Owner Driver 346 November 2021

ownerdriver NOVEMBER 2021 #346 $3.00 inc. GST

DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL

OWNERDRIVER.COM.AU

Lights On The Hill

Twin convoys return to south-east Queensland See page 22

Kenworth kicks on

Paccar Australia leads rush for new trucks See page 58

Star burst

Western Star’s new breed to arrive in 2022

See page 78

Shogun 510 breaks new ground in horsepower stakes

POWERING UP 22

46

78

THE ONLY CHOICE FOR COMMERCIAL PARTS AND ACCESSORIES

Chicane Tools now available!

Trade quality steel hand tools, with a lifetime warranty. Now available at Truckline stores.

OWD_346_001_COVER_PAID_GB.indd 1

Get in touch!

1300 487 850 truckline.com.au

27/10/21 9:31 am

COMM RESP THE SHOGUN

Respect is earned, not given. And for that reason, the Fuso Shogun range continues to provide some of the most powerful, fuel efficient and intuitively safe heavy duty trucks in Australia.

With a range of powertrains spanning from 360hp/1400Nm to a thundering 510hp/2500Nm, the Shogun draws on the latest in engine technology from Daimler backed by proven Japanese reliability. Available in 6x2, 6x4 and 8x4 rigid, as well as prime mover and tipper spec – there is a Shogun for every job.

FUS6010404_FUSO Shogun Relaunch_Shogun Range_Owner Driver DPS_Full Pg 280x395mm_FA.indd 3 Untitled-43 2 (5210196).indd 1 Daimler Trucks

As a Shogun driver, you get access to class leading safety including Advanced Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection, driver fatigue monitoring, active cruise control and adaptive LED headlights – all backed by Fuso’s class-leading 5 year warranty as standard.

If you’ve got a challenge, we’ve got the Shogun for the Job.

25/10/21 1:00 pm 26/10/21 am 26/10/21 10:45 8:14 am

FUS60

MAND PECT

GUN RANGE

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FULL SHOGUN RANGE VISIT FUSO.COM.AU

1:00 pm

FUS6010404_FUSO Shogun Relaunch_Shogun Range_Owner Driver DPS_Full Pg 280x395mm_FA.indd 4 Untitled-44 3 (5210196).indd 2 Daimler Trucks

25/10/21 1:00 pm 26/10/21 am 26/10/21 10:46 8:14 am

Contents #346

NOVEMBER 2021

32

42 YOUNG ENTHUSIAST

46

“I don’t smoke or drink, I buy trucks.”

gptruckproducts.com.au

Compliant Standards:- ADR-38/05, ISO 7375 & ISO 7628.

•

50% lighter than conventional Type B Suzi-Coils.

•

Heavy application performance design

•

Unique fitting to tube terminal design & assembly

•

Flexible handle sleeves included for positive connection and disconnection of the coupling

•

Oil, Diesel and UV resistant

•

Excellent flexibility and recoil memory.

Part# GP-4000 Short Tail Coil

4 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_004_Contents_GB.indd 4

Nothing stands out better than a Peterbilt – especially when it’s a Dial-ATow’s tri-axle configuration painted up in rose red

58 KENWORTH KICKS ON

COVID or no COVID, the Australian road freight industry continues to run hot and leading the rush for trucks is heavyduty supremo Paccar Australia, led by its Kenworth flagship

The 2021 Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy emerged from the shadow of COVID as hundreds of trucks rolled up for the big south-east Queensland event

Daimler Truck and Bus Australia has responded to demands for a more powerful Japanese truck by introducing the 510hp Fuso Shogun onto the local market

32 REFLECTION AND RESILIENCE

78 STAR BURST

The road takes a toll; whether it’s financial, mental or physical there is always a price paid for a life dedicated to the business of transport

COILMASTER

COILMASTER FEATURES •

46 PROMINENT PETE

66 SHOGUN AIMS FOR HEAVIER HEIGHTS

22 BACK WITH A BANG

58

Meet seven-year-old Roger Severs – a very special youngster who knows more than a thing or two about trucks

Following the US launch a year ago of the new 49X model and the recently released 47X, a new breed of Stars is being set to hit our shores at the end of 2022

HEAVY DUTY SUZI-COIL

Unique fitting to tube retention Flexible handle sleeve

NEW Uni-Fit fittings Suits Nth American and European Trucks Part# GP-4750 Long Tail Coil

Contact GP for your local distributor sales@gptruckproducts.com.au

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:11 pm

PLAN AHEAD WITH CAPPED * PRICE SERVICING THAT’S ANOTHER HINO

When everything goes to plan, you benefit. Delivery schedules are met. Customers are happy. Costs are kept under control.

Hino offers Capped Price Servicing across the entire model range, allowing you to budget ahead and minimise downtime.

All work is carried out by factory-trained technicians using advanced Hino diagnostic equipment, which means you know XAVIER_HINO38381.8

your truck is always maintained in first-rate running order. Vehicle software updates and a 3 Year Unlimited Kilometre Parts Warranty are all part of the service – choose a Hino Genuine Service today to cap costs and maximise uptime.

Find out more at hino.com.au *Service offer applies to all Euro 5 models onwards and available only at participating Hino dealerships. Capped service price is a maximum price. Capped service prices are valid for 12 months and are subject to annual review with effect from 1 January in each calendar year. Please refer to website or contact your nearest Hino dealer for full details of the offer and pricing. ^Please refer to the website for full terms and conditions on 3 years unlimited kilometre parts warranty.

Untitled-32 5 (5159370).indd HINO38003.26 21 Owner Driver1- Capped Price Service - Range - HMSA Full Page Ad 262x380.indd 1 Hino Australia

25/10/21 8:41 15/10/21 10:19 3:48 am pm 19/10/21 am

ownerdriver

behind the wheel Greg Bush

EDITORIAL Editor Greg Bush Ph 0408 780 302 E-mail Greg.Bush@primecreative.com.au Senior Journalist Ben Dillon Ph 0423 312 298 E-mail Ben.Dillon@primecreative.com.au

Big brother is watching

Technical Editor Steve Brooks E-mail sbrooks.trucktalk@gmail.com Contributors Warren Aitken, Robert Bell, Frank Black, Glyn Castanelli, Warren Clark, Adam Cockayne, Rod Hannifey, Michael Kaine, Sal Petroccitto, Trevor Warner, Ken Wilkie

Q

Cartoonist John Allison

PRODUCTION Production Co-Ordinator Cat Fitzpatrick Art Director Bea Barthelson Print IVE Print

ADVERTISING Business Development Manager Hollie Tinker Ph 0466 466 945 E-mail Hollie.Tinker@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Con Zarocostas Ph 0422 222 822 E-mail ConZarocostas@primecreative.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS Ph 136 116 Fax 02 9267 4363 Web magshop.com.au Reply Paid 4967, Sydney, NSW, 2001

EXECUTIVE GROUP CEO John Murphy Publisher Christine Clancy COO Zelda Tupicoff Operations Manager Regina Fellner Trader Group Sales Director Brad Buchanan

Owner Driver is published by Prime Creative Media 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Telephone: (+61) 03 9690 8766 www.primecreative.com.au ISSN 1321-6279 OwnerDriver magazine is owned by Prime Creative Media. All material in OwnerDriver is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

Opinions expressed in OwnerDriver are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

OUT-OF-BALANCE POINT

CIRCULAR TUBE

MOUNTING PLATE

UEENSLAND is the latest state to employ special mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras across the state. Following a three-month grace period, drivers using mobile phones while operating a vehicle will cop a fine of $1,033 and four demerit points. Drivers and/or passengers determined to be not using a seatbelt will be fined $413 and issued with three demerit points.

New South Wales authorities, well known for their high expenditure on road enforcement, became the first in the world to begin using mobile phone detection cameras for this purpose. It’s the same technology used to detect if a driver or passenger is not wearing a seatbelt.

Now, it’s a no-brainer that using a mobile phone – not the hands-free variety – can bring disastrous consequences, not just the fines and demerits. I have personally been nudged by another vehicle in a slow moving heavily trafficked area after observing the driver in my rear view mirror speaking into his hand-held phone. Fortunately, the slow speed meant little impact and no damage.

The same applies if, for some reason other than special exemptions, you choose not to wear a seatbelt. Most vehicles nowadays have built-in detectors. If there’s someone occupying a seat without belting up, it’s likely that an alarm will sound and lights on the dash will flash.

So you would think the pickings would be fairly slim for the authorities in that department. Think again.

Another personal experience, this time more recent, occurred on the Western Freeway in Brisbane. A warning letter arrived in the mail stating that a passenger in the car was not wearing a seatbelt.

Again, in this particular vehicle, an alarm will sound before even leaving the driveway.

In this case, the passenger was my wife and the car was registered in her name.

After a couple of attempts and futile 20-minute waits without an answer from the relevant Queensland government authority listed on the warning notice, she gave up and hung up the phone.

No image was supplied so no chance

of proving the camera, or the authorities, for the camera’s inaccuracy.

How many errors will the authorities make before conceding that their new and wonderful technology does not always arrive at the desired result?

Certainly, I’ve received similar info from truck drivers who have been warned, especially in the overzealous state of NSW, for using a mobile phone and not wearing a seatbelt. The drivers have stated to me that no such illegality took place.

The authorities believe there are serial offenders on the road when it comes to illegal mobile phone use.

This can also cover instances when a passenger may be using a phone and the driver is able glance across and view the screen.

To counter this, the authorities are considering employing unmanned mobile trailers to catch the guilty.

That’s an easy avenue for Queensland authorities who already employ these fund-raising yellow trailers along the Bruce and Pacific Highways.

One other aspect to consider is this: Are you happy with the police invading your private space by taking photos through the windscreen?

To put it bluntly, it’s best to keep your hands to yourself.

We don’t want to give the authorities something to chortle over during their upcoming Christmas parties.

CIRCULAR TUBE DURAMETAL SPHERES OUT-OF- BALANCE POINT IN DAMPING FLUID

DURAMETAL SPHERES IN DAMPING FLUID

UNBALANCED WHEEL

ts Balancing weigh the e sit po op e ov m point. out-of-balance

NEVER BALANCE WHEELS AGAIN!

 INCREASE TYRE LIFE up to 35%+ MOUNTING PLATE  SAVE TIME. No more hassles getting wheels balanced  THE LARGEST CAPACITY to suit even super single tyres  AUTOMATICALLY BALANCES your wheels while you drive  EXTENDED suspension life. REDUCED vibration. SMOOTHER ride.  AVAILABLE FOR US, European and large Japanese trucks

1300 822 765 www.centramatic.com.au 6 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_006_COL_Greg_GB.indd 6

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:10 pm

WE ARE JUST BLOWN AWAY

BY THE FUEL ECONOMY”

MATTHEW WANT WANTS TRANSPORT OWNER

DRIVING FUEL EFFICIENCY FURTHER

CASCADIA 126

With the seamlessly integrated Detroit powertrains of the new Cascadia, you can enjoy new levels of fuel efficiency coupled with the power and performance your business needs to stay ahead of the pack.

TO FIND OUT MORE PLEASE CALL 1800 033 557

Untitled-32 7 (5210196_1205180).indd 1 Daimler Trucks

25/10/21 18/10/21 8:41 1:57 am pm

The Goods

NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Industry’s plan to attract school leavers The Australian Trucking Association is seeking the green light on two-year truck driving apprenticeships for 2023

THE AUSTRALIAN Trucking Association (ATA) has released its submission to the Australian Industry Standards on a proposed two-year apprenticeship pathway for truck drivers.

School students and recent school leavers should be able to take up truck driving apprenticeships from early 2023, says the chair of the Australian Trucking Association, David Smith.

Smith has released the ATA’s response to an Australian Industry Standards (AIS) proposal to introduce a two-year truck driver apprenticeship.

“There are great driving jobs available in our industry, but too many job seekers don’t know they exist or don’t know how to get the skills and contacts they need,” Smith says.

“A truck driver apprenticeship would enable apprentices to move around to different types of driving, as well providing supervision, coaching and mentoring to help them through their training.

“The apprenticeship should be targeted at current school students [through school-based training] and

recent school leavers. The apprenticeship should be amended to include a forklift licence as a core unit, so apprentices can do meaningful work as soon as possible.

“The apprenticeship could also be made relevant to people changing careers by including business skills electives.

“The units in the apprenticeship should be subject to regular reviews as technology changes, and the qualification you get at the end should be renamed as a Certificate III in commercial heavy vehicle operations.

“It won’t happen in livestock any time soon, but many of the people starting their driver apprenticeships in the coming years will spend most of their careers managing self-driving vehicles, not driving them.”

Smith says AIS should develop a project timeline that would see the first apprentices start their training within 18 months, from early 2023.

“Over the years, we’ve seen so many proposals for

improving truck driver training get bogged down without results. AIS needs to have a project plan to get us from here to the first apprentices starting on the job in 2023.

“As part of this plan, the future supervisors of apprentice drivers should be able to access free, nationally recognised training in how to supervise apprentices,” Smith concludes.

GEARBOX & DIFFS

Unit 1/71 Axis Place, Larapinta, QLD 4110 www.gibbsparts.com.au

P: (07) 3276 9300 F: (07) 3276 9301 E: davids@gibbsparts.com E: gd@gibbsparts.com

G E A R B O X

&

D I F F S

ZF TCM UNITS

SPARE PARTS

POWERPACKS LARGE RANGE OF AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TRANSMISSIONS

8 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_008_NEWS_GB.indd 8

TRANSMISSIONS FOR ALL FOUR MAJOR JAPANESE BRANDS

LARGE RANGE OF DIFFS IN STOCK

FOR AMERICAN, EUROPEAN AND JAPANESE TANDEM AND SINGLE DRIVE.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:08 pm

man.com.au

Untitled-32 9 Penske Australia Pty Ltd (5211815).indd 1

mantruckandbusanz

man_truck_and_bus_au

25/10/21 19/10/21 8:41 2:26 am pm

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

NatRoad fumes over toll road price hike Association says Transurban’s profits double those of similar toll road operations in the United States

AUSTRALIA’S largest motorway mogul, Transurban, quietly hiked tolls on its major routes in early October with a distinct lack of transparency, the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) says.

A statement headlined ‘Quarterly toll price update for October 2021’ has been posted on the company’s website. The bland announcement covers the Cross City Tunnel, Eastern Distributor, Hills M2, Lane Cove Tunnel and Military Road E-Ramp in Sydney and CityLink in Melbourne.

“The so-called ‘adjustment’ reflects agreements permitting Transurban to raise tolls by four per cent per year or the CPI [Consumer Price Index], whatever is greatest,” says NatRoad CEO Warren Clark.

“The announcement contains only the barest of details – things like last quarter’s prices are omitted.

“A one per cent rise in a quarter might not sound much but when truck owners already pay three times as much in tolls as motorists, it is a significant whack.”

Clark repeated his call for motorway operators to

give heavy vehicles multi-use or off-peak discounts or rebates to make toll road use more affordable.

“The average truck owner isn’t a big fleet operator – he or she is self-employed with one vehicle or a small business running on a profit margin of 2.5 per cent,” he says.

“By way of contrast, Transurban made an 80 per cent return before tax on its Sydney assets.

“Transurban’s Sydney toll roads are twice as profitable as its similar operations in the USA and contributed more than half of company earnings.

“Truck operators want to use toll roads but they simply can’t afford to. That’s a loss for them, the community and the environment,” Clark says.

“It’s time all toll road operators cut our industry a break.”

OWD-HH-5211106-CS-318

monroe.com.au

BUILT TO LAST

High temperature resistant hydraulic fluid Viton seal improved operating temperature range Double action valving system in bump and rebound Single bonded bushing

With over 100 years of experience in every shock absorber, you know they’re built to last.

10 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_010_NEWS_GB.indd 10

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:07 pm

Untitled-46 11

26/10/21 11:28 am

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Driver to pay Blenners after rollover Damage following illegal mobile phone use to cost labour-hire driver $550,000 A TRUCK DRIVER has been ordered to pay nearly $550,000 to Blenners Transport in a civil case over truck and goods damages caused by a crash while using a mobile phone.

The District Court of Queensland found William Dowling breached his duty of care to the company by illegally using his mobile device, failing to pay due care and attention, and losing control of the truck, causing loss and damage to the goods and the truck.

A labour-hire driver with more than 30 years’ experience, Dowling completed inductions in late 2018 that included disciplinary actions regarding mobile phone use. Dowling was employed by Labour Hire Qld, based in Cairns.

On September 18, 2019, he received a call while driving on the Bruce Highway south of Ingham.

In-cabin monitoring showed him failing to connect with a Bluetooth earpiece before looking down for about two seconds to swipe the phone with one hand, with the other on the

HRB (Pacific) Pty Ltd (5211807).indd 1

12 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_012_NEWS_GB.indd 12

steering wheel. The truck veered left at about 97km/h as the roadway fell away steeply, with the driver trying unsuccessfully to correct the truck before it continued off the side of the road and rolled before stopping to a rest.

The driver suffered serious injuries, while the truck was severely damaged and a load of fresh fruit destroyed.

Judge Dean Morzone noted the case was “unusual”, as “whilst, ordinarily, an employer is vicariously liable for the negligent, wrongful or criminal it’s [sic] employee, there is no bar to an impacted third party suing the employee directly.

The defendant is capable of being sued by the … plaintiffs”.

“The duty was to take reasonable care to keep the truck and goods safe, and once the truck and goods are shown to have suffered damage whilst in his possession, the defendant has the burden of showing that the loss or damage occurred without his neglect, default or misconduct.”

Morzone rejected claims from the

driver, who was self-represented, citing technology shortfalls around hands-free technology and lane departure warning; that he was put under pressure to forsake rest breaks in order to meet driving schedules; and that the company did not ensure the trucks were not overloaded.

“The defendant argues that the plaintiffs somehow imposed pressure to forsake rest breaks in order to meet driving schedules and induced cumulative fatigue.

“This is not supported by the first plaintiff’s policy guidelines or his purported compliance with them.”

On lane-departure warnings: “The plaintiffs accept that none of its fleet are fitted with such warning systems, and denies any obligation to do so.

“While desirable, in the absence of an established industry standard, I am not persuaded that either the first or second plaintiff was duty bound to install departure warning and prevention technology in the truck.

“In any event, on my reckoning of the reaction time of less than two seconds disclosed by the CCTV footage, I do not accept that a lane departure warning would have made any difference.”

Further, Morzone accepted company evidence that “neither trailer exceeded the regulated weight limit”.

“The defendant’s use of his mobile phone was illegal. He was convicted of the offence.

“I do not accept that any factor, other than the defendant’s neglect, default or misconduct by using the mobile phone, caused or contributed to the crash.”

Dowling was ordered to pay $545,312.25, split $508,633.25 for the truck damage and $36,679 for the cargo, with further costs and interest.

27/9/21 1:49 pm

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:06 pm

Japanese and European Truck Parts

MTP

RANGE

L a rg e st ra n g e o f n e w a f t e rma rke t p a rt s

AUSTRALIA'S

LEADING SUPPLIERS OF

JAPANESE AND EUROPEAN PANELS, LIGHTS AND MIRRORS.

QUALITY

Qu a lity a fte rm a rk e t P ro d u c t s with 1 0 0 % fitm e n t g a u ra n t ee

STAY UP TO DATE!

scan me

WARRANTY

*Li fe ti m e wa r r a n ty o n a l l new Moo r e Tr u ck P a r ts P r o d uc t s

DELIVERY

Delivering Aus tralia wide

DAF - DAIHATSU - HINO ISUZU - IVECO - MAN - MAZDA MERCEDES - MITSUBISHI - NISSAN TOYOTA - RENAULT - SCANIA - VOLVO

TO ORDER YOUR PARTS HEAD OVER TO OUR WEBSITE OR CALL TODAY! TOLL FREE: 1800 044 909

Untitled-46 Moore Truck 13 Parts Pty Ltd (5032238).indd 1

WWW.MOORETRUCKPARTS.COM.AU

26/10/21 26/10/21 11:28 11:23 am am

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Mental health podcast for truckies Not-for-profit organisation offers support for truck drivers as they navigate their way through a demanding industry

INJURY MATTERS has released its first podcast through the Mental and Physical Safety (MaPS) on our Roads program, dedicated to supporting the mental health needs of the heavy vehicle industry.

Engel Prendergast, an accredited mental health first aid, safe talk instructor and LifeLine crisis supporter with over 20 years of experience, contributes to the

podcast to discuss the need for mental health supports for those in the heavy vehicle industry.

The includes offering support where life pressures can take a toll on the wellbeing of operators.

From delivering vital goods to your online shopping binges, Injury Matters says truckies have worked longer and harder hours than most over the last 18 months.

“We need to support those working in this industry – both physically and mentally.”

The current MaPS on our Roads campaign, Service Your Mind, encourages heavy vehicle operators to learn what good mental health looks like for them, to take time to adjust after a long day, and reach out if they need support.

Program resources and information is available at www.injurymatters.org.au/ mapsonourroads. The MaPS on our Roads project is funded as part of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator on behalf of the Commonwealth government.

Find the podcast on Spotify by searching Injury Matters.

TM

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE DISC BRAKE PADS

To combat the extreme pressures that heavy duty vehicles such as Cement Agitators, Garbage Compactors or City Route buses are exposed to, Bendix has created Bendix Protrans™HD. Protrans™HD has a heavy-duty formulation designed to cope with high temperatures found in constant braking and full GVM loading which requires a higher performance brake pad.

MATERIAL REFERENCE

APPLICATION

FRICTION CLASSIFICATION

Protrans™HD

Super Heavy Duty – Severe duty applications, Refuse Compactors, Concrete Agitators, FE Route bus applications. Frequent braking environments, heavy traffic, steep gradients. Long wear life at high brake temperature. Strong resistance to fade at very high temperatures.

MAXIMUM CONTINUOUS WORKING TEMPERATURE 500°C

Find solutions for every brake job at www.bendix.com.au Or freecall the Bendix Brake Advice Centre on 1800 819 666 Bendix is a trademark of Garrett Advancing Motion

FMP Group (Australia) Pty Ltd - Bendix (5191833).indd 1

14 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_014_NEWS_GB.indd 14

19/10/21 2:32 pm

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:04 pm

BEAT THE

FLAT BATTERY BLUES The ANBI BATTERY CONDITIONER transmits a high frequency pulse that breaks down sulphate deposits on the battery plates. Unlike other Battery Desulphators, the ANBI BATTERY CONDITIONER won’t drain your battery when the vehicle is not in use. Compatible with ANBI Battery Isolator.

CONDITION YOUR BATTERY WHILE DRIVING OR RECHARGING

Extends Battery Life up to 3x

Check out our range of application specific Battery Isolators, Terminals and Bosses.

Whatever you have in the garage, there’s an ANBI SWITCH to suit.

ORDER TODAY AT ANBISWITCH.COM.AU

PURCHASE AT Local Independent

Untitled-34 15 Manbrands (5210981).indd 1

26/10/21 11:51 9:30 am 21/10/21 am

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

QTA Awards recognise industry efforts Queensland road freight celebrated after showing resilience and professionalism during the COVID pandemic DESPITE THE national COVID uncertainty, the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) proceeded with its Road Freight Annual Industry Awards, celebrating the best of industry in the state.

With more than 350 guests in attendance, the night of October 9 certainly was much anticipated after the cancellation of the 2020 event, QTA noted.

State transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey, shadow minister Steve Minnikin, Senator Susan McDonald and Senator Murray Watt were also present.

“The awards this year are a true representation of the strength, resilience and professionalism of the road freight industry in Queensland,”

QTA president Paul Kahlert said.

“Our members recognised tonight are outstanding and the QTA is proud to have them as representatives of the association.

“On behalf of the QTA board of directors, I offer congratulations to all who have been honoured tonight, all are very worthy winners.”

The seven industry awards presented on the night were: • 2021 Industry Excellence Award: Owen Lange, South East Queensland Hauliers • 2021 QTA Trucking Woman of the Year: Annastasia Denigan, Qube Logistics • 2021 Young Achiever of the Year: Jessica Ash, The Marschall Group, Goondiwindi • 2021 Professional Driver of the

Year: Melvin (Glenn) Williams, Willows Bitumen Haulage • 2021 Innovation and Safety Award: Stewart Morland, IOR Petroleum • 2021 Daimler Emerging Leader of the Year Award – Ben Blennerhassett, Blenners Transport, Tully.

The QTA says Trucking Woman award winner Annastasia Denigan is a career safety and compliance professional who has held senior roles with Toll, DGL, Cement Australia and now with Qube Logistics. Roz Shaw, the inaugural QTA Trucking Woman of the Year in 2011, presented the award.

“Annastasia’s career commenced as a transport clerk, however, she swiftly found her way into the specialised area of safety and compliance. Annastasia quickly recognised the challenges of working in the road transport sector and while learning to navigate them, was focused on honing her skills into a safety and compliance professional.

“Annastasia has worked in some of Australia’s largest logistics businesses and is highly respected

Above: Annastasia Denigan (centre) receives her QTA Trucking Woman of the Year from Roz Shaw (from Gallagher) and Clinton Stewart (The Enterprise Edge)

in her field and amongst her peers for all that she gives to industry, her dedication and commitment.”

Professional driver award winner Melvin (Glen) Williams has been driving for over 55 years and is considered a true gentleman of the industry.

“Glen started out driving when he was 18-years-old, carting agricultural chemicals. He then decided to buy his own truck and became an owner-driver before eventually working for anumber of large employers, none of which ever wanted to let him go,” the QTA says.

“Glen has an outstanding safety record, which should be commended, and a strong personal commitment to not only his job but his co-workers and is always willing to lend a hand to help a mate out.

“An experienced mentor, trainer and professional driver, Glen is highly valued at Willows and they are extremely proud to have him as part of their business.”

NatRoad welcomes trucks-only lane at NSW/Qld border The decision by Queensland Police to mandate a ‘trucksonly’ lane at the New South Wales border on October 25 has a thumbs up from the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad), which has been lobbying hard.

NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says the news was “a long time coming but very welcome”.

“Our members have been grappling with queues of up to two hours to cross the NSW-Queensland border in recent days.

“We have made repeated

DSE Trucks (5210624).indd 1

16 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_016_NEWS_GB.indd 16

25/10/21 1:55 pm

representations on their behalf on the grounds of safety and efficiency.

“A trucks-only lane is going to make life a whole lot easier for heavy vehicle operators and motorists alike.”

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 3:02 pm

VERSATILITY YOU CAN RELY ON

IMPROVED TO DELIVER UP TO 40% BETTER WEAR PROTECTION*

CASTROL RX SUPER - VERSATILITY YOU CAN DEPEND ON Whatever the season demands you rely on improved Castrol RX SUPER to get things done. Upgraded CJ-4 specification combats soot and gives critical moving parts a tougher protective layer. New DuraShield BoostersTM giving up to 40% better protection against wear*.

Improved Castrol RX SUPER - as versatile as you are.

* average of wear parameters in industry standard tests vs. industry test pass criteria.

Untitled-34 17 CASTROL AUSTRALIA (5183746).indd 1

26/10/21 18/10/21 9:30 1:47 am pm

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

SenSen lands NHVR monitoring deal Artificial intelligencecontrolled drones and solar powered trailers to be employed for heavy vehicle compliance

LISTED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) tech firm SenSen has gained a National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) compliance systems contract involving vehicle mounted cameras, a drone and solar-powered trailers.

SenSen’s solution is to be deployed in the NHVR’s southern operations region, in line with its aim to “undertake intelligenceled, risk-based compliance activities, and increase their visibility of heavy vehicle fleet movements across the country”.

“Our ability to deliver highly relevant and accurate information on heavy vehicle movements through a combination of drone, trailer and vehicle-mounted solutions in an integrated fashion is an exciting new frontier,” SenSen CEO Dr Subhash Challa says.

“I am delighted SenSen’s AI capabilities delivered through our platform, SenDISA, have been recognised as critical for this success.

“SenSen is pleased to be selected to lead this highly strategic project and establish new partnerships with one of Australia’s leading drone system companies, AVCRM, alongside Microsoft Azure, to deliver such advanced AI powered intelligence capabilities to NVHR. “As part of this project, SenSen will feed all the intelligence gathered from the delivered system into the regulator’s Microsoft Azure’s intelligence systems.”

Starting this month, the initial contract

is for one year, with an option exercisable by NHVR to extend the contract for an additional two years.

The company hailed the deal as allowing it exposure to all three levels of government – local, state and federal.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the contract was the next step into delivering new and innovative ways to make Australian roads safer for everyone “It’s timely and important that we use innovative thinking to make our roads safer,” Petroccitto says.

“We’ve now taken the next step to trial mobile camera technology, across the NHVR’s southern operations region – including South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

“These cameras will assist the NHVR’s officers in a risk-based approach to safety – ensuring our officers are targeting the biggest road safety risks.

“On the flip side, smarter camera technology will also help in identifying operators who are doing the right thing, who can then expect to be less regularly intercepted by the NHVR. “Having the best, most up-to-date information, including information gathered through cameras, helps us to make better decisions about law reform, safety and productivity programs that will make our roads safer for everyone.”

Heavy Diesels (NSW) Aftermarket ELECTRONIC UNIT INJECTOR & PUMP TESTING,

Suits Scania + Iveco. Service or exchange from $400+GST

REPAIRS & EXCHANGE

(new or reconditioned) for:

DETROIT, VOLVO, DAF, MACK,

IVECO, SCANIA, CAT, CUMMINS.

Aftermarket COMMON RAIL FUEL SYSTEM TESTING, REPAIR OR EXCHANGE (new or re conditioned) for Light & Heavy TRUCKS, Light Commercials, Plant and Cars.

DELPHI, DENSO & BOSCH SYSTEMS

DELPHI & BOSCH SYSTEMS WE ALSO SCAN AND REPAIR ELECTRONIC FAULTS

Volvo, Scania, DAF IVECO, Detrolt, Cummins, CAT, Isuzu, Hino, Mitsubishi & UD Cats and light Commercials

7

DAYS OPEN

Delphi injector suits Volvo E1+E3. Service or exchange from $450+GST

50 O’Connell St Smithfield NSW 2164 Bob Singh 0415 605 846 18 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_018-19_NEWS_GB.indd 18

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:59 pm

SafeWork NSW alert following Clybucca fatality Lack of high-vis clothing at heavy vehicle changeover point cited as authority outlines control measures SAFEWORK NSW has issued an incident alert after a 52-year-old truck driver was fatally injured in July on the Macleay Valley Way at Clybucca, in northern NSW. The location is commonly used as a changeover point for heavy vehicles travelling between Sydney and Brisbane.

“On the night of the incident, several heavy vehicles were parked on the shoulder of both sides of the road,” SafeWork described.

“The worker, who was not wearing highvisibility clothing at the time, was struck by an oncoming heavy vehicle.

“The heavy vehicle was driving in the middle of the road at the time of the incident.”

The safety watchdog implores freight workers consider ‘reasonably practicable’ control measures to manage the risks associated with heavy vehicle changeovers.

All transport operators should: • conduct risk assessments of heavy vehicle changeover locations • identify suitable control measures such as: safe locations for undertaking tasks that are related to heavy vehicle changeovers; ensure

the area has sufficient lighting when it’s dark • provide training and instruction to workers on the hazards associated with work tasks and safe systems of work for heavy vehicle changeovers • provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) and information, training and instruction for its proper use, wearing and storage • have systems in place to monitor compliance with safe work procedures.

All drivers should: • when coupling and uncoupling trailers, park the prime mover and trailer on a flat, level and hard surface in a safe location • follow reasonable instruction, policy and procedures from the transport operator operate vehicles and conduct work tasks in accordance with Work Health Safety laws and the National Heavy Vehicle Law • wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) required for the tasks to be undertaken.

GB Truck Centre • ELECTRONIC UNIT INJECTORS REMOVE & FIT & TUNE • REPLACE INJECTOR TUBES OR CUPS ON VOLVO, MACK, DETROIT (EGR), DD13, 15, 16 CAT AND OTHERS • SCAN ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC FAULTS • ON TRUCK DPF, DPD CLEANING • RMS AUTHORISED INSPECTION STATION

50 O’Connell St Smithfield NSW 2164 Jack Singh 0415 683 053 Bob Singh 0415 605 846 ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_018-19_NEWS_GB.indd 19

NOVEMBER 2021 19

27/10/21 2:59 pm

CHECK THE CATALOGUE ONLINE PACCARPARTS.COM.AU/CATALOGUE

N OV– D E C 2 02 1

N OV— D E C

2021

END OF YEA

R

NEW

FROM

Bull Bars

For more inform

7, 255

$

ation, see page

3

END OF YEAR

Aluminium Wheels MEMBERS FROM

$

429

NON-MEMBERS FROM

$

449

ULT397 $429 $449 22.5 x 8.25, 10 x 285 PCD Buffed Finish Both Sides

Shock Absorbers

ULT392DB $618 $668 Dura Bright® Finish Polished Inside

SSBM300

ULT397

SSC300

SSV300

SST300

MEMBERS FROM

$

$

13

NEW

SAVE

$20

090-2209SP3B $325 $345 Suits Parabolic Front Leaf Spring 90-2466SP1 Suits Neway Sanitises, Rejuvenates, Protects Non-greasy, Anti-bacterial, Antistatic vinyl protector

SSBM300 Black Mamba – Ice SSC300 Copperhead – New Car SSV300 Venom - Vanilla

345

MEMBERS

090-2209SP2B $325 $345 Suits KW Front Multi Leaf

.95

300g aerosol 4 fragrances

325

NON-MEMBERS FROM

$

Snake Skin Cockpit Protector

SST300 Taipan – Watermelon

090-2209SP3B

a work stool worth

$343 $363

90-2477SP2 $368 $388 Suits Airglide 200/400 9” Ride Height C71-1006 $362 $382 Suits KW Rear Airglide 10.5 CH6030B $449 $469 Cab Damper - Suits K104, K108, K200

WIN $250*

* Buy any Koni shock absorbers advertised in the Nov/Dec catalogue for your chance to win 1 of 8 Koni work stools valued at $250!

The competition is open to Privileges members only.

T&C Apply

King Pin Kits MEMBERS FROM

$

259

NON-MEMBERS FROM

$

279

R201309PZ

MEMBERS

SAVE

$20

Suits Meritor Axles

Metal Polish

$

119

2.6kg Tin, Paste.

Brings back shine on wheels, bull bars, exhaust pipes, fuel tanks, grilles Works on stainless steel, chrome, aluminium, brass etc

R201309PZ

$259 $279 Suits Meritor Axle FG941

R201475PZ

$383 $403 Suits Meritor Axles MFS73 / MFS16

BONUS 75ml Chrome Plated Plastic Polish

R201608PZ

$383 $403 Suits Meritor Axle MFS66

ART-1103

60

DEALERS AUSTRALIA WIDE

Visit paccarparts.com.au

For more details, Freecall* 1800 PPARTS (772 787) Untitled-45 Paccar Parts20 Pty Ltd (5030542_1202300).indd 1

26/10/21 am 26/10/21 10:51 9:24 am

PACCAR Privileges Members

CF Low Bull Bar MEMBERS

6,755

$

XF High Bull Bar

NON-MEMBERS

7,255

$

N46-DF-1000

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE SYMBOL IN THE CATALOGUE FOR MEMBER SAVINGS! Not a member yet? Sign up at paccarparts.com.au/privileges

MEMBERS

Draglink End

8,255 $8,755 $249 NON-MEMBERS

$

N46-DF-1002

MEMBERS

NON-MEMBERS

front view

front view

$

269

Heavy Duty

DL002TRP LH DL003TRP RH

MEMBERS

SAVE

$500

DL002TRP side angle view

side angle view

Air Springs FROM

180

MEMBERS FROM

$

$

Complete Air Spring

1,353

.70

MEMBERS FROM

$

NON-MEMBERS FROM

TRP8177 $188.60 Suits BPW D30K AS95010

$

1,403.70

TRP8093 $198.85 Suits BPW D30

AS92700 $180 Suits Hendrickson Intraax HT250 10CS0002

TRP8104 $203.95 Suits BPW D36

AS95010 $226 Suits NEWAY AD246-10

SEE IN STORE FOR COMPLETE RANGE

10

.40

TRPMC750

All Purpose Cleaner Versatile Cleaner ideal for Windows, Mirrors, Stainless Steel, Interior Trims and Upholstery

QUALITY PARTS

SAVE

$1,788 $1,838

10CS0023

$1,353.70 $1,403.70

10CS0025

$1,788 $1,838

$

18

$50

79

$

21K STANDARD LINING TRP214515Q $69 $79 Suits Meritor Drive “Q” 16.5” x 7” TRP214720QP $81.95 $86.95 Suits Meritor Steer “Q Plus” 16.5” x 5”

.50

TRP214515Q

Traditional Blue Truck Wash Powerfully Removes Dirt & Grime Concentrated truck wash gel.

Comfortably penetrates road grime, foams up well and rinses to a non-streak finish

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

EXTENSIVE DEALER NETWORK

Prices herein are recommended selling prices, inclusive of GST. Recommended selling prices are a guide only and there is no obligation for Dealers to comply with these recommendations. Freight charges may apply. All items have been included in good faith on the basis that goods will be available at the time of sale. Prices and promotions are available at participating Dealers from 1 November to 31 December 2021 or while stocks last.

We are unfortunately experiencing shipping delays which means some products may not be in store on the advertised on-sale date. We are trying our best to limit these delays and at the time of publishing, advertised product sale dates are correct; however, they are subject to change due to factors outside our control.

Untitled-45 Paccar Parts21 Pty Ltd (5030542_1202300).indd 2

69

NON-MEMBERS FROM MEMBERS

Super Wash

Multi Clean

$

Brake Shoe Kit

Reman Steering Column

TRP214515Q

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

26/10/21 am 26/10/21 10:51 9:24 am

truck events

BACK WITH A BANG

The Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy emerged from the shadow of COVID to take its place on the 2021 calendar as hundreds of trucks rolled up for the big south-east Queensland event. With his Nikon in hand, Warren Aitken was there to soak up the atmosphere

22 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 22

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:45 pm

O

H BOY, am I glad to be writing this little introduction. On Friday, October 1, I was sitting in a truck more nervous than a salad sandwich at a vegetarian buffet. It had nothing to do with my impeccably filled-out work diary, it was all about the Queensland Premier’s morning COVID report. I’d timed my half hour fatigue break to correspond with the press conference and the small area where I could get phone coverage.

I waited with bated breath to find out if there were any unconnected cases and, as a consequence, any lockdowns.

The confines of a K200 cab meant my celebrations were curtailed by the bruising of my head as I literally hit the roof. No lockdown meant Lights on the Hill 2021 was all go for Saturday, October 2. No lockdown also meant the NRL grand final as well, but Lights On The Hill was a much bigger reward in my view.

So, as I stated earlier, I’m extremely glad I’m getting to write this wrap up of a long-awaited weekend of sunshine, stainless, good mates and great trucks.

It wasn’t made easy for all of those involved, though.

While the news was good on Friday morning I truly felt for those that were working their big rigs on the Friday.

Brisbane and Toowoomba both got hit with a massive storm on the Friday night. Thunderstorms, hail and bucket loads of rain meant there was a fair bit of last minute cleaning taking place on the Friday night. I have no doubt there was many a trucking family out polishing after

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 23

Top: It’s a pretty big yard out the back of Brown & Hurley’s Toowoomba dealership, and it needed to be as close on 200 trucks rolled up for the eastbound section of the 2021 Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy Above, L to R: Father and daughter volunteer team Natalia & Peter Lehmann were a couple of the official greeters, welcoming the hundreds of trucks into Brown & Hurley’s Toowoomba yard; Jamie Dionysius gets some last-minute cleaning in after working his big Benz until late the night before.

Jamie was also another of the helpful volunteers who had spent the morning helping set up

NOVEMBER 2021 23

27/10/21 2:46 pm

“No lockdown meant Lights on the Hill 2021 was all go.” mother nature threw that in the mix. After missing out on our 2020 Lights On The Hill weekend, a little thunderstorm wasn’t going to slow things down.

Come Saturday morning the sun was shining, and Queensland turned on a pearler for the annual show. COVID had put paid to the 2020 show but not this year and the truckies were lining up.

Packing them in While two other members of the OwnerDriver team, Greg Bush and Ben Dillon, opted for the Port of Brisbane departure point, I decided to head up to Toowoomba this year where the Brown & Hurley yard was the meeting point for the western convoy.

Top: Just a fraction of the participants lined up at the Port of Brisbane, ready to head west to Gatton. Photo by Ben Dillon Above: Young Braxton McKenzie hitched a ride from out west to come in with his toy truck and surround himself with the real ones Above right: Erin Higgins (left) is a recent graduate from Ideal Training and returned with her friend Elyssa Rummell to drive one of Ideal’s vehicles in this year’s convoy Right: “That’s the way to Gatton”. A volunteer instructs the drivers as they depart the Port of Brisbane. Photo by Ben Dillon

24 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 24

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:48 pm

CHECK THE CATALOGUE ONLINE PACCARPARTS.COM.AU/CATALOGUE

N OV— D E C 2 02 1

N OV— D E

C 2021

EAR

END OF Y

E . RELIABL TRUSTED

. . PROVEN

21 EMBER 20 ER— DEC NOVEMB / ES IC R P EVERYDAY

HOE KIT BRAKES S

EAR

END OF Y

MEMBER

$

69

BE NON-MEM

$

MEMBERS

SAVE

TRP214515Q LOOK INSIDE ON PAGE 3

FROM

N EW

$

$10

RS

79

FOR INFOR

MATION

7, 255

Baratsion, see page 3 Bull ore inform For m

N OV — D E

C 2 02 1

Christmas

SHOCK BER ABSOR S FROM MEMBER

$

2021

A

BE NON-MEM

Christmas

N EW

RS FROM

108

LOOK INSIDE

FOR INFOR

PAG MATION ON

$10

E3

2021

collectors

edition

D

11

18

25

Birthday 26 Queen’s

(WA)

AUGUST

S 7 14 21 28

M 1 8 15 22 29

T 2 9 16 23 30

W 3 10 17 24 31

FRIDAY

T 4 11 18 25

S 6 13 20 27

S 30 2 9 16 23

M 31 3 10 17 24

23

T 4 11 18 25

SATURDAY 3

24

30

W 5 12 19 26

T

F

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

September 2022

17

16

29

F 5 12 19 26

10

9

22

28

27

2

15

21

20

19

8

14

13

12

1

7

6

5

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY

MONDAY

SUNDAY

4 Father’s Day

Thongs

$

MEMBERS

SAVE

ssics Kenworth Cla 2022 Calendar

ce13

$

C

B

OCTOBER

RCHANDISE

GENUINE ME

98

Notes:

1981 K124CR

1350LBFT 8V92TA - 475HP DETROIT DIESEL SPICER SST1414-2A 100 AIRGLIDE KENWORTH SSHD ROCKWELL VIC - FARADAY B & D JENKINSON

5

14.9

ils 7 for deta - see page ils Kids Thongs e 10 for deta ngs - see pag Adult Tho

B

Le

gend Cap

Classics Ca

C

nd Cap - Lege Line Art 2 $30 C-KEN100

A

lendar 022 $55

S2 KWCL ASS1C Series Edition 13

D

3 $30 C-KEN100

.75

in

g Sports Ba $120 C-KEN926

d Lining , KW 52L , Brande ls Bug Zip Pul

NOV-DEC CATALOGUE AND GIFT GUIDE st ON SALE 1 NOVEMBER VISIT TRPPARTS.COM.AU/CATALOGUES

Untitled-45 Paccar Parts25 Pty Ltd (5030542).indd 1

26/10/21 25/10/21 10:51 10:55 am am

26 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 26

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:50 pm

“The huge yard was made to feel like the New York subway.”

Top: Packing them in at the Gatton Showgrounds on October 2 Above: I was looking to catch Nuri Traders K200 driver Jason Hamilton. However, after walking past several times I noticed his son Sterlo was doing all the work, who was happy to pose instead Above Left: I managed to catch these two ladies admiring the legendary Optimus Prime. They were doing a great job of supporting their partners at the show, though still chose to get their photo with Optimus. I promised Carmen Blacker and Gabby Brown I wouldn’t mention I’d offered to photograph them with their partners’ trucks Left: The police lent a hand to keep the westbound convoy on track from the Port of Brisbane. Photo by Greg Bush Opposite middle: Coolfreight’s Kenworth, which led the westbound convoy charge from Port of Brisbane, on the home stretch to Gatton Opposite bottom: Land Transport always show up with an impressive fleet and this year was no exception

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 27

NOVEMBER 2021 27

27/10/21 2:50 pm

Top: A seemingly never-ending convoy of shiny trucks en route to Gatton Right: Judy Thatcher stands next to the banner for her brother Mark, who spent his life behind many Centurion rigs, including this big K200. Marks parents John and Sue also proudly joined the photo Opposite top, L to R: Part of the big westbound convoy heading out along the Port of Brisbane motorway (photo by Greg Bush); Jessica Bayes and her fiancé Benjamin McManus had a prime vantage point. Their son Grayson must have had a very sore arm after waving through the entire convoy Opposite middle: Daph Nolan alongside driver Scott Coleman stand proudly with Nolan’s Interstate Transport’s brand new SAR Legend Opposite bottom: Mackay Furniture Transport turned out in force this year, their fleet of stunning trucks carrying the banner for their lost comrade Terry Steinhardt

As a regular Kenworth driver I’m familiar with the huge Toowoomba Brown & Hurley facility, but not like this. The huge yard was made to feel like the New York subway as a shipload of trucks were squeezed in.

It was great to see so many smiling truckies and families wandering around chatting and laughing. There was lots of brekkie food and coffee on offer, and plenty of guys and girls running a rag over there trucks to finish off the polishing amid much laughter. It was the perfect atmosphere.

On the stroke of 9.30am Nolan’s Interstate Transport led the convoy off with Steve behind the wheel of their brandnew SAR Legend. Carrying the banner for the late great Daniel Nolan, the truck was the perfect frontrunner.

It was also great to see so many locals sitting out on front yards and tailgates, supporting such a worthy cause. The traditional art of ‘arm pumping’ by the young ’uns wasn’t lost either as the road to Gatton danced to the tune of engines and airhorns. It was every truck lover’s dream.

As most are aware the Lights On The Hill convoy is a twopart mission. One convoy heading down the Toowoomba Range to arrive at Gatton and the other leaving from the Port

28 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 28

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:50 pm

“The road to Gatton danced to the tune of engines and airhorns.”

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 29

NOVEMBER 2021 29

27/10/21 2:51 pm

Top: K.S. Easter trucks, travelling along the Port of Brisbane motorway, are Lights On The Hill regulars. Photo by Greg Bush Above: Paddo & Sons Transport was another company with a standout fleet and a hell of a nice team Above, from top right: This old Kenworth was a standout but the guard dog was even cooler; The youth of today eh, can’t even walk around the showgrounds (I caught you Hewny Delnido and Masyn Clayton catching a ride with Dean Ryan in Clayton Towing’s glorified golf buggy); It was worth wandering around the markets at the showground, especially catching up with Trefor Jones, inventor of the new board game Linehauler (yes, I bought one and took it home to play) Below: The proud-as-punch Corrina Riley with the stunning Pete she drives.

The Pete was voted Truck of the Day as well

of Brisbane and arriving a short time after the first. After running out of fingers to count on I left the exact numbers up to the officials but word circling around puts the total at over 500 entries. It was a tremendous turnout and full credit must go to all those volunteers and organisers involved.

It was a fantastic day and a great atmosphere. I won’t keep waffling on because they say a picture speaks a thousand words. So, I’ll let you all get a War & Peace-worth of words in the photos.

Go and enjoy OwnerDriver’s wrap-up of the 2021 Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy.

30 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_022-30_FEA_Lights on the Hill_GB.indd 30

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:52 pm

DOUBLE PARTS WARRANTY

ON ALL GENUINE PARTS WHEN FITTED BY AN AUTHORISED DAIMLER TRUCK & BUS DEALER. We invest in developing high quality genuine parts that deliver maximum reliability, so you can be confident they’ll keep you on the road. When our Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus, Freightliner and Fuso genuine parts* are fitted by an authorised Daimler Truck and Bus dealer, we’ll double our genuine parts warranty to 24 months with unlimited kilometres.

Call 1800 033 557 to find your closest dealer.

*Excludes Batteries, Fuso Value Parts, Alliance Truck Parts and TruckParts by Mercedes-Benz. This offer is only valid for genuine parts purchased on or from the 01/01/2019. Mercedes-Benz is a registered trademark of Daimler AG, Stuttgart Germany. Fuso is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, Japan. Freightliner is a registered trademark of Daimler Trucks North America LLC. Mercedes-Benz Genuine Parts, Freightliner Genuine Parts and Fuso Genuine Parts are all distributed by Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific Pty Ltd. ABN 86 618 413 282.

ALL30429_Double Parts Warranty_Owner Driver FPC_280x395mm_FA.indd 1 Untitled-35 31 (5210196_1205183).indd 1 Daimler Trucks

5/10/21 3:12 pm 26/10/21 18/10/21 9:34 1:59 am pm

industry insights

REFLECTION AND RESILIENCE

32 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 32

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:35 pm

Top & above: Chris ‘Snooze’ Parker with wife Hailey and sons Duncan and Blake; Snooze’s tribute to good mate Adrian Wells

The road takes a toll; whether it’s financial, mental or physical there is always a price paid for a life dedicated to the business of transport. Ben Dillon heads to the Brisbane start point for Lights On The Hill to talk about family and friends lost, and trucking through the COVID pandemic ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 33

C

OMING TO the Port of Brisbane early in the morning for the start point of the Lights On The Hill convoy is a stark reminder of how passionate everyone in this industry is. Rows of trucks wearing banners proudly stretched across grilles bearing pictures and messages of family members and mates lost to the road, whether through chance, bad luck or ‘just their time’, shows that it takes passion and a genuine love for what you do to be able to continue in an industry after it’s taken away someone close to you. There can’t be any other explanation for it.

That’s why it was so heartening to see so many drivers, families and friends out in force to support those who have lost loved ones and to continue the tradition of Lights on the Hill, which this year saw around 400 trucks in two convoys, leaving from Brisbane and Toowoomba, journeying to the site of the Lights on the Hill memorial in Gatton for the sad task of adding 55 names to the memorial wall.

Family affair Chris ‘Snooze’ Parker’s big cab Kenworth K108 has been in the family for five

NOVEMBER 2021 33

27/10/21 2:35 pm

pain but it’s something you have to deal with, so I just read OwnerDriver in the mornings in the truck.”

No pushover

“My great grandfathers were bullockies and teamsters.”

Jason Maracic’s 2020 Kenworth K200 big cab has done almost 460,000km so, despite being pretty new, it’s run out a few ks already.

“I do the Cloncurry run, all supermarket stuff and freeze/ chiller goods, so I shoot over to Mareeba or Bowen, wherever the produce is,” Jason explains.

“I was in WA before that. The first time I drove into the Pilbara I said there’s no way you could pay me enough to live in this joint but I ended up spending the best part of 15 years there.”

So what was the lure of the west?

“The people, the atmosphere and the work,” Jason says.

“I got to do really big oversize stuff and then just running up the coast from Perth to Darwin; it’s the best part of the country to drive a truck.

“Also, the transport scene is so much more well-managed than what it is over here.

“I just think the fatigue management system in WA is far better than what we have to go through here. It’s not about revenue raising, its about safety; y’know, not taking points off your licence or fining you because you spelt something wrong.

“The way they’re doing the BFM I’m pretty happy with but all the crap you gotta go through to get accredited; if they just adopted more of what WA does and take all the admin strain out of it, it’d be much better.”

Jason has come out with a couple of the company’s trucks and they all wear a banner in honour of Jason’s mum, who was in the game for decades and who only just recently passed away.

“I’m here for my mum who is on the front of the truck, she was in transport all her life.

“We’re a fourth generation transport family, my great grandfathers were bullockies and teamsters and mum and dad have had their own trucks forever. I started when I was 18 in trucks, in semis and then road trains later on.

“Mum was also the longest living constantly transplanted organ recipient in the world. She got her first kidney transplant when she was 14.”

The banner on the truck reads, ‘Five Foot Tall and

years with the majority of the work it’s done being local, but that hasn’t stopped Snooze from coming out with wife Hailey and sons Blake and Duncan to Lights On The Hill.

Like most who attend Lights on the Hill, Snooze has a personal reason for coming out: to honour a lost mate.

“I’ve got a mate of my brother and mine on the front, Adrian Wells; we’re doing this for him,” Snooze says.

“In our business we mainly do earthmoving and also the odd trip here away now and again, not regularly but I use it around town to cart my own gear around.

“We’ve got eight machines unfortunately for me, so eight headaches,” he laughs.

Live to work

Above: ‘Five foot tall and bulletproof’. Jason Maracic honours his mum Cheryl Right: 2021 marks Mal Albert’s seventh year coming to Lights On The Hill Opposite: Kyall Krause and fiancée Ellie Hutchinson; don’t worry about the number plate, they’ll both say ‘I do’ on the big day

34 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 34

Kyall Krause and Ellie Hutchinson represent the new generation coming out to Lights On The Hill with this year’s event being their first. But judging by Kyall’s attitude, trucking will be his life-long vocation.

“We’ve come out to show our support and respect, this is my first time and I’ve come out with mates and the boss had bought a few trucks out.”

Talking about his rig, Kyall is succinct and to the point about how the truck is a vital tool of the trade.

“It’s just an ordinary tipper, nothing special except the number plate,” Kyall laughs, pointing to the words ‘You Wont’.

“I love work and I’m if not working something’s wrong.”

On that number plate, it’s pretty open to interpretation, but what does it actually mean? You won’t overtake me?

“Nah, it’s ‘you wont’ do pretty much anything, but if someone tried they probably would,” Kyall laughs.

Kyall and Ellie, who are engaged to be married soon, read OwnerDriver on a regular basis. Being parked up at times because of COVID means Kyall can do so in the cab of his Kenworth.

“COVID hasn’t really affected us too much because of all the procedures that are around but, obviously, you can’t get out of the truck and do what you need to do. That’s a bit of a

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:39 pm

Bulletproof’ with Jason recounting an old family tale to let us know his mum, Cheryl Maracic, was no pushover.

“She used to have a bit of a temper on her,” Jason smiles.

“When she just got her licence and first car, she saw a bloke on the street who had given her little brother a hiding for no reason, so she lined him up with the car and old mate legged it over the fence. She didn’t get him, but she took out two fences trying,” Jason laughs, adding: “No one saw that bloke around after that.

“She left it all out on the field and she’s my hero and I reckon she’s here today,” Jason says.

Cool running K200 Mal Albert works with the aforementioned Jason Maracic at Coolfreight and his 2021 Kenworth K200 Aerodyne big cab is just that bit newer than Jason’s. It boasts plenty of shine, which the boys reckon will be cured by doing some ks. Although his truck is new, Mal is anything but a newbie to Lights On The Hill.

“This is my seventh year. I’ve got a couple of mates on the wall, a few that have gone on recently and a few that have been on for a while, so I’ve just come out to pay tribute to the boys,” Mal says.

On trucking through COVID, Mal has gained a different perspective than when it first started.

“I recently got double vaccinated. At first I was dead against it but we found out my fiancée was pregnant so I couldn’t go home and run that risk, so I do my best to eliminate it,” Mal points out.

“My mum also has long-term medical issues so I can see her now on a more regular basis too.

“But I haven’t had any dramas driving, for most of last year I was up and down the East Coast and

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 35

through to Adelaide so I didn’t come near it. And this year we haven’t gone across the border much, so we’ve stayed away.”

Painted workhorse Paul Patterson’s Brown and Hurley 75th Diamond edition has only been in the family a couple of months but he’s found time to have a mural put on the back – as he does with a few of his trucks – to celebrate 15 years as a business.

“One of the trucks here is dedicated to [wife] Linda’s dad and [good mate] Chook’s father. They were both Vietnam vets and both in tanks, and the 900 is dedicated to my grandfather,” Paul says.

“He drove for Golden Fleece for over 30 years; he was with Golden Fleece when they went from Purple to Golden Fleece and then retired when they changed to Caltex.”

NOVEMBER 2021 35

27/10/21 2:40 pm

“I just think the fatigue management system in WA is far better.”

While Paul is a Kenworth man at heart, his fleet is sprinkled with a little bit of everything. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.

“I’ve got an Actros, Coronado, Fuso and another Hino and Volvo body trucks but the Fuso Shogun is the one that’s surprised me. I drove it the other day and I was actually really impressed by it.”

Back on more important matters, Paul and his crew were deeply affect by the loss of friend Michael Bourke, whose name is one of 55 to go on the memorial wall this year.

“It’s for my mate Bourkey, he passed away just before Christmas last year in WA and we’re getting his name put on the wall tomorrow. That’s the main reason we’re here, but also to support the other families who’ve lost someone.”

Cobie Hambleton

Top & above: Cobie Hambleton with Mandy Coop, young Maddison Hambleton, Matty Coop and Danny Bosel have come out to honour friend, husband and father Jamie Coop

36 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 36

Cobie Hambleton has come out to Lights on the Hill this year to honour her best mate Jamie Coop, to support his family and drive the founding truck of Coop’s sandstone rock business, Rocktrans Enterprises.

“It’s a 401 Kenworth and it was Jamie Coop’s. He was my best mate and this is the truck he started in and built the company with and I have the honour of driving it for him today,” Cobie smiles.

“We’ve also got the 909 here too and that was the pride of his fleet.”

Jamie’s family, wife Mandy and son Matty, along with others close to him have come out to celebrate his life and

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:41 pm

Fleet Savings and Carbon Footprint Calculator Discover how switching your engine oil could help your fleet generate cost and carbon savings.

DESTINATION :

CARBON NEUTRAL

TRY THE CALCULATOR HERE www.shell.com.au/savingscalculator or scan the QR code

Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Oil

Untitled-36 37

26/10/21 9:35 am

honour his memory with Jamie’s name to be added to the memorial wall.

Lone Wolf Kenworth

Top: Paul Patterson and wife Linda honour friend Michael Bourke with some beautifully turned out rigs Above, L to R: Another Paul Patterson truck with a story on its back. This truck pays tribute to family and friends who fought in the Vietnam War; Golden Fleece-themed Legend is in honour of Paul Patterson’s grandfather who worked for the company for 30 years

38 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 38

Andy Soutar’s 1973 Kenworth is what kids today would call ‘retro’ but, being from the old-school of interstate drivers, to Andy it’s just something that makes him smile.

“I found this thing in a paddock out at Karara, south of Warwick. It was a tray truck and I watched it sitting for about two years as I was driving past in my motorhome, and one day I went in to see about it,” Andy explains.

“The bloke wanted $15,000, which was too much. So I let it go for about three months then called him up and said ‘$10,000 cash’ and we did the deal.”

After sitting for an unknown number of years, Andy took a chance and rocked up to the property to collect the truck

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:42 pm

with the hope of driving it home.

“I went down and took two batteries. It started straight up and I drove it home. It blew a lot of smoke though and the coppers even pulled me up coming into town,” Andy laughs.

“When I got it home I stripped the tray off and it took me 12 months to do up. I also found out it was a very short wheelbase truck from new – it’s had an extension done on it at some point – and that it was originally bought for the Shell company in Sydney.

“That was its first life, I don’t know who had it after that, though.”

Since finishing the resto in 2013, Andy’s taken the Kenny down to Melbourne for Hauling The Hume and also attended a heap of other truck shows around the place. With all that travel to shows Andy must miss the call of the open road?

“Oh my word ‘yes’, I do miss it. I’m too old now, I’m 84. My son drives, though. I was an owner-driver my whole life, Brisbane to Adelaide.

“In fact why OwnerDriver would know me if there’s any of the old-school still about, they used to drop out to my place in Jimboomba every month with about 20 bundles of OwnerDriver magazine and I’d put them in my toolbox and drop them off in Adelaide, Mildura, Broken Hill,” Andy reminisces.

“I used to distribute OwnerDriver magazine – I didn’t get paid for it, I did it just to help them out,” Andy smiles.

“And when I retired they put ‘Andy’s last run’ on the cover for me.”

“It blew a lot of smoke though and the coppers even pulled me up coming into town.”

Above & below: Andy Soutar and son Russell with ‘Andy’s Baby’, the 1973 ex-Shell Kenworth which Andy found in a paddock

Heading Out As trucks start their engines around us in readiness to begin the convoy to the memorial in Gatton, Andy and I say our goodbyes. It’s been a humbling experience to say the least speaking with the families and friends of those gone but not forgotten, with experiences like these tending to make you reflect on your own mortality and about how precious life really is.

Transport is a tough, dangerous industry – you only need to look at the names already on the wall in Gatton to understand this – but it’s also an industry which is full of resilient, hard-working people who are the heartbeat of transport in Australia. They deserve our thanks, support and appreciation before, not after, they become a name on a wall.

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_032-39_FEA_Lights on the Hill Drivers_GB.indd 39

NOVEMBER 2021 39

27/10/21 2:42 pm

will open from late November and, if you have a project that aligns with the theme of ‘safer drivers, vehicles and road use’, I encourage you to get involved. The more we collaborate and deliver safety measures, the more efficient and productive our lives and organisations become.

NHVR Sal Petroccitto

Safety first – always Positive culture change is an integral part of the NHVR’s strategies towards reducing fatalities

I

’VE BEEN fortunate to be CEO of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) since 2014 and, over that time, I’ve watched our industry make huge strides in driving a positive safety culture and lifting safety to the highest standards.

As the regulator, our role is to drive and encourage safety improvements and innovation across industry and the supply-chain, and we continue to do this through a combination of information, awareness and risk-based compliance activities.

One of the key programs the NHVR is proud to be involved in is the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), which is funded by the federal government and has been in place since 2017. It was an initiative set up to deliver tangible road safety improvements for road users, improve road networks, and promote greater levels of heavy vehicle safety, by the industry for the industry The NHVR is charged with administering the HVSI and I’m pleased to say that over $28 million in funding has been provided across 117 grant projects over six rounds of the initiative.

Grants over the years have been many and varied – but they’ve shared a common theme of ‘safety first’. Funded programs have ranged from training new heavy vehicle drivers about key road safety issues and enhancing driver competency and road safety, to field testing and evaluating the performance of safety chains at the point of coupling failure and trailer separation.

There is no doubt that every project and program has secured a safer outcome and forged a progressive path for the heavy vehicle industry.

The HVSI has also provided an opportunity for the NHVR to work closely with many new and established industry groups to deliver targeted small- and medium-sized projects that may not have been delivered otherwise. I believe these projects are just as important as delivering the larger programs and, ultimately, a safer industry.

The HVSI has established itself as program that has improved and raised awareness of specific issues and often enabled greater levels of information sharing and adoption.

Requests for HVSI grants for 2022–23

HVSI GRANT EXAMPLES Round 3 funding: 2018-19

Truck Wise -Virtual Reality Interaction Campaign

Greater Bendigo City Council

Designed and delivered an education and behaviour change campaign targeting passenger car drivers and their encounters with heavy vehicles.

Round 4 funding: 2019-20

Female Heavy Vehicle Driver Road Safety Campaign

Women in Trucking Australia

Developed and promoted a road safety campaign featuring Australian female heavy vehicle drivers.

Round 4 funding: 2019-20

Truck Fire Prevention Strategy

Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association

Developed and promoted guidance material on causes of truck fires and measures that can be taken to reduce or prevent their occurrence.

Round 4 funding: 2019-20

4 Points of Contact

Shift Training Pty Ltd

Trained 900 new heavy vehicle drivers about key heavy vehicle road safety issues, and evaluated the adequacy of the training to deliver enhanced driver competency and road safety.

Round 4 funding: 2019-20

Chain of Responsibility Awareness Campaign

Grain Producers SA Limited

Developed a program to educate and train primary producers in South Australia about CoR obligations under the HVNL.

Round 5 funding: 2020-21

Load Restraint Public Education Campaign

Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils

Developed and implemented a load restraint public education campaign targeting local transport companies and farmers.

Round 6 funding: 2021-22 (recently announced)

Impact of Safety Chains on Coupling Separation

Advantia Transport Consulting

Field testing to evaluate the safety performance of safety chains at the point of coupling failure and trailer separation.

Round 6 funding: 2021-22 (recently announced)

Intelligent Transport Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Metro Tasmania

Improve the safety of Tasmanian roads by reducing pedestrian fatalities, at fault collisions and enhancing driver performance through the installation of Mobileye advanced driver assistance technologies.

40 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_040_COL_NHVR_GB.indd 40

SAL PETROCCITTO became CEO of the NHVR in May 2014, bringing extensive knowledge of heavy vehicle policy, strategy and regulation to the role. He has broad experience across state and local government, having held senior leadership roles in transport and logistics, land use, transport and strategic planning, and has worked closely with industry and stakeholders to deliver an efficient and effective transport system and improved supply chain outcomes. Over the past seven years, Sal has led a significant program of reform across Australia’s heavy vehicle industry, including transitioning functions from participating jurisdictions to deliver a single national heavy vehicle regulator, harmonising heavy vehicle regulations across more than 400 road managers, and modernising safety and productivity laws for heavy vehicle operators and the supply chain.

DIMINISHING TRAUMA In addition to the HVSI, the NHVR will shortly publish its Heavy Vehicle Safety Strategy and Heavy Vehicle Safety Strategy Action Plan 2021–25. The Strategy contributes to achieving national road safety goals, such as significantly reducing the number of road traumas and fatalities that occur each year.

While heavy vehicle fatalities have fallen over the past decade, sadly there are still too many deaths occurring. The NHVR’s Strategy has three main objectives over the coming years, to diminish road trauma.

They include: • creating positive change in individual behaviours and a culture to improve safety • driving uptake of a modern, safer heavy vehicle fleet that reduces the likelihood and impact of crashes • influencing road network design to support safe heavy vehicle use.

The Strategy lays the foundation to move beyond reliance on traditional compliance and enforcement approaches and embrace new types of regulatory activities to deliver long-term safety outcomes. For the NHVR, this means expanding our focus and engagement alongside key regulatory partners, delivering effective promotional and educational campaigns, and proactively influencing policy changes – including recommended enhancements to the Heavy Vehicle National Law. Ultimately, collaboration and consistency underpin safety. Delivering vital safety projects via the HVSI, coupled with ongoing positive change in behaviours and actions, will help bring about further improvements to safety and enhancements to productivity in the future.

For more information and to apply for the next round of Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative Funding, head to www.nhvr.gov.au/hvsi.

For more information on the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Strategy, head to www.nhvr.gov.au.

“Every project and program has secured a safer outcome.”

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:12 pm

NatRoad Warren Clark

Minimising the risks It’s time for operators to plan how to live with COVID

T

he idea that the heavy vehicle industry is old-fashioned and resistant to change has died an ignominious death. Bombarded by a blizzard of pandemic rules and compliance requirements that have changed almost daily, we’ve shown ourselves to be both adaptive and resilient in the face of ever rising financial pressure.

Drivers haven’t been happy with everything our governments have done, but they’ve generally bitten the bullet and complied – even if an edict hasn’t made sense.

NatRoad has taken the fight up to governments and put forward a Five Point Plan of practical solutions to some of the inconsistencies and contradictions.

We’ve had our share of wins and hit some walls. That’s part and parcel of dealing with lawmakers.

In the same pragmatic way, we need to accept that COVID-19 is going to be with us for a very long time. We need to look at what we have to change in our own backyards to stay viable.

MANDATORY PLAN Much of dealing with COVID is about making choices. For example, we can choose to get vaccinated if we are medically able.

What is mandatory is the need for every operator to have a COVID Safe Plan.

Some drivers may not be aware that it is a government requirement for logistics and freight operators to have a documented plan.

This is part of having a means of complying with work health and safety laws.

These plans are all about maintaining a safe workplace and complying with government and public health directives.

We have made that easier for NatRoad

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.

members by making a template available that can be downloaded and adapted to fit any business, no matter its size.

Our framework covers things like access to the workplace, physical distancing, infectioncontrol training, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and environmental cleaning and management.

It also provides a guide to record-keeping, responding to a positive case or close contact in the workforce, work team management, and limiting interactions in closed spaces.

Some governments go further. For example, freight workers entering the Northern Territory must submit an online COVID-19 Freight Risk Mitigation Management Plan to the territory government before entry.

In New South Wales and Victoria, there are specific rules for drivers who are casual contacts of people with COVID. If travelling more than three to four hours in NSW, for example, they must have a COVID Safe Travel Plan. This involves speaking to a local Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 and seeking advice on how to minimise contact en-route with other drivers and the public.

Victoria says it assesses each incidence of a driver being a casual contact on a case-bycase basis. They should be tested as soon as possible – call the Victorian Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398 for advice.

“These plans are all about maintaining a safe workplace.”

FINANCE WE DO INSURANCE PREMIUM FUNDING

CALL US WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR INSURANCE OR WORKCOVER RENEWAL FOR A QUOTE.

 Absolute Competence

OVER

20

YEARS IN EXPERIENCE

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_041_COL_NatRoad_GB.indd 41

 Genuine care of your business

Free Assessment Available on our website at www.allfreightfinance.com.au Or call one of our qualified brokers for an assessment over the phone

Ainsley Cutts 0413 111 511 Donella Cutts 0433 002 211 Patrick O’Keefe 0433 002 204 Richard O’Keeffe 0410 667 523

 GREAT RATES AVAILABLE  TRUST OUR EXPERIENCE IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES

PROUD SPONSORS OF 2021 AUSTRALIAN SUPER TRUCKS RACING SERIES

 The Easiest process to obtain finance

Deal with one Broker, Simple!

Melbourne (03) 9305 9400 Sydney (02) 8294 5597 Brisbane (07) 3053 5661

NOVEMBER 2021 41

27/10/21 2:10 pm

young truckies

B

EING THE editor of Australia’s leading truck publication, there’s nothing more heartening than catching up with truck-loving youngsters.

So, it was with a certain enthusiasm that I had the opportunity to catch up with seven-yearold Roger Severs, his twin brother Arthur, sister Jenny and mum Rachael Hutchison at a café in Brisbane’s south shortly after school hours.

As Rachael had advised me earlier, Roger has special needs and previously undertook speech therapy to aid in his general communication. However, apart from an initial shyness at our meeting, Roger soon came across as a regular truck-loving kid.

“He’s always been able to say the name of the trucks,” Rachael says. “He may have struggled with ‘one two three’, but he didn’t struggle with ‘Kenworth’.”

Once the ice was broken, partly due to me handing over a few months’ worth of OwnerDriver magazines, Roger was forthright when asked about his favourite truck. “Peterbilt,” he instantly reacted.

Rachael points out that Roger has pinned OwnerDriver’s Truck of the Month posters all across the wall in his bedroom, and spends much time counting each rigs’ wheels.

It’s easy to think that Roger’s liking for trucks comes from his dad, Darrin, who started out as mechanic before moving into truck driving. Darrin currently sits behind the wheel of a Freightliner Argosy, doing local work. But, according to Rachael, she first became aware of Roger’s truck fascination at a very early age.

“When he was a baby we lived in a house opposite where they started to chop down the forest to build a big school, and lots of trucks were coming in and out of the area. So I noticed when he was two he was starting to look out the window,” she says.

“There were eight-hour stints at the window.”

Allied Express Roger later became especially keen on the red and white colours of Allied Express vehicles, especially the big rigs. Rachael phoned Allied to see if the express freight business had merchandise for sale.

After explaining her young son’s fascination with

YOUNG ENTHUSIAST

Amid the rough and tumble of the road transport industry, it’s refreshing to come across a special feelgood story, especially when it concerns someone like 7-year-old Roger Severs. Greg Bush writes 42 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_042-43_FEA_Roger Severs_GB.indd 42

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 2:05 pm

the Allied brand, an invite came to visit the company’s Rocklea site.

Roger was gifted merchandise, including an Allied hat, but the best was yet to come. Rachael soon received a phone call from Allied: “I’d really like you to come back with the whole family this time.

“So Arthur got a big sports pack, and Roger got a B-double model,” Rachael says.

Roger’s interest in trucks also extends to the US television series Ice Road Truckers. “He’s got all the DVDs,” Rachael points out.

More recently he’s discovered Outback Truckers, his favourite character being Paul ‘Sludge’ Andrews and the big purple Peterbilt.

Roger’s highlight of 2021 was undoubtedly the Brisbane Truck Show and, while Sludge didn’t make an appearance, he was over the moon after both he and Arthur met up with Glenn ‘Yogi’ Kendall.

Rachael says the family were in a queue for around 40 minutes to meet Yogi, and although she admits Roger is usually uneasy when having to wait for that period of time, he kept his cool with the end result being well worth it.

“I think he will definitely be a truck driver when he grows up,” Rachael says. That’s good news for the road transport industry, which is already suffering a shortage of truckies.

After presenting Roger with a scale model V8 Scania S730 (thanks Scania!) and handing over a couple of OwnerDriver caps to both him and Arthur, I headed off as the family prepared to drive home.

It was a pleasure meeting the delightful Roger and the family. He’s very special one-of-a-kind budding truckie.

“I think he will definitely be a truck driver when he grows up.”

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_042-43_FEA_Roger Severs_GB.indd 43

Top, L to R: Roger (left) and twin brother Arthur caught up with Outback Truckers’ Yogi at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show; Roger Severs scores a B-double after visiting Allied Express’s Rocklea premises Above: Truck driver Darrin Severs and sons Roger and Arthur at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show Left: Roger checks out the truck pics in OwnerDriver magazine Opposite: Roger (bottom right) with his twin brother Arthur, mum Rachael and sister Jenny

NOVEMBER 2021 43

27/10/21 2:06 pm

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey

Sign up for change Joining an industry association or union is an avenue to have your concerns represented

H

OW MANY of you are in an association? I heard there are over 200,000 truck drivers in Australia. While that covers a pretty diverse group, from a local refuse truck driver to someone pulling quads in Western Australia, we are all driving trucks. But are you a driver of a truck, or a truck driver?

By that I mean more about your job. Do you deliver for your own business, deliver for your employer fence supplier, or do you work for a transport company?

Drivers doing local runs, whether they work for a transport company or their direct employer that manufactures products, drive trucks as part of their employment. They are unlikely to care about a lack of rest areas for interstate drivers or what the road is like in another state. You would think they would hope to be paid enough, want and need local roads and delivery points accessible and the like, but are possibly not interested outside their own area of operation.

Are they likely to join an industry association, or perhaps even the union, if they think they will help them get better conditions, not just better pay? Now unions have excellent infrastructure, staff and offices, and access and connections to those they represent. But when you are an interstate driver, can the union represent you and support your issues, not only in the state you are based, but nationally? If

44 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_044_COL_Rod Hannifey_GB.indd 44

you do mainly intrastate work, your statebased association may be the group to join and pursue your needs.

However, no group or association can do much without members and it is not just the fee or membership that you might pay.

Governments listen to numbers. You can be the best spokesperson with immense industry knowledge and understanding, but unless you represent a substantial number of those involved you will struggle to get them to listen.

Yes, an individual can make a difference, but the larger the membership you represent, the more you can truly push an issue and be heard. Now the cynical among you will say, they still won’t listen let alone act, and that may well be true.

The issue is we are so diverse. A local transport company driver can join the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and have the delegate come out and then, if necessary, get a meeting with the boss to solve a problem. However, interstate drivers are spread from one end of the country to

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. Rod is the current president of the NRFA. Contact Rod on 0428 120 560, e-mail rod.hannifey@bigpond. com or visit www.truckright.com.au

“Are you happy with the industry? Are there things you want fixed?”

the other. They don’t always know where they are going to be tomorrow, let alone for a meeting next week, and many do the job to be an individual, out on their own. So few have found someone they believe can truly represent and support them.

We have NatRoad, as well as state-based associations including livestock and bulk carriers associations. They have, for many years, tried to solve industry problems.

Most of you will know I am the current president of the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA) and have been with them for nearly 10 years. When I first became involved there were very few company drivers interested; they were mainly owner-driver based and a real grass roots group of passionate truckies who wanted things improved.

DRIVER REPRESENTATION The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) is the overarching body, but a driver cannot join it direct. You can join a state-based or other association, which are then members of the ATA. Yes, there is one owner-driver and one small fleet rep on the ATA board, but that is two (the TWU is no longer represented at the ATA) out of 27, so will you be heard? Some time ago I was the ATA owner-driver representative for two years when I had temporary ownership of Ken Wilkie’s K104 and started the TruckRight Industry Vehicle idea, so I have tried that path too.

Years ago I was involved with the Australian Road Train Association, then deemed to be the grass roots trucking group, but they eventually merged with NatRoad. No matter what group there is, the more members there are, the more you can truly say you represent. Of course they need some money to operate (unless the board or governing body has a rich uncle or so), which is why you pay fees. But all too often the few who form the board carry most of the weight and put in most of the effort. Most associations or groups work the same.

Many have seen groups come along, promise the world, take your money and disappear. Each time this happens it makes it more difficult for the next person or group who want to try and make things better.

I have tried the idea of a drivers’ club, thinking it would be cheap enough for people to join and spread the load a bit more. Many said they would join, some did, but without enough structure and support and, like all of you, not enough spare time to do it all on my own and at my own cost, that did not succeed.

Members can help, but we all lead busy lives and are time-poor. While there are zoom meetings and the like, it is hard to convince people of your need or passion if you do not get to meet with them in person.

So where is this leading you ask? I have asked this before but I’m having a big push to ask: “Are you happy with the industry? Are there things you want fixed?” If you answered “yes” and you can’t do it alone, then I want you to join an industry association now. I don’t care which one, but make an effort for one year and be a part of something, not just another person wanting it all fixed by someone else.

However, whatever group you decide to join, I ask that you support the NRFA’s six-point plan.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:42 pm

HIGHWAY ADVOCATES

Adam Cockayne Robert Bell

Costs beyond reason In a bias against the truck industry, NSW prosecutors may seek to recover their costs against you in court

T

HE COST of living is something that affects everyone in society today, whether you are employed or operating a business.

Wages and salaries are going down in real terms while the price of everything increases. Truck drivers and operators know only too well how their income has stagnated in the last decade or so, yet the cost of living and eating out on the road can run into the hundreds of dollars per week.

You also know that fines and penalties for heavy vehicle offences are excessive, often much more than the equivalent fine for a light vehicle, and the cost of legal representation to fight them can be prohibitive. This is real barrier to justice. Often this means that unjust fines are paid on a convenience basis – but we strongly discourage this.

We see on a daily basis how these penalties become a virtual time bomb sitting in your traffic history; a time bomb that is never diffused and will be used against you for the rest of your career.

Police Force. The NSW Judicial Bench Books provide the following information regarding costs in criminal matters: ‘"As a matter of policy, the Police Service, and Commonwealth and State Directors of Public Prosecution do not ordinarily apply for professional costs against unsuccessful defendants, although witness expenses and court costs may be sought. Private informants, and bodies such as councils, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals NSW and the Roads and Traffic Authority, however, will usually seek professional costs against unsuccessful defendants."

The Bench Books also state: "The amount of costs must be just and reasonable."

So, the Crown, in the form of the Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions, does not seek costs in criminal proceedings, yet other bodies and private prosecutors do?

If you are convicted of murder and you go through a jury trial that can last for months, you do not have to pay the prosecution costs, which can be considerable.

“These penalties become a virtual time bomb sitting in your traffic history.”

To provide access to justice, Highway Advocates have introduced instalment plans for our fees, allowing the cost of legal representation to be spread over a period of time, easing the stress on the household budget when you need every cent you can find. This allows for advocacy of the highest quality and the opportunity to have your say in court and to get a fair decision.

UNJUST COSTS This brings us to another area of legal significance – the cost of being prosecuted in the Court system. In New South Wales, for instance, the two main prosecuting authorities for heavy vehicles are Transport for NSW and the NSW

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_045_COL_Highway Advocates_GB.indd 45

ADAM COCKAYNE is the legal practitioner director of Highway Advocates and is a lawyer with 25 years’ experience in criminal and administrative law.

ROBERT BELL, a former truck driver, and current law undergraduate and practising paralegal, is the CEO and a director of Highway Advocates. Contact Highway Advocates on robert.bell@highwayadvocates. com.au or phone 0491 263 602.

If you have a cashflow problem, we should have the solution.

Need to pay wages?  Done.

Need to pay fuel?  Done.

Need to pay a lease?  Done.

GREAT RATES PERSONALISED SERVICE FAST APPROVALS TRANSPORT EXPERTS

However, if you are a truck driver – and Highway Advocates secure a dismissal or low penalty based on circumstances and mitigation – the opposing solicitor will often seek costs for simply turning up and asking for the maximum penalty.

This means that, even if the matter is dismissed, truck drivers and operators can still be left paying.

These costs start from about $100 through to tens of thousands of dollars in more complex matters.

John Melocco 0490 344 408

PREJUDICIAL PUNISHMENT Highway Advocates believe it is unjust to make a truck driver or operator ‘pay for their own prosecution’ when these bodies have vast resources and are simply doing their job.

This is further compounded by the fact that legislation allows Revenue NSW to pursue and enforce these costs as if they were a fine or penalty awarded by the Court. In an often-cited High Court case, Latoudis v Casey, Mason CJ said at 543: "If one thing is clear in the realm of costs, it is that, in criminal as well as civil proceedings, costs are not to be awarded by way of punishment of the unsuccessful party."

The Fines Act in NSW also provides at section 6 that a Court is required to consider the financial and other relevant circumstances of an offender before imposing a penalty. Highway Advocates strongly believe that costs should be considered in the same fashion. Truck drivers and operators should not have to pay for their prosecutions. That is what taxes pay for, so we are told.

Representing yourself in these matters carries many hidden risks, and the stakes are high, with maximum penalties under the Heavy Vehicle National Law increasing in line with CPI every year. In some circumstances, the maximum penalty for a mass breach for an owner driver can be well over $100,000. The maximum penalty for a critical fatigue breach for an individual is over $17,000. The prosecution often seek the maximum sentence, so it is vitally important that you have the best legal advocacy from a legal practice that knows what you need to know.

Give us a call 24/7 on 0491 263 602 for free initial advice. It might just save you a packet.

CASHFLOW FOR SMEs

1300 811 484 sales@invoicemoney.com.au www.invoicemoney.com.au

NOVEMBER 2021 45

27/10/21 1:40 pm

truck of the month

46 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 46

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:19 pm

PROMINENT PETE

Nothing stands out better than a Peterbilt – especially when it’s a tri-axle configuration painted up in rose red.

Meet the showpiece of Dial-A Tow’s Adelaide-based fleet.

Warren Aitken reports

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 47

NOVEMBER 2021 47

27/10/21 12:20 pm

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 48

27/10/21 12:21 pm

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 49

27/10/21 12:21 pm

I

have to admit it – my first real chat with a tow truck driver turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than I expected. Admittedly, I’ve always been fearful that I’d be trying to explain to a towie that it’s not my fault, the gearbox came like that and the jack shaft was broken when I got it, all while sitting in the middle of a three-lane highway waving at the cars honking at me.

Instead, it turns out my first chat was while sitting on a crate in the shadow of a big red T409, sharing a cold can of coke and trying to contain my excitement at the idea of shooting a massive iconic Peterbilt. For once, real life beat my imagination.

The crate that my well-cushioned backside was seated on was in one of the workshops of Adelaide-based family business Dial-A-Tow and the tow truck driver that was giving me a rundown was Benny Rice.

Benny drives not just the T409 that was providing us some shade, but also the massive tri-axle Peterbilt that would be getting lined up by my Nikons once we’d finished our chat. He also organises and allocates the work for Dial-A-Tow’s heavy recovery vehicles, as well as scheduling the drivers. Add in the mountains of paperwork he’s responsible for and you begin to see why the Dial-ATow offices see more of Benny than his family.

With all that in mind, I was extremely grateful for his welcome reception when I chased him down to photograph the big Pete – Dial-A-Tow’s newest heavy recovery truck.

50 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 50

“I hadn’t really realised how much it takes to stop these things.”

Benny has been in the industry for a fair while now. His path into transport is semi-traditional, in an inverse way. Whereas a lot of us followed fathers or family into the lifestyle, Benny’s love of trucks and desire to get behind the wheel led to his father giving up a job as a baker in order to take a job in transport. So, technically, father followed son this time.

When Benny finished school, he was still too young to get out on the road, so he found himself undertaking a panel beating apprenticeship. The company he worked for specialised in heavy vehicle recovery and repairs, so he was able to learn a trade and keep his truck passion alive. Any chance he could, he’d be in one of the tow trucks going out to help on a recovery.

As soon as he was able to, he obtained his licence and started learning to drive the big tow trucks.

“I remember my first job was a bus breakdown,” Benny reflects.

“I was in a T350 and we went out there. Old mate beside me was telling me as we came along the highway, ‘there’s the bus, there’s the bus … there goes the bus’. I hadn’t really realised how much it takes to stop these things and flew straight by.”

Since that day the panel beating played second fiddle to the tow truck life. It was a perfect fit for Benny. He got his truck driver fix as well as plenty of hands-on work and more than enough problemsolving dilemmas.

Eventually the constant burden of unpredictability and on-call lifestyle took its toll and Benny headed off to enjoy the comparatively quiet life of a truck driver, doing changeovers and

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:22 pm

Melbourne to Adelaide runs. It didn’t last. It seems the tow truck world had hooked its underlift onto Benny’s soul and he ended up returning to the fold, this time throwing his tools in with John and Tanja Hitchcock at Dial-A-Tow.

Humble beginnings Now, let’s do a brief rundown on this stalwart Adelaide towing and recovery business. John Hitchcock is the very humble man at the top of the Dial-A-Tow food chain and has been ever since he recovered his first car using an AR160 International fitted with an old school hand winch back in 1979.

John came and joined us in our comfy crate seating in the back shed not long after I got there. Dwarfed by the impressive several state-of-the-art tow trucks, I started our chat by asking John: “So, how long have you been in towing?”

“Oh, just over a couple of weeks now,” came John’s cheeky

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 51

answer. This sense of humour and self-deprecation would become common in our chat.

From his humble one truck beginning in Adelaide, John has grown the business to nine heavy recovery vehicles and just over 70 tilt-trays, spread throughout Adelaide and South Australia.

The work undertaken by Dial-A-Tow sees them covering nearly everywhere from Northern Territory to Queensland, Victoria to Western Australia and New South Wales.

Starting with just small recovery jobs in his old International, John entered the towing industry during its illustrious unregulated days. My eyebrows were definitely raised as he filled me in on the working conditions of the early ’80s.

Over the years things have, without a doubt, improved and the industry has become synonymous with ground-breaking

Above: The charge of the heavy recovery brigade Opposite top right: John Hitchcock (left) and Benny Rice stand proudly with John’s first custom built heavy recovery truck – the Kenworth T409 Below: Another tow job for the Peterbilt; it’s duties can take it across state lines

NOVEMBER 2021 51

27/10/21 12:22 pm

Above: As with other Peterbilts, this 2007 367 model was imported from the US Below right: The 367 Peterbilt proves that size does matter, all 12 metres of it Opposite top: John Hitchcock’s first underlift heavy recovery vehicle – the 2014 Kenworth T409

equipment and skilled operators. Everyone is in a much bigger hurry and the general public are less forgiving of holdups on their daily commute, so the reaction of, and subsequent performance of, tow trucks and towies has become all the more important. John understands this and has built his business with the right equipment and, most importantly, the right people.

“Having good key people around and doing their job, working together, that’s the important thing,” John explains.

Being able to deal with any situation has also been a key to Dial-A-Tows success.

“We offer a full clean-up service,” Benny points out.

“It’s not easy finding someone at 1am to clean up a site.”

Seeing that kind of shortfall in the industry led to Dial-ATow buying its own skid steer with attachments, as well as tippers and excavators, allowing them to clear sites of vehicles and debris. It’s this adaptability that’s seen the company grow.

It would be fair to assume then that growing with demand is the reason Dial-A-Tow has such a large fleet of heavy tow trucks. John’s sense of humour would have you believe otherwise.

“I’m addicted to buying trucks. I don’t smoke or drink, I buy trucks.”

That’s the tongue in cheek answer I get when I bail John up about his nine heavy recovery vehicles, the big Pete being the latest addition.

52 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 52

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:23 pm

Digging a little deeper, John’s business acumen is more than just the ‘boys want toys’ approach he’d have me believe. Right from his very first ‘big truck’ (I’m emphasising the ‘big truck’ statement to reflect John’s smirk) as he loosely defines his D-series Ford V8 Cummins as a big hook tow truck, the big rig that joined the team in the early ’80s. As the size of the trucks in and around Adelaide grew so did the need for bigger tow trucks.

After the old D-series become too small for the jobs John was getting, he purchased a couple of other second-hand tow trucks, each getting slightly bigger, before he ordered and built his first underlift heavy recovery vehicle – the 2014 Kenworth T409. With the assistance of Lyndon from TruckWorks in Adelaide, John purchased a truck from Kenworth and the body from the United States and, together, Lyndon merged them and delivered John’s first custom-built big rig.

Work kept growing and so did the fleet. As opportunities presented themselves, John made sure he grabbed them.

“When opportunity knocks, sometimes you just got to do it,” he informs me.

One of those occasions, though sad as it was at the time, led to a major increase in fleet numbers.

Illness in the family saw one of Adelaide’s iconic towing companies, Shipp Brothers, selling a lot of their gear.

“Shipp Brothers had been around for about 81 years,” John says.

“Dennis was unwell and sold a lot of it off. We bought the heavy recovery vehicles.

“I’m honoured to have that. As much as we didn’t buy the whole business, I’m proud to have a part of that history.”

John also added that, a year after he purchased the trucks, Dennis’ son, Glen, started work for Dial-A-Tow.

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 53

The origins of the Peterbilt are also very much in the opportunity class as well. While Dial-ATow already had a wide array of heavy recovery vehicles from the Shipp Brothers purchase, it was still having to outsource a bit of its work, towing away certain setups or configurations because the current underlifts weren’t available or capable.

One of John’s regular clients had asked about doing more work for him, which got John thinking about buying more trucks … I mean thinking about ‘an increase in company assets to enable increased

“It is a bloody nice, comfortable truck to drive.”

NOVEMBER 2021 53

27/10/21 12:24 pm

productivity’. That’s a much better line to feed the accountant than John wants another truck.

Bittersweet acquisition This increase in work and need for an extra heavy recovery vehicle coincided with a sad time in the Australian transport industry. Trucking lost one of its most recognisable icons, Ray Scott. After his passing, a few of his toys went up for sale.

One of those was the 2007 tri-axle Peterbilt 367 tow truck that had been brought over from the United States. The truck had arrived in Melbourne brand new and been converted to right hand drive before making its way across to Ray’s backyard in Mt Gambier. John believes Ray had all the intentions of using it to help with breakdowns and recoveries of Ray’s fleet, but with only 18,000km on it when John bought it, he now thinks it may have ended up as just a project truck. Something to enjoy rather than work.

When John bought the truck, the team at the Scott Group repainted it in Dial-A-Tow’s distinct red before it left Mt Gambier, so it was ready to hit the ground working the moment it arrived.

As I mentioned before, it’s a big unit. When I asked John about the wheelbase, I got a very honest “long”. Benny would later elaborate, informing me it is 12 metres from bullbar to underlift. The work gear on the back is a Century 70/35, which has a 35-tonne boom and 35,000lb (15,875kg) winches. The 2007 build means it’s still sporting the Cummins EGR engine.

Where its biggest advantage lies is in the 27 tonnes it can get on the drive. Getting legal weights on the rear while trying to keep enough weight on the front axle can be a fine balancing

54 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_046-54_TOTM_Dial-a-tow_GB.indd 54

“Bling don’t earn money.”

Top: Three of the Dial-A-Tow’s big rigs: the stunning T604 that John purchased from another towing company, the big 367 Pete and the hard working T409 Below: The Peterbilt in roadtrain mode

act for tow trucks, so although you may hit your Fitbit step quota just walking around the Pete, it does make it a perfect setup for what John and the team need.

We haven’t even touched on what it’s like to drive, but any truck with the wheelbase of a Boeing 737 would ride pretty well. Peterbilts have established their name on the back of being comfortable and easy to drive, and Benny will attest that his big Pete is no exception.

“It’s a dream, it is a bloody nice comfortable truck to drive.”

How about the manoeuvrability though, surely that would be a downside, I asked?

“Nah, it’s actually pretty good,” Benny replies.

“I was in town the other day getting into a yard with a truck and A-trailer and managed it just fine.” Although he did add that being that long you just have to keep your wits about you.

With a lot of their work taking the drivers away, sometimes for several nights, John makes sure all his heavy recovery vehicles have a decent bunk on them.

The Pete is no exception. The factory-built 48-inch (122cm) bunk, though a low roof, provides plenty of room for the odd night away.

I did eventually find the touchy subject in the Dial-A-Tow garage when the conversation moved onto shiny bits.

“We’re arguing about bling,” admits Benny, with John’s follow up comment being “bling don’t earn money”.

The big Pete relies a lot on its own staunchness and size rather than bling, though Benny has a few plans. It is worth noting John’s attempts to pretend bling isn’t important falls short when you see the effort put into the two other trucks that photobombed our shoot – the stunning T604, which is credit to Brenton, and the shiny T409 that is Benny’s main truck. The bling may not make extra money, but the trucks sure stand out.

Well, much like my butt on the uncomfortable crate, I think it’s time to move on and go enjoy a glimpse of this huge Peterbilt. It’s a name eternally linked to ‘cool trucks’ and Peterbilt continues that trend with this rose red beast of a truck. Well done Dial-A-Tow. Fingers crossed I’ll never need you.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:24 pm

NRFA Glyn Castanelli

Size doesn’t matter Unlike other groups, the NRFA operates under the principle of ‘truckies working for truckies’

T

HE NRFA (National Road Freighters Association Inc) is a transport industry representative association with one main difference. We are ‘Truckies Working for Truckies’. Our members are drivers, ownerdrivers, small to medium and large fleet owners and anyone else with interest and involvement in the industry. Our members have the same rights and influence, no matter if they are a driver or fleet owner.

The NRFA management committee is elected by members each year at the annual general meeting. The management committee are all volunteers and there are no paid employees of the NRFA. The objects of the NRFA are: 1. To provide professional representation at all government and community levels supporting the road transport industry and all support industries that relies on road transport 2. To carry out industry related programs that deliver safe, efficient, and viable road transport to the Australian community 3. To provide a lobby for the purpose of gaining sensible and workable regulations that guarantee realistic and workable compliance 4. To improve the profile and image of the

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_055_COL_NRFA_GB.indd 55

industry to attract young people into the road transport industry.

These common sense objectives are behind everything we do.

UNDER SURVEILLANCE Our industry is going through a major time of change with more surveillance than ever before. We have safe-T-cam, EWDs, GPS tracking, cameras at rest areas, cameras at roadhouses, etags, fuel receipts, apps to sign into distribution centres, our own phones and even drones just to

GLYN CASTANELLI is a long distance driver of more than 15 years, a compliance consultant and accredited NHVAS and WAHVA Auditor and the current NRFA Secretary and Victorian Delegate. Glyn is a member of the Ozhelp Health in Gear steering committee and Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds Standards Committee.

under to get the load off no matter what you must do, otherwise you will suffer the penalty of lost wages etc. With this in mind the starting point for making change must be at the point of loading and unloading. This is the area where most work hours are lost for little or no reward.

SURVEY PARTICIPATION As mentioned last month in our column, we are calling for all drivers to participate in our NRFA loading and unloading survey. This survey is designed so we may collect as much data as possible from drivers and use it to address the ongoing problems we all experience when loading and unloading.

We are all continuously left at the whims of the loaders and unloaders who show complete disregard to their responsibilities under the Chain of Responsibility laws. The recent introduction of more stringent entry requirements at facilities have only added to the problem. Driver complaints go nowhere and are only met with shoulder shrugs and “not our problem” from loaders and unloaders.

This problem has gone on for far too long and its time we changed it.

We need your help to gather thousands of submissions of your loading

“The starting point for making change must be at the point of loading and unloading.” name a few ways our movements can be traced. There is no end to the amount of information the authorities can gather to use against a driver under the Heavy Vehicle National Law. No one should be risking fines, jail or their family home just for keeping the boss or customer happy.

The time for accommodating poor scheduling and unrealistic demands from consignors and consignees by falsifying your work hours is over. The risks far outweigh the rewards. The NRFA acknowledges the pressure drivers are

SCAN THE QR CODE to complete the NRFA Loading and Unloading Survey

experiences good, bad and ugly.

Please share the form around with your mates and let’s change one of the longstanding problems in our industry.

The NRFA Loading and Unloading Survey can be found at https://form.jotform. com/212631024139041 or National Road Freighters Association Inc on Facebook or on our website www.nrfa.com.au.

All information collected by the survey will be treated as confidential and driver details will not be used or passed onto anyone.

NOVEMBER 2021 55

27/10/21 2:55 pm

industry focus

FREIGHTER KEEPS THE GOODS FLOWING FOR JAMES TRANSPORT

Mildura-based James Transport has trusted Freighter trailers since day one, over 55 years ago. Now in its third generation, the family-owned business continues to go from strength to strength, aided by a 50-strong fleet made up of MaxiTRANS’ leading trailer brands, Freighter and Maxi-CUBE

T

ransport is in the blood for the James family, who have kept the region’s essential citrus industry moving since 1965. During that time, James Transport has maintained a relationship with leading Australian semi-trailer brand Freighter, which flies under the MaxiTRANS banner. In fact, MD Greg James cannot remember a time when the family was not running Freighter trailers.

The business specialises in bulk citrus haulage and Tautliner dry goods, as well as refrigerated and bulk fertiliser transport throughout Australia. The business employs nearly 50 people, providing essential work in the regional centre and keeping supermarkets everywhere stocked with goods.

Sons Shaun, who is the general manager, and Aidan, fleet controller, ably support Greg. Both boys have been in trucks since the time they could stand up.

“When mum and dad started up, their first truck was a 1418 Mercedes Benz, and their first trailer was a Freighter. We have Freighter trailers that are older than I am; including an old Bogie I reckon was built in the late 1950s. They just keep going,” Greg says.

It’s a fitting tribute as Freighter celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Freighter and the James family have both been on quite a journey. The business grew with the expansion of the citrus industry and, over the years, Greg has seen many advances in trailer technology.

“In the 1980s, we were predominately carrying oranges in what we called bulk fruit trailers. By the early 2000s, we were doing 10-15 loads a week into Melbourne.”

The last 15 years has been a progression into tautliner work, supported by a few tip trucks and tankers. From humble beginnings, the fleet has grown to include 17 Freighter B-double tautliners, 22 flat tops, five skels, three Maxi-CUBE B-double fridge vans and three single fridge vans.

“We’ve found Freighter to be very reliable,” Greg says.

“The last couple we’ve bought have been custom built, with holes in the chassis rail for a lighter weight, custom tiedown positions for front and back hurdles, DG signage, fire extinguishers and all the specialist tool boxes we require.

We are particular about floor height, too. On some we have a flush floor, while others have a smaller coaming rail.”

Greg says that dependable local servicing is also a big plus when it comes to choosing Freighter trailers.

“Our local Mildura Truck Centre dealer is excellent, they’re very easy to work with, which is exactly what you need in a country environment. We have probably purchased half a dozen sets of new Freighter tautliners from them, and we are soon to pick up a new tri-axle dolly that has been a stock

56 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_056_Industry focus_MaxiTrans_APPROVED_GB.indd 56

build. They are also great at working through issues like road access with us. A dealer is not just someone who sells you a trailer, the good ones will help us understand where we can utilise that piece of equipment. In that regard our local Freighter dealer has been exceptional,” he explains.

“Satisfying our customers is always our number one aim, and it’s something we’re very proud of. You can’t do that without a reliable fleet, and that’s what Freighter have given us.

“If Freighter remain as innovative as they have always been, it will help the industry along. The new ideas they come up with are great. It makes it easy for us because we can come along and start using those pieces of equipment.

Their tri-axle dolly and B-triple are just two examples of that innovation.”

Top: Mildura-based James Transport has trusted Freighter trailers since day one, over 55 years ago. Now in its third generation, the family-owned business continues to go from strength to strength Left: Local Freighter dealer, Mildura Truck Centre, provides James Transport with dependable local servicing and new equipment support Below: James Transport specialises in bulk citrus haulage and tautliner dry goods, as well as refrigerated and bulk fertiliser transport throughout Australia, relying on Freighter products to perform the task

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:19 pm

MT0160 Freighter 75Year FP-OwnerDriver indd 1 Untitled-37 57

19/5/21 3:23 pm 26/10/21 9:37 am

brand overview

KENWORTH KICKS ON … AND ON! COVID or no COVID, the Australian road freight industry continues to run hot and leading the rush for trucks is heavy-duty supremo Paccar Australia, boldly led by its Kenworth flagship. But don’t go thinking Paccar’s powerbrokers are resting on laurels or aren’t looking far into the future. The way we see it, big things are brewing behind the scenes for both Kenworth and its ambitious DAF stablemate. Steve Brooks reports

58 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_058-64_FEA_Kenworth Kicks_GB.indd 58

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:30 pm

D

ESPITE ALL the hassles and hardships, Paccar Australia’s performance in 2021 is shaping up to be nothing short of outstanding. A sublimely remarkable achievement in a time of immensely uncommon challenges.

The numbers speak for themselves, and none speak louder than Kenworth’s. For the year up to the end of September, the market’s premier brand had delivered 1,972 units, equating to 21.7 per cent of the heavy-duty sector. Its nearest rival was Volvo, more than 800 trucks behind on 12.9 per cent.

In effect, Kenworth at the end of the third quarter of 2021 was probably just weeks away from easily surpassing its 2020 full-year performance, which saw 2,114 new Kenworths roll out of the Bayswater (Vic) production plant. Indeed, Kenworth is this year comfortably on track to deliver around 2,500 trucks.

Meanwhile, corporate counterpart DAF has been also on an upward trajectory. After notching respectable numbers in 2020, DAF at the end of September this year was just a gnat’s knuckle away from cracking the 500-units mark for the first time in the brand’s Australian history.

Still, 2020’s numbers certainly weren’t modest or meagre, retaining Kenworth’s and Paccar Australia’s heavy-duty market leadership despite gruelling difficulties as COVID-19 first raised its ugly head and took hold, at one point forcing the company’s US parent to decree a month-long shutdown of all Paccar plants. The shutdown was, however, a wise move designed to give local Paccar executives time to devise entirely new safety protocols for work routines at every level of the company structure.

It wasn’t an easy time though. Not by a long shot. In an exclusive interview at the end of last year, Paccar Australia managing director Andrew Hadjikakou defined 2020 as, “… a challenge for everyone, like nothing any of us have experienced before and hopefully, like nothing any of us will have to experience again.”

Even so, the company’s operational structure continued to function with typical efficiency, prompting Hadjikakou to report: “We’ve added a lot of new staff and there are more to come. We’ve certainly not retrenched anyone.”

The employment trend has continued this year with Paccar Australia recently advertising for even more staff in

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_058-64_FEA_Kenworth Kicks_GB.indd 59

“The numbers speak for themselves, and none speak louder than Kenworth’s.” both head office and on the production line.

Keeping the production line moving has, of course, been the critical factor and it was on this point that Hadjikakou, last year, paid tribute to the established benefit of a largely homegrown supply chain.

“Our supply chain was intact and that’s one point where I feel particularly proud of being Australian-made, with so much of our supply base not coming from overseas but being sourced locally. In many parts, our suppliers are within a 10km radius of the factory.”

Above: Like bees to honey. The retro Legend SAR accrued more than 750 orders when it went on sale for just one day after appearing at the Brisbane Truck Show Left: Paccar Australia chief, Andrew Hadjikakou. Despite market-leading results and strong sales, he says 2021 has actually been harder than the year before

NOVEMBER 2021 59

27/10/21 1:31 pm

“People presumed the challenges of COVID would be resolved by now but the situation is worse.”

“That is a big benefit to us. Huge!” he exclaimed.

“We didn’t have to rely on the long lead times of overseas supply chains [and] I knew we would be shielded from much of that because so much of our business really is Australian-made.”

His assertions may have sounded like corporate cliché but there’s no denying that throughout COVID’s impacts, the company’s inherent ability to produce plenty of locally-built trucks while most other brands have struggled to maintain a consistent flow through international supply lines, continues to be an absolute boon to Paccar Australia’s business.

As Hadjikakou was quick to point out though, government support also came at the right time.

“What the [federal] government has done to stimulate the economy with the instant asset write-off and depreciation schedules have definitely benefited capital purchases such as trucks, giving truck owners immense economic benefits,” he said during the interview last year.

“It really is once-in-a-lifetime stuff and the fact that it will be available until June 2023 bodes well for all of us in the industry.”

By the end of 2020, it was a somewhat emboldened Hadjikakou who looked forward optimistically to 2021.

“Everything is progressing to plan,” he emphasised.

“We’ve had to address how we do things to keep everyone safe, but 2021 is a milestone year for Paccar and there will be plenty to cheer about.”

The major milestone was, of course, 50 years of manufacturing Kenworth at Bayswater, but there was also a critical new factory expansion which, according to Hadjikakou, will deliver a significant increase in local assembly of DAFs.

60 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_058-64_FEA_Kenworth Kicks_GB.indd 60

Above: Stunningly presented K200 at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show. The venerable K-series is Kenworth’s best seller and we’re sure a new K220 version is in the wings

Left: Locally-built DAF CF model.

DAF sales in 2021 are the strongest in the brand’s Australian history

By 2022, he asserted, production capacity at Bayswater is expected to be doubled and the obvious goal is for DAF, specifically 11- and 13-litre CF models, to consume a considerable slice of that extra capacity.

After the excitement and celebration of Bayswater’s 50 years of truck manufacturing in March, attended by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Paccar’s optimism was again on display a few months later at the Brisbane Truck Show where the first public appearance of the new T410 SAR model and a special edition ‘Legend SAR’ headed a first-class presentation of Kenworth and DAF models. COVID, it seemed, was being progressively pummelled into the background.

But early confidence was in for a big hit and as most Australians can now attest, the back half of 2021 has been a shocker. Victorians have been again hammered particularly

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:31 pm

Expertise is not gained in months, it takes years.

Trust NatRoad with your business advice.

We’ve been doing this for over 70 years.

Call us on 1800 272 144 or visit www.natroad.com.au

Untitled-37 61

26/10/21 9:37 am

BREAKING NEWS: CUMMINS EXPOSES ALL-NEW 15-LITRE PLATFORM Cummins Inc. has revealed an entirely new 15-litre natural gas engine, which is almost certainly the foundation for a radically revised heavy-duty diesel engine range.

In natural gas form, the engine is known as the X15N but in a press statement, Cummins refers to the engine as “the launch of our universal 15-litre platform for heavy-duty” and cites a new strategy that “focuses on new powertrains including advanced diesel, natural gas, hydrogen engines, battery electric and fuel cells”.

Despite the extensive natural gas componentry, images of the X15N highlight a vastly different block design and, as reported in our accompanying Kenworth feature, the new engine appears to be “built on a sculpted block similar in principle to the livewire Cummins X12 engine”.

As we also reported, the new engine is expected to be significantly lighter than the current X15, with Cummins in the US revealing the engine will “weigh 500lb (227kg)

less than comparable 15-litre diesel engines currently available on the market”.

The announcement of the new engine further fuels speculation that a high horsepower, high torque diesel version, perhaps labelled M15, will ultimately make an appearance in Australia under a Paccar product.

In our estimation, the first recipient will be the flagship XF version of a fully refurbished DAF range soon to be launched in Europe.

It may, however, be a few years yet before a DAF powered by the new Cummins platform appears in Australia.

One thing’s for sure, extensive testing here and overseas will precede any launch on the Australian market.

In fact, the recent appearance of what looks like a significantly different Cummins engine under a cab-over, which is definitely a Kenworth, suggests local testing may have already started in earnest.

Stay tuned!

Pondering the possibilities

hard by lockdowns and at the time this report was written in mid-October, the Bayswater plant was in the grip of a snap shutdown after a couple of workers tested positive to COVID-19 as the state endured a sharp spike in infections.

“It is perhaps a tougher year,” Hadjikakou said when asked recently if the current year is harder than the last.

“People presumed the challenges of COVID would be resolved by now but the situation is worse.”

Again though, the fundamentals stayed strong.

“The procedures we integrated into our plant and support functions early last year have stood the test of time and are now just part of what we do.”

Nonetheless, it’s a conciliatory Hadjikakou who adds: “We are not alone. We face the same headwinds all automotive manufacturing is grappling with. No company is unscathed by these challenges and a robust market means most brands have lead times longer than they’d like.”

All up, it has been a hard pill to swallow after such a bright start to the year.

However, as 2021 now claws to a close, there is at least glitter midst the gloom for Paccar Australia: market leadership is assured, with

62 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_058-64_FEA_Kenworth Kicks_GB.indd 62

Kenworth far ahead of competitors and DAF doing better than ever; the two brands at the end of the third quarter collectively accounted for 26.4 per cent of the total Australian heavyduty truck market, well ahead of a vacillating Volvo Group Australia and a determined Daimler Trucks Australia; and the Paccar Australia order bank for 2022 is said to be close to capacity, no doubt boosted by the astonishing success of the ‘Legend SAR’, which surpassed even Kenworth’s most optimistic projections by notching more than 750 orders when it went on sale for just one day.

Moreover, the road freight industry continues to gallop along, fuelling a heavy-duty truck market shaping to crack 13,000 units for the year. And putting the cream on the cake as most Australians now jump to be jabbed, politicians of most persuasions are looking at lockdowns as a last resort in the COVID crisis.

Yep, it’s definitely not all bad at Bayswater.

And then, of course, there are those ‘other developments’ to look forward to. Those secret special projects. Those whispered design and engineering tasks that look to tomorrow rather than today. Those things that Paccar Australia historically plans and prepares for so well. Those things almost always bubbling behind closed doors in quiet corners of the Bayswater bunker.

Things like …

It would not be unreasonable, perhaps, to suggest that, after so much effort and expense over recent years in development of dramatic new Kenworth conventional models – the T610, T410 and the retro Legend SAR – Paccar Australia’s brains trust would now be heavily focussed on its cab-over class led, of course, by the evergreen K-series.

It is, after all, well over a decade since the launch of the all-conquering K200 which, as Kenworth defined it, was “more a complete transfusion than just a shot in the arm” for the iconic K-series.

As much as anything else, though, the vastly refashioned cab-over was compelling evidence of the extraordinary design and engineering capabilities that exist within Paccar Australia.

The leap, for example, from the ergonomic nightmare of the K108 and its many forebears to the long overdue space and convenience of the K200 was nothing short of chasmic. In fact, so great was the evolutionary lunge in the minds of some (including this one), that the K200 is regarded as arguably Paccar Australia’s greatest engineering achievement in its half-a-century of Australian truck manufacturing.

However, the question now is ‘what’s next?’

Paccar Australia is not a company to sit idle and, with rumours gradually gathering of a heavily revamped and renamed (K220) K-series contender, it now appears just a matter of time before big news breaks. Whether it’s 2022 or later is unknown, but while the certainty is that Kenworth will sooner or later launch a reconfigured cab-over flagship, the other unknown is whether the leap will be as great as that which marked the jump from K108 to K200.

Speculation, of course, can conjure all sorts of concepts but it would seem logical for any rebirth to at least include bold new styling cues and driver convenience features, and critically, some significant technology enhancements. Maybe, for instance, a standard safety package to finally take the fight for hearts and minds, literally, to the Europeans.

Predictably, Hadjikakou would not be drawn on what features a K200 replacement might include, saying only: “The K200 has been Kenworth’s best performing model since its release [and] we always have a range of products in various phases of their development cycle, K-series included.”

Whatever, the seemingly ageless K-series is just one part – albeit a massive part, accounting for around 30 per cent of all Bayswater production – in Paccar Australia’s cab-over coterie. The other part is obviously DAF and, as senior Paccar people have stated numerous times, the Netherlands-

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:32 pm

Above: Cummins X15N. The natural gas version of an entirely new Cummins 15 litre platform. Ignore the gas componentry and it’s easy to see a vastly different block design Left: Breakthrough! Obviously installed in a K200, we believe this is a photo of the first M15 Cummins in Australia. Several years of testing will precede any launch of the engine, probably in a totally redesigned DAF XF

based brand is the key to greater growth for Paccar’s Australian interests.

As we’ve reported before, “Kenworth is king but have no doubt, the Paccar pendulum is swinging more and more to a Dutch touch” and it would be naïve and foolhardy in the extreme to deny or ignore the emergence of DAF as an increasingly powerful contributor to Paccar Australia’s future goals.

Whether by corporate dictum or commercial desire, or both, Hadjikakou has, from the outset, been a strong advocate for the Dutch brand and probably more cognisant of its longterm opportunities than any of his predecessors. And he is not without willing allies, including sales and marketing director Brad May, a rusted-on Kenworth addict who nowadays easily concedes that Paccar’s biggest potential rests with the Dutch truck.

“It has taken a very long time and it hasn’t been an easy road with Kenworth as the cultural base [but] DAF is now a critical part of the Paccar culture,” a resolute May said almost two years ago at the introduction of DAF’s current model range.

Yet, whereas the versatile DAF CF range with its choice of Paccar MX-11 and MX-13 engines is winning increasing business and is at the core of Paccar’s plans to assemble more DAFs on Bayswater’s line, potential of the flagship XF model remains far from fulfilled. Simply put, the XF sits a very long way behind the market acceptance of premium Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Scania competitors, and it will take something dramatic to bolster the lofty Dutchman’s influence.

Like its CF sibling, the XF draws its maximum power from the top 530hp/1,920lb-ft (395kW/2,603Nm) version of Paccar’s MX-13 engine and while those outputs may be ample for single trailer work, they’re largely off the pace for the bulk of the burgeoning linehaul B-double business. And Paccar’s people know as well as any, it’s the B-double business that holds the key to the XF’s future and, in the process, pushes DAF’s potential to far broader horizons.

Unlike the CF, though, an emboldened XF would also have the ability to impact on Kenworth’s existing cabover business.

This is an issue that sits quietly, yet profoundly, within Paccar Australia’s senior ranks but for now, there’s no clearcut answer other than the certainty that DAF’s future in this country is being carefully nurtured.

A quick fix for the XF might appear to be the installation of a Cummins X15 engine. There’s no doubting the technical expertise of Cummins South Pacific and Paccar Australia to do such a job but the suggestion caused a few moments of quiet deliberation when Hadjikakou was asked late last year if such a project was on the cards.

Hedging his bets somewhat, he replied: “We are looking at all different opportunities [but] to fill that gap with a high displacement engine makes sense. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens with DAF.” In short, apparent affirmation that a Cummins-powered XF

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_058-64_FEA_Kenworth Kicks_GB.indd 63

“The Paccar pendulum is swinging more and more to a Dutch touch.” is a strong possibility, but perhaps even greater affirmation that DAF in Europe will provide the platform and the final approval. Either way, a quick fix seems highly unlikely.

Fortunately, the fog is now thinning slightly and we may not have to wait too much longer for a clearer picture.

There is, for instance, no shortage of talk about a new DAF cab being close to release in Europe and likewise, emerging rumours of an entirely new, lightweight big bore global engine from Cummins.

Powertrain strategy Similarly, there has been recent speculation of Paccar developing its own big bore engine, allegedly labelled the MX-15. This, however, is most improbable, though we’re certainly not ruling out the possibility of a Cummins engine one day bearing the MX mantle, particularly as Paccar Inc. pursues its corporate ‘Paccar Powertrain’ branding strategy. After all, the so-called Paccar 12-speed automated transmission is actually an Eaton Endurant gearbox, so given Paccar’s immense clout with companies such as Cummins, a Paccar-branded 15 litre engine is not beyond the bounds of believability.

Above: Flagship. In performance and sales, DAF XF ranks a long way behind its European rivals but the next few years will see major developments that may well include a bold new Cumminsbased powertrain. Stay tuned!

Opposite: Andrew Hadjikakou drills a message into Federal Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, at the 50th anniversary of Kenworth production at Bayswater.

Government support initiatives have been powerful assets for keeping equipment sales strong

NOVEMBER 2021 63

27/10/21 1:32 pm

“It won’t surprise if this entirely new Cummins hits the market with more than 650hp.”

But as for Paccar building its own big bore engine, the odds are miniscule. For starters, many high level Paccar executives from Australia and the US have been asked that question many times over many years and without exception, each has unequivocally and steadfastly answered: “No!” As some like to point out, the big markets today are in the 11- to 13-litre class.

It’s easy to accept their answer as fact, simply because it would appear to make no economic sense for Paccar Inc. to spend vast sums on the development and manufacture of an entirely new big bore engine platform when the global demand and subsequent viability for high cube, high horsepower engines is relatively small and largely limited to low volume, highly demanding markets such as Australia.

The smart move, and Paccar is a very smart company, is to continue to rely on specialist suppliers like Cummins and Eaton for powertrain solutions, especially in the high horsepower class and even more so since the formation of the Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies joint venture.

Thus, long story short and with a generous rub of the crystal ball, here’s what may be an eventual scenario for DAF’s flagship XF to one day crack into the high horsepower class and, in the process, bolster Paccar Australia’s ultimate aspirations for the Dutch truck.

First, DAF’s European masters are said to be close to delivering an entirely new range of trucks and among these will be the foundation for a right-hand drive XF with

64 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_058-64_FEA_Kenworth Kicks_GB.indd 64

Top: Euro 6 DAF range on show in early 2020. This update was probably the last before an entirely new line-up is launched in the near future Above left: Apologies for the poor photo quality, believed to have been taken at Paccar’s US headquarters quite a few years back, but it perhaps typifies Paccar’s long-range plans for DAF, particularly in our neck of the woods

substantial capacity to house and cool a big bore engine of, say, 15 litres.

Second, it is becoming more apparent that Cummins is on the cusp of announcing a highly advanced and completely new global engine, which may first come to light as the M15.

Built on a sculpted block similar in principle to the livewire Cummins X12 engine, it will be impressively light – as much as 250kg lighter than the current X15 – and therefore ease the burden of high front axle weights that currently trouble many European brands in Australia when punched by big bore engines. In performance terms, it won’t surprise if this entirely new Cummins hits the market with more than 650hp (485kW) and 2,300lb-ft (3,118Nm) of torque.

So, put all these factors together with Paccar Australia’s formidable corporate network, engineering nous and insightful market intelligence, it’s not hard to envisage a DAF flagship capable of digging deep into applications that are today largely beyond its ability.

And therein comes the biggest question of all: will this top-shelf DAF be the thin edge of the wedge in eventually replacing Kenworth’s iconic K-series?

Maybe. Maybe not. As we’ve written before, the only certainty right now is that despite the increasing costs of producing K-series purely for the Australian and New Zealand markets, Paccar Australia is unlikely to ever voluntarily withdraw or kill off its classic cab-over.

Market forces alone will determine K-series’ future but judging by the fact it is still Kenworth’s biggest seller, this incredible survivor will be around for many, many years yet.

Investment in a new K220 version will prove it beyond doubt.

In effect, if people are prepared to keep paying for K-series in sufficient numbers, Paccar Australia will almost certainly continue building it.

But as one rusted-on Kenworth addict said some years back in a rare moment of quiet concession: “Nothing lasts forever.”

Indeed!

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:33 pm

The legal view Sarah Marinovic

Flawed flash for cash It’s not uncommon for trucks to be wrongly snapped by red light cameras

S

eeing the flash go off as you pass through traffic lights is a sure fire way to ruin your day. It inevitably means a fine and, usually, three demerit points are headed your way.

For professional drivers who can’t afford to lose their licence, those points are a real worry.

Most people assume that the cameras are accurate and, usually, that’s right.

However, there are times that cameras get it wrong, and in my experience drivers of heavy vehicles are at particular risk of falling victim.

The problem arises because of the very nature of heavy vehicles. They’re long, have multiple axles and move through the intersection more slowly.

Red light cameras are set up with inbuilt safeguards that are meant to prevent fines being incorrectly issued.

Those safeguards are supposed to make sure that the camera is only triggered if the front wheels of the vehicle pass into the intersection after the lights turns red. People should not be issued a fine if their front wheels are already in the intersection when the light changes.

However, I have seen examples where the camera gets confused by a truck combination passing over it. Even though the front wheels are well into the intersection when the lights change to red, as the second and third axle groups pass over the trigger, the camera mistakenly thinks a vehicle has crossed into the intersection against the red light.

You could reasonably expect that it would be straight forward to have the

fine withdrawn in situations like this.

Unfortunately, as seems to be the case with many traffic enforcement systems, it can be more complicated than it should be.

VIDEO EVIDENCE A key piece of information that can help you in disputing an incorrectly issued fine is that many red light cameras (at least in New South Wales where my practice is based) actually capture a video of the incident, but normally you won’t be given a copy. Instead, you will receive the still photographs, which don’t conclusively prove when you entered the intersection.

Without that vital piece of evidence it can be hard to get the fine withdrawn.

The key is to get the relevant authority to check the video closely.

If you’ve received a red light fine that you’re sure is wrong, the first step is to request an internal review through Revenue NSW. We can explain exactly what happened and ask them to review the footage carefully. I have had success in getting invalid red light fines withdrawn this way.

Unfortunately, sometimes internal reviews are wrongly rejected. In that case, the next step is to dispute the fine in court. At this stage it is often possible for us to ask the prosecution lawyers to check the video. If it shows that the vehicle was in the intersection when the light turned red, often the case will be withdrawn.

The downside to this process is that there are risks involved with going to court. If things don’t work out in your

SARAH MARINOVIC is a principal solicitor at Ainsley Law – a firm dedicated to traffic and heavy vehicle law. She has focused on this expertise for over a decade, having started her career prosecuting for the RMS, and then using that experience as a defence lawyer helping professional drivers and truck owners.

For more information email Sarah at sarah@ ainsleylaw.com.au or phone 0416 224 601

favour the magistrate can increase the penalty. You could also find yourself with a bill for court costs and levies as well as a conviction.

This is one of the frustrating aspects of being a traffic lawyer. It should never be the case that a person who has been wrongly fined should have to weigh up whether defending their case is worth the risk. The information that we need to confirm what happened, i.e. the video, should be more readily available and the charges should always be withdrawn when the video shows a mistake has been made.

Until access to the video becomes standard practice, this is a situation where your best bet is usually to get help from a lawyer who specialises in traffic cases. We will help you to decide the best way to approach your situation and help you to avoid the pitfalls.

“I have seen examples where the camera gets confused by a truck combination.”

MOORE

Moore

trailer for you r money! TRAILERS

 07 4693 1088 www.mooretrailers.com.au Moore Trailers (5011870).indd 1

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_065_COL_Legal_GB.indd 65

18/10/21 12:45 pm

NOVEMBER 2021 65

27/10/21 1:12 pm

new models

66 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_066-71_FEA_Fuso Shogun_GB.indd 66

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:07 pm

SHOGUN AIMS FOR HEAVIER HEIGHTS Daimler Truck and Bus Australia has responded to demands for a more powerful Japanese truck by introducing the 510hp Fuso Shogun onto the local market. Time will tell whether it will entice Mercedes-Benz Actros customers and the like looking for a more costeffective alternative

F

USO HAS picked the best fruit from its family tree to create the 510hp (380kW) heavy duty Shogun that has launched in Australia.

The new hero of the Shogun range, which instantly turns Fuso into a serious heavy duty challenger, has been made possible thanks to a cherry-ripe 13-litre engine from within the Daimler Trucks family.

The same Euro 6 OM471 six-cylinder engine that powers the Shogun’s Mercedes-Benz Actros and Freightliner Cascadia 116 siblings is now available in a Japanese truck that has a genuine gross combination mass rating of 63 tonnes.

Fuso says the Shogun 510 will be at home hauling a single or double trailer set, a tough tipper and dog combination or as a rigid. It isn’t designed to head for the horizon on an interstate run, because Daimler figures there is a Mercedes-Benz or Freightliner for that.

With 510hp and 2,500Nm of torque, the Shogun 510 promises to shake up the Japanese heavy duty class by delivering world-class performance with a big torque advantage over its rivals.

“We had a lot of Japanese truck customers who were telling us they really wanted a heavy truck with a decent 500hp-plus engine,” explains Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead.

Whitehead had been hearing these appeals after returning to Australia in 2014 to oversee the Daimler Truck and Bus operation and its Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Fuso brands.

Soon after, as Fuso started putting together its plans for the new generation of for the truck known as the ‘Heavy’ in Australia and ‘Super Great’ in Japan, Australia put its hand up and asked for a 13-litre version to be considered.

“It wasn’t an easy sell,” Whitehead says.

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_066-71_FEA_Fuso Shogun_GB.indd 67

NOVEMBER 2021 67

27/10/21 1:07 pm

Above: The Shogun 510 was put through extensive trials in Australia well before it’s official release Opposite, bottom L to R: Standing out from other Shogun models, the 510 has a leather-wrap steering wheel and carbon-fibre look dashboard trim; As with existing Shogun models, the 510hp model comes with push-button start; The practical interior includes a seven-inch high-resolution touchscreen centre display

68 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_066-71_FEA_Fuso Shogun_GB.indd 68

“We thought a13-litre Shogun makes a lot of sense in Australia and New Zealand, but there wasn’t much appetite for it in other markets.”

While it doesn’t sound like a big deal to take an existing engine and drop it into the Shogun, which is already available with eight-litre and 11-litre engines, considerable investment in research and development and testing was required. There was also an argument that a 13-litre Fuso might stray into Mercedes-Benz Actros territory; a similar view that some frustrated UD Trucks’ customers looking for more horsepower may have towards the Volvo camp.

However, Daimler Australia says it argued there was room in the market for a 13-litre Shogun and the business case was approved.

“We were able to show that the business case really did stack up given the strong demand we could show in our market for this kind of truck. There is no other Japanese truck with the kind of performance and we just knew it would be popular,” Whitehead says.

The decision certainly seems to have paid off, with more than 50 Shogun 510s ordered before the truck was even launched, exceeding expectations.

Whitehead feels that the demand will only ramp up further when bums meet seats, something that certainly seems realistic when looking at the engine figures that Daimler describes as a “beautiful set of numbers”.

Meaty output The 510’s 13-litre engine is a six-cylinder that hits its maximum power output at 1,600rpm, while its maximum torque of 2,500Nm is available as low as 1,100rpm.

It has an asymmetric turbocharger and the latest generation common rail system with variable pressure boosting. That not only aids fuel efficiency, but also helps drivability. Indeed, 86 per cent of maximum torque available from just 800rpm, while 84 per cent maximum torque is still available at 1,700rpm. That’s an engineer’s way of saying it has enough meat to make a vegan faint.

There is also a powerful three-stage engine brake (411kW), that gives the driver additional control without touching the service brakes.

The gearbox on the back of the engine is a familiar Daimler 12-speed fully automated transmission (AMT).

It features a fuel-saving EcoRoll system, but not the Predictive Powertrain Control option offered by MercedesBenz or the Freightliner equivalent, which marries topographic data with GPS information to match gearchanges to the terrain for optimum fuel consumption.

Those are the kind of bells and whistles that don’t get a gig in the Shogun, which is not pitched as a ‘king of the road’ long haul cruiser.

The big iPad-style screens that are standard in Actros and optional in the Cascadia also don’t make it into the Shogun

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:08 pm

“We are now an even stronger contender in the Australian heavyduty segment.”

510, which is set at a more affordable price point than Actros.

Fuso Truck and Bus Australia director, Alex Müller, says the Shogun 510 is a different kind of truck to the Actros.

“This truck is a powerful workhorse, we don’t need those kind of features,” he says.

“We have the most advanced safety features and a best-inclass engine and transmission. This is what matters to our customers, who are all about getting the job done.”

For Müller, the Shogun 510 means Fuso has the right product to keep growing its heavy duty sales.

“It means we are now an even stronger contender in the Australian heavy-duty segment,” he says.

“The new Shogun 510 model will help us attract even more heavy-duty customers who want a practical and durable Japanese truck with a lot of power that our rivals just don’t offer.”

In order to get the Shogun 510 right, Fuso engineers undertook a comprehensive testing regime that saw a team fly to Australia in 2017 to test a one-off prototype that had been shipped across from Japan.

The truck, which was decked out in ugly black and white camo, had been tested extensively at Fuso’s Kitsuregawa testing facility, but had never been made to work in any serious heat.

But, as reported in OwnerDriver earlier this year, it was soon heading out to the Australian outback with a fully loaded trailer to test the critically important cooling system. The main concern the engineers had was to get enough air onto the radiator to keep it cool.

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_066-71_FEA_Fuso Shogun_GB.indd 69

NOVEMBER 2021 69

27/10/21 1:08 pm

“They really wanted a heavy truck with a decent 500hp-plus engine.”

Above, L to R: The new Shogun’s Euro 6 OM471 six-cylinder engine also powers the Mercedes-Benz Actros and Freightliner Cascadia 116; Through its 13-litre sixcylinder engine, the 510hp Shogun boasts a maximum torque of 2,500Nm

As a result, the standard Shogun grille was replaced with a unique 13-litre grille that features larger gaps to allow more air to pass through.

Later in the development process, a 50,000km testing program was carried out in South Africa before a final production unit was sent back to Australia and New Zealand for additional testing and validation.

Below: Intelligent Headlight Control automatically turns the high beam function on and off in response to traffic

Range upgrades

SPECS Make/model: Fuso Shogun

510 Variants: 6x4 Prime mover and 6x4 rigid Engine: 12.8-litre six-cylinder (OM471) Emission rating: Euro 6 Performance: 510hp and 2500Nm Transmission: 12-speed fully automated (AMT) GVM: 26,000kg GCM: 63,000kg Rear suspension: Air

70 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_066-71_FEA_Fuso Shogun_GB.indd 70

While the addition of the Shogun 510 is the big news, it also coincides with upgrades across the whole Shogun range that also includes trucks with 360, 400 and 460hp (268, 298 and 343kW) outputs.

The biggest single change is an upgraded advanced emergency braking system (AEBS) and an enhanced active attention assist (AAA) system that further improve Shogun’s impressive safety credentials.

Rigid Shogun models, with a wheelbase of more than 4,300mm, now come standard with active sideguard assist.

The latest version of this smart safety system uses a radar to detect a vehicle, cyclist, pedestrian or any physical obstruction on the passenger side blind spot when the truck turning left or moving into a lane to the left and issue a warning. It can now also initiate braking in addition to the warning in order to avoid or mitigate a collision or impact at speeds of up to 15km/h.

All Shogun models now benefit from the latest generation of the AEBS feature that uses camera and radar camera technology to provide enhanced pedestrian sensing capability, making it able to completely stop the truck for a moving pedestrian in the event the driver does not respond to an audible warning. This system is standard on all Shogun models, as is radar adaptive cruise control.

A lane departure warning system (LDWS), a driver airbag, electronic stability program (ESP) and hill start system (HSS)

assistance function continue as standard elements of the Shogun safety package.

Also new across the range is standard Intelligent Headlight Control, which automatically turns on and off the truck’s high beam function in response to traffic. Daytime LED running lamps, positioned below the main headlight assembly are now also standard on all new Shogun models.

The Shogun’s practical interior, which features a push button start, 7-inch (17.8cm) high-resolution touch-screen centre display with easy-to-reach controls, carry over unchanged, however the range-topping 510 model gains a premium leather-wrap steering wheel and carbon-fibre look dashboard trim to give it a bit of a lift.

Fuso says it is backing the Shogun 510 with a decent manufacturer warranty that covers the truck for five years or 500,000km, whichever comes first.

OwnerDriver will feature a comprehensive test review of the Shogun 510 in a future issue.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:09 pm

NEVER POLISH YOUR WHEELS AGAIN WITH SUPERCHROME™ ALLOY WHEELS YOUR RIG CAN LOOK GOOD ALL YEAR ROUND Cleans and shines in just 41 seconds

7 year chrome warranty on all wheels

Fit your rig with wheels that will resist gravel sandblasting and chemicals.

The hard chrome surface on Superchrome wheels reduces all wheel wear.

Call Superchrome on 02 9060 1610 or visit us at www.superchrome.com.au ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_066-71_FEA_Fuso Shogun_GB.indd 71

NOVEMBER 2021 71

27/10/21 1:09 pm

2.6 metres over the industry denigration that is the current language used to report breaches, or the soul destroying eastern state fatigue regulations. Get your priorities right!

WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie

Modern day dilemma Restoring old trucks is more rewarding than negotiating today’s enforcement-riddled highways

I

T’S BEEN an interesting and frustrating few weeks in my world.

We have disposed of our Western Star. I just got so tired of watching it degenerate in the shed, so I’m back to being the operator of just a project truck. Not even a trailer to my name.

When I analyse my mentality, I come up with being somewhat irrational and eccentric. After all, how does one describe the selling of a prime mover with in excess of one million clicks (which I bought brand new in 2008) and replacing it with a Kenworth K104 that started its working life in 2004?

I saw the project truck in a wrecker’s yard some three years ago. It wasn’t being stripped but nonetheless was in a pretty sad and unloved state. It had all the right specifications and better specifications than the K104 I supplied as the TruckRight Industry Vehicle in 2008. God only knows how many millions of kilometres it’s done. From the little I’ve been able to glean, a good many of those kms would have been in front of a B-double.

I do know it started its life in the Sunraysia area of Victoria. Anyway, now she is very shipshape, which is frustrating because my body will not play ball. I had another short stint in my favourite motel the other week. My missus had to transport me in the middle of the night to Greenslopes Hospital in Brisbane.

More bloody medicine and inconvenience to my prime contractor. But all is well again, subject to getting the sugar below insulin levels.

It has been said to me quite frequently in recent times that at my age and condition I should just go away and retire gracefully. Sorry, currently that is not an option. My dad put his life on the line in his effort to ensure a standard of freedom and honesty that he considered appropriate for our society. My efforts are not so dramatic but his lesson and generosity will not die until I die.

DEVIL IN THE DETAIL

pointed out that he is not a fan of the bureaucratic requirement to disallow trucks in the right lane of the South-East Freeway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. That requirement has worsened the 'standard' view that the public has of our essential service providers. That such a regulation was allowed to be imposed is an indicator of the mentality of modern day Australia.

We have to have toilet paper on the shelves but we create obstacles to the transport of the matter. People are whinging about not having a negative result evident on their phones when wanting to cross into Queensland but are too lazy or stupid to have a test done early enough to get the result in fair time.

An irrelevant matter raised by the staffer from the assistant transport minister’s office in a bid to impress us

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

“Australian business is flooded with bureaucratic red tape.” on his workload was the subject of 2.6 metre-wide trucks. Again, an indicator of modern day Australia and so keen to blow our own trumpets. My view is that the assistant transport minister has more important issues that the office should be concerned with.

In all my overseas ventures I’ve never seen anything that was not according to ISO dimensions. The ship unloading containers in Malaysia was pulling the same size boxes that come out of ships at Fisherman’s Island. The coaches we travelled on were the same dimensions as Australian coaches. The Volvo prime movers in Greenland were the same width as the ones I travel with in Australia.

I’ll accept an explanation as to why it is imperative that the assistant transport minister of Australia needs to prioritise

BELOW, L to R: The 2008 Western Star – gone but not forgotten; A “new” project truck to while away the hours: a 2004 Kenworth K104

RED TAPE I want to know why – if indeed they are – discussions are taking place regarding a review of road transport regulations behind closed doors. I hate dishonesty of any description. I hate secrecy because dishonest outcomes are and can only be achieved under a veil of secrecy, be that illicit drug dealing or self-centred industry operatives feathering their personal nests with favourable-tothem regulations.

There is a failure to progress the deals that saw the instigation of the ambitious and vitally important principle of one nation, one regulation. The cost of conducting business in Australia is too high. The evidence is the fact that our engineered requirements are virtually 100 per cent sourced from across the water. Australian business is flooded with bureaucratic red tape.

Road transport belatedly has been recognised as an essential service to society. The correlation is that unwarranted charges and cost imposts against this industry increase that international non-competitiveness. Again, I’ll borrow a term I first came across in the report to NatRoad in February 2009: “According to industry sources, drivers who cross borders experience considerable ‘compliance stress’ with attendant health risks. Although this stress is non-quantifiable [my emphasis] and has no direct economic impact.”

(Again my emphasis because I dispute the lack of direct economic threat – the failure of the industry to attract drivers is a major economic impost.)

It saddens me immensely that the nation that gave the world the Anzacs has now stooped to such a low standard that it condones the blatant dishonesty that the recent Moree blitz represents.

It condones the behind-the-door manipulation to restrict warranted criticism of a bureaucracy that has not lived up to its charter. I’m not suggesting the charter is easily fulfilled because again, the obstacle is the massive and rampant level of self interest that stands in the way.

I had a meeting with my local federal politician recently. You can take it that the subject matter was industry issues.

The point was made that the industry has not gotten behind moves to get a better deal for the industry, such as truth in breach reporting.

Why won’t the associations support a move to have enforcement be explicit in its descriptions of breaches? My member advised that his office receives numerous complaints regarding the driving behaviour of truckies. He also

72 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_072_COL_Ken Wilkie_GB.indd 72

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 1:03 pm

TWU Michael Kaine

Drivers’ daily dangers Despite praise for truck drivers during the pandemic, many are struggling to make ends meet

I

F YOU were to roll up to any depot or truck stop and ask a driver what they thought about the challenges faced by the industry, you’d get some colourful responses. And they’d be justified.

Drivers, including owner-drivers and small fleets operators, are under immense pressure, forced to meet strict and unrealistic deadlines particularly over the last 20 pandemic months.

There are significant cost pressures, the ever-present danger and impact of road trauma, and plummeting standards because of the deadly squeeze from retailers, manufacturers and oil companies at the top of supply chains.

Add to this the fact that there is a very good reason that trucking is widely known as Australia’s deadliest industry. On average, one driver is killed on the job every 10 days, and drivers are 13 times more likely to be killed while working than those in any other industry.

Some dismiss these experiences as an occupational hazard; as something drivers just have to deal with every so often as they do their important work.

However, these issues aren’t isolated, but systemic, and it follows that if the system can be changed, then some, if not most of this carnage can be prevented.

A recent Transport Workers Union (TWU) survey of over 1,100 drivers nationwide helps put these everyday experiences into perspective, and the results are terrifying.

Almost half of all drivers reported they knew a workmate killed on the job, and one in two had had wages stolen. A third of drivers had been involved in serious crashes and the same proportion reported significant injuries and chronic pain as a result of their work.

For owner-drivers, mounting financial pressures made their job even more dangerous. Three in four had completed runs that resulted in no profit/below cost recovery and more than half had delayed maintenance on their trucks they simply couldn’t afford.

Nearly two thirds were worried about their financial security to the point they considered selling their truck to meet financial and family commitments.

When asked whether they thought industry safety would improve by addressing supply chain and pay pressures, 93 per cent of drivers said “yes”.

SHAM CONTRACTING The link between fair pay and safety in road transport is well known. Countless studies have shown that undermining safe rates of pay only leads to more carnage and devastation on our roads.

That’s why the rise of insecure work filtering throughout the industry is so

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_073_COL_TWU_GB.indd 73

concerning, particularly in the form of sham contracting and on-demand arrangements which undermine employee driver conditions and make it ever harder for contracts between transport companies and owner-drivers to ensure decent cost recovery arrangements (let alone incorporating a reasonable profit margin).

It’s easy to write gig work off as something new that has no bearing on road freight; to think it’s only disrupting rideshare drivers and food delivery in major cities, and not logistics.

However, both at home and overseas, we are always seeing the deadly consequences of the gig threat posed by services like Uber Freight and Amazon Flex. These gig companies operate outside our industrial relations system, paying drivers well below the minimum wage and in turn forcing them to work dangerously long hours to stay afloat.

SUPPLY CHAIN PRESSURE Reputable transport companies have started cannibalising their own operations to cut costs and remain competitive, turning their sights on their own workforces and

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

contracted owner-drivers to avoid losing out on lucrative deals with companies at the top of supply chains.

It’s a cascading, insecure work crisis that is further smashing pay, contracting and safety conditions.

If we don’t turn the tide soon, the convergence of these new gig competitors with the supply chain pressure drivers and small fleet operators know all too well will see industry standards plummet to new lows.

If this system of exploitation becomes the norm, the ability for drivers to negotiate their own terms and conditions would be gone, replaced instead with an algorithm ramping up the pressure on drivers and punishing them when they don’t meet unrealistic delivery timeframes.

This compounding pressure would only make our industry more dangerous. While this threat is existential, it’s not insurmountable.

Around the world, jurisdictions are racing to regulate the gig economy, ending sham contracting arrangements that allow wealthy Silicon Valley executives to crush decent local transport operations and live the high life off the system of exploitation they leave in its place.

But in Australia, we’ve not even made it to the starting blocks. Despite the many social media posts and all the bluster about the important work drivers do every day particularly during the pandemic, the federal government is refusing to act.

There’s a workable blueprint currently gathering dust on the Prime Minister’s desk, where it’s been sitting untouched for over two months now.

A recent landmark Senate report into the long-term sustainability of road transport recommended the federal government establish an independent body to create and enforce minimum standards in road transport.

Regulation of this kind would strike right at the heart of the economic, social and contracting factors that put so much pressure on owner-drivers and would tackle gig economy exploitation undercutting the industry.

To succeed where other measures have fallen short, this body would need to be genuinely industry-led, bringing employee and owner-drivers together with unions, transport companies and peak bodies to reach genuine consensus.

It would finally stop the catastrophic race to the bottom that is seeing insecure work flourish dead in its tracks.

With so many lives and livelihoods in the industry at-risk, these important reforms are far too important to be ignored.

Our country’s sheer geographic size means road freight will always play an important role in our economy. But that doesn’t mean we can afford to be complacent or blind the risk that insecure gig work poses to good, secure transport jobs and contracts.

Ending the tidal wave of insecure work takes more than words. Action is what drivers need.

The Prime Minister needs to seize the moment to give critical transport workers the support they need in this fight or risk jettisoning forever our shared ambitions for a sustainable, safe industry. Unfortunately, he’s so far shown he’s asleep at the wheel.

To join the fight for a safer, more secure transport industry, send Scott Morrison a message about why it’s important for the federal government to implement the Senate recommendations. Go to: twu.good.do/ protectsecuretransportjobs/

NOVEMBER 2021 73

27/10/21 1:02 pm

As well as being involved in road transport media for the past 22 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

Best of the best Re-releases, re-recordings and new summery sounds MY MORNING JACKET My Morning Jacket

ALL FOR ONE (30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) The Screaming Jets

SOMETHING LIKE THIS BUT NOT THIS Moaning Lisa

ATO Records www.mymorningjacket.com

Dinner For Wolves www.screamingjetsofficial.com.au

Farmer & The Owl/BMG www.moaninglisa.band

Despite debuting in 1999 with The Tennessee Fire, US band My Morning Jacket has opted for the “selftitled” moniker for their ninth studio album. Possessing a sound difficult to pigeonhole, the quintet’s Louisville, Kentucky origins lend itself to a variety of genres while pushing its arty barrow. My Morning Jacket takes a subtle swipe at today’s obsession with social media on the album’s opener ‘Regularly Scheduled Programming’, a track that has an incessant pounding bass rhythm.

There’s simplistic karma messages on ‘Love Love Love’. Lead singer Jim James sounds cheerful enough on ‘Lucky To Be Alive’, despite stating “ain’t nobody buying records no more” (an obvious poke at music streaming services), and there’s a slow country-rock tone to ‘Never In The Real World’, a track that features strong solo guitar licks.

Aussie rockers The Screaming Jets released their debut album All For One back in 1991 to widespread acclaim. Rather than re-release this 30 Year Anniversary Edition with bonus tracks (or discs), the current line-up has re-recorded the album in its entirety following the original track sequence. They’ve stuck mostly to the script. There’s a slightly heavier tone to hit single ‘Better’, while Dave Gleeson’s vocals have gained an earthier edge after years of performing. The slower, bluesy ‘Shine On’ is another to benefit from today’s recording technology, gaining an extra 30 seconds along the way. The already forthright ‘FRC’ has more impact, and the guitar licks on ‘Stop The World’ are as good as, if not better than, the original. Loyal fans may view this re-release as heresy, but there’s no doubting the energy and production quality.

The opening guitar licks of ‘Cold Water’, the first track from Moaning Lisa’s debut album Something Like This But Not This, is an indication of what’s to come from this Melbourne-based band. With drummer Hayden Fritzlaff the only male behind an all-female guitar line-up of lead singer-guitarist Charlie Versegi, bass player Hayley Manwaring and lead guitarist Ellen Chan, Moaning Lisa presents a unique rock sound. The band leaves nothing in the tank on ‘Something’, which switches from frenzied vocals and guitars while occasional recalling a B52s’ style bass line. Versegi delivers a forthright vocal performance on ‘Inadequacy’, a track that started life as an angsty folk song. ‘Enough’ ventures into pop-rock territory as Versegi sends the message of “I am no-one’s mother” and there’s a rare ambient detour on ‘Don’t Dream’.

TATTOO YOU (40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) The Rolling Stones

BLESSINGS AND MIRACLES Santana

TALES FROM THE SCRIPT: GREATEST HITS The Script

Universal Music www.rollingstones.com

BMG Rights Management www.santana.com

Sony Music www.thescriptmusic.com

Re-releases, boxed sets and greatest hits collections abound as we approach the festive season, hence the release of the 40th Anniversary Edition of The Rolling Stones’ 1981 Tattoo You. Considered one of the ’Stones last great albums, the 4CD comprises the original release, a rarities disc titled Lost & Found, plus two CDs of concert performances under the banner of Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982. While Tattoo You is a reminder of classic ’Stones tracks ‘Start Me Up’, ‘Slave’ and ‘Waiting On A Friend’, Lost & Found is treasure chest of previously unreleased gems, including the rocker ‘Living In The Heart Of Love’, a cool cover of the Chi-Lites’ ‘Trouble’s A Comin’, and a fresh take on Dobie Gray’s ‘Drift Away’. The two live discs boasts plenty of familiar tracks, including ‘Honky Tonk Women’ and ‘Brown Sugar’, and captivating covers of ‘Chantilly Lace’, ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ and ‘Just My Imagination’.

US band Santana first attracted attention with its 1969 debut album and an appearance at Woodstock in the same year. Now, the legendary rock outfit, led by guitarist Carlos Santana, has notched up studio album number 26 with Blessings And Miracles. Guest artists include the return of Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas who teams up with fellow rock band American Authors for the catchy ‘Move’. Veteran vocalist Steve Winwood makes a rare appearance for a Latin-rock remake of the Procol Harum classic ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’. The late jazz keyboardist Chick Corea, who passed away in early 2021, makes one of his last appearances on the instrumental ‘Angel Choir/All Together’, and rapper G-Eazy adds subtle touches to the Diane Warren-penned ‘She’s Fire’.

Ally Brooke, formerly of Fifth Harmony, performs another Warren composition, the slow, atmospheric track ‘Break’, topping off a classy album.

Irish rock band The Script has notched up an impressive resume since releasing their self-titled debut album in 2008.

All six studio albums have hit the number one spot in Ireland, with UK recognition following close behind. The Script also has a big following in Australia, and is scheduled to tour here in September 2022.

So the release of Tales From The Script: Greatest Hits is a timely move ahead of the tour (as well as a Christmas stocking filler). Naturally, all the big hits are here. ‘We Cry’ and ‘Breakeven’, both from The Script’s first album, were a radio programmer’s dream when first released, as was ‘For The First Time’, from 2010’s Science & Faith. There are 16 tracks of hits, including other chart toppers such as ‘Hall Of Fame’ (featuring Will.I.Am) and ‘Superheroes’, plus two additions – the acoustic ‘Never Seen Anything Quite Like You’ and a brand new song, ‘I Want It All’.

74 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_074_COL_Music_GB.indd 74

Country Corner REVIVED REMIXED REVISITED Reba McEntire MCA Nashville/Universal www.reba.com

US country superstar Reba McEntire (known simply as Reba) has previously released “greatest hits” albums, but nothing like this new boxed set Revived Remixed Revisited.

Rather than the usual, this collection has three distinct discs, as the title suggests.

The Revived disc features 10 tracks McEntire re-recorded with her touring band; Remixed turns 10 of her previous tracks into upbeat versions, thanks to the input of a variety of producers; and Revisited features stripped back versions of her hits. One of the highlights of Revisited is the pairing of McEntire with Dolly Parton for the duet ballad ‘Does He Love You’.

Interestingly, ‘Fancy’ appears on all three discs, with the Dave Audé Remix version certain to have her fans on the dance floor.

TIME, TEQUILA & THERAPY Old Dominion Sony Music

Multi awardwinning US country-rock band Old Dominion has released its fourth studio album Time, Tequila & Therapy, sticking to the tried and true formula of writing clever lyrics with catchy melodies. It’s cruise control on ‘Walk On Whiskey’, a track about an alcohol-fuelled relationship, and they head to Jimmy Buffett territory on the swinging ‘I Was On A Boat That Day’. Old Dominion laments the inability to understand women on ‘All I Know About Girls’, another relaxing track, and reminisce about island life and cocktails on ‘Hawaii’. Soul music legend Gladys Knight makes a surprise vocal appearance on ‘Lonely Side Of Town’, qualifying it as one of the album’s best tracks. One of the most laid-back country albums of the year.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:59 pm

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY AWARDS TICKETS NOW ON SALE

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY.COM.AU P R O U D LY P R E S E N T E D B Y MHD Supply Chain Solutions

P L AT I N U M SPONSOR

Untitled-39 75

AW A R D S SPONSORS

26/10/21 9:40 am

industry focus

MAN PAVES THE WAY

A quad axle float hooked up to an MAN TGX 26.640 PerformanceLine prime mover is proving to be the ideal combination for Newpave Asphalt

76 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_076-77_Industry focus_Penske_APPROVED_GB.indd 76

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:34 pm

“OUR DRIVERS OFTEN HAVE TO MANOEUVRE THROUGH VERY TIGHT SPACES IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS.”

B

ehind every successful business is a sound philosophy – one that drives every aspect of its operations. According to Newpave Asphalt that philosophy is simple: utilise quality equipment, people and products to achieve quality results.

Newpave is an independent, locally-owned and -operated asphalt company based in the Hunter Valley, with a broader presence across New South Wales and Queensland. Founded in 2013, Newpave regularly partners with contractor companies to complete large-scale projects, specialising in asphalt manufacturing, construction, crack sealing, testing, haulage, traffic management, profiling, stabilisation, spray seal and line marking.

Top-of-the-line equipment is a core element of Newpave’s offering, and the first choice for truck fleet is MAN Truck & Bus. Newpave’s current fleet includes four MAN TGS 26.540 trucks, which the company uses for conducting spray seals and carrying the spray seal equipment to job sites.

The star of the fleet, however, is the highly exclusive MAN TGX 26.640 PerformanceLine prime mover purchased from its long-term truck dealer, North Star Motors, which is fitted with a quad-axle float to tow and relocate its impressive fleet of paving equipment.

This year, Newpave has ordered three new MAN prime movers from North Star Motors in Newcastle.

Dealer relationship Dave Tonks, Newpave’s logistics manager, says the long-standing relationship with North Star Motors and the comprehensive service and warranty package offered by the dealership gave

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_076-77_Industry focus_Penske_APPROVED_GB.indd 77

Newpave the confidence it needed to make the purchase decision.

“We’ve been working with North Star Motors for many years, and they are just 10 minutes away from our yard in Tomago. Their people are great to deal with and they provide us with exceptional service.

“The five-year warranty and service package included in the purchase means that we can know exactly how much we will be spending on truck repairs in the next five years. The service pricing with North Star Motors is really reasonable, which was a key factor in us choosing to go with MAN again,” Dave says.

In his role, Dave is responsible for truck allocations and operating the spray seal trucks in the asphalt plant. He says the comfort of driving cab-over trucks in congested residential areas is another factor that makes the MAN TGS range ideal for Newpave’s spray seal operations.

“Our drivers often have to manoeuvre through very tight spaces in residential areas so the cab-over design is ideal for us. Also, the comfort level of these trucks is something our drivers appreciate,” he says.

With the federal government investing $110 billion on developing road transport infrastructure over the next decade, the road for Newpave’s growth appears smooth. As Dave observes, the company foresees expansion in the coming years.

“We’ve been pretty busy during 2020. The COVID-19 had almost no impact on our business. And with the three new MAN prime movers joining our fleet soon, we expect to be expanding our operations across the country. As we grow, it’s good to have a reliable business partner like MAN by our side,” he concludes.

Top: Newpave Asphalt director Gerard Digges (left) with driver Luke Simpson and the new MAN TGX 26.640 PerformanceLine Above: Float operator Dave West appreciates the new MAN’s in-cab comfort Opposite below: As well as the TGX26.640 PerformanceLine (right), Newpave Asphalt also has several TGS 26.540 trucks in its fleet

NOVEMBER 2021 77

27/10/21 12:34 pm

new models

STAR BURST

Defiantly low sales have not dampened Western Star’s desire to reinvigorate the brand’s fortunes in our part of the world. In fact, following the US launch a year ago of the new 49X model and the recently released 47X, a new breed of Stars is being set to hit our shores at the end of 2022. Locally, Penske’s people are keeping finer details close to the chest but here’s a report sure to shed some light, as Steve Brooks reveals

F

UNNY HOW small, seemingly off-the-cuff statements can also be the precursor, the first hint, that something substantial is brewing in the background.

Take, for instance, a press conference at the Sydney Opera House near the end of 2019, marking the formal introduction on the Australian market of Freightliner’s much-anticipated Cascadia. This was obviously a big deal for Freightliner’s future and corporate heavyweights from Europe and the US had flown in for the occasion, led by the biggest bopper of them all, Daimler Trucks’ chairman of the board, Martin Daum.

Initially, it seemed neither the place nor the event to expect anything other than a firmly fixed focus on Freightliner, its domination of the North American truck market and Daimler Trucks North America’s (DTNA) high expectations for Cascadia in Australia.

Still, with time running short and questions becoming more random, it seemed opportune to ask if Herr Daum had any regrets that Western Star in Australia operates as part of automotive mogul Roger Penske’s empire rather than as a direct offshoot of DTNA, thus sold and serviced through the same Daimler Trucks Australia network as Freightliner, Fuso and Mercedes-Benz.

There were good grounds for the question, not least the fact

78 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 78

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:28 pm

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 79

NOVEMBER 2021 79

27/10/21 12:29 pm

about future product, an adamant Daum said Western Star remains an important vocational product for DTNA with “huge potential”.

Yet, perhaps the greatest insight came after a somewhat benign question asking if and when a Cascadia eightwheeler might be developed for the Australian market.

“Maybe Western Star will be first,” a smiling Daum concluded.

In hindsight, these few short comments were the first indications that not only was Daimler Trucks fully committed and probably well advanced with a major product renewal of Western Star, but DTNA remained intent on investing in right-hand drive models to supply and enhance Roger Penske’s interests in Australia and New Zealand.

It took a while for the realisation to sink in, but Daum was discreetly defining the ‘X’ factor in Western Star’s future.

Sliding scale

Above: Roger Penske on a visit to Australia about five years ago.

“It’s the big fleets we haven’t been able to conquer,” he said bluntly Below: Western Star 47X in typical US vocational roles. The potential, however, goes way beyond rigid work Opposite: Twin-steer models will be part of both 47X and 49X model line-ups; Daimler Trucks global chief, Martin Daum, insists there’s “huge potential” for Western Star

80 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 80

that Western Star sales have progressively plummeted since Penske took control in 2013. Without putting too fine a point on it, the brand’s fall from favour in our part of the world has been steep and spectacular.

Moreover, and as much as the two groups may deny it, there’s an uneasy existence between Daimler and Penske interests in the Australian market, despite the fact that Freightliner and Western Star, and Detroit Diesel, derive from the same corporate family.

As we subsequently reported, Daum’s response was brief and non-committal, yet ultimately revealing. For starters, Roger Penske companies operate close to a quarter million commercial vehicles in North America and sit among the top in DTNA’s customer ranks, so it was immediately apparent that upsetting the Penske portfolio was not on Daum’s agenda. Not that day, not any day!

“There are no regrets,” he replied sharply before adding, “But we need to refresh the product.”

Indeed, without giving any timing details or specific plans

Back in 2012, times were good for Western Star in Australia.

Very good!

With just a handful of conventional models and despite no cab-over in the mix, Western Star finished the year with a resoundingly successful 1,000 deliveries, third on the heavyduty ladder with 8.8 per cent of the market, beaten only by Kenworth and Volvo.

Then, early in the second half of 2013, Penske Automotive Group acquired Western Star in its purchase of Transpacific’s Commercial Vehicle Group, and while the brand didn’t crack the 1,000-sales mark that year, it certainly wasn’t disgraced with 8.5 per cent of the heavy-duty class on the delivery of 950 trucks. Again, only Kenworth and Volvo stood on higher rungs of the ladder, albeit much higher rungs.

From that year on though, the good times became an increasingly distant memory as each year’s results were worse than the last, to the point that in 2019 and 2020, Western Star could manage only a meagre 2.1 per cent of the heavy-duty category. The only brands languishing lower on the ladder were Penske’s waste truck specialist Dennis Eagle, a redundant International and an ineffectual Hyundai.

Right now, 2021 is looking fractionally better but it remains a distant cry from the days when overt optimism and unbridled excitement greeted the announcement that Roger Penske, arguably the world’s greatest automotive entrepreneur, was paying a reported $219 million to be part

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:29 pm

“The X-series has been under development for more than six years.”

of the Australian commercial vehicle and diesel engine markets. This was, after all, the same man who, in 1988, had the foresight to recognise the potential of the revolutionary Series 60 engine and take control of Detroit Diesel from General Motors. Then, in 2000, after making a motza out of the engine business, sold control of the company to Daimler for around $700 million.

So, given his Midas-like ability to back winners, why has Australia delivered such difficult and seemingly disappointing results for Western Star under the Penske banner?

An answer obviously depends on who you ask. Some say Penske’s business model puts an overly ambitious price premium on an aging and limited line-up. Others say DTNA has been way too slow in developing new models for a technologically advanced world, while others suggest exchange rates have been the biggest factor in keeping prices high on a tiring model range. More conciliatory observers might say it’s a combination of all these factors.

During an exclusive interview in mid-2016, even Roger Penske conceded there were a number of contributing factors when asked about Western Star’s increasingly poor sales performance.

“We’re limited to certain models and it’s really the big fleets we haven’t been able to conquer,” he told me.

“Quite honestly, the pricing in the marketplace has been fierce and, obviously, we’re in the business to make a return.”

Yet, despite tough market conditions, it was nonetheless a typically upbeat Penske

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 81

who saw only bright prospects for the Australian operation.

“We feel good about where we’re going and I know we have a stronger base today than we had before,” he said.

“We’re committed and I know Daimler is committed to the product long-term.”

Maybe the term for new product has been much longer than expected but for national sales manager of Penske Western Star, Dale Christensen, Star has always been a better truck than sales figures of the past five years or so suggest.

“The biggest factor,” he said recently when asked why sales volumes have remained stubbornly low, “has been the dollar [exchange rate] putting increased pricing pressure on the truck [and], therefore, we haven’t been able to win much fleet business. That, I believe, is the chief reason we’re not at the market share we need to be at.”

NOVEMBER 2021 81

27/10/21 12:30 pm

with cost synergies not achievable to the same extent in the current line-up. Just how far the cost containment will stretch remains to be seen but as always, competitive market forces will soon enough decide if they stretch far enough.

The ‘X’ factor

There are, however, other factors.

“Our aging product and the shift away from conventional trucks in the Australian market have all contributed to a lower volume of sales,” he asserted.

Yet, despite past and present challenges, it is an entirely confident Christensen who insists the future will deliver far stronger results.

“This is what is so exciting for Western Star moving forward to the new X-series of vehicles,” he said in a recent phone interview, emphasising that DTNA’s support for the Australian market and desire to introduce the new trucks here has been unwavering.

Moreover, it’s a buoyant Christensen who states the X-series has been under development for more than six years and Australia has been an integral part of the process from the outset.

“We will have an all-new product that will allow us to sell into new and existing markets, coupled with the latest safety options and improved cost of ownership [and] with these benefits, we are expecting to grow our volumes significantly,” he declared.

With the intended launch late next year of at least two (and maybe more) X-series models, it is not an unrealistic expectation.

What’s more, with the new models sporting a powertrain and safety features derived from Daimler’s extensive in-house armoury, it seems inevitable the X-series will come

82 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 82

First of Western Star’s X-series platform to make an appearance was the 49X, launched in the US in September last year. In our neck of the woods, the current 4900 has long been a cornerstone of the Western Star stable and, with the announcement of its replacement in the US, Penske’s local leadership didn’t waste any time outlining plans for the new model’s introduction.

In fact, just the day after the US release of the 49X, a Penske press release announced: “Penske has worked closely with DTNA over several years throughout the development process of the new trucks and will continue to do so in the lead up to the launch in our local markets.”

Furthermore, Randall Seymore, president of Penske Australia & New Zealand, left no doubt that the new truck was headed our way, in the process countering innuendo in some circles that Western Star’s ongoing poor sales are detrimental to the brand’s long-term viability on the Australian and New Zealand markets.

“Our launch plans for the new trucks will be revealed in due course,” Seymore said.

“However, we expect to see the trucks enter our local markets in late 2022 or early 2023.”

As things stand at the moment, Australia will see the new models in late ’22 and New Zealand soon after in early ’23.

There’s no question, the X-series is an entirely new cleansheet design for Western Star and, while the 49X was first to hit the North American market, it certainly won’t be alone when it eventually arrives Down Under. Alongside it will be the newly launched 47X, superseding the current 4700 model.

At this stage, Western Star insiders both here and in the US are giving no clues about the possibility or timing of X-series replacements for other models in the Australian range, namely the 4800, 5800 and 6900. An evasive Christensen said simply: “We’ll just have to wait and see what comes.”

Whatever, the 49X and 47X appear the ideal foundations for a revitalised Western Star push in the Australian and

Above, and opposite top: High and low roof versions of the 49X in typical North American roles.

Australian configurations are still being determined Left: Clever! Part of the 47X design includes a ‘flex panel’ on the dash for PTO control, tipper switches and the like Opposite below: DTNA’s vicepresident of vocational market development, Samantha Parlier.

Access to “Daimler’s global toolbox” was a major benefit in X-series development Bottom: New Western Stars are easily identifiable from the current crop but maintain the brand’s rugged image

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:31 pm

“X-series designers appear to have done a great job of maintaining Western Star’s rugged image.”

New Zealand markets, each offering the Daimler drivetrain and safety features that have become integral in the latest Freightliner, Fuso and Mercedes-Benz models but, to date, have been unavailable in Western Star.

Again, exact details are being closely guarded but the latest versions of Detroit DD13, DD15 and DD16 engines, Daimler’s supersmooth DT12 automated transmission and the Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems will be prominent. Wisely though, Cummins engines, Eaton manual and Allison automatic transmission options will continue to be available, though it’s almost inevitable these will be carefully tailored to various applications across the two models.

As Christensen explained: “We are working with DTNA on the final components and testing for both the 49X and 47X, but we are expecting the 49X will have a GCM [gross combination mass] that can be greater than 200 tonnes.”

As for the 47X, he says it will have a minimum GCM of 45 tonnes, with a maximum of 70 tonnes, “… but we are working with DTNA to ensure this is a lot higher.”

From the outside looking in, the 47X is arguably the model with the greatest potential for boosting Western Star’s sales figures in our neck of the woods, due to its greatly enhanced versatility for a wider range of applications, from linehaul to local distribution and vocational work such as concrete agitators.

Critically, we understand eight-wheelers in both 47X and 49X models will be part of the Australian line-up from the outset.

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 83

Daimler’s toolbox In styling terms, X-series designers appear to have done a great job of maintaining Western Star’s rugged image while making the new models easily identifiable with a notably wider cab and hood, and curved single-piece windscreen.

For North America, the 47X comes in set-back and set-forward front axle layouts, and offers two sleeper options – a 36-inch (91cm) low-roof and 48-inch (122cm) mid-roof. Again, it’s still to be determined what packages will be available for our market.

In an early morning Zoom meeting with Western Star in the US soon after the North American launch of the 47X, DTNA’s vice-president of vocational market development, Samantha Parlier, was quick to cite the ability “… to reach into Daimler’s global toolbox for components,” as a major benefit in X-series development.

She was, however, equally quick to point out that while the 47X shares many fundamental design features with the 49X, especially in the cab and hood, it also has its own distinct qualities for vocational roles.

The wraparound dash design, for instance, has an innovative ‘flex panel’ for the fitment of power take-off and hydraulic controls, effectively freeing up the space next to the driver’s seat where these controls would be normally housed.

On the top of the dash there’s also a convenient port for electrical connection to dash-mounted ancillary data and information screens.

Tare weight reduction is a particularly high priority in the X-series program and, in the case of the 47X, Parlier cites a new 9.5mm single channel

chassis rail, the new steel-reinforced aluminium cab, and a standard bumper to back-of-cab dimension of 2,835mm as valuable contributors to worthwhile weight savings.

There are, however, even more significant tare weight gains to be had. For example, while standard power in the 47X comes from the 12.8- litre Detroit DD13 Gen 5 engine with up to 525hp (391kW) and 1,850lb-ft (2,508Nm) of torque, the US version also offers Cummins 8.9-litre L9 and 12-litre X12 engines “for weight-sensitive applications”.

For Australia, the Cummins L9 is wellestablished in concrete agitator roles and is almost certain to be available in the right-hand drive 47X. Not nearly as certain is the X12. Indeed, questions about whether the livewire X12 engine will be offered in Australia drew a decidedly cautious response from Western Star insiders both here and in the US.

NOVEMBER 2021 83

27/10/21 12:31 pm

“Western Star’s new X-series models are undoubtedly an overdue and potentially potent return to better days.”

Penske’s Randall Seymore returns to the US Roger Penske’s right-hand man in Australia, Randall Seymore, is returning to a senior Penske role in the US but will continue to oversee operations in Australia and New Zealand.

According to a senior Penske Australia spokesperson: “After eight years in Australia establishing the Penske Australia & New Zealand business, Randall Seymore is transitioning back to Penske Automotive Group [PAG], which wholly owns Penske Australia & New Zealand.

“In his new role as executive vice president, global operations for commercial vehicles and power systems at PAG, Randall will continue to oversee Penske Australia & New Zealand.

“Hamish Christie-Johnston will continue his role as managing director of Penske Australia & New Zealand, based in Penske’s Melbourne office.”

84 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_078-84_FEA_Western Star_GB.indd 84

With up to 500hp (373kW) and around 1,700ft-lb (2,305Nm) of torque, the highly responsive X12 doesn’t have quite the grunt of the DD13 but nor does it have the weight, scaling in almost 300kg lighter (dry weight) than the 12.8-litre Detroit.

What’s more, tests of the 12-litre Cummins in Australian applications over the past few years have shown impressive results, not least in a Western Star B-double combination on linehaul shuttle runs and notably, a lightweight 4700 prime mover.

According to several sources, the X12-powered 4700 test truck revealed exceptional potential for a multitude of short-haul and regional workloads, and as one executive wit remarked: “It’d be a no-brainer for giving Star a jump on Kenworth and Mack, and probably Freightliner too.”

Despite our enquiries and the strong test results, Western Star insiders won’t publicly state why the X12 was never offered here in the 4700. For the record, neither would Kenworth say why the X12 wasn’t made available in the T410 despite strong dealer and customer demand. The answer, however, could probably be found in the X12’s potential to infringe on DD13 uptake and, likewise, on uptake of the Paccar MX-13 engine in Kenworth’s T410.

Yet, it’s the upcoming availability of the DD13 in the 47X that has Penske’s people particularly pumped. As Christensen commented: “We’ve never had a market competitive 13-litre in that lighter, smaller model [and] we’re extremely excited about that.”

The DD13 also brings other major benefits to the 47X, as DTNA’s press release points out.

“Standard for any 47X equipped with the DD13 Gen 5, the Detroit Assurance suite of active safety systems brings industry-leading safety solutions to the vocational segment, including active brake assist, side guard assist, adaptive cruise control and more.” The ‘more’ includes disc brakes.

Still, the X12 certainly isn’t out of contention for Australia.

“We are currently looking at all options,” said Christensen, “and will firm up our offering across the new Western Star series next year.

“We’re excited with what both our engine partners, Detroit and Cummins, have in the pipeline for the new series [and] we will continue to look at all alternative drivelines,” he concluded.

When it’s all boiled down, though, the corporate and commercial preference will be obviously for the in-house family supplier rather than the outsider, even one as well regarded as Cummins.

Whatever the final mix of standard and optional powertrains for the Australian market, Western Star’s new X-series models are undoubtedly an overdue and potentially potent return to better days for a brand that, despite dismal sales over the past four or five years particularly, retains a strong undercurrent of respect among owners and drivers.

Sure, given the extraordinary competitiveness of the Australian market, climbing back to prominence on the heavy-duty ladder will be no easy haul but, with the right products in its ranks, Western Star is one brand with at least the reputation to give it a fair crack.

Bring it on!

Top: Test truck. Current Western Star 4700 model powered by a Cummins X12. Reports were highly positive but no sign yet if Australia will follow the US and offer the X12 in the new 47X

Randall Seymore

Above: A photo from 2014, showing one of the first Western Star 4700 models to go to work in Australia. With the inclusion of a Detroit DD13 under the snout, the 47X will be far more versatile

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:32 pm

tech briefs

Real-time telematics for Hino 700 series HINO AUSTRALIA has launched HinoConnect, which it says will deliver its 700 Series customers the next generation of business telematics with real-time performance data tracking, remote diagnosis of vehicle faults 24/7 and dedicated Hino-Connect specialist support.

Available as standard fitment on the all-new Hino 700 Series, Hino-Connect is an Australian-built and designed system that communicates directly with the driver via the truck’s multimedia unit, and delivers comprehensive levels of data to business managers through an online portal and app.

“More than just a mapping or tracking tool, Hino-Connect delivers 700 Series customers real-time insights into the operation of their fleets,” says Gus Belanszky, GM-service and customer support for Hino Australia.

“In an Australian-first, Hino-Connect will allow direct communications with drivers through the intelligent multimedia unit.

“This is the next iteration of the intelligent multimedia unit that is standard on all Hino trucks, while HinoConnect is currently only available on all-new 700 Series, this is an exciting indication of what the future holds for Hino customers.”

Using real-time data and insights, Hino-Connect will automatically analyse the cause and effect of driver performance, safety and vehicle utilisation using simple dashboards in the portal.

Hino-Connect also gathers live vehicle performance data to provide full operational visibility to business managers including brake count, gear change numbers and even the amount of times a vehicle is operating within its optimum RPM band.

Hino-Connect uses driver score reporting to monitor key indicators like harsh braking or acceleration, over revving or speeding to identify poor performance, which can then be addressed through coaching to enhance driving techniques.

“Business managers can also track

current fuel usage of individual trucks, and use the forecasting tool to estimate future fuel costs,” Belanszky says.

Live GPS tracking and detailed trip reports allow fleets to update their customers with accurate delivery times while also identifying inefficient routes.

For increased fleet security, there are useful tools such as ‘movement without ignition’ alerts while geo-fencing ensures operators will be notified if a vehicle leaves a designated area.

Automated email notifications provide full visibility of the active safety system with pre-collision system alerts to provide another level of fleet safety.

Hino-Connect also proactively monitors maintenance reminders so customers can schedule ahead and minimise downtime.

In the unlikely event of a severe vehicle fault, an alert and remedy is delivered straight to the driver through

“In an Australian-first, Hino-Connect will allow direct communications with drivers through the intelligent multimedia unit.” the multimedia unit, and to the customer and Hino-Connect specialist via email.

A unique feature of Hino-Connect is the case management and the support provided by Hino-Connect specialists, who liaise between the customer, driver and dealer to track and oversee the progress of the repair or maintenance to get the truck back on the road quickly.

“The dedicated support provided by our Hino-Connect specialists extends our Hino Advantage commitment to our customers and further enhances our in-house customer support centre,” Belanszky says.

Like all Hino products, the 700 Series is supported by Hino Advantage, a suite of business solutions that are designed to reduce costs over the life of the vehicle.

Hino Advantage includes Hino

SmartSafe, capped price servicing, Hino Genuine Parts, 24/7 Hino roadside assist, and finance options.

The all-new 700 Series models come with a three year or 500,000km standard warranty (whichever comes first), and the option of extending the warranty to five years.

Customers who buy a 2021 all-new Hino 700 Series will receive five years of complimentary remote diagnostics and Hino-Connect specialist support, including vehicle engine control monitoring, severe fault alerts and case management of fault rectification.

In addition, they will also receive 12 months of complimentary business intelligence access, which will provide in-depth operational management of their fleet including live tracking and trip analysis, fuel consumption

and forecasting; vehicle performance monitoring, and maintenance support.

“For customers with multi-brand fleets, Hino-Connect will seamlessly integrate through an API [application programming interface] data integration feed, providing customers with full visibility of their entire fleet,” Belanszky says.

After 12 months, customers can choose to extend the business intelligence access and API integration for up to an additional 48 months.

Following the success of the current multimedia unit which is standard across the range, Hino has once again partnered with Melbourne-based Directed Electronics to design and develop Hino-Connect.

“At Hino, we are committed to leveraging our detailed knowledge and understanding of our trucks, dealer network and customers to developing and delivering impactful digital solutions,” Belanszky says.

“While others can claim business intelligence, we believe Hino-Connect truly delivers this for our customers. The all-new Hino 700 Series is safer, cleaner and is now connected.”

Your Transport Manufacturing Specialist 5 Year Structural Chassis Warranty

12-16, Fowler Road, Dandenong South, Victoria 3175

38-40, Carrington Road, Toowoomba, Queensland 4352

Email: admin@bte.net.au

Email: scotta@bte.net.au

Ph: (03) 979 40330

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_085-88_TechBriefs_GB.indd 85

Ph: 0427 502 881

NOVEMBER 2021 85

27/10/21 12:04 pm

tech briefs

Volvo electric fridge truck joins Linfox LINFOX HAS announced its first refrigerated electric vehicle (EV) with the addition of a Volvo FL Electric to its fleet.

The Volvo EV will transport fresh produce daily from the Melbourne fresh food distribution centre operated by the Woolworths Group’s supply chain arm, Primary Connect.

Just one of two Volvo FL Electrics in Australia and 75 released globally, it is the only Volvo FL electric vehicle in

Australia to be fitted with refrigeration.

The jointly branded vehicle is able to quietly deliver up to eight pallets of produce to Woolworths supermarkets.

The Electric FL utilises four batteries to achieve an energy capacity of 200kWh, such is the pace of battery development however, future iterations will feature a capacity of 265kWh. The electric driveline provides 425Nm of torque, which is delivered to the

rear wheels via a two-speed automated transmission.

Like it’s diesel-powered counterparts, Volvo says the Electric FL maintains a full suite of active safety systems including autonomous emergency braking.

The Electric FL also achieves the rigorous Swedish BOF10 crash rating that surpasses current European standards.

“Linfox has been with us on our journey of electric vehicles since 2018 and we share a commitment to sustainability,” says acting MD of Primary Connect and chief supply chain officer of Woolworths Group, Chris Brooks.

“We will be watching the results of this trial closely with Linfox to understand how electric trucks can support our shift to a low carbon future in the years ahead.”

The environmentally friendly EV has no carbon emissions, unlike dieselpowered trucks. It also has ‘regen’ capability, which means every time it travels downhill or brakes, the battery can recharge.

A charging station at the Melbourne Fresh DC will boost the battery while

deliveries are unloaded. The EV can travel up to 200km before needing to be recharged and takes nine hours to fully recharge.

Launched in 2020, Linfox says its Leading the Way 2025 business strategy identifies ‘act sustainably’ as a key strategic driver.

Linfox’s GreenFox sustainability program targets cleaner transport and mitigation of diesel emissions among other important sustainability initiatives.

“In 2007, Linfox set out to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half and we did that,” says Linfox Pty Ltd executive chairman, Peter Fox. Volvo Group Australia’s VP, technology business development, Paull Illmer also points out the value of close stakeholder relationships as EV infrastructure develops and matures.

“Partnership is indeed the new leadership as mobility around the world continues to transform, and partnering with businesses like Linfox and Woolworths, who share our values and vision, will ensure our ambition to implement emissions free transport solutions are in good hands,” Illmer says.

FIX BLOWBY AND AVOID THE REBUILD.

Proudly 100% Australian Made and Owned

• Deglazes engines • De-coke turbos and DPF Filters • Prevents blowby from starting

PHONE (07) 3376 6188

#2 ENGINE SLUDGE #3 FIX ENGINE BLOWBY

Sludge prevents good lubrication, lowers oil pressure, causes overheating and valve noises!

Get pristine clean again…FAST & EASY!

It should never stain your hands. Even at oil change. If it does you will have engine sludge & power loss.

“My T650 Kenworth lost power, was smoking badly and using oil. Cummins said it needed a $32,000 rebuild!

I tried FTC Decarbonizer and Flushing Oil Concentrate. I was absolutely amazed how much rubbish came out on the flush. Now the power’s great! No smoke! No oil use!”

– Hugh Maslin

OWD-HH-5167118-TS-345

#1 STOP DIESEL SMOKE AND AVOID DPF PROBLEMS

costeffective.com.au

2/18 Boron St, SUMNER PARK QLD 4074 E: sales@costeffective.com.au

FREE DELIVERY AUSTRALIA WIDE 86 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_085-88_TechBriefs_GB.indd 86

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:05 pm

SEA Electric marks Australian first SEA Electric is celebrating the first Australian produced all-electric truck to roll off its production line since becoming a fully-fledged OEM earlier this year.

Delivered to leading mining company Mineral Resources (MRL), the SEA 300-85 is set to become a feature on the roads of Western Australia.

Constructed from a semi knocked down (SKD) kit at SEA Electric’s Melbourne facility, the 300-85 is rated to 8.5-tonnes and is specified with a 138kWh battery driving a 1,500Nm motor. This is said to lend itself to a variety of final applications, including dry freight, temperature-controlled freight, as an elevated working platform or a tipper for municipal use in a range of trims.

Unladen, the combination has a potential range of up to 300km.

For MRL, the addition of an allelectric truck to its vehicle fleet is a strong demonstration of the company’s commitment to net-zero emissions.

The truck will take pride of place when MRL goes on the road for community events and road shows, and be used to transport materials between MRL sites.

“It is incredibly exciting to see the very first truck to roll off our production line; it is the culmination of years of effort by the entire SEA Electric team dating back to 2012,” says SEA Electric president – Asia Pacific, Bill Gillespie.

“Australian manufacturing and ingenuity is alive and well, especially so in the development of products in the EV space, with SEA Electric’s innovations game-changing for the transport industry.

“Our company’s stated mission is to eliminate more than a billion kilograms of CO2 emissions over the next five years, and that will be made possible with the efforts of early adopters of the technology such as MRL.” MRL’s chief executive – mining services, Mike Grey, says the company was committed to reducing its carbon footprint and was actively working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’ve developed a transition plan to a low-carbon future and that includes reducing our reliance on diesel,” Grey says.

“Our SEA Electric truck is just one of the ways we’re driving towards net zero.”

INSURANCE

SEA Electric says while the volume produced SKD truck is a newcomer to Australian roads, the technology backing the package is proven with millions of kilometres of real-world use, due to a previous retrofitting program.

Since 2017, SEA Electric says it has been performing driveline swaps on existing internal combustion engine powered trucks, which has perfected the technology, including the patented SEA-Drive Power System.

According to SEA, the move to construct from new on a production line sees the process become much

more efficient, with the trucks prepared quicker, cheaper and with less waste.

SEA Electric also points out that it is currently replicating the production techniques developed locally in Australia for other markets worldwide.

The SEA 300-85 is one example of the first full range of pure-electric trucks available globally, with options covering from 4.5-tonne car licence through to 22.5-tonne three-axle rigids.

Designed specifically for Australian applications, the trucks are now available through a network of 12 dealerships nationwide.

BRING OUT THE

MONSTER IN YOUR TRUCK

 Transport Specialists  Anywhere in Australia  Free Insurance Quotes  Great Service since 1997

LECKIE INSURANCE BROKERS

Simon Leckie on 0417 761 835 simon@leckieinsurance.com.au

PROTECTING TRANSPORT & MACHINERY BUSINESSES

AUSTRALIA WIDE

Corporate Authorised Representative Number 001257072 of Insurance Aid General Brokers Partnership Pty Ltd. AFS Licence Number 239049

ownerdriver.com.au

OWD_346_085-88_TechBriefs_GB.indd 87

PREMIUM CHROME EXHAUST STACKS AUSSIE CURVE

THE TRADITIONAL SHAPE

WEST COAST CURVE MUSCULAR NEW STYLE

BULL HORN

WILD LOOK – STANDS OUT

1300 885 089

MITRE CUT SHARP LOOK

STRAIGHT CUT AGGRESSIVE, IN-YOUR-FACE LOOK

Available in 5-8” sizes

silverbackchrome.com.au NOVEMBER 2021 87

27/10/21 12:05 pm

tech briefs

Scania set for 2022 apprentice intake

SCANIA IS OFFERING 20 Australians a unique career path in 2022, which it says can take them directly from school or another occupation into fulfilling long-term employment at its companyowned workshops around the country.

A Scania four-year apprenticeship to become a qualified heavy truck and bus technician, or a dual apprenticeship adding in auto electrics, is undertaken in concert with TAFE, and students can fast-track their learning to complete in a shorter timeperiod if they wish.

Scania says it offers apprentices many benefits including 30 per cent more pay than the award rate, plus access to the company employee bonus scheme. There is also on-the-job mentoring to ensure the training is progressing smoothly and to iron out any issues.

Scania points out that, once qualified, a stable and rewarding job awaits as a heavy truck and bus technician, with access to state-of-the art tooling and working on the world’s most advanced trucks, buses and industrial and marine engines.

“Potential candidates with the right attitude and aptitude will find the well-established Scania apprenticeship course structured and stimulating,” says Sean Corby, regional executive manager for Scania in NSW and Victoria.

“It will prepare them for a career working on advanced technology vehicles and engines.

“Scania is leading the shift towards sustainable transport solutions, so there’s already the opportunity to work on heavy-duty hybrid-electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles could be on our roads by the time the class of 2022 qualifies,” Corby says.

“The shift toward e-mobility and digitalisation of systems means our apprentices and technicians will be at the cutting edge of heavy-duty transport technology.

“The transport industry is in transition and is looking for smart candidates who are keen to learn a trade that will stand them in good stead throughout their working lives.

88 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_085-88_TechBriefs_GB.indd 88

“Each year, Scania takes on around 20 first-year technician and parts apprentices at our company-owned capital city branches. In 2022, we’re opening a brand new branch at Eastern Creek in Sydney, increasing the demand for technician apprentices within the business.

“In 2022, we’re also looking for apprentices to join our parts interpreter teams; this is ideal for someone who wants to work in a workshop environment but may not want to be on the tools.

“Apprentices learn and earn while they work. They study at TAFE and also undertake significant in-house learning within the Scania training programme, the costs of which are all met by Scania.

“The in-house training builds knowledge and confidence of Scaniaspecific vehicle systems to provide foundation skills for servicing, repairing and diagnosing Scania vehicles’ technological systems.”

Scania’s apprentices are enrolled in TAFE courses to deliver qualifications in either Certificate III Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR31116), or Certificate III Automotive Sales (AUR31016) or Certificate III Automotive Electrical Technology (AUR30316). These courses are defined in the Australian Qualification Training Framework and, therefore, deliver a consistent and transferrable qualification nationally.

Apprentices selecting a dual trade will aim to qualify in Certificate III Heavy Commercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR31116) and Certificate III Automotive Electrical Technology (AUR30316). Continuing study to a dual trade generally adds a further 18 months of study, but during the dual trade upskilling apprentices will be paid as a qualified technician and provided with the opportunity to continue to upskill and develop themselves.

“Apprentices are well looked after and are embraced as an integral part of the Scania workshop workforce, where we work hard to foster strong team environments,” says Michele Gellatly, people and culture director at Scania Australia.

“Our apprentice program has been exceptionally successful over many years at producing qualified technicians who are excellent team players, astute at diagnostics and committed to maintaining our customers’ uptime.

“We currently have 59 apprentices across our network, ranging from first to fourth year, as well as around 14 that have qualified early.

“Australia is still suffering a skills shortage, which is good news for apprentices, as it means there will be

plenty of opportunities for them to find work throughout their careers.

“Scania is a highly regarded employer; our people are our greatest asset and together we create a safe and inclusive workplace.

“Scania is a significant supplier of vehicles to mining operations across Australia, and we support our customers by sending technicians to work onsite. We’re also heavily involved in the building of these vehicles to individual mining customer specification at our company-owned branches, offering apprentices opportunities to work on some of the biggest and most powerful trucks in Australia.

“Scania is the only heavy-duty commercial vehicle brand to persist with V8 engine technology in Australia today.”

“Australians have a deep and abiding love affair with V8s, as drivers and as technicians, and our commitment to V8s means that there will be plenty of variants to work on, all the way up to the world’s most powerful on-road truck engine, the Scania 16.4-litre 770 hp V8 due to arrive here soon.

“As a global company with 1,600 workshops worldwide working on our engines, there are possibilities of travelling and working with Scania around the world. And your career path could take you anywhere within the Scania business as well.

“Many of Scania Australia’s senior managers began as apprentice technicians, and have risen through the ranks.”

For more information on applying for one of the 2022 apprenticeship places, contact careers@scania.com.au or call 03 9217 3300.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 12:06 pm

Get 12 issues of

FOR JUST

$

59

.99!

You’ll receive 12 issues of Owner Driver magazine Weekly e-newsletter FREE delivery to your mailbox

How? Visit magshop.com.au/owd or call 136 116

Already a subscriber?

Simply call 136 116 to extend your subscription with this offer and save

Untitled-40 89

Subscribe today, it’s easy!

26/10/21 9:44 am

www.trucktools.com.au

TRUCK REPAIR TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

Australia’s Largest Specialty Tru

Huge Range - Best Prices - Best Service Quality Products Products-To Keep Your Investment On The Road

Austr Products To Keep Yo Ph: 1800 000 561 or 03 970

• TRUCK ENGINE TOOLS • DRIVELINE / TRANSMISSION TOOLS • WORKSHOP • AXLE HUB NUT SOCKETS • HAND TOOLS / TORQUE WRENCHES • a

1800 000 561 - AUSTRALIA WIDE SERVICE Warehouse Pick-up available subject to prior arrangement

• TRUCK ENGINE TOOLS • D • AXLE HUB NUT S

Australia’s Largest Speciality Truck Tool Supplier.

The Right Tool For The Right Job. Products To Keep Your Investment On The Road.

ONLINE CATALOGUE Warehouse location FREIGHT AUSTRALIA WIDE Untitled-40 90

a

Australian owned and operated

Ph: 1800

www.trucktools.com.au Phone 03 9703 2000 Frecall 1800 000 561 info@trucktools.com.au

26/10/21 9:44 am

MITSUBISHI FS 8X4 2007, FS52 FUSO 8x4 Crane Truck with 36002 Palfinger in Cert Crane & Remote. Very reliable *Powered By a 395Hp Turbo Diesel Engine with only 330,000ks. *18 Speed Road Ranger. *PK36002 crane (2 x hydraulic extensions) inc 4 x stabilizer legs (ie 2 per side), a steel tray approx 8m L x Overall 2.4m W, yes. QLD. DIY1083333.

0438 596 748. $181,500

MACK SUPER-LINER 1984, E9/525hp, 12 speed. Genuine low kms, No. VIC. DIY1074656. 0419 881 837. $148,000

ADVERTISE IN PRINT & ONLINE

FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 101 2008, low kilometre 2008 Freightliner Argosy 110, bisalloy Hercules Tipper with sleeper cab. This has done genuine low kms - 227,000 - Build date: 11/08. This unit is in excellent condition, tipper has done little work and is in excellent condition, no. QLD. DIY1074560.

0410 630 261. $82,000 Ex GST

59

$

FRUEHAUF TRI AXLE 1984, good strong demolition trailer(steel. Surplus to needs. Located Jimboomba. Call to arrange inspection, 32119. QLD. DIY1098870. 0437 791 719. $33,000

SCANIA R164G/L/LA 2004, Prime mover Rated @ 78000 GCM. Drive tyres - 60%. Steers 30%. 2002 Lusty EMS trailers on airbags. Disc brakes. In good condition. Very straight trailers.

Price Includes GST. PM for more details, 1018533. NSW. DIY1093136. 0432 375 771. $66,000

FR OM

FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA CL112 2012, One owner/Date in use 12.09.2013....always on the road....for the last two years spend 20-25K for upgrade and new parts. Engine and transmission always serviced on time. Fuel consumption as new..If you like to buy with out concrete mixer-no problem-prize $125K, ZSM073.

VIC. DIY1093868. +614 2062 6880. $165,000

DRAKE 4X2 2016, in excellent condition and well maintained, 6V9T23ABKG0074006. QLD. DIY1076085. 0421 663 322. $74,500

ISUZU F SERIES 2018, Almost new, only 11000kms, XQ57BU. NSW. DIY1073768. 0407 787 675. $98,000

OR CALL 1300 362 272

IVECO ACCO 2350G 2003, White Crane Truck, XV48KI. VIC. DIY1062749. 0422 705 669. $40,000

The publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for any losses incurred by a buyer responding to an advertisement in this magazine. Buyers are solely responsible for their own negotiations and transactions with advertisers. Prime Creative Media advises buyers beware of negotiating by email only; of paying deposits to private advertisers for goods unseen; of transferring money (for example via Western Union) interstate or overseas. Buyers should contact Prime Creative Media customer service on 1300 362 272 if they suspect an advertisement may be fraudulent. In the event that a buyer suffers financial loss as a result of responding to a private advertisement in this publication Prime Creative Media (The Publisher) shall not be held liable or responsible.

2012, Iveco Pantech, IVECO STRALIS 360 WJMA1VPH404393068. QLD. DIY1066449. 0417 712 754. $76,890 incl gst neg

ll

0 -- 0

Suspension

Filter

Air Spring

Brake

c:;,

Clutch

Wheel Hub

--

0 A � �

Compressor

Shaft

i

Steering

Spring Leaf

AIR SPRING • AXLE • BRAKE • CABIN • CABLES • CHASSIS • CLUTCH • COMPRESSOR • COOLING • DIFFERENTIAL EXHAUST • ELECTRICAL • ENGINE • FILTER • FUEL • OIL EQUIPMENT • SHAFT • SPRING LEAF • STEERING SUSPENSION • TRAILER EQUIPMENT • TRANSMISSION • UNIVERSAL • WHEEL HUB .

STOCKISTS FOR : VOLVO • MERCEDES • MAN • DAF • IVECO . RENAULT 4/55 Glenbarry Road Campbellfield, Victoria 3061 Telephone: (03) 9357- 7081 or (03) 9357-8259 Fax: (03) 9357-8261 Email: sales@volwreck.com.au Website: www.volwreck.com.au

OWD 346 91-93.indd 91

25/10/21 9:48 am

2 til prom0% l1 a 5 CO th ta.cOF DE of D om F : M ec .a AT , 2 u A2 02 0 1.

MUDFLAPS

3 Australian Owned and Manufactured 3 All Industry Sizes 3 Embossed Company Name 3 Reinforced Mounting Face (patented) Ph: (02) 9899 4090 www.transcomindustries.com

OWD-32-5164199-TS-.332

Stephen Langham M: 0422 799 302

WANT TO SAVE FUEL? PREVENT UNEVEN WEAR ON YOUR TYRES?

QUALITY TRANSPORT COMPONENTS

SELL YOUR TRUCK

TYRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM

MATA T2

Call us today 07 3890 3033 www.hemmantauto.com.au

AUTO ELECTRICAL PARTS, SALES & SERVICE • BATTERIES• ALTERNATORS • STARTER MOTORS • LIGHTS • WIRING • ACCESSORIES • MINE SPECIFICATION

AUTOMOTIVE AIR CONDITIONING SPECIALISTS

NO MORE FLAT TYRES

 DIY solar-powered display  Monitor 2 to 22 tyres  Sensor battery replaceable  Pressure range: 0~203 psi  Real time tyre pressure & temperature

VISIT TRADETRUCKS.COM.AU/SELL OR CALL 1300 362 272

HEMMANT AUTO & MARINE ELECTRICS

promata.com.au | 02 9922 7270

OWD-16-5209971-TS-325

ownerdriver

MOBILE UNITS

SERVING ALL AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES

Proudly servicing Brisbane since 1988

OWD-EP-5192545-TS-334

Australia n Made

12 VOLT OVEN HOT FOOD ON THE GO!

1

2

3

HEAT A MEAL ON THE MOVE 1. 12 volt Marine — $260 + POSTAGE 2. 12 volt — $215 + POSTAGE 3. 24 volt — $275 + POSTAGE

THE TRAVEL BUDDY IS A STURDY OVEN THAT YOU CAN TAKE ANYWHERE

Ph: (03) 5441 3388

• The stainless steel makes it easy to use and clean • Fast Food takes on a whole new meaning with the Travel Buddy • This portable, lightweight, 12V oven can cook, bake and warm foods while you travel

1800 625 746

www.travelbuddy.net.au

OWD-EP-5164923-CS-299

Phone: 03 9761 0595

CUSTOM MADE ~ FUEL, WATER & HYDRAULIC FUEL ~ HYDRAULIC CONVERSIONS HIGHEST QUALITY ALUMINIUM FABRICATION CANFRED Engineering Pty Ltd - 48 Barry St, Bayswater, Vic

canfred@outlook.com

OWD-SBC-5031723-CS-319

TANKS FOR TRUCKS

www.canfredengineering.com.au

SACKED OWNER DRIVERS REDUNDANT OWNER DRIVERS

02 6925 8788 www.tbiinsurance.com.au Transport & Business Insurance Services Pty Ltd ABN 22 622 458 593 - AR# 0012620074 Corporate Authorised Representative of Midland Insurance Brokers Australia Pty Ltd - ABN 81 006 528 329 - ASFL No. 238 963

OWD 346 91-93.indd 92

Specialist Transport Legal Advice Helping Owner Drivers Aust-wide for over 20 years

• Unfair Dismissal and Termination claims • Underpayment claims re Hourly & Km rates • Workplace Health and Safety Matters

• Redundancy and Loss of Contract Claims • Unfair Contract and Award Claims • Advice Owner Driver Legislation Australia wide

6 Year Time Limitation Period

T T CONNECT LEGAL C C E L NO WIN NO FEE E N N AL - Principal Solicitor N GA Contact Jake N G 02 9889 2239 O E O www.connectlegal.com.au C L C LE OWD-EP-5190898-TS-302

Real Service Real People Real Experience Real Insurance Solutions

25/10/21 9:48 am

Positions Available

Exodas Pty Ltd is a well-established Transport and Warehousing company that operates Australia wide. We predominately provide transport services to the east coast of Australia, from North Queensland through to Melbourne.

Exodas Pty Ltd, Head Office is located in Yatala (QLD). Additionally we also have three sub depots located in Warnervale (NSW), Townsville (QLD) and Mareeba (QLD).

We are now seeking candidates for the following vacancies: • Heavy Vehicle Mechanics (Yatala) • Linehaul Drivers (Various Locations) • Local MC Drivers (Various Locations) • Tug Drivers (Yatala) • Forklift Operators (Yatala)

SELL YOUR

TRUCK

The successful candidates will join a fast growing company, access great working conditions and be offered a competitive pay rate!

VISIT TRADETRUCKS.COM.AU/SELL OR CALL 1300 362 272

If you could see yourself working for Exodas, email your resume to employment@exodas.com.au or contact our Recruitment Officer on 0459 922 550.

OWD-QV-5187215-TS-342

Seek the right candidates with Owner Driver ’s

TRANSPORT RECRUITMENT PACKAGES

ownerdriver SEPTEMBER 2018 #308 $3.00 inc. GST

DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL

Danger zone Study reveals truck driving

26,471*

OWNERDRIVER.COM.AU

Reach owner-drivers and small fleet operators every month via Owner Driver magazine’s dedicated Jobs section

ownerdriver WIN

the most dangerous job See page 14

Casino trucking Rigs rival beef in record

SEPTEMBER 2018 #308 $3.00 inc. GST

AN HSV COLORADO

SPORTSCAT+ VALUED UP TO $76,429

truck show turnout

*Australian residents only

See page 20

Coasting along Cruising the Pacific Coast

DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL

See page 58

Danger zone Study reveals truck driving

in a Benz Actros

OWNERDRIVER.COM.AU

WIN

the most dangerous job See page 14

MUSCLE MAN MUSCLE Casino trucking Rigs rival beef in record

AN HSV COLORADO

SPORTSCAT+

40,000*

VALUED UP TO $76,429

truck show turnout

*Australian residents only

See page 20

Coasting along

Cruising the Pacific Coast in a Benz Actros

Reach almost 40,000 on OwnerDriver’s Facebook page

See page 58

EXCLUSIVE: ROADTESTING THE NEW 640HP TGX

((SMALL PICS))

DSC_1588.jpg

DSC_1178-Edit

MAN

Reach over

Volvo - Concepts and Reality - Lead Pic

* ,000 100ENTER TO WIN

quality candidates every month

DSC_1178-Edit

For more information and package pricing contact HOLLIE TINKER on 0466 466 945 or email hollie.tinker@primecreative.com.au

Volvo - Concepts and Reality - Lead Pic

OWD 308 OSFC FREE.indd 1

29/8/18 1:19 pm

PURCHASE 80 LITRES OF VALVOLINE ALL FLEET PLUS TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE COOLER BAG & GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN 1 OF 5 MAJOR PRIZES!

OWD 308 OSFC FREE.indd 1

29/8/18 1:19 pm

ENTER TO WIN WINMarch 2021; Web: Google Analytics, average monthly visitors January-May 2021; Facebook: As at June 2021 TOAudit, ENTERCAB ENTER TO WIN * Print audience:

*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE. *ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.

1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018

- 31ST OCTOBER 2018 *ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. 1ST T&C’sAUGUST AVAILABLE.

PURCHASE 80 LITRES OF VALVOLINE ALL FLEET PLUS TO RECEIVE YOUR

FREE COOLER BAG & GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN 1 OF 5 MAJOR PRIZES! FREE COOLER BAG & GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN 1 OF 5 MAJOR PRIZES!FREE COOLER80BAG & GOOFINVALVOLINE THE DRAWALL TO WIN 1 OF 5 MAJOR PRIZES! LITRES FLEET PLUS TO RECEIVE YOUR PURCHASE 80 LITRES OF VALVOLINE ALL FLEET PLUS TO RECEIVE YOURPURCHASE*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE. OWD 308 OSFC FREE.indd 1

((SMALL PICS))

DSC_1588.jpg

EXCLUSIVE: ROADTESTING THE NEW 640HP TGX

87,739*

Reach an average of 87,739 owner-drivers and small fleet operators per month via OwnerDriver.com.au’s dedicated Jobs page

1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018

1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018

29/8/18 1:19 pm

OWD 308 OSFC FREE.indd 1

MAN

29/8/18 1:19 pm

Volvo - Concepts and Reality - Lead Pic

THE NEW 640HP TGX EXCLUSIVE: ROADTESTING

OWD 346 91-93.indd THE 93 NEW 640HP TGX

Volvo - Concepts and Reality - Lead Pic

DSC_1178-Edit

DSC_1588.jpg

25/10/21 9:48 am

FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black

Vaccinate for safety We all have a right to be safe at work, which is why it’s important that all transport workers get the jab

V

ACCINATIONS are about individual, community and workplace safety. Trucking has experienced rising case numbers, workplace shutdowns and unsustainable demand because of COVID. The best solution to protect ourselves and each other so that we can safely return to normality is for us all to roll up our sleeves and get the jab.

Fear is an understandable reaction when there is a lot of misinformation online and in the community. The vaccines did appear quickly, and thank goodness they did or we’d be in lockdown for many years to come. But they passed all of the rigorous tests and approval processes from medical professionals and governments in multiple countries before they touched down on Australian soil.

We all know how tight governments can be. They would not spend billions of dollars on a hoax. Some people can’t get financial assistance when they deserve it so rest assured the government would not be paying on hoaxes.

The vast majority of people want to and are getting vaccinated. As I write, over 6.5 billion doses have been given worldwide. Well over 70 per cent of Australians have had at least one jab and more than half have had two.

In essential industries like ours, we

need everyone that can be vaccinated to be vaccinated.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

As someone travelling the length of the country every week, coming into contact with multiple truck yards, rest stops and regional communities, I want to know that I am not putting other people at risk, and they are not putting me at risk.

Currently there are people putting me and others at risk, sometimes because of stubbornness rather than genuine concerns.

Recently, I was confronted with an unfair double standard. A forklift driver loading my truck proudly told me he was unvaccinated. In fact, he had obtained this job after being let go from another job over his refusal to get the jab. While on site at this company that had knowingly hired him, I was refused entry to use the toilet even though I was double vaccinated and masked.

It is because of patchy rules like these that cases are seeping through our industry. There is a lot of heat on an interstate truck driver that tests positive because of the impact it can have on whole communities or even states. Largely, truckies have been found to be doing the right thing by isolating and following the rules, but they caught COVID from somewhere.

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.

REDUCING RISKS

“Largely, truckies have been found to be doing the right thing.”

94 NOVEMBER 2021

OWD_346_094_COL_Frank Black_GB.indd 94

There are holes in the system that need to be plugged.

We all have equal rights. I understand that vaccine mandates – or rather conditions of employment – feel as though they’re encroaching on freedom of choice. Unfortunately, we do not always have the privilege of choice, especially when our decisions affect hundreds of other people that we cross paths with every day.

For every one person that doesn’t want to get vaccinated, there are several others that don’t want to work with people who have not done their part to keep the workplace safe.

Many industries like healthcare, aged care and even international aviation have required staff to get vaccinated for decades. Trucking has its own procedures too. Though we may not enjoy it, we often have to be drug and alcohol tested. It’s just part of the job.

These requirements happen because of a duty of care that bosses and stakeholders must adhere to. Their job is to keep workplaces safe, to protect everyone. That’s why the law is on their side when they require workers to be vaccinated.

As truck drivers, we rely on transport businesses to be viable. Measures like drug and alcohol testing, COVID testing, and vaccinations, on top of the dozens of other safety procedures enforced in our industry are necessary to keep the wheels turning.

COVID outbreaks and related shutdowns have put incredible pressure on our industry and on us as drivers. The only pathway out of this is to reduce the risks. Some say even with vaccination there is no guarantee that we will not contract COVID! The fact that it greatly decreases the chance of infection or the severity of it means that hospital beds will not be taken up by people that could have avoided it, freeing them up for other life threatening cases that continue to occur.

There are many improvements that could make it easier to get vaccinated and tested. While vaccine supplies are far more plentiful, transport shift patterns can still make it difficult to get vaccinated and tested without eating into our rest or leisure time.

Rather than going round in circles arguing about whether or not we should be vaccinated, our time would be better spent presenting a united front to the government to improve access to vaccines and reduce the delays caused by testing procedures and changing border rules.

Rapid testing kits that can be selfadministered at home – or in a truck – would make a huge difference.

These were recently approved for use in Australia. As owner-drivers, we should be standing together to call on the federal government to provide free supplies of the rapid tests for truck drivers.

It would kill two birds with one stone by reducing the risk of transmission and removing the impact of testing queues on driver fatigue at the same time. For an industry as critical to the country and the economy as ours, it’s a no-brainer.

ownerdriver.com.au

27/10/21 9:28 am

TRUCKING SUPPLIES TRUCKS FOR WRECKING WAGGA WAGGA 334 Copland St, P.O. Box 2373, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650

Ph: (02) 6925 8888

Web: truckingsupplies.com.au

Fax: (02) 6925 8889

FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY DETROIT 14L EGR engine, RTLO20918 gearbox, MERITOR RT46-160 diffs, cab parts, Alcoas, bullbar. W2513.

TA1099976.

POA

KENWORTH K104B tipper. W2514. TA1104128.

FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY DETROIT 14L engine, RTLO20918 gearbox, MERITOR RT46-160 diffs, cab parts, hydraulics, Alcoas. W2512.

TA1099973.

POA

CATERPILLAR CT630 2013, prime mover. W2516. TA1104131.

POA

KENWORTH T402 Prime Mover,CUMMINS EGR engine, RTLO20918B gearbox, MERITOR RT46-160 diffs on Airglide, drop on cab, Alcoas Viesa. W2511. TA1099966.

POA

FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA Tipper, 14L engine, RTLO20918A AS2 gearbox, MERITOR RT46-160 diffs on Airliner, aluminium tipping body.

W2510. TA1099960.

POA

KENWORTH T404 SAR Tipper, CAT C15 engine, RTLO20918B gearbox, EATON DS462 diffs on Airglide, drop on day cab, aluminium tipping body, hydraulics, Alcoas. Wrecking. W2509. TA1099958.

POA

KENWORTH T400 1989, Cummins engine, 10 speed gearbox, Eaton diffs on Airglide 100, cab parts, drop on bonnet, aluminium bullbar.

Wrecking. W2507. TA1094498.

POA

INTERNATIONAL EAGLE 9200I 2007, Cummins signature engine, rtlo20918b gearbox, Spicer rt46-170 diffs on has, cab parts, Alcoas, hydraulics. Wrecking. W2504. TA1090536.

POA

FREIGHTLINER FLXC112 2000, Cat C12 engine, rtlo18918 gearbox, Meritor rt46160 diffs, cab parts, Alcoas. W2499. TA1077026.

POA

KENWORTH T403 2012, Cummins EGR engine, rtlof16918 gearbox, rt40-145 diffs on airglide 460, cab parts, drop on bonnet, bumper.

Wrecking. W2505. TA1090537.

POA

POA

POA

A

FORD STERLING 2005, daycab prime mover. W2515. TA1104130.

Email: tsenquiries@truckingsupplies.com.au WEBSITE UPDATED DAILY

Untitled-42 95

MDL 19571 MVRL 24428

truckingsupplies.com.au

OWD-FP-5011320-B

TRUCK DISMANTLERS 26/10/21 9:47 am

THE PARTS YOU NEED to keep you safe on the road

D

ED

OWN

E

AT

A

N

TRALIA US

& OPER

Wide range in stock

High quality parts

Best value for money

Expert advice

Next 500,000 km

INTRODUCING SHELL DIESEL ENGINE OIL AND LUBRICANT RANGES

KING PIN KIT Suits MFS73 and MFS16 applications*.

ED

A

$520

$655

TRALIA US

OWN E

D

AT

Part number K180R

Part number KG931R

Y O UR PA RTNE R I N PA RTS

Oct - Dec 21

SPRING INTO SPECIALS N

Suits FG941, FG931 and MFS13 applications*.

ASK FOR YOUR COPY IN STORE

NOW AVAILABLE AT TRUCKZONE

& OPER

Wide range in stock

High quality parts

Expert advice

Best value for money

Next 500,000 km

NOW AVAILABLE AT TRUCKZONE

INTRODUCING SHELL DIESEL ENGINE OIL AND LUBRICANT RANGES INTRODUCTORY BONUS OFFER Purchase selected Shell products and receive

FREE GADUS GREASE. See offer page 2

INTRODUCTORY BONUS OFFER

TURNTABLE TOP TO SUIT FW331

truckzone.com.au

CALL 1300 TRUCKZONE

Purchase selected Shell products and receive

FREE GADUS GREASE.

Low lube 50mm (2”) 165kN. CRN16753.

See in-store for details or go to truckzone.com.au (click on IN THE ZONE digital booklet).

Part number XA331A

$1,850

SCOTSEALS FOR HEAVY-DUTY TRUCK AND TRAILER

JOST HYDRAULIC SOLUTIONS NOW AVAILABLE AT TRUCKZONE

PTO KIT

Suits Eaton Fuller Road Ranger applications*. Kit includes PTO, Mounting kit and Pump Mounting kit.

Part number JH-FUL001UNI

$799

Suits DS461 applications*.

Part number 122437

$1,500

*Check Application Guide. Prices include GST and valid until 31 December 2021.

The perfect applicator for enhanced coverage.

Built tough for durability and chemical resistance. 1L.

Built on a reputation for quality and innovation.

Offers an optimum sealing solution for various maintenance demands.

Part number BBC1L-PUMP

For all your Scotseal Classic, Scotseal Longlife, Scotseal Pro and Scotseal Plus XL requirements contact Truckzone.

FILTER KITS

OVERHAUL KIT

COMPRESSED AIR MINISPRAYER

For extended performance and protection to the engine and components.

Follow us

$40

Suit Mack, Volvo and UD applications*. Alternative to 85114535, FK18B and FK035.

Part number MK14224

$119

Suit Detroit Series 60 applications*. Non EGR. Part number MK11562

$54 *Check Application Guide.

All prices include GST and valid until 31 March 2021.

Townsville

Port Hedland

Rockhampton Eagle Farm Darra Perth Campbellfield Sunshine West

Untitled-41 96 Parts (5011309).indd 1 Gleeman Truck

Rutherford Wetherill Park

Pakenham

truckzone.com.au CALL 1300 TRUCKZONE 26/10/21 19/10/21 9:46 3:20 am pm