Big Rigs 24 November 2023

FRIDAY, November 24, 2023

ONLINE www.bigrigs.com.au

EMAIL info@bigrigs.com.au

Push for Inland Freight Route Page 3

FAMILY

Ties

Truckie‘s Safe-T-Cam battle Page 6

HOW TV TRUCKING STARS JUGGLE LIFE ON ROAD WITH OUTBACK FARM: PAGE 12

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EDITOR

James Graham: 0478 546 462 james.graham@primecreative.com.au

REPORTERS

Danielle Gullaci danielle.gullaci@primecreative.com.au Kayla Walsh kayla.walsh@primecreative.com.au

GENERAL MANAGER

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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Treena Heit: 0403 626 353 treena.heit@primecreative.com.au

CLIENT SUCCESS

Katharine Causer: 0423 055 787 katharine.causer@primecreative.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS

Truckin in the Topics/Spy on the Road: Alf Wilson, 0408 009 301 David Vile and David Meredith.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

NSW Police ordered to pay Mainfreight $47,391

NSW Police have been ordered to pay $47,391 in legal fees to Mainfreight following a botched investigation into alleged loading breaches in March last year.

Mainfreight was originally awarded $85,968 in costs but that amount was almost halved upon a successful appeal by police with the decision handed down by the District Court late last month.

The B-double in question had been transporting doors from Carlisle in Perth to Lansvale in Sydney when it was pulled over by police on the Sturt Highway at Gillenbah, NSW on March 7, 2022.

According to the court documents, the load had moved in transit and was bulging through the curtains of the trailer and the trailer appeared to be leaning towards the nearside of the vehicle.

Measurements were taken and the load was found to be protruding 750mm over the edge of the trailer, which is an offence in the severe category.

The drivers were employed

by New Maja Transport Pty Ltd, a company based in Queensland, and had taken over driving the truck as a twoup combination at a roadhouse in Mundrabilla, WA.

The judge found Mainfreight was entitled to legal costs as police “unreasonably failed to investigate the offences and gather any admissible evidence.

The drivers informed the police that the truck had been loaded by Mainfreight.

On May 11, 2022, Mainfreight was charged with the following offences: • drive or permit a person to drive a vehicle that does not comply with loading requirements (severe) contrary to s 111(1)(c) of the Heavy Vehicle National Law 2013 (NSW); and • drive or permit a person to drive a vehicle that does not comply with dimension requirements (severe), contrary to s 102(1)(b)(iii)

Heavy Vehicle National Law 2013 (NSW).

As fine-only offences, with a maximum penalty of $10,000 each, police were not required to submit a brief of evidence and refused to do so.

But Mainfreight’s solicitors issued a subpoena for the police evidence, which amounted to 42 photographs and included one of the load manifest.

The matter was ultimately listed for hearing before Magistrate Robert Rabbidge in Wagga Wagga Local Court in November 2022. However,

two days prior to that, police informed Mainfreight’s solicitors they intended to withdraw the charges.

At that November hearing, the charges were dismissed and withdrawn.

The magistrate found there was no evidence to satisfy the charges and found there had been a significant failure by police prosecutors to thoroughly look into how to prove their case to the criminal standard.

The magistrate accepted a submission by Mainfreight there was no evidence it had any knowledge whatsoever it knew who would be driving the truck at Gillenbah that day and in light of that, he found the transport company could not have permitted the offence to occur.

Magistrate Rabbidge accepted a compensation request

by Mainfreight and ordered police to pay $85,968 in legal costs to the company despite police arguments this figure was “manifestly excessive”.

In the subsequent appeal judgment, Judge Andrew Scotting said the magistrate made multiple errors in his ruling and found the decision ordered police to repay an amount which was not sup-

ported by the evidence.

Judge Scotting said assuming Mainfreight was acting as “matchmaker” between Hume Doors and Timber and Maja Transport Pty Ltd, it was required to have a system in place to ensure the parties complied with the law.

But despite this, the judge found Mainfreight was entitled to legal costs as police “unreasonably failed to investigate the offences and gather any admissible evidence of Mainfreight’s involvement with the load, or in the loading of the truck at Carlisle (in Western Australia) or its journey thereafter”.

“The load manifest did not suggest any connection with Mainfreight other than the use of the Mainfreight logo,” the judgment said.

“It did not explain Mainfreight’s involvement in the logistics transaction to any extent and could not have proved the offence to the criminal standard. The police had the power pursuant to the HVNL to request information from Mainfreight through the issue of statutory notices under ss 569, 570 or 570A of the HVNL. The police did not take any of those steps.”

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NEWS 3

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

Support grows for 1185km Qld Inland Freight Route have one north-south national highway in Queensland,” said QTA CEO Gary Mahon.

“We have little capacity to expand to genuinely efficient multi-combinations to haul freight because the Bruce is limited, and in moving to the larger multi-combinations you’re also making progress towards net zero.

“Each time you add a trailer, you’re doubling/trebling a standard truck trip for a marginal increase in fuel burn at a marginal increase in capital cost. That is progress in terms of efficient use of fuel, and it’s great development for the central highlands through all those communities.”

Other benefits include substantially lowering exposure between cars and trucks on the Bruce Highway, added Mahon.

“The roads are fundamentally there but need improvements in various places to make it a genuine multi-combination route all the way through.

“I get plenty of feedback from drivers all over the place saying that if it was a genuinely open corridor for MCs they would use it in a flash.

Mahon added that the dif-

ference between travelling from Brisbane to Townsville via the Inland Freight Route, rather than using the Bruce, is only the distance between Brisbane and Toowoomba.

“So, it’s only a marginal increase in terms of the actual distance for an enormous increase in efficiency, and we would argue safety as well.”

Mahon was pleased to hear that the politicians and bureaucrats that joined the recent road trip also gave the route the thumbs up.

“We’re just trying reinforce how fundamental it is.”

Frances Schafer, QTA membership development officer (NQ), who was on board for the entire tour, was also encouraged by the feedback.

“I think it was really beneficial for all stakeholders to be on the bus,” Schafer said.

“It gave them a bit of an appreciation for each shire and also what the issues were along the whole stretch of the road.

“When it comes to prioritisation, they’ll be a little bit more understanding of why the money’s being spent where it is and on what.”

Schafer said it was also great

Frances Schafer, second from left, and the Inland Freight Route supporters celebrate the end of the road trip with a photo at Belyando Crossing. Photo: QTA

to see everyone on the “same page” with their support.

“If we’re all singing from the same hymn book, hopefully government will see that as a prioritisation when it comes to the funding and budgets.”

If the route gets the goahead for funding, she said sections from Claremont north to Charters Towers would be the first priorities to improve width and “roughness”.

Upgrading bridges in the Emerald region for Type-2 road

train access would be next, followed by more costly flood-immunity work, she said.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for King’s office told Big Rigs that the Independent Strategic Review of the Infrastructure Investment Program highlights how badly the Liberals and Nationals “mismanaged and rorted” infrastructure and misled the public.

Earlier this month King announced that 50 projects would no longer receive fed-

eral funding in a bid to mitigate what she said was a $33 billion budget blowout by the previous government. For a full list of casualties, visit bigrigs. com.au. As we were going to print, the government also announced it was scrapping the traditional 80:20 road funding arrangements for a 50:50 split with states and territories.

But King said that was for future projects, not ones the government was already committed to funding.

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QUEENSLAND supporters of the proposed Inland Freight Route have hit the road to show Canberra just how vital the alternative to the Bruce Highway is to industry in the state.

The proposed $1 billion highway from Mungindi to Townsville survived Infrastructure Minister Catherine King’s project review axe, but she has asked for further “business analysis” before confirming it will get federal backing.

The Queensland Trucking Association, however, said it’s vital that the less flood-prone 1185km Inland Freight Route gets the go-ahead, and rallied transport agency and local government dignitaries for a weeklong road trip along the road to strengthen its case.

The group, which included local mayors and TMR executives, rotated between a bus and two multi-combinations supplied by Blenners Transport and Frasers Livestock Transport so the key players could experience first-hand the conditions from the cab.

“The point that I would continue to make is that in a widely dispersed country we only

4 NEWS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Tyre monitoring systems up for debate

IF you ask Wendy Cline, the federal government’s recently released discussion paper on the benefits of mandating tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) is long overdue.

She just wishes that her late husband Chet Cline, who passed away in January 2022, was still here to see his years of campaigning for regulatory change closer than ever to a payoff.

The popular Big Rigs columnist, and award-winning inventor, is the brains behind the Air CTI system, which enables drivers to adjust a truck’s tyre pressure to suit the load and road, and the conditions, leading to better traction, tyre life, improved safety and fuel economy, among other benefits.

“If people only knew how many politicians he tried to get involved, and all the different meetings and all the different ways he tried to raise awareness about how the incorrect use of tyre pressure is causing such a big damage to the environment and how to people are operating – he was just driven to get that message home,” said Wendy, now the

director and CEO of Air CTI, which Chet launched in 1998.

“Anyone that knew Chet knew that he could talk about this subject for many, many hours. He could feel it [the possibility of the federal government mandating the technology] and he knew that he’d done so much he thought, ‘Surely, it’s going to happen’, but then there’d be another barrier.”

Wendy said Chet, who also created a detailed white paper on the subject, had been instrumental in getting some of the information into the government’s discussion paper now being debated at the highest industry levels.

“His ultimate dream was to see the government and the transport industry recognise how important psi is in your tyre,” she said.

“Chet never wanted it mandatory so he could sell more Air CTI systems, he just wanted people to realise there was a better way to do it. Use my system, use something else, just get out there and let your tyres down.

“That was his aim, to raise awareness that we have load to

inflation tables regarding what percentage of air you should have in your tyres but no one looks at it.

“Everyone goes out there and just shoves in a certain amount because that’s what they’ve done forever, whereas you should be changing your tyre pressure to suit whatever load weight you have to the road that you’re travelling on.”

In the discussion paper, tabled at a September meeting of the Vehicle Standards Consultative Committee (VSCC) in Canberra, the Department of Infrastructure and Transport said it sees regulating TPMS technology as an opportunity to “to improve safety, efficiency, and environmental outcomes in the heavy vehicle sector”.

The US has had a similar mandate in place since 2007, and European Union has extended a TPMS mandate to include heavy vehicles and trailers from 2024.

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) said feedback from its members so far has been “overwhelmingly positive” toward the technology.

Former Big Rigs columnist Chet Cline spent many years campaigning about the importance of using the right tyre pressure for the conditions.

“These systems are positive for a wide number of reasons,” said HVIA technical director Adam Ritzinger.

“There are environmental, safety and efficiency benefits, and when you package all that up together that’s why the fleets who run TPMS are so positive about them.”

But Ritzinger also added that HVIA is yet to finalise its position regarding TPMS and needs to hold further detailed discussions with members.

“At this point the federal department wants to test the waters regarding local opinion

and support because it is mandatory for some vehicle classes in Europe.

“The department is looking at other options for harmonisation with international regulations, which is a sensible thing to do.”

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) said it recognises the importance of getting tyres right and correct tyre inflation.

“However, we have concerns about the workability of TPMS in Australia’s harsh conditions and given our unique combinations,” said

ATA CEO Mathew Munro.

“While many operators choose to install TPMS, something that ATA would encourage in appropriate circumstances, it’s not ready to be a requirement for all trucks and trailers. The department should hold off considering the technology for heavy vehicles until after it is mandated in our peer economies and industry has had the opportunity to review its performance there. At this stage, it would make sense for the department to look at TPMS for light vehicles only.”

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NEWS 5

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

Kenworth retains narrow 2023 sales lead

THE heavy-duty sector continues to bolster overall truck sales with record-level delivery numbers around Australia in October.

In the latest figures released by the Trucking Industry Council, an impressive 1558 heavy-duty trucks were delivered last month, up 13 per cent, or 179 trucks, on the previous best tally for the month, set in October last year.

Year-to-date the result is even better with the segment tracking a healthy 18.8 per cent ahead of this time last year. In terms of actual truck numbers, the sales gap now sits at 2244

more heavy trucks sold year-todate than to the end of October 2022.

It’s still a tight two-horse race at the top, although Kenworth now has a 58 truck buffer over arch rival Volvo with two months to go after recording 342 deliveries in October.

Volvo was also up on the previous month with 310 units and now sits on 2848 year-to-date.

The top two badges now account for 40.5 per cent of the entire heavy-duty market.

Isuzu also had a big month in the segment with 200 deliveries, not bad for a manufacturer without a prime mover

to offer buyers as yet, although executives from Isuzu Australia have told Big Rigs that it’s on their radar.

“It was great to see strong heavy-duty truck sales in October, while the medium truck and light van sectors also continue to performed solidly,” said TIC CEO Tony McMullan.

“Light truck sales were weak in October, however continue to perform slightly above 2022 sales on a year-to-date basis.

“It was also pleasing to see that the overall result for October 2023 was an all-time monthly record. With just two

months remaining in the year, we are inching ever closer to a new all-time sales record for heavy vehicle sales in Australia.

We may even crack the 45,000 new truck sales mark in a calendar year.”

In total, 3970 new heavy vehicles were delivered in October, a new all-time record for the month, eclipsing the previous October record that was set in 2021, by 4.2 per cent, or 165 trucks.

All market segments, except light-duty truck, posted gains over the corresponding month last year.

Light-duty sales have been

Border Express recently announced a $13 million fleet upgrade that includes 78 new Fuso trucks.

WETHERILL Park-based express freight specialist Border Express has entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with Freight Management Holdings (FMH), the Australian subsidiary of Singapore Post (SingPost).

The deal is reportedly for a maximum purchase consideration of $210 million.

When finalised, Border Express will join the transporta-

tion companies held under the FMH Group umbrella, GKR Transport, Niche Logistics, BagTrans, Formby Logistics and Spectrum Transport.

SingPost also announced that it would be increasing its stake in FMH from 88 per cent to 100 per cent.

Established in 1981, Border Express now has a presence across every state and territory in Australia with comprehensive

The 80,000th Kenworth to come off the Bayswater line was handed over to Booth Transport in October.

up and down all year, with October another ‘down’ month.

In October only 1268 lights were delivered, down 12.3 per cent (-178 trucks) compared to the same month last year.

To the end of October, 13,685 small trucks have been sold year-to-date, that represents a small increase of 170 sales (1.3 per cent) for sales in 2023.

freight connectivity, warehouses and regional centres, providing end-to-end interstate logistics services. With a network of 16 facilities spread throughout Australia, a fleet of over 700 vehicles, and a team of 1300 employees, Border Express has established itself as a reliable partner to over 3000 clients from across industries, including large retail and consumer brands, said a SingPost state-

ment announcing the deal.

“Border Express is a highly regarded transportation provider throughout Australia,” said FMH CEO Simon Slagter “Upon completion, the acquisition will support FMH Group to realise the vision of a new logistics ecosystem where people and physical assets are connected through a ubiquitous technology platform, enabling true supply chain efficiency.”

Singapore Post buys Border Express

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6 NEWS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truckie’s Safe-T-Cam fight

BY KAYLA WALSH

A TRUCK driver based in Victoria has claimed he has received a speeding warning from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) after a faulty reading on a Safe-T-Cam. Shane Buck, who has been an owner driver for 38 years, said it’s “not possible” that his truck was going as fast as the speed recorded by the camera.

“They said my truck was doing 106.21km an hour on flat ground in Wallan, going northbound,” he told Big Rigs.

“That’s not possible. I have three different GPSs. “The maximum my truck can go to on my limiter is 101.5km an hour.

“To be able to record me at 106.21km, the camera is faulty.”

Buck says he has a clean record, and while he is not being fined for this offence, he still doesn’t want it on file.

“There’s no fine yet but they said if I do it again they’ll pass it on to compliance. So that’s on my record now. I have contacted the NHVR to have it reviewed because I don’t want that on my record.

“I’m also looking for other truck drivers this might have happened to.

“Another guy told me that he was in breach after another camera said he was doing 117km! He got it sorted though because that was obviously wrong.”

He is frustrated that his letter of warning was sent five weeks after the alleged speeding offence occurred on September 26 – and by that time his evidence that he had done nothing wrong was gone.

“I don’t have evidence other than telling them about my GPS readings because it took five weeks for the NHVR to send out the notice, and by that time my dash cam GPS had already been overwritten.

“I don’t download my dash cam unless I need it.

“However there is a speed camera only 180m past this Safe-T-Cam. If I had been speeding, it would have issued a fine and demerit points at 106km.

“I understand that these

things can happen, but the request for review should be easier or more welcomed.”

NHVR acting director of operations southern region, Steven Miller, said the NHVR does not undertake or control Safe-T Cam compliance and enforcement activities in Victoria. These operations are currently limited to NSW and South Australia.

“To ensure the safety of all road users, the NHVR monitors for potential speed non-compliance in Victoria

A TRANSPORT company has avoided the maximum penalty of over $574,000, following an investigation that identified 543 fatigue management and other serious breaches.

The charges follow an investigation by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) that found four drivers committed the 543 contraventions of the HVNL during two periods (August 28, 2020 to September 22, 2020; and March 28, 2022 and April 6, 2022).

These breaches included: • 44 work/rest hour offences (18 critical, 3 severe, 3 substantial and 20 minor)

• 93 offences for making false or misleading in work diaries • 406 speeding offences (highest speed was 118km/h) In accordance with the regulator’s policy, it has not released the name of the company that was charged.

The regulator says its investigations unit charged the company after analysing National Driver Work Diaries, fuel records, GPS data, and heavy vehicle sightings.

According to the NHVR, while the company had systems, policies and procedures in place, they were not effective or adequate in monitoring and enforcing driver hours,

ensuring scheduling did not cause drivers to breach their work and rest hours, managing speed compliance and there was not adequate implementation of corrective action for breaches of the HVNL. Following a plea of guilty, the company was convicted and fined $65,000. A Supervisory Intervention Order (SIO) was also ordered for 12 months, necessitating significant operational reforms.

These reforms include developing a speed management policy, ensuring drivers and staff undertake fatigue management training, ensuring all drivers transition to Basic Fatigue Management working

conditions, undertaking regular drug and alcohol testing and requiring all drivers to use Electronic Work Diaries.

Emma Watson, NHVR director of investigation, said, “The investigation revealed the company failed to support their employees with the relevant safety measures and this outcome is a commitment to seeing these standards improved.”

The court discounted the fine because of the extensive remedial work the company had put in place since the offending.

These included the employment of an experienced compliance officer, having drivers

Truckie Shane Buck believes the Safe-T-Cam at Wallan made a faulty reading.

using information supplied by state compliance assets, to identify where there may potentially be breaches,” Miller said.

This compliance technology is calibrated – as required under the law – to a level appropriate for compliance purposes and is managed by the Victorian Department of Transport.

“Following a potential breach, the NHVR will reach out to the operator for further information, as we did in this case.

“Mr Buck’s concerns around the accuracy of the data, as in any case, will be passed on to the Victorian Department of Transport.”

Miller said small delays can occur in the issuing of letters, subject to when the NHVR receives and analyses the data.

“At the NHVR, our priority is safer roads, and safer drivers.

Camera enforcement not only enhances our compliance activities but increases efficiency for compliant heavy vehicle drivers.

If an operator wishes to respond to a letter of warning, they can do so via the email

address or phone number provided in the letter. The NHVR routinely reviews any case which is raised with us and will provide further information if contacted by a specific issue.”

After we published this story on the Big Rigs website, several other drivers contacted us claiming they had experienced similar issues with incorrect readings from Safe-T-Cams, in both Victoria and New South Wales.

One reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her husband was reprimanded by his manager after the NHVR sent a letter alleging that the Safe-T-Cam at Wallan had clocked him driving at a speed that was “not possible” at that location in that vehicle.

“The GPS data showed the vehicle was not speeding; the manager even took the vehicle and tried to reach the speed alleged, and could not,” she said.

“I have serious doubts about this camera.

“The industry deserves an explanation, especially drivers who are being accused of speeding when it isn’t happening.”

Transport company fined $65,000 for 543 infringements

The charges follow an NHVR investigation that found four drivers committed the 543 contraventions of the HVNL.

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8 OPINION

Keep us informed

EDITOR JAMES GRAHAM

THE Optus blackout earlier this month reminded me of just how important good communication can be in defusing a disaster and keeping clients from jumping ship. Frankly, it was a piss-poor effort from the telco. The golden rule in times of crisis is that you can’t communicate enough.

How does the trucking industry and its associated state and federal departments fare in this regard? With one or two exceptions, no better in my book.

I can count the times on one hand each year when someone in a well-paid state or federal comms job actually picks up the phone to relay on an important message to you via this masthead, which has the largest industry readership of any by a country mile. I know I don’t always practise what I preach and follow through on every call you make to me. But it’s not because I don’t want to, or am cowering in the corner hoping the issue will go away. Half the time, I’m just plain exhausted.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

NEWS 9

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

Volvo sets new record for electric truck

A VOLVO FH Electric heavy-duty completed Australia’s longest electric truck journey to date, travelling 1185km from Brisbane to Canberra.

Volvo Group Australia’s public relations and media manager Matt Wood and director of product and performance Shayne Commons took turns behind the wheel. “The trip took us just over 20 hours, so it was a lot longer than a diesel truck – but the purpose of the exercise wasn’t to suggest everyone needs to use electric trucks over diesel. The aim was to see what we could learn

about charging networks and how much time it was going to add,” said Wood. “In the electric space, Volvo is really pushing for urban distribution, not interstate transport.”

Wood added the truck was charged eight times. “We could have gotten away with seven charges but did an extra top-up charge. We were using 350 kilowatt hour DC chargers that are part of the Evie Network.”

Evie currently has an electric vehicle charging network of over 150 sites around Australia, all powered by 100 per cent renewable energy.

The Volvo FH Electric heads down the Pacific Motorway.

“The reason we used them is because they run solely on renewables and are fast chargers.

The charging time was on average an hour and a half,” said Wood. “One of the things we didn’t anticipate was the load sharing at some of the sites – so if someone else plugs into one of the other chargers, it does slow down the charge.

“We used about 2100 kilowatt hours of energy. Because we were using renewables we were charged 64 cents per kilowatt hour. So that’s where we deliberately wanted to make sure we were using as much renewable energy as possible.

Our support driver travelled in a support car, which was also electric,” he said.

“We wanted to ensure our energy usage calculations were spot on, so we used an electric range simulation tool, which is a Volvo thing. We saved about 1.2 tonnes of carbon compared to using a diesel truck.”

To meet fatigue regulations, Volvo used compulsory rest times to charge the truck.

The trip follows regulatory changes allowing truck widths to increase from 2.5m to 2.55m.

The truck was charged using renewable energy.

Before this change, most overseas-built models were just a few centimetres too wide to meet Australia’s previous design rules. Now however, the Volvo FH Electric can legally drive on Australian roads.

The truck was used to deliver Australia’s first zero-emissions logistics vehicle for the emergency services, an FL Electric for the ACT Emergency Service Agency (ESA).

“At Volvo Group we are always trying to push the boundaries to decarbonise heavy transportation faster,” said Volvo Group Australia president, Martin Merrick.

“Recently announced provisional changes to front-axle weight restrictions have enabled

this journey and have shown what is possible in terms of zero emission intercity transportation, but we need to see permanent changes harmonised on front axle weight restrictions across every state and territory to accelerate next generation sustainable mobility and meet our climate targets.”

The Volvo FH Electric is the largest in Volvo’s heavy-duty electric truck stable. Launched earlier this year, it’s one of the only OEM heavy duty electric trucks available to order with a range of up to 300km.

It is however heavier than its diesel Volvo FH counterpart.

In the electric version, it’s 7.5 tonne on the steer axle, compared to the diesel version at

about 6 tonne on the steer axle.

“That was why we had to do so much work lobbying to get the legislation changed to be able to run them on public roads,” explained Wood.

For the trip, the Volvo FH Electric was loaded 32.2 tonne gross. “So about 10 tonne lighter than a fully loaded semi,” he said. “And the load weight would make a huge difference.”

As Wood concluded, “There really does need to be some work done on heavy vehicle charging infrastructure, especially in towns. I dropped the trailer twice on that trip in order to access the charger. Even in Sydney we caused mayhem because there are a lot more electric cars on the road now too.”

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10 NEWS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truckie thanks first responders

A small army of first responders worked tirelessly for more than four hours to free Chris Scullin from the cab of his semitrailer on the Newell Highway at Bidden.

LUCKY-to-be-alive truckie Chris Scullin still can’t recall anything that happened between 2am on the day his world was turned upside down in a horrific crash, and nine days later when he came out of the coma.

But he is in no doubt about who he owes his life to – the small army of first reponders who worked so tirelessly for more than four hours to free him from the cab of his semi-trailer on the Newell Highway at Bidden.

More than two years later he returned to Gilgandra recently to personally thank them all and let each of them know how grafeful he was that they were all on hand to help save his life after his truck had slammed into an overturned B-double blocking both lanes.

“They get out there and save the lives of complete strangers, and they don’t of-

ten know what happens to them in the end. I want to go and say thank you very much for what they have done for me because I am still alive,” Scullin said.

“I was in a coma for nine days, but for more than a

month I couldn’t communicate properly.”

In the April 2021 crash, Scullin shattered the left side of his face, broke his nose and his right arm, and is left with a titanium eye socket.

He also has a left frontal lobe brain injury and post-traumatic amnesia.

Among the NSW SES road crash rescue operators to attend the scene on the day was Geoff Kiehne, who said the rescue was one of the most complex he’s been a part of.

“It was so complex because of the weights involved and how the two trucks were literally bound together.

When you move something, it could impact the patient greatly, so it was very slow, and the maneuvers were very slight and particular,” Kiehne explained.

“This was all happening while paramedics were working on Chris – one up on the roof, and one in the cab watching to make sure there

wasn’t anything moving onto Chris when we were moving the trucks.”

Kiehne, who is also a paramedic, was thrilled to be reunited with Scullin, and see the recovery he’s made since the incident.

“I’ve been a paramedic for 40-odd years and this is the first time I have had someone come back to me after a long recovery period to say thank you.

It’s pretty unusual,” he said.

Scullin will always feel indebted to those who came to his rescue in more ways than one.

During his recovery, doctors noticed abnormalities in his test results, leading to a cancer diagnosis.

“If Chris hadn’t had the accident, he’d be dead because of the cancer, as he had no symptoms at all. The accident was a blessing in disguise because the doctors picked up the problem and saved his life,” said his wife Jo.

[L-R] NSW SES member William Flood, NSW Ambulance paramedic Troy Jones, Jo and Chris Scullin, and Fire and Rescue NSW firefighters who attended the scene of the crash.

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Stranded driver praises truckies

Michael Turner called out on the UHF a few times and no-one answered.

A TRUCK driver who got stranded in Western Australia due to a faulty fuel gauge has thanked his fellow truckies for their kind efforts to help.

Michael Turner was stuck 46km outside Norseman for hours earlier this month after the truck he had borrowed suddenly died.

He told Big Rigs: “I was using a hire truck because we had blown the motor off the truck I usually drive.

“We drove the hire truck back to Adelaide, loaded up a load of timber and came back.

“But the fuel gauge was faulty. When I filled up, it said it was full at the border.

“I ran out before I got to Norseman, and there’s only 717km from the border to Norseman.

“The gauge said I still had a quarter of a tank left, and then the truck just suddenly died on me. I lost all power.”

Thankfully, Turner was able to get the truck safely off the road.

“I was 100 tonnes so pretty heavy.

“It was lucky enough where it happened that I was able to wrangle the truck into a parking bay.”

Needing help, Turner put some calls out on the UHF channels and contacted a company for roadside assistance.

“That company wanted $3000 to come out from Coolgardie and they wouldn’t bring fuel. So, I don’t know what the

purpose of that was.

“I also called out on the UHF a few times and no-one answered.”

Turner, who works for Fennell Forestry, then decided to post in two Facebook groups he is a member of – WA Truckies and Big Rigs and On the Pads SA. “I got plenty of responses from both,” he continued.

“WA was great, there were guys hitting me up and sending me messages.

“There was one guy, he was just 48km out. I said ‘I’m at the next parking bay mate!’”

Just as Turner’s knight in shining armour pulled in to help, a towing company from Norseman arrived with fuel at the same time.

“The company that I work for had organised a guy from Norseman to bring me fuel so he brought me 80 litres and followed me back to Norseman.

“I gave him a jerry can of fuel for his trouble, then I filled up my tanks and got going.”

Turner said he was really happy to see how eager other truckies were to help him out.

“It’s good to know that if you’re stuck, there are people who will offer you a hand.

“I’ve always done it myself, I’ve always helped people or offered to help. I’m glad that I’m not the only one out there.

“It’s a great community and I just wanted to thank everyone who contacted me.”

NEWS 11

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

Laurie’s dream diner an oasis for truckies

BY KAYLA WALSH

A BRISBANE woman has set up a café for truckies in Western Australia in memory of her partner, a truck driver who passed away in 2018.

Claire Woolmer and her partner Laurence Latham had planned to retire together just months before Latham tragically died of leukemia.

Woolmer told Big Rigs: “We were due to retire in October 2018 and we had planned to head to WA to do a bit of travelling.

“Then we talked about buying a roadhouse or café and not

doing much in our retirement.

But he died suddenly that July.

“He had leukemia, he had gone into remission, but it came back.”

Heartbroken, Woolmer still decided to go to Western Australia and make their dream a reality.

“I said to him, ‘I’ll keep going.’

“I’ll do what we wanted to do, and keep the dream going.”

Woolmer had her eye on a café on Shenton St in Menzies, and had tried to buy it previously but the owner didn’t want to sell.

“I just sat back and waited

and eventually she pulled the pin on it and I won the tender on it.”

After putting some love and care into the café, Woolmer reopened it as Laurie’s Diner a month ago – and it’s been a huge success so far.

The café recently catered for 30 or 40 truckies who were stranded in Menzies due to fires.

“There are about 30 or 40 trucks stuck here at the moment,” she said.

“When the roads got closed I actually called the truckies that were stuck up the road and said, ‘Come on down. I’m open, I’ll stay open all night to get you all

fed if I have to.’”

Woolmer prides herself on being “old school” in the fare she offers truckies, from a big breakfast to a roast dinner on a Sunday evening.

“It’s like a truck stop meal. I give them a piece of bread and butter with every meal,” she added.

She said that her partner,who was a truck driver for 45 years, always wished there were more places for truckies to just pull up and have a chat with other drivers.

She chose Menzies because of its isolated location, as well as its beautiful sunsets.

Claire Woolmer, pictured inset with late husband Laurie Latham, made their café dream come true in WA.

“Laurie spent most of his life on the road, working for different companies and driving all over Australia.

“He always said he wanted to see WA by daylight. He’d

seen everything by night, being a truck driver.

“He loved sunsets and sunrises, and they are just beautiful here; he would have loved them.”

Road funding in regional NSW ‘too little, too late’

THE NSW government has announced that $80.3m in funding is finally hitting the banks of regional councils to help fix country roads – but a NSW truckie has described this as “too little, too late”.

Shane Buck, who has been an owner-driver for 38 years, claims the roads have been neglected for far too long and are now in a “shocking” condition.

“The government are just grandstanding,” he told Big Rigs.

“They have let the country roads get in such a bad state that crews working full-time for 5, 10, 15 years could not fix them. We do not have enough manpower to repair the roads with the state they are in now, even if we had the money, because of the lack of maintenance.”

Buck, who lives in Cobram on the border of NSW and Victoria, does most of his runs in those two states, as well as going up to Queensland.

“I’m based just on the border but we do a lot locally from Tocumwal through to Griffith, Deniliquin, and then we go up to Far North Queensland.

“There are a few roads in NSW that are great, that have

been done in the last five years.

But a lot of the time, ‘repairs’ consist of a ‘reduce speed’ sign.

“The Newell Highway is absolutely disgusting. If you go up to Bourke, through Kidman Way. “Kidman Way, between Darlington Point and Jerilderie, would have to be one of the most uneven roads on flat ground in the east coast.”

He said the condition of the roads is “extremely dangerous” and is causing crashes, as well as costing owner-drivers and fleet owners a lot of money due to added wear and tear.

“We’ve got to check our frames when we come through there and we’ve got to check what chunks we have missing out of our tyres.

“The potholes that are on the roads that aren’t being re-

paired are extremely dangerous on loaded trucks.

“We see the reports on multiple crashes where steers have let go and trucks roll over.

“And a lot of the time the steers let go because of the damage caused by sharpedged potholes.

“It’s costing me a lot of money and repairs to front ends of trucks.”

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12 COVER STORY

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

‘Not what we expected’

Two years since moving to a remote farm in the middle of the desert, this well-known water drilling family opens up about how far they’ve come.

BY DANIELLE GULLACI IT was a major tree-change of sorts for the Haighs, selling up their Queensland home and moving 3000 kilometres away to a remote 5000-acre farm, about 200 kilometres north of Alice Springs.

Though in reality, husband and wife duo Danyelle and Anthony Haigh and their two boys – nine-year-old Heath and four-year-old Theo – hadn’t spent much time at home in years. Instead, they lived their lives on the road, going anywhere and everywhere for their business Murranji Water Drilling, which they’ve been running since 2014.

They’d be pulling road trains through some of the toughest terrain – Anthony in his Western Star 4964 and Danyelle in her 2015 Mack Superliner, which she’s named ‘Pink Bits’.

They sold their family home and many of their possessions in the hope of providing a more settled life for their kids.

All the while launching a new hay business to cater to the local cattle industry. Theirs is one of only six farms in the Northern Territory to be producing hay, which is the property’s main source of income.

They have a lease to buy agreement on the farm, with the hope of eventually purchasing the property for just under $7 million.

It’s taken a lot of hard work to get the farm up and running and launch their new business endeavour, and they’re still on the road water drilling too, although not quite as much

Danyelle was excited for the farm to get its very own sign, which was installed recently.

as they were. “At the moment we’re probably on the road a month and then spend a month at home – that’s how we’ve been going since June,” said Danyelle.

“We had slowed down with the drilling, but with everyone realising there’s going to be a drought, we’ve got a lot more work on in that area. We’re trying to stick to the southern end of the Northern Territory and the Barkly. But if one of our long-term clients rings and says we desperately need you, of course we’d do it.”

Since their move, the Haighs have endured many challenges, from the difficulties of setting up a new business, to having to battle nearby fires to keep their home – and their dream – safe from harm’s way.

When Big Rigs spoke with Danyelle earlier this month, the family had only just made a quick dash home while enroute to Mt Isa, due to fires encroaching on their property. Thankfully, they were able to get things under control, though at the time the fires were still burning just 5km away.

“Anthony had worked on stations before when he was younger so they had to back burn and that sort of thing – it wasn’t really familiar to me at all. It’s not something we had really thought of until we were here.

“The whole move here is not what we expected at all.

This has been 10 times harder than we both anticipated or could have predicted with the amount of breakdowns

Danyelle, Anthony, Heath and Theo recently met Sam, The Travelling Jackaroo, while on their travels.

The farm currently runs three pivots to grow hay, but the Haighs are planning on adding more.

The family has still been hard at work water drilling, together with building up their farm and hay business.

we’ve had. Anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. But we’re starting to see an improvement,” reflected Danyelle.

“I miss my family terribly though, that’s been one of the hardest things, because Anthony and I are both very family orientated, so that’s been a struggle for us all including the kids – they miss their nan and pop and their cousins, but we had some family spend Christmas with us last year which was really good.”

As for their kids, they’re in their element on the farm.

“For Heath and Theo, they’ve kind of been on the road their entire lives anyway, so they’re getting a bit of that normality now. I’ve really seen them flourish being on a station and having all the animals around.

There’s always something to do and build!” Danyelle added.

The Haigh family became familiar faces in trucking after their regular appearances in

hit television series Outback Truckers – and more recently starred in their own reality show called Outback Farm, produced by the same company, Prospero Productions.

The six-episode series aired on 7Mate, after premiering in August. Filming for the show started in February 2022 and concluded around March 2023.

Danyelle admitted, “After watching the show ourselves, it’s shown us just how far we’ve come.”

With Danyelle and Anthony both being truckies themselves, their business model is centred around the fact that they can not only grow the hay, but also transport it themselves, enabling them to be more competitive.

At the property, they’ve put in a 28-hectare field serviced by massive pivots, which provide irrigation to grow the hay.

“The hay side is going really well, we can’t actually keep up

Nine-year-old Heath and four-year-old Theo love splashing in muddy puddles when the family hits water.

with the demand. We’re in the process of trying to do some more improvements. We’ve actually had a few requests lately from WA to cart our hay over there because they’re in drought there. We have talked about it but want to make sure our existing clients have what they need for the year first.”

There are currently three pivots on the farm. “But we want to put in more,” said Danyelle. “To maximise our water licence, we’re allowed to have two more, as we’ve been allocated a certain amount of water.”

The hay season typically begins around September/October and runs through until around March, though heat and rain play an important factor. “If we get rain, the hay grows much quicker because of the nutrients. And because one of the pivots wasn’t actually fully running for the whole season last year, we should be able to get a lot more hay this year. But we’re expecting the next wet season to be quite dry,” added Danyelle.

Already, their hay venture has seen them travel many thousands of kilometres, delivering their product throughout the NT. “We’re trying to keep it local and it’s all to cattle farms. We did eight loads each just to one station.”

With the hay component now running along nicely, Danyelle says there’s a few other things on the cards at the property too. The couple has opened a caravan park and accommodation at the farm, and are hoping to further build on the tourism aspect.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

The 5-star Mog Motel

With a lot of tinkering and welding in his shed, a Moama jack-of-all-trades has turned this former troop carrier into the envy of onlookers.

“We can be pretty self-sufficient”- Andy Harrison’s Mercedes Unimog camper.

BY DAVID VILE

“WELL, it’s a step up from swagging it I guess; we pick a spot to camp and go for it!” said Andy Harrison with a grin as he nodded towards his 1987 Mercedes Unimog 1700-litre off-road camper, which has been a back-shed project of his for the last couple of years.

Somewhat of a departure from a Nissan Patrol or Toyota Landcruiser with a caravan, Andy’s ‘Mog’ has been kitted out to leave the blacktop far behind.

Andy had the Unimog on

show at Echuca’s American Iron Show in September, just over the Murray River from his home base of Moama, with the big Mercedes having been modified over the last couple of years.

“It was just prior to Covid, I wanted to get an army truck for a project and deck it out as a camper,” he explained.

“We tried to pick up a couple at Bandiana at the army auctions and didn’t do any good but got this one privately in Albury - it was a troop carrier with the flat tray with canvas and the bench seats in the back, so we just gutted

Andy Harrison with his home-modifed Unimog. Photos: David Vile

IT WAS A TROOP CARRIER WITH THE FLAT TRAY WITH CANVAS AND THE BENCH SEATS IN THE BACK, SO WE JUST GUTTED IT, STRIPPED IT BACK AND WENT FROM THERE.”

ANDY HARRISON

it, stripped it back and went from there.”

Keeping the original tray and frame, Andy had zips put

The Mercedes is kitted out with everything from a double bed to bike racks and toilet.

into the canvas sides and began the fit out of the rear deck, completing much of the work at home.

“I’m a jack-of-all-trades, I don’t mind tinkering and welding in the shed; so, I just nipped down to Bunnings for some merbau decking, got some LED lights off eBay and went from there. It has a double bed, TV, diesel heater, slide out dunny, shower and of course the grog fridge,” he said with a smile.

On the exterior, the outfit is kitted out with a couple of solar panels on the roof with a couple of plug-in panels to keep all the gear fully charged, and on the outside there are a myriad of accessories including mountain bike racks, a slide out barbecue, a rear deck and plenty of LED lighting.

Andy has also fitted communications gear and 24-volt winches to both the front and the back of the ‘Benz in case he finds himself in a predicament off-road; “If you get stuck in one of these you often have to get yourself out,” he said.

The Mercedes was purchased with only 19,000 kilometres on the clock and was in good condition mechanically. Andy undertook a few modifications to get the Mercedes riding nicely on the road, without losing its offroad prowess.

“Ben Nash, a mate of mine from Mog Central in Canberra was a big help, he supplied the wheels and helped with the fit-out.

“It’s not a fast truck - it will chug along at 85-90km/h but with the coil suspension it holds the road beautifully.

They are fairly foolproof and there was nothing wrong with it mechanically, all we needed to do for the roadworthy was fix a tear in the driver’s seat,” he said.

The Mercedes is fitted out

The Unimog even has a shower annexe on the side.

with Michelin 395/85-R20’s which have a ‘run flat’ capability and obviously have a considerable footprint on the ground, which also enhances the ability of the truck to tackle just about everything off road.

“It’s ridiculous really, it has shocked me where it can go, we had some young blokes come up from Melbourne with their four-wheel drives to do some of the Victorian high-country tracks and they were amazed where we went it’s very capable” he said.

Andy and partner Donna have taken to Mercedes down the Mornington Peninsula and have also had a few trips to the Victorian high country hitting a few tracks with their mountain bikes which ride neatly on the back of the truck.

Andy is currently working on getting some water tanks built and fitted to extend the unit’s ability to keep ‘off the grid’, and he reckons for the

money he has invested the project has been a worthwhile one.

“The truck cost us $17,000 and we have probably spent that much again on fitting it out to suit our needs, to get a new Land Cruiser and caravan you’d be looking at a couple of hundred thousand dollars.”

The Unimog was getting plenty of interested onlookers at Echuca and Andy reckoned the truck always seems to pull a crowd whenever they set up camp. But his efforts have paid dividends, allowing Andy and Donna to get out and explore and enjoy what Australia has to offer.

“We’ve got the house on the back and we’re in no rush to get anywhere - when we do, we can have it set up and be cooking a feed in 15 minutes.

“We have got the rear deck there to chill out, so we just back her right up to the riverbank, sit on the back with a beer and chuck a rod in, its bloody perfect!”

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16 EVENTS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truckies unite to take a stand against bullying

Eager to do something to help their own children – and the wider trucking community – a Bendigo couple has launched a unique annual event.

Event co-organiser Andrew Lattin was thrilled with the turnout.

Macway Logistics owner Shane Martin and DD16 driver Shaun Smith. Photos: Graham Harsant

BY GRAHAM HARSANT

WHEN it comes to supporting charitable causes, no one does it better than the truck industry.

Saturday, November 4 was no different when Andrew Lattin and his wife of two weeks, Sandy Davis, put out the call for truckies to come to the Bendigo Showgrounds and show support for their brainchild, Truckies Against Bullying.

The idea to stage the event began in June when the couple talked of their children’s experiences.

“Both our son and daughter have been the victims of bullying and harassment, and we were wondering how we could make a stand,” Lattin says.

“Then we thought, hey, we’re part of a huge trucking community. Let’s make some

noise and organise something.

This would be a double first – as in a show dedicated to truckies against bullying, and also the first truck show to be held in Bendigo.

“I’ve gotta say, I was a little worried three weeks ago when we had all of four trucks registered. Even last night we still only had 25 confirmations, so to stand here and see over 45 truckies, their families and of course their pride and joys here today, as well as the public who’ve attended brings a tear to my eye. This is only the start and we can build on it from here.

“In addition, we have The Victorian Brotherhood and Headspace, as well as Tim May, an Ambassador for BEEFitUP Australia, here to offer their expertise. Then there’s the stallholders who’ve come to support

Haylee Codrington in front of dad’s truck.

us, not knowing if it would be worth their while.”

Lattin says Truckies Against Bullying is not just about kids but all who’ve suffered at any age – men as well as women.

“We have to push the fact that there’s help out there for the blokes. There’s far too many who go down the suicide path and the trucking industry is not immune – in fact I’d suggest quite the reverse.

“We have guys spending 14 hours a day driving down the highway for days on end. It’s a lot of time to think, and negative thoughts can build up pretty quickly with sometimes dire consequences.

“Forty years ago this industry was a brotherhood. We used to have gutter parties; a truckie would break down and there’d be 40 trucks pulled up behind him. You’d be sitting

there having a couple of drinks, a barbecue on the side of the highway. It doesn’t happen now. Everyone’s on a schedule and it makes for loneliness big time. The UHF can’t substitute for face-to-face human interaction.”

Of course, Truckies Against Bullying would not have been possible without the attendance of those aforementioned trucks and their drivers/owners.

Shane Martin, owner of Macway Logistics at Sunbury arrived with driver, Shaun Smith and two Freightliner Cascadia’s – a 60” cabbed DD16 and a 36” DD13. An unabashed fan of the brand, Smith also owns an Actros which he loves, but was looking for more space for his drivers.

“During Covid I said to my wife I’m done eating in service

stations. I wanted something where I can have a meal and prepare it in there. And this DD16 – the first one on the road in Victoria – has everything in it. It’s got big a fridge, it’s got the microwave, it’s got everything. It was that good that I got the DD13 as well.

“The 13-litre DD13 is unbelievable! It’s got the smaller bunk but there’s still plenty of room. It’s got all that the big cab has, but on a smaller scale and the fuel economy is fantastic.”

While the DD13 is double rated, both trucks only pull singles, carting hanging meat from Melbourne and Murray Bridge to Auspork at Derrimut and Wilmeat Cut Meat in Sydney.

Why did Smith turn up on this day?

“I’ve got two teenage boys.

And one was bullied back when he was a young fellow too. I saw the Facebook page and I just thought, this is great so I jumped on the bandwag-

Tim May gives Ross Transport’s special T909 the thumbs-up.

on. Then, when they said they were going to do a truck show, I said, yeah, no problems at all, mate. Let’s do it.”

Tim May is a mental health ambassador for BEEFitUP Australia who do charity work for Australian Horizons Foundation based in Far North Queensland. When May speaks, he is worth listening to as he’s been to the edge of the precipice, having attempted suicide two and a half years ago. He’s also been in and out of trucks for the better part of 30 years.

“People need to know that there is help out there for bullying – which can happen at any time and at any age – as well as mental health,” May says.

The biggest problem is nobody knows how to talk about it.

“Nobody knows how to say I’m having these problems, I’ve got these things going inside my head, I’m being bullied and I don’t know how to talk about it. I don’t know who to talk to.

And the biggest thing is ‘I’m a man so I don’t want to appear unmanly’. A lot of men don’t know how to say, ‘Can I talk to you? I need to talk to someone’.”

“Truckies face a lot of problems: the loneliness, the distance. We know it’s not conducive to happy families.

You’ve got to be a certain type of woman to put up with your partner being away for a week or sometimes weeks on end.

And the kids have got a dad that they sometimes hardly know.

“Then there’s the reason we’re here today – bullying.

It doesn’t matter your age, it doesn’t matter your gender.

Bullying needs to be stamped out. If you’re a bully, please go and talk to somebody, see if you can get through what’s going inside your head. Stamp out the bullying at the source, stamp it out at the bully.”

Continued on page 18

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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 November to 31 December 2023 or while stocks last.

Whilst every effort is made to limit the impact of delays, due to current global supply chain challenges, some products may not be available in all retail outlets during the promotional period.

* Calls from Australian landlines are generally free of charge whilst calls from mobile phones are typically charged based on the rate determined by the caller’s mobile service provider. Please check with your mobile service provider for call rates.

18 EVENTS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Supporting a worthy cause

Roger Bolding, left, with nephew Cooper and his 4900 Western Star.

From page 16 ROGER Bolding turned up with his 2012, 4900 Western Star powered by an ISX Cummins through an 18 speed Road Ranger. Bolding has had to do a bit on the 1.9 million km ex-Nightingales truck with its 50” Stratosphere cab.

“I did about 8000km and it dropped a liner so I had to rebuild the engine. Not long after that I had to rebuild the front diff. It’s had a clutch, it’s had a turbo – just general maintenance but yeah, it all costs money.”

On the show, Bolding comments: “It’s not just bullying, it’s mental health, it affects a lot of people nowadays and if this can raise a bit of awareness, it can only be a good thing.”

Victorian Brotherhood is a group this writer is familiar with; my youngest son joining the Facebook page early in the group’s formation.

“Victorian Brotherhood started in the COVID era

when there were a lot of guys that were by themselves and struggling,” said member, Steve.

“A few guys got together, started the website and it just exploded from there. We’re basically just a mental health support group that’s focused around suicide prevention and support. We do a lot of outreach in the community like today, just spreading the word that there are people there to talk to – other guys – because as guys we do this really, really badly.

“It might just be a chat, some banter, or it might be a serious conversation. It sort of doesn’t matter because if you’re talking that’s a good start. And slowly, slowly we’re trying to break the stigma of men’s mental health.

“There’s a lot of men that have experienced bullying, which is why we’re here today. It can be physical, it can be verbal, and it can be really insidious. That’s the problem with bullying. It often be-

comes the victim’s ‘fault’, because no one else is prepared to do anything about it. So, the person getting bullied believes that they’re at fault for it.”

Set up in Victoria, the Brotherhood now has over 20,000 members on its private Facebook page.

“That page is aimed solely at men, but there is also a public page where men, women, and people from overseas can get to our information and our resources,” said Steve. “There’s always a sympathetic ear out there. When I say ear, there’s hundreds, if not thousands of them. And it’s just knowing that there are people out there who’ve been through whatever you’re going through. There’ll be someone in the Brotherhood who’s been there as well and has come out the other side or is working through it at the moment.”

Justin Burfurd also thought the show had great

[L-R] Charlotte Enever, Alissa Woods, Coll Travers, Ella Westblade, and Haylee Kennedy from Bendigo Headspace.

Victorian Brotherhood members.

Justin Hunt proudly shows off his eye-catching Kenworths.

merit so arrived in his 1998 Iveco 6500. Bought for a mere $5000, Burfurd has obviously spent a lot more on the truck.

“When we bought it, it was a non-runner, a real piece of s***. My partner and I also run a mechanic business as well, so we did it up over two years. We stripped it down to the rails, pulled the engine out and all the diffs. We did a cab swap because it was a day cab and we wanted a bunk.

The driveline, everything is rebuilt including the interior which now has a fridge, TV and microwave. Obviously we repainted it as well.”

Burfurd has also added a bundle of chrome to the truck.

“And why not? Chrome’s not just for Kenworth owners! And it attracts attention.

Not every day you see an Iveco with so much bling. Can I give a shout out to Phil Smythe from Visual Creations in Ballarat who did the scrolling?”

Headspace is another organisation who lent its support to truckies Against Bullying.

Focused on early intervention mental health support for young people, there are now over 150 Headspace centres around Australia, in-

cluding Bendigo.

“We have a range of fact sheets, resources and information about so many different topics that young people actually experience,” said Bendigo spokesperson Haylee Kennedy.

“We’ve also got resources for parents, family and friends to help support young people who may be victims of bullying.”

“We also assist young people aged 15 to 25 looking at career pathways and employment,” adds Colleen Travers. “It could be casual work around school or it could be looking at longterm careers.”

Headspace offers an online or telephone counselling service that young people, parents, family and friends can access from 9am to 1am seven days a week. You can also be involved in group chats as well. To find the closest Headspace centre to where you live, go to headspace.org.au Of course, no truck show can be without its Kenworths and amongst the many present were a T610SAR and a T909 belonging to Justin Hunt of Hunts Transport out of Maiden Gully near Bendigo.

An owner-driver for five

years, Hunt did his time with Keith Thompson at Castlemaine before deciding that if Thompson could do it, so could he. He now has four trucks, all Kenworths.

Thompson surprises me by commenting that the 909 has just had a replacement engine.

“Really,” I reply. “It’s not that old, is it?”

“2012 with 2 million km on her,” he replies regarding the truck which looks brand new. Like the others present, Hunt came to support what he regards as a very worthy cause.

Already, Andrew Lattin and Sandra Davis are organising 2024, with a two-day event taking place on October 5-6. You can find out more on the Truckies Against Bullying Facebook page.

Scan the QR code for more information on the Victorian Brotherhood.

20 READER RIGS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Reader Rigs proudly supported by

Milly MC sent us this ripper shot of Ozzy from National Heavy Haulage hauling a 8m wide Hitachi EH5000 chassis.

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!

Dave Hely sent us this fantastic shot of his truck strapped down at Gurnang State Forest.

Luke Curtis snapped this great pic at Reef Hills rest parking bays while en route to Melbourne.

We love this shot of Lance Turner’s Mack Superliner returning to East Pingelly from Kwinana with a load of fertiliser, taken by Arthur Van Boven.

Thanks to Mick Godlewski for sending in this great shot snapped before heading out on a “maiden trip” with an important message on the trailers.

“Out playing in the red dirt of Western Australia” - thanks to Nic Risk for this ripper shot.

Cheers to Shaun Payne for this great pic, taken during an early morning unload at Austral Bricks in Horsley Park.

READER RIGS 21

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

When the going gets tough, truckies keep everyone going

Thanks to Ann-Marie Hicks for this snap of Hitch Haulage’s brand new Kenworth T909.

Steve Grant sent in this special tribute pic in honour of his late work mate and friend Matty Nattrass who passed away on his way to work on October 30.

Riley Turner sent us this fantastic shot of his uncle’s Kenworth T909 and Kennedy mini-b setup leaving home in the morning.

Tyson English took this ripper pic just outside of Inverell, Northern NSW.

Aaron Fuller sent us this snap of his truck southbound on the Hume.

Wayne Rogerson getting ready to head for Melbourne out of Sydney.

Robbie Were sent us this great shot of his truck parked up for the night out the back of Mount Magnet, WA.

22 EVENTS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Family fun for a good cause YOU could feel the excitement at Goulburn Convoy for Kids this year, as thousands of people turned out for a day of family fun.

With triple the number of rides, amusements and entertainment than ever before and over 200 trucks registered, the event was a roaring success.

Matt Whyte from Madden’s Stable Bedding led the convoy to Goulburn Showgrounds, where a carnival took place all day long.

There was live music from local artists Jamie Agius and The

Corbys, as well as face painting, a petting zoo, train rides and much more for the kids.

Outback Truckers star Yogi Kendall and his truck Polly Jean (PJ) were also a major draw on the day, and Kendall was happy to pose for photos and chat to fans.

The well-known truckie and his crew also acted as judges for the awards handed out on the day, with Peter Fitzgerald from Fitzgerald Livestock Transport taking out Best Overall Truck.

Vice president of the Goulburn Convoy for Kids commit-

tee, Emily Townsend, told Big Rigs: “The day was an astounding success, despite the hot and windy weather!

“We always strive to improve on the year prior and we will feel we more than achieved this.”

Best of all, the fun was for a great cause, with over $70k raised for charity.

All money raised will go back to Convoy for Kids Goulburn to help them fund or support initiatives throughout the year for local sick, disabled and disadvantaged children and their families.

CATEGORY WINNERS The Bill McMahon Trophy for the Best Fleet Muscat Haulage The Jason Sasse Trophy for Best Cat Powered Kenworth Max Van Der Plaat, Plaat Transport

The Baily Thrower Trophy for Shiniest Truck Geoff Lawton, Lawton Freight Best Overall Truck Peter Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald Livestock Transport

Best Truck Over 30 Years Old Matt Webb Committee Member of the Year Alison Johnson

Divall’s Bulk Haulage represented at the event.

Photo: Amanda Herringe.

Peter Fitzgerald from Fitzgerald Livestock Transport took out Best Overall Truck. Photo: Amanda Herringe.

Muscat Haulage were awarded Best Fleet on the day.

Photo: Amanda Herringe.

Platts Transport went home with the trophy for Best CAT Powered Kenworth.

Leslie Refrigerated Transport showed off this beauty of a Kenworth. Photo: Amanda Herringe.

Yogi Kendall from Outback Truckers brought his famous truck, PJ, and was happy to pose for photos. Photo: Grahame Logg.

Matt Whyte from Madden’s Stable Bedding led the convoy.

Photo: Grahame Logg.

Multiquip Aggregates got in the festive spirit.

Photo: Amanda Herringe.

Some of the trucks paid tribute to those gone too soon.

Photo: Grahame Logg.

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24 EVENTS

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Email kayla.walsh@primecreative.com.au with your event details

Trucking good fun near you Club, expressions of interest are open now for the Castlemaine Rotary Truck Show. It’s the 35th time this show has taken place and attendees can expect an even bigger event this year. There’ll be plenty of trade exhibits, market stalls, new award categories and some surprises too.

promises lots of fun for all the family, with displays of vintage and veteran cars and trucks, antiques, historical machinery, and more. There will be a swap meet from 6am both days, and camping is also available. For more info contact Graeme on 0428717623.

JANUARY

Livestock Bulk and Rural Carriers Association Conference 23-24 February, 2024 Wagga Wagga, NSW lbrca.org.au The annual LBRCA, held at the Range Clay Target Shooting Range and Function Cen-

Geelong Classic Truck and

Tassie Convoy 4 Kids is back on November 25.

HERE are a few major trucking events happening near you to mark in your diary.

Tassie Convoy 4 Kids November 25 Pontville, TAS www.facebook.com/sunstruckshow The Tassie Convoy 4 Kids is back this year on November 25, departing the Glen Lea Road in Pontville at 4pm.

Truckies are encouraged to decorate their vehicles with tinsel and lights to get in the festive spirit. The Top 10

trucks in the convoy must register in advance by contacting Emma Bygrave on 0448 810 441. Otherwise trucks are encouraged to turn up on the day. All money raised will go towards the children’s ward at the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Castlemaine Rotary Truck Show November 25-26 Castlemaine, VIC rotarycastlemaine.org.au Held at Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve and organised by the Castlemaine Rotary

Machinery Show January 13-14, 2024 Geelong Showgrounds, VIC classictruckandmachinery. com.au The Geelong Classic Truck and Machinery Show is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2024, and tickets are already on sale. The weekend will feature everything from trucks to farm machinery to a vintage tractor pull, with a huge variety of model clubs and hobby displays. You can even catch a cannon firing, a military enactment and an aircraft engine demonstration.

Allora Heritage Weekend January 27-28, 2024 Allora Showgrounds, QLD allorashow.org.au The Allora Heritage Weekend

FEBRUARY

tre, is a gathering of fellow truck owners and drivers, government, suppliers and industry representatives to focus on the needs of rural and regional heavy vehicle transporters.

Issues range from unfair infringements and regulation to unsafe loading and unloading facilities. Attendees can also expect a trade exhibition, the Young Driver of the Year Award presentation, Gala Dinner and Auction Spectacular.

MARCH

Kyabram Mack Muster 2024 March 16-17, 2024 Kyabram Showgrounds, VIC kymackmuster.com

The Kyabram Mack Muster is a must-attend for Mack fans, featuring all Mack models and associated brands, but it’s also open to other truck makes.

There’s free entry for exhibitors, with a Friday BBQ at the showgrounds and a meal at the Kyabram Club with a guest speaker on the Saturday night. For further details phone Dave Willis on 0428 692 753, John Laffan 0427 484 247 or Tim Daws 0458 868 988.

Have you got an event you’d like included in the next Save the Date? Email all the details to kayla.walsh@ primecreative.com.au.

The Geelong Classic Truck and Machinery Show is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2024.

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Freight Specialists bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. Their intricate knowledge of transport and warehousing across Australia provides a strong foundation for Ramco’s comprehensive logistics solutions.

Yet, merging such advanced software into daily operations isn’t only about the technological aspect; it’s about comprehending the nuances of the business’ functions and strategic objectives, an area where FourPL, a leading Australian owned supply chain provider, holds significant expertise.

Including FourPL in this partnership was a considered strategy. Their role exceeded the mere implementation of software. They were instrumental in confirming that the technology was in complete alliance with the companies’ operational strategies and overarching goals. Their expertise was essential in refining processes and making the digital transformation journey less daunting, demonstrating the critical

Ramco says Freight Specialists bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table.

importance of informed guidance in successfully navigating digital adaptations.

This partnership represents a harmonious fusion of technology and industry knowhow.

The result is a system that provides: • Automated billing without manual intervention – reduces manual effort and time • Visibility of freight across the life cycle of an order – faster responses to customer queries and less time spent by the customer service team • Real time transactions for operations – no backlog to be done manually • Usage of mobile apps for all execution related activities in TMS (Trip Execution, Hub Receipt, Hub Loading) & WMS (Putaway, Picking, Loading, etc.)

• Updated status of all stock in every warehouse anytime using Dashboard reporting – provides senior management quick view of how operations are doing at any given point of time While there are several logistics providers in the market, what sets Ramco apart is their commitment to innovation and their ability to seamlessly integrate technology into the logistics landscape. One unique aspect of Ramco’s of-

fering is their ability to provide end-to-end visibility across the supply chain. This real-time data sharing ensures that everyone involved in the logistics process is on the same page, which, in turn, leads to smoother operations and higher customer satisfaction.

So, why did Freight Specialists choose Ramco as a partner? It comes down to a shared vision of excellence. Ramco Systems recognised in Freight Specialists an unwavering commitment to quality and a profound understanding of the logistics industry. This rigorous process involved the selection of Ramco for its unique integrated system, addressing existing gaps and promising to unlock business value. The decision to opt for an integrated system over a point solution was a bold but well-founded choice.

In the world of logistics, where precision is paramount, the partnership between Ramco Systems, Freight Specialists, and FourPL is a beacon of professionalism and innovation. It doesn’t merely aim to meet customer expectations; it exceeds them.

In the context of the logistics industry’s central role in the economy and the critical role of 3PLs, having a cutting-edge logistics management system

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is essential. Freight Specialists, an innovative player in the 3PL space, recognised this need and embarked on a significant system implementation effort in partnership with Ramco Systems and FourPL. The partnership was structured as a three-way collaboration between Freight Specialists, Ramco, and FourPL, with each party playing a crucial role in ensuring the success of the transformation effort.

Such transformations are often fraught with challenges and can end up being messy.

Yet, this was among the ones that succeeded, thanks to total ownership by Freight Specialists, Ramco’s highly flexible

and client-centric approach to implementation, FourPL’ s strong process orientation and experience in enabling change, and a very disciplined and collaborative culture of interactions/dialogues that helped overcome inevitable challenges along the way.

Kate Le from FourPL emphasised the collaborative effort that defined the project, “It was a big team effort, and it’s great to see FourPL team contribute to the success of Freight Specialists’ transformation project!”

Rafael Acosta from FourPL expressed pride in the unwavering commitment of the partnership between FourPL,

Ramco, and Freight Specialists. “In the collaborative spirit that defined the entire project, FourPL, RAMCO, and Freight Specialists united to successfully implement the RAMCO TMS, WMS and Finance Modules, ensuring that Freight Specialists’ personnel have the tools they need to thrive in their roles,” he said.

“Built on a foundation of trust and transparency, our partnership was unwaveringly committed to empowering Freight Specialists to serve their customers more effectively than ever before. We are proud to have contributed to this journey, working alongside such dedicated and skilled teams to achieve these important goals.”

The perfect fusion of Ramco’s Transport Management System integrated with their Warehouse Management system and backed by their ERP was the key focus to deliver an enterprise solution. The partnership between Ramco Systems, a global enterprise software leader, and Freight Specialists, a prominent logistics service provider, was a match creating partnership.

Both companies shared a vision of optimising operations, enhancing transparency, and redefining customer experiences.

The decision to opt for an integrated system over a point solution was a bold but wellfounded choice.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Netstar launches cuttingedge AI dashcam solution

NETSTAR, a leading provider of fleet telematics solutions, is proud to announce the launch of its innovative AI Dashcam solution, a game-changing addition to its comprehensive fleet management offerings.

This state-of-the-art solution is set to redefine the way

businesses manage their fleets and enhance road safety while simultaneously improving operational efficiency.

Netstar’s AI dashcam combines advanced artificial intelligence with cutting-edge camera technology to provide real-time insights into

Cabin Facing Camera. Driver Status Monitoring (DSM) uses an in-cab driver-facing camera to monitor phone usage and to ensure a seat belt is worn.

fleet operations. The solution is designed to help fleet managers and drivers make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and optimise their operations.

Key features of Netstar’s AI dashcam solution include: • The Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) uses a road-facing camera to provide the driver real-time visual indication on safe following distances and forward collision warnings.

• Driver Status Monitoring (DSM) uses an in-cab driver-facing camera to monitor early signs of driver fatigue, phone usage and to ensure a seatbelt is worn.

• In-vehicle audible/voice and visual notifications coach drivers in real-time to rectify risky driving behaviour on the spot.

• Cloud-Based Platform: The solution’s user-friendly cloud-based platform allows for easy access to video footage, reports, and data, promoting data-driven decision-making.

Netstar’s AI dashcam is compatible with a wide range of vehicle types, making it a versatile solution for business-

NETSTAR IS COMMITTED TO EMPOWERING BUSINESSES WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO MANAGE THEIR FLEETS EFFECTIVELY, REDUCE RISKS, AND IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY.”

MICHAEL EMANUEL

es across various industries, from logistics and transportation to construction and delivery services.

“Netstar is committed to empowering businesses with the tools they need to manage their fleets effectively, reduce risks, and improve operational efficiency,” said Michael Emanuel, managing director at Netstar Australia.

“Our new AI dashcam solution combines cutting-edge technology with artificial intelligence to provide unparalleled insights into fleet operations. We are excited to offer our customers a game-changing tool that will enhance safe-

Road Facing Camera. The Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) uses a road-facing camera to provide real-time output on safe following distances and forward collision.

ty, reduce operational costs, and drive productivity.”

Netstar is a leading provider of fleet telematics and vehicle tracking solutions, serving businesses in Australia. With a focus on innovation, Netstar continually develops and enhances its technology to help businesses improve safety, ef-

Bendix has Japanese trucks covered for brakes MOST of the trucks sold in Australia every year are Japanese, with Isuzu, Hino and Fuso being the favoured brands for many applications that need light and medium duty trucks to get a job done.

In recent months, Bendix has grown its Protrans brake pad offerings for these brands, catering for both late and earlier model examples.

In some cases, range coverage spans back to the early 1990s – it’s a good thing too because the reliability of these trucks sees plenty of earlier examples still out on the roads.

The ProTrans Disc Pad range include improved surface technology, high temperature resistance and

ficiency, and productivity in their fleet operations.

The new AI Dashcam hit the market in mid-November 2023. To learn more about Netstar’s AI Dashcam solution and its benefits for fleet management, visit netstaraustralia. com.au/fleet-telematics-solutions/ai-dash-cam/.

reduced wear rates which all contribute to reliable and high-performance braking as well as reduced running costs.

A further advantage is reduced brake noise, while mechanics and workshops will also appreciate the easy installation aspects of the product.

At the heart of the range is Bendix’s application of high-quality friction materials which are essential to meet the braking requirements of modern commercial vehicles – the pads provide a strong, predictable friction level regardless of the temperature, speed or axle load.

There’s also titanium bedding-in tech-

The Bendix ProTrans Disc Pad range is available on a range of trucks including the Fuso Canter and Fighter ranges.

In recent months, Bendix has grown its Protrans brake pad offerings for the popular Japanese badges.

nology to ensure a positive pedal feel right from new.

Bendix understand the enormous forces that come into play when heavy vehicles brake under load, and have developed products that have been extensively tested in Australia’s most difficult operating environments and climatic conditions to meet these requirements.

The range also meets ECE Regulation 90 (ECE-R90).

This measure specifies the design, construction, performance requirements and test protocols for strict European regulations, this includes

testing for braking capabilities, speed sensitivity, cold performance and other parameters.

Bendix also offers brake shoe kits and special heavy-duty ProTrans HD Disc Pads for selected models working in extreme applications.

The Bendix ProTrans Disc Pad range is available for selected Isuzu models including variants from across Elf-, N-, F-Series; Hino 300 Series; Fuso’s Canter and Fighter ranges, and the heavy duty Quon from UD Trucks.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

NTAW set to distribute Dunlop tyres down under

NATIONAL Tyre and Wheel Limited (NTAW) recently announced it will soon begin the wholesale distribution of Dunlop consumer and commercial tyres in Australia and New Zealand.

NTAW is the largest independent tyre and wheel importer and wholesale distributor in Australia and New Zealand, currently importing 2.7m tyres and wheels each year.

The announcement follows the signing of an agreement between NTAW and Goodyear Dunlop Tyres.

NTAW’s distribution of Dunlop tyres will begin this

month, November 2023, in New Zealand and in April 2024 in Australia.

The agreements will have an initial term of five years from the commencement of the Australian agreement.

Dunlop tyres will become available through Tyres4U, which is a business of NTAW. Dunlop is one of the world’s best known tyre brands, taking its name from John Dunlop who invented the pneumatic tyre in 1887. The new distribution arrangements strengthen NTAW’s tyre portfolio by adding exclusively imported premium car and truck tyres.

NTAW’s new distribution arrangements add exclusively imported premium car and truck tyres from the Dunlop brand.

Dunlop products can largely be accommodated within NTAW’s existing wholesale distribution businesses with procurement, warehousing, logistics and sales for the brand being entirely complementary with the group’s existing operations.

Tyres4U specialises in the distribution of market-leading brands in all major categories of the tyre industry – and will become one of the primary distribution businesses for the Dunlop brand.

As a tyre specialist, Tyres4U says its competitive advantage lies in its range of fit for application tyres across all industry segments, coupled with years of expertise and passion to support the tyre industry and its customers. This makes it well placed to assist customers in selecting the right tyre to satisfy all needs.

Tyres4U offers a selection of products for truck, bus, agricultural equipment, forestry, earthmover, lawn and garden equipment, ATV, forklift, specialty industrial machines, and a comprehensive range of quality passenger, light truck, and 4×4 tyres.

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Dunlop tyres will become available through Tyres4U, which is a business of NTAW.

Tyres4U operates in every state and territory of Australia and has 11 separate distribution centres, strategically situated throughout Australia, as well as three branches in New Zealand.

Tyres4U is steeped in history, with its origins dating back to the 1960s, when it was started under the name of Avenue Tyre Service. Since then, it has grown into the largest independent tyre importer and wholesaler in Australia. It has been operating under the name Tyres4U since the 2000s and was purchased by NTAW just a few years ago.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTAW, Tyres4U has the ability to leverage off the other companies that form part of the group.

Tyres4U currently employs in excess of 200 staff including highly trained experts in the fields of agricultural, OTR, forestry and truck tyres. The team of customer-centric staff ensure they go the extra mile to add value to their customers and support their business objectives.

With a competitive and sustainable pricing model, Tyres4U helps ensure customers find the best fit for their tyre

needs. The business focuses on a value-adding approach to customers rather than competing on price.

Tyres4U also understands that a tyre problem can quickly become an emergency that costs time and money. That’s where emergency roadside tyre support TEN-24 comes in. Servicing the truck and bus industry, TEN-24 operates in over 200 locations across all of the major trucking routes in Australia. When an emergency tyre incident occurs, our aim is to get you moving again within three-hours of your call.

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FEATURE 29

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

Where the grass is greener

Marcus Rogers with young Denver.

FAMILY owned and operated since 1987, Turfco harvests premium turf and delivers it across the Illawarra, South Coast, and Southern Highlands areas of NSW. The turf is grown in beautiful green pastures about two hours south of Sydney in the picturesque town of Berry, at their home base on a 150-acre farm.

Variable weather and moisture levels can cause difficult conditions on the

farm, meaning the weight of a truck filled with product is never a set number for Turfco.

“In favourable weather, a pallet of turf can weigh around 600kg but in wet weather, which has been pretty prevalent the last few years, it can get up to 1.8 tonnes.”

With an eye to future business growth, Turfco’s general manager, Marcus Rogers, decided the fleet

could use the help of a vehicle that had payload capacity to handle the rainy season and ease the burden of unpredictable weather.

He visited Dwyers Truck Centre in Coniston, NSW and settled on a new Isuzu FYJ 300-350 Auto twin-steer truck. Featuring a GVM of 30,000kg and a GCM of 45,000kg, the FYJ 300-350 8×4 can carry huge quantities of turf or anything else that needs transporting.

The FYJ twin steer model was specifically chosen for its weight bearing and load sharing advantages, with four axles providing the advantage of more flexible weight distribution and stability than smaller trucks in their existing fleet.

The FYJ’s 6-cylinder engine packs plenty of punch with an output of 257kW at 2000rpm and maximum torque of 1422Nm at 1400rpm. The truck also features ABS braking, a Front Underrun Protection Device (FUPD), and a load sharing front suspension equaliser with shock absorber fitted as standard.

Rogers said Turfco had been using a variety of Isuzu trucks for decades, starting the fleet with second-hand Isuzu SBRs before buying their first brand new truck in 2002.

The fleet has since expanded to five trucks, all purchased from their local Isuzu dealership, which they’ve dealt with since the late 90s.

“With our new twin steer FYJ, we can get more grass on the back than ever before.

This means fewer trips and a shorter workday for everyone, which makes life a lot easier,” said Rogers.

More than a third of the staff at Turfco joined the business over 10 years ago,

with retirement being the main cause of most staff leaving the farm.

“You spend so much of your life at work, if you can make it a nice environment to be in, you hope that people will stick around a bit longer,” said Rogers.

In terms of the company’s operations, Rogers says, “Everything is done on apps, all the way down to our trucks – all of our Isuzu trucks have trackers in them, which give us automated ETAs to pass on to customers. I think our point of difference is rooted in our service to customers… we like to show people that we appreciate them.”

The farm also features Turfco’s unofficial mascot cows, which are painted for any occasion that tickles the fancy of business owner (and resident artist) Scott Parker.

“It’s just something fun we do to engage the community and ties in with lots of other things we do for the community and charity groups,” said Rogers.

On top of their active involvement in their local community and charities, Turfco also believe in education.

A recent event saw them open their doors to allow customers to learn more about growing and harvesting processes.

The Isuzu FYJ twin steer model was chosen for its weight bearing and load sharing advantage.

30 COLUMN

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Improving heavy vehicle access merous benefits for both local government and the industry.

NHVR EXPERT MELANIE COOPER Project manager SLGAAP

IN the world of logistics and transportation, efficient and safe heavy vehicle access is crucial for the smooth flow of supplies and the success of industries. The Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP) is a significant initiative aimed at enhancing heavy vehicle access, through asset assessments on key local government roads and routes.

SLGAAP has a clear strategic focus – to comprehensively assess assets on key local roads and improve the understanding of asset capability across the heavy vehicle network.

This focus is rooted in the idea that targeting asset assessments on key heavy vehicle routes will yield nu-

Benefits of SLGAAP Whole-of-journey network improvements: SLGAAP takes a holistic approach by concentrating on enhancing the entire journey network rather than isolated assets.

This approach ensures better heavy vehicle access decision-making along routes, ultimately benefiting road managers, local governments, and industry stakeholders.

Streamlined access process: By providing valuable information on asset capability, SLGAAP aims to assist road freight operators in the future to make informed route selections during the application stage. This will streamline the access process and result in higher-quality applications, reducing delays and administrative hurdles.

Identifying priority routes: SLGAAP identifies and establishes priority heavy vehicle routes on local government roads nationally.

These routes serve as critical

This focus is rooted in the idea that targeting asset assessments on key heavy vehicle routes will yield numerous benefits for both local government and the industry.

links between local communities and key freight routes, such as those supporting Australia’s extensive freight task or providing essential access to remote areas.

Optimising network access: Understanding asset capability enables road managers to optimise network access confidently. This means considering pre-approved and gazetted routes where appropriate, ensuring that heavy vehicles can travel efficiently and safely.

What defines a priority route?

Priority heavy vehicle routes, as identified by SLGAAP,

possess several key characteristics: • Regional access: These routes link towns or cities across council boundaries, creating vital connections within regions.

• Traffic handling: Priority routes often handle moderate traffic volumes or significant percentages of heavy vehicles, making them essential for efficient transportation.

• Critical access points: They serve as the primary access points for communities that lack alternative routes. In times of planned or unplanned incidents, they can also function as

relief routes.

• Supporting key land uses: Priority routes connect various land uses critical for industries, including ports, mines, industrial estates, agricultural areas, and more.

Priorities for the next 12 months Over the next year, SLGAAP has several key priorities beyond continued asset assessments: • Integration: The project aims to integrate the national priority heavy vehicle routes dataset into the Spatial Platform in the NHVR Portal. This inte-

gration will facilitate better data access and utilisation.

• Validation: SLGAAP will work closely with local government road managers to validate the priority heavy vehicle routes. This ensures that the identified routes align with local needs and conditions.

Get involved Are you interested in contributing to SLGAAP’s efforts by sharing your insights on priority routes? If so, submit your ideas and help shape the future of heavy vehicle access in Australia at nhvr.engagementhub.com.au/transport-operator-feedback.

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BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

NEWS 31

Roadside barber

BY ALF WILSON

Rebecca Doyle with her barber’s van, which she sets up just off the Bass Highway.

TRUCK drivers are amongst the best customers for barber Rebecca Doyle who operates from a caravan beside the highway at the hamlet of Westbury in Tasmania.

And there are several reasons why, apart from the fact that this experienced barber does a good job with their hair.

“They can park their trucks near my van and walk a few metres and come inside and get their style or cut. If I am busy they wander up the road to a cafe and come back,” said Doyle, whose

business name is Bex Barber.

Some truckies had told me about Doyle and mentioned that most barbers are either in shopping centres or at locations where parking a truck can be difficult – or often impossible.

Several told me it is so convenient when they are passing through Westbury which is off the Bass Highway and about 34km from Launceston.

The Bass Highway is one of the busiest in Tasmania and it is a short detour for truckies negotiating it to pull up at Westbury.

When I stopped to have a yarn to Doyle, she greeted me

FROM the saddle of racehorses to behind the wheel of a truck is the story of 61-yearold Tasmanian driver Craig Luttrell.

Although he never rode in the Melbourne Cup, this former jockey has ridden at the famous Flemington Racecourse where the major race is held.

I saw Luttrell unloading milk from an Isuzu to a bakery in the main street of Ross, which is off the Midlands Highway.

As a jockey, he rode with success in Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and overseas at Noumea in New Caledonia.

He now works for SRT Lo-

gistics and delivers around the Apple Isle.

“I started at Cambridge and am heading to Bicheno on the east coast today. We take milk.

I have been a truckie for 14 months and love it,” he said.

With Luttrell was another driver named Sean Chatters who was also delivering milk into a popular Ross bakery.

Luttrell retired from being a jockey in 2018 and in his heyday his lowest weight was 45kg.

“I am now about 57kg and being 155cm tall was ideal to be a jockey,” he said.

During his long career as a jockey he rode just over 1000

winners. “I was jockey on two Tasmanian Derby winners and in 1981 got beaten on a 1401 outsider in a photo finish at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse. I also rode at Ballina and Coff’s Harbour in NSW and for years in New Caledonia,” he said.

Racing is in his blood and Luttrell also trained 500 winners of greyhound races and finished doing that in 2010.

“I trained the first ever winner named Classic Castle when the new Hobart greyhound track opened,” he said.

Born in Tasmania, Luttrell is relishing life as a truck driver and doesn’t mind the cold.

warmly and said she loves cutting truckies’ hair as many are her regular customers.

“They love having a talk whilst I do their hair and I was so surprised to find out how much some of the bigger trucks cost. A driver was in here the other day and told me his new rig which he parked behind the van cost $700,000,” she said.

Inside her van it is very comfortable, with a heater ensuring customer comfort in the often cold Tasmanian weather.

She has a nice barber’s chair and all of the tools needed to

provide a good cut and also a couch with space for two waiting customers.

“I have been doing this at Westbury for two and a half years and have been a barber for decades. My father was also one. I set up in a caravan to do something different and it saves people having to find parks at shopping centres and walking a long way. Locals come here as well and other passers by,” she said.

Doyle is open from Tuesday to Friday between 10am and 5pm every week and also on the third Saturday of each month.

Successful former jockey onto a winner with new career

Craig Luttrell after winning a group one race at Noumea.

Craig Luttrell works for SRT Logistics, delivering around Tasmania.

“You get used to it,” he said.

I asked Luttrell the reason he wanted to become a truckie at his age. “I used to drive

horse trucks and liked it and applied for a job and got it and this has been great for me,” he said.

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32 TRUCKIE PROFILES

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Truck won’t start without ‘Battery’ on board

His dog Willa was given the nickname ‘Battery’ – “because the truck won’t start without her”.

BY ALF WILSON

SMALL fleet owner Dave Barnes, who travels around Australia making deliveries, is often accompanied by his pet dog Willa, which goes by the nickname ‘Battery’.

It was an unusual place to meet a truckie at an airport and to glean a story from him, but that’s exactly how I met the 48-year-old truckie.

He was standing near an eatery waiting for a flight at Brisbane airport. I saw a company logo on his shirt for a trucking company and asked if he was a driver.

And indeed, he was. His business is called Queensland Truckers – and Barnes and his dog are well known at roadhouses and rest areas around the country.

Why the mutt would be

named Battery really sparked my curiosity so I asked Barnes the reason.

“Willa travels everywhere with me and is called Battery because I say the truck won’t start without her,” he said.

Born at Lithgow in NSW and now based at Newcastle, Barnes started the company four years ago and now runs three trucks – a cabover Kenworth, a Freightliner Argosy and a Mack.

Barnes travels around Australia, getting to remote regions like the Pilbara in WA and around the Northern Territory.

He has an extensive knowledge of the industry.

I spoke to him by phone a few weeks after our chance meeting and he was travelling along the Flinders Ranges in SA, heading for Moomba in the Argosy.

“I am carrying some drilling material. It’s around 32 degrees and hot,” he said.

Barnes loves stopping at the Daly Waters Roadhouse in the

NT, at Roebuck Plains in WA and the day before had called into the Puma at Port Augusta in SA. “They serve up a very good feed there and I do enjoy a big breakfast,” he said.

Barnes grew up on a farm at Wingham in NSW and one of the first trucks he drove was an old International.

A trademark of Barnes is his black Akubra hat.

He also barracks for the Brisbane Broncos during the NRL season – and was still disappointed that the Broncos had squandered an 18-point lead in the recent NRL grand final going down to the Penrith Panthers by just two points.

“I really thought the Broncos had it won,” he said.

However his all time favourite NRL player is retired Cowboys superstar Johnathon Thurston who is known as JT. He led the NQ side to their only NRL premiership in 2015, defeating the Broncos narrowly in the decider.

Dave Barnes was spotted while at Brisbane Airport.

A change of pace down south Inspiring the next generation YOUNG 15-year-old Jack Barnard wants to follow in the footsteps of his proud dad Rob Barnard and became a truck driver.

That was evident when I saw the father and son together at Tasmania’s Rocky Cape Roadhouse around noon on October 23.

Rob was driving a 2012 Mack Trident for Wynyard Contracting Services and had left Burnie with a load of stock feed.

“I am heading down the road with this and it is good to have Jack with me,” he said.

For his part, Jack wants to be a chip off the old block and also drive trucks.

Rob said he liked stopping at the Rocky Cape Roadhouse for several reasons.

“They have good food and it is convenient beside the Bass Highway and you can park out the front,” he said.

He nominated the worst road he gets along as the one

dubbed Britton Swamp near Smithton.

“It is up and down and rough as guts,” Rob said.

Rob praised the Mack which he said had 1.7 million kilometres on the clock.

Outside work Rob enjoys watching soccer and follows the Somerset Sharks Football Club.

“I also polish the truck a lot,” he said.

Aged 51, Rob has been a truckie for more than three decades.

Adam Powell drives a 2017 Kenworth T909 for Troy Arnold Transport.

BORN at Townsville deep in the tropics of far north Queensland, Adam Powell is now a contented Tasmanian who drives a 2017 Kenworth T909 for Troy Arnold Transport in Lillydale.

I saw the 37-year-old stop at the Detention River Roadhouse in drizzling rain, while his log truck was parked across the road.

“I used to be in the army.

I’ve been driving since I was 18 and love the life here in Tassie,” he said.

The worst road he gets on is Birralee near Launceston and when not working he enjoys building houses.

A Brisbane Lions supporters in the AFL, Powell likes stopping at the Detention River or nearby Rocky Cape Roadhouses when travelling the Bass Highway.

Big Rigs met Garry Cullen on a wet and rainy day.

Before moving to Tassie, Powell drove in Queensland carting steel and we yarned about his early life in Townsville where I live.

“I was born there and lived in the suburb of Garbutt,” he said.

I asked why he liked driving Tasmanian roads in preference to Queensland.

“The highways down here are generally shorter,” he said.

Rob Barnard and his 15-year-old son Jack. Photos: Alf Wilson

Over four decades on the road FOR many years Garry Cullen drove trucks at Gladstone in Queensland, delivering furniture.

It was under rather unusual circumstances that Big Rigs got to meet and yarn to the veteran truckie, who now enjoys life in a vastly different climate in Tasmania.

Rain was falling when the 67-year-old pulled up across the road from public toilets near a beach at scenic Wynyard in northern Tasmania.

He walked across and after leaving I saw him and

asked if he’d mind having his picture and truck snapped for Big Rigs.

“I would love to,” he said.

Not wanting to get my expensive digital camera damaged or broken by the rain, I took his pic under the covered area outside the dunny with the Scania in the background.

Cullen works for Statewide Independent Wholesalers and loves the Scania G450.

“It is a brilliant truck,” said Cullen, who has been

driving for 46 years. “I am delivering groceries from Launceston for the Woolworths at Wynyard.”

A supporter of the Geelong Cats in the AFL, Cullen doesn’t stop at many roadhouses.

“Many are so expensive,” he said.

Outside work he breeds German Shepherd dogs and feels there could be more rest areas in Tasmania for truckies, especially ones with toilets.

“They are starting to put new ones around,” he said.

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34 SPY ON THE ROAD

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Road train blitz heats up SPY ON THE ROAD WITH ALF WILSON

Blitz around NSW/ Victorian border The bush telegraph has advised me that traffic officers have been conducting a blitz on road trains around the towns of Echuca and Tocumwal near the NSW and Victorian borders.

Tocumwal is in the southern Riverina region of NSW and 270km north of Melbourne. Echuca is on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria.

The distance between the towns is about 120km.

“They are not at heavy vehicle inspection stations but roving officers targeting drivers of road trains,” a NSW veteran small fleet operator said.

Apparently the main targets have been the bigger heavy vehicles and drivers have been breached for minor offences.

The mature aged truckie reckons it is nothing more than revenue raising.

Speed limit after BandAid fix

Some drivers have contacted Spy regarding a 40km/h speed limit on a section of the Eyre Highway in South Australia.

They said it is about 25km from Kimba and was damaged by floods back in January 2022.

“The main roads gang came out to repair it but only did a band aid solution and there has been a 40km/h limit on it since. It should have been fixed properly by now and the limit removed,” one told me.

He said that whilst there is no speed camera there, police do patrol the area regularly and have a zero tolerance policy for anybody even a few clicks over the limit.

A sign as you enter Victoria from NSW along a section where a blitz recently occurred.

Rest area shortage

A long time driver who regularly travels the highway between Ceduna and the WA border said rest areas with toilets for truckies were urgently required.

“It is about 500km long and whilst there are three roadhouses they all shut just after dark so we have nowhere to answer a call of nature,” an SA driver told me.

He said motorists – other than truckies – often leave rubbish near an RFDS airstrip located near the highway.

“It is a disgrace and the other day I stopped there and saw empty cans, used toilet paper and other rubbish,” he said.

The experienced driver said that airstrip was located about 90km from the WA border.

A decent pull off area

On the subject of truckies’ rest areas, several drivers have been praising the Baxter Rest Area in WA which is located 68km west of Caiguna, and 115km east of Balladonia on the southern side of the Eyre Highway.

There is a separate sealed area for trucks, which use this location frequently.

There is a dump point and toilet, picnic tables and bins and good mobile phone signal. This is a large area, with

plenty of room.

An interstate driver who stops there regularly in his B-double when in WA said it was really a pull off area but had enough room for eight road trains on a bitumen surface.

“You can have a sleep and rest there and even though vans also use it truckies really appreciate it,” he said.

However the driver did have a subtle warning for drivers who use the toilet.

“Make sure you have your own paper as sometimes there is none there. People steal it,” he said.

Looking to the future

Spy hears that a huge road transport company with more than 100 trucks is looking to the future by exploring hydrogen technology.

This company has a weekly fuel bill of more than $1 million and is hoping to cut back on diesel fuel costs in the future.

I am told the company hierarchy doesn’t want to get into electric motors because they may not suit long distance trips.

“They want to hopefully in the future have Cummins hydrogen motors which would – after an initial outlay – cut fuel outlays by a lot,” a driver said.

PROUDLY MANUFACTURED AND BUILT IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA SINCE 1986

Friendly worker and puma hunter Nico Videla at the Hungry Wombat Roadhouse.

Governments and numerous private sector companies are hoping that such technology can be fast tracked to build on the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles in the heavy transport sector.

This lad said he would like to warn truckies aged above 60 to always look where they are walking to cut the chances of such a fall – especially those wearing rubber thongs if any rain has fallen!

Fall for veteran driver

Grow a mo month

When Spy saw a veteran driver aged in his seventies recently he looked like he’d had 10 rounds in the ring with boxer Mike Tyson.

His face was bruised and he had numerous stitches in a big gash on his head.

The septuagenarian told me he had been walking into a servo after fuelling up when he unexpectedly fell over and landed on the side of his head.

“I was walking up a slight ramp and misplaced a step and the next thing I knew I was on the ground with blood everywhere,” he said.

The old-timer said it was no fault of anybody and staff there assisted until an ambulance arrived and he was taken to a medical facility and stitched up.

Falls for people as they get older are common. In the past few years I have spoken to at least a dozen truck drivers who have had falls.

The result is usually heaps of gravel rash and pain for a while.

Lots of truck drivers around this vast country have participated in the annual Movember for charity month with money raised going to a good cause.

Held during November it is a leading charity changing the face of men’s health on a global stage – focusing on mental health, suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancer.

It started in 2003 and encourages men to grow a mo, with money raised going towards research and programs aimed at early detection, prevention, and support for those affected by these diseases or health issues.

Most of us would know of somebody, whether it be a family member or friend who has been affected and Movember encourages men to speak up, seek support, and take care of their mental wellbeing.

By growing a moustache and engaging in conversations, you help break the stigma surrounding men’s mental health.

Slow ‘Roadhouse’

When roadhouse owners and staff read the headline on this please don’t jump to conclusions and think Spy is criticising your establishment.

It refers to a racehorse named Roadhouse which lined up in race five at Gatton over 1400m on October 2.

In pre race markets, Roadhouse was listed as a 4-1 favourite in the aptly named Movember Men’s Health Stakes.

Spy knows of a dozen or more truckies who had a modest flutter on Roadhouse, with some thinking it was an omen bet considering they patronise such fuel and food stops often.

Roadhouse was up with the pace and looked a likely winner at the top of the straight but faded at the business end to miss a place.

“It is a bloody slow Roadhouse,” one driver told Spy.

Welcoming ‘Hungry Wombat’

When I stopped off at the remote Hungry Wombat Roadhouse in Tasmania on October 26 it was great to see a friendly worker named Nico Videla and after yarning to him I was told he hails from a place I had never heard of.

Videla was run off his feet serving customers and de-

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BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 livering food to tables at the packed roadhouse.

When he had a short break I managed to talk to Videla who said he was from Patagonia in the deep end of South America.

“I am on a 12 month work visa to Australia and love it here. We get many different customers including from trucks, caravans, motorbikes and cars,” he said.

Videla told me he had been a puma tracker at Patagonia, which he said was monitoring big wild black cats.

“I enjoy being a waiter here serving customers,” he said.

Regarding the cold Tassie weather Videla said, “It is similar to what I get at home.”

Videla also got to get close to many different types of Aussie wildlife including a big black crow which was near him looking for scraps as he cleared outside tables.

Hungry Wombat Roadhouse is 176km from Hobart along the Lyell Highway.

Patagonia is a region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. It comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains and is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the many bodies of water that connect them.

Cat chaser

Some time ago we ran a story about alleged sightings of panther like cats around Oz including along the Greg-

with residents at Innot Hot Springs in the Tablelands Region.

Two emergency bushfire warnings were in place for Northern Queensland.

Fire spotted along roadworks

A sign at Wallangarra on the Queensland side of the border with NSW where bushfires have caused damage.

ory Development Road in Queensland, Gippsland in Victoria, some remote parts of NSW and other places.

Suggestions were that they had been pets left by US servicemen after WWII which were released into the wild and bred, or some had escaped from touring circuses.

Spy certainly is sceptical about the existence of such animals down under but those who claim to have seen one would certainly take offence if you told them that to their face.

Having met Videla one could suggest that he be sent to an area in the near future where a puma was

supposedly seen. After all, being a puma tracker, he would have the ideal CV for the job.

Bushfires hold up supplies

Bushfires in southern Queensland resulted in many supermarkets in the far north being short of items because trucks were held up.

These fires were around Wallangarra on the Queensland/NSW border and Tara in early November.

Spy went to his local Woolies supermarket a day after news of the fires and could not purchase some food and milk which are normally plentiful.

There were numerous empty and half stocked aisles, including a popular brand of long life milk.

“The trucks can’t get through and we are waiting for them to restock,” one Woolies worker told me.

On a flight home from Brisbane a few days earlier I could see the extent of some of the fires from a plane window.

There were also emergency bushfire warnings issued in Northern Queensland.

Residents in Jumna Dam and All Nations Mine near Irvinebank in the Mareeba Shire region were told to evacuate immediately; along

In stark contrast to the bush fire danger in some eastern states, Spy was travelling along the Lyell Highway between Queenstown and Strahan in southern Tassie early one morning in late October and saw flames coming from a section of roadworks.

As I drove closer I could see a gang of road workers near a container which had wood burning inside.

It was a freezing cold morning around 7.30am and the temperature was a low two degrees and Spy could only ponder the lads were trying to keep warm.

Rain was falling so there was no danger of a bush fire

and you need a permit down that area anyway.

The Australian and Tasmanian Governments have identified important highway upgrades to support Tasmania’s freight and tourism economies and improve its overall safety for all road users.

Constructed in the late 1960s, the Lyell Highway is the most direct route between Queenstown and Strahan and forms part of Tasmania’s Western Wilds tourism journey.

The Lyell Highway also provides a social and commercial transport route linking residents and businesses.

The highway passes through difficult terrain, winding around the bases of steep hills, creeks and small rivers.

It has many tight curves that do not meet today’s current safety standards and guidelines.

A truck along the section of roadworks on the Lyell Highway where fire was spotted nearby.

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40 PUZZLES 36 PUZZLES 3

4

5

6

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE 8

9

2

3

4

5

6 11

13

8

14

15 17

16

10

20 What is sound judgement, or good sense (6) 21 What are violations of allegiance (8)

19

6/6 DOWN 1 Which chess pieces are most numerous? (5) 2 What bright yellow powder is used for flavouring in Down Asian cookery? (7) 31 In early England, small landholder between What mightwhat we was call aone who leaps or springs (7) gentry and labourers? (6) 2 To depart in a sudden and secret manner, is to 4 What branch of medicine is concerned with diseases and abnormalities of the do what (7) heart? (10) 5 A star that suddenly brightens then gradually fades is 3 what?

What(4) is a frame used as a support (7) called 64 Which film, 1984’s Best Picturean Oscar winner, was(7) Which term describes early settler filmed in Prague? (7) 5 Name an Australian pop and folk group (7) 9 Where was Louis Armstrong born? (3,7) To woman fulfil desires, is to on do29 what 116Which was married April(7) 1945, and died the (3,5) 11following Whichday? commoner holds the lowest hereditary 12 What is the widening channel of a river where saltwater title of honour (7) mixes with freshwater? (7) 1412 In heraldry, what is colour silver?

To contain, is the to do what (7) (6) 16 Millions of records from which US immigration entry 13 Which coverings are worn over the shoes (7) island are accessible on the internet? (5) Who are responsible for cultivating 1714 Which English college was founded

by Henryland VI in (7) 1440?

15 (4) Which fellow rows a boat (7)

16 What are dinner jackets known as (7)

21

13

ACROSS 1 If you are a collector of Clarice Cliff, what do you collect?

(7) Across 4 What Latin American dance is performed by several in single file?storms (5) 3 people What are violent (8) 7 What are lengthwise threads on a loom? (4) 7 8Who cuts hair (6) What is the capital of Liberia? (8) In 1982, who made firstexplains televised or 147interprets break in (8) 8 10 What do we call onethe who snooker? (5,5) 9 12 What areinventor timepieces known astook (6) out more than a Which (Thomas ____) patentsPlain in hisis lifetime?

10 thousand The Nullarbor known(6) as being what (8) 13 What is the last word of “Rule Britannia”? (6) 11 15 Name a popular card game (6) The Misfits in 1961 was the last film starring Marilyn 14 Monroe To be very cold, other is to actor? be what (6) and which (5,5) Native Central and South America, a tamandua is (8) 17 18 What dotowe call one who takes in stolen goods what type of animal? (8) 18 19 Name an employer of servants (6) What cloth is spread over a coffin? (4) is anisinformal word(8) for “a very long time”? (5) 19 20 To What sicken, to do what 21 What disease is also known as lockjaw? (7)

14

15

SUDOKU

Fill the grid so every column, every row and 3x3 17 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

18

16

QUICK CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

7

Find a finished crossword by deleting one of the two letters in each divided square.

10

19

V A T E M P E S T S B A R B E R I E A U S E X P O N E N T N K I C L O C K S T O T R E E L E S S E N L E R F F R O S T Y B R I D G E N A A A U A R E C E I V E R R X O L T M A S T E R M D N A U S E A T E E D R R E A S O N N S T R E A S O N S

11

21

6

8 9

20

DOUBLECROSS

5

12

14

15

16

17

18

13

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

2

Across: 3 Tempests, 7 Barber, 8 Exponent, 9 Clocks, 10 Treeless, 11 Bridge, 14 Frosty, 17 Receiver, 18 Master, 19 Nauseate, 20 Reason, 21 Treasons.

Down: 1 Vaulter, 2 Abscond, 3 Trestle, 4 Pioneer, 5 Seekers, 6 Satisfy, 11 Baronet, 12 Include, 13 Gaiters, 14 Farmers, 15 Oarsman, 16 Tuxedos.

G 1 E N 7 E R A 1 10 L 7 K 12 N O 9W L E 18 D G 20 11E 12

FRIDAY JUNE 12 2020 BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

19

20

4 24

6 10

18

SOLUTIONS

11

13

20

19

SUDOKU G E A R S

E G R E T

R E E D S

ALPHAGRAMS: LEASE, MYRIAD, NEARING, ORGANIST, PATRONESS.

GK CROSSWORD Across; 1 Pottery, 4 Conga, 7 Warp, 8 Monrovia, 10 Steve Davis, 12 Edison, 13 Slaves, 15 Clark Gable, 18 Anteater, 19 Pall, 20 Yonks, 21 Tetanus.

Down: 1 Pawns, 2 Turmeric, 3 Yeoman, 4 Cardiology, 5 Nova, 6 Amadeus, 9 New Orleans, 11 Eva Braun, 12 Estuary, 14 Argent, 16 Ellis, 17 Eton.

DOUBLECROSS

24

22

HARD

EASY

R M I

U T

TODAY: Good 13 Very Good 18 Excellent 24

A C T O R A M A R E V A D E A M A S S S O L O C O P E S A Z O E W E R E N D C R A M I N O D V S T A G E G N E R V E C E D E R A C E D G A S Y S C E N T

C A

A T

29

Across

1 Thespian 6 Spoil 7 Dodge 8 9 10 Gather for oneself 12 Alone 13 Deals with successfully 12 15 Water pitcher 16 Conclusion ALPHAGRAMS 18 Indicate agreement Solve the anagrams. Each solution a one-word 20 isStuff anagram of the letters beside it, and the five solutions 22 Raised platform are sequential. For example, if the five-letter solution 23starts Yieldwith K, and so starts with J, the six-letter solution 16 17 on.

25 Courage 27 Contested in speed EASEL 28 Fuel DIM RAY 21 29 Perfume GRANNIE Down ROASTING 1 South American river TRANSPOSE 2 Mechanical device Insert to 3 the missing Followedletters the course of 5x5 make ten words — five reading 4 theHold in esteem 26 across grid and five reading A G R down.5 Fuss 8 more Donkey Note: than one solution I G may 9 be possible.

Dash 28 11 Female pig S A E 14 Messages R E 16 Come forth All puzzles © 17 Abstract T S S The Puzzle Company 19 Above 21 Mature 22 Dry, of champagne 24 Period of time 26 Forefront

cram curt marc maria mart raita rata rimu tarmac tiara7 Evade, 10 Amass, 12 Solo, 13 Copes, 15 Ewer, 16 End, Across: 1 Actor,tart 6 Mar, tract trait tram trauma TRAUMATIC18 trim Nod, 20 Cram, 22 Stage, 23 Cede, 25 Nerve, 27 Raced, 28 Gas, 29 Scent.

Down: 1 Amazon, 2 Cam, 3 Traced, 4 Respect, 5 Ado, 8 Ass, 9 Elan, 11 Sow, 14 Errands, 16 Emerge, 17 Digest, 19 Over, 21 Age, 22 Sec, 24 Day, 26 Van.

How many words of four letters or more can you make? Each letter must be used only once and all words must contain the centre letter. There is at least one nine-letter word.

No words starting with a capital are allowed, no plurals ending in s unless the word is also a verb.

25

27

QUICK CROSSWORD Across: 1. Iffy 3. Forgiven 9. Partner 10. Inner 11. In the long run 14. Owl 16.

Cacti 17. Eon 18. Hierarchical 21. Brute 22. Maudlin 23. Election 24. Ants.

Down: 1. Imprison 2. First 4. Oar 5. Going without 6. Venture 7. Nark 8.

Undercurrent 12. Occur 13. Inclines 15. Leisure 19. Colon 20. Able 22. Moo.

WORD GO ROUND

14

15

5x5

23

5

7

Down 1. Jail (8) 2. Initially (5) 4. Paddle (3) 5. Abstinence (5,7) 6. Dare (7) 7. Informant (colloq) (4) 8. Feeling, atmosphere (12) 12. Happen (5) 13. Leans (8) 15. Free time (7) 19. Punctuation mark (5) 20. Competent (4) 22. Low (3)

Across 1. Uncertain (colloq) (4) 3. Absolved (8) 9. Associate (7) 10. From inside (5) 11. Over time (2,3,4,3) 14. Night bird (3) 16. Succulent plants (5) 17. Immeasurable period of time (3) 18. Arranged by rank (12) 21. Violent person (5) 22. Tearfully sentimental (7) 23. Poll (8) 24. Colony insects (4)

HARD

3

N I T R E

Fill the grid so every column, every row and 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

22

A S S E T

SUDOKU

23

2

MOORE

SOLUTION

1

21

QUICK CROSSWORD amir amrita aria arum atria atrium attar aura auric carat cart

EASY

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38 CAREERS AND TRAINING

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023 BIGRIGS.COM.AU

Soldier turned truckie hails army training

BY KAYLA WALSH

A SOLDIER turned truckie has praised the Australian Defence Force for its high standards of driver training – and hit out at driving schools in the private sector.

Sydney native David Lynch, who joined the ADF as a teenager and stayed for almost nine years, did his truck driver’s course at the Army School of Transport in Puckapunyal, Victoria back in 1985.

He went on to start his own successful trucking business, Lynch Regional Transport, which he managed for 17 years.

He still drives trucks parttime while studying for a degree in nursing, and said the skills he learned in the army have been a huge asset to him over the course of his life and career.

“Anyone who’s been in the military, you’ll find they’re a different breed from everyone else,” he said.

“It’s disciplined, it’s structured. It’s the culture, the leadership, the mentoring – those are the biggest factors why the Australian Defence Force are the best teachers of skills.

David Lynch credits the training he got in the army for being a safe and reliable driver.

“It’s not just trucks, it’s in transport, logistics, leadership, systems. It’s the way they build you as a person.

“There’s no other structure like that, and it makes you a better employee.”

Lynch, who served in the frontline infantry battalion, said everyone in the army had to learn to drive.

“You had to do the driver’s course because it was a skill that was always needed.

“You did the Land Rover course and if you couldn’t drive manual, they sent you back to

your unit. It was a prerequisite.

“Now nearly everyone who knows how to drive manual in Australia is older, and the younger ones don’t know how.

“A lot of truckies just can’t drive properly, they abuse the trucks.”

Although Lynch did his driver training a long time ago, he still remembers everything he was taught at Puckapunyal.

“You’re not just sitting behind the wheel, you’re actually getting out in the truck.

“You actually know about how to drive off-road, load restraints, regulations, compliance, and maintenance of the truck.

“You know about rules, regulations, and fitness, because that’s what driving is about.

“There’s a perception from drivers, they say ‘That’s not my job.’

“Well, it is, as dictated by the laws and regulations of the NHVR. It’s about compliance and safety.”

He hit out at registered training organisations, claiming that many of them do not provide sufficient driver training.

“With the military, if you

After running his own successful transport business for 17 years, Lynch now drives part-time while studying.

fail your training, you fail. In the private sector, you can do a one or two-day course and they pass you because you have paid for it.

“They don’t want to fail you because you might not come back. It should never be like that.”

He shared a personal experience of a driving instructor who couldn’t care less about ensuring he had the right skills to get his MC licence.

“I had my HC licence from the army, but I still had to get my MC so I went to a driving school in the private

sector,” he said.

“The instructor just said ‘Ah, you know what you’re doing, you’re fine.’

“Then he put his sunglasses on, he had his feet up on the dashboard, and he was half asleep, giving me hand signals where to go!”

Lynch said schools like these are putting “dangerous” drivers on the road and he thinks the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator needs to bring in stricter regulations.

“It comes back to compliance, and the NHVR are the ones who have got to change

the regulations around it,” he continued.

“They need to say, you’ve got to go through a structured process. You can’t just go from one licence to another.

“You’ve got to show written evidence of prior experience driving, the registration of the truck, how many hours you put in driving it, what you did exactly.

“You put it all in a logbook. A competency-based assessment. People aren’t going to like it, but that’s the only way.”

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6/10/2023 10:15

CAREERS AND TRAINING 39

BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24 2023

Volvo launches Iron Women VOLVO Trucks Australia has teamed up with Wodonga TAFE to launch Iron Women, a driver training and licensing

program aimed specifically at females.

The pilot program offers training and heavy vehicle li-

censing to women of all ages and backgrounds interested in a career in road transport.

Some 11 candidates from

The Iron Woman Class of 2023.

five transport companies and three states will be taking part in the Australian pilot program, with the only prerequisites being that they’re employed by a transport company and have a desire to take on a driving role.

Companies taking part include Team Global Express, Southeast Queensland Hauliers, John West Logistics, JATEC and Nolan’s Interstate Transport. One fully funded spot was also offered to a candidate based in Tasmania.

The 3-module course covers all aspects of driver training, from compliance, fatigue management and load restraint to obtaining a Heavy Rigid (HR) licence.

Two weeks of classroom theory will be followed by one

week of on road heavy vehicle training at Wodonga TAFE’s Barnawartha Vic Logic Campus.

Iron Women participants will train in a Volvo FL Electric rigid and a counterweighted Volvo FH 500 I-Save prime mover.

On completion of the program, the participants will receive a Certificate III in Driving Operations.

Then after 12 months on the job as a HR driver, participants will finish their final module of training and undertake their HC licence test.

Martin Merrick, president and CEO of Volvo Group Australia said: “Iron Women programs have successfully run around the world.

“We can see that the trans-

port industry is suffering from a chronic shortage of skilled drivers.

“Anecdotally, we can also see that industry image also plays a part when it comes to women considering a career in road transport.

“We hope programs like these may help shift the dial on the traditional driver stereotypes and show that a career behind the wheel can be both fulfilling and rewarding.”

He added: “We see time and time again in our own business that diverse teams thrive whether it be on the shop floor or in our own headquarters.

“To see that sort of diversity reflected in our future transport industry would be a fantastic outcome.”

service office. I take every chance to attend truck shows, conferences and courses as this industry always changes.

“I like the fact that the Rural Transport Rising Star award is going to highlight the fact that we’re an industry that needs new people coming through in lots of different areas.

She continued, “We only highlight truck drivers and you don’t see all the behind the scenes people that may handle things like scheduling. You

don’t see the 3am ridiculous phone calls, or any of that.”

To nominate someone for this award, you will need to be a member of an ALRTA industry association. Nominations can be made by clicking here and will close on February 2, 2024.

The 2024 Rural Transport Rising Star award will be presented at the LRTAQ/ALRTA Combined Conference in Toowoomba on March 21, 2024.

The 2023 Rural Transport Rising Star winner was Amy Throckmorton.

Searching for rural transport’s next Rising Star AIMING to celebrate and reward the young people building the rural transport industry of the future, nominations for the 2024 Rural Transport Rising Star are now open.

An initiative of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) and PowerTorque magazine, the award is open to anyone working in a rural area or involved in rural transport, who is under 35 years of age.

At a time when the indus-

try is struggling to attract new talent, the award shines a spotlight on and encourage the best in the young people who are working in the rural trucking industry and driving it into the future.

The award is designed to highlight young people currently working across various roles in the sector, creating change and improving the industry, to demonstrate the possibilities for other young potential entrants into our industry.

The 2023 winner was Amy Throckmorton who works as an operations manager for TGR Transport in Geelong, running a fleet of company trucks and subcontractors hauling various loads around the country “I learnt early on that transport is about learning on the job,” she said. “You learn quickly when things go wrong!

My roles have varied from scheduling milk trucks at McColls to running the Kenworth

NEED STAFF?

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)

Advertise your available positions with THE TRUSTED VOICE OF THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY Reach potential employees through NATIONALLY DISTRIBUTED PRINT, ONLINE and SOCIAL MEDIA

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

TREENA HEIT 0421 330 031 treena.heit@primecreative.com.au

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY

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

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