Diesel July / August 2020

SPECIAL REPORT: THE FATIGUE ISSUE

JULY/AUGUST 2020 $7.50 including GST

SPECIAL REPORT

THE FATIGUE ISSUE CHANGES TO FATIGUE MANAGEMENT RULES FATIGUE ACCIDENT REPORT NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FIGHT FATIGUE www.dieselnews.com.au

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FATIGUE REPORT INSIDE >>

RIGHT TRUCK:

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FUTURE ROADMAP

T

his year of disaster, 2020, has shaken up everybody and everything in the trucking industry, as it has in society and the economy generally, but it’s never too early to start thinking about a future roadmap and look at the possibilities, going forward.

Many things have changed this year and will not return to the way they were before. You only have to think about the fact that the pay wave has gone from something some people do, to something everyone does, all of the time.

Video conferencing was clunky and not very effective just a few months ago, and is now a normal way of doing business for many people. At the same time many have found that working from home is actually better than dragging ourselves through a traffic jam to sit in an office and send an email to someone sitting at a desk 15 metres away.

At the same time, the trucking industry has had a glimpse of a world with much less road congestion. Trip times around our big cities were slashed for the period of the major lockdowns. Productivity and safety in trucking received a real boost for a prolonged period.

There is also ongoing uncertainty. Two things have happened, our world has been turned upside down and it came out of nowhere, leaving us feeling insecure that things will never be the same for us in the future. Secondly, the coronavirus has given us a great big uncertainty hanging over all of our heads, we don’t know when things may go further off the rails.

What we need in times of uncertainty is certainty. How do you get certainty?

You have a plan. How do you get a plan? You co-operate and discuss how to move trucking forward and come up with a clear roadmap to where we need to go.

At the moment things are very fluid, there is an opportunity to actually make changes to the way the industry functions and is governed. There is disruption in the economy and disruption in our supply chains.

If there really is to be effective change for the better in the trucking industry, we need to pull all of the competing stakeholders together to develop a unified plan. It is no good the top end of town coming up with a plan, which suits its purposes, and taking it to the powers that be, only for another diametrically opposed plan from owner drivers and small to medium operators to drop into the minister’s inbox.

There should be enough initiatives, which will make the trucking industry a safer, more efficient and more attractive industry in which to work, that we can all agree on. Problems are seen throughout the industry and surely we can come up with a consensus which will see one message from the hundreds of thousands working in our industry.

The economy does need a boost and investment will be needed to kickstart Australia and get us back into economic growth. If the trucking industry presents a clear and unified strategy which will improve the performance of an industry, which represents around 10 per cent of GDP and is capable of being a substantial driver of productivity and economic growth, there is a good chance it will get up, in some form or another.

We have an opportunity, right now, let’s grab it.

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ISSUE 117

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Contents THE RIGHT TRUCK FOR THE JOB

There are not that many Hyundai prime movers on the roads in Australia, but Steve Young reckons he has found the the right truck for the job with his Xcient prime mover. Diesel speaks to Steve and asks him about his operation and how the new truck is performing.

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VERSATILITY IS KEY

J&K Belfield based at Albany in Western Australia epitomises the quintessential small regional trucking enterprise, the backbone of the rural trucking effort in Australia, where versatility is key. Paul Matthei digs deep to find out more.

to be in a situation where is it is all change in the fight against fatigue. Are we entering a very different era in the way we look at and control fatigue?

44 FATIGUE BY THE NUMBERS

26 DAF GET WITH THE PROGRAM

Thanks to the annual NTARC report we can now get a picture of the situation surrounding fatigue by the numbers on a regular basis.

The Australian truck industry has been waiting some time for the point at which DAF got with the program. Diesel Editor, Tim Giles, drives the new flagship model pulling a B-double to find the new DAF range really is right up to date.

45 LOOKING AT A TECHNICAL SOLUTION

35 THE FATIGUE ISSUE Fatigue has been a central and contentious issue in the trucking industry from time immemorial, but now we seem

With the increasing emphasis on safety in the trucking industry, year on year and the intention becoming clear that fatigue monitoring will be included in future regulations, many operators will be looking at a technical solution when developing a fatigue management strategy.

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NEWS AND VIEWS

The chain of responsibility in action, a new man at the ATA, Kenworth mixing classic with modern in a new model, gaps in safety systems, Cummins fuel cell power in Scania trucks and truck manufacturing being back on track are all in the News and Views section of Diesel.

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DISPATCHES FROM THE UK FRONTLINE

Diesel’s European Correspondent, Will Shiers, sends us his dispatches from the UK frontline, where the transport industry coped admirably with COVID-19, giving truck drivers a muchneeded PR boost. But for how much longer will they be flavour of the month?

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TROUBLED TIMES FOR THE US TRUCK MARKET

Last year was an excellent year for heavy duty truck sales in the USA, but these are troubled times for the US truck market as 2020 looks uncertain for two reasons, the economic slowdown and the consequences of COVID-19. Charleen Clarke and Gianenrico Griffini report for Going Global.

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SERVICING OLDER TRUCKS

As truck purchasing goes onto the back burner during a crisis, workshops will probably be servicing older trucks, as operators run them out longer than they normally would. Holding on to trucks a little longer brings different issues for the workshop.

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DISC BRAKE CALLIPERS, CHECK AND ADJUST

Whenever new callipers or brake pads are installed, the calliper self-adjust operation must be checked. If that is working correctly, the callipers must then be set to the correct operating clearance.

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SOLVING ISSUES AND SAVING LIVES

Bob Woodward, Chief Engineer, Australian Trucking Association, is talking about the Industry Technical Council.

32 ALL CHANGE FOR UD MEDIUM DUTY The introduction of the UD Croner means it is all change for UD medium duty trucks as the integration of Volvo group technology across all of its brands and ranges becomes even more apparent.

Image credit: Tom Cunningham

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NEWS & VIEWS

THE CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY IN ACTION After a long wait the trucking industry is able to see the chain of responsibility in action with the announcement of an enforceable undertaking by Laing O’Rourke. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator says it has accepted an enforceable undertaking (EU) from Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction (LORAC) that will see $249,500 contributed to chain of responsibility education.

The EU stems from an allegation by Roads and Maritime Services that on 16 October 2018 and 24 May 2019 LORAC failed to comply with the mass requirements as required by the Heavy Vehicle National Law. The decision to accept an EU from LORAC was based on the fact that this was a first offence under the HVNL. The company had also demonstrated that it had made , ‘significant rectification to its compliance and transport systems and is showing a commitment and willingness for positive change’.

Sal Petroccitto ,NHVR CEO, said that the EU was a first for the NHVR and was an appropriate alternative to prosecution in the circumstances.

“The alleged offences were of the highest

risk category, however there was no manifestation of this risk to public safety, road infrastructure or the environment,” said Sal. “The value of the EU is significantly in excess of any penalty a court would impose and is likely to achieve significant safety improvements to the local heavy vehicle industry, the wider supply chain and the broader community.

“Proper education and training around over mass vehicles lessens the impact on infrastructure and make our roads safer for everyone. While, these offences are always concerning we have been able to achieve a positive outcome here that will benefit all parties.”

Conor Hanlon LORAC General Manager of Rail Operations, says Laing O’Rourke is pleased with the outcome agreed between the two parties.

“We understand the serious nature of these alleged offences and appreciate that the NHVR worked with us in a collaborative way to reach a positive solution,” said Conor.

“The enforceable undertaking will ultimately offer more benefits than an imposed penalty and we look forward to delivering each

Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO.

element of the agreement to the highest standard possible.”

Conditions of the EU include: A commitment that the behaviour that led to the alleged contravention has ceased and will not reoccur, A commitment to the on-going effective management of public risks associated with transport activities, The delivery of a Chain of Responsibility Online Training Course, The delivery of Face to Face Chain of Responsibility Training Workshops, Engaging a third-party to conduct a Transport Safety Management System Audit.

NEW MAN AT THE ATA

David Smith, Chair of the Australian Trucking Association.

The election of David Smith to the Chair of the Australian Trucking Association means there is a new man at the ATA, after the three year term, as Chair, of Geoff Crouch.

The ATA’s AGM elected South Australian trucking operator David Smith, Managing Director of D&S Smith Haulage to oversee the trucking industry’s peak organisation.

He has worked in the transport industry for more than 40 years as a driver, business owner and industry leader through his involvement in associations and committees.

Currently, David is President of the Livestock and Rural Transporters

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DIESEL July-August 2020

Association of South Australia, and former President of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association. He has been a member of the ATA board since 2016.

“I thank my predecessor, Geoff Crouch, for his leadership and advancement of the ATA agenda during his three-year term, as well as the ATA board and council for their support,” said David. “As new chair of the ATA, I look forward to working with our members and industry as we work collaboratively to improve trucking’s safety, professionalism and viability.”

Two new directors were elected to the ATA board, Scott Davidson and Craig Smith-Gander.

Scott Davidson is the Managing Director of QMC Logistics, and Chairman of NatRoad, having joined the board in 2014. Scott says he is focused on ensuring the ATA gives voice to operators large and small as they strive to achieve safe, productive and profitable outcomes for their enterprises.

Craig Smith-Gander is the owner of Kwik Transport and Crane Hire, based in Perth.

Craig purchased the company in 2005, after working in corporate finance, stockbroking, project management and as an army officer. Craig is the Chair of ATA member association Western Roads Federation and president of Surf Lifesaving Western Australia.

Former ATA Chair Geoff Crouch, will remain a member of the ATA board and its council.

The meeting also saw the retirement from the ATA board of Kathy Williams and Geoff Luff.

Kathy led the development of the ATA’s national headquarters building in Canberra and played a critical role in saving the on-road diesel grant, now fuel tax credits.

Under her guidance, the ATA’ s safety accreditation program, TruckSafe, was developed into an individual entity.

Geoff Luff joined the ATA board in 2017 and is a passionate advocate for improving safety and productivity. He is a director of Border Express, a third-generation national transport and distribution services company.

NEWS & VIEWS

ROADRUNNER TRUCK AND TRAILER Orange New South Wales based dealer, Roadrunner Truck and Trailer, has joined the Penske Australia network.

With combined experience of almost 80 years in heavy duty truck and trailer parts, Roadrunner dealer principal, Nigel Smith and his team bring knowledge of both the industry and the customer base.

“With a vision to support customers in Orange and the surrounding areas, I opened our newly-launched Roadrunner dealership earlier this year,” said Nigel.

“I had worked with Western Star, MAN, Dennis Eagle, and Detroit for almost two decades prior to Roadrunner so I am very familiar with both the Penske organisation and the brands.

“Key members of my team include parts manager Adam Wicks and senior parts salesman Mark Harrison, who have both worked in the trucking industry in Orange for decades. They are very wellknown and respected in the community, having established a loyal customer base given their exceptional experience

and knowledge.

“Along with my team, we are very excited by this new venture and looking forward to providing customers in the region with the best parts and the best customer service.”

Roadrunner Truck and Trailer Parts is based in Ash Street Orange NSW, in the heart of Leewood Industrial Estate.

Hartwigs has ceased its representation of the Western Star Trucks, MAN Truck and Bus, Dennis Eagle, and Detroit brands in the Orange region.

CUMMINS FUEL CELL POWER IN SCANIA TRUCKS A grocery wholesaler in Norway is running Cummins fuel cell power in Scania trucks in an evaluation project to test the technology’s viability in longer range road transport. While electric power may prove to be the eventual solution in short range trucks, the fuel cell is fast becoming the favourite to provide a low carbon alternative to diesel in long range trucking.

The relationship between Scania and Cummins has been strong for some time. The pair jointly manufacture both turbos and fuel injection systems. More recently the new seven litre engine in the lower end of the Scania truck range is one developed using a Cummins engine block.

The four trucks running in Norway for grocery wholesale company Asko feature a 395hp (290kW) electric motor (with 210 kW available continuously), a two-speed transmission and 2,200Nm peak torque.

There is also a 56kWh Lithium-ion battery and a 90kW Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell. A PEM uses hydrogen exclusively as the fuel, utilising the chemical energy of hydrogen to generate electricity.

Unlike a battery, a fuel cell system does not store energy. Instead, it relies on a constant supply of fuel and oxygen in the same way that a diesel engine relies on a constant supply of diesel and oxygen.

The on-board charger uses 22kW AC to recharge the on board battery, and hydrogen storage is 33kg at 350 bar.

The vehicle can travel between 400 and

The four Asko Scania trucks feature a 395hp Cummin selectric motor.

500km on a single refuelling.

“We’re always looking for new solutions to power a more prosperous world, but the world has changed a lot since Cummins first opened for business,” said Amy Adams, Vice President Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technologies at Cummins in the US. “That’s why we’re living out our brand promise of innovation and dependability by expanding into new power sources.

“Just as Cummins transformed diesel into a reliable, everyday power source 100 years ago, we now recognise hydrogen’s potential to transform mobility and fuelling infrastructure to make fuel cells accessible on a large scale. We’re excited to have recently welcomed fuel cell and hydrogen production leader

Hydrogenics as the newest addition to Cummins.

“Hydrogenics’ talents, expertise and track record of delivering innovative hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen generation solutions made them stand out from other companies in the space. And because there are so many similarities between Hydrogenics and Cummins we knew we could form the perfect team.”

The acquisition of Hydrogenics was shortly followed by an announcement that the company has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Motor Company to jointly evaluate opportunities to develop and commercialise electric and fuel cell powertrains.

www.dieselnews.com.au

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NEWS & VIEWS

KENWORTH MIX CLASSIC WITH MODERN IN A NEW MODEL

The Kenworth T410SAR.

The launch of the latest truck to come out of Bayswater sees Kenworth mix classic with modern in a new model in the growing range of ‘10s’, this time it’s a T410SAR. This launch sees the familiar and classic radiator and bonnet shape now available on Paccar’s follow up to the release of the more modern styled T410 model last year.

In the larger T610 models truck buyers were offered the modern styling or classic shape simultaneously. This time with the smaller T4 models the rearrangement of engine compartment geography has taken longer to develop with the classic bonnet shape than it did for the more modern, aerodynamic T410.

One of the important considerations was to achieve the traditional look of a conventional Kenworth while gaining the improved visibility and manoeuvrability achieved on the first T410 released.

This new model sees the standard 2.1 metre cabin introduced further into the Kenworth range, leaving only the top end T9 conventional without an option to be fitted with this more modern design and including multiplexed electrics.

“Of paramount importance in delivering new product is the need to maintain the exceptional performance, quality, durability and productivity for which Kenworth is renowned,” said Noelle Parlier, Chief

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DIESEL July-August 2020

Engineer, Paccar Australia. “Our extensive testing and validation process supports this, as does our own research and development, further enhancing product as innovations come to hand.”

The new SAR offers the weight distribution benefits for which the SAR models are known. The new model has been specifically designed to provide for maximum payload under Australian regulations for 19m B-Double, most 19m Quad Dog applications and car carrier specifications, the T410SAR offers a shorter bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) length of 2,850mm.

The T410SAR is available in rigid, single and multi-trailer combinations and is currently available in a 6x4 configuration, with car carrier and 8x4 configurations confirmed for release later this year. Rated at up to 70 tonnes GCM, it is is aimed at local and interstate distribution and suitable for PBS and other heavy-duty applications.

“Feedback from customers on the performance and handling of the T410 has been positive, including feedback received from customers with an integrated Paccar Powertrain, incorporating the Paccar MX-13 engine and 12-speed transmission,” said Brad May, Director Sales and Marketing, Paccar Australia. “The same combination being made available in the T410SAR.”

Powered by the Paccar MX-13, the T410SAR is available in either 460 or 510 horsepower variants. Transmission options are the Paccar 12-speed or Eaton 18-speed automated transmissions, integrated with the Paccar 12volt MX-13 engine.

The Paccar 12-speed transmission features an aluminium main case, internal sensors and wiring, and helical cut gearing. With a torque capacity of 1850 ft lb it is rated to 50 tonnes GCM, and claimed by Kenworth to tick all the boxes in terms of class-leading weight, durability and serviceability.

The Eaton 18-speed UltraShift Plus transmission is available with a torque capacity of 1850 ft lb or 2050 ft lb and a rating of up to 70 tonnes GCM. Both automated transmissions are operated via a transmission stalk controller mounted on the right hand side of the steering column, selecting various transmission modes and exhaust brake is easy with both the transmission and engine brake in one convenient location.

According to Kenworth, moving the transmission controller away from the dash has provided more space in front of the dashboard to allow easier movement around the cabin. The T410SAR also comes optioned with an 18-speed Eaton manual transmission.

As with all of the new models using this cabin configuration, large, adjustable, aerodynamic, multi-way power adjustable mirrors with high strength cast break-away brackets reduce mirror vibration and offer an optimal rear view of the vehicle.

The T410SAR is available with collision avoidance and mitigation technology. The suite of technologies include active cruise with braking and lane departure warning.

Toggle switches provide full control of systems such as engine brakes, engine fan, driver-controlled differential locks and suspension dump valves.

An optional 7 inch display provides access to satellite navigation systems, radio and media functions and virtual gauges, unique to Kenworth. For enhanced ease of operation, cruise control and audio controls are on the steering wheel.

LOOKING FOR THE GAPS IN SAFETY SYSTEMS A fully revamped safety assessment tool which can be used when looking for the gaps in safety systems for trucking operators is now available in the second coming of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulators’s Gap Assessment Tool.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the NHVR’s Gap Assessment Tool had been simplified and upgraded to assist operators to examine their current systems against known risks and recognised best practice.

“Heavy vehicle operators tell us they want a quick and easy tool to assess their business’s safety compliance with their Chain of Responsibility obligations,” said the minister. “Now more than ever we want the entire supply chain working together to assist drivers to operate safely and efficiently.

The re-launched Gap Assessment Tool included a number of new features: Simplified recommendations which link to NVHR resources, website information, and external material such as the Load Restraint Guide and the Master Industry Code of Practice Links to relevant National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme material New easier-to-read format Links to quick briefs and relevant sections of Heavy Vehicle National Law. “The Tool includes a number of relevant questions which can be completed in less than 15 minutes and has been updated to link to the additional support information

such as the NHVR’s Safety Management System material and the Master Industry Code of Practice,” said Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO. “The updated tool replaced the original version which was launched in 2017 and used more than 20,000 times to support major changes to Chain of Responsibility laws which were introduced in October 2018.”

The CoR Gap Assessment Tool can assist parties in the supply chain to identify, assess and manage risks and obligations within the supply chain. Through a series of practical questions, the tool enables you to examine your business practices and system controls against known risks and recognised best practice.

The tool will help you determine your roles within the Chain of Responsibility and enable you to actively identify compliance and safety gaps, either across the entire supply chain or specifically by job role.

The tool provides a dashboard to save reports, and generates recommendations as a PDF checklist based on the questions you answered. The assessment should take between 5 and 15 minutes to complete depending on your responses.

According to the NHVR, every person or company who is a party in the supply chain can benefit from the review of their business using the guided questions in the CoR Gap Assessment Tool.

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NEWS & VIEWS

TRUCK MANUFACTURING IS BACK ON TRACK IN AUSTRALIA With the announcement that Volvo Group Australia is resuming truck production at its Wacol plant in south west Brisbane, Queensland, this means that all truck manufacturing is back on track in Australia and working towards returning to normal production levels.

The COVID-19 crisis saw plants in Australia close. The Volvo plant which assembles both Volvo and Mack trucks was closed due to the coronavirus and the subsequent disruption to shipping and component manufacture. The Paccar plant in Bayswater in Victoria closed for similar reasons, but also to enable an adaptation of the assembly process to ensure the correct social distancing for assembly line workers.

The third truck assembly plant in Australia, Iveco’s in Dandenong, Victoria, did not officially shut down but is running at, relatively, low levels for which component supplies are available.

After its four week shutdown as a result of supply chain disruption, work has recommenced at the Volvo Group’s, Wacol factory, as of May 11, truck production is back this week, in every Australian truck plant.

“Key suppliers, both locally and overseas have resumed the production and shipping of components over the last few weeks,” said Martin Merrick, President and CEO of Volvo Group Australia. “And I’m delighted to see work resume at our world class factory.

“The safety and well-being of our people comes first and foremost. As well the social distancing and hygiene measures currently in place, additional precautions like employee temperature monitoring will also be mandatory.

“Over the last seven weeks we’ve seen the best of the Australian transport industry delivering essential goods, services and people to their destinations

in challenging circumstances. Our dealerships, parts distribution network and workshops have been on hand to support those vehicles during that time.

And now I am very pleased to see our ‘Certified Australian Made’ Volvo and Mack trucks begin rolling out of the factory doors once again.”

ROAD USER CHARGE INCREASE SHELVED A decision by the Federal Government will see the road user charge increase shelved for the 2020-2021 financial year.

According to the announcement, all levels of Government are taking decisive action to support freight operators working hard to keep shelves stocked and essential goods moving during the COVID19 pandemic.

“The Road User Charge, which is set to recover the heavy vehicle share of road maintenance and improvements, will stay at 25.8 cents per litre for diesel in 2020-21 instead of increasing by the scheduled 2.5 per cent,” said Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. “Our response today demonstrates our commitment to supporting the heavy vehicle industry as we put Australia in the best position possible to deal with the COVID19 outbreak.

“Australia’s heavy vehicle industry is crucial to sustaining our economy and distributing critical goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. This freeze will

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DIESEL July-August 2020

ease some of the current pressures on the industry. It is so important we help maintain the supply and flow of medicines and medical equipment and food and essential items to our supermarket shelves at this time. Road freight is absolutely critical to this.”

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said all levels of Government are continuing to work together, along with industry and regulators such as the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, to minimise any unnecessary barriers to freight movement.

“Following the closure of some State and Territory borders, the Federal Government has been coordinating national action to make sure essential workers who aren’t travelling in trains or trucks such as safety inspectors, mechanics and maintenance crew, are able to get to where they need to be with limited disruptions,” said Buchholz.

“The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the National Cabinet have also approved an exemption for roadhouses, dedicated truck stop facilities and truck driver lounges to remain open

so Australia’s heavy vehicle drivers have access to showers, restrooms and facilities to undertake their mandated fatigue management breaks. This is critical to keeping freight moving during the COVID19 pandemic.

“I have been working very closely with industry throughout this pandemic, hearing from operators large and small.

As a Government we acknowledge the transport sector has had two speeds during this pandemic. There are those that have been working relentlessly with greater amounts of freight to move, while many other operators across the supply chain have experienced the opposite and suffered as a result of COVID-19.

“These measures go some way in demonstrating all levels of Government recognise the pressure on the transport industry at this time. The Government has the back of these hard working Australian men and women of the transport industry who continue to work so hard to ensure critical supplies reach Australians when and where they need them.”

WEIGHS LESS, WAY LESS. The Vector 1550 unit from Carrier is one of the lightest trailer refrigeration units on the market (712 kg) and operates with low noise emissions (71 dB). And while Vector 1550 units weigh less, they also offer way more.

Designed using the patented combination of a hermetic compressor with an economizer, it delivers a 40 percent increase in refrigeration capacity during pull down. As a result, Vector 1550 units deliver faster temperature pull down, reaching the desired set point up to 25 percent faster compared to conventional technology and with extremely precise temperature control (+/- 0.8°C).

As if that’s not enough, the Vector 1550 unit’s low fuel consumption reduces its overall carbon impact by up to 19 percent compared to conventional systems, the equivalent of removing 2.8 tons of CO2 per unit per year.

Carrier Transicold Australia Nationwide Ph: 1800 448 166 www.transicold.carrier.com.au

Performance data dependent on a range of operational settings, environmental conditions, and model type. Data is based on the Vector 1550-T Low Noise model. © 2017 Carrier Corporation.

OPERATOR PROFILE

THE RIGHT FOR THE JOB

There are not that many Hyundai prime movers on the roads in Australia, but Steve Young reckons he has found the right truck for the job with his Xcient prime mover. Diesel speaks to Steve and asks him about his operation and how the new truck is performing.

S

ome people like to stick with what they know, when it comes to buying a truck, but there are others who are looking for something different, something which will do the job it needs to do, as well as expand the operation’s horizons.

Diesel met Steve Young and his Hyundai Xcient prime mover in Toowoomba just after he had delivered a load of timber to

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DIESEL July-August 2020

the local Bunnings. Steve’s business is all about hauling fencing materials for a large timber wholesaler Future Wholesale Timber based in Meadowbrook in Brisbane’s South.

The major customer requiring timber for delivery are the Bunnings Warehouses dotted around SE Queensland.

It is mainly materials for fencing, plus sleepersand the like, for gardeners. Steve has been working this contract for over

two years. He has been an owner driver for fifteen years. With over 30 years experience in trucking, he can be said to have pretty much seen it all before.

Starting at the age of 18 as a driver, Steve’s career in the industry has seen him drop in and out of trucking, seeing the grass as being greener elsewhere and then returning to the business and culture he knows.

OPERATOR PROFILE

TRUCK

www.dieselnews.com.au

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OPERATOR PROFILE

There are not that many Hyundai Xcient prime movers on the roads in Australia.

Over the years, there has been some interstate driving experiences and some time spent with road trains. However, there was a lot of running in and around South East Queensland. He has always lived and worked in the Brisbane region and is now settled in Ipswich, not too far from his main collection point in Meadowbrook.

“I just got tired of getting put off all of the time as an employed driver,” says Steve. “At the end of the day I just turned around and told my wife I was going to go and buy a truck. She ummed and ahhed about it, but in the end we got one.”

The first truck was a second hand Iveco which served them well, but in the end it was getting a bit long in the tooth. When the decision to replace it was made, Steve had a look around at the market.

“Because Bunnings facilities are so tight, I have to have something with a good turning circle,” says Steve. “Someone told me about the Hyundai Xcient coming into the country and I did about three months

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DIESEL July-August 2020

of research on it, even before I went and had a look at one.

“Everything which came up about the truck seemed right, and I was talking to my mechanic about the truck, he agreed, its sounded like a good truck. Then when they came in I went down and had a look at it. We decided that was what we wanted and went with it.

“Everything I saw in the research side of it, I could see it would be pretty good.

When we went and had a look at it. it was a lot better than I thought it would be. It was a lot roomier than I had imagined. We were surprised how good it was. I reckon it is finished just as well as any truck you can buy.”

In the timber hauling task it is now working in, the truck is carrying a 24 tonne payload all of the time and Steve has been more than satisfied with the way it will pull up ranges like Cunningham’s Gap when he is heading out to the Bunnings at Warwick.

COMING FROM 560HP DOWN TO 520HP “The hardest thing I have had with the new truck is coming from 560hp down to 520hp in a prime mover,” says Steve. “It is different, but I am very happy with it. I took the truck out the other day with a load on and had my mate with me. As I came up to some traffic lights and was showing him how well the retarder pulls you up, it just about put him through the windscreen. It’s unreal, and he was really surprised.”

The ZF retarder’s effect can be gauged

by Steve when he goes into the vehicle info on the dash. He goes into the LCD screen menus and gets a reading on how well the brake wear is going. The system tells us the brakes have only worn down to 85 per cent, after the many kilometres Steve has done in the last twelve months. Steve reckons this is an excellent performance. In the same system Steve can access the axle weights of the load to help him gauge if the load is correctly placed on the trailer.

OPERATOR PROFILE

“That’s a real advantage to me as sometimes they will load you towards the front a bit,” says Steve. “You can get them to come back a little bit and make the load right. It’s pretty accurate.”

The area Steve covers with the truck ranges from Bundaberg, and occasionally up to Rockhampton, in the North, going South and covering the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales and Chinchilla is the furthest West the deliveries are needed. However, most of the deliveries are in the most densely populated area around Brisbane and the two Coasts, Gold and Sunshine.

“We can do anything up to five loads in a day,” says Steve. “Sometimes it’s just go, go, go. We still get good fuel economy running around suburban Brisbane, most of the time.

“When we run up to Bundaberg, I have been surprised by the way it handles the hill at Cooroy. It’s a hill which will often catch you out but in this truck I only have to drop two gears when I am fully loaded. It will just keep pulling in tenth

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OPERATOR PROFILE

gear and doesn’t lose speed.

“I reckon you could do a Sydney run with this truck and have no dramas whatsoever, if there is one thing, it’s probably that the fuel tanks could be a little bit bigger.”

In terms of fuel economy, Steve is quite pleased to be averaging between 2.4 and 2.7 km/l. An empty trailer gets the fuel use all the way up to 3.7 km/l.

According to Steve, the onset of Covid-19 saw the amount of work he was doing going crazy. The workload has meant that the timber wholesaler ended up running out of stock because demand in Bunnings went ballistic. Since then the overwhelming demand has returned to normal levels and the supply chain has been able to catch back up with more regular demand.

Running on standard hours at the moment Steve is looking at going to the Basic Fatigue Management level. The idea is to give him a bit more flexibility to ensure he can complete tasks well within the rules.

All of the servicing work Steve requires is handled by a local mechanic who he has learnt to know and trust over the years. The only other hands

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DIESEL July-August 2020

“EVERYTHING WHICH CAME UP ABOUT THE TRUCK SEEMED RIGHT, AND I WAS TALKING TO MY MECHANIC ABOUT THE TRUCK, HE AGREED, ITS SOUNDED LIKE A GOOD TRUCK. THEN WHEN THEY CAME IN I WENT DOWN AND HAD A LOOK AT IT. WE DECIDED THAT WAS WHAT WE WANTED AND WENT WITH IT.” which will touch the truck are those at Transport Field Service in Warwick, where Steve originally bought the Hyundai last year.

Steve runs the operation in typical owner driver fashion with his wife handling the books and engaging a good accountant. Over the years Steve has found reliable services like his mechanic, someone to help out with truck finance and insurance and so on.

“I like to keep the truck and trailer well serviced,” says Steve. “My mechanic, John, reckons I go a bit silly with it, but to me if something goes wrong, fix it there and then, no problem.”

Overall Steve has now had a year with the Xcient, one of only a few which have made it to Australia so far. As a new

truck to the market it will always have its detractors, but Steve has found that it delivers exactly what he needs overall.

There are a couple of things he would like to change, the rear mudguards are very European and it would probably be better if the tighter Australian style mudguards were fitted. Also the bunk mattress could be thicker than the standard one supplied and Steve has already replaced it.

If this is the only criticism Steve can come up with for a largely unknown quantity like the Xcient, then Hyundai have done well. For Steve the truck doesn’t cause any dramas, it is a comfortable truck with enough power to do the job and it saves the owner money while it’s doing it.

Proud to be part of the industry. nti.com.au Insurance products are provided by National Transport Insurance, a joint venture of the insurers Insurance Australia Limited trading as CGU Insurance ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 and AAI Limited Trading as Vero Insurance ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 each holding a 50% share. National Transport Insurance is administered on behalf of the insurers by its manager NTI Limited ABN 84 000 746 109 AFSL 237246.

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

IT’S TIME TO TAKE

RESPONSIBILITY

T

he chain of responsibility (CoR) is not new, but it is time to take responsibility for our actions.

According to the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association, it has evolved, but the basic concept is the same: any party in a position to control, influence or encourage on-road behaviours is identified and held accountable.

So why, after more than 20 years, is it still not working?

Australian heavy vehicle laws have included a CoR since 1997. This was carried into the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) in 2012 and in recent years WA has adopted it too.

However, CoR seldom touched offroad parties. When a driver committed an offence there was only one link in the chain, the operator. It was thought that the key failing of CoR was that an incident had to occur before extended liability was triggered. It did not prevent incidents, it merely allocated blame to parties after the fact.

In October 2018, positive general duties and improved investigative powers were introduced. At the same time ‘fairness’ was balanced by removing automatic deeming.

This meant that chain parties were legally obligated to take proactive steps to identify and control risks before accidents occurred and that authorities had sweeping powers to proactively check compliance.

At the core, the reformed CoR laws are no different to workplace health and safety laws. In 2020, Australians expect our loved ones to return from work safe and well.

For a driver, the truck is their workplace.

Drivers have a right to a safe workplace, free from unsafe demands and influences.

ALRTA took it as a positive sign when

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DIESEL July-August 2020

peak farming groups voiced strong concerns about the reformed CoR laws.

However, many primary producers are still not aware of their CoR obligations and so take no action to identify and control risks. In contrast, larger more sophisticated supply chain parties who are well-aware of their obligations will often attempt to limit their own liability by burdening drivers with additional declarations and paperwork rather than changing anything material about their own practices.

The March 2020 NHVR Issues Paper on Improving Awareness and Practices in the Livestock Supply Chain states that “most supply chain members believed road transport operators should manage mass management risks”. This is entirely unsurprising. While all rural supply chain parties publicly claim to support safe roads and workplaces, there is a prevailing view that liabilities for mass, fatigue, speed or loading should not extend to offroad parties.

ALRTA routinely encounters this attitude when working with supply chain parties to improve practices or infrastructure standards. For example: • Effluent Code of Practice: Prominent producer groups oppose a code because information about industry best practice may increase liabilities for those who do not identify and control risks.

• National Ramp Standards: Prominent producer groups have formally opposed the establishment of a standard for liability reasons.

• National Vendor Declarations: ALRTA wrote to SAFEMEAT requesting improved recording of mandatory water withholding periods. Producer groups opposed changes for liability reasons.

• Saleyard Owners: The Australian Livestock

Markets Association (ALMA) publicly argues that CoR should not apply to saleyard owners that do not also operate the facility. This is despite the fact that saleyards are purpose-built facilities for handling live freight.

NHVR, state road agencies and police simply do not have sufficient resources to properly investigate the role of all chain parties when lower-level offences occur.

Infringements for lower-level offences are only ever issued to the driver or operator.

With negligible threat of enforcement action for other chain parties, low-level offences become wide-spread and highly persistent (e.g. a farmer or agent asking for one or two more animals to be loaded onto a full truck so they are not left behind).

CoR has not worked well for high-level cases either. More than a decade ago GrainCorp was successful in overturning 330 alleged overloading breaches attracting $18.23m in fines. More recently, actions commenced by NSW RMS against Forbes and Dubbo Saleyards has only resulted in vigorous political lobbying, a review of the RMS charges, an NHVR Issues Paper and government funding for ALMA to re-write the rules in their own code of practice.

To date, not a single rural supply chain entity has been infringed for failing to take proactive steps to identify and control safety risks. Authorities do not even make use of other means of influencing practice change such as issuing improvement notices and warnings beyond the operator.

CoR laws have great potential to change attitudes and practices. But without a credible enforcement threat the rural supply chain continues to look the other way. How many lives will be lost before we see real enforcement action?

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

VERSATILITY IS KEY

J&K Belfield based at Albany in Western Australia epitomises the quintessential small regional trucking enterprise. As part of a network comprising hundreds of other similar outfits across the country, it is operators like these that form the backbone of the rural trucking effort in Australia, where versatility is key.

Paul Matthei digs deep for Diesel to find out more.

H

usband and wife team Jamie and Kelly Belfield run a tight ship servicing the needs of farmers in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. Theirs is a business consisting of two prime movers, a number of steel and aluminium tippers as well as tankers used to cart liquid fertiliser.

During the busy periods of sowing and harvest, the company engages up to four

subcontractors to manage the workload.

Jamie has been in trucking for most of his working life. After leaving school he did a wool-classing course for a couple of years then worked in a shearing team for seven years. Then he dove headfirst into road transport in partnership with his father.

“Me and the old boy won a contract to cart silica sand to the port so I worked with him for just over 20 years before Kelly and

I decided to start our own company,” Jamie explains. “We’ve been in business for the past five years and absolutely love it.”

The business revolves entirely around the needs of the farming community with commodities including fertiliser (liquid and dry), lime, gypsum and lupins inbound and grain outbound.

“As a small operator, most of the time we are dealing directly with the farmers

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RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

which I think is ideal because you get to know your customers and you can look after them well and they do the same to you,” Jamie says. “When I was working with the old man we carted for a fertiliser company for 16 years and while it was quite a good job, we were always dealing with bigger entities. I prefer what we do now because we’re dealing with the farmers at a personal level.”

Jamie goes on to relate that working amongst the close-knit southern WA farming community means your reputation can precede you, and he talks about instances where he has turned up with a load and the farmer has recognised him from his shearing days some 25 years earlier.

“Once they know who you are they are happy to leave you alone to operate the auger and unload into the silo while they go off and check the cows, they think it’s great

that they don’t have to watch you in case you stuff something up,” says Jamie.

Jamie describes the ebbs and flows of the workload as mostly manageable, although he says it gets a bit hectic around sowing time when everyone wants their liquid fertiliser delivered at the same time.

“We’ve got about 25 loads booked in over the next month which will keep us on our toes,” he laughs, adding that his driver, Scotty Mills, does a lot of the liquid fertiliser deliveries which keeps him busy for at least nine months of the year.

As the conversation continues, Jamie reveals that versatility and flexibility are key ingredients for success with small trucking firms. Put succinctly, while his job order-bank stretches ahead for six weeks, anywhere within that time frame he has the ability to shuffle things around in order to strike the optimum balance between customer satisfaction and peak equipment

utilisation. And, of course, to manage any spike in demand for services Jamie has a shortlist of trusted and reliable subbies he can call on.

GIVING A PERSONAL TOUCH

Jamie Belfield, Owner/Operator.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

“Knowing the farmers on a personal level, sometimes out of the blue they will ring me or text me and ask for a load of fertiliser and I can usually squeeze it in,” says Jamie.

“We have a set number of farmers who we cart grain for and we usually deliver their

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

fertiliser as well. Once they’ve worked out how much they need they ring or text me and I book it in and off we go.

“Most farmers are pretty good to work for, although over here in WA the farms are getting bigger. There are a lot more farms with 10,000 to 20,000 acres than there were 20 to 30 years ago.”

He says this is good in some ways but not so good in others, particularly due to the fact that some of these large-scale farmers decide to invest in their own

trucks and thereafter don’t require his services as much anymore.

Jamie also says there are some big corporates who do similar work in WA but again, being small gives him the ability to duck and weave and pick up work that the bigger outfits don’t bother with.

“The big companies like the jobs where they can put 10 trucks on in one hit,” says Jamie. “They don’t seem so keen on the jobs where one farmer wants 300

tonnes of fertiliser and another wants 50 tonnes, which is good for us.”

Another aspect Jamie sees as vital to a successful business is fleet presentation.

“You need to have your gear presentable, it doesn’t matter whether it’s old or new,” says Jamie. “When you turn up and the farmer can see that you’ve painted all the wheels and everything looks pretty neat he’s more likely to think positively of his decision to engage you to cart his grain.”

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RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

CUMMINS‘N’CAT Interestingly enough, Jamie owns two Kenworth T604s, one with a yellow engine and the other sporting a red powerplant.

Jamie drives the ’07 model with the Generation II Cummins ISX that’s travelled one-million kilometres while Scotty drives the ’06 Cat-powered unit. While the ‘magic million’ kilometre mark is when many operators trade up to a new truck, Jamie has plans to fit a reconditioned engine and keep on truckin’ with the old girl.

“There are a lot of people around here who are keeping their old trucks and fixing them up because the new ones are just too expensive,” Jamie says. “I have a mate who worked for Cummins for seven years and he’s going to rebuild the engine so I can get another life out of it. I bought the truck second-hand in 2017 and I’ve only done a few things to it since then, so to do that many kilometres without having to spend much on it I reckon is pretty good.”

On the obvious question of which engine he prefers, Cat or Cummins, Jamie says he and his Dad have always been Cat men but this latest truck has left him rather impressed with the pre-EGR Gen II ISX. “To be honest, I’m pretty happy with it,” he says. “It’s set at 580hp and pulls the pocket road train nicely and reliability-wise I really can’t fault it.”

While he loves his T604s and has had a great run from them, Jamie quietly concedes that they won’t go on forever. For this reason, he says a new Kenworth T610 SAR is on the wish list, and might just join the fold in the next couple of years.

SOLID ROCK As for the equipment pulled by the Kenworths, Jamie has two sets of Bruce Rock Engineering (BRE) pocket road train steel tippers which he says are ideally suited to his operation.

Jamie has two sets of Bruce Rock Engineering pocket road train steel tippers.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

His experience with BRE products goes back to the early days in partnership with his father when BRE steel tippers were used exclusively to service the silica sand contract.

According to Jamie, BRE tippers are well engineered and built specifically to suit his current operations, with overall value for money another factor that he rates highly.

One of the features he particularly likes about them is the design of the body which he says is ideal for lime and gypsum which are notorious for getting stuck in the corners of conventional trailers, thus posing a safety risk when tipping off.

“With the design of them it doesn’t matter what you are carting, you know it’s going to come out. Especially hauling burnt lime and gypsum, which can get a bit sticky, it’s not often that these products will get stuck in them,” Jamie says.

The reason for this is the radius shaped corners of the floor that don’t allow fine powdery products like lime or gypsum to pack down the way they do in trailers with 90-degree corners.

“It gives me peace of mind when I send my driver out with the BRE trailers because they are a very safe unit in this respect,” he adds.

The high strength and low tare of BRE steel tippers is due in part to the use of high-tensile steel sourced from Swedish company SSAB. The chassis are constructed using high-tensile Strenx 700 while the incorporation of the radius body shape reduces the need for extra ribbing.

J&K Belfield owns four BRE steel tippers which are mostly run in pocket road train (two trailer) format with a tri-axle converter dolly linking the two. The total allowable combination length for pocket road trains in WA is 27.5 metres.

Jamie says the earliest set he currently owns is 10 years old and still performing

well after travelling more than 800,000km, while an earlier set that was bought in 2005 when he was carting sand with his father was recently sold and is still operating on a daily basis to the satisfaction of its new owner.

The fact that BRE team members are very approachable and willing to adopt customer feedback and incorporate these elements into the build, also goes a long way with Jamie.

“The good thing about BRE is that they have a thorough understanding of the industry in which I operate and the flexibility to build the trailers to my specific requirements,” he says.

“With the new trailers I bought from them last year they were willing to incorporate my specific hydraulic hose setup with additional quick release couplings,” he explains.

The new trailers feature BPW ECOPlus drum brake axles which Jamie says he chose for their simplicity, reliability and longevity, explaining that he had an earlier set of BPW drum braked trailers that he and his brother towed that covered close to one million kilometres without needing a brake reline.

“If you take it easy and don’t overuse your brakes that is the life you can get from them,” says Jamie.

When it comes to fifth wheels, Jamie uses heavy-duty Fuwa K-Hitch ball-race units, 90mm double-row on the dollies and 60mm low-profile single-row on the prime movers.

As for his view on what the future holds, Jamie says he’s happy to hold the status quo with the business for the time being.

“I’m happy to keep poking along the way things are at the moment,” says Jamie.

“I quite like doing the lime and fertiliser and a bit of grain around the place, it all works well for me.”

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Diesel is a bi-monthly magazine that has shaken up the Australian road transport magazine sector with a format of sharp news stories and bold feature articles on the diverse character of the Australian trucking market.

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TRUCKS ON TEST

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DIESEL July-August 2020

TRUCKS ON TEST

DAF GET WITH THE PROGRAM W The Australian truck industry has been waiting some time for the point at which DAF got with the program. Tim Giles drives the new flagship model pulling a B-double to find the new DAF range really is right up to date.

hen the new DAF range was introduced earlier this year, it was the opportunity on the part of the Paccarowned truck maker to pull up as an equal alongside all of its European rivals in its offering to the Australian truck market.

A new DAF on the Australian market today has all of the latest gadgetry that European truck buyers have available.

The fast moving safety and vehicle control systems which are appearing at an increasing rate, are now fitted, in their latest form in the DAFs on sale here.

For many years the DAF had been virtually one generation behind its rivals, but now the DAF brand is playing on a par with the likes of Mercedes Benz, Scania, MAN, Volvo and Iveco. These new models reflect the leadership position DAF holds in

its homelands. Last year DAF had a market share in the European truck market, over 15 tonnes GVM, of 16.6 per cent, in a tight run race it kept its nose ahead.

Here in Australia, the Europeans, led by Volvo, with Scania and Mercedes in pursuit have kept the technology on sale here as close as possible to that available in Europe. It has been an arms race with Volvo getting ahead before Scania take it one stage further, and then Mercedes Benz go one step forward again.

In this race DAF, MAN and Iveco have been also rans, keeping up but always a couple of years in arrears. With these new models arriving, DAF has skipped a generation and is now selling 2020 model year trucks.

This is probably just the right time for the Paccar organisation to ensure it has a

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TRUCKS ON TEST

DAF XF uses a 13 litre engine, the Paccar MX rated at 530hp.

genuine contender in the part of the market which prefers European trucks. The last few years have seen an increasing heavy duty market share going to European cabover prime movers. The traditional US dominance is waning and truck buyers are looking for fuel economy and high level safety equipment on board.

The truck model which the Australian

truck market examines most thoroughly is the B-double prime mover. Diesel drove the DAF contender in this fiercely fought market segment over a test route taking in the busy routes around Brisbane and the very demanding ascent of Cunningham’s Gap, where torque is tested to its limit.

The truck in question is the DAF XF, the brand’s flagship prime mover. This is

a truck with a 13 litre engine, the Paccar MX rated at 530hp. At the moment this is as much power as you can get in this brand, there is no 15 or 16 litre engine offered in Europe by DAF. There seems to have been a new trend in recent years. After many years of just going for higher and higher power rating putting ever more strain on drivelines. Some rationality is appearing with preferred power ratings lowering in some instances.

Many fleets now run with horsepower in the 500s rather than the 600s, searching for a sweet spot in fuel consumption, cost and tare weight.

A truck like the XF looks likely to be a contender in this part of the market. It will also make an excellent top of the range single trailer prime mover.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Active Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Advanced Emergency Braking System, Lane Departure Warning System and Vehicle Stability Control.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

Climbing up into the truck is a familiar experience, the Europeans seem to match each other in step heights and widths, almost to the millimetre. The new look of these models is much more modern than we have been used to from DAF. The previous model dated from the noughties and DAF in Australia have skipped straight over the first Euro 6 models up to the

TRUCKS ON TEST

new models which won the International Truck of the Year for 2018.

There is no mistaking the smoothness both of the driveline and the ride in these latest models. It’s also very quiet inside the truck. The B-double was loaded to just over 60 tonnes and seemed relaxed heading out on the highway at Yatala, just South of Brisbane.

It has been quite some time since Diesel took a top end DAF truck out for a test, but this one does bring the brand into the same ball park as the other high performing Europeans, like Mercedes, Scania and Volvo.

Yes, there is only a 13 litre engine under the cab, but there is no sensation of a driveline being over worked as the truck winds up on the highway. The engine is the Paccar MX-13, 6 cylinder diesel engine with a capacity 12.9 litres. The power output of 530 hp (395kW) at 1,600 rpm is complemented by a maximum torque of 2,600Nm (1918 ft lb) available from 900 to

1,125 rpm. The fuel capacity on the truck is just over 1000 litres, with an AdBlue tank capacity of 85 litres.

On the rolling roads going West from Brisbane, this power and torque are more than capable of keeping up the momentum and making an efficient mile. The driving felt relaxed and by this time all of the various auto settings had been made on some of the many state-of-the-art electronic safety system included.

The features fitted on these new trucks from DAF include Active Cruise Control (ACC), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).

This is the kind of level of sophistication the modern truck buyer is looking for.

The relaxed driving style needed to get the best out of the truck is simply a matter of pointing it in the right direction. This gives the driver the time to contemplate

the next challenge, climbing Cunningham’s Gap with a fully loaded B-double.

At the start of the climb I tried pushing the accelerator through the detent to get over the message I am looking for maximum power. As the grade increases, the truck is comfortable at 1500 rpm and holding the gear. The message it is on a grade is coming from my right foot and the reading from the inclinometer in the 16 speed ZF TraXon transmission.

The tachometer runs up to 1700 rpm when the grade eases off and then sits back comfortably at 1600 rpm. The system knows how much load there is on board, decides to keep revs high and changes according to its calculations. It is possible to develop a confidence in the system, which is borne out in practise on the climb.

The communication between the engine, gearbox and all of the other systems on this truck are one sophisticated whole which can be trusted to get the job done without

The new look of these models is much more modern than we have been used to from DAF.

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TRUCKS ON TEST

fuss and without revving the guts out of the engine. Weight, incline, temperature and many other parameters are going into the calculation the truck is making many times a second.

Climbing the grade the temperature gauge remained unmoved by the pressure being put on it by the two trailers and 60 tonne load it is pulling. This is achieved despite the fitting of taller rear axle ratios to help with improved fuel consumption.

Still in 10th gear the engine runs from 1300 to 1500 rpm and back again at 40 to 50 km/h and the TraXon seems to be in a comfortable situation pulling the fully loaded B-double up the grade.

It feels effortless from the driver’s seat.

Even on the steeper part of the climb, near the summit, the transmission lets the revs drop well below 1100 rpm before making a change.

The way this transmission changes gear means there is minimal loss of momentum. There is no nod from the prime mover as the ratio changes. This TraXon transmission makes the shift so quick and smooth the truck simply powers on through.

As the grade steepens at the top, the transmission reads the situation well and grabs three gears at just the right moment to get the load up and over the top. This can be a tricky situation for some systems, the prime mover is levelling out but the two trailers are hanging down the grade.

If the driveline tries to speed up at this point and change up, the truck will stall.

The TraXon is way too smart to get caught out like that.

Coming down the grade later, the old rule of going down in the gear you used going up saw us take the conservative decision to descend in ninth gear.

The engine brake is on a steering wheel stalk and has three settings. Setting number one shuts three cylinders down to hold you back, two has three cylinders off plus it makes a downchange to get the revs up. Pulling the lever to the third position sees a shut down of all six cylinders and the TRaXon grabs two gears to maximise retardation.

In fact, the retardation worked out better than expected and because the AMT can handle it, the change was made to 10th gear and the speed modulated using the retardation stalk. In fact, toggling between positions two and three made light work of what can be a tricky descent.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

STAYING INFORMED There is full information on the screen directly in front of the driver and scrolling through the various screens, the number of options and data sets available to the driver seem endless. It is possible to drill down as far as you like to find out what’s going on, or just look at a couple of overall indicators to keep an eye on just what’s going on.

DAF’s turn and push controller to the driver’s the bottom left makes it easy to control what’s happening on the screen.

This controller is unchanged in twenty years, but it is simple to use and there is no need to improve it even as the functions available have multiplied.

The screen which is probably the most useful to leave as the default when driving, is the ‘ECO performance’ screen which shows the driver’s overall performance score and then breaks it down into anticipation, efficient braking and fuel consumption.

The bottom right of the screen tells you what is going on in the transmission. There’s the gear as well as the mode, manual, auto with eco mode set and auto with eco off.

The difference between eco on and off does make for more aggressive gear changing and sees the engine reach a higher rpm before an up-change. However, the system will inevitably revert to the eco setting.

Most drivers will not need to turn eco off, in most situations the system is flexible enough to adapt. The auto is getting the job done in just about every eventuakity and if the driver does feel the situation needs a bit more urgency then pushing through the detent on the accelerator gets the message across very precisely.

Of course, other drivers will feel the need to intervene more as the low revving can be a bit unnerving for drivers brought up on roaring high revving engines. This is where the driver score comes in. Letting the computer do its own thing is the most efficient way to drive this truck, most of the time and get a higher score. The skills required by the driver in this situation is to be able to discern just when intervention is needed.

You can take a deep dive into all of the options on the truck’s information system and it could be quite some time before you come up for air. The different options within all of the sections are considerable.

Unfortunately, in the strictly limited timetable for a truck test drive the chance to play with this system is severely limited.

Any driver stuck somewhere waiting to load or unload can have countless hours of fun trying to explore all of the DAF control system’s nooks and crannies.

The steering wheel is a little less complicated, with three buttons on each side of the wheel, placed to be able to be pressed by the driver’s thumb while driving.

To the left there’s the phone and stereo controls, to the right it’s all about cruise control, speed limiter, idling speed control and adaptive cruise control settings.

The ACC parameters can be set beforehand through the central screen directly in front of the driver. To activate the ACC it’s a simple thumb press on the steering wheel. The important numbers here are the time gap between the truck and the vehicle in front and the amount of overrun allowed before the engine brake is activated.

As in many of the latest trucks coming out of Europe on the market, all of the dash switches can be moved around to any position at all to suit the preferences of the operator or driver.

TRUCKS ON TEST

LOOKING AROUND THE INTERIOR There are three cab options in the XF range. This test took out the middle of the three, and the one most likely to be the top seller. The Space Cab has a raised roof that is high enough for the driver to walk about in the cabin, and has an overall roof height of 3.56 metres. The other cabin options are the Comfort Cab, without a raised roof and a height of 3.26 metres and the much higher Super Space Cab at an overall height of just under four metres.

The bulbous panels on the front of the cabin give it a distinctive look and also help with a much improved aerodynamic performance. There is an improved design of the sun visor which is claimed by DAF to also improve fuel consumption.

The latch to open the front panel on the cabin is inside the door by the steps up into the cabin. This is a security feature. Opening the panel reveals a couple of small panels inserted into the design behind the front grille, which look quite insignificant, but are said to provide incremental help in improving

airflow and cooling.

The basic layout is little changed from previous models, but it has improved over every iteration and has a modern look. There are a few giveaways of the older design, the slide out tray at the top of the binnacle has not changed in nearly thirty years.

Two clever and good looking fold out drinks holders on the central binnacle are nothing like as fragile as they are on some trucks. The size is adjustable to take a larger bottle or smaller coffee cup with a an adapter which swings out of the way when not needed.

There’s a slide out fridge under the bunk, with the fridge on one side and a bin on other. There is an option to include a slide out fridge and a separate freezer.

Overall, this is a very easy to drive, smooth riding and quiet, European truck which should be capable of mixing it with its European rivals. It also has the advantage of being sold through the very capable Paccar network.

In the past, this network gave the

impression it didn’t quite understand what was going on with the DAF product.

However, the combination of increasing truck sales for other European brands and a brand new product which can match them toe-to-toe should be enough of an incentive to get these new models out there and competing hard. In fact early signs in the truck sales figures in the first half of 2020 suggest this is, in fact, the case.

There is also likely to be more to come from DAF here in Australia, especially if market share continues to lift. The one thing holding the DAF back from total acceptance is that lack of an engine over 13 litres.

On this score, there is a suggestion that Paccar are already considering engineering the ubiquitous Cummins X15 engine into this top of the range prime mover. Add to this the fact that the Paccar AMT used in the Kenworth product here, is already being coupled with the X15 in some applications in the US. We shall wait and see!

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TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

All Change for UD Medium Duty

The introduction of the UD Croner means it is all change for UD medium duty trucks as the integration of Volvo group technology across all of its brands and ranges becomes even more apparent.

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he concept behind the UD Croner is something which should reap rewards for the Japanese truck maker as it competes in a very competitive market place with some tough opposition. By introducing state-of-the-art technology into what has always been regarded as a resilient truck brand, this puts the UD Trucks brand on a par with its Japanese rivals in this sector.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

While the UD brand is highly regarded, it has lacked the breadth of models to offer a complete alternative to the likes of Isuzu, Hino and Fuso in the lighter end of the range. The Condor model of the last ten years has served UD well, but it has not been breaking many records.

For the UD brand it has always been the heavy duty truck market in which it has been able to compete well with the other Japanese brands and it has been especially strong in the prime mover market, where it has been well received as an economical but tough performer.

The Croner sees the UD brand try and replicate the performance of the Quon in the lighter end of the truck market.

It uses a similar formula to that the company has employed in the heavier trucks, namely, combining pragmatic basic Japanese truck engineering with the high tech Volvo Group technology

which has been integrated across its other two brands, Mack and Volvo, around the world.

The outcome should be a solid performer, with the resilience to cope with rough conditions here in Australia, while at the same time bringing the European design smarts and computing power to the party to create something which will also prove to be a productive working vehicle.

The range is pretty simple, comprising two models, the PD and the PK. The PK is the 4x2 rigid, while the PD is its 6x2 configuration, bigger brother. PK comes in eight leaf sprung and seven two-bag air suspended chassis variants, making 15 in all. PD comes in three wheelbase lengths, with a leaf suspension or fourbag air suspension on offer. Along with the air suspensions comes a Europeanstyle ride control in the cabin.

Power for the new model comes from

TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

“LOOKING AT THE NEW CRONER FROM UD TRUCKS, IT IS A BIG JUMP UP FROM WHERE UD WAS, IN TERMS OF SOPHISTICATION, FROM WHERE THE BRAND WAS, NOT TOO LONG AGO. BECOMING PART OF THE VOLVO GROUP HAS BROUGHT DIVIDENDS AND A LOT OF NEW TECHNOLOGY TO THE TABLE.” the GH8E 7.7 litre engine, which is also available in the Quon chassis at higher masses. It is the Japanese iteration of the eight litre engine used across the Volvo Group.

This puts out 280hp (206kW) at 2,200rpm and has 1,050Nm (774 ft lb) of torque on tap at 1,100rpm. The flattopped torque curve sees the maximum torque level available all of the way from 1,100 to 1,800rpm. When the opportunity to drive the new models comes along it will be this excellent torque performance which is most likely to impress, as it already does in the Quon using the same engine.

The cabin on the new Croner is compliant with the ECE29 strength regulations, and daytime running lights are now fitted to the Croner as standard.

Covid-19 has meant it was not possible to get any real hands-on experience with the new models. Instead a scratchy Facebook live walk-around has had to suffice until times are a little more open. For now, the truck looks like it will fill the medium and lighter heavy duty sections of the market for UD well.

has been a feature of the lighter UD models for some time, with UD designed and built engines, but by moving across to the integrated Volvo Group engine, there was an opportunity to go for an all Volvo Group driveline.

The decision may well be based on a customer preference for the Allison which is becoming more and more ubiquitous in the medium market and fitted to a very large proportion of Japanese medium duty trucks sold annually.

A COMPLICATING FEATURE There is a complicating feature to be considered here, since the sale of the UD Trucks brand to Isuzu, announced just before Christmas last year. It was seen, at the time of the announcement, as a way of mixing the best of Isuzu with

the best of UD Trucks.

For Isuzu, as a stand alone truck manufacturer in a world dominated by the larger global groupings, the deal was an opportunity to tap into the latest technological developments. Volvo’s global electronic architecture will have the effect of bringing the Japanese truck maker onto equal terms with its close competitors Fuso and Hino, which are already part of global corporations and have access to the results of massive research and development budgets.

In the Australian truck market, the Japanese trucks have tended to try and sell more on price and not features, rather than the other way round. All of this electronic architecture comes at a cost.

Not surprisingly when looking at the part of the truck market in which the UD Croner competes, this new model doesn’t go as far as to match the electronic and computing power of its big brother, Quon. However, there is the multimedia player which was introduced as a a feature in the Condor when it was launched. The multimedia screen in the dashboard is the driver’s window into what is available. It can connect to five cameras, plus a navigation system and can be loaded with apps to perform a wide range of functions.

ONE TRANSMISSION FOR EVERYONE The release of the Croner shows just how much times have changed. In the past, a truck would be offered to market with a basic manual gearbox, and then, perhaps, a gearbox with more speeds, or even an auto might be offered as an added option.

Not here, there is one transmission and that is the 3000 Series Allison six speed fully automatic option. In fact, surprisingly, UD has not gone with the Escot transmission, the Japanese manifestation of the Volvo I-shift, used higher up the weight scale in the Quon.

The factory fitted Allison transmission

The Croner sees the UD brand try and replicate the performance of the Quon in the lighter end of the truck market.

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TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

The multimedia screen in the dashboard is the driver’s window into what is available.

Meanwhile, the LCD screen directly in front of the driver gives access to more than just some basic data about the truck. It also includes things like a driver performance assessment system which will give the driver a running score on how they are performing, plus how economical the truck is being driven.

There is still a good deal of connectivity going on under the surface.

To the right of the steering wheel is a USB port for the driver ID. Operators with Volvos, Macks and UDs in the fleet will be able to monitor trucks through Volvo Dynafleet, Mack Telematics or UD Telematics. The system in the UD will be able to talk to the rest of the group product. Driver ID is now readable across all three brands and the owner can access data from all three brands

through the same portal.

All in all, looking at the new Croner from UD Trucks, it is a big jump up from where UD was, in terms of sophistication, from where the brand was, not too long ago. Becoming part of the Volvo Group has brought dividends and a lot of new technology to the table. this has been amply demonstrated in the latest Quon models and, to a lesser extent, in the new Croner.

There must still be plenty of questions to be asked about how this brand is likely to play out in the future, under the new arrangements with Isuzu.

According to the Volvo Group Australia, UD will remain as part of its offering to the market and the group’s dealers will continue to be UD distributors.

The question is more about how the UD brand will develop globally under the wing of Isuzu. With the Isuzu brand’s dominance in the light and medium duty market, it is difficult to see how much of a future a model like the Croner will have, down the track.

However, looking at the success of the heavier Quon models, it is possible to see the design and strength of these models working their way across all of the larger Isuzu and UD models.

Looking at the situation from Isuzu’s global perspective, the main take away is probably the fact that the deal with Volvo Group will give them access to the kind of high tech development which has pushed the Volvo Group forward, as a whole, in recent years. The deal was probably a welcome one from both sides, with Volvo able to concentrate on its core in Europe and the US, while Isuzu gets new technology it wouldn’t have been able to develop on its own.

The new Croner from UD Trucks, it is a big jump up from where UD was, in terms of sophistication.

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THE FATIGUE ISSUE CHANGES TO FATIGUE MANAGEMENT RULES FATIGUE ACCIDENT REPORT NEW TECHNOLOGY TO FIGHT FATIGUE www.dieselnews.com.au

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FATIGUE REPORT

ALL CHANGE IN THE

FIGHT AGAINST FATIGUE Fatigue has been a central and contentious issue in the trucking industry from time immemorial, but now we seem to be in a situation where is it is all change in the fight against fatigue. Are we entering a very different era in the way we look at and control fatigue?

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he issue of driver fatigue remains the same. It is simply a biological fact, the human body can do so much and then it needs to rest or sleep, preferably both.

In most professions this is not a major issue, people work eight hours or so a day and then go home for some rest and relaxation.

However, in the transport industry, fatigue is front and centre at the core of the way the industry has to run. Globally, fatigue is an issue for most of the world’s trucking industries, but in Australia it is exacerbated by that old cliché, the tyranny of distance.

Where most of the world has their major centres of population a few hours apart, Australia has some which are several days apart. The fact there is urgent freight travelling across the Nullarbor and that cattle coming out of the Cloncurry sale yards have to get to an abattoir south of Brisbane, makes for a dilemma.

Globally the regulation of fatigue takes many forms, but most of these have been effective in dramatically reducing fatigue related incidents, whether it be by strict driving rules and logbooks, or electronic monitoring and vehicle tracking.

Fatigue has been a thorny problem for Australian governments over the years.

The free for all of the sixties and seventies saw fatigue accidents occurring in large numbers, but largely unnoticed. The issue came into strong focus in 1989, when

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two crashes at Grafton and Clybucca led to a shocking death toll and the need for instant action.

The nineties saw new fatigue regulation schemes developed where operators could gain some flexibility in driving hours in return for comprehensive reporting of non-compliance and driver monitoring.

By the early 2000s new regulations were developed with a three tiers of schemes introduced where improved training and/or special conditions around timing could be used to extend daily driving hours past 12.

Now, it looks like we are about to see another step-change in how fatigue is

monitored and regulated. These changes look like taking two distinct routes. One is a smarter and more flexible approach becoming available under the new Heavy Vehicle National Law being developed, and the other is in the plethora of technological aids entering the trucking industry to mitigate fatigue events by monitoring driver behaviour.

In order to get a handle on what the fatigue landscape might look like in the next twenty years, Diesel has spoken to the experts, both in the rules and in the technology. Will the two aspects complement each other, and will the fatigue issue become less of a problem for the trucks on our roads?

FATIGUE REPORT

Fatigue Forward into the Future There are no fatigue rules set in stone, as a review of the law around trucking is hoped to take managing fatigue forward into the future. Diesel looks at the issues around the new law, how it may be written and how it is likely to be enforced.

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he one thing we can all agree on is that there is no simple answer to the complex issues around fatigue in the trucking industry. Rules have been made, schemes have been developed, campaigns have been launched and reviews of fatigue laws have taken place at regular intervals over the years.

In the past, the transport regulators have looked to have clear prescriptive legal limits which they can enforce. At the same time transport operators have been looking for a fatigue management regime which has some in-built flexibility enabling them to to get the transport task done in the most productive and safest way.

In the current climate, it looks like we may be seeing some light at the end of a very long tunnel and a possible solution involving both the prescriptive

rules the roadside enforcement like and the flexibility trucking needs to get the job done.

At the heart of the matter is safety.

Everyone on each side of any of the many arguments in this field will state that safety is paramount. However, the trucking industry has long insisted that the historical approach taken removed flexibility making it difficult for drivers to manage their own fatigue in a safe manner, often driving when fatigued to ensure the work diary looked correct.

This debate becomes circular with neither side of the equation getting satisfaction or a proper hearing from the other side on the issue.

It is this long standing stalemate which has led to the kind of discussions, which were sparked when the National Transport Commission was tasked with a complete rewrite, a blank sheet

of paper, to remake the new Heavy Vehicle National Law. This has been a long process, beginning with initial consultations back in May 2018.

Seven different issues papers were released and the trucking industry and the regulators were encouraged to contribute their thoughts and expectations in reaction to the initial questions. This led to a process within the NTC to develop, firstly a summary of consultation outcomes, which came out in January this year and then by a Regulatory Impact Statement to gauge the reaction to proposed law changes.

This was originally due in ‘early 2020’ but has yet to appear.

“We probably need to convince both jurisdictions and the industry that we have a common goal,” says Andreas Blahous, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Senior Specialist

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FATIGUE REPORT

(Fatigue Management). “If we can agree that what’s safe is legal and what’s unsafe is not legal, I think there is a lot that we can actually do, compared to where we are now.

“One thing thing I have learnt is that this industry changes every day, finding a better way of doing things, whether it’s new technology brought in or a new way of doing a task. This means that any law developed is only good for the actual point in time that it has been written. It constantly has to change.

“Through this process we had open discussions with operators, drivers, police and many others about how we go forward. The conclusion we came

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DIESEL July-August 2020

to was that we don’t want this new law to be a new set of prescriptive rules.

It should be about enabling industry and the regulator to actually manage the issue as it changes over time.

The NHVR submission to the process isn’t about saying here is a new set of rules. It is saying that this is how we want to work with industry to achieve the right outcome.”

GETTING FATIGUE MANAGEMENT RIGHT Any changes to the fatigue rules and enforcement will need a good deal of flexibility built into the system if the aim is getting fatigue management right.

There is a lot which works under the current regime and there is a lot which does not.

The NTC points out those shortcomings identified after the consultation period. These include the fact that the rules do not prevent drivers from driving while fatigued. The management of risk is not part of the current system, which the report reckons is complex, highly prescriptive and hard to understand.

It also identifies the fact that fatigue management is a fast developing field and we understand the issues a lot more than we did twenty years ago, when the current regime was devised. The rules don’t have the kind of flexibility to deal with differing fatigue profiles and freight tasks.

Other options available to operators who want to properly manage the fatigue within their operation, are expected to be offered, in a much more risk-based approach to the whole issue. The process is likely to have a lot of give-and-take built in.

Not only will internal processes within fleets to minimise fatigue risk be taken into account, but also the kind of fatigue monitoring technology fitted into the vehicle will also be included in the equation. Essentially, the system is most likely to play out in a way that the more effort and technology the operator puts into fatigue management, the more flexible a fatigue regime it can work under.

This approach, if designed correctly, should be able to satisfy both ends of the spectrum and, hopefully, most operations in between. The system should enable trucking to move from a rigid and difficult system to administer to one which can be customised to suit most purposes.

The well-established owner driver with a small number of long term customers and some set runs, who has to run the business from the cabin and is already fully loaded with paperwork, could well just opt to the 12 hours a day work diary recording option. It is simple to manage and the driver can organise the work to keep within the guidelines.

Those tasks where hour by hour productivity is king and every kilometre and minute needs to be wrung out to maximise profitability of the vehicle,

FATIGUE REPORT

will be different. Driver training, testing and evaluation may well lead to forms of accreditation which increase the kind of hours flexibility needed to run a tight ship.

Alternatively, new technology, which is clearly getting better year-on-year can also be fitted within the truck and also give operator the kind of risk minimising procedures to allow more flexible hours regimes.

ENFORCING SAFER FATIGUE MANAGEMENT One of the factors which should enable the kind of flexibility those who are looking for smarter working practices, to get the kind of concessions they are looking for, is the attitude taken by the NHVR. As the new regulator has grown it has developed an approach to these kinds of issue which is generally more inclusive and adaptable.

If the new HVNL gives the NHVR what it is asking for there will be an opportunity for operators to negotiate with the regulator exactly how fatigue is managed and offer the NHVR the kind or assurances, through processes or technology, to make the regulator more comfortable about allowing concessions and an increase in

flexibility in the rules.

The feedback from the original issues papers published last year saw smaller operations generally preferring a clear cut prescriptive type of arrangement.

However, there is also support for a way of changing the emphasis in fatigue management where the important

factor is risk minimisation and not the counting of working time.

The larger operators were interested in being able to develop processes where compliance is managed though accreditation and auditing and not roadside enforcement. Some of them want to devise bespoke systems to

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FATIGUE REPORT

meet the risk reduction guidelines while freeing up the drivers from strict hours regulations.

Within the broad spread of options, for those who will still depend on log book and counting, the NTC says it is well aware of the issues in lack of flexibility and there seems to be an overall understanding that the prescriptive rules can lead to unnecessarily large penalties for what are often low risk offences.

USING THE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE One of the options which is going to gain currency is including fatigue monitoring technology as part of a fatigue management program to ensure better safety outcomes in terms of fatigue. Operators using some of the technologies should be able to use it to gain concessions on driving schedules.

The work diary is a way of giving a roadside inspector an idea of where a driver might be in terms of fatigue. What

N AT I O N A L H E AV Y V E H I C L E R E G U L AT O R

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the new technology does is monitor the driver directly and provides alarms and alerts when they reach a threshold which can be hours before they are expected to rest by the law.

Alerts by the systems should be the trigger for a conversation between the operator and driver working together to manage the driver’s fatigue. A one-off event might mean nothing needs to be done, but it might be enough to decide to pull up and take a 15 minute break.

“We have done a bit of research into the fatigue monitoring technology and the technology is better than the rules we have now at predicting of fatigue incidents,” says Andreas. “The solution doesn’t have to just be different work and rest hours rules. This is about managing a driver.”

In order to enable the systems to be used as an intrinsic part of a fatigue management scheme there will probably have to be a process of technology classification, checking out what the different systems bring to the table.

“In our research we spoke to about 95

users of the fatigue monitoring technology,” says Andreas. “There’s about six different categories of technology and some of the technologies work better than others.

You get different things from different technologies.

“What the NHVR is considering is a voluntary standard. This will explain what the technology does and what is going to be acceptable to the NHVR when it is considering allowing fatigue regime flexibility for operators.

“It will not be saying you must have this technology, it will be saying, if you want this kind of flexibility, we will only give it when you have this particular type of technology because we know that works the best in this situation.”

According to Andreas, the voluntary code is essential, because the NHVR doesn’t want to see trucking investing in some technology and not get a regulatory benefit.

From the voluntary standards the operator will not only learn what the technology does, but how the driver needs to be managed when there is an alert. The

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FATIGUE REPORT

plan would be for the NHVR to publish best practice guides on buying, setting the system up and managing its introduction, and then about managing drivers when the technology is in play. This post-alarm management is going to prove to be a major factor in any future regime.

“There are probably forty different ways to deal with a driver when the alarm goes off,” says Andreas. “This can be a vital part of the process. The industry will be able to inform others how to introduce the technology to make it safer for everyone on the road.

“Where we are coming from, is that if the operator has a good system in place, if the technology works reliably and they have a good way to manage the situation, then we can pull back some of the existing rules in the law.”

The flexibility on offer could include

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DIESEL July-August 2020

continuous driving, splitting rest periods or other concessions to improve flexibility. At the moment, the NHVR is working with the makers of these technologies to work out what an operational pilot might look like.

In the future the pooling of data from these fatigue monitoring devices should lead to detailed analysis of fatigue events, using anonymised data. Analysis could help investigate what is going on out on the highway. Hot spots could be identified and solutions sought.

FATIGUE CHOICES FOR THE FUTURE “Through our Fatigue Choices campaign we have asked operators to come in and have a chat with our safety team,” says Andreas. “They know their businesses and drivers. We ask them to tell us what they think is going on and if there is anything which they want to do which they can’t do

under the current rules. Then we can have a conversation about those risks and how they can manage those risks.

“If an operator wants to do something which they can’t at the moment, they know what the risks are and could manage those in a way to make the situation safer. We will look at those ideas and work out a way to make those ideas feasible. It might be AFM, as I think AFM is, currently, the only system available.”

Any new system will require the driver and operator to think about how they are going to manage things. It will not be a a matter of simply making sure the book looks right, it will be a matter of managing the situation to ensure reduced risk from fatigue.

“The more the operator invests into fatigue management the more flexibility they will be able to access,” says Andreas.

FATIGUE REPORT

“Anyone willing to take on the job of the full investigation of risk, we should be able to give them flexibility. There should be the opportunity for operators to tell us how they want to do things differently.

“There needs to be some kind of an arrangement where we as a regulator can talk to an operator who has something we have never heard of before. I want them to be able to come to us and say how they want to do something differently. It may have the same safety outcome we are looking for, but we had not thought of it. We may be able to approve of this and allow it.”

BUILD THE FRAMEWORK The NTC is wanting to build the basic principle about fatigue management into the law with a mechanism to allow fatigue management to develop alongside this fast moving and flexible trucking industry. It will

The current rules do not prevent drivers from driving while fatigued.

be looking to outline the overall principles of fatigue management and set it up to enable the NHVR to work with industry to get safety outcomes.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution with prescriptive rules which will suit everyone working in trucking. There just needs to be a framework, where the more the operator wants to invest in fatigue management the more flexibility they can access.

There will always be a place for a simple to use and understand prescriptive rules, probably not far away from the current Standard Fatigue Management scheme.

This can function as a fall-back position for anyone operating a truck.

No matter what the HVNL finally looks like, the NHVR will be expending a lot of effort into changing the discussion so that NHVR and the trucking industry are working on a fatigue strategy with common safety objective.

Potentially, there are some questions about how operators provide a level of assurance that what is required to be done is actually being done. How does the enforcement officer at a roadside check know about these agreements and how can they check the operator is complying?

The process will also need to allow the NHVR to approve of something completely out of the box. It should become possible to focus more on the fatigue impairment protection task. There are ways of testing the driver rather than checking paper work.

The authorities need to work to maintain a positive relationship with the trucking industry. Regulators need to be monitoring the safety of the system as a whole. Then if something goes wrong, and if there is a change the fatigue regime is ready to respond.

There shouldn’t be a need to wait for a review, the NHVR could intervene where it’s appropriate.

THE SAGA OF ELECTRONIC WORK DIARIES The saga of the Electronic Work Diaries has been an ongoing soap opera.

Companies are putting technology forward for assessment but none have been shown to be 100 per cent compliant with the initial specifications published by the NHVR. Technology suppliers have been trying to adapt current EWD applications to meet the rules. Development funding for development may well have been limited by a relatively low demand from the trucking industry for compliant EWD technology. The failure to get over the line has seen some of the technology makers now change tack and try and make a workable EWD from the ground up.

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FATIGUE BY THE NUMBERS Thanks to the annual NTARC report we can now get a picture of the situation surrounding fatigue by the numbers on a regular basis.

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he National Truck Accident Research Centre has recently released its Major Accident Investigation 2020 Report and for the purposes of this special report, Diesel has obtained the specific fatigue related data to give us a quantifiable figure to go with the anecdotal knowledge on the subject.

to develop a safety culture within the trucking industry and throughout any transport operation from the bottom to the top, able to support effective fatigue management decision making.

There are also issues around driver health, overall, to be taken into consideration. These include physical health, mental health, psychological and Proportion of large losses caused by fatigue, by year.

Overall, the long term trend is encouraging. The proportion of National Transport Insurances claims over $50,000 deemed to have been caused by fatigue have reduced from 25 per cent 15 years ago to just 10 per cent in the latest report.

It is not possible to pin down the cause and effect, but it is clear the wide range of initiatives aimed at reducing the fatigue issue have had some effect.

The bad news is that fatigue is still the single largest cause of incidents where NTI insured truck drivers lose their lives.

This number makes up 34.8 per cent of the deaths, and this alongside the related issue of distraction, at 30.4 per cent, makes up over 65 per cent, virtually twothirds of all truck driver deaths.

The NTARC report points out the need to distinguish between working hours compliance and the fatigue which causes accidents. It discusses the need

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emotional well-being, sleep disruptions due to poor sleeping conditions and changes in work schedules, shift work and returning to work after leave.

Trucking operators are urged to look for risk factors in the driver group

and once they are identified, offer help. Overall, truck driver health is compromised, with little access to good primary health care or to a healthy diet.

High rates of obesity occur in the truck driver population, leading to higher than normal rates of conditions like sleep apnoea, which drastically disrupts proper sleep.

NTARC identifies three streams of technology which are now available to mitigate the problems caused by fatigue.

There are systems designed to monitor driver blink rate, which acts as a proxy for alertness. The technologies use different methods to measure blink rate but all are looking for the same parameters to set off any alarm to alert both the driver and operator. Other technologies are using infrared cameras to track where the driver is looking and when the eyes are closed. The other option uses sensors which look at brain activity and assess just how well the driver is fairing in maintaining attention and resisting sleep.

The NTARC analysis reminds us that although this technology will track performance and identify issues, it will not stop the underlying cause of any fatigue incident, namely, poor rest or inadequately managed fatigue. It describes the technological solutions as resembling a reserve parachute in their function.

Fatigue is still the largest cause of incidents where NTI insured truck drivers lose their lives.

FATIGUE REPORT

LOOKING AT A TECHNICAL SOLUTION

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ith the increasing emphasis on safety in the trucking industry, year on year and the intention becoming clear that fatigue monitoring will be included in future regulations, many operators will be looking at a technical solution when developing a fatigue management strategy.

There is a wide range of systems on the market and there is a great deal of variation in the systems on offer. The choice may be to pick one supplier and stick with them, while others will probably take a mix and match approach, using a suite of systems to manage the issue.

The technological solutions can be divided into several groups. There are telematics providers who have a full suite of services on offer, covering tracking, scheduling, messaging and other aspects of total fleet management.

These could include a form of electronic work diary, but not one, at the time of writing, which can be used instead of the paper work diary.

The players in this space include, in no particular order, MTData, Teletrac Navman, Coretex, Ctrack, Mix Telematics, Future Fleet and Allotrac. All bring their own specialities to the table, but vehicle tracking, data transfer and communication between truck and base are all included.

Each one of these offerings has its own take on how the truck and driver are managed. Most are connected into the CANbus on the vehicle to pull in data about the way the truck is being driven and also recording any reportable incidents. This data can also be used in managing other aspects of the operation like scheduling vehicle maintenance.

There is another group of solutions specifically aimed at driver behaviour

and fatigue. The common theme here is trying to minimise risk, for the driver, the truck, others on the road and the transport operator.

For many of these systems some form of camera monitoring the situation within and outside the cabin are looking for issues around fatigue, distraction and other on-road dangers. There is outlier in this space, Smartcap, there are no cameras, but sensors measuring brainwaves instead.

The players working in this space are many and varied and all have a unique approach to the problem. Each has their own technological solution to a particular problem as it is perceived by the customer.

Solutions here include Seeing Machines, which is monitoring eye movement for evidence of micro-sleeps and distraction. Fleetsafe includes a camera and some smart analytical software which looks at the road ahead and keeps the driver alert to any dangers

and changes in road conditions ahead, reducing problems from distraction.

Driverisk is also using cameras to monitor driver behaviour, but takes a more holistic approach and is monitoring for any behaviour it perceives as dangerous, these are then recorded and a the operator gets data on potentially dangerous incidents on the road.

ConnectSource also play in this space, but is best described as an enabler.

It will assess a customer’s needs and create a package using many of the components listed above to come up with a custom solution.

Getting some really precise data in this space can be difficult. Some suppliers will claim market dominance with little substantiation whilst others say they are the only ones with a particular technology. Diesel will be going deeper into the whole subject of in cab technology area in its next issue, as an ongoing investigation of convergence.

www.dieselnews.com.au

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FATIGUE REPORT

A COMPLETE FATIGUE SOLUTION FROM MTDATA The search for a unified telematics system capable of wide-ranging fatigue management has been a long one and MTData’s solution has it all.

P

roactive fatigue management is something we’ve been providing for years now,” says Ben Ditfort, MTData COO. “We do all of our engineering in-house, so we can be pretty responsive and agile in regards to meeting the needs of local operators.

“We have been running fatigue management in electronic forms for our customers for over six years. They have seen improvements with the system and when we get to the point where our electronic work diary is certified by the regulator, our customers will be pleased that they don’t have to hold all those paper-based diaries. Any increase in productivity is good for business.

“What we aim to have is something where the driver gets in the truck in the morning, logs in to show they are the one driving and are fit for duty. Then the system will speak to them, it won’t be a timer on a screen, it will speak to tell them when breaks are due. The system doesn’t need to annoy the driver, just tell them they need to be on a break by a particular time.”

MTData has found that the most important thing operators are looking to do

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to improve fatigue outcomes, is to improve night rest for their drivers. However, the most common non-conformance found is accidental breaches of allowable driving hours because they were not keeping track.

The MTData system works as an aid to avoid those breaches “We know our customers need exception-based reporting,” says Ben. “When a breach does happen, it needs to raise the alarm bells in the office. The idea is to make the business aware in real time and to have a record in the system to say there is a non-conformance. You can’t ignore it and you need to make an improvement.”

The MTData system has been designed to enable trucking operators to improve their reporting and responses to issues when they occur.

“The system enables Qube Bulk to proactively monitor, manage and respond to fatigue. Safeguarding our operators, projects and contributing to a Zero Harm environment,” says Ashlen Naicker, National ICT Manager, Qube Bulk.

MTData have forty full time software engineers on the ground in the Melbourne office who can be used to design software that’s specifically tailored for drivers.

“When we got the original specifications for Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), we started designing and built our EWD from the ground up,” says Ben. This will allow MTData to ensure that once their EWD solution is approved for use, customers will receive the best functionality possible from this useful tool.

“What we would like to do once we’ve confirmed that our EWD meets the specifications 100 percent, is to merge our current fatigue management system, Complete Fatigue, with the EWD and get that re-certified as an overall solution.

“That would allow us to introduce a whole lot of outputs that our customers use from a planning point of view, so they can sit there and look at every driver and it shows their current fatigue status. They don’t need to guess how many hours they have left, they can sort them by what time their next break is due.

“So that in a search, it will only present drivers who would be able to complete a task if needed. It doesn’t give you the opportunity to allocate a task to a driver who would be unable to complete the task safely.”

www.mtdata.com.au

FATIGUE REPORT

GETTING SMART ABOUT

FATIGUE

A number of operators are now getting smart about fatigue and using a new technology to manage the issue. Smart Cap measures fatigue to warn drivers and operators about potential issues.

O

perators looking for an early indicator of fatigue to aid in accident prevention use the Smart Cap’s electroencephalogram (EEG) as a test which tracks and records brain wave patterns. The brain waves are passively measured using sensor inside a head band, either on its own or sewn into a cap.

The system knows that certain patterns correspond to certain patterns of fatigue and goes through a series of double checking mechanisms to ensure the reading is accurate. An app on a smartphone or the built screen in the cab will show a driver’s fatigue score. The driver can see where they are on a scale.

There is no need to calibrate Smart Cap, it’s looking for patterns and an algorithm examines whether there are signs of fatigue. A machine learning algorithm analyses each driver and tries to detect particular changes associated with fatigue status with minimal false positives occuring.

“Because we are measuring at the source, we are not looking for any external signs of fatigue,” says Tim Ekert, Smart Cap Technology CEO. “It can’t be affected by the driver or any other interference.

“The system is not intrusive and 99.9 per cent of the time only provides feedback to the driver. They have an interaction with the screen and can see where they are. The alarms pop up as they become more fatigued.

“It’s only when they get to a certain point where they are getting multiple alarms and they are not responding quickly enough, that a supervisor or manager will be notified.”

There are three levels measured, 2, 3, 3+ and 4. 3+ provokes an alert and a reading of 4 sets off the alarm. The screen

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DIESEL July-August 2020

An app on a smartphone or the built screen in the cab will show a driver’s fatigue score.

will be blank while driving, but the driver can just touch the screen and check their fatigue status.

If the level goes to 3+ the unit will beep and the screen will light up automatically to alert the driver to the fact. Something to alleviate the fatigue should then be performed by the driver, whether it is taking a drink of water or changing position. If this works the status will drop back down to 2.

If fatigue continues to build and the status goes to 4, the alert becomes more insistent to ensure the driver takes action on the situation. Something more effective needs to be done at this point.

The system is sending this status and alert data to a cloud-based collection point

and a supervisor will be able to log into a dashboard and see how all of their drivers are performing at anytime. It is also possible for the operator to set the system to alert a supervisor via email or SMS if a driver is getting into fatigue issues and setting off a a series of alerts.

“One of our customers has their system set up so that if a driver sets off two alerts in a row, the driver has to pull up at the first safe spot and take a walk around the truck to do a safety check,,” says Tim. “Another customer says two alerts means the driver has to call in and have a conversation with their supervisor.”

Six Brisbane Port operators have recently got involved with a free trial of the technology, sponsored by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. Some drivers were resistant to the equipment, but after 12 months of experience, two of the operators are now negotiating to introduce the equipment into their business.

“We spend time answering questions from drivers about data privacy and what the system is actually measuring and what happens to their data,” says Tim. “Some fear a big brother type of thing when you measure their brain waves. We are at pains to explain what’s recorded to put their minds at ease.”

The brain waves are passively measured using sensor inside a head band.

ELIMINATING THE RISK OF MICROSLEEPS AND OPERATOR FATIGUE Life is the world’s most accurate and effective fatigue monitoring solution that provides alertness measurements in real time, enabling drivers to proactively manage their own fatigue. Through the provision of early warning alerts and fatigue risk alarms, combined with our centralised LifeHub dashboard, the risks of microsleeps can be eliminated.

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FATIGUE REPORT

FATIGUE MANAGEMENT:

IT’S MORE THAN DRIVER HOURS

F

atigue management is one of the most pressing issues facing fleets today. But the topic of fatigue management goes way beyond such things as an electronic work diary (EWD), since fatigue can manifest in ways that aren’t necessarily as cut and dried as hours of service or distance driven. For businesses the broader challenge is how to increase productivity while keeping both their drivers and other road users safe.

Coretex is a compliance and fleet management solution provider to more than 60,000 vehicles in the construction, transportation and waste and recycling industries. The company has had fatigue management incorporated into their fleet management solutions for many years and have been providing fatigue management

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to large fleets here in Australia.

In the US, they’ve rolled out an ELD solution (electronic logging device) that has been adopted by some of the world’s largest fleets. The core of this solution is being used to develop their solution for EWD in Australia, providing a fully-featured solution that goes beyond the basics, utilising the sensors installed in trucks to provide a total picture of how the vehicle is behaving in real time.

Having that total picture of the vehicle is vital to providing real driver safety. Driver fatigue can actually be measured, since it is reflected in how they drive and they’re capturing that data in real time. A driver may be under their safe hours, but still manifest the symptoms of fatigue and a simple EWD solution doesn’t capture this.

Drivers are also not always the best judge of when their performance is degraded by fatigue, but the data doesn’t lie.

Coretex is providing fleet operators with active alerting, where the business sets rules for exceptions – such as exceeding speed limits or excessive braking – that are likely triggered by fatigue. Both the fleet operator and the driver get an instant alert to such real-time events and the fleet manager can contact the driver directly to get them off the road.

Likewise in-cab artificial intelligence (AI) driver cameras that track both the road conditions and the driver in real time can trigger alerts, to both the driver and fleet manager, when they detect the driver behaviour is indicating fatigue.

Driver cams are used as evidence for on-road events but an even better use is to prevent those events before they happen.

Coretex’s advanced AI driver cambased features to be released into the market late 2020, will use live scene analysis and object detection. Combined with the data from in-vehicle sensors measuring speed, braking and engine performance, this will provide a real-time picture of the vehicle’s path through the road, and be able to trigger exception alerts the moment anything deviates from defined safety parameters.

All of these features also speak to the broader topic of driver safety, since it is not just fatigue that can put your drivers and other road users in harm’s way. AI cameras can be used to monitor the road ahead, triggering in-cab alerts when they detect potential collisions or pedestrians.

And by alerting drivers to such occurrences they help to train the driver, making them more consistently aware of the type of situations or driving behaviours that may be putting themselves or others at risk. The result is better drivers, safer roads and a better reputation for the business.

MOBILEYE

A DRIVER’S EXTRA EYE

D

riving a heavy vehicle is a complex task. Whether it’s tiresome, monotonous long haul journeys or dealing with the congested traffic, pedestrians and cyclists in dense urban environments, today’s driver is expected to remain alert, vigilant and ready to react to any unforeseen incident.

However, human beings are not, by nature, able to retain 100per cent focus for extended periods of time. And, together with the myriad of distractions in and around the vehicle, or the tasks simply required to operate the vehicle, it’s impossible for a driver to keep both eyes on the road at all times. And even then, is the driver even entirely focused or possibly driving on “autopilot”?

What if drivers had an extra eye? That was constantly watching the road ahead. That didn’t blink. Or get distracted.

Harnessing cutting-edge computer vision, Mobileye’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) constantly scans the area in front of the vehicle. And, like the human eye, is able to distinguish and monitor other vehicles, motorcycles, cyclists, pedestrians, lane lines and speed signs.

By continuously measuring the Time-To-Collision (TTC) with a vehicle ahead, Mobileye’s AI algorithms are able to calculate and predict potential collisions up to 2.7 seconds before they occur. Issuing both visual and audible alerts in real-time, allowing the driver more time to react and take action. Studies have shown that Forward Collision Warning systems (FCW) could prevent over 80% of rear-end crashes.

Furthermore, the system provides constant indication of the following distance, in seconds, to the vehicle ahead. Drivers are able to maintain safer distances, minimise tailgating and reduce the risk of a rear-end-collision, which are especially prevalent in low-speed urban driving.

The Mobileye system will also alert the driver to unintended lane deviation, commonly caused by fatigue and distraction.

Lane Departure Warning systems (LDW) have been proven to significantly lower involvement rates in crashes with injuries by up to 24 per cent and in those with fatalities by up to 86 per cent.

Mobileye’s aftermarket systems can be retrofitted to any vehicle and are effective and affordable solutions for operators who want the latest safety technology but don’t want to purchase new vehicles.

Mobileye Distributor, FleetSafe works directly with SME, enterprise and government fleets, providing a complete endto-end service solution, while supplying channel partners in key vertical markets like telematics, auto dealerships and auto electricians.

Drivers get tired. Distracted.

They’re only human...

Our technology doesn’t.

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Protect your driver. And your asset.

CALL 1-800-227 548 www.fleetsafe.com.au

OFFICIAL DISTRIBUTOR

FATIGUE REPORT

HOW TECHNOLOGY IS

FIGHTING THE BATTLE AGAINST FATIGUE

T

he cabin of a truck is one of the deadliest workplaces in Australia, with a report by the National Transport Insurance company finding that 53 truck drivers died in 2019, and truck driver deaths rose by 65 per cent from 2018. A major contributor to these sobering numbers is fatigue.

According to statistics from Macquarie University, 80 per cent of truck drivers work more than 50 hours a week and 20 per cent of transport workers admit to breaking safety rules to meet deadlines.

As a result, fatigue is playing a huge role in making Australia’s roads less safe and endangering lives.

The time of manually managing fatigue via logbooks is coming to an end, as Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) give managers and drivers the ability to monitor fatigue levels in real-time and provide visibility of compliance with state fatigue regulations. By adopting EWDs, road transport businesses across a range of industries are seeking to manage fatigue and make our roads safer for motorists and truck drivers alike.

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FINDING THE FORMULA FOR SAFETY Formula Chemicals is one of Australia’s largest privately-owned chemical companies and has been using Teletrac Navman’s electronic fatigue solution for several years. By adopting technology, Formula Chemicals has ensured driver compliance with fatigue management protocols in real time across its fleet of vehicles.

Formula Chemicals frequently runs routes that take drivers and their trucks into areas with poor mobile reception. The EWD continues to operate even when out of mobile network range, communicating information when it reaches an area with reception. The solution provides peace-ofmind to back office staff that drivers are looking after themselves on the road.

ROCKING EWDS TO MANAGE FATIGUE Likewise, Rocktrans, an agent on the Atherton Tablelands for the Toll Group, uses EWDs to improve driver safety and combat fatigue. Since adopting EWDs, it’s seen a massive reduction in non-

compliant driver behaviour.

Neal Rockley, Managing Director for Rocktrans, says, “The fatigue management system has been one of the biggest benefits to our business. Systems like Teletrac Navman’s are essential in today’s highly regulated safety and compliance related environment.”

The EWD helps drivers fill out their work diaries and take the complexities out of calculating their fatigue hours.

“It provides real-time alerts, which get the drivers thinking about rests, and identifies poor behaviour quickly. Drivers get alerts based on hours worked and the relevant fatigue laws, signalling them ahead of time for when a rest break is due,” explains Rockley.

TECHNOLOGY TO THE FORE In the fight against fatigue, EWDs are allowing businesses to proactively manage compliance, and ensure the safety of their staff and all Australian road users.

The technology is transforming the way road transport businesses and drivers are managing fatigue.

“

The fatigue management system has been one of the biggest benefits to our business.

Systems like Teletrac Navman’s are essential in today’s highly regulated safety and compliance related environment.

”

Neal Rockley, Managing Director Rocktrans

“

It’s a great system that works really well for us, I can’t praise it enough. It’s also made dealing with auditing requirements much easier. We can pull it up on the system and show them pretty much anything they need.

”

Leigh Smart, Director Formula Chemicals

Get Connected With An Electronic Work Diary 1300 111 477 TeletracNavman.com.au

FATIGUE REPORT

KEEPING AN EYE ON EYE MOVEMENTS

F

or Hi-Trans Express the subject of fatigue monitoring has become a high priority. As a large national fleet with trucks criss-crossing the country in large numbers, the company has trialled and is now fitting Guardian by Seeing Machines systems in all of its trucks. Monitoring behaviour with face and eye tracking, algorithms measure the driver’s head position and eye closure and, when safety parameters are exceeded, audio alarms and powerful seat vibrations are immediately activated.

“We put the Seeing Machines system in one of our trucks for the first time in March of this year,” says Tony Mellick, Hi-Trans Express CEO. “After running a trial with it we have decided to roll it out across our whole fleet.

“The main reasons for using it are threefold. One, is a recognition that fatigue is a major contributor to fatalities and accidents in the heavy transport sector.

“Another is the fact that the system also manages distraction and that’s kind of the unknown piece. If we look at the number of alerts we get, for every one fatigue, there will be three distraction events. It’s everything from looking out of the window, readjusting your hat and then, to the nth degree, looking at your mobile phone.

“A third strand is looking at health issues. If we can get an early indicator for things like sleep apnoea and other things, which are a precursor to micro-sleeping, we see it as a positive thing.”

The initial trial was over 13 units fitted into Hi-Trans prime movers. It became evident quite early in the trial that the system was going to provide good value to the fleet. To begin with some of the things they found out about their drivers was a little confronting.

“There’s almost that ‘come to Jesus’ moment when they see they were asleep and veering into the bush, then they got the jolt in the seat which woke them up and probably saved their lives,” says

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Tony. “On a very small sample, I would say, already, has it saved accidents and would that have saved life? Probably yes. I would fully support systems like this being standard on all trucks going forward.”

When alerts occur the first port of call is the Seeing Machines call centre, which looks at whether there genuinely was a fatigue event or whether it was a distraction event. They will then call someone at Hi-Trans who will review the event and then make the decision as to whether to call the driver to discuss the issue, or to call them and tell them to pull over and rest.

“We monitor it in real time proactively,” says Tony. “There’s a review process where one of our operations leaders will review the fatigue events of last night and then, if warranted, have some discussions with drivers around distraction behaviour.

The units are now being fitted in all of the company owned trucks, but Hi-Trans are now considering including Seeing Machines in the discussions with the operation’s contract fleet. It could well become a standard piece of kit that contractors are required to fit.

“Either of two things can happen,” says Tony. “With the individual owner driver, we would monitor them as though they were an employee. The fleet operators would be able to monitor their own fleets, but as part of the arrangement, they would report back about their own proactive steps.”

The company has identified some drivers who have sleep apnoea, who didn’t know it themselves. In fact, drivers are in denial about having micro-sleeps until they are shown the footage of themselves having one.

“The average age of drivers is now north of fifty and getting older,” says Tony. “The lifestyle is sedentary. You have all of the health factors which lead to problems. Anything we can do to improve health and safety and/or be a proactive way of managing a lead indicator of underlying conditions, is a positive thing.”

“Just looking at it selfishly, if we could save a rollover, which can cost you a half a million dollars, this system is really cheap. The initial outlay, plus some ongoing monitoring costs to have a piece of technology that does the job, is a no-brainer.”

PROMO FEATURE Convergence a Special Report Series Starting with September/October edition of Diesel and flowing across our digital and social networks, we will be looking into the way the trucking world is waking up to the powerful opportunities available from connectivity.

The benefit to the industry in terms of safety, productivity, planning and transparency, which can be gained by the interconnectivity possible from systems communicating in real time across, the truck, the operating base, the customer and with the surrounding infrastructure.

As business systems, truck telematics and smart software generate more and more useable data for every aspect of the trucking industry, there is now a trend where the need for in cabin convergence is coming to the fore. There is often a range of electronic devices all working independently in a truck and the next stage in development sees these technologies converge.

Simply put, we are looking at a future where there will not be five black boxes with five SIMs in a truck, all talking to a different system online. Instead, what is now a black box will be an app on a single interface, where smarts can feed data to others control systems as well as online to other management systems. Data will be available wherever it is needed in real time, all of the time.

BOOKING DEADLINE 30TH JULY 2020

www.dieselnews.com.au/subscribe TREVOR HERKESS Trevor.Herkess@Primecreative.com.au 0411 4311 352

TIM GILES Tim.Giles@Primecreative.com.au 0420 279 641

GOING GLOBAL

DISPATCHES FROM THE

UK

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DIESEL July-August 2020

GOING GLOBAL

MA Ponsonby MD, Mike Ponsonby.

I

Image credit: Tom Cunningham

f you’d have told me at the beginning of the year that we’d be hit by a global pandemic, with hundreds of thousands dead, billions in lockdown and oil prices at an all-time low, I would have struggled to believe you.

If you’d gone on to tell me that at the same time there would be people stood on motorway bridges, waving and clapping to show their appreciation to truck drivers, I would have assumed that you were certifiable. But that’s exactly what’s happened!

For decades, the UK road transport industry has been trying to improve its public perception, but to no avail. In a nutshell, the public hates trucks, and nobody wants to drive one for a living.

Despite numerous pro industry bumper stickers, and ‘love the lorry’ campaigns, it seems it’s impossible for ‘Joe public’ to grasp the correlation between the ‘dirty, smelly juggernaut’ holding them up, and the food in their bellies.

Yet, by March 2020, there had been a complete u-turn in opinion, and all of a sudden, drivers were on a par with doctors.

So, how did this miraculous turnaround happen, what can the industry gain from its new-found popularity, and how long will it be until truck drivers revert to being hated again? Let’s rewind to the middle of March.

As the first UK COVID-19 deaths were reported, so panic buying ensued.

That video of the two Australian women fighting over a trolley full of toilet rolls was replicated all over the UK, and within days the supermarket shelves were stripped

Image credit: Tom Lee

Image credit: Tom Cunningham

Diesel’s European Correspondent, Will Shiers, sends us his dispatches from the UK frontline, where the transport industry coped admirably with COVID-19, giving truck drivers a much-needed PR boost. But for how much longer will they be flavour of the month?

Moreton Cullimore of the bulk tipper operator Cullimore Group.

bare of anything you could eat or wipe your posterior with.

Although I left it too late to do any panic buying myself, I will admit to bringing home a few extra copies of Commercial Motor magazine (the classified paper stock is particularly soft and absorbent!).

At the time, my 80-year-old mum asked me whether we were all going to starve to death. It was a question that must have been at the backs of lots of people’s minds.

I was immediately able to reassure her that this wouldn’t be the case. The road transport industry thrives on adversity. And besides, I’d recently researched an article on road haulage’s role in the Second World War. It had kept the nation fed then, and it would do it again now.

The UK government was quick to acknowledge the vital part the industry would play throughout the health crisis that was unfolding before us, and took immediate measures to protect it.

In mid-March, as the UK went into lockdown, a temporary relaxation of European Union drivers’ hours rules was implemented. It applied to those vehicles involved in the delivery of food, non-food (personal care and household paper and cleaning) and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. The daily driving limit was increased from nine to 11 hours, while daily rest requirements were reduced from 11 to nine hours.

Although these changes hit the headlines, and helped to quell public fear, they weren’t that unusual. In fact, driver hour rules have been relaxed several times

www.dieselnews.com.au

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GOING GLOBAL

Image credit: Nigel Spreadbury 58

DIESEL July-August 2020

Alex Knowles, MD of Cambridgeshire-based haulier Knowles Transport.

Image credit: Tom Cunningham

before, normally to assist in the movement of heating oil during adverse weather conditions or animal carcasses during foot and mouth outbreaks.

At the same time UK schools were closed to all but the children of key workers, which included truck drivers. “I have been driving trucks for 40 years, and this is the first time I have ever been recognised as a key worker,” said one of many drivers who took to social media to express their surprise.

There was a bit of confusion as to whether this applied to absolutely anyone with a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) licence, particularly in my household, where I frequently waved my driving licence under my 10-year-olds daughter’s nose, threatening to send her back to school if she didn’t behave!

On March 19, annual truck tests were postponed, in order to keep trucks on the road. It was a necessity seeing as Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency staff had chosen to stay at home. Fortunately, truck manufacturer-employed technicians, had a different attitude, and dealer workshops remained open with social distancing measures in place.

MAN Truck & Bus UK MD Thomas Hemmerich, told me: “We run two shifts, and they don’t meet each other. As one shift leaves, the second shift wait in their cars while the building is deep-cleaned. We are so afraid of cross-contamination.” Such measures worked, and there have been no reports of any truck dealership workshops closing throughout the lockdown phase.

Seeing as the UK no longer has a truck manufacturing industry of its own (excepting a DAF assembly plant in Leyland, north west England), all of our spare parts come from continental Europe.

This led to initial fears that the UK truck fleet would quickly be crippled by a lack of parts. But we needn’t have worried.

Fortunately, the seven major truck makers had all stock-piled spares in advance of Brexit, so parts warehouses were full. Also, as different industry sectors were hit harder than others, at least 30 per cent per cent of the UK truck fleet was temporarily parked-up, meaning there was less demand for spares anyway.

“Calls to DAFAid roadside assistance have fallen by 45 per cent this week, and call-outs are down by 30 per cent,” said DAF Trucks UK MD Laurence Drake at the end of March. “Clearly our stocks of parts will last longer with less vehicles to put them on.”

The government introduced its coronavirus job retention scheme, whereby it agreed to pay 80 per cent of furloughed employees’ salaries in order to protect them from redundancy. Take-up was high in some sectors, events haulage, car transporters

and construction to name but a few.

Those drivers who remained on the road throughout, faced challenges of their own. With motorway services closing, hot food and drink quickly became rarer than rocking-horse manure. Even more of an issue was the growing number of companies that decided to close their toilets to delivery drivers, all in the name of helping to stop the spread of Covid-19. How directing them to a hedge, or a portable toilet with no hand washing facilities, was supposed to help the spread of the disease, is anyone’s guess!

But on the plus side, with less cars on the road, journey times were decreasing and roads were suddenly far more truckfriendly. According to telematics provider Microlise, during the lockdown truck fuel economy improved by up to 7 per cent, and over-speeding and harsh braking events both reduced by as much as 37 per cent.

Also, the public’s support for trucks was growing. Drivers were reporting a different attitude from the public, with more courteous waves, and even witnessing people displaying banners of support from motorway bridges.

Alex Knowles, MD of Cambridgeshirebased haulier Knowles Transport, said his drivers were reporting members of the public actually thanking them for the job they were doing.

Midlands-based haulier MA Ponsonby captured the mood perfectly with this tongue-in-cheek tweet: “Can I please remind the public not to kiss or touch any of our drivers? We understand truckers have become very sexy during this crisis, but the health of our fat, ugly and grumpy drivers is a priority during these tough times.”

Meanwhile, I interviewed the mother of five-year-old truck fan Jamie Luke, who was spending his days on a bridge over the M62 motorway, waving and showing his support to passing truck drivers. As a thank you, when things get back to normal, we have helped to arrange for him to have a ride in Transformers truck Optimus Prime (see photo).

But, despite the change in public attitude, still not everyone got it. While the public were ready to line the streets, and cheer the trucks carrying bog roll and pain killers, anything less obvious was dismissed as frivolous.

We had one report of a driver delivering a tractor to a farm, who was stopped by locals, who deemed it a non-essential journey. They clearly weren’t able to

GOING GLOBAL

“We have always been bloody heroes, but nobody notices until something like this happens,” says MA Ponsonby MD, Mike Ponsonby, summing up the views of many. “Suddenly they think all truckers are great, but it will soon be forgotten.

We’ll soon go back to being public enemy number one.”

LOW EMISSION ZONES

Transformers truck Optimus Prime.

recognise the link between the food in the fields and that on their tables.

Bulk tipper operator Cullimore Group got some flack too. “Some people locally were vehement that everyone must stay at home and it is very easy for them to fire rockets at us from their laptops,” he said. “They couldn’t understand why we had construction trucks still on the road.

We were still running some of our fleet because we had orders for aggregates and concrete from water works, sewage plants, roads – all those infrastructure works are still a necessity.”

Government stepped in on March 31, deeming all logistics as essential travel, and issuing a letter for drivers to carry.

Now all the measures were in place for the industry to get on with the job of keeping society functioning – which it did, admirably.

It even received frequent mentions of thanks from prime minister Boris Johnson and other senior ministers.

At the time of writing, lockdown measures are being relaxed, and life is going back to some sort of normality. The

big question is, what can the industry gain from its new-found favour?

According to the Freight Transport Association (FTA)’s Logistics Skills Report 2019, the UK has a shortage of 59,000 drivers. With a significant number of trucks still off the road, this shortage has effectively disappeared for now, but presumably will return as the economy picks up.

However, Knowles believes that the public’s recognition that road haulage is a key industry, will help to attract some new blood. “We need to use this to our advantage now, and try to attract some younger drivers into the industry,” he comments.

This view is shared by the FTA’s director of policy Elizabeth de Jong. She says the industry has proved to be less prone to collapse than others, and suggests that this stability could act as a recruitment tool.

But the big question is, for how long will the industry’s popularity last? After all, the public has a very short memory.

Sadly, not much longer, according to most people I’ve spoken to.

At the start of the crisis, London Mayor Sadiq Khan temporarily halted the various congestion and emission zones that have been set-up in and around the capital city. It was a move welcomed by hauliers, many of whom believe they shouldn’t be paying the charges anyway. After all, it’s not like there’s a public transport alternative for delivering 20 tonnes of baked beans to supermarkets!

Scientists, who treated the lockdown as a huge experiment, reported a massive air pollution reduction throughout. In fact, London’s air quality improved so dramatically that machines measuring air pollution registered the low levels as a potential fault, and it is believed that the number of early deaths from lung and heart conditions have been reduced.

What makes this so interesting is that while private car, bus and taxi traffic dropped off a cliff, the reduction in truck journeys was estimated to be just 30 per cent less. So, with the realisation that trucks aren’t the problem, would this mean that that when the charging schemes were re-introduced, trucks would be exempt? Of course not!

GOING GLOBAL

TROUBLED TIMES FOR THE US TRUCK MARKET Last year was an excellent year for heavy duty truck sales in the United States, but these are troubled times for the US truck market as 2020 looks uncertain for two reasons, the economic slowdown and the consequences of COVID-19.

Charleen Clarke and Gianenrico Griffini report for Going Global.

L

ast year the US heavy duty truck market grew by 10.3 per cent, from 250,545 units in 2018 to 276,348 heavy truck sales in 2019. While impressive, this wasn’t a record; back in 2006, more than 284,000 vehicles hit the road.

While the United States market was buoyant last year, the two North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries, Canada and Mexico, also had a good 2019.

Overall, last year in the NAFTA area, about 340,000 trucks hit the road, compared to the 300,000 units of 2018, which was already considered an excellent year.

The Daimler group, with the Freightliner and Western Star brands, dominates the

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DIESEL July-August 2020

heavy duty segment. Freightliner alone enjoyed a market share of 36.5 per cent in December 2019. Practically, this means that more than one in three new heavy duty trucks in the United States is a Freightlinerbadged vehicle. Daimler’s market share in medium duty was 37 per cent in 2019, slightly down from 38.4 per cent in 2018.

The Paccar group, which owns the Kenworth and Peterbilt brands, ranks second. It has done an impressive job of gaining heavy duty market share. In 2005, it had 23 per cent but this grew to 29 per cent in 2018 and 30 per cent in 2019.

International is the third-largest player, with a 9.2 per cent share of the market.

The other leading players in the heavy

sector are Volvo Trucks North America (9.2 per cent market share) and Mack with 7.7 per cent.

In October last year, at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NACV) in Atlanta, all the major truck manufacturers announced that they expected a market downturn in 2020. The most credible forecast was for a heavy duty sales volumes around 240,000 units in the three NAFTA countries. “We see next year as a solid replacement volume year,” predicted Peterbilt general manager Jason Skoog, during a media briefing at the NACV. Of course, at that stage, no one had even heard of Covid-19; the predictions were attributed to the North American economic cycle and the uncertainties as a result of the ongoing trade war between the United States and China.

The predictions for 2020 rested on three assumptions. The first was a decrease in the demand for transport (and vehicles) for long and mediumhaul applications. It was expected that this would be partially compensated, however, by substantial stability in the vocational segment, especially within the construction sector. The second was a robust increase in the gross domestic product (GDP), sustained by ongoing and unchanged consumer expenditure. The third

GOING GLOBAL

assumption was stability of the diesel price.

However, already in November and December 2019, there was a downward trend in heavy-duty truck sales. Last November, in particular, the order book for heavy duty stood at 17,500 units, reflecting a sharp drop of 20 per cent compared to the previous month. If we consider incoming orders for all heavy and medium duty, the decrease was around 15 per cent over the previous month and 38 per cent down on November 2018.

EFFECTS OF THE EPIDEMIC The downward trend of heavy-duty truck demand in the United States also continued in December, with sales down 11.4 per cent compared to the same month in 2018, and things didn’t improve in the first two months of this year either…

The year started off relatively well for the trucking industry as Americans panic bought whatever they could in the first quarter of 2020. However, this didn’t translate into truck sales. In January 2020, orders for new trucks were 7,300 down on January 2019.

The weakening of the economic cycle in the United States, the increase in stocks of unsold trucks and the possible effects of the pandemic on the transport demand have led market research company Act Research to lower its sale estimates for this year, down from 224,000 truck sales in February

to 209,000 at the beginning of March and down again now to 170,000 vehicles.

Who knows if the 170,000 forecast will even be achieved? According to the Wall Street Journal, truck rates are falling as the coronavirus shuts down transport demand. “Truckers that aren’t moving food, medical supplies or other essential items ‘are sucking wind’,” Jeff Tucker, chief executive of New Jersey-based freight broker Tucker Company Worldwide, told the newspaper recently.

Last year was described as a ‘trucking bloodbath’ by many, thanks to the fact that there were more business failures than usual. The most significant was that of

Celadon, a truckload carrier that grossed $1 billion as recently as 2015. It filed for bankruptcy in December, leaving 3,000 drivers unemployed. The FreightWaves website described this as the largest trucking bankruptcy in history. Now, thanks to the weakening economy and the arrival of the coronavirus, many fear even more bankruptcies in America’s $800 billion trucking industry in 2020.

There is one piece of positive news to emerge from this situation, however.

Used truck values are plummeting.

Therefore, it’s the right time for transport operators to buy a good quality well-priced second-hand truck.

TECH KNOW

SERVICING OLDER TRUCKS

A

s truck purchasing goes onto the back burner during a crisis, workshops will probably be servicing older trucks, as operators run them out longer than they normally would. Holding on to trucks a little longer brings different issues for the workshop.

Scania is reaching out to owners and operators of its older trucks to encourage them to visit a Scania workshop for a special lube service and health check.

The new Scania Prime programme aims to reach out to the close to 10,000 Scania trucks on the road that are fiveyears-old or older, and which may not be operating under one of Scania’s successful maintenance contracts.

“Australia is such a unique country in the trucking world, vehicles just live on,” says Patrik Tharna, Scania National Aftersales Manager. “Some of these older Scanias, they just won’t die. A lot have been purchased second hand, so we don’t necessarily have a relationship with these customers.

“To me, part of the Scania experience is the Scania workshop experience.

We want to reach out to all of those operators with Scanias, so they can share the Scania experience. As a welcome back we do a lube service, with an oil change, filters and a general health check.

We are doing it cheap, so they will be

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DIESEL July-August 2020

excited to come and see us.

“If they like the experience, or if we find something needs to be done, we will be offering a 20 per cent discount if they choose to come back. It’s a call to arms, with good news for old friends.”

The trucks most likely to take Scania up on this offer will probably date from the the mid-nineties or newer. Many of them are still likely to be doing quite a few kilometres each year and needing regular servicing.

The Prime offer will begin in the company owned Scania dealerships.

Prime is simply basic maintenance and does not have the inclusions included in the many Repair and Maintenance contracts Scania currently has with their new truck customers.

“Whatever you do, you want to maintain the truck,” says Patrik. “You want to give it good maintenance to extend the life of the vehicle and ensure good uptime. Having this maintenance offer under Scania Prime, offers that to the customer. They can extend the life of the truck as long as they can, without tying themselves to the repair commitments of an R&M contract.”

This will be a long term strategy, with the intention of rolling the process out to Scania agents, outside of the company-owned dealerships.

The charge for the initial visit has been kept low, barely covering the cost of the

Patrik Tharna, Scania National Aftersales Manager.

new lube, to give the owners of older Scanias the chance to see for themselves, just how Scania servicing works. If they like it they can come back and get discounted (20 per cent) work done or sign up for a more regular schedule.

“At the moment, everyone is thinking about cashflow,” says Patrik. “If you can extend the life of your vehicle, then that’s fantastic. Doing the right basic maintenance will definitely help. Then preventative items may need to be replaced. We have recommendations, depending on the operation type, about when components need to be replaced and we would love to provide advice on that as well.”

DIESEL WORKSHOP

ZF:

A RELIABLE PARTNER TO THE AUSTRALIAN TRUCK INDUSTRY

Z

F is one of the world’s premier automotive technology companies, providing cutting edge original equipment componentry to car, truck and bus manufacturers across the globe. It is also a major manufacturer and provider of aftermarket products to the same high original equipment standards, to service the heavy vehicle market in Australia.

The technical properties are exactly tailored to the requirements of manufacturers, made with impressively high-quality materials and sophisticated machining processes.

Through its SACHS brand, ZF offers the Australian aftermarket, shock absorbers and clutches, all manufactured to full original-equipment specifications and available to fit a wide range of leading commercial vehicles, all time-proven suitable for local conditions.

Specialist technologies are applied to contribute to improvements in vehicle handling and precision tailored to vehicle type and axle and spring design. A big plus when it comes to safety.

SACHS shock absorbers ensure the reliable and cost-efficient operation of trucks and other commercial vehicles.

Like all SACHS spares, they are synonymous with German quality and are especially durable.

SACHS commercial shock absorbers are designed to optimise driver comfort and provide a safe, consistent platform to effectively relieve the daily strain on both vehicle and driver. And at the same

time to safely transport even the most sensitive of payloads.

Shock absorbers are a safety-related component which, together with the spring, forms the end link between the suspension and the vehicle body.

It reduces vibration in the suspension spring, slows it down and optimises road contact.

In addition to conventional shock absorbers for trucks, the SACHS portfolio includes trailer and even driver seat shock absorbers in an extensive range of fitments, designed to replicate the performance of the originalequipment items.

It is recommended that commercial vehicle suspension and shock absorbers be inspected at each maintenance interval for wear and damage, with parts replaced as necessary. A complete inspection of suspension components and shock absorbers should be undertaken every 80,000 to 100,000 kms for commercial road vehicles to ensure ongoing safe operation.

ZF also offers a range of SACHS commercial clutches and components, again made to original equipment standards, and designed to both maximise power delivery and durability.

SACHS offers a wide range of clutch solutions from truck clutch plates, concentric slave cylinders and clutch release bearings, to complete truck clutch replacement kits that contain all the components needed.

SACHS clutches and clutch parts are

manufactured using premium materials and remanufacturing is also taken into consideration during the design process, with SACHS recognised as a leader in the field of clutch remanufacturing for many years.

Its use of facings that are free from asbestos and lead are also a standard feature, while SACHS utilises a special facing for its 362mm, 395mm, 400mm and 430mm clutch discs. This is particularly strong and thermally stable, and protects the friction surface of the flywheel and significantly decreases wear, which further contributes to the economic operation of trucks so fitted.

The fact that over 170 million SACHS clutches, truck clutch kits and truck clutch plates have been sold worldwide demonstrates the longstanding experience and the high level of competence of its specialists as the market leader in this sector.

www.dieselnews.com.au

63

TECH KNOW

SMART TRAILER INTERIOR WASH SOLUTION IS LAUNCHED In a period when disinfection of food transport vehicles is even more important than before, an innovative smart trailer interior wash solution has been launched and is available in Australia.

W

ith the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to keep everything as clean as possible to minimise the spread of infection. Food transport is performing an essential role in the

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DIESEL July-August 2020

trucking industry and this new solution from Istobal enables effective and safe disinfection, both outside and inside, of refrigerated trailers.

Originating in Spain, the Istobal HW’Intrawash is Europe’s first standardised

automatic equipment for the interior washing and professional disinfection of refrigerated trailers and marine containers.

This revolutionary automatic trailer washing equipment achieves effective and safe disinfection when cleaning the interior of refrigerated trailers. Compared to manual washing this equipment reduces the average cleaning time by 60 per cent.

The system is equipped with a set of stainless steel guides moved by a conveyor motor controlled by a frequency converter that regulates speeds on each program pass. It also includes a complete 70-bar high-pressure arch with high impact nozzles, with lower pipe spinning system for a sweeping effect, reaching all corners of the vehicle interior.

Normally, the average time allocated for manual cleaning of a trailer is 15 to 20 minutes and manual disinfection of this type of trailer depends largely on the accuracy with which the disinfecting chemical is applied. With Istobal HW’Intrawash effective cleaning and disinfection is carried out with a standard five minute program and greater control is achieved in the consumption of chemical products.

With automatic equipment such as this, internationally patented, maximum efficiency is guaranteed in interior washing and disinfection, in a controlled and safe way. Through its rigorous application of disinfecting chemicals, the concentration, quantity and reaction time requirements suitable for each transport fleet are met.

Utilising a powerful high-pressure system, Istobal HW’Intrawash is capable of thoroughly washing the interior of vehicles up to 16 metres long, pushing the dirt

DIESEL WORKSHOP

through the rear door, where it is collected into a hopper. It is possible to carry out effective cleaning and disinfection with a standard five-minute program and, at the same time, achieve greater control and savings in the consumption of chemical products.

OUTSIDE For the external cleaning of food transport fleets, Istobal HW’Progress is a solution to achieve effective washing and disinfection since it incorporates all the technological innovation that transport professionals currently demand.

This wash rollover features a foaming chemical prewash application that sets it apart from other automatic wash systems. The foamy texture guarantees greater efficiency of the chemical product thanks to a longer reaction time on the vehicle’s surface. In addition, the automatic application of the chemical prewash also saves time and controls consumption by washing.

Istobal HW’Progress also has

any corner of the vehicle, the manual prewash gun or low pressure highpressure wash, to name just a few examples.

vertical brushes with double scrubbing function and shampoo injection by dosing pump, flexible configuration of up to 15 programs, among many other advantages. It also has a variety of options such as automatic high-Pressure prewash systems with high internal, lateral and top pressure that reach

Contact Wayne Rogers 1300 881 383 www.hartex.com.au

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SmartBoard

TECH KNOW

DISC BRAKE CALLIPERS, CHECK AND ADJUST

W

henever new callipers or brake pads are installed, the calliper self-adjust operation must be checked. If that is working correctly, the callipers must then be set to the correct operating clearance.

These checks and adjustments need to be carried out with the unit prepared for service (refer to applicable OEM guidelines) and the brake chamber, brake pads and pressure plate in place.

NOTE: The following instructions apply to WABCO and Knorr-Bremse air disc brake systems commonly used by Hendrickson suspensions and other some suspension manufacturers.

1. C arefully remove the adjuster plug from the back of the calliper.

Ensure that you do not damage the surrounding adjuster boot.

2. I nspect adjuster, adjuster boot and plug for wear, damage or deterioration.

3. Turn the adjuster half a turn clockwise on WABCO callipers with 8-mm deep offset spanner and anticlockwise on Knorr-Bremse callipers using a 10-mm deep offset box spanner or a standard ring spanner paired with the adaptor socket from the

calliper service tool kit. Do not use an open-ended spanner.

4. L eave the spanner on the adjuster.

5. G et an assistant to gently apply the brakes five times while you watch the spanner for movement. a) If the adjuster is operating correctly, the spanner will move anticlockwise on WABCO callipers and clockwise on Knorr-Bremse callipers with each brake application.

The most movement should be on first application and then become progressively smaller. b) Replace the calliper if there are any issues such as the adjuster does not move, turns only on first brake application or goes backwards and forwards with every application.

CAUTION: To prevent injury, keep your hands away from calliper and spanner during movement.

6. C alliper Adjustment. Use a spanner to set the brake calliper clearance. a) WABCO callipers have one central tappet. Adjust brake pad clearance to 1 mm (0.040”) using a long feeler gauge in the centre of the pad, between the outboard side of the calliper and

Adjusting Brake Pad Clearance.

the back of the brake pad. After completing adjustment, remove feeler gauge and rotate wheel hub to ensure it spins freely without any brake drag. b) The Knorr-Bremse SN7 calliper adjuster includes a shear adapter.

Checking-Brake Calliper Adjuster.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

“THESE CHECKS AND ADJUSTMENTS NEED TO BE CARRIED OUT WITH THE UNIT PREPARED FOR SERVICE (REFER TO APPLICABLE OEM GUIDELINES) AND THE BRAKE CHAMBER, BRAKE PADS AND PRESSURE PLATE IN PLACE.” The shear adjuster is designed to break off if excessive torque is applied. This can happen if the adjuster sticks because it hasn’t been operated for a while but can be also be from a severe problem within the calliper. It is usually best to rock the adjuster back and forth to free it up before trying to move it. If the shear adapter breaks, try again with a second shear adapter, but if this one also breaks from excessive torque then you must replace the calliper.

Knorr-Bremse brake callipers have

two tappets, and therefore brake clearance must be set with two feeler gauges. Long 1.0 mm (0.040”) feeler gauges should be inserted between the tappets and the brake pad backing plate. After completing adjustment, remove feeler gauges and rotate wheel hub to ensure it spins freely without any brake drag.

7. I nstall adjuster plug with a smear of white lithium-based grease to aid installation and to help seal against water entry.

Restore trailer to normal operating conditions and confirm proper brake function.

TECH KNOW

SWEET SPOT SCIENCE:

THE FOREST THROUGH THE TREES

A

s COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease and a semblance of normality returns, the road to economic recovery lays before us all, with many businesses continuing to look for capital equipment that brings with it operational efficiency and genuine bang for buck.

This operational value is not always obvious though. There’s merit in taking a step back to value a piece of equipment as a whole, rather than as a series of upgrades here or a value-add there.

Truck procurement deliberations for most operators are fairly common.

Payload, drivability, towing capacity, manoeuvrability, efficiency and reliability topping the list.

It is therefore vital to understand the product or package in its entirety, from the type of chassis construction, the cab type, and how it all interacts with the driveline technology, all premised on the application and demands at hand.

Understanding what combination of strengths and features an application demands is therefore key.

The challenge: payload, access, efficiency, comfort.

In recent times there’s been increasing demand for a light-duty, compact, cabchassis truck with improved payload capacity. The driving force being a market demand for the ‘sweet spot’ between urban manoeuvrability and payload capacity. The loudest chorus stemming from the trade, construction and excavation sectors.

With a long history of meeting these specific needs, Isuzu Trucks have recently released the narrow cabin NMR 60/45-150, which comes armed with an additional 500 kg payload on its nearest light-duty cousin, the Isuzu NLR 55-150.

With more compact dimensions, the NMR shows versatility and flexibility for operators navigating congested city streets, tight loading bays and laneways.

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DIESEL July-August 2020

Operators can expect increased payload and operational efficiency coupled with the access and manoeuvrability of smaller, light-duty solutions.

Isuzu’s narrow cabin design delivers again on the NMR format, offering thoughtful ergonomics, excellent frontal and sideways driver visibility, and a comprehensive safety suite (including driver and passenger side airbags, ECER29 compliant cab, ABS, Isuzu electronic stability control (IESC) and anti-skid regulator (ASR).

The NMR sports another key feature for all truck buyers, that being driver comfort.

The specification of Independent Front Suspension (IFS) on the NMR 60/45-150 therefore stands out.

Isuzu’s IFS dramatically increases stabilisation under load, ensuring the ride is predictable and assured, especially through cornering and over undulating ground.

Driver fatigue, road shock and bodyroll are all proven to be significantly reduced with the addition of IFS, a trait often sought-after by ute drivers looking at an upgrade.

Sweet spot: Isuzu NMR 60/45-150

narrow cab The NMR model is available in two GVM ratings, 4,500kg and 6,000kg. The model’s versatility is showcased in its car licence 4,500kg GVM variant, enabling businesses to utilise a range of driving abilities.

Powered by Isuzu’s 4JJ1-TCS, rated at 110kW @ 2,800 RPM and 375 Nm @ 1,600 – 2,800 RPM, the NMR offers a combination of performance and economy.

Another piece of the bigger puzzle is the torque convertor automated manual transmission (TC-AMT). Isuzu’s truck-bred unit has been specifically designed and calibrated to deal with increased truck payloads, translating to durability and parts longevity.

But it’s the ‘behind the scenes’ benefits of TC-AMT technology that create the real efficiencies. Think reduced wear and tear from driver mismanagement and the increased fuel savings the manual format provides.

With the coming together of core but often overlooked features and components, Isuzu’s NMR is an apt example of a fitfor-purpose foundation to tackle a raft of Australian vocations, applications and terrain.

ISUZU NMR 60/45-150 CAB CHASSIS Engine

Isuzu 4JJ1-TCS

GVM

6,000 kg/4,500 kg; GCM 8,000

Power

110 kW @ 2,800 rpm

Torque

375 Nm @ 1,600–2,800 rpm

Transmission

Isuzu MYY-6E (six-speed automated manual transmission)

Feature Mix

Additional 500 kg payload capacity, TC-AMT, IFS, disc braking, driver and passenger side airbags, narrow cabin, ECE-R29 compliant cab, ABS, Isuzu electronic stability control and anti-skid regulator

REVISIT YOUR FAVOURITE PAST EDITIONS OF

DOWNOAD A COPY FROM ISSUU Diesel presents the people and products of the Australian road transport industry in a style and format that is modern, informative and entertaining.

Renowned for its extensive feature articles and bold editorial, Diesel magazine was established in 2001.

Diesel magazine is uniquely positioned in the truck industry as a bold and brave voice showcasing the latest technology and raising issues that are important for drivers, owner operators, fleets and the industry as a whole.

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TECH KNOW

SOLVING ISSUES AND SAVING LIVES Bob Woodward, Chief Engineer, Australian Trucking Association, talks about the Industry Technical Council. years ago, there was very little industry representation on regulatory bodies that determined how road laws, and technical and operating standards were drafted and legislated.

It was this lack of representation, neglect of technical issues and the crucial need for operators’ voices to be heard that saw industry come together to form the Australian Trucking Association’s Industry Technical Council (ITC), a forum in which operators, manufacturers and suppliers could come together to discuss issues and develop solutions.

In an industry that is constantly changing and technology that is ever evolving, we have a responsibility to maintain best practice policy and procedures, whether it be to improve safety, productivity, or your bottom line.

The ITC took on this responsibility, and since its inception has made great strides in the technical space, delivering many wins for industry. Because we came from an operator background, we were not reluctant to come forward and say exactly what we thought.

We were passionate about the stupid things causing us grief.

The ITC early days saw the establishment of the Technical and Maintenance Conference (now the TMC), one of Australia’s longest running technical conferences.

Led by industry for industry, for more than 20 years TMC has brought together maintenance technicians, apprentices, fleet managers and technical fleet professionals to learn industry best practice through an interactive program

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DIESEL July-August 2020

of technical sessions, compliance and information forums, job-specific presentations, and practical workshops.

On a practical level, the ITC and its members have led industry innovation and played an important role in the creation of easy to understand Technical Advisory Procedures (TAPs) that meet the needs of industry and fill the gaps in the vehicle standards, covering a range of topics including stability control, side underrun protection and truck visibility.

The ITC has also worked to educate local council and government bodies of the capabilities and limitations of high productivity freight vehicles, through HPFV demo days in 2009, 2010 and 2018 - live demonstrations on a real network that provides evidence that the acceptance of these vehicles can be extended.

More recently, the ITC developed a rigid drawbar converter dolly proof of concept project, after issues were raised about the dynamic issues with hinged drawbar air suspension converter dollies, especially with brake reactivity and tyre wear. The dolly received a great deal of interest from industry and is being trialled by members across the country.

To ensure that transport industry legislation provides the maximum benefits to the road transport industry, the ATA shares its technical knowledge from the ITC with government legislators through policy submissions and lobbying efforts.

We have had big wins in this space, including changes to PBS access permits that improved productivity and reduced red tape, as well as the introduction of roller brake testing.

Working collaboratively, the ITC and ATA also developed strong policy positions on advanced braking technologies, calling on governments to mandate autonomous emergency braking and electronic stability control.

While there has been collaboration with regulators over the years, a lack of broader engagement with the ITC and its projects is a missed opportunity.

The ITC has a desire to work more closely with regulators and share our knowledge. We would welcome any opportunity to be heard.

Today, the ITC is the trucking industry’s brains trust that solves issues and saves lives. It has nearly 100 members, several who have been active for more than 20 years. The group plays a crucial role in raising technology and maintenance standards and improving operational safety.

ITC member and Lead Applications Engineer at Knorr-Bremse, Rachel Michaud, says she enjoys the way the council brings together industry members from all backgrounds and interests.

“The discussions I have with members at events are invaluable and I always learn something I didn’t know,” she said.

Meanwhile ITC member and Maintenance Manager at CHS Broadbent, Jason Button, says he has been able to implement learnings gained from ITC into his workshop.

“You’re on the leading edge. You know what’s going on, what issues people are having, you get engineering and repair advice, and are up to speed with the truck laws,” Jason said.

To find out more about the Industry Technical Council, head to www.truck. net.au

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Air Suspension Technology Never Change a Shock Absorber Again

ZMD®

ZERO MAINTENANCE DAMPING® Technology • ZMD eliminates conventional shock absorbers and integrates the damping function into the air spring • Reduced maintenance cost • Elimination of misdiagnosed shock absorber issues (misting vs. leaking) • Uniform suspension damping over the life of the air spring • Enhanced cargo protection • Support applicable Concessional Mass Limits (CML) requirements

HXL7®

Extended-Life Wheel Bearing Package

TIREMAAX® PRO

Advanced Tyre Pressure Control System • Automatically inflates tyres using the trailer air supply • Prevents overinflation by relieving air from the tyres back through the controller • Constantly equalises pressure across all tyres

• Five-year 1.2 million km on-highway warranty* • Wheel-end is 100% field serviceable • Reduced maintenance costs *Contact your local Hendrickson representative for complete warranty terms, conditions and limitations.

For more information, email: sales@hendrickson.com.au Hendrickson Asia Pacific Pty Ltd 32-44 Letcon Drive Dandenong, Victoria 3175 Tel: 03 8792 3600 www.hendrickson.com.au © 2020 Hendrickson USA, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks shown are owned by Hendrickson USA, L.L.C., or one of its affiliates, in one or more countries.

NEW HINO 300 SERIES ARRIVING SOON.

SAFEST JAPANESE TRUCK IN ITS CLASS.

Safety. Power. Efficiency. The new Hino 300 Series has taken the lead in the benchmarks that count. The range has

expanded with the introduction of the new 721, which will feature a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 6.5 tonne. Powered XAVIER_HINO37592.23

by the high horsepower Hino J05 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the 721 joins the 921 in being Australia’s most powerful Japanese light-duty trucks. Hino will continue to offer the advantage of a true automatic transmission across the range. It will also be the safest Japanese truck in its class. A Pre-Collision System with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Vehicle Stability Control, Reverse Camera and a suite of other features are standard inclusions not optional extras. Be the first to see the best. Register your interest today at hino.com.au