integrated daytime running lights and fog lights. Roof-mounted air management with side skirts. Cab access locker (left side).

Cab interior: Dark Sand with Black Rock trim. LuxuryAir driver’s seat, standard passenger. Auto temperature control and air conditioning.

Manual control pollen filter. Fridge. Foam mattress (150mm thick).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We were excited to be back in rural transport, and as always, it didn’t disappoint. A huge thanks to Mark Wareing for allowing us to pester the Kurow crew for a couple of days, and thanks too for taking the time on busy day to show us around the Ashburton

48 New Zealand Trucking

HQ and have a talk. Thanks to Kent, Nick, and Aaron for the welcome and going out of your way to make it all work.

We could easily still be there having a yarn. Thanks to Hugh Cameron, Angus Foster, and Hamish Kays for access to the respective properties.

And if you’re passing through Kurow, please call in and see Ross, Trish, and Sally at the Kurow Hotel. The hospitality and value-for-mony feed is nothing less than what you expect from this part of the country.

February 2022

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The first Scania 770S 2.3m sleeper cab built in the world.

CELEBRATIONS DON’T COME ANY BIGGER! Story by Dave McCoid In hindsight, 2021 may just have been the perfect year for Waikato-based Alexander Group to celebrate 50 years in business. If any year exemplified the tenacity required to reach halfa-hundred years in the game, it was 2021.

T

he company’s official birthday party, scheduled for November, would have tied in nicely with group founder John Alexander’s

Photos by Dave McCoid and Carl Kirkbeck induction into the Road Transport Hall of Fame. But Covid-19 scuppered the party — for now — and as with other inductees into the 2021 Hall of Fame, John’s took place via the online presentation enjoyed by thousands nationwide.

However, saying all was not lost is understatement in the extreme. Underlying both events was a new truck, and not just any new truck. The world’s first Scania 770S, 2.3m sleeper cab tractor was being prepared away from John Alexander’s ever-vigilant eyes by the Alexander family and the team at Scania New

Zealand. Originally, it was to be unveiled and presented to him at the group birthday celebration bash, recognising the legacy he and wife Cecile created.

With the big celebration postponed until 2022, the truck’s reveal took on a far more intimate feel one Friday on the shoreline of Lake Karapiro, among family, long-time friends and work associates, and senior staff from Scania New Zealand.

“It’s been a mission getting this built without Dad knowing,” laughed group fleet and logistics manager Rod Alexander on the lead-up

to the event. “He’s been as suspicious as hell! The questions have been getting harder and harder the closer we’ve got.”

Thankfully, the morning showers rolled away on the day and the sun shone for the 12-noon handover. John and Cecile were certainly surprised, and the crowd burst into laughter when John said, “I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest, and I can’t believe this is the present after 50 years. But I also have a feeling I might be paying for it.”

On hand from Scania New Zealand was managing

THE

WILTSDOWN

CHIEF! F director Rafael Alvarenga who acknowledged John’s induction into the Hall of Fame in 2021, citing that as a measure of his importance in the industry and also noting Scania’s “pride in having a commercial association with the Alexander Group.”

Also present among the Scania delegation was national sales director Deon Stephens.

“The Scania and Alexander association goes back all but 30 years. John has always been an innovator, constantly looking to improve efficiency.

He was the first person in New Zealand to spec an Opticruise-fitted transmission when getting rid of the gear lever was a big thing. Today 99% of sales come with Opticruise.”

After the official handover, group chief executive Hayley Alexander emphasised the importance of family in the business, both in terms of the Alexanders and the wider business family.

Again, the easy and goodhumoured nature of the event came to the fore. “After 50 years, generation two are well in place,” she said. “Our precious generation three are just over there in the wings, and we’re all still talking.

“Our celebration theme of ‘Loyalty is a Round Trip’ acknowledges all the staff in the company’s journey,” and, turning to her parents, “I know this truck’s been a bit secret squirrel, but it acknowledges everything you’ve built as a legacy for us all.”

Rod Alexander spoke of his immense respect for how his father acquitted himself, saying that even when his dad seemed to be getting the thin end of the wedge in business, he rose above it, never giving time to those whose dealings appeared less honourable.

“It’s not just about shiny wheels; it’s about how you hold yourself and what your personal standards are. Dad’s been inspirational in that regard especially.”

Superb craftmanship in both the cab side-extenders by Willie Malcolm and the exhaust system by Broshmik Trucks.

leet number AL50 is the first Scania 770S 6x4 2.3m sleeper cab built in the world. The unit was assembled at Scania’s special vehicles plant in Laxå, Sweden. According to Scania New Zealand sales director Deon Stephens, the first 770S 2.3 sleeper cab, rolling down the line in 6x4 and right-hand-drive trim with a white cab and yellow chassis, certainly created some chat in Sweden and beyond.

“It’s not the first one to hit the road here, Rod’s list of ‘to-dos’ was too long for that, but it was definitely the first one built.”

Under the new 2.3m sleeper cab is Scania’s iconic V8 in its latest Euro6 incarnation, delivering a mind-numbing 566kW (770hp) at 1800rpm and 3700Nm (2729lb/ft) from 1000 to 1500rpm. Behind that sits the company’s 14-speed Opticruise AMT transmission and proprietary rear end, with the whole truck riding on air suspension.

“It has everything,” says Deon, “every safety feature, including active emergency braking, adaptive cruisecontrol, lane departure warning, and vulnerability alert (side warning systems).

There’s a fully emissionscompliant 7” twin vertical exhaust system, additional light bars top and bottom, and colour-coded sun visor and opaque stone guard.

Inside, there’s Scania’s V8 custom leather interior, fridge, TV, and additional storage.”

One feature on the truck that will pique the interest of Scania boffins everywhere

is the cab side skirts.

“When it arrived, it had the standard skirts,” said Rod Alexander, “although the 2.3 cab went right to the back of them, you couldn’t tell by looking that it was a 2.3m cab. I wanted people to notice the difference, so I got Willie Malcolm to make a new set. He’s made them from aluminium and all the bracketing is glued on the inside, giving the outside a perfectly smooth finish. He’s done an amazing job.

“Likewise, the exhausts and bracketing, all by Broshmik Trucks, the workmanship there is stunning. There are a couple of things we want to do as finishing touches, but it’s come up superb.”

It would be fair to say that between knowing what it is, who it’s honouring, who’s driving it, the extras and attention to detail, and of course the 98 marker lights on the truck and 64 on the trailer (thanks for counting, Marcus), the Wiltsdown Chief cannot avoid a life of attention.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Trevor Harcourt.

“I’ve driven American gear all my life, but this is a whole new learning experience, and as I say, I am quite looking forward to it actually.”

Trevor Harcourt recieves the keys from John Alexander.

A well-deserved family pressie for an exemplary half-century in a tough industry.

From left: Deon Stephens, Scania New Zealand sales director; Hayley Alexander, Alexander Group chief executive; Rod Alexander, Alexander Group fleet and logistics manager; John Alexander, Alexander Group founder and director; Rafael Alvarenga, Scania New Zealand managing director; Gary Leitch, Scania New Zealand general sales manager; and Damon Smith, Scania New Zealand Auckland sales.

He then told attendees that the truck’s name, ‘Wiltsdown Chief’, draws on the region in which John grew up.

“My great grandfather, Walter Alexander, arrived from England, buying land in the rural area behind Lichfield up towards Tokoroa. He said it looked like Wiltshire in England where he’d come from and so he called it Wiltsdown. It’s where Dad grew up.”

Both Rod and Hayley acknowledged the truck’s driver, Trevor Harcourt, emphasising there was no one better to take the wheel.

Trevor worked in the business in the early years and has returned in later years, hugely respected as a driver by not just his employers, but his company and industry peers.

“They’re a great company to work for, a great family,” said Trevor post the handover.

“Everyone is included. They’re just as comfortable talking to the boys in the smoko room

as they are in a boardroom.

They do a lot of things they don’t have to do in the way of incentives and just everyday generosity.”

The last words on the day were, of course, John’s. “We were supposed to have the big party last month, but that was put off. Leading up to that, and then since the postponement, I’ve been thinking a lot about the history of our journey.

“You know, we’ve had a long journey and it’s been tough at times, but we’ve persevered and just carried on. It’s like I’ve always said, ‘When things get tough, you’ve just got to get up and go again’. I’d like to acknowledge everyone here who are part of the family of this company. That includes the grandchildren also – you’ve been part of this journey, too. I really appreciate you all. Thank you for all your help.”

We’re Hiring Find out first-hand how much we value our team.

To learn more about the positions available, visit www.alexandergroup.co.nz/careers or call 021 225 9512

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CLASSICS LOCKER

BULLDOGS IN ARMS Story by Craig McCauley

Photographs by Craig McCauley and as credited

The West Coast of the South Island hides endless hidden treasures, a phrase that takes on a whole new meaning if Mack trucks from the 1970s and 1980s golden era of trucking are your thing.

Looking resplendent outside the Miner’s Hall in Runanga. It’s at this moment that every minute of the nine-year project seemed like nothing at all.

SE E T H E VI D EO ON YOU T U BE

T

he Mack FR Series entered New Zealand’s heavytruck market in 1972, going toe-to-toe at the business end of the United States cabover truck market with Kenworth’s K-Series.

Some 148 F Models rolled out the door of Motor Truck Distributors’ Palmerston North assembly plant between 1972 and 1984. They went to operators from the Deep South to the Far North and were involved in almost every sphere of the industry, from linehaul tractor units to

logging trucks. They were even employed as crash fire-tenders at virtually every major New Zealand airport during the late 1970s.

Murray Bruning served his time as a diesel mechanic at two of the South Island’s most respected trucking fleets of the period, Irvines Freightlines and Transport (Nelson) Ltd (TNL). Post-apprenticeship he also worked as a driver at TNL. Irvines ran a significant fleet of R-Model Macks, and one company FR. TNL, on the other hand, had a number of

both variants. In his combined tenures, Murray amassed valuable experience, both on the spanners and behind the wheel of each iconic model.

As an interesting aside, TNL was the first South company to run multiple examples of both Mack and Kenworth, as we intimated above, the two great rivals of the era.

A desire to preserve some history from the era and a chance conversation about a former TNL Mack FR sitting derelict in North Canterbury led to what can only be described as two of the

best Mack truck restorations in the country. They were undertaken by Murray and his good mate, Les Hayden.

TNL Fleet 217 Both trucks began their lives in the iconic TNL fleet. Fleet No.217, owned by Murray, is a 1978 FR786RST powered by a Mack ENDTB676 Maxidyne engine, producing 285hp and fitted with Mack’s TRDL1070 Maxitorque 10-speed transmission.

Its working life began running double-shift, carrying general freight predominately

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 55

between Nelson and the Spring Creek railhead (north of Blenheim).

Thirty-two years later, the truck was located parked up in the long grass near Oxford in North Canterbury. Its most recent work had been in building removals.

The truck had spent the thick end of a decade in the open, so its overall condition couldn’t be described as great. But everything was there and a deal was completed. After that, No.217 was transported across the Southern Alps to Greymouth, where its restoration began.

After a thorough clean, the strip-down commenced. Its cab was removed, and all driveline componentry was stripped from the chassis.

Both chassis rails were separated, blasted, and re-painted to remedy some corrosion, while the engine and gearbox were completely rebuilt using all new components. Both diffs had new bearings installed, and the trunnion on the Mack Camelback

1

2

3

rear suspension was overhauled.

Completely new braking componentry and wheel bearings were fitted right around.

The truck had left the Malden Street factory fitted with very distinctive Farr external air cleaners, replaced by a pair of Donaldson versions in the ensuing decades.

A Farr system was sourced from a donor truck in Southland and a replica of the original framework they were mounted on had to be constructed from scratch using only photographs for reference.

Attention then turned to the cab. The original upholstery was stripped, seats removed, and the dashboard taken out.

As it was made of steel, the cab needed a substantial amount of rust removal before sandblasting and painting could take place.

Cracks in the dash were repaired, it was re-painted, and all gauges were either overhauled or replaced.

New glass was fitted before the cab was trucked to Palmerston

1) The arrival home from Oxford in Canterbury. 2) Always phase one, cleaned thoroughly and cab off. 3) Separate the rails. 4) Primed. The journey back begins. 5) The drive assembly complete and in search of a couple of rails. Photos: Bruning collection.

Below: TNL fleet number 217, like Steve Austen the six-million-dollar man – better than it was before!

4

5

56 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

North to have a perfect re-creation of the original upholstery fitted.

Back in Greymouth, the cab was re-fitted to the chassis and final assembly took place.

Transport (Nelson) Ltd’s period signwriting was applied by Steve Foote.

The entire restoration was done as a ‘spare-time’ project.

It absorbed nine years’ worth of Saturdays, plus countless amounts of public holidays and annual leave.

When it came to any big task on the rebuild project, Murray and Les had the motto: ‘Don’t walk away halfway through it. Finish it.’

Murray is quick to praise his wife Lynette for her patience and the support of his family, all of whom were frequent visitors to the workshop as the rebuild took place.

No.217 is now pretty much as it went on the road in 1978, apart from a change in tyre size from 1000x20 to 11R 22.5 to allow for slightly better road speed, a new sun visor, and an extra air horn.

1

‘Don’t walk away halfway through it.

Finish it.’

2

3

4

5

The engine in-chassis (top) and mid-restoration (below).

Photos: Bruning collection.

1) Fresh back from Palmerston North. 2) Murray’s dash mid-restoration.

3) The Reinforced Plastics serial plate for No.26’s cab. 4) Bringing the cabs back to life, fiddly but rewarding. 5) Fleet 217’s cab sits complete.

Photos: Bruning collection.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 57

TNL Fleet No.26 No.26, owned by Les Hayden, is a 1975 A8FR785RST running a 237hp ENDTB675 Maxidyne engine and fitted originally with a 12-speed TRTXL 1070 Maxitorque transmission, replaced early in the truck’s life with a 10-speed box.

Fitted with Transport (Nelson) Ltd’s signature drop-down sides, and a matching trailer, No.26 went to work on what was known as the ‘coal shift’ run, where TNL trucks hauled gypsum from Richmond to the cement works at Westport, then loaded coal from the iconic Denniston coal fields for delivery to Golden Bay Cement at Tarakohe.

Les had assisted Murray on No.217’s restoration and “ really enjoyed it”, so much so, that when presented with the opportunity to get his own truck, he leapt at the chance.

No.26 was then owned by Canterbury classic truck enthusiast Gerald Taylor, and after an

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1) The arrival home of project No.2, Les Hayden’s ex-TNL FR, one of the legendary ‘coal shift’ trucks. 2) Forklifts lower once the trailer has pulled out. 3) Cleaned, partially stripped and doors off. 4) The cab carefully lifted off. The poor old truck probably thought ‘this is the end’. Little did she know, it was just the beginning! Photos: Bruning collection.

Below: Les Hayden’s FR. Originally TNL fleet No.26, but painted as a tribute to the Dominion Breweries fleet he drove for out of his home town of Greymouth.

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58 New Zealand Trucking

inspection, a deal was done, which included a donor cab for spare parts.

Like Murray’s truck three years before, Les’ was put on a trailer and transported to Greymouth, where many hours were spent on the water blaster, cleaning it down.

Murray and Les initially planned to complete the rebuild of No.217 before starting on No.26. But a change in thinking was required when news filtered through that the sandblasting firm that did all the work on Murray’s machine was looking at closing. Their workmanship was top quality, and both men planned for No.26 to receive the same level of attention.

For a while, they focused their attention on No.26. The cab and drivetrain were removed from the chassis, and a non-original spare wheel carrier was cut off.

The engine underwent a complete overhaul, while the gearbox was in reasonable

February 2022

condition, only requiring the top section to be re-conditioned.

A complete Mack Camelback suspension assembly (originally from an R Model) was located and overhauled before being bolted back onto the chassis.

Les’ machine has the earlier-style Reinforced Plastics (RP) fibreglass cab, and at 39 years old, it was tired, requiring a lot of effort to bring it up to standard.

Each of the steel door frames had severe rust causing the fibreglass panel on top of them to swell, so new steel was fabricated and installed before the fibreglass was replaced.

Due to corrosion, a major structural beam below the windscreen had to be replaced, and both cab mounts required re-engineering.

No.26’s cab also made the pilgrimage back to its birthplace of Palmerston North. The RP cab had a very basic level of trim when new, but Les elected to have it fully upholstered like the latter model FRs.

Back in Greymouth, a New Zealand-designed cab suspension, complete with shock absorbers, was located, overhauled, and fitted to improve the ride.

Les spent much of his truck driving career with Dominion Breweries, working out of the former Greymouth brewery. As a tribute, he had No.26 painted in the DB livery of his era.

A replica of the horizontalstyle original grille was installed, bullet lights and air horns have been fitted, and a vertical chrome exhaust contrasts the yellow and white cab nicely.

Murray and Les say they got an incredible amount of enjoyment from working on both trucks. There was a steady stream of interested visitors to the workshop over the nine years while the restorations took place. Since completion, a number of the former Transport (Nelson) Ltd staff, some of who drove the actual trucks, have also visited to see the finished result, much to the duo’s delight.

ROLL OF HONOUR

“There was a steady stream of interested visitors to the workshop over the nine years while the restorations took place.”

Murray and Les are quick to acknowledge that the projects would not have been achievable if not for the support and assistance they received. They wish to thank the following for their contribution to the project: Ron Carpenter, Murray Sowerby, Brett ‘Cookie’ Cooksley and the team (Motor Truck Distributors) David Beech, Pat O’Connor and Marc Winterburn (Truck Stops, Palmerston North) Phil Frater (Truck Stops, Nelson) David Baird (Sand Blasting) Robbie Brown (Paint & Panel) Steve Foote (Signwriting) Auto Interiors (Upholstery) Sollys Freight 1978 (Cartage) Alan Gilman (Engineering talent) Gregg ‘Foxy’ Stenhouse (Engineering talent) Tony Kelly (Parts) Gerald Taylor (Parts) Neil Bradley (Parts)

A NOTE FROM NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING

From top: One of the greatest truck engines ever built? The 237hp Maxidyne engine out of No.26… before and after. Photos: Bruning collection.

While Craig was working on the article, Murray contacted us, asking if Craig himself could be acknowledged. “If it weren’t for Craig, it wouldn’t have happened.

He knew where No.217 was, and it was him who pointed us in the direction of the owner. He’s part of the story, too. That has to be mentioned.”

JUST TRUCKING AROUND

J

www.trt.co.nz

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Jordan Te Paa and Heidi Stone Alison and Mike Verran were heading north on SH1, when they spotted Jordan Te Paa in his Kenworth T909 on the road at Utiku. Heidi Stone was leading in her pilot vehicle. They all caught up for a chat at the Caltex Truck Stop in Waiouru.

Jordan and Heidi work for Hawke’s Bay Heavy Haulage Ltd (HBHH), Napier.

They had picked up their impressive load in Wellington and were staying the night in Turangi before heading to Morrinsville the next day. Their next load would be collected from Hamilton to head off to the South Island.

Jordan’s Kenworth, powered by a 458kW (615hp) X-15 Cummins engine, is only a few months old. It’s spec’d with a 22-series 18-speed Eaton manual gearbox and is rated at 130 tonnes.

Jordan’s work is mainly in the bush.

However, he likes to get out on the highway whenever he can. He carts a lot of earthworks machinery and forestry gear.

“My grandfather drove trucks his whole working life. I rode with him from 18 months old. He now comes in the truck with me, and he loves it! A lot of things

have changed since he was driving.”

The aspect of driving Jordan enjoys most is meeting new people, many of whom become lifelong friends. “You can be invited around for a shower and a barbeque, then not see them again for months but, nevertheless, a strong friendship remains.”

One thing Jordan considers an issue in the industry is the inexperience of drivers coming on the road. “There’s a distinct lack of experience and knowledge, but it’s pretty hard to get that experience.

It’s a real grey area. With our company, we can take young ones with us, which is great for them to learn the industry.

I take my 17-year-old cousin with me, and he’s learning as he goes. He’ll be in the industry as soon as he can. Our boss is great, allowing us to have families around.”

Jordan was asked the age-old question, “Ford or Holden?” Without hesitation, the answer was “Holden…

Done!”

Heidi Stone was leading Jordan on SH1 in her Isuzu D-Max pilot vehicle. She was also working alongside another pilot vehicle, driven by Jordan’s brother-in-law Shaun Emmerson.

Heidi has been piloting for just over five years.

“I worked in the office at my previous job and needed a pilot’s licence because I was often asked to jump in and help out. It got to a point where I was on the road more and more, which suited me well. In this job, I’m driving full time. I love it. I just love being in the industry and getting out there on the road. I pretty much cover the whole of New Zealand.”

It’s frustrating for Heidi that most road users lack knowledge of how pilot vehicles operate.

“Not everyone stops when asked. It’s dangerous, not only for us but for them and other traffic. There definitely needs to be more education around this.”

At the end of the chat, Heidi chose vexing question No.66: White bread or brown bread? “Brown bread – if I have bread.”

60 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 20212022 Februry / Jan 2022

Hella NZ

JUST TRUCKING AROUND www.trt.co.nz

Overseas Louis Clifford Louis Clifford was strapping down three slurry tanks at Major Engineering in County Mayo in the West of Ireland when Paul O’Callaghan, who was loading grass-cutting equipment bound for Denmark, caught up with him.

The native of County Kerry has been working for his current employer, Shannonside Galvanizing, for five years.

“They are one of the very few places in Ireland with a large hot-dip galvanizing zinc bath, which means I cover a lot of the country collecting and delivering equipment.”

The former owner-driver started out in 1989 with a 10-year-old Volvo F86 6x4, and ran several trucks before deciding to take a position as an employed driver.

“There’s a lot less hassle, and I enjoy having more free time for hobbies and

family life. That said, the challenge goes away after a while, so I might look into some continental driving now that my children are grown up.”

He most enjoys meeting new people, especially in the more relaxed agricultural engineering premises he visits.

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TOP TRUCK

RIGHT EQUIPMENT FOR THE JOB A tailor-made unit for a rather specialised application needs a reliable base, as demonstrated by Clarke Underground’s Hino 700 FY-3248 and HyperVax 14000 unit.

C

larke Underground Ltd (CUL) is a Manawatu-based contracting company providing underground utility installation services throughout New Zealand for the past 33 years.

CUL’s areas of expertise include trenching, excavation works, cable installation, mole ploughing, directional drilling and hydro excavation. In 2021, CUL took ownership of

Story by Faye Lougher

this month’s Top Truck – the HyperVax 14000.

The Hino 700 Series FY-3248 8-wheeler features the ProShift 16-speed AMT, Jacobs brake, cruise control, GVM of 32,000kg and a Hendrickson tag axle – which was fitted to provide CUL with the perfect truck on which the HyperVax 14000 was built. To achieve the perfect relationship, Tony Pedley from Hino Trucks worked with CUL and Hamilton-based Cook & Galloway Engineers, which specialises in designing and manufacturing vacuum tank systems.

The HyperVax was the result of several years of discussions between CUL general manager Gary Clarke and Cook & Galloway’s director Lloyd Alderwick.

Photos supplied

Lloyd explains that while he helped with the concept, it was really the experience of designer Colin Hawkins, working alongside workshop team leads Phil Miles and Hamish Barlow and their collective teamwork approach that enabled such a special machine to be developed. The whole company at one time or another worked on the unit.

Both companies are extremely proud of the results.

Gary says CUL required a unit that could be an all-round versatile machine that had the combination of low or high adjustable-airflow capacity and high suction, along with robustness and ease of operation. Cook & Galloway designed and built the HyperVax over 12 months.

“It has an 8” hose and more

suction than anything else we have. It’s also got more capacity to carry the spoils – we have about 12,000-litre capacity,” says Gary.

There is also the option of putting a vacuum trailer on the back end of the unit, allowing even greater capacity.

“We went for this unit not only because of its capacity, but also the vacuum’s ability to suck and lift from deeper down and much harder ground. The Manawatu has a diverse range of ground materials. You can have sand, grit, topsoil, clays varying from medium to hard, river metal, pit metal, iron pan – all of these things can be found within a 50km radius of Palmerston North, and you could find the different materials in one job.”

Combining custom equipment with a reliable base.

Gary says they started with an eight-wheeler cab and chassis and then put a Hendrickson tag axle on the back end to give more capacity.

“We also went for the auto because of some of the slow around-town work we’re doing, especially with heavy loads and because it’s more user-friendly – a lot of new drivers struggle to drive a Roadranger. It drives exceptionally well; I drove it back from Hamilton on the last

service trip, and it drives like a car. It brakes well, it corners well and being automatic, it’s a pleasure to drive.”

The power output is 353kW (480hp) at 1800rpm and the torque 2175Nm (1600lb/ft) at 1100rpm.

Clarke Underground works with a variety of clients. The vacuum excavator is primarily used for digging holes, although it can also suck up slurry when doing drilling work.

“All our machinery is classed as a tool to get the job done

and this truck is no exception.

With the type of work we do and the client base we have, we need a lot of tools in the toolbox. We have to have all the procedures in place before we dig – all the cables have to be located and everything known to us before we go in, as they are all hazards and we don’t like putting our staff at risk. If we have all that, then we can minimise our risk. This is what this machine does for us.

“It’s about the quality and

sometimes just have to pay a bit more. We have to charge more for the new unit, but our clients now understand what it can do for them. While it might be dearer on an hourly rate basis, timewise, it gets the job done a bit quicker with less risk so they save money there.”

Gary says his business is all about zero risk, zero harm.

Clarke Underground has about 16 staff and 15 trucks, and Gary says investing in the new trucks is a 10-year strategic budgetary spend.

“We’ve been in the industry for a while, and we are committed to it. It’s a family business. We have good staff, and we’re not going anywhere.

We never say we’re the best at what we do, and we don’t say we’re specialists. When you say you’re a specialist, I think you label yourself, but we are good at what we do, and we’re constantly improving.”

Cook & Galloway director Lloyd Alderwick says the HyperVax is the only unit currently in operation that combines high capacity and suction.

“When we tested Gary’s unit, we took five and a half

The waste must go somewhere…

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 63

“It brakes well, it corners well and being automatic, it’s a pleasure to drive.” cubic meters of water into it in about 20 seconds. That’s what it’s capable of.”

Lloyd says the unit is something special, incorporating many new advances.

“These include a focus on noise reduction, deep extended away suction work, full immersion pick-up, hydro excavation creep-along trenching, multiple inlets, an extendable boom, a large vacuum reservoir tank, a twin auto-adjusting water blaster system, and the capacity to do both drafting-type work and deep-suction work.

The 350hp Cummins donkey engine provides 260kW to provide 27” of mercury HD

suction.”

The HyperVax also utilises a new, unique advanced drive system technology allowing for very soft mechanical starts to avoid stress in the engine or pump or drive lines and full control of the vacuum pump, with a special high-efficiency power take-off point for the hydraulics.

The HyperVax’s extendable boom allows work to be carried out some distance from the unit. “Gary has used it deep inside a building and down a hole because he’s not limited to working right where the unit is. The HyperVax gives you the ability to work up to 100m away quite comfortably.”

Lloyd says the HyperVax unit eliminates the need for multiple trucks to be taken to a job. “He’s effectively saved himself money by not needing two or three trucks. This one can pretty much do anything he ever wants it to do. The time saving the customer gets from the speed at which this unit works can be used for other things, so they’re actually getting the benefit of that as well.”

Gary says the addition of the HyperVax has enabled CUL to increase efficiencies, reducing time on-site and helping to get difficult jobs completed on time.

“It has also reduced service strikes, providing the ability to

locate and excavate in close proximity to underground services. The success of this HyperVax has exceeded our expectations, prompting us to order our second unit from Cook & Galloway.”

The second unit will also be high-capacity and have the ability to lift the dirt out quicker and tackle tougher terrain.

Gary Clarke would like to acknowledge the following companies for their involvement in the HyperVax: Hino Trucks NZ; Cook & Galloway Engineers; Wilkinson Transport Engineers; P & B Auto Electrical; Windust Hydraulics; Manawatu Auto Electrical, and Mirage Visual.

Below: The Hypervax’s extendable boom means work can be carried out up to 100m away.

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BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT

For some reason, this immaculate Foden has stayed my favourite.

Not sure if it’s because you didn’t see many tidy Fodens then or because multi-use combinations have always interested me.

THE WORLD REALLY IS YOUR OYSTER Grant Schofield might be younger than most of our Back Down the Road a Bit Gallery crew to date, but there’s no doubting his passion for trucks. And the way he carries himself among the fraternity is about as old-school as it gets.

If you were going to set up a Truck Tours of the World enterprise, Grant would be your man without a doubt. His interest is most certainly global, and as passionate about the local kit as he is, this month, we’re also going outside Kiwi borders to look at the work of a man who is truly a global citizen.

“When I was still at school, my home was within riding distance from the Auckland port. During the school holidays, I would spend most of the day taking photos at the Tinley Street intersection. For me, the interest was out-of-town trucks.”

Then I came across a website called www.toprun. ch.

It was a library of trucking photographs from different people, shot all over the world, with an emphasis on the 1970s and 1980s

Europe-to- the-Middle East trucking runs. One photographer in particular, Claude Barutel, fascinated me. He had an amazing collection of trucks from every country you could think of. I don’t know anything about him other than he used to post on his Flickr account and has written for magazines and websites, but the photos he had of trucks, trucking scenes, and trucking people in foreign places really grabbed my imagination.

I decided I wanted to

experience these countries, their trucks, the people, their unique trucking industries, and the problems they faced.

“Following the obligatory Kiwi trip to Australia to start, my next big trip was to Alaska and Canada. The whole purpose of going to Alaska was the Dalton Highway. I found that it was very slow-going – 20 trucks in eight hours, albeit all proper ice-road trucks.

Canada proved much more profitable.”

After a few years of taking photos in New Zealand, the travel bug got me really bad. The first photo I took was a standard South Australian photo – Gilberts (now history) northbound out of Port Augusta heading for Darwin.

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1) Alaska was next on the list. Although I managed some neat photos on the gravel track that makes up the Dalton Highway, this one was my favourite.

2) Holland has a fantastic truck culture, and the Truckstar Festival is definitely a bucket-list event for anyone passionate about trucks. All the cool kids run the big horsepower trucks and cart between Holland and the Nordic countries. 3) It wouldn’t be complete without this truck – due to TR giving me my start and the fact I just loved looking after it. This image was shot at the Taupo Truck Show several years ago. You just don’t see CHs looking like this anymore!

4) It only costs $190 to hire a driver and car in India and go out to take truck photos. Super happy drivers, but the state of some of the gear is crazy – definitely a full-on experience!!

LIVERIES GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 67

CLASSICS LOCKER

Gerard Daldry’s glorious new Mack Super-Liner 100-year anniversary model.

Chris Hack’s Ford D1618.

Gerard Daldry’s Mack Cruiseliner 8x4 tractor.

Gerard Daldry’s Scania R143.

A TRUCK RUN PAR

EXCELLENCE

The sixth annual Dave Carr Memorial Truck Run was held on Saturday 6 November, starting from the Highway Inn truck stop in Christchurch. Event organisers, Cam Lill and Dave (Skoda) Ching, were rapt to have 80 trucks (including one restored Mount Cook Denning coach) along for the trip.

Story by Dave Ching

All aboard the Mount Cook Denning coach to follow the proceedings!

Photos by Michael Hosking

The Transpac Foden tractor of Neville Little.

Ken Hawke’s Foden tipper.

Alan “Hari” Harrington’s Bedford J1.

‘Stalky’ Roberts’ 1979 K144 8V92 Detroit with 14-speed Spicer.

Cool International ACCO 3072B stock unit in Burnetts livery, Gerard Daldry.

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e had 21 vehicles from the amazing Protranz Earthmoving classic collection.

These were joined by others such as a beautifully restored Bedford TK belonging to Barry Pelling.

Peter Turner of Christchurch brought his Australian White Road Boss tractor unit, and he also drove the event in his restored Karrier Superpoise.

The second White to join the run was the 1977 Road Boss

Volvo F10 tractor in Pavroc livery, Gerard Daldry.

belonging to Carl McKay. Gerard Daldry brought his Mack Super-Liner, the 1000th Mack sold in New Zealand.

A 1987 Kenworth K100E belonging to Phil Cassidy was resplendent, restored to its original Regans livery.

Strikingly simple yet stunning was the 1983 Kenworth K124 owned by Michael Roberts, whose father Stalky (Brian) was in his 1979 K144, powered by an 8V92 Detroit with 14-speed Spicer trans.

Bert Lyon driving the SML Kenworth K104.

Milton Durham’s Mack R700.

Gerard Daldry’s Mack MC tractor unit.

We were privileged to have so many people turn up for the event, along with a plethora of cool trucks to honour the memory of Dave.

Before departure, a briefing was held along with the usual minute of silence in memory of Dave and others we have lost from the industry in the past 12 months. Gumboot Friday was the 2021 charity, which received $2200 from the event.

We then set out for a mystery Geraldine location using some quieter rural

Gerard Daldry’s IH 3070A with an XY Falcon on the deck.

Canterbury roads through various villages such as Coalgate, Glentunnel and Windwhistle. We went through the Rakaia Gorge (giving the snaparazzi some good photo opportunities), Mt Somers and Mayfield, until we arrived at the impressive Roger Mahon collection, housed in the beautiful new museum facility in Geraldine.

Once at the museum, we parked up and were warmly greeted by John Welsh, one of the collection’s trustees. John

Kenworth W Model with 3406 Cat, Faulks Earthmoving.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 69

Barry Pelling’s beautifully restored Bedford TK.

Carl McKay’s 1977 White Road Boss.

Jarrod Musson in the Musson Logistics Mack MH logger.

Gerard Daldry’s International F210, driven by Al Officer.

Volvo G88, owned by Don Rennie, driven by Gary Carr.

Gerard Daldry’s Mack Super-Liner, the 1000th Mack sold in New Zealand.

gave an overview of some of the pieces in the museum and we all had the chance to wander around and admire the equipment on display, following on from a quick fireup of the V16 Detroit in the International Payhauler offhighway dump truck.

This collection is fantastic

British Pavements Foden, Nigel “Noddy” Hope.

Enjoying the Roger Mahon collection in Geraldine.

for anyone keen on old earthmoving equipment, and there are also several old cars, trucks, photos and stationary engines in the collection to view.

One neat thing underway is a collection of old fuel tanks and seats off D7/8sized tractors that are to be

Peter Turner’s Karrier Superpoise in the run.

turned into couches with original company liveries painted on them. These will represent past names who have since disappeared from the contacting industry and who may have worked on jobs such as the Upper Waitaki Power Project from the 1970s.

A barbecue lunch was

Nigel Broadbridge’s Kenworth S2 tipper with sileage bin.

provided along with cold water and soft drinks, which gave everyone the opportunity for a bite to eat and have a mingle, yarn and good look around this amazing gathering of old iron. It is certainly worth a visit if you are in the area and will be enjoyed a second and third time around, too.

The simple and clean 1983 Kenworth K124 owned by Michael Roberts.

Neat Volvo N12, Robin Kelso.

Tim Craw’s International T2700.

Mack CL525 tipper and trailer, Gerard Daldry.

Peter Turner’s 378 Peterbilt.

The sharp Johnston Trucking Kenworth K104 Aerodyne.

Peter Turner’s Australian White Road Boss is a common sight at shows down south.

Phil Cassidy’s 1987 Kenworth K100E in original livery.

Ben Gordon driving the Overland Express Bedford TM tractor unit.

Scania “gumboot”, Rob Taylor.

Satherley’s Kenworth T909.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 71

UNSUNG HEROES

While we watched the Lilburn K200 (New Zealand Trucking, December 2021/ January 2022) take on a load of posts at the PermaPine facility in Reporoa last year, lurking on the sidelines was this battered old Mitsi with a single-axle water tanker. We knew the rig had a story to tell.

Today it’s deregistered and has been put to use for the past three years

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suppressing dust within PermaPine’s walls, under the watchful eye of driver Rick Staal.

“PermaPine purchased the truck from the Taupo landfill where it had been in service for many years, initially on the road, and then around the dump, once it couldn’t get a COF,” Ian Piebenga, managing director at PermaPine, tells us.

“The water trailer it pulls was purchased

t can’t all be 7” twin shooters, Texas bumpers, ram intakes, Kelsa bars, polished stainless steel and Dura-Brights. Millions of tonnes of freight are moved daily in trucks that only the true enthusiast would ever look twice at. Yet owners

from Matamata second hand. It had been retired as a Te Aroha Thames Valley Dairy Company mill tanker.”

The Mitsi’s done a solid 808,000km.

“Though I’m not sure if that is its first time around the clock,” Ian says.

The maker’s plate confirms the Mitsi was manufactured by Todd Motors in Wellington many moons ago.

and drivers alike often look on these old trojans with fondness – like the holey jumper you put on when it’s cold. Unsung Heroes, running opposite Rust in Peace, is aimed at those trucks. They may be near to God, but they’re dear to our hearts.

IS THIS YOU? Do you own, drive, or know of an old truck that fits the Unsung Heroes mould? Send us in a good-quality pic and a little about her, and she might just have her moment in the sun as the headlights start to dim.

Don’t forget, if the truck’s not yours, make sure whoever owns it is happy for you to submit it.

Send your submission to: editor@nztrucking.co.nz.

72 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

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COOL THINGS

MORE THAN JUST A TOY Like building a real truck, just bite-sized ... such is the level of craftmanship that’s been put into this ride-on mini-Scania and, especially, its custom semi-trailer

by Nationwide Stock Crates.

I

n 2020, Heikell Transport of Whakatane unveiled the latest addition to its fleet – a mini-Scania in company colours. The internet quickly got very excited as pictures and videos began to circulate.

Heikell’s Debbie Benner saw these Scania and Mercedes-Benz licenced ride-on mini-trucks, made

by Scaled Rigs in Ireland, on Facebook and made contact to see if she could get one to New Zealand.

“We were the first to get one here. He’s sold a few out

here since then,” Debbie says.

When it arrived, it was just a bare white cab with the Scania details (lights, grille and window stickers).

As it does for all HTL trucks, Diverse Graphics in Whakatane did the signwriting – based on fleet No.16, an S650 8x4 known as ‘Legend II’.

“They reckoned it took nearly as long to do the graphics for the little one as the big ones,” Debbie says.

Coastline Auto Electrical in Whakatane, another trusted

HTL commercial partner, did the lighting.

But one thing was missing.

HTL is a North Island livestock carrier, and the miniScania (HTL1, by the way) was missing a set of crates.

“When we introduced everyone to it, Nigel Gordon of Nationwide Stock Crates said straight away that it needed a trailer. He offered to build it – and it’s been his little pet project,” says Debbie.

“It’s been a real collaborative effort!”

The Scania’s equipped for it, so why not? It features a functioning fifth wheel, and its CAD-designed stainlesssteel chassis and axles, and 24V motor and chain-driven transmission, are more than up to the task.

In his spare time, Nigel designed and constructed the trailer, applying the same

Story and photos by Gavin Myers

74 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

12-0222

Top: The attention to detail is impeccable. Below: Kid-friendly controls (left). Henry, 8, backs his rig into its bay.

attention to detail and focus on quality as to any build that comes out of Nationwide’s Mount Maunganui workshop.

With scale dimensions supplied by Scaled Rigs, Nigel mapped out what was needed, and the result is pretty much an exact downscaled crate.

“We tried to build the chassis rails the same.

Although we haven’t used all the extrusions we would use in a real crate, we tried to keep the same shape but in a smaller version,” Nigel explains.

The entire 2.9m trailer unit is built from aluminium.

Nigel built up a kingpin plate and a system to allow the kingpin to be easily replaced if needed. Stub axles were also designed. (Scaled Rigs supplied the wheels and pneumatic six-ply tyres to match the truck.) There are no

Marley, the Burnese Mountain Dog, is seven-months old and two-thirds of her 45-50kg adult weight – or nearly as big as the mini rig. suspension components.

The trailer’s electrical work was done onsite, and the unit was painted by subsidiary Nationwide Transport Refinishers.

“It was a matter of thinking ahead the whole time. We had to think of kids all the time – we don’t want them to cut themselves. So everything has radius corners, nothing is

sharp – just as in a real crate.

“The result is what we try to do day-to-day here. We’re constantly looking at what we’re doing, trying to work out what the best scenario is, and we tried to reflect that into this little trailer,” Nigel says.

There’s even an NZS5413 stock crates compliance plate and the rego, 1HTL.

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WHERE’S THAT ROAD? Have a look at this pic, eagle-eyed truckers, and see if you know where this stretch of bitumen is.

Winner of the November Where’s that Road was Bruce Smyth. He correctly identified the stretch between Tarawera and Te Haroto on the Napier-Taupo section of SH5. He even sent in a corresponding picture.

Fantastic. Thanks, Bruce, and everyone else who entered. Good luck with this month’s mission.

TO ENTER

Tarawera and Te Haroto on the Napier-Taupo section of SH5.

Flick us an email at editor@nztrucking.co.nz Subject line: Where’s that road? FEB-22.

Tell us your answer, and let us know your postal address too.

Note: You must include the subject line, otherwise it might get lost in the pile.

We’ll pick a random winner from the correct entries, and see what’s in the prize basket.

Competition closes midnight on 28 February 2022.

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NZT 21056 Centra Forklifts 1/2 Page Ad #2.indd 1

4/10/21 8:12 AM

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AUSSIE ANGLES

Story and photos by Howard Shanks

AT THE COAL FACE Shifting more than 200 tonnes economically and reliably from the coal face to the mine-site processing plant requires more than brute strength.

It necessitates clever integration of old and new technologies, as Howard Shanks recently discovered at one mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin region.

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he initial email I received was succinct. “We’ve got three new C509 Kenworth tri-drives arriving next month. They’ll be pulling 200-tonne payloads. Thought you might be interested.”

I certainly couldn’t pass up an offer like this. So after a few more emails and a couple of phone calls, I booked the flight and a hire car for the journey.

The flight into Mackay landed somewhat later than planned. Thankfully, though, collecting the hire car was a much smoother exercise,

Loading 176 tonnes of iron ore.

78 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

and I was heading west out of Mackay half an hour after touching down. My destination was the mining town of Dysart, a little over two and half hours away.

I’d been advised to get to the gatehouse early the following morning, as there was a lengthy induction process required before entering the mine site.

It was still dark when I arrived at the mine gatehouse.

But, finally, by mid-morning, I’d been issued with a visitor pass, my cameras inspected and tagged. John, my guide for the day, smiled and

asked if I was used to these inductions by now. I smiled and nodded with a yes.

Once in the mine site, it was still a decent 10-minute drive to where the new tridrive Kenworth C509s were parked up. The interior of the work ute was covered with a thick layer of black coal dust. “It’s not the cleanest environment,” John said, pointing at the ute’s dashboard. “I clean this ute out at the end of every shift, but that black dust manages to cover everything out here.”

Meantime, a constant barrage of voices blaring from UHF

and two-way radios deafened the ride. “You get used to them after a while,” John added, as he picked up a handpiece to call his position.

I remember seeing similar mine spec’d trucks on a tour of Kenworth’s Bayswater factory some time back and recall how big they appeared standing next to their highway counterparts. Yet here in the Bowen Basin coalfields, even with their 3m-wide quad-axle trailers, they are dwarfed by the huge mining loaders and dump trucks.

These tri-drive C509 Kenworth trucks are classified as off-highway vehicles and pull two 3m quad trailers with average payloads of 170 tonnes of coal ore from the coal face to the mine’s processing facility. It’s not uncommon to see conventional road train-style configurations used in mine sites where haulage leads exceed 20km distances. Traditional mining dump trucks certainly provide greater efficiencies on shorter haulage leads.

Their productivity gains are achieved in quick loading and unloading times, along with their ability to climb out of steep pits. However, they suffer from overheating issues, and their expensive tyres (Bridgestone or Michelin 59/80R63 XDR costing approximately AU$60,000 each or about NZ$64,000) are not designed for long

constant runs. On top of that, the construction and maintenance for purpose-built dump-truck haul roads are approximately double that required for a conventional road train.

On longer haulage leads, traditional road-train-style configurations deliver far greater efficiencies, not only with quicker trip times than conventional dump trucks but with far lower operating costs.

For example, these C509 Kenworth trucks and trailers use standard highway tyres that are easily sourced and far cheaper (between AU$800 – AU$1000 each) than dump truck tyres.

Investment-wise, you can purchase five of these tri-drive Kenworth C509s and their trailer sets with a combined carrying capacity of approximately 1000 tonnes for the same prices as one 797 Caterpillar 400-tonne dump truck. Although at some mine sites, they utilise a combination of both to maximise haulage efficiencies.

The purpose-built dump trucks haul ore from the bottom of steep open-cut pits to dump sites at the surface.

This ore gets loaded onto conventional road trains for the remaining longer journey on the haul road to the processing plant.

If you recall, we mentioned earlier that these Kenworth C509s combine old and new technologies to maximise

Operating at 100% engine load in high ambient temperatures is an issue no more.

reliability in the harsh, hot conditions of the north Queensland minefields. North Queensland’s unrelenting high ambient temperature is not conducive to cool component operating temperatures, nor are the extremely high payloads these mine-spec trucks are expected to haul up long gradients. So, it certainly comes as no surprise to learn that turbocharger failures were commonplace on the older trucks that these new C509s replaced. After all, when loaded, the engine load is at 100% capacity for the gruelling hour-long trip from the coal face to the processing plant.

These new C509s have an old-school Cummins GENII Signature engine slotted under the hood to overcome those turbocharger failure issues and improve reliability.

The absence of an AdBlue tank hanging off the chassis might have tipped you off that there was something a little different with the engine spec. I must add a quick note here. These trucks will never see highway use, so they do not need Euro 5- or Euro 6-compliant emission engines.

Indeed, Cummins GEN-II engines have an envied reputation for reliability. Constant turbocharger failures in the previous trucks was generally attributed to excess heat. The combination of high ambient temperature, high truck

gross combination weight, challenging slow climbs with minimal airflow in the engine bay and constant 100% engine load at full throttle all contributed to the problem.

There is not much that could be done about the high ambient temperature or the high payload. And reducing haul road gradients was not an option, either.

However, Cummins did stick its hand up and suggested an alternative engine tune to reduce heat generated in the turbocharger.

The short version of their new engine-tune theory is based on a thorough understanding of the principles of horsepower and torque. As a result, greater torque rather than higher horsepower is required to move the load effectively in this application. Back to some engine basics 101: for any engine to make more horsepower, it requires more fuel, and more fuel generates more heat. Consequently, the horsepower setting was reduced from the traditional Signature 600hp (447kW) rating to 500hp (372kW), but torque output got boosted to 3050Nm. The big red Signature engine connects to an Eaton 18-speed Ultrashift Plus transmission. Indeed, a transition from the traditional stick shift, more commonly found in heavier spec’d machines was not surprising

The Road-Sight 5 gauge display provides various instrument readouts.

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

Kenworth C509 (8x6 Tri-Drive) Engine: Cummins GEN-II ISX Power: 372kW (500hp) @ 1900rpm Torque: 3050Nm (2250 lb/ft) @ 1000– 1450rpm Transmission: Eaton FO-22E318A-MXP UltraShift Gear shift: Cobra shifter Engine brake HP: 447kW (600hp) @ 1900rpm Front axle: Meritor FL941 – 9.1T GAWR Front suspension: 8.2-tonne slipper Rear axle: SISU FR3P-48 A successful mix of old and new technology. given the rise in torque output. While the hardware of the Ultrashift Plus box is essentially the same as that found on a highway truck, the shifting strategy software is specially formulated to suit this application. Furthermore, the operator has full manual shift override ability in any gear.

The final drive is SISU FR3P-48 rear axles with a ratio of 6.58:1, riding on NewayAD369/10 Tridem.

With enormous loads, huge torque output and high ambient temperature, it’s crucially important that the engine’s vital statistics are monitored, and that’s a task well suited to Murphy’s RoadSight 5 gauge display, monitor and protection system, distributed in Australia by Macquarrie Corporation.

The Road-Sight 5 gauge display, monitor and protection system offers several features that assist the driver, fleet maintenance and management all from the one device. A control panel and display are mounted on the truck’s dash, which gives the driver real-time engine information in easy-to-read, life-like gauge displays. A series of buttons on either side of the screen enables the driver to navigate the menu and display screens quickly. In addition, the system collects data from

80 New Zealand Trucking

the vehicle’s ECU and can log and transmit data back to fleet operations.

In addition to the device’s monitoring ability is the capacity to capture and log the whole-of-life vehicle data, which is vital for the organisation to evaluate vehicle operating costs. The system can also provide service alerts, log faults and user-defined parameter setpoints. If you run external cameras, the display can also accept video feeds.

At the coal face, I had the Road-Sight 5 set on gauge screen 1 when the loader driver called through over the UHF radio that he’d finished tipping in 176 tonnes of ore.

The rpm needle sat at 600, the same as the truck’s tacho.

The coolant sat at 95°C. The engine load sat at 5%, running the aircon and so on while the truck was getting loaded. However, once I released the parking brake, pulled the shift lever into ‘drive’ and selected fist gear, then squeezed gently down on the throttle, that engine load meter quickly shot to 100%.

As the C509 slowly crawled its way out of the coal-face pit, I toggled to gauge screen 3. The large needle on the engine-load gauge sat firmly at 100%, as was the throttle percentage. Fuel was pouring into the cylinders at 52l/hr,

Rear-axle ratio: 6.58:1 Rear suspension: Neway AD369/10 tridem Wheels: Steel 10-stud Brakes: Drum Safety package: ABS, DTC, ATC, HSA Bumper: Painted, factory Exhaust: Dual vertical Interior colour: Premium soft trim – Grey Graphite Extras: Stainless visor. Conveyor rear guards. ROPS frame – rear of cab.

Extra-wide mirror arms. High-rise air intakes. Murphy Road-Sight 5 vehicle monitor.

and fuel economy was down to 0.3km/l. The soft, loose floor of the pit made for hard work as the oversized SISU rear axles on the C509 scratched for traction even with all the diff locks fully engaged.

Once out on the haul road, fuel economy improved slightly and, at one point on a slight decline, momentarily made it above a single-digit figure at 1.2km/l, while the engine load decreased to 86%.

But proof that turbocharger heat issues were solved by the return to Cummins’ proven GEN-II engine set at 500hp and 2250lb/ft was evident on gauge face screen 2, with the boost temperature registering 210°C on the long pulls. Only a couple of times, I intervened to initiate a manual

down-change on a few of the steeper drags when the boost temp edged above 210°C. However, once the down-change was completed and the engine revs increased to 350rpm, the fan pulled more air through the radiator and forced more air into the engine bay. As a result, the turbo spun faster, whisking air quicker into the cylinders, and the boost temperature quickly dropped.

It may still be early days to tell if the integration of old and new technologies is paying dividends. But so far, so good is the word from the workshop. Incidentally, when these trucks were on the drawing board, AdBlue was cheap and plentiful, yet in hindsight, the move to install an AdBlue-less engine might be a bonus.

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February 2022

NZT 21

Three generations of the Ross family: Jarrod with his sons Jonty and Jackson, and father Jock.

Jarrod Ross

– Ross Bros Transport, Ashburton Jarrod Ross knows grain, from the paddock to the silo, and everything in between.

His father set up Ross Bros Transport, based in Ashburton, 35 years ago, and he and wife Sally bought the business from him.

“Dad was from a rural farming background and was always in charge of the trucks and grain movements. When the family went their separate ways he kept the truck and started carting grain for the neighbours, and it all evolved from there,” Jarrod explains.

These days, they have five trucks and trailers, carting bulk commodities in the Canterbury region.

As well as carting, they grow their own grain on their 72 hectare property, buying in and selling to dairy farmers. They also do a lot of grain drying and storage, so it’s fair to say Jarrod is across all aspects of the grain supply chain.

“We are farming and carting our own product. The carting provides work for the trucks.”

Favourite truck?

I’ve always said I’d love to own a big Kenworth one day

Favourite place to get a pie?

Sims Bakery in Tinwald

Favourite MyTrucking feature?

The custom report

Favourite gearbox?

Roadranger all day long - that sorts the real drivers from the wannabes!

Favourite way to acknowledge a truckie?

Just a good wave, or a flick of the lights. I always say, the only thing that’s not delivered by a truck is a baby

Jarrod’s role is as managing director, organising the day-to-day dispatching of trucks, as well as jumping behind the wheel when needed.

“We pride ourselves on quality of service. We’re not a big corporate – you’ll see me, my father or brother Adaam come on farm, we’re not sitting behind a desk. Being family owned and operated it’s that common touch, or personal service.”

Ross Bros has been with MyTrucking for about three years and, despite initial scepticism, Jarrod is a true convert.

“I had someone show it (MyTrucking) to me and I thought it wouldn’t work for us. Then I had a lightbulb moment and Sam (Orsborn) came to see us to take us through it. I was still dubious, but I could see that my father was still writing accounts on little bits of paper.

“The paper trail was huge, and people would ring up wanting weight dockets and you’d be searching through piles and piles of them – it was doing my head in.”

Now, the paper trail is eliminated and all drivers take photos of the weigh docket when it’s given to them, which is stored in MyTrucking. If the docket gets misplaced, Jarrod knows exactly where to find it.

“The time we would save by not having to manually work out the cartage and weight docket is huge. You put the rate in and MyTrucking works it all out for you. It’s so simple, but the hours saved have been life changing.”

The other thing Jarrod loves is the custom report the software generates that he can email directly to farmers. “In the good old days we’d post the weigh docket off. This report shows exactly what’s been carted and the weigh dockets. You can also go back six months and easily find a weigh docket, it’s right there on the computer.”

Jarrod says using the software was easy to pick up and, now, he’s not sure why he didn’t think it would work for their business.

He also rates the support he gets. “I deal with Nat and I can ring her direct on her mobile, she always answers and is happy to help, nothing is a problem. If she doesn’t answer she always gets back to me within hours.”

Favourite saying or catchphrase?

If you’re going to kill a pig, it may as well be a big one!

NZT 21074 MyTrucking - Jarrod Ross.indd 1

15/12/21 12:50 PM

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

A view of the Brown assembly hall in the late 1930s.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN

AMERICA Story by Niels Jansen

Independent truck manufacturer numbers have dwindled to almost none in modern times. But during the first half of the 20th century, any number of brands were available globally.

Perhaps no other market demonstrated this better than North America, which was littered with small truck manufacturers.

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Photos and images: Niels Jansen collection

he early history of American trucks is fascinating. Before WW2, hundreds of thousands of light- and medium-weight commercial vehicles found buyers on home ground, and many were also shipped to markets abroad. Most arrived in foreign countries in CKD form and assembled locally.

These chassis were often similar to the trucks and buses in the USA but, to minimise shipping costs even further, cabs were sometimes produced by various local coachbuilders. Hence, to the eye, there was a large diversity in models and

styles. But they all shared the fact that they incorporated a powerful and durable American chassis married to a sophisticated European cab.

A bonus was that they were competitively priced.

And it was not only the large manufacturers who walked this road.

Many smaller American manufacturers were active in the assembly of commercial vehicles abroad. Some were quite successful, but others never really made it work.

Unbelievably, no less than 1850 American truck-makers tried to get a foothold in the first half of the past century, but many did not make it

further than a few years or, at best, one or two decades.

After the war, only small manufacturers able or willing to design and build heavy trucks for specific needs survived. Several producers did make very tough vehicles but forgot the man behind the wheel; some of the early contraptions were a nightmare to drive. Large-volume producers did a lot better in that area, offering car-like comforts and draught-free steel cabs. But with lower overhead costs due to the absence of big design and production departments, plus their knowledge of what their customers exactly

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1) Gotfredsons, like this 1940 tractor, could be recognised by their castaluminium radiators. 2) The Peninsula Diesel was a short-lived tractor from Ontario, Canada. This Cummins-engined COE model dates from 1960.

3) In 1932, the attractively styled Republic truck became popular in export markets throughout the world. 4) The Available Truck Co of Chicago offered a sturdy line of conventional and cabover trucks for 47 years. 5) Until its demise in 1941, Condor sold trucks in more than 30 countries. needed, some of the smaller manufacturers became quite successful in certain segments. Where the largevolume makers offered commercial vehicles that were, in style, more or less based on their automobile designs, the smaller-scale firms produced ‘real’ trucks.

It wasn’t until the 1950s before companies such as Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford started to build genuine heavy trucks. Of course, in the 1920s and 1930s, a four-ton truck was considered ‘heavy’ and a payload capacity between one to three tons was the norm.

Of the 242 different US manufacturers actively building commercial vehicles in 1922, the bulk had disappeared some 20 years later. Many had either

just stopped or were taken over by larger concerns.

The latter happened notably in the 1950s and 1960s when competition between manufacturers in the heavyduty segment got fiercer.

The fact that smaller truck-makers lacked a broad range and did not have a sophisticated dealer network limited their sales. Most vehicles sold by them were confined to the area where the factory stood.

Apart from several manufacturers who concentrated on developing and producing specialist vehicles, hardly any of the smaller truck-makers that were active in the past century managed to survive into the 2000s. By the 1960s, virtually all mentioned US truck-makers had

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 83

In the late 1950s, Leyland built ‘Americanised’ Beaver and Bison models in Quebec, Canada. disappeared from the market – some after having built highquality commercial vehicles, often in small numbers, since the early 1920s.

Over the years, well-known brands – such as American LaFrance, Available, Brown, Condor, Corbitt, Gotfredson, Indiana, Kleiber, LeMoon, Maccar, Marmon, Moreland, Pierce-Arrow, Relay, Republic, Selden, Stewart, Willys, and others – disappeared from the market. North of the US border, too, more lesserknown names of highway truck manufacturers came and went over the years, such as Canadian Leyland, Peninsula and Scot.

Unlike passenger cars, the

Indianas were built from 1922 to 1939 and became quite popular in export markets.

design of heavy trucks did not change much from year to year. Especially not during the last half-century. Yet, manufacturers with a limited production run could not keep up with the big boys who spent millions of dollars in the development of new models.

Also, from the 1970s, local and foreign joint ventures and mutual parts sourcing had a significant influence on the design and production of heavy trucks.

Gone were the days of uniquely styled models that had been the hallmark of smaller truck manufacturers.

And with that also many famous names died a slow death.

A tough-looking Corbitt D800-series combo of 1952 vintage.

Sterling was a premium truck-maker with roots going back to 1907. This beautiful DWS-28 model six-wheeler dates from 1930.

1) A Maccar Model 66 furniture van. The brand was set up by Jack Mack and Roland Carr in 1912. 2) Introduced in 1976, the Scot A2HD was the last model the Nova Scotian manufacturer built. 3) Before 1963, Marmon-Herrington – truck-maker Marmon’s ancestor – built vehicles based on Ford chassis.

4) Relay from Ohio was active from 1927 to 1933 and offered some impressive, bonneted models up to a seven-ton payload.

The Texas-based Marmon Motor Co is one of the few relatively small truck-makers that made it into the late 1990s.

This Kleiber of 1928 vintage was spotted at the 2010 ATHS Oldtimer Show in California.

84 New Zealand Trucking

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February 2022 19-0222

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SINCE 1978

Kraft Engineering Limited 5 Wikaraka Street, Ngongotaha, Rotorua | Phone: +64 77 357 4597

19-0222

Colin King: Ph: 027 539 0075 | E: colin@kraftgroup.co.nz James Worsnop: Ph: 027 572 2642 | E: james@kraftgroup.co.nz

WHEELS AT WANAKA MEMORIES

We bring you a pictorial memory from the phenomenal 2021 Wheels at Wanaka event, to keep the embers well and truly lit on the run-up to 2023!

This month there’s a split pic. The main photo shows Bevan Satherley’s restored Mack Super-Liner thundering along SH8a on the final run-in to the show under a glorious Central Otago sky. The inset photo is Bevan again, still en-route, but this time well north, having just crossed the Hurunui River bridge south of Cheviot. Behind him is his uncle Barry Satherley in his W-Model Kenworth. It reminds us of the excitement that builds as everyone starts encountering the fantastic exhibits on the road to the show. At some point along the way, the scoop Bevan had on at Cheviot morphed into a Volvo loader.

In association with

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We market roles to 1000s of drivers and filter through the drivers who meet your requirements. It’s hassle free and saves you time and money. Join some of New Zealand’s leading transport companies who hire through us time and again.

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Chris Yates 027 573 2005 • Manager | NZ Transport Jobs www.nztransportjobs.co.nz • FACEBOOK @NZTransportjobs.co.nz

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NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

Iveco X-Way 570 8x4 rigid – AS Sleeper

IN THE RACE! OPERATOR: Tullock Transport, Mataura ENGINE: Cursor 13 13-litre Euro-6 425kW (570hp) TRANSMISSION: Iveco Hi-TRONIX 12TX2420 TD 12-speed REAR AXLES: Meritor RT23153

REAR SUSPENSION: Iveco 8-bag ECAS air suspension.

BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: Full safety suite (ACC, AEBS, BAS, ESP, ASR, DAT, TPM).

BODY/TRAILER: Body and 5-axle trailer, Jackson Enterprises/crates, Delta

BORN TO RUN HARD OPERATOR: Ferguson Trucking, Milton ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 459kW (615hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger 22918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160GP REAR SUSPENSION: International IROS

Stockcrates.

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Stone guard, polished alloy wheels.

PAINT: Ex-factory

International 9870 R8 8x4 rigid – Skyroof sleeper air suspension BRAKES: Drum ABS, EBS BODY/TRAILER: Body and 5-axle trailer, Modern Transport Trailers, Invercargill FEATURES/EXTRAS: Stainless-steel drop visor, twin ram-air intakes, additional load and marker lights. Fridge.

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z 88 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

OPERATION: Livestock cartage, South Island SALES: Noel Macdonald

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Custom Signs, Dunedin OPERATION: Bulk tip work and general freight, South Island DRIVER: Cameron Johnston SALES: Shaun Jury

Kenworth K200 8x4 rigid – 2.3m flat-roof sleeper

‘SEM’PLY MAGNIFICENT OPERATOR: SEM Haulage, Wairarapa ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre Euro-5 461kW (618hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor MT21165GP, dual diff locks REAR SUSPENSION:

PACCAR AG460 air suspension BRAKES: Drum. ABS, EBS ADDITIONAL PRODUCTIVITY: Big Foot CTI, BroLube central greasing. Loading lights and cameras to truck rear and trailer.

BODY/TRAILER: D A McGovern Eng, Carterton.

Patchell Industries log gear.

Refurb 4-axle trailer fitted with ABS and EBS (body and trailer built by truck owner).

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Stainless-steel visor, twin 6” stacks, twin ram-air intakes, grille bars. Additional custom stainless. Additional lights.

Fridge.

PAINT: Ex-factory

SIGNAGE: Pinstriping was done by owner OPERATION: Log cartage, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Wellington for NZFW, and HP Transport DRIVER: Mark Thomas ‘Pompom’ SALES: Mark O’Hara

LANDED, LOADED, AND LIVERIED! HINO 700 Series FS1A 2632 OPERATOR: Blair and Kim Hancock, Taranaki Mix, New Plymouth ENGINE: HINO A09C-VP 8.8 litre 235kW (320hp) Euro-6 TRANSMISSION: Allison 3200 6-speed automatic REAR AXLES: HINO THD-17 hypoid with inter-axle differential and cross-locks REAR SUSPENSION: HINO 6-rod with taper leaf springs BRAKES: Drum. ABS, EBS SAFETY: HINO SmartSafe (PCS, DM, LDW, ASR, ACC, RB, HSA), Auto brake shoe adjusters, FUPS BODY: TWS (Technical Welding Services) Hamilton FEATURES/EXTRAS: Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Future Grafix, New Plymouth OPERATION: Concrete deliveries, Taranaki DRIVER: Blair Hancock SALES: Tony Pedley

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

89

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

Scania 770S 6x4 tractor – 2.3m sleeper cab (World-first 6x4 770 2.3m cab)

WILTSDOWN CHIEF OPERATOR: Alexander Group, Auckland ENGINE: Scania DC16 16-litre V8 Euro-6 575kW (770hp) TRANSMISSION: Scania GRSO925R 14-speed Opticurise AMT with eco-roll REAR AXLES: Scania

ADP400SAP REAR SUSPENSION: Scania Air front and rear BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS AUXILLARY BRAKING: Scania 4100D retarder SAFETY: Full safety suite (ACC, AEB, SD, SCA, DS, ESP)

BODY/TRAILER: Patchel Industries FEATURES/EXTRAS: 2.3m sleeper cab. Twin 7” exhaust and custom bracketing, custom cab extenders, additional light bars and lights, stainless steel highlights, Alcoa DuraBright

JUST WHAT BONNIE NEEDED Shacman X3000 6x4 rigid OPERATOR: Hero International, West Auckland ENGINE: Cummins ISM-11e5 Euro-5 328kW (440hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton 10-speed AMT transmission REAR AXLES: HANDE HDZ425 REAR SUSPENSION: Parabolic spring BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: ESC, LDW, TPM, ASR. Reversing camera ADDITIONAL PRODUCTIVITY: Auto greasing BODY/TRAILER: Hardox gravel aggregate FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air suspended cab, air conditioning, central locking.

PAINT: Ex-factory OPERATION: Tip work, Auckland SALES: Bobby Khan

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z 90 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

alloy wheels. Custom Scania V8 leather interior, TV, fridge.

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Sign FX, Otahuhu OPERATION: Bulk DEF distribution, North Island DRIVER: Trevor Harcourt SALES: Damon Smith

FRESH FOR ANOTHER LOAD! OPERATOR: Everfresh, Hastings ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre Euro-5 459kW (615hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger 20918B 18-speed manual

REAR AXLES: Meritor 46160GP REAR SUSPENSION: International IROS air suspension BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS BODY/TRAILER: Domett

International 9870 R8 LRS 8x4 rigid – sleeper cab drop-side body and 5-axle drop-side trailer.

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Stainless drop visor, twin ram-air intakes, off-set front wheels, Alcoa DuraBright alloy wheels.

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Wrapped Signs, Tauranga OPERATION: Bulk and general cartage, nationwide DRIVER: John Weir SALES: Hugh Green

TAKING HOME TO THE PEOPLE DAF CF410 Euro-6 4x2 tractor OPERATOR: Conroy Removals, Christchurch ENGINE: MX-11 11-litre Euro-6 306kW (410hp) TRANSMISSION: ZF TraXon 12TX2620 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: DAF SR1344 REAR SUSPENSION: DAF 4-bag ECAS BRAKES: Disc EBS, ABS SAFETY: Full safety suite (ACC, FCW, AEBS, LDW, VSC, ABS) BODY/TRAILER: JOST fifth wheel, factory rear guards.

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit, stoneguard.

PAINT/SIGNAGE: Fleetline Spraypainters, Auckland OPERATION: Removals and fragile freight, nationwide DRIVER: Gordon Semple SALES: Mark O’Hara

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

91

NEW RI GS O N THE ROAD SAFETY KEY – ACRONYM BY ALPHA AB – Air Bag ABS – Anti-lock Braking System ACC – Adaptive Cruise Control ABA – Active Brake Assist AEB – Autonomous/Active Emergency Braking AEBS – Advanced Emergency Braking System ALA – Active Lane Assist ASR – Anti-slip Regulation / Auto Slip Regualtion

BAS – Brake Assistant System CAB – Curtain Air Bag DAS – Driver Assistant Support DM – Driver Monitoring DS – Driver Support DTC – Drag Torque Control EBS – Electronic Braking System EBSS – Electronic Braking Safety System ESC – Electronic Stability Control FCW – Forward Collision Warning

FUPS – Front Under-run Protection System HH – Hill Hold HSA – Hill Start Assist LD – Lane Departure Warning LKA – Lane Keep Assist PCS – Pre-collision System PD – Pedestrian Detection RB – Reversing Buzzer RW – Reverse Warning SAB – Side Air Bag

SD – Side Detection SGA – Side Guard Assist TPM – Tyre Pressure Monitoring VSC – Vehicle Stability Control NOTE: Acronyms are OEM-specific.

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z

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All Trucks come with: • Cummins 440hp • Eaton AMT • MAN Axle Technoology • Ladder Chassis

ALL TRUCKS COME WITH FULL PARTS AND SERVICE SUPPORT. Bobby Khan 264 Roscommon Road, Wiri, Auckland 2104 New Zealand Tel: 09 264 1666. Mobile: 027 266 1233

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11/10/21 3:02 PM

NEW KIWI BODIES & TRAILERS New Zealand Trucking brings you New Kiwi Bodies & Trailers. Bodies and trailers are expected to last twice as long as trucks, and new technology and advanced design features are showing up almost every month.

New Zealand has a rich heritage of body and trailer building, and we’re proud to showcase some recent examples of Kiwi craftsmanship every month. If you want a body or trailer included on these pages, send a photo, features, and the manufacturer’s name to trailers@nztrucking.co.nz

Big red cattle shed Comfortable, compliant-cattle carrying doesn’t come any better than the monocoque system deployed by Total Transport Engineers LP and Nationwide Stock Crates.

What’s extra cool about the latest cattle-box trailer to emerge from the artisan engineering duo is its 4-axle configuration. A once-standard look that now has the head-turning factor, it was built to cope with some of the gnarlier terrain around the home of new owner Knight and Dickey Transport in Waiuku. The 9.5m trailer features a stainless-steel deck, Alcoa alloy wheels and looks every bit the part in a livery that’s undoubtedly one of the country’s most well-known.

Features: IMT axle assemblies and SAF suspension.

WABCO brake system.

Total Transport Engineers LP

Once seen, never forgotten Let’s make this a New Kiwi Bodies & Trailers section to remember with another unit that’s a break away from the current norm, fresh from the crafts people at Fruehauf NZ. Ram’s Logistics based in Auckland has put this little sweetheart to work in NZ Post livery. A 10.5m curtainside semi complete with Zepro 2-tonne tail-lift and 32mm shiplap hardwood decking, rear under-run protection, and plentiful Peterson tail and side lights.

Lumens galore also feature on the inside as we know the mail must get through all times of the day.

The Alcoa DuraBright wheels underbody blue strip lighting, and a stainless steel toolbox set the finish off beautifully. Pride and presentation in the asset must

Features: ROR CS9 axles and suspension.

Fruehauf NZ surely reflect in care for the cargo, so our letters are in good hands.

KIWI 16/17

Contact John O’Donnell 027 226 9995, Jim Doidge 021 190 1002 or Hayden Jones 0800 549 489 | sales@kiwityres.co.nz |

0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz 94 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

KIWI 175

Features: Hendrickson disc-braked axles and air suspension.

Knorr-Bremse EBS. Mills-Tui

Heading for hill country

Hill Country from Napier has commissioned this monster, kitted up with Mills-Tui log gear and a 5-axle trailer. The 8x4 Mack SuperLiner is equipped with Mills-Tui high-tensile bolsters, safety tensioners, SI-Lodec scales, tank guards and a Rockinger R050 tow

coupling. Following in an orderly fashion behind is a slick Mills-Tui 5-axle trailer with high-tensile chassis and bolsters. It also sports SI-Lodec scales and sparkles on its Mills-Tui Alloy wheels, rolling in at a lean 5840kg.

Features: FUWA drum brake axles and air suspension.

TMC

Rock-solid in the mountains

It looks purposeful and built for the place it will call home: Cromwell’s Contrax (Central) has recently commissioned this TMC tipping body and 4-axle trailer for its T409 SAR Kenworth. Fitted with TMC Atlas bath-tub bodies, a Kiwi Tarp system, and Alux alloy wheels, the finished unit’s clean, simple, no-nonsense look creates an impact.

Spec your trailer on KIWIs – the new tyre of choice for KIWIs KIWI 16

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

Wide grooves will not hold stones Heavy-duty case Excellent mileage performance 17mm extra-deep tread

The KIWI 16’s tougher twin Super heavy-duty case Puncture resistant 17mm extra-deep tread

Multi-use tread pattern Urban/highway/off road Puncture-resistant 17.5mm extra-deep tread

265/70R19.5

215/75R17.5 265/70R19.5

265/70R19.5

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 95

COOL KAITANGATA CANINE

R

eece Johnston from Cranleigh Haulage, based in the wee village of Kaitangata, east of Balclutha, sent in this beautiful picture of the Mack MH613, which he drives for the company.

She’s a 1998 model and packs a

6-cylinder E7-454, producing – you guessed it – 454hp (339kW). Behind the power department is Mack’s own 18-speed manual transmission, with Mack diffs and Hendrickson suspension taking care of business out back.

Reece says she’s on about 2,600,000km.

How cool to be driving such a superb example of an MH Mack in 2021! May the old dog still have many more miles to go.

CALLING ALL TRUCKS ON OR OVER 1 MILLION MILES (1.6M KILOMETRES)

96 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

“I JUST CAN’T PART WITH THE OLD GIRL.”

A

re the words of Mike Chittock, who is genuinely appreciative of the service his dear old Viking lady has given him. Bought new by Mike in 2002, he double-shifted the truck with driver Richie Wallis for the first 1,000,000km of its life on a five-daya-week Invercargill-to-Christchurch freight run.

That magic milestone only took three and a half years to arrive on the odometer, after which the Volvo became the spare unit. In this instance, ‘spare’ meant carting bulk milk and dry goods all over the South Island and lower North Island.

The dear old soul now carries the status of semi-retired, with 1,960,000km on the clock.

“She’s only had two turbos, three clutches, two sets of injector sleeve seals, and one set of injectors,” says Mike. “Nothing’s been done to the gearbox or diffs.

“I have recently had the bottom end done, fitting new bearings, big end bolts, and an oil pump, only as preventive maintenance.

“It is still very tidy inside and out and can still do a decent day’s work.”

A well-deserved cap and badge are on the way!

IN THE PIPELINE

A

ny truck nut traversing the highways and byways of Auckland and the Waikato will have no doubt seen Cory Knox at the wheel of the 2008 Kenworth T404 he drives for HT Haulage in Auckland. Bonneted US flat-decks are always headturners, and we were rapt when Cory’s ride arrived in the inbox. Still firmly on the front line, her distinctive two-tone blue livery, twin shooters and additional shine make her as good a marketing tool for HT as she’s ever been.

Born in the days

when yellow motors and Kenworths were ‘a thing’, the 404 packs a C15 Caterpillar under the snout, an 18-speed manual Eaton

Bridgestone and N ew Zealand Trucking Media want to recognise trucks that have achieved this milestone in the act of carrying the nation on their backs. Each month, up to eight trucks will be selected, and will feature in this new section of the magazine, as well as on our social media.

Roadranger, and a 46,000lb Meritor rear end.

It’s little wonder she’s still a strong runner, with her only other owner being McCarthy

Those selected will get a Million Mile Club cap and badge for the truck.

Terms • Only owners can submit • NZ trucks only • Supply chain may affect the timing of cap and badge arrival

transport in Whanganui. To date, in her 1,700,000km she’s not had a rebuild.

TO JOIN, EMAIL: editor@nztrucking.co.nz • Quality image of the truck • Name of owner and driver • Basic spec (model, engine, trans, rear end) • Contact details

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

97

MINI BIG RIGS

PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Doug Elliott’s passion for building model trucks was ignited by a childhood spent riding shotgun with his dad and other drivers. This month we take a close look at his recently completed tribute to those memories – a triple set of Alf Walling Macks.

Story by Carl Kirkbeck

W

ith a father whose trade was a craftsman joiner as well as a boatbuilder, Doug was schooled at an early age in the fine art of building scale replica models, firstly boats, then progressing to trucks in the mid-1970s with the arrival of plastic kitsets from the likes of AMT and ERTL. Growing up in Napier put Doug in the heart of some of New Zealand’s finest trucking country. It was also the 1970s and 1980s, arguably the most

98 New Zealand Trucking

Photos by Doug Elliot

iconic era of road transport.

Doug’s passenger rides varied from the pick-up and delivery duties of building materials in an ‘A series’ Bedford – when his dad was at the helm for AB Davis, the building company that his father was a joiner for – to sitting alongside Ron Middleton in the R-model Mack he drove for Alf Walling.

These fond memories fuelled Doug’s desire to build replicas of No.7, No.30 and No.33 from the Alf Walling fleet.

The avid Mack enthusiast would have already noted February 2022

that the three models Doug chose to replicate are early representations of the marque here in New Zealand. In part, they owe their existence to Reinforced Plastics Pty Ltd of Melbourne, who were tasked with providing a locally sourced cab to sit atop the North American chassis. In the early 1970s, the Australian governmentprotected local industry by requiring a percentage of locally produced content to be included in the assembly of imported CKD (completely

knocked down) vehicles, and heavy trucks were no exception to this rule. Alf Walling was an early adopter of the locally sourced North American Mack brand so many of the early Reinforced Plastics FR and R-model cabs made their way into the Tauranga-based fleet. For Doug, this has meant that the cabs of both No.30 and No.33 are all but virtually 100% handcrafted one-offs, painstakingly whittled from sheet styrene and MDF. Looking closely at No.33,

Doug Elliott, sharing with others the passion for a hobby he truly enjoys. you will see that Doug has also heavily modified the AMT bonnet by extending it to represent the longer hood of the R700. A sun visor was handmade by constructing

a former first and then laminating plastic into shape over it. The kitset interior tub was modified to suit the new scratch-built dashboard, this matching the real fibreglass

cabs with their own builtin fibreglass dashboards perfectly. Again, keeping the build as close to the real truck, the air cleaner and the pre-cleaner were handmade

1

2

3

4

from plastic, Perspex and aluminium, with Doug turning them up on his trusty Unimat lathe.

He then extended the chassis in the middle and at the rear to accommodate the period-correct airlift lazy axle.

The front wheels are modified from the DM kitset from ERTL; the drive wheels were made from resin castings from moulds made by Doug some years ago. Once the chassis was completed, he plumbed in the air and electrical lines throughout using telephone wire. The bulbar and logging gear were constructed using detailed scale drawings mapped out first, then handcut and fabricated from sheet and extruded plastic from Evergreen. As Doug said: “How did we ever get by without Evergreen?” The Domett Fruehauf trailer frame and bolsters were also made from Evergreen plastics, with the ball race being turned from Perspex.

1) Doug’s heavily modified R-model cab and bonnet that now replicates the Reinforced Plastics Pty fibreglass versions, that were used in the assembly of the early Australasian Macks. 2) Starting with just a set of doors, Doug scratch-built the cab for No.30 from Evergreen plastic and MDF. 3) Two sets of handmade bolsters using various Evergreen plastic extrusions destined to hook up behind No.30, the FR. 4) The R700 No.33 and its matching Domett Fruehauf two-axle jinker ready for a coat of enamel paint.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 99

Doug built No.7 to reference the civil contracting side of Alf Walling’s business operations.

Building No.30, the FR cabover, was a project that Doug really enjoyed. Starting with literally only the doors from a donor AMT R-model kitset, Doug constructed a jig to hold the day cab one custom cut and formed piece of plastic at a time. The day

air lines to the Ingersoll Rand air starter. The gearbox also got the treatment with the extra section added to the 5-speed gearbox that comes with the kitset, converting it to the correct 10-speed that No.30 was fitted with.

The Bailey Bridge trailer for No.30 was another challenge that had to be overcome, again, this is a completely scratch-built effort. Starting with only old grainy photos, Doug sketched out a set of blueprints to guide the build and keep it in correct proportion. The trailer is a Bailey Bridge design, however, underneath it is a 3-axle long trailer with sliding/ extending draw beam, and then a Bailey Bridge frame

cab also allowed Doug the opportunity to place a lot of emphasis on the detailing of the 237hp Mack engine, as it would be easily seen poking out of the rear of the cab. On close inspection, you will find that he has fitted all the diesel injector plumbing as well as

fitted across the top of the turntables on both the tractor unit and trailer. Fair to say, this required a good amount of patience and attention to detail to ensure all moving parts are correct to scale and still fully operational.

No.7 is a little different, being a tip of the hat to the contracting side of the Alf Walling business, which was involved in many civil construction projects throughout the Bay over the years, including the Tauranga Harbour bridge foundations.

Many tipping semi units like the one Doug has compiled here were the backbone of this side of the business for Alf Walling.

Doug again started with

1 2

3

1) The mighty 237 Maxidyne all set to go between the rails of No.30, featuring added details such as injector pump plumbing and Ingersoll Rand air starter. 2) The 237 in place and all plumbed in, complete with hard-earnt oil stains. 3) Looking through the driver’s window of No.30. Every detail is period correct, from the interior decor and trim colours to the keys in the ignition set to kick the air starter into life.

100 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

The FR No.30 with its fully operational 3-axle, self-steering Domett Fruehauf Bailey Bridge trailer replica is an incredible achievement, testament to Doug’s philosophy that the hobby promotes the use of all skillsets to achieve an accurate result. the AMT R-model kitset, armed with a hobby knife and Evergreen plastic. He has subtly modified the cab and bonnet to depict an early flat-back cab with steel dashboard and single headlights. This model was prolific in New Zealand and the Walling fleet certainly had its fair share parked in the yard.

The starting point for the trailer is an AMT kitset that has been carefully adapted to portray a typical era-specific Alf Walling unit correctly. One axle has been removed to bring it back to a tandem and Doug has also fitted 10-stud steel wheels that were extremely common at the time. Mudguards with black

mudflaps and chains were added as well as electrical wiring and plumbing for air and hydraulics.

All three models have been painted with standard enamels that were blended to achieve the correct tones and mostly applied with an airbrush. The signwriting decals on the doors were hand-painted by Doug first to form a master. This was then digitally scanned and reduced in size to the correct scale, then printed onto decal paper.

Using this method makes for a realistic result. We need to remember these three models represent an era where all signwriting and pinstripes were applied to the real trucks by hand, and Doug’s

4

attention to detail has truly paid homage to this art form and captured the feel of that bygone era.

The term replica does not completely acknowledge the true effort that Doug has devoted to these three builds. The closer you look at the level of detail he has handcrafted into these 1:25th scale Alf Walling Macks is simply extraordinary and takes the term ‘scratchbuilding’ to a whole other level. It truly is a testament to the fastidious passion that Doug pours into all his builds, and these three Alf Walling Mack’s are no exception – iconic models based on great memories of an iconic fleet.

A WORD FROM DOUG “With the models, I want to help people improve and develop their skills and see them enjoy what I have enjoyed and developed into a lifetime of creating miniatures. It’s a great hobby to grow into, as it develops skills such as researching and gathering information, the ability to problem-solve, and seeing the project through to completion to get that awesome feeling of accomplishment once done, and then get onto the next one. With the great aftermarket parts and kits that are available now, the sky is the limit in all forms of modelling.”

5

4) Doug’s attention to detail and eye for scale is extraordinary, and little things, such as remnants of bark stuck between the bolster beds, add to the overall impact. 5) A 1:25th scale Alf Walling fleet reminiscent of the photos taken at the Hull Road corner back in 1987.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 101

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

FIND THE LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB LOGO

HI LITTLE TRUCKERS! Happy New Year to you all. It’s good to be back.

I hope you all had fantastic school holidays and are now enjoying being back at school, ready for a great 2022. If you would like to share any cool photos or stories about your adventures, please send them in, as we would love to hear all about them.

Congratulations to 11-year-old Taylln Morris, who found our Little Truckers’ Club logo on page 80 of the December 2021/January 2022 issue. Keep an eye on your mailbox, Taylln – something cool is coming to you.

This month, we have a quick quiz covering all the Little Truckers’ Club Fun Facts from 2021. Test your knowledge. How many do you remember? Grab Mum or Dad’s magazines and go back through them, if needed. Send in your answers and be in the draw to win an awesome prize. I will print the answers in next month’s issue so you can check them too.

Also, we have a step-by-step guide on how to draw a pickup truck. I have drawn one to show you. Grab your colouring-in pens and pencils and give it a go. Take a photo or scan a picture of your art and email me at rochelle@ nztrucking.co.nz and it could be printed right here in Little Truckers’ Club. I look forward to seeing all your drawings.

Don’t forget if you would like to see yourself here in Little Truckers’ Club, all you need to do is email your photos and/or drawings to me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz with a wee paragraph telling us about them, along with your name and age. We love seeing them all.

102 New Zealand Trucking

Maxwell Dennison,14, from Te Awamutu, sent in this fantastic drawing of a Mack Super-Liner. Amazing job, Maxwell!

February 2022

The Little Truckers’ Club logo is hidden somewhere in this issue — find it and let me know where it is, and you may win a prize.

You can email me at rochelle@nztrucking. co.nz.

Joke of the month

What do you say to a frog that needs a ride?

Hop in!

QU I Z

1: Where does the word truck come from?

2: When was the word truck first used in printed form?

3: What year was Volvo Trucks founded?

4: What country are Volvo trucks built in?

5: What year was the Kenworth T409SAR produced in New Zealand and Australia?

6: How fast is it rumoured Santa’s sleigh can go?

7: What year was the Kenworth Tour Bus produced?

8: What was Mack Trucks originally named before 1922?

9: Where are Mack Trucks produced?

10: In what country are Iveco trucks built?

Taylln Morris, 11, found the Little Truckers’ Club logo in the December 2021/January 2022 issue.

FRE10398_NZ Trucking FP_210x297mm_FA.indd 1

17/6/21 3:07 pm

WHAT’S ON

WHEELS AT WAIRARAPA 5 to 7 February 2022 Clareville Showgrounds Contact: (06) 379 8124 wheelsatwairarapa.co.nz wheelsatwairarapa@waiaps.org.nz

BOMBAY TRUCK SHOW 12 February 2022 Bombay Rugby Club Contact: bombaytruckshow@gmail.com

HOOTNANNY COUNTRY ROCK FESTIVAL WITH TRUCK AND CAR SHOW 25 to 27 February 2022 Thames Racecourse Contact: hootnanny.co.nz info@hootnanny.co.nz Please check relevant websites/Facebook pages for Covid-related information.

104 New Zealand Trucking

TUI TRUCK STOP SHOW AND SHINE 27 March 2022 Tui Brewery, Mangatainoka, Manawatu-Whanganui Contact: tuihq.co.nz

TMC TRAILERS TRUCKING INDUSTRY SHOW 25 and 26 November 2022 Canterbury Agricultural Park Contact: truckingindustryshow.co.nz info@nztruckingassn.co.nz All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc. Please check the websites above before setting out.

Show organisers – please send your event details at least eight weeks in advance to editor@nztrucking.co.nz for a free listing on this page.

Dec 2021 2022 February / Jan 2022

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108 Moving Metrics 116 Vipal’s Knowing Your Retreads 118 Industry Comment 120 Truckers’ Health Health & Safety 122 124 Legal Lines 126 NZ Trucking Association 128 Transporting New Zealand 130 The Last Mile BROU GH T TO YOU B Y

MOVING METRICS

THE SALES

NUMBERS New Zealand Trucking reveals how the economy is travelling via key metrics from the road transport industry. From time to time, we’ll be asking experts their opinion on what the numbers mean.

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers first registered in 2021

First registration of NB and NC class vehicles for October by major manufacturer

This information is compiled from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency statistical analysis team and through the Open Data Portal.

The data used in this information reflects any amendments to the data previously reported.

Vehicle type This summary includes data from two heavytruck classes and one heavy-trailer class.

A goods vehicle is a motor vehicle that: (a) is constructed primarily for the carriage of goods; and (b) either: (i) has at least four wheels; or (ii) has three wheels and a gross vehicle mass exceeding one tonne.

Vehicle class

Description

NB

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes.

(mediumgoods vehicle)

NC (heavy-goods vehicle)

TD (heavy trailer)

First registration of class TD trailers for 2021 by suppiler

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 12 tonnes.

A trailer that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 10 tonnes.

A table of all vehicle classes can be found in Table A of the Land Transport Rule Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2016 Rule 41001/2016 https://www. nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/rules/docs/vehicledimensions-and-mass-2016-as-at-1-june-2019.pdf Note: Vehicle classes are not the same as RUC vehicle types or driver licence classes.

108 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

“Others” include Make

Units sold

Market share

Fiat

500

15.3%

Foton

171

5.2%

Volkswagen

195

6.0%

First registration in New Zealand classes NB, NC and TD

Total first registration for NC class vehicles by year by supplier

First registration of class TD heavy trailers by year by suppiler

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 109

This information is put together from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency. New Zealand Trucking acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA for providing this information to us.

ROAD USER CHARGES Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 01 January 2018 and 31 December 2021 by purchase year

RUC purchase for 2021, all RUC types A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/ road-user-charges/ruc-rates-and-transaction-fees/ Please note data may differ slightly from that reported for the same period previously due to adjustments being made to the base data.

In 2021 there were 49 different types of RUC purchased for a total distance of 16,046,928,628km at a value of $2,232,551,444.

A note on electric vehicles: The Ministry of Transport website says that at the end of November 2021 there were 35,565 electric vehicles registered in New Zealand. It is not possible to determine the impact of these on the value or distance of Road User Chargers purchased. An electric vehicle is one that is powered by an electric motor from an on-board battery which can be charged from an external source. A hybrid vehicle that has no provision for external charging is not an electric vehicle.

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

15,421,400,378

$2,069,615,049

1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2021

16,046,928,628

$2,232,551,444

RUC distance purchased for RUC type 1 vehicles

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Average monthly distance (km)

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

11,502,905,782

958,575,482

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

10,952,303,565

912,691,964

1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2021

11,427,917,860

952,326,488

RUC type 1 vehicles are powered vehicles with two axles (except type 2 or type 299 vehicles. Type 299 are mobile cranes). Cars, vans and light trucks that use fuel not taxed at source (i.e. diesel fuel) are generally in this RUC type.

RUC purchases all RUC types

110 New Zealand Trucking

February 2022

The top eight RUC type purchases, other than type 1 in descending order RUC Type Description 2

Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle

6

Powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles)

43

Unpowered vehicles with four axles

14

Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 or type 499 vehicles)

951

Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles

H94

Towing vehicle that is part of an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a type 14 RUC vehicle towing a type 951 RUC vehicle with a permit weight of not more than 50,000kg

33

Unpowered vehicles with three twin-tyred, or single large-tyred, close axles (except vehicle type 939)

408

Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of a combination vehicle with a total of at least eight axles

By comparing distance purchased during 2021 with previous years’, trends in changes to activity by RUC type vehicles will become clear.

Average monthly RUC purchases by year (all RUC types)

RUC distance purchased year to date for selected RUC types

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 111

INCOMING CARGO

Tanks mounted over the rear of the chassis for transportation purposes.

HYUNDAI’S

HYDROGEN HEAVY IS HERE Story by Gavin Myers and Carl Kirkbeck

It’s a reflection of New Zealand’s commitment to alternative fuels that our tiny market has the distinction of being just the third, after Switzerland and Hyundai’s homeland of South Korea, to get the hydrogen-powered Hyundai Xcient FCEV. We got to see it up close and learn of Hyundai’s plans.

F

or the past 22 years, Hyundai has invested in and developed its hydrogen technology and roadmap-to-the-future portfolio of environmentally friendly vehicle solutions.

Since 1998, it has invested more than US$9.8 billion (about $14.5 billion) in technology, talent, design and business partnerships.

The result has been numerous battery and hydrogen fuel-cell-powered electric vehicles across its passenger car and commercial vehicle range. The company’s first commercially available truck is this, the Xcient FCEV. Andy Sinclair, CEO of Hyundai Motors New Zealand, says Hyundai has

decided to start its largescale commercialisation of hydrogen vehicles with commercial vehicles. Hyundai plans to be the first global manufacturer to apply fuelcell technology across all its commercial vehicles by 2028, he says.

“These are large emitters of CO2. Hyundai believes using hydrogen and electric vehicles across all forms of transport will make the biggest impact in the shortest time. Vehicles move more freight and cargo than they do people, so by concentrating on vehicles that carry freight or move lots of people at once, we can do the most good in the shortest

Photos by Carl Kirkbeck

time as the technology continues to evolve.

“In New Zealand, heavy transport makes up 4% of the national fleet and is responsible for 25% of transport emissions, so for us, it’s a great place to start,” Sinclair says. “We will partner with other businesses that share a similar vision and help accelerate the uptake of FCEV technology in New Zealand.”

To make the trial happen, Hyundai New Zealand has partnered with EECA and the New Zealand Hydrogen Council.

In April 2022, five Xcient FCEVs will likely be in service.

Nexo passenger car, just upscaled for commercial output (180kW total).

Behind tanks in between the chassis rails is the highoutput 350kW, 2237Nm electric motor. Young says a direct conversion would place it equivalent to a 470hp truck. “However, power delivery is totally linear and very different to diesel.” It drives a six-speed Allison automatic transmission and a conventional differential.

Either side of the chassis sits the high-voltage 72kWh battery pack (consisting of three batteries), weighing roughly 220kg. Again, these batteries are about the same size as those for an EV. In the FCEV, the batteries are used to collect surplus energy from the fuel cell and regenerative braking (see sidebar).

Compressed air for the trucks’ suspension and brake systems is supplied by an auxiliary air compressor, while conventional 24V batteries take care of the usual electrical needs. These are charged by the high-voltage system though low-voltage DC converters.

An engine? No, the hydrogen fuel-cell stack.

How does it go?

The electric motor is paired with a six-speed Allison autobox.

Hyundai will kick off the programme with Swiss-spec trucks, converted to New Zealand spec. “It’s our full intention to commercialise hydrogen trucks in New Zealand following the trial,” Sinclair adds.

How does it work?

This trial could run for as long as eight to 10 years, says Grant Doull, hydrogen and eco-commercial vehicles manager at Hyundai New Zealand. “We’ll be looking at data for several years to come. Initial learnings from overseas show that maintenance costs are significantly less and

maintenance schedules are few, compared with diesel vehicles.”

Doull says that hydrogen is “really the only option for heavy transport, with very fast refuelling, good range and comparatively lightweight (compared with battery electric vehicles) – meaning there’s space for more payload”.

Gavin Young, technical manager at Hyundai New Zealand, adds that it is a great energy carrier once hydrogen is extracted and stored. “It can be used as an energy source and a fuel due to its high energy content based on its weight.”

Like all internal combustion vehicles, all hydrogen FCEVs share the same basic components. The most noticeable are the tanks – seven on the Xcient positioned vertically behind the cab. These hold 31kg of hydrogen at 350 bar. Young explains that there is a series of systems and fail-safes to monitor for leaks. “As soon as a leak is detected, the system will shut down and alert the driver.”

Directly below the cab, where a diesel engine would go, are the two 90kW fuel-cell stacks. These are approximately the same size and output as a Hyundai

The Swiss-spec Xcients are a typical Euro-type rigid configuration – that is, 6x2 with a steering rear tag axle.

As they stand, a 28,000kg GVM and 42,000kg GCM are the workable numbers, though in New Zealand, these figures will be lower due to local road regulations.

“This is a seriously heavyduty truck,” says Doull. “It has an awful lot of power. As it sits, there is the potential to go on-road at 39 tonnes combined mass.”

Different body configurations will be available, depending on the customer trialling the individual trucks. Doull says Hyundai New Zealand is targeting the freight sector for its high mileage and usage.

The 31kg of hydrogen gives

New Zealand Trucking

February 2022 113

CREATING ENERGY FROM HYDROGEN

A

s detailed in the main story, FCEVs require certain components to work together to create, store and convert electrical energy into kinetic energy.

The fuel cell is the heart of any FCEV. It generates electricity through an electrochemical reaction involving hydrogen and oxygen.

There is no combustion.

“Fuel-cell stacks feature a collection of up to 400 waferthin fuel-cell plates stacked together. Any size of fuel cell can produce an electrical current – one fuel cell can generate 1V of electricity,” says Young.

A single fuel cell is composed of an anode and cathode separated by a proton-exchange membrane.

Hydrogen gas enters on the negative anode side, where the negatively charged electron of the hydrogen molecule separates, forced through the circuit to create the electricity to power the motor or be stored in the lithium-polymer battery. The positive hydrogen proton moves through the membrane to the positive cathode, where it recombines with the electron and added oxygen from the ambient air, creating water molecules and vapour. These are the only by-products of the process.

“There are no moving parts or combustion – just reliable, safe, silent operation,” Young says.

In the Xcient, the batteries act as a buffer to ensure a constant electricity supply to the motor. They’re kept charged up by the fuel cell and the regenerative braking effect of the motor.

“The systems are modular; for more power, add more stacks; for more range, add more tanks,” says Young.

Xcient FCEV gets some differentiating aesthetic treatment. the Xcient FCEV a claimed 400km range, meaning it could do Auckland to Palmerston North in one trip.

Hyundai claims refuelling time at eight to 20 minutes.

“They’re very quietrunning and vibration- and emission-free… 50-tonnes of CO2 will be saved per unit per year on 80,000km of use.”

After the formalities, we were able to look over the Xcient FCEV, but unfortunately not drive it yet.

At first glance, we could not help but be reacquainted with our previous excellent experiences with the Xcient – our September 2019 test unit, operated by Corey and Mel Randall out of Napier on

their PBT contract, and the big yellow February 2021 Top Truck of Foodstuffs contractors Bruce and Linda Hornell.

Stepping up into the cab and getting comfy in the hot seat, the well-appointed environs are extremely familiar. But things become a little more intriguing and foreign when you look at the carbon fibre-reinforced hydrogen fuel tanks bolted to the chassis and the extensive plumbing and layout of electrical components between the rails.

Just how revolutionary this technology is to the transport industry became more vividly apparent when

Young jumped into the cab, activated the electrons, and drove the virtually silent Xcient in front of the delegation.

There certainly were a few raised eyebrows and excited smiles, probably akin to the facial expressions of the crowd that had gathered to witness the live trials of engineer Robert Stephenson’s mighty Rocket locomotive in 1829.

We certainly were left asking ourselves: have we just witnessed a similar event? One thing is for sure, this Hyundai New Zealand trial of the Xcient FCEV will profoundly impact how future transportation is executed.

And so it begins. Right: The seven carbon fibre tanks hold 31kg of hydrogen at 350 bar.

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T

he technology and quality of Vipal Rubber products have conquered more and more transport operators from all continents, and in New Zealand, it’s no different. The safety, durability, and cost reduction offered by the brand’s products have led to major gains for New Zealand fleets.

The leader in Latin America and one of the main manufacturers of products

for tyre retreading in the world, Vipal has a complete lineup of treads for all roads surfaces and applications.

With exclusive tread designs and high-quality rubber compounds, Vipal treads also bring innovations such as the Eye Control technology (New Zealand Trucking, November 2021), which indicates the tread-wear status and the suggested time for tyre removal, allowing for greater safety and protecting the

tyre’s retreadabilty.

One of Vipal’s retreading partners, located in the South Island, has proven the durability and strength of Vipal treads through detailed testing on an Iveco Powerstar 6-wheeler running 295/80 R22.5 tyres retreaded with the Vipal VT540 tread.

After covering 45,317km, the VT540 tread presented a 4.2% higher result when tested on the same truck with retreaded tyres of the same

Caption

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KNOWING YOUR RETREADS

size and similar tread design from one of the main market rivals.

The VT540 tread was also tested against another very efficient tread from Vipal, the VT500 and exceeded the latter by more than 10,000km until reaching the minimum tread depth for safety as indicated by tread-wear indicators. The VT540 covered 103,833km until reaching a tread depth of about 2.5mm, while the VT500 reached mileage of 92,089km until reaching about 2.5mm tread depth.

The VT540 is a tread with outstanding traction power, suitable for all New Zealand road conditions, including

regional roads, mixed surfaces and on/off-road applications. The design has features that allow the tread to be self-cleaning in mud and sand, and reduces stone build-up, maintaining the traction and safety of trucks on any ground or in any climate. Its design is non-directional for easy fitting with 22mm of tread depth.

The VT540 is equipped with Eye Control technology and has the Alpine Symbol, or 3PMSF marking, that certifies when the tyre is designed for severe snow conditions. To earn this qualification, the treads underwent rigorous testing

at a laboratory in Finland accredited by the European authorities, according to standard ECE R117. In Europe, all tyres, including retreaded tyres, must have this certification.

For Dijan Rigo, Vipal’s commercial coordinator in the Oceana region, the VT540 proved its superior quality and durability compared with treads from competing brands. In addition, he also commented on the comparison between Vipal’s treads, confirming that both VT540 and VT500 are great options for transport operators.

“These are two designs

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that have the characteristic of facing any terrain and climate situation. Especially for the South Island, where winter conditions generate a lot of snow and mud on the roads, both products offer the necessary security for the fleets,” said Rigo.

“Retreading tyres with quality treads such as those from Vipal Rubber still provides a considerable reduction in costs to the transport industry, in addition to reducing the volume of new tyres put on New Zealand’s roads and highways, a factor that favours the environment and the circular economy.”

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CARRIERS’ CORNER

SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS TO LONG-TERM PROBLEMS I’m sure I’m not alone in my frustration and disbelief at what seems like the permanent disposition of our public leaders to constantly underwhelm in the delivery (or frequently severely delayed delivery) of what should be long-term assets for our country.

W

hy are we fixated on applying short-term fixes to current issues rather than taking that courageous deep-dive and getting to the crux of what will genuinely deliver longterm benefit for our communities?

Roading and transport-related infrastructure is an obvious choice for me to discuss, given the nature of this publication and my own livelihood.

However, think for a minute how great it would be if we could ringfence the current short-sightedness concerning transport infrastructure. Unfortunately, we’d have to overlook hospitals, schools, and the chronic housing supply for a start, and before long, we’d have a lengthy list. And how will we address the (stable) supply of electricity required to power our electric future without remaining reliant on that convenient supply of coal Indonesia’s so happy to keep us stocked up on?

Returning to the subject of transport… there appears a giant chasm between concept and reality, or government agency and government itself. There is no better example of this than in my own neck of the woods (Warkworth, north of Auckland), where we have a glaring example of this about to hit us head-on (hopefully, not literally). By the middle of this year, all going to plan, the NX2 Puhoi to Warkworth motorway will open, bringing with it a modern, four-lane expressway designed with the best intentions and safety in mind, albeit without any provision for a truck/ trailer combination to stop safely. This section will be superb, and I excitedly look forward to the benefits the road will bring from a transit time and efficiency perspective.

What I’m not looking forward to,

118 New Zealand Trucking

however, is the fact that the next section of this NX2 project, cutely coined the ‘Holiday Highway’ (belittling the immense economic value traversing its asphalt daily to/from Northland), and having become somewhat of a political pawn, remains but a glimmer in a transport planner’s eye. The current government put the kybosh on the project early in its tenure. In the past four weeks alone, this Dome Valley section of State Highway 1 has been closed no less than four times due to major traffic accidents, grinding to a halt any big vehicles. But of greater concern is the carnage likely about to rear its head as Joe Public leaves the confines of the soon-to-be-opened first section of NX2 and finds his way onto what can politely be described as a glorified goat track.

Given the immense infrastructure, skill, personnel, and general resource in place in completing the current section of the expressway, surely there’s never going to be a more logical, cost-effective, or safe time to box on and finish the road in its entirety? But why deprive us of the opportunity to battle the road out politically and legally and add a casual 10-year delay (at best) into the mix?

I ask the questions, ‘Why must we always be playing catchup?’ And not

Dec 2021 2022 February / Jan 2022

by weeks or months, but years and decades?

Elsewhere, we see a mass media campaign (including what sure sounds a lot like the fictitious use of a ‘truck driver’ to add some substance to the message) to reduce speed limits en masse to magically solve a safety issue within our roading network, particularly pronounced on the likes of the well-trodden stretch of SH5 joining Napier and Taupo. It seems almost unfathomable that, rather than get to the heart of the issue and take a long-term approach to resolving the construction and format of a key national highway, the powers that be instead opt for the most underwhelming of techniques to try and bring the nation to a halt in the hope of preventing the need to fix the underlying issue.

As if New Zealand’s productivity needed a further helping hand to slow it down, taking a 20% haircut off the speed limit is a sure-fire way to give it a sturdy shove in the wrong direction!

To my mind, it’s time for us to take key infrastructure beyond the realms of political chess and apply truly long-term thinking to long-term assets without fear of the next incoming council or government being able to take its eraser to the plan and wipe projects carte blanche, replacing them with poorly constructed pet projects (the Auckland Harbour Bridge cycleway ‘dream’ comes to mind).

As a nation, we simply can’t prosper without truly visionary leadership from leaders prepared to make courageous plans, with both the strength and support to execute them… now!

Do you agree with Blake or want to engage with his comment? He’d love to hear from you.

Contact Blake at: blake@transcon.co.nz.

Blake Noble, managing director, Transcon

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

A CHALLENGE FOR SUCCESS

5

Here are some simple tips for setting challengingyet-achievable goals for yourself in 2022.

•

•

A

•

s each new year begins, we often feel full of hope, promise and ham. Naturally, we want to embrace this renewed energy and enthusiasm and aim it towards what we would like to achieve in the next 365 days. But I think it’s also important to be realistic and to avoid the temptation of setting lofty goals that will inevitably leave us feeling disheartened and disappointed.

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1. Is it important to YOU? Before you set a goal, you need to establish who you are doing it for. If you are trying to lose weight or get healthier to please others, you are already on the back foot. Being ‘forced’ into a healthy lifestyle already has negative connotations and will encourage the desire to rebel and go against what everyone else wants you to do.

Whereas, if you set a goal knowing from the outset that you are doing it largely for yourself and what you think is best for you and your happiness, you are setting yourself up for success.

or anything in between – you need to be honest with yourself about how realistic it is for you to achieve. Things you need to keep in mind include other commitments, timeframe, lifestyle, family life and work schedule.

I’m not discouraging dreaming big and setting yourself amazing challenges. But you do need to weigh up your current workload and what is already on your plate and whether you can realistically tackle another big undertaking.

2. Is your goal measurable?

4. Do you have a good support network?

The vaguer you are in setting your goal, the more difficult it will be for you to know if you’ve achieved it or not. Telling yourself you will ‘get fit’ this year is extremely vague. What being fit means to you may be entirely different to what being fit means to others. It is all relative.

For example, if Susan is already running 5km comfortably and by the end of the year is running 7km comfortably, that is a small achievement. But if Sally has never run a day in her life and is running 7km comfortably by the end of the year, that is a sizeable achievement.

So you have to be realistic about where you are currently and where you would like to realistically see yourself in a year – be specific.

Typically, if you set yourself a personal goal, it is mostly up to you to put in the work to achieve it. But as the saying goes, ‘It takes an army’. When you are under pressure, stress or time constraints, it can directly impact your nearest and dearest so, in turn, it becomes their journey too.

It would help immensely if you had the support and encouragement of partners, friends and family to aid you along the way and push you through the more challenging days. I can say that my loved ones got me through many of my endurance events both on event day and in the months of training leading up to the event. Make sure you share the ins and outs of your goal and give your loved ones a good understanding of where you are and where you’re headed (unless, of course, it is a private and personal journey).

3. Is your goal realistic?

Whenever you’re setting a goal, whether it be about your health and fitness, career

120 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 2022 February / Jan 2022

5. Celebrate your successes and achievements It seems to be the Kiwi way to downplay our achievements. There’s nothing wrong with being humble, but it is also very important to celebrate personal progress and successes. It’s very easy to set a goal, achieve it and then think, ‘what’s next?’ without properly celebrating the fact that you’ve reached your first milestone.

Setting mini-milestone goals is also important because it keeps you excited and encouraged along the way, especially if your goal is fairly lofty. For example, if you set yourself the purpose of running a half marathon, make sure to pat yourself on the back when you’ve done a 10km run – you’re halfway, and that’s awesome.

Dare to try something new, challenge yourself and get outside of your comfort zone. I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

WHAT WILL THE YEAR BRING? The new year is here at last. This time last year, we were happily looking forward to 2021, thinking it could not be a more challenging year than 2020. What will 2022 look like?

I

’ve been listening to and reading a lot of expert opinions. The consensus is that 2022 will also likely be a roller coaster year with more uncertainty.

We are getting better at managing uncertainty, but it can still surprise us.

What can we do to prepare?

This is a good time to review how things went last year, with wider work issues and with the impacts of Covid19. Some of the things to consider will include: How did you know what was happening? Was one person in the team delegated with keeping abreast of the information, reviewing it, deciding what was relevant, and sharing it with those who needed to know?

How did you remain in contact with your team? How did you keep them

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informed, how did you maintain morale and the team ethos?

How well prepared were you with the resources you needed? This might include the equipment required to work from home, internet connections, and items that were hard to get during the lockdowns.

How did you cope when products you needed weren’t available?

How did you communicate with your customers?

Reviewing what went well and what didn’t will enable you to face the year with more confidence. In my workplace, after the first lockdown in 2020, we identified who needed what equipment and listed it. The list was updated when staff left or started so that it was current.

This meant that, when we went into lockdown with a few hours’ notice, we could adapt very quickly.

We also agreed on a time when we would all meet virtually and what platform that would take. Occasionally, someone missed a meeting, but they had to be in touch with one of the team, so we knew they were okay.

Reviewing, planning and preparation are the keys to making uncertainty less traumatic. It’s sensible to start early.

Tracey Murphy is the owner and director of Safewise Ltd, a health and safety consultancy. She has more than 12 years’ experience working with organisations from many different industries.

Tracey holds a diploma in health and safety management and a graduate diploma in occupational safety and health. She is a professional member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and is on the HASANZ register.

How can Safewise help?

We work with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge or more time to address these issues than they have in-house. We also have free Covid-19 resources available.

For more information, check the website safewise.co.nz.

3:12:58 PM

Danielle L. Beston Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: 64 9 379 7658 mobile: 021 326 642 danielle.beston@hobsonchambers.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

122 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 2022 February / Jan 2022

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LEGAL LINES

COVID-19 AND THE WORKPLACE New Zealand has now moved to the Covid-19 Protection Framework, otherwise known as the traffic light system.

Given this change, I thought it timely to provide general guidance for businesses and their employees about employment rights and responsibilities in the current Covid19 workplace environment.

T

he key concept is that employment and health and safety laws still apply in the traffic light system. Employers cannot reduce their employees’ legal minimum employment rights. This includes the minimum wage, annual and sick leave and a written employment agreement. Contractual rights as agreed in employment agreements still apply.

Contractual rights are those that have been negotiated, such as for better leave or pay.

Employers and employees need to work together to contain the spread of Covid-19 and keep each other safe. That means that the normal obligations to act in good faith, be open, honest and communicative with each other are more important than ever.

Varying working arrangements An employer cannot unilaterally alter employees’ terms and conditions of employment. If there is an existing employment agreement, an employer can only change it if the employee agrees.

An employer may want to change to an employee’s employment arrangements due to their financial circumstances.

When making changes to their terms and conditions of employment, including redundancy or reduced hours or wages, an employer must follow certain processes which include: • Undertaking a ‘workplace change’ process. Employers must consider other options first and follow a fair and proper process. This includes consulting with employees and their union (if there is one).

• Paying redundancy compensation if it’s noted in the employee’s employment agreement or has been negotiated with the employee and

124 New Zealand Trucking

agreed by both parties.

• Recording in writing any agreed changes to the terms and conditions of employment.

Returning to the workplace Employers need to consider public health guidance from the Ministry of Health and assess whether work performed by their business is covered under the current Government Public Health order. The general rule is: if the traffic light setting you are in allows it, and in the absence of an agreement to alternative working arrangements, the employer can require employees to return to the workplace.

Employers should discuss any return to work with their employees in good faith first. The return must be subject to conditions, such as the employer following health and safety rules and any agreements that were made between the parties.

Unvaccinated workers Businesses cannot require any individual to be vaccinated. But they can require that certain types of work, roles or positions must only be done by vaccinated workers if there is a high risk of contracting and transmitting Covid-19 to others. To do so, businesses must do a proper risk assessment to determine this. Government Public Health Orders can also require that certain types of work must be done by vaccinated

Dec 2021 2022 February / Jan 2022

workers, such as border workers, health and disability sector workers and certain workers in the education sector.

Annual leave An employer can only require an employee to take annual leave if the employee agrees to it after a discussion in good faith. If the parties cannot reach an agreement, the employer can decide when annual leave will be taken, if they give their employee at least 14 days’ notice. An employer can agree to a request for advanced annual leave, but they don’t have to, and an employer cannot force or make an employee take advanced annual leave. An employer cannot make an employee take sick leave unless they are sick.

Employees & self-isolation If a worker is sick with Covid-19 or required to self-isolate, the first consideration for an employer should be to look after their workers, contain Covid19 and protect public health. Employers should not knowingly allow workers to come to a workplace when they are sick with Covid-19 or required to self-isolate under public health guidelines. If they do, they are likely to be in breach of their duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

Employers and employees can access the Covid-19 financial support tool at covid19.govt.nz to see what support they are eligible for if their work is impacted

by Covid-19. Employees can also contact the Ministry of Social Development via the Work and Income website if, for example, they have been made redundant or are in financial distress.

The Employment New Zealand website is updated regularly with the latest Covid19 information, and further guidance can be found at employment.govt.nz.

Please note that this article is not a substitute for legal advice, and if you have a particular matter that needs to be addressed, you should consult a lawyer.

Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law.

Contact her on (09) 379 7658 or 021 326 642

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Carol McGeady general manager NZ Trucking Association

IT’S 2022

– LET’S GET STARTED!

I

n the two years since Covid-19 hit our shores, we have had to reimage, restructure, and roll with constant alert-level changes and health rules.

And those that own and run a business have also had to manage and implement all those changes, counsel staff, and create a business culture that can still be productive while this pandemic shows no signs of ending any time soon.

Meanwhile, workplace accidents are still happening. Truck drivers and staff are fatigued, and the ongoing mental health and wellbeing of staff is concerning.

While the pandemic carries on, we must not lose sight that everyone you employ must get home safely after work.

A new year is a great time to review your workplace health and safety plans.

According to WorkSafe NZ, in 2021, nine people died while at work, there were 159 injuries, illness, and serious harm incidents, and 2340 people had injuries that required them to have more than one week off work.

These figures are eyewatering. The statistics represent valued staff members, friends or key people who went to work and either never came home or suffered a major injury or illness that will probably affect them for the rest of their lives. The sad part is the incident that caused it was probably preventable.

Ensuring health and safety by good

work design is essential to maintaining your safety record. Things such as workflow, broken equipment, or people doing the wrong job can all contribute to bad work design. This can cause stress and – potentially – accidents. Creating a culture where staff are involved in the decision-making on how to make a business safe is a way you can engage and encourage ideas. Reporting nearmisses is not enough. You must think outside the square and work through a couple of possible scenarios if things go wrong. Look for situations with the potential to cause injury. Engage with your team and get their ideas on how workflows can be improved.

A good dispatcher knows and understands the drivers and the end customer’s expectations. If they make a mistake, it impacts on all parties. Drivers and customers can get very frustrated with schedules at times. So, a close watch on this aspect of your business is vital. Getting the drivers and dispatchers together to discuss ways of improving the workflow is a great way to start. A minor change in the schedule can sometimes be easy to implement and can have a massively improved safety outcome for everyone.

One company told us they had not realised the danger they put kids in while they did normal deliveries past a

school when all the kids were leaving.

Once the school and company engaged, a new route was established to avoid peak times when kids were around. This turned out to be more productive for the company and meant that the trucks arrived back at the depot on time. There had been several near-misses with children crossing the road in front of the trucks, so it was only a matter of time, and someone would have been injured or killed. This situation was mitigated due to an old-fashion conversation.

We have also been told by one of our members that once they engaged with their staff and encouraged ideas on how to improve things, it changed the company’s culture. The staff took ownership of the needed changes to create a safer working environment and the company was more productive.

No employer wants to go to their employee’s family and tell them their father/mother/daughter/son is not coming home because the accident resulted from their company’s bad work design.

So, get your teams together and have the conversations now. Ask them to tell you what they think. You can even do it anonymously. Remember to make sure you share the ideas to get feedback from the wider group.

Once they engaged with their staff and encouraged ideas on how to improve things, it changed the company’s culture.

126 New Zealand Trucking

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THE WAIT CONTINUES FOR TRANSMISSION GULLY

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he words “Transmission Gully” once meant a promising solution to Wellington’s squeezed northern corridor. They are now the bywords of failure. When uttered at this year’s summer barbecues, they elicit a knowing shake of the head from Wellingtonians used to years of bad news about the project.

Transporting New Zealand attended a meeting before Christmas where Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised us, before it hit the media, that Transmission Gully would not open in time for Christmas. We were told that the builder contracted to deliver the Transmission Gully project ran out of time to complete all of the compliance tasks necessary to have the road open.

Out of the 100 safety and quality assurance tests that need to be met before the road can safely and legally open, only 34 had been accepted by the independent reviewer as meeting the required specifications before Christmas. We were also informed that as at 3 December 2021, only 17 of the 45 consent tasks that needed to be fulfilled for the road to open also had been achieved.

Reports of flawed chipseal, ‘flushing’, and water seepage through the road’s surface are also of major concern.

Repairs over the past few months have apparently been unsuccessful, which indicates that the long-term resilience of the road is, at best, uncertain. Flushing is a serious safety hazard as it results in a smooth and sticky surface texture due to an excess of bitumen, which can become very slippery in wet conditions.

None of this was any surprise to us at Transporting New Zealand. If I’m not mistaken, the latest delay was the fifth projected opening date that has come and gone. Pretty much as soon as the building of the route began, rumours, many of which were later confirmed, started circling of issues between Waka

128 New Zealand Trucking

Kotahi, the Greater Wellington Regional Council, the Wellington Gateway Partnership and the road builders, CPB HEB. Scepticism the budget would be adequate and the programme realistic was largely born from Waka Kotahi having to pour at least another $400 million in on top of the initial $850 million estimate.

From the start, Transmission Gully suffered from a classic case of overpromising a world-class road on a significantly less than world-class budget. The previous government can take a good deal of responsibility for that. However, it is also obvious that the present government is a reluctant inheritor of the project and sees itself as having little political skin in the game.

government institutions prove that we do not have the bureaucratic competence or political steadiness to effectively manage big transport projects. This is a massive problem, not only for our sector but for the whole economy, because we desperately need a lot more modern infrastructure to satisfy the growing demand for the movement of people and freight.

The fact that Transmission Gully will at least one day be open, unlike the mythical East-West Link, is, I guess, some comfort to Wellingtonians and the lower North Island freight sector.

At this point, it is natural to want to cut corners to get the road open, but we want, and deserve, for it to be as safe

From the start, Transmission Gully suffered from a classic case of over-promising a world-class road on a significantly less than world-class budget.

Ministers and even local Labour MPs have stayed pretty quiet on the whole debacle, except to criticise National over the public-private-partnership model that Labour ideologically opposes. In some ways, the more the project falls behind, the more they can hold it up as a failure of the private sector in infrastructure provision.

Depressingly, Transmission Gully is just the headline act in a series of nationally significant strategic roading projects beset with problems. North Island transport operators will remember the emergency repairs needed to the Kapiti and Waikato expressways not long after opening due to road surface and subsidence problems. Then, of course, there are the much-needed new roads that, despite going through expensive planning and consenting processes, have never even see the light of day – most notably the East-West Link in Auckland.

Unfortunately, time and time again our

Dec 2021 2022 February / Jan 2022

and as durable as possible. For now, we will just have to wait a little longer, put up with the appalling traffic on the coastal route, and complain about it over those barbecues.

Finally, just a reminder to operators that as of 1 February, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is imposing a new condition for all heavy-vehicle permit applications that the operator must be in full compliance with their RUC obligations. This means that transport operators must keep up with their RUC payments to make sure future permit applications are not declined, the permitted period shortened or the permit revoked.

No additional charges are being imposed on operators through this policy change; it is just part of Waka Kotahi’s push to make sure all eligible road users are paying their fair share. For operators already paying the correct amount of RUC, nothing will change.

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THE MODERN TRANSPORT GROUP

THE LAST MILE

WAS IT BAD TIMING, BAD PLANNING OR JUST WISHFUL THINKING?

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n terms of industry representation, the 8 October 2021 press release from Transporting New Zealand, headed “Can someone steer the ship?” nicely sums up the events of the previous couple of weeks. The first line, “It’s starting to feel like we are on a rudderless ship drifting further and further away from the rest of the world,” fits perfectly.

The writer of that release seems unaware that the only way to drift in a ship is when you lose power to its engines. Rudders only set the direction and are useless unless there is forward or rearward momentum. That’s why you must look after the engines and the people who make them work. In the transport world, the engines are the industry associations, and they are broke and in need of a major overhaul. Changing the engineer’s name does not fix the fundamental cause of the engines failing to provide the necessary momentum.

As already noted by New Zealand Trucking’s Dave McCoid, on the eve of Tony Friedlander’s retirement in 2010, the thenCEO of the Road Transport Forum said: “The forum has tried to merge trucking associations” and that he saw the failure to do this as his “greatest failure as CEO, but the objective remains”.

In his presentation, Tony also said that it was “not hard to design structure” but warned that implementation would not be easy and cited fiefdoms, parochial interests and personalities as barriers that had to be overcome. He asked this question: “Do the leaders have the courage?” Events last year suggest they don’t. Eleven years on, and we see the divide between the

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And the roads?

Despite its financial woes, the New Zealand Transport Agency was able to find enough money for somebody to turn on the lights and come to the realisation that the income they get from fuel tax is drying up and, unless an alternative funding source is found, there would be less money available to spend on new roads and road maintenance and safety.

Perhaps the exemptions given to electric vehicles from paying road-user charges has something to do with it. So, too, maybe the blind obsession with creating dedicated cycle and walking ways in the forlorn hope that people will use these as ways of getting around instead of cars, vans, and trucks.

Despite this problem being obvious for some time, at last they have seen the light and are now reviewing the situation to identify a more equitable system.

Memo to the NZTA: what is wrong with the electronic options now available to purchase RuC? I am sure the providers of these systems would only be too pleased to demonstrate how these could work across a wider range of vehicles. But then we should never forget that any fool can make a system more complicated – it takes a brave person and a lot of courage to do the opposite. Unfortunately, that may be the direction we head towards – a more complicated system.

industry associations is even greater now than it was back in Tony’s day – which I suppose proves that rudders work even when going backwards.

After the announcements were made, and as to be expected, the spin took over. Transporting NZ came out and said that it still represented the interest of four of the five industry associations – regions 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Road Transport Association (RTA).

This is a curious statement given that, until recently, the Road Transport Forum was claiming to represent the three industry associations in the country – the National Road Carriers (NRC), the RTA and the NZ Trucking Association (NZT). But, suddenly, NRC and NZT are now only one organisation, the Owner Carriers Association of New Zealand (OCANZ). NRC and NZT have been joined at the hip for many years through OCANZ, so why OCANZ should suddenly become identified as a single representative organisation beats me.

While this was going on, OCANZ was saying that between them, NRC and NZT have 64% of the membership of organisations. If this is so, it is hard to see how Transporting NZ and RTA can survive. No doubt there will be some wellmeaning attempts at member poaching, but it is hard to see how this will achieve long-term benefits for the industry. Only by presenting a single united front to the government will the industry receive the recognition and credibility it deserves. To pick up on another of Tony’s comments from 2010, beware of trinket salesmen.

I do not know who decided to rebrand the forum nor why this went ahead when it did, considering what was smouldering away in the background, but it is fair to say somebody did not read the room. If there are repercussions for what happened, it remains to be seen where this leads and, most importantly, who ends up leading it. Maybe it will be the members who will ultimately decide.

The Accidental Trucker

130 New Zealand Trucking

DecFebruary 2021 / Jan 2022 2022

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