Prime Mover February 2024

T H E P E O P L E & P R O D U C T S T H AT M A K E T R A N S P O R T M OV E

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February 2024

F E B R U A RY 2024

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ISSN 1838-2320

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INDUSTRY Carrier: Wyton Transport Feature: HRD Builders Haulmax Tyres Premier Commercial Fleet Guide Personality: Matt Sakhaie

INNOVATION Fleet: 1800-GOT-JUNK? Technology: UPS Spotlight: R&K Bulk Haulage Test Drive: Volvo Electric heavy duty

I SI S UU ZZ UUNNS S EE RR I EI E SS

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3 3Y EYAE R A RE SESSESNE TNITAI LASL SS ESREV RIVCIEC E AG AR GEREEM EE MNE TN TP A P CAKC A KG AEG EI NI CNLCUL D U EDDE†D † *According *According to T-Mark to T-Mark industry industry statistics. statistics. †The†The NLR NLR 45-150 45-150 SWB SWB Manual Manual Traypack Traypack TruckTruck DriveDrive awayaway promotion promotion is available is available only only on new on new NLR NLR 45-150 45-150 SWB SWB Manual Manual Traypack Traypack Trucks Trucks sold between sold between 1 January 1 January 20242024 – 31 March – 31 March 20242024 (Promotion (Promotion Period).

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Featured Featured drivedrive awayaway priceprice $57,990 $57,990 includes includes GST, GST, 12 months 12 months registration, registration, government government and statutory and statutory charges, charges, and dealer and dealer delivery delivery costs.costs.

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The NLR The NLR 45-150 45-150 SWB SWB Manual Manual Traypack Traypack comes comes standard standard with with 6 year, 6 year, 24-hour 24-hour roadside roadside assistance assistance program program and 6-year and 6-year factory factory warranty, warranty, covering covering the cab theand cab chassis and chassis only only and 3-year and 3-year factory factory warranty warranty on the onbody the body itself.itself.

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MEET THE TEAM

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February 2024

Discover how switching your engine oil could help your fleet generate cost and carbon savings.

F E B R U A RY 2024

Australia’s leading truck magazine, Prime Mover, continues to invest more in its products and showcases a deep pool of editorial talent with a unique mix of experience and knowledge.

T H E P E O P L E & P R O D U C T S T H AT M A K E T R A N S P O RT M OV E

Fleet Savings and Carbon Footprint Calculator

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Christine Clancy | COO

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

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With more than two decades of experience as a media professional, Christine has worked in newsrooms across Canada, Vietnam and Australia. She joined the Prime Creative Media team 12 years ago, and today oversees more than 43 titles, including a dozen print and digital transportation titles. She continues to lead a team that focuses on continuous improvement to deliver quality insights that helps the commercial road transport industry grow.

CARBON NEUTRAL

CEO

Peter Shields | Senior Feature Writer A seasoned transport industry professional, Peter has spent more than a decade in the media industry. Starting out as a heavy vehicle mechanic, he managed a fuel tanker fleet and held a range of senior marketing and management positions in the oil and chemicals industry before becoming a nationally acclaimed transport journalist.

Louise Surette | Journalist

Louise joins Prime Mover after nearly 25 years as a writer. Starting her career as a reporter at the Toronto Star, she has spent much of the last 15 years as a design writer and editor.

In 2020, she was shortlisted on the Richell Emerging Writers Prize list. Originally from Nova Scotia, she lives in Melbourne with her two children.

ISSN 1838-2320

11

INDUSTRY Carrier: Wyton Transport Feature: HRD Builders Haulmax Tyres Premier Commercial Fleet Guide Personality: Matt Sakhaie

INNOVATION Fleet: 1800-GOT-JUNK? Technology: UPS Spotlight: R&K Bulk Haulage Test Drive: Volvo Electric heavy duty

Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Oil

William Craske | Editor

Over the past two decades William has published widely on transport, logistics, politics, agriculture, cinema, music and sports He has held senior positions in marketing and publicity for multinational businesses in the entertainment industry and is the author of two plays and a book on Australian film history. Like many based in Melbourne he is in a prolonged transition of either returning or leaving.

FEBRUARY 2024 $11.00

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Editor Managing Editor, Transport Group Senior Feature Writer

John Murphy john.murphy@primecreative.com.au William Craske william.craske@primecreative.com.au Luke Applebee luke.applebee@primecreative.com.au Peter Shields peter.shields@primecreative.com.au

Business Development Manager

Ashley Blachford ashley.blachford@primecreative.com.au 0425 699 819

Art Director

Blake Storey blake.storey@primecreative.com.au Kerry Pert , Louis Romero, Tom Anderson

Design Journalists

Peter White peter.white@primecreative.com.au Louise Surette louise.surette@primecreative.com.au

Design Production Manager

Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

Client Success Manager

Salma Kennedy salma.kennedy@primecreative.com.au

Head Office

379 Docklands Drive, Docklands VIC 3008 enquiries@primecreative.com.au

Peter White | Journalist

Ashley Blachford | Business Development Manager

Handling placements for Prime Mover magazine, Ashley has a unique perspective on the world of truck building both domestically and internationally. Focused on delivering the best results for advertisers, Ashley works closely with the editorial team to ensure the best integration of brand messaging across both print and digital platforms.

www.primemovermag.com.au

Subscriptions

03 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Prime Mover magazine is available by subscription from the publisher.

The right of refusal is reserved by the publisher.

Annual rates: AUS $110.00 (inc GST).

For overseas subscriptions, airmail postage should be added to the subscription rate.

Articles

All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher.

The Editor reserves the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

Copyright

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Peter has completed a Bachelor of Media and Communication (Media Industries) degree at La Trobe University, and he brings a fresh perspective to Prime Mover. He gained valuable experience at Upstart, La Trobe’s newsroom, work that has been supplemented by direct industry experience in a Council placement.

Peter has a strong interest in commercial road transport, and in contributing to Prime Mover’s efforts in growing the industry.

PRIME MOVER magazine is owned and published by Prime Creative Media.

All material in PRIME MOVER magazine 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.

The opinions expressed in PRIME MOVER magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

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CONTENTS

Prime Mover February 2024

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COVER STORY “We do a lot of multi-drops, so drivers are in and out of the trucks all day. The ease of getting in and out of the vehicle is important to our driver workforce.”

AFTER LIFE

Prime Feature

STORIES FLEET FOCUS

20

Hire Fidelity National equipment hire and solutions business, Coates, is committed to a sustainability framework and supply partners like DAF Trucks are playing a vital role.

26

After Life First class service in the removal and correct disposal of unwanted household, commercial and construction materials using Hino trucks is at the core of this Adelaide business.

30

Long Haul Legacy Roadtrain operator Wyton Transport has, with the purchase of a new W900SAR, continued a family legacy when it comes to milestone trucks from the Kenworth brand.

38

Finding Focus Airfreight and courier specialist, UPS, has introduced its first battery electric truck as part of the Commercial Sector Innovation Fund organised by Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning.

TEST DRIVE

58

Switch on Now No longer considered prototypes, Volvo’s range of electric trucks are now series production models and available in Australia.

Regular Run 08 10 50 62

TRUCK & TECH

64

34

66

Call to Action Renovating and earthmoving in Queensland is hot and dusty work for Reilly Hutchinson and his HRD Builders team, but a couple of new vehicles from Isuzu Trucks have made the job that little bit easier.

26

68 69 70

From the Editor

Prime Mover News

Haulmax Tyres Premier Commercial Fleet Guide Personality Profile

Prime Movers & Shakers ARTSA-I Life Members

Truck Industry Council

Victorian Transport Association Peter Shields’ Number Crunch

FROM THE EDITOR

Imposing Edifices

William Craske Editor Supposing disruption is the future of supply chain, supply chain managers, tasked with adaptation, will want to acquaint themselves with the future or at least an approximation of it. That’s no easy task. Purporting to know the long-term outcomes of interdependent and heavily globalised trade markets as volatile as they are right now, is a fool’s errand in any period, language and, for that matter, industry, whether it’s rare minerals, the Nasdaq or the Asia Pacific Poker Tour. Predicting outcomes are notoriously the realm of clairvoyants, con artists, and economists, but I repeat myself.

Preservation and preparation are historic bed mates. But when adding the capacity for growth, at scale, things get tricky. Being big doesn’t any more insulate against vulnerabilities. Under the current economic climate these will be tested time and again. Withstanding cyber-attacks, as DP World discovered, doesn’t necessarily avert 48-hour work stoppages.

Being as that preparation is guesswork in foreseeing the way things might eventually be based on the knowledge of events past and how they came into

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being, the next best response is to fortify systems so that they are relevant for the appropriate moment in time.

Any system not yet obsolete is one that works. Any governing body looking to attach weight to its state of readiness, bets on technology. Long-term investments being another.

Transport companies take out mortgages and build multi-milliondollar facilities to accommodate what their throughput will look like a decade down the track. Transport hubs such as ports must take this, without putting too fine a point on it, a step further.

Through extensive research and stakeholder consultation, the Port of Brisbane is embarking on imagining what the supply chain and its future challenges might look like in the year 2060. To do this it is creating what it deems will be a global model for maritime sector innovation and growth.

Inputs from other partners and stakeholders is crucial, so the current consensus goes, to any futures-based thinking to achieve a sustainable and robust business model. One potential solution put forth, again, is an increased collaboration between carriers and shippers. By working together, carriers can better understand their customers’ needs. A better understanding of needs will provide, in the vaguest sense, more efficient transportation services leading to reduced costs for both parties.

Last year Amazon surpassed FedEx, its former shipping partner, as the biggest parcel delivery business in the US. It, too, was after a better understanding.

Cost reduction, especially as an end goal, creates dangerous blind spots.

It served as the basis for the reborn Yellow, a 100-year-old truck company with a remit in less than truckload specialisation, reliant on manufacturers and retailers combining various loads into one single trailer. For this they were the market leader in North America. But several costly acquisitions that Yellow failed to integrate into its network brought about a collapse which happened in two ways, to borrow from Hemingway, gradually, then suddenly.

While Yellow’s financials were in dire straight as far back as 2009, escalating debt payments and a union workforce in desperate need of appeasement forced it to financially reengineer to inject liquidity under its revolving credit facility. As increased competition from Amazon and FedEx, rising fuel costs and a shrinking work force brought the blowtorch to its bottom line, leadership at the time convinced bondholders to swap their debt for equity in the company that by this stage was, to quote Ernst Jünger, “nothing more than a colossus with feet of clay. The more imposing the edifice, the more terrible will be the fall.”

Seldom is the past not also the future.

Not all history, however, is worth repeating.

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PRIME NEWS

> JD Refrigerated Transport makes rarefied business list Up and coming Queensland cold carrier, JD Refrigerated Transport, is one of the fastest growing companies in Australia. For the second consecutive year running it has made the Fast 100 list, an annual review of Australia’s fastest growing businesses.

Company growth is largely a by-product of expansion with existing clients. Much of this can be attributed, according to JD Refrigerated Transport Managing Director Joe Joseph, to its reliability, consistency of service and efficacious communication.

“We have been very targeted about the addition of new clients, focusing only in areas that we know we can sustainably deliver the excellent service levels JD has become known

Joe Joseph with Jeff Evans from Daimler.

Image: Daimler Trucks.

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for in the market,” he told Prime Mover.

“The JD Model is a true partnership model. As such, we don’t try and be everything to everyone. Instead we focus on growing with a targeted clientele,” said Joseph.

Growth while fast has been measured.

Over the last three years the fleet has expanded considerably from a half a dozen units to 56. The mixed fleet is the sum of ongoing partnerships with Daimler, one of its earliest supporters, and PACCAR, key suppliers for heavy vehicles, and a close working relationship with Eurocold, for whom it relies on for Isuzu and Fuso rigids.

To celebrate its 50th truck, Joseph added a new Mercedes Actros 2663 prime mover. Recently the fleet also added its first Volvo — an FM450.

A focus on tasks it can handle sustainably, according to Joseph, has led to scaling up reasonably quickly without fear of operations tripping over itself. To date the business has resisted the temptation to clone itself interstate, despite encouragement from several clients.

“It will happen but only when I can guarantee the same high service levels we have become well known for,” said Joseph. “The future looks bright and expansion throughout Queensland and interstate is certainly on the cards but all in good time. When we do something, we like to do it not only well but sustainably well.”

Just as high levels of consistent service and problem solving are part of its remit, JD Refrigerated Transport maintains a thriving driver network of which Joseph is particularly proud.

“You can have the greatest equipment and technology money can buy but if the people who operate it don’t care then you will never succeed,” he said.

“We are blessed to have an amazing team of drivers that really do care about the business and our clients, and we take care of them so they in turn take care of our clients.

“Our Safety and Compliance performance is another area we are proud of. We have made a significant investment in both technology and training to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of safety and compliance best practice.”

Considerable growth, all the same, has been achieved without stepping outside its current southeast Queensland footprint.

“With the acquisition of our new Archerfield depot, the opportunity to expand our reach both further throughout Queensland and then interstate is very real,” said Joseph.

“We are focused on robustly building the framework for this expansion as we speak and look forward sharing our plans with our esteemed client base as they come to fruition.”

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PRIME NEWS

> CTI Logistics debuts first DAFs in fleet Western Australian commercial transport operator, CTI Logistics, has landed five new DAF CF530s. More notable is that these are the first units from the Dutch brand deployed into its operations.

The Euro 6 prime movers are rated both 60 and 90 tonnes and will be put to work in the company’s Perth container transport and taxi truck operations. The container division shuttles containers to and from the Fremantle wharf as well as CTI warehouses and customer premises around he metropolitan area.

Mobile assets here are utilised on a mix of pocket roadtrains and sideloader combinations.

“Our taxi truck business is involved in local distribution which includes curtainsider, flattop, drop decks and ramp trailer work,” said Mark Cameron, CTI General Manager.

The new DAF CF530s, in the fleet of 50 prime movers, are replacements for older units.

As the first DAF units CTI have purchased, early feedback from the

Four new DAFCF530s.

Image: CTI Logistics.

drivers has been uniformly positive according to Cameron.

“We evaluated these trucks over a number of weeks and felt that they were best suited for the work based on size, manoeuvrability, fuel efficiency, reduced carbon footprint and safety features,” he said.

CTI Logistics currently operates a mix of both European and American trucks in its business.

“For CTI it is important that we find trucks that are best suited to the task first and foremost, however value for money, aftersales service, dealership

relationship and ongoing maintenance play a big part in our decision making process,” said Cameron.

Earlier this year CTI Logistics celebrated its 50th anniversary by opening up a regional freight depot at a new site in Hazelmere.

Starting in 1973 as a Perth based courier company, CTI Logistics has transformed into an ASX listed national transport and logistics organisation, with revenue over $300m across 30 strategic sites around Australia.

The company employs 1000 staff and 500 dedicated contractors.

> Viva Energy to develop 30 EV charging stations in NSW Viva Energy has agreed to develop a network of 30 EV charging stations across its Shell-branded network in NSW. The co-funding agreement with the NSW Government will see Viva Energy roll out the project progressively over the next few years. One of the objectives of the project is to ensure greater connectivity between metropolitan and regional areas and to help address range anxiety for drivers in NSW. Viva Energy described the planned network as a future-proofed premium charging option, delivering fast charging speeds and an improved customer experience through the significant retail network upgrade proposed under the roll-out of the On the Run offer. The project incorporates the installation of solar panels and batteries, with a minimum of four ultra-fast charge points at each site to minimise wait times for 12

Febr u a r y 2024

drivers and ensure maximum charger availability.

Power from the solar panels will be supplemented by sustainable energy from the grid to ensure the project provides emission-free power for EV drivers across a mix of highway, metropolitan and regional sites in NSW. Lachlan Pfeiffer, Viva Energy’s Chief Business Development and Sustainability Officer, said the EV charger rollout is a natural next step following Viva Energy’s acquisition of Coles Express and On the Run, and supports Viva Energy’s broader role in Australia’s energy transition.

“EV customers are looking for a best-inclass experience, and our model aims to deliver fast and seamless charging, coupled with an exceptional customer visiting experience,” said Pfeiffer. “Having acquired the convenience retail business, and with our plans to invest across the

retail network, EV charging is a natural complement to that and customers can expect a high quality and reliable service, situated in optimal locations.”

Pfeiffer said the expansion of Viva Energy’s EV charging capability is a critical step in providing customers with new and more sustainable fuels and energy sources as part of Australia’s energy transition.

“We are very glad to partner with the NSW Government on this initiative,” he said. “We have a strong network of sites in NSW, and building our initial EV networks will begin to connect East Coast Australia.”

The NSW Government is contributing $14.7 million to the project through round two of its EV fast-charging grants program, tied to Viva Energy’s commitment and progress in building out the network.

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PRIME NEWS

> Sawtell and Sons chalk up 90 years The new Volvo FH16 [right] joins the tipper fleet. Image: Volvo Trucks.

Currumbin-based bulk hauliers, Sawtell and Sons have celebrated 90 years in business recently and have chosen to mark the occasion by taking delivery of yet another Volvo FH16. Sawtell and Sons have been buying Volvo trucks almost exclusively for over five decades.

Celebrating nearly a century in business remains a major triumph for the company which performs a combination of local and interstate work, with slightly more trucks working on the interstate side.

The latest addition to the Sawtell fleet, an FH16 700, will join the interstate tipper fleet covering the majority of the eastern

seaboard transporting potatoes and fertiliser on long haul routes from South Australia to Far North Queensland.

The local fleet are kept busy transporting, sand, gravel and fertiliser.

Five years after the first Volvo rolled off the production line in Sweden in 1928, Percival Sawtell and his two eldest sons purchased the only transport business on the southern end of the Gold Coast at Currumbin.

Ken Sawtell, joint Director of Sawtell and Sons, said the vibrant southern suburb of the Gold Coast looked very different when his grandfather founded the business in 1933.

“There were five sons in the family. The two eldest started in the business and my dad took it over in the 50s and started to build it up to what it is today,” said Sawtell.

The business his grandfather started now spans across four generations.

Sawtell’s younger brother Grant is also a Co-Director. The family business is now thriving, growing from the initial two

trucks to a fleet of 60 and a workforce of 80.

Only one year after Volvo began building trucks in Australia at their Wacol factory in 1972, Sawtell and Sons purchased their first Volvo.

“I remember because I started driving for the business that same year. It was a Volvo F86,” said Sawtell.

Business relationships that span decades are a rare thing in any industry said Gary Bone, Vice President Volvo Trucks Australia.

“The relationship that has been forged with the Sawtell’s and Volvo speaks volumes and is a true testament of the resilience, determination and integrity of the Sawtell family across the generations,” he said. “I’d like to think these qualities are also reflected in some way by us here at Volvo. Shared values make the best foundations for long-term partnerships and I’m proud that Volvo has been part of the Sawtell journey to date.”

> Bruce Highway alternate route underway The Queensland Government has commenced early works on the Inland Freight Route. Known as the Second Bruce, the 1185-kilometre Inland Freight Route is touted as an alternative route for goods carriers that will help keep communities connected during major flood events. As the Bruce Highway is single-carriage each way for long stretches north of Rockhampton, a viable north-south alternative to the Bruce Highway is expected to form a critical freight corridor between Mungindi and Charters Towers.

So far $200 million has been allocated towards the project, with more than half of the State Government’s commitment now on the table to accelerate early works delivery. A $19.7 million bridge upgrade over the Dawson River, north of Injune, that will widen the existing bridge from 7.4 metres to 10.3 metres, is expected to kickstart the project. Works will also realign the bridge approaches 14

to improve safety and accessibility for heavy vehicles with this being the first of two bridge upgrades between Injune and Rolleston. The $107 million early works package will focus on addressing constraints north of Injune, and constraints in the vicinity of Belyando, including: – two bridge upgrades between Injune and Rolleston on the Carnarvon Highway – major culvert upgrades between Roma and Injune on the Carnarvon Highway – two road strengthening and widening projects (in sections) between Clermont and Charters Towers on the Gregory Developmental Road in the vicinity of Belyando.

– This builds on $109 million in jointly funded upgrades recently delivered on the Inland Freight Route and key feeder roads, as part of the Roads of Strategic Importance program and road economic stimulus packages.

Earlier this year the Bruce Highway

was named as Queensland’s most unroadworthy road in a survey conducted by the RACQ motoring organisation.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said bringing forward the Queensland portion of funding for the Inland Freight Route between Mundgindi and Charters Towers is vital.

“The Bruce Highway is the single most important highway in the country,” he said. “By building a better Inland Freight Route targeted at taking trucks off the Bruce, we are ensuring strong supply chains and driving economic growth for regional industries and communities.

“Not only that, upgrades will improve connectivity and safety to help keep our state moving with a viable alternative to the Bruce Highway.

“Our vast state has the largest regional road network in the nation [and] any proposed changes from 80:20 funding to 50:50 will have a serious impact on our regional communities.”

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PRIME NEWS

> Emerald Carrying Company takes delivery of 200th Kenworth Queensland-based transporter, Emerald Carrying Company, has taken delivery of its 200th Kenworth in the fleet, a W900SAR Legend. The milestone prime mover has been deployed in Emerald Carrying Company’s general freight fleet where it runs predominantly from Brisbane to Emerald. The vehicle is also used to move round quartz decorative stone out of Emerald as a Tri-Tri B-double using a Tautliner on the A trailer and a flat top convertible tipper on the B trailer.

Group General Freight/Fleet Manager, Matt Haylock, told Prime Mover Emerald Carrying Company has solely purchased Kenworths in the last three years due to their quality, longevity and resale value.

“We feel like they’re the best truck on the market at the moment, and they’ve got the service backup,” he said.

Since arriving in the fleet late last year, the new W900SAR Legend has reminded Emerald Carrying Company of the countless positive experiences it has

The new Kenworth W900SAR Legend.

Image: Emerald Carrying Co.

received and become familiar with in the other 199 units.

“It has been exceptional,” Haylock said.

“It drives good, it steers good and it just does what we want it to.”

Every truck at Emerald Carrying Company also has a sentimental value to the drivers, whom Haylock said receive the opportunity to name post-delivery.

“Every truck gets customised to some degree,” he said. “We let have the drivers have input in them. Each one has its own unique name, which we let the drivers choose if they want to.”

The new 200th truck was given the name ‘Remember When’.

Emerald Carrying Company was established in 1965 by Bill and Joan Haylock and today remains a familyowned and operated business.

The team, over the years, has gained extensive experience in bulk liquids transport and general freight, and through the development of long-term strategic partnerships, the company has grown to now operate a fleet of 120 trucks consisting of rigids to triple and quad roadtrain combinations. This last unit, the 200th Kenworth W900SAR Legend, is testament to the fleet’s success over the past 57 years.

Simon Graham, Dealer Principal Brown and Hurley Rockhampton, congratulated Emerald Carrying Co on the milestone.

“Moments like these come around rarely and Brown and Hurley are proud to deliver Emerald Carrying Co their 200th new Kenworth,” he said.

> Transport icon Ian Cootes passes Industry great and innovator Ian Cootes has passed. He was 82. A well-known Australian road transport identity, Cootes was a key figure in the development of the bulk tanker industry having helped to improve the sector’s operational standards, making it one of the safest in the world.

A former policeman, Cootes commenced operations with a single, self-funded tanker, before growing his fleet significantly to become a dominant player in the transport industry. He would later sell the business in 2000 to national corporation, McAleese.

Born on 5 February, 1941, Cootes lost his father early after he was killed in action in Malaya during the fall of Singapore, when Ian was only two years of age. From an early age he had enjoyed being taken for a short trips around Kyabram with his grandfather.

In 1960, Cootes joined the police force and was stationed at South Melbourne.

His love of trucks, however, continued to 16

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the point he left the force and by 1965 he had saved enough money to put down a deposit on his first truck.

An enquiry made of BP in St Kilda Road where the company affirmed it had work for him if he purchased a truck soon led to service station deliveries across metropolitan Melbourne in an AB184 International. With that IR Cootes Transport was born.

Over the decades the fleet, always immaculately presented, expanded rapidly on the back of a strong employee culture, respecting his customers and providing the highest of safety standards.

As Director of the Australian Road Research Board in the 1990s, Cootes took an active role in raising safety and efficiency standards for dangerous goods transport.

“Ian’s dedication and commitment to our industry has been outstanding,” said the Victorian Transport Association in a statement. “He was an innovator and demonstrated his leadership in real terms

by the way he structured and managed his business. Safety was always at the top and he drove a culture and demonstrated this through every operation of his very successful tanker business.

“Ian led the way in professionalism. He developed the bulk tanker industry in Australia to be acknowledged as one of the safest and most efficient in the world.

His fleet was immaculate and his skilled drivers the pride of his business.”

Cootes is also a former President of the Australian Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association and served on the board of the National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA) as well as on the Advisory Board of Melbourne-based truck manufacturer, PACCAR. In 2003, he was inducted into the National Road Transport Hall of Fame. Cootes was also awarded an Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to charity, namely the Alfred Hospital, where he served as Chair from 2003 – 2008, and the transport industry.

GLOBAL NEWS

> Volvo FH Electric awarded International Truck of the Year

Volvo FH Electric. Image: Volvo.

The International Truck of the Year 2024 has been awarded to the Volvo FH Electric. It marks the first time that an electric truck has won the prestigious award.

A jury of 24 commercial vehicle journalists praised Volvo’s heavy electric

truck for its performance, seamless acceleration, quietness, and vibrationfree behaviour.

“With the introduction of the FH Electric, Volvo Trucks has delivered a stateof-the-art battery electric vehicle range, suitable for a wide array of transport operations. It’s proof that the energy transition is gaining strength even in today’s challenging business environment,” said Gianenrico Griffini, Chairman, International Truck of the Year. It’s the fourth time that Volvo’s FH model has been named Truck of the Year.

Nearly 1.4 million FH units have been sold globally to date.

Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks, accepted the prestigious award at the Solutrans Transport Exhibition in Lyon, France.

“I am so very proud that our Volvo FH

Electric has won this highly respected award. For the first time in history the transport industry has chosen an electric vehicle as Truck of the Year,” he said. “The Volvo FH Electric represents a new era in trucking and winning this award clearly shows that the shift to zero emission transport is happening here and now.

“I sincerely want to thank everyone who has contributed to this success. It’s based on great teamwork with passion and dedication among our colleagues within the Volvo Group, and close cooperation with our valued customers, partners and suppliers.”

The Volvo FH Electric can operate at a total of 44 tonnes. Production of the Volvo FH Electric started in 2022 in Volvo’s factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, and production in the factory in Ghent, Belgium began in 2023.

> MAN Truck & Bus wins innovation award Two projects underway by MAN Truck & Bus have jointly been recognised by the International Truck of Year award jury. Both projects, regarded as key commitments by TRATON Group, corporate parent of MAN, are pioneering autonomous transportation solutions.

Known as ANITA (Autonomous Innovation in Terminal Operations) and ATLAS-L4: autonomous driving on the motorway, the projects have made significant progress since their inception. Together with partners in the ANITA project, MAN developed a self-driving truck that autonomously handles container loading from road to rail and integrates with digital planning processes.

In testing, the autonomous truck was up to 40 per cent more productive than conventional vehicles, demonstrating its potential for efficient, flexible and sustainable operations.

Meanwhile, ATLASL4 – which gained support from a German government ministry – hopes to have a prototype vehicle on the road by the end of 2024.

“The award is not only a great honour for 18

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ANITA and ATLAS-L4 and the partners involved it is also an acknowledgement of the achievements of all our colleagues at MAN, who have been driving automated driving forward with great expertise and passion for many years,” said Dr Frederik Zohm, Executive Board Member for Research and Development at MAN Truck & Bus. “Alongside digitalization and CO₂-free drives, this is the third key pillar in the transformation to the climatefriendly, safe, efficient and intelligently networked transport of the future.”

In his laudatory speech, jury chairman Gianenrico Griffini, representing 25 international truck trade journalists, emphasised “the advanced characteristics of both projects, the contribution to hub-to-hub and intermodal transport automation, and the fruitful project cooperation between MAN Truck & Bus, logistics providers, component suppliers, research institutions, and public infrastructure operators” as essential for the Truck Innovation Award 2024 to be presented to the MAN projects ANITA

and ATLAS-L4 for autonomous driving.

The award was presented at Solutrans, a biennial trade show for heavy and light commercial vehicles in Lyon, France, where the Volvo FH Electric was crowned as the International Truck of the Year 2024.

This is the second time that the prestigious Truck Innovation Award 2024 has gone to an MAN automation project.

In 2019, the automated construction site safety vehicle AFAS won the coveted industry prize at its very first edition.

A driverless MAN TGX. Image: MAN Truck & Bus.

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COVER STORY

HIRE

FIDEL 20

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Euro 6 DAF CF530 prime mover in Sydney.

Image: PACCAR Australia.

National equipment hire and solutions business, Coates, is committed to a sustainability framework and supply partners like DAF Trucks are playing a vital role.

ELITY p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

One of the new DAF CF530s at work in a lumber yard.

DAF CF530 ready to be delivered from Yatala. Image: Brown and Hurley.

A

ustralia’s biggest equipment hire and solutions provider, Coates, supports industry across a broad range of sectors.

It offers customers quality equipment in compaction, confined space entry, concrete and masonry — and that’s just the ‘C’ section — as well as a host of other segments from dry hire, engineering and training in essential service industries.

One of its core values is ‘Care Deeply,’ a promise Coates extends to customers and stakeholders alike, right through to its criteria for investing in commercial vehicles.

The Coates specification for prime movers is naturally quite extensive. First and foremost, according to Scott Pirie, Coates Transport Compliance Manager, it’s 22

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about the safety features of the truck. That encompasses driver assist technology, fuel economy, together with Euro 6 exhaust pollutant ratings.

“The big thing is around driver assist technology and driver comfort to look after our drivers right down to the basics like tinted windows and livery,” he says. “Safety, reliability, suitability and lowering emissions and pollutants are a defining criterion when we’re looking at replacement trucks.”

The heavy vehicle fleet at Coates is updated with DAF product with a level of assurance equal to the company’s familiar distinct orange branding. As a relationship it’s relatively steadfast.

Overall, there are some 15 DAF vehicles in the fleet working as either crane trucks,

Moffett loaders or prime movers, with three new Euro 6 DAF CF530s, in the latter category, recently deployed in Sydney courtesy of Brown and Hurley Yatala.

Opting for the top of the range in horsepower is about flexibility as much as it is reliability — twin features Coates upholds when it comes to its investment in assets.

“It’s about the equipment that we move and the sites that we go to and just having that extra power and torque with the 530,” Scott says. “It also gives us less stress on the components.”

These trucks, what’s more, can and will end up anywhere in Australia. Coates is ultimately buying a truck that is suitable for all facets, not just running around a metro environment. That environment

Jason Fitzpatrick, Coates NSW/ ACT Transport Manager.

could just as easily be the Pilbara or in a city like Darwin, where the conditions and climate bring their own unique challenges.

“We look for something that is multipurpose,” Scott explains. “Just having that extra horsepower available when we need it is why we went to the top of the range.”

As demand often fluctuates, the onus is on the high value of having a dynamic fleet.

“If we see somewhere that is picking up and we need some extra resourcing, we can move these trucks around,” says Scott.

“It’s no different to our hire fleet. We value our ability to be able to put these trucks wherever we need them to better support our customers.”

In the past Coates has supported relief work on natural disasters including

providing hire equipment and establishing a 500-bed base camp in just 48 hours for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) during the 2022 Northern Rivers floods. More recently it supported the recovery efforts in North Queensland following the destruction wrought by Tropical Cyclone Jasper. To do so it is not uncommon to redeploy trucks from other areas of the business. Ultimately, having a purposebuilt truck that can go anywhere and do most anything is what Coates is looking for.

“In line with our value to ‘Care Deeply’, looking after our drivers is first and foremost what we’re about,” says Scott.

“We do a lot of multi-drops, so drivers are in and out of the trucks all day. The ease of getting in and out of the vehicle is

important to our driver workforce.”

The latest Euro 6 range features several important updates, not in the least a fully automated HVAC system which regenerates residual heat from the engine, an MX-13 in this case, to heat the cab when needed and a 30 per cent larger cooling system reducing the time the engine is asked to use auxiliary power for superfluous air flow. As Coates frequently uses these trucks on multi-drop distribution, drivers are in and out of the cab repeatedly. DAF has carefully positioned non-slip illuminated steps, well-placed grab handles, large and wide opening doors that extend into the roof, together with the low cab floor for easy access. There’s even remote-control central locking, a necessary addition given the job profile, which Coates includes on p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

the spec along with autonomous braking, collision avoidance, side cameras, adaptive cruise control and stability control.

Drivers foremost appreciate ease of operation. Visibility and comfort levels of the new DAF FTTCF530s surpasses expectations which are always high.

“All the drivers who have operated the new trucks are very happy with it,” says Scott.

“We’ve had no negative feedback on these trucks whatsoever. We’ve had older models in the fleet in the past and the drivers were happy with them then. Now they have the new updated models, they love them.

They’re finding them easy to drive.”

The manoeuvrability of these new trucks, particularly regarding blind spots and getting in and out of the truck is an appreciable attribute to support the work Coates performs.

“That’s one of the big selling points that we look for,” says Scott. “Drivers are very happy with the way that it handles.”

At any given time, Coates has had at least a dozen DAF units running in different cities in different configurations, whether Three new DAF prime movers.

Image: PACCAR Australia.

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as prime movers or as twin-steers. The 8x4 application is prevalent in Brisbane and Sydney for crane trucks. Shoring and other temporary engineering products are carted with these DAF FADCF530s. The Hiab cranes are quite large requiring an eightwheeler, with its extra carrying capacity, to safely spread the load across the axles.

“Some of the items being moved are six-metre-long steel struts so we need to have the eight-wheeler configuration to make sure we’re not exceeding any axle weights and still have the ability to have a decent size crane,” explains Scott.

“We’ve just built four new ones and put some tag along trailers behind them with ramps. That makes them a very diverse vehicle where we’ve got a crane truck but also the ability to put mobile tracked and wheeled equipment onto the trailer. It just gives us better opportunities to service our customers with a multi-purpose truck now.”

The tag trailers are built by FWR Australia in Brisbane.

Turnaround time on individual DAF units

is about seven years. In rare circumstances Coates might look to extend the life of the vehicle before replacing it. The Coates trucks don’t amass major mileage in metropolitan environments, but engine hours are high with lots of idling time given the stop and start nature of operations.

“These trucks are running 10 to 12 hours a day five days a week, sometimes six,” says Scott. “We have an ability to be fluid, so if we have a truck with low kilometres and we have a truck with high kilometres we can swap them around to keep everything ticking along nicely. They’re always in good condition when we decide to sell them because they’ve done low kilometres.”

For truck repairs and maintenance, Coates adheres closely to the OEM recommendations. Part of Coates’ consideration is the availability of repair and service facilities around Australia.

“As we don’t just operate in metro environments, we have to look at that dealer availability when we’re looking

at the product regionally,” Scott says.

“Generally, we stick to the OEM schedule unless we’re in a harsh climate and need to manage extra servicing which is always in consultation with the dealers.”

These trucks have been delivered by the team at Brown and Hurley Yatala, who are set to deliver a DAF FADCF530 8x4 next month with a 7.6-metre-long tray, side fall protection webbing and weigh scales on each axle. It will be used to support, once it arrives, the traffic management and temporary works engineering services businesses at Coates.

“We do have the ability to spec up trucks in a different manner depending on where they’re moving to or where they go to within Australia,” says Scott.

“We’ll modify the specs to suit the best application that we can.”

In the temporary works engineering division Coates has recently launched a new product called Quadshore.

Developed as part of a multi-year R&D collaboration with Monash University, Quadshore is a world-leading lightweight

heavy-duty propping solution for temporary construction works. Structural props are commonly used to provide temporary support to resist gravity loads from structures during construction.

The infrastructure boom in Australia is perpetual, for the moment, with the construction industry growing at around 10.6 per cent, demand for temporary works is similarly set to rise.

The award-winning propping system is tested and certified to relevant Australian standards and consists of the heavy-duty Quadshore 150 and the medium-duty Quadshore 50. Scott’s team is tasked with transporting the product to customer sites.

The growing trend around providing greener equipment choices has been embraced by Coates. In June 2022, the company launched its Greener Choices range of lower-emission and more sustainable equipment, including hybrid, battery-electric and solar models, as well as non-road equipment with low pollutant engines (USA Tier 4 Final / EU Stage 4 and 5), biofuel compatibility,

energy efficient appliances and LED lighting.

“That’s where the future is taking us,” says Scott. “Coates is well and truly working towards short-term and net-zero targets for Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions, continuing to invest in our Greener Choices range, and looking at other products and innovations to help our customers fulfill their own net-zero commitments.”

In keeping with this, Coates positions itself as more than just a hire service — namely, as an end-to-end solutions provider. There’s an inherent reliability, it has found, that naturally proceeds from being a trusted one-stop shop and it’s something the company takes immense pride in when it comes to customer service.

“We’re bringing new trucks into the fleet which allows us to deliver exceptional service to our customers,” notes Scott.

“Customer-focused is another important priority at Coates, which is why we continue to partner with DAF.”

FWR tag trailer and ramp with Hiab crane.

Image: PACCAR Australia. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Rob Curnow behind the wheel of a Hino 300. Images: Hino Australia.

The team assembles its truck fleet in Adelaide.

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AFTER

LIFE First class service in the removal and correct disposal of unwanted household, commercial and construction materials using Hino trucks is at the core of this Adelaide business.

H

uman beings are naturally acquisitive, and some can even be reluctant to part with items which are in their possession despite having passed their useful life often because many people simply don’t have the time or resources to get rid of the unwanted items themselves. For as long as he can remember Rob Curnow harboured a burning ambition to be some form of entrepreneur and to be the master of his own destiny. After ten years working in sales for a major soft drink company, Rob and a mate purchased a secondhand soft serve ice cream van which was Rob’s first foray into business. Instead of operating in the already competitive areas of suburban Adelaide, the duo would head a thousand kilometres to Ceduna to tap into the demand for their products where no others were available.

Rob learned some very valuable business lessons from that experience, one of which was to employ the best equipment, something he learned the

hard way when the van’s refrigeration generator burned out and the attempt to tow the broken van home resulted in a blown engine in his own car. After that wake-up call Rob spent a decade as the logistics co-ordinator for a major Barossa Valley winery where he utilised his natural affinity for logistics.

“I just like the numbers and the workflow and the processes,” Rob says.

He credits his father for being his mentor and for providing valuable business advice as he again examined the best way to determine his own future. Capitalising upon his abilities and experiences and the desire to be operating his own business, Rob looked at several opportunities and was impressed with the potential of taking on a franchise for 1800-GOT-JUNK? which is based in Vancouver, Canada. 1800-GOTJUNK? is a full-service rubbish removal company for homes and businesses and provides an easy solution for the removal of unwanted items such as old furniture, appliances, electronics, tyres, p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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construction debris, or green waste.

1800-GOT-JUNK? operators will remove rubbish from wherever it’s located and return it to their depot for sorting where recycling, donating and repurposing of items minimises the impact on landfill facilities.

“As a result of my background with multi-national organisations I looked for something clean and shiny such as 1800-GOT-JUNK? even though it operates in what may be regarded as a ‘dirty’ industry,” says Rob. Through its franchisees 1800-GOT-JUNK? globally operates almost 3,000 trucks.

Operating a legitimate business with appropriate permissions, insurances and processes in place is important to Rob who points out the industry has many unlicensed operators/illegal dumpers who turn up to people’s premises in old utes towing box trailers.

“There are four things we live by,” he says. “We offer clean shiny trucks, on-time service, upfront rates and uniformed friendly drivers.”

Two people are provided per vehicle in order to deliver a full service and to perform the complete job.

“Traditionally people would get a skip delivered and load the skip themselves, in a race to beat the neighbourhood to fill it, whereas we send two guys and a specialised truck and the customer simply points out what they want taken away,” adds Rob. Customers call the toll free number and the jobs are allocated according to the client’s postcode. The quoted rates are based on how much space in the truck the load requires with the truck body divided into eighths.

Like the vehicles, Rob’s premises are kept immaculate and there is an additional reason behind this.

“If it looks like a dump, people will treat it like a dump,” says Rob. When Rob started with the business a different truck brand was utilised but the dealer-owned body builder ignored plans from 1800-GOT-JUNK?’s head office and built the bodies he 28

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wanted to build which lead to multiple problems because the proven design wasn’t followed.

“The wrong colour, wrong branding, and the worst thing was a two piece ramp which had to be unfolded and was too heavy for one person and its design meant if the back doors of the body were closed the ramp couldn’t be removed,” recalls Rob. Four years later Rob walked into the local CMI Hino dealership on a Saturday morning.

“At that point I didn’t want to deal with a salesperson, I just wanted to see the trucks for myself,” recalls Rob. “I got into one and CMI’s David Cushion knocked on the door and got into the passenger seat. We spent an hour and half just talking about trucks and what we did.

Ever since David has been one of my best supporters in the business. We also like dealing with Hino’s service department.

Nobody touches my trucks with a spanner except Hino.”

The resulting dedication to the Toyota/ Hino brands is obvious with seven Hino 300 Series trucks in the Adelaide operation with number eight currently being fabricated as well as two Landcruisers and five HiLux utes, and not forgetting the Toyota Forklift.

“I’ve always been a Toyota guy and at age 17 my first good car was a Toyota

Celica,” he says. “Today my wife drives a Kluger.”

Rob renews his trucks over every five years with some getting new bodies and others receiving a refurbished body from a retiring vehicle. Rob mostly sells his used trucks interstate to an operator in another similar business.

There can be two schools of thought in relation to maintaining trucks — either service them according to the manufacturer’s schedule or simply do the minimum to keep them on the road.

“I don’t think there is a right and wrong way with that at all,” says Rob, rationalising that the costs of properly servicing over five years are offset by a higher price when it comes time to pass them on.

“All my trucks are under warranty because I invest in the extended warranty available through Hino,” he says. “Every vehicle is 100 per cent road worthy and it’s the same with utes. It’s not just about my safety, it’s all of our safety.”

Rob’s attitude is rare in the industry with many others claiming to offer similar services but due to costs are prepared to run crucial items, such as tyres, all the way down to the wire.

“My operations manager is under strict instructions: if it’s not safe fix it and don’t let it go out the gate until it is,” says Rob.

“Traditionally people would get a skip delivered and load the skip themselves, in a race to beat the neighbourhood to fill it, whereas we send two guys and a specialised truck and the customer simply points out what they want taken away,” Rob Curnow 1800 Got-Junk?

All seven Hino 300s in a motorcade.

As the business expands the requirement for more drivers is met via reaching out to the usual online platforms.

Rob has also found that referrals from existing employees can be a source of new people.

“In a lot of cases it’s a mate of a mate,”

he says. “It’s a nicer environment for everybody if you work with people you like. People don’t leave good jobs — they leave bad places.”

The requirement of a Light Rigid licence precludes many potential employees, but Rob offers practical support in obtaining those credentials for applicants with the right potential who are prepared to commit to the business. The specification of automatic ‘two pedal’ Hino trucks helps broaden the employee net as well as making the trucks much easier to operate in traffic.

“We live by the clean shiny truck credo,

and they are washed every week,” explains Rob. “The team has a BBQ breakfast meeting every Friday morning when we wash the trucks, and ensure the toolboxes are stocked properly.”

An on-site modular fuelling facility adds to the efficiency of operating the fleet. The business continues to grow as more customers realise the benefits of engaging with a professional organisation when it comes to disposing of unwanted items and the only effort the clients’ need to make is the initial contact, and then pointing to what they want removed.

Rob Curnow, 1800-GOT-JUNK? franchisee. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Michael Wyton [right] with wife Zoe and son.

Tom. Image: Brown and Hurley.

LONG HAUL Roadtrain operator Wyton Transport has, with the purchase of a new W900SAR, continued a family legacy when it comes to milestone trucks from the Kenworth brand.

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M

LEG

aking life easier for drivers is, on the whole, a priority for the team at Wyton Transport. The Carole Park business, based in the sprawling western suburbs of Brisbane, has added a new Kenworth W900SAR to its roadtrain arm, which is running up the middle of Queensland to Mt Isa, 1805 kilometres away, via Roma. Here a third trailer is added.

Powered by a 600hp Cummins X-15 engine paired with an 18-speed RoadRanger transmission, the Kenworth is transporting general freight north

and returning with bulk freight items including wool.

“If we can get it on a trailer we will take it,” says Michael Wyton, the owner of the business. “That truck leaves Saturday morning and he normally gets home sometime Thursday, so the driver is pretty well in it five nights of the week.”

Having narrowly missed out on a 75th anniversary Diamond Edition Kenworth, Michael jumped at the opportunity to purchase a new W900SAR Legend. For the driver, who is living out of the truck, the W900SAR is essentially a home away from home. Making it comfortable for

Kenworth W900SAR en route to Mt Isa. Image: Wyton Transport.

GACY him is a must.

The Aero Roof cab features a 1360mm bunk, customised shelves, a microwave, two fridges, and ICEPACK air conditioning system.

Rated to 130 tonnes the big spec includes a longer wheelbase and an air release JOST adjustable sliding fifth wheel, an advantage when carrying oversize loads.

The Wyton name might sound familiar to Australian Kenworth afficionados.

There already exists an historic connection with the brand. It was Michael’s grandfather Doug Wyton who

purchased the first Kenworth sold by Brown and Hurley back in 1965. That 318hp Kenworth W923 cost £15,000.

American drivelines are still very much in vogue on the rugged long haul tasks performed by the company. These are mainly handled by the Western Star and Kenworth brands.

The fleet runs 18 prime movers in total, with another six rigids on local work and three other semis used where needed.

“On the return journey the loads can change in size and shape so when we need to shift it back a bit we have

that option,” says Michael of the trips through the outback to Mt Isa. “The freight we cart can be all different stuff and that might mean not being able to get the weight far enough forward or back and it doesn’t take much movement of the pin to throw weight.”

That can make a big difference for the ride of the driver. Especially if they’re doing long-distances.

“If they get kicked from behind, they can push the JOST turntable forward a touch and get more weight forward which helps with the ride,” he says. “It’s about getting our weight right and adjusting p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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weights by putting more onto the steer axle or taking weight off it depending on the circumstances.”

The Kenworth W900SAR Legend is built on a double chassis rail right through.

Michael favours a NeWay suspension despite a prevalence of late by some roadtrain operators in the industry who have shifted to a PRIMAAX air suspension.

“We’ve been using NeWay for a long time and never had an issue with it,” he explains. “Given the nature of the work and the distances involved if there was an issue with the product, we would have found it by now.”

Despite being a touch heavier, the NeWay is a product, according to Michael, that he knows and trusts. It’s as simple as that. In the demanding undertaking of Australian roadtrains The triple roadtrain combination.

Image: Wyton Transport.

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that’s perhaps more than enough.

Given the application, Michael has opted, contrary to the norm, for a taller rear axle ratio of 4:30:1.

“I feel as though these engines don’t like revs,” he says. “The Cummins X15 doesn’t sound right up in the revs, so I’ve geared this one a little bit taller so it’s not revving so hard and chasing a better fuel economy and better longevity out of the motor.”

Predominantly, most operators in the application are comfortable at 4.56:1 or a little bit lower for three trailer work according to Michael. His task, though repeatable, is subject to a high degree of variance in the loading. It keeps the team on their toes.

In related manner, one of the ongoing challenges in the market, especially for managers of smaller fleets, has been in

ensuring every asset has an allocated ride.

Fortunately for Wyton Transport that isn’t an issue at present.

“I’ve got a driver in every truck for the first time in three years,” Michael says.

“Work wise we can’t complain. We’ve got enough to do.”

But with all of his long-distance drivers now 50 plus years of age, an concern remains — there’s no youngblood coming through.

“I’ve got a couple of younger fellas in the yard but by the time they get old enough to drive or they can get insurance they’re normally off doing something else,” adds Michael.

He believes, by way of a potential solution, that more tax breaks need to be offered to lure and retain young drivers.

“Perhaps it’s time to look at the [living] away from home allowance again,” he

says. “We are a part of a vital industry that provides valuable services to communities around Australia.”

Truck driving, according to Michael, needs to be appealing for the next generation to consider it as a serious career path.

“They’re given little incentive in tax breaks,” he says. “Even though they’re living out of a 2×2 unit for most of their stint with limited access to showers and toilets other than roadside stops which must be timed right with driving hours and breaks and next to no access to grocery shops to buy supplies.”

Whatever the solution, it’s going to take a concerted effort by multiple parties both in and outside the industry if the grandchildren of hardworking freight carriers of today are to carry on the family tradition.

An Aero Roof cab features a 1360mm bunk inside. Image: Wyton Transport.

p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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TRUCK & TECH

ACTIO CALL TO

Renovating and earthmoving in Queensland is hot and dusty work for Reilly Hutchinson and his HRD Builders team, but a couple of new vehicles from Isuzu Trucks have made the job that little bit easier.

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ION

Isuzu NMR 60-150 tipper.

Images: Arkajon.

R

eilly Hutchinson is a busy man. From managing his team of ten builders and tradies, to running both the renovation and earthmoving sides of his business, he admits his job is a 24-hour a day labour of love.

Based in Beaudesert, Queensland, inland from the Gold Coast, HRD Builders specialise in renovations and extensions around the Brisbane and Scenic Rim areas, managing entire projects from start to finish.

The company primarily focuses on domestic renovations with a particular skill in upgrading kitchens and bathrooms. Meanwhile, the earthmoving p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Reilly Hutchinson.

side to HRD Builders can tackle pool digs, builders’ foundations, plumbing and drainage work and specialise in retaining walls.

Anything he can do to make his day more

Isuzu NPR 55-155 Tradepack.

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efficient and comfortable is a bonus which is why he began considering a new truck.

“I did look at some of the other brands, but I trusted Isuzu Trucks and decided to

go with them,” says Reilly, who started out as an apprentice before branching out on his own about ten years ago. “A lot of that decision had to initially do with the name and the reputation Isuzu has.”

He was looking for something that could replace both his ute and trailer and give him an all-in-one, so he didn’t have to constantly engage and disengage the trailer.

After researching various trucks and prices, he found what he was looking for at an Isuzu dealership in Archerfield, Queensland, making a purchase there and then. What he got was an NPR 55155 Tradepack, which requires a light truck license.

The Isuzu N series are light trucks known for their durability and broad range of safety features including advanced emergency braking that can recognise pedestrians, a lane warning that sounds if the truck starts to drift and a distance warning system, alerting the driver if

The NMR 60-150 tipper is primarily used for earthworks.

they get too close to the vehicle in front of them.

For Reilly, the truck is serving exactly the purpose he’d hoped for and is in continuous use. The added benefit is he can still tow a trailer with an excavator if he needs to.

“What I had was a ute and a trailer, now I have a ute and a trailer on the truck,” he said. “We use it to cart all the tools around and it carries materials, fencing, rubbish, helping with whatever we happen to need to do on any particular day.”

He’s particularly fond of the Apple Carplay platform which provides a

hands-free option, a benefit for anyone who has had to field as many calls as Reilly does.

His model is powered by a 4HK1-TCN engine that produces 114kW and 419Nm of torque. As a 4-cylinder it boasts a gross vehicle mass of 5,500kg, with a 4,500kg towing capacity.

While this vehicle is Reilly’s to drive, his team do get the opportunity to use his other Isuzu vehicle, a NMR 60-150 tipper, which is used for earthworks and has a payload limit of 2800kg.

“The tipper has been great too,” Reilly says. “It’s the smallest tipper they produce and requires a light truck license as well.

I would definitely recommend both to anyone in the industry.”

With two new Isuzu vehicles at the ready, this is just the first step in some exciting expansion plans for HRD Builders, adding to Reilly’s heavy workload.

Despite his busy schedule and when he isn’t managing his team, he admits he does still like to get back on the tools occasionally.

“I do really enjoy the tools, although there are quite a few distractions especially with the phone ringing flat out,” he said. “If I could just turn my phone off once in a while, that would be nice.” p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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ELI-te Fifth Wheel Coupling Assistant. Images: SAF-Holland.

LOCKED AND LOADED SAF-Holland’s ELI-te Fifth Wheel Coupling Assistant makes the coupling process much easier for operators by drastically reducing the risk of dropping a trailer.

T

he incorrect coupling of a prime mover to a semi-trailer or B-double combination can be a very costly error.

Instances of missed couples often result in expensive dropped trailer incidents, and although driver training on proper coupling procedures is imperative, even the strongest training will not alert a driver when something has inadvertently gone wrong. SAF-Holland’s ELI-te Coupling Assistant will, though.

The optional system, offered on the 38

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popular FW351 & FW331 series of Holland fifth wheels, is highly versatile.

ELI-te, which stands for Electronic Lock Inspection – technology enhanced, helps drivers with LED lights on the fifth wheel to allow for quick recognition of a successful or failed coupling attempt.

In other words, it essentially reduces the chances of a dropped trailer occurring, preventing it from happening before it is even a possibility.

With ELI-te, bright red flashing LED lights will assist the driver in the case

of a failed coupling attempt by quickly pointing out a potentially costly mistake before it is too late. With a successful coupling, on the other hand, ELI-te triggers four white LED lights which confirm that the connection is solid and secure. These high-intensity LEDs are strategically aimed at the kingpin and lock for enhanced visibility during the inspection process, especially in poor weather and low-light conditions.

ELI-te still requires the driver to get out of the cab to ensure a successful

coupling, but thanks to the LEDs, there is no need for torches or chassis mounted inward facing lights. Being entirely mounted directly to the underside of the fifth wheel top plate, ELI-te avoids costly installation of wiring and control units around the vehicle needing only 12-volt ignition and ground wire connection. For those that prefer the convenience of internally mounted alters, there are also output signals available.

ELI-te has been engineered to perform in real-world and real road conditions, making it a perfect fit for Australia’s transport industry. The system has been cleverly designed, operating via two sensors that confirm the location of the fifth wheel’s cam plate, and the trailer’s kingpin. The position of the sensors on the fifth wheel greatly reduces the chance that their performance will be negatively impacted by grease contamination. The sensors, LEDs and control module are connected by robust components to form a sealed one-piece harness and the entire system is mounted within the fifth wheel, with only a single power cable connecting it to the trailer or prime mover, resulting in a very clean installation.

The ELI-te system can be supplied as ‘factory fit’ on brand new FW351 and FW331 fifth wheels, and also in a ‘retrofit’ kit for those models. The retrofit kit comprises all the parts that installers require, including an instruction manual, drilling template, drill bits and ELI-te system components.

Since its development, the FW351– SAFHolland’s most versatile fifth wheel – received a boost in strength and durability with the latest variant known as FW351-E. With applications where high weights and long combinations add significantly to the stresses placed on the fifth wheel, the industry called for a solution and SAF-Holland answered.

The OEM created the FW351-E with a D-rating upgraded to 210kN and with a 23-tonne vertical load capacity which perfectly matches the 50mm kingpin of

the same rating. These ratings, confirmed

by SAF-Holland, have been verified by comprehensive real-world testing of the product under harsh conditions, rather than being purely certified by Finite Element Analysis (FEA).

The ELI-te Coupling Assistant is being adopted by major fleets as a key component that supports their existing safety systems.

“Systems like the ELI-te are being introduced by transport operators who are looking for products to improve safety,” says Bill Cassar, SAF-Holland National Fleet Manager. “Dropped trailers is a big thing in the industry.

Truck drivers work long hours, early mornings and during the night when visibility can be limited. The ELI-te system clearly indicates whether the fifth wheel is engaged or not engaged.

“It’s a major aspect of improved safety practice and this system, as fleets are finding out, is helping maintain those standards and protecting people and

equipment.”

Some operators when upgrading the fifth wheel top only, have added ELI-te already fitted.

There is, however, some skill needed to fit the ELI-te retro-fit kit, so this needs to be done by a trained mechanic.

According to SAF-Holland, the new FW351-E incorporates the best of the tried and tested features of the previous series with a new enhanced ruggedness, thanks to the reinforced top plate casting. For example, the renowned ‘trigger handle’ has been carried over which enables single-handed operation while providing an additional safety measure for added peace of mind.

Further options include an air-operated release and, of course, ELI-te, which brings users of the FW351 and FW351-E convenient verification of couplings.

Tied together with SAF-Holland’s proven solutions, ELI-te is a cheap, affordable insurance for operators which may come in handy when needed most.

ELI-te uses two sensors to confirm the location of the fifth wheel’s cam plate and the trailer’s kingpin. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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ON THE In spite of the challenges of the past few years Hino is upbeat about its future directions in Australia.

Richard Emery. Images: Hino Australia.

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HOR I C oming off consistently strong performances over the past several years Hino Australia is resolute about moving up a gear during 2024, with a new man at the helm following the company’s Vice President of Brand and Franchise Development Richard Emery being elevated to the President and CEO position at the beginning of February, following the retirement of incumbent

CEO Takashi “Sam” Suda.

Richard brings over three decades of sales, marketing and business development experience in the global automotive and trucking industry, including roles as the CEO and Managing Director of Nissan Australia, as well as senior executive positions at Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Audi and Land Rover. Richard has served as a board member of the FCAI (Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries) and

R IZON currently represents Hino on the Truck Industry Council.

Sam Suda retires following a 40-year career at Toyota and Hino, including his most recent appointment which was a five-year tenure as President and CEO of Hino Australia.

In common with most OEMs, Hino’s sales position has been frustrated over the past couple of years through international supply and logistics constraints as well

as backlogs with local body builders, yet Richard is quick to point to an exceptionally strong forward order bank as a factor in the company’s confidence about the next few years.

“Our customers have remained consistent in their support for us and it would be fair to say that supply restrictions around our Light Duty 300 Series and Medium Duty 500 Series trucks have been challenging for our dealers and customers, and we

are grateful for their patience,” he says.

“Our order bank probably remains too high because that means we are asking customers to wait just a little bit longer than we would like.”

A Hino success story during 2023 was the Light Duty 300 Series Hybrid Electric which has seen a rise in orders for over 400 per cent year-on-year, with continuing strong sales already locked in for 2024, due in part to leasing and

The Hino 500 Series has bounced back after supply disruptions. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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There are high expectations for the Hino 700 Series this year.

finance companies achieving a better understanding of the resale values of hybrid electric vehicles and the total cost of ownership of these trucks over a period of around five years, which contributed to an improved business case in addition to the inherent environmental advantages of the hybrid system.

“From a sales and marketing perspective, 2024 will see a further concentration on our Hybrid Electric products while we expect our Heavy Duty 700 Series to experience further sales growth. After being off market during late 2022, the 500 Series has really bounced back which is a testament to the product but also to the loyalty of our customers who lived through the time we weren’t able to deliver 500 Series,” says Richard. “If we can get some extra supply, which we intend to do in 2024, then I think the 700 Series will probably grow by more than ten per cent.”

Hino Australia’s strong results during 2023 were not limited to new truck sales, as the aftersales side of the business continued to undergo significant growth with record parts sales during the year, due in part to the state of the art Parts Distribution Centre which opened in Western Sydney during the COVID lockdowns in 2021.

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to the dealer level where enhanced stock level predictions are aiming at ensuring the right parts are available in the right location and at the right time.

“Our service workshops and parts business are operating at record levels,” says Richard, “This has seen our dealer partners investing in greater capacity and resources to fulfill this growth, which is expected to continue into 2024.”

During 2023 Hino Australia won its 15th successive Parts Department of the Year global award. The Hino dealer service sector has seen sustained growth and a positive change in the work mix as businesses requiring transport grow and obtain new trucks as well as refurbishing older ones in order to meet the increased volume of work and keeping those rehabilitated trucks in the fleet rather than trading them on new vehicles.

“Our current focus is to invest in and entrench a sustainable and robust business model that will perform regardless of any potential challenges,” says Richard.

“Together with our automotive business partners we have invested over $45 million in the infrastructure and services to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations both now and in the future.”

In addition to more advanced technical

training, Hino is working towards improving the efficiency of its technicians by initiating the Service Efficiency Program which examines factors as fundamental as counting the steps taken by technicians during their shifts to not only improve the overall performance of the service divisions but also to manage the workload and physical and mental stresses on the people and contribute positively to their well-being. An increased number in the intake of apprentices will also have a positive effect on the future service offerings at Hino dealerships.

The increased number of Hino Hybrid Electric trucks has also driven the need for increased training of technicians. As further support for that requirement, Hino has delivered Hybrid Electric vehicles to the Sunraysia Institute of TAFE in Victoria, TAFE South Australia, and Shellharbour TAFE in New South Wales. Hino Australia’s Hybrid Electric training program will also be offered to other TAFE trainers and the heavy vehicle collision repair industry.

Hino Australia will continue with its association with Supercars which has proven to be a good fit with the customer and dealer bases and factors such as the ‘Hino Hub’ serve to demonstrate a high tech approach to motor sport, suitably supported by the experiences provided by the Hino Sports Deck mobile spectator hospitality facility. It is strongly evident that Hino in Australia is playing the long game.

“We need to ensure the business is running on all cylinders and have less reliance on short-term sales results,” says Richard.

“But we’ll still take the sales results. I’m a sales guy, a competitive guy and we love to be selling as much as we can, but we also need to make sure we’ve got a sophisticated, mature, and robust business model to give the customers the service levels they require.”

He adds, “We want to be everything to some customers, not something to lots of customers. We will continue to hone in on key applications and our key customer base and not be all things to all people.”

Leading the way in vehicle safety and performance

Scully RSV is on a mission to have the safest vehicles on the road. Every day.

Scully RSV and SafetyCulture have partnered to develop an industry leading initiative for transport safety. The digital safety inspection captures the performance of Scully RSV vehicles each and every time they are used on our roads.

The SafetyCulture platform enables a more efficient and optimised inspection capture and reporting system for vehicle compliance and safety. Delivered via a QR code scan, users can launch and complete the vehicle inspection in less than 30 seconds.

Scully RSV is proud to be bringing this initiative to market with Safety Culture and leading the way in keeping our communities and their families safe.

It’s another great example of delivering on the customer promise, that Scully RSV fleet is managed to the highest levels of quality, safety and reliability.

QUALITY

RELIABILITY 1800 728 559

FLEXIBILITY info@scullyrsv.com.au

SERVICE

TECHNOLOGY

www.scullyrsv.com.au

TRUCK & TECH

Scully provides everything from utes to heavy vehicles. Images: Scully RSV.

BUILDING

MOMENTUM Just as the changing needs of business warrant greater flexibility, manufacturer, sales, servicing and hire company Scully RSV is attuned to what this can mean and look like for its customers.

N

ow into its third decade as a specialist in refrigerated transport solutions, Scully RSV understands that change is a constant in commercial road transport.

Those changes can be brought about by many factors such as seasonal demands, supply chains and customer contracts, which can often determine asset allocation and investment. The nature of the truck lease itself can be as consequential to matters of business as the durability, safety and technology of the vehicle.

As a long-time partner to logistics, dairy, meat, food and pharmaceutical companies,

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Scully RSV is entrusted to support the fleet needs of its customers. But it doesn’t just achieve this through its fleet size, significant as it is, with thousands of assets located around Australia. What it provides foremost is scale, offering the gamut of refrigerated body utes up to B-double trailers so that the principal cold carrier applications in the segment are all covered. In short, it can cater across the board whether it be final mile, DC-to-DC distribution or even interstate linehaul.

Scully RSV offers utes, trucks and trailers from each of its nine branches situated around Australia.

“Our team work with our customers to work out the best solution for their needs, calculating the costs and comparing the differences between hire and sales,” says Scully RSV CEO, Andrew McKenzie. “With service, insurance, registration and 24/7 call out support and standby included, our customers don’t incur hidden costs, easily allowing for better forecasting and financial planning.”

The inflationary environment that took hold in 2023 as cost-of-living pressures and interest rates steadily increased, made it imperative for companies to retain capital in reserve. Long-term hire solutions were,

A Scully refrigerated B-double pulled by a MAN prime mover.

as a result, a net positive for businesses that needed a transport solution at fixed rates with flexible terms.

The outlay required for a new vehicle became a prohibitive cost for some companies, who, pursuant to the demands of fluctuating finances and the turbulent market, could turn to Scully RSV for a new truck or trailer on a fixed monthly fee for an agreed term, having peace of mind that the vehicle, as is standard across the Scully range, comes with 24/7 standby and 24/7 call out support. Each vehicle, moreover, is fully maintained and serviced, with the average just under two years.

“All our vehicles come with service, insurance and registration included,” says Andrew. “There are no hidden extras in our long-term hire agreements.”

When the term ends customers either return the vehicle, upgrade to a newer model for a new term or in many cases purchase the vehicle outright.

Should seasonal demand escalate, or a lastminute contract become necessary, perhaps

even a test drive is required of a Scully RSV before purchase, the full range of refrigerated transport vehicles are available on short-term hire.

Scully RSV manufactures in Australia using materials from local suppliers to suit the unique challenges of Australian conditions.

It doesn’t assemble imported materials.

For its trailer units it partners with only the best OEMs in the industry. Some of their partnerships have lasted 30 years.

Customer feedback in that time has been a crucial part of refining a process and building a knowledge base for what works and what doesn’t. Quick and efficient solutions are a hallmark of the business.

Specialist trades are used to maintain the vehicles. Chassis, tail lift, fridges and bodies have dedicated teams spanning trucks and trailers.

Technology partner Inauro supports what Scully RSV calls seamless integration for customer needs. Safety and technology features include pre-start inspections, free 24/7 electric standby, a national

service network for trucks and trailers, GPS, temperature monitoring and driver behaviour monitoring and analytics.

While solutions that empower fleet teams come as standard in a Scully RSV, including ScullyLive.

Scully’s expertise in the hire, sale and service of refrigerated transport spans the continent across key logistics hubs from the eastern seaboard to Western Australia.

A huge demand in fridge bodies more recently has resulted in the company now catering to this line. At the minute it has the capacity to produce over 60 vehicles a month with over 1,200m2 in production capacity.

“Our move into our new manufacturing facility in 2023, saw our production capacity continue to grow and meet the demands of our refrigerated fleet needs,” says Andrew. “Not only did this grow in 2023 but our fleet also got younger. Due to our size and scale, we regularly offered customers ex-fleet sales to maintain a modern and low age of fleet.” p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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ON THE

DOUBLE R&K Bulk Haulage has made a name for itself as a proponent of important health causes usually advanced through the jaw-dropping presentation of its trucks.

I

t’s not uncommon to find a fleet in Queensland, as hot and harsh as the conditions are likely to be encountered there, committed exclusively to the Kenworth brand.

That’s certainly the case with R&K Bulk Haulage. The Darling Downsbased carrier late last year unveiled an A-double pulled by a new Kenworth T909 as part of its most recent effort to raise awareness for cancer — this time prostate cancer.

The striking new sky-blue vehicle is the latest in a long line of prime movers that R&K have used to raise funds that

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it donates to the Queensland Cancer Foundation over the past 20 years.

Russell Strasburg, the owner of the truck and company Co-Director, has himself been battling prostate cancer and is hopeful of getting the all-clear from doctors soon.

Brown and Hurley, who helped build the combination, were asked to support the initiative to raise awareness for men’s health by dedicating the fit-out to prostate cancer awareness, which they promptly did. ‘It’s a Blokes Thing Foundation,’ subsequently jumped on board.

The new 32-metre long A-double, in turn, has received strong support from the local community in Dalby according to Russell.

“People love the look of it and it has gotten heads turning when on the road,” he says. “Which means it is giving a very powerful message to the community, regarding awareness of men’s health.”

The new A-double, which carts grain, fertiliser or cow pellets, is deployed across four states in total — Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. It covers up to 5000 kilometres weekly.

In July the fleet unveiled a pink breast cancer awareness combination.

Image: Brown and Hurley.

Kenworth T909 A-double.

Image: Lucy RC Photography.

Rated to 140 tonnes on a Hendrickson suspension with a 4.568 diff ratio, the new truck fits into the fleet of over 80 vehicles, many of which are T909s.

“R&K only run Kenworth trucks as they are built for Australian Roads and made to last,” says Russell. “Our model pick is the T909, which most of the fleet consists of.”

R&K Haulage, a diminutive of the first names of Russell and his wife Karen Strasburg, who is a Co-Director, have excelled in the spectacular presentations of their vehicles. Some of their recent PBS-approved prime movers are notable for their decorative liveries. These usually feature vivid tributes to members of the family or Australian icons such as Slim Dusty.

Aside from the expected boost in productivity, the new A-double combination offers R&K a better means of access to several major ports.

“The A-double combination gives us the

flexibly to go just about anywhere in Australia without having to break up the combination,” says Russell. “Whereas B-triples need to be broken up to get into certain locations such as Brisbane and Newcastle.”

Since 1982 the company has specialised in bulk transportation. It owns 45 high productivity vehicles – every one hauled by a Kenworth – augmented further by ten tow operators and 30 subcontractors.

Western Australia is the only state on the mainland it doesn’t currently service.

R&K Bulk Haulage has three depots including Clermont and Jondaryan.

The new Kenworth T909 was purchased from Brown and Hurley Toowoomba.

“The salesman Richard Lilburne and the team behind him are always on top of their game providing us the best service possible when purchasing and fitting out our equipment,” says Russell. “They are excellent to deal with.” p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Haulmax’s ATT312.

Image: Australian Tyre Traders.

RESCUE

DAWN

The Haulmax Wingman Network offered by Australian Tyre Traders is a service designed to support Haulmax Tyres customers and provides exceptional tyre solutions on a national scale.

H

aulmax Tyres are engineered to be fit for purpose for Australian transport companies. With tyres engineered to suit all applications and a focus on quality not price, Haulmax Tyres are helping transport operators improve their operational and financial efficiency regardless of their fleet size.

Australian Tyre Traders, who own, innovate and supply the Haulmax Tyres range, are an Australian owned, family run business that have grown over the last 23 years to have over 70 staff Australia wide, with nine warehouse locations covering every state and territory and an extensive range of products that have been specifically engineered for Australia.

“We believe in providing tailored tyre solutions for the Australian transport industry”, says Daniel Sapsead, Australian Tyre Traders, National 48

Febr u a r y 2024

Marketing & Communications Manager. “The Australian transport industry is not one size fits all. Different transport routes, cargo and road surface types require fit-for-purpose tyres, and that’s exactly what Haulmax Tyres provides.”

With 14 different patterns, in sizes that suit the Australian transport industry, Haulmax Tyres has built a reputation for innovative and tailored solutions for transport operators.

As part of their commitment to innovation, Australian Tyre Traders launched the Haulmax Wingman Network just over four years ago. The network, which in the last two years alone has doubled to include over 450 independent truck tyre partners, provides truly national tyre solutions.

“When we created the Haulmax Wingman Network, we recognised as a business, that there was a need

in the transport and fright industries for someone to provide true and industry leading national service and solutions.” says Daniel, “From multi depot service programs, mining and haulage solutions and breakdowns for the Australian transport and freight industries, the Haulmax Wingman Network is tailored specifically for each operator”.

The Haulmax Wingman Network focuses on continual improvement with a commitment to customer experience, industry leading multi-tiered account management and transparency through reporting, all designed to assist transport operators to make informed decisions when it comes to their overall tyre spend.

Fleets like Clenton’s Transport have recently taken to social media to praise Haulmax Tyres and the benefits they receive not just from the Haulmax Tyres

product range but also the Haulmax Wingman Network.

“Since teaming up with Haulmax Tyres we’re seeing great results” Jason Clenton, noted in a recent LinkedIn post. “With Haulmax’s superior tyre tech, our drivers enjoy smoother journeys, and each tyre covers more distance — lessening our environmental footprint. Plus, their round-the-clock callout service ensures we’re always ready to roll. So, rest assured, your cargo is not just in safe hands, it’s on the best wheels, too.”

Haulmax Tyres have established themselves as the preferred choice for a multitude of transport operators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in Australia. This preference stems from their steadfast commitment to engineering tyres that are not only uniquely tailored for Australian conditions but also excel in delivering operational and financial efficiency.

For transport operators, the choice of Haulmax Tyres is a strategic decision.

They value the blend of quality and cost-effectiveness that these tyres bring to their fleets. The Lifetime Warranty and CPK Guarantee offer peace of mind and tangible savings, making them a smart choice for businesses conscious of their bottom line. This trust is further bolstered by the diverse range of Haulmax Tyres, offering 14 different patterns specifically designed for the Australian transport industry, ensuring there’s a fit for every need.

Australian equipment manufacturers have found an invaluable partner in Haulmax Tyres. The range’s compatibility with a wide range of vehicles and conditions aligns perfectly with manufacturer’s need for reliable, quality components that meet diverse requirements. This compatibility has helped cement Haulmax Tyres’ status as a go-to option in the OEM space.

Daniel reflects on these partnerships.

“Our collaboration with leading Australian equipment manufacturers in Australia is not just a business relationship; it’s a partnership founded on shared values of innovation and quality,” he says. “These manufacturers recognise our commitment to providing tyre solutions that are meticulously engineered for Australian conditions.

It’s this mutual understanding and respect that has made our partnership so valued and successful.”

This alignment of values and commitment to excellence has been a cornerstone in the growth and reputation of Haulmax Tyres, making them the tyre of choice for those who seek reliability, efficiency, and value in the Australian transport industry.

If you would like more information on Haulmax Tyres or the Haulmax Wingman Network, we encourage you to contact them on 1300 761 802.

HAUL MAX TYRES PRE MIER COMMERCIAL FLEET REPORT

FLEET The annual Haulmax Tyres Premier Commercial Fleet Guide returns as seismic activity in the Australian transport and logistics environment sees a consortium of power brokers begin to shift their focus.

Volvo Electric FL in Brisbane.

Image: Volvo Trucks Australia.

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Proudly sponsored by

STREET C

hanges to the Australian economy can often be felt first at the freight hubs where many of the nation’s biggest commercial carriers ply their trade. Most years the frequency of company brands in attendance can and will fluctuate as business expands or contracts. Independent port cartage fleet TNS Logistics in Brisbane, like Arrow Transport Logistics before it, is a company on a swift growth trajectory.

While its fleet numbers are modest in comparison to an entrenched presence like QUBE, they are likely going to be one to watch in the future.

The merry-go-round on the wharf often portends to trends in global markets soon to be felt by key industries and eventually the average consumer. It’s said, not without good reason, the logistics worker at the port knows first-hand what is about to befall an economy before an economist claims to have predicted it second-hand.

Many of the ripples sent out from the shockwave of 2020 are beyond the compass of last year and the next. The effects, all the same, are cumulative for businesses, great and small, trying to ride the high tide of interest rates, fuel

prices and government spending that have inevitably come home to roost in the inflationary post-COVID world.

That world, at least in Australia, is one in which a shakeup, long anticipated to the composition of the national trucking fleet, can be argued arrived with DHL’s acquisition of the Glen Cameron Group, was solidified with Toll’s divestment of what became Team Global Express, intensified with QUBE’s takeover of Kalari, reverberated nationally with the liquidation of Scott’s Refrigerated Logistics and was, subsequently, reinforced with Singapore Post’s Freight p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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HAUL MAX TYRES PRE MIER COMMERCIAL FLEET REPORT

A G1 Logistics Scania R 580 B-triple.

Image: GTS Freight Management.

Management Holdings purchase of Border Express late last year. Centurion and Silk Logistics, regulars on our annual listings for mobile asset categories, continued to grow via acquisition.

Truck sales having surpassed the record

set in 2022, are a sign that demand is not waning for those formidable businesses servicing their niche and the bigger firms who have managed to consolidate market share ahead of their next phase of growth.

While the next phase in commercial

ACFS Fuso Shoguns.

Image: Daimler Truck Australia Pacific.

road transport may not include the same household names as it once did, it is destined, all the same, to be one of complexity and disruption as new technologies begin to impose their worth on the market.

Movement in alternative propulsion categories amid truck sales is no longer negligible. Like the consumer vehicle market, where the range of choices is widening, increased accessibility in the truck sector, albeit at a slower rate given the complexity of moving heavy loads on existing infrastructure, will, with time, eventually impinge upon the capital expenditure programs of more fleets.

Hino Australia sold 55 battery electric hybrid trucks in 2022. Last year it sold 206, an increase of 275 per cent.

Many of the Tier 1 carriers have increasingly been concerned with lowering the age of their fleets in recent times, which means new trucks but not

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That accounts for a 27 per cent increase on the previous year. At present many of the biggest players have invested in at least one battery electric vehicle, more than likely in a last mile logistical task, as they service the bigger corporates, whose requirements increasingly assign an 10000

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ESG (environment, social, governance) component to their transport accounts with emissions regulations being one of the main criteria. The protocols of ESG are still only in their infancy. How these impact fleets long-term, particularly independents, will be something to watch in the coming years, especially with emissions reduction targets for major brokers fast approaching.

Governments, who have been bullish

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renewable energy and aligning charging capacity with duty cycles, some of it in action, much more of it anticipated, for future battery electric vehicle purchases, new opportunities will be created for those inside these circles but also outside of them. Diesel-powered trucks, as we are reminded somewhat responsibly, won’t disappear anytime soon. At any rate one can’t help but feel a countdown is on.

The year 2026 is very likely going to be

Mercedes-Benz Actros.

Image: Daimler Truck Australia Pacific.

about committing to climate accords, are best placed to run out of runway first. New legislation being proposed around emissions controls, fuel excise, metro route prohibitions and the uptake of internal combustion engines is fast reflecting this.

As fleets prepare for the uncertainties of the future by expanding infrastructure, breaking ground on new facilities closer to major arterials and ports, utilising 54

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a key marker in the industry. Most of the major OEMs have indicated that this is going to be the year they will have battery electric vehicles available at scale, Western Sydney International Airport will be operational, the annual 6 per cent increase to heavy vehicle charges will have elapsed, the New England Highway bypass will have opened along with the Westgate Tunnel. Queensland, which will only be six years from hosting the

350

Olympic Games, by then is expected to become the third state to collaborate on the Hydrogen freight corridor, focusing on the Hume Highway, the Pacific Highway and the Newell Highway along with Victoria and New South Wales.

Generally speaking, the industry is averse to precipitous decisions and outcomes.

That’s part of its DNA. The processes in place are not dissimilar to the decisionmakers who oversee them. They take time. Because truck production from the design, manufacture, body build phase and on-road evaluation often lasts longer than making a motion picture, there’s an inbuilt healthy distrust of expediency from the boardroom right down to the warehouse floor. That makes for a good thing. And serves as a reminder as to why privately owned family companies can compete side by side with multinationals. But because trucks and the people who run them are built to last, when trends do emerge, they can take much longer to play out.

In November last year, Prime Mover began circulating a survey to key stakeholders in the industry who were asked to indicate the number of operational mobile assets their fleets were using across key categories. These were prime movers, trailers, PBS units and total commercial vehicles. These numbers, along with annual reports, recent records and data drawn directly or indirectly from feeds known to our platform over a six week window, serves as the bedrock of this year’s Haulmax Tyres Premier Commercial Fleet Guide.

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IN CONJUNCTION WITH

NEW POWER GENERATION

FINDING

FOCUS

Airfreight and courier specialist, UPS, has introduced its first battery electric truck as part of the Commercial Sector Innovation Fund organised by Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning.

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onsidered one of the major international players in express airfreight, UPS locally runs a fleet of well over 100 delivery vehicles in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. In the latter city it recently introduced its first battery electric vehicle, a SEA Electric 300-85 EV. Based on the Hino 300 chassis, the 8.5-tonnes rated SEA Electric rigid is powered by a 135kW battery, and finding its feet fast in the UPS fleet.

Duarte Martins, UPS National Operations Manager, started considering his options for low emissions vehicles five years ago. Discussions with SEA Electric have, periodically, taken place over that time as both organisations exchanged notes on their respective operational readiness.

Originally, the two companies had been in discussions around electric vans. When it was time to pull the trigger, SEA Electric instead of a van, had a six-pallet truck available, and Duarte, as he recalls, jumped at the idea.

“They were purchasing a Pantech new and providing it could fulfill a range of requirements for us, which it could, UPS, from my perspective, were interested,” he says. “I then told SEA Electric we were applying for a grant and would they like to be a partner with UPS on the Commercial Sector Innovation Fund. The decision regarding the type of truck that we needed soon followed.”

Of course, UPS had specific targets in mind. The vehicle would be required to cover a certain number of kilometres.

The previous vehicle in the application was travelling, on average, 200 kilometres daily. Anything less than 150km therefore 56

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would not suffice. The task would involve recovering the loose cargo that comes in on common carriage into the domestic but mostly international terminals at Melbourne Airport. From there it would be brought back to the UPS building in Tullamarine. Then, beyond this, the truck would be utilised on metropolitan deliveries.

“That includes anything palletised that we can’t get on a 16-pallet truck,” Duarte says.

“So multiple shipments.”

These runs take place between Tullamarine and Springvale. The Electric 300-85 EV here is primarily used for topping up drivers with additional volume.

“Depending on the seasonality throughout the year we have additional volume,” says Duarte. “We use this Pantech for the overflow. That was predominantly the reason behind our decision to go with this SEA Electric truck.”

With capability of kilometres an important metric, payload, with the application requiring 65 stops in a day, was, as it so often is, crucial.

“Most drivers are averaging anywhere between 150km to 200km a day,” says Duarte. “Therefore it was really important that the vehicle that we chose could actually give us that outcome. From day dot I said to SEA Electric we’ve got to be able to get to this level.”

A few years back doubts that SEA Electric could meet that requirement would have been justified. But with major improvements made to their technology in recent times they can now clearly demonstrate the vehicle is able to perform with a full payload.

“The truck had to be able to give as close to

200 kilometres a day on full charge,” says Duarte. “We calculated it on full load at all times and it’s actually delivering on that.

We pulled some data last week and we’re averaging 180 kilometres a day. It’s actually doing its job — it’s been great.”

The Sea Electric 300-85 EV has a capacity of six pallets. It can be driven on a Medium Rigid licence. In Melbourne the UPS delivery fleet consists mainly of long wheelbase Toyota HiAce vans. Heavier freight is handled between depots by three heavy rigids. The SEA Electric 300-85 EV, as a mid-range vehicle, sits somewhere between the two other categories according to Neil Douglass, UPS Business Operations Manager.

“With air freight, if something is in a container, we won’t use that. We’ve got a roller truck,” he says. “But coming in as Less than Container Load, which is basically broken down, we use the Sea Electric to go to the airport to pull those smalls. We also use it throughout the suburbs to do small pallet deliveries and pickups.”

Plans are in place to use the battery electric truck in a residential area of Geelong with additional stops made along the way to Melbourne.

“We needed to ensure that on full load we can still get those kilometres in the vehicle at all times,” says Duarte. “The truck had to do that regardless. When the driver returns, he’s light on, but the distances still must be covered and managed.”

A fast charger is not needed given the duty cycle of the vehicle. It can sit overnight for a minimum of eight hours.

“We stop using the truck around 7.30pm and the next day the truck will be out at

6.30am,” explains Duarte. “So, we have plenty of time to fully charge.”

UPS relies on four-phase power at its Melbourne site.

“At this stage we’re plugging it into a 415 outlet on site,” says Neil. “We haven’t had to charge it out on the road yet. We bring it back at night and effectively triple charge it.”

For the moment, the four-phase power on site is more than adequate according to Neil.

“If we need to fast charge that’s usually going to happen out on the road,” he says.

“There’s enough charging stations around that we can access if needed. Obviously, we’re driving around certain areas, and the driver is taking note of what charging stations are around. We can pull up an app and most of the Ampols and a few BPs around have some sort of charging infrastructure in place. At this stage we’re keeping the truck local and seeing how far we can extend it as we get used to it a bit more.”

The vehicles in just over half the total national UPS fleet are benchmarked to cover a range of between 200 and 250 kilometres each day. The mileage so far offered by the SEA Electric 300-85 EV is, in this context, most promising.

In fact, the initial numbers, according to

Neil, won’t at this stage count against the case for UPS adding another SEA Electric unit to the fleet.

“There’s no reason why UPS wouldn’t consider expanding its fleet especially in the delivery task,” he says. “That said, it’s still early days but if we can do the right thing with it and all the numbers match up right there’s certainly potential.”

One driver has been assigned the truck.

When near the airport, where many other truck drivers and couriers frequently descend, he has been met with great interest with many asking if they can have a look at it.

“These drivers have taken note of it and asked him a few questions,” says Neil.

“There was another driver who had a similar sort of truck at one stage, and they shared information. That’s been positive.”

The act of driving the vehicle is much the same as a legacy vehicle according to Neil.

“Being an automatic you don’t really need to run through gears, you’ve just got forward and reverse on it,” he says. Most of the training involved with using the new SEA Electric 300-85 EV appertains to safely using the charger and what some of the dashboard displays might represent but that’s proven relatively self-explanatory according to Neil.

“The driver has definitely improved his

understanding of operating it,” he says.

“What I mean by that is if you just keep your foot on the accelerator, you are chewing juice such as you are with a diesel engine. But if you’re trying to extend the range on it over hills and whatever and you just allow the thing to drive itself it’s set up to get some sort of power recovery out of it in which the wheels start reversing through the generator and topping up the battery.”

Identifying the cost of charging worked out on a kilowatt/hour charge to compare it to the older internal combustion engine rigids is a point of priority when analysing the data from the vehicle. Data collated in the Geotab telematics and shared with the Department of Transport and Planning, confirms power consumption of 6.34kWh per 100 kilometres at 22.79 cents/kWh or the equal of $1.25 for 100 kilometres.

That’s a significant saving when compared to the vehicle it is replacing which was costing $38 per 100/km, consuming 17.5 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres for an average of $2.10/100km. Data retrieved from the telematics after the first month of operation confirmed the maximum distance covered by the vehicle in a day before recharge was 184 kilometres.

“This is our first electric vehicle for UPS throughout Asia,” says Neil “Naturally, it has quite a bit of focus on it.”

The SEA Electric 300-85 EV. Image: UPS.

p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

57

TEST DRIVE

Volvo Electric FH. Images: Volvo Trucks Australia.

SWITCH ON NOW No longer considered prototypes, Volvo’s range of electric trucks are now series production models and available in Australia.

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olvo has been able to draw upon its considerable experience with electric buses during the development of its rigid and prime mover battery electric models. As its commercial BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) are currently entering the mainstream of suitable applications, Volvo continues to develop other carbon neutral technologies such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles like the project being carried out by Cellcentric, Volvo’s joint venture with Daimler Trucks.

At this stage Volvo’s electric trucks are sufficiently developed to be able participate in some local practical “real world” applications and this is another big step in the provision of information to the local market which is generally

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acknowledged as presenting its own unique parameters in terms of vehicle weights, speeds and distances.

Similar to diesel ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) powered trucks the BEVs’ efficiency can be positively or negatively affected by driver behaviour and will require a new approach to driver training. The prodigious amount of instant torque available from an electric driveline makes it very tempting to ‘floor’ the accelerator pedal to experience maximum acceleration, even with the realisation that the available level of energy from the batteries will be quickly depleted, resulting in a significant reduction of the range available without recharging.

Consequently Volvo, in Australia as it

does in the rest of the world, provides a program of driver training specific to maximising the efficiencies inherent in electric trucks. Subtle alternative driving inputs such as simply coasting rather than applying regenerative braking can make a substantial difference to the efficiency of the vehicle in terms of the time required to perform a specific transport task and how much energy it consumes in doing so.

On the test track it quickly becomes obvious that the level of power required to shift a fully loaded truck from a standstill needs to be balanced with maintaining momentum and avoiding unnecessary braking. Just like driving an ICE, smooth and steady is the way to go and anticipation of what lies on the

road ahead can seriously affect electrical energy consumption and trip times.

The Volvo Heavy Duty electric FH and FM models are available in 6x2 and 6x4 configurations with gross combination weights of up to 44 tonnes. Depending upon whether battery packs with five or six batteries are used, a capacity of 450-540 kWh of electrical energy is possible with a resulting range of up to 300 kilometres, which makes the trucks suitable for local and even regional delivery applications.

A fully recharged state of the batteries can be achieved in 9.5 hours using a 43kW AC charger, while a 250kW DC charger will achieve the same result in just 2.5 hours. If a quick turnaround is required, the battery pack can be

Electric charging dock at Mount Cotton. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

59

TEST DRIVE

charged to 80 per cent of its total capacity in just 90 minutes using the DC charger.

The electric Volvo FH utilises three electric motors driving via a 12-speed Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission to provide up to 490kW (666hp) of power. In electric vehicle applications the I-Shift transmission, more usually found attached to diesel engines, has been calibrated to best suit the combined torque characteristics of the three electric motors and will always start in the highest suitable gear, including on uphill grades. In response to the level of power delivered from a standstill, a traction control system has been incorporated to reduce the incidence of wheel slip especially on surfaces with less-than-ideal traction characteristics.

The medium-duty 4x2 electric FL model has a 16-tonne GVM and employs a single electric motor driving through a two-speed transmission which upshifts into top gear at around 30 km/h. The rationale of the two-speed is better startability than what could be available in a direct drive configuration. The FE models use two electric motors and the same two-speed gearbox as the FL. The FE is also available as a 6x2.

The Volvo electric range incorporates similar safety features to the ICE models with the additional function of a noise generator to alert nearby pedestrians and other vulnerable road users that a large and relatively silent truck is in their vicinity. Driver support functions such as lane keeping assistance and radar based adaptive cruise control are part of the package. To mitigate risks, if a Volvo BEV is involved in a serious impact the battery pack will be self-isolated to ensure safety for anyone involved in the accident as well as first responders who attend the scene. Connectivity through the Volvo telematics system portal has been expanded to monitor battery packs down to individual cell level.

Locally, Volvo is working with TAFEs and Registered Training Organisations 60

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to develop the additional technician training relevant to BEVs. In addition to the trucks, Volvo can provide a full ecosystem for fleets wanting to move into the BEV space including charging, route and range planning, truck and battery monitoring and a simulation tool which will contribute to ensuring that the right trucks with the right specifications are made available to specifically suit the various applications required by customers.

Despite the restrictions inherent with the closed-road test facility at Mount Cotton near Brisbane, the driving experience in any of the Volvo models is similar — virtually noise and vibration free with powerful and seamless acceleration even at maximum GVMs. The impressive take-off torque can be demonstrated on several of the steeper inclines around the course while the driveline retardation available when in regenerative braking mode is essentially as effective as conventional engine and exhaust braking when descending the steeper sections of the Mount Cotton long circuit.

Late last year, Volvo announced the introduction of new, more powerful batteries for its medium-duty FL and FE electric trucks, capable of delivering an increased range of up to 450 kilometres.

This is achieved by using new batteries

with 42 per cent extra energy capacity.

The latest Volvo FL Electric now has a range of up to 450km, while the Volvo FE Electric has a range of up to 275km.

In Europe the Volvo FH Electric has been selected as International Truck of the Year 2024 and received the prestigious award during the prize ceremony at the Solutrans Transport Exhibition in Lyon, France.

Not every aspect of BEV transport technology will apply to every potential customer or application, but it is worth noting that most of the world has committed to net zero vehicle emissions by 2050. As a manufacturer, Volvo has demonstrated its strong initiative by the early development of a range of practical zero-emission trucks which, although perhaps not yet suitable for every interstate or trans-national applications, will readily slot into numerous other situations where zero emission vehicles will shine, particularly in urban areas.

Since Volvo Trucks started producing fully electric trucks in 2019, the company has sold nearly 5,000 electric trucks in 40 countries around the world.

The company’s target is that half of its global total truck sales will be electric by 2030. Volvo has the stated ambition to commence building electric trucks in Australia by 2027.

W Y L

W N

F L

O y

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PERSONALITY PROFILE

TIME TO

ESCALATE Matt Sakhaie is the Head of Product at Isuzu Australia Limited, a role that requires he keep abreast of the myriad changes occurring in the fast moving marketplace of transport technology.

A

s the new era of net zero emission transport approaches, it has never been more important for manufacturers to focus on their planning and production systems.

Prime Mover: You’re Head of Product at IAL. What does your role involve?

Matt Sakhaie: My main role is looking after the product portfolio and the solutions we provide to the marketplace.

Basically, the way we can help the businesses and their people to have a smooth operation via three core elements of the combination of product management, product production and product development which helps us to come up with better solutions that the market wants. An important part of my role is to be constantly monitoring what is out there, the changes happening, and making sure we stay ahead of the curve. This also involves watching for all those homologations and latest legislation coming through. Essentially, it’s about communicating with all the stakeholders, making sure that the product is safe and complies with all regulations. In a nutshell, it is all about creating a compelling product vision and devising the product roadmap.

PM: Isuzu is renowned for its broad product offering, currently with some 2,000 possible variations. Is the range too broad?

MS: We have to look into the users of our products globally, as Isuzu is truly 62

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a global company. They have different markets that they serve, and every market has different needs and that requires a lot of flexibility to cater for all those small, yet sometimes fundamental, differences which Isuzu has at the moment at the production level. This means the research and development centre needs to be on top of the game and it also means the supply chain needs to be flexible enough to accommodate all those change requests and, more importantly, the production. Isuzu production employs the ‘Just in Time’ philosophy so there is no warehouse full of components, therefore they really need to be flexible and cover the demands coming from different markets globally.

PM: The I-MACS concept seems a different approach for a vehicle manufacturer. What is it and how does it fit into the short- and long -term futures at Isuzu?

MS: The Isuzu Modular Architecture and Component Standard, otherwise known as I-MACS, has been developed

by Isuzu in Japan, and is a revolutionary approach which allows the combination of various components, parts, and devices to be applied in anticipation of future advancement in technologies and the expansion of vehicle types into the future. This is one of the areas that I am passionate about. Without being brand specific, there are different philosophies in terms of product portfolio management and how to simplify the

product configuration management with a great focus on parts “commonisation”.

That’s one philosophy. On the other side of the spectrum, you can design different specific modules, but it means that you have to have a more sophisticated system to be able to manage all those modules and components and, more importantly, making sure all those components are compatible, so you don’t run into interchangeability problems down the track on the production line. What Isuzu is trying to achieve is not necessarily a new concept in the industry but will be a seismic shift in their product management/development philosophy.

PM: Is it a big change in culture internally?

MS: It’s a massive shift in the way they look into the product management philosophy. They introduced a new platform. This is based on the customer information/application details, the way the product is being used, the location of use and so forth. Then they are going to focus on modularising the components, be it frame, cab, axle, engine, transmission and so on, including the EV and hydrogen power components.

PM: By including EV, does that future proof production?

MS: I think that’s one of the major reasons behind this shift in terms of product philosophy. For example, if you look into what we witnessed at the Brisbane Truck Show, this is quite similar to the concept Cummins has

introduced in terms of developing the base “fuel agnostic” engine with three interchangeable fuel management systems. I think it’s a very similar mentality. Isuzu is not shy in naming their strategic partners, being Volvo and Cummins, and there is a lot of synergy as to what we can do to enhance the flexibility and efficiency. Why hide it? If there is a better product, a better module why can we not implement it into the bigger product range? In my view, this is where this I-MACS concept would be a game-changer. It means the go-to-market time frame will be improved. Rather than waiting for, say, four years of design and developing everything from scratch, manufacturing a prototype, conducting the tests and validations and preproduction and so on, and then actually launching a new production line, you can look into how individual modules can be changed to make the existing product suitable for different applications, or different place of use in a global scheme.

PM: Does I-MACS mean you’ll get new products to market quicker?

MS: Absolutely, and with reduced

effort and less cost in terms of product development. The product R&D in Isuzu world is very specialised, so we have dedicated research and development divisions for Light Duty, Medium Duty and Heavy Duty and the I-MACS can expedite the whole process.

PM: Will I-MACS foster more interaction between engineering and sales departments?

MS: By implementing I-MACS Isuzu are trying to encourage inter-departmental collaborations and leverage the in-house capabilities. The I-MACS concept has already been working and performing well in some areas of the business. As an example, the 4JJ engine that we are utilising in our N Series trucks is being used in Isuzu D-Max and MU-X vehicles.

The very same engine has also been successfully implemented in some of the construction machines. This is the time to escalate that concept across the other modularised components including frames and transmissions. Changing a transmission is a new project, so if you are going to ask for a specific model to have an auto transmission

rather than an AMT, it has to go back to R&D and the project has to start from scratch. But with the I-MACS concept fully functional, it should expedite the process and go straight to assessing the compatible module and making the prototype to enable testing to commence rather than going back to concept design.

PM: At the end of the day, does the customer benefit?

MS: There are a range of factors impacting Australian customers in the near future. We see these radiating from issues such as changes in regulation and legislation, technological advancements, as well as a level of post-pandemic uncertainty across a variety of industries.

Isuzu Australia has a strong reputation for reliability and dependability, which is what I-MACS will continue to deliver for our customers so that they are well-supported as they tackle these challenges. In the simplest terms, the I-MACS approach is a balance between what customers have been asking for up until now and what will be demanded in the new era of transport.

Matt Sakhaie in Tokyo.

Image: Arkajon. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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PRIME MOVERS & SHAKERS

FRESH AIR After 18 years in the passenger car sales and service industry, Ed Jones has taken over FRM Hino which has dealerships in Launceston, Hobart, and Devonport.

E

d Jones is the antithesis of the common impression of a car or truck dealer. There’s not a gold chain in sight and he prefers athletic wear to tailored suits while he’s at work. But don’t be deceived by appearances as beneath his casual exterior Ed is an experienced operator who brings with him a notable level of professionalism. Born and bred in Tasmania, Ed is the former Chief Operating Officer and a director of Local Motor Group. His resume is impressive and includes being a Toyota Dealer Principal.

He doesn’t shy away from the challenges involved in the revamping of his newly acquired FRM Hino business which also handles Linde and Hyundai forklifts. Ed is conscious of the need to concentrate on just a few quality brands rather than diluting the attention away from the key elements of the overall operation.

The strategy in this business, according to Ed, is to step it up to do the core functions better.

“For me, it’s a truck business and it’s a forklift business, so what we want to do is be a better Hino truck dealer and we want to get the aftersales factors in place

in order to support that,” he says. “I was told before I got into trucks that trucks were probably ten years behind passenger cars in terms of systems, so all I’m trying to do is introduce into a truck dealership the normal type of office systems you’d see in a passenger car dealership and improve the performance of this business by restructuring it in terms of modernisation in its practices”.

Over the last seven years, the former owners of FRM Hino relocated all three FRM branches in Hobart, Launceston and Devonport to new and improved premises, and Ed sees many exciting opportunities ahead for the Tasmanian truck market as forestry, tourism, mining, agriculture and other primary industries will require trucks from across the light-, medium- and heavy-duty segments.

The intent to modernise is plainly evident on the day Prime Mover visits the FRM Launceston facility as a group of technicians are routing a series of communication cables throughout the premises. The cabling fits in with a project to rationalise and update the customer database records and integrate service schedules against the existing client

information and generate reminders inviting them back into the dealerships.

Service division revenue has been significantly boosted already by moving to the automated clocking-on and -off of job cards, which provides customers with timely and accurate invoicing. The Launceston branch is currently in the planning phase for a workshop extension to increase the service bay capacity.

FRM has been in existence for around 40 years and Ed has commissioned a ‘brand review’ to provide a better understanding of the market’s perception of the overall operation.

“The FRM brand review is happening at the moment to help determine whether we keep it or change it and what path we take after that,” he says. “It’s not for me to decide. I’m asking those with better expertise than me in that particular field whether there is value in retaining the FRM brand or any other changes we may pursue.”

As in any successful business, people are a fundamental key to FRM’s future. Said future, according to Ed, is an exciting one at FRM Hino, given the excellent team in place and the onus placed on FRM Launceston facility.

Images: Hino Australia.

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Febr u a r y 2024

Ed Jones.

delivering exceptional levels of service to its customers.

“Fifteen years ago I would have said ‘process over people’ but now I prefer to have the Mick Malthouse [legendary AFL coach] approach and work with all the different personalities, understand that none of them are perfect and try to get the most out of them and get a good business outcome,” he says. “The undertone for me in terms of how I’d like to be perceived is the emphasis I put on our people in understanding that everyone is unique, and respecting the diversity within that, and the importance of being able to work with that”.

Ed prefers to engage with people who have experience and skills related to the Hino brand and who want to work well and he acknowledges that not all can bring with them the complete desired package.

“They may need some training but I’d rather provide that than going looking for the rainbow unicorn that doesn’t exist,” he says.

Tasmania is not immune from the shortage of skilled staff currently being felt in the mainland states. Between the three dealerships there is a total of 46 staff,

30 of whom are involved in the service divisions. Ed pays particular attention to ensuring the environment is a good place to be employed and that the staff are recognised for their contributions. His previous business had around 600 people, so influencing the culture within a smaller group can bring quicker results. The work utes have all been upgraded to current model Toyota HiLuxes which contributes to the feeling of pride across the FRM team.

“At this level its manageable to know all the guys by name, know what you are paying them individually and to tell them they’ve done a good job on a Friday over a beer,” says Ed. “There’s a term in vogue at the moment – ‘authenticity’ – and if you are your true self then that’s all you can be, and people buy into that. If you are a good person, it comes naturally, and I reckon that’s where it’s at. That’s what small communities are about so you do the right thing, not because you have to, but because it’s simply the right thing to do. I’d like to run this as a good local business by being the independent guy on the ground.”

Ed’s experience in operating successful car dealerships readily transfers to his move into commercial vehicles. He believes

aftersales support is something that has always been a critical factor.

“Aftersales or warranty or service-related issues are an opportunity to really get a better relationship happening with clients,” he says. “If there are lots of products on the market that are very similar then it comes down to their experience in aftersales at the dealerships. When people are turning over trucks every five to seven years you’ve got a long time between drinks to change their experience and you do that through the service and parts departments.”

To increase his own knowledge of the industry sector he is now operating in, Ed has reached out to other successful mainland operators, specifically the CMI Group in terms of trucks, and Charlie Schwerkolt at Waverley Forklifts.

“It’s like the Nike philosophy of not trying to do anything that others hadn’t done before. I try to lean on those who know more than me”, says Ed. “Use Charlie as an example. If I want to look at rental forklifts, I’ve got to find someone who’s nailing it. Same with trucks: I went to see CMI because I don’t need to be as big as them, I just need to try to be as close as I can to being as good as them.” p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

65

INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE

The Heavy Vehicle National Law belongs to all

PETER HART

T

he National Transport Commission is conducting a once in a decade review of the structure and content of the Heavy Vehicle National Law. This law sets up the structures and procedures for the regulation of in-service heavy vehicles, which have a gross rating exceeding 4.5t, in the participating jurisdictions. This is important law because it defines the boundaries that direct most of our logistics industry and sets-up the paths that can allow the Australian road transport logistic sector to prosper and deliver for the community.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) project operates by voluntary participation of the state and territory jurisdictions. Administration of the in-service heavy vehicle fleet is a state/territory responsibility. The Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), which is state legislation, establishes structures, authorises powers and defines administrative procedures. There are also regulations made under the HVNL which provide details, technical standards, and some processes of regulation. Acts can only be changed by parliaments.

Regulations can be changed by ministers.

In this discussion, the individual participating jurisdictions retain control.

Operating rules in jurisdictions can be set by Notices, which are published in a government gazette. While Western Australia and the Northern Territory 66

Febr a r y r2024 de c eumbe 2018

are not participating jurisdictions, they accept some NHVR processes and participate in some aspects of the HVNL. For example, WA and NT will accept HVNL modification certificates and WA has its own Performance-Based Standards (PBS) scheme that adopts some of the technical standards from the HVNL-PBS scheme.

The task of reviewing the law and proposing changes is a challenging task because all participating jurisdictions must agree. The NTC has published two Regulation Impact Statements (D-RIS and C-RIS) and has recently invited industry comment about one of them (C-RIS). The Chair of the NTC, Dr Gillian Miles wrote in the forward to the D-RIS (D stands for Decision), “It is therefore vital that Australia’s heavy vehicle sector is able to innovate and respond to changing technologies and business practices. This requires a regulatory environment that encourages industry growth and innovation, fosters productivity, enables the regulator to respond to new and emerging risks and above all supports a safe operating environment.”

This sentiment, which I applaud, describes a Heavy Vehicle National Law that is a community and industry asset as much as it is a regulatory instrument.

Australia’s success in finding ways to allow long and heavy combinations onto main city roads and to certify new monitoring technologies have been world leading. A law that promotes innovation with safety is what we need.

So, what does the NTC think needs to be changed? The regulatory framework is too prescriptive. The HVNL needs to be more flexible and responsive.

Greater discretionary powers should be given to the NHVR. The HVNL is not responsive to change. Requirements should be moved into Regulations and Code of Practice, which are more easily changed. Alternative compliance

options under the NHVAS are too constrained. Greater flexibility in the accreditation schemes is needed.

The HVNL doesn’t keep up with technology change. New ways to identify technologies that enhance safety and productivity are needed.

The technical requirements should not be ‘hardwired’ into the HVNL. Data sharing between transport technologies needs to be facilitated.

Improved quality of audits conducted in the Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme is needed to give regulators confidence. National audit standards are proposed. No change of scope of the NHVAS is anticipated but should be. Improvements to fatigue management are needed to streamline record keeping, define the scope of fatigue regulation and ways to address minor work, rest and administrative breaches. Yes. The NTC has canvased increased mass length and height limits. The General Mass Limits could be increased to the existing CML levels. The width limit of all vehicles could be increased from 2.5m to 2.55m. The maximum height of vehicles could be increased to 4.6m instead of 4.3m. If each of these liberalisations were adopted, it is plausible that a 5 per cent to 10 per cent productivity could be available for some vehicles.

While not discussed in the NTC’s documents, there is tension in the relationship between the NHVR and the operator community. The tensions arise from disagreements about the roadworthiness assessments, minor fatigue transgressions and delays in getting road access decisions. Industry calls for review procedures, or maybe an industry ombudsman. None of this is considered by the NTC. It should also be noted that police can issue transgression notices and they operate under state laws using constabulary

ARTSA-I LIFE ME MBERS

Powered by discretion. This situation is not resolved by the proposed changes to the HVNL. I think that the road transport sector wanted a lot more from the HVNL review. The NTC’s approach is to move decision making under the HVNL to the regulator level. This is sensible, assuming there are robust consultation, review and appeal processes in place.

These processes are not foreshadowed by the NTC and therefore not guaranteed. This is a major problem.

The NTC proposes that the HVNL allows the recognition of technology framework providers. This interesting proposal seems to be based upon the concept of the Transport Certification Agency (TCA) work on setting standards and accrediting both equipment and service providers for mass management, road access, fatigue management, etc. Presumably the TCA, which now exists within the AustRoads structure, will have other work to do!

Pathways that facilitate innovation by our world-leading industry are essential for long-term improvements.

For example, reducing the logistics sector carbon footprint will be major work over the next decade and specific

pathways for this will be needed. A lot of ‘carrots’ and not just ‘sticks’ will be needed.

There is nothing in the HVNL Review that considers the working interaction between the HVNL and the Federal Road Vehicle Standards Act. The latter is a federal law and not state-based law. The RVSA defines the rules and the administration of new vehicle imports and sales in Australia. It applies to all vehicles and not just heavy vehicles.

There are technical standards arising from the RVSA that are carried over into the HVNL. The co-operation and co-ordination between the federal and state/territory road authorities is via consultation meetings. Mainly the two groups of regulators deal with two different groups of providers. The federal authority is concerned with the vehicle supply industry and the state/ territory authorities deal with the inservice logistics suppliers. ARTSA-i has long suggested that the new vehicle data (in the RAV) should go straight into the in-service vehicle database called NEVDIS. But this wasn’t done for inexplicable reasons.

I think the industry needs an office of

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Heavy Vehicle Safety. This could be established within AustRoads and it could inform the NHVR, work-safety regulators and the industry about safety problems that are occurring and what the root causes are. We need better ways to drive safety improvements. This should be specifically canvased in the NHVNL review.

Another problem that should be considered in the HVNL review is approval of modifications that are done by ‘professional supplier modifiers.’ The HVNL does not provide a pathway for suppliers of transport equipment, such as couplings, or advanced brake systems or underrun protection bars, to approve their own installations. The rigidity of the modification approvals system, which is run by the state and territory road agencies, is not considered by the NTC review. There is a lot of pressure on the truck modification sector because of the need to get every modification approved, which is time consuming and expensive. The review should tackle this problem area.

Dr Peter Hart, ARTSA-i Life Member

A B-double travels through the middle of Australia. Image: Michael Evans/stock.adobe.com.

p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

67

INSIGHT | TRUCK INDUSTRY COUNCIL

Another record year for truck sales TONY MCMULLAN

A

t December year end 2018, a new all-time heavy vehicle sales record was set in Australia, with 41,628 trucks and heavy vans delivered for the year.

A little over a year later our nation’s economy fell to the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic and truck sales plummeted to just 34,476 for the year of 2020. That fall was due to a few factors, principally, global supply disruptions and significant business uncertainty in Australia regarding the economic impacts of COVID lockdowns and disruptions. As we all know, trucks played a major role in keeping Australia operating during the pandemic, home deliveries boomed, supermarket shelves remained stocked despite some panic buying at times, medical supplies, including vaccines were delivered, garbage services were maintained, construction materials continued to be delivered, etc. The importance of road freight during this period of uncertainty built renewed business confidence within the sector and this, coupled with strategic Federal Government COVID financial incentives saw a significant resurgence of new truck sales in 2021: 41,404 trucks and heavy vans were delivered, falling just a couple of hundred vehicles short of the 2018 record. An amazing achievement given the ongoing global supply chain problems.

The strength of the road freight sector continued in 2022 despite the ongoing 68

Febr u a r y 2024

local and global supply chain issues, by year end the record books had been rewritten again. A total of 44,379 new heavy vehicles were sold in 2022.

Now, just 12 months later, the year-end 2023 numbers are in and 47,757 trucks and heavy vans were sold, yet another new sales record for Australian heavy vehicles. The result comfortably surpasses the 2022 result and is significantly higher than the 2018 mark set just five years ago.

The good news is that more new heavy vehicles were put onto our roads in 2023 than in any other previous year.

That means more vehicles with the latest safety features, more fuel efficient engines and drivelines, better exhaust emission performance and more higher productivity vehicles. These safer, greener, cleaner and more productive trucks offer all road users improved heavy vehicle safety, they offer all Australians cleaner air to breathe, and they offer operators potential productivity benefits and reduced operating costs. However, despite record, or near record sales in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023, we have witnessed the age of the Australian truck fleet steadily grow older, from 14.4 years in 2007 to 15.3 years average age in January 2023, as the nation’s freight task continues to grow year-on-year. The bad news is that fleet replacement has not kept pace with this freight growth.

Hopefully the February 2024 truck fleet age results (due to be published in mid-2024 will show that trend reversing slightly due to the record 2023 sales result. However, at best, it will in fact take more than a decade of year-on-year record sales for the truck park to return to 14.4 years average age, a number that is twice that of most European countries.

A number, that we as a nation, should not be proud of.

The Australian road toll is too high and heavy vehicles are over represented in those crashes and this is partly to do with the fact that the older trucks in our nation’s truck fleet do not feature the advanced safety features found in newer trucks. Further, Australia’s existing truck fleet is almost 100 per cent diesel-powered. In order to meet our Federal Government’s global greenhouse reduction commitments, operators need to embrace low and zero emission truck technologies when purchasing new trucks.

TIC and our members are very conscious that more must be done to improve heavy vehicle road safety and reduce the carbon footprint of the Australian heavy vehicle fleet and to this end are bringing to market trucks and heavy vans featuring the latest safety and emission technologies, together with an increased range of low and zero emission models. Thus, providing the enabler to better heavy vehicle safety and environmental outcomes. However, government action is also required, after all, government on behalf of the public are undertaking a structural readjustment of the economy in order to meet climate change objectives. TIC calls upon Australian governments at all levels, to acknowledge that we have far too many old trucks on our roads and that policy must be developed that will lead to a positive reduction in our nation’s truck fleet age, an outcome that will benefit all Australians.

Tony McMullan CEO, Truck Industry Council

VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION | INSIGHT

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Laying out the challenges for 2024

PETERSTUART ANDERSON ST CLAIR

I

t’s great to once again be able to engage with Prime Mover readers on these pages, and I look forward to advocating on a range of issues that are of key importance to VTA members and the broader freight and logistics this year.

Our industry finds itself at a critical juncture, facing an array of challenges that demand strategic foresight and innovative solutions. The convergence of technological advancements, regulatory changes, and environmental concerns is reshaping the landscape of freight, logistics, and transport. In this dynamic environment, stakeholders in Victoria’s transport sector must collaborate and adapt to ensure a robust and sustainable future.

One of the foremost challenges in 2024 is the integration of emerging technologies with traditional ways of doing business and managing work-life balance in an increasingly competitive environment.

The transport industry is experiencing a technological revolution with the rise of automation, artificial intelligence, and an accelerating push towards decarbonisation. While these innovations hold the promise of increased efficiency and reduced costs, they also raise concerns about job displacement and the need for training and upskilling. Our work through the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation to enshrine minimum standards into law is but one example of our proactive approach to

obtaining safety and productivity gains in the gig economy.

Autonomous vehicles are on the horizon, albeit far off in the distance. They pose both opportunities and challenges.

Long-term, the implementation of selfdriving trucks could optimise delivery routes, enhance safety, and reduce fuel consumption. However, it requires significant investment in infrastructure, cybersecurity measures, and regulatory frameworks to address liability and safety concerns. Striking the right balance between embracing innovation and safeguarding the livelihoods of those employed in the transport sector will be a delicate task for policymakers and industry leaders alike.

Regulatory changes also loom large on the horizon. The transport industry is no stranger to regulatory shifts, and 2024 will be no exception. Evolving environmental standards, safety regulations, and compliance requirements demand agility from industry players.

Adapting to new mandates while minimising disruptions to operations will be a key challenge. Additionally, the industry must work collaboratively with policymakers to ensure that regulations strike a harmonious balance between fostering innovation and safeguarding public welfare.

Environmental sustainability is a pressing concern that cannot be overlooked. As the global community grapples with climate change, the transport industry faces increased scrutiny for its carbon footprint.

In 2024, stakeholders must prioritise ecofriendly practices, such as the progressive adoption of low and zero emissions vehicles, sustainable packaging solutions, and energy-efficient logistics operations.

Striving for carbon neutrality is a strategic

move to meet evolving customer and consumer expectations and comply with stringent environmental regulations.

Another critical challenge lies in the realm of infrastructure development.

Victoria’s transport system must evolve to accommodate the changing demands of the industry. The need for modern, interconnected infrastructure is paramount to enable efficient and seamless movement of goods. Investment in smart infrastructure, such as intelligent traffic management systems and digital freight platforms, will be crucial to enhancing the overall efficiency of the supply chain.

Collaboration is the linchpin for success in overcoming these challenges.

The transport industry, along with government bodies, must foster a culture of collaboration to share insights, address common concerns, and develop joint solutions.

The challenges facing Victoria’s transport industry in 2024 are multifaceted but not insurmountable. By embracing innovation, navigating regulatory changes with foresight, prioritising sustainability, and investing in infrastructure, the industry can lay the foundation for a resilient and thriving future. The journey ahead may be complex, but with strategic planning and collective efforts, the Victorian transport sector can navigate the road ahead and emerge stronger than ever.

These and numerous other issues will be addressed at VTA State Conference 2024, being held from 17-19 March at Silverwater Resort, Phillip Island. For program information and to register visit www.vta.com.au I hope to see you there.

Peter Anderson CEO, VTA p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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PETER SHIELDS’ NUMBER CRUNCH

ISUZU N SERIES

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KENWORTH 410 3655 21.7% A new annual record for sales of both trucks and heavy vans was achieved by the Australian market surpassing the previous record VOLVO 349 3552 37.6% set in 2022 according to the statistics compiled by the Truck IVECO 158 1634 18.3% Industry Council. December’s prime mover and cab/chassis result MERCEDES-BENZ 98 1574 13.1% of 3,663 new units took the annual total for 2023 to 41,739 units, an increase of 7.4 per cent over 2022. The combined SCANIA 133 1383 25.7% truck and van market for the 2023 year totalled 47,757 units UD TRUCKS 117 1176 -6.5% representing an increase of 3,378 units (+7.6 per cent).

MACK 118 1097 45.3% The Heavy Duty segment achieved 1,752 new units during December, 271 more than during the previous December (+18.3 DAF 88 849 21.3% per cent) and the annual total of 17,569 was an astounding FIAT 90 742 35.4% 2,603 more than 2022’s total (+17.4 per cent). The Heavy Duty FREIGHTLINER 24 355 -26.2% sector accounted for 36.8 per cent of all heavy vehicles sold in 2023 and surpassed the Light Duty truck segment into first place MAN 33 328 2.5% in terms of units sold.

HYUNDAI 30 321 23.9% The Medium Duty sector continued with the steady growth RENAULT 15 190 -48.4% shown throughout the year and the December total of 724 units WESTERN STAR 11 182 -14.2% was 84 more than in December 2022 (+13.1 per cent), which contributed to the category’s annual result of 8,004 units, 542 VOLKSWAGEN 6 102 13.3% more than during 2022 (+7.3 per cent).

DENNIS EAGLE 32 98 2.1% Conversely, the Light Duty market contracted slightly during FOTON MOBILITY 2 71 the year, and December’s sales of 1,187 units was 254 less than in the same month of 2022 (-17.6 per cent) and the 2023 total SEA ELECTRIC 26 36.8% of 16,166 new trucks was 266 less than at the end of 2022 (-1.6 FORD 15 -68.1% per cent).

CAB CHASSIS/VAN 3663 41739 7.4% The Van sector bounced back from its disappointing 2022 sales results and by year end a total of 6,018 Vans above 3.5t GVM M-B VANS 162 2502 15.1% N L R 4 5 - 1 5 0 S W B M T T R AY P A CK had been sold in Australia, up 499 vans (+9.0 per cent) over the RENAULT VANS 83 1161 -6.8% previous year’s tally, despite the December result of 448 units, VOLKSWAGEN VANS 64 1044 19.0% which was down 102 when compared with December 2022 (-18.5 per cent).

FIAT VANS 41 570 112.7% The truck and van combined 40,000 unit barrier was only IVECO VANS 50 439 -29.4% surpassed relatively recently in 2018 and the 2023 total result of 48 302 -9.3% 3 Y E Aindustry R E Sexpectations, SENTIA L S S E R V I CFORD E VANS 47,757 sales exceeded most particularly 448 6018 9.0% given the 2023A mid-year end temporary GREE MofEthe NT P A C full K Aexpensing G E I N C L U DVANS E D† tax measures put in place by the Commonwealth Government TOTAL 4111 47757 7.6% during COVID. *According to T-Mark industry statistics. †The NLR 45-150 SWB Manual Traypack Truck Drive away promotion is available only on new NLR 45-150 SWB Manual Traypack Trucks sold between 1 January 2024 – 31 March 2024 (Promotion Period). This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offer. Fleet and Government away promotion 39422 includes a 3-year Isuzu TOTAL purchasers are not eligible. Drive3970 9.4% Essentials the industry moves into 2024 very Trucks sold during 1 January 2024 – 31 March 2024 (Promotion Period). Featured drive away price $57,990 Service As Agreement package and is only available on newexpectations NLR 45-150 SWB remain Manual Traypack

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