Owner Driver 338 March 2021

ownerdriver MARCH 2021 #338

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Contents #338

MARCH 2021

62

sporting perhaps the best steering and road handling of any truck in the business

20

14 INJURED TRUCKIE AWARDED BIGGER PAYOUT

so much so that it’s our Truck of the Month for March

An appeal finds a truck driver compensation miscalculation following ‘unreasonable’ original discretionary judgement

46 FABULOUS FLOPS

Ryan Haran always wanted to enjoy the aroma that only a brand new truck can give. But he had a few lessons to learn before that purchase came about

36 HIGH AND MIGHTY

Jarrod Smith’s Kenworth C509 has been modified to perfection in looks, practicality and performance,

Plans are underway to bring electric vehicles from JAC Trucks to Australia

72 HYUNDAI’S MID-SIZED APPEAL

A brand new player is about to enter the mid duty truck segment in Australia – the Hyundai Pavise

“Our first date was to the Penrith Truck Show.”

56 ANTHEM STRUTS ITS STUFF The covers are off – we climb behind the Anthem wheel for an Australia exclusive first test drive as the new Macks hit the road

62 KENWORTH’S REAL DEAL An SAR version of Kenworth’s new T410 is now up and running,

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20 LOVING THE NEW 909

We often hear stories of old classics but what about the makes and models that didn’t quite light the fires of fame and fanfare?

70 JAC’S ELECTRIC RETURN

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ownerdriver

BEHIND THE WHEEL Greg Bush

EDITORIAL

Editor: Greg Bush Ph: 07 3101 6602 Fax: 07 3101 6619 E-mail: Greg.Bush@aremedia.com.au Senior Journalist: Ben Dillon Ph: 0429 009 852 E-mail: Ben.Dillon@aremedia.com.au Technical Editor: Steve Brooks E-mail: sbrooks.trucktalk@gmail.com Contributors: Warren Aitken, Frank Black, Warren Caves, Warren Clark, Rod Hannifey, Michael Kaine, Rob McKay, Ken Wilkie Cartoonist: John Allison

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Aiming at soft targets

I

T’S MORE often than not that truck drivers, especially those doing long-haul, feel they have a target on their heads when it comes to the long arm of the law. One slight slip-up, such as a few minutes over in the logbook, and there goes a week’s wages. No leniency there.

It’s fine to talk about Chain of Responsibility, but is your normal run-of-the-mill police officer interested in travelling down that path? Most likely not.

From feedback we read and hear, the police and/ or road authorities only have one aim in mind – nail the driver. Forget that he or she may be under instructions from a boss, or that the driver has been supplied with a faulty truck, even though it may be only a blown taillight or something innocuously similar. The officer only has eyes for the driver.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is meant to be overseeing everything to do with Heavy Vehicle National Law. But try telling that to the officer who is keen to return to the station at the end of the day, boasting about the fistful of infringement notices handed out. Forget about knowing road transport’s regulations, it appears that it’s more about topping up each individual states’ coffers.

What’s interesting is that these officers, especially in New South Wales when going about their duties by the side of the road, become quite camera shy, as far as transport media is concerned. More to the point, they’re not keen on having their photos taken as they do their business. Except, of course, when the video teams from commercial TV programs such as A Current Affair present their usual segments highlighting the evils of trucking.

But truck drivers need not feel aggrieved. Police officers enjoy exercising their right to do whatever they want, whenever they want, even when they may get it wrong and are faced with possible implications for not following legal procedures.

Take outdoor music festivals for example and the unlawful strip searching of underage girls. The NSW police have received brickbats for forcing girls under the age of 16 into a tent, minus the presence of an adult relative or friend, which is required by law. They then set about completely humiliating the youngsters after receiving incorrect signals from sniffer dogs

who, as is well known, can often bark up the wrong tree.

Then there’s Canberra rugby league player Curtis Scott who copped a dose of capsicum spray, as well as being tasered, for the sin of falling asleep under a tree.

Scott was then handcuffed while a policewoman stood on his ankle, just for good measure.

Stubbornly, the police were intent on following through with their charges, which included one of assaulting police. The magistrate saw it differently. All charges were dismissed and Scott’s lawyer then went after costs and compensation.

For an example of how enthusiastic police can be, take a trip to north-east NSW around summer where the area is swarming with officers. It appears many of these police arrive from elsewhere, most likely from Sydney, volunteering to join the frenzied throng. And why not? It’s like a working holiday in one of the best parts of Australia – and perhaps there’s a few extra bucks thrown into their pay packets for good measure.

So to all you truck drivers who think the police only have you in their sights, there are others from all walks of life out there copping the full force of the law, whether they’ve broken it or not.

There have been recent calls in the US for the defunding of police. Perhaps similar consideration should be given to the overfunded NSW police force.

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The Goods

NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

ATA council reps announced The owner-driver and small fleet delegates have been elected to the Australian Trucking Association council unopposed DARREN JOHNSON and Angela Welsh are the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA’s) 2021 General Council industry representatives.

Johnson, from Goulburn, NSW, becomes the newest owner-driver representative while Angela Welsh, from Blaxland East, NSW, retains her small fleet operator representative position.

Both were elected unopposed.

Johnson and Welsh are entitled to attend and vote at ATA Council meetings and join in the work of the ATA’s policy committees.

Johnson takes up his role at the ATA’s 2021 annual general

meeting on April 14. Welsh, as the incumbent small fleet representative over the past two years, will resume her role.

Both are to hold office until the ATA’s 2023 annual general meeting.

“I would like to congratulate Darren on his election and Angela on her re-election,” ATA Chair David Smith says.

“Darren and Angela will represent Australia’s owner-drivers and small fleet operators, contributing to the ATA’s decisions and having their say on the critical issues affecting our industry.

“I would like to thank the

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“I would also like to thank Frank Black for his time on council as our owner-driver representative.”

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Independent returning officer Phil Potterton declared the outcome.

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Born in America and refined for Australia, the Anthem comes standard with a bold aerodynamic design, comfortable new interior and spacious stand-up sleeper, to keep drivers well-rested and ready for the long haul.

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OWD 338.als - Base Edition 9

22/2/21 8:50 am

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

New option to calculate fuel tax credits The ATO’s new ‘basic method’ is aimed at heavy vehicle owners who claim less than $10,000 THE AUSTRALIAN Taxation Office (ATO) is highlighting a heavy vehicle fuel tax solution for those with modest claims to make.

The ATO has recently released a simpler way to calculate fuel tax credits for diesel used in heavy vehicles.

Truck owners that use a heavy vehicle and who claim less than $10,000 each year can use the new “basic method”.

“The method makes it easier to work out your fuel tax credit claim, including your on and off public road use,” the ATO advises.

“As the rate for travel off public roads is higher, you will get more fuel tax credits if you calculate your off public road use correctly.

“Travel off public roads includes when you’re idling, loading or unloading your heavy vehicle in warehouses, depots or car parks.

“All you need is the distance you’ve travelled and the amount of eligible

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diesel you’ve acquired for use in the heavy vehicle for the tax period to use the method.”

The basic method for heavy vehicles when lodging the next business activity statement (BAS) can be found on the ATO website at www.ato.gov.au.

Those who have just started using fuel in their businesses should check if they are eligible for fuel tax credits on the ATO website www.ato.gov.au.

Wridgways subsidiaries placed in liquidation Two WridgWays Australia subsidiary businesses are going into liquidation over a month after being placed in voluntary administration.

The decision comes after meetings between administrators, SV Partners’ Timothy Brace and Peter Gountzos, and creditors regarding the decision to appoint a committee of inspection for the troubled non-core entities WridgWays Pty Ltd and WridgWays People Pty Ltd remained inconclusive, a media statement states.

WridgWays’ core business of relocation services and logistics will continue to operate as normal, it notes.

“Following ongoing discussions between administrators and creditors regarding the voluntary administration of two non-core subsidiary

business entities (WridgWays Pty Ltd and WridgWays People Pty Ltd), a mutually agreeable outcome was unable to be achieved,” WridgWays Australia chief commercial officer Nigel Crockett says.

“In accordance with the standard processes, the two entities will now be placed into liquidation.

“The central trading entity WridgWays Australia Pty Ltd and the business as general continues to operate as usual, with no impact to customer services or supplier agreements.

“We are eager to move forward with several new strategies and business improvements designed to adapt to the extraordinary business conditions of a COVID-19 trading environment.”

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Drivers denied access to facilities The ALRTA is calling out GrainCorp for not allowing truck drivers access to amenities over COVID fears THE AUSTRALIAN Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) has called for agribusiness GrainCorp to extend access to amenities, including shower facilities, for heavy vehicle drivers at its sites.

It notes ALRTA members have reported that drivers have been denied access to shower facilities at some GrainCorp sites due to perceived COVID-19 risks.

The issue comes not long after ALRTA successfully negotiated against feedlot amenity impositions.

“Truck drivers provide an essential service for GrainCorp operations,” the association states.

“At some point in the supply chain most grain has been on board a truck.

“Road freight has been recognised as an essential service by Australian governments within their COVID-19

response plans, which include exemptions for border crossings and exemptions for businesses operating truck driver facilities.

“The Chain of Responsibility provisions of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) require all named parties to identify and control safety risks.

“This extends to instructions, actions, inactions or demands that may cause or contribute to an offence under the HVNL. “It is likely that most GrainCorp sites using road transport services would fall into one or more of the named categories of prime contractor, consignor, consignee, loader/unloader or loading manager.

“Among other things, the Chain of Responsibility provisions extend liability in respect of fatigue offences.”

ALRTA says it has advised

GrainCorp about Australian government protocols that detail how truck-driver access to facilities can be provided safely.

“We have recommended that GrainCorp consider legal obligations under the HVNL in conjunction with the published government protocols, and work towards providing safe access to amenities for drivers, including showers where available,” its statement continues.

“GrainCorp sites are often located some distance from other amenity options.

“Inbound/outbound truck drivers

may have been on the road for many hours with many hours still to travel.

“Providing reasonable access to amenities including shower facilities is one of the most basic ways to manage fatigue risk.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic it is important for the rural supply chain to work together to deal with increased demand while continuing to operate in a manner that best protects the safety of all workers.”

GrainCorp says it will work with the ALRTA on the matter but declined to comment further.

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Injured truckie payout errors reversed An appeal finds a truck driver compensation miscalculation following ‘unreasonable’ original discretionary judgement A TRUCK DRIVER will receive nearly $1 million in injury compensation after successfully appealing the original calculation.

Daniel Peebles was awarded $764,345.12 by the Brisbane Supreme Court in early 2020 but the final figure becomes $967,052.92 after the Court of Appeal accepted errors over the driver’s total economic loss.

Peebles, then 32-years-old, became ‘permanently incapacitated’ 2014 while driving for Kurtz Transport, due primarily to company negligence in providing a truck with a defective seat.

A pre-existing back condition was factored in to the original decision, with a 50 per cent discount applied to the payout.

While the Court of Appeal accepted the original discount on future earnings due to Peebles’ condition possibly preventing him from future work, it found the same discount on past economic loss should not have applied.

“The application of the same discount rate to the appellant’s pre-trial loss is a different matter, for at least two reasons,” Judge McMurdo says.

“Firstly, in this respect the appellant’s health and circumstances over the relevant period are known, so that it is known that many of the things which might have affected the earning of income in that period did not occur.

“Secondly, the period in question here is about five years compared with the 29 years which was used to calculate the future economic loss.

“His Honour simply applied ‘the 50 per cent discount … previously adopted’.

In my respectful opinion, that was an error.

“A much lower discount rate had to be applied to this component

than that for future economic loss.”

Past economic loss, including superannuation contributions, were re-assessed with a 10 per cent discount.

The panel of three judges also deemed it erroneous that future weekly earnings, calculated as $1,200, would end up being less than Peebles’ pre-trial earnings.

“It is curious that a different figure was used as the multiplicand for future economic loss from the amount $1,300, which the parties had agreed for the assessment of the appellant’s loss of income before the trial, without something being identifiable as an explanation for the difference.

“The parties were not bound by their agreement on that figure in making their respective submissions for future economic loss.

“Importantly, however, there was also the judge’s finding that there was a sufficient evidentiary basis for a loss of $1,300 per week.

“In my respectful opinion, the

grateful to put the legal proceedings behind him, thanking his family, friends and legal team for their persistence in fighting for justice.

“I’m glad it’s over. The claim and court proceedings have been going on for more than seven years and I’ve had enough.

“It’s bad enough battling the physical and mental pain of a permanent injury, let alone the added stress and pressure of legal proceedings,” Peebles says.

“I’m currently undergoing extensive treatment for my injury, including spinal cord simulation, and it’s incredibly expensive. I will need every dollar of my compensation to support me through the treatment process

“The duty of care of employers should be paramount.” evidence having proved a weekly loss of that amount, it is that amount which should have been allowed.

“For that reason also, the assessment of damages must be revised.”

On that adjustment, future economic loss becomes $526,500 (from $486,000), and past economic loss increases from $174,200 to $313,560.00, with further adjustments to superannuation and interest.

Afterwards, Peebles said he was

considering I’m not able to earn an income at present.”

He adds that he hopes employers see this outcome and realise that they need to be more accountable for the welfare of their employees.

“The duty of care of employers should be paramount. Many transport companies spruik their high standards of care to employees and yet, my experience is that it’s nonsense,” Peebles continues.

Above: Lawyer Hugh Powell says Daniel Peebles needed to be adequately compensated for his permanent injury following his employer’s negligence

“Directors and owners of transport companies need to put their people before profits. The buck stops with the director/owner of a company.

“Proactive and practical safety measures are required, rather than just looking at paperwork. When a staff member brings a safety issue to the attention of a maintenance manager, it needs to be taken seriously.”

Hugh Powell, Daniel Peebles’ compensation lawyer, says that after his client’s trial in May 2020, the significant nature of his disability and his need for ongoing lifetime treatment was enough of a reason to take the fight to the Court of Appeal.

“The Appeal was about ensuring Mr Peebles was adequately compensated for his permanent injury that he suffered as a result of his employer’s negligence,” Powell says.

“It’s pleasing to see that a deserving plaintiff like Mr Peebles – who was found to have suffered permanent injury as a result of no fault of his own – is to be awarded fair compensation for the life changing consequences.”

If it wasn’t for his injury, it is estimated that Peebles would have nearly 30 years left in the workforce, losing approximately $1,300 net a week.

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22/2/21 8:50 am

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

SA police drop freeway fines Sapol says securing convictions unlikely following testing procedure review A NEW BOUT in South Australia’s South Eastern Freeway fines wrangle sees the state’s police drop outstanding speed camera offences at Leawood Gardens over flawed record-keeping.

From February 1, SA Police (Sapol) advises it has discontinued 153 matters currently before the courts

and cancelled 56 suspended expiation notices relating to the 60km/h speed limit for trucks and buses.

It claims a review of review of the testing procedure uncovered an unlikelihood of securing convictions.

It maintains the “testing procedure was correct” but the retention of those

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Coroner’s recommendations to directly address this issue.

“Speeding is one of the Fatal Five that cause significant harm and trauma on our roads.

“Over the last five years (2016-2020), 99 lives have been lost and a further 232 people have suffered serious, often life changing injuries, where speeding was a contributing factor.”

Enforcement of offences on the SE Freeway has long prompted consternation, with then-transport minister Stephan Knoll pledging and backing down on certain fine increases in 2019, while the use of primary truck brakes on the descent has also courted industry confusion.

Sapol expands on the Leawood Gardens camera data, noting that, between April 3, 2019 and December 2, 2020, it led to 10,670 expiation notices, including 477 expiation notices issued for heavy vehicle general speeding offences and 1,395 expiation notices issued for heavy vehicle offences under s45C (10km/h+).

The camera temporarily stopped operating on December 2, to accommodate roadworks, and is not planned to resume until June.

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testing records “has not been followed in a manner that would result in a reasonable prospect of conviction”.

“It has been determined from our review of this particular fixed camera at Leawood Gardens that the recording of the testing regime SA Police had been conducting is such that we are not likely to see a reasonable prospect of conviction in court if the matter was contested,” Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrot says.

“It needs to be strongly reinforced that SA Police are absolutely confident the camera was and is operating as per its specifications with no issues relative to the technology of the camera.

“The matters cancelled are done so purely from a procedural process perspective and not regarding the capabilities of the camera.”

Parrott defends the use of the Leawood Gardens camera.

“We cannot lose sight of the fact that this camera was installed as a critical factor in addressing the issues of speeding heavy vehicles descending down the South Eastern Freeway into the city area where people have died.

“The camera was installed after the

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24/02/2021 1:12:14 PM

Route change proves life saver

Fuel delivery driver’s sliding door moment saves stranded traveller WHEN TRUCK DRIVER Michael Thompson made a decision last December to alter his route due to approaching rain from the east, it proved to be a life-saving move for Sydney grandfather Terry Stewart.

Thompson, a driver for Lowes Petroleum, was delivering diesel to Cordillo Downs Station, south-east of Birdsville, when he made the decision to head west, eventually discovering the 75 year-old who was close to death and barely breathing.

Stewart, a track boss for the Great Escape Oz, a charity car rally for Cure 4 Cystic Fibrosis, was mapping out a route for the rally when his 4WD broke down in harsh terrain around 30km from Cordillo.

After spending the night in the car, he left a note saying he intended to walk to the station.

After discovering the abandoned vehicle, Thompson found the note and set out in pursuit.

“I followed his tracks for 13km or so,” he says.

“I knew he was in a bad way because

the last 200 to 300 metres his tracks started going backward and forward, so he was clearly disorientated.

“There were probably four to five sets of tracks. I kept doubling back and found him unconscious in a dry gully.

“The temperature that day was 47, 48 degrees Celsius. It was so hot I couldn’t touch the door handles to the truck,” Thompson recalls.

“The stones on the ground were so hot they would burn your hand if you picked them up.”

A seasoned long-haul driver based in Quilpie, western Queensland, Thompson has worked for Lowes Petroleum for over 13 years driving a triple road train and covering over 100,000km a year. When he discovered Stewart’s prone body, he feared the worst.

“He was red raw. It looked like he wasn’t breathing it was so shallow.

“I ran to the truck and got some cold water and poured it on his clothes and he groaned, so I knew he was alive.”

Using his satellite phone, Thompson

called his wife who then contacted Cordillo Downs Station, who then put a call into the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

“He’d been walking around since 10 or 11am and I found him around 6pm,” Thompson recalls.

Janet Brook from Cordillo Station quickly arrived with help. By 7pm he was in an air-conditioned room, receiving treatment following instructions from the RFDS. “It was pretty close; another hour out there and it could have gone either way,” Thompson says.

“For two hours he was unresponsive and then around 9pm he started to wake a bit but couldn’t move his arms or legs or speak properly.

“If I hadn’t gone in that way instead of out, he would never have been found; there was no one else on the road that day. He would have been dead alright.”

Since then, Thompson has kept in communication with Stewart whose legs are still in bandages and is undergoing twice weekly treatment at

Above: Accidental hero Michael Thompson

the burns unit at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital.

Stewart says he is planning only one trip in the future – a catch up with his rescuer when he is fit for travel.

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operator profile

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ownerdriver.com.au

24/02/2021 12:22:12 PM

LOVING THE NEW 909 Ryan Haran always wanted to enjoy the aroma that only a brand new truck can give.

But he had a few lessons to learn before he reached that landmark acquisition.

Warren Caves writes

ownerdriver.com.au

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MARCH 2021 21

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“I was 19-years old and running interstate, full time.”

W

HEN IT COMES to truck drivers there seems to be very distinct categories they can be divided into. There are those who drive trucks purely as a job like any other, viewing their profession as quite simply a job to which they attend in return for a wage or income.

Some radiate into the trucking industry, lured by the attractive income potential (by working long and hard hours) to provide a secure lifestyle for themselves and their family.

Then there are those who are perhaps products of their environment, exposed to the trucking life by fathers or family members throughout their formative years; an exposure that can seem to have a direct impact on their very DNA, forming a passion so deep that they end up living and breathing trucking. Trucking to these is more than just a job or pay packet, it’s part of their very being. It defines who they are.

Ryan Haran of Bargo, NSW-based Haran Haulage definitely fits into this latter category.

Influenced from a young age by his father’s and grandfather’s connections with trucks, Ryan was almost preordained to become a third-generation truck driver.

A young kid whose childhood bedroom wall was decorated with truck posters, Ryan recalls school holidays and weekends as a kid, riding in his dad’s truck at all hours of the night and day, washing trucks and helping with maintenance and loving every minute of it. Perhaps more by consequence rather than desire, Ryan’s Dad was unwittingly sewing the seed of the transport industry from an early age.

Not overly stimulated by school, Ryan left after completing year 10, entering into an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic at the Suttons Kenworth dealership in Arncliffe, Sydney; an introduction to Kenworth trucks that would influence his choice of trucks later in life.

“Dad guided me towards the diesel mechanic career after I left school,” Ryan recalls. “He knew I was into trucks and enjoyed helping work on his, but deep down all I wanted to do was drive a truck, more specifically, own my own truck.

“Even at this early age, I dreamed of one day buying a brandnew truck.”

Ryan’s dad did all he could to dissuade him from becoming a truck Top: Credit goes to Twin City Trucks and Klos Custom Trucks for the 909’s appearance, not to mention the subtle bling Left: Ryan Haran is meticulous when it comes to having the 909 presented in immaculate condition

22 MARCH 2021

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“Our first date was to the Penrith Truck Show.”

Above: Another truck enthusiast?

Ryan and his son Lewis

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driver; he wanted Ryan to do something else, which is why he steered him towards the diesel mechanic role. It seemed a logical solution but his desire to drive was strong.

Ryan soon realised that while working on his dad’s trucks and keeping them clean and maintained was a cool thing for a young kid to be doing on the weekend. But repairing the trucks of others, including unglamorous garbage trucks, didn’t seem to hold the same appeal. Ryan was questioning whether he could actually see out the apprenticeship.

As fathers do, wanting the best for their kids, Ryan’s dad was adamant that he would finish his apprenticeship, but Ryan had other ideas.

Unfortunately, the authorities don’t hand out truck licenses to 16-year-old kids straight out of school, no matter how passionate they are. So the dangling carrot of the truck licence seemed just that little bit out of reach. Undeterred, Ryan began hatching a plan to set the wheels in motion to get his first truck.

“A friend of my dad’s was running a small landscape and nursery supply business at around the time that I was getting closer to being old enough to get my P-plates,” Ryan explains. The business had around 10 rigid trucks working within it and they were all sub-contractors.

“Quite behind dad’s back I approached the manager friend and

asked if there were any trucks for sale, but unfortunately at the time there wasn’t so I left my number with him and continued working as a mechanic. Six months later he called me and said one had come up for sale and asked if I was interested? Of course I was!

“I went home and told dad I was going to buy this particular truck, to which he responded, ‘No, you’re not, you’re only a bit over two years into your apprenticeship. Stick it out.’”

Financial equation Resistance was futile – a trucking career journey plan had already been mapped out in Ryan’s head. He’d done the figures and worked out the timeline on licence class progression, reckoning that he could have his MC licence and his own prime mover by the age of 20.

What Ryan hadn’t worked out was how he was going to bankroll the purchase of this first truck.

At an asking price of $60k, for an apprentice earning $130 dollars per week, this was kind of a big problem, not to mention the equally sizeable problem of not even having his P-plates yet.

Ultimately, Ryan got a loan from ‘the bank of dad’, a gesture I get the impression didn’t come easily to Ryan’s parents. He remembers overhearing conversations between his parent about the subject and the financial pressures it could bring if things didn’t work out.

“I had to get a permit to get a HR licence because of my age, but to get the permit approved I had to bring in that actual truck 75 per cent loaded to the RTA and pass a driving test with one of their examiners,” Ryan explains.

“This meant effectively I had to buy the truck and then go for the driving test to see if they would issue a permit to drive it. The pressure was on because if they didn’t approve the permit, I would have had to wait another 12 months before I could actually drive the truck I had just bought.

“Dad did end up helping me get that first truck and I got the permit. I didn’t want to disappoint him by failing, so I worked hard.

“I was now an owner-driver at the age of 17, proudly driving around in my 6-tonne Daihatsu Delta with shiny chrome nut covers, heaps of extra lights and P-plates displayed front and rear. I thought I was king of the road,” Ryan laughs.

Work for Ryan and his trusty Daihatsu was plentiful and things were going well, but in line with his career plan he had to continue climbing the licence class ladder. He obtained his HC and got some weekend semi-trailer work doing ‘dog runs’ out west and other various loads for Bunker Freightlines, a job he landed through a family friend.

The experience gained doing this work eventually imparted enough confidence to sell the Daihatsu and continue his pre mapped career journey, although this would require working for someone else as an employee for a time.

“Going back to work for someone else didn’t bother me. It was a means to an end and all part of my grand plan. I would secure

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“I was sent the service and maintenance history for the truck from SRV.” work at companies that used a lot of sub-contractors, with hopes of getting my own truck in with them if an opportunity arose.

“I was also gaining valuable experience along the way … I was 19-years old and running interstate, full time.”

Through a friend, Ryan got a job with transport company Patrick as an employee driver, covering interstate and regional runs. Very early on in the stint with Patrick, Ryan made his aspirations clear to the manager – he wanted to be an owner-driver again and if an opportunity came up, he would like to hear about it.

Anteater adventures After around 12-months, Ryan was offered a sub-contractor position with Patrick. It was to be three to four nights a week running to Canberra at night with the balance of work made up with local jobs.

“The manager told me straight up, ‘don’t spend too much money on a truck, I can’t guarantee an income, but if you’re good to us we’ll be good to you’,” Ryan recalls.

This may well have been critical business advice. Ryan had always dreamed of buying a brand-new truck, but now was not the time.

By the time he got the opportunity to buy that first prime mover, Ryan was 24-years-old and now married to his long-term partner Kirsten. They were renting a house and had saved a bit of money for a house deposit.

“I had a few dirt bikes and items of value in the shed which I sold and with that, combined with the money we had saved for the house

Above right: The T909 not only looks the goods, it also comfortably handles single trailer work Bottom: Prior to the T909, Ryan owned this ex-SRV Road Freight Services’ Kenworth T904. “It was a freak of a truck.”

deposit, we scraped up enough money to buy that first truck, a wellworn Kenworth T600 Anteater.”

Some might think that redirecting cash from a house deposit into a truck might not be the easiest of things to convince a wife to do, but Ryan goes on to clarify: “Early on in our relationship I explained to Kirsten what I was like and how I live for my job, I have an emotional investment in my career, trucks are a huge part of my life, which she is very understanding of.

“In fact, if she needed any convincing early on, she got it. Our first date was to the Penrith Truck Show,” Ryan laughs.

According to Ryan, the T600’s N14 Cummins engine leaked oil from most of its joints and breathed heavier than an angry dragon. Unable to afford a rebuild, he investigated the benefits of a de-carboniser treatment he had seen in a magazine ad. After ringing the number and speaking with the sales guy, who insisted this was the ‘holy grail’ he needed, Ryan thought he didn’t have much to lose.

Interestingly, with the use of the de-carboniser treatment combined with investing a lot of time and intense research into quality oils and their subsequent use, Ryan says the engine oil leaks reduced to more manageable weeps, easily repaired with a can of degreaser and a weekly pressure wash – and the oil consumption stopped. This process rejuvenated the tired old 600 enough for Ryan to run it for a few years with the combination of the de-carboniser and quality oils helping him to make good money.

Preventative maintenance Eventually the T600 succumbed to a cracked head and a decision was made to retire it (it was eventually repaired and used in the company operation later). Still resisting the urge to get that brand new truck he so desperately desired, the T600 was replaced with an ex-SRV Road Freight Services T904, which at the time was being driven by one of his mates.

According to Ryan, that ex-SRV T904 purchase was one of the best decisions he made.

“The truck had 1.4-million kilometres on it when I bought it, and had received a rebuild at 1.2 million. That truck in all the years I had it never left me broken down on the side of the road.

“I was running it full time on interstate work – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide – and it had 2.6-million kilometres on it when I sold it. It was a freak of a truck.”

Ryan puts the reliability and longevity of that T904 down to the preventative maintenance the original owners put into it.

“Before I bought the truck I was sent the service and maintenance

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“Proud as punch, Ryan took delivery of his T909, from Twin City Trucks.”

Above: The Kenworth is powered by a 615hp Cummins X15 engine Below: Ryan was hit hard by the GFC, forcing him to sell some of his assets, including this K108

28 MARCH 2021

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history for the truck from SRV. Those guys documented every detail of its maintenance, down to every time the truck was greased.

“All serviceable items that were replaced throughout its life were quality parts and I believe that this contributed to the great run I had from that truck. That truck was a good gamble,” Ryan recalls.

For a time, things were looking really good for Haran Haulage.

Ryan was driving the T904, the T600 had the engine rebuilt and he had put a driver in that, and another K108 joined the fleet which also included eight trailers.

Then the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) hit and things turned sour.

Ryan admits this was an extremely tough time; he was still paying his drivers even though work had dried up. Bills were mounting and the option of winding up the business was considered.

A plan was formed to continue the business in a reduced capacity, which meant selling some assets and necessitating the need to put off his drivers. This aspect of the GFC fallout weighed heavily on Ryan’s mind, so much so that he offered to continue to pay his drivers until they found other work.

In hindsight, I wonder if Ryan had bought a brand-new truck and taken on greater debt instead of buying the used SRV T904 would

that combined with the GFC have been the tipping point to end his company’s aspirations.

As history records, the economy bounced back and things improved for Haran Haulage, which for now continues to operate as a single truck business.

With stability comes confidence. Ryan has been working for a national company, towing a company-owned powder tanker, and for Ryan the time seemed right. Just weeks ago, Haran Haulage took delivery of its first ever brand-new truck, fulfilling the dream of a truck-crazy kid.

Proud as punch, Ryan took delivery of his T909, purchased from Twin City Trucks in Wodonga. It has been perfectly customised to Ryan’s preferences – and why wouldn’t it? He has had a long time to think through exactly what he wanted.

Fitted with a Cummins X15 engine rated at 615hp (459kW) and 2,050ft-lb of torque driving through an 18-speed manual transmission, the truck will make light work of the single trailer work.

Just the right amount of personalisation has been added to the truck to Ryan’s taste by both Twin City Trucks and Klos Custom Trucks. Stainless tank wraps, deck plates, stainless wrapped mirrors, headlight eyelets, wing trims, bug trims, stainless ribbed guards, paint and chassis scrolling and a plethora of LED lighting all combine to individualise the truck without going over the top.

It looks as though patience has paid off and some 21 years or so after buying that first Daihatsu Delta, Ryan now gets to experience that new truck smell.

ownerdriver.com.au

24/02/2021 12:23:51 PM

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

WA entices new blood to industry Western Roads Federation hails multi-million dollar investment to reverse heavy vehicle driver skills shortage in the state AN INDUSTRY-LED initiative that aims to train 1,000 new skilled transport workers has gained $6.1 million in Western Australian government funding.

The job-ready Heavy Vehicle Driving Operations Skill Set and driver training aims to tackle skills shortages, with a focus on assisting smaller transport operators without the capacity to provide on-the-job training.

The course aims to remove barriers to entry in heavy rigid (HR), heavy combination (HC) or multi-combination (MC) heavy vehicle driving through both theoretical and hands-on practical truck driver training.

The state transport portfolio is to provide targeted funding for delivery of industry mentoring for program graduates, to be co-ordinated by the Western Roads Federation (WRF).

“Advocating for a major investment in an industry-designed driver training program to address the skills shortage has been a key focus of WRF for the last year – we are therefore delighted with the announcement of such a significant funding commitment by the government,” WRF chair Craig Smith-Gander says.

“This training program sets a new standard for developing professional truck drivers in Australia. In the future, we aim to move to a formal apprenticeship program, recognising the vast skill sets that are required by professional transport operators.”

The course will be delivered in Perth’s north-eastern suburbs by Central Regional TAFE and is an expansion of the Heavy Haulage Driving Operations Skill Set being delivered in Collie, which will transition to the new program.

The new program has been modified to provide students with more of the practical skills needed by industry, including on-road experience.

WRF, with the input of Livestock & Rural Transport Association of WA (LRTAWA) and the Transport Workers Union WA (TWU WA), has been advising the state government on issues affecting the industry, and has been instrumental in the development of the expanded skill set to address unprecedented skilled shortages.

“We’ve been campaigning for years for a creditable apprenticeship scheme in transport and logistics,” TWU WA state secretary Tim Dawson says.

“This pilot program will go a long way to addressing the shortage of drivers in the transport industry.

“We see this type of program as important in assisting workers currently in the industry that want to upskill and anyone that wants to enter transport and logistics and have a long-term career.

“It is about time that the transport industry moved away from accepting drivers trained by second-rate training operators and the state government ensured that there is an avenue for proper accredited education and safe, professionally trained drivers are put on our roads.

“It is great to see the WA state government recognise the essential work of truck drivers and ensure the long-term future of the industry by offering it as a sustainable and feasible pathway for young people.”

The aim of the pilot is to increase skilled workers in this essential service but also give existing workers the opportunity to upskill to more complex combination heavy vehicle driving, increasing industry productivity and safety.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vital the freight industry and truck drivers are to our state and our economy,” WA transport minister Rita Saffioti says.

“We have worked collaboratively with industry to create this program to make sure it gives truck drivers the skills they need while also helping jobseekers increase their employability.

“Western Roads Federation and the TWU approached the Premier, Minister for Education and Training and myself, asking to create a dedicated training course for truck drivers.

“We responded with our initial training course in Collie, and I’m so pleased we have been able to build on the success of that pilot and roll out a training program in the metropolitan area.”

The course will run for just over six weeks, with the first intake in the metropolitan area expected to start this month.

Regional locations are also in development.

The formal training component of the course will be free for job seekers and people under 25.

A small contribution will be required for participation in separate practical driving lessons, which will accompany the training.

Course participants will get a credit toward the Certificate III in Driving Operations traineeship and a leg up to complete the full qualification.

ownerdriver.com.au

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Above: The WA Government aims to remove barriers for those seeking an HR, HC or MC licence

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WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie

Loose lips sink driver A work diary indiscretion, picked up by an employer, could be bait fish to enforcement officers

F

ATIGUE AND ELECTRONIC work diaries (EWDs) – haven’t any of these techno wizards ever studied logic? Headlines in another industry paper: ‘Now’s the time to make fatigue management electronic’. Every time I see this sort of rubbish I feel like doing a chunder. Managing compliance with fatigue rules is not managing fatigue, stupid. Managing fatigue is a different matter.

Here’s some recent information. When a responsible company management delegates a staff member to review an operator’s work diary and that staffer discovers a non-compliant entry, the accepted practice I’m told is for that non-compliance to be noted and the offending operator educated to ensure no further indiscretions are committed.

Now, a little bird has told me that should that bad record remain in the book and be discovered by enforcement, the policy is to breach.

No wonder so many work diaries are lost or destroyed by accident. Where do these dictators get off? There is no option but to lose incriminating records with EWDs. That attitude answers a lot of drivers’ concerns about minor discrepancies with compliance via EWDs. It’ll be: “Hit them with a fine boys, we need every five cent piece we can find.” The only thing with that is that bureaucracy does not recognise five cent pieces as legal tender and anyway, five cent pieces are insignificant to offset the exorbitant cost balanced against profit of bureaucracy.

I’m going to end up rotting in a back alley one of these days. I made a public statement some weeks ago. The highest remunerated groups in this country do nothing to contribute to the economy – namely bureaucracy and politicians. It is a real worry. Sadly, management is so bound up with being politically correct that their lips are sealed with ultrastrong adhesive gaffer tape.

I definitely don’t advocate drivers using tooth picks to keeps one’s eyes open or sitting on a chair that could erupt into volcanic shakes and shudders at any time. I definitely don’t want to end upside down in Bakers Creek after almost completing an overnight run. “Wonder what went wrong there?

Probably wasn’t using an electronic work diary!”

All this current crap is about companies dodging any suggestion of being dragged into a Chain of

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Responsibility action. The current wish list for conforming to heavy vehicle accreditation is that a driver is expected to note on the daily work diary page that he or she is fit to drive. Now my simplistic attitude is that the very act of filling in a page when starting carries the statement that one considers him or herself fit to drive. For Christ’s sake, do we fill in the bloody book if for whatever reason we don’t drive? Be that too drunk or doing isolation for COVID or whatever?

Queensland has had a particularly horrendous year for on-road fatalities.

Yes, I accept the view that just one death is too many. Having said that, I won’t live to see the ambition of no road fatalities achieved.

SPEEDING FALLACY The deputy PM was recently quoted expressing horror at the multiple deaths that he had knowledge of as a cadet newspaper man. That is part of the issue. Until the cause of each and every accident is made public in a timely manner, how the bloody hell can we educate ourselves to avoid those risky situations? Mr ATA (Australian Trucking Association), it is called education!

Telling drivers to slow down is no answer.

Indeed, I consider that empty-headed call only aggravates the situation.

All driving is speeding. I’d like some information on the numbers of ‘accidents’ where illicit drugs were involved – or alcohol or fatigue.

National Transport Insurance has done great work in advising of times of day and the like. No one has yet had the fortitude to reveal how many heavy

KEN WILKIE has been an owner-driver since 1974, after first getting behind the wheel at 11. He’s on his eighth truck, and is a long-time Owner//Driver contributor. He covers Rockhampton to Adelaide and any point in between.

His current ambition is to see the world, and to see more respect for the nation’s truckies. Contact Ken at ken@rwstransport.com.au

vehicle accidents have taken place when the heavy vehicle driver was out of hours. And no one has had the fortitude yet to tell us how many deemed fatigue accidents occurred while the driver was within regulated hours. That may undermine bureaucracy’s determination to be so bloody minded in relation to the rigidity of the crap they are enforcing.

Why are responsible operations advocating the fitting of those sophisticated cattle prodders? Why does every page of the work diary – duplicates and all – carry the warning ‘not to drive if impaired by fatigue’? Logically it just doesn’t add up. But it does add up if one considers that the ambition for all of this frivolous record keeping is designed to protect against a chain of responsibility accusation.

CAPITALIST RESPONSE One of our larger transport organisations, which rely to some extent on subcontractors, had an issue prior to Christmas in sourcing sufficient transport capacity to fulfil its obligations to one of its customers. It must have faced a bit of pressure to perform to its contract requirements. The company responded to its supply and demand crisis in the time honoured capitalist manner. In a sort of a way it increased the offered rate to do the work. Sort of a way?

All of the work involves use of the Pennant Hills Road bypass tunnel.

Instead of offering an increased rate per tonne to cover tolls, it has invited its subbies to add toll costs to invoices.

I wonder how much extra revenue it will collect from contractor accountants failing to include the addition?

Rod Hannifey has expressed some concern regarding drivers passing closer than necessary to vehicles adjacent to roadways. That brings to mind the stupid expectation that drivers approaching stationary operating angry lights slow to 40km/h. That expectation reflected a lack of understanding of the kinetic forces operating with heavy vehicles. But I appreciate the position of those working adjacent to speeding traffic. It is not a particularly pleasant place to be.

Coming north at Chinderah the other night the angry lights were operating and I was in some doubt as to what was going on. A quick flash of high beam to ensure the activity was road side and a judicious movement to the right lane so as to give as much space as possible while easing off the pedal. I was impressed to be rewarded with a quick flash of a copper’s head lights. It’s just a bit of consideration for the comfort of others.

My required reading for this month: Radio Girl by David Dufty.

“Management is so bound up with being politically correct.” ownerdriver.com.au

23/02/2021 9:49:59 AM

industry or our drivers. It should be of concern to the federal government.

It is imperative that the federal government addresses these problems given the effect not just on drivers but on other road users also. The study found that poor health is linked to crashes and near-misses. The survey shows 13 per cent of drivers reported having a crash in the past year with over 70 per cent stating they had a near miss on average once per week. Having three or more chronic conditions nearly doubles the odds of experiencing a crash.

It is clear that our industry needs fundamental reform. Getting a few more salad options at truck stops isn’t going to address the fact that financial pressure in our industry is creating the dynamics which sees margins too tight and drivers sweated as a result.

The economics at the top of our industry is resulting in poor health for drivers and high death rates of drivers and other road users.

The financial squeeze by major retailers, manufacturers and oil companies which continually demand lower cost contracts from transport operators, results in an industry under pressure and subsisting on tight margins. This is the reason for the long hours, the stress and the injuries that drivers experience.

Now that the evidence is abundantly clear we urge the federal government to act.

TWU Michael Kaine

Deadliest by far The Monash University survey into the health of truck drivers has revealed what we already knew

B

EING AUSTRALIA’S deadliest industry, there has been a tendency to overlook the chronic health implications that also come with being a driver. Not anymore.

We now have the data that shows just how unhealthy driving trucks is.

The statistics are not merely numbers; they paint a picture of workers constantly under the pump who have little choice but to ignore their own health.

Here are just some of the shocking details from the survey of 1,400 drivers by Monash University: • Over 80 per cent of drivers are overweight or obese • One in five under the age of 35 is suffering from depression • Over 70 per cent living are chronic pain • Almost a third have multiple chronic health conditions.

The study, partnered by the Transport Workers Union, Linfox and the Centre for WHS, has shown that the reason for the poor health among drivers includes “long working hours, sedentary roles, poor nutrition, social isolation, shift work, time pressure, low levels of job control, and fatigue”.

It points to a need for urgent reform to address and prevent mental health and poor health among drivers.

Researchers didn’t just gather the data; they took the time to carry out in-depth interviews with drivers and their families.

Some of the testimony is harrowing.

“Just last week, I had a driver say that he nearly pulled the wheel on the truck

OUT-OF-BALANCE POINT

CIRCULAR TUBE

MOUNTING PLATE

to head straight into a tree, because it was just crap; it was too overwhelming for him,” said one driver. “And he’s breaking down crying on the phone.”

“Myself and my ex-wife separated … because I was away so much. So that’s probably one time where I lost everything,” said another.

“My son’s been looking for my guidance and my love I suppose and it hasn’t been there because I’ve been too busy driving trucks and, you know, fighting my own battles,” said a third.

Drivers spoke about the financial pressure they are under: “95 per cent of drivers I talk to don’t want to work more than 12 hours a day, but the owners need more to pay the [truck] payments … they’ve got to make that truck work 16 hours a day … six days a week … to make the payments because they work that cheap.”

The poor quality of food on the road is another concern: “The biggest issue with drivers is just food and the availability of fresh, good food on the road. That’s probably one of the biggest issues. But the thing is, what people tell us to eat, and what is available on the road, it’s very hard to get … my work is all overnight so I sleep during the day and then eat during the night. So it’s very, very hard.”

REFORM REQUIRED It is clear that something is very wrong in our industry and that Australia cannot turn away from it. Truck driving is Australia’s most common job, employing one in every 33 men, or 200,000 drivers.

The fact that driver health is so bad should not be just a concern for our

MICHAEL KAINE is the national secretary of the Transport Workers Union of Australia.

Contact Michael at: NSW Transport Workers Union, Transport House, 188-390 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. twu@twu.com.au

LOW STANDARDS

“We need robust regulation for the entire road transport industry.”

The Senate inquiry into safety and sustainability of our industry is also providing ample evidence for the federal government. At a hearing in Sydney last month, drivers spoke out about how lower standards have led to horrific deaths from truck crashes and armed hold-ups of drivers delivering cash to bank machines.

They described an industry on its knees because major retailers, manufacturers, banks oil companies and local councils don’t want to pay a fair rate to ensure their goods are transported safely. The inquiry heard how the gig economy is dragging standards down even further.

It is clear we need robust regulation for the entire road transport industry to stop the race to the bottom. The evidence is there. Now is the time for action.

For more information on the Monash University Driving Health study go to: www.drivinghealth.net

CIRCULAR TUBE

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23/02/2021 9:53:52 AM

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey

Fined for the sake of it It’s time for the NHVR to take the power away from police officers hell bent on hammering the industry

I

N THE NEAR future I will be fighting another fine in court after being charged with driving for six and a quarter hours without a break from 8pm to 2.15am. The fact I had marked the book at midnight on both pages with location and kilometres, but not the 15 minute break, might have got me a caution, or a clerical error fine.

No, the officer would not look at the tracking device, he would not listen to my possible explanation and, of course, I then had a seven and a quarter hour break after this. So, you could reasonably accept it was not fatigue related in that I was managing my fatigue to get good rest when I pulled up for the night.

Beyond the fact that I sought a review that included photos of both the Teletrac device showing a 15 minute break and the logbook pages showing I had marked a stop, but not the 15 minute break at midnight, I believe I have shown with two different recognised recording instruments I did not breach.

Both show I did not break the law and yet I got a reply saying they could not rescind the fine – which is not the truth – and it would stand.

I suggested to the officer at the time that we have to count hours up. I could have started at 8.10pm so I would have to round up to 8pm (he argued this was not the case), then finished at 2.10am and would have to round up again so I have only worked for six hours. But have to show six hours 15 minutes. He also did not really give me a chance to look properly at the book when he found the issue.

I am getting to the point and have suggested that those who do such reviews must be held accountable. If we are to have a Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and it is to be policed and monitored and controlled by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), then the police should have no jurisdiction on transport law. Of course if you are caught speeding or go through a stop sign police could still issue a fine. But as the police are not accountable to the NHVR in how they interpret the HVNL, they should not be allowed to police it.

As the NHVR takes over the state road authority staff who in the past were controlled and acted as directed by the relevant state, they are all being trained to the same standard. They are being given instructions on how to deal with truckies specifically and how to both use the law as needed, giving warnings where appropriate, not simply aiming to make more revenue from more fines. Those officers will be accountable to NHVR and we will be able to lodge a complaint against them if we believe

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they act badly. However, any such complaint to a fine issued by police goes to state revenue in New South Wales and no-one is held accountable by a third party.

OFFICER’S MISTAKES FORGIVEN Another mate was pulled up and even complimented on doing the right thing, then he was hit with a $685 fine for not having the records base filled in. This has nothing to do with road safety. His old book was still with him and showed the details and this should be a clerical error fine at $175, not a logbook breach at $685.

The next fellow got pulled up sent the ticket in the mail and, on inspection, found the only thing correct was his name. It had the wrong rego, wrong address and wrong

“The police should have no jurisdiction on transport law.”

ROD HANNIFEY, a transport safety advocate, has been involved in raising the profile of the industry, conducting highway truck audits, the Blue Reflector Trial for informal parking bays on the Newell, the ‘Truckies on Road Code’, the national 1800 number for road repairs proposal, and the Better Roadside Rest Areas Group. Contact Rod on 0428 120 560, e-mail rod.hannifey@bigpond. com or visit www.truckright.com.au

BELOW: The officer had no interest in viewing the electronic entries BOTTOM (L TO R): Pages from the work diary (officer’s marks in red)

location, so what do you think happened when he then asked for the fine to be cancelled? He was told they would amend the mistake and reissue the ticket. How can such people as representatives of the law, whether the issuing officer or the people in the administrative section, be allowed to make a mistake but we can’t and are then fined large amounts of money for something with no possible correlation to road safety?

I will accept that if I am caught blatantly or deliberately cheating that may be grounds for a penalty if it can be shown to be linked to fatigue and/or road safety. What I can’t accept is where those who can legally work a double shift and get paid overtime for it and who, when away from home get far better paid and looked after than we do, can issue fines against a law that does not currently help us manage our fatigue. That is why and I others have written and spoken to both the HVNL review and the current Senate Inquiry into Road Transport.

Is me going to court for such a fine the best use of the court system? If I have a bad record or am a consistent offender, then perhaps it is not a mistake. However I do try to be compliant. My record said I have not being convicted of a single offence and have only had one offence (which was thrown out in court) against me, so would not a caution have been more effective?

The one thing in common now with all three of these examples is a lessening of respect for some of those in blue uniforms.

This is a sad and completely counterproductive outcome. We are not all perfect, but we are losing blokes who will get to the point they will not leave themselves open to such abuses on top of all the others, such as lack of rest areas, and being portrayed badly on TV news and current affairs shows.

The general public have safer jobs, are at home each night and are not treated as criminals for doing their job. No wonder the mental health of drivers is where it is and such treatment by those without any real oversight, will only continue to make it worse.

ownerdriver.com.au

23/02/2021 9:43:07 AM

NatRoad Warren Clark

COVID and congestion Road traffic has increased to the point where it’s essential that truck transport be given priority

A

USTRALIAN CITIES are key centres of demand, supply and processing of freight. Lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly affected shopping behaviour, with consumer expectations of fast, safe delivery arising from e-commerce now becoming the norm. Growing demand to meet online delivery orders reinforces the need for operators to have operational flexibility, with steps like the lifting of curfews on supermarket and other retail deliveries hopefully becoming a permanent feature rather than a short-term change.

Measures to protect freight movements from the mire of growing congestion need to be implemented, and wherever possible, facilities should be set up for efficient and expedited freight deliveries.

As commuters start to return to the office, they are avoiding public transport out of the fear of COVID transmission. In Sydney, recent reports show that while road traffic is already close to pre-COVID levels, journeys on public transport are down 44 per cent from one year ago. Where people are going back to their CBD offices, they are choosing to drive their own vehicles, significantly adding to congestion as they stay away from their usual public transport commute.

The goal must be to reduce congestion because it massively hinders efficient freight movements. The current pandemic has underlined that governments should not impose unnecessary curfews and regulatory restrictions on heavy vehicle movements. These restrictions often result in increased heavy vehicle traffic over longer, less direct routes.

WARREN CLARK, NatRoad’s chief executive officer, has more than 20 years’ experience leading and developing business for emerging companies.

Warren has held the position of CEO at various companies and is a certified chartered accountant.

Restrictions on heavy vehicle movements are often an attempt to reduce community concerns around the presence of heavy vehicles, which result from failing to integrate land use planning and heavy vehicle access.

These subjects must be given greater attention by all levels of government, focusing on the fact that urban congestion is largely the result of light vehicle movements.

PREFERENCED, NOT PUNISHED The bottom line is that plans to deal with congestion should assist the movement of freight while discouraging commuter traffic.

Heavy vehicles and freight movement should be given the recognition of being essential for the proper functioning of society rather than in any way penalised for fulfilling the vital freight movement role.

Governments will need to implement solutions involving land use planning, transport planning, public transport investments and road infrastructure upgrades so that freight is preferenced, not punished.

That position is critically important if governments move to implement congestion taxes as a way to incentivise the use of public transport and to reduce peak hour bottlenecks. Currently, and in the past, congestion taxes have been proposed as a means to reduce urban congestion, especially to discourage light vehicle use during peak times.

NatRoad believes that the introduction of higher taxation levels, such as a congestion tax, is not currently appropriate as the community is suffering from reduced income levels and the effects of the recession. At the very least, any congestion charges that are introduced must be the same for heavy vehicles as for light vehicles, as they have done in London and Stockholm.

The time is ripe for preferencing the freight task and for giving truck operators the recognition they deserve. Plans to deal with congestion should assist the movement of freight while discouraging commuter traffic.

“Heavy vehicles and freight movement should be given the recognition of being essential.”

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As well as being involved in road transport media for the past 20 years, GREG BUSH has strong links to the music industry.

A former Golden Guitar judge for the Country Music Awards of Australia, Greg also had a three-year stint as an ARIA Awards judge in the late 1990s and wrote for and edited several music magazines.

ROAD SOUNDS Greg Bush

Light and heavy tones A mix of classic pop, heavy rock and cruisin’ country

Country Corner SONGS FROM HIGHWAY ONE Adam Harvey

Sony Music www.adamharvey.com.au

MEDICINE AT MIDNIGHT Foo Fighters

START WALKIN’ Nancy Sinatra 1965-1976

WORKING WITH GOD Melvins

RCA/Sony www.foofighters.com

Light In The Attic Records www.lightintheattic.net

Ipecac/Liberator www.ipecac.com

After releasing what was arguably their heaviest record to date in 2017 – Concrete And Gold – Foo Fighters returned to the studio in 2019 to record Medicine At Midnight, its released delayed by COVID. With producer Greg Kurstin again at the helm it would be expected that this new album would be more of the same. Not so. Sure, there’s guitar riff-heavy tracks such as ‘No Son Of Mine’ and ‘Making A Fire’ with Dave Grohl at his strident best vocally, but there’s a David Bowie-like sound to ‘Shame Shame’, a melodic track with menacing undertones. ‘Waiting On A War’, a song of the times, is also initially toned down from Foo Fighters’ usual fare before building to a big impact finale, ‘Chasing Birds’ is as close to soft-rock as the band will ever get, and the title track ‘Medicine At Midnight’ has a slight funk beat.

As the title suggests, Start Walkin’ is a throwback collection covering Nancy Sinatra’s most successful recording era. Prior to 1965, Sinatra had struggled to score a hit, until she joined forces with singer-songwriter Lee Hazelwood who penned ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. As well as producing, Hazelwood recruited the legendary session band The Wrecking Band for the recording, the song becoming a number one hit. ‘You Only Live Twice’, the theme song from the James Bond movie of the same name, is also included here, along with ‘Lightning’s Girl’ and ‘Sugar Town’.

Sinatra and Hazelwood became regular vocal collaborators – nine of the 23 tracks on Start Walkin’ are duets, notably ‘Jackson’ and ‘Some Velvet Morning’. For those who were around back, then this is a pleasant trip down memory lane.

Long-time US rockers Melvins have undergone a number of line-up changes since forming in 1983, but on new album Working With God they’ve reverted to an early iteration of guitarist-vocalist Buzz Osborne, bassist Dale Crover and drummer Mike Dillard. Melvins have always sat somewhere between punk, hard rock and even heavy metal. On Working With God they’re as loud as ever, with the usual expletive thrown in, such as on the reworded remake of the Beach Boys’ hit ‘I Get Around’. There’s a grinding Black Sabbath sound to ‘Negative No No’, and Osborne and Dillard recall a high school teacher on the frenzied ‘Bouncing Rick’. They continue their juvenile sense of humour, sticking the boot into another character on ‘Brian The Horse-Faced Goon’, ‘Hot Fish’ is a slow grind, and they dig into their bag of riffs for ‘Caddy Daddy’.

HUNTER AND THE DOG STAR Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians

SENSE OF PURGENCY Gesticulations

OK HUMAN Weezer

Thirty Tigers/Cooking Vinyl Australia ebnewbos.com

Independent www.facebook.com/Gesticulations

Warner/Atlantic www.weezer.com

Country Rocks Records www.benransom.com

Not counting solo outings and other collaborations, Hunter and The Dog Star is the fifth album for Edie Brickell and band The New Bohemians, including their platinum-selling debut in 1988, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars. Their previous album, Record in 2018, was released after a 12-year break. It’s an effective union, with Brickell’s upper register vocals backed by a band that can play rock as well as any going around. Brickell lays down the law on the funky ‘Don’t Get In the Bed Dirty’, and she reaches the high notes on the radio-friendly ‘My Power’. She sings of one too many tattoos on ‘Sleeve’, an upbeat track laden with jangling guitars.

‘Stubborn Love’ is about a relationship doomed to fail, and ‘Rough Begnnings’ is an effective acoustic guitar-backed story song. It’s back to rock, albeit with a country flavour, for ‘Horse’s Mouth’, the clever lyrics taking a shot at gossipmongers. A nice return to form.

Rather than a band as such, Gesticulations is a project undertaken by Brisbane music identity Graham Ashton, helped by multi-instrumentalist and producer Benny D Williams. However, on Sense Of Purgency, it’s Ashton who does the talking, literally, as he navigates his way, poet-like, through the 10 tracks. Ashton emphasises the need for music in our lives on ‘The Band’, a track on which Michael David Thomas adds further instrumentation, including mandolin, as well as backing vocals. Popular Brisbane musician Danny Widdicombe adds slide guitar to ‘The Company I Keep’, a track that also features tasteful harmonica from Dave Thomson.

Ashton gets close to breaking out in song, Nick Cave-style, on ‘Vessel’, however Sense Of Purgency is a genuine Aussie spokenword album with sparce instrumentation that would sound best sitting around a campfire with a few mates and, of course, a few cold ones.

US rock band Weezer has had plenty of runs on the board since releasing its first album in 1994, including a Grammy for Best Music Video. OK Human is Weezer’s 14th studio album, the title a nod to Radiohead’s OK Computer album. OK Human was recorded amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, with frontman Rivers Cuomo composing the new songs on piano in isolation before the other band members added their contributions. For good measure, Cuomo also recruited a 38-piece orchestra, which gives OK Human more of a Beatles sound than a Radiohead one. There’s negativity on the opening track, ‘All My Favourite Songs’, despite its lush orchestral sound, and ‘Screens’ covers the dilemma of smart phone obsession.

The slower ‘Numbers’ wouldn’t be out of place in a rock opera, and Cuomo shows off his keyboard skills on ‘Here Comes The Sun’. Quirky but interesting music from this Los Angeles-based band.

Sydney’s Ben Ransom has done the pub rock scene, but he’s more suited to the country rock genre. Brave New World is Ransom’s fourth album, and it’s all guns blazing on the fast-paced title track. But he then bends the country rules on ‘Raise Some Hell’ by sampling Steam’s 1969 classic pop track ‘Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye’. There’s a slight Jimmy Buffett influence on ‘Night After Night’, featuring some nice guitar licks from US session guitarist Ben Butler. Keith Urban’s former drummer Chris McHugh helps out on ‘Mama Said’, another anthemlike track, ‘St Patrick’s Day’ is a waltz-timed sing-along type song, and he does a runner on the slower-paced ‘I Won’t Be Here In The Morning’. Great album.

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Australia’s Adam Harvey has clocked up many miles, especially along the east coast, hence the title of his 15th studio album, Songs From Highway One. He reflects on both his father and the north Queensland centre of Mackay on ‘Lindeman Again’, a track co-written with Mackay’s own Graeme Connors. The banjo-backed ‘Bandits On The Run’, which Colin Buchanan co-wrote, is another song of reflection.

In the studio, Lee Kernaghan adds vocals to the travelling track ‘Ramblin’ Fever’, while Beccy Cole, Darren Coggan and Felicity Urquhart all feature on the pure country song, ‘Better With Time’.

The vocals of the late Slim Dusty magically appear on the trucking song 'Angel Of Goulburn Hill’, rounding out what should be another successful Adam Harvey album.

BRAVE NEW WORLD Ben Ransom

ownerdriver.com.au

24/02/2021 12:30:13 PM

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ownerdriver.com.au

24/02/2021 12:03:49 PM

HIGH AND MIGHTY Although not made to order, Jarrod Smith’s Kenworth C509 has been modified to perfection in looks, practicality and performance. Warren Aitken tags along with Jarrod and the Burgundy Heights team as they head into Coffs Harbour’s timber country

ownerdriver.com.au

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24/02/2021 12:04:08 PM

“They assumed the Kenworths were going to be far too expensive.”

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L

et us begin today’s lesson by breaking down the variations in truck class. Many of you are aware of the different truck classes, however allow me to remind you. You have your MR class, medium rigid. You have your HR class, heavy rigid. You then move up to you HC, or heavy combination and finally there is your MC, multi combination. That is where it used to stop.

Now, however, there is an extra class, known as your OD class, or ‘oh damn’! It’s a rare class but designed for specific trucks, like the Burgundy Heights Kenworth C509.

Trucks like this redefine ‘big’. It’s got a sleeper that could hide all contestants of the ‘2021 World Hide and Seek Championship’. Its wheelbase is longer than Sergey Bubka’s 1994 pole vaulting record. It’s got the power to pull the truth out of a used car salesman and it just looks cool – seriously, monstrously cool.

This C509 has shown up at several local truck shows, turning heads so fast that local physiotherapists were documenting a huge spike in strained neck muscle injuries the very next day. It’s massively distracting – massive being the operative word. So you will have to forgive me if this story is a little light on information.

As I sat listening to Jarrod Smith, son of Burgundy Heights’ founders Dennis and Shirley Smith, my eyes kept wandering to the larger-than-life Kenworth that was waiting patiently for me to snap shots of. Even now, I’m writing this with disturbing levels of drool dripping onto my keyboard. Ok folks, I’ll focus. Let us get informed.

I was one of those guys that strained their neck when I first saw this huge unit at the popular Casino Truck show. Saw it, loved it and had to track it down.

The first person I stalked was the big man behind the wheel, Paul Watts. Paul’s been driving the C509 since it first pulled

ownerdriver.com.au

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into the Burgundy Heights yard south of Coffs Harbour.

An extremely friendly guy, Paul had the trucks looking immaculate to the point I figured the Kenworth was brand new. He was more than happy for me to do a few shots, then offered directions so I could catch up with Jarrod, the man in charge of Burgundy Heights. So, as soon as COVID would allow, I packed up my little Hyundai i30 and went for a tiki tour down south, eager to learn more about this big brute of a truck and what it does.

Upon arrival at Burgundy Heights’ yard in Bonville I went straight for the offices to track Jarrod. Lesson number one: Jarrod is not that kind of boss. You have to search the workshops or the trucks to find him.

What’s in a name?

Jarrod grew up in the company his parents started back in the 1980s and has worked every part of it. Though he makes the big calls now, like specking up the big C509, his preference is still to get in and get his hands dirty.

However, if you’re awaiting a magical or romanticised back story for the Burgundy Heights name, like it’s named after an area that Jarrod’s parents first met, then you’re going to be disappointed. Truth be told, when you register a new business and don’t have a specific name, they can and will allocate you one. That happened when Dennis Smith bought a small logging business in the NSW Central Coast area in the mid’80s. The business came with a couple of W-model Kenworths, a couple of skidders, an old front-end loader and a pile of pine ready to be felled. The complete operation.

This wasn’t Dennis’ first go at logging though. In the late ’70s he accidently found himself behind the wheel when a debt that was owed to him was paid by means of a little body truck. Dennis began using it to cart for a local sawmill.

ownerdriver.com.au

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Top: Three of the long-time company employees stand with their pride and joys; (from left) Gino, Cobb and Paul Above: The big 60-inch bunk allows for a fair bit of room for the driver to unwind Opposite below: The C509 – in the midst of its makeover

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Though Dennis may have ended up owning the truck without intent, once he started into the cartage game it was a natural fit. A couple of years later he stepped up, purchasing a Volvo to haul logs to the sawmill. He ran the Volvo for a few years, replacing the old cab-over with a bonneted Volvo before starting to take note of the many Kenworths that were appearing on the roads.

One weekend, Dennis and his mates decided to indulge their curiosity and head to see the salesman in Melbourne to investigate these Kenworths.

“They assumed the Kenworths were going to be far too expensive,” Jarrod says. “But they thought they’d go see anyway.”

It turns out the salesman did a great job with Dennis and the boys. Not only was the price more competitive than they’d

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Above: Three of the Burgundy Heights impressive fleet, representing the diverse Kenworth range. A 900 Legend, T909 and the C509 Below: Simple and shiny – that’s the look Jarrod wanted and that’s what RC Metalcraft delivered Opposite below: Jarrod (yellow vest) may be camera shy but he loves getting out to work. Here he watches on as a massive log is loaded onto his T900. The log can now be seen at the bottom of the Gibraltar Range as a sign post, welcoming drivers

imagined, but they could build the Kenworth to how it suited them. This was a huge selling point as at that time one of the major benefits of the Volvos was the factory diff locks – a must in the bush. It turns out though, the boys could spec up their Kenworths the same way. So a boy’s weekend away resulted in several new W900 ‘Big Bonnet’ Kenworths getting ordered.

For a couple of years Dennis and his mates all worked their Kenworths pretty hard. They were heavily involved in the clearing and recovery work that went on down in South Australia after the Ash Wednesday fires.

“Apparently Dad and Sharpie got kicked out of South Australia for working too hard,” Jarrod jokingly relates the yarn.

This brings us back to where we were before, with Dennis and Shirley registering their new logging business and getting allocated the name Burgundy Heights Pty Ltd. The company was originally doing a lot of pine forestry work before moving into the plantation hardwood arena. It was very popular around the area and it saw Burgundy Heights expand quickly to keep up with the workload.

“We took on carting for other crews as well,” Jarrod tells me, clearly recalling that it was in the ’90s when his Kenworth love affair really kicked up a gear as well.

“We bought a second had T900 at Ritchie Brothers; it was our first T900.” By the end of that year though the family had ordered five brand new T900s. At this stage Jarrod was still at school, but a fleet of six cool Kenworths in your backyard would be enough to fuel any young man’s trucking passion.

The next couple of years saw the company kept busy and as Jarrod finished school he ended up working with the logging crew fulltime himself. There were changes in the way contracts were awarded and work was given that saw Burgundy Heights scale back on their workload. The focus shifted from plantation hardwood to more clearing and cleaning of areas. Trucks were sold off, trailers as well and new gear was purchased to help the company in its next venture.

I did mention Jarrod loved the T900s though, didn’t I? Well,

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the last of those five new ones were kept; and it’s still in service. It’s the boss’s work vehicle now.

Did I also mention the Smiths aren’t just hard workers, they are a family of pretty smart cookies as well? While their business acumen had them adapting with the times, their creativity and experience had them designing and building their own equipment to be more cost efficient.

I’m not the world’s best engineer, in fact it’s fear to say I wouldn’t even crack the top 10, so when Jarrod talked me through a couple of their designs I was looking at him like a dog learning algebra.

What I do know is that they have designed and built a harvester attachment that makes stripping the branches back and clearing the logs a lot easier, and it is able to perform efficiently with much bigger logs.

Once their idea got out it was replicated by several other firms, but the Burgundy Heights version has been the most successful. I also noticed several excavators around their yard and was surprised to learn that they build and fit different boom setups to these as well. There is a massive think tank inside that workshop, with Jarrod one of the lead instigators.

So, it’s no surprise that he was the leading man when it came to building a truck to put in front of their Tuff Trailers’ six-row platform. Obviously, with Kenworth blood running through both Jarrod’s and Dennis’s veins, there was never a question of anything but a Kenworth. The biggest issue the Burgundy Heights crews have is traction.

They’re not living on smooth tarsealed highways; they have to take their machines into areas with more humps than a camel’s graveyard, where traction can be a real issue.

Old-school mindset At the time Jarrod was investigating the new truck, Paul Watts was over in Western Australia driving tri-drive units. Jarrod phoned him to get his views on how they handled. Paul had worked for the family previously before heading out west and Jarrod valued his opinion.

“I’ve seen what he can do with a log truck, silly stuff, stuff you shouldn’t be able to do,” Jarrod attests when he speaks of Paul. “And he was the one that convinced me.”

Like most people Jarrod was concerned with the idea of steering the big thing but Paul assured him it’s not as bad as you think. With that reassurance Jarrod hopped off to Brown & Hurley and told the salesman what he was after. Jarrod recalls with a laugh how excited the salesman was when he said he wanted a C509.

“He was telling me: ‘I’ve got great news, the C509s are coming out with a new cab.’”

“If you’re going to live in it you want to have a decent sleeper.”

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“I looked in and looked to the back and thought: ‘Oh yeah, that’s a good size bunk.’”

Above: The old and the new: Jarrod’s 22-year-old T900 is at work while the company’s new 900 Legend heads down the Gibraltar Range Below: Tri-drive, no lazy axle here on the C509. It’s all working Opposite: The finished product: The C509 looking good following visits to TruckArt and RC Metalcraft; A big part of the Burgundy workload is now carting away the mulch. Here one of the T909s is seen in the back blocks of Coffs Harbour, off to pick up a load

The salesman had no idea that young Jarrod was very much an old school truck enthusiast and his bubble burst big time when Jarrod’s smile dropped and he replied: “You’re kidding me, I suppose you’re going to tell me I can’t have the traditional doors either!” A very despondent salesman had to admit that no, he couldn’t.

The order was still placed though. The decision to go tridrive with all axles working meant a fair bit of maths. Jarrod still wanted the chassis as short as possible so it could fit under the then rules for towing his six-row platform. In order to have diff locks and cross locks fitted the axle centre spacings were out to 1,500mm, but the job could be done.

The final decision was bunk size though. Up until this point in Burgundy Heights’ history the trucks had all been day cabs. There wasn’t a need for sleepers with the work it undertook. The 509 was coming with a 50-inch (127cm) bunk,

but before everything started Jarrod went and checked out a couple of other C509s that were sporting imported 60-inch (152cm) bunks.

“I looked in and looked to the back and thought: ‘Oh yeah, that’s a good size bunk.’” He added in that it makes sense to have a big bunk, if you’re going to live in it you want to have a decent sleeper. “Also with a tri-drive truck you’ve got a lot of room between the back of the cab and the turntable; hell, you could have an 80-inch (203kW) bunk.”

So a quick price check and “hell yeah, might as well stick the 60 on then” was the comment to his salesman. Sadly though, it wasn’t that easy. The factory rang Jarrod to inform him that with the chassis length they couldn’t mount the suspension correctly for the 60-incher.

Being the creative engineering whiz that he is, his response was: “Well, send up the bunk, send up the truck and I’ll fit it.”

He didn’t, though I’m sure he could have. Instead he contacted the guys at TruckArt in Wagga Wagga and had a chat. They actually offered to build and fit a whole bunk for him, so the day cab tri-drive monster went from the factory to Wagga Wagga looking like one of the ugliest trucks around.

However I’m still hunting for photographic evidence.

Modifications list Once the bunk was fitted, Jarrod sent it to RC Metalcraft to get the final touches added. Jarrod had made his desires pretty clear with the RC boys. He wanted it to look very straight, very simple. So the air tanks got moved, the battery boxes moved, the tanks got wrapped, big stacks added, stainless added to hide so much. I did ask Jarrod for a list of what was done, and he pretty much ran out of ink halfway through the list.

It’s one of the most highly modified rigs around. When you look at it though, between the work of TruckArt and RC Metalcraft it just looks perfect. It looks made to fit.

With it looking the part and turning heads, keeping

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photographers like me in camera bliss, the big question is, ‘Does it do the job?’

“Mate it is awesome! Everything does exactly what it’s meant to,” says Jarrod with a massive burst of positivity, adding “the traction is unbelievable”.

It’s about now that Paul stuck his head in the office and Jarrod queries him about how many times in its 300,000km it’s been stuck. That made Paul think. I sat there and could hear the cogs turning, could see the smoke coming out as he pondered the question.

“Maybe twice,” he reluctantly admits. With almost 8,000 engine hours on it, that’s pretty bloody good. Jarrod chips in: “You’d be amazed where we take this thing in the bush; to places you wouldn’t take your 4WD.” Considering I’d lose my i30 in a decent pothole I can only but imagine.

When you have a fleet of stunning Kenworths, from an old school T900 to a new 900 Legend, and some 9-0s as well, it can be very hard to stand out, but not in this case. The Burgundy Heights C509 is just a beast of a truck. Yet it’s also the perfect truck for the role it does – a well-designed and put together truck by a family and company renowned for their engineering feats.

A big thank you to Jarrod Smith and Paul Watts for their time and for allowing me the opportunity to snap some photos. My local physiotherapist is also still thanking them as she works out the strained neck muscle from way back at the Casino Truck Show. Cheers boys!

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trucking heritage

FABULOUS FLOPS

This pandemic has done many things, not least given some people too much time to wonder about things they mightn’t ordinarily think about. Dud trucks, for example. We often hear stories of old classics but what about the makes and models that didn’t quite light the fires of fame and fanfare? Steve Brooks takes a short trip down a memory lane littered with a few glaring lowlights

I

N TIME, some trucks become classics. Others don’t, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were duds.

No, the real duds are those shockers that take on a heritage all their own. Remembered, you might say, for all the wrong reasons.

So now, with the pandemic providing a little too much time to think about the past rather than the present, and enough experience to recount the makes and models that have maintained a deservedly dark and critical crevice in this commentator’s cranium, here are a few carefully considered lesser lights from the commercial vehicle vault.

I must stress, however, these opinions are my own and I accept there may be those with an opposite view of these maligned machines. But somehow, I doubt it. On the other hand, there may be those who have their own tortured memories of trucks they consider even worse than those mentioned here.

Funny thing though, it’s probably much easier to define a dud truck than a good truck.

Like, after more than 40 years writing about trucks and road transport I’m sometimes asked: “What’s the best truck you reckon you’ve ever driven?”

Quite seriously, there’s no easy answer to that because so much depends on the job and even the era. For instance, how could you rate a big banger pulling three or four trailers through the heat and heavy sand of Western Australia’s

46 MARCH 2021

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pindan country to the demands of a slick interstater notching big distances up and down the east coast or across the trans-continental paddock? Or a comparison between a modern medium-duty truck with its swathe of safety systems and creature comforts, and a machine like Isuzu’s remarkable SBR: a very basic model by today’s standards but one that did more to put Japanese trucks on the map in this country than any other?

No, ‘the best truck’ question has no easy answer at all. A question with much easier answers would be: “What are the worst trucks you’ve come across?”

Vastly easier. Indeed, they can even be split into respective weight divisions – light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty, with a few ‘honourable mentions’ thrown in. In fact, there’s even an outright winner. The worst truck by far, hands-down, is an absolute shocker, but we’ll get to that.

Not-so heavy hitter Starting at the big end, there’s just one stand-out winner. Leyland Marathon!

Back in the late ’70s when Leyland believed it still had a future in Australian road transport, the Marathon was brought here for a benign attempt to rekindle the dying Pommie powerhouse’s past glories.

As something of a young buck with the once esteemed Truck & Bus Transportation magazine, I often rode shotgun with our regular test driver

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back then, Don McGlinchie. Over a number of years I would come to learn so much from this man about the finesse and pride of driving a big truck well, but when it came to the single-drive Marathon test truck there was nothing but derision on both sides of the cab.

So poor was the ride, so weak was the performance, so awful was the whole package that we gave Leyland the benefit of the doubt and held our report for a few weeks until a 6x4 version was provided to tow the same trailer over the same test route. Surely, we thought, it couldn’t be as bad as the first truck.

Well, it was a whisker better, but not enough to depose Marathon from the memory bank as the worst heavy-duty unit ever tested. Even so, our report went relatively easy on the truck but it made no difference because most of the nails had already been driven into Leyland’s coffin anyway.

However, in the lighter end of the heavy-duty class, there’s a six-wheeler rigid worthy of a few lines, not so much because it was a dud of any great note but because its reason for being was so way out-of-step with the standards of its creator – Kenworth!

The truck was the K300 and it remains a riddle to this day why Kenworth Australia in 1995 chose to introduce an anachronistic model with a Brazilian-built Volkswagen cab to tackle local delivery work. A truly dud choice that achieved the absolute minimum of success it so richly deserved.

Out of step So, now to the medium-duty contenders, starting with a not-so-honourable mention of Hino’s horrible KL model.

While Isuzu was changing the way Australian operators thought about Japanese trucks, the KL seemed to be doing its darnedest to keep the British in business.

And speaking of British, the hands-down winner of the worst medium-duty model goes to the original Ford Cargo.

Actually, it’s hard to decide whether it was the worst or simply the most disappointing. Probably a big slice of both.

Either way, Cargo came here in the early 1980s with high expectations as Europe’s newly crowned ‘Truck of the Year’ but almost immediately revealed severe shortcomings in most areas, most notably build quality. It leaked like a bottomless bucket. Woops, nearly forgot, it also had woefully bad wedge brakes.

Ford was a big player in the Australian truck business back then and this young scribe’s test report in Truck & Bus did not go down well. ‘Great Expectations … But Not Quite!’ wasn’t quite the heading Ford was hoping for, leading to a delegation of senior executives baying for blood and resorting to their greatest weapon, the advertising budget.

Fortunately, Truck & Bus founder and publisher Frank Shennen stood firmly by his somewhat cocky young staff writer, though a verbal reminder of who pays the bills wasn’t lost in translation.

Made in China Whatever, a long and wonderful career could’ve ended right there, and that would’ve been a great shame because I would not have had the chance to experience the worst truck to ever hit the Australian market. Bar none!

So folks, here it is, recipient of not only the worst light-duty workhorse but also the most woeful truck to ever grace our shores – China’s JAC. Launched in mid-2012, JAC’s entry to the Australian market was the brainchild of an entrepreneurial group who, with some justification, saw a highly lucrative future for a Chinese truck with a good spec and an incredibly attractive price tag.

What they seemed to forget though, was that the Australian market expects trucks to be of a particular standard. To be blunt, JAC was a true shocker with the worst and potentially dangerous on-road manners of anything before or since its arrival.

A true shocker and it still beggars belief that someone in the group actually gave the truck the go-ahead to tackle our market in the form it was presented.

Gratefully, there are no bad trucks anymore. Sure, some are better than others, some last longer than others, and even today some are still sold into the wrong applications. But as for a genuinely dud, horribly designed truck, they don’t really exist anymore.

And for this we should all be immensely grateful.

Personally, I’m not sure I could survive another bout with some of them.

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“The most woeful truck to ever grace our shores.”

Opposite: The JAC, imported from China in 2012, came with a cheap price tag From top: Kenworth’s K300 was earmarked for local delivery work. Photo from the book Kenworth Defining Tomorrow 40 Years Australian Made; The Ford Cargo arrived from England in the early 1980s. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; The Leyland Marathon failed to live up to expectations. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

MARCH 2021 47

24/02/2021 11:37:59 AM

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23/2/21 9:26 am

event news

SEE THE LATEST AT DIESEL DIRT & TURF

Check out the new releases at Sydney Dragway, April 9 to 11, 2021

T

he National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo has become the premier event for the earthmoving, construction and public space management industry to announce its new releases. This year, the upgraded facilities at the Sydney Dragway is the venue from Friday, April 9 through to Sunday, April 11.

All the latest products and technology will be on show, including landscape materials and equipment, site preparation, earthmoving equipment and attachments, GPS tracking and environmental solutions to public space management, plus much more.

Komatsu will be showing its model WB97R-8, the latest in its range of backhoe loaders. This new release offers two-wheel steering and a powershift transmission, a high level of standard specifications and unrivalled operator visibility thanks to Komatsu’s unique combination of a lateral exhaust pipe and compact bonnet.

“With a long tradition and well-established experience on the worldwide market, Komatsu has renewed its image with the 8 series, and introduced

a new model in an always competitive BHL scenario,” says Komatsu’s national sales manager utility, Carl Grundy.

“The operators’ needs are at the centre of attention with this new WB97R-8, with higher standards the basis of its development.”

From Norm Engineering is the Silage Grab, designed as the perfect two-in-one attachment for agricultural, forestry, land, and waste management. The grab/stick rake combination makes this an ideal attachment to clean up properties, clear fire breaks, manage feedlots, waste and recycling.

Once fully opened, the silage grab can be used as a stick rake/dozer to clear and move silage, animal feed, logs, debris, rubble and rocks. The strong serrated edges on the tynes allow the grapple arm to firmly grab and carry various materials and hay bales. Hydraulically operated, the tynes can open to 1,150mm.

Specialist recruiter Just Automotive Recruitment will be exhibiting. Commenting on the status of industry employment, Jason Sultana says: “We all saw our fair share of upheaval and change during 2020.

The employment market in the automotive, plant and heavy machinery sector was not immune to the fallout from COVID-19.

“There was a definite dip in recruiting activity during the March-June 2020 period, though from June onwards, vacancies rose again and our phones were running hot.

“The competition for quality staff was extremely high, with companies going above and beyond to hang onto their employees. We found many employees were counter offered and elected to stay put during the uncertainty of lockdowns, hotspots and the changes to the JobKeeper program.

“We have also seen renewed interest from numerous customers regarding looking to employ overseas candidates due to the continued lack of local supply of qualified blue-collar employees.

“2021 has certainly started on a more positive note.

Candidates seem far less nervous and more willing to consider new opportunities, opening up the market even further as we move into the rebuilding stage post-COVID.” Long-time Diesel Dirt & Turf sponsor Hydraulic Steels started in 2012. Managing director Stephen Holt says: “Our business is geared towards the multitude of engineering workshops supplying hydraulic repair and manufacturing services to the hydraulics industry.

“Because repair businesses operate under high pressures – speed is everything. Repairs are needed as quickly as possible. This is where Hydraulic Steels Australia has the edge over many larger businesses, because we only handle hydraulic steels and our specialisation enables us to provide the industry’s fastest service through significant investment in stock, equipment and systems.”

Entry to the 2021 National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is free and there is this plenty of free parking. Visit www.dieseldirtandTurfExpo.com.au to register for your free entry ticket.

Top: Komatsu’s new WB97R-8 Left: Hydraulic Steels is a long-time DDT sponsor

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events news

BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW – THE EVENT EXTRAVAGANZA

As well as the multiple sights and sounds on show in Brisbane, there’s an Ultimate VIP Experience Package up for grabs

D

on’t think for a moment that anything is being taken for granted with preparations for the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show. No stone is being left unturned to ensure that visitors to the Sunshine State have a healthy and safe experience.

But if there’s anywhere you would want to be when events kick back into life, it is in Brisbane.

Presumably, you already know what the truck show is all about. Even if you have never been before, no doubt your mates have simply said: “Everyone’s going to be there and it’s the only way to see all the latest gear in one place.” Something like that.

Then, you might have joined us for the last show as we spread our wings across into the parklands for what is now known as the South Bank Truck Festival. The truck and trailer display, in among all the restaurant and bars, made for an exceptional atmosphere. This year everything is going up 10 notches with more live, free entertainment and more vehicles.

You have probably already heard that heavy equipment and machinery are back. The Civil Construction Field Days are just a free shuttle away, just down the river at Hamilton Northshore.

Hopefully, you realise that your ticket into the truck show will also get you into the field days, and vice versa?

Two days and nights of entertainment on one incrediblypriced ticket. That is just for starters.

Did you also know that the NRL Magic Round is on in Brisbane the same weekend? That is every game for the whole round spread across the weekend, with a couple of insane double-headers thrown in.

It does not end there. Do you like the ponies?

The TAB Doomben 10,000 is being run on Saturday, May 15 – and that’s barely a hop, skip and jump from the CCFD heavy equipment and machinery show.

So, when your mates ask if you are going to meet up in Brisbane this May, you would need an unimaginably good excuse to say no. Right?

Morris Finance are well known around major sporting event circles, so when they get their inner circle together to achieve something, it’s always going to have great results.

We have called it the ‘Ultimate VIP Experience Package’.

Take a look at the prizes and you’ll understand why.

The package is worth well over $45,000 but some of the prizes are so unique – how do you even put a value on them?

Start with four tickets to the Bathurst 1000 in the Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) corporate suite.

Morris Finance and WAU haven’t stopped there – you will also be taking a factory tour and how about four hot laps at Queensland Raceway?

You like the adrenaline? Alright then, another two hot laps with Motorsport Australia.

You’ll also be able to take mates to enjoy Geelong Cats’ home game in an open-air corporate box for six people.

While you are there you will be treated to the inner sanctum experience overlooking the Cats’ warm-up area, where you will be immersed in the action and feel the intensity, as the players go about their pre-game rituals.

This exclusive experience also includes a premium food and beverage package, and all being well, the boys

will be singing their victory song down below in the Geelong Cats’ rooms after the game.

But you need some stuff for home too, right?

How about a custom simulator valued at over $19,000.

It’s the ultimate home racer’s rig.

Watch your race unfold on your new large screen HD TV thanks to Fleet Mark; kit out your garage with a voucher from SP Tools, knowing there’s always a cold one ready in your bar fridge (from Bar Fridges Australia, of course).

Walkinshaw Sports is throwing in a golf buggy, you get a fire pit from Express Engineering, a dart board from AVBS, and more.

And when you invite your mates over to talk about how good this all is, you will be standing around your new BBQ, thanks to Semi Trailer Sales.

For a chance to win the Ultimate VIP Experience Package, all you have to do is purchase or register your ticket online to go into the draw, for your chance to win the whole lot.

For tickets and all the details head to the website at www.brisbanetruckshow.com.au Please note: travel and accommodation is not included.

“THIS YEAR EVERYTHING IS GOING UP 10 NOTCHES.”

Ultimate VIP Experience Package

Above: The Brisbane Truck Show will again expand into the atmospheric South Bank Parklands

Our major promotion partners Morris Finance have put together the most amazing package of prizes for one lucky attendee to the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show.

Left: There’s no shortage of bar and dining venues for visiting transport industry folk

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24/02/2021 9:28:03 AM

INNOVATION - SUSTAINABILITY - SAFETY - KNOWLEDGE - CAREERS - COMMUNITY

OWD 338.als - Base Edition 55

22/2/21 8:54 am

test drive

ANTHEM STRUTS ITS STUFF The covers are finally off Mack’s new Anthem and, right now, various versions are headlining a national ‘Evolution Tour’ alongside significantly upgraded SuperLiner and Trident models. While the Anthem certainly won’t be all things to all people, it’s what the new model brings to the breed that has the bulldog brethren feeling pumped and positive. Steve Brooks climbs behind the Anthem wheel for an exclusive first test drive as the new Macks hit the road

N

OT SO LONG AGO, three Anthems, a Super-Liner and a Trident left Brisbane early one morning, heading south on the first leg of what Mack is promoting as a national ‘Evolution Tour’.

Over several months, the trucks will travel many of the country’s major routes from east to west and back again, stopping to showcase not just Anthem but the significant safety and cab developments on Super-Liner and Trident, which altogether make these Macks something special.

Even so, as the five trucks punched down the Pacific Highway towards Sydney, the Super-Liner and Trident at first glance appeared little different to the current crop. From any angle, though, Anthem is definitely a breed apart.

Visually, there’s never been anything like Anthem and, typically perhaps, early reports and various photos from the US, and more recently, Australia, have delivered vastly mixed opinions of the truck’s idiosyncratic hood design.

Quite simply, some like the look of it, some don’t. Again, it’s just typical of a trucking population with as many opinions as pub politics.

Not so typical though, and certainly surprising, was the lack of comment over the UHF radio during a short 200km stint behind the wheel. There was plenty of truck traffic heading the other way and, given the model’s unique

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Top & above: On the move.

A quick glance suggests there’s little different about SuperLiner and Trident but there’s now far more to Mack than meets the eye Opposite top: Inside views.

Anthem is the first Mack with a stand-up cab but vital new developments also include a more advanced electrical system and improved dash layout

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looks and ‘Mack’ emblazoned trailer, it was reasonable to expect a fair amount of feedback one way or the other.

Sure, it was easy to spot northbound drivers having a quizzical look at the boldly styled truck but you could also count on one hand the number of times the radio crackled with comment about this new breed of bulldog.

Maybe it was because there has already been so much publicity about Anthem that radio chatter was so subdued.

After all, the truck first hit the headlines in the USA back in September 2017 and we’ve been reporting the model’s ‘upcoming’ Australian launch ever since, most notably after a visit to the big kennel in Pennsylvania in early 2018.

It has been a long wait but, by the end of 2020, speculation was mounting that Anthem was on the brink of calling Australia ‘home’. As we reported in our final issue of the year: “… if the whispers are correct and Mack’s new Anthem does actually debut on the Australian market in early 2021, it will be an incredibly momentous occasion for the bulldog breed in this country. A milestone for true celebration.”

But other than its distinctive snout, what makes Anthem such a milestone model? Well, three things. One, Anthem utilises what Mack insiders call a ‘bridged’ version of

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“You know this is a Mack with a difference that goes well beyond the quirky snout.”

Volvo’s Tier II electrical architecture, meaning the operational systems and features which define the extent and finesse of Volvo performance and efficiency now become largely inherent in Mack.

In short, the all-important electronic control unit (ECU) is equipped with the ‘smarts’ to not only provide a higher level of compatibility and smoothness in integrated powertrain (engine and transmission) performance, but more precisely integrate the standard Bendix Wingman Fusion safety package.

Two, while Anthem is largely based on the same cab shell as Trident, Super-Liner and the superseded Granite, it delivers Mack’s first standup sleeper cab. In this first phase, the stand-up cab only comes with a 36-inch (91cm) bunk but it won’t surprise if somewhere in Mack’s near future a 50-inch (127cm) sleeper is added to the armoury.

Three, and most critical of all, the updated electrical system, the standard safety package and the stand-up cab are also now part of Trident and Super-Liner inventory. A long time coming perhaps, but definitely a big step forward.

So all up, Anthem is much more than simply a replacement model for the utilitarian and somewhat underwhelming Granite. In fact, from the moment you step up into the cab, you know this is a Mack with a difference that goes well beyond the quirky snout.

Inside and Out It was late afternoon by the time the five Macks rolled into the Caltex roadhouse at Coolongolook on the NSW mid-north coast and it was immediately apparent that Mack’s intention was to cover as many operational bases as possible on its Evolution Tour.

The Anthems, for instance, were configured as an eight-wheeler rigid tipper, a day cab prime mover towing a 40-foot container on a skel trailer, and a premium stand-up sleeper model hooked

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to a curtain-sided trailer.

Meantime, and typifying much of its usual workload, the day cab Trident hauled a tipper body and four-axle dog trailer while the big boy of the bunch was the 685hp (511kW) Super-Liner also fitted with the 36-inch high-rise sleeper cab, towing a B-double set. All five trucks were loaded to some extent.

In due course we’re hoping for a sleep-over in the high-rise Super-Liner but on this occasion the model with the most appeal for a relatively short 200km run down the Pacific Highway was the premium Anthem with the stand-up cab.

The official designation for this particular model is ‘Anthem 64T 13L Air’ which translates to a 6x4 truck for trailer work, powered by the 13-litre MP8 engine and riding on Mack’s Air-Ride rear suspension.

Like Trident, all Anthems are powered by the Euro 5 MP8 engine and behind the 535hp (399kW) rating in the demo unit was Mack’s mDrive automated transmission. However, rather than the standard 12-speed version, this unit was fitted with what’s known as the mDrive HD 13-speed shifter.

As mentioned in our special report on Anthem late last year, the optional 13-speeder provides an additional, and some might say long overdue, crawler ratio of 17:1.

There’s also a 14-speed XHD version available with ‘bog cog’ ratios of 19:1 and a tree-climbing 32:1, but there’s no question the 13-speeder’s 17:1 crawler cog, which also delivers the benefit of two reverse ratios, is unquestionably a welcome addition to the Mack drivetrain.

Vitally, the crawler boxes are also optionally available in Trident and Super-Liner.

Mack’s integrated drivetrain sees the directdrive transmission feeding into single-reduction rear axles running a tall 3.09:1 diff ratio and as would soon be revealed on the run south,

notching 100km/h at a touch over 1,400rpm.

With the demo truck built on a 4,485mm wheelbase and obviously configured for highway work, the test unit carried fuel capacity of 1,460 litres in two D-shaped aluminium tanks – 960litre driver’s side and 500-litres passenger side, alongside a 150-litre stainless steel AdBlue tank.

Still on the outside, a short stroll around the truck reveals: LED headlights; fog, marker and tail lights; a two-piece windshield; and, attached to the step atop the passenger side fuel tank, the Bendix Blindspotter scanner for signalling the presence of objects alongside the truck.

Blindspotter is, of course, part of the Bendix Wingman Fusion safety package along with functions such as an exceptionally perceptive adaptive cruise control.

With deep steps recessed into the fuel tanks, it’s an easy climb into the cab and, typically, the Isri seat and a steering wheel easily adjusted by a foot-operated lever make it easy to find a comfortable position for a multitude of shapes and sizes.

The first thing to grab your eye, though, is the steering wheel. Rather than fully round, it has a straight lower edge which, according to Mack’s US designers in 2018, provides more girth room for those drivers with big spreads. Fair enough too, because while modern Australia has its fair share of dumpling drivers, the gargantuan guts of some American steerers has to be seen to be believed.

Eat your heart out, literally!

Meantime, the gauge and switchgear layout has been substantially revised, with the centre of the dash occupied by a bigger version of Mack’s Co-Pilot digital information display. On each side are the rev counter (left) and speedo, and underneath are needle gauges for fuel, oil pressure, engine temperature, air pressure and the like.

Further left on an angled fascia is another row

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of gauges for oil, gearbox and exhaust temperatures, and turbo boost pressure, all sited above a panel of switches for functions such as hill-hold, lane departure warning, rear axle air suspension height, traction control, power divider and diff lock.

The master switches for transmission engagement are placed similar to current models on the left dash fascia and while in relatively easy reach, it’s not as convenient as some competitor designs which nowadays tend to have all transmission controls on a dedicated wand on the steering column. Still, newly designed wands on each side of the steering column are at least within fingertip reach for control of turn indicators, wipers, engine brake and quick driver-selected gearshifts.

Back on the steering wheel, buttons for cruise control,

phone, radio volume and various Co-Pilot functions are ideally placed.

But the most appealing driver feature of all, of course, is the stand-up cab where a full 1.8 metres of standing room is available. What’s more, a quick stretch-out on the bunk suggests there’s ample convenience and comfort for an overnight stay, including a generous and sturdy array of internal lockers for storing all the usual odds and sods.

Finally, Mack has a modern long-haul cab.

So now for the road run, and as already conceded, 200km down an easy stretch of the Pacific Highway is way short of an expansive evaluation. Still, the opportunity to be the first truck writer to sample Anthem on Australian roads wasn’t about to be ignored. Nor was the temptation to at least sample the dog’s crawler cog as the truck idled super-slow out of the parking area.

Anyway, into the real world at a gross weight said to be around 41 tonnes, it was almost immediately apparent that the upgraded electronic platform has produced decidedly improved performance and response in the mDrive transmission. Shifts are smoother and faster than the occasionally lethargic and lumpy swaps that have long separated Mack’s shifting performance from its Volvo counterpart, even though mDrive and Volvo’s I-shift are based on the same hardware.

To put it plainly, Volvo’s I-shift has long been deservedly considered one of the best automated transmissions in the business. But only now, thanks to the adaptation of the Swedish brand’s electrical platform, can Mack’s mDrive claim similar levels of operational finesse and response.

Top: Eight-wheeler Anthem uses the long-serving and immensely capable Volvo twin-steer layout Above: Bendix Blindspotter sensor. It’s just one part of an extensive Bendix Wingman Fusion safety package fitted standard to Anthem, Trident and Super-Liner Left: Anthem in day cab form.

This is the configuration that will replace much of the previous Granite’s workload Opposite top: Standing tall.

Anthem and Super-Liner demo units fitted with the stand-up cab and 36-inch bunk Opposite below: Hood tilt provides good access to the engine bay. Anthem uses a single latch under the grille to release the hood

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“The crawler boxes are also optionally available in Trident and Super-Liner.”

Yet, as quickly apparent as the improved transmission performance was, it was similarly apparent that Anthem’s steering quality is less than ideal, particularly for highway work. In short, steering is too light and too reactive. Twitchy, best describes it.

Sure, it makes for easy wheel work at low speeds when idling in and out of tight spots and after an hour so behind the wheel, even becomes measurably more manageable at highway speeds. Nonetheless, there’s no doubt in this mind that Mack needs to have a look at stiffening Anthem’s steering a tweak or two.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Anthem demo trucks were pre-production units and therefore, not entirely representative of the standards to be expected of trucks coming off the end of the Wacol (Qld) production line. Consequently, it’s reasonable to suggest the minor squeaks that occasionally surfaced, particularly on the M1 Motorway’s crappy concrete surface, would be far less likely under the more stringent standards of full production.

A later look at the truck also indicated that the single latch under the grille, attached

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to cables which release locking clamps at the back corners of the hood, needs to be in proper adjustment to ensure both clamps open fully when it’s time to lift the lid.

Meantime, the 200km from Coolongolook to the refuelling stop at the southbound Caltex at Wyong passed all too quick.

Still, it was long enough to confirm at least some of Anthem’s abilities, not least a high level of forward vision over the drooping snout, excellent ride quality, the predictably willing performance of an MP8 engine with 535hp and 1,920ft-lb of torque, and critically, the quick familiarity and easy logic of the new truck’s advanced systems such as adaptive cruise control.

Indeed, given the easy run south, adaptive cruise was engaged for at least 80 percent of the trip and despite just 3,500km on the clock, the fuel return of 2.8km/litre (7.9mpg) was extraordinarily impressive.

All up, Anthem promises much for Mack and a national tour will certainly be an effective shake-down for identifying areas where fine-tuning will further enhance the model’s considerable prospects.

Time and toil will determine the rest.

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test drive

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KENWORTH’S REAL DEAL ownerdriver.com.au

24/02/2021 12:17:46 PM

I

It may have taken a while to follow its ‘Aero’ sibling into existence, but an SAR version of Kenworth’s new T410 is now up and running, sporting perhaps the best steering and road handling of any truck in the business. Brilliant! Meantime, while some Kenworth purists might still pout at the absence of a Cummins option, the Paccar MX-13 engine continues to attract plenty of converts. For good reason! Steve Brooks has first dibs at test driving this new model ownerdriver.com.au

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’LL BE BLUNT. The perception in some minds has long been that Paccar’s MX-13 engine is fundamentally a DAF product and, therefore, not worthy of a Kenworth. The reality, however, is that in either a Kenworth or a DAF, the MX-13 is a gutsy, respectably efficient engine that is at least the equal of any similarly-powered 13-litre in the business.

But don’t just take my word for it. There are now a sizeable number of Kenworth owners and drivers with a highly positive view of the MX-13, driven in large part by a steadily expanding reputation for strong performance, staunch reliability and entirely acceptable fuel economy.

Take, for instance, the view of Lance Fisher, the long-serving fleet manager of Sydney-based fuel haulage specialist John L Pierce.

Widely regarded as one of the most professional and innovative fleet managers around, and certainly among the most authoritative in the fuel haulage industry, Fisher is responsible for a fleet of more than 120 trucks, predominantly Kenworths but also a significant number of Macks.

Yet, despite the bulldog’s enduring presence, he makes no secret of a strong regard for Cummins, particularly for B-double work where the company sticks firmly to the tried and true combination of Kenworth cab-overs and conventionals punched

by Cummins X15 engines. Simply stated, Fisher’s steadfast opinion is that for top-weight B-double duties and everything above, Cummins cubes are king.

For single trailer roles, however, Mack Granites powered by the MP8 13-litre engine have been the norm for quite some time but with Granite about to be replaced by the long anticipated but largely untested Anthem, a forthright Fisher confirms the Paccar MX-13 mounted in Kenworth’s T410 is starting to scratch deep into the dog’s domain.

Since JL Pierce’s first MX-13 arrived in a Kenworth T409 in October 2015, the company now operates nine of the Paccar-branded engines: eight in superseded 409s and one in an early version of the T410.

“Sure, we were a little apprehensive to start with,” remarks Fisher, “but that original MX has now done well over 700,000km and, like the rest of them, there haven’t been any real issues. A few little things early but nothing worth moaning about.

“In fact, the more I think about it, they’ve been fabulous. Reliability has been absolutely brilliant and fuel economy is excellent, at least the equal of the best of the MP8s.

“Seriously, the MX is a great engine for our work.

Exceptionally good,” he insists.

Similarly, the company’s first T410 – with others now set to follow in the near future – has been “bullet-proof”, he says without a hint of hesitation.

“Truly, a cracker of a truck and we send them everywhere, delivering fuel around town or running out to country areas.

“Drivers definitely like the [wider] cab,” he continues, “and other than a minor issue early in the piece, there hasn’t been a drama at all.”

Arriving at JL Pierce’s Toongabbie depot in western Sydney in the last weeks of 2018, the ’410 was one of the first of the new models to roll off Paccar’s Bayswater (Vic) production line.

What’s more, Fisher contends it was among the first batch of T410s to be equipped with the Paccarbranded 12-speed automated transmission, which, coupled to the MX-13, is marketed as the ‘Paccar powertrain’. Anywhere else, of course, the shifter is known simply as the Eaton Endurant, but no matter what it’s called, the transmission’s ongoing gross weight limit of just 50 tonnes remains difficult to comprehend.

It’s an adamant Fisher who says there are no concerns with the suitability of the truck, the

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Left: John L Pierce fleet manager Lance Fisher Above: The company’s first T410 Opposite top and bottom: Performance of both the truck and a bunch of MX-13 engines has been exceptional, with more on the way; Static display of an MX-13

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engine or the transmission for JL Pierce’s single trailer work.

“None at all. If we were concerned, we wouldn’t have ordered a few more,” he says sharply.

So, if people like Fisher and astute family companies such as John L Pierce are content with the performance and efficiency of the MX-13, why has it taken so long for ‘Paccar power’ to carve stronger acceptance within Australia’s broader trucking community?

The short answer is that, while Paccar Australia is a brilliantly successful engineering and manufacturing company, it has done a decidedly poor job of identifying and marketing the MX-13 as a Paccar product and, in the process, overlooking or even ignoring Kenworth’s aspirational status in the minds of many. Lift the hood of a T410, for instance, and one of the first things you’ll see is a big white fuel filter branded DAF rather than Paccar.

Anyhow, it won’t surprise anyone to know the Paccar powertrain is the standard platform for Kenworth’s latest creation, the T410SAR. So too, of course, is the 2.1 metre-wide cab, which first came to prominence in early 2017 with the launch of the T610 Aero and, soon after, the T610SAR with a set-forward front axle.

Paccar Australia spent big on the new models with the new cab, to the tune of around $20 million and it was obvious to almost everyone that a T410 would ultimately follow its ’610 big brothers into the market.

Likewise, it also seemed only a matter of time before a T410SAR would join the ranks. After all, the T610SAR quickly showed its popularity in the market, to the point where it now outsells its Aero sibling by around two to one and strong early orders suggest the T410SAR will do much the same.

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However, it was a case of first things first for Kenworth and as odd as it may seem, it was customer demand for a more powerful, purpose-built car carrier design which actually drove development of the multipurpose T410SAR.

“Seriously, the MX is a great engine for our work.”

Clever thinking In a detailed presentation at Paccar Australia headquarters in Bayswater, director of product planning Ross Cureton explained that following the introduction of the new T360 and T410 models, Kenworth was rather suddenly faced with a dilemma: how to create a suitable car carrier prime mover around the 2.1 metre-wide cab yet still offer an adequate sleeper, while incorporating all the car carrier frame and gantry considerations that had made the outgoing T359 model popular with specialist car carriers.

“It was no easy fix but the goal all along was to make the ultimate car carrier for our market,” a forthright Cureton commented. And that included, he added, the provision of more power than the 440hp (328kW) delivered by the outgoing 11-litre Cummins ISMe5 engine that powered the T359.

Given the demand for greater grunt, it was obvious the new T360 wasn’t the answer, offering peak punch of just 400hp (298kW) from the 8.9-litre Cummins ISLe5 under the short snout.

So, the decision was effectively a no-brainer. It had

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to be the T410 with Paccar’s MX-13 engine at ratings of 460hp (343kW) and 1,700ft-lb (2,300Nm) of torque, or 510hp (380kW) with 1,850ft-lb (2,500Nm) in support.

However, it was apparent from the outset that the T410 Aero version with its set-back front axle was far from the perfect platform for a car carrier frame. For starters, the mounting point for the sturdy stanchion on each side of the cab for the overhead carrier gantry would infringe severely on the set-back steer axle.

What’s more, the 12.9-litre MX is significantly heavier – around 240kg heavier – than the Cummins ISMe5 and the extra weight over the set-back axle had the potential to compromise weight distribution.

Likewise, chassis ‘real estate’ for the fitting of emissions componentry, battery box, fuel and AdBlue tanks becomes considerably more problematic with a set-back front axle on the inherently short wheelbase of a car carrier prime mover.

Finally, while the T410 sleeper is 100mm wider than the bunk on the T359 (2,400mm compared to 2,300mm), there remained the distinct need for a low profile

sleeper roof to accommodate the carrier frame and, equally, maintain the relatively low overall height of the superseded T359.

With all these considerations in mind, the car carrier project came to life based on a new low-profile sleeper, cab skirts to suit front stanchion mounts, a new ‘traditionally styled’ hood and a front axle set 400mm further forward than its Aero equivalent.

Significantly though, with gantry framework infringing on external space around the truck, the air cleaner and dual pre-cleaners needed to stay under the hood rather than externally mounted as they are on the T610SAR. Traditionalists may be critical of the under-hood location of the air cleaners but it certainly provides a far less cluttered exterior and better vision.

The end result is a T410SAR car carrier with allimportant bumper to back-of-cab (BBC) dimensions of 2,850mm in day cab form and just 3,450mm with the compact 600mm sleeper. By comparison, a day cab Mack Granite – remembering it’s about to be replaced by the new Anthem model – has a BBC of 2,960mm and

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Top & above: Inside views of one of two T410SARs bought by Bedggood’s Transport in Maffra, Vic, primarily for regional single trailer work. Like the T410 Aero version, there’s lots to like with the space, layout and finish of the wider cab Oppsite top and bottom: Paccar Australia chief engineer Noelle Parlier, justifiably proud of what has been achieved with the T410SAR; What’s in a name? Right or wrong, the sight of a DAF filter sends a mixed message to anyone aspiring to a Kenworth

3,645mm with a sleeper. It’s worth noting, though, Granite comes with the greater space of a 685mm sleeper but it’s yet to be seen if Anthem will replicate its predecessor’s role.

With the car carrier project on the boil, Kenworth’s next task was to produce a more utilitarian T410SAR for the typical workloads of a 13-litre conventional truck, namely general prime mover and truck and dog combinations. As Ross Cureton’s presentation revealed, the scope for a ‘non-car carrier’ version was relatively straightforward: Retain the traditional hood and grille design, allow for the provision of wide profile (super single) steer tyres with the standard taper-leaf front suspension and vitally, provide the same options list as the T410 except for a twin-steer layout.

Ensuring the operational efficacy of all these requirements fell to the Paccar Australia engineering team led by chief engineer Noelle Parlier.

Pocket rocket From this unmitigated male’s perspective, the mind boggles in boundless difficulty trying to comprehend the combined pressures of being a wife, a mother and head engineer of a fiercely proud, endlessly busy, highly accomplished and

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historically macho Australian truck manufacturing company.

Not only that, but to combine those vastly different and incessantly constant demands after moving with hubby and ‘tin lids’ to the other side of Earth to accept a role as not only Paccar Australia’s first American chief engineer, but the first female chief engineer, is deeply impressive.

Yet, for this charmingly witty and superbly credentialed ‘pocket rocket’ of a lady with the winsome ability to veil professional acumen and corporate goals behind confident words and a disarmingly bright smile, it’s all part of the deal.

The details of her career and subsequent Australian appointment are, by Parlier’s own definition, simple. Born and raised in Paccar heartland in America’s Pacific North-West, she holds double major degrees in physics and electrical engineering, has been with Paccar for 15 years, and before the Australian appointment rose to assistant chief engineer at Kenworth headquarters in Seattle, working primarily in powertrain development, cabs, remote diagnostics and vehicle integration.

So, as the first American chief engineer here, what’s the agenda?

In a nutshell: “Bringing Australia further into Paccar’s global network was the main driver in appointing a US chief engineer for the first time rather than an Australian,” Parlier explains.

Has Paccar Australia been operating largely outside the global network?

“Not at all, but you can always make things better.”

Australia is a unique market with unique demands but it is also a comparatively small market. Does that occasionally make the Australian operation something of a headache or nuisance to Seattle?

“Absolutely not. Seattle is right behind everything Paccar Australia does and knows very well that the trucks built here are exceptional on every level.” She’s quiet for a moment. “And I mean every level.”

As for accepting a job so far from home and hearth with responsibility for a team of around 100 people?

“Good question but seriously, why wouldn’t we come here? The country and the company just have so much going for them. It wasn’t a hard decision. Not really.”

Yet, by the time Noelle first parked her feet under a Bayswater desk in October 2018, the T360 and T410 were already well advanced in engineering terms. As for a T410SAR, she says it was a project on the books but there was no certainty it would eventuate. Until, that is, demand for “a specially designed car carrier” opened the door for a new addition to the legendary SAR mantle.

Fast forward to the last weeks of 2020 and a quiet engineering backlot of a highly COVID-conscious Bayswater plant. This is somebody who knows her way around a truck and it’s an entirely upbeat Parlier who climbs into the passenger seat

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“The goal all along was to make the ultimate car carrier for our market.” of a T410SAR with barely a thousand kilometres on the clock.

The truck is one of two T410SARs bought primarily for intrastate single-trailer work by well-known Victorian operator Barry Bedggood from Maffra, 220km east of Melbourne, and generously loaned for a test run of almost 500km through Victoria’s northern regions.

Kenworth is the truck of choice in the 25-strong Bedggood fleet and the two 410SARs are part of an order for at least six and possibly eight new conventionals.

In what is perhaps a relatively standard specification for a T410SAR prime mover, the Bedggood truck has the MX-13 delivering 510hp from 1,500rpm and near enough to 1,850ft-lb of torque at 1,000rpm. Predictably, the engine stirs through the Paccar 12-speed overdrive transmission into a Meritor RT46-160 rear axle set with a 3.9:1 final drive ratio, mounted on Paccar’s popular Airglide rear suspension.

With four sleeper sizes to choose from, Bedggood’s SAR is fitted with the functional 760mm mid-roof version and combined with the 2.1 metre-wide cab, there’s certainly no hint of cramped quarters. In fact, with typically well-finished Kenworth cab trim and overall build quality, it’s hard to imagine a better environment for regional runs requiring an overnight camp.

Climbing into the cab is easy enough on well-placed, non-slip tank steps but the door opening angle is marginally restricted by the location of the mirror arms. Still, it’s difficult to see cab access as a troubling issue for anyone other than those of gargantuan girth.

From the driver’s seat, all-round vision is extremely good. The one-piece curved windscreen provides a clean sight over the drooping snout – though nowhere near as drooping as the original SAR – and while mirror arms have a marginal effect on door opening angle, they are extremely strong and hold mirrors that provide a wide, vibration-free view down the sides.

There’s also plenty to like in a dash and switchgear layout, which is both practical and modern, with a central digital display allowing trip and engine information to be easily scrolled.

The Bedggood spec also includes an array of conventional gauges and ancillary features including the invaluable ‘hill hold’ function.

On the steering wheel arms are buttons for controlling radio volume and cruise control functions while just a fingertip away

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“It is entirely possible an electric motor working in concert with the MX will be used to deliver an extra 70hp or thereabouts.”

Above: Classically Kenworth.

Steering and road handling of the T410SAR are as good as it gets Below: Yes, the mirror arms are extremely strong

under the wheel is a column-mounted wand for engine brake and transmission controls.

Still, there were a few questions begging an answer even before turning a wheel. Like, why is the Paccar transmission limited to a gross weight of 50 tonnes when, with the optional Eaton 18-speed in manual or automated form, the 410SAR’s gross combination mass (GCM) is 70 tonnes?

Straight to the point, Parlier said it’s simply because there is no oil cooler or temperature sensor on the Paccar transmission so in the interests of long-term durability, GCM is limited to 50 tonnes. Right now, she conceded, there’s little likelihood of any increase.

Okay, but why is the MX-13 limited to 510hp in a Kenworth and now out to 530hp in a DAF? “DAF uses a Euro 6 engine, Kenworth Euro 5,” she said simply. It’s worth adding that in the Kenworth installation, the MX runs 12 volt electrics whereas DAF runs a typically European 24 volt system.

As for the probability of substantially more horsepower or even a bigger displacement Paccar engine, it was a succinct Parlier who said an electric motor working in partnership with the MX is a far more likely scenario.

Paccar Inc, she explained, is well advanced with electric power programs and while it may be a few years away, it is entirely possible an electric motor working in concert with the MX will be used to deliver an extra 70hp (52kW) or thereabouts. “It’s an exciting time to be an engineer. I love it,” she remarked as the MX was fired into life.

Pulling power Heading away from Melbourne, it’s only a kilometre or so from the Paccar factory before a short, formidable hill rises sharply.

Over many years, I’ve come to know this hill well. In a fully loaded truck it is a good early indicator of an engine’s pulling power and with a manual shifter, an equally good indicator of whether you’re on the ball or not.

Still, even with an automated ’box, this short, sharp pinch can quickly signal certain traits and given that Paccar’s version of the Eaton Endurant is programmed specifically to work in harmonious sync with the MX engine, much was expected as the shifter wand was tuned into ‘auto’ mode for the start of the day’s run.

The truck was hauling a tri-axle curtain-sided trailer and a

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weighbridge docket confirmed a gross weight of 42.3 tonnes.

All was going well, shifts were fast and reasonably adroit, and a willingness in traffic to let the engine run up in revs before a skip shift suggested a high level of logic.

But as the grade sharply ramps up and under the pressure of load, road and full throttle, artificial intelligence suddenly appeared to suffer a moment of complete confusion. First, a surprisingly clunky drop to 7th gear, then deciding that gear was too low before quickly jumping up a cog to let the MX to do its thing and dig in.

Softly from the other side of the cab: “That wasn’t very good.”

No, it wasn’t, but much the same thing happened a few hours later on a similarly sharp haul where this time, the only utterance from the passenger perch was a quiet “Hmmm!” Methinks a programming adjustment may be in the making. Maybe!

However, on a day of country running over varying terrain with plenty of hard pulls on twisting secondary roads, those two occasions were the only blemishes on the Paccar transmission’s ability to efficiently dispense the MX-13’s considerable and occasionally surprising grit and grunt.

Have no doubt, this is an engine that fights hard right through the rev range while on downhill runs, provides respectable retardation in single trailer work. B-doubles may be a different story but for singles, it’s an altogether responsive and willing workhorse, uphill and down.

As for fuel consumption, a figure of 1.7km/litre after almost 500km of suburban and undulating country running in a truck with just 1000km on the clock is hardly indicative of what time and toil will ultimately return. Interestingly, Bedggood agrees, saying he doesn’t give much thought to fuel consumption until a truck has upwards of 50,000km on the clock.

Nonetheless, it’s apparent the Paccar-branded ’box does not offer quite the same levels of operational finesse and smoothness as its MX-powered DAF colleagues. Why? Because DAF uses European ZF transmissions in both 12- and 16-speed forms, and let’s face it, when it comes to automated transmission technology, continental brands have the jump on their US rivals.

Word has it though, Eaton is well advanced with a new generation of 12- and 18-speed transmissions developing under the Endurant title. Right now, details are scant but as always, time will tell.

For now, perhaps the Paccar transmission’s shortcomings on those two occasions simply typified the ongoing need for a driver to sometimes take control. Like, early the next day the same combination was run over the same hill near the factory, only this time in manual mode. The difference was phenomenal. Whether selecting one gear at a time or two, shifts came instantly and smoothly, settling comfortably into 8th gear and allowing the MX to haul its load calmly and easily over the grade. Sweet!

However, none of this commentary should detract from the lively and willing performance of the MX-13, the superb ride, driver comfort and operational ease inside the cab and most remarkably, the brilliantly direct steering and road handling of the T410SAR. Like the T610SAR and T909 models, the 410SAR uses a Ross TRW power steering pump sited behind the front axle and quite honestly, if I’ve driven a truck that provides a more confident and capable handling performance on demanding and often rough stretches of road, I can’t recall it.

All up, Kenworth’s T410SAR is a smart addition to an already enticing and extremely successful model range. Sure, transmission programming could do with some tweaks but in every other department, there’s much to like in this latest extension of the seemingly ageless SAR lineage.

No doubt, Kenworth has kicked another goal and as for the MX-13 engine, reality makes a mockery of the perception.

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SAR: THE LEGEND LIVES Short A-cab Righthand-steer. It’s hard to believe that from such an obscure engineering preface – later interpreted as ‘Short Australian Righthand-drive’ – came a truck absolutely revered in the history and psychology of Australian road transport. SAR! A true legend. And a uniquely Aussie legend at that. Originally launched in 1975, it was the first Kenworth actually conceptualised in Australia, for Australia, with its short bumper to back-of-cab length, high-standing cab and sloping hood setting it apart from anything else in the business.

Make no mistake, the original W900SAR’s release all those years ago marked the first steps toward greater independence of Australian design in Kenworth trucks. It was a milestone model like no other.

And we can now reveal the SAR is coming back in all its former glory and more.

Big time, but for a short time only.

In fact, for just one day.

Following in the footsteps of specially crafted and hugely successful recreations of the classic T950 and T900, Kenworth is now well advanced with a special edition which will be known simply as the Legend SAR. For Paccar Australia, there is no better time for this classic’s return as the company this year celebrates 50 years of truck manufacturing at its Bayswater (Vic) factory.

Typically, the heads at Paccar Australia are keeping the details a closely guarded secret but there’s no doubt the Legend SAR will be something very special, capturing the spirit of a truck with an extraordinary following even after all the years since the last version rolled off the line.

As far as we know, the plan is to showcase the first Legend SAR at the Brisbane Truck Show in May and on a designated day, orders will be taken over a 24-hour period.

There’s no telling how many operators will sign up but there’s already huge excitement among the Kenworth faithful. Our tip is that well over 300 orders could be taken in a single selling day. Others are predicting substantially more.

Whatever the final number it’s sure to be another massively successful and hugely profitable initiative by Paccar Australia.

Success, it seems, is guaranteed. After all, legends don’t come back to life very often.

Above: A beautifully restored Kenworth SAR. This particular truck belongs to Brett Cleary (Cleary Bros) who, like so many others, is an absolute devotee of the legendary SAR

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truck technology

JAC’S ELECTRIC RETURN

Plans are underway to bring electric vehicles from JAC Trucks to Australia, writes Rob McKay

A

NEW JAC TRUCKS tilt at the Australian market is to take place this year. It is being led by former local JAC CEO Jason Pecotic, in a move that may yet indicate the state of the Chinese truck challenge and where commercial electric vehicle (EV) competition here might lead.

Pecotic says the intention is to have one test vehicle in the country to be test-driven by three online food distribution firms.

Confident they will be well received, he will then look to import 50 more.

“JAC have been in the production and testing of electric trucks in a few countries around the world,” he says.

“They’ve developed a right-hand drive version of the truck [and] it’s currently going through ADR testing in China.”

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JAC recently delivered a fleet of N55EV models to Pepsi Brazil, thereby opening the first year of JAC’s overseas commercial EV push, and Pecotic confirms that the same vehicle is coming here.

The company says the N55EV range covers 5.5-7.5 tonnes, and the maximum engine power and torque reach 130kW and 1,200Nm. It features independently developed vehicle control system similar to that of passenger car, and is equipped with airbags, 360-degree reversing camera and other safety configurations.

The 1,995mm-wide cabin sports a multifunctional steering wheel and 8-inch (20cm) touchscreen.

The vehicle is powered by a 96.7kWh lithium ion phosphate battery and the full range can reach more than 200km.

Both fast charging – 90 minutes to 80 per cent of

battery power and 100 per cent after two hours – and normal charging are available.

Load capacity is put at 2.5 tonne and acceleration is put at eight seconds from standstill to 50km/and maximum speed at 90km/h.

Second attempt JAC Trucks’ first Australian truck market assault began in earnest about eight years ago with a 6.5 tonne J65 offering going to its first customer, armed with a 3.8 litre Cummins engine and a significant quoted price saving.

At the time, industry observers wondered if the move presaged part of a global Chinese truck challenge. But that thought proved premature as JAC struggled to make headway. And, despite an abortive effort to resuscitate the brand, it faltered a few years later.

Reflecting on his earlier experience with the brand, Pecotic feels the rather basic vehicle that arrived in 2012 was probably “too agricultural” for the market, but he has been keeping an eye on the company since.

“I’ve been following JAC for the past five years and watching this electric truck’s journey,” he says.

“The last time I was in China was November 2019 with JAC. I trialled the truck myself and have been speaking to fleets in countries that have had the truck in service and I believe this is it. This is a truck that will do well here in Australia.”

The move to return JAC to Australia is linked to bus-maker BLK’s entry into the country through the purchase of current distributor BCSA, which has for the past 14 years marketed its buses under the Bonluck name in Australia and New Zealand.

The new entity, called BLK Auto, will be headed by Pecotic as managing director and Peter Aldridge as chairman, and will take over many of the resources of BCSA with the imminent retirement of principal, Athol McKinnon and the decision by Rodd Hood to pursue his used bus sales business.

BLK’s move by to establish its own operation in Australia aims to enable the company to pivot to an electric and hydrogen fuel cell bus operation and to give it the resources and backing to put it on a footing for a zero emission future.

“The pivot to zero emission bus technology is an enormous opportunity and with the backing of BLK we will have the resources and expertise to take the brand to a new level in Australia,” Pecotic says in that announcement.

“BLK is already a key part of one of Australia’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered bus orders, providing the

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“I’ve been following JAC for the past five years and watching this electric truck’s journey.”

President 2 glider chassis for the winning tender with Hyzon Motors for Fortescue’s initial 10-bus order, for its mining operations in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

“BLK Auto will also be distributing a new range of JAC battery EV trucks, the first of which are set to arrive in Australia within the next two months to start trials with a number of online home delivery retailers.”

While BLK Auto will continue to be based in Queensland, it is now looking to appoint a Victorian sales representative along with a group general manager to oversee the sales and distribution throughout Australia and New Zealand.

JAC has been busy elsewhere in the world and not just in South America.

“Driven by policies such as infrastructure investment, consumer demand growth and overloading control, commercial vehicle segments maintained high growth trend, with cumulative sales of 298,000 units, up 15 per cent YOY [year on year],” official Chinese news organ Xinhua reports.

“Among them, sales of light commercial vehicles increased steadily, up 11.1 per cent YOY; while heavy commercial vehicles adhered to the differentiated competitive strategy of ‘key markets, key products and key customers’ and continued to seize market opportunities, with cumulative sales up nearly 50 per cent YOY, and major product lines such as trucks, tractors and mixers, achieving high-speed growth.”

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Above right: JAC is developing a right-hand drive version in China Opposite below: The JAC electric will be trialling with food delivery firms

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truck technology

HYUNDAI’S MIDSIZED APPEAL H A brand new player is about to enter the mid duty truck segment in Australia – the Hyundai Pavise

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YUNDAI TRUCKS is back in the country, boasting a new range of light-duty, medium-duty and expanding into the heavy-duty segment this year. Among these is the mid-size Hyundai Pavise, which will shortly be launched onto the Australian market.

Hyundai says Pavise represents the latest in technology it has to offer with classleading powertrains, safety, design and space.

Furthermore, it states that a range of chassis and wheelbase

options means Pavise could make it a perfect addition to any fleet or business.

“Pavise comes in three chassis variants and multiple wheelbase options starting at 12 tonnes in a 4x2 configuration. There is an option of the 12 tonne-rated D112 model, 15.5 tonne-rated D115 and 17.6 tonne-rated D217 model,” says Hyundai commercial vehicles Australia GM Daryl Thornton.

“There are also plans to bring a 6x2 configuration variant to Australia by the third quarter of this year.”

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Hyundai states that its diesel engine technology combined with European transmissions will equal a truck built for performance. The 12-speed auto transmission is claimed to offer improved performance, fuel economy and driveability.

The Hyundai diesel engine, which is capable of 250 to 280hp (186 to 209kW) output, is paired with the latest transmissions from ZF and Allison, which Hyundai says will take efficiency and convenience to a new level.

The cab air suspension is reported to significantly reduce driver fatigue by mitigating cab vibrations and shocks while also minimising cab roll during turning manoeuvres. The rear air suspension is aimed at allowing the adjustment of the cargo bed height when loading and unloading.

Crash avoidance The new models come fitted with the latest traction and safety technology including Hyundai SmartSense features, as Thornton explains.

“Hyundai Pavise offers the most up-to-date technological crash avoidance systems including forward collision avoidance (FCA), lane departure warning (LDW), vehicle dynamic control (VDC), autonomous emergency braking system, electronically-controlled brake system (EBS) and both driver and passenger air bags.”

Other safety features include extra-wide range rear view camera, water repellent glass for better visibility and a spray nozzle integrated wiper.

Hyundai adds that the Pavise’s ladder frame is built with premium-grade alloy steel for maximum endurance and reliability. It also points out that the enhanced chassis and cab support members are made using hightensile strength steel for better rigidity and durability. For improved rust resistance, galvanised steel sheets are used for the outer panels.

Another feature that Hyundai is promoting is the new tilt mechanism design which is reported to reduce noise and extend durability while a larger tilt angle improves engine bay access for easy serviceability.

The front panel size has also been enlarged, which Hyundai claims will make for easier inspection and maintenance. The large shield-shaped radiator grille features Hyundai’s signature cascade style. It also features a 170A heavy-duty battery that is said to improve cold startup performance (OPT), wide outside lockers and large LED daytime running lights (DRLs), headlights and fog lights.

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“There are also plans to bring a 6x2 configuration variant to Australia.”

Inside view The European-inspired design reportedly has influences from the Hyundai passenger vehicle line-up, aimed at adding to driver comfort.

The large inner space with ergonomic interior design offers a bed, multiple storage options, and what Hyundai says is an intuitive instrument panel.

Other features include increased driver’s forward visibility, a five-inch dual-mono TFT, eight-inch (20cm) audio video navigation system, smartphone connectivity, wireless charging pad, USB/AUX ports, auto light controls and digital tachograph.

While the price of the models has not been revealed yet, Thornton confirms the Hyundai Pavise “will be very competitively priced compared with the leading Japanese brands in the market today”.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Trucks Australia is said to be expanding its dealer network with plans to add at least a dozen new dealerships across the country.

Top: Hyundai says its car comfort will be transferred to the Pavise Below : Wheelbase options start at 12 tonnes in a 4x2 configuration

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tech briefs

Freighter marks milestone with Diamond Pack

MAXITRANS IS CELEBRATING a major milestone for its trailer brand Freighter – 75 not out.

The trailer and parts maker deems the effort as creating a legacy that “is clearly as long as it is rich”.

“Freighter’s long and successful history is owed to our loyal customers,” MD and CEO Dean Jenkins says.

“Many of our customers are two or three generation Freighter loyalists.

“It is this on-going support that has helped build the legacy that Freighter prides itself on and will continue to be a part of every locally manufactured high quality trailer that is produced.

“We sit here today reflecting on the great achievements of Freighter, from introducing the first curtain sided trailer into the Australian market, known in the Freighter family as the Tautliner, through to continuing to push the boundaries on performance-based standards (PBS).

“A common theme across the years has been finding innovative ways for our customers to get more out of their equipment, allowing them to increase productivity with outstanding reliability, so they can focus on continuing to deliver the needs of the nation,” Jenkins says.

“Seventy five years in operation is a significant milestone, not only for the Freighter brand, but for the wider transport industry too.

“Supporting Australian business and locally manufactured products is what has made it possible for the brand to continue to thrive.

“In celebration of this milestone and for those customers wishing to be a part of the celebration,

MaxiTrans has released a limited edition Freighter 75th year Diamond Pack, available across the Freighter range throughout 2021, and are encouraged to contact their local MaxiTrans dealer.

“We again take this opportunity to thank all our customers, suppliers and staff for their on-going support throughout our extensive history, but also as important, during the most recent challenging times,” Jenkins says.

“We look forward with great excitement to the future of the Freighter brand and the transport industry as whole.

“Many of our customers are two or three generation Freighter loyalists.

“It is this on-going support that has helped build the legacy that Freighter prides itself on and will continue to be a part of every locally manufactured high quality trailer that is produced.”

Vibrator claims more drops per day THE ISSUE OF BULK material clinging to the inside of a tipper and slowing down the unloading process is something common to many operators carting bulk products like soil, fertiliser, stock feed, grains and sands.

In many cases the only way to get material moving is by ‘shunting’ the vehicle or manually digging out compact product at the end of a shift – both risky and time consuming for the operator and leading to excessive wear and tear on the vehicle.

However, Flow-Easy says its vibrators are designed to speed up the unloading of bulk products, providing an efficient, safe and controlled load discharge. The vibration loosens compacted material, effectively eliminating compact, residual build up.

Flow-Easy vibrators are distributed by Melbournebased Enmin, which specialises in materials handling systems and vibratory equipment. The vibrators were previously marketed under the Enmin brand but have recently been re-branded Flow-Easy.

Melbourne-based Finns Cartage is one customer to have fitted a Flow-Easy vibrator.

One of owner-operator James Finn’s more common loads is taking clay from basement digs in the city to new building estates in outer Melbourne. He also spends extensive time ‘on-site’ moving multiple loads short distances.

“When I’m on-site I can do 50 to 100 loads per day.

Taking top soil very short distances from one part of the site to anther; if the load doesn’t completely empty you end up with more and more compacted material until you can tip only half a load – that’s one of the key reasons I decided to fit a vibrator,” Finn says.

“Even things like rock and recycled concrete tend to ‘cling’ so the vibrator solves this problem too.

It’s especially good when I have top soil that’s been ‘drenched’ in water, which is particularly problematic.”

As well as being a simple, cost-effective alternative

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to body liners, Flow-Easy says a vibrator significantly reduces the risk of cross-contamination, particularly where grains and fertiliser are being transported. It adds that, over time, body liners expand and overlap creating pockets where fugitive material can become entrapped, increasing the potential for material contamination.

The range includes 12 and 24 volt electric vibrators along with hydraulic and pneumatically-powered options. Some transport applications require vibration to be applied for an extended amount of time, a scenario where the design characteristics of the hydraulic and pneumatic models come into their own.

If required, they can be run continuously.

Flow-Easy says the truck vibrators are easy to install and only require minimal modification to the trailer body. As companies update their truck and trailer fleet, vibrators can be removed easily from existing trailers and installed on the new units.

SCANIA 540 ENGINE TOPS IN EURO TEST SCANIA’S 540HP (403kW) engine, which the truckmaker’s Australia’s arm points out is available here, has excelled in international comparison tests.

The Scania 540 S triumphed in the 1000 Punkte Test (1000 Point Test) and European Truck Challenge (ETC), which are among the most established comparison tests for commercial heavy trucks, organised by German trade magazines.

The test analyses cab-related qualities like driver environment, sleeping comfort and noise levels, as well as other aspects such as road handling, gear shifting and serviceability.

The trucks are also driven more than 300km on different types of roads to measure overall fuel consumption.

Every aspect is then given a score that adds to each truck’s final result.

“Winning these comparison tests is yet another point of proof for Scania’s industry-leading position,” Scania Trucks senior vice president Stefan Dorski says.

“When independent and experienced journalists assess all the relevant aspect of our products with scientific methods and compare them with our peers, the results tell a story that is highly relevant for potential truck buyers.

“We were awarded the highest overall scoring in both of these test, but personally I am most proud of the fact that our truck has the lowest fuel consumption while at the same time offering the highest average speed.”

The 540hp 13-litre six-cylinder engine was released in Australia in 2020, and is available in R- and G-series cabs, with the largest S-series cab available to special order.

The 1000 Point Test, over multiple iterations, included the Scania 540 S, MAN TGX 18.510 BLS, Mercedes Actros 1853 LS, DAF XF 530, and Scania 540 S. Above: Scania’s 540 S came out on top in European comparison tests

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24/02/2021 12:59:08 PM

Merc-Benz Econic gets cool upgrade MERCEDES-BENZ has upgraded its Australian Econic model that it says came following local customer consultation.

The city-friendly truck has been improved with beefed-up air conditioning, better driver access and a new advanced safety feature called Sideguard Assist.

Mercedes-Benz offers the Econic as a traditional single control model as well as a developed-for-Australia dual control version, which features two steering boxes.

Both Econic models now feature considerably more potent air conditioning systems, with between 8.5kW and 10kW of power depending on the model, that are better suited to the extreme heat of an Australian summer.

“Our Australian operators identified a way that we could further improve this brilliant truck and we listened,” says Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus Australia director Andrew Assimo.

Available on select Econic models, Sideguard Assist uses radar technology to ‘see’ down the left side of the truck and advise the driver if any vehicles, other objects or pedestrians, could be in the path of the vehicle as it turns left or changes lanes.

The Econic has a range of other key safety technology including Lane Keeping Assist and a radar-based system that can automatically brake the vehicle even if the driver fails to respond to a potential impact. The latest generation of Active Brake Assist can even brake when it senses moving pedestrians.

Mercedes-Benz says safety was a core concern from the start of the Econic development process and its unique design provides the driver with direct vision of other road users, and clear sight of, pedestrians.

It is claimed that the Econic’s vast panoramic glass windscreen, in addition to large side windows, is a critical feature given the high-density areas with high levels of foot traffic, in which they operate.

Mercedes-Benz has also improved ingress and egress for the driver of the dual control Econic, with a door that opens a further 15 degrees over the current dual control door. The single control Econic features a bus-style super low entry door for even easier access.

The dual control Econic features two separate steering boxes. Key control items in the dual control Econic are duplicated; including the gearshift levers and handbrakes.

The Econic features a 7.7-litre sixcylinder engine that meets Euro 6 emission ratings and lower noise requirements and generates up to 260kW. The engine is linked to an Allison 3000P six-speed torque convertor automatic transmission. It is available with an optional factory retarder, but the Econic’s engine brake is cited by customers as providing ample braking power.

Both single and dual control

Econic models come standard with air suspension for the front and rear axles, which not only help with ride comfort and provide indicative weight measurements for the driver, but can also assist when unloading (for particular models).

Access to bumpy sites is also made easier thanks to the ability to increase the clearance height by 160mm.

Mercedes-Benz advises that the Econic is available as a 6x4 with various wheelbase options.

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tech briefs

Hyzon enters fleet deal with NZ’s Hiringa HYZON MOTORS and Hiringa Energy are advancing their partnership with an electric heavy-duty fleet deal for New Zealand.

The pair reveals Hyzon has agreed to supply 1,500 Dutch-built hydrogen fuelcell-powered ‘heavy goods vehicles’ to the NZ company by 2026, with the first batch to arrive at the end of this year.

“We see New Zealand as an attractive market for the deployment of our hydrogen fuel cell technology,” Hyzon Motors CEO Craig Knight says.

“The hydrogen supply network designed by Hiringa is a key enabler for the realisation of our decarbonisation strategy.

“This partnership aims to position New Zealand as a global leader in the adoption of zero emission heavy vehicle technology, and we are pleased to be playing a major role in this transition.”

The vehicles are to be assembled in Winschoten, The Netherlands, “in full compliance with local New Zealand

requirements”, the company says.

The vehicle supply agreement builds on the signing of a heads of agreement between the two companies in August.

Hyzon’s fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are to be powered by green hydrogen supplied through Hiringa’s nationwide refuelling infrastructure.

The latter says the network is on track to commence refuelling operations in 2021, expanding to eight hydrogen stations across New Zealand’s North and South Islands in 2022, servicing 100 per cent of the North Island and 82 per cent of the South Island’s heavy freight routes.

“This order is a significant milestone and the culmination of many hours of work from the Hyzon and Hiringa teams,” Hiringa chair Cathy Clennett says.

“This is a key step to decarbonizing our road transport, a growing industry that Kiwis rely on everyday as it supplies us with food, products, and essential goods. We are pleased leading New

Zealand brands are stepping up to participate in this exciting initiative.

“Consumers and companies are becoming more aware of emissions and together with Hyzon we are providing ‘kiwi’ businesses with a viable solution.”

The Hyzon FCEV trucks are designed to meet New Zealand road requirements

and the demands of heavy freight applications.

The trucks will be built in a 6x4 configuration, will include a sleeper cab option and will have a gross combination mass (GCM) of 58 tonnes and range of 680km.

Hyzon’s FCEV trucks are said to have comparable-to-diesel refuelling times.

Isuzu Australia’s fresh formula for next gen engine oil ISUZU AUSTRALIA (IAL) has announced the rollout of a new formula of the Next Gen Plus 10W-40 engine oil.

Isuzu’s national parts manager, John Plunkett, says the latest formula has been carefully crafted to offer the market an all-new product, developed specifically for modern Isuzu and commercial truck engines.

“The evolution of our Next Gen Plus engine lubricant brings it in line with the latest CK-4 American Petroleum Institute (API) specifications, an important advancement on the previous API CJ-4 rated oil released in 2007,” he explains.

“Our all-new product provides excellent functionality, increased performance and an improvement in overall engine health for commercial vehicles.”

The reported key benefits of Isuzu’s new 10W-40 engine oil include improved shear stability, improved soot control, and improved oxidation resistance.

The CK-4 rated lubricant exercises low volatility while in operation, reducing viscosity breakdown and oil consumption under high temperature operating conditions — translating to fuel savings.

Increased soot control reduces piston deposits, resulting in better engine reliability and decreased wear and tear over the course of ownership.

An improved oxidation resistance means less sludging and oil degradation, helping to protect against ring sticking.

Lower ash, sulphur and phosphorous levels also help to protect critical systems, including Isuzu trucks fitted with diesel particulate diffuser

(DPD) regeneration technology.

Plunkett says the formula, now rated as an ACEA E6 oil, has wider OEM specification appeal across more brands, making the Next Gen Plus lubricant a staple for any workshop.

“While maintaining all the benefits of our previous ACEA E9 oil, our new formula provides even greater appeal with increased usability across brands.

“In addition, this advancement has allowed for excellent corrosion protection, good oil pumpability and anti-wear properties, improving engine life expectancy and overall function… which all fleet operators and truck owners will be interested to hear.”

Isuzu’s Next Gen Plus 10W-40 engine lubricant is available for order in 5-litre, 20-litre, 205-litre and 1,000-litre quantities.

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MAXIMISE your audience reach with

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These figures are independently audited by the Circulations Audit Board (CAB).

Are Media proudly publishes CAB audit figures for Australasian Transport News (ATN), Australasian Bus & Coach (ABC) and Owner Driver magazines.

Visit industry.aremedia.com.au for more information. *Average number of copies distributed per issue for the 6 months from April to September 2020. †Average Sessions per month, January to December 2020

OWD 338.als - Base Edition 77

23/2/21 8:25 am

FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black

Constantly drowned out The ATA needs a reality check – the owner-driver ‘representation’ on its council is a farce

M

Y TIME on the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) General Council has come to an end. I refuse to waste any more time or effort in a one-sided system that will never represent truck drivers’ interests, pay or safety.

On and off for 18 years I have sat on that council and tried to speak on behalf of owner-drivers but have been continuously drowned out.

The decision not to stand for election this year was an easy one. I will no longer be the token that helps the ATA claim credibility. The ATA and its membership are out to serve employers and clients, not the ownerdrivers impacted by their decisions.

One lonely truck driver voice among many with opposing agendas is ineffective and the board is happy to keep it that way.

The whole thing is a farce. Elections for one owner-driver and one small fleet representative give the ATA the opportunity to say that they represent the whole trucking industry. In reality, it is a box ticking exercise and a PR stunt. One owner-driver is never going to have sway in a room with 15 others representing the vested interests of companies and their profits.

Over the years, I have frequently made the case for more driver representation on the council and in

the ATA membership. I’ve called for owner-driver representatives from each sector, or from each state. Every time, without surprise, I have been outvoted.

Giving drivers more consideration and voting power would threaten the councillors’ ability to band together and shoot down any proposal that would benefit drivers and restore some balance to the industry.

IRRELEVANT ASSOCIATION

Since the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the tens of thousands of truck drivers they represent ceased to be members of the ATA, the association has become completely irrelevant for truck drivers. No other association or employer group in the ATA has truck drivers’ interests at heart. The viability of owner-drivers is not on the ATA’s agenda.

The ATA should therefore cease its claim to represent drivers. Without drivers able to share their opinions, concerns or solutions in any meaningful way, the decisions and campaigns of the ATA are all biased towards the top of the supply chain.

FRANK BLACK has been a long distance ownerdriver for more than 30 years. He is a former long-term owner-driver representative on the ATA Council.

This should be out in the open.

Drivers, the public and especially the government should understand that ATA campaigns do not represent the wishes of the whole industry. They should therefore not have so much clout over decisions that impact the whole industry – especially the truck drivers doing it tough.

The obvious example is the ATA’s attack on the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT), which led to the Liberal Government tearing it down.

The concept of ‘Safe Rates’ is to lift pay and standards across the whole industry by ensuring wealthy retailers, manufacturers, oil companies and the like pump enough money into transport supply chains for drivers to be paid properly, work safely and maintain their trucks. The benefit to drivers, especially ownerdrivers, is clear. The impact on clients is also clear – they wouldn’t be able to squeeze transport contracts to boost their executive bonuses. The ATA’s attack on the RSRT shows their allegiance to huge profit-driven companies at the expense of drivers operating safely or viably and being able to support their families.

INDUSTRY HYPOCRITES

Another function of the RSRT was to ensure 30-day payment terms, a hot topic in the industry that the ATA, NatRoad and the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell have recently jumped on – part of the main group that led the charge to tear down the RSRT, a hypocritical move from the major players that spread lies about the RSRT, causing harm to owner-drivers.

Why should we pay attention to the media stunts and campaigns of the ATA when we can’t trust that

“No other association or employer group in the ATA has truck drivers’ interests at heart.” our issues will be addressed or supported? In fact, the decisions made by the General Council are often detrimental. The fight I put up is a waste of time and I refuse to be associated with the ATA when I do not believe in the work they’re doing.

We must instead meet the ATA’s client and employer-focused agenda with our own. Let them campaign for changes that will drive big profits and let it be made clear that they do not speak for us. But we must match that effort with our own, by coming together with a strong unified voice and making the case for more equity in trucking and the benefits of that, not just for drivers but for the public.

We need to fight for better pay and conditions to make our jobs safer.

The TWU exists to do just that. In my opinion if you want to have your voice heard, it’s time band together, get active, join the union and secure the remuneration, rights and conditions we rightfully deserve.

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