New Zealand Trucking March 2020

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CONTENTS

EDITOR

Dave McCoid ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers

Ph: 027 492 5601 Email: editor@nztrucking.co.nz Ph: 027 660 6608 Email: gavin@nztrucking.com

For all advertising enquiries for NZ Trucking magazine and Truck Trader contact: Matt Smith

Ph: 021 510 701 Email: matt@nztrucking.co.nz

Pav Warren

Ph: 027 201 4001 Email: pav@nztrucking.co.nz

SUB EDITOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

Faye Lougher Craig Andrews Carl Kirkbeck Faye Lougher Craig McCauley Jacqui Madelin Niels Jansen (Europe) Howard Shanks (Australia) Will Shiers (UK) Paul O’Callaghan PRODUCTION MANAGER

Georgi George

Long Haul Publications Ltd OFFICE

Long Haul Publications Ltd PO Box 35 Thames 3500 511 Queen St Thames 3500

Ricky Harris ART DIRECTOR

John Berkley DIGITAL IMAGING

Willie Coyle

DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

38

the rest 06

Editorial

73

08

Road Noise – Industry news

Safety MAN Update

74

New Rigs

50

Top Truck – Swedish potion

76

New Bodies and Trailers

54

Just Truckin’ Around

78

Little Truckers’ Club /Mini Big Rigs

56

Traton-ator – whole new MAN

80

What’s on/Cartoon

70

Aussie Angles – Clarendon forever

Louise Stowell

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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EDITORIAL

Ice with interest

A

fter a prolonged and intense drought period in the North Island, we waited with bated breath for much-needed rain on the back of Dan the weatherman and his colleagues forecasting the arrival of two fronts towards the end of February.

The NZTA instantly released a PR on the risks of ‘summer ice’ in the regions where the rain was predicted. ‘Summer ice’ is the trending term – you have to have a label – for the age-old situation where a road that’s been hot and dry for a prolonged period will become slick with the first rain. It was always particularly nasty where the road was well worn and suffered melt in the extremes of summer. Roads affected in this way were probably slightly more common than finding black ice in winter. Now, finding a road that’s not affected by summer melt, garnished with a mirror-like sheen, is probably impossible.

I would imagine the thought of the first real rains hitting sometime in the next month or two is sending those responsible for the current highway network catastrophe running for the panic room. Giving the catastrophe a label, and getting your poor messengers to send out warnings that infer any mishap is down to the road user’s lack of ability or awareness in no way exonerates you, the provider, who is protected by law, from culpability.

Looking at other interesting things there was a neat opinion piece online this week about low interest rates being the new norm and why.

Essentially, the rise of technology has levelled the world’s commercial playing field on as many fronts as you’d care to contemplate, making participation and entry easy, and severely hampering one’s ability to crank up a margin.

Reduced margins mean reduced deposit interest and reduced interest on loans because there’s not the money to pay them off, and the money market is just another competitive circus in all reality. It also means the search expands rapidly for the golden goose and investors pour gazillions into the next big thing, allowing the next big thing to become just that. And at very low cost to the entrepreneur, as investors have a low initial dividend expectation – if any at all – for a period. You don’t

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

have to look too far on the global truck manufacturing stage to see that happening – endless capital; as yet nothing tangible delivered. There was a time you had to build a railroad, a ship, a building, a significant contribution of some kind to be a millionaire; now all you need is a PowerPoint presentation and some dancing girls.

It’s great for trucking. Why? Well, we’ve been operating in an ultra-low margin business since wheels were connected to a deck for all the same reasons: ease of entry, lack of required qualifications, and easily available tech. As a consequence, a broad pool of participants emerged hell-bent on running over their own toes in order to fend off competition. The trouble for us has been that the majority of commerce was not subject to a great unwashed of competition, and so interest rates were higher. That made life hellishly tough for us for many years.

Now everyone’s arrived on our doorstep. Welcome to our marginal world.

Looking ahead, it hasn’t stopped yet either. Tech is only going to get smaller, faster, and cleverer, and things like blockchain haven’t even begun to reveal their true selves. For the first time in history we may actually be looking at a future where a significant proportion of the global workload is being done 24/7 and people-free.

But that won’t be trucking, and trucking’s running out of people. We’re nowhere near really solving that one, and nowhere near extracting drivers from cabs. Oh my goodness, what an irony it would be, that a brief window of time may be in view where trucking is responsible for a significantly inflationary effect on the economy.

If you want to read the article: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/119579841/ why-low-interest-rates-are-here-to-stay-and-what-that-meansfor-savers-and-borrowers

Dave McCoid Editor

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

CablePrice named as South Island partner for Daimler Trucks The face of CablePrice in the South Island is changing, as the brand takes on a new mandate from Daimler Trucks and Fuso New Zealand to represent their Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner and Fuso brands respectively.

From 1 April, CablePrice will be authorised to sell and service the full range of Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Fuso trucks through an established dealer network spread across Christchurch, Invercargill and Greymouth. At the same time, Prestige Commercial Vehicles (PCV) will end its representation of the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands.

The move is big news for all concerned. CablePrice chairman David Harvey said this was a time of exciting growth for the company’s commercial vehicle and heavy machinery business.

“The strength of CablePrice comes from delivering the highest level of after-sales service and assistance to our customers who buy and use the world’s leading brands and products. The strength of our network and reputation has given us these fantastic opportunities.”

Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead said CablePrice was excited to have such a well-established and reputable network partner represent its Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

Mercedes-Benz and Fuso, now at a South Island CablePrice dealership near you!

in the South Island. “This is a massive win for our customers, who can expect the best sales, service and support from an operation that has more than 65 years of experience servicing the heavy transport industry in the South Island.”

He says the improved South Island representation comes at a great time for Daimler Trucks, with the expected arrivals of the improved MercedesBenz Actros and all-new Freightliner

Cascadia in the coming months.

“It is wonderful to be able to support these ground-breaking products with such a high-quality dealership network.”

Fuso New Zealand CEO Kurtis Andrews says that the decision to refresh its South Island representation was not one taken lightly, thanking the PCV team for the effort it’s put in to representing Fuso for the past 11 years.

“For some time, we have been concerned that the composition of our network has not been meeting the expectations of Fuso customers. Over the past few years, Fuso’s market share in this region has seen a significant decline. The Fuso New Zealand board feels that a fresh approach is required to reverse this trend and that CablePrice has the structure, network and ability to deliver on that expectation.”

Harvey said CablePrice was delighted to be partnering with Daimler Trucks and South Island staff were excited by the potential of this new partnership.

“We are all looking forward to providing our new Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner customers with the same proven sales and support for which CablePrice is renowned,” Harvey said.

As a result of the new appointment, CablePrice will now be actively recruiting more technicians for its South Island operations.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Can’t find a driver? We are here to help…

NZ Transport Jobs has been established to assist employers in the transport industry with their resourcing needs.

As a division of New Zealand Trucking Media, NZ Transport Jobs has access to New Zealand Trucking Media’s considerable reach on social media, web and print of more than 1.2 million followers each month. NZ Transport Jobs can place your job opportunities in front of them!

Chris Yates, who joins the NZ Transport Jobs team with more than 10 years of experience in driver recruitment, will manage the platform.

New Zealand Trucking Media’s Matt Smith says that the new platform aims to help bridge the gap between operators and drivers in the most reliable way possible.

“By tying together a proven transport recruiter with New Zealand Trucking media’s vast digital reach, NZ Transport Jobs will do its bit to help connect companies in desperate need of drivers with hard-working individuals who want to further their driving careers.

“NZ Transport Jobs will ask drivers to send in their resumes. All candidates will be put through a thorough screening process and then matched with the most suitable job opportunities,” Smith says.

If you are struggling to find motivated and experienced truck drivers, then it’s time to try a new approach. Contact our team for more details.

Call Chris Yates on 027 573 2005 or email chris@nztransportjobs.co.nz. Find out more at www.nztransportjobs.co.nz.

Transmission Gully to be unwrapped this Christmas The NZ Transport Agency says Wellington’s new transport route into and out of the capital is scheduled to open before Christmas 2020.

Transmission Gully will make travel on the route between the city and the lower and central North Island safer and more reliable. It will also provide the region with a key route more resilient to extreme weather and other events.

To ensure every chance is given to opening Transmission Gully in time for the 2020 summer season, the NZTA has reached a financial settlement with the joint venture builder (CPB HEB JV).

NZTA interim CEO Mark Ratcliffe says the financial settlement will ensure Transmission Gully is completed to a high standard.

Construction has been affected by the challenging conditions of the site, and Ratcliffe says the project has required an increased earthworks programme, creating further complexity, disruption and cost to the project through additional consent requirements.

“In acknowledgement that these issues were out of the control of CPB HEB JV and not something they could have reasonably anticipated, the agency has provided $190.6m of financial relief to CPB HEB JV.”

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

The majority of the money will go towards supporting CPB HEB JV, local sub-contractors and employment.

The settlement is conditional on the PPP contractor, Wellington Gateway Partnership, becoming a party to the settlement. As part of the settlement, CPB HEB JV’s historic claims against WGP and the NZTA have been resolved without resorting to court action.

“As with all projects’ timeframes and expected completion dates, we are always dependent on good weather. CPB HEB JV will be working very hard to complete the motorway by Christmas, subject to good progress through the next six to nine months and to passing a series of standard quality, safety and environmental checks prior to opening.”

Once open, there will be further work required before the project is fully completed, including landscaping and testing and commissioning of new technology systems. These works will most likely be completed by mid-2021.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

DAF Roadshow tours country The new DAF CF and XF Euro 6 roadshow tour kicked off from Southpac’s Manukau headquarters in February, taking the new and highly anticipated range to the customers and letting them have a good look in, over, and around the new trucks Bringing the new range to New Zealand has been a three-year exercise after the new model was released at the CV show in Birmingham in 2017. It sees yet another Euro 6 offering arrive on our shores, likely three to four years ahead of the standard being mandated here.

As had been the Euro 6 experience elsewhere, improved fuel consumption is a big upside and DAF claim a 7% improvement on the previous model.

“DAF has done more than just developing our engines,” said Richard Smart, Southpac GM for sales. “Every single component has been improved in one way or another to contribute to the 7% fuel efficiency improvement realised across the new range.”

The new trucks sport either the

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

Customers in Rotorua got to check out the new DAF Euro 6 trucks and enjoy the hospitality put on by Southpac Trucks as the national launch roadshow passed through town.

MX11 or 13 engines, depending on application and model. There’s a wide selection of power and torque bands, beginning with the 11-litre motor at 270kW (367hp) and 1800/1900Nm (1400lb/ft) at 900rpm, through to the new high number in the larger displacement motor of 390kW (530hp) and 2500/2600Nm (1920lb/ft).

The venerable ZF AS-Tronic is out and TraXon is in, with both 12- and 16-speed options available. The ZF TraXon brings advantages in operation, flexibility, maintenance, and efficiency e.g. EcoRoll and creep parameters.

DAF too now claim the safest truck on the road tag, and the DAF has all

you’d expect from a ‘big seven’ brand out of the continent. The interior is redesigned with improved layout, usability, and classier looks.

Preparation and support for a new range is key, and Southpac has had three pre-production units in field trials since 2019 and readied their considerable network. Five master technicians have also been trained in conjunction with dealer service training.

Southpac invested in two complete Euro 6 training engines and additional diagnostic equipment, and put $1.1 million worth of Euro 6 parts into inventory.

Southpac has also partnered with TR Master Drive Services and trained 22 driver trainers who will offer six to eight hours free training for two drivers per Euro 6 sale, at the end of which the trainees will earn an NZTA qualification.

A nice touch on the roadshow The Truckmate® range and tour is the gathering ofproducts video footage customised will meet en-route all to the next venue.

Played on load your spray suppression, the big screen the evening, safetythroughout and compliance needs. customers see the demonstration trucks all your product travellingFor through their region. enquiries and local distributor “There’s always PR video frominformation contact sales team:but Europe with theseour sorts of things, we wanted it to feel real2and relatable Phone: +61 9725 2777 to the regions,” said Southpac CEO Maarten Durent.

The roadshow toured throughout the country, ending in Invercargill.

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Leaders in trailer manufacturing

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ruehauf is a name that has been associated with quality, craftsmanship and dedication to excellence since its establishment in the United States in the late 1800s. Under the 10 year, management of Phil Watchorn and Jeff Mear, Fruehauf NZ Ltd has become a New Zealand leader in the manufacture of road transport equipment for both trailers

and truck bodies. The innovative approach to the industry and by working closely with NZTA Fruehauf NZ Ltd has introduced some highly successful products to the industry including: • Specialised chicken trailer • Walking floors • Libner curtainslider • Specialised B Train Skeletal

Our latest introduction to the New Zealand market has been the Fruehauf/Schmitz Cargobull refrigerated Trailer. The trailer has been very well received by the market place and is maintaining strong growth in the industry.

Both Feilding and Auckland have a Service and repair workshop for all our customers needs from small jobs to large.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

NZ ideal for hydrogen The Motor Industry Association says the proposed development of New Zealand’s first nationwide hydrogen refuelling network will provide an important step in our journey towards a low emissions transport sector.

Chief executive David Crawford said this is an exciting prospect and New Zealand has a lot of scope to produce clean hydrogen.

He said that producing hydrogen from renewable electricity backed up by our abundant gas resources in Taranaki would have a big impact on transport emissions and help to lower our carbon footprint.

“We need to be prepared to use all forms of low emission fuels, and not just focus on electricity.”

Crawford said new car distributors are very supportive of the prospect of a clean, green transport future.

“It’s clear that there are good business opportunities for hydrogen development and distribution, as demonstrated by

the proposed partnership between Hiringa Energy and the Waitomo Group.

“A comprehensive hydrogen production and a refuelling network would provide an important new source of fuel, not only for heavy vehicles, but also increasingly for cars.

“Hydrogen vehicles are currently already in use in the UK, USA, Japan, Korea and Europe, and last year Hyundai unveiled its hydrogen-powered SUV at Mystery Creek Fieldays.”

New bull bar design range caters for Volvo FH/FM models Australian bull bar manufacturer King Bars has unveiled a its slimline bull bar range specifically designed for the Volvo FH/FM models.

According to the company, the new Pacific range has been developed to offer maximum protection to Volvo vehicles, thanks to a unique mounting system, that utilises the Volvo tow points, and upgraded 16mm aluminium plate sections to provide more strength than existing products on the market. The units weigh 114kg including mounts.

“As clients try to maximise their payloads the bull bar design has become shorter, lighter and more aerodynamic. The current style utilises 16mm aluminium plate which has been proven time and again to stand up to the rigours of life on the road,” says King Bars sales manager, Craig Macpherson. Proof of this is the certified tow point rated at 40kN. Available in low-set and high-set designs, the Volvo range caters for both FH and FM models and has been designed to be compatible with Volvo’s adaptive cruise control. For low-set applications, accessing daily fluid checks through the bonnet does not require the bar to be lowered, and for high-set applications the bull bars feature raised centre posts for extra protection and a secure place to mount signs.

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

Macpherson says the Volvo Pacific range was created on the back of a growing business relationship between corporate fleet clients and King Bars. “More and more of our customers are opting for cabover trucks and that is why we are continually developing a range of bull bars that offers superior protection for this style of truck.”

Among the Volvo operators in New Zealand who have kitted out their fleet with King Bars products is Ben Reed of Ruakaka-based Reed Enterprises.

“It’s so easy. The bars get fitted in Australia when they’re building the truck. It’s a quality piece and built strong – one of ours has taken a knock, protecting the truck with nothing to show for it. Craig Macpherson has been great. I have nothing bad to say about King Bars,” says Reed.

“Our business is to provide heavy-duty trucks with the best protection possible, and the changing range of Volvo bull bars certainly meets this requirement. We see the Volvo Pacific range as a product that can potentially save lives and prevent costly repairs to trucks,” Macpherson says.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

New stop for Truckstops Truckstop’s 19th wholly owned branch, located at McNulty Road Cromwell, opened 3 February.

Truckstops general manager Kevin Smith said he was thrilled with the latest addition.

“The Cromwell branch will be a valuable link in a strategically important part of the country and allow Truckstops to offer the same high standard of customer service excellence to the local area.”

Teletrac Navman for Semenoff Teletrac Navman has won the contract for providing GPS fleet management technology to Semenoff Group, Northland’s largest privately owned transport operator. This partnership, formalised in December 2019, will see Teletrac Navman’s suite of GPS-based equipment and software installed into Semenoff Group’s vehicles and assets, starting with its three transport divisions – bulk cartage, livestock and logging.

Semenoff Group has a mixed fleet of close to 100 vehicles and plant in regular operation, including on-call specialist and surplus vehicles for project and other seasonal work. It has been operating a couple of different telematic systems, including Teletrac Navman products, following several business acquisitions over the past 10 years, and was looking to upgrade to an all-in-one solution, including compliance, safety and logistics technology, for its entire fleet.

Semenoff Group will install Teletrac Navman’s full system over the coming months, incorporating in-cab devices for easy communications and transport-specific applications.

New products to the Semenoff Group are Teletrac Navman’s electronic logbook, speed assist and pre-start checklist for drivers, and RUC Manager for electronic road user charges management and processing off-road rebates.

Semenoff Group managing director Stan Semenoff said the company was looking forward to fully integrating its fleet with Teletrac Navman’s system to streamline operations and futureproof the business.

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

Hey good lookin’ Iveco has won the iF Design Award 2020 for the Iveco S-Way in the Automobiles/Vehicles Category.

The annual award competition is organised by iF International forum Design GmbH, one of the world’s oldest independent design institutions.

The Iveco S-Way was selected by the international jury of 78 independent experts from 7298 entries representing 56 countries. The criteria for selection were the degree of innovation and elaboration, looking at the product’s uniqueness, execution and workmanship; functionality, including usability, ergonomics, safety; aesthetic and emotional appeal, spatial concept; corporate responsibility in terms of production efficiency, consideration of environmental standards and carbon footprint, social responsibility and universal design; and positioning of the product.

The Iveco S-Way’s cab has been redesigned around the driver’s needs. The cab design provides drivers with first-rate living and working conditions while addressing their safety. It provides a complete package of features developed with a focus on driver centricity, sustainability and a new, extended level of connectivity.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Volvo LIGHTS the way Volvo Trucks North America has provided a first look at its Class 8 battery-electric project trucks at the Volvo Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions (LIGHTS) Innovation Showcase.

The Volvo LIGHTS project is a collaboration between 15 public and private partners to demonstrate the viability of allelectric freight hauling in high-density traffic and urban areas.

Volvo Group contributed US$36.7 million (NZ$58m) for the project total of US$90 million (NZ$139m), and South Coast AQMD contributed US$4 million (NZ$6m) from the Clean Fuels Fund, administers the grant and oversees the Volvo LIGHTS project.

The Volvo VNR Electric project trucks will be put into realworld commercial operations with two of California’s leading freight companies, Dependable Supply Chain Services and NFI. Volvo Trucks engineers and project managers will closely

monitor and evaluate the vehicles’ performance, driving cycles, load capacity, uptime, range and other parameters in these realworld applications over the next several months. The company will take those learnings into the final stages of product development and begin the first phase of serial production and commercial offering of the Volvo VNR Electric in late 2020.

Volvo LIGHTS project partner TEC Equipment will serve as a fully certified maintenance hub for the project trucks in the South Coast Air Basin. The dealership group has partnered with local colleges to create electric vehicle repair and service technician programmes to ensure fully trained and skilled technicians to support these new technologies. The company will also lease 15 battery-electric Volvo VNR Electric trucks to interested customers for real-world trials as part of the overall project scope.

Corona virus infects trucking Aitken said NRC was advising its members to be aware China’s shutdowns to control the corona virus are having of the situation and plan where possible. an effect on local trucking companies that carry Chinese “We are telling trucking companies to exports and imports. do what they can to keep their company NRC chief executive David Aitken said infrastructure in place. When this virus blows the Forest Industry Contractors Association over, which it will, there will be a mad rush to reported about 30% of the country’s logging move goods around again. Chinese people need crews are unable to work amid the supply chain to eat, and China needs materials to get its disruption. industries up and running again.”

Meat works have reduced kills for the The NRC has sent its members a two-page Chinese market, stock is not being carried to corona virus advisory circular that provides the meat processors, and processed goods not guidance on preventative health practices, transported to ships. Freezers and chillers are business planning and continuity in the unlikely full, further affecting the processors’ ability to event of a widespread outbreak in New Zealand. take stock.

NRC chief executive David Aitken.

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New Zealand Trucking

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0320-16

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Electric Badger let loose

1119-33

Nikola Corporation has launched the Nikola Badger electric ute with an estimated range of 965km.

The Badger will be built in conjunction with another OEM, utilising their certified parts and manufacturing facilities, and will make its first appearance at Nikola World 2020 in September.

Outfitted with a 15kW power outlet for tools, lights and compressors, it can provide enough power to assist a construction site for approximately 12 hours without a generator.

It is designed to handle 0-160kph launches with minimal loss of performance and to operate on grades up to 40% through advanced software blending of batteries and fuel cell. With

a fully loaded trailer and combined vehicle weight of 8164kg, the Badger will be able to launch from a standstill on a 30% grade without motor stall.

The specs claim it can accelerate to 96.5kph in 2.9 seconds, do 965km on combined FCEV/BEV, 482km range on BEV only, produce

a peak 675.6kW (906hp) power, 1328.7Nm of torque, has advanced supercapacitor launch assist blending lithium ion and fuel cell, and can tow about 3.6 tonnes.

The 5-seat ute is 5.9 metres long, 1.85m high, 2.16m wide, and has a 1.56m tray width.

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EOFY Stock Clearance at Trucks & Trailers 2020 is going to be a big year at Trucks & Trailers and to kick it off we are offering substantial savings across all 2019 stock. We have the following available now: Mercedes-Benz • Actros 6x4 & 8x4 • Arocs 6x4 & 8x4 • Ex Demonstrators

Freightliner • Argosy • Columbia and Century Class (CST) • Coronado 6x4 & 8x4

All vehicles in New Zealand spec with options for various applications.

Contact our team now for more information.

Damon Smith, Auckland/Waikato,

021 623 219

damon.smith@trucksandtrailers.co.nz

Adam Corbett, Upper North,

021 771 335

adam.corbett@trucksandtrailers.co.nz

Callan Short, Central North Island,

021 403 959

callan.short@trucksandtrailers.co.nz

John O’Sullivan, Lower North Island,

021 970 930

john.o’sullivan@trucksandtrailers.co.nz

0320-30

Trucks & Trailers Auckland | Palmerston North | Wellington 0800 327 777 www.trucksandtrailers.co.nz

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MAIN TEST

A Sound platform Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and video by Gavin Myers and Dave McCoid

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Fuso’s Shogun arrived just on a year ago and the story of its journey to our shores was as transparent as we’ve ever seen. We wanted our first down-home test to be one in the right application, with the right firm, in a Kiwi-as location. Oh my goodness, how the wait paid off!

H

ow about a Fuso Shogun in the livery of Northern Southland Transport, with body and trailer by TMC Trailers Ltd, tasked with the general freight run into Milford Sound? You couldn’t nail it any better if you tried.

It was a rare privilege to do this one. The section of State Highway 94 from Te Anau to Milford Sound is known for its endless stream of buses, campers, and distracted tourists, but not so much for trucks. Aside from driver Clifford McDowall in the new Fuso, there’s really only a fuel service that goes beyond Te Anau Downs Station, which itself is only 30km or so north of Te Anau. In fact, you’ll need to go back to the New Zealand Trucking July 1989 edition to find the last yarn written by Bryce Baird on Don Graham at the wheel of an MAN rigid and dog combination dragging fuel into the Sound for Gore Services Ltd. So as you can imagine, we were right chuffed when Brett Gilmour, rural manager at Northern Southland Transport, gave us the green light and told us to phone Aaron Webb in the operations role at the Te Anau depot to organise the finer details.

Sound reasoning

Northern Southland Transport is well known for applying its iconic livery to the Daimler family product.

There are Argosys, a Fuso (two now), and of course their fave, Mercedes-Benz.

“They just go and go and go,” said Aaron Webb, of the trucks carrying the three-pointed star. “Bloody great trucks.”

However, on this occasion, the company decided to give the new platform Fuso a crack. A good choice.

We’ve always said this will be a great truck if sold into

the right operation. The 10.7-litre OM470 engine is perfectly suited to the Milford freight run. There are hills for sure, but not as vicious as you’d think, it’s more of a gradual ascension to the highpoint of 945m at the Homer Tunnel, and remember you’ve started from Te Anau at 210m elevation, so the net climb is 735m. Yes, it’s a start at sea level back out of Milford, but empty vege crates and pallets will not breaketh man’s machine.

Inbound weights vary, and occasionally there’s a solid load to go in, but 30 to 35 tonne GCM is common.

This is the perfect pitch for the truck.

“We have a Fuso tractor unit that has served us well, and when we saw this new model Fuso we were keen to put one in the fleet and the Milford run presented the perfect opportunity to do that,” said Brett Gilmour.

“In terms of service life it’ll be wait and see, but we’re expecting around 800,000km.”

And gone too are the days of OEMs cloaking the platforming thing. Thank goodness for that. The reality is that in our high-cost low-margin world there is no other way to build vehicles for the masses than in a cost-effective manner. Throw in the benefits you can add to a platform suite with tech and artificial intelligence, and any other manufacturing methodology is surely madness. Neither does platforming discard individuality. Yes, the ShiftPilot transmission in the Shogun is the bones, organs, and skeleton of Daimler’s PowerTorque-3 AMT, but Fuso breathed their life into its soul, just like Benz has, just like Freightliner has.

Much of that ‘life’ was configured right here in New Zealand too. Auckland-based Carr and Haslam was one of the chosen homes to a number of pre-launch test units. Those trucks trudged up and down the country festooned with all manner of data-capturing apparatus and number crunching bespectacled men from far-off places. Carr and Haslam’s managing director Chris Carr will tell you what they ended up with was a ShiftPilot transmission that he thinks is better synched to Kiwiana than the PT-3s in his Mercedes-Benz products. That’s saying something, because PT-3 is a rocking cog swapper in anyone’s books.

A quick round up of the Fuso’s and facts and figures.

The 10.7-litre 6-cylinder OM470 motor has the X-Pulse injection (low pressure common rail with electronic high pressure injectors), asymmetric turbo charging (twin scrolls – injection and EGR feed), and double overhead cam. The engine is cleaner than Euro 6 ( JP17 compliant for Japan) via cooled ERG, SCR and DPF. Power is 338kW (460ps) at 1600rpm, although it’s only a hair off the 1600rpm peak between 1500rpm

New Zealand Trucking

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... and 1800rpm. Talking torque, it peaks at 2213Nm (1633lb/ft) at 1200rpm and the line is as near to flat as you can get from 1100 to 1450rpm. It all makes for a tenacious performance and an engine that’ll scrap over the bone right down to 1250rpm-ish where the power line passes through the torque line heading south. This engine doesn’t perform like your traditional Japanese engine, because it’s not. And there’s a bit in that comment in terms of driving style.

The ShiftPilot 12-speed AMT complements the flexible motor beautifully, and in their various Daimler guises this engine transmission duo really is a romance of machinery.

When you consider modern-day margin preservers like ecoroll, Fuso has done the right thing in eliminating any potential long and protracted conversations around why you should choose the AMT over a manual. The bulk of sales of these things will be into fleets of some sort, and not zealots of trucking’s sub-culture. These trucks are all about making the driver’s life a pleasure, CFOs smile, and H&S fanatics swoon.

The Daimler driveline ticks all of those boxes.

Front axles are Fuso 900T ‘I’ beam rated at 13,000kg for the pair and they ride on taper leaf springs with stabiliser bar and shock. Rearward, D10 hypoid axles at 4.625:1 with diff locks rated at 21,600kg, ride on 6-rod suspension (there’s no air suspension option currently).

A big point of difference between the Fuso and UD’s platform Quon is Fuso’s retention of drum brakes. National technical chief Ian Porter said at the time of the launch here that the development cost wasn’t worth any perceived pick-up, especially considering the smarts around braking these days. It’s an interesting one and if nothing else it leaves dry powder for an update or facelift model. The Fuso has EBS/ABS and ESC. The truck rides on 295/80 R22.5 in front and 11 R22.5 on the drives.

Safe and sound

Of course some of Fuso’s big-ticket items are the safety and efficiency features that come as standard. Fuso says it’s the safest Japanese heavy truck on the market and that’s a big thing, especially in companies like Northern Southland that run the Mercedes-Benz product. Knowing Clifford’s no less looked after than the driver of the Fuso’s flashest German sibling further enables smart, application-based purchasing.

Adaptive Cruise with Proximity Control (meaning it’ll stop and take off ) probably won’t get ‘overused’, but considering the benefits, it should certainly be trained and then deployed as confidence grows. Active Brake Assist 4, however, may well come in very handy if Clifford’s checking his mirror when Joe Bloggs decides to stop for a selfie with the Hollyford Valley; it may prevent them both ending up ‘in’ the Hollyford Valley! It’ll be interesting to see if there are any pesky bits on the Milford Road that trigger the radar.

Anti-Slip Regulation will certainly know it’s alive, and Lane Departure could be handy, but we’d be surprised if Attention Assist has a high workload in this truck. If you found yourself on the Milford Sound freight run and Attention Assist was busy, it’d be fair to say you wouldn’t be there long enough to warrant a set of memoirs, rather make sure your affairs were in order instead.

One of the big pushes with the new model at the previews in Japan was connectivity and predictive servicing. We asked the question of PCV’s Steve Gerard, but as yet there’s no

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March 2020

In the base of the Cleddau Valley heading home.

offering here. Admittedly it’s a big infrastructure to set up, but it’s something we need to catch up on across the industry, especially while the Beehive’s bedtime reading appears to be The Congo’s Guide to a Highway Network.

There are other options to enhance efficiency and safety too: things like additional cameras that can relay through the touch screen, tyre pressure monitoring for up to 36 tyres, and reversing sensors are among them.

As it stands, service intervals are 60,000km with a recommended 15,000km safety check.

The bold and the beautiful

We spent two days with Clifford McDowall in the Fuso, prior to Mother Nature unleashing her fury on the Milford Road a couple of weeks later and buggering it for a spell. How lucky was that?

There’s something inherently appropriate about putting a driver on the Milford run whose Christian name has the first syllable Cliff. In terms of prettiest freight run in the world, Clifford’s would have to be a global top contender. We met him at 5am in the Te Anau depot on a clear-as-crystal summer morning. He likes to start early so he can make the most of the sleeping tourists, getting into Milford Sound village before the bulk of them alight from their slumber.

The road runs along the Eastern side of Lake Te Anau, through farmland and then into beech forest once the private land finishes. From there it climbs up to The Divide, the actual spine of the Southern Alps and start of the Routeburn Track.

At that point the awe-inspiring Hollyford Valley opens up in front of you, the road following its southern side up the steep pinch to Monkey Creek and then on through the majestic glacial U-shaped valley and on up to the Homer Tunnel. Out

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Binnacle and wrap are efficient, easy to use, clean, classy, and certainly give more than a hint to the truck’s platform family ties.

Daytime friends Externally the new Fuso follows the previous truck in terms of design cues, but the lower flanks in particular are entirely different in appearance when you see one parked alongside the other. The grille cuts deeper into the bumper and the LED/ halogen headlights have a far more purposeful ‘grrrr’ look about them, mounted in big chunky quarter panels. There are more chrome embellishments on the new front too, just enough, not too much. It ups the class factor for sure.

With one notable exception, the cab of the Shogun is a lovely place; it’s had our tick of approval on two previous occasions. The platforming certainly carries through to internals in a hotel chain kind of way. If you blindfolded a Benz driver and sat him or her in a Shogun, for a split second after whipping the blindfold off they’d say, ‘yep!’... and then they’d look left and say ‘hang on, where’s all the space?’ Exactly, where’s all the space? Well, we know where it is. Under a sea of plastic. Yes, we’ve been here before, but we’re truckers and we’ll always go here. We know 64 million people have more sway than five million, but it is a shame. For those who don’t know, let’s recap. Japanese drivers spend eons waiting in queues at DCs and ports to load, and they don’t do sleeper cabs. They recline, rest their head on the B-pillar, put their feet up on the central island and shut their weary eyes. And that, ladies and gents, is why Fuso, UD, Isuzu, and to a lesser degree, Hino, fill up that space with what is essentially a utilitarian melange of cubbies that double as a La-Z-Boy foot rest.

Anyway. Back to our blindfolded Benz driver. The other thing he’d do should he attempt to depart is put the windscreen wipers in gear rather than the truck. Then he’d really know something was wrong. No issue here by the way, and remember Japan’s a right-hand drive country (gear lever on the left peeps), so you Benz drivers…you’re the ones with the shifter on the wrong side, LOL. It’s a dark interior, blacks, greys, with some fawn up top, and the New Zealand spec has additional soundproofing probably on account of our trucks getting more revvy more often than those ambling around the Japanese motorway system. The driver’s seat is straight from Daimler, and part of the platform thing being implicated in some of the smarts the truck has.

Both Twiggy and Jabba the Hutt could find a comfortable driving position via seat and steering adjustment. The

origins of the binnacle and beautiful wrap are definitely Deutschland rather than Rising Sun. The binnacle is a twoby-two gauge setup with the trip data and telemetry screen between the gauge nests, and the headlight switch out to the right. Switchgear, infotainment (including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto)/camera screen, climate management, and in this truck the chiller control unit, are all located on the wrap. The wee fitting bunged on the top of the binnacle is the fatigue management apparatus in case you were wondering.

On a console to the left of the driver are the park and trailer controls.

The smart wheel is a Mercedes-Benz identical. On the right spoke are phone and cruise control management, and on the left menu controls and associated navigation and selection buttons. There are two steering column wands. Left is the direction controller in a tumbler style built into the wand body with up and down for manual shifts. Pull and push for the engine brake. On the right there are indicators and wipers with the latter in tumbler style also to bring balance to the universe… Classy touch.

The interior in terms of fit and finish echos a Euro vibe rather than a Japanese one, however materials-wise it’s more in keeping with its country of origin. The dash is clad in a carbon-fibre and brushed aluminium-look plastic, with tough hardwearing plastics elsewhere and felt panels lining the upper cab.

Storage in the high-top cab with its 350mm extra headroom: yep, okay, so no lockers high and rear in the rest area, and one big locker central overhead in the front. Lockers for Africa in the central island. That makes the extra 350mm in the roof not headroom, just space. Space where you don’t need it, and lockers where you need space. If we were passing over the pingas for a Shogun we’d buy the day cab, just to avoid a mildly tearful session at the start of each day. They who clear the decks shall win.

Getting in and out of the Shogun is a piece of cake, with four well-placed steps into the cabin. The OCD that was present in the wand design didn’t stretch to door handles which don’t match. Yes we know why, but…

All in all, a lovely cab, but like its Japanese brethren, its life is hampered by an arrow in its heel.

From left: Big locker in the front overhead that’s not real easy to access on account of what’s beneath it. Plenty of room for lockers in the bunk area.

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Clifford McDowall enjoys doing a freight run only a few truck drivers will ever be able to compare notes on.

Fire and ice Hailing from Gore originally, Clifford McDowall has spent the bulk of his working life in and around the Australian mining scene. He doesn’t come from a trucking background, although he does remember as a kid his dad driving trucks for a bit prior to getting into the hospitality business.

“I recall him talking about crossing the Crown Range, so he drove trucks for a while.”

Clifford worked at the Mataura freezing works postschool, and in the off-season he headed to Australia in search of adventure and cash.

“I was only 18 and didn’t know where I was going. I just got on a plane and ended up in Kalgoorlie,” he said. “It was like the Wild West there then. There were lots of guys over there who’d been at Twizel [the upper part of the Waitaki hydro scheme in the Mackenzie Country], it was very cliquey.”

The six months rotation between the two countries worked well for a while until the lure of the money became too great and he simply stayed on in Aussie.

After a decade in the Kalgoorlie gold fields Clifford decided to try his hand at iron ore and took a position at Mount Tom Price in the Pilbara. At first he operated machines, moving on to the processing plant and eventually the control room, a job that involved loading trains. That role was then centralised in Perth, so off he went to Perth.

After five years it was back to the Pilbara on a fly-in-flyout role running driverless trucks for Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS) at the Nammuldi Mine Brockman 2.

Twenty-six years in the Australian mining scene and it was time to come home. Clifford found work in Queenstown driving machinery on earthworks and just happened to see the Milford freight run advertised in the paper. He applied, was interviewed, and three years later 49-year-old McDowall is still going strong.

“It’s a good job, keeps you fit. It’s the first truck-driving job I’ve ever had, and it’s not your average freight run that’s for sure. Beats going to Invercargill every day.”

the other side it’s straight down the famous zigzag, descending the Cleddau Valley to the Milford village. It’s an utterly breathtaking drive regardless of how many times you do it.

The freight must get through

There’s no question the Milford Sound freight run still has an element of Wells Fargo/Pony Express/Cobb and Co about it.

A bunch of folk at the end of the line relying on one man and his chariot to get their supplies to them down a dangerous road that almost has a soul of its own.

Thankfully Clifford’s from Gore, and far less of a romantic.

As far as he’s concerned, he just does the Milford Sound freight run.

So here we were in the pre-dawn trundling along the side of Lake Te Anau in a brand new Fuso Shogun 3246 with only 6000km on the clock. As you’ll know if you’re a regular follower, we like them a little more broken in normally, just so the driver’s had more time to acclimatise, but this time it’s a pretty fresh jigger.

Clifford was in his third week with the truck, so it’s not a run on which the kilometres will run away quickly. In saying that, the longest piece of straight road is probably a kilometre

The Homer Tunnel. Truly one of our great engineering marvels.

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A corner office with a view. That’s when you know you’ve made it!

at best, and in every other thousand-metre stretch you’re tweaking direction slightly, changing direction significantly, looking for a summit, or containing impetus on a decline. You need uptime and reliability on this road and in this instance they’re not quite the same. Uptime in terms of significant disruptions, things like breakdowns – forget your cell phone as effective communication – and reliability in a more discreet sense, meaning if you’re coming down the zigzag heavy, then you must have absolute confidence that when you engage the Jacobs wand, ole Jake will be there…every single time.

“It’s a little bouncier than the old girl,” he says of the Fuso, comparing it with the elderly Benz he came off. “It’s still new and tight but the steel suspension is definitely firmer than the air suspension in the old truck.” He then qualifies his comments with a summation of the road’s deterioration as we motor on toward The Divide.

“It’s definitely lost ground. It’s as rough as buggery in places.

And up on the top they’ve put those bloody guard rails in!

Now when it snows the snow has nowhere to go and builds up between the rails!”

We didn’t get the snowy splendour that Bryce got for his story back in 89, and we missed the rain too. It was good odds

we’d miss the snow considering the time of year, but given the immediate area receives six metres of rain per annum, we felt like lady luck was ridin’ shotgun getting two clear days on the trot.

He was right; the road was twitchy and rough in places, however the Fuso threaded its way through the beech trees as a new truck should. The ride was firm on the 4-point airbag setup, and there’s precious little body roll; it’s a very sure-footed purposeful-feeling machine.

Today was ‘tracks and boats’ day, and tomorrow would be ‘lodges’. ‘Tracks’ means rendezvousing with a helicopter that takes special cages directly to the luxury huts on the Milford Track, so that was pretty cool.

Climbing up past The Divide you can see the gargantuan silhouettes of the mountains in the moonlight and you feel like you’re intruding on the set of one of PJ’s good flicks. The cab has a spacious feel with the high-top option and it’s a lovely environment for Clifford to work in as long as he doesn’t want to leave the driver’s seat. It’s not an austere place and there’s a good amount of noise, meaning just right. The OM470 is a nuggetysounding wee burner with a satisfying note in and around the 69-decibel-mark, especially when it has something to do.

Plenty of room!

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We had more on the truck on the second day, the mid-30s all-up, which represented a typical run, and the Fuso made short work of the pinch up to Monkey Creek at 40kph in 9th and 1850rpm. Clifford said it’s the steepest part on the run in, and he’s never seen the truck any lower than 9th regardless of what’s in tow.

In terms of driving style Clifford’s cautious and prefers to control the situation himself, opting for manual most of the time and keeping it humming at that.

“I’d rather have something there all the time. In auto it’s looking for top too often I reckon, and if you lose grip there’s nothing to come and go on.”

On this road impetus can be your bestie no doubt, and with the old Inomat box we’d be right there with him, but the ShiftPilot is so quick at recovering. Our mind went back to last year’s drive day and the tipper and dog at 45 tonne in the gnarly back country of Te Akau between Tuakau and Huntly.

We drove into a particularly sharp pinch and the ShiftPilot caught the truck no problem; in its predecessor you’d have been cast. From a fuel consumption point of view, we think in times of known weather (days like today), it’s be worth letting it do its thing maybe.

The Homer Tunnel – what a truly wondrous piece of Kiwiana. The country’s third-longest road tunnel after Waterview and Lyttelton, but undoubtedly first in every other category: things like, charisma, danger, and coolness (both definitions). A hole in a mountain with close to a thousand metres of ominous solid rock above the portal. It was started in the Great Depression and finished in the early 50s. If you’ve never read Men of the Milford Road by Harold J Anderson, you should.

The light turns green and in we go. The TMC body and brand new trailer are built to 3900mm high in order to get through. It’s a one-lane tunnel on account of buses and trucks, but two cars could certainly pass. The surface is compacted and rutted with water trails and wear, and it’s a 30kph exercise at best as you descend the 127m between the east and west portals over its 1270-metre length. If you’re in there and the Alps ‘fart’…well, the freight would be late, very late.

Down the famous zigzag into the Cleddau Valley and modern trucks really have zero issue with this kind of thing any

more. The number and quality of brakes they have make any incident rarely any fault of the truck. The Fuso’s anchors were superb, and Clifford is exceptionally steady and sure-footed.

The Jacobs engine brake was also a big part of the launch hype and it is a wonderful servant when you need to bring road transport to a stop. The OM470 will give you 338kW (460PS) of hold-back and that’s ample for what Clifford needs. Down, down, down, we went.

A multi tool

Clifford really is the perfect man for this job, and he’s been on it for three years. It’s a job that requires complete calm and patience as the global family arrive in buses, campers, cars, and goodness knows what else to tick off a childhood bucket list item. They’re largely oblivious to an 8-axle combination in their midst. Clifford backs the trailer up a service alley in the middle of the main Milford Sound complex, and drops it there, creating himself a wee DC so to speak.

“I put it up here because it’s out of the way. We used to put it out front but they’ll park in front of it, behind it, beside it. It’s tight up here, but easier and quicker in the long run. I can ferry stuff to three or four of the customers from here using the fork hoist without having to go out there,” he said, pointing to the carpark mayhem unfolding as the sun rose.

He has a great rapport with the locals and everyone greets each other. The Fuso’s manoeuvrability was impressive (21.6m lock kerb to kerb) as Clifford pottered around taking supplies down to the cruise boat terminal, lodges on the edge of town, and then to the helicopter pad for the exciting bit.

You know when you’re in Milford that our incursion into this

Moroccan Ivory and Beaver Brown Two shades, that when applied to a bare cab, make its owner instantly recognisable, even to those with the most basic knowledge of the New Zealand road transport industry. The Northern Southland Transport colours is a signature livery that’s been around now for over half a century following the coming together of Lumsden Transport, Mossburn Transport, Te Anau Transport and Five

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Rivers Transport to form Northern Southland Transport. They then formed Manapouri Haulage, merged with Wakatipu Transport, and acquired the Garston-based transport operator.

The company is a classic general freight, stock, and bulk cartage firm and today forms part of the Trojan Holdings group that includes, Cromwell Transport and AllWaste, as well as property and

March 2020

significant tourist interests.

There are depots in Invercargill, Lumsden, Mossburn, Te Anau, Queenstown and Cromwell.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Although it’s a tricky back up a narrow alley at the main Milford complex, Clifford can then set himself up for multiple drops without anyone getting in the way. Out come the frozen.

Incoming, hook up the next consignment, out! A week’s work with a horse over in 15 minutes.

Lights in the bodies, and access steps everywhere. Practical, usable, handy, safety.

place will only be a blip in the annals of time. Out the back of the ferry terminal there’s an extra-shiny piece of cliff. “There was a shed there,” said Clifford, pointing to the area under the shiny rock face. “But that piece of topsoil couldn’t cling to the rock any longer.” Bye bye shed.

Watching, photographing, chatting, and helping gave us time to look over and get a feel for the body and trailer build. It’s a configuration on its third incarnation on the run, although the Anteo tail lift is a new addition this time. The truck body is a solid side and curtain split with side access doors on the solid section. That said, it’s still all one cavity with moveable baffles creating the partition. Clifford said the curtains are really good and the frozens easily stay that way even if it’s a whole pallet into the curtain space. The trailer is a straight ambient curtainsider and a welcome addition.

“The older trailer was really old,” said Clifford. “The freight rides beautifully in this. You couldn’t keep it still in the old one.”

It’s good to get in and play with a unit. Driving’s one thing but time in trucking is made up working in and around the unit – well, it used to be before cones, zones, gnomes, and fancy dress. Northern Southland and TMC have done a great job making a truck that’s quick to work around and practically safe, meaning useful stuff that makes life easier, things like step-ups on all the corners, light inside, good toolboxes, it all just works.

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Family ties Like all of Daimler’s new family members, Fuso’s Shogun has been a truck we journos had unprecedented access to leading up to the moment the first shining example sat on a New Zealand showroom floor.

Although that must have been an expensive exercise up front for Fuso New Zealand, there’s no question the strategy resulted in far more insight on our part, a better-informed market at launch, and considering the page estate, video, and other media that’s been made, who knows, the overall bang for buck may not be too far off the mark. Yes, there is an element of risk in terms of lack of control over what’s being written, filmed or photographed, but there’s no better way for a manufacturer confident in its wares to pre-empt a truck in a cynical market always suspicious of spin.

The other thing access to the build-up did was bring home the realisation that the world is full of ‘real’ people, debunking the myths about who’s behind the products that make it to our shores. Daimler is as cosmopolitan an entity as you’ll find, and if you think Fuso is full of Asians, Mercedes-Benz is full of Germans, and that you’ll only find baccy-spittin’ ‘ole boys inside Freightliner’s hallowed walls, then you probably believe your local Meads or Lochore Cup NPC team is comprised solely from solid robust lads who hail from the region their jersey celebrates.

Right from Ilan Elad, Fuso’s sales director Asia Pacific at the time the truck was being prepped (he’s since left), though to Rajanand Rao, the chief project manager whose baby it’s been from its Super Great birth in Japan, all the way through the New Zealand supply and sales chains, we were introduced to hardworking and genuine folk. People who know the trucks have to be better than good, because just like the people who buy them, it’s the truck’s success that will ensure food on the table in their homes, and an education for their kids.

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At the ferry terminal with much-needed supplies for tonight’s excursions.

“NSTH [Northern Southland Transport] are a great customer and we appreciate their continued support,” said Paul ‘Skippy’ Goodman, from the sales team at TMC. Down at the helipad the special sling cages were unloaded with a pallet jack and lined up. The helicopter pilot spoke to Trevor from Ultimate Hikes who was there to sort the consignments and hook up the slings. Before you knew it we were awash in downdraft and Trevor quickly connected the cages to the chopper, and 15 minutes later the Squirrel had completed a job that would have taken a packhorse a week and two trips.

Inside out

A morning of deliveries and it was time to load empties, which pretty much filled the trailer and half the truck. Vege crates, pallets, some drums of waste cooking oil, a cage of recycling, bags of milk bottles; what comes into the Sound must also go out. This is a clean place and it’s befitting with Euro 6 that this is an extremely clean truck.

We hooked up the trailer, and heading out we asked Clifford about memorable moments on the road in his three years.

“It’s hard to say. It’s probably the times when they just stop. I mean stop, right in the middle of the lane, and get out to take

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Back up the zigzag toward the hole in the rock.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ a picture. You just have to shake your head.”

Interestingly, the challenges aren’t all about the other road users though. There are things like the section alongside the Hollyford River where it narrows to one lane as it rounds some bluffs. It’s regulated by the usual big arrow/little arrow right of way sign. Trouble is, you can’t see one end from the other, so the system sort of falls apart. Clifford chuckled. “Yeah, you just deal with it.”

By the time we were rolling out the Tourist Bus 500 was well under way ferrying people in for their overnight cruise in the Sounds.

“You have to be careful,” Clifford gave a bit of a Southern smirk. “If you haven’t passed them by a certain point, then you know they’re running late.”

He said there’s a good community on the road, and everyone has a look-after-each-other attitude. As we said, cell phones are paperweights. Clifford does have a satellite device on the dash, but that’s not for breakdowns. “If I press ‘that’ button, it’s helicopters and everything to the ping’s location.

“Apart from that, the Milford Roads crew who constantly patrol the highway and look after the tunnel always have their eye out, and they do have special phones that seem to get out from places normal ones won’t. The key is to have a reliable truck to start with and we should have that now. The old girl was getting unreliable so had to go.”

Summary

Spot the freight truck. The Fuso is dwarfed by its surrounds

What a couple of days. Not to be forgotten in a hurry that’s for real. Shogun has found a home and appears to be delivering what was promised in applications suited to its makeup and capabilities. This was an immensely enjoyable and capable machine, and is one of two Japanese brands that have redefined what a product from that part of the world should deliver at this point in history.

Because of the age of the truck and the amount of time Clifford’s had with it, we didn’t worry about consumption; that would have been unfair on man and machine. There’ll be other chances to home in on that. With the loadings and the fact it’s Euro 6, there’s no reason not to expect a figure a decent decimal over 2.0kpl if driven well.

One of the big challenges with this truck will be the constant need to communicate to the market that this is not a successor to the HD 470, it’s a replacement. Whatever your opinions on the old truck were, they carry no weight or relevance with this one.

We’ve said before that the making of this machine will be the 520hp 13-litre when it arrives. That truck will take a lot of pressure off this truck to be something it can never be. That machine should be an absolute gem and we can’t wait to get our hands on one. However, if Fuso have any intention of using the 520 to poke some holes in the likes of DAF’s market share, then something will have to be done about that cab space. 

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SPECIFICATIONS

Fuso Shogun FS3146 HI TOP Tare:

8890kg (13,060kg load cert)

Wheels:

Alcoa alloy rims

GVM:

30,800kg

Tyres:

GCM:

55 tonnes

Front: 295/80 R22.5 Rear: 11 R22.5

Wheelbase:

5870mm

Electrical:

24V

Engine:

Fuso OM470

Additional safety:

Capacity:

10.67 litre

ESC, ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), Active Brake Assist 4, Lane Departure Warning, Active Attention Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control

Power:

338kW (460PS)

Cab exterior:

Steel construction ECE29 compliant, hi top, 4-point air suspension, electric heated mirrors, keyless entry, central locking, front under-run protection, auto sensing headlights (LED dip, halogen full beam)

Cab interior:

Air suspended seats, climate air conditioning, electric windows, HD vinyl, bunk mattress, curtains, 7” infotainment (AM/FM/DAB plus USB and aux. Apple CarPlay plus Android Auto, Wi-Fi enabled for internet radio, Bluetooth, 32GB storage, HD reverse camera)

Options:

Additional touchscreen cameras (up to four), truck-specific GPS, reversing sensors, tyre pressure monitoring (up to 36 tyres), wireless phone charge pocket

Torque:

2213Nm (1633lb/ft)

Emissions:

Euro 6 (SCR/DPF)

Transmission:

Fuso ShiftPilot 12-speed (driver kick-down, crawler, rock-free mode, Eco Roll, Eco Cruise)

Clutch:

Fuso single plate

Chassis:

300mm x 90mm x 7.0mm, single skin reinforced parallel channel

Front axle:

Fuso F900T ‘I’ beam

Front axle rating:

13 tonnes (pair)

Front suspension:

Taper leaf springs, stabiliser bar, and shock absorbers

Rear axle:

D10 hypoid 4.625:1, with interaxle differential lock

Rear axle rating:

21.6 tonnes

Rear suspension:

6-rod, long taper leaf, 6-rod trunnion

Brakes:

Drum auto adjust, EBS/ABS

Auxiliary braking:

Jacobs

Fuel:

400 litres

DEF tank:

60 litre

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Acknowledgements

March 2020

Our sincerest thanks to Brett Gilmour, Aaron Webb, and Clifford McDowall at Northern Southland Transport for the energy they put into making this test happen, and also the team at Ultimate Hikes for accommodating Aaron’s request to have us at the helicopter lift. Magnificent!

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For all your Shogun needs Call Now 0800 379 899 WWW.PRESTIGECV.CO.NZ 0320-08

0800 37 98 99

Financial

Christchurch | Timaru | Dunedin | Invercargill | Greymouth

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Pa vin g wit the ha roa bit d of

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dp ho tos by Ga vin My ers

Road Science is one of the preeminent suppliers of bitumen emulsion to road-building contractors nationwide. The company’s now embarked on a replacement programme for its fleet of tanker trailers, entering a shiny new era.

L

ate last year we reported that Road Science had taken delivery of the first new, state-of-the-art tanker trailers to enter its fleet. OK, that’s not entirely accurate, the first B-train entered the fleet in August, but that was mainly to iron out any teething problems that may have snuck through a thorough engineering job that followed an extensive

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consultative, design and build process between Road Science, Downer Fleet and Plant, its carrier partners (Tranzliquid, McEwan Haulage and Freight Haulage), Tieman Tankers of Australia, and New Zealand’s own Total Transport Engineers.

The highly collaborative process meant all partners had an equally important role to play in getting the high-tech bitumen emulsion tankers rolling on New Zealand tarmac, kicking off Road Science’s ongoing, accelerated replacement programme.

Seven new units have now entered the fleet and are operating in both the North and South Islands.

“The average age of our trailers was about 25 years, the oldest was 35 years old. R&M was going through the roof and we had nothing that could utilise the HPMV network. There’s smarter tech now to get bigger loads out the gate,” says Stuart McFadyen, transport logistics manager for Road Science.

There were numerous requirements the new trailers had to fulfil but those at the top of the list included increased productivity and increased safety. Addressing the former, B-train and tri-axle semi-trailers were specced so that they

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ All the safety equipment one could need – and then some.

Ready to make a drop – the brightest thing in the yard.

3am and ready to leave the Mount for Auckland after an early morning wash down. Note the orange power cable for overnight heaters.

Driver Neal Watson-Paul primes the pumps.

could take advantage of the HPMV network and work with the prime movers used by their carrier partners.

“The kilometres we do don’t justify them getting new equipment for us, so we built the trailers to the profile of the vehicles used in the Tranzliquid fuel fleet,” Stu says, adding that the prior quad-axle trailers were limited in their ability to meet the HPMV network desires of the company.

This is where Craig Gordon of Total Transport Engineers came into the picture, whose job it was to design the tankers so they could split into two singles and be towed legally on any sub roads.

“As it stands now, the vehicles can be configured as HPMV B-trains and then can go back to the standard VDAM rule. So, travelling to two destinations with one B-train unit, one tanker can be dropped off to be drained while the driver takes the other to the next job. One driver, two trailers, two deliveries – makes a lot of sense,” Craig comments.

The men explain that while this doesn’t mean they’ve doubled up on payload, Tranzliquid is able to move much

higher payloads per unit per day than by sending out a single.

“With traffic and delays, we can’t get two loads to Auckland in a day anymore. So now we’re getting a much higher payload to Auckland per unit,” Stu says.

Speaking of which, working on 57 tonnes per B-train unit sees payload max out at about 30 tonnes (about 15,000 litres per tank). “Most of the old units moved about 20 tonnes or less. We’re getting 50% more out the gate,” he says.

“The combination is a heavier mass, but the payload gain is what it’s all about. Because we can split on 30 tonnes we’re still gaining on standard legal limits for smaller deliveries,” Craig adds.

That’s increased productivity taken care of and increased safety was subject to the same levels of consideration. The trailers feature an assortment of equipment that is both mandated and optioned by Road Science. Soap dispensers and hand-washing water are available in case of hazards, as are showers either side of the tanks, which Stu says was an idea nicked from Australia.

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Under the gantry at the bitumen plant is one of the only times a driver needs to get on top of the tanks.

“We’re keen on those and want to retrofit the old tankers with them,” he says.

Fitted to all units are Hendrickson axle and suspension assemblies with the Hendrickson TIREMAAX tyre pressure management system, which keeps the trailers’ tyres at consistent pressures and temperatures. Should there be a loss of pressure, an indicator light on the side of the tanker warns the driver. He can carry on driving, though, as the system will maintain the pressure rather than forcing him to stop en route

FUEL AVIATION WASTE OIL MOLASSES TALLOW

to repair the tyre. “This is important as sealing crews won’t be delayed and the tyre repairs can be done after the delivery. It will also extend tyre life,” Craig says.

Operationally, there is much less working at height involved for the driver, who no longer has to open the lids to vent the tanks when pumping; an automatic valve mechanism atop the tanks does the job instead. (Tieman liked this idea so much it’s now fitting them to its Australian tankers.) He also doesn’t have to climb up and peer inside to check they’re empty; the

Tieman Tankers offer a range of tankers compliant to NZ road, DG and pressure vessel regulations. Unique designs with a competitive delivery, supported locally with after sales service.

BITUMEN CHEMICAL MILK WINE WATER DRY BULK

Bulk Liquid Tankers contact: Colin Tieman, +61 417 051 892 colin.tieman@tieman.com.au Aluminium Dry Bulk Tankers contact: Geordie Fairweather, +61 417 341 347 geordie.fairweather@tieman.com.au

WWW.TIEMAN.COM.AU Proudly supported in New Zealand by

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Wabco SmartBoard onboard scales take care of that.

The job of unloading is different, too. Whereas before the job was done with an overhead arm hard-piped over the top of the receiving tanker, it’s now done by way of a pump and a hose.

While Stu’s happy with the new system (it’s much tidier and no overhead arms means no dripping over the tankers), his ultimate dream would be for the sealing crews to be able to suck the emulsion from the tankers, eliminating the need for pumps and hoses on the part of Road Science. “Not having to carry pumps means less weight on the trailers and prime movers (no hydraulics and other systems) and more product out the gate,” he explains.

Finally, all units are fitted with reversing cameras and driveaway protection, which locks the brakes when a hose is hooked up so the rig can’t be moved, in a similar vein to fuel tankers.

Overall, feedback from the drivers has been positive, according to Tranzliquid operations coordinator Jamie LimYock. “Tieman sent out trainers to go over the operational procedures with the drivers. It didn’t take them long to adjust and adapt; the guys like to not have to climb up and down the ladders all the time. Their feedback has been good,” he says.

Keeping the units clean on the inside was also considered, as Stu explains. “Annually, we get inside them and inspect them.

The confined space is a big issue. Most tankers don’t have access through each baffle, but these have an accessway on each. They also have a big outlet at the bottom to drop out all the cleaned-out gunk.”

It’s clear that all the needs of Road Science were taken care of, and all aspects of the tanker design accounted for.

This raises the question, given the differences in design and legislative requirements between New Zealand and Australia, were the tankers difficult to engineer?

“Once Tieman had copies of the New Zealand regulations they could work it out. They needed to understand the different parameters of our designs and sometimes it took some time to gain an understanding of New Zealand rules,” Craig says.

One particular parameter was in regard to heating. Bitumen emulsion must be maintained at temperatures between 80 and 85°C for optimum transfer to the road surface. However, compared with Australia, additional insulation is required because the lower ambient temperatures of New Zealand mean higher heat loss.

Here’s where the final design really came good as the spec of the tankers, cladding and insulation has meant a heating energy cost saving of two-thirds compared with the old units.

“For us that’s major. They told us it would retain the heat a lot better and that’s proving to be so,” says Stu. At the end of the day, it was the collaborative effort between all parties that ensured the finished units would be truly up to the task. “Everyone who’s been a party to it has been with it all the way through. Tieman rectified any design queries and stood behind everything we wanted to change without qualms,” Craig says.

A safer, simplified system with added features that make the job easier is probably the best way to describe what Road Science, Tieman Tankers and TTE have been able to achieve with its new fleet of tankers. And they’re impossible to miss, too. 

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On the road, the two Stuart Drummond Transport Kenworths are an impressive sight.

Thirty-five not out Story and photos by Craig McCauley

Clocking up thirty-five years in the current business climate is no mean feat. For Stuart Drummond Transport Ltd, putting a pair of Kenworth K200 logging trucks on the road is the perfect way to recognise this milestone.

F

rom small beginnings as an owner-operator with a 1974 Kenworth W924R hauling general freight from anywhere to anywhere in New Zealand, Stuart Drummond Transport Limited has morphed into one of the most well-recognised names in the South Island log cartage game.

After deciding that traversing the country with no consistent flow of work wasn’t for him, Stuart returned home to Nelson, where the truck was converted from a tractor unit to a logger.

The change of focus proved fruitful, the W model soon gave way to a second-hand Detroit Diesel-powered Kenworth K143CR, and in 1988 Stuart was able to purchase his first new Kenworth, an 8x4 K100E. As the amount of wood maturing in the upper South Island increased during the 90s, the fledgling business expanded to meet the need for transport, and in the process, turned from a single truck entity into a small fleet operator.

Youngest son Brodie entered the business in 2007 initially as a driver, then a despatcher, before taking on the management role when Stuart stepped back in late 2013.

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Truck numbers have continued to increase as trees planted during a government-backed forestry incentive scheme in the late 1980s have come on-stream during the past half-decade.

Today, 45 rigs are adorned in the green and gold Stuart Drummond Transport Limited livery, operating from bases in Richmond, Marlborough and on the West Coast.

In 2019 the combined fleet carried 882,700 tonnes of wood and travelled a staggering 4,229,214km in the process.

As the business’s 35th anniversary approached, Brodie felt it couldn’t pass without some form of recognition so the notion of a couple of commemorative trucks was born.

“It’s a bit of a milestone – 35 years is a long time in business, and it’s the chance to reward a couple of good staff as well,” he says.

The 25th anniversary K200s join 11 other Kenworths in the 45-strong Drummond fleet.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Business is about relationships; Kenworth and Patchell Industries are long-term partners in the Drummond operation.

Kenworth was chosen for a number of reasons: Brodie says there’re good loggers, the K200 has the ability to handle every cut of wood they haul, and from an emotive point, company founder Stuart has a massive amount of admiration for the brand.

Brodie and Southpac Trucks’ Chris Gray specced an identical pair of K200s. Cummins X15 engines producing 458kW (615hp) and 2779Nm (2050lb) of torque sit under the wellappointed 1.7-metre day cabs upholstered in Kenworth’s distinctive oxblood interior.

With the region’s mountainous terrain and longevity in mind, Eaton Fuller RTLO22918B transmissions and 4.56:1

Stainless headboard panelling and lights are the handywork of Patchell’s.

Drivers Kerry Pickering (left) and Peter McRae (right) enjoy their new rigs.

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In spite of being adorned with expanses of shiny metalwork neither truck is a show-pony. Both trucks work among some of the South Island’s most demanding country.

ratio Meritor RT 46-160GP diffs were specified, along with Kenworth’s Air Glide 460 rear suspension.

Both trucks were kitted out with an extensive number of embellishments, fabricated and supplied collaboratively between Southpac’s new truck customisation department and Chris Stanley of Custom Truck Chrome.

The cab exterior of each truck is adorned with acres of polished stainless, including custom drop visors, mirror covers, multiple grille bars, mesh headlight covers, step in-fills and stainless trim on cab side skirts.

A pair of identical Vortex stainless air intakes and cosmetic twin exhaust stacks ensure both trucks are a stand-out from whatever direction they are viewed from.

Caulfield Signs of Rotorua painted the yellow stripes and added both signwriting and paint protection to each truck.

Patchell Industries did the truck set-up and built 5-axle flat chassis billet trailers for both trucks. In keeping with the anniversary theme, additional lights and stainless panelling were built into the headboards and rear bumpers of both.

Brodie explains the operation runs almost exclusively Patchell gear, saying they “exceed every time, build good

Peter McRae picked up this sign, mounted in the cab of his K200, while on holiday in Australia.

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gear, it costs a little bit more, but it’s worth it in the long run and it lasts”.

A proportion of log transport in the upper South Island takes place around the clock and many of Drummond’s crew have undergone training, allowing them to operate the forestry crews’ loaders.

To aid this, SI Lodec scales fitted with the BlueRITS module are fitted to both trucks. This allows data from the onboard scales to be transferred via Bluetooth to a mobile device in the loader, meaning the truck driver doesn’t need to get off the machine to check their weights.

Number 320 operates on a double-shift basis under Nelson Forests Ltd dispatch, moving logs from any of their 80,000ha of forest in the Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions, predominantly on 58 tonne HMPV routes. Kerry Pickering mans the helm on the day shift, while Leighlan Satherley looks after nights.

Peter McRae single-shifts Number 336 under Drummond’s dispatch, usually working between forests on the West Coast and mills or the export wharf at Nelson.

These trucks will further heighten Stuart Drummond Transport’s presence on the region’s roads for some time to come. Roll on the next 35 years. 

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ PATCH HE ELLLL PATC INDUSTRIES Congratulations on 35 years in the Logging industry.

The Patchell Group are proud to have supplied Stuart Drummond Transport with quality logging equipment along their 35 year journey.

YEARS

AS LEADING TRAILER MANUFACTURER IN NEW ZEALAND

NEW ZEALANDS' LEADING TRAILER MANUFACTURER Contact us for further information ALL ENQUIRIES: Peter Elphick 021 595 873 | peterelphick@patchell.co.nz Glenn Heybourn 021 301 274 | glennheybourn@patchell.co.nz

0320-17

HEAD OFFICE: 150 View Road, ROTORUA 07 348 7746 enquiries@patchell.co.nz

PATCH HE ELLLL PATC GROUP OF COMPANIES

www.patchell.co.nz

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BOMBAY TRUCK SHOW 2020

Graeme Wright’s ‘Neighbourhood Bully’ leads a batch of the convoy up to the Bombay Rugby club grounds, site for the show.

All about people Story by Carl Kirkbeck Photos and video by Dave McCoid and Izaak Kirkbeck

The inaugural Bombay Truck Show started as a murmur, gathering momentum rapidly.

The outstanding success of this first event now has us all waiting for news on the next one.

W

hat started as a quiet murmur around the traps soon became a loud call for participants to enter and attend the inaugural Bombay Truck Show. The instigator of the proposed show was well-known local transport operator N & J Wood. A truck show organised by people who own and operate one of the sharpest fleets in metro Auckland; this had all the right ingredients from the get-go. The reservation book for participants was full within days of opening, so more space was acquired from the neighbouring market gardener to offer more entries, and these too were snaffled up in a heartbeat.

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The morning of the event arrived and so did 280 trucks from all corners, gleaming in readiness to be displayed. The effort that some operators go to for a show is extraordinary, and this show was no exception. A few fleets showcased ‘fresh out of the plastic wrapping’ new additions to their fleets. W E Hale of Mangatawhiri was one of these, with its striking new Kenworth Aerodyne making its first show appearance.

The day was extremely well run by the organisers, and in turn was a storming success for both participants and the viewing public alike, with nearly 7000 through the gates and more than $68,000 raised for local charities. More than 50 industry-related sponsors supported the event by bringing along product and manning the stands; true dedication to the cause. As day rolled into evening the festival continued, with Dave Alley providing music and singing (until his guitar broke), and the trucks all lit up, providing an impressive night lights display.

Well done, Marika Wood and her team. The recipe was bang on: affordable, engaging, friendly. This was an outstanding effort and a real credit to those involved. We now all wait with bated breath to hear news of possible dates for the next one!

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Like a good wine, some trucks improve as they mature, regardless of their vintage.

Western Star Heavy Hitters – ‘mean!’

Top: The ferry tug restored by John Baillie, Stuart and Patrick Howard, and Warren Gaiger was a magnet, and the scene of many recalled tales. The startups were epic, with the little ‘Jimmy’ reminding us of a great era in trucking when noise, not NOx, was the focus.

If one pic (above) summed up Bombay it was this – trucks, people, laughing, chatting, activities, entertainment, fun,

W E Hale Ltd had its brand new Kenworth Aerodyne at the show.

affordable, family, community.

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R Series Scania of ABHIS Freight, and Heera Transport’s Freightliner

The Balle family’s immaculately restored TK Bedford, in the

Coronado have a trans-Atlantic chat.

colours of R F (Richie) Powell Carrier, and dedicated to its owner, local legend, the late Ritchie Powell.

RESULTS

Bombay Truck Show 2020

(Refer to Facebook and website for minor placings) Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best

DAF Ford Freightliner International Japanese Kenworth Mack MAN Mercedes-Benz Scania Volvo Western Star

1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

Steve Curin #119 Puke Fire brigade ) Heera Transport #176 Crane & Cartage #78 - CV Compton Rock & Rubble OV4KIL Allied Bulk #136 R & H Transport #219 Trenchmate #23 Pukekohe Hiab #16 Michielsens Transport #214 Pollock & Sons #250

Broshmik Top Truck 1 - 1.5-million Broshmik Top Truck 1.5-million plus Truck and Driver Best Heavy Haul The Tyre Worx Best Container Truck Jackson Enterprisers Best Stock Truck Waitomo Best Tanker Quick Silver Linings Best Tipper UDC Best Brand New Truck

Trade stands were well priced too, allowing more time for relaxed chat and interaction.

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Ian Spedding #161 Game On 2 - #109

Ian Spedding KW501 #161 Michael Heera #176 On Road Transport #147 Allied Petroleum - #275 N & J Wood Kenworth #55 Under 5000 Km Allied Bulk #136 Close Comp Patchells Best Logger Couvee #1 All Crane Services Best Truck Loader Crane Crane & Cartage #78 Endless Metals Endless Award Oldest Truck Still on the Road Shane Gunna Ideal Services Best Curtain Sider The Produce Company #31 Tyres For U Furthest Travelled R & H Transport Christchurch Cobracote Best Interior John Chapman CDL Autoparts Best Truck in Show fitted with Peterson Lights Graeme Wright Kenworth KUA577 Vernon Developments Best Tractor Unit / Transporter P & I Pascoe #32 Truck Smash Repairs Best Classsic Neil Wood – R Model Meat Ball Award #38 - Driver Scott CV Compton Tates – People’s Choice Northchill #45 Rock & Rubble Best Fleet Mainfreight Kings of Chrome Best Light Show Pukekohe Hiab Pyramid Trucking Driver Awards Brandon Daley Peter Black Memorial Cup Best local fleet W.E. Hale

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TOP TRUCK

Ode to a truck and its driver Story and photos by Gavin Myers

Getting the mix of lights and stainless just right on a Euro truck is not easy. However, in creating a special truck for a loyal driver, Toxic Transport Limited sure got the mix spot on with its latest Volvo FH 540 – landing it straight into Top Truck territory.

T

his is a little bit of a different Top Truck story. It’s one about the truck, sure, but also the driver for whom it was bought.

Doug Te Waaka had been driving for LPG transporter TTL for about 10 years when his trusty FH12 Globetrotter was retired to reserve duty with about 1.5 million kilometres under its belt. The FH12’s replacement was to be a new FH 540 6x4 – the one you see here – but owner of TTL, North

Genesis Gas LPG rides on a twin-axle tanker trailer by Lowes Industries.

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Island trucking stalwart Stu Lennan, wanted it to be something a bit special to honour Doug’s contribution to the company.

The FH 540 was ordered in the company’s signature red and had a liberal application of black, orange and white pinstriping applied to add some flair, before the 540 was christened with its unique Wile E. Coyote graphic by Cliff Mannington from Tauranga Truck Signs.

On that, Stu says he’s not sure exactly how it came about. “It was just a cartoon that came to mind that we could make a joke out of,” he says. There’s been Wile E. flying along on a gas bottle with flames “shooting out its arse” to catch the Road Runner, the Mack bulldog holding Wile E. by the throat to Road Runner’s joy, and Wile E. pushing a gas bottle off a cliff to a pretty garden below (which is its own little TTL double entendre).

The 540’s depiction of Sonic the Hedgehog being paid off by Wile E. to catch the Road Runner has the slogan ‘Money … gets shit done!!’ which Stu says has “gotten some comments”.

Then there’s the 540’s unique and liberal application of custom-made stainless accents. Stu’s partner Heather Irvine manages admin at TTL and her son, Terry, is an engineer based in Australia. He came over and, working with Shane

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McDonald from the Mount, in two weeks had all the pieces ready. “Shit yeah, he’s a good engineer, he’s bloody good at what he does. He’s done five of the trucks so far,” says Stu. What’s really nice about the stainless work on the 540 is the flat design – no grooves here, like Stu’s other trucks – really works with the Volvo’s smart, modern Scandinavian lines.

Rounding it off, Gene Peterson from Ptek in Kerepehi was called on to add the lighting strips around and under the cab (and, since our photo shoot, some new light aerials).

“Doug’s eyes nearly shot out of his head when he saw it. He’s a typical magpie, loves shiny things,” says Stu. That was around mid-2019. Four months later, though, Doug decided it was time to park himself up and retire from driving. Doug, who’s carted everything from LPG to milk and bulk, is humble about his time as a driver and instead prefers to pass some kind words on TTL. “They’ve been a pleasure to work for,” he says fondly.

Stu’s a little less modest about their relationship. “Doug’s the type who’s hard to replace. He started off part-time and when one of the drivers left he said ‘does that mean I’m full time?’ He’s a ratbag but a genuine, bloody nice guy. If you could have four or five of him, you’d be made. You’d only hear Smooth stainless work rounds off the big Swede’s smart appearance.

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Drivers new and old: Toddy and Doug.

from him if something was wrong or if he’d ring up to give you shit,” laughs Stu, recounting a particular prank where Doug randomly called to say he’d been offered another job, with immediate effect, as the new Pope!

With Doug’s departure driving duties went to Stu’s son Brent, but an unfortunate seizure during September meant he wouldn’t be allowed to drive again for a year. Doug promptly stepped up and jumped back in the cab – but a new, permanent driver needed to be found.

That’s when Brent, now helping out with operations, approached long-time friend Paul ‘Toddy’ Hayden. It didn’t take much to convince Toddy to join the team, and he took the wheel of the Volvo at the beginning of January.

“Toddy’s a pretty top man. And he loves the Volvo,” Stu says.

All four of the men are real Volvo fans (Stu’s first truck as an owner-driver for Provincial Transport Ltd back in the early 80s was a N12 Volvo) and all agree the FH 540 6x4 is ideal for the task at hand.

This particular unit runs out of Hamilton passing through New Plymouth, Whangarei, Gisborne, Whitianga and various other sites. “It takes me to all the tropical beaches,” says Toddy.

Coupled to the back is a 25,500-litre tanker on a 2-axle trailer by Lowes Industries. The trailer has recently had new air-sprung axles fitted to it, which are more durable than the previous spring units and match the Volvo’s air setup to enhance that refined ride typical of the current FH. “It’s not a heavy unit with that trailer, around 33 tonnes loaded. It’s not up on maximum weight and with the 540 motor it gets along good. It’s the perfect rig combination,” Toddy adds.

Stu adds that a 600 really wasn’t needed for this job, and that

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Distinctive TTL livery, individual Wile E. Coyote graphic.

the 540 has been faultless over the past few months. As such, and given the FH12 is still as “good as gold” after all those kilometres, he expects good things from this unit, which is now up in the vicinity of 85,000km.

With drivers the calibre of Doug and Toddy minding it, that shouldn’t be a problem. 

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Just Truckin’

Around

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Jared Bruysten Milly McCauley met up with Jared Bruysten, who drives for Sollys Contractors of Golden Bay, two hours west of Nelson.

He was about to leave the Golden Bay Takaka depot in one of the company’s Isuzu stock units and was heading for Blenheim with a load of cattle.

Jared has had his class 5 licence for two years and got into truck driving through both family and friends. As a boy he spent hours after school at Sollys Takaka yard “washing trucks and just mucking around”.

Jared’s favourite part about the job is seeing the country and his preferred accommodation is The Racecourse Hotel in Christchurch because it is comfortable, and easy to manage with a truck.

Milly asked Jared what his favourite meal was: “Steak, especially when the boss pays for it,” was his answer.

When asked what he likes to do in his spare time, Jared said, “Sleep!”

He drives a range of the company’s Nissans and Isuzus carting livestock, bulk, and general loads, and he is happy to drive anything as needed.

Milly asked Jared if there was anything he didn’t like about trucking and he said the early morning starts, as he hates getting out of bed so early.

Nationwide Sales, Service & Parts

0800 518 006 48 Maui Street, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3241 hiab@trt.co.nz

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Around

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Rob Taylor NZ Trucking Association president Rob Taylor was filling up at the BP truck stop in Levin when Faye Lougher caught up with him.

Driving the impressive Safety MAN truck, Rob was heading to Auckland for the Truck and Machinery Show where the interactive truck would help educate the public how to be safe around big trucks. Taking it to schools for the same purpose is another important job for the truck.

When asked how he got into the industry, Rob said he blamed his parents.

“I think I may have been conceived in a truck!” he laughed. “I’ve been in them since I was three, so I didn’t have a show really. Dad was a delivery driver for a plumber’s merchant, but he also spent a lot of time in the Coromandel driving for Provincial and Heatons.”

Rob has been driving trucks since he

was 18, a total of 51 years behind the wheel.

“I love the people I meet, lovely people,” he says.

The issues facing the industry today

that Rob identified were familiar ones.

“The nutters on the road and the road condition,” he said.

Ford or Holden? “Holden” was the emphatic response.

Talk to our experts first!

0800 518 006 48 Maui Street, Te Rapa, Hamilton 3241 hiab@trt.co.nz

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TRATON-ator!

Story and photos by Dave McCoid

The New Generation MAN line-up released in Spain last month is way more than an evolution of the current offering. Not only is it MAN’s preparatory cyber-nest for a new world, it could also be the benchmark in terms of a megascale reformation.

W

e were all here for the global launch of MAN’s New Generation TG trucks. ‘Here’ was the Exhibition Centre in Bilbao, Northern Spain, chosen on account of its significance as a port and logistics hub, but also for what the city represents, having successfully reinvented itself from an industrial past into a hip and groovy 21st century destination. It was a great metaphor.

From a distance, Bilbao probably looks the same as it always has, but get up close and things have changed, and changed a lot. Like the city, when the New Generation TGX appeared at the swanky portside launch function, for a split second it was a case of ‘WOW! Oh yeah, have they brought the right one?’

But then you go ‘Hmmm, yep that’s actually a bit different to be honest’. The closer you got to it the more the differences materialised and then when you opened the door and looked in it was a whole new world. But even that was just the start.

The truck project

From the outset of the truck project in April 2015, MAN’s mantra was ‘Simplifying Business’.

“We asked, how can we simplify our customers’ business, and how can we design the best truck for drivers?” said MAN Truck and Bus CEO Joachim Drees at the launch.

The answer to those questions lay both internally, with tactical decisions around the new truck’s technical DNA, and externally, via consultation with 300 customers and 700 drivers from 16 countries. That external consultation shows up too.

Neat touches like switches in the driver’s door reachable from the ground that operate hazard lights, loading lights, door locks, and window open and close – uber practical and handy.

We’ve all had to run back and haul ourselves into the cab to flick one of those switches.

New trucks, like every other modern-day automobile and appliance, are a hugely malleable item when it comes to purchase. ‘You can have any colour you like as long as it’s one of these 3000’ is what your MAN salesman will tell you, and with the company’s new ‘configurator’, there are a potential

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600,000-plus MANs on offer.

In terms of roll-out, Drees said the old and new will remain in production alongside each other for about a year and half in order to get the new gig into all four corners. As for our timing? Penske New Zealand will have an announcement at some point we’re picking.

What’s new, what’s not – TGX

First things first, the Euro 6d engine and drive train from the previous model will carry over. Nothing’s going to change there until the Traton platform power trains arrive down the line a bit. Having said that, as you read in New Zealand Trucking magazine December 19/January 20 edition, there’s already sharing and caring going on within the group in the form of MAN-tuned Scania Opticruise transmissions going into some MAN product, and in the new trucks, HVAC units as well.

Cab exterior-wise the ‘design language’ is all MAN. The TG cabs come in eight variants, the TGX in three (GX – highest, GM – high, GN – standard) and changes are largely cosmetic, with incremental improvements in aerodynamics.

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With the future not even a canvas, let alone a blank one, prioritising the money in big OEMs is front and centre currently, and this MAN’s real secrets lay both inside the cab, and in the unseen world of microprocessors and looms.

Dr Frederik Zohm, member of the board for research and development, summed it up in typical German simplicity: “Save money on the steel and put it into data.”

That aside, MAN says the combination of aero tweaks and the Euro 6d engine add up to a quantifiable 8% fuel consumption improvement over the previous truck in Euro 6c trim. Bear in mind this is the global launch, so any such claim has to be taken in that context. The bulk of that consumption number is by far and away attributable to the 6d motor.

So a quick rock around the exterior of the cab. Headlights have been improved, smoothed, and shaped to look like a lion’s eyes. The steps have been moved back a tad, and the surface area on the footplates increased. The result incidentally, is a superb entry that felt every bit comparable to the truck we always use as the yardstick for forward-of-the-wheel entry, the Actros. Door handles and indicators have been detailed, there

are wind deflectors on the front corners, and MAN’s signature Aerodomes (did you know they were called that?) are still there on the side of the sleeper. There are only three Aerodomes now, although they are more prominent.

One thing that was interesting – two things actually – were the mirrors. They were great, but the fact they were there at all was surprising. We were reassured by one senior exec that mirrorless is in the wings (Stuttgart really did steal a march on the opposition with its MirrorCam tech).

Okay, that’s the simple stuff, now the biggies. The significant milestones that make this new range a revolution rather than an evolution…

Step inside…

…to a new MAN interior. It’s an entirely different space for the driver and there’s been a semi-load of dosh spent. It’s an all-digital affair, and if your imagination is on point you’d say there are Traton family ties in its appearance. It’s now a twogauge binnacle with a trip and telematics display between the gauges, and warning lights up top. There’s a far more logical

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Everywhere you turned there Now you can see where the Lion

are gold topaz MANs.

in your MAN is.

and purposeful wrap swinging away to the left (right in our case hopefully). Switches on the wrap are in logical clusters, there’s a nest of safety feature ones, a nest of ‘tractiony’ ones, and a nest of ‘air baggy’ ones – great, we’re really warming to this thing at this point.

Obviously, it has a smart wheel. MAN says it’s limited functions so hands-on-wheel time stays higher, although it contains the usual menu controller for telematics and trip, cruise functions, phone, and a bit on infotainment management also. It does use thumb scrollers though, which would allow hands to remain on the tiller.

The shifter is now on the right wand with direction control in tumbler style and up/down manual shifts. Engine brake and retarder are activated by pulling the wand down. Indicators, dip, and wipers are on the left wand.

The infotainment screen on the wrap is a big 12” jobbie and that’s where things really ramp up. The war is on people, in terms of how to manage the universe of options and functions in a modern infotainment device, and MAN has rolled out a cracker…the SmartSelect wheel. We saw it in Munich in October and thought ‘Oh yeah that’s very cool’, and reuniting with it again in Spain saw none of our ‘married at first sight’

Above: New dash is clear and user-friendly. Left: SmartSelect wheel is a ‘pearler!’

Right: Storage aplenty and a much improved central dash area.

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enthusiasm lost. The wheel is MAN’s take and interpretation on technology developed by car sibling, Audi.

“An intensive exchange of ideas with these colleagues,” is how Dr Zohm described it. “Why shouldn’t we use their experience and technology?”

The SmartSelect wheel is simple, impervious to contamination from the likes of your grubby fingers, and will always move with you, not against you (i.e. trying to scroll a swipe screen when the truck goes over a bump may result in something other than the intended). The bottom wheel scrolls the master menu, the top wheel the micro-menu, and ‘tap’ the top to select. If you’re a safecracker-turned-truck-driver, we reckon you won’t even have to look after a while. ‘Three right, two left, *click*, The Rock!’ Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Fit, finish, and materials you’ll never fault. You may recall in the Waiotahi Contractors test (New Zealand Trucking magazine May 2019) we were a bit ‘Meh’ on the storage lockers that run along the front of the dash and the plasticky feel to the lids.

Well, they’re caput! Lovely robust pull-out drawers now adorn that area, with an oddments tray, cup holders and all that jazz.

There were a lot of cool extras in the launch trucks – coffee machines, microwaves, fridges, passenger seats that turn into tables and swing sideways to become recliners in the evening.

The fridge is in the usual under-bunk place and the sleeper had essential controls for comfort-related things so you don’t have to jump out of bed to adjust. There’s also a cabled remote which controls climate, radio, inclination of the bed, and electronic log book (so you can lay in bed and fill out your log book we guess). ‘Cabled?’ We hear you say. Yes, cabled. By

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ MAN essentially owns their brain. Complexity is reduced, effectiveness and ability is transformed.

Updates, driver assistance systems, vehicle systems, digital fleet management, attachments like cranes and chillers, and customer interfaces, become increasingly interactive.

The reformation MAN Truck and Bus CEO Joachim Drees sets his pride of Lions free at the launch.

request from the consulted drivers evidently…that way they’re impossible to lose or take home and leave in the laundry basket. LOL, we’re all the same.

EE, the invisible giant

It stands for electrical and electronic architecture. It’s the reason why the range has been changed, not just a specific model.

“For us it is a huge effort and huge investment to do such a change over the whole range, TGL, TGM, TGS, and TGX,” said Drees. “We have something that’s extremely futureproofed, a powerful tool.”

This is not the same MAN as you have or have ever had, in any way. You might not be able to see that entirely, but you’ll notice it. These are the platform trucks for the cyber-age, prepped and ready for alternative power and autonomy. That even means retro-fitting. They are simpler in their electrical and electronic construct yet infinitely more capable; what’s more, the bulk of the work was done in-house.

Modern trucks tend to be a commune of third-party electronics systems, each with their own processors and controllers, each trying to communicate. Apparently, it’s where a lot of unreliability stems from. MAN wanted to own its own destiny in this field, so the answer? A clean slate.

To use another Dr Zohm gem, “They’re like a mobile smart phone”. What he means is buried deep in the bowels is a supercomputer that manages everything in the truck and everything that hangs off it. Seventy percent of the operating system (over 2.8 million lines of code) was written in-house.

Chairman of the management board for MAN Truck and Bus, Joachim Drees, stands in front of the world’s media at the Bilbao exhibition centre. Behind him is a huge picture of the company’s brand new TGX flagship painted in gold topaz, the official launch colour. Drees is a big, intimidating bloke, standing over six foot. He’s typical German in terms of presence, and that trademark charisma and warmth that veils a no-nonsense pragmatic reality.

He’s obviously an incredibly clever and capable man, most in those roles are, but Drees obviously has something else. In his hands is an invisible hat, one that he appears to have pulled two rabbits out of. The first is an entirely new range of MAN TG trucks; the second a restructured, new look, and refocused company. Either one of those would be a colossal task in an enterprise as large as this; two at once an exceptional achievement, and he’s only been in the role for just on half a decade.

“New TG means a lot for the company. MAN has gone through massive change. We have transformed ourselves,” he said. “MAN today is a different company than it was five years ago. We’ve have invested heavily in our people and in crosscollaboration. Today MAN is a customer-focused company.”

He appears to be a classic facilitator: set the scene, establish the boundaries, then stand back and let talented people flourish, people he was at pains to thank.

His background is automotive, finance, and construction/ infrastructure procurement, project management, and implementation, so all this was right up his alley. It would appear he was handpicked for exactly what he’s delivered.

It’s all come right on cue as well. Like the Stuttgart-based arch-rival, he acknowledged the need for further work on profitability in order to fund research and development, and that’s going to get pretty tricky in a European market that’s been about 15% off the boil.

But he has huge motivation to make it all work going forward when you think about who he reports to. Speaking at the launch event, Traton’s powerhouse CEO Andreas Renschler said, “This is not just a new truck, it’s a milestone for MAN and a milestone for our customers.”

The work has only just started.

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Let’s drive one!

“There’s your truck, Dave,” said Klaus Fischer from the MAN communications team for trucks. He was pointing to a TGX 18.510 adorned in the lovely gold topaz. The left-hook 4x2 tractor was towing a tri-axle semi-trailer and tipped the scales at 35 tonne by all accounts.

I was teamed up with chaperone Steve Gibbins from the driver training team at Penske in Brisbane. They put us together because we were neighbours and there’d be no communication confusion; the only problem was he’d only been in Bilbao 18 hours longer than me and had managed one scoping run around the 45min drive course himself. A quick sign of the iPad screen saying whatever you wreck you pay for, and off we went, straight into a roundabout in downtown Bilbao, Dave at the helm and Steve furiously studying maps on his device.

Bilbao. Imagine a 350,000-person city in the Hutt Valley. Motorways and rail run along and up the hills on the flanks of town and wherever there’s a gully there’s a viaduct, and wherever there’s a hill there’s a tunnel. The port is a main entry point into and out of northern and central Spain and it’s a major hub for big companies.

The first sign that a truck is good is how quickly you’re comfortable driving a foreign configuration, in a foreign town, on the wrong side of the road, on the wrong side of the cab.

I’ll admit I was hugely thankful for the few thousand miles I’ve racked up in the States, but once I was through the roundabout, up the street, around a

MAN 6689. Yep, we bonded!

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Lookout Spain, here we come …in comfort.

right turn, under a bridge, and stopped at the lights, I was already thinking “Yep, this is trick!”

European set-ups are different. Yes, it was a tractor and semi, but you rarely see a 6x4 here, and there seems a lot of semi forward of the kingpin. That makes for a very different feel at the wheel.

They manage the tight as buggery European urban streets well, and the wee tractors are super-manoeuvrable.

Up an insanely narrow motorway onramp entrance, the 510 sounded great, and accelerated smoothly. The cab was a bit rolly in and around the streets, but soft is where it’s at over here on account of the expressways being out of this world. It’s like driving on a snooker table.

I had the proximity radar set well forward for obvious reasons and the truck did its thing. You could certainly feel that semi letting you know it was there.

Downspeeding is most definitely where it’s at in Europe and if you walked into a throng of drivers and told them you ‘drive the AMT on manual because it gives me more control’, they’d all look at you, there’d be an uneasy pause, and they’d all take a giant step back. “What’d I say?”

The 13-litre D2676 LF engine produces 375kW (510PS) and 2600Nm (1980lb/ft) between 930rpm and 1350rpm. Believe me, it’s not far past that 1350rpm when it’ll take another gear. But the thing is, it seems just right. Like we always say, the effectiveness of the player is always determined by the quality of the surface, and the surface in Spain was lovely.

We exited and climbed into the hills and up over a ridge then down a forested gully. The engine brake and retarder made mincemeat of the load, and with the brake-activated descending control, it was a case of sit back and enjoy the ride that ended at another tiny roundabout where we turned and headed back.

It’s hard to say what the grade back up to the ridge was like, South side of the Bombays? That’ll do. The MAN loped up, the TipMatic in 9th at 1250rpm and 40km/h.

Swinging back down onto the motorway, we headed for the city. We couldn’t believe the engineering. Over the right railing it was about 200-plus feet to the port activities below.

Comfort-wise the truck was impeccable. The MAN was silky smooth, beautiful driver positioning, great dash, and a lovely steering wheel. I was comfortable enough to have a tinker with the SmartSelect wheel for the infotainment. It really is a gem. So simple…dial and click. There’s a hinged guard you lock over the wheel when you’re not using it to avoid accidently bumping it and losing your favourite station or critical map. They’ve thought of everything.

Back in town and I threaded my way to the exhibition centre. I was feeling right at home in this new TGX and the thought crossed my mind, ‘If I shot into the port and sussed a load for Italy, would they miss one out of the 50-plus trucks that seemed to be there? Maybe they would. Maybe EE would shut me down. Maybe I better had go back.’ 

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ WHY REGROOVE YOUR MICHELIN TRUCK TYRES? PUTTING AN END TO MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT REGROOVING!

MYTH REGROOVING IS NOT COST EFFECTIVE

FACT REGROOVING SAVES YOU MONEY Regrooving can offer 25% more mileage from your tyre.

Lower rolling resistance translates to better fuel consumption and can lead to fuel savings of up to 2 litres every 100 km.

For every 4 tyres regrooved, 1 new tyre is saved.

MYTH REGROOVING IS UNSAFE

FACT REGROOVED TYRES ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH SAFETY Regrooving does not affect the structural integrity of the casing.

A tyre with 4mm remaining tread, once regrooved, is refitted with 7-8mm remaining tread which improves lateral grip and drive by 10%.

DID YOU KNOW? REGROOVING HELPS PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT! A truck with regrooved tyres consumes less fuel and gives off 1.6 tonne less CO2 per year.

Reduces raw material usage by up to 70kg per tyre.

Please note: It is critical that regrooving is carried out by a tyre professional using a regrooving manual. Tyres designed for regrooving will have the word “REGROOVABLE” on the sidewall.

MYTH ONCE REGROOVED, MY TYRE CANNOT BE RETREADED

FACT MICHELIN TRUCK TYRES ARE DESIGNED TO BE REGROOVED AND RETREADED Regrooving utilises extra tread rubber built into the tyre for this purpose.

Professional tyre management is the essential factor in acceptance for retreading for both regrooved and nonregrooved tyres.

0800 474 639

tyreline 0320-31

For more information on Michelin Regrooving, tyreline.co.nz/michelin-regrooving visit tyreline.co.nz or call 0800 474 639.

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WHEELS IN WANGANUI 2020

Wheels in Wanganui keeps growing Story and photos by Faye Lougher

Visitors to Wanganui were spoilt for choice in January, with both the Vintage Weekend and Wheels in Wanganui ensuring there was something to keep everyone happy.

T

he Sunday of Wellington Anniversary Weekend in January was perfect weather-wise, and more than 2000 people came through the gates at the third biennial Wheels in Wanganui.

A total of 130 vehicles were entered, including cars, motorcycles and trucks.

“We had a lot more truck companies this year than the past

two shows, and we had a lot of car clubs from Wanganui and Taranaki as well,” said organiser Angela Teal.

This year there was a mock truck crash rollover display involving the police, ambulance, and fire service, with the vehicle recovery carried out by Truck Towing Ltd of Palmerston North.

More than $5000 was raised for the St John Ambulance Service from entry fees and truck rides.

“We had a lot of drivers doing truck rides for the kids and families, that was a great hit. We really are thankful to them all for doing that,” said Angela.

The show was supported by a number of Wanganui businesses, including McCarthy Transport, Watson Earthworks Ltd, Loaders, Wanganui Motors, BNT, Paintworkz, and TIL. “We were so overwhelmed by the support we had from the community as well. We couldn’t have done it without our crew, who took time out of their lives to help us out.” 

Paul Vennell from Auto Dispatch

Dorothy Taylor’s 1990 Mack Ultra Liner

took the Best Kenworth award with

was popular with those waiting for

this immaculate 2017 K200.

truck rides, and won Best Mack.

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New Zealand Trucking

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

A 1982 White Road Boss dwarfed the cars it

Aiden Sutton’s 2014 TGX was voted Best MAN.

was parked next to.

Blair Watson’s impressive 1999 379 won him the Best Peterbilt award.

The Best Scania was this 2019 Scania R series

Rex McDermott took out Best Volvo with his

of Sharp As, contracted to Open Country.

immaculately presented 2019 FH.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

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Barry Parker from Truck Towing Ltd in Palmerston North brought along his Peterbilt tow truck and was part of a rescue display involving police, fire and ambulance.

A line-up of classic yellow and white trucks owned by Britton House Movers.

RESULTS

This 2003 4864FX owned by Richard Lennox from Wanganui Well Drillers took out Best Western Star.

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Best Peterbilt Best International Best Kenworth Runner Up Kenworth 3rd Place Kenworth Best Mercedes-Benz Best Mack Best Scania Best Freightliner Best DAF Best Volvo Best Western Star Best MAN Furthest Travelled

Blair Watson Blair Watson Paul Vennell Marty Wright Mitchell Lewis Paul Ridgway Dorothy Taylor John Skelsey Darren McDougal Thomas Locke Rex McDermott Richard Lennox Aiden Sutton Mike Pihema

Watson Earthworks Watson Earthworks Auto Dispatch McCarthy Transport PTS Logistics Refrigafreighters JR Transport Sharp As Linehaul Ltd Sharp As Linehaul Ltd MJ & TM Pickford Ltd Neil Dennett Wanganui Well Drillers TIL Freight Neil Dennett

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ NEW TECH: JALTEST ADAS

D

riving a truck is a tough job with huge responsibility for the professionals who operate these vehicles. The “Truckie” of today needs to drive a fully loaded truck for the better part of the day as quickly and efficiently as possible while keeping themselves, their cargo and others around them safe.

In 2016, 75 people died and a further 850 were injured in road crashes involving trucks on New Zealand’s roads. This was 23% of all deaths and 7% of all reported injuries on our roads.

Deaths from crashes involving trucks make up around 20% of the total annual road toll (5-year average).

In an accident involving a commercial vehicle it is often not the driver but the occupants of the other vehicles

involved who are more likely to be killed or injured. The sheer size and weight naturally make them more dangerous if not operated, serviced and maintained correctly.

Its widely accepted that most accidents are the result of human error so it’s no surprise that the safety systems in modern commercial vehicles have been developed to help prevent accidents from happening.

What if it was possible to override the human factor; be a second pair of eyes, check the blind spots for cyclists and pedestrians, constantly monitor the road ahead for slowing vehicles or obstructions and steer a vehicle back between the white lines if it starts to drift? Well that day is already here.

The general term for these cutting-edge systems is ADAS,

or advanced driver-assistance systems. Systems like Adaptive Cruise, Forward Collision Warning, Advanced Emergency Braking, Radar, Lidar and Lane Departure Warning all go towards safer operation of these vehicles. Some vehicles are even capable of steering for themselves and bringing the vehicle to a complete stop with no input from the driver. That is pure technology at work and it’s already saving lives across the world.

This technology means that workshops must be equipped to test, repair and recalibrate these systems with the latest multi-brand diagnostic software and ADAS calibration hardware.

Windscreen, body and crash repairs immediately mean some form of recalibration is required. The consequences of a system like this not function-

ing at 100% are far-reaching.

To calibrate ADAS a precise laser-guided frame with the specific calibration panels for each different model must be placed at vehicle so that the radar and forward-facing cameras can be checked and calibrated. Using the software available in diagnostic tools like Jaltest makes this important job easy.

Jaltest is already a world leader when it comes to multibrand diagnostics on commercial vehicles so it makes perfect sense that they should complement their product range by introducing the hardware required to carry out ADAS calibrations. The world’s best just got better.

For more info about Jaltest ADAS, contact Paul at AECS on 06 874 9077 or paul@aecs. net

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THE MOUNT TRUCK SHOW 2020

Euro high roof Globetrotters alongside Australian high roof Aerodynes: has to be a Kiwi truck show.

See, land and air Story and photographs by Carl Kirkbeck Video by Izaak Kirkbeck

Polished rigs in convoy glinting in the sun and stunt planes filling blue skies heralded the start of another Mount Truck Show, this event now a must-see, with something for all the family.

A

blazing hot mid-summer’s day set the scene for The Mount Truck Show, again held alongside the Classics of the Sky Tauranga City Airshow.

A feature of this event for the enthusiast is most definitely the organised convoy that makes its way from Te Puke to the Classic Flyers grounds alongside Tauranga Airport.

There are many vantage points along the route, allowing the public to catch a glimpse of nearly 180 blinged-out trucks, an impressive sight from any angle.

Once at the venue there is a buzz in the air, with the sound of Harvards snarling into a vertical climb alongside the growl of the mighty 3408 Caterpillar as Alan Forbes’s restored LW923 Kenworth in Richards Heavy Haulage livery rolled into the grounds. The blend of these two exhibitions was

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uniquely different. They work so well alongside each other, like ham and cheese in a toastie.

The level of dedication to preparation was nothing short of impressive, especially the loggers of Aztec Forestry Developments, which took out Best Fleet. It made for quite the sight that many gleaming bush-whackers all lined up, in fact two lines deep! Well done, team.

As the day rolled into evening the second phase of the truck show kicked into high gear with a ‘lights on’ display. This again reiterated the dedication levels of some operators when it comes to how they present their units; not only spectacular in daylight, but also running in the darkness of night.

A special mention here goes to William of WG Geuze Contracting from Gisborne, and the transformation he has completed on the company’s ex Pacific Log Haulage T408 Kenworth. The lighting on this unit is outstanding, especially the illuminated headache rack, complete with backlit John Deere logo cut-outs; very sharp indeed.

This is a show to keep an eye out for; the variety and family entertainment value from combining the truck show with the air show is brilliant. Our hats are tipped to Alex Stenson and the team for putting together a fantastic event, and we wait with anticipation for news of next year’s date. 

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Saunders Transport of Mt Maunganui displaying two eras of Kenworth with its T401 standing beside its new T610.

Just a small cross-section of the impressive loggers from Aztec Forestry Developments that took out Best Fleet.

Mike Hart of Adrenaline Events helped get the

Salters Cartage were lined up in force, including its

next generation hooked on looking down a long

impressive original Mack Ultra Liner piggybacking the

hood with realistic truck driving simulators.

company’s restored 1942 Chevy pick-up.

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This T408 of WG Geuze Contracting from Gisborne made for an impressive sight at night, with its illuminated John Deere logos cut into the headache rack.

Pure poetry found here in the form of a 3408 V8 Cat in Alan Forbes’s restored LW923, sporting its original Richards Heavy Haulage fleet livery.

Regal Haulage was awarded Best Old Timer with its restored R-model Mack, seen here sitting beside Shaun Emmerson’s K104.

RESULTS Mount Truck Show 2020 King Rig Truck of the show People’s Choice

Morgs Transport Brett Marsh Transport

Judges Choice

R & K Bradshaw TUF659

Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best Best

Brett Marsh Transport C J Ahrens RLH – Glen Ireland N J Wood C4 Carriers Rainsford Trucking Camo’s Transport Waharoa Transport Hanes Transport R & H Transport

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KW Freightliner Western Star International Euro Mack Scania DAF Volvo MAN

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

Presentation and attention to detail was prevalent, as seen here with the Brett Marsh fleet that took out both

KGK465 Bruce ‘Roadie’ Clotworthy

MCK728 ROMPER LRB995 NJEAGL MQR394 MAC525 CAMOS LNA537 BIG700 KUK205

the Best Kenworth and People’s Choice awards.

Best Old Timer Best Logger Best Tipper Best Freight Best Tractor Best Fleet Best Artwork Best under 500,000 km Best 500,000 –1 million km Best Over 1 million km Furthest Travelled

Regal Haulage Charlie Papuni Wyatt Haulage Green Transport Edwards Heavy Haul Aztec Forestry Developments North Harbour Heavyhaul Kimari Holdings C & R Developments NJ Wood J D Hickman JDH50

LW7424 MAG339 MADPWR KWH129 JNU190 ZO3644 KIMARI LAH739 CAT525 Harley Reid

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ TRANSMISSIONS Genuine Eaton Roadranger transmissions, factory or TRT rebuilds. Specs also available for all Japanese and European makes and models including Hino, Fuso, Nissan, Isuzu, Foden & DAF.

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AUSSIE ANGLES

The Clarendon Kenworth Klassic 2019 Story and photographs by Carl Kirkbeck Video by Izaak Kirkbeck

It’s a weekend of catching up with good mates over a BBQ and a cold ale, all the while celebrating Kenworth trucks and their Australasian heritage.

F

or years David (Chappo) Chapman had harassed his good mate and fellow Kenworth enthusiast Bruce Gunter to organise a Kenworth-only truck show.

Both Bruce and Chappo are no strangers to the classic truck scene in Australia; as founding members of the ‘Hauling the Hume’ classic truck rally 10 years ago, they are well respected by their peers for the passion they bring.

It was a visit five years ago by Bruce to the Sydney Antique Machinery Club’s (SAMC) annual show with Chappo that rejuvenated the discussion once again with regard to the possibilities of a Kenworth-only show. Seeing the number of classic trucks involved in the SAMC show got the lads thinking. An enthusiastic meeting with the SAMC was held and it was decided that the following year an area of the show would be reserved for a Kenworthonly display. The scene was set for the inaugural ‘Kenworth Klassic’.

Now four years on, the Clarendon Kenworth Klassic Show has exploded, with more than 300 variants of the marque from all corners of the continent on display throughout the weekend.

Talking with both Bruce and Chappo about the success of the event, the two are quick to acknowledge how the ‘no judging, no trophies, no problems’

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mantra for the show has truly played a major part.

“The idea behind the weekend was in no way about who has the shiniest rig, it was always about catching up with your mates and sharing time with them at an event that celebrates the brand, while portraying the industry in a positive light,” says Bruce.

Testament to this is the fact that Kenworths from all areas of the industry are represented over the weekend, from working glamour rigs through to restored classics. You will also find work-dirty bread-winners that normally would never venture into a public display, but because there is no judging, they are all here.

The Kenworth Klassic is held annually alongside the SAMC Clarendon Classic Antique Machinery Show at the beginning of spring (September), so it’s not too hot.

Although the show is a Saturday and Sunday event, it is worth popping along on the Friday to view everything arriving and being parked up.

This is a show for all transport enthusiasts, and is definitely one to add to your bucket list. And make sure you catch up with Bruce and Chappo when you do visit, as you could not meet a nicer couple of fellow truck nutters with their hearts in the right place. 

The man, Gerard Hicks, shortly after being presented with the inaugural Dane Ballinger Award for professional business operation, services to the industry, and being a straight-up good bloke; exactly the ethos Dane held close to heart.

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A few years back Gerard Hicks of Shepparton discussed with the Klos Brothers the possibility of tracking down his old W model and restoring it for him. After five years of searching and the truck slipping through their hands once along the way, it was finally found in WA. A ground-up restoration at the Klos workshops in Geelong ensued, and now once again the trendsetting W with its original 10-stud hubs and Alcoas is back in its original Hicks red livery with Gerard at the helm.

This W923 from 1964 was the very first Kenworth sold by the now legendary Kenworth dealership Brown & Hurley for the princely sum of ÂŁ15,000, and is powered by a 8V71N Detroit Diesel.

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March 2020

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The iconic colours of the Cleveland Haulage ‘Mack Munchers’ from back in the day, still worn by this original SAR owned by Jon Cauchi.

Nothing says Australian K model more than over-

The perfect example of timelessness, Leo Kelly’s 1984 W model

the-roof air intake plumbing topped with a pair of

‘Midnight Special’ that was crowned Truckin’ Life magazine’s Rig

Donaldson Air Rams.

of the Year back in 1990, still glowing 30 years on.

Craig Heffer’s 1994 K100E has a tale or two to tell. After purchasing the truck Craig completed a 12-month ground-up restoration of the rig, but three months after completion a steer tyre blew and wedged itself between the rim and the diesel tank, spearing the unit hard left into a tree. It was back

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to the drawing board for Craig, resulting in another four months of full-time effort and determination to get it back on the road as you see it here.

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The Safety MAN Road Safety Truck will be part of an interactive Road Safety Hub at the 2020 TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show. A special area of the show has been dedicated to road safety and will feature the Valvoline Road Safety Track, the Safety MAN, Fire & Emergency Truck displays and more to come. The event is a great opportunity to promote road safety to kids, in a fun and interactive way. The Valvoline Road Safety Track is a large roadway with realistic markings, hazards, signs and situations so kids can learn some safety tips first-hand.

After grabbing a truck-branded scooter or pedal kart, the kids will ride around the track, learning road rules, stopping at pedestrian and railway crossings, slowing down for school buses and road works and having a lot of fun while learning! All kids’ activities at the show are free and organisers have lots of exciting surprises, so bring the whole family along on Saturday 21st March 2020, to the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch.

Recently the Safety MAN visited Allenton School Fair and the Ashburton Truck Show. Both events had fantastic turn out with lots of visitors through the Safety MAN to participate in the programs.

The Safety MAN has had another successful year and there are exciting new developments in store for in 2020, watch this space. A huge thank you to the Safety MAN sponsors listed below, for your continued support. Please support these businesses whenever you can. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

WWW.ROADSAFETYTRUCK.CO.NZ

STAY SAFE & PATIENT ON THE ROAD THESE HOLIDAYs!

Before passing, sit back far enough so you can see both truck mirrors.

Trucks in a city area take up to 50m to stop and in a rural area 200m or more to stop safely. Give the truck extra room.

Don’t cut in front of the truck after passing and maintain your speed, do not slow down.

Safety MAN at Allenton School Fair, with Talleys, Fire Emergency and St John

HEALTHY TRUCK DRIVER TOP TIP Stay hydrated these holidays! Summer brings warm temperatures and higher chance of dehydration. If you feel thirsty, it’s too late, your body is already dehydrated and this can cause health issues. Get yourself a large water bottle and continually drink small amounts of water throughout the day. Aim for 2L each day and more if you exercise. Pack healthy snacks. Swap unhealthy snacks like potato chips and candy bars, for nuts, fruits, vegetables & hummus. Prioritise your health and freshen up your diet for a fresh start in 2020.

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New Rigs New ON THE ROAD ON THE ROAD

The TheSky’s Sky’sthe theLimit Limit Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Moose’s milestone

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Scania R620 8x4Richards rigid Driver Frank Driver Frank Richards Engine 460hp Operator: 0Xi11, Andrews Transport Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission Location: Optidriver Balfour Transmission Optidriver Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Engine: Scania 463kW (620hp) Euro 5 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Transmission: GRSO905 14-speed manual Palfinger crane Rear axles: Palfinger crane Scania RP735 Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Rear suspension: Scania air suspension Dura-Bright alloy wheels Body/crates: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Deltamaterial stock crates Operation Carting roofing around Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: the Bay ofStock cartage Southland and Otago Plenty area

the Bay of Plenty area

FuelHauling HaulingFH FH Fuel

Twin Twin Tippers LandTippers of the long light log truck

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault LanderProStar 460.32 8x4 International R8 8x4 rigid Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator: Frank Aotearoa Haulage Ltd Driver Richards Driver Frank Richards Location: Ruakaka Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine: Cummins X15 458kW (615hp) Transmission Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Transmission: Eatonwith 18-speed UltraShift AMT Rear axles Renault P2191 hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles: Flat deck with Meritor 46-160 Truck body front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Rear suspension: IROS HD Palfinger crane

Palfinger crane Log gear: Disc Patchell, Patchell 5-axle trailer Features brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Extras: Stainless visor, Ali Arc bumper, twin Dura-Bright alloy wheels

Dura-Bright alloy wheels Operation roofing material around stacks, premium trim Operation Carting Carting roofing material around Bay ofLogs Plentythroughout area Northland Operation: the the Bay of Plenty area

Driver:

George Tahere

ShootingStar Star Shooting Bulkin’ Proof

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

RenaultLander Lander460.32 460.328x4 8x4 Renault

Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards UD CG 32-420 8x4 rigid Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Operator: Transmission Optidriver Transmission Optidriver Aotearoa NZ Made Ltd Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Location: Palmerston Rear axles Renault P2191 with hubNorth reduction Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Engine: UDfront GH11 313kWPK12000 (420hp) Truck body Flat deck with mounted Transmission: Palfinger crane Escot-6 12-speed AMT Palfinger crane Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features brakes,UD Bluetooth, Rear axles:Disc RTS2370A Rear suspension: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Dura-Bright alloy UD airwheels suspension Operation Carting roofing material around Operation Carting roofing material around Body: Fruehauf curtainside

Bay of Plenty area Operation:thethe Bay of Plenty area Recycle collection lower North Island

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator: Frank Taylor Bros Driver Frank Richards Driver Richards Location: 0Xi11, Tauranga Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 460hp Transmission OptidriverPACCAR MX13 380kW (510hp) Engine: Transmission Optidriver Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Transmission: Eatonwith Roadranger 20918B manual Rear axles Renault P2191 hub reduction Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body deck Meritor with front mounted PK12000 Rear axles: Flat 46-160 Rear suspension: Palfinger crane Palfinger crane AG460 Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features brakes, Bluetooth, Body/trailer:Disc Transfleet Extras: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Dura-Bright alloy wheels SI-Lodec scales, electric covers, Alcoa Operation Carting Carting roofing material around Operation roofing material around alloy rims

the Bay of Plenty area Plenty area Operation: the Bay ofBulk deliveries Waikato, BOP

Clean Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui up logistics thisLtd, here county!

Operator Roadex Operator Mount Maunganui

Driver:

Rowland

November 2015

74 New Zealand Trucking March 2020 10 10 NZNZ TRUCKING TRUCKING November 2015

DAF CF85 8x4 rigid

Driver:

Darrell Parker

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Mellow Miles & Michelin Men BigLander Red460.32 Riding Wood Renault 8x4

Carperton Argosy Mansion mover Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

International 9870 logistics R8 rigidLtd, - day cabMaunganui Operator Roadex Mount Driver Frank Richards Operator: McNeil Distribution Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Location: OptidriverInvercargill Transmission Engine: Cummins 433kW (580hp) Rear axles Renault P2191 with X15 hub reduction Transmission: Roadranger Truck body Flat deck Eaton with front mounted 20918B PK12000manual Rear axles: Palfinger Meritor crane 46-160 Rear suspension: IROS GP Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Body/trailer:Dura-Bright Cowan Trailers alloy wheels Operation: Carting roofing Woodmaterial residuearound South Island Operation Driver: the Bay ofJacob PlentyMcKenzie area

Mack Super Linerlogistics 6x4 tractor (200 tonne GCM) Operator Roadex Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Operator: Kings House Removals Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Location: Optidriver Invercargill Transmission Engine: Mackwith MP10 (685hp) Rear axles Renault P2191 hub511kW reduction Transmission: Mackfront mDRIVE 12-speed AMT Truck body Flat deck with mounted PK12000 Rear axles: Palfinger crane Meritor RTH2610 with hub reduction Rear suspension: MILX heavy-duty spring suspension Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Extras: 46”alloy mid-rise Dura-Bright wheelssleeper, 30L Waeco underbunk material fridge, amber/purple roof beacon Operation Carting roofing around Operation: the Bay ofBuilding removal Plenty area

Superb Super Liner Tall timber!

Dew’s Jewelthere were four …and then

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

Renault Lander 8x4– Aerodyne Kenworth K200460.32 8x4 rigid

Photo credit:

Craig McCauley

Kenworth K200 8x4 rigid – 2.3m flat roof Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator: Matt McCarthy contracted to CLS Driver Frank Richards Location: Levin Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine: Transmission Optidriver Cummins X15 458kW (615hp) Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B manual RearTransmission: axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles:Flat deck with Meritor Truck body front46-160 mounted PK12000 Rear suspension: Hendrickson PRIMAAX air suspension Palfinger crane Log gear: Disc brakes, McCarthy Engineering bolsters, Patchell Features Bluetooth, guard Dura-Brightcab alloy wheels Extras: Twin material stacks, around twin air intakes Operation Carting roofing Operation: the Bay of Logging lower North Island Plenty area Driver: Mark Wakefield

Operator RoadexStephenson logistics Ltd,Transport Mount Maunganui Operator: Driver Frank Richards Location: Waipawa Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine: Cummins X15 448kW (600hp) Transmission Transmission: Optidriver Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B manual Rear P2191 RT46-160 with hub reduction Rear axles axles: RenaultMeritor Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Rear suspension: AG460 crane Enterprises stock deck, Total alloy Body/trailer: Palfinger Jackson Features Disc brakes, cratesBluetooth, Dura-Bright alloy drop wheels Extras: Stainless visor, extra roof lights, alloy Operation Cartingbumper, roofing material around stainless mirrors, polished alloy the Baywheels, of Plentyfridge area

Operation:

Stock cartage North Island

Making heavy vehicle fleet management easy for you www.trgroup.co.nz

0800 50 40 50

New Zealand Trucking 2020 75 11 NovemberMarch 2015 NZ TRUCKING

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... 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. What’s more, there’s new technology and advanced design features 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

Chemistry from the start RJ Mason Transport Ltd from New Plymouth has just put this stunning 15.2 TMC quad-axle container semi to work on its Chemcouriers contract. Tipping the scales at a trim 6800kg, this and will surely enhance an already spectacular on-road image.

Features: ROR 22.5”disc brake axles and suspension, polished alloy wheels.

TMC

I see red, I see red, I see red There’s nothing basic about Bascik Transport’s latest Glidemaster build out of Roadmaster Ltd. If marketing and presence is all about visual impact, this new 3-axle semi, sporting alloy wheels and TCC Solutions signage, will return way more to the company than just freight carriage.

Features: SAF Intradisc axles and suspension, Structurflex curtains, alloy wheels.

Roadmaster Ltd

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Blue by you!

AS Wilcox has a long history of ‘spectacular’ against its name and it just rolls on in the form of this magnificent trailer out of Domett. The sleek 5-axle platform unit, kitted out for HPMV, will cart produce and machinery around the North Island. The big alloy toolboxes, stainless light bar, and Alcoa Dura-Bright outside wheels will ensure hard work looks fantastic.

Features: SAF19.5” Intradisc axles and suspension, WABCO EBS braking system, air-operated sliding drawbar.

Domett

Hot tub!

You would be one hard hombre to please if you were not thrilled to see this in the mirrors! The Transport and General Transport Trailers crew has turned out another stunner with this bulk tip trailer for Saunders Transport Ltd in Te Puke.

The 7.7m 5-axle trailer with a 1.95m side height has a high tensile chassis, 8mm tail door with removable offal locks, internal baffle doors, and Peterson side lights.

Features: ROR SL9 19.5 disc brake axles and air suspension, Edbro CS15 hoist, Alcoa alloy wheels with Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels on the outside, Bridgestone R294 tyres and Hella tail and reversing lights.

Transport & General Transport Trailers

Spec your trailer on KIWIs – the new tyre of choice for KIWIs KIWI 16

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

Wide grooves will not hold stones

The KIWI 16’s tougher twin

Multi use tread pattern

Heavy duty case

Super heavy duty case

Urban/highway/off road

Excellent mileage performance

Puncture resistant

Puncture resistant

17mm extra deep tread

17mm extra deep tread

17.5mm extra deep tread

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

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LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

No 7 – Gidget the Mack Ultra Liner.

A boy with a passion for trucks!

Story by Rochelle Thomas • Photos by Gavin Myers

Billy Adams, 15, from Tauranga, has an impressive collection of model trucks and memorabilia.

So much so that we were literally blown away when we walked into his room.

F

loor to ceiling, all four walls are trucks, trucks and more trucks! His collection includes models, cards, wallets, key rings, his schoolbag, Lego models, lunchboxes, posters, Weetbix cards and postcards. The list goes on and includes a huge New Zealand Trucking magazine collection dating back to 1990 – well before he was even born!

Not only does Billy collect, he also makes things too. He showed us a fantastic wooden model Mack Ultra Liner that he built in hard tech at school. His model is based on his favourite truck from Graeme Wright Transport Limited in Thames, using Ed Mansell’s photo as a reference for his work.

Billy’s woodwork teacher was surprised at his choice of subject and said that in his 14 years of teaching, Billy was the first student to ever make a truck. He even made his own

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graphics transfers, downloading images from the internet and purchasing special print paper and spray to decorate his model.

Not only did Billy pass the class, he also achieved with merit.

His teacher said that Billy’s truck was excellent, and that he had a natural talent and problem-solving skills, as well as an impressive work ethic.

Wooden model truck maker Peter Gough is Billy’s inspiration and mentor, offering him some guidance in building his project. There has been a keen interest in Billy’s Mack replica and he intends on making more in the future once he has bought himself a bandsaw. Another inspiration to Billy is Leigh Hudson of Iconic Replicas in Australia. He chats online with Billy about the diecast models he makes.

Billy has two glass cabinets with a wide range of diecast models that he purchases with money he earns working on the farm and cleaning trucks. One diecast model consists of about 5000 pieces, and the detail in them is unreal. From the doors and bonnets opening and wheels turning to the seat even moving up and down. Creating these diecast models is an interest Billy would like to pursue in the future, building them from scratch including making of the die and pouring of the medium to make the pieces of these incredible toys.

Billy’s dad is going to help him build a shed out the back of the house so he can pursue his passion. For now though, Billy

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ The Mack Ultra Liner of Graeme Wright

Billy printed and applied decal graphics

Transport Limited served as the inspiration

that were faithful to the original.

for Billy’s model creation.

Billy’s collection of truck models and memorabilia

Budding model builder and

lives in a

truckie, Billy Adams (15), shows

special glass

off his very first creation.

is running out of space in his bedroom and he laughs that he is going to start using the spare room!

Billy’s fascination with the trucking industry started as far back as he can remember, which is not surprising with his dad and grandfather both being truck drivers. His dad, Rod, currently drives a Western Star for Holmes Group. Billy says he wishes he could have been born 20 years earlier when trucks

cabinet.

were made tough, they all had gear sticks, and sounded tough.

Logging and wood chippers are his favourite kinds of truck: “they just look cool, especially TD Haulage’s T800.”

Currently in year 11 at school, Billy hopes to do a cadetship and get his HT licences once he has completed his levels 1 and 2. We here at New Zealand Trucking wish him all the best and have no doubt he will do amazing things in the future. 

Hi Little Truckers!

This month we are introducing some fun facts and regular features that I am sure you will all enjoy, including jokes and puzzles. A bit of fun for you, and you can also test mum and dad on their knowledge. A great way to spend some time indoors when it’s too wet or cold outside.

Thank you for your entries into the Auto Art by Rochelle colouring-in competition so far. You are all in with a chance to win a fantastic activity pack full of scented felt tips, colouring pencils, pencils, rubbers, scented crayons, a pencil sharper, paper, a sticker book, and a search and find! If you haven’t already sent yours in, be sure to grab last month’s issue, colour in the Kenworth, take a photo or scan it, and send it to me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz.

K E N W O R T H

Fun Fact: The first-ever truck was built in 1896 by German automotive pioneer Gottlieb Daimler. It only had three gears, two forward and one reverse!

Joke of the month: What part of a truck is the laziest?

The wheels – because they are always tired!

Crossword: For this puzzle, all you need to do kids is fill in the listed truck names into the empty squares. I have started it off for you with KENWORTH; have fun!!

DAF FREIGHTLINER HINO ISUZU IVECO KENWORTH

New Zealand Trucking

MACK MAN MERCEDES SCANIA WESTERN STAR VOLVO

February 2020

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WHAT’S ON TMC Trailers Ltd Trucking Industry Show

Big Rigs – 2020

20 and 21 March 2020 Canterbury Agricultural Park Christchurch Contact: Rebecca Dinmore 0800 338 338 rebecca.dinmore@nztruckingassn.co.nz www.truckingindustryshow.co.nz

5 April 2020 Railway Land, Palmerston North (Rides $2, all proceeds to children and teenagers with cancer or serious illness) Contact: www.manawatubigrigs.org

Toki Truck Stop Show and Shine

NZ Model Truck Club Nationals

29 March 2020 Tui Brewery Mangatainoka Contact: team@tuihq.co.nz

11 and 12 April 2020 Arena 3, Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North Contact: Nic Zwart 021 267-2118 nic_135@hotmail.com, or Jamie Larn 027 442-8006 jamie_larn@hotmail.com

IAA Hannover 24 – 30 September 2020 IAA Commercial Vehicles, Hannover, Germany Contact: www.IAAHannover.com Unique Realty Ltd

Licensed REAA 2008

Sunday 5 April 2020 10.00am - 4.00pm Railway Land, Palmerston North Rides for $2.00 per person

“All money raised stays local to support children and teenagers with cancer and other serious illnesses in the Greater Manawatu area” Major Sponsors

Lions Club of Middle Districts (Inc) PalmerstonNorth

manawatubigrigs.org

All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc. It is suggested you 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.

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Contents 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 102 104

Brought to you by

Market Stats Health and Safety Legal Incoming Person of Interest Product Profile Truckers’ Health IRTENZ conference RTF conference NZTA RTF Last Mile

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Moving metrics New Zealand Trucking shows you 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 January

This information is put together from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency through its st registration in New Zealand of NB, NC and TD classes Open Data portal https://opendata-nzta.opendata. arcgis.com/

Vehicle type This summary includes data for three heavy-truck and -trailer classes.

Vehicle class

Description

NB (medium goods vehicle)

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes.

Number of units registered Number of units registered

NC (heavy goods Heavy vehicle first registration in New Zealand vehicle)

350

295

300

TD (heavy trailer)

st registration in New 250 Zealand of NB, NC and TD classes 189

200

262

173

Heavy vehicle first registration in New Zealand 150First registration in New Zealand of NB, NC and TD classes

350 100 300 50 250 0 200

295 262 189

NB 173

NC Heavy vehicle class

150 100

Jan-19

TD 116

110

Jan-20

50 0

NB

NC

TD

Heavy vehicle class

st registration of NB and NC classes for January 2020 for major manufacturer Jan-19

Jan-20

First registration in New Zealand by vehicle class First registration of NB and NC classes for January 2020 for during Januarymajor 2020manufacturer for major manufacturers

vo

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Isu

o

March 2020

Ke n

Fu s

lin er

gh t

New Zealand Trucking

zu

Ke n

Isu

o

Hi n

Hi n

o

Fu s

o

lin er

gh t

DA F

Fr ei

DA F

82

Fr ei

Number of units

Number of units

st registration of NB and NC classes for January 2020 for major manufacturer 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 First registration in New Zealand by vehicle class 10 5 during January 2020 for major manufacturers 0 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 NB NC 10 5 0

A trailer that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 10 tonnes.

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.

116

110

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 12 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-1june-2019.pdf ).

Note: vehicle classes are not the same as RUC vehicle types or driver licence classes.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Road user charges purchased during January 2020 This information is put together from information provided by the New Zealand Transport Agency.

(NOTE:JOHNB – RUC to come after sales)

New Zealand Trucking magazine acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA for providing <HEADLINE> this information to us.

RUC purchase for January 2020, all RUC types

Road user charges purchased during January 2020

(NOTE:JOHNB – Ref Feb issue how you put next bit types in a blue box) RUC purchase forfor2019, allthisRUC

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at

information of is put together fromtypes information provided at by https://www. the New Zealand Transport Agency. New https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/ AThis description RUC vehicle is available Zealand Trucking magazine acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA for providing this road-user-charges/ruc-rates-and-transaction-fees/ nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/road-user-charges/rucinformation to us. rates-and-transaction-fees/ RUC purchase for January 2020, all RUC types

A description RUC vehicle typesof is available at https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/roadTotal valueofand distance road user charges purchased The top eight RUC type purchases, user-charges/ruc-rates-and-transaction-fees/ between 01 January 2018 and 31 January 2020 by other than Type 1 in descending order purchase year: Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 01 January 2018 are: and 31 January 2020 by purchase year

Purchase period

Distance purchased Value of RUC Type Distance purchased (km) purchases Value of purchases 2 (km) 15,736,558,458 $1,875,364,397

Purchase period

1 January 2018 RUC purchases for the 1–January 2018 – 31 December 31 December 2018 2018

top eight 15,736,558,458 RUC types

$1,875,364,397

6

Description Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle.

Powered vehicles with three axles, (except

1 January 2019 RUC type 16,166,434,103 type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles).

The top eight purchases, other $2,041,939,272 than Type 1 in descending order are: 1–January 2019 – 31 December 31 December 2019 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

43

Unpowered vehicles with four axles.

1,370,455,881 $175,736,796 Description 14 Powered vehicles with four axles (except type Powered vehicles 1,370,455,881 with one single-tyred$175,736,796 spaced axle and408, one414 twin-tyred or type 499spaced vehicles). axle 951 Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles.

6 Powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles) Month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2019 - 2020 H94 Towing vehicle that is part of an overweight 43 Unpowered vehicles with four axles combination vehicle consisting of a type 14 RUC purchases all types RUC purchases, allRUC RUC types 14 Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 RUC or type 499towing vehicles) vehicle a type 951 RUC vehicle 1,450,000,000 $190,000,000 with a permit weight of not more than 951 Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles $185,000,000 1,400,000,000 $180,000,000 50,000kg.

H94 Towing vehicle that is part of$175,000,000 an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a 1,350,000,000 vehiclesof with type 14 RUC vehicle towing a$170,000,000 type 951 RUC 33 vehicle withUnpowered a permit weight notthree twin-tyred, or $165,000,000 1,300,000,000 single large-tyred, close axles (except vehicle more than 50,000kg. $160,000,000 1,250,000,000 type 939). $155,000,000 33 Unpowered vehicles with three twin-tyred, or single large-tyred, close axles $150,000,000 1,200,000,000 408 Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of $145,000,000 (except vehicle type 939) $140,000,000 1,150,000,000 a combination vehicle with a total of at least 408 Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of a combination vehicle with a total eight axles. of at least eight axles RUC Distance Purchased (km)

Jan-20

Dec-19

Oct-19

Nov-19

Sep-19

Jul-19

Aug-19

Jun-19

Apr-19

May-19

Mar-19

Jan-19

Feb-19

Purchase value ($)

Distance purchased (Km)

January 2020 RUC Type January 2020 2

RUC Value ($)

120,000,000

$25,000,000

100,000,000

$20,000,000

80,000,000

$15,000,000

60,000,000

$10,000,000

40,000,000

$5,000,000

20,000,000 0

2

6

43

14

951

RUC type

Total RUC distance (Km)

H94

33

408

$0

Purchase value ($)

Distance purchased (Km)

Month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2019 - 2020 RUC purchases Janaury 2020 for selected types The red dots represent the cost of RUC purchased for that RUC type for the year to date January 2020 only, thus for RUC type 6 vehicles, powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles), the higher cost results from the high cost of RUC for these type vehicles above 12 tonne.

Total RUC Value ($)

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

The red dots represent the cost of RUC purchased for that RUC type for the year to date January 2020 only, thus for RUC type 6 vehicles, powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Traffic management pays

H

People need to be aware of what the traffic movements are ave you ever come across roadworks and been like in the workplace; for example, are they likely to be crossing confused by the traffic management? Maybe the gaps paths with trucks or forklifts? They need to understand the between the cones are large enough for a vehicle to safe locations to stand when loading and unloading is taking move between, maybe there are conflicting arrows, place. Induction of staff, contractors and relevant visitors is maybe there doesn’t appear to be any reason for them. The important. Staff need to be aware of their surroundings and risk of a vehicle incident is much higher when the traffic what is expected of them. management plan appears confusing – Creating and documenting a traffic both for the road users and for the road management plan is a wise option. workers.

How can Safewise Involve management and workers. This Your workplace can be just as help? will allow the traffic management plan confusing and high-risk, particularly We work with organisations to be considered from all aspects and if people are new to the site. There are that need more health will result in a better plan and increased three aspects to traffic management in and safety knowledge, compliance. Review it at regular intervals a workplace: the site, the vehicles or or more time, than they to ensure it still fits the workplace. machines, and the people. have in-house. For more Any change in the work may require a Improving safety at the site means information, check the change in the traffic management plan. looking at the layout of the site, its website Planning traffic movements is an easy purpose, and the way it is used. Some www.safewise.co.nz step towards keeping people safe.  issues to consider include: is the site methodically laid out? Is the speed limit clearly displayed? You may need to consider speed bumps or other means to slow traffic. Are traffic areas separate so that machinery such as forklifts is separate from the trucks? Is the staff car parking clear of the operating Tracey Murphy is the owner and director area? Can visitors easily identify parking and is it away from of Safewise Limited, a health and safety the operating area? A one-way system of traffic flow is always consultancy. She has more than 10 years’ best as the traffic flow is predictable and requires no, or less, experience working with organisations from reversing. Are walkways clearly marked? Line marking them many different industries. Tracey holds a works well, so does using other objects, such as cones, barriers, Diploma in Health and Safety Management even planter boxes. and a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Consider the vehicles or machines. Are they fit for purpose?

Safety and Health. She is a graduate Think about the visibility of the machines – lights, beepers, member of New Zealand Institute of Safety colour, etc. Can the workflow be set up to reduce the number Management and is the Waikato branch of interactions between vehicles, machines and people? manager.

23031 DANI1 TRUCKING AD.pdf

27/5/10

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

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

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eRUC

Maintenance

eLogbook

“The best thing about our Teletrac Navman system was that it solved any customer disputes over invoicing.

They couldn’t argue with the time-keeping of the system, and therefore we retained valuable revenue.”

Robin Thomas, Owner & Operator HIAB Transport

0800 447 735

0320-18

TeletracNavman.co.nz

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LEGAL LINES

The beauty of

T

he Transport Operator Register Online (TORO) is a free, independent, internet-based resource available to transport service licence holders that enables them to check that only licensed drivers are driving company vehicles. It is particularly essential for employers to avoid having a vehicle impounded by the police for 28 days in situations where a driver has had their licence disqualified, revoked or suspended.

Last month I talked about what information TORO provides and when companies can expect to be notified of a change in licence status. The focus of this article is on the benefits that come with joining TORO, what steps to take to register with TORO, and I also provide some helpful information for drivers.

What are the benefits?

TORO is designed to assist transport operators to better manage the licensing of their drivers in an effort to avoid the substantial costs and business disruptions caused by expired driver licences and demerit point suspensions. Furthermore, the likelihood that a disqualified or suspended driver is stopped by the police while driving an employer’s vehicle is greatly reduced.

The beauty of TORO is that it gives transport operators the

TORO opportunity to avoid situations that could escalate into major problems. For example, a bus driver can be reminded to renew a P class endorsement in a timely way, or a truck driver can be given a warning that he has accumulated 50 demerit points.

If steps are taken at these early stages it may save a lot of time and stress further down the track. TORO will also be useful for transport operators when managing their overall regulatory performance in terms of the Operator Rating System.

How can I join?

Transport operators can join TORO by sending an email to toro@nzta.govt.nz with their postal address details, and they will receive an information and registration pack. Completed applications forms and the required documentation should then be posted to: TORO NZ Transport Agency Transport Registry Centre Private Bag 11777 Manawatu Mail Centre Palmerston North 4442 If registration is successful then a TORO account is established for the company and you will be advised when you can access the system. An account name and password specific to the company is allocated and is to be entered each time the service is used. It is essential that this information is kept confidential and only released to those within the company who have authorised access.

Information for drivers

F ARE YOUR STAF

?

K R O W T A SAFE

DOES YOUR BUSINESS MEET LEGAL REQUIREMENTS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE MONEY?

There is no legal requirement for drivers to give their consent to their employer to access their information via TORO. If consent is given, then the NZTA can release certain information from the Driver Licensing Register to people other than licence holders, pursuant to sections 199(4) and 199(6) of the Land Transport Act 1998 (‘the LTA’). In addition to this, some information not covered by the LTA can be released under the Privacy Act 1993.

Employers must give the driver a copy of the signed consent form and hold the original on their personal file. They must keep the consent form on file for six months after the driver leaves their employment. From time to time the NZTA will audit transport service licence holders and as part of the audit ask to see their TORO consent forms. 

Safewise has many services to help with your health and safety needs.

Let us help you protect your people, process, property and your profit: 4 Meet your legal compliance requirements.

4 Save money by reducing downtime and damage.

4 Earn discounts on levies from ACC.

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

Visit www.safewise.co.nz to find out more, or call:

consult with a lawyer. Danielle

0800 SAFEWISE

Beston is a barrister who specialises

0800 723 394

in transport law and she can be contacted on (09) 377 1080 or 021 326 642.

Danielle Beston

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NZ Owned, NZ Operated, OEM Approved

www.nzblue.co.nz | 0800 ADBLUE ® = registered trademark of the Ver-band der Automobilindustrie e.V. (VDA)

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INCOMING CARGO Chairman of the board of management Daimler Truck AG, Martin Daum, speaks to the big global questions as part of his trip down under for Cascadia’s launch.

PH OT O: DA I M L E R A U S T R A L I A

GLOBAL

questions Speaking to press at the Freightliner Cascadia launch in Sydney recently, Daimler Truck AG boss Martin Daum was happy to take questions on broader subject matter.

Reporting by New Zealand Trucking Media

T

here’s an old adage in life and business about never forgetting your roots, and always remaining nimble.

They’re both easy to neglect and the price for doing so can be catastrophic, as demonstrated by the information revolution that left some household names looking like a flyblown buffalo carcass on the side of the Barkly Highway. Observing that happen has been of huge benefit to the automotive industry’s established OEMs, who have acknowledged their potential fragility in the face of upstarts attempting to whip their legs off at the neck while they sleep.

Even today’s giants have their origins in a tinkerer’s garage a century or more ago and so innovation, stealth, and nimbleness shouldn’t be absent in their stem cell DNA. ‘Today’ is not about fortune; today is about fronting up at the start line again, and attempting to be here for another century.

Even as Daum took questions, Daimler – and Volkswagen Audi for that matter – were announcing significant staff cuts (10,000 in Daimler’s case and just over 9000 in VA’s). Both companies are directing more resources into alternative power and autonomy research and development, and beginning the

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adaptation to a far less labour-intensive future product offering: EVs are far easier to make than oil burners.

One has to be sympathetic to the plight of today’s OEMs. They have to maintain our mobility while fending off challengers to their thrones, challengers with less responsibility, or reputation. Pulling off that double-act is a tough gig. As one DTNA executive told us, “Flying economy is the norm now”.

‘Platformisation’ of existing product lines and collaboration as a means to curb costs will only intensify as combustion’s ember dies also. Bespoke projects sitting in far-off markets (read Argosy Down-Under in Daimler’s case) that amount to good money being poured after bad have – and will – continue to disappear.

Daimler from the top

“The world could survive without cars, but it could not survive without trucks,” said Martin Daum chairman of the board of management Daimler Truck AG. “One of the most important tools for our current economic society. Without trucks, everything would come to a stop.”

“For all who keep the world moving,” is the way Daum describes the purpose of Daimler, a phrase from his podcast series ‘Transportation Matters’ (Episode #4). He emphasised the importance of what they do in terms of producing a tool for customers, one the customer trusts to put food on the family table. “If we fail, we let them down.”

He stressed the importance of developing technology that meets customer demand rather than creating technology and then trying to sell it, and developing technology that’s easily deployable across the suite of brands, platforms in other words.

He referred to it as the truck’s “genetics”. Local customisation is selected from a global parts bin.

Currently Daimler is investing €1.4bn (AU$2.2bn/NZ $2.35bn) per annum into R&D and, according to Daum, you

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ need the combined weight of the three 300,000-vehicle sales regions – North American, Europe, and the rest – to be able to shoulder that (North Korea and Venezuela are the only two countries Daimler don’t sell into directly).

Part of that spend was last year’s purchase of US autonomous vehicle systems supplier Torc Robotics, and although Daum announced at CES in Las Vegas last year an aggressive 10-year timeline to a commercially available L4 autonomous truck in the US, he noted that autonomy was a marathon not a sprint.

Technical and regulatory development are huge tasks.

On the subject of powertrains, he was at pains to emphasise Daimler was agnostic and stressed that batteries and fuel cells were just different ways of getting power in an EV. “A fuel cell truck and battery truck are fairly similar except batteries are replaced by a fuel cell stack. Both in my opinion have their challenges for the future, and both have their rewards. I see them as complementary technology, that it’s actually the same truck, and so we develop in such a way that we can always take off the battery packs and replace them with a fuel cell.

“The fuel cell Canter, which is an eCanter with all but the buffer battery removed and replaced with a fuel cell – I see that as the blueprint for the future”.

Staying with eCanter, he said rollout here [Australia largely] was still contingent on the maturity of battery technology and demand from regulators. The latter he clarified by saying the alternative power technology is possible and available now but is still cost prohibitive by a considerable margin compared with diesel.

In terms of competition in the alternative powertrain market he said that when talking trucks, no one is in the “gaining business” phase currently. “Everyone is still in the gaining knowledge phase.” He said the three big pillars of reliability and reach, cost of ownership, and infrastructure still have to be solved.

“EV and fuel cells are more expensive and there has to be a framework that supports them. Batteries and fuel stacks require more length to house the tanks and batteries. Difficult discussions as many roads are not set up for increased size.”

Neither did he mince words around the task at hand in terms of global sustainability.

“The Paris agreement means that by 2050 we don’t have any combustion engines any more in any road mobility. We have to get there by 2050. That’s 30 years. Thirty years ago I was already working at Daimler. It’s changed a lot but nothing like that. We have young people with us now who will see that change.”  DMc

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PERSON OF INTEREST

Transport industry is New Zealand’s ‘good cholesterol’ Story and photo by Faye Lougher

Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett has been in the role for more than a year now. Faye Lougher talks to him about how he’s found his first year.

N

ick Leggett was just 19 when he was elected onto Porirua City Council, saying he wanted better representation for young people. When he won the Porirua mayoralty in 2010, he was the youngest mayor in New Zealand at that time. He served two terms as mayor before an unsuccessful bid for the Wellington mayoralty.

His next job was as the executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council, an establishment role set up as a sensible voice for the alcohol industry.

Those previous roles seem a world away from the transport industry, but Nick says he had been aware of the forum over the years, both in Tony Friedlander’s day, and in Ken Shirley’s.

“Being a student of politics [he has a BA in political science], I knew who both of them were and I’d followed their careers, but it was more the messaging they had around the importance of road freight to the New Zealand economy, the importance of roads to New Zealand Inc. that resonated,” he says.

“In Porirua, probably for the whole of my local government career, Transmission Gully had been on the horizon and it had started construction by the time I left, so I had a growing appreciation.

“I also had some small involvement in issues like the Kapiti Expressway. I suppose I saw an alignment with the forum and felt that being an advocate for road freight was something that was aligned to what I believed in and I thought I could add some value to the industry as well.”

Nick says before he starts a job he always imagines what it’s going to be like, and he’s found the reality of his role with the RTF stimulating and challenging.

“It’s all I’d hoped for and a bit more in the sense that there are issues that the industry has to grapple with itself, things around workforce and change and technology, that are coming our way. We do have to confront this and make changes, but the whole environment for road freight and for business generally is a bit more challenging in this political climate.

“Some of that will force change, but some of it requires the case for road transport to be put effectively, not just to politicians and officials, but also to the New Zealand public.

What I’ve discovered is that people do understand when it’s pointed out to them that trucks carry our economy. Most of the things we enjoy in our lives, like food and household goods, and well – basically everything that keeps our lives going – comes on the back of a truck.”

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Nick says in today’s world, the RTF needs to represent the interests of road freight transport operators and deliver the tailored kind of advice they need to run their businesses effectively.

“The role of the forum is to provide the voice of the industry, to the media, to the politicians, and to the bureaucracy. And our role is to show principled leadership on issues around regulation and policy for the industry as a whole, and to engage with the regulator – or regulators – on behalf of the industry.”

The challenge, Nick believes, is for the forum to align the interests of the industry with those of the public, because they aren’t mutually exclusive.

Nick says the Labour Government has the view of transport as being broader than just highways, and that’s a fair position to take.

“But I think Kiwis want to be able to move around as quickly as possible and we know that freight needs to be able to move between regions and cities and from gate to market as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

“It’s not just one or the other [road or rail] and it really is pie in the sky to believe that freight is going to be moved significantly by anything other than road in a country with our topography,” he says. “It is a challenge to push those things, but it’s about the industry recognising that the government has priorities and that we respect significant aspects of their agenda, but we disagree with others.”

Nick says the standard of roading in New Zealand is an issue that affects everyone, not just those in the industry.

“Good roading is an investment. New Zealanders want to be assured that the expertise exists in the NZ Transport Agency around how to build roads with the right quality, design, materials and oversight, and that the agency and local authorities have the right kind of budgets and the right kind of expertise to carry out maintenance. Roading has to remain a priority and I think there is general concern among a lot of New Zealanders that roading is run down, and the maintenance has not been done.

“There are challenges there. Initially it’s about understanding – why do we want good roads? It’s not just for the sake of it, it’s because they are the means to an end. They help New Zealanders get around safely and do what they need to do in their lives. They help us stock supermarket shelves and ensure that the stuff we buy online gets to us as quickly as possible.

As I’ve often said, trucking and roading is the good cholesterol in the New Zealand economy – it moves things around. And when it’s working well, New Zealand does well.”

On the subject of the upcoming referendum on decriminalisation of marijuana, Nick says that when the government talks about their number one priority being safety, the industry wants to see consistency around that.

“What we’re saying as an industry is that we’re forced to assess our staff for drug use, but if the government cares about safety, we want to see that applied to everyone driving a vehicle in New Zealand. There has to be some kind of impairment

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Nick Leggett. His political career has taught him the importance of effective transport.

testing regime in place, an accurate one, and if one doesn’t exist at the moment, let’s develop one. More of the people who died on the roads in the past two years had drugs, rather than alcohol, in their system. So to say it’s not a problem is really brushing it under the carpet.”

Telling the stories of those in the industry is something Nick is passionate about.

“Truck driving does require dedication and skill, and it’s doing something that is essential for all New Zealanders to be able to live well. They’re driving big expensive machines that people take a risk investing in, and providing a really important commercial service. I feel really privileged to be chosen to represent the industry and it’s important to me that I do that very well, and that I’m effective in telling that story.”

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CHANGE YOUR VIEW

While government and industry training organisation initiatives to solve the growing labour shortage in the transport industry are welcomed, Nick feels individual employers are the key.

“I think the answer is individual employers working out how they can do things differently and orientating their businesses to employ young people. Taking a chance on them, developing young people, having a commitment to developing their skills and qualifications, and continuing to do that.

“I’m not talking about some futuristic thing that doesn’t exist; I see and talk to road transport operators who are doing that every day of the week, and what’s more, they have a commitment to paying decent wages. Interestingly enough, those operators don’t have workforce shortages.”

Nick says part of this is a culture change. He’s been involved previously with schemes that employ young people, and says the change that’s needed is so often with employers, not with employees.

“We want to put our best foot forward as an industry because we know we need drivers and dispatchers and the people who do all aspects of the industry. We’re in a competitive market for labour and the RTF’s role is to give willing employers the tools to do that.”

After being in the role for more than a year, Nick says the road transport industry is a great industry to be involved with.

“It’s got great people who perform a really important service for New Zealand. I’m excited about helping them make their businesses operate more effectively and more efficiently, to tell their story about what it is they do, and to attract people to come and work in the industry.” 

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PRODUCT PROFILE

‘Hiab’ has become the industry name for anything that lifts.

Hiab’s the name It can only be testament to a brand when it becomes the generic name for its type of product. Soft drinks generically referred to as ‘Coke’; 4x4s as ‘Jeeps’; ‘Jet Ski’ for, well, jet skis; tissues as ‘Kleenex; ‘Tupperware’ for plastic containers…and ‘Hiab’ for loader cranes.

L

ike many of these well-established, world-famous brands, Hiab has a history that stretches back decades, the brand being founded in Sweden in 1944. Indeed, Hiab invented the world’s first hydraulic truck-mounted crane in 1947.

The name, Hiab, is an abbreviation of the 1944 company name Hydrauliska Industri AB. Over the ensuing decades, Hiab moved through various types of mergers and acquisitions and since 2005 it has formed part of the Cargotec Corporation, which specialises in cargo and load handling solutions. Cargotec used the name Hiab for its load-handling business unit that includes products and service used in on-road transport and delivery, including truck loader cranes and knuckle booms (under the Hiab brand), forestry cranes and recycling cranes, ( Jonsered and Loglift), hook and skiploaders (Multilift), truck-mounted forklifts (Moffett), and tail lifts (Zepro in New Zealand).

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The brand Hiab first appeared in the New Zealand market about 28 years ago and, again testament to the brand, it has become the name synonymous with loader cranes.

It’s little wonder then that local road transport products and services provider Tidd Ross Todd (TRT) took up the opportunity for the exclusive rights to the brand, adding it to its vast portfolio towards the end of 2018. Not only Hiab mind, (there we go using the name generically), but all of the Cargotec Hiab product range.

Given TRT’s more than 50-year history in the crane and manufacturing sector, and truck and trailer parts and service, as well as the company’s trusted name in the New Zealand and Australian markets, Cargotec’s products were a natural fit with the company’s portfolio. Hiab and Zepro are specifically well suited to the markets Down Under.

“The Hiab range complements the existing capabilities and products offered by TRT,” says Graham Penniket, Hiab national sales, TRT. “From its manufactured TRT trailers and TIDD Crane, to its crane dealerships of Manitowoc and Kobelco, the broad Hiab range allows customers to know that when it comes to lifting or transport solutions TRT has a product designed for just about anything and the expertise to deliver the right solution.”

Penniket says the focus has been on improving technical support and customer service from where it has been previously, and over the past year TRT has built very good momentum, exceeding support expectations across equipment sales, service and parts supply. “The growth of Hiab, Zepro and the other Cargotec products like Jonsered has been extremely positive, and customer feedback has been equally as good.”

Naturally, the transport industry is the biggest consumer of

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Left: Zepro tail lifts from panel vans to B-trains. Right: Hiab at sea, no application too far.

Hiab products and Zepro tail lifts, but TRT’s even gone so far as to prove the capabilities of the Hiab product by fitting a 251-4 knuckle boom sea crane on Sanford Limited’s vessel, Pelorus Trader, which harvests mussels from farms in the Marlborough Sounds and Tasman regions.

Zepro, meanwhile, has been put to the test with specialised government departments, such as with Ministry of Justice laundry and prisoner-transport trucks. If mere parcels or equipment need to be moved, the tail lifts will be more than up to the task.

“There’s really no limitation,” says Penniket. “If something heavy needs to be moved or lifted, there’s a product available from Hiab.” That’s probably putting it mildly, with 120 different Hiab cranes ranging from less than 12 tonne capacity (for small trucks and utes) and less than 30 tonnes for mediumsized jobs, to more than 30 tonnes for real heavy lifting. They can be controlled manually or by remote and incorporate various stability systems to ensure the crane remains steady and operates smoothly, no matter the job. Up to 15 individual builtin features and systems ensure ultimate dependability.

Zepro, meanwhile, is available in 17 different models for any vehicle from a panel van to a B-train, with lifting capabilities from 450 to 3000kg. Constructed out of Swedish steel for low weight and high strength means heavy loads can be handled without compromising safety. Features such as slip-resistant platforms, optional wireless remote control, and protected hydraulics make for quick and safe loading and unloading.

Strength, robustness and quality have always been synonymous with Hiab products and, with most made in Europe, manufacturing and development standards are kept high. “All products comply with New Zealand standards,” says Penniket, adding TRT maintains strong relationships with vehicle dealers, body builders and the end customer to ensure the right product and support for the job.

Tying together the local Cargotec product offering is TRT’s nationwide support network that covers all main centres, with 22 service providers around the country and growing. These service providers handle installation, equipment service and repairs, with spare parts supplied direct from TRT. 

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

Think outside the cab Here’s the benchmark for a pearler of an outdoor workout.

Start

Middle

Start

Bench sit-up 3 sets of 10 or 3 sets of 30 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each set.

• Muscles worked: core.

End

Bench lunge

Rest feet on bench with legs at a 90-degree angle, place hands gently behind head (keep elbows open), lift shoulder blades off floor, hold tummy tight, lift up as high as you can, keep neck relaxed. If you wish, extend the arms toward the ankles for an extra burn in your core.

End

3 sets of 12 each leg or 3 sets of 30 seconds each leg with a 10-second rest in between each set.

• Muscles worked: quad, hamstring, glute and calf.

This exercise may be performed at ground level if you’re not comfortable elevating the foot onto the bench.

Place one foot flat on the bench, take a big step forward so your legs can bend at roughly 90-degree angles, keep your posture and body weight up and vertical, gently bend the back knee and lower as much as you can, gently lift the leg back up.

Start

Start

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End

Bench squat

Bench press-up

3 sets of 15 or 3 sets of 30 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each set.

• Muscles worked: quads, glutes and hamstrings.

3 sets of 10 or 3 sets of 30 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each set.

• Muscles worked: chest and shoulders.

Stand in front of the bench with feet hip-width apart, push your hips back and lower yourself until your bottom hits the bench, slowly bring yourself back up, driving the hips forward as you come back to standing position. Make sure you keep your chest up and ensure that your knees don’t travel past your toes.

This exercise may be performed on the ground on knees or toes if you’re not comfortable being elevated on the bench.

Place your hands outside shoulder width on the bench, back flat and feet hip-width apart, slowly lower your chest toward the bench, ensuring your elbows travel behind you and not outward, slowly push yourself back up.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

End

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Bench step-up 3 sets of 12 each leg or 3 sets of 30 seconds each leg with a 10-second rest in between each set.

• Muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings, calves, quads.

Set up in front of the bench, step one leg on top of the bench, push up through your leg and gently tap the other leg onto the bench, slowly lower and control the leg back down to the ground keeping your body steady and stable. Please make sure your entire foot is on the bench, keep it safe!

Start

Middle

End

Bench triceps dip Start

End

3 sets of 10 or 3 sets of 30 seconds with a 10-second rest in between each set.

• Muscles worked: triceps, shoulders.

Place your hands on the bench with the grip just outside hip-width, feet at hip-width apart, keep your body close to the bench (the further your feet are away from the bench, the harder the movement). Gently lower your body ensuring that you keep your elbows tucked in and pointing backward rather than flaring out to the sides, lower to shoulder height then slowly push yourself up.

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

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CONFERENCE 2019

Of innovation, collaboration, logic and change Reporting by New Zealand Trucking Media

How does the New Zealand transport industry communicate a positive message for change?

W

ith 20 years served on the Mainfreight executive and nigh on double that in the New Zealand freight industry, Craig Evans, Mainfreight country manager, New Zealand, is probably well placed to comment on the industry’s past, present and future.

One thing he reckons is a constant throughout, though, is the need for continual innovation and evolution in the way freight is moved around New Zealand.

“The question we ask ourselves [at Mainfreight] every day is, what’s next? If we don’t continue to evolve we’re all in trouble.

As an island nation of only five million people, we have to continue to be innovative to be competitive on the world stage,” Evans began.

Evans says this thinking has been a trait of Mainfreight’s since its inception in 1978, when the company’s way of doing things gave it the reputation of a maverick. It had to rely on innovation to survive the first few years, using coastal freight and extending the sea freighter cages to carry a third more volume than its competitors could move. With deregulation in the 1980s came the use of larger containers on the rail network.

“We got a conventional container and welded rods to the top of it, and sent the container all around the country. When the rods got bent we knew how it could fit through a tunnel and then built the container in that shape,” he recalled.

“That’s the innovation I’m talking about. Whether it’s a truck, train or plane it doesn’t matter. Innovation has to be the lifeblood of what we in this room are,” he told the IRTENZ delegates.

The world has moved on, though, becoming far more digitalised, competitive and time-sensitive. The face of transport is changing and Evans says that, given the 2-million tonnes of small freight Mainfreight moves around New Zealand every year, evolution with the likes of H units has been great. But more needs to be done.

“New Zealand has greater capacity to have more highvolume units, more like the B-double stuff in Australia. There are certain areas in New Zealand where we think those can operate successfully,” he suggests, warning against a one-shotfits-all policy. “It’s got to be regional-based, intelligent and logical. I’m not proposing we run road trains around New Zealand, but we have to think differently about some of the roads in New Zealand. Auckland–Hamilton for one. We’ve got to keep thinking and pushing these boundaries.”

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In doing so he reminds us that New Zealand is largely made up of small and medium enterprises, and guards against not looking just at the large exporters as a template of everything our industry needs to be designed around.

“Freight forwarding gets more expensive the faster it goes and the smaller it is, but costs less per kilogram the bigger it is and the slower it goes. So, one of the big drivers for me from an industry perspective is to keep driving down to slower. Fast doesn’t necessarily mean good. But the thing that drives this is demand, the market forces at play,” Evans says.

And what the market demands, what it has moulded within Mainfreight, is mode neutrality. While road still accounts for 80.2% of tonnage moved (rail 17.5%, coastal 2.3%) by Mainfreight, when looked at as tonnage over kilometre, road’s dominance drops to 65.8%, with rail almost doubling to 30.7% and coast marginally growing to 3.4%. That’s the equivalent of 2000 H units of general freight moved along the coast (predominantly Auckland to Christchurch), and 13,000 equivalent H units of general freight on the rail network every year.

“That’s our obligation to get it off the highways and byways.

But logic also says that is the right answer for us. Logic will always prevail,” Evans says. “New Zealand does need great intermodal design. Intermodal is here for the future and around the world that is supported. There’s a place for everybody in that space.

“KiwiRail can never get to the first or last mile and that’s where road always prevails. But there is technology around the world that allows road to integrate with rail. As a nation, this is the sort of thinking we need. It’s up to KiwiRail to get their heads around that sort of stuff because it’s logical and the right decision,” he says.

Mainfreight is also looking to the future and embracing next-generation technologies such as electric and battery technology in its 18 centres of excellence, with 13 under build now in New Zealand – the latest at Mt Maunganui. “Along the docks there will be power charging so as the trucks load they’ll charge. Forklift technology will include wireless passive charge so as the forklift runs around the dock it’s self-charging.

These facilities will all be driven by solar power and accredited as such.”

Mainfreight is also considering environmental challenges.

“We’re using technology for carbon reporting at a consignment level. The algorithms are so scientific they can determine how much carbon is contributed to a specific vehicle at a line level. The technology, whatever it’ll be, will find its way; it’s imminent. The market will also drive it in faster than what we realise.”

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Mainfreight executive Craig Evans: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freight

Evans says that the industry needs to make these positive forward steps if it wants to communicate a great message. As a nation, we should also look to other advanced countries, like The Netherlands, for inspiration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They understand the prosperity of the freight network is paramount to the prosperity of the country. Freight generates prosperity. These are the subtle messages we need to present, but we need to be seen to do the right things as well; we have a responsibility. These are the messages we deliver to politicians, the regulators who have a role to play,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Evans commented that every stakeholder must be on board to solve these problems and that New Zealand is a nation of industry, which also has to be accommodated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to do things right but the conversation needs to be about how. As an industry itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just about technology, but a far broader message we need to convey,â&#x20AC;? he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re truckies, but welcome to the world order. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coming to our town soon, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t avoid it. We need to sell a better message to the community in terms of what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a great story to tell,â&#x20AC;? Evans says. ď&#x201A;¨

generates prosperity.â&#x20AC;?

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CONFERENCE 2019

Is your brain sabotaging your body?

Reporting by New Zealand Trucking Media

It’s not just New Zealand’s roads that are getting busier – our brains are too.

D

r Lucia Kelleher opened her talk about Busy Brain Syndrome at last year’s RTF conference with the iconic – albeit staged – shot of workers sitting on a steel beam in mid-air during construction of the Rockefeller Centre in the 1920s. Not a harness or hi-vis vest in sight, and yet the number of deaths on projects like this were very small compared with today’s highly regulated world of health and safety.

Kelleher says we’re suffering from ‘Busy Brain’ – or loss of brain bandwidth – which is caused by our digital world severely compromising brain processing. It is the leading cause of ‘human factor’ issues in organisations.

“So how do we overcome it?

Well, first of all, we have to actually understand what Busy Brain Syndrome is. If you think about the age of technology, the most fundamental changes to humans have occurred in the past 20 years. If you look at our lifestyle, there has never been a previous period in history where we’ve had such radical change.”

Kelleher says today there is a “tsunami of stimulus” bombarding our brain. As a result, the fight or flight response controlled by the reptilian (or survival) brain has become locked on.

The danger of the fight or flight response being locked on is that the brain has no way of discerning whether the signals coming in are innocuous emails or a lion eyeing us up for lunch, and treats everything as a potential threat until it can assess it.

“What’s happened is the brain’s said ‘I haven’t got time to keep flicking on and off to check whether this thing’s a threat, so I’m going to stay on all the time’.”

This results in the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the bloodstream being elevated almost constantly.

“When the fight or flight response is activated and working well, everything’s fine. If we have to make a decision, say we’re

driving and see someone who’s moving out of the lane, then we’ll make a decision to back off, to keep away from that car, maybe even change lanes. But if we’re not processing it, then we won’t see it.”

Kelleher says the brain requires a lot of energy as about 25% of our body’s functions are done automatically, like breathing and keeping our blood flowing.

“When we’re in a state of Busy Brain, our bandwidth of consciousness decreases. The available energy for your consciousness, which is the smart part of your brain, decreases.

The more stressful or anxious you are, the less available conscious bandwidth. When we’re in our normal, relaxed state, our brain is completely open. We do not miss anything. But we are rarely in this state these days, as most of our time is spent in various levels of Busy Brain.”

Kelleher says the risk with Busy Brain is that more tasks get done unconsciously, which is where the risk lies. She asked everyone to raise their hand if they had ever driven somewhere and not remembered all or part of the trip. A large number of hands were raised.

“Does anyone know why driving seems to be one of these things we’re quite susceptible to forgetting? It’s automatic, and it’s repetitive. As drivers, the risk of that happening is very high if you’re on a repetitive run. Because what happens is the brain says, ‘oh, we know this, we’ve got this’ and it takes away all the consciousness.”

Instead of our bodies being in a relaxed state and switching over to a stressed state when necessary, Kelleher says many of us are in that stressed state constantly, particularly if we’re under pressure.

“The transport industry is rampant with pressure, particularly if you’re a contractor, and it’s relentless. So the chances of you going into Busy Brain are really, really high.”

Another issue Kelleher raised was ‘nomophobia’ – the fear of being out of cellular phone contact.

“We’re not addicted to that piece of metal and plastic and glass, that’s not what we’re hooked on at all – it’s the checking.

We know the bulk of drivers are distracted. If they’re not on their phones in the car, they’re thinking about their phones. If they’re not texting, they’re thinking about it. So if they hear a

“We’re not addicted to that piece of metal and plastic and glass, that’s not what we’re hooked on at all – it’s the checking. We know the bulk of drivers are distracted.”

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ The Road Transport Forum held its annual conference for 2019 in Wairakei during September. The theme was ‘central focus’ and the conference attracted 13 highprofile speakers who presented on a range of topics pertinent to business, the economy, and the industry itself.

Dr Kelleher debunked plenty of myths.

ping, where’s their attention gone? Even if their phone’s not next to them, if they hear it, where’s their attention? It’s gone to the phone. So they’re not focusing on what’s in front of them.”

While some people used alcohol as a way to switch off Busy Brain, Kelleher said there were other more effective methods.

“People who are into fitness and so forth understand how to keep their bodies in a relaxed state. When you are in the moment and focused on the task at hand, you are not worrying about anything else. When you’re in Busy Brain, you’re either in the past or in the future. What the hell is the point, in this present moment, worrying about something that may or may not happen? There’s none, and yet we do it all the time.”

Kelleher had one final piece of advice: “For those of you who drive, whenever you’re in your vehicle, use that time to breathe deeply and relax. People say ‘oh, I’ll be too relaxed and I’ll crash’. Trust me, you will not, because your brain will be completely open, you won’t miss a thing.”  FL

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NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Scania buses, making sure all students get there

S

cania New Zealand is sponsoring Scania buses to pick up rural students whose schools are unable to transport them to the Careers Transport 2020 event being held at the 2020 TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show on Friday 20 March at the Canterbury A&P Showgrounds. The buses will travel as far as Kaikoura and Timaru to make sure that no students miss out on this amazing industry showcase.

We have invited secondary schools from around the South Island to attend. Indications are that up to 2000 students will visit the event. This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the abundance of career opportunities within trucking. Students will have the chance to engage face to face with people actually doing the job. We have encouraged companies who are taking part to send along some young staff, as they will relate better to the young people attending.

Young students just don’t know about the opportunities within the industry so it’s time for transport companies to get involved by either having a presence in the Careers Hub or by volunteering to help the New Zealand Trucking Association team run the event.

Lots of volunteers are needed to help host groups around the show, to explain the different types of companies and encourage them to really investigate a suitable career pathway. At the last Careers Transport event in 2018, we received positive feedback from not only the students but also the careers advisors and teachers, who were quite surprised at the number of different careers available. On the day several students were offered work experience and interviews. Many decided to return to school and change subjects so they could start their pathway into transport. Recently, we have heard of some students progressing to full-time jobs or apprenticeships.

It’s a very important day for the industry and everyone involved needs to get behind it and support it in some way.

This event is free and is perfect for students or adults who are looking for direction and inspiration or a new career.

Available on the day is a cross section of every job in the industry. Students will be able to view new equipment, learn about trailer manufacturing, dispatch, office work, technology, and much more. It’s certainly going to be an interactive day out with lots of information and inspiration.

The trucking industry plays a crucial role in keeping New Zealand’s economy going, moving over 93% of all freight annually. Without the trucking industry the country would

come to a complete stop. With a growing shortage of truck drivers and an aging workforce, attracting the next generation has never been more important.

Taking place on the Friday are the heats for the TR Group Truck Driving Championships. We are looking for New Zealand’s Best Truck Driver. Four courses will be running heats, with the finals on Saturday. The students will be able to watch the skills of our professional truck drivers while they compete against each other.

On Saturday the wider industry holds the national competitions, which include the Mimico Excavator Competition, the Liebherr All Terrain Crane Competition, the Hyundai Forklift Competition, and the Fleet Tyre Technician’s Competition.

Saturday – the public open day – also sees hundreds of working trucks line up to compete in the UDC Show & Shine competition. Participants will be invited to a free BBQ lunch at 1pm.

This is a great opportunity to give back to the industry and to inspire the next generation.

If you would like to volunteer to help with Careers Transport 2020, then give us a call, as we would be very pleased to talk to you.

If you would like your company to be in the Careers Hub, contact Rebecca or book online. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to showcase your business to a captive audience, as this event only takes place every two years at New Zealand’s largest trucking industry show. If you would like to be part of the 2020 Trucking Careers Showcase, please contact event organiser Rebecca Dinmore on 03 349 8070 or rebecca.dinmore@nztruckingassn.co.nz 

It’s a very important day for the industry and everyone involved needs to get behind it and support it in some way.

This event is free and is perfect for students or adults who are looking for direction and inspiration or a new career.

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NZ Trucking Association can be contacted on 0800 338 338 or info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

by Dave Boyce, NZTA chief executive officer

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ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM

Roading investment should have happened years ago

F

inally, the Government has decided to invest in some roads. For two and a half years RTF and other industry and business advocates have lobbied, begged and pleaded for something to be done about our creaking roading infrastructure. For two and a half years we have been dismissed as environmental pariahs and largely ignored. Now with an election looming and mounting accusations of under-delivery across a number of portfolios, the Government has found that a good enough reason to open the chequebook on a suite of practical transport projects.

Of the $6.8 billion allocated specifically for transport, $2.2 billion is going to Auckland roads, $3.5 billion for roads outside Auckland, and the rest on much-needed commuter rail upgrades in Auckland and Wellington, including a third main rail line between Wiri and Westfield.

The Auckland roading projects include Penlink, upgrading Mill Road to four lanes, and widening State Highway 1 from Papakura to Drury. Outside of Auckland the Tauranga Northern Link is to go ahead, upgrades will be made to State Highway 2 to Omokoroa, and a new interchange is to be built at Melling in the Hutt Valley. There is also a commitment to four-lane SH1 from Otaki to north of Levin, extending the Kapiti Expressway. This will make a big difference for freight coming in and out of Wellington.

Unfortunately, one desperately needed project that didn’t make the cut was the East-West Link, which was initiated and consented under the previous Government to relieve congestion around the Onehunga-Penrose freight hub. It is an absolutely critical piece of infrastructure, not only for the road transport industry, but also for the whole New Zealand economy. Some estimates I have seen put the value of freight coming and going from that part of Auckland as being upwards of $10 billion per year.

What is particularly disappointing is that at the 2018 RTF conference Minister of Transport Phil Twyford told delegates that the Government was engaged in redesigning the EastWest Link. $800 million was being set aside for the project, officials were being constantly hassled for progress, and all consents and notices remained in place and were ready to go.

The industry had every right then to hold out some hope.

Eighteen months on and we have heard nothing more. The project is still officially at the ‘re-evaluation stage’ and any hope that we did have has long since evaporated. RTF will continue to lobby for the revival of the project, but it may take another election to motivate the Government enough to do it.

Speaking of elections, RTF is organising an election summit

to probe political parties on their transport plans and you can be sure that the East-West Link and roading infrastructure will be a major part of that debate. I look forward to having the politicians put on the spot over their party’s records in front of a room full of people involved in the New Zealand transport and logistics industries. The summit will take place at Te Papa in Wellington on Tuesday 30 June. A website with more information and registration details will be online within the next few weeks.

Moving on, I’d like to acknowledge Tom Cloke, who has decided to step down from his role as an area executive in the Taranaki. Tom has been a staunch advocate for the industry both nationally and at a local Taranaki level for nearly 30 years. Tom has been fundamental to projects such as the Mount Messenger Bypass, promoting the interests of ground spreaders, and of course as secretary and founding member of the National Livestock Transport & Safety Group (NLTSG).

The NLTSG, under Tom’s stewardship, has developed into an extremely strong voice for the livestock transport sector. Just last year the group managed to convince Government to back down over plans to impose liability on livestock transporters for moving untagged animals under the new NAIT legislation. Tom, as usual, played a critical role in gaining this result for the industry.

Tom’s knowledge and experience will be sorely missed, but I wish him well as he will no doubt continue as a strong advocate for the industry in his role on the Taranaki Regional Council.

Finally, if you are in the Christchurch area on 20 and 21 March, the 2020 TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show is being held at the Canterbury Agricultural Park. The show, which is held biennially, is one of the biggest shows of its type in the country, and with the addition of events like the TR Group New Zealand Truck Driving Championships, will be bigger and better than ever this year.

The UDC Show & Shine is the centrepiece of the weekend and I’m told there will be 400 to 500 trucks on display. There will also be a classic trucks showcase, a careers expo, and a dinner and awards night. I will be there for one of the days so if you see me around, come and have a chat. 

Speaking of elections, RTF is organising an election summit to probe political parties on their transport plans and you can be sure that the East-West Link and roading infrastructure will be a major part of that debate.

102

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

Nick Leggett Chief executive officer

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The Aussies are coming

I

n 2018 Australia’s Chain of Responsibility (CoR) law was amended to provide that every party in the heavy vehicle transport supply chain has a duty to ensure the safety of their transport activities. (See https://www.nhvr.gov.au/ safety-accreditation-compliance/chain-of-responsibility) The philosophy underpinning CoR is simple: any party who has influence over supply chain activity is responsible for safety on the road. What does this mean in practice? Essentially, if you operate or drive a truck or cause a truck to be used anywhere in the overall supply chain, you have a responsibility to ensure the driver and truck are always safe. Australian penalties under CoR are high, up to $3 million in some cases.

While Australian law cannot be prosecuted in New Zealand, we have had CoR law here since October 2007, (Section 6C of the Land Transport Act).

Our law is fundamentally the same as the Australian one with one notable exception: in Australia maintenance management is included. However, some of our Land Transport Rules, such as the Heavy Vehicle Rule, do include an implied responsibility on those who operate vehicles: ‘A person who operates a vehicle must ensure that the vehicle complies with this rule’. The definition of ‘operate’ in the Rule is ‘Operate in relation to a vehicle, means to drive or use the vehicle on a road, or to cause or permit the vehicle to be on a road or to be driven on a road, whether or not the person is present with the vehicle’.

New Zealand Trucking magazine’s Legal Lines columnist Danielle Beston recently wrote about our CoR law and its

Why is it?

We have spent trillions of dollars making cars safer and now we’re spending billions of dollars to discourage people from using them.

There are now signs some Australian companies with connections in New Zealand through their supply chain are looking at those connections to ensure CoR obligations are not compromised by behaviour on this side of the Tasman.

connections to other New Zealand laws like Workplace Health and Safety (New Zealand Trucking September and October 2019; Vicarious liability and Health and Safety, parts one and two). If you have not read them I suggest that you do; they may be eye-opening.

There are now signs some Australian companies with connections in New Zealand through their supply chain are looking at those connections to ensure CoR obligations are not compromised by behaviour on this side of the Tasman. This writer is aware that some transport operators in New Zealand have been audited to make sure they are compliant with our law in those areas where Australian CoR sits, such as speeding, work time (driver fatigue), and mass management. It is not difficult to imagine that shortly contracts that extend across the Tasman will include CoR compliance clauses.

Meeting CoR standards is not hard; all you need to have in place is a fleet management safety system that works, and you can prove that it works. For example, it is no good having a safety system that says your trucks never exceed the speed limit, when they are collecting speeding tickets.

There is a role here for the industry to lead if it wants to by designing a universal fleet safety management system that is available to all, customisable for the type of work you do. Its use could then be promoted as an industry-wide initiative.

There is no doubt that the winds of change are sweeping through the industry from all sides and it may simply be a matter of change or die. One thing we can be sure about though, looking to the future, there is unlikely to be any place for operators who are entrenched in the past.  The accidental trucker

104

New Zealand Trucking

March 2020

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