Big Rigs 15 September 2023

FRIDAY, September 15, 2023

ONLINE www.bigrigs.com.au

EMAIL info@bigrigs.com.au

RSRT 2.0 takes shape Page 3

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BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

12-page Careers & 12-page Training Special • Aw& ardTraining Careers nomineesSpecial an •

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CONTRIBUTORS

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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Malec Holdings fined $320,000 after worker died

THE transport company responsible for the 65-year-old truckie who was fatally run over at its Yarraville depot in 2020 has been sentenced in the Melbourne County Court.

Malec Holdings Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $320,000 after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide and maintain a system of work that was, so far as reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health.

In October 2020, two truck drivers returned from their usual trips collecting log loads from NSW. After unloading the logs,

the drivers commenced the process of cleaning, refuelling and parking their trucks.

The court heard that as one driver reversed his truck towards the parking lot in the cramped yard, the other, John Barton, followed closely on foot. As the driver moved forward and began a U-turn, Barton stood on a pile of wood debris about 10 metres away.

As the truck continued its U-turn, Barton slipped, or tripped, on the pile of wood debris and was run over by the axles of the rear trailer. He died at the scene.

A WorkSafe Victoria investigation found that it was reasonably practicable for Malec Holdings to have reduced the risk of injury and death by removing, as much as possible, the need for B-doubles to reverse in the workplace.

It also found that Malec could have reduced the risk by implementing a traffic management plan that identified safety hazards and risks and implemented pedestrian or truck exclusion zones, with clearly marked and barricaded pedestrian walkways and marked vehicle travel routes.

WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Narelle Beer said the tragedy could have easily been avoided if the right controls were in place.

Malec founder and CEO Matthew Malec said Barton was an exceptional and wellliked employee.

“His passing was tragic, and Malec Holdings has mourned his loss,” he said in a statement.

“Since this tragic event, Malec Holdings has completely ceased its operations in logs given their inherently dangerous nature. It has moved its operations to new sites where re-

versing manoeuvres have been materially reduced or eliminated altogether.”

He said Malec has also introduced a driver skills and assessment program, where each driver’s skills and capabilities are re-assessed, and further training is provided.

“Greater toolbox talks are conducted by managers to reiterate important safety rules, and identify risks and issues that have arisen, with greater focus and commitment to OH&S training and supervision to ensure nothing like this tragedy happens again.”

A QUEENSLAND jury deliberated for just 90 minutes to find truck driver Phillip Richard Sturrock, 64, guilty of dangerous driving causing the death of truckie Steve Bowen, 64.

Phone records showed that Sturrock was texting while driving before he lost control of his semi-trailer and collided with Bowen’s truck on the outskirts of Townsville in November 2020.

In the Townsville District Court on Thursday, August 31, Judge William Everson sen-

tenced the Mackay father-ofeight to three years in prison, suspended after 12 months.

Sturrock was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a Queensland driver’s licence for two years.

“You drove along the Bruce Highway at speed whilst towing a 14-tonne load whilst fumbling with your phone, or so it would seem,” Judge Everson said.

“The use of mobile telephones by people who are driving is very prevalent and very dangerous, and this is just

one instance where it has led to truly tragic and criminal consequences.”

Throughout the four-day trial, Sturrock denied texting and driving and instead said he was blinded by the headlights of the oncoming Kenworth that Bowen was driving for Blenners on a Townsville to Mackay run, reports ABC News.

“You nonetheless were deeply distressed that you had killed this man and taken him from his family,” Judge Everson said.

In a victim impact state-

ment read to the court, Bowen’s daughter, Tracey Payne, said receiving news of her father’s death “made [her] world come crashing down”.

Payne said her father had been a truckie his entire life and described him as a beloved father, son, friend, mentor and grandparent to her three sons.

“He was well-known in the trucking community for being fair and honest and just a general good guy,” Payne said.

“Everyone knew and loved him and wanted to be around him.”

Truck driver Phillip Richard Sturrock, 64. Photo: Facebook

Mackay driver jailed over fatal crash

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BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Truckies better off under new bill, promises Burke

TRUCKIES could soon have a new federal body that will set minimum standards for owner-drivers, such as rates and “fair payment times”, and hear cases of unfair terminations of contracts.

Under proposed legislation tabled by Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke this month, the changes will establish an ‘Expert Panel’ for the road freight industry within Australia’s industrial umpire, the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

That panel will hear applications for standards, guided by advice from a road transport advisory group, with the FWC having discretion on what those minimum standards will cover, such as fair payment terms. The commission must also be satisfied that its orders “won’t adversely impact” the viability or competitiveness of road transport contractor drivers.

The opposition and employer groups were quick to jump on the bill, given the former Gillard government’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) sparked protests and convoys from owner-driv-

ers claiming its minimum rates undercut their viability.

Angry truckies said they weren’t consulted and that they lost work as a result of the rates, including to operators that engaged employees who weren’t subject to the orders.

The Coalition scrapped the tribunal in 2016.

Burke, however, said the proposed reforms were a result of consultation with industry groups and unions, which both backed the government’s concerns.

“We’re a government that brings people together and that’s what we’ve done with these important road transport reforms,” Burke said.

“There is now a broad consensus that we need minimum standards in this sector to protect lives and ensure a sustainable and viable trucking industry.”

ATA chair David Smith said the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023, and future regulations, would enable the FWC to issue two orders.

Firstly, road transport minimum standards orders would apply to owner-drivers and

similar small trucking businesses, and secondly, road transport industry contractual chain orders could apply to the whole contract chain.

“One of the ATA’s objectives in our discussions with the government was to avoid a repeat of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s decision to set minimum rates for owner-drivers that were too high for the industry to pay,” Smith said.

“The result was that prime contractors and industry customers chose to move their freight in other ways.”

Under this bill, Smith said the commission would be required to avoid unreasonable adverse impacts on sustainable competition and compliance costs. The commission would also be required to have regard to the commercial realities of the road transport industry and that owner-drivers have chosen to be contractors not employees, he said.

WA Labor Senator Glenn Sterle, himself a former truckie, said he is proud to be a part of a government that has brought industry and drivers together for vital reform.

“This ground-breaking,

Senator Glenn Sterle (third from right) with a NRFA delegation and TWU national secretary Michael Kaine (left) in Canberra.

once in a lifetime reform is long overdue,” Sterle said.

“The former coalition government tore down the RSRT and shamefully left nothing in its place. The relentless squeeze from the top of the supply chain must end. Industry can’t afford to keep seeing companies go into receivership or lose drivers when we are already struggling to attract more to the industry.”

Former owner-driver Gordon Mackinlay, a board member of the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA), said the proposed law has the

potential to make trucking a viable career again.

“In 2016, I was one of the owner-drivers leading a convoy to Canberra to get the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal abolished,” Mackinlay said.

“Since then, our industry has been overlooked and things have got worse. In 2019, I sold my trucks after realising I would be better off in my former trade as a mechanic. It’s great to see that this legislation has considered the concerns of the entire industry while also learning from mistakes of the past to ensure the success of

NEWS 3

this system long into the future.”

NatRoad CEO Warren Clark said the reform will give operators the confidence of fair contract terms to invest in equipment, recruit drivers, and get on with the job safely and sustainably.

“Our industry is at a critical point,” Clark said. “We need change that bolsters our viability, builds productivity and enhances safety for everyone.

We can’t keep losing hundreds of businesses annually under the tough economic conditions that have permeated the industry for years.”

NatRoad chair Paul Fellows was also told by Burke that owner-operators would not be disadvantaged.

Also included in the bill tabled by Burke are proposals to increase regulation in the gig economy, clamp down on labour hire, make it easier for casual workers to convert to permanent roles, and increased penalties for wage underpayments.

The changes will be debated in the House for four weeks before progressing to the Senate later this year.

4 NEWS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truckies promised new rest area in western Sydney

TRUCKIES are promised a new rest area in western Sydney – and the state transport agency wants their direct input on where it should go and what facilities it needs.

NSW Roads Minister John Graham said drivers have told him that Sydney is the least friendly city for truckies on the east coast and the state government is determined to change that.

“We are committed to providing a new heavy vehicle rest area in Sydney for truckies travelling the two-hours between Pheasants Nest and Wyong,” Graham said.

“Truckies are the backbone of our economy; we all rely on our goods getting to us in a timely, efficient, and safe manner.

“Current arrangements are simply not good enough for drivers, and we are working with the industry to do better.”

He acknowledged that there are currently “very limited” rest areas that are fit for purpose for truckies between Pheasants Nest to the south of Sydney and Wyong to the north, a distance of 180km and two hours of driving.

Graham said options to change that are being considered across six local government areas: Blacktown City, Penrith City, Fairfield City, Liverpool City, Camden and Campbelltown City.

Graham said TfNSW will be engaging with the road freight industry and heavy vehicle drivers, including the potential location, services and facilities, as well as consideration of oversize and dangerous goods requirements.

Heavy vehicle drivers and the road freight industry are invited to participate in an online survey at haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/western-sydney-heavy-vehicle-rest-area.

Consultation is open until Sunday, October 1.

“The western Sydney area needs more parking facilities so our truckies can rest, stage their longer journeys, or if they are early for their timeslot and simply need a place to park,” Graham added.

The rest area announcement comes as a parliamentary inquiry has commenced into the pressures on heavy

vehicle drivers, triggered by the recent spate of overheight incidents in the city.

The first-time probe will consider how these pressures impact on the use of rest areas and other fatigue management practices.

Inquiry committee member Dr Sarah Kaine MLC, believes this is a critical issue as freight volumes are expected to rise 56 per cent by 2061 in Greater Sydney.

“There has been decades long research into the relationship between pay and conditions and wellbeing of heavy vehicle drivers and mortality rates, for not just heavy vehicle drivers but also other road users,” she said.

“Understanding the pressures on heavy vehicle drivers in New South Wales is a step in the right direction to decreasing the fatalities in this industry, and our community.”

The glaring gap in the rest area network is also highlighted in the newly released Heavy Vehicle Rest Stop Stakeholder Engagement Report, a 40-page summary from Transport for NSW of

feedback from focus groups and truckies on how to improve the quantity and standard of heavy vehicle rest stops in NSW. In the Sydney metro area, Port Botany, Blacktown, Eastern Creek were identified as areas requiring a rest stop, or improvements, among several others, while, further afield the M1 between Sydney and Newcastle and the Hume Highway in general were flagged as problem areas for truckies.

The report also highlighted specific issues at Yelgun with people camping there, and the Wallacetown rest stop where other vehicles were using truckies’ designated spaces.

TfNSW’s Heavy Rest Stop Improvement Program is currently in its “strategic business case phase” and is to include a “comprehensive audit” of rest stops against the Austroads Guidelines to identify gaps in the state network.

Truckie Rod Hannifey, however, president of the National Road Freighters Association, one of the focus groups enlisted by TfNSW to pro-

Truckie Rod Hannifey welcomes the report but wonders where the money is coming from for fixes.

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BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 vide feedback for the report, wonders if that’s the best use of time and money.

He understand that Austroads, the not-for-profit organisation of Australasian road transport and traffic agencies, has also just received funding to update those same 2012 guidelines.

“Something’s going wrong here,” he said. “We’re giving a lot of people a lot of money to do the stuff that we’ve already done for free, and they won’t listen to us anyway.

“That frustrates the hell out of me.”

Hannifey said the original guidelines revealed that not one of Australia’s major highways met the minimum required standards for truck rest areas.

“Now they’re doing another study and I wonder what value we’re getting out of it, I really do.

“That money could have gone into building rest areas.”

Big Rigs approached Austroads for comment, but had not received a response by deadline for this issue.

The TfNSW report outlines plans for minor to moderate works at around 40 heavy vehicle rest stops in the next 12-18 months and to identify and install more of Hannifey’s green reflectors at informal parking pays.

New rest stop sites in the works include four along the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Lithgow within five years, and two along the Newell Highway between Narrabri and Moree.

Peak body issues warning to drivers after thefts

Overheight warning billboards popped up around Sydney as a parliamentary inquiry into driver pressures got underway.

Hannifey said he’s glad that the NSW rest area report is finally out, but it doesn’t seem to provide the next step.

“It says they’re looking for funding, but doesn’t say when they’re going to act, and that’s the biggest concern.

“There’s nothing really new in it [the survey] but they did do it and they do have the information and they do agree on the need.

“What we want now is action.”

Meanwhile, Blacktown mayor Tony Bleasdale told Big Rigs that his council is already working to manage the significant need of frustrated truck drivers by allowing the parking of heavy vehicles on

some roads in industrial areas.

He also believes Blacktown is the perfect place for a Sydney-based rest area for heavy vehicle drivers and welcomes the chance to work with TfNSW on facilitating and building a properly funded and maintained site.

“This will ensure transport operators have what they need to rest and get home at the end of their work-day safe and well,” Bleasdale said.

“We have over 14,000 residents in our city who work in transport, logistics and warehousing, there is a genuine need: heavy vehicle drivers are on the road every day. The road is their workplace.”

AN alarming number of theft reports at Greater Sydney rest areas has the peak state trucking body urging drivers to be on alert.

According to Road Freight NSW CEO Simon O’Hara, operators have reported a string of what appear to be highly organised trailer breakins, primarily targeting liquor, from Pheasants Nest in the south to western Sydney in recent months.

“They come in the middle of the night with a small truck or van, and then are on their way,” O’Hara said.

“Truckies have confronted some of these individuals and they have run.

“In other instances, truckies have awoken to find goods

missing the next morning with the curtains slightly open.”

O’Hara said the brazen thieves have even been known to put the flaps and strapping back correctly, with the theft only becoming apparent when a customer raises with the freight operator why cartons are missing from a delivery/consignment.

“There are a number of individuals involved with these thefts and operators indicate to me, from video footage, some seem to know what they are doing.”

O’Hara said the police have been notified and operators have had to now invest in “anti-theft measures”.

“Our counsel to truckies is to be very careful when engaging with these individuals,

and if possible, rather than engaging with these individuals to call 000 and notify their freight operator instead.”

Late last month, police were called to a service station on Blueberry Road, Moree, following reports of a robbery.

On arrival, officers attached to New England Police District spoke to a 60-year-old man who told them he was taking a rest in his truck when an unknown male entered the cab of the truck and demanded money.

The male took a mobile phone and cigarettes from the truck before fleeing with another male on a motorcycle.

The truckie was uninjured and did not require medical attention.

Police were called to this Moree servo following reports of a robbery.

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6 NEWS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Large trucks banned from SA town’s main centre

LARGE semi trailers will be banned from the town centre of this small South Australian town, while plans for a permanent solution such as a bypass remain up in the air.

The move follows advocating by locals to reduce the number of large trucks using Main Street in Hahndorf, a popular tourist town in the Adelaide Hills.

As part of the plan, heavy vehicles carrying logs and livestock will be removed from the town centre.

Non-local semi-trailers, pig and dog trailers over 15 metres in length will be redirected down an upgraded River Road.

‘No Trucks Over 15m in Length’ signage will be installed to alert drivers to the changed entry rules – with exemptions only if they are taking freight to Main Street

businesses or other destinations they cannot reach by any other route.

The change is expected to remove almost all large heavy vehicles from the

Main Street – a reduction of around 130 trucks a day, which the SA Government says is the equivalent to that modelled under previous bypass options, but not everyone agrees that this is the best solution.

Mount Barker District Council mayor, David Leach, told 7News Adelaide, “130 extra vehicle movements along River Road is not all that significant.” This comes as many locals continue to push for a bypass, to help ease the town’s traffic congestion issues.

According to SA transport minister Tom Koutsantonis, “Logs and livestock

for these mammoth machines – loads weighing in at 175 tonne – were transported from the Port of Melbourne to Watsonia. Large supporting infrastructure will also make its way to Watsonia from Deer Park on Thursday September 21, with night closures in place across roads in-

cluding Christies Road, Deer Park Bypass, M80 Ring Road and Greensborough Highway.

The 15.6m diameter tunnel boring machines will take around six months to assemble on site, with the parts lowered into the ground by a massive a 550-tonne gantry crane. They will then

work day and night digging the 6.5km twin tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen – taking traffic under – instead of through – suburbs.

Major work sites are being established from Watsonia to Bulleen, in preparation for the arrival of these machines. A 200m long tunnel launch area

There will be fines of over $400 for those who break the new rules.

on large semi-trailer trucks don’t belong on Hahndorf ’s Main Street. We have already announced extensive projects that will benefit Hahndorf and the broader Hills community, including significant upgrades.”

Residents have voiced their concerns about not wanting a bypass to involve significant property acquisition, or major impacts on environment, amenity or the historic town’s character.

Koutsantonis continued, “It’s clear there is ongoing and significant concern about large trucks in particular on Hahndorf ’s Main Street. While there has been in-principle support in the

community for a bypass, last year’s extensive engagement showed there was no clear standout among the four options mooted under the former Liberal government – and each one also had strong opposition in some quarters.”

Trucks that aren’t supplying to the Hahndorf township will be diverted to alternate routes such as River Road or Strathalbyn Road.

The ban will be monitored to assess its impact – with fines of over $400 and three demerit points for those who break the rules – while longer-term solutions to broader traffic issues in Hahndorf are considered.

is being built on the eastern side of Greensborough Road with a 13m high shed being built to store the concrete segments that will line the tunnel walls.

A large, covered conveyor belt is also starting to take shape, that will transport the dirt from the tunnels across

Greensborough Road into a second shed at Winsor Reserve, where it will be safely loaded onto covered trucks.

Tunnelling is on track to begin next year. Visit bigrigs. com.au to watch a video showing how Victoria’s longest twin road tunnels will be built.

Tunnel boring machine sets sale for twin road tunnels

THE first of two 4000-tonne custom built tunnel boring machines, which will dig the North East Link Tunnels, has headed to the Port of Melbourne, where each component will then be trucked to site.

On September 8 and 9, the first of the components

8 OPINION

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Still not buying it

EDITOR JAMES GRAHAM

AT the risk of sounding like a stuck record, I’m still not buying what they’re selling.

I’m talking about the NSW state government’s sudden supposed interest in the welfare of truckies.

Firstly, we have the announcement of a parliamentary inquiry into the pressures they’re under, and now, just days after this very column wondered what had become of recent Have Your Says on rest areas, a 40-page report on that very subject lands on our desk.

All that sounds wonderful on the surface, but when you drill down into it, all we’re seeing is a lot of noise and not much action so far. Sound familiar?

The same can’t be said, however, for the new bill being debated in Canberra that includes truckies in game-changing workplace laws.

It’s highly likely that new minimum standards promised for so long by Labor, and heavily backed by the TWU, will be in play by next year.

Anyone with a GRAIN of sense knows

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10 NEWS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Future bright for national museum in Alice Springs

BY GRAHAM HARSANT

A NEW hall and a truck driving and heavy machinery school are on the drawing board for a resurgent National Road Transport Museum in Alice Springs.

Nick Prus, chief executive officer of the Road Transport Historical Society (RTHS), the group responsible for the running and maintenance of the spiritual home of the trucking industry, revealed the plans to Big Rigs during the recent 2023 Festival of Transport celebrations.

After spending in the region of $230,000 in repairs and maintenance during his two and a half years in the role, Prus said it made commercial sense to pitch the NT Government for a replacement hall.

“When I looked at it strategically, it came down to a simple case of continuing as we are forever or basically starting over and building a new hall – and the latter is what we intend to do,” Prus said.

“We contacted the NT Government some three or

WE MIGHT NOT GET THE WHOLE MILLIONS THAT WE WANT INITIALLY, BUT WHILE I HAVE A HEARTBEAT I’LL BE FIGHTING FOR IT ALL.” NICK PRUS

CEO Nick Prus with the newly donated ACCO, the last truck manufactured by Iveco in Australia.

Photos: Graham Harsant

four months ago, pointed out that repairs could easily go to $3 million and suggested replacement instead. Their immediate response was, ‘Okay, show us what you’ve got’.

“So, we hired a local architect and builder, and together we’ve created a blueprint to build a new hall – on the existing site I hasten to add.”

Prus said the new entrance will be in the area where Stuart’s Kitchen (which is not fit for purpose and must be de-

molished) now sits.

It will house reception, retail and administration areas and will lead directly to a new Shell Rimula Hall of Fame, replacing the existing setup in the old original shed and which, due to lack of space makes it extremely difficult to find an inductee’s name.

“The design is for that to extend all the way to the Memorial Pond which is also extremely important to those who visit,” Prus added.

“It will allow us to place all the inductee plaques in chronological order and leave room to cover at least the next 10 years.

“We’ll fill the empty space with vehicles and move them to other areas as we add inductees. The Hall of Fame is at the heart and soul of the complex and should rightly take centre stage.”

Along with these advancements, the plan is to also build a truck driving and

heavy machinery school on adjacent land, next to the Kenworth Pavilion’s.

Again, this is very much supported by the government – and Prus hastens to add, also the opposition.

“That would be a separate identity, but it would be run by us, together with a training organisation.

“We have had great interest beyond government as well.

A lot of truck companies love the idea, to the extent that many have indicated considering sponsorship support for it down the line. The thinking is that they may sponsor a trainee in return for, say two years contracted employment with that company. We all know the difficulty in finding drivers and industry-trained

tradespersons so it would be a win/win situation.”

When asked about the timeline for redevelopment Prus was bullish, with funds for a visibility study already in the pipeline.

“We might not get the whole millions that we want initially, but while I have a heartbeat I’ll be fighting for it all. I’m hoping that if everything goes as agreed, we should start building next year. The plan is that it won’t interfere too much with visitor flow.”

Of course, sponsorship is extremely important to the ongoing success of the Transport Hall of Fame and through the recent turbulent years, Prus and his team have been grateful for their ongoing support.

Nick Lubransky, transport marketing manager for Viva Energy, the licensee for Shell in Australia, has vocally expressed the company’s continued support for the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame induction ceremony.

Similarly, the Kenworth Dealer Council continues to support the hall to the extent

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New Gore Hwy failing truckies

Stuart’s Kitchen on the left will go, to become the new entrance.

that plans are afoot for a third Kenworth Pavilion.

Other companies are also expressing a desire to be ‘in the action’ with Prus receiving a call from Daimler in recent days with a view to becoming involved again after a sojourn. It’s a natural fit with the 1418 and 1419 Mercedes-Benz models, as well as the Freightliner brand an integral part of Australian trucking history.

Iveco, who donated its last Australian built truck, an ACCO Euro 5 Unit to the Hall – arriving just two day before the reunion – has also expressed a desire for involvement of some sort.

With the ACCO and International brands legendary in days gone by, Prus is in conversation to hopefully create a dedicated area to the brand.

With building hopefully to commence next year, the 2024 Reunion will possibly present some logistical problems but we’re sure Prus will be up to the task. Meanwhile he is excited about The Big One in 2025 which will celebrate 30 years of the Transport Hall of Fame’s existence.

Prus talks excitedly about

the convoy through town, a show and shine and catering for up to 10,000 truck loving patrons and legends of the industry.

• Our full coverage of the Festival of Transport ceremonies, including a list of the 2023 Wall of Fame inductees, starts from page 22 of this issue.

The original hall is no longer deemed fit for purpose.

EXPERIENCED truckie Craig Fraser can’t believe what he’s seeing as he drives along the busy Gore Highway in Queensland each day.

Despite much fanfare from the state and federal governments about the rehabilitation work being done to improve this major freight route between Toowoomba and Goondawindi, the reality for Fraser – and thousands of other truckies using this highway – is a completely different picture.

In the newly-opened section of the Gore between Pampas and Millmerran, for example, Fraser says the costly road is literally falling part.

Fraser says the road is so bad that two bolts on his dolly shock absorbers recently snapped, despite being almost an inch thick, something he’s never struck in more than 25 years behind the wheel.

“The Gore Highway all the way out to the border is crap,” said Fraser who carts containers between Goondawindi and Brisbane each day in an A-double.

“That section you saw in the photos is already starting to come apart and on the next part it’s the same thing. It’s already starting to take a lot of the rock out on the wheel tracks and it’s about to start coming apart.

Fraser says he’d like to see more checks and balances put

Truckie Craig Fraser says this section of the Gore is already falling apart.

use “considerable ingenuity” to deal with a “challenging” environment.

“The Gore Highway runs through the Condamine floodplain which makes it very tricky to build on,” said Assistant Minister for Regional Roads Bruce Saunders.

“The soils contract and expand with changing weather conditions like floods, so finding the right solution has been challenging.”

A TMR spokesperson told Big Rigs the department is trialling “sustainable” systems and products. A specialised machine recycles the existing road base before laying a seal over the full width of the road.

It said more than 30km has been rehabilitated successfully using up to 60 per cent of recycled material, but a 1.5km section on the northern side of the Condamine River was trialled using 70 per cent of recycled material and is proving “difficult” for the contractor.

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in place when it comes to the contractors doing the work and says the governments should build highways to a standard, not to a price.

“We’ve got to have all this road-friendly suspension to get all these extra PBS weights and then we’re driving on that.

Guys are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment and it’s just getting destroyed on the main road from Brisbane to go out west.”

Fraser says the resulting operating costs are even harder to swallow when he regularly sees a council truck with hot mix and a “couple of guys with shovels” doing running repairs.

“They stomp along the road and when they come to a pothole they just throw the hot mix in off the back of their truck and keep moving along.

“Two weeks later they’re back at the start of the highway working their way back up again doing the exact same potholes, the exact same way.

It’s incredible.

“These are our roads, bought and paid for by us, the taxpayers and the councils and governments around Australia have an obligation to maintain them in good working order, and they aren’t doing that, and it’s not acceptable.”

In an April statement about $18.2 million of Gore rehabilitation works, Transport and Main Roads (TMR) said project engineers have had to

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12 COVER STORY

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Eye-catching Legend has all the bells and whistles A photo of this Kenworth Legend SAR got plenty of attention when it was shared on our Facebook page, so we had to know more.

BY DANIELLE GULLACI WITH its vibrant blue and white colour scheme, Acacia Transport’s new Legend SAR is a definite stand-out. Delivered in July this year and spec’d up to the max, it was put straight to work and has so far racked up over 10,000 kilometres, delivering fresh produce into supermarkets around the Blue Mountains region of NSW on a daily basis.

Its driver Aaron Broz, 36, was lucky enough to be handed the keys to the new truck.

He snapped a photo of the Legend at the yard, just before its first official day on the road – and shared it with Big Rigs via Facebook, through our daily #PicOfTheDay competition.

Our readers were clearly impressed, with the photo garnering more than 5300 likes and over 380 shares.

It is one of 30 trucks that form part of the Acacia Transport fleet, a family-run operation with depots at Homebush in Sydney’s Inner West, and Riverstone in regional NSW. Husband and wife team

Angelo and Rowena Mezzomo started the business in 1995.

A diesel mechanic by trade, following in the footsteps of his father, Angelo, 53, had tried to get into truck driving early on with little success, but then the tables turned.

He started his apprenticeship when he was just 15 and then got his truck licence at 19. “I was trying to get a job carting coal because I had a few relatives who were truck drivers. At the time I couldn’t get a start anywhere because of my age,” Angelo recalled.

“I wanted to be a truck driver but I just couldn’t get a job so I never really got the opportunity to drive for anybody. But I do remember as a young fella really trying. Back then, I saw truck driving as an opportunity to make big money and work long hours, so you could do quite well out of it.”

That was until an opportunity came up to cart plants into supermarkets for Davidson’s Nurseries.

“I had a little service truck we used to use for breakdown

Angelo and Rowena Mezzomo started Acacia Transport in 1995.

The new Legend SAR is used to transport fresh produce into supermarkets around the Blue Mountains in NSW.

work and that sort of stuff, so we stripped all the tools out of it and started carting plants,” revealed Angelo. And that marked the beginning of Acacia Transport.

“It all just sort of happened.

That wasn’t anything we had planned. One thing led to another and I decided I’d rather be driving trucks than swinging tools around.”

Then, as they say, the rest is history. “Things just grew from there,” Angelo said.

Soon after, he and Rowena purchased their first prime mover, a 1995-model Kenworth K100E, which they still have.

As Angelo explained, “We purchased it second hand about 25 years ago. It’s a spare vehicle now, we use it on local work, so we don’t send it away on any big jobs any more.

Our mechanics refurbished it about three years ago. It’d have about 3 million kilometres on the clock.”

While carting for the nurs-

ery, Angelo met someone at the docks one day, who was carting chrysanthemums for Franklins Supermarkets (now part of IGA).

“I got asked if I could deliver their fruit and vegetables into Franklins, that was about 2000, and that’s when we really started growing. Up until that point, we just concentrated on plants for the nursery industry,” he explained.

“We had the drought in the early 2000s, where there were water restrictions in Sydney, and that killed the nursery industry in NSW. Supermarkets stopped stocking plants so that pushed us into a different direction, which we were already heading into anyway with Franklins. One door closed but another one opened.

“I think we had a lot of luck in growing the business the way we did. I managed to meet the right people and provide the right service at the right time. We’ve grown off the back of a lot of hard work and good luck, but I think we created a lot of that good luck too.”

By taking the Franklins contract on, the fleet quickly tripled, growing from five trucks to 15 in only two years.

“And we just kept growing from there. It was a gradual growth. We tried to hold the handbrake on for as long as we could. We didn’t want to grow too quickly and become unreliable, so we definitely did hold back – but we grew as quickly as we could, both financially and physically,” said Angelo.

Continued page 14

This photo from driver Aaron Broz racked up over 5300 likes and more than 380 shares when it was shared on the Big Rigs Facebook page.

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14 COVER STORY

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

‘Old school’ truckie given keys to pride of the fleet HE’S A VERY OLD SCHOOL DRIVER AND OPERATOR. HE DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB FOR US AND LOOKS AFTER THE EQUIPMENT.” ANGELO MEZZOMO

From page 12 Acacia Transport held the contract with Franklins for about 10 years, until they sold out of Australia in 2010. It was at that point that Angelo was approached by Coles, to ask if he was interested in delivering for them based on the same sort of model he had done with Franklins.

This meant having freezer, dairy and grocery products all on the one truck in the same load to deliver to regional supermarkets – which the company still does to this day.

The fleet is made up of 24 prime movers, which all run as single trailers to regional parts of NSW; and six rigids, ranging from six through to 10 pallets, that are mainly used for local runs. It also employs approximately 40 people.

Today its main customers are Coles, Woolworths, IGA, Aldi and Costco, delivering

Angelo says the Legend has a totally different look to the rest of the fleet. Photos: Aaron Broz

into their distribution centres and supermarkets on a daily basis, as well as carrying produce out of the Sydney markets.

Despite the company’s growth, Angelo still likes to get back behind the wheel

whenever he can. “There wouldn’t be a week that goes by that I wouldn’t jump into the trucks. I’m a relief driver and still very hands on – I always have been,” he said.

Though most trucks in the fleet are Kenworths, there are

also Isuzu, Hino, Volvo and Scania models in the mix too.

But it’s the new Legend that’s now the pride of the fleet. With the limited-edition truck being purchased three years earlier, when it was on sale for one day only, Angelo

Aaron Broz, who has been with the company for about 10 years, is lucky enough to be behind the wheel of the new Legend.

was thrilled to finally be able to take delivery of the impressive rig.

Broz has been with the company for about 10 years and was thrilled to be given the new truck to drive. He does the regional runs into the Blue Mountains each day.

“I believe the first truck he drove was a 1985 SAR, so he has a bit of a soft spot for this truck too. He was pretty excited about it when he found out,” said Angelo.

“This is Aaron’s third new truck since he’s been with us.

He’s a very old school driver and operator. He does a really good job for us and looks after the equipment. He was next in line for a new one, so he got this one.

“We generally turn trucks over every three to four years but that has changed in the last few years after covid due to availability and the cost increases of new trucks. But our trucks are very well maintained, we look after them as best we can.”

The Legend has a totally different look to the rest of the fleet. “I thought that since it’s something special, we’ll go all out and make it look the part.

We did a couple of trucks up when we turned 25 as well.

They were painted in different colours with different schemes.”

The truck was ordered through salesman Bill Anderson at Gilbert and Roach in Sydney, who Angelo has dealt with for close to 25 years.

“I’ve bought a lot of trucks from him over the years and he’s done an outstanding job in getting all our trucks out on the road, especially this one.

We wanted to make it really stand out so we sat down with pen and paper and put some colour schemes together and decided on this one.”

As well as the impressive paintwork, there were extra lights, extra chrome, an Icepack, television, fridges and microwave added. “It has all the luxury bells and whistles that helps the driver enjoy his stay in the truck,” said Angelo.

“My mechanics – Mick, Dave and John – at North West Trucks at Riverstone do all our work, but they did a lot of work on this truck to make it look as pretty as it does.

They do all our maintenance and repairs and are a really good bunch of guys, who are a vital part of my business. They added all the extra bling to the Legend before it went out on the road.

“I’m glad people like it – I’m over the moon with it, it’s a very nice-looking truck. It’s a sense of achievement for us as a company. This is the first Legend we’ve ever had.”

Today the fleet stands at 30 trucks.

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16 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Hino’s ‘realistic’ take on electrification of trucks

Hino explains its zero emissions policy before throwing us the keys to a loaded 300 Series Hybrid and its diesel-only version for a spin around Sydney.

BY GRAHAM HARSANT BATTERY electric vehicles (BEVs) will certainly play an important role in suburban delivery and, having driven a few, I can vouch for their quietness, acceleration and obviously their zero emissions.

Those zero emissions are great for our world, right? The answer is not quite that simple.

Hino invited me to Sydney to discuss the company’s philosophy in more detail, show me some very interesting facts and figures relating to electric versus diesel power, and to put me behind the wheel of their solution in the transition to full electric.

I sat down with Hino’s department manager – product strategy Daniel Petrovski who pointed out that just about every truck manufacturer has an environmental challenge (read: going full electric) and most have set a date to achieve this. Some are by 2030, others by 2040. Hino has opted for 2050 which doesn’t sound very committed by comparison.

“Not at all,” said Petrovski.

“We are simply being realistic.

Companies are stating that they will be producing 100 per cent zero CO2 emission vehicles by such and such a date. Our aim is to be 90 per cent by 2050.

“Why 90 per cent? Because we sell to places such as Papua New Guinea, Africa and other markets that will still be running diesel engines.

“We support those markets as a brand so we will continue to have diesel-engined vehicles in certain markets, as we are sure others will, no matter what they say. Those companies that will be 100 per cent

electric won’t be selling into, or supporting those markets?

We’ve set a realistic target that we believe is achievable.”

But there is much more to the electric/diesel equation than I suspect the general public is aware of.

Diesel energy is 9.7kWh per litre. (Tesla) battery energy is approximately 0.260kWh/kg.

To equal the range of 80 litres of diesel you need a battery weighing around 1500kg with all its weight limitations.

Now one litre of diesel equates to 2.68kg of CO2 while that battery powered truck emits no tailpipe CO2.

On average today in Australia, 1kwh of grid supplied electricity equals 0.656kg of CO2. Victoria sit at approximately 1.1kg CO2, Queensland and NSW average 0.9kg CO2. Tasmania wins with a meagre 0.19kg CO2 thanks to its hydro-electric power generation.

Every litre of diesel has approximately 10 kilowatt hours of energy so you have to multiply that electrically-produced 0.9 in NSW and Queensland by 10 which means 9kg of CO2.

Taking into account diesel’s thermal efficiency of 50 per cent – and so doubling that 2.68kg of CO2 to 5.36kg – the amount of CO2 emissions are still 33 per cent LOWER than an equivalent full-electric vehicle.

Let’s go back to that 80-litre diesel fuel tank. Empty it and you’ve put out 429kg of CO2. Then you have to find a gas station.

Empty that 1500kg battery pack and you’re effectively putting out 720kg of CO2 to recharge it from the NSW or Queensland electricity

grid. Then you have to find a power socket. It’s a bit of an eye-opener.

The fact is that at the moment diesel is throwing out less emissions than an equivalent amount of electric power generation required to run a truck.

Meantime, I’m invited to get behind the wheel of the loaded 300 Series Hybrid and drive it around the suburbs of Sydney, followed by the diesel-only version of the same truck with the same load.

At the end of the run Hino’s excellent telematics will feed out the difference in fuel consumption – and anything else you could possibly think of, from driver inattention to over revving.

Most would think of a hybrid as being only suited to the stop/start conditions of urban traffic but this is not the case. The system works equally as well in hilly terrain, where the slopes will feed power back into the battery.

The new 6-speed AMT is directly coupled to the electric motor with the clutch between the electric motor and the Euro 6 diesel engine.

Upon take-off the clutch is disengaged and the electric motor gives initial propulsion giving a smoother take-off and no wasted fuel in moving off the line. The truck’s brain will determine when the diesel will come into play, engaging the clutch as needed.

Off the accelerator, the clutch disengages and the electric motor becomes a generator – feeding power back into the battery. In conjunction with stop/start technology Hino talk of a 23 per cent efficiency gain over the conventional diesel in litres used

The hybrid we tested achieved a 26 per cent fuel efficiency gain over its diesel equivalent.

Our writer Graham Harsant takes the hybrid and diesel-only version for a spin in the suburbs.

The new bigger multi-media display is a ripper.

per 100km. That translates to a near 30 per cent efficiency improvement on a kilometre per litre basis.

What’s it like to drive?

Just like any other truck is the short answer. Take off is indeed smoother than a diesel AMT, the truck is a little quieter, I don’t have a clue as to when the engine/motor are working in concert or alone.

Braking feels a little different due to their regenerative technology but nowhere near the ‘hauling up’ effect of a full

electric. They are smooth and work well in concert with the single stage retarder which also feeds back into the battery.

The dashboard displays battery charge which at takeoff was the full five bars. Depending upon terrain and driving style it dropped a bar or two but at drive’s end I had it back to the five. That display entices a competition with yourself to get the most out of the vehicle’s electric capabilities.

Of note is Hino’s new multi-media display. Larger, sitting higher and within easier reach, this Australian designed unit is the bee’s knees.

Developed in conjunction with Hino, it is easily the best unit I’ve experienced in any truck.

Like all other Hinos I’ve driven, this is a comfortable, well sorted truck and I climb out at days end feeling like I could go and do the drive all over again immediately.

So how did I do? Back at Hino HQ, Petrovski spits out the telematics and I’ve achieved a 26 per cent fuel efficiency gain over the following diesel-only 300. I’ve also reduced my CO2 output by 26 per cent per kilometre.

Is the extra cost worth it?

The list price of a Hybrid is $16,000 over the diesel but, as Petrovski points out, 90 per cent of customers finance their truck. On this basis, taking into account the finance cost of the vehicle, insurance,

registration, maintenance and fuel, the hybrid vehicle leaves you $150 a month better off than a diesel on a standard type of lease purchase/finance deal. That’s over five years.

Most operators have their trucks for 7-10 years. So, if you kept it for a further five, it will equate to around another $15,000 in your pocket on top of the first five years savings at today’s fuel prices, and doesn’t take into account further predicted savings of around 16 per cent on yearly maintenance costs.

The weight penalty of the Hybrid is 220kg over the conventional diesel – not a lot in today’s terms and nothing compared to an equivalent full electric. Overall, the truck’s tare is roughly equivalent to some other 5-litre light duty trucks, so the weight penalty is not an issue.

Would I have one? In a heartbeat. The results of my test drive show that I’d save $5197.31 over the diesel only over five years (increasing dramatically for ownership beyond that).

I’ve also cut my CO2 emissions by 17,725Kg. I can drive it anywhere where there’s a servo and I know that the technology is tried and proven.

Hino is as keen and committed to saving the planet as the next person. At this point in time here in Australia, its hybrid trucks may just be doing it better than anyone else.

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FREECALL* 1800 TRPART (877 278) ONE PHONE NUMBER TO CONNECT WITH 58 DEALERS AUSTRALIA WIDE Prices herein are recommended selling prices for both Privileges members and non-members, inclusive of GST. Recommended selling prices in this publication are provided as a guide. Prices may vary at the dealerships. Freight charges may apply. Core charges are not included in selling price however may be applied by the dealer. All items have been included in good faith on the basis that goods will be available at the time of sale. Promotion available at participating Dealers from 1 September to 31 October 2023 or while stocks last.

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18 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Italian beauty woos our test driver Our Victorian correspondent takes the coolest looking Iveco he’s seen down the bumpy road to Geelong.

BY GRAHAM HARSANT A WHILE back Big Rigs was invited to jump aboard the new Iveco S-Way range of trucks and take them for a spin around the AARC test facility at Anglesea, Victoria.

I walked away from that day mightily impressed with the trucks and what they offer in terms of ride, noise suppression, lack of vibration and harshness, and in the way they steered.

Of course, the AARC track is a magic carpet ride compared to the real world.

In my neck of the woods the ‘sealed’ roads I have to traverse every day are abysmal.

Since the floods we experienced last year the holes they created have turned into moon-sized craters, and noone seems to be doing anything about them.

I know our area is not alone, having done a recent test drive around the Sydney suburbs. This led me to wondering what the S-Way would be like on the moonscape we jokingly call roads.

Iveco must have been reading my thoughts because they rang and offered me a truck to take out into the real world.

Instead of pointing me to their Dandenong HQ, they sent me out to Altona North and PrixCar, who have just taken delivery of four S-Ways – their first toe in the water with Iveco in the prime mover space. PrixCar had taken delivery of several Iveco EuroCargo models prior to their S-Way order.

For those unaware of Prix-

Car - as was I – the company is one of the largest transport and vehicle processing companies in Australia. With over 1100 employees and offices in every state and major city, they offer a complete, endto-end vehicle logistics service, from picking up at the docks to vehicle preparation to delivering to dealers nationwide.

To put their size into perspective, they have several hundred prime movers alone to move these cars and trucks and buses around.

Then there’s all the attendant trailers – many of them designed in-house – and a fleet of smaller trucks to get the jobs done. Sound big?

Well, that’s because, as I witnessed in person, it is.

I’ve turned onto Kororoit Creek Rd and am greeted with the sight of cars and trucks of every persuasion as far as the eye can see. Needless to say, the security is tight, but I’m let in to meet up with PrixCar national fleet manager Goran Koviloski.

Koviloski leads me to possibly the coolest looking Iveco I’ve ever seen. Over a classy silver body with black striping to compliment the black grill, are blue highlights to make the truck ‘pop’.

The ambient interior lighting is also blue to match.

On a rooftop chrome bar sits a light bar and below this a PrixCar designed metal sunvisor. Moving down past the stone guard is a very classy bull bar, designed by Koviloski and the PrixCar team.

“There was limited availability for what we needed

on the market at the time with the S-Way being fresh to market. We worked collaboratively with Iveco and Whitlock Bull Bars to produce this bull bar specifically for our trucks,” commented Koviloski.

The bull bar is adorned with yet another light bar and four Narva driving lights framed with a multitude of clearance lights. The overall effect is one brilliant looking truck – hooked up to an equally impressive trailer loaded with a couple of Iveco Daily vans (of course).

But this story is about the drive, so I climb into the cab, sit in the leather-appointed seat and re-familiarise myself with my surroundings.

There’s the indicator on the left and 5-stage retarder on the right, push buttons for D, N and R, and an unusual red steering wheel logo sewn into the carpet. Oh, right!

Put your foot on that and you can adjust the steering wheel to your favoured position.

Those Italians like to do some things differently. Like the mirror adjustment. Press a button below the adjuster and… which mirror am I adjusting? Look at the dashboard and it will tell you.

Quirky to say the least!

Time to hit the road and a trip down past Geelong takes my fancy. ‘Hope I find plenty of ‘moon craters’ I think to myself. I didn’t have to travel far – about 300 metres I’d reckon. I could have driven around it but that wouldn’t be testing, would it?

Straight over/through/ down and up it I go – and

[L-R] PrixCar’s Hayden Berns, Goran Koviloski and driver-trainer David Johnston.

PrixCar has done a great job of dressing up the S-Way.

the S-Way took it in its stride.

The front axle is on springs and the steering is not electric, so I’d expected some jarring back through the wheel, but not a bit of it.

I wrote on the AARC drive how good the steer was in this truck and in the real world it’s still up there with the best.

Point this thing and that’s where she goes. You know exactly where the wheels are pointed and no pothole (of course I found hundreds) puts the truck off course.

The steer is confidence-inspiring and that makes for a supremely relaxed driving experience.

Cruising down the Geelong Rd at 100 clicks on adaptive cruise – and why wouldn’t you? – and I’m thinking the wind noise is slightly more than I’d remembered. Staring me in the face is, of course that stone guard and sunvisor and therein lies the answer. I hasten to add

that it was still minimal, and I was able to talk to myself at completely normal levels.

Onto the 16-speed gearbox and the S-Way really shines. Motive power in this version is the top-of-therange, latest iteration of the Cursor 13-litre with 550Hp and 2500Nm. Now, there are more powerful (and bigger) donks out there but this motor, mated to this ‘box is nothing short of sublime.

The torque and power curves fit beautifully with the gear changes, which are as quick and smooth as any auto I’ve driven. The 16-speeds gives an appropriate gear for any situation.

Yes, I’m only hauling a light load but I’ve tried a loaded B-double and that was equally impressive. I come to a particularly steep incline and I flick the RH gear lever down two notches to 14th.

The changes are lightning quick, and the truck main-

The intuitive multi-media screen is a beaut.

tains its pace up the hill. As it begins to flatten out it moves smoothly up through 15th to top.

Then there’s the little things: The sun visors are excellent and with pull-out tabs on the outsides cover the entire screen.

The side window shades are simple to use and effective.

The Lane Departure Warning is noticeable but doesn’t scream and scare the hell out of you – as many others do - if you cross a line.

It rained a bit so I know the auto wipers work. So does the Auto Emergency Braking.

Cruise control is very easy to use.

The bunk is comfortable and the curtains wrap right around the cab. The multi-media screen is a beaut.

Intuitive to use, connects quickly to the phone and puts out a good sound through the multiple speakers. Beats the hell out of the one I had in the Mitsubishi Outlander hire car I recently had.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I had a couple of blokes at truck stops come up and ask me about the truck and praise the way it looked. How often does that happen to an Iveco driver?

All too soon I’m back at PrixCar. As I’m handing the key back, a driver comes up to me and asks how I found it. I respond positively and he comments, “I’m driving the S-Way with one of our B-double carriers and I am loving it!”

Trucks mean different things to different people. Some people love their American trucks, others love the Euros and still others the Scandies. And there are people who love the Italian Job. Having driven the S-Way I could also easily have an Italian affair.

Looking for a new truck?

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20 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

’64 Pete a pioneer tribute For Rob McIntyre, this lovingly restored Peterbilt is a link to his father’s history in transport and his role in shaping the industry of today.

BY DAVID VILE

“THIS truck helps tell a story - it was the dawning of a new era for road train general freight to Darwin. Freight used to go on ship up and around, but Dad was one of the first to load general freight here in Brisbane and take it straight through to Darwin 5-6 days – it wasn’t done before he did it.”

The person Rob McIntyre is referring to is his late father Doug, one of the pioneers of long-distance freight in Australia, and the truck in question is a 1964 Peterbilt 352, which is of the same specification as the trucks Doug McIntyre used running between Brisbane and Darwin.

Rob had the beautifully restored cab-over on display at the Rocklea Heritage Truck Show earlier this year, with the Peterbilt in its present specification the only one of its type left in Australia.

Presented in the fleet colours of McIntyre Freight Lines, the Peterbilt is indeed a rare vehicle as Rob explained: “This is the last remaining of the three trucks of this specification that were bought into Australia, the defining difference with this one is most cab overs had the flat back panel on the cab. Three had the recessed area for the twin exhaust stacks and the GM (Detroit Diesel) engine and this is the last survivor.

“My father operated two of them running from Brisbane to Darwin on road train general freight. This truck actually belonged to Outback Freight in Alice Springs and my father found it about 25 years ago and he restored it back to his company colours.”

Having started out with some early Internationals,

The back of the cab is recessed for the dual exhausts.

The 1964 Peterbilt on show at Rocklea earlier this year. Main photos: David Vile

Doug McIntyre built his business up using a variety of trucks ranging from Diamond Reos, White Road Commanders and was the first operator to install a Cat engine in a B-Model Mack.

The two Peterbilts were worked hard pulling two trailers between Brisbane and Darwin, with the McIntyre trucks a regular sight making their way across the outback.

“He had 67 registered vehicles all up with the trucks and

A proud Rob McIntyre with the restored GM powered-Peterbilt.

trailers based out of Stafford here in Brisbane and a depot in Darwin,” Rob said.

“He had a road train going every day to Darwin - they used to say in McKinlay they could set their watch to when there would be a McIntyre truck rolling through each day,” Rob said.

The Peterbilt runs the same specification as the two original McIntyre trucks, with an 8/71 Detroit sitting under the large square cab rated at 280

horsepower. Originally a twostick quad box sent the power through to the back end, but this has been swapped out in favour of a 10-speed Roadranger unit.

With the McIntyre business sold out to Intermodal in the 1970s, the Peterbilts were retired from the gruelling road train work and unfortunately appear to have succumbed in the years following.

“They still operated in the McIntyre colours with an Intermodal sticker on the doorthere are a few photos about of them running around Brisbane, one with a tanker on it,” Rob said.

“They continued to operate up into the 1980s but from then we don’t know what happened to them.”

Around 25 years ago Doug tracked down the ‘third’ Peterbilt in western New South Wales and took it back to Brisbane where it was used as a yard tug before tacking the restoration of the truck upon retirement.

“It wasn’t touched for a number of years; we were the agent for Steelbro side lifters, and it was used as a yard truck to pull trailers in and out of the shed,” Rob explained.

“The restoration took about three years - the chassis and running gear are pretty much untouched but the cab was pretty shot.

“It was a major part of the rebuild as the back had to be re-skinned - the doors and front are original but restored also. Dad didn’t need to buy a lot of stuff; he got new glass from the US, but he bought it through an authorised Peterbilt channel in New Zealand and a few other bits and pieces but with the American trucks there’s quite a cross-commonality of mechanicals.”

The Peterbilt originally had 10 stud wheels and was built as a body truck with a long chassis. It would appear to have had a few adventures in the time from being owned by Outback Freight before Doug purchased it out of western New South Wales.

“It had certainly been around the traps,” Rob added. “We had about 14 coats of paint to strip off and every layer was a different colour. All I

know it was sold new to Outback Freight, what happened after that I don’t know but it would be good to find out.”

Finished in the striking green and white McIntyre colours the Peterbilt has featured at shows and events as far afield as Lancefield in Victoria and the Road Transport Hall of Fame reunion in Alice Springs and has had a stint on display at the Queensland Transport Museum in Gatton.

Sadly, Doug passed away in 2014, but for Rob the Peterbilt is a link to both his father’s history in transport and his role in shaping the industry of today.

“I try and keep the legacy going. I have a licence and can drive a truck, but I don’t consider myself a truck driver.

“It’s quite humbling to come to these shows. Today I came in and I had people lined up three deep wanting to talk to me.

“It’s amazing the people who talk about my father and what he did for road train transport and outback hauling. These American trucks in the 1960s pioneered the outback road train work and I learn something new at every show.”

The McIntyre Peterbilts were a regular sight on road train work throughout outback Queensland.

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22 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Honouring our trucking legends

Celebrating luminaries, history makers and an icon

Big Rigs made the long trek to the Red Centre to pay tribute to some true-blue Aussie trucking heroes at the 2023 Festival of Transport.

BY GRAHAM HARSANT THE term ‘luminary’ used by Shell Rimula’s Nick Lubransky is an apt description of those men and women who were inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame this year.

They have all been leaders in their chosen field – be it simply behind the wheel, running a successful trucking company or in an organisational capacity.

They have no doubt inspired those around them. Another equally fitting title could well be legends – maybe not to the world at large, but certainly to their families and all those who know them.

Most were able to attend with loved ones present. Some have sadly passed on and their awards were accepted by family members. Some knew they were being inducted; to others it was a complete surprise, with their attendance being orchestrated on some pretext by their families.

The resultant atmosphere was one of the aforesaid surprise, joy and more than one or two shed tears as they came on stage to accept their awards.

Following in family footsteps

Ben Smart was on hand to witness his dad David and pop Graeme inducted. Ninety-yearold Graeme was born at Yackandandah, Victoria, and has managed to move all of 23 kilometres to nearby Beechworth.

Under the adage of necessity is the mother of invention, Graeme found his first truck, a Bedford was too small to carry all the 44-gallon fuel Esso

Wall of Fame inductees Graeme and David Smart. Photos: Graham Harsant

drums he was delivering to trucks and cars around the area.

So, he cut and extended the tray to increase the load. It was a practice he repeated many times with both tray trucks and also with trailers, adding axles when necessary.

44-gallon drums weigh a bit, so Graeme was an early adopter of the forklift, owning one of the first in the Beechworth area.

Son David was destined to follow in Graeme’s footsteps into the transport industry.

From helping dad move those Esso drums he bought his own truck at age 22 - a Scania and started running the eastern seaboard, delivering amongst other freight the newly invented automatic teller machines (ATMs).

Garry ‘Rover’ Williams with his daughter Hanna.

“I got to see a lot of the country delivering them,” said Dave.

Moving to Queensland around 2010 David and wife, Sharon started Smartys Bobcat and Tippers which they run to this day.

His love of the Kenworth brand is strong, to the point where, as well as owning a couple of classic examples, he has built a 1.4m high x 2.5m long scale model of a Cabover Aerodyne.

Powered by a Briggs and Stratton it will do 80km/h and holds 24 cartons of his favourite tipple. The dog trailer holds a couple of BBQs to complement the liquid refreshments.

Gratifying and humbling

Wall of Fame inductee Graeme

Sutton from Numurkah, Victoria, runs a fleet of 19 trucks but, like all present started out small, in his case back in the early 1980s with a 1418 Mercedes-Benz.

“They were a legend truck in that era,” said Graeme. “I was at the tail end of it but they made a lot of people a lot of money back in those days.

They were just bullet-proof - slow but steady, got the job done and got there without breakdown.”

These days Graeme’s fleet is all Kenworth.

“My son worked for Graham Thompson Kenworth in Shepparton, so obviously we have lent that way, as you would.

“Unknown to me, Gerard Michele from Thompsons,

Graeme Sutton was thrilled to see his photo on the wall.

along with our insurance guy, John Griffiths flew up to see my induction, which was gratifying and humbling.”

Totally stunned by honour

Garry ‘Rover’ Williams thought he was filling in time at the awards before going to a wedding in Alice Springs.

Daughter Hanna and partner, Helen conspired to get him there and wanted it to be a surprise. Poor Rover looked totally stunned when his name was announced.

Fifty-three years of driving saw Rover behind the wheel of just about everything. From the ubiquitous 1418 Benz he drove a variety of Kenworth and Mack models, Bedford, UD, Volvo, Fords and Freight-

Frank Bilato with his proud children.

liner – you name it, Rover’s driven it. His personal history is intertwined with the trucks on display at Alice Springs.

“The reason Rover was inducted is because he’s a genuine Australian trucking hero - all truckers are heroes,” said Hanna.

“But it’s nice to be recognised for the work that they do, the miles travelled and the stress it puts on relationships.

We all know it’s not easy for anyone.”

If you are wondering where ‘Rover’ came from, a mate once jokingly said that Garry was always at his place because he was “sniffing around the wife”.

Master storyteller caught off guard

Frank Bilato was also surprised when his daughter who was reading out the stories of the inductees called out his name.

Born in Darwin and like many present, Frank started driving before he was legally allowed.

He began an apprenticeship, but it just didn’t compete with driving the big rigs. After driving for Gulf Transport, he joined his brothers Robert and John in purchasing G&S Transport in Alice Springs.

A memorable trip for dad and son, Ryan was when his back trailer broke through the road and got bogged.

Getting the truck out meant walking a grader 130 km over three days to dig out the trailer. Ryan helpfully remarked, “Dad, I don’t think you should have parked in the hole.”

Frank is also credited with being a master storyteller and a master chef.

Continued on page 24

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24 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Honouring our trucking legends

Bruce McIver humbled by special honour at event From page 22 The Industry Icon for 2023 was awarded to Bruce McIver.

Bruce is equally known for his leading role in transport industry organisations as well as his considerable achievements in the heavy transport industry.

Bruce was born into, and grew up in a road transport family, starting his career in 1969, aged 19.

After completing a motor mechanic apprenticeship he began as driver and manager of the family business, started by his father Stan and Uncle Guy in Queensland.

In the mid-1970s the business began stock crate manufacturing as a side business, designing and manufacturing them at Dalby. Other subsid-

Bruce McIver, Industry Icon for 2023.

iaries of the company included livestock transport, crude oil tankers bulk haulage and road trains. In 1987 Bruce took over the exclusive ownership of the family business.

In 1997 he pioneered the

Wall of Fame 2023 inductees James ‘Jimmy’ Leahy Garry Leeson Janice Allan (RIP) Stephen Atkins George Badenoch (RIP) Andrew ‘Ryan’s Truckie’ Baulch John Beer Wes Blacker Robert ‘Bob’ Blake (RIP) John Cherrie Merv Cresswell OAM (RIP) Brian ‘Darc’ Darcy Geoff Dewey (RIP) Allan Duell Jeffrey ‘Eattsy’ Eatts John Fehring Frederick ‘Laurie’ Gibson R P Pat Gibson (RIP) Glen ‘Joe’ Gleeson Desmond ‘Des’ Goodfield Garry ‘Gilly’ Goulthorpe (RIP) Craig Goulthorpe Jodie Black - nee Goulthorpe Phillip ‘Phil’ Hannant Roy ‘Inspector Gadget’ Harlan John Hatchman (RIP) Gary ‘Stack’ Hayes John Irvin Nellie Jones John ‘Kingy’ King Thomas ‘Tommy’ Lopez Georgina Marley Matthew ‘Matt’ Mauger Andrew McKean Trevor ‘Grumpy McKinnis Raymond ‘Plugger’ Milner Allister ‘Macca’ Moffitt

Stewart Moore – aka ‘Nipper’, ‘Stewy’ and ‘Old Man Rivers’ Craig Parrey Peter Pickering Roger Pickering

Daryl Pickering Jamie Pickering Brian Pitt Bob Pout David Rogers (RIP) Ed Russell.

Ronald ‘Wood Pecker’ Shelton Graeme Smart David ‘Smarty’ Smart David Smith Terry Smith Bruce ‘Stanesy’ Stanes Graeme Sutton The late John Symes Michael ‘Greg’ Symes.

Robert ‘Symo’ Symonds The late Brent Tragarr Ian ‘Trick’ Trickey, Leigh ‘Grinner’ Walton (RIP) Philip ‘Rocket’ White Garry ‘Rover’ Williams Dennis Yates Kevin Yeoman Emmanual ‘Casey’ arb R P Frank Bilato Industry Icon: Bruce McIver OAM History Makers Award: Ted ‘Greendog’ Stevens (RIP), Spencer & Gloria Watling, Carle & Belinda Goodfellow, Colin ‘CB’ Bird (RIP), Barry ‘Sleepy’ Grimson, Jack Dynamite Hibbert

logistics solutions for BHP’s new mine at Cannington in north-west Queensland. The unique road train units developed were dubbed the ICON - Innovative Combinations Of the North.

Bruce played a leading role in the development of industry associations in Queensland and Australia. He was a founding president of the Livestock Transport Association of Queensland and founding president of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association from 1985 to 1991.

Bruce was also one of five founding members of the road transport industry forum later known as the Australian Trucking Association. He also served on several advisory government bodies.

Bruce’s leading role in the establishment of the Transport Industry Association gave him a profile that few, if any transport operators have achieved.

After selling his business in 2003 Bruce went into politics. In 2019 he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to politics and the transport industry.

“To stand up here, I have to say when I look at all these people that have been inducted into the Wall of Fame here today, that it is very humbling.

“Because our industry – and I still class it as our industry – even though I sold my business in 2003, has been built on people like those here today.

They touch me here and they must touch you there too,” said Bruce with his hand on his heart. “There are many, many people who have been part of my life and of my journey to get here today.

“I’d like to thank all of our staff who worked for us and I’d like to thank the suppliers including this gentleman behind me,” continued Bruce, pointing to Jim Hurley who had presented him with his icon award along with G&S Transport’s Frank Bilota.

“I remember one day in 1984, if my memory is right, that we took delivery of 15 Kenworth SARs in one hit

Another huge turnout for the time-honoured event in Alice Springs.

from Brown and Hurley.

“I would also like to thank my family. My darling wife of 53 years this year, who has been with me from the very beginning, my dad and uncle and brother who were involved with the starting of the business and working in it.

“It is indeed a pleasure to come here today to see you all.

It’s been a wonderful trip. This award is something very special and I will treasure having been a part of this industry.”

Fitting tribute to Razorback legends

A new innovation this year was the introduction of the History Makers Award and it fittingly went to the six legendary stalwarts from Western Sydney whose brave stand changed the course of trucking history.

Of course, we are talking of Razorback and the ordinary hard-working blokes who became extraordinary for their actions.

Present at the Hall to accept their awards were Kelly Zelvis and Ben Stevens, two of Ted ‘Greendog’ Stevens’s four children. They were joined by Spencer and Gloria Watling along with Carle and Belinda Goodfellow. Due to ill health Barry “Sleepy’ Grimson was unable to attend, as was the case with the late Colin ‘CB’

Bird’s daughter, Donna Britton. All attempts to locate Jack ‘Dynamite’ Hibbert were sadly unsuccessful.

These men and their families are worthy recipients of the inaugural History Makers Award. Big Rigs will bring readers an in-depth interview with Ted’s children, Kelly and Ben as well as Spencer and Gloria Watling in a future issue.

As always, the awards were followed by convivial drinks at Stuarts Kitchen where tall tales became taller and the truth somewhat more irrelevant.

The families continued into the night at the dinner held in the Kenworth Pavilion, dancing and talking the night away.

TO STAND UP HERE, I HAVE TO SAY WHEN I LOOK AT ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE WALL OF FAME HERE TODAY, THAT IT IS VERY HUMBLING.” BRUCE MCIVOR

And as always, Nick Prus and his staff and volunteers produced a memorable event which will stay with those present forever. Congratulations to all the inductees and their families. Your recognition is richly deserved.

[ L-R] Ben Stevens, Kelly Zelvis, Carle and Belinda Goodfellow, Spencer and Gloria Watling.

Geoff Dewey and Steve Atkins (on left) celebrate their induction.

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26 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Honouring our trucking legends

Shell Rimula celebrates 23 years as event partner

BY GRAHAM HARSANT

AN enterprise such as the Alice Springs National Road Transport Hall of Fame cannot be maintained without the involvement of two groups.

Volunteers are crucial in helping the wheels (pun intended) of the hall keep turning.

Never more so than during the busy month of August each year when transport industry luminaries, nominated by their peers are inducted into the hall and have their names added to the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame.

Of equal importance are the industry bodies who sponsor the Hall of Fame in various ways. The Shell Company has been at the forefront in supporting the venue by way of

Nick Lubransky, the transport marketing manager of Viva Energy.

sponsoring the annual induction into the hall each year.

And they have been doing so

The logo’s changed but the quality remains the same.

for 23 consecutive years, having begun their association way back in 2000.

Nick Lubransky is the transport marketing manager of Viva Energy, the licensee for Shell in Australia.

Lubransky flew up to Alice Springs to represent the company in the induction ceremony.

Every year members of the Viva Energy transport team attend the Hall of Fame event, and this year Mairead Hayes - national sales manager for road transport, and Heather Brojanowski - key account manager WA attended to experience the unique atmo-

sphere of this event.

“The Hall of Fame event has a special feel to it. I call all the inductees ‘luminaries’ because each and every one of them are men and women who have inspired or influenced others in the industry,” Lubransky said.

Added Hayes: “To watch the reactions of the folk who came on stage to receive their medallions and plaques was heart-warming. We saw long term truck drivers on stage with tears in their eyes, and their passion for the industry was clear to see.”

“And it was also a heap of fun,” added Brojanowski. “I

[L-R] Mairead Hayes, Coralie Chapman and Nick Lubransky.

think what makes it an honour for people is that they are nominated by their peers for the recognition of their contribution to the transport industry, typically over their whole lives.

“We think it is a really good thing for the transport industry, and recognising the people that are involved in it is something that we really value,” continued Lubransky.

“It is about giving back to the industry that supports us as a company.

“Shell Rimula’s involvement with the transport industry goes beyond the sponsorship of the Hall of Fame

induction ceremony.

“Viva Energy has continued the legacy built over many years with the Hall of Fame, and are genuinely committed to supporting the transport industry across sponsorships, a growing retail network and also an eye to future fuels.

“With the Hall of Fame we know in our heart of hearts that it’s a great opportunity to give back to the truckies and the transport industry, and a great thing to be involved with.”

To use a very well-known company slogan, The Transport Hall of Fame is ‘Going Well’ thanks to ‘Going Shell’.

Iconic ACCO donated to National Road Transport Museum

The iconic truck arrived in style, courtesy of the new S-Way 550 prime mover belonging to PrixCar services.

ATTENDEES at the Australian Festival of Transport in Alice Springs were the first to see the display of the last locally manufactured Euro 5 ACCO at the National Road Transport Museum.

The iconic truck arrived at the museum just in time for the celebrations from August 24-27, courtesy of one of PrixCar Services’ stunning new S-Way AS 550 prime movers and drop deck trailer.

The donated 6×4 ACCO cab chassis, which is finished in bright red paintwork, was produced in November 2019

and has been in storage ever since.

It’s the last example of the fully built local model before being superseded in 2020 by a new ACCO version based on a global platform from Europe.

Iveco ANZ managing director Michael May said that the National Road Transport Museum was a fitting home for the final Euro 5 ACCO produced.

“In the late 1960s through to the early 2000s, the ACCO played a massive role in Australia and New Zealand, being the truck of choice for a great

many applications including general freight, linehaul, emergency service work and vocational duties including waste collection and agitator work,” May said.

“In more recent years ACCO’s primary focus was the refuse industry where it continues to be a favourite among operators for its extreme reliability and low total cost of ownership benefits, in what is arguably one of the most demanding truck applications there is.

“At the end of 2019, Iveco celebrated the delivery of the

90,000th ACCO, a testament to the overall success of the model, so the truck’s inclusion within the National Road Transport Museum is deserved and well earned.”

While it may mark the end of an era, May said he’s looking forward to what the future holds with the imminent release of all-new ACCO. In accepting the donation, Road Transport Historical Society CEO Nick Prus cited the contribution that ACCO has made to the Australian road transport landscape over many years.

“We’re very very happy and

grateful that Iveco considered us for this donation,” Prus said.

“As an exhibit, the last locally manufactured Euro 5 ACCO aligns very well with the goals of the museum: to preserve the heritage of the local road transport industry.

The ACCO will be on permanent displace in the ‘Trucks in Action’ venue, which showcases the diversity of vehicles that were built in Australia.”

While this generation ACCO has been consigned to history, the latest all-new iteration of the model will be available in Australia in the coming

months, with Iveco already taking “significant multivehicle orders” for the truck from several national fleet operators within the refuse sector.

Advancements include the latest active and passive safety features, powerful yet efficient engines that meet stringent Euro 6 (Step E) emission standards, and enhanced cabins that are more comfortable and fatigue-reducing.

A further benefit of the new ACCO is the availability of a locally designed and engineered dual control system that was designed specifically for the model, Iveco said.

The ACCO is now on permanent display at the National Road Transport Museum for future generations to enjoy.

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28 FEATURE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Honouring our trucking legends

Legendary operator keen to pass on his knowledge

With a rich transport heritage - and a lifetime behind the wheel - this 2011 Wall of Fame inductee hopes to share what he’s learnt with the next generation.

BY AINSLEIGH BILATO

RODNEY Bielenberg, born in Longreach in the late 50s, had little chance of dodging the transport industry as a third-generation operator.

When the outbreak of World War 2 saw a rapid growth in the demand for beef, Queensland’s transport operators, servicing Australia’s primary cattle producing state, had no choice but to respond.

As primary production became subject to Commonwealth control, chilling was suspended and all surplus meat available for export was bound for the United Kingdom, quantity took priority over quality.

Rod’s father, Gundy was expected to maintain his father’s small transport business while his eldest brother, John, served in the army. Aged 13, Gundy tasked with servicing sheep and cattle stations between Longreach and Windorah in the state’s central west, and was given a special licence to drive during the wartime in order to do so.

Faced with their father’s untimely death in 1946 and John’s return from service the same year, Gundy and John became business partners. Aged 17 and 24 respectively, Gundy and John embarked on their first trip as Bielenberg Brothers Carriers. The brothers, running Internationals, predominantly concentrated on livestock haulage, but also did the Longreach district mail service until 1998.

It follows that most of Rod’s hours out of school were spent off-siding for his father or Uncle John. Regardless of age, it was expected that Rod knew how to pen up sheep and cattle and load wool. He was taught to service the trucks, change tyres and load the mail run on a Saturday to ensure Gundy and John could stay on the road.

The 1960s brought many

Once he turned 30, Rod and his then wife, moved out on their own to start R & K Bielenberg Transport.

changes to the business, first in a new name – Longreach Transport Company Pty Ltd. Next, they switched their Internationals for B model, R model and F model Mack trucks, which were better equipped to handle the triple road train work the business was undertaking. The tubeless tyres were an added bonus.

Rod learnt how to drive in a 1967 R-model Flintstone Mack with his Uncle John. With its 711 motor and quad box, it was behind the wheel of this Mack that Rod would often be seen pulling 2, single-deck cattle trailers or, occasionally, a double-deck cattle trailer on the front and a single behind.

Despite Rod’s academic success, being awarded dux of the college, he left school after finishing year 10 to offside for his father. Gundy’s poor health meant that Rod needed to attain his licence to step into his father’s driving role.

Rod learnt how to drive in a 1967 R-model Flintstone Mack.

On Rod’s 17th birthday, he and his brother loaded up a crate of cattle before pulling up outside the police station. Rod went into the station to get his licence, while his brother went into the nearby Midlander Pub to enjoy a beer while Rod faced the Sargent. Rod requested that he be taken for a test to earn his truck licence, and the Sargent obliged, jumping up in the loaded road train alongside Rod for a lap of the block. The Sargent asked Rod two questions: “How many gears has it got and who brought you up here?”.

“Twenty gears and my brother is at the pub!”, Rod replied. The Sargent, impressed with Rod’s confidence, asked to see his car licence. “I don’t have one. That’s what I’m here for!”. Rod was given his car, truck, tractor, bus and motorcycle licences that day. Try doing that today!

Once Rod had his truck licence, he made his debut in a single-drive Ford Louisville,

equipped with a 903 Cummins engine. The increased horsepower made light work of pulling the double-deck cattle crates. In 1978, Rod returned to the make he was most familiar with, running a cool-powered R-model Mack. The late 1970s saw a sharp increase in sheep prices as the live export market boomed and wool prices stabilised, so Rod swapped the cattle crates for 3-deck sheep crates.

In 1982, Rod moved into a Mack Super-Liner with a 400CAT motor and 4x5 gearboxes. He notes that the early 80s were an incredibly tough time for Australia’s primary producers as the country was in the midst of one its most severe droughts.

Competing with drought, shearers’ strikes and the Ash Wednesday bushfires, Rod played his part in not only maintaining, but building Longreach Transport Co.’s fleet,

Today, Rod is working as a supervisor for LCR, enjoying the challenge of keeping up to 18 trucks and their drivers moving.

including 18 purpose-built trailers. Rod is grateful to have spent these years sharing the road with many legendary operators – the likes of fellow Wall of Fame inductees Barry Meyers, Jim Oliver, Toby Harris and Bill Baskett.

Not only mentors, these men were friends to the young driver. Rod also passed some familiar faces on the highway in the form of his schoolmates, who had all grown up in trucking families. Rod has noticed over the years that transport has got faster and time is now scarcer. “Nobody has time to stop and help or socialise like we used to because of the regulations now”.

Once he turned 30, Rod, his then wife, and his faithful Mack Super-Liner moved out on their own to start R & K Bielenberg Transport and, next, a family. By 1990, Rod had three daughters and a new Mack V8 525 Super-Liner.

The 1960s brought about many changes, including a new name for the business.

Following a divorce, Rod moved to Gracemere to raise his three young daughters. As he had sold his trucks and trailers in 1994, Rod spent the next decade exploring the many different facets of haulage on offer in the industry, carting everything from coal with Zeilke’s Transport, milk with Jordan’s Transport and rock for a new seawall.

Today, Rod is working as a supervisor for LCR, enjoying the challenge of keeping up to 18 trucks and their drivers moving.

He hopes that he has “a couple more good work years” in him in which he plans to pass on his knowledge and experience to the industry’s newcomers before he retires.

After spending countless years away from home, Rod looks forward to spending quality time with his wife, whom he married in 2008, and his children. With 10 grandchildren and the antics that come with them, there is no doubt that Rod will be kept busy when he eventually decides it is time to retire.

Rod was inducted into the National Road Transport Museum’s Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2011, nominated by his youngest daughter.

His induction was made more meaningful by the fact that he was joining his father, Gundy, inducted in 2000, and Uncle John, inducted in 2010.

The museum is privileged to have played a part in showcasing the Bielenberg’s continuing impact on the road transport industry.

DRIVING AUSTRALIA 29

Cover image: Chloe Anderson (story page 36)

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

12-page Careers & Training Special

DRIVING AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE

• Award nominees and winner • Driving simulator in schools • Online training • Dual-trade upskilling • Job ready pathway…and more

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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Cutting edge simulator showcases new career path

A TRUCK simulator that was originally acquired to help truckies negotiate the treacherous South Eastern Freeway descent into Adelaide is also proving a big hit with school-age truck fans.

At a recent careers expo in Adelaide, the South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA), which has owned the $550,000 simulator since 2020, estimates that a large chunk of the 10,000 youngsters through the door stopped by to experience it first-hand.

Only one person at a time

can be in the hot seat, but there was invariably a decent crowd outside watching what’s happening inside the simulator on the giant TV screen outside, said SARTA executive director Steve Shearer.

“They can also see a bunch of data about speed, revs, gears, braking and all those sorts of things, and we can have conversations with them about that,” he added.

“The idea of that is that when you’ve actually got a student driver inside the simulator, an instructor outside

can be discussing with others what the one inside is doing and what maybe they should be doing differently. That includes the fact that they’re checking their mirrors every eight seconds.

“You can see the ones that are actually interested, you can see it in their eyes, they’re not just standing around giggling with their mates.

“They’re quietly waiting their turn and when they come out you can just see it [genuine interest] in the almost supercilious grin.”

The school-age children

are given five to six minutes on a simulated test track – normally driving a rigid – so they get the experience of coming out of a loading area and turning on to a track, turning right, turning left.

“Some of them are big sweeping bends so they can get around a corner reasonably quickly.

“It gives them a real feel for what they could be driving if they come into the industry and become a truck driver.”

SARTA also now has the added bonus on site of an Isuzu SWB truck to show the students.

The truck was recently donated to SARTA by Northeast Auto Group to tow the HV Simulator to events and training sessions.

“We can point to that and say, well you can start off in one of these because you only need a car licence for this and then you can work your way up,” Shearer said.

“Having a professional truck driver talk to them in a classroom about driving is all fine, but put them in a very realistic truck simulator, where they’re in a truck seat with a truck gearbox, dashboard, big screens and a steering wheel, and they’re driving it, the impact is quite substantial.”

The only issue now for Shearer is bridging the gap that still exists in SA between school leavers and a pathway into the industry.

“I’ve been pushing for quite some years now against

IMAGINE telling a 10-yearold Kevin Swiney, who drove a farm truck for the first time, that he would one day have a fulfilling career training others to operate some of the world’s most advanced heavy vehicles.

“I guess I have a real love of trucks that all started then when I first learned to drive them, helping out on the farm,” he said.

“I would have been amazed to think I would one day be standing up in front of other drivers and teaching them.”

Today, at the age of 47, Swiney is living that reality.

Working for Ron Finemore Transport (RFT) for the past seven years, he now takes pride in training a team of instructors responsible for imparting knowledge to over 750 drivers.

“It’s very satisfying working at a company that takes driver training so seriously and being able to use my experience to make sure our drivers have that knowledge and skills to do their job well,” he said.

RFT, with its 950-strong workforce, has earned a reputation for its commitment to training, particularly in driver development. Operating a fleet of more than 300 trucks,

RFT boasts one of the youngest fleets in Australia, with an average truck age of less than two years.

To maintain a high level of skill and competence, the company invests more than a million dollars annually in continuous driver training, especially as they add new trucks each year to replace older ones.

Leigh Brothers, RFT’s general manager fleet, emphasises the constant evolution of truck technology, with manufacturers like Mercedes Benz, Volvo, and Scania continuously working to enhance safety, fuel efficiency, and emission controls.

“The trucks and the technology in them are always evolving so we need our driver team and our workshop to be across all the new developments and how to use them so we can continue to improve our safety and efficiencies,” he said.

“We can have the best vehicles, the best fuel and the best contracts but without the skilled people to drive them these trucks are just something that look nice parked in a garage.”

Brothers joined RFT more than 20 years ago and has worked his way up through

the company starting in operations, and then after sales service, workshop fulfilment, maintenance analytics, workshop management, and external supply network manager, and was recently promoted into his new role.

“There have always been opportunities for development and strong training pathways offered, in logistics - studying for a Diploma in

logistics was one of the opportunities I took,” Brothers said.

“It’s easy to stay enthusiastic about your work with an organisation that has its focus on people and helping them be the best they can be.”

Managing director Mark Parry reiterates the company’s unwavering belief in the value of investing in training and development for its staff.

He underscores that core val-

The Heavy Vehicle Simulator will now be towed around the state behind an Isuzu (pictured inset) donated by Northeast Auto Group.

the frustrating decision of SafeWork agencies about 15 years ago when they unilaterally increased the minimum age for a high-risk licence, which includes forklift, from 16 to 18.

“We’ve still got the mechanic’s pathway, but that cut off one of our two major career pathways into the yard out of school.”

Shearer, however, is hopeful there could be some light at the end of this long tunnel with a recent changing of the guard in the state.

He’s successfully lobbied

ues are only meaningful when translated into action, and training serves as a significant means of living up to those values.

“Our core values are safety, reliability, cost effectiveness and people, but core values can be just a set of words if you’re not acting on them,” he said.

“The true meaning and intent are what you do to live those values, and training is a

for a new flexible industry pathway (FIP) that starts next year, which also counts towards a student’s South Australian Certificate of Education.

Shearer hasn’t been able to include truck driving in that FIP due to the age factor, but is hopeful of a tick of approval for those aged 17.5 to start their forklift driver training in a “controlled” environment while in their final year at school.

“They can then get their forklift licence quickly and they’re up and away.”

The simulator gives experienced truckies and newcomers a realistic experience, says SARTA.

Investing in staff training: a vital strategy for success

RFT’s team leader of general driver training, Kevin Swiney (centre) during training at Newport depot. Photo: supplied

significant way to do that.

“That is why we are so committed to training for our drivers of course, but also across the whole company.

“If there is some training or further education someone wants to undertake that will help them do their job better or maybe allow them to advance through the company, or improve the way the company operates, we are always open to that.”

An example of this culture is evident in Dhaval Pathak, RFT’s compliance manager, who joined the company in January 2022.

Recognising the potential benefits of improving staff proficiency in using spreadsheet software Excel, Pathak organised a day’s training onsite at the Wodonga depot, with enthusiastic participation from 13 staff members across various departments.

The positive response and visible impact of the training reaffirmed that a supportive environment that encourages learning can foster productivity and job satisfaction.

This is an edited extract from a story that first appeared in The Border Mail.

DRIVING AUSTRALIA 31

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Tackling heavy vehicle safety through education

HEAVY Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) has unveiled two new online courses this month, funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), and supported by the Australian Government.

The “Load Restraint Fundamentals” and “Best Practice Tyre Management” courses are the outcome of HVIA’s Safety Through Education project with both now available on the HVIA Training online platform.

National Transport Insurance’s (NTI) NTARC Major Accident Investigation Report series has consistently highlighted the safety-critical nature of load restraint and tyre management practices, which are also often raised by roadside enforcement officers as areas of concern.

HVIA’s national manager strategic projects and business improvement, Steve Power, said the interactive online learning education courses will be transformative.

“The Load Restraint Fundamentals and Best Practice Tyre Management courses

Correctly specified and maintained tyres and wheels improve safety outcomes.

have been built on the same platform as HVIA’s popular HV101,” Power said.

“As an induction-style course, HV101 has become a staple for introducing concepts and terminology to people entering or working with the heavy vehicle industry.

“We hope every fleet owner or manager will see the value in making these new courses part of their on-boarding process and build them into a program of refresher training that even the best and safest drivers should be receiving.

“The proven platform en-

ables successful participation by drivers and workers across the supply chain and will lead to improved safety outcomes.”

HVIA chief technical officer Adam Ritzinger said correctly specified and maintained tyres and wheels improve the safety outcomes of the most critical and most consumable heavy vehicle component.

“The Best Practice Tyre Management course will guide operators to develop their own procedures including maintenance, rotation and replacement policies,” Ritzinger said.

He added that the Load Re-

The Load Restraint Fundamentals course ensures that everyone in the chain understands their responsibilities.

straint Fundamentals course transforms complex written guidance information into a simple, immersive, practical online education course.

“Packing, loading and load restraint requirements are relevant to the entire transport supply chain,” he said.

“Load Restraint Fundamentals will ensure heavy vehicle operators and other members in the chain understand their responsibilities and refresh their knowledge as required.”

NHVR chief safety and productivity officer David

Hourigan said the HVSI program supported key initiatives that deliver tangible safety improvements for the heavy vehicle industry and all road users.

“Through our HVSI program, grantees have the ability to develop innovative solutions to achieve a shared goal of safer drivers, safer vehicles and safer road use for all Australians,” Hourigan said.

“The NHVR is looking forward to seeing the positive outcomes of these interactive courses, including the impact they have on industry.”

Power also expressed

HVIA’s gratitude to its member organisations, the NHVR and other industry stakeholders who provided their time, resources and experience to the development of the courses.

“The HVSI funding initiative has been instrumental in improving resources and training available for road transport operators,” he said.

“Our team have been working hard to ensure the courses address these important safety concepts in a way that engages their audience; the generous assistance and guidance invested by so many parties during the project has really paid off.”

The course can both be found on the HVIA Training website at hviatraining.com. au and a launch special for all purchases before the New Year reduces the cost from $99 to just $29 per person.

The option of purchasing bulk registrations, that can be used over a period, is perfect for managing a team with full back-of-house access and visibility for group leaders.

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32 DRIVING AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

TAFE Queensland offering express dual-trade upskill Business manager heavy automotive training at TAFE Queensland, David Jenkinson.

TAFE Queensland is providing qualified technicians with express upskill programs to complete a second trade, with the most popular being automotive technicians completing an additional Certificate III in Mobile Plant Technology (AUR31220) to boost their employment opportunities in the resources industry.

Given the documented need for more skilled workers across various industries including the resources sector, TAFE Queensland is offering these courses to provide a pipeline of skilled workers for

businesses looking to place waves of new workers needed in industry.

Eligible qualified technicians with either a Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR30620) or Certificate III in Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR31120) are completing intensive upskill programs to complete the gap training required to secure a Certificate III in Mobile Plant Technology (AUR31220).

TAFE Queensland’s flagship trade training facility in Acacia Ridge is the birthplace

of such courses, and business manager of heavy automotive training for the region, David Jenkinson, says there has been significant industry interest in dual-trade qualified technicians.

“The reason we started these courses was after talking to industry and being told there is a really strong demand for dual-trade technicians in the resources sector. We have done these as bespoke programs for some large players in the resources space and can now open up the opportunity to individual workers

THE REASON WE STARTED THESE COURSES WAS AFTER TALKING TO INDUSTRY AND BEING TOLD T ERE IS A REALLY STRONG DEMAND R UAL TRA E TECHNICIANS IN THE RESOURCES SECTOR.”

resources sector, this is a great opportunity,” he said.

TAFE Queensland is in constant engagement with the industries it serves to determine how training can support the needs of industry, and upskill programs are a key example of this. With 140 years of strong history, the largest training provider in Queensland has navigated many industrial changes

and emerging trends and will continue to do so well into the future.

Qualified workers currently in industry or employers interested to gain a larger pool of new employees are encouraged to reach out to TAFE Queensland via Client.Solutions@tafeqld.edu. au to discuss their options and eligibility for dual-trade upskill programs.

DAVID JENKINSON

as well,” Jenkinson said.

“These programs focus on not double-handling course material that students have completed during their initial apprenticeship. We train technicians in the skills gaps between their initial apprenticeship and their new qualification of the Certificate III in Mobile Plant Technology (AUR31220).

“Feedback so far has been outstanding and partnering businesses have been pleased and keen to continue enrolling workers. For anybody eying a career change into the

TAFE Queensland provides quality training on real industry vehicles.

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34 DRIVING AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

A key role in building our community

BORAL is the largest vertically-integrated construction materials company in Australia. Our network includes prized quarry and cement infrastructure, bitumen, construction materials recycling, asphalt and concrete batching operations.

We employ about 7500 employees and contractors across our operations that

span more than 360 sites nationwide. We’ve been building something great in Australia for more than 75 years.

We’ve enabled construction of critical and landmark infrastructure across the country from Parliament House to highways and motorways, office buildings, bridges, and even the icon-

ic Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Rarely a day goes by that you wouldn’t pass one of our sites or trucks, enter a building, use a road, bridge, tunnel, footpath or other critical infrastructure that our people and products have helped enable.

Boral Quarries and Boral Cement are giving customer-focused drivers

As a Boral driver, you will play a key role in building our community every day.

Get paid as you’re trained on the safe operation of the tipper and tanker fleet.

the opportunity to work at a variety of depots across South-East Queensland and Toowoomba.

As a Boral driver, you will play a key role in building our community every day.

You will provide high quality service to our customers and leave your mark on a variety of infrastructure projects across Queensland, from driveways to stadiums.

We are offering experienced HR drivers the opportunity to upgrade your licence to Heavy Combi-

FOLLOWMONT Transport is a Queensland family-owned business that express delivers goods to every corner of Queensland and New South Wales, every day through their 1,000+ vehicles and unique network of linehaul and local contractors.

Followmont started in 1984, delivering magazines out of a small office in Stones Corner, Brisbane, and are now the state’s largest family-owned transport company and the preferred Queensland and New South Wales carrier with 1000 staff, 24 company-owned regional depots, and a network of local contractors.

They specialise in time-sensitive delivery and go the extra mile to deliver regardless of obstacles, while constantly providing solutions to their customers’ transport requirements.

Queensland Trucking Association and Australian Trucking Association Training Excellence Awards.

“We’re committed to putting back in, to providing a future for our people and creat-

nation. Get paid as you’re trained on the safe operation of our tipper and tanker fleet. Our dedicated trainers will guide you as you complete your required hours for your upgrade.

With a transparent pay structure, earn an attractive wage + overtime for every hour you work. Enjoy work/ life balance with a monthly RDO on top of your four weeks of annual leave.

With day shifts on offer, our goal is to get you home safely, every night. We are

committed to Zero Harm and our Life Saving Rules underpin our strong safety culture.

Boral values and is committed to creating a diverse working environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All suitable applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability or age.

Join our team – we’re building something great.

Followmont’s people are the secret to its success Now in operation for over 39 years, they have cemented themselves as an industry leader, providing stability for their team and creating a culture that is all about caring for each other, their customers, suppliers and communities. They pride themselves on the family culture that is felt throughout the business.

It’s their values, their people and the way they do things that sets them apart.

Managing director, Mark Tobin, knows that the people are the secret to the company’s success and puts everything back into their development and supporting business growth for the industry’s future.

“We have developed industry-leading training courses on safety and people leadership, offering best in class opera-

Managing director Mark Tobin, pictured right, says the company is committed to providing a future for its people.

The company has developed industry-leading training courses on safety and people leadership, offering best in class operations, onboarding and training programs.

tions, onboarding and training programs which align to nationally recognised qualifications,” said Tobin.

This investment in their people has seen the training programs be awarded both

Darren Cartner has been a local PUD driver at Followmont for over 11 years.

ing a self-sustainable transport business,” Tobin added.

“Our team are the future leaders of industry and it’s their passion that drives Followmont forward.

“At the end of the day, we don’t own the business, our people do.”

Followmont Transport recruit all year round with an internal people and culture team and business partners located in every region. They look for people who have a can-do attitude and care about the work they do, how they treat their customers and their fellow teammates. With roles in various locations from Cairns through to Sydney, they’re on the hunt for linehaul and local drivers, heavy vehicle mechanics, operational and head office staff.

Darren Cartner has been a local PUD driver at Followmont for over 11 years and always wears his Followmont badge with pride.

“For me it is special working at Followmont as I have been able to fulfill my passion. It has provided me with the freedom to do a variety of things in the way of charity work and look after specialised customers,” Cartner said. “I’ve been here a long time now and I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Join the Followmont family for a rewarding career with a strong, stable, and industry-leading employer that is passionate about their people.

For a full list of current opportunities contact recruitment on recruitment@followmont.com. au, 07 3608 4900 or visit followmont.com.au.

36 DRIVING AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Finlease supports WiTA’s inaugural Toots Award

BY LYNDAL DENNY CEO, WOMEN IN TRUCKING AUSTRALIA

IN celebration of the work of the nation’s female heavy vehicle drivers and the birthdate of industry icon Toots Holzheimer, July 5 this year was proclaimed National Female Truckie’s Day. To mark this special occasion, Women in Trucking Australia’s (WiTA) inaugural Toots Award was also presented to young Gold Coast heavy haulage driver Chloe Anderson.

To add some fun to the celebrations the nation’s female drivers were invited to send in selfies with their rigs and hundreds joined in, in what was to become the biggest show of female heavy vehicle driver support in Australian history. As our way of saying thanks, we handed out hundreds of pairs of fabulous work socks generously donated by Finlease.

Weeks later, wandering into the Dunstan’s Low Loader Haulage yard to meet owners Andrew and Kylie Dunstan and their team to help present Chloe with WiTA’s Australia’s

inaugural Toots Award, I could be forgiven for thinking I’d stepped back into a bygone era.

Refreshingly, I was immediately struck by mutual respect, the mateship and the humour that was clearly an integral part of this family run business – one of thousands of family-owned trucking companies that are the backbone of the Australian road transport sector; businesses that have and continue to shape our history and character.

Andrew and Kylie Dunstan are the type of people you meet and immediately feel like you’ve known forever. A hard working, knowledgeable, genuine, salt of the earth couple, we wandered over past a lineup of prime movers glistening in the afternoon sun to meet Chloe and Toots’ daughter Donna Vawdrey who had also flown in, to present Chloe with WiTA’s inaugural Toots Award.

The first female driver recruited onto the Dunstan team, it was immediately clear – despite constant ribbing from the boys – that Chloe is highly regarded and clearly recognised for her dedication to learning the job and hav-

WA Foot in the Door student Lynda Clarke wearing her WiTA Polo shirt and Finlease socks.

ing a go. Dunstan’s have given Chloe the opportunity to meet the considerable challenges of heavy haulage in a supportive environment – her work ethic and positive attitude setting the bar high for female drivers following her footsteps.

According to Andrew and Kylie, being female has definitely not held Chloe back as

Queensland based MC heavy driver and recipient of WiTA’s 2023 Toots Award, Chloe Anderson.

she works alongside the boys in the tough uncompromising environment that is heavy haulage – a great ambassador for their business and female drivers everywhere!

On July 5, 2024, to mark National Female Truckie’s Day and Toots’ birthdate, a gala awards dinner in Adelaide will see a number of Toots’ Awards presented not only

to companies successfully incorporating diversity and inclusivity into their workplace cultures, but also to women doing great work in the heavy vehicle driver arena.

Saturday July 6 will dawn early with the start of the largest convoy of female heavy vehicle drivers in the nation’s history (we’d love the boys to join us as well) followed by Women

in Trucking Australia’s inaugural one-day conference.

Now recognised as the peak advocacy body for female heavy vehicle drivers, WiTA is enormously grateful for the generous support of industry sponsors such as Finlease – who not only support the Toots Awards but also the organisation’s “Foot in the Door” female heavy vehicle driver training and recruitment initiative – an initiative that supports women into sustainable employment with companies who recognise gender diversity as a key driver of excellence, innovation and safety across the road transport sector.

Thankfully, a major industry-wide shift now sees employers actively recruiting women in order to ensure the sector is maximising its potential on the national economic stage.

That said, there is still much work to be done and as a group of volunteers and working female heavy vehicle drivers, the WiTA Board and myself as CEO rely on and thank progressive organisations like Finlease for their generous support – support that allows WiTA to continue its work in this critical area.

Easter Group Pty Ltd 73 Formation St, Wacol Easter Group, located in Wacol, provides time sensitive road transporting solutions to many companies throughout Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. .

We are a family owned business, operating since 1976.

We currently have the following positions available:

OPERATIONS ALLOCATORS (Brisbane based only)

You will be required to work on a rotating roster including Days-Nights-Weekends Previous Operations experience preferred.

MC LOCAL, LINEHAUL & 2-UP DRIVERS WANTED

(Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Based) Come and work for us as we are committed to: • Training and further education • Your safety • Maintaining an impressive Fleet On offer are permanent full time and roster positions including paid leave entitlements and public holidays. Drivers will need to be available to be scheduled for work falling across the 7 days of the week.

The successful Applicant will: • Hold a current MC licence (minimum two years) • Have knowledge of the HVNL and Load Restraint • Be professional • Be reliable

To apply for the Operations/Driver positions please contact Operations Manager or by emailing your resume to

WORKSHOP MECHANICS & TYRE FITTERS WANTED (Brisbane based only)

To apply for Mechanic positions please forward your resume to Workshop Manager via email to employment@kseaster.com.au

IORWANT YOU SOMEONE YOU KNOW Jo

i n u s i n D o n W a t so n T r a n sp o r t ’ s n e w t r a i n e e o r f l e xi b l e w o r ki n g r o l e s.

Don Watson Novice Driver Program T r a i n i n g b a se d o n a n o vi ce b u t l i ce n ce d o p e r a t o r t o e n t e r t h e A u st r a l i a n L i n e h a u l D r i ve r w o r kf o r ce .

F u ll p a y d u r in g tr a in in g a n d g u a r a n te e d lin e h a u l r o l e o n co m p l e t i o n .

Don Watson Twilight Driver Program R o l e s o p e n t o se n i o r d r i ve r s l o o ki n g t o p a r t - r e t i r e a n d h a p p y t o sh a r e a d e d i ca t e d t r u ck w i t h a n o t h e r “ T w i l i g h t D r i ve r ” .

D o oy u kn o w so m e o n e i n t e r e st e d ? S o n o r N i e ce , m a yb e yo u r U n cl e ? E m a i l u s f o r m o r e i n f o .

Lyndon Watson – lyndon@donwatson.com.au

DRIVING AUSTRALIA 37

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Award finalists revealed

Anton Fitzgerald. Pics: LRTAQ

THE Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland (LRTAQ) has announced seven finalists for its 2023 Young Person in Transport Award, with the winner to be revealed later this month.

The award is designed to recognise and acknowledge the contribution younger transport workers, aged 35 and under, are making to the industry; with employers and associates encouraged to nominate.

The 2023 nominees are:

Josh Ahern, Martins Stock Haulage

Starting at Martins Stock Haulage as a young and enthusiastic employee with a passion for driving trucks, Ahern continues to hold that same passion today. He is a livestock transport operator who shows a great deal of pride in his truck and the equipment, and is described as a real team player who will always lend a hand to his work mates.

Martins Stock Haulage

Brodie Matton-Osgood.

general manager Adam Ross says he’s received many compliments about Ahern from numerous longstanding customers.

Skye Loveday, R J Loveday Transport

A jill of all trades, Loveday is a livestock transport operator, mechanic, office admin worker and stockwoman for R J Loveday Transport.

She looks after the logistics and coordination of livestock movements from the Channel Country in outback Queensland in her family business, which is based in Quilpie.

Driving triple road trains and B-doubles, she shows skill and professionalism when handling her truck and a high level of care and respect to the cattle she’s transporting.

Loveday also gets on the tools when required to fix any issue she can, runs the business office and gets on the machines to work in the yards.

Josh Ahern.

Anton Fitzgerald, Meandarra Transport Services

Operations and logistics manager, and livestock transport operator, Anton Fitzgerald began his career at Meandarra Transport Services as a driver – but was quickly promoted to operations and logistics manager in October 2021.

He has become known for his attention to detail, efficiency and reliability, and shows a great deal of pride and professionalism in his role.

Travis Oliver, Oliver’s Livestock Transport

From a very young age, Oliver showed a big interest in the transport industry and was destined to be behind the wheel of a truck.

Today he is a livestock transport operator, mechanic and 2IC at his family’s business based in Middlemount.

He shows great respect and commitment to both clients and fellow employees; and has

Matthew McLennan.

an extremely high regard towards the safety and wellbeing of the livestock he transports.

sheep and cattle, then pulling single trailers, before progressing onto B-doubles, B-triples and road trains.

He has shown a high degree of patience in learning and gaining on the job experience, and is always willing to help others and get his hands dirty.

Brodie Matton-Osgood, Bill Matton Transport

Starting at Frasers Livestock Transport when he was just 19, Fisk-Walsh came into the business holding a car licence.

His first job was as a general depot hand and wash bay attendant. Within just a few months he was eligible to upgrade to a HR licence, and then progressively upgraded his licence classes, gaining experience firstly in the body truck used locally to transport

Having started at Bill Matton Transport six years ago, Matton-Osgood now serves as manager, admin and stockhand.

During her time with the business, she’s excelled in every task that’s been put to her.

Matton-Osgood has also obtained formal qualifications through numerous courses and is currently completing a Bachelor in Agriculture to further her skills and knowledge.

She holds a HR licence and plans to soon upgrade to her MC licence.

Skye Loveday.

Travis Oliver.

Wyatt Fisk-Walsh, Frasers Livestock Transport

Matthew McLennan, Seilers Transport

Involved in the transport industry his entire life, McLennan works as a livestock transport operator for Seilers Transport.

He has followed in the footsteps of his father who is a well-respected livestock driver. Before being old enough to get his own licence, McLennan would often accompany and assist his father in the truck.

His ability to handle stock calmly and efficiently is an attribute that is well noted by both his peers and customers.

He is always willing to undertake any job asked of him, from transporting cattle long distances, to tedious multi pick up loads where attention to customer requirements is essential.

The Young Person in Transport Award will be presented at the 2023 Bull Carter’s Ball on Friday September 29, 2023, as part of the LRTAQ 2023 Annual Conference in Townsville.

Wyatt Fisk-Walsh.

Bitumen Sub Contractor TheTanker Opportunity

The Opportunity Fulton Hogan Transport currently have a vacancy for a tanker owner driver to Fulton Transport currently a vacancy a company driver join ourHogan transport team based outhave of Dry Creek in for South Australia.truck Reporting to join our transport team based out of Hazelmere WA. Reporting to the WA to the WA/SA Transport Manager, your primary duty will be the transportation Transport Manager your primary duty will be the transportation of bitumen  of bitumen products to our plants and customers. products to our plants and customers.   You will be Responsible for What we need from you?  You will be to Responsible for What we needGoods from you?

• Adhering all Safety procedures to • Dangerous License • Adhering to all Safety procedures to • Dangerous Goods License operate the Tanker • MC Driver License  operate the Tanker • MC Driver License  • Ability to work efficiently and effectively to • Experience in the Asphalt  to work effectively to deadlines • Experience the Asphalt • Ability deadlines industry aninadvantage  •• Accurate industry an advantage Accurate completion completion of of all all trip trip paperwork paperwork • Willingness to travel and work •• Work • Willingness torequired travel and work Work in in accordance accordance with with all all Fatigue Fatigue Laws Laws away when •• Ability to work as part of a small team away when required Ability to work as part of a small team • White Prime Mover •• Delivering Delivering hot hot bitumen bitumen to to required required sites sites and and (Late Model) capable of towing a ensuring ensuring all all safety safety regulations regulations are are adhered adhered B-Double or Double Road Train to to during during transportation transportation

The Opportunity

Fulton Hogan Transport currently have a vacancy for a tanker owner driver to join our transport team based out of Dry Creek in South Australia.

Reporting to the WA/SA Transport Manager, your primary duty will be the transportation of bitumen products to our plants and customers.

You will be Responsible for

Adhering to all Safety procedures to operate the Tanker Ability to work efficiently and effectively to deadlines Accurate completion of all trip paperwork

Work in accordance with all Fatigue Laws Ability to work as part of a small team

Delivering hot bitumen to required sites and ensuring all safety regulations are adhered to during transportation

What we need from you?

Dangerous Goods License MC Driver License

Experience in the Asphalt industry an advantage

Willingness to travel and work away when required

White Prime Mover (Late Model) capable of towing a B-Double or Double Road Train

We Offer     

Continuous work Fulton Hogan Transport will provide training and all specialised PPE. Remuneration is paid twice monthly.

If you are willing to work the opportunity is there to develop a very profitable and sustainable business for yourself.

Fixed term cartage contract

Fulton Hogan Philosophy

We build and maintain critical infrastructure that connects and enhances communities across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Everything from roads and bridges, to airports and utilities. We're committed to ensuring the Good Work we do will make a positive difference to the quality of life for our people, our customers and the communities we all call home. Our continued success relies on generating new and diverse ideas, which is why our 'Good Work' culture encourages ownership and empowerment, while never forgetting the importance of balancing life's priorities.

We We Offer Offer •• Full time employment Continuous work •• Full training and PPE Fulton Hogan Transport will provide training and all specialised PPE.

Sound like you?

If this sounds like and you would like to help build on our Good Work culture, then we would like to hear from you.

In the First instance please contact

• Remuneration is paid twice monthly.

Fulton Philosophy • If youHogan are willing to work the opportunity is there to develop a very We build and maintain critical infrastructure that connects and enhances profitable and sustainable business for yourself. communities across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Everything from • Fixed term cartage contract roads and bridges, to airports and utilities. We’re committed to ensuring the Good wePhilosophy do will make a positive difference to the quality of life for our FultonWork Hogan people, our customers the infrastructure communities we allconnects call home. continued We build and maintainand critical that andOur enhances success relies on generating new and diverse ideas, which is why our ‘Good communities across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Everything fromWork’ culture encourages ownership while nevertoforgetting the Good roads and bridges, to airports and and empowerment, utilities. We’re committed ensuring the importance balancing life’s priorities.

Work we doof will make a positive difference to the quality of life for our people,

Peter.Hug@fultonhogan.com.au WA/SA Transport Manager

our customers and the communities we all call home. Our continued success Sound like you? relies on generating new and diverse ideas, which is why our ‘Good Work’ culture Ifencourages this soundsownership like and you like to helpwhile buildnever on our andwould empowerment, forgetting the importance Good Work culture, then we would like to hear from you. of balancing life’s priorities.

In the First please contact Sound like instance you? andrew.green@fultonhogan.com.au If this sounds like and you would like to help build on our WA Transport Manager Good Work culture, then we would like to hear from you.

0498 866 085 In the First instance please contact Peter.Hug@fultonhogan.com.au WA/SA Transport Manager

38 DRIVING AUSTRALIA

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Getting ‘job ready’ drivers behind the truck wheel

THE QTA Heavy Vehicle Safe Driver Project is underway with the first drivers commencing with employers in Cairns and Gatton.

The program is funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative supported by the Australian Government.

This program connects drivers with employers who have been unable to get a job due to lack of experience.

They then determine suitability and offer employment to drivers who undergo the HV Safe Driver Program which involves on-road mentored driving hours and a theory component.

It will create ‘Job Ready’ drivers who will gain the much needed on-road driving hours and training required by employers. This program will support fleet owners who urgently need to fill driver roles.

“We know that there are many people out there who hold a HR or HC licence and are unable to secure a job truck driving job due to their lack of driving experience,” said QTA CEO Gary Mahon.

Many who hold a HR or HC licence are unable to secure a truck driving job due to their lack of driving experience.

“This program will fill that gap by offering employment, a practical training program incorporating up to 160 hours of supervised on-road driving experience.”

This type of program is an industry first in Queensland and will be evaluated by Griffith University to measure the effectiveness of the training.

The QTA is still seeking expressions of interest from peo-

ple that hold a valid HR or HC licence, not currently working as a heavy vehicle driver because they do not have enough experience in the driver’s seat.

Applicants must satisfy eligibility criteria and agree to the terms and conditions of the project. Interested applicants can apply through the QR code.

The most recent project approved for funding from the

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative is the QTA Think. Act. Drive. Program.

The program will address the interactions that truck drivers have with other road users that can potentially lead to road crashes or unsafe driving behaviour that may result in an accident.

Mahon explained: “This industry and research in-

formed project will address one of the major contributors to accidents involving heavy vehicles, being driver behaviour. This will be achieved by developing and delivering a unique online training program available nationally for heavy vehicle drivers over the next 12 months.”

The video training content will simulate practical scenarios that heavy vehicle drivers encounter, influence their behaviour and mindset, and potentially impact decisions made whilst driving a heavy vehicle.

The key theme is centred around two of the top four findings in relation to causes of truck crashes as reported in the 2022 National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) Report: Driver error and human-factor related accident causes (2022 NTARC, p4).

“It is apparent that heavy vehicle drivers, due to the high number of kilometres travelled and time on the road, are likely to often experience challenging interactions with other road users

which sees them regularly exposed to unsafe driving behaviour by other road users,” Mahon added.

Safety around heavy vehicles is increasing in the community, however, there are many road users that may not fully understand characteristics of heavy vehicles such as stopping distances, safety space and length of road required when passing.

The program will focus on how truck drivers react to these interactions, provide relevant and practical training to influence their behaviour and mindset enabling them to make safe driving choices.

Interested applicants can apply through the QR code.

APPLY NOW

Drivers with valid HR or HC license looking for work

*Get employed (Qld based only) Undertake a mentored on-the-job driver training program Get on-road driving experience. *Terms and Conditions apply

or contact us via admin@qta.com.au 07 3394 4388 Funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator's (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiatve supported by the Australian Government

DRIVING AUSTRALIA 39

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Coho Group builds on more than a decade of success

FOUNDED in Brisbane in 2012, the Coho Group is an Australian leader in complete fluid management and land spraying.

With hubs based in Roma, Miles and Dalby, Coho works in the oil and gas sector, mostly in the Surat Basin from Dalby to Rolleston and sometimes in

Coho operates in the oil and gas sector, mostly in the Surat Basin but also further afield.

the Northern Territory, New South Wales and South Australia.

Drawing on real life experience, Coho operates in the areas of delivering drilling fluids, fluid management, inspection and production services, and all other facets of drilling and completions.

Coupled with a strong commitment to safety and compliance, Coho leads the way in oil and gas transport operations.

Coho deploys and operates the largest custom fleet of vacuum trucks in Australia. Coho has pioneered oilfield vac trucks that are fit for purpose.

Often imitated but never duplicated, the Coho land-spray vac trucks are an Australian first initiative.

Coho is involved in a number of different operations, most of which revolve around trucking. These include heavy vehicle support for workover, flush-by and completion rigs; vacuum tanker operations; transferring fluid from/between frac tanks, mud pumps, cement bins and tankers; removing waste contaminants from tanks using vacuum tankers; driving in various environments (e.g.

bitumen, gravel roads, muddy terrain, rocky terrain, bull dust etc.); and the transport of waste fluid/solids to disposal facilities for treatment.

Other areas of the business include: Landspray operations • The application of drilling cuttings onto approved land e.g. leases, paddocks and roads • Support rig operations using a rigid truck and dog trailer • Dust suppression • Cleaning of rig tanks • Transport of material between rig and mud processing facilities • Cement jobs and transporting waste to waste disposal facilities Flow back support transport • Transporting water to and from site • Filling required tanks and ponds • Transport of waste fluid/solids to waste disposal for treatment • Moving of operational equipment e.g. tanks and equipment from site to site • Dust suppression

Coho is involved in a number of different operations, most of which revolve around trucking.

Employment opportunities are available

Coho Group has various employment opportunities available, with a current focus on candidates that can safely operate water and vac tankers to support drilling and completion rigs; safely operate semi and road train combinations (tankers and tautliners); haul freight; and thrive in labour intense roles that involve manual handling and lifting.

The point of hire is at Roma in Queensland.

For successful applications, Coho provides on the job

training, 12 hour shifts, 2/2 or 2/1 week rosters (depending on the operation), accommodation that’s based on site with meals provided and competitive hourly rates.

As many of Coho’s staff are family men and women, we understand the importance of being able to strike a work/life balance.

If you are looking for genuine work/life balance with an organisation that values its people and rewards hard work, contact Craig Davis at careers@coho-resources.com or call 0455 538 253.

HEAVY VEHICLE DRIVER/OPERATOR POSITIONS AVAILABLE Due to company expansion, we have multiple positions available providing heavy vehicle support to CSG field operations in South West QLD. About the position: • Semi, road train and truck & dog combinations • Water and vac tanker operations e.g., dust suppression/road watering, transporting drilling fluids, water etc • Specialised landspray operations • Managing fluid transfer operations on the lease • On the job training provided • 12-hour shifts • Roster is either 2/2 or 2/1 weeks (depending on the operation) • Meals and accom provided • This role can be labour intense which requires applicants to be physically fit and have a sound knowledge of positive manual handling techniques • Sign-on incentive/bonus (conditions apply) • Above award wages, with the potential to earn up to $52/hr plus super Requirements of the positions: • Heavy vehicle licence required • Min 2 years (recent) heavy vehicle driving experience • Competently drive an 18-speed road ranger transmission • Mandatory medical assessment and traffic history checks • Commitment to health, safety and environmental practices and standards • Knowledge and understanding of heavy vehicle maintenance

Please direct all applications and enquiries to: careers@coho-resources.com Craig Davis: 0455 538 253

CAREERSwithFOLLOWMONT

• • • • • •

FEATURE 41

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Operator reveals keys to a rock-solid reputation Every town has a few businesses that are part of the fabric of the area: generous, visible and distinctly, classically local.

Nestled in Cowes on Victoria’s Phillip Island, New Wave Concreting is one such company, as dedicated to their customers and township as they are to owner and skipper, Luke Hinrichs.

Hinrichs and the team help the locals ‘beautify’ their environment with decorative concreting, from feature walls to patios, down to the good old driveway and a glow-up for the garage floor.

Decorative concreting is by no means an easy feat. It’s a highly sought after service that has kept New Wave Concreting busy year after year for almost a quarter of a century.

“Concreting is something a

bit different to most trades because it’s not something that you can get qualified people for, there’s no apprenticeship,” Hinrichs explained.

“It’s really hard to find professional employees, so I’ve been very lucky to get such a top-level crew.”

It is always gratifying to see a proud business owner who isn’t shy of sharing the accolades around and Hinrichs has his focus locked and loaded on the team.

“We have a fantastic group of five guys who are skilled and know exactly what they’re about.

“They’re just extremely friendly, local guys with homes in the area, young families, kids at school and it definitely helps. It keeps the clients happy, and it makes my

Hinrichs behind the wheel of the Isuzu.

life a lot easier.

“The guys can run New Wave Concreting without much assistance from me.”

After running an Isuzu Ready-to-Work Tradepack for eight years without finding fault, it made sense to Hinrichs to stick with a proven formula when the time came to evolve the New Wave fleet.

According to Hinrichs, they couldn’t have gone anywhere except back to Matt Evans at Patterson Cheney Isuzu for a brand new Ready-to-Work FRR 107-210 Tipper.

The New Wave Concreting Tipper isn’t hard to spot on the streets of Phillip Island.

After taking away top prize in the F series category of last year’s Truck of the Year competition, it’s also easy to see why.

A head-turning wrap from Steve Price at CC Signs and Designs has made their new Tipper into a mobile advertisement for the company.

“People have responded really well to the truck, quite a few clients have said they’ve gotten my number directly off it… I even get stopped by holiday makers if I’m driving it around on the weekend,” Hinrichs said.

The Isuzu FRR Tipper is a turn-key transport solution that can be driven straight from the showroom to the job site—with a quick stop-off for a wrap of course—and fits the bill perfectly for businesses like New Wave Concreting.

You can find the New Wave crew out and about in

Fresh off putting on a successful show, Trangie in NSW is hoping to soon progress plans for its own truck and tractor museum within the small town.

On Saturday August 19, over 4500 people made their way through the gates of the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show, where there were approximately 270 trucks on display.

There were also eight truck awards presented on the day, with Mudgee’s Bob Swords’ 1960 B81 Mack taking out Truck of the Show.

“We had plenty of positive feedback from the locals as well as those who came to the show from interstate. A lot of people had been here before, some with a different truck and some with the same truck,” said Rob McCutcheon, who is part of the organising committee.

Started in 2019, where the inaugural event welcomed 2500 people through the gates, the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show has well and truly earned its place on the national trucking event calendar.

“We certainly had a lot more trucks this year. The word obviously spreads in our industry very quickly. People who came

“This is only the second time the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show has been run in its entirety. This is a real community event, so there is plenty there for the partners and kids of truck drivers too.”

Trangie is located about 80km west of Dubbo. “We run our event in the years that the Dubbo Golden Oldies does not run. Both our committees work together and support one and another,” McCutcheon added.

“Trangie is very central in NSW, so that makes it ideal for people from South Australia, Victoria and Queensland to visit as well.”

Festivities actually kicked off the night prior, on Friday August 18, during a special dinner event, where inductees into the Trangie Truck and Tractor Show Hall of Fame are presented.

The Hall of Fame aims to showcase and recognise those within the Narromine Shire who have made a recognisable contribution to the agricultural and transport industries.

Nominations are open to business owners, drivers, employees or advocates that have contributed to either of these industries. There were three

You can find Luke Hinrichs, centre, and the New Wave crew out and about in the Tipper daily, working on residential streets.

the Tipper daily, working on residential streets and cul-desacs, reversing into awkward driveways and parking on the fly in their nimble new work truck.

A generous GVM of 11,000kg and GCM of 16,000kg have allowed the New Wave team to increase their productivity, getting more done in one run than ever before. And with one of the quickest tipper raise times in the business and a tray designed for rough and tumble, the FRR is equipped to handle job after job for New Wave.

“Each job used to need a few runs to the tip or back to our premises, but now it can all get done in one go,”

Hinrichs said.

“Our guys are all on site for the day, so the job is taking less time which means happier customers.

“We’ve been using a much smaller tipper for years, so have definitely noticed the difference the Isuzu has made in making the job much easier and our dig-out quicker.

“With all the extra payload we can get more weight on the back, saving us at least two or three trips a day around the island.”

Hinrichs notes that one of the greatest joys of owning a business is when it becomes part and parcel of everyday life in the community. It’s as good as it gets when you are

recognised as a local fixture.

“We’re pretty well known around town,” he chuckles.

“We did all the concreting in the Koala Park and a lot of the major tourist attractions down this way, so we’ve been able to get involved, which has been great.

“It’s a really good community down here, so we help out wherever we can—we do the concreting work for the golf clubs, and we’re involved with the sporting clubs, football, netball… we sponsor the lawn bowls clubs, both the golf clubs as well.

“In a place as small as this, it’s important do right by your customers or you won’t last five minutes.”

Popular Trangie truck event makes a triumphant return

Truck of the Show went to Bob Swords for his 1960 a .

to the first one and enjoyed it have spread the word, so we’ve basically doubled in size from 2019,” McCutcheon added.

Though it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. The event is supposed to run bi-annually. After the 2021 rendition was postponed due to Covid restrictions, the new date in 2022 saw the show’s home, the Trangie Showground, completely washed out due to heavy rain.

Though the event did still run. “We just moved what we could and ran the truck show in the main street,” said McCutcheon.

There were around 270 trucks on display from various eras.

new additions this year to the Hall of Fame, bringing the total to seven people who have been recognised.

“The Hall of Fame is very local at the moment but we’re hoping to grow it into something bigger,” said McCutcheon.

He explained that the committee’s ultimate aim is to raise enough money to build a truck and tractor museum in Trangie, which will also honour the Hall of Fame inductees.

“We want to do something similar to what’s been done in Alice Springs. Although a lot of people love heading to Al-

ice Springs, it’s quite far away from where we are, so there’s been a lot of interest from the community around a museum closer to home,” said McCutcheon.

It is hoped that through the money generated through the generous support of sponsors, particularly the event’s gold sponsor Inland Petroleum, together with money raised through entry fees and the major raffle, that the committee will eventually be able to turn their dream into a reality.

“Now that we’ve realised we can raise some money, we can start to plan and choose

the site of where we’d like to build it. Then we can look into approvals, and once we get to that point, we can try and get some extra funding,” said McCutcheon.

“The aim is to get the museum built. We’re hoping we can get some government funding too. If we can raise half of the money ourselves and through philanthropic donations.

“I’ve travelled a lot of Australia and local museums when you’re travelling are important to spread the word about the local area and give people a reason to spend a few days in the town too.”

42 SPONSORED CONTENT

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Caltex brand returns with premium diesel products ISOSYN TECHNOLOGY COMBINES PREMIUM BASE OILS WITH IG ER R AN E ADDITIVES TO DELIVER ENGINE COMPONENT PROTECTION THAT RIVALS SYNTHETICS.”

Caltex Delo with ISOSYN Technology helps protect vital diesel engine parts.

THE Caltex brand you know and love has returned, with the brand committing to supporting the transport industry Australia-wide with high-quality fuels, lubricants and more.

Backed by Chevron, which is one of the world’s leading energy companies with more than 70 years of history here in Australia, Caltex is currently strengthening its distribution network to ensure the delivery of its products to service the nation.

At the heart of the expansion was Chevron’s acquisition of Puma Energy (Australia) Holdings three years ago, which included a national network of retail locations, with most of these sites to be rebranded with Caltex’s distinctive Star motif by the end of the year.

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which is available in every fuel grade, helping remove dirt and prevent deposits from forming on critical engine components.

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Drawing on over 88 years of expertise, ISOSYN Technology combines premium base oils with high-performance additives to deliver engine component protection that rivals synthetics.

This high-performance additive formulation helps provide exceptional soot dispersion and prevent deposit build-up, ensuring vehicle performance which can contribute to extended service intervals and minimised downtime.

Delo products are sold in 155 countries, and importantly, Chevron internally controls the three pieces required to manufacture lubricants. By producing its own base oil, it controls Oronite, one of the world’s biggest additive companies, and also maintains 21 individual blending plants globally, including joint ventures.

To keep businesses running smoothly, the Caltex StarCard is a power-packed fuel management card offering a convenient way to increase fleet management efficiency.

It provides a wide range of adaptable features to manage fleets big and small, control

personal expenses, and is perfectly suited to companies engaged in earthmoving, with various vehicle makeups of trucks, passenger vehicles and plant machinery.

It has two main options, either ‘Open’ or ‘Closed’ loop. Open loop provides the ultimate coverage allowing access to all Caltex and Puma Energy service stations, and being welcome wherever WEX Motorpass cards are accepted, meaning you can use it at over 6000 service stations and industry partners Australia-wide.

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Caltex is committed to the Australian market and making its products available to customers where and when they need them.

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Delo products are sold in 155 countries.

UD’s epic 15,500km, 27-day trip highlights dependability UD’s 15,500km, 27-day Lap of the Map tour saw the brand’s Quon CW 25 360 travel the length and breadth of Australia – from the major highways to the rugged outback.

With Volvo Group Australia’s Matt Wood, behind the wheel, the trip was inspired

by UD Trucks founder Kenzo Adachi’s legendary 1939 test drive where he embarked on a 3000-kilometre journey to prove the ultimate dependability of his new vehicle.

The Quon travelled at a gross weight of over 22,000kg and averaged 2.9km/l. “So it turns out that the Quon was very fuel efficient,” said Wood. “Unlike the truck which had a thrifty appetite, I ended up succumbing to the temptations of road food resulting in a higher-than-average steer axle weight by the end of trip!”

The trip took place nine

The UD Quon battled Australia’s harshest terrain and environments across the 27-day journey.

months ago, and with UD Truck’s currently celebrating its 50th year here on Australia soil, Wood looked back on how the vehicle stacked up.

He said that although a 6x4 rigid isn’t the sort of vehicle that would usually spring to mind when it comes to

long distance transport, the Quon stacked up well. “This truck proved that long hours in the saddle don’t have to mean a sore back or aching limbs,” Wood said.

“This truck never ceased to amaze. Even on some of the worst outback roads I

Volvo Group’s Matt Wood was at the wheel of the UD Quon CW 25 360 for the 15,500km lap of Australia.

encountered, from broken tarmac to corrugated dirt, the trusty Quon delivered a sure footed and comfortable ride.”

Along with putting the Quon to the ultimate test, the trip was also an opportunity to meet long-standing customers who have built their

businesses on UD Trucks and become a part of the UD family over the years.

“It was a great opportunity to meet the faces of UD, customers and dealers off the beaten track that built the brand here in Australia and made it what it is today.”

From broken outback highways and rutted dirt tracks to the CBDs of major capital cities the 6x4 Quon stood up to numerous challenges.

Far from being just an around town PUD vehicle, the 6x4 UD proved itself as a capable cross-continental hauler.

Lauren Pulitano, outgoing vice president UD Trucks Australia, added, “We see the UD Quon delivering safety, reliability, comfort and efficiency for our customers day and day out.

“However, taking our truck into the wilderness to visit some of the people that helped build our business over the last five decades allowed us to take the road less travelled and tell their genuine stories.

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44 SPONSORED CONTENT LIGHTING

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Ultima Connect+Controller offers complete control

THE new Ultima Connect+ Controller has arrived, offering owners of the recently launched Ultima LED Light Bar range the ability to further maximise the performance of their light bars, by adjusting the beam shape and intensity to suit the environment and driving conditions.

An optional extra across the new Ultima LED Light Bar line-up, the controller offers further lighting adjustment with three preset, customisable driving modes.

For highway driving, the beam can be set for maximum distance with less spread to avoid road sign

flare. On 4WD tracks, distance can be reduced with a focus on maximum spread, while for more open dirt roads, all the light can be set to its maximum output.

Ultima Connect+ Controller also allows drivers to alter brightness (main and aux controls), provides a boost mode that delivers 15 per cent more power for 30 seconds, and with its LIN Bus technology, acts as a single point of control for all Ultima Connect+ enabled products.

The controller’s generously sized buttons make it easy to use on bumpy tracks, while multiple mounting options and sin-

The new Ultima Connect+ Controller allows owners of the recently launched Ultima LED Light Bar range to further maximise the performance of their light bars.

Ultima Connect+ Controller also allows drivers to alter brightness.

gle wire installation provide easy fitment across a wide range of vehicles.

The Ultima Connect+ Controller is the perfect companion to the Ultima LED Light Bar range, which includes 8 and 24 inch models that can be combined to also provide 40 and 48 inch bar configurations.

With Ultima, owners can also select from both hybrid

Ultima LED Light Bars and associated accessories are available nationwide.

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46 DRIVER PROFILE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truckin’ In The Outback

Second generation truckie

This quad road train driver caught the trucking bug from sitting in the passenger seat beside his dad – now he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Joe Watts, 50, got his truck licence in his twenties and never looked back.

BY DANIELLE GULLACI

TRUCKING wasn’t always on the cards for Joe Watts, 50, whose trucking career has seen him travel the length and breadth of Australia.

These days you’ll find him in a Kenworth T659, driving quad side tippers for Wagners in Mt Isa, where he carts copper, lead, silver and zinc ore from Lady Loretta mine back into Mt Isa mines for processing. The Mt Isa based truckie has been in the role for just on 12 months.

“Lady Loretta mine is two hours away, so I’ll go there, load up, tip off at Mt Isa, and then carry tailings,

which is a by-product of the ore they extract from the ground, on the return trip, so we’re loaded both ways.

I do two of these runs each day so they’re 12-hour days,” Joe said.

When he left school, Joe did a butchering apprenticeship. “Because Dad wouldn’t let me leave school unless I did an apprenticeship,” he said.

His father Keith Watts, 79, was originally a shearer but changed career paths after an injury. “Once he was rehabilitated, he started driving trucks, carting explosives. He’ll be 80 next year and he’s still driving. He drives grain tippers out of

Toowoomba,” said Joe. “Back in the 90s, to cart explosives, you had to have an offsider in the truck as well – the idea being that if you broke down, the offsider could stay with the truck.

That’s changed now providing the truck has a GPS and can be tracked,” Joe explained.

Keith was carting explosives for Helidon Carrying Company, based near Toowoomba. “I used to take holidays from my job at the butcher and I got paid as an attendant to travel with my dad in the truck – so I got holiday pay from my main job and then got paid from the transport company. I would have been in my early twenties,” said Joe. “That introduced me to the life of trucking and I thought it was great. I found I had a passion for it as well.

Dad talked me into getting my licence even if I might not ever use it, but I ended up getting it at the age of 23 and 12 months later started driving. I’ve been in trucks for 26 years now.

“I think the biggest challenge the industry faces these days is the lack of drivers. I got into trucking by going with my dad. That’s no longer possible in most trucking operations and these kids aren’t getting that exposure to trucking.”

For Joe, his trucking career started with a gig in Biloela in Central Queensland, driving a heavy rigid and carting lime slurry for Queensland Rail. “In that area there’s a lot of black soil, so they used to batch up lime slur-

Joe’s youngest brother was killed six years ago during a trailer unloading incident. Keith Watts, and his wife Donna, are pictured with a truck honouring his son BJ Watts at Lights on the Hill.

Joe currently drives quad side tippers for Wagners in Mt Isa.

Joe pictured with one of the Mitchell’s trucks he drove.

ry, which was then pressure injected to fill in the cracks and stabilise the base of the tracks.”

Though it was only a 12-month contract, Joe had made up his mind. “After that I knew I didn’t want to go back to the butcher, so I got a job with dad at Helidon Carrying Company, carting explosives for mine sites Australia wide. I did that for 15 years and went to every state and territory except Tasmania,” explained Joe. When he first started with the company, it was in a rigid for the first year or two, then he progressed to a single trailer and then to a B-double. “We used to run all over the country, into remote mine sites. My dad and I would both do milk runs into WA, all the way up through the Great Sandy Dessert, Tanami Dessert, the Pilbara. It’d be six to ten drops, then you’d head into the depot in Kalgoorlie and have a few days off, then go back through the bottom, so it was a big round trip of the country. It would be 17 days

normally and I did that for the last six years I was in that job – and I really enjoyed that work. I’d average about 230,000 to 250,000 kilometres a year.”

While Helidon Carrying Company started out as a small family business, they sold out to a WA company called Mitchell Corp (which no longer exists). They had about 300 road trains operating over there back then.

“At about the same time that Mitchell’s took over, they got the Defence Force contract to cart all of their missiles. That work was very interesting and was all done in convoy. You’d have about six B-doubles then there’d be a supervisor and an attendant in a light rigid, that was all decked out for them to stay in, like a mobile home. The rules were that we all had to stay together.

“It was particularly interesting after 9/11. For about six months after that, we had to have an armed security guard in each of the trucks with us too. You used to get quite a few looks when you pulled into a roadhouse and

these blokes were walking around with shot guns.”

In 2011, Mitchell Corp was acquired by Toll Group for a reported $110 million.

While Joe stayed on with the company, Keith moved across to Rocky’s Own. “It was a great job and you never got pushed. Everything was legal and above board and the drivers set their schedules. But after 15 years in that job, I started looking for a new challenge and was looking to spend more time at home with my daughters,” Joe explained.

His next move was a job transporting drilling rigs, which was two weeks on and two weeks off, predominantly running into Roma.

“When I first started there I used to move the drilling rigs so it was a lot of oversize work. The company that owned the drilling rigs at that time had about nine rigs. I did that job for seven or eight years,” said Joe. And with that, the time was right to move back into the sort of work he loved.

During his previous role, travelling through the Top

DRIVER PROFILE 47

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Truckin’ In The Outback

living his dream in Mt Isa Over the years, Joe has captured many spectacular shots of his trucks out on the road.

While working at MGM Group, Joe worked his way up from B-doubles to ultra quads.

End, Joe was enamoured by the quads he’d see driving past and felt he was ready to give it a crack.

So he started working for WA based MGM Group and worked his way up to the ultra quads, doing side tipper work. “One of the great things about MGM is they’re willing to train you up into the quads, so long as you have a minimum of

B-double experience. They put you with an experienced driver for as long as it takes.

It was a really great system.

You had someone there showing you the job the whole time.”

While the super quads could be up to 195 tonne Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), the ultra quads were able to be loaded to 210 tonne GVM.

“The only difference is that the ultra quad has an extra axle on the last three trailers. The set-up of the ultra and super quads over there in WA use a very different dolly system, so the last three have a steerable axle and would handle absolutely beautifully,” explained Joe. The role at MGM was four weeks on and two weeks off. “That was a great experi-

1/2 WASH TIMES

ence, I really loved that work.

I did a couple of years with them out of Port Hedland.

That was probably the best job I ever had, I absolutely loved it,” revealed Joe. He says the only drawback of the job was the four weeks on, which is a long time to be away. So when his partner was offered a job opportunity to transfer to Mt Isa, Joe decided to look for work closer to home and secured the job with Wagners.

“The benefit of us moving to Mt Isa is that I’m home every night. I do two weeks on and one week off. And Wagners is a great company to work for,” Joe added.

He says driving quads in WA was a great experience.

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48 EVENTS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Nominations are now open for prestigious awards

NOMINATIONS are now open for the prestigious 2024 Women in Industry Awards to be held in Sydney on June 20.

There are 11 categories in all, including the Excellence in Transport prize, which this year was won by Transport Women Australia Limited (TWAL) vice-chair Coralie Chapman from Humes Concrete Products.

TWAL chair and Big Rigs columnist Jacquelene Brotherton is also a past winner of the same honour.

The other categories up for grabs are: Excellence in manufacturing; Excellence in Engineering; Excellence in Construction; Rising Star of the Year; Industry Advocate Award; Women of the Year; Excellence in Mining; Mentor of the Year; Safety Advocacy Award; and Business Development Success of the Year.

The 2023 event saw a

The 2023 event saw a record 160 nominations across 10 categories.

record 160 nominations across 10 categories, a 95 per cent growth from 2022, with massive media coverage post-event from 32 individual mastheads.

The gala dinner also sold

out for the first time in its history, recording an impressive 55 per cent attendance spike from the previous ceremony.

Early interest in the 2024 iteration is again encouraging, say organisers Prime Creative Media, with several sponsors already signing on to support feature award categories.

Here’s what they have to say about their involvement so far.

Fulton Hogan – Woman of the Year

Awards will be presented across 11 categories in 2024.

“Fulton Hogan are proud to sponsor the Women in Industry – Women of the Year award for another year in 2024. This sponsorship demonstrates our commitment to supporting and driving change within predominantly male industries, doing

what we can to make heavy industry more attractive and accessible for women to join and stay. Fulton Hogan recognises that diversity is not only essential for us to change, adapt and grow, but it also good for business and results in happier workplaces with a better culture leading to better retention of our people.”

Graeme Johnson – Fulton Hogan Australia CEO

PACCAR – Excellence in Manufacturing

PACCAR has a long and proud history of supporting women in all areas of its global businesses and recognises programs such as Women in Industry Awards help promote women more broadly than its own company and industry. Being part of the awards helps us further our goal of celebrating and championing inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

Michael Long, Director Sales and Marketing, PACCAR Australia.

SEW-DRIVE – Excellence in Engineering

“Knowing how vital gender diversity is in our manufacturing industry drives us to work together to recognise women’s work and support them in fulfilling their goals.

Once again, we have the pleasure of sponsoring the Women in Industry in 2024”

The gala dinner also sold out for the first time in its history.

The 2023 Women In Industry Award winners were: Business Development Success of the Year Award - Stefanie Frawley from TMX Global.

Excellence in Construction Award - Trudy Grimshaw from Department of Finance, Western Australia.

Excellence in Engineering Award - Elsa Antunes from James Cook University.

Excellence in Manufacturing Award - Kristi Riordan from Harvest B. Excellence in Mining Award - Ashara Moore from BHP.

Excellence in Transport Award - Coralie Chapman from Humes Concrete Products.

Industry Advocacy Award - Jemma Walshe from Fulton Hogan.

Mentor of the Year Award - Teagan Dowler from The BCW.

Coralie Chapman from Humes Concrete Products won the 2023 Excellence in Transport prize.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the eagerly anticipated 2024 event.

Laura Arias – Senior HR Business Partner

ATLAS COPCO – Rising Star of the Year

“The awards are an opportunity to recognise the contribution of women in industry and their amazing examples for the next generations.

Atlas Copco sponsors the awards to show our commitment to females in non-traditional industries and how we can find a better way towards equal representation.

We love taking our team to the celebration and showing them the example that is set by all of these amazing women.”

Fiona Halliday, HR Business Partner

KOMATSU - Industry Advocacy Award

“We take great pride in sup-

porting the Women in Industry Awards, a program dedicated to championing the success of women in mining.

Our participation reflects our company’s commitment to fostering an environment where women’s contributions are not only acknowledged but also celebrated”.

Christine Morris, Director Strategy & Performance at Komatsu Mining.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the eagerly anticipated 2024 event so anyone interested is encouraged to visit womeninindustry.com.au/sponsors.

For more details on how to nominate someone you know for a prize, you can go here: womeninindustry. com.au/nominations. Nominations will close on Friday April 19, 2024.

Rising Star of the Year Award - Sophia Kurianski from Jinolo.

Safety Advocacy Award - Giselle Phillips from Fredon QLD. Woman of the Year Award - Giselle Phillips from Fredon QLD. Another big turnout is expected in Sydney in June 2024.

womeninindustry.com.au

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Thurs 20 June, 2024 The Women in Industry Awards recognise outstanding women leaders from across Australia’s industrials sector.

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50 SPONSORED CONTENT

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

These boots were made for walking...and truck driving

Retired private investigator Alan Davey originally designed the boots to help relieve his burning feet.

DESIGNED for all day wear, All Rounder Boots combine comfort, style, quality and practicality.

They were designed right here in Australia by Alan Davey, a retired bush private investigator – and published author of ‘The Lone Operative’ – who three years ago started suffering from what he described as “crook feet”.

After a visit to the podiatrist proved completely unhelpful, Davey decided to take matters into his own hands, or should we say feet.

“So I came home and designed a boot to help with my burning feet and sore ankles, and then got them made and started wearing them,” he said.

And it was a chance encounter with several truckies

that inspired Davey to begin producing his comfortable and stylish boots for the masses. “I was out at Winton and was walking across a truck stop, where I was approached by three or four truck operators, who asked where I got my boots from, and I told them I had the boots made,” he explained.

“One of the truckies gave me their business card – he and his mate said, ‘When you get some more made, give me a yell’. And that’s what I did.

That the long and the short of the story.”

Davey officially released All Rounder Boots in November and they’ve been an instant hit. “I’ve sold a lot of these boots and about 90 per cent have been to truck drivers. The trucking industry has

The boots are made with premium cattle buckskin suede and are fully lined with genuine pig skin leather.

well and truly looked after me.

They’re really comfortable, that’s why. Some blokes ask me if they’re steel capped, and I say no they’re not, because they’d lose their level of comfort. These are boots that you can wear all day long while driving a truck.

“Now I sell All Rounder Boots throughout Australia, into New Zealand and overseas into America, to Texas, and the UK. “When truckies and people in the agricultural industry ring me up to ask about the boots, I generally say as my selling point that I designed these shoes originally just for me because I was suffering from crook feet, so they’re very comfortable.”

Australian country music singer James Blundell and well

known truckie Glenn ‘Yogi’ Kendall, who is best known by his regular appearances on hit television show Outback Truckers, are among Davey’s customers.

“James Blundell once said to me, ‘You’ve walked a lot of kilometres to get to these boots’ and I said, ‘Yeah I have’,” Davey added.

Key to the design of All Rounder, which is a pull-on style boot, is its unique podiatric inner sole made from topclass memory foam, which adjusts to your feet over time.

This provides all-day superior cushioning for your feet, with shock absorption. “This means they can also be worn without socks,” Davey added.

They are fully lined with genuine pig skin leather and feature premium cattle buckskin suede on the outside.

There is also a unique bullock hide leather heal.

All Rounder Boots are

ONE OF THE TRUCKIES GAVE ME T EIR USINESS AR – HE AND HIS MATE SAID, ‘WHEN YOU GET SOME MORE MADE, GIVE ME A YELL’. AND THAT’S WHAT I DID.”

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SPONSORED CONTENT 51

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Aussie’s hot wash wonder

DIESEL mechanics in heavy duty workshops know that grease, oil sludge and road grime can slow down their diagnostic work. If you’re identifying leaks and failures in a diesel engine to be repaired, you need the site to be clean.

It’s a challenge that Australian Pump Industries, Australia’s leading manufacturer of high pressure cleaning equipment, understands very well.

It’s not just about cosmetics, but has a direct impact on maintenance times and operating costs.

Many mechanics are reluctant to acquire steam cleaners, in spite of their obvious advantages in cleaning grime, and melting grease and oil.

Part of the reluctance to move into hot water instead of cold

pressure cleaning is to do with cost. Aussie Pumps have solved that problem with the introduction of their new Aussie Sizzler hot wash machine. It represents a price breakthrough, but without compromising quality.

Available in a heavy-duty configuration, the Aussie Sizzler has made a huge impact in the Australian market. Many European designed units with high speed triplex pumps, poly chassis and plastic covers, have been replaced by the Sizzler.

The Sizzler single phase units deliver with pressures to 1800 psi (EWP of 3100 psi when used with Turbo lance) and flows up to 10 litres per minute.

“What makes the machine so appealing is its heavy-duty

components. We put a slow speed four pole motor, driving a slow speed triplex first world pump into a system with a diesel fired burner. It operates up to a maximum of 80°C and pushes out a pressure at 1800 psi,” said Aussie Pumps chief engineer, John Hales.

The Sizzler hot wash uses less fuel than steam cleaners, and is being adopted by more than just mechanics. Truck operators, earthmoving contractors, bus wash, council depots, car detailers and even hire companies have put this “hot” blaster to work.

Diagnosing vehicle repairs, a mechanic’s premium objective, is difficult if the engine bay is grimy. Having a Sizzler on hand means you’ll never waste time getting a vehicle

Diagnosing vehicle repairs, a mechanic’s premium objective, is difficult if the engine bay is grimy.

Aussie’s Hot Wash Wonder, the Aussie Sizzler.

ready for work.

And keeping your workshop well maintained has many other benefits. An Aussie Sizzler on hand reduces the time taken to clean up, so it’s no trouble to keep your workshop floor and tools in top condition.

Cleaning oil spills with a Sizzler is much neater and faster drying than splashing cold water and degreaser all over your workshop. Not to mention safer. Mechanics know how dangerous it is to spray cold water on an oily concrete floor.

A Sizzler hot wash will re-

move residual grease off the floor, and make subsequent clean-ups much quicker. A clean workshop is a safer workshop, reducing accidents and possible Workcover claims.

A clean workshop is more appealing to your customers, as well as your team.

A clean floor reflects more light in your workshop. Not only will the workshop look brighter and more professional, but technicians will be able to see better!

The Aussie Sizzler is so effective and easy to use, it won’t take long before you notice the difference to your

bottom line.

For further information on Aussie’s answer to keeping your workshop and equipment clean, visit the Australian Pump Industries website at aussiepumps.com.au.

Scan the QR code to watch a video of the Aussie Sizzler literally melting away grease in a workshop clean-up.

52 READER RIGS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Reader Rigs proudly supported by

With shine applied, this Emerald Carrying Company rig was looking the goods in Emerald, Queensland. Thanks for sharing Tom Charlton.

Share your truck pics to win with Shell Rimula

SHELL Rimula has partnered with Big Rigs in a big way – so there’s even more reasons to send in your best truck shots.

Each month, the Big Rigs team will choose a #PicOfTheMonth, with the lucky winner receiving a $500 Shell Coles Express Gift Card.

Keep an eye out for our regular posts on the Big Rigs National Road Transport Newspaper Facebook page, calling

for your best truck photos and add yours in the comments, or email them to editor@bigrigs. com.au.

Don’t forget to include a brief note about the truck and where the photo was taken.

We’ll feature some of the best photos in each edition of Big Rigs Newspaper, with one winner announced each month.

Keep those amazing truck pics coming!

Scott Graham-Jones snapped this great shot of the Western Star while travelling through Miles, Queensland.

Shane Whenan snapped this great shot during his weekly trip up the Strzelecki Track.

Liz Armstrong heads back to Alice Springs from Jackson, Queensland, for NTRS. “So grateful for the experience and to see parts of Australia I hadn’t,” she said.

Brett Sturt “picking up my weekender with my weekly” at Yenda.

Bryce ‘Baldy’ McGahey shared this ripper of a shot, snapped at the Toowoomba breakdown pads.

Michael Roels shared this beautiful morning sunrise snap, taken at Burraga, NSW.

READER RIGS 53

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

When the going gets tough, truckies keep everyone going

Aaron Sonter snapped this great shot while on his way to Melbourne, with the Thallon grain silos in Queensland serving as a beautiful backdrop.

James Markwort and his Western Star enjoyed a day off at Mt Hope.

Stax BJR snapped this ripper shot of the Mack, while bound for Tailem Bend, SA.

Jason Pin shared this great shot of a Zig Zag Trucking 2016 Western Star, parked up at home after a weekend of polishing.

Dale Grealy at Grealy Family Transport shared this shot, taken after a wash out at Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange in Barnawartha.

Luke Curtis got this great shot during a foggy morning sunrise in Wingham, NSW.

Mark Driffield shared this snap, taken while passing through Beresfield in Newcastle, hauling another load of cement up the coast for ICL.

54 SPONSORED CONTENT LIGHTING

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Daytime running lights for trucks offer many benefits

DAYTIME running lights (DRLs) are becoming increasingly common on trucks, and for good reason.

They offer a number of safety benefits, including making trucks more visible to other drivers, reducing the risk of rear-end collisions, and improving fuel economy.

DRLs provide a steady light that helps other drivers see trucks during the day, even in bright sunlight. This can help prevent accidents caused by drivers who fail to see trucks in their blind spots. DRLs can also help reduce the risk of rear-end collisions by making trucks more visible to drivers who are following them. This is especially important in poor

visibility conditions, such as fog or rain. The extra awareness created by DRLs can mean the difference between a close call and a collision. In addition, DRLs use less power than headlights, which can help improve fuel economy.

Apart from offering truck drivers a host of benefits that can make their journeys safer and more eco-friendly, Hella offers a wide range of DRLs that are designed to complement the look of any truck.

Hella DRLs are made from high-quality materials, which are reliable and durable and are designed to last for years.

The range is also famous for its simplicity of installation thanks to Hella Safety DayLight Smart Controllers.

Hella offers a wide range of DRLs that are designed to complement the look of any truck.

These controllers are directly connected to the positive terminal of the battery, so they sense when the engine is activated and turn on the DRLs automatically. This makes installation a breeze and brings peace of mind for even the beginner DIY enthusiasts.

Hella’s DRLs do not only elevate safety but also

champion environmental sustainability. Manufactured

by Hella New Zealand, the company’s Auckland factory uses 100 per cent renewable energy and 95 per cent of waste materials generated during the moulding process gets recycled into packing trays and glue tubes, and for purging machines between

different types of plastics.

These initiatives help to reduce the environmental impact of Hella’s production.

This sustainable manufacturing process is also key to contributing and aligning with Forvia’s bigger goal of CO2 Net Zero by 2045.

Forvia is working on a daily basis to reduce its envi-

ronmental footprint in all operations, from managing water consumption to waste production.

Hella’s DRLs are a great way for truck drivers to make a difference for the environment and improve the safety of their vehicles.

These high-quality products are backed by HELLA’s commitment to sustainability, and they can help to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Additionally, Hella DRLs improve visibility during the day and at dawn and dusk, which can help to prevent accidents.

Learn more about the product range at hella.co.nz/ en/products/driving-headlamp/led-safety-daylightstm.

Daytime running lights provide a steady light that helps other drivers see trucks during the day, even in bright sunlight.

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DRIVER PROFILES 55

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Truckin’ In The Tropics

with Alf Wilson

Three decades behind the wheel and still smiling

Kevin Henderson has worked at Simon National Carriers for the past four months.

FRIENDLY driver Kevin Henderson had stopped at a rest area beside the Bruce Highway south of Cairns and was happy to yarn to Big Rigs.

Henderson, 54, works for Simon National Carriers and is based at Townsville.

He was driving an Iveco which he likes, and was carrying air conditioning fridge units.

“I have been a truck driver for 30 years and with Simon for the past four months,” he said.

His favourite roadhouse is the BP at Rocklea which is also often nominated by other drivers.

He rates the worst road he gets along as the Lynd Highway which he says is “rough and narrow” at places.

Although Henderson

said there could be more rest areas with facilities for drivers, he does like stopping at one. “It is on the Marlborough stretch of the Bruce Highway,” he said.

Fishing waterways around Townsville is a favourite recreation for Henderson when he gets some time off work.

“I do catch some blue salmon and Mangrove Jack,” he said.

Truckie enjoying his work

IT was blowing like a gale when veteran truckie Greg Chalmers pulled into the Frances Creek rest area near Ingham.

Chalmers, 65, was driving an Isuzu for G&K Freighters and does a regular run between Townsville and Cairns.

“I carry general freight and really enjoy what I do,” he said.

It was certainly a tropical day with strong winds and lots of heavy rain further north between Innisfail and Tully.

“I went to Mission Beach with a load and it was blowing like a cyclone,” he said.

A former quality rugby league player in the Rockhampton region, Chalmers barracks for the St George Dragons in the NRL. In his heyday, Chambers played for the Rockhampton Norths club whilst Rocket Rod Reddy, who went on to became a St George great, lined up for rival Rockhampton Brothers.

“I started in the backline

and ended my football playing hooker,” he said.

Chalmers was glowing in his praise for the Frances Creek rest area which is about 10km south of Ingham.

“It is always very clean compared to some beside the Bruce Highway,” he said.

He rates the worst road he gets on as the one between South Johnstone and Mourilyan near Innisfail. “It is horrendous to drive on,” he said.

Greg Chalmers was stopped at the Frances Creek rest area south of Ingham.

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56 DRIVER PROFILES

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truckin’ In The Tropics

with Alf Wilson

Wheels keep turning for Chris Dinsdale on this trusty 1980 model workhorse AFTER over four decades on the road and more than seven million kilometres on the clock, this 1980 Kenworth cabover is still working as hard as ever.

Despite doing so many kilometres the truck still has its original engine – though it’s had a few rebuilds.

Only a limited number of the model were made.

It’s powered by a Caterpillar 3408 V8 18-litre engine that

has plenty of grunt.

The truck belongs to veteran truckie Chris Dinsdale, 73, who’s been an owner-operator since 1981.

He’s based at Ferntree Gully in Victoria and travels around the country in his trusty old Kenworth including to NSW, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.

Big Rigs saw Chris at BP Cluden having lunch on

Sunday August 13 and he was happy to have a yarn.

“I am carrying pipes from Melbourne to Townsville and have been doing lots of runs from Melbourne to the north up here,” he said.

Dinsdale likes stopping at the Caiguna Roadhouse in WA when over there as well as the BP Cluden in Townsville. “They both have good food and plenty of parking.”

He rates the Cunamulla

Dinsdale was hauling pipes from Melbourne to Townsville when he stopped for a chat.

Chris Dinsdale travels around the country in his trusty old Kenworth, which has over seven millions kilometres under its belt. Photos: Alf Wilson

to Charleville section of the Mitchell Highway amongst the worst he gets on. “There are many potholes and road trains can’t safely do more than 75km/h.”

Another road Dinsdale finds challenging is what is known as the Plenty Highway from Alice Springs to the NT Border.

“From the NT border to Boulia in Queensland is also rough,” he said.

Outside work, Dinsdale enjoys motorbikes and has a Kawasaki Z900RS which is his pride and joy.

He also has a BMW S1000RR 200hp motorbike he rides at Phillip Island on track days.

“I really enjoy life on the road and am doing this job for Simon Transport which is a great company to deal with,” he said.

I asked the friendly but quietly spoken Dinsdale what was the most unusual

load he had transported.

“It would have to be 40 emus in a trailer from WA to farms in Victoria and NSW. They hated getting into the trailer but at the end of the trip didn’t want to get out.

I did it for two years when I was only running singles instead of road trains like I do now. They were treated very well and had sand under them and a water spray system to keep them hydrated,” he said.

Dinsdale says one of the best jobs he ever had was hauling drill rigs to Central Australia and the Top End of the NT. I saw that the Kenworth had WA number plates when he was based in Victoria and asked him why. “I travel to WA a lot,” he said.

Dinsdale also has a successful YouTube channel which he showed me on his phone. It is gm16v149. The videos have had over 16 mil-

I REALLY ENJOY LIFE ON THE ROAD AND AM DOING THIS JOB FOR SIMON TRANSPORT WHICH IS A GREAT COMPANY TO DEAL WITH.” CHRIS DINSDALE

lion views and he has more than 20,000 subscribers.

I really enjoyed talking to this gentleman of the highways and byways who was travelling in tandem with NSW owner-driver Ted Markwort.

In conclusion, I asked Dinsdale how he felt to be a Septuagenarian which is a person over 70.

“I am in very good health.

I have regular check-ups and my blood pressure is excellent and so is my heart rate,” he said.

Rising fuel costs concerning for owner-operator ADAM Gee, 45, has been an owner-operator for the past five years and a truck driver for two decades. He drives a 2013 Kenworth 609.

His company is Gee Logistics, based at Maryborough in southern Queensland.

“I carry general freight and subby for Dawsons Haulage which has depots at Toowoomba, Wodonga and West Wyalong,” he said.

I saw Gee at the BP Cluden Roadhouse at Townsville in August but was in the midst of an interview with another truckie.

But I snapped his picture and got his phone number.

A week later I contacted him when he was at Wodonga carrying general freight.

“I travel around Queensland, NSW, South Australia and Victoria but don’t get over to WA. I get to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and as far north as Cairns,” he said.

He has two favourite road-

houses: the BP Clermont in central Queensland and the Moorlands beside the Pacific Highway in NSW. “You get a good feed at them. My favourite meal is t-bone steak,” he said.

The worst road Gee travels along is the 134km long one between Walgett and Hebel in NSW. “I went along it the other day and it was very rough. I was doing 70km/h,” he said.

As for rest areas, Gee said there could be more which are suitable for truck drivers.

“It is not too bad in NSW but Queensland needs a lot more. Also many caravans take up parking spaces at some roadhouses,” he said.

Like many truck drivers, Gee said the rising cost of fuel was a major concern.

“I fuelled up in Townsville at $2.10 a litre and later at Clermont it was five cents a litre cheaper, then at Roma it was also $2.10. Without the fuel subsidy it would be even

worse,” he said.

Outside work Gee likes spending time with family and also barracks for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He was disappointed that last year’s beaten grand finalists the Parramatta Eels didn’t qualify for the top eight this season.

But he was happy the Eels had defeated premiers Penrith Panthers 32-18 a night before we spoke.

In conclusion Gee was glowing in his praise for Dawsons Haulage which he said was a great company to work with.

“They are without a doubt the best people I have carried for,” he said.

Dawsons Haulage is a proud Australian owned, family operated company, established in 1990 with one prime mover.

It has evolved into a specialised logistics company operating 100 prime movers and 150 trailers.

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58 SPY ON THE ROAD

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Mobile phone and seatbelt SPY ON THE ROAD WITH ALF WILSON

Detection awareness

Mobile phone and seat belt non-compliance cameras are now located around Tasmania.

A total of 14 such cameras are now in place with two more coming soon.

They will certainly increase consolidated revenue for the government big time.

Police on the Apple Isle state say a trial of new cameras captured drivers breaking the law at a rate of one every 7.6 minutes.

In just 43 hours, Tasmania’s new mobile phone detection cameras captured 339 people doing the wrong thing.

They have been installed on Tasmania’s existing fleet of mobile speed cameras, which have been in operation since last year.

“It upsets me to share these with you,” Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said, holding a print-out of some of the images taken by the cameras during a press conference in Hobart to launch the government’s road safety campaign Click, Store and Go. “You’ve got somebody here who’s on their mobile phone, you can see it, it’s on their lap, and they’re also not wearing their seatbelt.

“This is a recipe for a crash, an injury, and death.

“The message is simple.

Click on your seatbelt, store your phone away, and you are good to go,” he said.

If all 339 people photographed during testing had been fined, the cameras would have raised more than $132,000 for the Tasmanian government in just 43 hours.

“I emphasise government doesn’t want to raise fines and penalties. But we will do that if it does help us to get the message out,” Ferguson said.

Both the Tasmanian government and police insist the enforcement campaign is not

A hitchhiker waits for a lift.

about revenue raising, pointing to data collected from recording sites across the state – which they say indicates a reduction in driver speeds since the mobile speed cameras came online – is evidence that deterrents work.

Some of my truckie informants in Tassie tell me that the locations of such cameras is a topic of conversation on UHF radios.

Spy is told that several such cameras may be in place on the 1396 metre long Tasman Bridge above the Derwent River at Hobart.

History treasure trove

Recently Spy had the pleasure of stopping at Hervey’s Range Heritage Tea Rooms and discovered a treasure trove of history about the early days of the road transport industry in the region.

It is located about 30km from Townsville along the route which connects with the Gregory Development Road.

Inside the old building which was originally the Eureka Pub built in 1865, are many pics of old trucks, horses and drays before the era of motorised transport, and lots of other memorabilia.

Bullock drays and teamsters would travel up the dirt range track with goods from Townsville Port to supply in-

land pastoral stations.

It would take them six days to reach the small town of Georgetown.

When I visited, an older lady walked was inspecting the picture-covered walls and became rather emotional.

I overheard her tell relatives that some of the pioneers who negotiated the track early on were her forebears.

It is off the road and is certainly worth checking out if you are in the area.

Further along beside the Hervey’s Range Road is the Army High Range Exercise and Training Area.

Hitchhiker debate

The controversial subject of truck drivers giving hitchhikers a lift has surfaced again after several drivers have told Spy of vastly different experiences.

Caiguna WA

Roadhouse

A lot of truckies Spy has asked about good roadhouses have nominated the BP Caiguna in WA along the Eyre Highway on the Nullarbor.

Caiguna is located 182km east of Balladonia and 66km west of Cocklebiddy.

The drivers reckon the

“truckie burger” which is a combination burger and steak sandwich is great for hungry people.

There is plenty of parking out the front for road trains, showers, and lots of food to choose from, as well as friendly workers.

Spy contacted the roadhouse by phone and spoke to Ben Leese who described himself as “an all-round worker”.

“We would get between 100 and 150 trucks a day stopping here and they come from Queensland, the NT, WA, SA, NSW and Victoria,” Leese said.

I asked Leese what was the favourite tucker that truckies order.

“For breakfast it would be lamb fry and veggies and at night usually t-bone and porterhouse steak,” he said.

Leese added that being along the Eyre Highway and the Nullarbor was a great location for truckies.

“We are 1090km from Perth and 1409km from Adelaide and open daily from 6am to 8pm,” he said.

It would be remiss of me not to mention one particular courtesy worker from there who was so helpful when I phoned her earlier.

“She is one of two Vietnamese women and an Indonesian who work here,” Leese said.

Rest area rubbish

Inconsiderate people leaving rubbish including food scraps beside bins at rest areas around Australia is a problem.

That has been brought to Spy’s attention by truckies from every state.

Over the years I have seen many such instances at rest areas in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.

Often the rubbish includes discarded fruit, food, bottles and cans.

Such rotting food attracts rats, birds and lots of flies and mosquitoes.

Recently Spy stopped at a rest area along the Bruce Highway and found rubbish beside a bin near a toilet block.

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What amazed me was that the bin which had a plastic liner inside was not even half full.

It would have been easy enough for whoever left the rubbish to place it inside the bin.

One can only ponder why people who stop at rest areas leave rubbish beside bins.

An SA driver said he gave one a lift across the Nullarbor and the young gent aged in his twenties was good company during what is usually a boring trip.

The hiker was down on his luck and our driver even shared some food with him which he had in his rig.

However, an Northern Territory driver told Spy he picked up a hiker outside Darwin and the fellow was a “weirdo” whom he could not get rid of quick enough at the next roadhouse.

Spy has also heard of several instances of drivers spotting attractive women thumbing a ride and when they stopped to offer a lift, a male companion would appear and also want to get on.

Each time the truckie drove off just to be safe rather than sorry.

I would be interested to hear from any truckies who have picked up hitchhikers about their experiences on the roads.

A speed camera sign in Tasmania. Now many are fitted with mobile phone and seat belt noncompliance detection devices.

SPY ON THE ROAD 59

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

cameras go live in Tassie Residents concerned about doctors leaving

At two Australian towns which are far apart, local doctors leaving had been a major concern for residents.

These towns are St Mary’s in Tasmania and Cardwell in north Queensland.

St Mary’s is a small and scenic village located near Tasmania’s east coast where a popular private doctor has served the community well for 16 years.

However a decision by him to leave because of a high workload has many residents concerned.

The doctor has been on call for the local hospital most days and cannot be further than a half an hour away in case of an emergency.

“I’m the only doctor for the emergency department 24/7, 365 days a year,” he told local media.

St Mary’s is located at the junction of the Tasman Highway and the Esk Highway on the East Coast of Tasmania, Australia approximately 10km from the coast.

It has a population of about 800 and Spy has been there many times and enjoyed the drive up a range and the friendly people.

The last time I was there was early one morning in freezing conditions when numerous trucks were making deliveries.

At seaside Cardwell, through which the Bruce Highway runs in north Queensland, the GP clinic had intended to shut its doors permanently on September 1 due to extreme doctor shortages and staff burnout.

However, the Queensland Government announced that management has been transferred to the Townsville Hospital and Health Service and that Rural Health Management Services have been appointed to operate the practice, which is good news.

Bomber mystery solved

There is a veteran truckie from Victoria who has the nickname of Bomber, which has stuck to him like glue.

Bomber has been reluctant to appear in Big Rigs after being spotted numerous times at several roadhouses.

He is a private person, and however did reveal that his nickname has sparked the curiosity buds of many other truckies.

Some comments have been quite humorous and include him being asked if he supported the Essendon Bombers in the AFL, or being involved in some form of activity involving such explosives.

But when he told Spy the real reason I had to share a chuckle with him.

“When Mum was in hospital ready to give birth to me a Lincoln Bomber flew overhead and received some local publicity so she gave me that middle name,” he said.

Roadhouse gold for truckies

The Puma Gold City Roadhouse on the outskirts of Charters Towers has been praised to Spy by many truck drivers.

It is beside the Flinders Highway near the intersection to the Gregory Development Road which takes you to Clermont about 350km away.

The location is about 130km from coastal Townsville and 750km from outback Mount Isa in the other direction.

This is a busy route for road trains and there is plenty of parking beside the roadhouse. Triples and quads can fuel up there with comparative ease.

It is a short walk to the roadhouse where there are toilets and showers, a range of takeaway food and a sit down area with a nice menu.

Shower deterrence for tourists

Spy hears that one roadhouse has put a charge of $12 on backpackers or tourists who want to have a shower.

This is because the showers are mainly for truck drivers who don’t have to pay.

I understand the 12-buck charge was put in place because when the showers were free they were often used by freeloaders who didn’t even buy fuel or food.

Anyway the decision has worked as most of the backpackers won’t fork out $12.

Another roadhouse I know of charges $5 for anybody other than truckies who want to freshen up.

Our champion truckies love a hot or cold shower, depending on the weather conditions, after a hard day’s work.

Caravanner praises drivers

You wouldn’t have to be Einstein to know that many grey nomads in caravans are not generally the most popular travellers with truckies.

They often complain that these caravanners take up a lot of parking spaces at rest areas or roadhouses and often drive dangerously.

Often when I stop off at a rest area and spot grey nomads I ask the question, “How do you get on with truck drivers?”

Often they will return serve with whinges similar to what truckies have about them.

However in recent months numerous grey nomads have been glowing in their praise of our drivers.

One elderly lady told me she was travelling on a busy highway “behind a slow coach truckie” and wanted to overtake safely.

“He gave me the signal that it was safe to pass him by flicking his blinker on. Which was a nice gesture,” she said.

I told her that action was in fact a law breach albeit if some over zealous cop witnessed it.

Although the penalty is relatively small.

“I don’t care about that – it was just all about safety,” she said.

Early Christmas gift for truckies

With poor facilities for truck drivers at many Aussie rest areas a hot topic of conversation amongst drivers, Spy was delighted to see improved access and new toilets at Bluewater beside the Bruce Highway.

Pardon the pun, but authorities have presented an “early Christmas gift” to our champion drivers.

The rest area is at Christmas Creek, Bluewater, which is about 40km north of Townsville.

I have been monitoring the construction of the facilities which include turning lanes, ablutions and real-time information about rest area availability for heavy vehicles.

In addition to turning

lanes into and out of the rest area, the upgrades will improve conditions for heavy vehicle operators through the installation of real-time information on rest area availability for large vehicles, Intelligent Transport Systems, advanced warning signs, automatic number place recognition cameras and smart energy systems to power the devices.

This is one of six heavy vehicle rest areas being upgraded to include Intelligent Transport Systems devices to support heavy vehicle operators in managing their fatigue as committed under the Heavy Vehicle Safety Action Plan.

Spy can only hope that the Department of Transport and Main Roads will send a man with a long white beard in a red suit with gifts for truckies at the Christmas Creek rest area.

Health fund reviews

Rising costs across the board have forced many truck drivers to seek a review of their

health fund costs.

Spy has spoken to numerous drivers in the past month who like most are concerned about the ever-increasing cost of living.

Most health funds have increased the cost of policies, so having a review is one way to ensure you are getting the best value for money.

I know of one female driver aged in her sixties who found that during a review her policy coverage included pregnancy.

Being way past the age where she can be a mother again, she promptly had that removed from her policy.

Some found they were able to reduce their monthly premium by having a policy which covers their current health requirements.

The only downside of having a review is the usual amount of time you have to wait at the offices of health insurers.

Even ringing on the phone for such a review can result in long waits.

The upgraded rest area at Christmas Creek beside the Bruce Highway.

/VOLWRECK P/L.

(03) 9357 7081

60 EVENTS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Save the date for these major shows and events bring new ideas, expert advice, and strategies to help transport operators save thousands of dollars through improved maintenance and purchasing strategies. The TMC program committee is seeking expressions of interest from people to propose sessions, workshops or to be part of a panel at TMC 2023. The program will cover topics including technology, safety, productivity, environment, costs and industry careers.

Registrations to be launched soon.

The tribute event to the legendary local operator Dane Ballinger keeps growing every year.

HERE’S a look at some of the upcoming trucking events to mark in your diary.

SEPTEMBER

Kenworth Klassic September 15-17 Clarendon, NSW Kenworths new and old, working and retired, restored and original, will come together at the 2023 Kenworth Klassic, which this year celebrates 100 years of the iconic brand.

Kempsy Truck Show September 23 West Kempsey, NSW Hosted by the North Coast Trucking Social Club, the parade will start at 9am from Tozer Street, West Kempsey, bound for the Kempsey Showgrounds via Kempsey CBD. Includes free kids entertainment, petting farm, dummy spitting comp, male and female truck pull, chari-

ty auction, trade displays and market stalls. Entry $5 adults, children free. Bar facilities, no BYO. Plus charity dinner. All proceeds to local charities. For further info see the NCTSC Facebook page, email nctsc@ outlook.com.au or phone Trent Lee on 0439 455 797, Peter Scott on 0417 678 578, Kate Jones on 0403 544 578.

NatRoad Conference 2023 September 27-29 Gold Coast, Queensland natroad.com.au After a difficult two years for road freight operators, NatRoad is pleased to invite members to the NatRoad National Conference 2023, to be held at the RACV Royal Pines Resort, Benowna on Queensland’s Gold Coast from September 27-29. Includes the ‘NatRoad Parliament’ and the NatRoad Awards presented at the Gala Dinner.

Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy September 30-October 1 Gatton, Queensland lightsonthehill.com.au The 2023 Lights on the Hill Memorial Convoy is planned to be held on September 30 en route to Gatton Showgrounds with the Memorial service to be held on October 1 at the Lake Apex Memorial wall.

Live music at the showgrounds includes The Wolfe Brothers, Josh Setterfield, Hayley Jensen, Will Day, Kerry Kennedy & Double Barrel and more.

OCTOBER

Technology & Maintenance Conference October 16-18 Melbourne, VIC new.truck.net.au/tmc The Technology & Maintenance Conference (TMC) in-person event is back after four years. The event aims to

Real Service Real People Real Experience Real Insurance Solutions 02 6925 8788 www.tbiinsurance.com.au

Convoy for Kids Sydney October 29 Clarendon, NSW convoyforkids.com.au Starting at the Sydney Dragway, the convoy will make its way to the Hawkesbury Showground in Clarendon for a day filled with fun and festivities for the whole family. The event will raise funds for the NETS Ambulance Service.

NOVEMBER

Brisbane Convoy for Kids November 4 Brisbane, Queensland brisbaneconvoyforkids. com.au Following a successful 2022 event, planning is already underway to make the 2023 Brisbane Convoy for Kids even bigger and better. Along with the main convoy, there will be a truck show, family fun and entertainment, and an evening fireworks display.

White Hill Truck Drivers Memorial Service and Convoy November 4 Murray Bridge, SA facebook.com/WhiteHillTruckDriversMemorial Honouring truck drivers who have lost their lives, the White Hill Truck Drivers Memorial now has over 100 names.

This special day will begin with a convoy, with trucks meeting at White Hill. Each truck will wear a banner and head down the hill towards the monument, where they will line up and toot their air horn ahead of the service that will take place at 11am.

Goulburn Convoy for Kids & Carnival Day November, 11 Goulburn Showgrounds, New South Wales convoyforkidsgoulburn. com.au A jam-packed day of fun for the whole family at Goulburn Showground, Braidwood Road. On the day there will be a huge array of trucks on display following the convoy, free carnival rides, entertainment galore including the return of Bluey and Bingo, activities and interactive games for the kids plus much more. A variety of food and refreshment stations will be available. Entry for kids is free. The Convoy for Kids Goulburn charity provides financial assistance to local families who have a child living with a perma-

nent disability, special need, cancer or terminal illness.

Dane Ballinger Memorial November 18 Bathurst Showground, NSW bathursttruckshow.com.au Featuring over 200 market stalls, food stalls, live entertainment and kids’ rides.

Registration $55 per category.

Public entry $5, children under 12 free. Held in conjunction with the annual Bathurst Swap Meet Car & Bike Show.

Gates open 9am to 4pm.

For registration and further details email info@ bathursttruckshow.com.au or phone Debbie on 0407 489 634, Haylie on 0438 316 150 or see the website and/or Facebook page.

Illawarra Convoy November 19 Illawarra, NSW illawarraconvoy.com.au Touted as the largest truck and motorbike convoy in the Southern Hemisphere, the Illawarra Convoy raises funds for individuals and families affected by potentially life threatening medical conditions, together with charities that work with these people, and local hospitals. Last year’s event raised over $2 million.

Have you got an event you’d like included in the next Save the Date? Email all the details to editor@bigrigs.com. au.

The Convoy for Kids Sydney event will again raise funds for the NETS Ambulance Service.

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62 COLUMN

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Stop banging heads and get your heads together

BY BORED NEUROTIC HOUSEWIFE

“KEEP it up and I’ll bang your heads together”.

A common phrase the older people in the industry would have heard their parents say to them when nit-picking with their siblings.

We Bored Neurotic Housewives are still known to turn that phrase, especially when reading posts and comments, repetitive ones at that, hashing over the same shyte.

The decision-makers, whether they be pollies, federal or state, associations, etc., can, and will continue to do what they want to increase, or at least ensure their bottom line with no care given to the drivers of the industry.

ROADBLOCKS MAY NOW BE ILLEGAL, BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY WAY TO ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULT – STAYING AT HOME COMES TO MIND.”

The memorial is located at a truck stop right at the site of the Blockade on the Old Hume Highway near Picton.

They are also very careful to ensure that aesthetically they have crossed their T’s and dotted their I’s to meet their legal obligations.

For all the apparent consultations and protestations, nothing really changes.

The same squabbles over the RSRT and everyone’s interpretation of it, the Heavy Vehicle National Law, Senator Glenn Sterle’s points from his recent senate enquiry, load rates, cents per kilometre,

hourly rates, B-double rates, A-triple rates, truck parking bays, and unnecessary “Raj” comments.

This has been going on for years and hell if the bored neurotic housewives got alimony from every white knight that postures themselves as trying to save the industry, we’d be bloody rich.

Tall poppy syndrome is alive and well in this industry that’s for sure, but the sure bet is the drivers will NEVER

The only time drivers stood together was at the Razorback blockade in 1979.

band together and NEVER fight back united. Cha-ching for the powers that have you cornered.

The only time drivers stood together was Razorback. What happened there?

Although now revered, at the time people hated the five protagonists, but they still stopped, drivers still stopped, and the government brought in the army and changed laws so you can’t stop anymore.

Roadblocks may now be illegal, but it’s not the only

way to achieve the same result – staying at home comes to mind.

So, what does that tell the drivers about just whose balls should, or could be, in their collective hands?

Maybe it’s time to take your hand off your own set and grab those that currently have yours and turn the tide.

After reading recent posts on a drivers’ Facebook page, it’s the same reoccurring thread over and over and over: same news, same insults,

same small group of people.

We try to teach our kids to keep it real and respectful.

Maybe it’s time for drivers to practice what they preach – actions speak louder than words, respect others’ opinions, stand up for yourself, don’t take no for an answer, and any other cliché you can think of.

So, do you get your heads banged together, or simply put your heads together to finally resolve these long-standing complaints?

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COLUMN 63

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Supply chain woes make road freight more vital

INDUSTRY ADVOCATE WARREN CLARK NatRoad CEO

IF you dig hard enough, you can find something occurring today that was predicted by someone at some point in the past. A 2019 paper by Engineers Australia is a great example.

For the scholars who’d like to read it, the paper is called Exploring national mobilisation issues in a collapse of global governance. For the rest of you, I’ll spare the detail and cut to the chase.

The paper found that “in the event of major disruptions to global supply chains” with “a prompt effect on transport and freight which in turn would affect the movement of goods and people”.

It went on: “Without Australia’s transport networks, there would be an effect on food security, healthcare services and the ability for people to travel for work.”

Does that sound familiar?

And can it happen again?

Yes and yes.

I don’t know about you, but “peak pandemic” seems like half a lifetime ago. Most of us with busy lives have moved on.

Speaking with those who worked at the frontlines of long-haulage businesses, they still vividly recall the seemingly daily changes in border rules, the overwhelming red tape that choked almost every movement of freight and the perplexing way in which various arms of government applied one rule or ignored another.

In a subsequent research paper, the engineers put it this way: “Across Australia there has been a shortage of supplies in major supermarkets caused by panic-buying and national border restrictions which hindered the easy movement of goods.

Fuel prices have since increased due to global factors, increasing pressure on already rising household costs.”

Clearly, the pandemic gave us lots of lessons to learn.

The impact of disruptions to global supply lines are going to teach us a few more.

The world is a different place now we’re living with Covid-19.

Fuel prices went up - and have stayed there ever since.

The War in Ukraine played a role for a time but the ongoing issues are due to supply and demand. Suppliers of oil (the 13 nations that comprise OPEC) have tightened supply and therefore prices will stay high because of sustained demand.

Closer to home, all the pressures of the last few years have been too much for some operators. In addition to years of struggling with heavy-handed enforcement and diminishing returns, they have chosen to exit the industry.

These departures don’t attract the same headlines as the dramatic collapse of Scott’s Refrigerated, but they are having a profound impact and are adding to our industry’s shortage of skilled labour.

But back to supply chains and the big question many economists and business analysts are now asking is, “Did the pandemic kill the system of so-called ‘Just in Time’ manufacturing?”

‘Just In Time’ emerged after World War II when Japanese car maker Toyota needed to compete with rivals in the USA who had ample access to raw materials.

The Japanese came up with ‘Just In Time’ – otherwise known as ‘lean manufacturing’ – by making parts at a rate that matched demand, eliminating waste and making them more competitive.

It was an alternative to ‘Just In Case’, which involves stockpiling manufactured goods, and it caught on around the world.

Fast forward to today and

even manufacturing juggernauts like Apple are having second thoughts about rigidly sticking to ‘Just In Time’ and are making computer chips in the USA instead of sourcing them as needed from China.

A third of UK companies reportedly want to relocate their own sources of manufactured goods to their home country.

Big manufacturers aren’t ditching ‘Just In Time’ as much as modifying it and using technology to be better at it.

All these changes won’t make a lot of difference to the freight task within Australia in

the medium term.

Whether something is manufactured here or overseas, unless it’s bulk freight, it will probably end up on the back of a truck for a good part of its journey to market.

You can talk up artificial intelligence and its undoubted ability to streamline processes and speculate about autonomous trucks - which do have a future in remote haulage along well-defined routes (such as around mine sites) - but the sun isn’t setting on humans being integral to the humble truck driving profession any time soon.

All these changes won’t make a lot of difference to the freight task within Australia in the medium term.

64 COLUMN

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Award winners announced at Melbourne gala event judges assessing a record number of applications, shortlisting finalists across a range of categories.

VTA COMMENT PETER ANDERSON CEO, Victorian Transport Association

THE best and brightest of the nation’s freight and logistics industry were honoured at the 33rd Australian Freight Industry Awards last month with hundreds attending our black-tie gala presentation at Melbourne’s Palladium Room at Crown.

TWUSUPER and Viva Energy Australia once again were the major sponsors of the awards, and the VTA together with the AFIA Committee extends our sincere thanks to them for their very generous and ongoing support.

The transport industry responded with enthusiasm to our call for submissions, with

The winners were: • Kevin Halpin, Personality of the Year Award • Katharina Attana of Tasman Logistics Services, Female Leadership Award • Melissa Scerri of Victoria International Container Terminal, Young Achiever of the Year Award • Hyzon Motors, Sustainable Environment Award • iTrazo Tracetech, Application of Technology Award • Linfox, Best Practice Safety Award • CMV Truck & Bus, Investment in People Award We are incredibly proud of the achievements of all our award winners, finalists and nominees.

It was also a pleasure to host dignitaries from state and federal governments, along with

The Investment in People Award went to CMV Truck & Bus.

The Female Leadership Award went to Katharina Attana of Tasman Logistics Services.

VTA life members, councillors, and hundreds of VTA members, associate members, and transport industry operators and suppliers.

As I said to guests on the night, it’s been another tough year as we all work to move higher and higher freight volumes, against a backdrop of labour shortages, higher costs, long lead times for trucks and

equipment, and inflationary pressures starting to bite.

That the industry responded as it did with so many nominations articulating innovation and best practice is a credit to their commitment to recognise staff for excellence, as well as acknowledge and promote the transport industry’s continual improvement.

It’s important to not let a culture of continuous improvement within the transport industry go unacknowledged and our industry is full of examples of this.

Best Practice Safety winner Linfox introduced a new program to encourage their teams to think differently about health and safety, with the aim to simplify systems and processes and identify risk. The outcome was the establishment of a unique program called the 4Ds that asks people to ask key questions in an engaging way about the things they do at work.

The results of the program produced valuable feedback for health and safety managers, including identification nationally of over 2000 risks,

Kevin Halpin was presented with the Personality of the Year Award.

Best Practice Safety Award went to Linfox.

and over 1500 solutions.

Our Application of Technology winner iTrazo Tracetech demonstrated truly innovative technology and groundbreaking contributions to the transport industry, specifically in the field of supply chain traceability. Under the leadership of founder and CEO Reeanjou Ram, the company brings together the who, what, when, where, why, and how of supply chain traceability, creating digital identities using data integration for products, and is now the leading industry specialist in traceable technology.

These are just a small sample of the innovation and

creative thinking in our industry, which were recognised through the awards.

The AFIAs play a crucial role in recognising the transport industry and its workers and promoting continuous improvement. By acknowledging excellence and innovation, boosting morale and motivation, enhancing the industry’s reputation, and attracting talent, these awards contribute to the overall growth and success of the transport industry in Australia. It is imperative that we continue to appreciate the efforts of those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our economy moving.

COLUMN 65

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023

Having a ball in Alice Springs

WOMEN IN TRANSPORT JACQUELENE BROTHERTON Chair of Transport Women Australia

WHAT a weekend at the Road Transport Hall of Fame (RTHF) Festival of Transport with many well-deserved inductees onto the Wall of Fame, as there are every year.

The weekend started off on Thursday night with welcome drinks for those who wanted to start the weekend early, followed by the annual Transport Women Australia Limited (TWAL) breakfast on Friday morning.

What a glorious morning it was with fabulous food, cooked by the amazing volunteers, great company, catching up with old mates and making new ones; and as always, the veteran musician providing music and song.

Then off to the Cummins Cup Truckies’ Race Day, not that the truckies are racing but it’s a great afternoon for everyone with the gorgeous weather and the horse racing.

It’s a wonderful relaxing atmosphere and then on Friday night, a huge BBQ is held in Stuart’s Kitchen just to round

Many of the attendees dressed to the ball theme, wearing stunning red outfits or red ties, braces, or jewellery.

off a truly great day.

Saturday has a late start to allow all the visitors to have a good look throughout the museum, to visit the Alice Springs attractions or to recover from Friday night.

The first event of the day is the induction ceremony, although this year was a little different with the Razorback Reunion breakfast hosted by the Hall on Saturday morning.

Unfortunately, only two of the original Razorback alumni were able to be there but it was a great way to honour them both at the breakfast and then at special presentation after the inductee ceremony.

The preparation for the

Transport Women Unite Red Ball was going ahead full throttle while all this was in progress and by 6.30pm the Kenworth pavilion was awash with a sea of red, with many of the attendees dressing to the theme and wearing stunning red outfits or red ties, braces, or jewellery.

The night kicked off with a couple of songs and then the presentation to 25 women with the inaugural Dream Maker Awards, these awards are a joint venture by TWAL and the RTHF and are for women working diligently and mostly unrecognised in the background to help others achieve their dreams.

They were nominated by

husbands, sons, companies, their employers, and sometimes their own office staff, in recognition of their commitment to the family company, large companies or owner drivers for all they do behind

the scenes; most were unaware of their nomination and were humbled and slightly overwhelmed to be recognised for something they say it’s just doing their job or supporting their families.

These women have mostly gone unrecognised in the public arena for all years that I have been working and this award was established to show our appreciation to all our unsung workers.

A full list of winners can be found at transportwomen.com.au/projects and at roadtransporthall.com.

We also chose the Best Dressed Male and Female on the night, these were judged

by NT Treasurer Eva Lawler, who is also the Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics; Minister for Education; and Minister for Territory Development.

The wonderful winners were Miriam Sheppard of IOR and Glen Walker, presented by Eva Lawler and Jacquelene Brotherton. The gift cards for the winners were donated by the RTHF and TWAL. As with all new events there are ways to make the next years’ event better, but we are already looking forward to planning the Transport Women Unite Red Ball and Dream Maker Awards 2024. We hope to see you all there.

In the meantime, we have plenty of events for TWAL, please check out the TWAL website and our social media and get your applications in for the Driving the Difference Scholarships.

The website is transportwomen.com.au, email chair@ transportwomen.com.au, or phone 0417422319.

The Kenworth pavilion was awash with a sea of red for the big ball.

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COLUMNS 87

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY JUNE 26 2020

66 PUZZLES

Sad day for all in transport

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 15 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Fill the grid so every column, every row and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

2 What was an earlier name for clothing (7) 3 What are labels or tags (7) 4 Name another term for bombs (6) 5 What are pumas also known as (7) 6 What is a lodger called (7) 7 Name some facial expressions (7) 13 What is the world of celebrities (7) 14 To be in pieces, is to be what (7) 15 What is a title or caption of a page, chapter, etc (7) 17 Name the English actor, producer and director, Laurence ... (7) 18 Which colourless liquid hydrocarbon is used as a solvent, etc (7) 20 Name some particular male singers (6)

Name one of the assassins of Julius Caesar (6) To be funny, is to be what (8) What is a ring (6) Name underwear worn by women (8) Which breakfast food is made from some grain (6) To box lightly, is to do what (4) What is a hoard (5) What are particular kinds (5) To depart, or go away, is to do what (4) Name an alternative term for esculent (6) What does an unwound clock do (4,4) Who asked for more (6) Name a poisonous evergreen shrub (8) To utter a loud, sharp, shrill cry, is to do what (6)

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

SUDOKU

Down

1 8 9 10 11 12 13 16 19 21 22 23 24 25

Across: 1 Brutus, 8 Humorous, 9 Circle, 10 Lingerie, 11 Cereal, 12 Spar, 13 Stash, 16 Sorts, 19 Exit, 21 Edible, 22 Runs down, 23 Oliver, 24 Oleander, 25 Shriek.

Down: 2 Raiment, 3 Tickets, 4 Shells, 5 Cougars, 6 Boarder, 7 Aspects, 13 Stardom, 14 Asunder, 15 Heading, 17 Olivier, 18 Toluene, 20 Tenors.

positives aspects or those issues about which I am most passionate and have a chance of making a contribution to change.

I began writing column when I was returned as Transport Women Australia Limited chair in November 2017.

THIS article is the ending of In the interim, TWAL has an era for the transport indus- had many successes and try with the demise of this achievements. magazine under the restrucIt has expanded the relature and rationalisation of tionship with Girl Guides AusNews Corp. tralia and been involved with It is a sad day for all of us in several successful projects with the industry as Big Rigs maga- them, the Victorian Snoozefest zine has been a part of our lives in April 2018, the “Great Bag for almost 30 years.

Migration” for the InternaFor some, their entire ca- tional Jamboree in Sydney in reers so far.

October 2018 and other interIt will leave huge gap as the actions that are expanding the editors and staff have support- knowledge of the transport ined the industry, provided fair dustry. and rational debate and given We launched the Women everyone a fair say in industry Driving Transport Careers indoings to all, as well as stories, itiative with our partners Wopictures and news of our peo- donga TAFE and Volvo Group ple, our trucks and our unsung EASY at the 2018 TWAL Creating heroes.

Connections conference.

Our lives will be the poorer This initiative has been in for its demise; being a colum- hiatus during the COVID-19 nist for Big Rigs for the past pandemic but all partners are year and half has allowed me excited to move forward to exto fulfil yet another childhood pand the program as soon as dream, to write, and it has possible. given me great pleasure and I We held a well attended hope it has at least been en- and exciting conference in joyed by some.

May 2018 and we have plans in While so many are focused place with the date saved and on the negatives of the indus- venue booked for our Driving try, I have tried to focus on the the Difference 2021 conference

Across

CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS: Jacquelene Brotherton (far right) enjoys a night of celebration at a Transport Women Limited event with (from left) Rachel Hesse, Paul Fleiszig and Coralie Chapman.

Picture: Contributed

in Melbourne.

In November 2019 we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the organisation (TWAL) with a fabulous gala dinner at The Windsor Melbourne where we also presented our first four winners of the Driving the Difference scholarships with our amazing sponsor, Daimler Truck and Bus Asia Pacific.

We also presented the inaugural Trish Pickering Mem-

orial Award, sponsored by the wonderful Wes Pickering.

This was awarded for longterm outstanding contribution by a female to the road transport industry, the inaugural winner was Pam McMillan the longest serving director and chair of Transport Women Australia Limited.

This is an annual award and the recipient of the 2020 Trish Pickering Memorial Award

will be announced later this year at an event still to be determined.

We have also launched our Learning Initiatives Breakfast Series with several partners so far, including NTI, MOVE BANK and rt health.

In early 2020 the Creating Connections Mentoring program was finally ready to commence with both mentors and mentees signing up to the pro-

Across gram.

1 Male deerlike to thank the I would 6 Inferior horse fantastic team at Big Rigs newspaper for their incredible 7 Bird support and wish them on9 Flexible armour going success.

10 Ship’s small room I hope that I get the oppor11 Army officer to work with tunity to continue 12 Flightless some of them bird and so work to14 Exclude wards making the trucking industry a gratingly better appreciated, 17 Utters and a safer place for our peo20 Drink ple.

21 Restrict 23 Punctuation mark 25 Agitate 26 Single entity 27 Lubricate 28 Cult

Fighting to end the inequality: Big Rigs and TWU played their parts HARD

HARD

industry as dry as they can.

They want operators to meet their unrealistic deadlines and take on more freight for less or they face the risk of

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losing their contracts and the ability to support their families.

It appears the government does not care.

There are unsafe vehicles, dodgy licences, poor payment times, wage and superannuation theft – just a few of the many things we have called for to be stopped.

A reminder to governments and the transport industry clients: the industry that has kept Australia moving during the pandemic is facing an uphill battle.

Employer groups should be standing alongside transport workers to unite for a safer and fairer industry.

QUICK CROSSWORD

S T A G C F I N A G D O V E C A B I N M A I L M A J O R T M E M U D E B A R A L E R A S P S S L I M I T G S T I R C O L O N O I L E U N I T P T S E C T

EASY

policy that should be keeping safe one of the most dangerous industries in Australia.

To quote one truck driver turned Australian senator, Glenn Sterle, “a death at work or on the road should not be the price of doing business”.

The TWU puts it to governments that we must stop the inequality that exists between truck drivers and clients.

Drivers must be paid proper rates, owner-drivers must be able to trust they will be paid properly for the work they do and on time. Families depend on this.

Many of the ongoing problems that occur are down to the big clients squeezing our

Across: 1 Stag, 6 Nag, 7 Dove, 9 Mail, 10 Cabin, 11 Major, 12 Emu, 14 Debar, 17 Rasps, 20 Ale, 21 Limit, 23 Colon, 25 Stir, 26 Unit, 27 Oil, 28 Sect.

Down: 1 Simmer, 2 Animus, 3 Gala, 4 Cob, 5 Fen, 7 Dare, 8 Vital, 10 Cod, 13 Mason, 15 Battle, 16 Regret, 18 Plot, 19 Sin, 22 Isis, 23 Cup, 24 Lit.

THIS is the end of an era, the last TWU column in the trusted transport industry publication Big Rigs.

Over the years the TWU and Big Rigs have played their parts in the role of keeping the top end of town accountable and doing our bit to look out for the rights of the little guy.

It’s still about the voice that speaks out for the truck driver,

the owner and the employee.

It’s been the voice that calls out for fair pay for the work you do, for safety in the drivers’ cab and on the road, the voice that seeks to relieve the pressure on the driver pushed by clients’ incessant cries for increased productivity for the same rates and conditions.

It is obvious we still have a long way to go – we have been through countless road, freight and transport ministers and nothing changes.

Truck drivers are still dying at work.

It’s a pretty safe bet to say this is due to the lack of strong government policy in place,

A final reminder to all Big Rigs readers: now is the time to Downnow is the time to ensure unite, 1 Boil gently equality in this industry.

2 Hostile spirit Together we can stand on common 3 Festive ground working to ensure government contin4 Malethe swan ues to support transport work5 Marsh ers and the industry they 7 Challenge support.

8 Essential The TWU will continue to 10 Fish voice the needs of transport workers the employers, 13 Workertoin stone their industry bodies and the 15 Fight clients.

16 Rue Better standards mean job 18 Scheme security and ultimately a safer 19 Transgression and fairer industry for all.

22We Egyptian can liftgoddess the standards we need together – our lives de23 Drinking vessel pend on it.

24 Ignited

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