Prime Mover May 2021

®

May 2021

G1 Logistics Triple Frontier

MAY 2021 $11.00

ISSN 1838-2320

9 771838 232000

04

Industry Fleet: Thrifty Rentals Feature: National Operating Standard Showcase: Wild’s Livestock Transport Personality: Brad May

Innovation Fleet: Ron Finemore Transport Feature: Hyzon Motors Test Drive: Scania R 540 Delivery: Hyundai iLoad

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 AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO UTES, VANS, LIGHT TRUCKS & PEOPLE MOVERS

Delivery Magazine inside: Pages 73-84.

MAGAZINE

Ready to upsize?

If you have an appetite for bigger payloads, our Ready-to-Work trucks can swallow over a tonne more than typical utes. And most models are driveable on a car licence.

Plus, with our takeaway deal, the versatile Traypack starts at just $46,690 drive away*.

Our menu also includes the Tradepack, Vanpack, Servicepack, Tipper, and the Freightpack.

So find out more at isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer now and fill up.

T H E RE A DY- TO - W O R K R A N G E . B RO U G H T TO YO U BY I S U Z U .

#1 Traypack

#2 Tipper

#3 Tradepack

#4 Vanpack

*Takeaway Truck Promotion is only available on new selected Ready-to-Work Traypack trucks sold between 1 April 2021 – 30 June 2021 (Promotion Period). This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offer. Fleet and government purchasers are not eligible. Takeaway truck deals are available only on new Ready-to-Work trucks – MY18 Traypacks. Featured drive away price $46,690 includes GST, 12 months registration, government, statutory charges and dealer delivery costs and is only offered on NLR 45-150 SWB AMT Traypack. Offer available while stocks last. Drive away offer excludes any parts and accessories. Visit isuzu.com.au for full terms and conditions. †Subject to the purchaser’s own tax and financial advice. FSA/ISZ12890

N L R T R AY P A C K S W B A M T

From

#5 Servicepack

$46,690

#6 Freightpack

Drive away*

®

May 2021

MEET THE TEAM

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.

G1 Logistics

John Murphy | CEO

John has been the nation’s foremost authority in commercial road transport media for almost two decades and is the driving force behind Prime Creative Media becoming Australia’s biggest specialist B2B publishing and events company. Committed to servicing the transport and logistics industry, John continues to work tirelessly to represent it in a positive light and is widely considered a true champion for the growth of the Australian trucking and manufacturing industry.

Triple Frontier

MAY 2021 $11.00

ISSN 1838-2320

9 771838 232000

04

Industry Fleet: Thrifty Rentals Feature: National Operating Standard Showcase: Wild’s Livestock Transport Personality: Brad May

Innovation Fleet: Ron Finemore Transport Feature: Hyzon Motors Test Drive: Scania R 540 Delivery: Hyundai iLoad

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 AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO UTES, VANS, LIGHT TRUCKS & PEOPLE MOVERS

Delivery Magazine inside: Pages 73-84.

MAGAZINE

ceo John Murphy john.murphy@primecreative.com.au editor William Craske

william.craske@primecreative.com.au

William Craske | Editor

In his 15-year career as a journalist, William has reported knowledgeably on sports, entertainment and agriculture. He has held senior positions in marketing and publicity across theatrical and home entertainment, and also has experience in B2B content creation and social media strategy for the logistics sector.

managing editor,

transport group

Luke Applebee luke.applebee@primecreative.com.au

senior feature Peter Shields writer peter.shields@primecreative.com.au

business

Ash Blachford

development ash.blachford@primecreative.com.au manager

0403 485 140

art director Blake Storey blake.storey@primecreative.com.au 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.

design production

manager

Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

client success manager

Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au

Starting out at the coalface, Paul completed a heavy vehicle and plant mechanic apprenticeship before transitioning into professional heavy vehicle driving where he became proficient operating semis and B-doubles. Some 17 years ago he made a giant leap into transport journalism and has been an ongoing contributor for several commercial road transport publications.

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

Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty

journalist Paul Matthei paul.matthei@primecreative.com.au

Paul Matthei | Senior Journalist

design

head office 11-15 Buckhurst Street

South Melbourne VIC 3205

P: 03 9690 8766

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articles

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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.

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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.

ALL-NEW HINO 700 SERIES ARRIVING SOON.

THE EXPANDED RANGE IS SAFER AND CLEANER THAN EVER.

With an expanded model range to suit more applications, the all-new Hino 700 Series is set to redefine what you can

XAVIER_HINO37908.7_PM

expect from a heavy-duty truck. It boasts the most comprehensive active safety package via Hino SmartSafe. Featuring Pre-Collision System with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Vehicle Stability Control, LED Headlamps, and Daytime Running Lamps, plus a suite of other standard safety features. The all-new Hino 700 Series meets Euro 6 exhaust emission standards, which makes it the cleanest Hino heavy-duty truck ever. And with a choice of either a true automatic or an automated manual transmission, it makes driving easier and more enjoyable. Be the first to see the next generation Hino

700 Series. It’s safer, cleaner, and built for the future. Visit hino.com.au.

CONTENTS

Prime Mover May 2021

42 38

30

24 60

COVER STORY “This newest product is the best product that Scania have ever had. For fuel efficiency, power to weight ratio, performance, reliability and safety and also when it comes to downtime — we don’t tend to be seeing any with this new model.”

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LIQUID ASSETS

Prime Feature Stories FLEET FOCUS 24 Triple Frontier The challenge of launching new high productivity vehicles for G1 Logistics on a permit that demanded the highest in safety and productivity standards has been solved by partnering with Scania.

commercial vehicles, including heavy duty trucks, buses, and coaches, Hyzon Motors, after going public as part of an estimated $AUD3.5 billion merger earlier this year, is in the process of rapidly expanding and it’s got its sights firmly set on Australia.

TEST DRIVE

30 Serious Hardware Donaldson Haulage is an important link for the building supplies sector. The full warranty it receives on parts and repairs for its Mack commercial vehicles remains essential to operations.

60 The Green Mile Scania’s new 540hp engine shows that 13 litres can deliver similar performance to many larger engines and this latest specification engine offers even more performance combined with impressive fuel economy.

34 All the Right Moves Why go to the trouble and expense of buying when you can rent? It’s a proposition fast appealing to a changing consumer market and one Thrifty seeks to master in its endeavours to become the best rental company in Australia.

Regular Run

TRUCK & TECH 42 Walk on the Wild Side A 1994 Kenworth K100E 8x4 double-deck livestock body truck owned by Wild’s Livestock Transport has travelled over 3.5 million kilometres and is still proudly sporting its original Meritor tandem drive unit that has never been rebuilt. Prime Mover speaks with Ian Wild to find out more about this legendary longevity.

48 Full Steam Ahead A supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell powered

08 From the Editor 10 Prime Mover News 68 Personality 70 Prime Movers & Shakers 73 Delivery 86 Australian Road Transport Suppliers’ Association 88 National Heavy Vehicle Regulator 90 Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds 91 Australian Logistics Council 92 Trucking Industry Council 93 Victorian Transport Association 94 Peter Shields’ Number Crunch

FROM THE EDITOR

Speed-the-Plow

William Craske Editor A glance back at the last Brisbane Truck Show is instructive for a host of reasons not in the least on how different the recognisable present world is from the one which now exists in memory only.

The 2019 event, if one recalls, took place on the eve of the federal election, which would return incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison in an upset result — depending on how much trust one puts in the polls and media pundits. Like the TEUs making their way up the world’s busiest shipping channels, trust, around the world, is in high demand by our institutions, politicians and media at the moment, yet sorely finds itself at historic low levels of supply. Border lockdowns, mask mandates, social distancing and hotel quarantining have during this crisis tested the planning and resources of companies involved in key industry events like the truck show and those also who attend them. Uncertainty does not inspire confidence. Financial markets, however, do. How serious would a vastly contracted private industry of depleted small businesses take the public sector which in turn has

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gotten even bigger, based on futures only counter-intuitive to one of them?

In 2019 as the respective campaigns of the leaders of the two major parties neared their end the latest cycle of economic crisis precipitated by the Lehman Brothers collapse nine years earlier, was already brewing on the horizon. With governments stretched beyond measure to protect banks, mitigate recession and inflating increasing amounts of currency into financial markets, state interventionist policies delivered unprecedented rate suppression which continues even as global debt stands at $284 trillion, roughly 355 per cent of global GDP. That’s trillion with a T. As governments print money at a rate of knots that would make the Weimar Republic blush, the recent grounding of an Evergreen-owned container barge in the Suez Canal won’t, despite some feeble attempts by journalists, be blamed for the incoming fallout felt in global markets. Even scapegoats are at a premium.

Where conditions and room in the budget allowed, governments stopped the freefall of global growth with extraordinary monetary and fiscal support to the tune of $11.5 trillion globally, to extend lifelines to businesses and people. If that last sentence sounds like gaslighting it’s because it paraphrases the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In the ‘IMF Annual Report 2020 - A Year Like No Other’, it asserts swift action helped fight the pandemic and limit the damage to people’s lives and the global economy. “These exceptional times required equally exceptional, quick

action,” the report concludes. “The IMF has worked to help protect people, help protect the economy, and help countries prepare for the recovery.”

You know who else was prepared?

A total of 2,365 billionaires. Under these ‘exceptional circumstances’ asset prices have rallied over the past year to increase their total wealth to $USD12.39 trillion. A 54 per cent increase over the span of a year.

“Entrepreneurs,” as economist Joseph Schumpeter puts it, “dream up products that they think advertisers can persuade us to want.”

That might be an engine compressor, adjustable vertical shock absorbers or indeed a pandemic.

The concern for privately owned businesses and independent operators, many of whom would have normally attended a trade fair like the Brisbane Truck Show in previous years, is reducing one’s business to a node under edict of governments backed by partners both abroad and locally.

The demagoguery used by corporate media in equating these very credible concerns with conspiracy theories or the oft-heard tinfoil hat pejorative, are tiresome. Alexis de Tocqueville who, lamenting the result of unquestioned soft despotism two hundred years ago, rightly suggested that it “hinders, compromises, enervates, dazes, and finally reduces each nation to being nothing more than a herd of timid and industrious animals of which the government is the shepherd.”

Yet here we find ourselves.

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PRIME NEWS

> Tesla joins industry in questioning Australian truck dimensions Calls made by Tesla for Australia to ease its vehicle-size limits has reignited the debate around truck regulations with fears they will prohibit uptake of imported low-emission commercial vehicles. A submission made by Tesla late last year to the National Transport Commission revealed that the first generation electric heavy truck the Tesla Semi was too wide by 34 millimetres for Australian roads under current laws.

Under Australian laws a commercial vehicle cannot, without special exemption, be wider than a 2.5 metres.

In the US commercial vehicles like Class 8 trucks are permitted to be 2.6 metres long whereas in Europe the cap is 2.55 metres. Tesla have called on the NTC to amend the laws so that its long anticipated electric truck can be made available here by as soon as 2022.

Given the size of the Australian market compared to North America and Europe, it is highly unlikely Tesla will modify its design.

Now the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has joined a growing chorus of industry bodies — Austroads and the Truck Industry Council among them — in asking that revisions be made to the current regulations so that width dimensions on heavy vehicles increase to the European standard.

Local manufacturers have in the past objected citing safety concerns in regard to the impact increased truck sizes might have on other road-users and existing infrastructure.

As it stands the Tesla Semi isn’t legally fit for local roads although it was pushing for what it called “urgent changes” to Australian vehicle design rules.

“The Commission will be aware that given Australia’s small size in comparison to global markets, inconsistencies like this between Australian regulations and larger markets will delay or preclude vehicles coming to local markets,” said Sam McLean Tesla Public Policy Manager Australia and New Zealand.

The comments made by battery electric automotive company led by Elon Musk, 10

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which have since been made public, have prompted the NTC and “governments of all levels to prepare for rapid decarbonisation.”

The ATA believes the decision will only delay the introduction of zero-emission trucks in the country.

“Electric and hydrogen trucks developed overseas will need to be redesigned for the Australian market to meet our dimension rules. This will slow the rollout of zero emission trucks in Australia,” said ATA CEO Andrew McKellar.

McKellar said an increase in vehicle mass was also needed to encourage the purchase of newer, greener vehicles.

“Euro VI, battery electric and hydrogen trucks are heavier, which reduces the amount of freight they can carry and their commercial viability,” he said. “There needs to be an extra 500 kg axle mass allowance for single steer trucks and an extra 1000 kg for twin steer trucks.”

Zero emission trucks were, according to McKeller, a reality and needed the right policy settings to increase their uptake in Australia.

“We are getting to the stage now where international vehicle manufacturers are bringing electric vehicles to the market.

To support this, government must ensure vehicle standards regulations are flexible enough to allow that to happen,” he said.

In a report released in 2019, Austroads said there was evidence to support a boost in heavy vehicle width from the current benchmark of 2500mm to 2550mm, excluding attachments such as mirrors and exhaust aftertreatment systems.

“New Zealand has allowed heavy freight vehicles to operate at 2550mm without restriction since 2017 and there has been no reported or anecdotal evidence that the wider vehicles are more likely to be involved in a crash,” Austroads said at the time.

In fact, Austroads first made the recommendation back in 1992.

Australia is one of six countries in the world where maximum vehicle width is restricted to 2.5m.

At present nearly 80 percent of new heavy duty trucks sold in Australia each year are imported directly or derived from truck designs from markets where the maximum vehicle width is 2.55m or greater.

Truck Industry Council CEO Tony McMullan, writing in Prime Mover in 2019, urged the Department of Infrastructure Regional Development and Cities to make recommendations to the Transport and Infrastructure Council, within COAG, for an alignment with European regulations of 2.55m maximum width.

“Our current Australian Design Rules actually allow additional maximum width for load restraint on a truck, tie downs, curtainsider buckles, chains, etc. These can be up to 2.55m in width,” he noted.

“This has posed no known or quantifiable safety risk, yet our law makers continue to push back on allowing trucks to be this width overall, costing industry millions of dollars each year and slowing the uptake of trucks with advanced safety and environmental features.”

The others are Japan, South Korea, Lebanon, Morocco and Argentina.

Tesla Semi.

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PRIME NEWS

> PACCAR celebrates 50th anniversary in Australia Half a century of Australian commercial vehicle manufacturing was recently celebrated at PACCAR Australia.

A delegation of heavy hitters from Canberra were in attendance to mark the occasion in which the first Australian Kenworth truck rolled off the production line at Bayswater, Victoria.

The date was 2 March 1971. More than 70,000 trucks have been built ever since. As part of the celebrations, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight

Transport Scott Buchholz, and Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Kevin Hogan toured the facility before celebrating with staff the role PACCAR has played in both the trucking and manufacturing industries during the last 50 years.

Dealer principals, industry partners, and suppliers were also present to reflect on a defining moment for the Australian road transport industry.

PACCAR Australia Managing Director, Andrew Hadjikakou, paid tribute to the foresight of those that first brought

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the PACCAR factory.

Kenworth to this country, and those responsible for establishing the Bayswater plant.

“We are extremely proud of this achievement and honoured that the Treasurer and his colleagues have joined us to show their support for our industry and for PACCAR,” said Hadjikakou. “Today, the workforce behind each truck is measured in the thousands. An extended family of exceptional employees, dealers and suppliers that span the nation.

“Not everything has changed though.

Each Kenworth is still specifically application engineered for its intended task and the desire to build the world’s best trucks still inspires and unites us.”

By fostering a culture of innovation and investing heavily in next generation technologies, Kenworth has risen to every challenge over the 50-year journey. From the removal of import tariffs, soaring fuel costs, economic downturns, global recessions, dimensional changes, emission reductions, and most recently, a pandemic demanding changes to the production line to protect the workforce and maintain supply of trucks to the essential transport industry.

“2020 showed how important Australian manufacturing is to this country,” said Hadjikakou.

> SG Fleet acquistion to create $2.5B company The Australian and New Zealand businesses of LeasePlan are set to be acquired by SG Fleet, the fleet management and leasing specialist has announced. The acquisition, with a combined 250,000 vehicles under management, will create a $2.5 billion company with a highly compelling fleet management and leasing offering across Australia and New Zealand. LeasePlan is considered highly complementary to SG Fleet in terms of business activities, customer profile, product quality and service culture.

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“This transformational transaction creates the ability to add scale across operations, funding and procurement activities,” said Robbie Blau, SG Fleet CEO. “Greater scale will also allow us to step up our innovation efforts and create additional value for our customers.”

SG Fleet has also signed an international alliance agreement with LeasePlan’s current owner, LeasePlan Corporation, which after completion will see the two companies provide customer referrals and know-how to each other in markets where they do not

compete with each other.

“The agreement with LeasePlan Corporation will allow us to ensure a smooth transition for customers and also gives us the opportunity build a relationship with a major global player,” Blau added.

SG Fleet aims to complete the transaction in the third quarter of this year, subject to regulatory approvals.

The acquisition provides closure to SG Fleet’s plan to take over LeasePlan after its initial overtures were scuttled back in 2017.

All-time tough gets all-day comfort.

Mack’s hard-working Trident just got even better. Allnew interiors in this powerful rig make it easier and more comfortable for drivers to operate. So drivers can get more done and finish the day as strong as they started.

Step inside and see new levels of comfort.

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PRIME NEWS

> Brown and Hurley Yatala rides post-COVID surge in orders Following the COVID-induced slowdown of last year, it’s full steam ahead for Kenworth and DAF dealer Brown and Hurley’s Gold Coast dealership in 2021.

At present, the most challenging aspect of the post-COVID boom is sourcing enough new and used trucks to keep up with the burgeoning customer demand according to the company’s Dealer Principal, Bruce Barnes.

“Sales at the moment are extremely buoyant because most of our customers’ businesses are going gangbusters,” said Barnes. “Everyone is scrambling to make up for the supply shortages caused by COVID – there simply aren’t enough new cars, caravans and boats for the people who want to buy them.”

Barnes said the company’s orderbook took a hit after COVID struck early last year but that this year’s month-on-month figures are more than making up for last year’s shortfall.

“I really can’t see a ceiling on it at present – it’s been a huge turnaround for us,” he said, adding, “this year we have more than quadruple the number of trucks on order compared with the same time in 2020.”

Barnes mentioned that the upswing has been consistent across all areas of the business including service, spare parts and used truck sales.

“Our service department has been running flat chat and we have taken on extra inventory in the spare parts The team at Brown and Hurley Yatala.

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department to ensure we are able to deliver the right parts at the right time – which is yesterday,” he joked. “Our used truck sales department has also been as busy as – we simply can’t get enough good quality stock.”

Another area of the business that’s booming is the newly formed trailer sales arm selling quality brands including Schmitz Cargobull, Pumpa and Krueger.

Barnes alluded to the quality of the trucks and trailers that Brown and Hurley sells, along with the Government’s instant asset write-off scheme, as being other significant factors in the ongoing success of the business.

“Good quality machinery at present can often be sold second-hand for nearly the same money as new gear because people can’t afford the waiting time to buy new,” he said.

According to Barnes, the global shortage of components has contributed to the increased lead time for new trucks because there just aren’t enough parts to complete the number of trucks required.

“PACCAR production in Melbourne had been scheduled to ramp up to 19 trucks per day but they had to hold it at 16 due to supply constraints,” he said. “The recent expansion of the factory enabled a daily build number of up to 20 trucks in one shift.”

Barnes makes no bones about his belief that the products that Brown and Hurley sells and the customer service it provides

are second to none. His ambition to join the company was realised in 2004, following a lengthy stint at a dealership of a competing brand where he started as an apprentice diesel mechanic in the late 1980s.

“I spent several years on the workshop floor doing my trade as a mechanic and then branched off to specialise in diesel pumps and fuel injection systems.

“I then moved up through the spare parts division from working in the warehouse to serving the mechanics and into the phone room and serving customers. I later became a spare parts rep out on the road,” said Barnes.

Barnes started selling trucks in the late ‘90s, harbouring the ambition to one day work for what he describes as “the best truck dealership in the country – Brown and Hurley. I introduced myself at Brown and Hurley Darra and was given the opportunity to meet the bosses Jim Hurley and Rob Brown [respective sons of the two founders].”

Barnes started as a salesman with Brown and Hurley Darra in late 2004 and moved to the Yatala branch when it opened in 2008.

“I was happy to be selling quality Australian-engineered products at a quality dealership and have thoroughly enjoyed the journey that’s brought me to my current position as Dealer Principal at Brown and Hurley Yatala,” he said.

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PRIME NEWS

> Fuso’s all-electric eCanter launches in Australia Fuso eCanter launches ahead of the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show.

The launch last month of the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) all-electric truck available in Australia heralds a new age of electric mobility in Australian cities. Fuso’s eCanter, developed with the global engineering might of Daimler, has arrived with classleading safety and will be supported by select Fuso eMobility dealers. Six liquid-cooled lithium ion batteries mounted in the eCanter frame store 82.8kW/h of electricity (with 66kW/h of usable power) and feed a permanent magnet synchronous motor. Power output is rated at 135kW and 390Nm of torque can be delivered the moment the accelerator pedal is pressed. Fuso will consult with customers and advise them on the optimal charging infrastructure for their specific needs.

The eCanter became the world’s first small series electric production truck in 2017 and has been subject to a rigorous testing regime around the world since including a six-month Australian test running with a maximum load. Global customers have already covered more than three million kilometres of real world driving. Daimler Truck and Bus President and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, 16

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said the launch of the eCanter in Australia is a momentous occasion.

“Fuso is launching a truck that emits zero local emissions and operates almost silently,” he said. “This is a significant milestone for Australian transport and represents a big step towards carbon neutral transportation in this country, which benefits everyone.”

Newly appointed Fuso Truck and Bus Australia Director, Alex Müller, shared similar sentiments.

“The eCanter is perfect for emissionsensitive areas in our big cities, where many pedestrians and residents stand to benefit, but it is not just a concept truck or environmental tribute,” he said.

“It is a serious truck with a payload of more than four tonnes and it gets the job done day and night.”

Müller said the eCanter is proving that all-electric local transportation makes sense and not just for the community and for the environment, but also for business.

“We are excited to be pioneers in this field and to prove that electric trucks are practical in the correct application right now,” he said. “The eCanter is a vital proposition for any company that is

serious about reducing emissions.”

Built in Portugal, the eCanter is equipped with active safety features such as the Advanced Emergency Braking System and the Lane Departure Warning System, which are increasingly important for leading companies and government bodies with a firm focus on health and safety. Customers of the eCanter, according to Müller, can rest assured the truck is fitted with advanced pedestrian-sensing camera emergency braking technology, just like the regular Canter 4×2 range.

“By their very nature, electric trucks operate in high-density urban areas, so active safety systems are more important than ever,” he said. “Our customers do not have to choose between safety and electric mobility, they can have both.”

The eCanter has a range of more than 100km when fully loaded, and can be recharged to 80 per cent capacity in an hour using a 50kW rapid charger or fully charged in 90 minutes.

Daimler has banked on this convenience making it a perfect solution for set loops in big cities, where the truck’s zero local emissions and near-silent operation will be most appreciated.

The eCanter is part of Daimler Trucks’ commitment to help its customers reduce emissions in Australia with its Fuso, Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz brands.

Fuso currently features diesel engines that meet or undercut the stringent Euro 6 emissions standard in medium duty Fighter and heavy duty Shogun as well as the Rosa light bus.

A limited number of eCanters will be available for customers in Australia during the initial stages of the introduction. Production availability is expected to increase in time according to Daimler.

While the regular Australian diesel Canters are produced in Fuso’s Kawasaki plant in Japan, Australian eCanters are made at the Tramagal factory in Portugal.

> TNT consolidated into new FedEx Express Australia FedEx Express will combine TNT freight services into one company known as FedEx Express Australia. A subsidiary of FedEx Corp, one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, FedEx Express is looking to enable greater global access and increased domestic reach for its Australian customers through the move. Expanded service offerings and strong connectivity to meet domestic and international needs are foremost among the customer benefits resultant from the combined entity according to Peter Langley, FedEx Express Australasia Vice President said today.

“I see this transformation as a new chapter in the story for both FedEx and TNT brands,” Langley said in a statement.

“TNT has always had a strong presence domestically in Australia and FedEx is well known as an international

service provider,” he said.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make up 61 per cent of all exporters in the country. Langley anticipates consolidation of the two transport brands will continue to provide increased access for SMEs while supporting them reach out to new international markets.

“Even with the challenges of Covid-19, the number of exporters continues to increase and is up 7 per cent year-onyear, driven by an 11 per cent growth in small exporters,” he said.

“We’re now in a better position than ever to support Australian SMEs in their business recovery efforts as we move forward post the pandemic disruption.”

Currently, the product and service portfolios for FedEx and TNT will remain unchanged. There will also be no change to customers’ existing

FedEx or TNT accounts. The Australian integration is part of a wider global process of integration between the two companies after FedEx acquired the Dutch-owned TNT Express in 2016.

An Isuzu being loaded at a FedEx customer facility.

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PRIME NEWS

> New global partnership announced by major truck rivals News of an international agreement between Isuzu Motors Limited, Hino Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation has been welcomed by Isuzu’s Australian arm. The announcement to establish a global partnership in commercial vehicles is predicated on the intention of the three parties to combine Toyota’s CASE technologies with the commercial vehicle foundations cultivated by Isuzu and Hino.

The venture will see joint development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), autonomous driving technologies, including but not limited to electronic platforms for light duty commercial vehicles.

Isuzu Australia Limited Director and Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Harbison

applauded the latest strategic technology alliance by Isuzu’s parent company in Japan.

“With the building of a connected technology platform another key objective of the collaboration, we see a clear path for Isuzu in this critical response to the challenges facing the commercial vehicle industry and our customers,” he said.

The announcement noted that while there was healthy market competition between Isuzu and Hino, each company also shared a passion for better logistics solutions and improved living and societal conditions for all.

“Through collaboration, the companies are aiming to reduce the final product cost, providing broader access to these

new technologies to more customers,” said Harbison. “We’ve long advocated for strong competition in order to deliver the best outcomes for the road transport industry, and this announcement points to exciting developments and technology solutions for our customers in the future,” he continued.“In the meantime, and as emphasised by Isuzu Motors President and Representative Director Masanori Katayama and Hino Motors President and CEO Yoshio Shimo, the two companies will remain fierce competitors in truck sales.

“We look forward to years of healthy Australian truck market rivalry with our competitors Hino, and indeed all local industry OEMs, it only means a better industry.”

> Mercedes-Benz Actros impresses again at new home A Melbourne-based fleet and long established buyer of North American trucks has taken delivery of four new Mercedes-Benz Actros 2653s. These are the second lot of Actros commercial vehicles introduced into F Vitale and Sons Transport following four units it purchased from Daimler Trucks Somerton mid last year. The freight carrier, which is now 40 trucks strong, had, up until 2020, been dominated

by North American-style trucks until General Manager Frank Vitale decided to purchase the first four 2653 Actros 13-litre commercial vehicles last year.

F Vitale and Sons’ new Mercedes-Benz Actros 2653.

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So impressed was he by the fuel economy and servicing support he doubled down recently with another four trucks.

“Those first four trucks, which have done 120,000km each, are getting around 2.4km per litre running as B-doubles between Melbourne and Sydney,” said Vitale. “That represents a significant saving.”

Ease of operation highlighted by a 12-speed automated transmission and ergonomic cabin design with a range of comfort features, has proven beneficial for Vitale’s drivers. F Vitale and Sons uses fatigue-monitoring cameras that alert the driver and the operations team of any fatigue events in order to reduce risk in all its trucks. This system often registered fatigue warnings in the American-style trucks, but not one has been detected in the Actros models operated by the same drivers on the same routes.

F Vitale and Sons Transport also delivers for the family’s bespoke plaster component manufacturing business.

“We had not expected this when we ordered the Actros, but given our focus on safety at F Vitale and Sons,

it is invaluable,” Vitale said. “It is clear evidence that the Actros is way ahead in terms of reducing fatigue.”

His drivers, some of whom were hesitant to start with given the smaller displacement of the Actros, now agree.

“None of them want to get out of the ‘Benzes, even the guys who were initially reluctant understand how much less taxing they are to drive,” he said.

The standard safety features of the Actros, including the radar-based Advanced Emergency Braking System called Active Brake Assist and adaptive cruise control, provide peace of mind for the business.

“Safety is number one in our business, so an integrated safety solution like the system in the Actros is a big plus for us,” he said.

As the transport business covers a wide range of local, intrastate and interstate freight tasks, free Best Basic servicing for five years or 500,000km standard on road-going Actros models below 110,000kg GCM is also an attractive proposition.

“The free servicing offer and servicing intervals are excellent as is the warranty support,” Vitale said.

the new benchmark in six-cylinder performance With a massive 2700Nm of torque the benchmark for 13-litre six-cylinder engine performance has just been reset. With a standard rating of 75,000kg, and generating maximum torque at low revs, it’s well equipped to take on the most demanding task with a minimum of fuss.

Throw in Scania’s renowned fuel efficiency and advanced safety features, including side curtain airbags, and luxury interior and you’ve got a package fit for the only business that matters. YOURS.

For more information on the all-conquering 540hp simply contact your nearest Scania branch/dealer.

VICTORIA Scania Campbellfield Tel: (03) 9217 3300 Scania Dandenong Tel: (03) 9217 3600 Scania Laverton Tel: (03) 9369 8666

NEW SOUTH WALES Scania Prestons Tel: (02) 9825 7900 Midcoast Trucks Coffs Harbour Tel: (02) 6652 7218

QUEENSLAND Scania Richlands Tel: (07) 3712 8500 Scania Pinkenba Tel: (07) 3712 7900

SOUTH AUSTRALIA Scania Wingfield Tel: (08) 8406 0200 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Scania Kewdale Tel: (08) 9360 8500

GLOB AL NEWS

> Volvo partners with US self-driving company

Integration of the Aurora Driver into Volvo’s on-highway trucks will take precedence as part of the deal.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions has partnered with Aurora to jointly develop globally leading autonomous transport solutions at scale. The initial focus of the long-term partnership is to develop and deploy an autonomous transport solution for hub-to-hub applications for North America.

Under the agreement both companies will jointly develop on-highway autonomous trucks. Automation, according to Volvo Group, is aimed at creating tangible benefits for both customers and society in terms of productivity, safety, sustainability and energy efficiency.

Integration of the Aurora Driver into

Volvo’s on-highway trucks is a major priority of the partnership and it includes the development of industry-leading Transport as a Service solutions. These solutions are anticipated to build on Volvo’s products and track record within safety and Aurora’s deep expertise in the development of self-driving systems.

“Creating a viable autonomous onhighway offering requires close partnerships with both customers and tech partners to develop the needed capabilities,” says Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “This exciting partnership brings our goal of transport as a service an important step

closer and will accelerate our commercial offer for hub-to-hub applications in North America. Aurora is already a leading force in autonomous systems, and its integrated self-driving stack, software, hardware and data services platform combine to offer a clear path towards efficient and safe onhighway solutions in the medium term.”

Aurora Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Sterling Anderson acknowledged that since its first project collaboration with Volvo in 2018, Aurora had developed a deep respect for Volvo, its engineering process, and its commitment to safety.

“With the groundwork now laid through the establishment of Volvo Autonomous Solutions and the creation of Aurora’s industry-leading sensor suite, we’re excited to join forces to develop selfdriving solutions with Volvo’s impressive network of customers,” he said.

Previously announced Volvo Group collaborations with partners such as Nvidia and others continue in parallel with the collaboration with Aurora.

COVID-related supply chain disruptions including the recent container ship blockade in the Suez Canal had impacted Volvo’s supply of semiconductors which it announced would adversely affect its production of commercial vehicles in the second quarter this year. This would set in motion stop days across its global truck manufacturing operations.

Disturbances are also expected to impact the commercial vehicle manufacturer’s other business areas.

> Renault Trucks appeals to young demographic with video game test drive French manufacturer Renault Trucks has presented its updated long haul trucks in the Euro Truck Simulator 2 video game as part of a virtual driving experience. The new, innovative and interactive experience allowed fans to take a seat in the cab of the Renault Trucks T and T High 2021 and go for a drive in a truck driving simulation video game.

In the video game the new ergonomics of the driver’s cab can be tested and the 20

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comfort of the truck appreciated, in urban areas, on regional roads or on motorways.

The Euro Truck Simulator 2 PC game is enjoyed by more than nine million players worldwide.

The exterior design, driving position and cab layout will all be upgraded on the Renault T trucks.

A high level of safety for drivers and road users has also been central to the development of the Renault Trucks

T, C and K ranges.

Vehicle productivity has also been improved, with ever lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and increased vehicle availability, due notably to the related Predictive maintenance contracts according to Renault Trucks.

The simulation has been regarded by some as an innovative concept in which the ageing transport industry can appeal to younger people.

JOST Sensor Coupling

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Safety Solution with Remote Display • JSK 37C 3 point sensor fifth wheel with dash display • Integrated dash dislay available (truck specific) • Road-Train rated 190kN • Extended handle for easy operation • Optional LubeTronic technology

www.jostaustralia.com.au

INVESTMENT MINDSET SUPERANNUATION MINDSET

A FUTURE FASTFORWARDED Accelerated changes to consumer behaviours and remote business practices offer a glimpse into the near future in which changes are being proposed to superannuation legislation.

Frank Sandy Frank Sandy, CEO of TWUSUPER has been with the fund since 2005. His previous roles have involved managing both finance and human resources.

Frank is a CPA and has a Degree in Business Studies in accounting as well as a wealth of experience in finance and superannuation.

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O

ver the past 15 months or so, we have all witnessed what happens when borders, businesses and whole segments lockdown. As transport and logistics operators, you have been at the pointy end of dealing with a new set of pressures and priorities. Some of our experiences may have been very different to yours, such as managing through turbulent financial markets, government early release schemes, while servicing some 100,000 members.

Going into the pandemic, TWUSUPER was perhaps better equipped compared to some super funds, in that we were holding higher levels of liquid assets such as cash. But nothing could prepare us for the length of time as well as some of the unexpected outcomes of the pandemic.

I am conscious of the enormous impacts on some sectors such as aviation, hospitality, and tourism — including to some of our clients and their people who suffered enormous harm.

One theme that I have noticed is the way the future has been brought forward in a number of respects, specifically in the wide uptake of teleconference technologies, but also in business practices and the way people work.

A quote attributed to science-fiction writer William Gibson – “The future is already here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet” – sums up how technologies that already exist sometimes require a catalyst for wide acceptance and adoption to take place.

The pandemic has certainly been that catalyst of change. It is difficult to imagine the business routes between Sydney and Melbourne being at the same high pre-COVID levels, now that many meetings can be conducted remotely.

This is not to say that human interaction isn’t important, and people won’t travel for business. I think we have all learnt that we are social animals and meeting in person is vital to building relationships.

It will really be a case of balancing the costs, convenience and benefits of inperson compared to remote zoom-type meetings.

Such has been the length of lockdowns and restrictions to travel, that some of the habits we have formed will become ‘baked-in’ with perhaps some modification over time. Already, some of the companies we are talking to are discussing reducing floor space or hybrid working models, although this is very much business dependent, noting the opposite trend in segments of transport and logistics dealing with demand.

At TWUSUPER, we have a lot of meetings internally and with key suppliers and partners, and it’s been a challenge — there has been a level of technology fatigue and it has been difficult managing more distant relationships.

World leading organisational psychologist Adam Grant, from Wharton business school, says research shows during the pandemic that primary business relationships have become much closer on average, however

SPONSORED BY

secondary, or less regular contact relationships may have deteriorated, and that could include suppliers and clients.

Another big shift that you would be aware of is the way people have moved to online purchasing. As a trend that has been occurring for some years it has ramped up enormously. Australia Post reported yearon-year increases of 57 per cent for 2020, compared to the previous year.

The United Nations conducted a survey of 3,700 people in nine emerging and developed countries that showed the shift to online purchasing during COVID-19 has, according to the UNCTAD, “forever changed online shopping behaviour”.

According to UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards a more digital world.

“The changes we make now will have lasting effects as the world economy begins to recover,” he said.

Despite these trends, humans will still

SPONSORED BY

want to interact, go on holidays, dine at restaurants and visit shopping centres for social reasons, so it’s possibly a balancing act to see where online shopping hits a plateau. Its currently still only about 16 per cent of the total retail spend but outperforming the pre-pandemic predictions of 12-13 per cent according to an eCommerce report by Australia Post.

One of the biggest positives to come out of this period, is something I have mentioned before in Prime Mover, but worth repeating. It is that your industry has finally been recognised by Australians for its vital role in keeping Australians fed, healthy and entertained — and in no small way, people in transport kept the economy working.

Looking forward, at TWUSUPER we are also preparing for changes to your industry as well as a myriad of potential legislative and policy changes to superannuation. Some of these since flagged in the Government’s ‘Your Super,

Your Choice’ Bill such as ‘stapling’ of super so that when a person changes jobs, so does their super, were intended to reduce account numbers and fees, but could have serious unintended consequences.

We believe there is a risk of people being permanently attached to poor performing funds, and those without adequate or any insurance for the risky transport industry.

It’s worth mentioning that TWUSUPER insurance covers risky occupations.

There is also a risk that the burden of finding previous super accounts for new employees may be a time-consuming process for businesses.

If needed I will cover these issues in a later article depending on where the legislation lands.

For now, I am looking forward to a return to some normality but am also realistic enough to know that the times, as the song forewarned, they are a changing.

The remote office environment is not the only domain in business that will experience acclerated changes. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

TRIPLE

FRONTIER

The challenge of launching new high productivity vehicles for G1 Logistics on a permit that demanded the highest in safety and productivity standards has been solved by partnering with Scania.

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G1 Logistics Fleet Manager Angelo Rodi. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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I

t’s no secret that having quality commercial vehicles goes a long way to attracting quality drivers and if a fleet is already fortunate enough to employ some of them, then a top of the range truck won’t hinder the prospects of keeping them longer term. In an ultra-competitive market plagued by an unremitting driver shortage having the best person behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle, especially one charged with moving precious freight while navigating the vagaries that come with sharing the highway with other road users, is a requisite for fleet managers and freight carriers alike. Not all rare commodities on the road are carried in the trailer.

Against a backdrop of an escalating freight task compounded even further by global supply chain disruptions, G1 Logistics, the road freight wing of GTS Freight Management in Mildura, where it is based, has introduced two new Scanias into its fleet of over 150 prime movers.

Both Euro 6 emission rated V8s have been purchased to anchor a major contract for the business under special permit first granted by Transport for NSW at the height of the 2020 COVID-19 scare in Australia.

The first of these, a Scania R 580, arrived in April last year, back when there were more unknowns than knowns regarding how industry was going to be affected.

Looking back at the higher productivity

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vehicles launched last year one must bear in mind the context of which their operation on the Hume Highway was sanctioned. The permit for specialised B-triples now in action for G1 Logistics was granted to ensure products arrived faster to depleted supermarkets. At the time the supply chain for the sector was being stretched by uncertainties caused, roughly speaking, from the desperate behaviours of consumers stockpiling essential goods.

With the oncoming COVID crisis soon came opportunity. To see larger loads transported northbound across Sheahan Bridge near Gundagai, the permits enabled direct trips into a key Woolworths Distribution Centre in Western Sydney.

For G1 Logistics, approval for running a B-triple would give them 50 pallets capacity on the floor of each trailer, eight more each than a Super-B combination and 14 more each than a customary B-double. Mass loading on this route increased from 68.5 tonnes to 79 tonnes, an estimated 22 per cent gain in payload.

So that it would comply to the conditions of the permit the company, needed to tick every box available related to safety when it came to committing to a truck. Scania, not surprisingly, soon emerged as the front runner.

“Today’s Scania has pretty much got everything any other truck can offer in the

safety category,” says Damien Matthews, G1 Logistics Managing Director. “At the time of negotiation there was a lot of back and forth between Transport for NSW and myself. It was intrinsic to supplying those high safety standards as we sought approval on the vehicles.”

Another New Generation Scania, an R 650, was added five months later to work in tandem on the 1400-kilometre long haul circuit cycling between Adelaide, Mildura, where driver changeovers occur, and Sydney. Both Scanias are pulling identical B-triples built and designed by Vawdrey with a similar freight profile — mostly ambient — under the same permit.

“It makes for an interesting comparison,” says Damien. “Not often do you get that.

As a fleet owner, not driving either vehicle, the R 580 is more than adequate for what we’re doing. Then again an ownerdriver might, under different operating conditions, consider going with the R 650.”

In the current application speed is capped at 90 km/h. With the distinct spec of its Vawdrey trailers, designed to maximise the aperture in the trailers for extra internal height, an axle ratio of 3:05:1 on the steer and drive is ideal while using a customary low-profile trailer tyre.

“We’re seeing 1.6 km/litre with a B-triple which is as good as anything in our fleet,”

Damien says.

That fuel burn figure isn’t necessarily something they have arrived at after 12 months of refinement. It’s been consistent over the year to date.

“There’s been a few signs the lesser horsepower 580 is getting a whisker better in fuel economy although it is negligible when you crunch all the numbers,” explains Damien. “That said, the more powerful horsepower of the R 650 is seeing it do only marginally better in trip time.”

Due to the punishing rate of travel, the R 650 is now well over 150,000 kilometres while the moderately older R 580, since inception, now displays 240,000 kilometres on the odometer.

Aerodynamically improved bodywork on the R series cab helps lower running costs. The unofficial third auxiliary braking system represented by the Scania retarder when paired with Scania Opticruise provides appreciable support for the preservation of the engine brakes given the many rolling hills the trucks encounter between Wagga and Sydney and when on approach to Adelaide.

“After running for nearly half a million kilometres the Scanias have never put a foot wrong in regard to safety,” says Damien. “We’ve got full visibility through cameras going forward, cameras going rear, with the Guardian ‘Seeing Eye’ fatigue management system on the driver. At any stage we can see what’s going on with the vehicle. How it tracks and how the last trailer handles going around, for instance, roundabouts and things like that. To date

there’s simply no issues.”

G1 Logistics Fleet Manager Angelo Rodi was not, prior to these R Series V8s, unfamiliar with the brand. A pair of older Scanias have been in their system for a while.

“This newest product is the best product that Scania have ever had,” he says. “For fuel efficiency, power to weight ratio, performance, reliability and safety and also when it comes to downtime — we don’t tend to be seeing any with this new model.”

Both Scanias, according to Angelo, have been specified around additional safety features like its acclaimed AEB system, Lane Departure Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control that have also been packaged with the platform. Angelo, who has been with the business since 2004, started out originally as a mechanic before graduating to Fleet Manager and now oversees 200 specialist linehaul drivers.

The Scanias, with their extra comforts and low noise working environment, have helped to improve working conditions appreciably for his drivers.

“The feedback that we get receive from the drivers on the trip times is unanimous even though they’re only limited at 90 km/h, they’re actually very consistent in the hills,” says Angelo. “They’re often commenting on how good they are.”

Not only are they consistent but the driver feedback, according to Damien, is also positive in terms of how the trucks minimise fatigue and how comfortable they are to drive.

“Despite the extra power they get out of them they are not overly loaded,” he says.

Scania R 580 in B-triple application.

“The drivers don’t feel like they’re working really hard. Actually, they are very good for that application.”

With the driver shortage he sees continuing to exist in the market it’s an ongoing consideration as how to attract top talent and to ensure they are happy once they join the team.

“Across the industry it’s a battle and a challenge for every logistics company.

But when you get your newer more comfortable trucks like the Scanias the feedback I get from drivers is that they enjoy driving them. Well, that’s got to be a huge positive to start with,” he says.

“We’re all trying to get more drivers and to contain the ones that we already have. We want to get less turnover. We want to keep our current drivers happy and to attract a better quality of driver also.”

On permanent freight runs such as this one, Damien and Angelo advocate a “set and forget” policy for the drivers they have assigned each truck.

Absent of traffic and swarming road users, G1 Logistics also dispatches triple roadtrains on the flat run from Adelaide to Perth behind bonneted American trucks.

“We can run the bigger vehicles in what in essence, for the main part, is outback conditions,” says Angelo. “Once there’s more density in the environment and the vehicles are likely to encounter more traffic, which means more people, meaning you can’t run the big ones.”

Managing COVID with a huge team of drivers presented innumerable challenges last year.

Being wedged in the northwest corner of the state brings certain advantages for accessing key freight passages but also means drivers are crossing borders every day, multiple times. It was daunting in terms of compliance, requiring shrewd management to stay on top of driver movements amid a flux of restrictions at borders uninterrupted all too infrequently.

Damien reached a point where it was necessary to bolster his administration.

Even still, the efficiencies afforded by the digital processing of information from dozens of trucks in transit proved arduous.

“Making sure all the documentation on all the borders was correct to make sure p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

27

COVER STORY

Aerial view of the new Vawdrey built B-triple combination departing Mildura.

they could get through all the border crossings was a nightmare,” Damien recalls. “Our compliance team were very diligent in ensuring our drivers had upto-date documentation. This was a very challenging task given how relentless the work was in such a fast-changing environment.”

Across the entire GTS Freight Management organisation the foremost priority in management was to keep everyone safe.

That included the work force as well as customers.

“The focus for nearly 12 months was to try and prevent anyone getting COVID positive,” says Damien. “We’re really proud that we got through the whole COVID period with not one positive case within our directly employed group. My team have been outstanding this past year and I’m honoured by how they have overcome the many mounting challenges that beset our industry and pleased of what they have achieved.”

Of the more recent high productivity vehicle permit the Scania Euro 6 V8s are likely to defy betterment any time soon.

The permit is up for renewal at the end of the year when the company will have a new 40,000 sqm site under works in Adelaide complete with hardstands and provision to change trailers for roadtrains.

Beyond that GTS Freight Management 28

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will renegotiate with Transport for NSW and Damien has ambitions for getting the B-triples approved for a height of 4.6 metres.

“At the moment we’ve got a few restraints that we’re working around. One big problem for everybody, including us, is the Gundagai Bridge is only approved for 79 tonnes,” he says. In an ideal situation Damien would like to go up to 85 tonnes but he acknowledges this would warrant fast-tracked improvements being made to outdated regional infrastructure.

With over 400,000 kilometres of operation in a real-world environment the combined

value of the Scanias can be measured in the proof of concept it has afforded operations on this approved route with all of its many pre-conditions.

“A big part of the supermarket supply chain is the need to keep shelves at capacity. Without the special circumstances of last year I don’t think we would have got the permit,” Damien says. “Without doubt COVID was a drawcard for enabling these high productivity vehicles. There’s a lot of proof in the pudding that it should become normal instead of a special permit.

As a freight carrier we want it to become the new normal.”

Scania cockpit with Guardian ‘Seeing Eye’ technology fitted to dash.

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FLEET FOCUS

SERIO

HARDWA Donaldson Haulage is an important link for the building supplies sector. The full warranty it receives on parts and repairs for its Mack commercial vehicles remains essential to operations.

Mack Super-Liner returns to base as flood waters rise in the background.

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US RE

I

n conjunction with historically low interest rates, one of the few benefits of the COVID pandemic to the larger Australian community has been the boom in housing construction and renovation. The demand for building supplies has been fuelled by the significant increase in activity in the renovation sector as homeowners make good use of the periods of time when they have been restricted to their own suburban areas, to tackle those little, and often larger, jobs around the home.

Modern retailing is dependent upon the ‘just-in-time’ model of inventory management and this concept is no different in the building supply business as retailers strive to minimise the amount of stock they have on hand.

This trend is now standard procedure regardless of the outlet being a megabarn operation or local ‘Mum and Dad’ corner hardware store. To achieve such a degree of stock control and to remain competitive the retailers and

trade suppliers in turn rely upon their wholesale suppliers to keep sufficient replacement stock on hand and for an efficient transport and logistics provider to deliver the various products in a timely manner to meet the demands of the various end customers.

One such operator is Donaldson Haulage based at Woodberry which is a semi-rural location just outside of Newcastle and only minutes away from a number of the major highways servicing the NSW east coast. Andrew Donaldson and his team have built just such a transport operation by delivering building products within NSW with 150-200 tonnes of James Hardie building products delivered every day to retail and trade outlets such as Bunnings Warehouse, Hudson Timber, Mitre10, Home Hardware and Eaton’s Hardware.

The Donaldson trucks will also take timber from Newcastle down to Sydney and Canberra and occasionally pick up a load timber from a major mill located

AUD PK rigid, used for high volume deliveries, with unusual drop sun visor. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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FLEET FOCUS

Andrew Donaldson, Managing Director.

near Tumut. Deliveries can also extend to as far away as the NSW mid-north coast and there are regular trips around the Lower Hunter region.

The regular delivery task includes servicing 28 stores on the NSW Central Coast. A UD PK rigid truck does up to ten drops each day and the recent growth in this sector of the business has justified the decision to have a twin-steer UD Quon currently built. At present UD services the smaller sites where access for even a single trailer can prove difficult.

It is for this reason the rest of the trucks are semis rather than B-doubles.

“Originally I had a B-double but had to unload and reload onto a smaller truck for distribution,” says Andrew. “So we dispensed with the ‘A’ trailer and saved on registration charges. Now everyone runs singles and has the flexibility to get in and out of wherever they need.”

In recent years Andrew has developed a changed business model which sees him currently owning just one semi and one rigid. The rest of his fleet of prime movers and semi-trailers has been 32

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sold off mainly to their drivers who enthusiastically operate on a contract basis with the trucks remaining in the distinctive Donaldson Haulage livery.

“It’s been a win-win,” says Andrew.

“I haven’t got to be concerned about drivers not showing up for work and the drivers get a better lifestyle and can be masters of their own destinies without the stress of worrying about where their work will come from. Every afternoon I make a phone call to each driver and give them their work for the next day.”

Andrew is nevertheless very comfortable with his business name appearing on his contractors’ trucks. “And if they do something wrong it’s my number on the back of it,” he says, smiling.

Andrew sees a challenge to this style of operation where certain operators, often new to the industry, are offering to undercut freight prices.

“There’s no such thing as cheap freight.

To do that they’ve got to cut corners, including delaying deliveries to better suit themselves,” he says. “Customers don’t want to keep a lot of inventory

on their shelves so they need quick turnaround on deliveries. A key part of our service is we do same day-next day.”

A major client is Hyne Timber which is one of the largest sawn timber suppliers in Australia and Donaldson Haulage performs their pine timber distribution, a task recently made more effective with Hyne Timber opening a major new depot in nearby Cameron Park.

Andrew has grown the business through hard work and, knowing he is secure in his relationship with the James Hardie organisation, brought about by another transport company which provided it with an entrée to the timber building products industry.

“That was ten years ago and was the best thing I ever did. I learned a lot about logistics from the other companies I had worked with and I was able to put it all together around factors such as truck efficiency, fuel economy, and drivers’ abilities. I would go out with a new driver and explain what, where, when and how to operate and I offered an incentive for whoever achieved best fuel economy,” Andrew says.

Eventually all of the company drivers were in new trucks which helped with the ultimate transition of them becoming owners and contractors.

In addition to the six trucks operating in Donaldson Haulage colours, Andrew has a couple of additional contractors whose main work is delivering beer. They may also do two to three days per week with Andrew. One is based in Gloucester and the other is conveniently located right next door to the immaculate Donaldson depot at Woodberry.

The destructive bushfires of the 201920 summer wiped out a lot of forestry plantations around NSW towns such as Tumbarumba. The sad fact is it will take at least a decade for those plantations to recover, so large quantities of timber suitable for building purposes are being imported. This presents further opportunities for Donaldson Haulage to become the link between the docks and the wholesale timber suppliers’ depots as well as from the depots to the retailers. Where feasible, the timber

is taken direct to the customers, in addition to distribution centres such as the new facility operated by Ron Crouch Transport at Orchard Hills in Sydney’s west to which Andrew’s son Kane delivers a full load every day at 5.00am with the Mack Super-Liner. Andrew and Kane try to keep that particular truck relatively local and it usually covers only around 80,000 kilometres per year and has received numerous truck show awards including one from the NSW Roads and Maritime Service.

Donaldson Haulage trucks are renowned for their perennially immaculate presentation and even the UD is no

exception. Rather than going down the common route of polished alloy wheels, Andrew has had the original steel wheels painted in gloss black two-pack paint highlighted by red striping, with chrome hubcaps and wheel nuts. The UD is also distinctive due to its ‘drop’ sun visor, an unusual feature on a Japanese truck.

“The first truck I bought was a Mack V8 which I did up while working as a fuel tanker driver,” says Andrew. “I used to tinker with it a lot and when I connected it to a 45-foot alloy floor flat top trailer I went ‘out on my own’ carrying a variety of freight including cotton.”

If it weren’t for that truck, Andrew

reckons he’d still be working for someone else. He’s stuck Macks ever since.

“All of the guys who have bought my trucks use the local Mack service centre,” he says. “I found the hard way there is a lack of mechanical knowledge at other repairers. By sticking with Mack service and the trained technicians we get full warranty on the genuine parts and the repairs, which gives peace of mind.”

Andrew still enjoys getting behind the wheel himself occasionally and feels that the best part of being in the business is meeting people and developing strong business relationships with clients.

One of the Mack Super-Liner semis that help deliver over 150 tonnes of James Hardie product daily.

p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

33

FLEET FOCUS

ALL THE RIGHT

Why go to the trouble and expense of buying, when you can rent? It’s a proposition fast appealing to a changing consumer market and one Thrifty seeks to master in its endeavours to become the best rental company in Australia.

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MOVES T

Murari Rijal, Thrifty Caringbah Finance Director.

he capital investment and operating costs of commercial vehicles are a major factor in the sustained growth of the rental vehicle industry, as regular and casual users take advantage of the ‘as needed’ proposition rather than going through the process of purchasing an expensive vehicle which they may only require the occasional use of. In recent years Thrifty has emerged as a genuine competitor in the burgeoning commercial vehicle rental market.

Fully owned by the NRMA (National Roads and Motorist’s Association) and operated by a number of franchisees, Thrifty’s vision is to be the best vehicle rental company in Australia and not necessarily the largest. The organisation aims to achieve this by offering its customers the best service, the best rates and the best experience. The NRMA’s ownership of Thrifty provides a degree of confidence to customers knowing they are dealing with one of Australia’s most trusted and reliable brands.

Murari Rijal operates a Thrifty franchise from a base in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah which now extends to include 28 branches throughout New South Wales. Originally from Kathmandu in Nepal, Murari may describe himself as a ‘corporate tax accountant’ yet he brings to the business a diverse background including working for the BBC as a financial reporter, owning and managing a retail bakery franchise and as a niche importer of fine crystal homewares.

As with any business, the attention to customer requirements and effective cost management are two key elements in determining whether the operation becomes a success or a failure.

“If you compromise the quality of the customer service then you compromise p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

35

FLEET FOCUS

Hino commercial vehicles are preferred for their automatic torque converter transmissions.

the long term success of the business.”

Murari says. “You have to put your feet in the customers’ shoes to the point of performing a cost analysis from their point of view.”

That attitude, which permeates through the staff at all levels, has seen the total fleet size of passenger and commercial vehicles grow from 1,300 in 2013 to 3,500 of which almost 1,000 are classified now as commercial vehicles.

Based on customer feedback, Murari One of 100 new Hino units Thrifty has purchased already in 2021.

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“I go to Hino because I want a fully automatic fleet,” Murari Rijal Caringbah Thrifty Franchise Operater

finds that Caringbah customers’ requirements are, for example, different from those in the Hunter region and it is crucial business-wise to find what is important to each. Thrifty truck rental customers can be diverse but are usually local businesses and couriers.

Increasingly, the customer profile has included people who want to move “home” themselves rather than going to the expense of engaging professional removalists to relocate their furniture and household effects.

A lot of growth in the business has come from Sydney’s newer suburbs where families are frequently moving into freshly constructed houses after moving out from residential areas closer to the city. Following their move to the outer suburbs up to a third will relocate again within a few years, providing repeat opportunities for truck rentals.

The potential of this opportunity for

more sustained business has led to Murari establishing branches closer to these emergent residential areas.

“It’s important to have a branch nearby to return the vehicles to,” he says. “After moving they’ll be tired after a hard day and may have family to consider, so they don’t want to be getting an Uber back home after returning the truck across to the other side of the city.”

Hino is the brand of choice for the business. During the first half of 2021, more than 100 new Hinos have been ordered, even though the majority are replacements they represent a significant increase in the size of the overall fleet. The relationship with top-level management at Hino is good for both parties and provides benefits for the customer who are the people who actually drive the vehicles with Thrifty serving as the bridge between manufacturer and the customer.

“I go to Hino because I want a fully automatic fleet,” says Murari in reference to Hino’s offering of fully automatic torque convertor transmissions. “Most other rental operators keep trucks for five or six years but I only want to keep them for two and half, with a maximum of three years.”

At the conclusion of their relatively

short period of being a rental vehicle, the trucks are sold through a small number of select dealers and represent an excellent value proposition for the businesses which subsequently purchase them. Most vehicles are still covered by the balance of the Hino factory warranty which is transferrable to the new owners. The system also leads to the potential of future transactions.

“We on-sell many trucks to ‘mum and dad’ businesses because they are less than three years old and are cheaper than buying brand new. As their own business expands, they come to us to hire trucks again, with the likelihood they will ultimately buy an additional ex-Thrifty truck. It’s a long-term strategy and we’ve been doing it for the past three years and its working for us and the customer.”

The passenger vehicles in the fleet are kept for a maximum of nine months and may have between 6,000 and 20,000 kilometres showing on their

“It’s a long-term strategy and we’ve been doing it for the past three years and its working for us and the customer.”

Murari Rijal Caringbah Thrifty Franchise Operater

odometers. Trucks have usually covered 80 to 90,000 kilometres at the time of their disposal. The occasional example may have been subjected to a lot of hires involving interstate trips showing 100,000 kms which leads it to be taken out of service and sold regardless of its age.

Murari is also able to provide long term rental leases with the likes of courier companies who appreciate the benefits such as better safety features and fuel economy of new vehicles without the expense of having to purchase them.

“We used to do it over five years but found after three years the operating

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costs were getting out of where we wanted them to be,” he says. “These days there are a lot of technological change and everyone wants new trucks.”

Considering the frequency of purchasing new vehicles, Government stamp duty can become a big expense and on a $50,000 truck stamp duty can be as much as $1,800 which Murari considers may be one of the reasons some competitors choose to retain an older fleet.

“People ask: why do you buy brand new cars and trucks? Because that’s what I do,” he says. “I’m looking at the longterm benefit.”

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BRISBANE

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NEWCASTLE SYDNEY

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MELBOURNE

HEAVY MOTOR DIVISION

TRUCK & TECH

A new Isuzu FXR 4x2 is assigned specialised jobs delivering to mine sites.

LICENCE TO

CARRY Over the last 23 years CKC Haulage has built a solid reputation as a premium general freight transporter in Queensland. A newly acquired Isuzu FXR is helping the company expand its top-shelf service to customers.

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CKC Haulage runs a small fleet of reliable Isuzus of varying vintages.

I

t’s generally agreed that one of the pre-eminent keys to any successful venture is having the right tools for the task. In the case of CKC Haulage, Managing Director Kevin Cooper acknowledges the vital role a group of smaller trucks play for his business in collecting the freight which is then consolidated onto B-doubles and roadtrains for the longer journeys.

Similarly, Kev says, when an item weighing six to eight tonnes needs to be transported over a long distance to a mine site, a suitably specified smaller truck such as the company’s new Isuzu FXR can be assigned the task.

For CKC Haulage, a number of Isuzus, of varying vintages and guises, has been performing these tasks admirably over the years. So it seemed only natural that the company would turn to Isuzu for its latest acquisition.

With depots in Brisbane, Townsville and Mackay, CKC Haulage prides itself on being a one-stop-shop for customers moving general freight from Brisbane to Far North Queensland and out to the mines in central Queensland.

The company transports just about anything from cartons, pallets, timber

and steel to roofing, machinery, IBC tanks, floor coverings, tiles, pavers and shipping containers. It is also licenced to transport dangerous goods.

CKC Haulage has 18 items of trailing equipment including two dollies that enable roadtrain operation on the inland highway during busy times. The remainder are B-double compatible including curtainsided A trailers and flat-top B trailers. There is also a full curtainsided B-double with mezzanine decks. There are six linehaul prime movers comprising five Macks and a Western Star, while the fleet of seven smaller trucks includes two 6x2 and three 4x2 Isuzus including the new FXR. According to Kevin, Isuzu trucks have been a part of the operation since its inception. In fact, the first Isuzu five tonner the company bought second hand is still earning its keep at the Mackay depot today.

“I couldn’t tell you what model it is, but it is more than 25 years old. We bought it from a glass replacement company and put a tray body on it,” says Kev. “That was our first pickup truck in Brisbane. We’ve had such a terrific run from it that it seemed foolish not to

keep buying Isuzus in later years. Isuzu is the pick of the Japanese trucks in my opinion. In terms of reliability and longevity you just can’t beat them.”

Given he uses the new FXR to regularly travel on gravel roads to mine sites, Kev had originally wanted a 4x2 eight tonner.

“This truck does a lot of dirt road running and coming back empty would tear the tyres off a tandem rear axle truck,” Kev says. “That’s why I wanted a single drive unit.”

The FXR 1000 is fitted with a 12-pallet tray body and according to Kev is ideal for transporting 6.5 tonne generators to the mines.

He mentions that hauling this amount of weight is a doddle for the FXR, thanks in part to highly respectable gross vehicle and gross combination mass limits of 16,500 and 36,000kg respectively. It’s also well-endowed in the grunt department, with the 9.8-litre six sporting respective power and torque outputs of 345hp (257kW) and 1,049lb/ ft (1,422Nm).

The transmission is a ZF nine-speed synchromesh unit with a repeat H shift pattern and a super-low crawler ratio of p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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TRUCK & TECH

9.48:1. At the other extreme, ninth gear is a 0.75:1 overdrive.

This feeds into a Meritor drive axle with a ratio of 4.55:1 and a 10,400kg capacity, supported by multi-leaf main and helper spring packs. An important standard inclusion that’s handy when negotiating muddy mine sites is the driver-controlled diff lock. The steer axle is also Meritor and boasts a 6.6-tonne capacity with suspension by way of taper leaf springs.

Another useful feature of the Isuzu FXR, according to Kev, is the 22.5 inch wheels which take the same 11R22.5 drive tyres as the prime movers.

Further features that make life more comfortable for drivers of the FXR are the coil sprung cab suspension and Isri 6860 air suspended seat with integrated seatbelt.

There’s also cruise control and anti-lock braking, front and rear stabiliser bars, a driver’s airbag and seatbelt pretensioners.

While Kev concedes it’s only early days, he is, nevertheless, very pleased with the operational performance of the FXR so far and says his drivers love driving it, too.

“I particularly like the fact that it doesn’t need Adblue and doesn’t have a diesel particulate filter (DPF) that needs to be burned at regular intervals,” he says. “I think that is a real selling point of these larger Isuzus.”

As for accessories, Kev says he had a number of extras fitted for protection of the drivers and truck during operation over long distances to mines in the unforgiving Queensland outback.

Carrying scrap metal means flat tops are more common in the fleet.

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“A lot of people don’t want to touch scrap, but we’ve been doing it for 20-odd years without too much drama,” Kevin Cooper CKC Haulage Managing Director

“We fitted the usual bullbar, stoneguard and sunvisor as well as rotating beacon lights attached to roof-mounted racks,” he says.

The company employs 15 drivers altogether, with three local drivers who share the longer distance driving of the FXR to the mine sites. Kev says he has a good crew of drivers with most willing to go the extra mile when required.

CKC Haulage was founded by Kev about 23 years ago when he bought a semi-tipper truck and started working for Aztec which was owned by Boral at the time.

“That work died off, so I swapped to pulling fridge vans for a while, but because I’d been around general freight for most of my life, I thought bugger it, I’ll give that a go,” Kev says.

That was effectively the genesis of the current business and according to Kev, growth came organically with bits and pieces here and there until the company just got bigger.

Interestingly, most of the company’s linehaul work today involves backloading scrap metal from North Queensland, which Kev says ensures the efficiency of the operation.

“A lot of people don’t want to touch scrap, but we’ve been doing it for 20-odd years without too much drama,” he says – adding that it’s the reason why the company operates mostly flat-tops with gates as second trailers on its B-doubles and roadtrains.

Kev cites consistent and honest communication with clients as key to the success of CKC Haulage, and it’s for this reason that he doesn’t want to grow too big and lose the personalised service that the company offers.

“If we can’t send a truck for some reason, we ring the client and let them know as soon as we can,” he says. “There’s nothing worse in their eyes than a truck not turning up when they’re expecting it.”

He concurs that dependability and consistency in customer service go handin-hand with utilising equipment that can be relied upon to deliver the goods day in and day out.

With the majority of CKC Haulage’s medium-duty truck fleet – proudly headed by its new flagship FXR – comprised of the ever-reliable Isuzu brand, the company has this aspect of its operations well and truly sorted.

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TRUCK & TECH

ON

WILD

A 1994 Kenworth K100E 8x4 double-deck livestock body truck owned by Wild’s Livestock Transport has travelled over 3.5 million kilometres and is still proudly sporting its original Meritor tandem drive unit that has never been rebuilt. Prime Mover speaks with Ian Wild to find out more about this legendary longevity.

I

t’s a supremely satisfied Ian Wild, owner of Wild’s Livestock Transport, who says he couldn’t have asked for a better run from the Meritor 46-160 tandem drive axles in his current Kenworth.

Yet there was an ongoing niggle with oil leakage past the front differential carrier gasket – a problem which was ultimately solved for Ian by Meritor using a new generation gasket the company has developed specifically to address the issue.

According to Ian, Meritor has been exceedingly helpful with solving not only this problem, but also an issue he had with leaking diff axle hub seals on an earlier Kenworth 8x4 he bought new in 1988.

“That truck was also a K100E with a Detroit Diesel 8V92 and a 15-speed overdrive Roadranger transmission along with the same Meritor 46-160 diffs,” Ian explains. “My association with Meritor came about due to the truck’s persistently leaking rear wheel seals – we 42

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Kenworth K100E with Meritor 46-160 differentials.

did 16 seals in 18 months!”

During a conversation with Mal Grumont from Meritor, Ian was steered in the direction of an alternate hub seal manufacturer that just so happened to be looking for a suitable truck owner with which to test its newly developed drive axle hub seal.

“Mal put me onto the alternative seal manufacturer and they told me, ‘you’re just the bloke we need – we have this new seal for you to trial’,” Ian says. “It worked a treat – we replaced the seals on both drive axles and didn’t have any more leaks from that time forward.”

Ian explains that the new seal design features an integral wear sleeve similar to the original Speedi-Sleeve introduced by bearing and seal company SKF in the ‘70s. The stainless-steel wear sleeve is an interference fit on the axle spindle and when installed acts as a super-hard surface for the seal lip to run on, meaning the lip doesn’t wear a groove in the spindle over time — a phenomenon that creates the propensity for leakage.

Ian worked his former Kenworth for six years and then replaced it with his current K100E in 1994. This truck originally had a Detroit Diesel 12.7-litre Series 60 engine

THE

SIDE rated at 430hp. However, Ian replaced it with a 500hp version of the same engine some years back. It is coupled with an 18-speed overdrive Roadranger gearbox.

He explains that the ‘new’ truck was fitted with the superior drive axle hub seals which, as in the previous truck, have performed faultlessly ever since.

However, another issue developed with the gasket that seals between the front differential carrier and the axle housing.

Ian notes that this issue didn’t occur with his previous Kenworth, saying he believes this is due to the higher torque output of the Series 60 engine compared

to the 8V92.

His theory is that the more pronounced torque reaction creates a degree of flex between the diff carrier and housing that eventually causes a breakdown in the sealing integrity of the gasket.

It’s a notion that’s validated by Ian’s son Lincoln Wild, who is a qualified diesel mechanic and has now joined the family’s livestock transport business.

“The front diff is always subjected to more torque than the rear diff in a tandem drive and that was the diff that was consistently leaking in our truck – the rear diff was fine,” Lincoln explains. “We tried

everything from collets over the studs to limit torsional movement and sealing it with gasket cement but nothing we did provided a permanent solution.”

The Wilds’ fortune on this matter changed, however, following a conversation Ian had with Meritor’s Territory Manager – Truck, Renzo Barone, at the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association Queensland conference at Tangalooma some years ago.

“Renzo told me they had developed a new type of gasket for the diff heads and that he would get a couple for me and have them installed,” Ian says. “To his credit, he organised for the replacement gaskets p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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Aside from resealing the diffs at 3 million kms the Meritor axles have not been touched.

to be sent to (Kenworth dealer) Brown and Hurley at Darra and Meritor paid for them to be fitted. That was five years ago and it hasn’t leaked a drop of oil since.”

Ian says he didn’t expect Meritor to pay for fitting the gaskets, but that Renzo insisted, saying the company had faith in the improved gasket and wanted to look after its valued customers.

“I could never fault Meritor on their service or the quality of their products,” Ian says.

“From my experience it shows that the company is willing to go the extra mile to sort out any issues, regardless of the age of the vehicle or how many kilometres it’s travelled.”

Speaking fondly about his now 27-yearold Kenworth, Ian says the fact it’s still going strong after travelling more than 3.5 million kilometres is testament to the quality of the Kenworth product and the components such as the Meritor drive axles that go into them. He also mentions that the original Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine did 2.4 million kilometres before it was replaced with the 500hp version — another amazing feat in itself.

“At the same time as the engine repower, we replaced the radiator, charge air cooler, clutch and refurbished the gearbox, but we didn’t need to touch the diffs apart from the reseal at three million kilometres,” Ian says.

He adds that this is all the more remarkable due to the nature of the work it does often hauling heavy loads of livestock over rugged farm roads and paddocks and, 44

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the fact that he hasn’t been the only driver over its lifetime.

“It’s had quite a few drivers over the years – some of them came to work to make me money and others came seemingly to break the gear so they didn’t have to work,” he says. “But you have to accept that people come from all walks of life.

It shows that it is not all about the driver ability, the product must have an inherent robustness that enables it to survive under tough conditions.”

Never one to have gotten accustomed to breaking down on the side of the road, Ian maintains an axiomatic view of the process.

“If you have a quality product you can do a quality job,” he says. “Preventive maintenance is always better than reactive maintenance any day of the week.”

The ultimate reliability of the Meritor drive axles on his two Kenworths has meant that he has not needed to call upon the company for any remediation work, other than the aforementioned gasket replacement.

“Apart from that, we’ve only replaced two pinion seals and the seal on the jack-shaft in our current Kenworth over the 27 years we’ve owned it,” Ian says.

As the conversation turns to the somewhat unusual configuration, at least in livestock haulage circles, of the 8x4 double-deck body truck and three-axle double-deck dog combination, Ian says it is ideal for his operation which largely encompasses southeast Queensland and northern New

South Wales as far down as Casino. This often involves loading in locations where manoeuvring a B-double or semi would be rather difficult, if not impossible.

“We used to run semis, but when we bought another livestock haulage business which ran a double-deck body truck and dog combination we saw the benefit of it and have kept going that way,” he explains.

“Doing what we do here on the Sunshine Coast you’re not always able to get a semi or B-double in and, in fact, some places we need to unhook the dog and load the truck first then tranship the cattle to the dog and reload the truck.”

He adds that the picturesque scenery with a backdrop of extremes from the Glass House Mountains to open plain country makes it an enjoyable region to work in, although the ruggedness of some of the tracks leading into farms requires skill and experience on the part of the driver, along with robust and reliable equipment such as the Kenworth truck and Meritor axles.

He also prefers mechanical rather than air suspension for this role and says the Kenworth’s Six-Rod rear suspension does an admirable job of keeping the rig stable in demanding conditions such as uneven and rutted bush tracks and creek crossings. He also says the truck rides well for an 8-wheeler cab-over, adding that the set-back steer axles supported by 13-leaf load sharing springs mean the driver is not sitting directly above the front wheels.

In wrapping up, Ian reiterates how grateful he is for the longevity and reliability of the Meritor axles and the fact that Renzo Barone at Meritor went out of his way to help solve the only issue he’s had with the product, despite it being out of warranty by the proverbial country mile.

“It was great to be able to talk to the manufacturer about the problem and to not only find out there was a solution but to have Meritor provide that solution free of charge. That was way above and beyond what I expected,” Ian says. “If not for that assistance, we would have gone on re-sealing the diff two or three times a year — wasting an incredible amount of time and resources, all without a satisfactory long-term outcome.”

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TRUCK & TECH

DR

D ATA

Fleet management specialist Teletrac Navman discusses why fleets need to harness data now – and offers some insights on how to do it.

A

fleet generates a lot of data.

This information, however, is only valuable if it can be used effectively. That means bringing it together, analysing it, figuring out what is significant and using those insights to make predictions.

According to MicroStrategy research, 94 per cent of businesses say data and analytics are important to their growth and digital transformation, with more than half experiencing more effective decision-making, and better financial

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performance.

Thanks to the volume of data being collected from sensors, satellite tracking Electronic Work Diaries (EWDs) and IoT devices, larger fleets may struggle to find the data that’s most relevant to them. Luckily, AI and ML-enabled fleet management solutions instantly sort through big data to find those needles in the haystack.

Data such as road and traffic conditions, weather and environmental hazards can be combined with footage of a drivers’

journeys from multi-camera solutions and leveraged to predict incoming risks, allowing office employees to guide drivers through dangerous conditions as they unfold. Staff can offer drivers turn-by-turn routes based on permits, customer and load requirements to ensure compliance.

Smart fleet management solutions also improve customer service by highlighting instances of unnecessary fuel use and monitoring past routes. By optimising routes, operators are not just saving

IVEN money on fuel, they’re able to stay compliant, provide speedy customer service, and in turn, complete more jobs.

An ML-enabled fleet management system is designed to learn from your habits over time – what data you view most, how long it takes to complete jobs on average, work and rest time for fatigue management, and more. Eventually, the system will automatically detect unusual changes to driver and vehicle behaviours based on past data, bringing things like speeding violations to the attention of management as they arise.

These smart systems feature advanced dashboards, offering a visual display of data collected that allows an operator

to easily identify anomalies and drill deeper for insights. Search filters can be added to find out more about what is happening, why they’re occurring and view possible solutions.

To keep staff safe, it is imperative to have a well-maintained fleet. Of course staying on top of dozens or hundreds of vehicles can be difficult to manage. Even a small electrical fault can create a serious safety issue.

With an AI-powered system, engine management and vehicle performance data is integrated in real-time and sent straight to the monitoring dashboard, alerting key decision-makers of any potential issues. This will provide plenty

of time to diagnose the problem and rectify the fault before it becomes a major headache according to Teletrac Navman.

The collected data creates a comprehensive view of the entire fleet for back office staff. They can monitor the performance and condition of each vehicle, its performance and current condition without the need to physically inspect the asset.

The future of Australia’s transport industry is a data-driven one. Fleets that are able to turn big data into actionable insights will see increased productivity, reduced downtime and decreased admin costs, all the while keeping ahead of the competition. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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STEAM

FULL

AHEAD

A supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell powered commercial vehicles, including heavy duty trucks, buses, and coaches, Hyzon Motors, after going public as part of an estimated $AUD3.5 billion merger earlier this year, is in the process of rapidly expanding and it’s got its sights firmly set on Australia.

A

s renewable fission continues to gather pace where zero emission technologies in the global supply chain are concerned, in recent years a crowded field of newcomers and startups has emerged offering alternative electromobility solutions to fossil fuel reliance, perhaps none more active, especially in 2021, than Hyzon Motors. The New York-based company is riding what seems like a continuous wave of notable announcements in the transport media since it first came to the attention of many in early 2020. New commercial transport technologies in the age of Elon Musk are having no trouble attracting entrepreneurs chasing lucrative seed money from cashedup equity groups by making bold claims about battery range and aerodynamic future engineering concepts at million dollar promotional events to temporarily tame the 24-hour news cycle. Hyzon is not one of these. For the past 17 years, the company has steadily built upon extensive hydrogen technology development for fuel cell systems at Horizon, its parent company, with an eye towards accelerating the energy transition through the manufacturing and supply of hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles across the North American, European, and Australasian regions. To date, Hyzon’s hydrogen fuel cell systems have powered around 500 commercial vehicles globally.

It also retains strong ties to science at the highest points of its decision-making chain. Its Australian CEO Craig Knight, a co-founder of the company along with George Gu and Gary Robb, is a chemist by trade. The connections with Australia

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John Feenan, Hyzon Motors Australia Operations Director.

extend beyond the boss. Last year it established an office in North Sydney for local operations. A small core team is headed up by Operations Director John Feenan, who is no stranger to the renewables industry. He worked for 20 years in the gas and oil sector including a decade at Woodside where he was a commercial manager on the Northwest Shelf LNG Project before moving into mining for a few years. At the end of 2019, looking to return to renewables, he was keen to work in hydrogen, a solution he considered the best placed to replace liquid hydrocarbons such as diesel and petrol.

“That drew me to looking at the hydrogen sector both as a mobility solution and also as an energy storage solution,” he recalls.

“That prompted me to contact Hyzon and connect with Craig. So it’s been less than 12 months but I’ve been very busy ever since.”

Since he joined in July last year, the company has announced a slew of partnerships both overseas and locally.

One of the more publicised is the agreement announced with Viva Energy, who are progressing an energy hub in Victoria, which would support alternative energy sources, such as hydrogen. It’s especially important as Hyzon’s immediate focus is laying down the infrastructure required in Australia before they can scale up to encourage confidence in the demand and supply of green hydrogen solutions.

“Viva have taken a view that out of their knowledge of transport fuels and hydrogen gas in the refining process that they have the capability to produce, store and distribute and refuel for heavy duty vehicles which is what we can provide,” says John. “From there we can really start to work in with fleet operators in providing them with solutions to transform their fleets from current diesel usage to zero emission hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.”

Although John doesn’t expect to see hydrogen in service station forecourts immediately, a plan is in place to build to that from an initial hub and spoke model. In the short term the focus of the relationship with Viva Energy will be around their Geelong refinery. Once proof-of-concept is achieved in that area, and providing demand entails, Hyzon will look to expand with vehicle fleet operators while ensuring the hydrogen supply chain is in place.

“There’s a couple of steps to progress but the long term goal is to work together with Viva Energy to see hydrogen become readily available,” says John.

Ever since signing the first of its agreements with Hiringa Energy in August, 2020, Hyzon has subsequently agreed to build and supply the New Zealand energy

company with zero emission heavy goods vehicles as part of an ambitious plan to have 1500 units operating in that country by 2026. An initial batch of 20 prime movers with a carrying capacity of 55 tonnes, in accordance with national regulations, have been ordered from Hyzon’s Groningen plant in the Netherlands of which the first four are anticipated for delivery later this year.

As Hiringa is already in the process of developing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for New Zealand there’s an innate confidence in accommodating fuel availability, according to John, given the fleet of heavy goods vehicles Hyzon will supply are expected to work with a host of different operators.

“The capacity is there to start looking at some heavy duty haulage with fleet operators,” says John. “We expect the same vehicle to have a gross carry mass in the order of 70 tonnes on the type of flat pathway associated with Western Australia, by way of a local example.”

Up until that time comes, Hyzon can make do with the hydrogen fuel cell powered coaches it has, at present, operating for Fortescue Metals at its Christmas Creek mine in the Pilbara. Built in China, these vehicles are demonstrating the potential to decarbonise fleets, particularly in remote areas where diesel is often transported thousands of kilometres so it can be burnt on site. In an area as vast and unforgiving as the Pilbara this is no small challenge.

For Hyzon, having the ability to produce hydrogen on site has the potential to lead to a total cost of ownership equivalent to or better than diesel according to John.

“They’ll be doing it through solar photovoltaics which means they are effectively producing and refuelling in their own location and controlling that infrastructure,” he says. “That then gives operators confidence that they can start to transition to zero emissions and there’s a compelling economic argument associated with that as well. It’s certainly a first for Fortescue who have always been a leader in the mining space for innovation and pushing towards decarbonisation as you can see which will be an example of what emerges with other operators across the country. We would expect, in due course, something similar for heavy vehicle fleet operators and logistics vehicles.”

The ten hydrogen fuel cell coaches being evaluated by Fortescue are considered demonstration vehicles as part of a staged evolution program. Insofar as this kind of arrangement will be attractive in remote locations where diesel has long been transported immense distances by trucks, the hub and spoke model in due course, with proof of its benefits, should lead eventually to point-to-point availability of hydrogen once the vehicles, built to the specifications of the fleets, eventually come online. In terms of numbers, Hyzon expects that more demonstration fleets will appear in the next 12 to 24 months.

“Beyond that then we can start adding zeroes when we start to see a change out of existing fleets to zero emission vehicles and that would be a natural progression as vehicles get to their end of lease or end of term usage and they start to cycle through,” says John. “Then we’ll start to see orders for larger numbers of vehicles going forward.”

For now a major focus for Hyzon is to cross the threshold with key operators in building confidence that the vehicles and technology is available. Operators in turn, would build confidence in their management of the fuel cell vehicles and in their supply networks of fuel.

“Once we bring all those elements together it will help operators have the confidence to commit further with their fleets,” John says. Globally the business expects to have jointly branded Hyzon vehicles across three continents soon. The company already has partnerships with DAF in Europe and Freightliner and Ford in the United States. The Hyzon vehicle production model is asset light according to John, which is to say there’s no plans to build trucks from the ground up.

“We will partner with OEMs who are best in class with their cab chassis combinations that delivers an integrated solution that we can take to market with our hydrogen powertrain, which is the hydrogen gas storage and the fuel cell technology that goes with that,” he says.

“In due course we will look to localise our solutions so when you get into the more

Hyzon hydrogen fuel cell heavy goods vehicle concept. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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TRUCK & TECH

Hyzon fuel cell stack under the truck hood.

specialist vehicles such as garbage trucks and cement mixers then we are really going to need to work with the local body builders here in Australia to find the right chassis combination that will fit with their compactors or their agitators and then work from that basis.”

As a startup, Hyzon has frontloaded its proof-of-concept with a superior design to ensure it can lay out the electric architecture of the vehicle with the motors, the battery, the fuel cell and the storage — all with a view to encompassing the legal weight distribution and factors of axle loading.

“It’s an evolving landscape for us,” says John. “All of those things we take into account before we sign off to say we can deliver that product to a customer.”

Of late, a flurry of activity around Australia would appear to have repudiated its status as a developing hydrogen market. It also begs the question of which country might be considered advanced? More recently the Queensland Government, itself embattled by the challenges of renewing an economy, let alone a renewable one, established what it calls a Hydrogen Task Force. Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese multinational, also has formalised a partnership with Gladstone Ports Corporation, Gladstone Regional Council, CQUniversity Australia and Australian Gas Infrastructure Group to develop what is being touted as Australia’s first hydrogen ecosystem in Central Queensland. Toyota just last month announced a new $7.4 million Hydrogen Centre at Altona in Melbourne’s west in partnership with gas firm BOC. 50

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Hyzon Motors already has a memorandum of understanding with Pure Hydrogen Corporation, a division of ASX-listed Real Energy, to work together on the provision of building a network of refuelling stations for hydrogen in Australia. Naturally John and his core team, which is growing, are closely following these developments.

“I think we’ve spoken to potentially every hydrogen production facility or hub that is in Australia,” he says. “We know a lot of the potential projects coming online and we’re working closely to develop solutions for marketing in those areas. What we’re seeing is different hub developments for hydrogen mobility solutions and around that we create what we call a hydrogen ecosystem.”

At this juncture in hydrogen’s infrastructural evolution, Hyzon awaits for a better picture to materialize in which to ascertain demand, identify the players operating in the field and how best it might work with them to fulfil its promise of providing superior mobility solutions.

As that tipping point is likely to cover a spectrum of potential vehicle types, Hyzon will look at localising a solution should the demand warrant it. For the moment, however, the back to base model, at least in theory, would include delivery vehicles with hydrogen storage tanks being available instead of fixed refuelling infrastructure. Never did far away charge so close to echo Peruvian poet César Vallejo.

Initiatives are already underway for hydrogen refuelling projects on the major highways of both the east and west coasts of Australia. Linehaul freight movements

like those connecting Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and often as far north as Cairns, offer a blueprint for strategic markers when it comes to demand and distance.

The majority of commercial vehicles Hyzon is currently developing target a 600-kilometre range meaning major fleet operators can have confidence their drivers can refuel as they travel between the major freight destinations. To this effect point-to-point refuelling remains the end game. And in the meantime, increasing the financial strength of Hyzon is key.

It was certainly given a huge boost in February following the announcement of Hyzon’s plans to go public through a merger with Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: DCRB) under a deal worth around $3.5 billion. With that has come experience working with DCRB at an executive level according to John.

“What it does is underwrite the expansion plans of the company with confidence,” he says. That includes Hyzon’s Rochester facility which will now have fuel cell stack production capabilities and vehicle integration in addition to the construction of a membrane electrode assembly plant in the Chicago area. Between the facilities it is developing in the US and the factories it has in Europe and China, John expects Hyzon will have capacity to meet demand for 12,000 heavy duty vehicles per annum with a capacity available to increase that to over 20,000 vehicles, possibly as early as 2025. This ambitious upscaling will include Hyzon’s third generation fuel cell stack. The technology, which is currently going through a verification process, will enable a Hyzon hydrogen vehicle to increase its current single stack capacity of 150kW to 370kW in just one stack, around 500 horsepower in the old scale, making it the highest-powered density available in the market later this year.

“What that means is we’ll be able to provide that higher powered density and with volume you’ll start to see the improving cost structures,” John says. “Economies of scales come with volume which is something we can make available for our customers when the demand builds.”

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TRUCK & TECH

LIQUID

ASSETS

Since partnering with ORBCOMM on its telematics solutions, Ron Finemore Transport has found driver performance scoring, vehicle utilisation, maintenance planning and the ability to access and integrate data from all parts of its business a major gamechanger.

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ith its striking red colour scheme and widespread presence on east coast highways, Ron Finemore Transport is one of the best known family-owned transport businesses in the industry. The business runs strategic logistics hubs in cities including Wodonga, Wagga, Orange and Goulburn to service their customers in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide efficiently and effectively every day across a fleet of 260 prime movers and more than 500 trailers.

Principally moving food and retail products from manufacturers to

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distribution centres and from distribution centres to stores, Ron Finemore Transport also transports petroleum-based products from refineries and storage facilities to service stations and fuel depots.

To ensure it does so safely and reliability, seven days a week, Ron Finemore Transport partners with technology and internet of things provider ORBCOMM to help it maintain what is a stellar record in fleet safety, customer service and fuel economy and use of data. The partnership arose from goals the company was looking to achieve around accessing data from the fleet so that it could be used to enhance operational efficiencies such

as fuel cost reductions through optimal driving styles and to use driver scores to measure and ensure safety while reducing the financial burden of refrigerated load claims. Data disclosed from the right telematics platform could also provide the fleet with key metrics within its substantial operations.

A full end-to-end solution of robust hardware, and intuitive and in-depth software was needed to manage its 700 plus assets — along with some time to act on bringing in some changes.

The level of data available through the ORBCOMM system and the difference it could make to the fleet made a strong

first impression on Darren Wood, Ron Finemore Transport General Manager of Technology and Innovation.

“The driver performance tool was second to none at the time and we still believe it’s the best in the market,” he says. “Vehicle performance scoring has provided and continues to provide valuable insight into the type of equipment we should purchase for different contracts in our business.”

As a long-term customer, Ron Finemore Transport sees ORBCOMM touching nearly every corner of the business.

According to Darren everything the business does is focused on providing insight into driver performance and driving style, fleet performance and efficiency to ultimately mine data from the system. System-generated reports are also leaned on heavily to understand key business metrics given the volume, speed and accuracy of data flowing through the system; all of it vital for the company’s successful operations.

“You can’t win the game if you don’t know the score. We always refer to that sort of analogy when we talk about any part of the business,” says Darren. “If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”

Driver behaviour means different things to different companies. For a driver-first business like Ron Finemore Transport, safety is the number one concern.

Monitoring performance scores helps to contribute to the safety of the fleet by identifying and helping to correct at-risk driving behaviours. Having an up-to-date weekly scoreboard for each driver builds a continuous improvement environment.

By monitoring driving in the truck, the system produces a score for each driver and each trip. ORBCOMM’s system monitors drivers in 26 categories like harsh braking, harsh acceleration, speeding and use of cruise control.

Better fuel burn, to cite one benefit, is a natural outcome of monitoring and coaching drivers through performance scoring. Ron Finemore Transport focuses on the management of fuel cost by reviewing and acting on driver performance scorecard information.

“The key thing for us is management of fuel economy. It’s still the largest cost in

Darren Wood.

our business by far, after wages. Anything we can do to improve the driver fuel efficiency is where we focus our attention,” he says. “All the other benefits that come from that are natural. So, if you can improve a driver’s focus on touching the brake, or looking ahead, anticipating what’s next and using cruise control, then naturally you get a fuel benefit and improved safety.”

The data derived from driver performance scorecards can open an ongoing dialogue with drivers according to Wood.

“The KPIs from a driver performance perspective are fuel burn, anticipation and brake applications,” he says. “These three things combined, when interpreted in the right way, give our driver trainers the opportunity to have sensible discussions with drivers about their driving style and opportunities to improve.”

Fuel burn data is also used to inform equipment specification. As part of its continuing objective of streamlining operations, Ron Finemore Transport has put a strong focus on understanding its fuel burn per vehicle to inform its truck specifications. Initially, the company compared like-for-like trucks in Australia and Europe and found the fuel efficiency significantly differed.

By using the fuel burn data in tandem with other system data, Ron Finemore

Transport attempted to reconcile the difference between the costs of running its Australian truck fleet of chiefly Volvos and Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles and those used in Europe.

A high-utilisation fleet like Ron Finemore Transport’s must maximise its uptime to deliver a safe and reliable service for customers. ORBCOMM maintenance management assists in eliminating overor under-scheduled maintenance. Vehicle uptime is managed with programs that monitor real-time logs, diagnostic data, alerts, and fault codes.

“I think it’s fair to say there were lots of spreadsheets before,” Darren says.

“Now that we keep maintenance up to date in the ORBCOMM system, we schedule reports to our operations teams on a daily and weekly basis. We’re getting information; we’re servicing our equipment on time and we’ve cut out a whole heap of waste associated with spreadsheets.”

Vehicle performance scoring, which can help determine the right asset for the task, is another area Ron Finemore Transport has looked to gain key insights from the ORBCOMM technology. According to Darren it has delivered a far better understanding of their fleet.

“It has provided and continues to provide valuable insight into what type p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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TRUCK & TECH

A Volvo FM about to disembark with temperature monitored refrigerated goods in Wodonga.

of equipment we should purchase for different contracts within our business,” he says.

Ron Finemore Transport mixes data, previously inaccessible to it, from ORBCOMM’s solutions with other data it draws from its transportation management system to evaluate how the different vehicles operate and how best to get the maximum performance out of them. As many of its products need to be kept at specific temperatures throughout the journeys, the company relies on temperature tracking and reporting provided by ORBCOMM. To date it has substantially reduced the cost of claims according to Darren.

“We had claims in excess of half a million dollars per year. We believed we hadn’t done anything wrong, but because we didn’t have the evidence to support it, we ended up paying,” he says. “The year after we implemented BT 300s into the business and started tracking the temperatures in 54

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real-time, we had minimised our overall claims cost.”

It’s proven itself, what’s more, a significant tool for discovering other avenues to growth within the business.

“In the Australian market at that time, we were one of the only companies in the country tracking temperatures in real time. It gave us an advantage over our competitors,” says Darren. “It allowed us to build our refrigeration business from where it was back then to what it is today.

What we do, we do extremely well, and we can validate our cargo temperatures instantly, which is great peace of mind for our customers.”

The volume and depth of data available through ORBCOMM’s systems makes for a great fit with a business that invests so heavily in its interrogation and usage. In addition to weekly reporting taken from the fleet management system, workshop modules also capture service intervals and the operations team awaits scheduled

reports it receives on a daily basis. As well as historical reporting, Wood says Ron Finemore Transport relies on real-time systems management.

“As much as possible we try to report in real time in all of our systems. We therefore rely on data coming out of our API into our data warehouse. We interrogate that data using robots and other tools to determine departure and arrival times,” Darren says. “Our fallback position is always reporting out of ORBCOMM in the instance where we need to validate information. This provides realtime status updates for every shipment in our business. We now use that data to marry against the trip information in the TMS, to determine arrival and departure times at each of our stops. Then we use robotic process automation to update our TMS using ORBCOMM data. Getting that data in real time for us is critical and feeds through then to many of our other systems.

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TRUCK & TECH

UPPING THE ANTE A respected track record of speed and efficiency in delivering operational integration and change can also be applied to a succession of recent acquisitions at the AMA Group.

T

he advent of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has brought road transport into an exciting new era of productivity and safety. With it the heavy motor repair industry also enters a new phase in which high tech equipment, training and investment is now needed to repair and re-calibrate a commercial vehicle, featuring the latest in driveline, steering, wheel and collision prevention

Darren Wales, AMA Heavy Motor Division CEO. 56

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technology, after an accident.

At the forefront of this sector in the market is automotive aftercare and accessories specialist AMA Group, which understands as a leading business, the investment required in order to return vehicles to original manufacturer’s specifications — something independent operators may find very difficult.

Prevailing electronic systems, many of which were foreign to the best repair

and maintenance technicians less than a decade ago, now form a critical role in automated transmissions, driveshaft cooling pumps, rain sensors and vehicle stability controls.

“We’re in a new world and unless you can invest in the technology to be able to repair an ADAS vehicle you will be at the back of the race,” says Darren Wales AMA Heavy Motor Division CEO. Following the merger of his successful

Wales Truck Repair & Wales Bus Repair businesses with AMA Group in 2019, Wales has overseen, in little more than a two-year span, the company add another nine major heavy motor facilities to its growing stable.

That arm of AMA Group, known as the Heavy Motor Division, now includes Newcastle’s National Truck Repairs and National Central, the latest acquisition expanding an impressive heavy vehicle repairs and services footprint across Australia.

It now joins Parins Truck Repairs (Perth), All Transport Smash (SA), Western Truck Repairs (Vic), Recar Truck Repairs (Brisbane, Townsville, Clayton), Wales Truck Repairs (NSW) and Wales Bus Repairs (NSW).

The national clients, among others, have relished the opportunity to finally have a dedicated, truly national repair network according to Darren.

“The response from the industry at large has been overwhelming,” he says.

“Myself and the AMA team are laserfocused on providing our clients, both transport operators and insurers alike, with exceptional service and competitive pricing structures,” he says.

AMA Group’s insurance partners have been particularly supportive of the company’s recent growth and trajectory. The benefits of dealing with an ASX-listed public company, with its transparency, economies of scale and regulatory governance, is there for all to see according to Darren.

Having superior craftsmanship from an experienced team of repair professionals certainly helps stake a reputation in an industry where quality and reliability not only matter, they are everything.

Streamlined parts purchasing on a national basis with the ability to work closely with original equipment manufacturers in gaining valuable repair processes and techniques is vital.

“We have a great relationship with our OEMs a ‘one-stop-shop’ for truck, bus

and coach repairs,” says Darren.

“Like other great businesses relationships can make or break a company. Two-way communication, understanding and problem-solving ultimately determines the quality of a partnership, and that’s a priority in any engagement with our customers, and potential customers.”

Despite the exciting new developments at AMA Group, Darren values the people he works with which remains his number one priority.

“We have a great team around us with a passion for the heavy motor industry and repair industry. I can’t speak highly enough of the dedication and commitment that our team have shown, not only in our business, but across the AMA support team,” he says. “I have been in the industry for over 30 years and I think that I have learnt more in the past 12 months from our people than I have in many years.”

He adds, “I’m extremely proud of our team.”

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TRUCK & TECH

A ZF TraXon test vehicle in full flight.

BEST IN SHOW

ZF Services Australia will showcase the latest products for the commercial vehicle industry from ZF and its family of brands at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show.

T

his year’s Brisbane Truck Show is set to attract the industry’s biggest concentration of decisionmakers, key stakeholders, influencers, operators and executives. It’s a major opportunity for original equipment manufacturers to showcase their latest commercial vehicle solutions and ZF Services Australia will be among them, showcasing its lineup of cutting-edge products. ZF considers itself the world’s leading integrated systems provider for commercial vehicle technology.

Globally, the business brings over 100 years’ experience to the automotive industry and through a dynamic product portfolio, acquisitions and ongoing commercial partnerships it is positioned to capitalise on future demand for autonomous, efficient connected commercial vehicles to ensure it creates long-term value and security for its customers for whom it is regarded as a reputable and reliable partner through the entire life cycle of its products.

In Brisbane, ZF’s TraXon, the world’s

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first modular transmission, will take centre stage. Light, strong and intelligent, TraXon mates a basic high-tech automatic transmission with various setting-off and shift modules. Through its use of operational efficiencies, TraXon offers uninterrupted fuel savings and a refined driving experience with GPS-based connectivity.

It was further enhanced in 2018 with the addition of an optional predictive maintenance function that continually monitors the vehicle operation and is operational on some of the most highly regarded commercial vehicles such as the latest Euro 6 DAF CFs, MAN TGX models and Hino 700 Series.

TraXon, according to Gary Bain, ZF Services Australia Head of OE and OES, is arguably one of the most technically advanced truck transmissions in the world.

“This technology offers fleet operators the capability of monitoring the condition of components such as transmission oil or clutch discs, via the Cloud,” he says. “This enables maintenance to be planned proactively,

which in turn could shorten vehicle downtimes and avoid stranded vehicles.

This has the potential to also reduce costs and extend the transmission’s service life at the same time.”

The latest products from WABCO, the newest addition to the ZF family, will be also part of the Brisbane display.

This includes WABCO’s latest Trailer Electronic Braking Systems (TEBS) along with a range of accessory systems packaged under the Intelligent Trailer Program (ITP) banner. WABCO’s TEBS and ITP system not only increase trailer safety and stability, but also, reportedly, offer rich data and connectivity solutions that improve a fleet’s operations and efficiency.

The acquisition of WABCO was a strategic decision by ZF as part of its Next Generation Mobility strategy to develop and deliver technology solutions that make cars and commercial vehicles see, think and act in order to reduce emissions and increase road safety.

Another focus for ZF this year will be its aftermarket component lines, with

displays focusing on its product brands, LEMFÖRDER, SACHS and TRW. LEMFÖRDER chassis and steering components can be used as direct replacements, or to up-spec trucks to increase payloads, reduce fuel consumption and optimise driver dynamics.

SACHS shock absorbers are manufactured to original equipment specifications and fit a wide range of trucks and commercial vehicles, plus trailers, and there’s even a range of units to suspend the driver’s cab. Also showcased will be the TRW range of steering and suspension components.

ZF’s remanufacturing capabilities will also be highlighted, with ZF Services Australia offering the market a range of ‘remanufactured’ truck transmissions – all finished to ‘as new’ original equipment standards. ‘Reborn’ components such as transmissions, axles and clutches are restored using the same manufacturing production

ZF’s TraXon, the world’s first modular transmission, will take centre stage on the ZF Services Australia stand.

processes utilised in their original manufacture.

In its remanufacturing process, ZF uses between 50 and 90 per cent less material than the production of equivalent new units, which in turn provides a benefit in reduced manufacturing energy consumption and Co2 emissions of around 90 per cent.

“ZF Services Australia is proud to be showcasing the very latest from ZF and its family of brands this year at Brisbane,” says Gary, “as well as demonstrating our dedication and ongoing commitment to the local commercial vehicle industry.”

Visit ZF Services Australia at stand number 078.

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TEST DRIVE

THE GRE Scania’s new 540hp engine shows that 13 litres can deliver similar performance to many larger engines

S

cania’s 13 litre 500hp R and G cab models have been very successful since their Australian launch and the addition of this latest 540hp specification engine offers even more performance combined with impressive fuel economy.

The long stroke engine delivers 540hp (397kW) at 1800rpm which is an additional 40hp and 150Nm over the previous maximum output 13 litre Scania engine. Significantly this six cylinder engine provides the same maximum

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torque characteristics of 2700Nm as the 520hp version of the 16 litre Scania V8.

The 13 litre’s maximum torque output is available between 1000 and 1300rpm.

In applications where front axle loadings are critical the in-line six cylinder engine saves around 300kg over the front axle compared with the 520hp version of the Scania V8.

This latest Euro 6 engine has a fixed geometry turbocharger fitted with a waste gate and has ball bearings supporting its shaft and uses its own spin-on oil filter to extend component life. Different inlet and exhaust manifolds and a revised turbo housing enable a faster engine response due to the turbo’s improved utilisation of the pulse energy inherent in the engine to achieve quicker spool-up times. Internally,

the pistons, rings and cylinder bores are treated with friction reducing coatings to minimise drag and free up power and maximise fuel efficiency.

To achieve its Euro 6 emission rating the Scania uses a Supplementary Catalytic Reduction system in conjunction with a Diesel Particulate Filter. We haven’t performed an exhaust gas analysis but a quick peek at the inside of the exhaust outlet reveals an almost surgical cleanliness despite this being a truck which has already covered almost 36,000 kilometres.

The transmission is the 12-speed overdrive Opticruise equipped with an additional two crawler gears. The ratio of the rear axles is 3.42:1 which encourages the transmission control software to maintain higher gears as much as practicable in

EN MILE order to deliver maximised fuel efficiency.

On the northbound leg of our journey out of Sydney we are not concerned with fuel burn, instead we are intent on putting the Scania through its paces which involves a driving style not necessarily conducive to fuel efficiency such as ‘driving on the throttle’ instead of maximising the time spent using the truck’s intelligent cruise control. However, on the return leg we consciously toggle the cruise buttons on the lower left of the steering wheel to enable the truck to do what it does best at minimising fuel consumption.

The Sydney to Newcastle and return route involves a number of hills with some long grades as well as some challenging shorter grades on each side of the Hawkesbury River, and again on each side of its

tributary Mooney Mooney creek. On the return leg we are baulked by a couple of fools with a mutual death wish riding pillion on a tiny capacity ‘postie’ bike taking up the left hand lane on the climb up from the Mooney Mooney Creek bridge towards Calga. Heavy traffic holds us in the left lane losing valuable momentum until we can safely overtake. The negative effect on fuel efficiency by the interrupted momentum which required the Opticruise to drop a number of gears, was thankfully countered later in the trip as we roll through the recently opened Northconnex tunnel which avoids the hills, traffic lights and multiple speed zones which afflicted the notorious Pennant Hills Road link between the M2 Motorway and the Pacific Motorway.

Entering the nine kilometre long south bound tunnel at 80 km/h the Scania is actually able to maintain that speed in eco-roll mode until the last few hundred metres where the tunnel rises to re-join the surface, the resulting fuel saving becoming a generous offset against the toll charge.

The improvement in overall fuel consumption, brought about by the combination of the driveline enhancements, is claimed by Scania to be up to 2.5 per cent. The weighbridge ticket for our test B-double combination shows we are grossing 58.46 tonnes and at the end of the 356.5 kilometre round trip it takes 174.5 litres of diesel to top off the tanks. A few moments with a calculator computes the fuel consumption to be 2.1 km/l at an average speed of 71 km/h, with Scania 13 litre R 540 B-double negotiates a yard.

p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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TEST DRIVE

The Scania Retarder converts kinetic energy to heat, which is dissipated through the cooling system.

that result confirmed by the electronics on the dash.

The 540’s revised cooling package incorporates a ‘smart’ coolant pump which contributes to fuel savings due to its reduced engagement during low load cycles. Similarly, the power steering pump also undergoes reduced engagement when demand is low, providing an additional incremental contribution to fuel efficiency by reducing the amount of power required to drive it.

The test vehicle features the spacious and well-appointed Scania R cab and the 540 spec engine is also available in the mid-size G cabs and as a special order for Scania S cabs.

In line with the rest of Scania’s New Truck Generation vehicles, the R 540 has a high level of active and passive safety systems fitted as standard equipment including side curtain roll-over protection airbags. The list of standard safety features is impressive and includes driver and passenger seat-belt pre-tensioners, driver’s airbag, Adaptive Cruise Control, Advanced Emergency Braking and Lane Departure Warning.

In recognition that getting down a hill is as important as climbing it, the Scania has a number of braking features which operate seamlessly with the Opticruise’s functions including Eco-roll which calculates which 62

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is the most fuel efficient: whether to roll down hills with the driveline disconnected and the engine idling, or to use engine braking with the fuel supply switched off.

The exhaust/engine brake provides 242kW (325hp) of holdback at 2,400 rpm and is complemented by the Scania R 3500 Retarder in controlling downhill speed.

Initiated by the driver simply selecting the chosen speed and tapping the brake pedal, the combined effects of the Scania Retarder, the Opticruise transmission, the exhaust brake and the conventional disc brake system all working seamlessly in conjunction with the Adaptive Cruise Control, enable the vehicle to maintain a stable speed regardless of the downhill grade.

Should even more braking power be necessary, Scania Opticruise changes down to increase engine speed with a resulting increase in exhaust brake power. The brake blending feature maximises the amount of retarder braking and therefore minimises wear on the wheel brakes.

The Retarder itself operates silently and even the activation of the engine/exhaust brakes makes very little difference to the already low noise levels inside and outside the cab. Manual activation of the nonwheel brake systems is achieved using the control stalk mounted on the right hand

side of the steering column. This multifunction stalk also provides the driver’s control of the Opticruise transmission.

By pressurising fluid, the Retarder converts kinetic energy to heat, which is dissipated through the cooling system.

The transmission has its own oil cooler to counter any heat soak coming from the attached retarder mechanism. The operation of the computer controlled viscous hub engine fan serves to keep the entire driveline package within the correct temperature parameters in addition to its own modest contribution of reducing engine speed by providing additional engine load. The Scania’s hill hold braking function now holds truck and prevents roll-back until the accelerator is pressed, not just the three seconds after brake pedal is release on previous models.

The 540 has been in the global Scania line-up for some time so arrives here as a proven package with the reliability of any ‘new’ components already established. In Europe the 540 combined with the Scania S Series cab has excelled in two prestigious comparison tests taking place in Germany during October 2020. The European Truck Challenge and the 1,000 Puntke Test (1,000 Point Test) address cab-related qualities such as the driver environment, sleeping comfort and noise levels, as well as other aspects such as road handling, gear shifting and serviceability. The trucks are also driven more than 300 km on different types of public roads, while fitted with calibrated fuel-measurement equipment to accurately confirm the true fuel consumption.

Horsepower ratings can be fudged as easily as changing the numerals of the shiny badges on the side or front of the cab. But you can’t fool torque. The 13 litre Scania engine (actually 12.7 litres displacement) can be rated down as low as 370hp. Driving this 540hp version we have to remind ourselves that it’s ‘just’ a 13 litre as we don’t get passed by any other loaded trucks during the trip despite the grades we tackle. The power and torque expected from a larger engine combined with the fuel requirements of a 13 litre makes a sensible equation for both drivers and owners.

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INDUSTRY

WINDS OF The push by the Australian Logistics Council for a National Operating Standard across the heavy vehicle sector has gathered momentum ahead of outcomes anticipated midyear from the Heavy Vehicle National Law review.

A

lthough the debate around having a National Operating Standard is not new to the road transport industry, the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) for whom the initiative has remained an important crusade since it proposed mandatory telematics for heavy vehicles in 2011, has renewed its energies in promoting what it regards as an important next step towards improving safety around Australia’s critical supply chains. Next month, with the Federal Government’s deadline for consultation looming, it expects to gain some traction with federal ministers by aligning the National Operating Standard with the ongoing Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) review. Alignment with the HVNL review helps undergird the importance of having suitable audit standards so that the auditors themselves can be regulated by national law. That way, at least in theory, greater consistency can be afforded to the sector to reduce audit duplication.

Announcements pertaining to the National Operating Standard this year haven’t always been met by industry with open arms although, to its credit, the ALC has, through ongoing communication and regular updates, done its part to allay some of the fear and confusion resultant, sometimes with good cause and sometimes without, when government looks to expand its increasing powers over the private sector no matter the supposed objective. Any concentration of power, even in the guise of safety, the form it most

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often takes when governments insist on increasing their reach, will be cautioned by members of private industry especially from those who are most vulnerable to those new powers wielded by recently bolstered bureaucracies.

According to Rachel Smith, ALC Policy and Advocacy Director, one of the common misconceptions in relation to the operating standard is that it would be used as a compliance measure. That simply, she says, is not the case.

“We’re really intending this to be a risk management tool and more about setting the standard for the sector rather than an operating licence,” Rachel says. “An operating standard is not a prequalification which is essentially what a licence is. It’s actually a standard the industry would have to hold themselves to account.”

The ALC understands from fatality figures involving heavy vehicles that around 80 per cent of these incidents are attributable in fault to a light vehicle or passenger vehicle. Less is known, however, of the remaining 20 per cent. Having access to that data, Rachel believes, might hold a key to unlocking evidence that could reduce these types of serious accidents.

“That data needs to be interrogated even further,” she says. “We’re not saying all the reported fatalities where a heavy vehicle is involved is the heavy vehicle driver’s fault, but we are saying that within that remaining proportion of 20 per cent that we could reduce it by having a National Operating Standard.”

In those rare occasions a heavy vehicle is

involved in a fatality, under the proposed mandatory telematics the onboard data would be available as part of any subsequent investigation.

Mandatory telematics also brings with it the concept of having a federal hub where all data including intellectual property pertaining to trip times, load bearing and customers, is centralised. Naturally, in an era of increasing cyberattacks, in which a conglomerate such as Toll is still vulnerable, any company that is smaller and especially independent, have good reason to be nervous. In the instance of the National Operating Standard any data shared with the government, according to Rachel, would be deidentified unless it was accessed for the purposes of an investigation.

“If there was obvious movement outside a bell curve situation or a line in a consistent manner or an outlier then it may, for argument’s sake, be interrogated further,” she says. “But if you’re doing the right thing and you’re within the standard deviation of what’s expected of that particular element, whether it’s speed or fatigue then that wouldn’t be interrogated further.”

Should an operator, for example, deactivate their speed-limiter and it was obvious in the data produced by the vehicle and a near miss or hazard ensued and was subsequently reported, at that point the incident may be recorded. Only unlawful behaviours would be subject to further scrutiny. Otherwise, any data shared with the government, such as the

information supplied in freight data hubs, is for planning and legislative purposes, not policing.

While ensuring each heavy vehicle is installed with equipment meeting international standards that records driving hours and location for use in investigations of alleged breaches of the HVNL, data can also be used for applying for access to routes which in turn helps manage safety outcomes especially for high productivity and Performance-Based Standards approved vehicles.

The ALC suggests that a simple and effective way to introduce it would be through phased application over differing periods, starting from the day of legislation. Under the proposal fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles would, in accordance with the standards recognised by the National Telematics Framework require telemetric equipment 12 months from the day legislation imposing the requirement commences. Vehicles between 8- and 12-tonnes gross vehicle mass (GVM) would be grandfathered in two years from the day the legislation imposing the requirement commences; and light commercial vehicles between 4.5- and 8- tonnes GVM would be granted a three year grace period from the day the legislation imposing the requirement commences. Staggering the phasing according to weight classes has been preferred purely to manage the size of such a task.

“You know when there is any kind of significant change it’s best to approach it like eating an elephant — one bite at a time,” says Rachel. “Through a staged application it makes it easier for the industry to adopt the National Operating Standard. Say that you have a larger fleet,

Rachel Smith, ALC Policy & Advocacy Director..

but you haven’t got some of the tools and systems in place it allows them to go for the scalable approach.”

Despite the ALC having the National Operating Standard set out as policy asks of the Commonwealth Government at the last two federal elections, the ongoing and unenviable ambition of welding together the disconnections in our globally integrated national supply chain are immense and, with advent of new technologies, ongoing. Having a safety management system (SMS) that meets standards established in the HVNL is crucial to this agenda.

At present many operators consider the cost of enrolment in the heavy vehicle accreditation scheme outweigh the benefits of participating in the scheme. It has prompted the ALC to encourage an amendment to the HVNL to facilitate a properly conducted audit of an operator’s SMS by permitting, through proper regulation, a standard that all SMS should meet. That way its acceptance is covered by all accreditation schemes as well as other industry participants to reduce the number

of incidents an operator has to undertake.

“There’s a duplication of accreditation and auditing schemes,” says Rachel. “By having a national operating standard the view is that it will bring the auditing and accreditation schemes in line and assist operators to comply with those accreditation and auditing schemes without having to provide different types of evidence.”

It’s understandable, following nearly nine months of intense activity sustained at near Christmas peak, that road freight operators might be hesitant to get involved in something that requires, at least at first glance, more after hours paper work. But for respectable, lawful operators, the National Operating Scheme should not increase their administrative burden according to Rachel, who sees it bringing harmony across jurisdictions, various auditing schemes and accreditation schemes.

“If anything it should help you reduce your administrative burden because you’re doing all those things anyway,” she says. “What we’re trying to achieve longer term is that it will enhance the safety and productivity outcomes for the heavy vehicle operators and by that, if the minimum standard that businesses meet is set therefore it’s easy for everyone to report on regardless of which accreditation or auditing scheme they come under.

That’s what we’re aiming for — everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.”

An apparatus employed to iron out the creases that remain where jurisdictional differences leave authorities with inconsistencies to police extends also to the issue of what is known as vehicle phoenixing. These are the occasions where an operator who has a compliance record p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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INDUSTRY

with authorities simply moves locations and commence re-operating. At present some jurisdictions don’t require the operator to provide a garaging address.

The ALC wants an address attached to a vehicle to create an audible trail. For smaller operators who might have trucks parked up on a private property such as a residential address, they would have to update it should they expand their facilities and use a commercial depot to house the growing fleet.

“From a community safety perspective we believe this should be limited as much as possible and that’s where the garaging of vehicles comes in,” she says. “However, what we are after is the actual place at which the heavy vehicle is ordinarily garaged and operates. If it happens that the person has moved interstate and acquires an infringement, two offences would apply — failing to advise the regulator under the National Operating Scheme and a registration offence.”

Another contentious area of the National Operating Standard is the proposed operator capital requirement in which a registered operator would need to have appropriate capital on hand to ensure efficient operation and maintenance of their heavy vehicles. This proposal has its detractors, namely suspicious independent operators like owner-drivers and mum and pop transport businesses. Fears it would create yet another barrier to entry for new operators and reduce the ability of small fleets to compete with the national carriers, is unfounded according to Rachel who points out a minimum requirement for a transport business to prove it is solvent can be as simple as a letter of referral from an accountant.

“Proving capital within a small business can be as easy as a letter provided by an accountant once a year,” she says. “The view is that as long as you can prove that you are solvent that’s enough. Once again because it’s a National Operating Standard it’s not a prequalification.”

Preventative action through maintenance, as lawfully required, can demonstrate an operator is compliant and dispel any charges of negligence should fault be attributable to one of the parties involved 66

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in an accident. From an administrative perspective, operators who perform their own bookkeeping like many of them do inhouse, correctly cataloguing receipts and invoices will make it easier to find evidence of solvency and compliance.

Put another way, it gets industry to think about what the minimum standard it should be achieving is according to Rachel.

“It’s not meant to be overly onerous,” she says. “If smaller operators have a budget for their business for the year and it had a maintenance line that would be sufficient.”

A larger business, less willing to hand over its budget for the year, would only require a letter from their accountant.

Operationalisation of the standard is high on the current agenda although the ALC is reluctant to accomplish this separate from industry. It remains in their interest to be as transparent as possible with their members and industry partners. After the midyear deadline, one of its first priorities will look to incorporate more industry representatives into its safety committee.

ALC members, in large part, are for

The ALC is again pushing for mandatory telematics across the commercial transport sector.

having more consistency across the sector according to Rachel. She says the National Operating Standard is intended to be scalable in accordance with the size of the business in question.

“Meeting the requirement of having a telematics system doesn’t have to be overly complex. It could be as basic as mobile phone,” she says. “It’s not meant to hamstring the industry by any means it’s just meant to have a common set of standards that that sector agrees to operate with.”

The ALC has received many calls from operators wanting to talk about the standard. Most of the comments have been supportive once they understand that they are already managing many of these protocols and processes daily.

“I think that’s a really key message. If you’re a lawful and an above-board operator none of this should be foreign to you,” she says. “As more people adopt these technologies, the quicker the technology advances as well because it makes it more cost effective for the whole sector then.”

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PERSONALITY

DAY

M AY

Brad May is the Director of Sales and Marketing at PACCAR Australia and looks back at 50 years of local manufacture.

L

ike any major manufacturing business with 50 years of history, PACCAR Australia has overcome many obstacles during its existence. Last year was no different for an institution that must withstand challenges.

PM: The past year has produced many obstacles, yet Kenworth continues to be the leader of the Heavy Duty truck

market in Australia. Just how much of a challenge has it been?

BM: It was a tale of two different things.

On the television we’d be shown a world that’s full of doom and gloom, yet to almost everyone’s surprise it was virtually the complete opposite in the business world. We had customers talking about record years and a lot of sectors such as mining picked up during 2020. In the transport industry, I don’t Brad May, PACCAR Australia Director Sales & Marketing.

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think I’ve found a person yet who said, apart from the inconvenience of dealing with COVID, that it was a bad year for business, particularly if the business involves picking up freight and carting it from A to B and getting paid. We were certainly seeing good activity from a sales sense early in the year and that didn’t let up all year long.

PM: Was having the factory in Melbourne during the lockdowns much of an issue?

BM: It was certainly of great concern with the snap lockdowns we faced in Victoria, but we were grateful that the government had the foresight to designate truck manufacturing as an essential industry along with the sometimes, taken for granted, transport industry which it supports. At very short notice a tremendous amount of effort went into taking a factory which employed up to 500 people and had worked very effectively in a particular way, to start imposing things like social distancing.

That meant reorganising shop floor layouts and adopting different processes in the plant. We addressed things from what was it like to work with a face mask on to what was it like to enforce compliance around those things without people losing their motivation and their ability to perform their jobs. It also involved working out what to do when things do happen to go wrong as well as

benchmarking against our brothers and sisters in Europe and the US. PM: Was it a surprise that at the same time the orders kept coming in?

BM: To this day I can’t really make full sense of that and I’m not sure anyone can.

It appears we as a nation are consuming faster than ever before and that’s just hand in hand with freight and there has been a positive impact over the last year.

PM: In Australia PACCAR and Kenworth have a history of stability in factors such as management and dealers. What makes Kenworth so stable?

BM: Well, there’s a question. It might sound clichéd or corny, but it’s just a good company. I can only answer this from a personal point of view but PACCAR as a global company is very demanding and results are an expectation. But it does things right by treating people well. My own personal history gives me more ‘buy in’ from the point of view of being in a family involved in trucks. There are plenty of people who have worked here for a long time who have no such background that probably feel the same way. From the outside we appear a large organisation with a big factory and lots of trucks, but internally it’s very much a company which promotes and encourages its people. What I mean by that is you get a chance to influence outcomes if you’re prepared to work hard. I can remember feeling this in my early days, getting a chance to know that I was making a contribution and a difference. You get to walk out on that production line and say I designed that or I helped to achieve that. I can see my efforts being rewarded with an outcome.

PM: Where do you think that culture began?

BM: I think we were only given that opportunity because someone decided to build a factory 50 years ago and give it that crucial engineering autonomy. There are a lot of engineers in our place and as a young engineer not long into your career it’s great to be see that you’re making

May speaking at an industry event.

a difference by not being locked into a complicated fabric of projects where you can’t tell what you did. That’s certainly not the case at PACCAR and Kenworth.

I’ve never felt any different — either now or back then. Some people might say well that’s because you’re high up on the corporate ladder, but I remember feeling that in my early days as well, so I think that’s a big part of it.

PM: How long have you been at PACCAR? BM: Close to 29 years. I joined the company as a graduate engineer. My father owned trucks, my brother Steve worked here in the company and we grew up close by. It’s been an amazing company to work for. How lucky am I that they started this factory? Imagine trying to write a business case to build trucks now.

PM: Are there still opportunities for people starting their careers?

BM: Because we do things like design and manufacture, sell parts, and have dealerships, there is a remarkable breadth of career opportunities available if people are willing to extend themselves. Again, personally I feel that I have been provided

the opportunities for four or five careers within the one company and I think that’s another really amazing thing.

PM: What’s over the horizon?

BM: We still have to turn up every year and provide the benefits to the shareholders as every other division of PACCAR does. We’re pretty proud of the fact we manage to do that and still manage to gain the investment to go forward. Making a $40 million investment into a facility to expand our capacity to build automotive products in Australia has shown a pretty strong intent to be here for a lot longer to come. I think we are lucky we are in trucks and we get to add value in a way that car companies never got the chance to do. The market here is unique enough with its rules and regulations to provide opportunities for relatively low volume local manufacturers like us to develop and market products which provide value to customers. This has made it a viable business for 50 years. If anything, we see that Australia is getting further and further differentiated with PBS and the never-ending quest for more productivity by using different configurations and I really don’t see that is changing. Our future is bright and we’ve got good support from our corporates to keep on doing what we do. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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PRIME MOVERS & SHAKERS

EQUALITY WITHOUT EXCEPTION Jacquelene Brotherton’s varied and multifaceted career in the commercial transport industry is a living embodiment of the equality of opportunity often preached about as conceptual diversity in the corporate sphere. Her story is one of compassion, integrity and rare praxis.

A

fter more than 50 years in road transport, Jacquelene Brotherton continues to provide support for many of its people and sectors, drawing upon her own considerable experiences in order to formulate appropriate advice. Jacquelene has always championed advancing women’s involvement in various aspects of the transport industry, yet to describe her as a feminist would be inaccurate as she has consistently taken a more inclusive approach to gender equality in the workplace and consequentially joined the Board of the Australian Gender Equality

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Commission in late 2020.

“Men can suffer inequality, too,” Jacquelene says. “We cannot demonise men. In any industry women deserve to feel safe and be able to walk into a facility where there are locks on doors of the toilet or the shower and adequate lighting. I’ve been to a saleyard facility where there was no door on the shower at all and that’s unacceptable for a men’s facility as well.”

Growing up in the western regions of Queensland and New South Wales, it always seemed inevitable that Jacquelene would gravitate to the livestock transport sector and she fulfilled various roles with several companies including Bruce Dickenson Transport, Lewington’s Transport, and Fraser’s Livestock Transport.

In 2007, Jacquelene became Transport Manager of Oxford Cold Storage, remaining in a similar role when the company became part of the US-based Lineage Logistics organisation in mid-2020. The

roles she undertakes includes Chain of Responsibility compliance, stakeholder engagement, client relationship management, and corporate social responsibility.

“I asked to get into operations and my boss at the time was more than happy to give me a crack at it,” she says. “To be in operations you need to be people oriented and adaptable, and you need to earn the other employees’ respect and also to give it back in return.”

For women and men considering a move into the sphere of transport operations Jacquelene has some sage advice.

“When in an operational role it’s better to ask drivers to perform tasks, rather than tell them to,” she says. “Don’t play favourites.

There is nothing in an operational role that will turn people against you faster than if you play favourites. Also, have your own boundaries and don’t try to be one of the ‘boys’.”

Jacquelene’s advice to younger people wishing to enter the industry, especially females, is to learn anything you can from anyone they can: truck drivers, forklift

operators, managers.

“There is nothing I can stress more than to find a mentor. It doesn’t matter if they are male or female, mentors are at the heart of what can happen and if possible have more than one,” she says. “Also, [to have] a sponsor who will speak up for you when roles are coming up or when you want to move into a new role. And if you get a role that you can’t handle don’t leave because you don’t like it. Find somebody to talk it through with.”

Jacquelene follows her own mantra of ‘network, network, network’ and is involved with many industry associations both in Australia and in the United States where she is a member of the Women in Trucking (USA) Content Advisory Council.

Jacquelene regards her US involvements as very worthwhile.

“It’s been really good to do this. Going over there opens your eyes to other opportunities and there are lot of good people who want to network. I’ve been able to work on some really important projects,” she says.

The international activities are all in Jacquelene’s own time and at her own expense, yet despite her formidable commitments she still finds the time for outside interests even if they happen to be polar opposites such as collecting fine art and following the Richmond Tigers and the Dallas Cowboys football teams.

Among other positions she holds, Jacquelene is a Life Member of the Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association (NSW); Chair of Transport

Women Australia Limited; Member of the Women in Trucking (US) Content Advisory Council; she is also a member of Women in Supply Chain; Women in Cold Chain (US).

An achievement she is especially proud of is the Women Driving Transport Careers programme, which she initiated as a joint venture with Wodonga TAFE and Volvo Group Australia, to encourage more females to obtain their heavy vehicle licences.

The industry repeatedly recognises Jacquelene’s contributions and she has received multiple awards including in 2018 the Women in Industry – Excellence in Road Transport Award, and the inaugural Australian Freight Industry Award - Female Leadership in Transport.

She encourages people from outside of the industry to examine what they may already have to offer to a role in transport.

“It’s important to recognise the transferable skills you may have such as household budgeting relating to corporate budgeting.

People may have the skills but not realise they can be applicable to industry positions,” she says. “If you are running a family or running a household think of the skills, knowledge and experience that you have in your everyday life that match the criteria of transport jobs.”

The infamous ‘glass ceiling’ barrier to female advancement may not be inherent in the operations side of transport, but Jacquelene is cognisant it definitely exists in other sections of the industry.

She also has some advice for anyone encountering it.

“The glass ceiling exists due to a few things: yourself, because you don’t ask and you don’t make your voices known. Always make your thoughts known and don’t be afraid of anything. Curiously, the other main factor is other women. Because a lot of women, not all of them, will not help other women.

“I think the most important job in the world is to raise a child. But if you want to have a career as well then the situation forced upon us by COVID has probably provided the best opportunity ever for people to combine family with work and prove you can have both,” says Jacquelene. “They are not mutually exclusive. Many people probably will never work full time in the office again if they don’t want to, and now is the time to take advantage of that.”

p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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Industry Fleet: Thrifty Rentals Feature: National Operating Standard Showcase: Wild’s Livestock Transport Personality: Brad May

Innovation Fleet: Ron Finemore Transport Feature: Hyzon Motors Test Drive: Scania R 540 Delivery: Hyundai iLoad

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 AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO UTES, VANS, LIGHT TRUCKS & PEOPLE MOVERS

Delivery Magazine inside: Pages 73-84.

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Welcome to Delivery…

78 DELIVERY NEWS

76 LATEST FROM THE INDUSTRY FINAL MILE

78 LOADS OF CAPACITY Now available as a three-seater van or a six-seater crew van, the Hyundai iLoad has solid technical credentials and is easy and economical to operate.

ON SITE

80 THUNDER DOWN UNDER With an entirely new platform no longer shared with its Ford Ranger long-time adversary, Mazda is going all out to match it with the best in the ‘beast’ dual cab ute class with its new exclusive-to-Australia BT-50 Thunder.

FUTURE TENSE

82 EV IS FOR EVOLUTION With the electric vehicle (EV) market continuing to evolve at an electrifying pace, MercedesBenz is preparing to start production of its next- generation eSprinter light commercial vehicles in the USA in the second half of 2023, joining a growing raft of automakers seeking to capitalise on the global greening of eCommerce.

84 TAKING THE HY ROAD In a move to overcome one of the biggest roadblocks to the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEV) – lack of refuelling infrastructure – gas and engineering company BOC has partnered with Toyota to produce a Hydrogen Fuelling Centre at Altona in Melbourne’s west.

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The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), in conjunction with the AAA and AIP has developed a roadmap addressing among other considerations the introduction of a realistic, achievable and market-relevant C02 emissions standard. Given 43 per cent of Australian new car buyers now prefer SUVs and utes, the FCAI is advocating two separate CO2 targets by 2030.

SUVs and LCVs would get their own separate to passenger cars. Moving forward there would be separate targets for different vehicle categories to bring the standard in line with international practice. The FCAI contends an investment of $1 billion is required for the four Australian refineries to develop world-standard fuel (95 RON, 10 partsper-million Sulphur and 35 per-cent aromatics for petrol) to achieve Euro 6 emissions standards across the sector.

But until this is achieved, Australian new car buyers, according to the FCAI will not be able to purchase vehicles with the latest engine and exhaust technology, what’s more, as many are currently “welded to historic 91 RON fuel.”

Engines in new cars sold in Australia will be those powering similar vehicles sold in third world countries with similar fuel standards and, due to the declining numbers of cars produced for these markets, engines will increasingly become more expensive. Total Australian new car sales each year are less than 2.0 per-cent of the global total, meaning it would be economically impossible for any brand to develop engines specifically for our market and fuel. The Toyota Corolla Hybrid and Mazda 3 2.0-litre petrol now sold in Australia have de-tuned engines to operate within the underwhelming current fuel standards currently at work here. That roadmap takes into account the local petroleum refining industry’s timeline for achieving the required standards - 10 PPM of Sulphur in particular - by 2027 and allows seamless integration into new model cycles of international vehicle manufacturers.

In light of automotive companies regurarly spend close to $1 billion on the research and development of a new model the FCAI believes it’s a reasonable ask for the Australian refineries to do the same. The FCAI C02 Voluntary CO2 Emissions Standard calculates industry and brand CO2 targets on a sales-weighted average mass per unit basis against sales recorded in VFACTS, the industry data source.

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GOVERNMENT GRANT

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CO N F E RE N C E SP O N SO R S

ASSOCI ATI ON PARTNER S

ACCREDITATION PARTNER

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NEWS

ZERO AND LOW EMISSION VEHICLES NEED ENCOURAGEMENT RATHER THAN NEW CHARGES: FCAI Proposed legislation to introduce a new road charging framework for zero and low emissions vehicles by the Victorian Government could hinder the uptake of these vehicles on Victorian roads according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. Fearing the legislation was premature, FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber said in an issued statement that an efficient road user charging framework associated with comprehensive tax reform would have the potential to benefit governments and motorists, but was an issue that must be considered for the future.

“It does not make sense to apply the charge to zero emission vehicles right now as these technologies are still in their infancy and account for a relatively small portion of vehicle sales across Australia,” Weber said. “Right now, governments should be encouraging the uptake of these technologies with positive policy initiatives particularly around emissions

targets, infrastructure development and appropriate incentives for fleets and private consumers rather than introducing charges that potentially reduce the incentive for these customers to buy these vehicles.”

A nationally consistent approach to future road user charging frameworks, according to Weber, should be introduced to provide clarity and consistency across the country rather than the potential for different approaches across each State.

“There is no doubt that Governments must consider future revenue streams to ensure continuing investment in road and transport infrastructure. The automotive sector is wanting to be a part of those discussions to support positive outcomes driven by efficiency and effectiveness for all stakeholders,” he said.

At current volumes, however, the funds raised through the proposed legislation were certain to be minimal according to Weber.

“Until zero and low emission vehicles become more mature technologies, governments should be avoiding the temptation to subject them to new taxes and charges that impact on their acceptance from consumers,” he said.

“Advanced economies across the world are finding ways to encourage and incentivise the introduction of these vehicles rather than introducing charges that are barriers to their market growth.”

FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber.

TOYOTA OPENS NEW HIGH-TECH TRAINING CENTRE A new two-level, 5,000sqm facility has been opened by Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) in Sydney.

The high-tech training complex located in suburban Moorebank is the third significant premises Toyota has unveiled in NSW over the last two years.

It completes TMCA’s move from its previous national sales and marketing

Inside Toyota’s new high tech training facility in Sydney.

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headquarters at Woolooware Bay in Sydney’s south. As part of the relocation, TMCA had commissioned its newest and largest parts distribution centre in Sydney’s west in late 2018 before moving its NSW headquarters to Sydney Olympic Park in late 2019.

The new training centre features an 18bay service workshop, diagnostics bays

with hoists, and multiple classrooms including five with vehicle access, now has a footprint that is almost 70-per-cent larger than the company’s previous singlelevel teaching facility.

Opening the training centre, TMCA President and CEO Matthew Callachor said the development of the three new premises confirmed the commitment of Toyota and Lexus to their customers and to the broader community in NSW and Australia.

“All these new premises build on our proud history of more than half a century of vehicle sales and service to our valued customers, in addition to being a significant employer and an active member of the community,” he said. “Provision of world-class training – whether for technicians with the latest diagnostic tools or for other dealership staff honing their management skills – is all about improving the overall customer experience.”

GB AUTO GROUP LANDS $367M EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR ELECTRIC CONVERSION KITS Orange-based GB Auto has signed an agreement with VivoPower making it the Australian exclusive distributor of its subsidiary Tembo. This includes the rights to distribute the Tembo electric Toyota Land Cruiser, electric Toyota Hilux, and Tembo electric vehicle conversion kits.

VivoPower International announced the seven-year deal, reported to be the most valuable for electric vehicles in the Australasian region to date, involving the company and its 51 per cent subsidiary, earlier in the year. Having successfully deployed pilot vehicles into the mines of some of the world’s largest mining companies, VivoPower believes that GB Auto is now poised to significantly expand its operations in Australia.

GB Auto is expected to purchase at least 2,000 Tembo electric conversion kits in the first four years of the agreement.

Combined with the value of the converted Toyota vehicles, orders will be worth an estimated $367 million in revenues over the four-year period, with the first

deliveries scheduled for mid-2021 (subject to COVID lockdowns).

VivoPower and GB Auto’s collaboration will focus primarily on the next-generation 72 kilowatt-hour battery kit for Toyota’s Landcruiser and Hilux models, as well as the application of other Tembo products in the mining industry.

The construction, defence, and utility applications of the Tembo vehicles and conversion kits will also be explored while the new agreement grants GB Auto firstrefusal rights to the distribution of other Tembo products in Australia.

The collaboration also positions VivoPower as GB Auto’s partner of choice for the financing, construction, and maintenance of Tembo products and related sustainable energy solutions (“SES”), including charging infrastructure, battery storage, and micro-grids.

VivoPower will own all vehicle operating data and grant GB Auto non-exclusive access to support the sale and maintenance of Tembo products.

“We are already witnessing strong demand for these vehicles and this agreement bolsters our ability to play a prominent role in the overall drive to improve the sustainability of our economy,” said Graeme Bensley, CEO and Founder of GB Auto. “We are excited to partner with VivoPower as its Tembo electric vehicles are ideally suited to the needs of our customers in the mining sector.”

The deal will provide a springboard VivoPower’s SES offering targeted at mining, commercial fleet, government and industrial customers according to Kevin Chin, Executive Chairman and CEO of VivoPower.

“GB Auto, given its well-established reputation and fantastic customer base – including some of the world’s leading mining houses – is an excellent partner.

We are of the view that this will be a very successful commercial partnership that has the potential to benefit a broad range of industries,” he said in a statement.

ISUZU UTE SUPPLIES VEHICLES FOR SURF LIFE SAVING AUSTRALIA Isuzu Ute Australia has pledged its support to Surf Life Saving Australia by providing vehicles for daily surf rescue patrol and support vehicles.

For 114 years, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) has been patrolling local beaches and protecting millions of beach-goers across the country — reportedly saving over 600,000 lives since its establishment.

Isuzu Ute Australia will supply D-Max utes and MU-X SUVs which will serve as part of SLSA operations to protect Australian beaches.

“We are proud to jump on board and support the amazing work the SLSA is doing,” said Isuzu Ute Australia Managing Director, Hiroyasu Sato. “The essence of SLSA is ingrained in local communities and in protecting people across Australian beaches through patrols, training programs and education.

“For Isuzu Ute Australia, there could be no better way of giving back than by

supporting SLSA and the brave men and women who keep our beaches safe,” he said.

Featuring a 5-star ANCAP Safety rating across the full range, the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X will serve surf lifesavers as beach patrol vehicles and while travelling the country delivering important training and education to members.

SLSA President, John Baker, who holds an Emergency Services Medal (ESM), said it was the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X’s reputation for reliability, durability, off-road capability and towing that made them the pragmatic choice for SLSA. “Knowing that our lifesaving equipment needs to be durable to endure the challenging beach conditions and dependable when called upon by our surf lifesavers, SLSA has turned to Isuzu Ute Australia for its surf rescue patrol and support vehicles across the country,” said Baker.

Surf Life Saving Australia has turned to Isuzu to supply it with new vehicles.

“The support of these vehicles and our partners like Isuzu Ute Australia makes our mission of patrolling and protecting our beaches that much easier, allowing us to focus our attention on the safety of beach-goers,” he said. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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FINAL MILE

LOADS OF CAPACITY

The Hyundai iLoad has solid technical credentials and is easy and economical to operate.

A gas strut assisted lift-up tail gate is standard.

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he Hyundai iLoad was regarded as a disrupter in the courier and tradie landscapes when it was launched in Australia in 2008. Now available as a three-seater van or a six-seater crew van, the iLoad line-up has been extended to include an eight-seater people mover version known as the iMax. Since the iLoad’s introduction the overall design hasn’t varied much other than some restyled front panels and a new grille in 2019 which contribute to maintaining 78

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the iLoad’s contemporary styling. An advantage of this type of vehicle is they don’t really appear dated regardless of their age. The iLoad is offered with the single wheelbase of 3200mm which is sensible for the ‘one-size-fits-all’ practicality of not having multiple sized vans in the range.

Petrol engines are no longer available in the iLoad and the 2.5 litre four-cylinder diesel engine has two ratings, dependent upon the transmission fitted. The six-speed manual engine has a waste

gated turbo and develops 100kW and has a maximum torque of 343Nm. Our test iLoad is the optional five-speed automatic version and its variable geometry turbo (VGT) engine punches a lively 125kW with a maximum of 441Nm of torque.

The cabin interior is separated from the cargo compartment by a steel mesh barrier which can be easily removed to accommodate longer items such as PVC pipes or lengths of timber. Not having a solid bulkhead in this position doesn’t

necessarily mean excessive noise intruding into the front of the van but it does mean the air conditioning has to be up to the task of cooling and heating the entire interior. The cargo area has a vinyl mat covering the floor which features ten sturdy tiedown points. Unfortunately, these anchors and their mounting bolts are not recessed into the floor and can present an impediment to sliding cargo items in and out.

The iLoad has dual sliding doors as standard and the vehicle we have as a test unit has the optional barn doors at the rear rather than the standard gas strut assisted lift-up tail gate. The barn doors can be opened wider than their 90 degrees by simply removing a single locking pin on each door. The pin is secured to the hinge mechanism by a short lanyard to prevent them being misplaced. The cargo area is 2375mm long and 1620mm wide with a usable height of 1340mm providing a volume of 4.4 cubic metres. Floor space also provides sufficient room for two pallets and an Australian pallet will not foul the interior wheel arches.

The auto is restricted to a 1500kg braked towing capacity while the manual version, despite its lower power and torque, is rated at 2,000kgs.

The steering column has adjustments for the angle of its height as well as provision to change the telescopic reach which combine with the driver seat’s height and fore and aft adjustments to provide a comfortable position for most drivers.

The iLoad is a ‘semi-bonneted’ design similar to many such light commercial vehicles. Vision is excellent.

Solid grab handles mounted to the ‘A’ pillars make entry and egress easy without having to use the steering wheel rim for support. The centre seat leg room is a little compromised by the intrusion of the engine/transmission cover. However, not carrying a third passenger permits the folding forward of the centre seat back to provide a stable work table. The interior is practical with what should prove hard wearing coverings on the quite comfortable outer seats.

The driver and kerb side passenger have

The dash features a 7.0 inch touchscreen audio system with MP3, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities.

front and side airbag protection, while occupants of the centre seat depend upon a lap seatbelt for protection. Other standard safety items include ABS and EBD braking systems as well as Electronic Stability Control and a Traction Control System.

The iLoad rides on practical 16 inch diameter steel wheels which shouldn’t show up any ‘kerb rash’ common with alloy wheels on vehicles operating in tight environments. The iLoad’s rear wheel drive configuration allows for tight front wheel cuts and a nimble 11.2 metre turning circle.

The iLoad’s halogen headlights have an automatic low-light sensing capability which is a benefit not just at dusk but also when entering dark environments such as multi-level car parks. The iLoad is comparatively low in overall

height compared with some others in its category and at 1935mm (not counting the shark fin radio antenna) access to height restricted areas such as those in covered carparks isn’t compromised.

The centre of the dash features a 7.0 inch touchscreen audio system with MP3, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. A set of controls for the audio’s basic functions is located on the steering wheel along with those for the cruise control as well as for a wirelessly connected smartphone. Charging sockets for USB and 12-volt 120 Watt plugs similar to cigarette lighters are positioned low and at the centre of the dash. The screen displays sharp images from the reversing camera.

Confidence in the purchase-decision is boosted by the iLoad’s five-year warranty and has no limit on kilometres travelled.

The auto is restricted to a 1500kg braked towing capacity. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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ON SITE

THUND

With an entirely new platform no longer shared with its Ford Ranger long time adversary, Mazda is going all out to match it with the best in the ‘beast’ dual cab ute class with its new exclusive-to-Australia BT-50 Thunder.

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azda has a modelsharing history with Ford that stretches back four decades.

Passenger cars such as the Mazda 323 and 626 in the ‘80s were also sold

by Ford in this country as the Laser and Telstar.

Similarly, popular Mazda light commercials including utes and vans of the era were also rebadged as Ford and subtly restyled for model differentiation purposes.

In 2011 the tables were turned when Ford released the boldly styled all-new Ranger and it was then Mazda’s turn to introduce the BT-50 which, despite shared underpinnings, on the surface bore little resemblance to its Ford sibling.

The new Mazda BT-50 has been given a noticeably more muscular appearance.

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And therein lay the problem for Mazda.

While the Ford Ranger featured square and rugged truck-like lines, Mazda went for a softer, swoopy look with a front-end styling resembling that of its passenger models and a rear end treatment – including angled taillight extensions frenched into the tailgate – that was widely perceived as decidedly less masculine than the Ranger’s conventional upright lights.

The sales figures told the story and Ford’s new Ranger soon soared up the charts to rival the barnstorming Toyota HiLux, while the BT-50’s success, in comparison, could be best described as modest.

After living in its stablemate’s shadow for the last decade, Mazda’s new BT-50 finally looks to have the goods to go

head-to-head with it, particularly with the new Thunder version that’s aimed squarely at the new ‘bad boys’ on the block – Ranger Wildtrak X and HiLux Rugged X. In a significant change, the new BT-50 no longer shares the Ranger’s architecture and is, in fact, based on the latest Isuzu D-Max platform. Vitally, it has shrugged off the conservative look of its predecessor and should therefore have a much better tilt at sales success.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the flagship Thunder variant which

ER was developed by Mazda Australia’s innovative in-house engineering team, resulting in a uniquely Australian offering.

“We have been extremely pleased with how well the new BT-50 has been received by our dealer partners, customers and media since its mid-2020 launch,” says Vinesh Bhindi, Managing Director at Mazda Australia. “The rangetopping, uniquely-Australian BT-50 Thunder makes a strong statement with a bold and assertive aesthetic, while retaining the high level of specification and safety attributes expected of the new BT-50 model.”

Having gone on sale last month, the BT50 Thunder has an introductory national driveaway price of $65,990 for the Dual Cab 4x4 manual and $68,990 for the Dual Cab 4x4 automatic.

Thunder’s standard specification is based on the well-equipped BT-50 GT Dual Cab 4x4, ensuring a comprehensive list of safety and connectivity features and impressive off-road capability.

This is furthered by the bold exterior treatment that includes a single hoop steel nudge bar carrying a Lightforce dual-row LED lightbar. The rugged allsteel front bumper features tapered sides that provide a dramatically enhanced approach angle directly to the front wheels, maximising rock crawling ability.

A neat touch is the BT-50 insignia laser cut into the centre panel.

The aggressive stance continues to the BT-50 Thunder’s side profile, with striking 18-inch black alloy wheels, wide wheel arch flares and side steps that threaten to steal the show.

Moving to the tub reveals a premium black sports bar and an advanced electric roller tonneau cover, with Thunder decals flanking both sides and the tailgate.

Mazda claims the additional equipment

DOWN UNDER

The profile is enhanced by 18-inch black alloy wheels, wide wheel arch flares and side steps.

adds over $13,000 in total value.

Powering Thunder is the same turbocharged 3.0-litre, four-cylinder Isuzu diesel engine found across the BT-50 range and also in the Isuzu D-Max and MU-X. This unit generates 140kW peak power along with 450Nm of torque, the latter providing solid pulling power from 1,600 to 2,600rpm.

Combined-cycle fuel economy is listed at 7.7L/100km for the six-speed manual transmission and 8.0L/100km for the sixspeed automatic.

The dual-range 4x4 system is augmented by a driver-controlled locking rear differential for further improved traction.

In addition to the bespoke specifications listed above, Thunder shares the long and comprehensive list of safety and convenience features with the BT-50 GT. All Mazda BT-50 exterior colours – Ice White, True Black Mica, Ingot Silver Metallic, Concrete Grey Mica, Gun Blue Mica, Rock Grey Mica and Red Volcano Mica – are available for BT-50 Thunder at no additional cost.

The vehicle is covered by a comprehensive five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, with complimentary roadside assist for the warranty’s duration.

Servicing intervals are set at 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Dual cab ute sales have exploded over the last decade or so, effectively capitalising on the demise of the traditional family sedan and wagon set that dominated the market over the previous half century or more.

It has gained its broad market appeal due to being many things to many people – a shopping and pickingup-the-kids car, a workhorse and a weekend getaway vehicle all rolled into one.

The new Mazda BT-50 Thunder and its contemporaries cater for a growing subset of buyers in the dual cab market, those who might have formerly bought a HSV Commodore or FPV Falcon.

In addition to the bountiful dual cab benefits, Thunder also has the ‘look at me’ street cred to match. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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FUTURE TENSE

Mercedes-Benz eSprinter van during a recent evaluation in the Arctic Circle.

EV IS FOR EVOLUTION With the electric vehicle (EV) market continuing to evolve at an electrifying pace, Mercedes-Benz is preparing to start production of its next- generation eSprinter light commercial vehicles in the USA in the second half of 2023, joining a growing raft of automakers seeking to capitalise on the global greening of eCommerce.

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he Biden Administration has vowed, as part of a $2 trillion infrastructure bill, to transition the entire national government vehicle fleet to EV. Although funding the bill with corporate tax hikes is conservatively estimated to take at least 15 years, under the proposal the bill promises to have at least 500,000 of the charging devices required installed across the US by 2030. In addition, the Biden administration recently rolled out a $174 billion plan to spur the development and adoption of EVs, including money to retool factories and boost domestic supply of materials, tax incentives for EV buyers, along with grant and incentive programs for charging infrastructure.

These significant pro-EV developments have not been lost on the commercial82

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van division of Daimler AG, which is preparing to start production of the next-generation eSprinter at its North Charleston (South Carolina) plant alongside a combustion-engine version of the vehicle.

The company claims it is spending about 350 million euros (US$415.5 million) to convert three plants – one in South Carolina and two in Germany at Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde – to make the new vehicle. Amazon.com Inc. helped spark demand for electric commercial vehicles in 2019 when it ordered 100,000 vans from Rivian Automotive Inc. Amazon, which is a Rivian shareholder, also bought 1,800 eSprinter vans from Mercedes last year for use in European markets.

Electric delivery vans are expected to sell at a rate of about 190,000 a year globally

by 2030, according to a forecast from Guidehouse Insights, which also predicts electric commercial vehicles of all kinds, including work vehicles and garbage trucks, will be sold at a rate of 600,000 per year by the end of this decade.

The Mercedes eSprinter announcement came a day before President Joe Biden unveiled an expansion of government spending, which included infrastructure investments to combat climate change and support electrification. The eSprinter is based on a modular platform that can be used for a larger variety of body types than the current model, the company claimed in a statement. Yet the German automaker is expected to have plenty of competition in the electric van market.

Ford, the largest commercial vehicle maker in the US, said it will start selling its E-Transit van later this

year. Meanwhile, General Motors has indicated it will launch a new unit with the somewhat dubious name of BrightDrop, with plans to sell an EV600 van that can reportedly travel 250 miles (402km) on a single charge.

There are also plenty of cash-rich startups, thanks to the boom in blank-cheque companies, looking to compete in the same market. UK upstart Arrival plans to open a second plant in the US to make delivery vans for UPS Inc., while Electric Last Mile Solutions has confirmed plans to build plug-in vans in a former Hummer factory in Indiana. And Lordstown Motors Corporation has announced a battery-powered van for 2022.

The current generation of the eSprinter is already being built in Düsseldorf together with conventionally driven Sprinter models.

The principle of manufacturing both drivetrain variants will also be implemented at the plants in

Single cab chassis concept of the eSprinter..

Charleston and Ludwigsfelde.

“We will benefit from our experience which we have already built up very successfully in the production of electric and conventionally driven vans on a line at our plant in Düsseldorf,” says Mercedes-Benz Vans Head of Production Dr Ingo Ettischer. “In the future, we will be able to quickly meet the everincreasing demand for electrically driven vans and, thanks to our intelligent and

flexible production, be able to respond very precisely to the requirements of the different markets and make optimum use of our capacities.”

In addition to the currently available panel van, the next generation of the eSprinter will also be produced as a cab/chassis variant and will thus serve as a versatile platform for, among other things, ambulances, motorhomes and refrigerated goods transporters.

RENAULT

TRAFIC it’s my business it’s my van

“I love the van so much we’re getting another one” “We’ve just taken delivery of our Renault Trafic. We enjoy doing class leading electrical work out of a class leading vehicle and the fantastic fit out inside means we’ve got all our tools and equipment to do our job efficiently. It’s built for business, fuel efficient, easy to drive and versatile, I mean what’s there not to love. I love the van so much we’re getting another one.”

Joey, Verve Electrical

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FUTURE TENSE

TAKING THE HY-ROAD

In a move to overcome one of the biggest roadblocks to the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEV) – lack of refuelling infrastructure – gas and engineering company BOC has partnered with Toyota to produce a Hydrogen Fuelling Centre at Altona in Melbourne’s west.

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he hydrogen filling station installed by BOC at a reported cost of $7.4 million will dispense green hydrogen produced through electrolysis powered by on-site solar and battery storage. It is said to be capable of filling a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric car in approximately three minutes and can also be used to dispense hydrogen for buses and forklifts. BOC South Pacific Managing Director John Evans says the completion of the Toyota Hydrogen Centre was a significant milestone that would advance hydrogen mobility in Victoria and support Toyota’s ambition for zero emissions from its sites by 2050.

“BOC is proud to be sharing our global technical expertise and delivering worldleading hydrogen filling technologies that support Toyota in demonstrating zero emissions hydrogen that will play an important role in decarbonising transport in Australia,” says John. Hydrogen mobility infrastructure is already wellestablished globally with Linde having installed more than 180 hydrogen filling stations worldwide. These are responsible for over 1.5 million successful car filling events. A hydrogen filling station such as this one will help build community confidence and understanding of this emerging technology.

According to Evans, Toyota will educate the public about how hydrogen can play a significant role in transport and the 84

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Site of the new Hydrogen Fuelling Centre at in Altona.

broader energy supply chain.

“BOC is committed to working with industry and government to build hydrogen mobility demand particularly in metropolitan locations, which will help stimulate more investment in hydrogen production and refuelling stations across Australia,” he says.

Toyota Australia President and CEO Matthew Callachor said the Toyota Hydrogen Centre was built to showcase the benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology as part of its commitment to developing sustainable technologies for future mobility and energy needs.

“Globally, Toyota is committed to achieving zero CO2 emissions from its vehicles and plants under the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 and the commissioning of our hydrogen refilling facility at Altona is an important step towards achieving that goal,” he

says. “By demonstrating the viability of renewably-produced hydrogen as an automotive and energy source through this project, Toyota and its partners in government and business are pioneering a cleaner, more sustainable future that will encourage the further acceptance of this technology.”

Callachor, on behalf of Toyota, acknowledged the assistance government partners have provided in bringing the project to fruition including the business partners who will lease the 20 Mirai sedans brought into the country to prove hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles will headline moves towards what it calls a sustainable and greener future.

BOC and Toyota are founding members of the Australian Hydrogen Council, and are also currently partnering to facilitate a fleet trial of Toyota HFCEVs in Western Australia.

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INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE

The next ten years

PETER HART

I

will be brave and try to predict the trends that will shape the road transport industry over the next ten years. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on our industry is unclear.

I will focus on what I see as long-term trends. Here are my thoughts: 1 Road safety improvements will be driven by smart technologies. The application of smart technologies to trucks and trailers is an unstoppable trend. The human and commercial costs of road trauma has and will continue to grow. Operators who can reduce transport risk by adopting smart technologies will have an advantage.

2 European manufactured trucks are in the ascendancy. This trend is clear. It arises because European regulators are forcing adoption of safety technologies into heavy transport. The Europeanmanufactured vehicles offered for sale in Australia have a clear safe-technology advantage that the industry likes. This trend will continue because of future regulatory push in Europe to improve safety and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Enlightened government regulation is affecting the Australian marketplace – the government is overseas!

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3 Productivity improvements continue to be driven by configuration innovation. The Performance-Based Standards scheme (PBS) has provided regulators with confidence that longer combinations can be safely operated in Australia. Super B-doubles and A-train doubles are now seen around the docks and on highways in major cities. This trend will continue. Regulators realise that long combinations are delivering productivity and safety benefits for the community. Expect to see more long combination trucks further afield. Industry demand for better road access for long trucks will continue to be a point of contention with government.

4 Greenhouse gas emission levels will become a dominating consideration. It is inevitable that the community will expect the road transport sector to reduce its CO2 emissions significantly over the next ten years. This will supercharge the trend to high productivity vehicles and multi-modal freight movement because of low emissions per tonnekm. Attempts to introduce low greenhouse emission fuels such as CNG into long-distance Australian road transport have been a dismal failure. Diesel is almost the perfect fuel except for its emissions. Maybe hydrogen will become an important fuel in a decade or so, but the reliability of fuel cells is yet to be proven in Australia. The obvious path for Australian road transport is to put battery powered electric drives onto trailers. This will take the load of the truck without having to rely solely on battery storage, which will be range limiting. It is also a sensible thing to do on long combination vehicles because the traction and retardation can be distributed. The result will be a

diesel-electric hybrid. I expect this to be a significant trend over the next ten years. Government will probably give concessions to electric trailers to encourage uptake.

5 The truck cabin is a mobile workplace. Reliance on telematics for inventory control, trip planning, incident reporting, vehicle condition and compliance will continue to develop. Significant business efficiencies and risk reduction are on offer. Australia is the world leader in third party monitoring of accredited fleet performance. Operators who fully integrate telematics into business operations will have business and accreditation advantages.

Controlling complexity by using well developed integrated business systems will be a key success factor.

6 Accredited fleets will have an advantage. Government will offer further benefits to accredited fleets.

This will occur as the community is demanding further improvements in transport safety, reduced congestion, and emissions. Government’s ability to enforce improvements in these areas is limited because of resource and staff shortages. Greenhouse emission reporting will be added to accreditation requirements.

Government will choose to offer concessions to operators who agree to abide by agreements and can prove they do. This trend is well established. It will become more important. Fleets of all sizes will need to use telematics and fleet planning tools to streamline their operations.

7 Driver shortages remain severe. The severe shortage of drivers is a risk to the efficient and safe operation of the road transport industry. A career structure is urgently needed for drivers. ‘A Master driver’

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but resource efficiency, congestion reduction and emissions reduction will become more important considerations. The same trends will affect long-distance road transport. Technology and cooperation between competing operators will become important adaptations to a changing world where environmental and human limitations become dominating concerns.

The future at warp speed.

accreditation is needed. Every fleet should have a Chief driver who is a ‘Master driver’. This position should oversee the performance and wellbeing of the other drivers.

The Chief driver needs to be paid accordingly. Ongoing training is needed to develop experienced drivers to the Master level. Women drivers have proven to be preferred as they treat other road users and the equipment well. To increase the proportion of women drivers into the industry the working conditions and respect offered to women will need to improve. Prominent fleets should work towards appointing a woman as Chief driver. It is likely that a greater proportion of drivers over the next ten years will be immigrants. Many will not well understand written English. The industry has a significant challenge to find and train the next generation of drivers. A career development and wellbeing path for drivers is urgently needed.

8 There is also a severe shortage of truck mechanics. A career path for mechanics to ‘Advanced Technician’ level is urgently needed. As trucks get more complex through safety and efficiency technologies, the role of computer diagnosis will become critical. The modern truck will be a mobile node in the ‘internet

of things’. That is, workshops will rely upon remote computer diagnosis. This situation will favour equipment suppliers who can integrate their gear into truck.

In return the suppliers will report on truck condition and efficiency to the operators. Advanced Technicians, who know how to use diagnostic tools and who can instruct mechanics how to repair complex systems, will be needed.

While the mechanical servicing of trucks and trailers will continue to be important, the electrical servicing will grow in importance. In total, the maintenance task will grow because the equipment will become more complex. It is hard to name another industry that is as complex as road transport!

9 Local delivery services will grow further. The trend for consumers to purchase items online and expect immediate delivery will continue to grow. There will be more local deliveries and delivery time pressures will only increase.

To be efficient different logistics suppliers will start to share work.

That is, smart parcel control systems will emerge that allow competing logistics suppliers to co-operate and share some local delivery work.

The ACCC will probably get upset that competitors are co-operating;

10 The economic viability of the road transport industry needs to improve.

This industry is hardworking and it is efficient. The renumeration levels are low for the effort expended.

Consequently, many people in this industry have a poor work-life balance. The industry struggles to attract adequate numbers of new workers who have high skill levels because the industry is so lean and has not developed career paths.

Government will probably try to introduce road-user charges and is likely to pull back the diesel fuel rebate. Many operators will feel increasing financial pressure. Further industry rationalisation is likely.

The most efficient operators with modern equipment, decent working conditions and advanced business control systems will prosper. Many others will go out of business.

The road transport industry is important to Australia’s economic and social well-being. It needs to be more aggressive in telling the community and its governments about its performance and its problems. The industry must develop career paths for its workforce.

This is my last Prime Mover article. It is number 111. I have enjoyed writing the monthly article for ARTSA-i over the past ten years. The time has come to move on. I wish you well!

Dr Peter Hart, ARTSA p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

87

INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION

Heavy vehicle inspections can save lives

SAL PETROCCITTO

A

new report from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and Australia’s largest trucking insurance company has confirmed a link between major safety incidents and how well heavy vehicles are maintained by owners. The NTARC Major Accident Investigation Report was produced by National Transport Insurance (NTI) using the results from the NHVR’s 2016 National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey.

By comparing vehicle inspection data and insurance claims, the study confirmed that operators who effectively maintain their vehicles are less likely to be involved in an incident. The report found there was a 29 per cent increase in the frequency and a 22 per cent increase in the cost of claims for transport companies with poorly maintained couplings.

For wheel and tyre defects, the frequency of claims was 32 per cent higher than the baseline while the costs were 26 per cent higher. The findings weren’t a great surprise to the NHVR. Our frontline staff have always known that if they see a truck with a bald tyre, they should investigate further, whether that means checking the load restraint or driver’s work diary. However, until now there’s been little expert research to prove the link between vehicle maintenance and major incidents.

The NTARC Major Accident Investigation Report proves the value of the

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information that the NHVR obtained in the 2016 National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey, which came from 7,130 vehicle inspections conducted in every Australian state and territory with the exception of Western Australia.

Five years after that inaugural survey, the NHVR is undertaking a second Roadworthiness Survey (NRS) to assess the condition of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet. Over the next 12 weeks, around 8,000 heavy vehicles will be

inspected by the NHVR and our partner agencies in every state and territory in the nation. The NRS will allow us to assess the mechanical condition of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet and help shape future initiatives to improve the safety and productivity of the industry.

These are important goals – not just for the NHVR, but for the whole transport industry, the broader supply chain and the Australian public. I appreciate the survey may cause some disruption for

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Each vehicle will undergo a detailed visual inspection and some mechanical testing by authorised officers using inspection trailers and brake-testing equipment. We promise that once a vehicle has been inspected, it will not be inspected again in this NRS. the drivers and operators whose vehicles are stopped, so the officers will carry out inspections as efficiently as possible.

Each vehicle will undergo a detailed visual inspection and some mechanical testing by authorised officers using

inspection trailers and brake-testing equipment. We promise that once a vehicle has been inspected, it will not be inspected again in this NRS. The NHVR is aware of supply chain demands and that drivers work to tight schedules, so Until now little expert research has proven the link between vehicle maintenance and major incidents.

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I thank all businesses and individuals who will be impacted by the survey for their co-operation with our officers.

Random vehicle inspections are inconvenient, but any exercise that helps to improve our understanding of road safety could save lives. The results in the 2021 NRS will allow us to assess the impact of safety initiatives implemented since 2016 and identify the areas that need more focus. And we won’t be keeping the information to ourselves.

The results will be publicly released and made available to jurisdictions and industry bodies with an interest in heavy vehicle safety. We know we can’t improve heavy vehicle safety by ourselves. Once again, I thank you in advance for your cooperation on this important safety initiative.

Sal Petroccitto, CEO, NHVR

DAILY CHECKLIST KEEP VEHICLES SAFE The NHVR is urging heavy vehicle operators to use a Daily Safety Checklist as a regular part of their pre-trip routine. The checklist is a series of simple steps that every driver should undertake daily that align with the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual. A daily visual inspection should only take a few minutes and gives drivers peace of mind ahead of their journey.

Each checklist should include checking brakes, couplings, wheels, tyres and hubs, structure and body condition, lights and reflectors, mirrors, windscreens and windows, and the engine, driveline and exhaust.

Lists can be expanded and tailored to suit an operator’s business.

For more information on Daily Safety Checklists visit www.nhvr.gov.au/ dailycheck p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

89

INSIGHT | HEALTHY HEADS IN TRUCKS & SHEDS

2020 challenged us in ways we could never have imagined

SUE DAVIES

L

ast year began with the historic bushfires that swept the eastern seaboard and Kangaroo Island, tragically affecting rural locations and the air quality in our metropolitan cities; and was followed immediately by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected every aspect of our lives.

For Australia Post, these events significantly impacted our services, required necessary changes to our ways of working, and created a sense of uncertainty and upheaval for our people, resulting in a greater demand for mental health support, information and guidance than ever before. Encouraging open discussion around maintaining mental health and wellbeing was important to help us meet this significant increase in demand for psychological safety support.

At the same time, with more people at home the pandemic generated record volumes of parcels through our delivery network, driving significant change in the business. We quickly adopted a strong, enterprise-wide focus to equip our people with coping strategies during a time of heightened uncertainty.

Our delivery employees received support via increased signage to promote action against risk, toolbox talks, webinars covering psychological safety and financial wellbeing, regular reminders about the access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, as 90

m ay 2021

well as access to an interactive HealthyMe online portal that encourages proactive mental wellbeing management.

For our managers and people leaders, we provided access to educational resources and programs such as mental health awareness training, psychosocial risk management webinars, psychological safety guides and leadership mentoring programs. These resources were important tools that helped our managers to confidently identify at-risk employees and promote good mental health habits.

Increasing leadership support is an important step towards reducing barriers, so people feel increasingly comfortable to speak to someone. We have a long history of acknowledging RU OK Day with leadership and we typically use this to keep the conversation of mental health going throughout the year, with social events and talks designed to bring people together to talk about mental wellbeing and share their lived experience.

During COVID-19, while in-person events were restricted, we engaged the voices of our frontline employees from around the country via video, to share the different ways to start a conversation, provide support to colleagues, encourage action and check-in later. This proved to be an engaging way to motivate our people to connect with and look out for others and move towards creating a culture of care.

It was a culture that was vitally important as we entered a record-breaking Christmas and our busiest ever peak period. To provide additional support, we actioned on-the-ground support for our delivery employees by bringing our EAP into delivery facilities throughout October to December, making onsite

psychologists available for one on one ‘walk and talks’ with staff.

Our EAP also has a structured program of regular wellbeing check-ins for any employee identified as requiring additional support and the program is available to every member of our extended workforce of more than 75,000 people and their immediate family members.

Testament to the importance of our role in communities across the countries, in June 2020, we were thrilled to form a three-year national partnership with Beyond Blue to help Australians stay mentally well and build stronger, more connected communities. As with our internal efforts, the partnership seeks to make mental health and wellbeing part of everyday conversations and connect people to the support and information available through Beyond Blue. This partnership plays an important role in influencing positive mental health outcomes, across our workforce and the communities in which they work, by supporting discussions and making it easier to connect with each other in meaningful ways.

As one of Australia’s largest employers, Australia Post recognises the important role we can play in influencing positive mental health outcomes for both our employees and the wider community.

Whether it’s the postie having a conversation with a local resident, or one of our Post Office staff helping a customer in a time of need, we continue to deliver and serve Australians like never before.

Sue Davies, Executive General Manager, People & Culture, Australia Post

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National consistency for electric vehicles and road pricing in Australia

KIRK CONINGHAM

E

lectric and hydrogen vehicles are the future of Australia’s supply chain economy. However, the fledging product technology is currently climbing the apex of what must be considered Australia’s Mt Everest of legislative hurdles to get a foothold in the Australian freight and logistics market.

Australia is a single national economy. Yet so much of the regulatory framework that impacts on businesses is designed and enforced at a State or local level. For those operating businesses in the freight logistics sector, this means daily confrontation with a hodgepodge of legislative and regulatory hurdles that variously confound and complicate the process of transporting freight safely and efficiently.

States have rushed to the finish line determined not to be left behind to establish their own state specific sets of road user pricing. The result is that they are strangling an infant commercial market with excessive unit cost increases before it has even managed to establish its first breaths.

Victoria has announced the introduction of a 2.5 cent per kilometre levy on electric vehicles, following an earlier decision made

by South Australia. The ACT appears to be mooting an ‘opt in’ distance charge whilst the NSW Government appears uncertain.

It is disappointing that a simple and nationally consistent Federal fuel excise regime is at risk of ultimately being replaced with another complex set of charges administered at the state and territory level.

ALC believes that a road pricing process should fairly capture all the relevant cost

components of roads so that, as far as is practicable, pricing does not distort the choice of transport mode used by consignors and/or consignees in the transport of freight; and while road infrastructure development undertaken to advance either general congestion issues, light vehicle user or community amenity is not cross subsidised by heavy vehicle operators.

Australian governments currently have on foot a process called Heavy Vehicle Road Reform. The intention is to change the manner in the road user charge for road access levied on heavy vehicles to one calculating charges using a forward-looking cost base as used to calculate prices for other utilities.

In a submission made in response to a 2020 discussion paper prepared as part of the reform ALC said: One of the key benefits of HVRR is the opportunity to align more closely road and rail pricing and create a more level playing field and hopefully help get more freight on rail – an aim of a number of jurisdictions. Whilst this reform is only about the supply side, the proposed methodology for roads will facilitate a more similar approach to rail. This is a useful outcome, even if this will not be fully achieved until the demand side of HVRR is progressed.

ALC is firmly of the view that taxation mechanisms for road use should be uniform throughout the country. It is also imperative that all road users, irrespective of whether they are operating light or heavy vehicles, electrically or traditionally powered, pay the road user charges necessary to permit the construction and maintenance of the roads Australia needs now and in the future. We can no longer rely on the fuel excise to do this.

The growth of fuel cell electric vehicles, as the CSIRO noted in its National Hydrogen Roadmap can be hampered when Federal, State and Local government entities have

their own portfolio of priorities: “and time spent by technology proponents in acquiring multiple approvals can constrain development and increase costs. An inter/ intragovernmental authority with the power to make decisions within a reasonable time frame will therefore be important in facilitating industry growth. This could provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ for gathering all the required licences for a specific hydrogen project. The Roadmap also noted that a lack of infrastructure is a barrier to support increased use of fuel cell electric vehicles.

This raises two issues. Firstly, it is important the infrastructure is there to allow the efficient transport of hydrogen that is not completely reliant on movement by road.

The second issue relates to planning.

Whilst it is unlikely Australia’s federal system would permit a single consent authority to develop a hydrogen approval authority as suggested above, jurisdictional planning instruments must ensure: (a) a spread of charging and refuelling stations in urban areas; (b) ‘back to base’ charging and fuelling infrastructure is not impeded; and (c) infrastructure for the movement and storage of hydrogen is permitted.

The Australian Government has recently published Draft National Urban Freight Planning Principles that are intended to be included in the planning documentation generated by States and Territories. They are one of the important outputs from the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy — a process championed by ALC. Uptake of alternatively powered vehicles is the future of Australia’s commercial and consumer economies. Consistent taxation mechanisms for road access is key to supporting Australia to remain competitive in the global market.

Kirk Coningham CEO, ALC p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

91

INSIGHT | TRUCK VICTORIAN INDUSTRY TRANSPORT COUNCIL ASSOCIATION

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A step in the right direction — hopefully

TONY MCMULLAN PETER ANDERSON

I

n the year 2000 Europe introduced the Euro III regulation for trucks and busses. The Australian Government introduced the same regulation, ADR80/00 in January 2003.

In 2005 Euro IV was introduced in Europe and Australia implemented this standard in 2008, ADR80/02.

Europe moved to Euro V in 2008 and we implemented the Euro V standard (ADR80/03) in 2011. You can see a pattern here, European deployment, followed by the introduction of the same emission standard in Australia approximately three years later, once the engine technology has been “bedded down” in the country of origin. And here in Australia our Government allows equivalent alternative emission standards from Japan and the USA, where applicable, giving truck and engine manufacturers the option of meeting the Australian exhaust emission requirements using technology from their homeland markets. When Europe introduced Euro VI for heavy vehicles in 2013, one would have expected that Australia would move to this exhaust regulation in about 2016, unlocking the health benefits of this cleaner emission standard for all Australians.

Not so, in fact in 2021 we are still potentially another seven years away from Euro VI and equivalent alternative emission regulation in Australia, if the recommendations in latest Regulation Impact Statement (RIS), released by the

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Federal Government, are implemented.

That would be a staggering fifteen years after the implementation of this clean air standard in Europe!

It cannot be said that this protracted timeline is due to a lack of government awareness of this issue. Back in October 2015, then Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, Paul Fletcher, headed the review of Australia’s vehicle emission standards, this led to the release of the original draft Euro VI RIS in December 2016. Submissions from industry and other stakeholders, including States and Territories were sought and received in early 2017. Then seemingly little or no action until a new draft RIS was released in October 2020.

During that time the Truck Industry Council (TIC) has repeatedly requested that the conversation be restarted. TIC members have not let our government’s inaction prevent the introduction of Euro VI trucks in Australia, with one member introducing these cleaner engined trucks back in late 2014.

Other members followed and last year, thirty per cent of all new trucks sold in Australia were Euro VI, or equivalents from Japan and the USA. In the lengthy delay between the first and second draft RIS, the European regulation has been amended, moving from Step C to Step D. The tailpipe emissions are exactly the same for all Steps of the Euro VI regulation (A to D), the variations only effect the testing methods and the On-Board Diagnostic systems that are required.

The Department has recommended the introduction of Step D in the October 2020 RIS, while they recommended Step C in the December 2016 RIS. The main difference between Steps C and D is the way in which the “life” of the emission system is tested. Step C requires thousands of hours of laboratory dynameter testing to prove

the aftertreatment system life, whilst Step D requires annual in-service testing over a period of up to seven years.

The in-service testing is not required in either Japan, or the USA, nor has it been shown to have any fundamental health or environmental benefits that TIC is aware of. To ensure that truck manufactures adequately test the truck, Step D requires the vehicle to be tested at the GVM, or GCM, whichever is greater. Unfortunately, the Department has not considered the ramification of introducing Step D, over Step C, for Australia. Due to our uniquely high GCMs on rigid trucks, such as tipper and dogs and on prime movers used for B-Doubles and roadtrains, the European in-service test results are not valid due to Europe’s low GCMs. TIC has estimated that the adoption of Step D will add almost $900 million to the cost of certifying Euro VI trucks for the Australian market, needlessly adding thousands of dollars to the price of a new truck, all for no apparent benefit.

The Truck Industry Council and our members fully support the implementation of Euro VI and the equivalent alternate standards from Japan and the USA, in fact TICs submissions to both the 2016 and 2020 RIS have called for the early adoption of these emission regulations, phased in from January 2024 to January 2025, some three and a half years sooner than our government’s proposal. However, the Euro VI regulation that must be adopted in Australia is Step C, and not Step D. This will ensure that Australia can benefit from the health and environmental benefits of the world’s best emission regulations, while not financially penalising Australian truck operators for our unique heavy vehicle combinations.

Tony McMullan CEO, Truck Industry Council

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Supply chain sovereignty essential for maintaining living standards PETER ANDERSON

T

he VTA was pleased to host over 180 members and transport industry participants at its recent State Conference, where a variety of speakers addressed delegates on the topic of What’s in Front of the Transport Industry.

In my opening address I was keen to emphasise the importance of supply chain sovereignty for Australia to maintain its high standards of living, as the nation emerges from the COVID pandemic and vaccinations are rolled out across the country.

As an island nation and democracy that relies on imports for sustaining our quality of life, Australia relies on the certainty from supply chains. We enjoy the status of having the 5th highest ranking in living standards in the world.

But what can we do better? How do we maintain and improve upon what has been created?

Supply chains, logistics and transport systems are vital for a country such as Australia because they link markets, community and people.

COVID has challenged us to question whether current supply chains are flexible enough and whether they are able to carry an increase in capacity or are just too expensive to operate any other way. Some people may think we have been slow to develop these supply chains, that they are not productive enough or do not meet the needs of the market.

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia has highlighted the importance of these supply chains.

This was personified by the fact that freight transport did not stop, could not stop and was able to gain recognition, exemption and acknowledgment of making sure that we were all supplied with the goods that we need to maintain our current standards of living.

We must continually question whether Australia as a nation is doing enough to secure its supply chains so as not to risk eroding standards of living, inhibiting growth or diminishing resilience, using fuel energy security and trade as examples. If we do not source and refine our own fuel and depend solely on international suppliers how vulnerable is our standard of living if this supply is interrupted. Or if China represents approximately 18-20 per cent of all imported goods that you will find in homes today, how would we resource these goods if there was an interruption with supply from China?

As another example, in the road transport industry the only recognised qualification for a heavy vehicle is a licence. Under the current system you do not need to be trained to gain a licence. The industry does not look at the licence as a qualification and will not employ those individuals who have just gained a heavy vehicle licence. The industry wants all heavy vehicle drivers to be trained before they are given a licence.

The National Road Transport Commission produced a study with recommendations on the issue in 1995.

Nothing changed. The COAG Transport Industry Council requested a report on the issue in 2013, with the final report delivered in 2018. Nothing changed. A new report has been requested and is due for delivery in 2022.

The road transport industry is still struggling with drivers who are not trained before they get behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle. It takes courage to build an appetite for reform, which is what we need from our political and regulatory leaders.

While uncertainty has been part and parcel of the COVID journey for everyone, it’s been amplified for transport operators and workers, who have worked through restrictions, lockdowns, and border closures magnificently to service their customers and the Australian community.

The irony of COVID is that it’s probably done more to help consumers build awareness and appreciate supply chains than any other event in recent history. When you’re confronted with supermarket shelves that have been emptied of toilet paper, canned goods, pasta, fresh meat and poultry, and you’re forced to order online because you’ve been restricted from travelling more than five kilometres from home for months on end, you start to think and question how goods get to market.

Our domestic supply chain foresights and reactions must look to understand what needs to be done and take advantage of the resources at hand.

Peter Anderson CEO, VTA p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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PETER SHIELDS’ NUMBER CRUNCH

Money Jungle supported by changes in the wider public’s buying habits, as well as the diversion of spending discretionary funds on home improvement and household goods instead of leisure travel.

The commencement of the next wave of major government and private enterprise infrastructure projects will also require additional road transport vehicles. The combination of historically low finance costs and unprecedented government incentives via the taxation system is likely to make this at least a near-record year in terms of commercial vehicle unit sales, if not an all-time record in itself.

The Australian Government and most financial observers have been consistent in their claims that the economy is recovering from the fiscal effects of the pandemic far better than expected and this is strongly supported by the new truck and van sales results put together by the Truck Industry Council for the month of March.

The total number of new trucks (cab chassis and prime movers) sold during March was 2,868 units, 558 more than in the previous month of February (+24.1 per cent) and 679 more than in March 2020 (+31.0 per cent). The total for the first quarter of 2021 reached 6,870 units, a massive 1,147 more than for the same quarter in 2020 (+20.0 per cent).

In the Heavy Duty category there were 1,035 new units sold in March, an increase of 183 compared to March last year (+21.5 per cent) and the first quarter total of 2,220 was 217 more than for the same period in 2020 (+9.8 per cent).

The Medium Duty category reported sales of 602 trucks for March, 76 up on the previous year (+12.6 per cent) and overcame this year’s slow start for the sector to achieve 1,436 for the first quarter, 26 units more than at the end of last March (+1.8 per cent).

March was a big month in the Light Duty category with 1,231 trucks sold, 420 more than during the same month in 2020 (+51.8 per cent). During 2021’s first quarter 2,971 Light Duty trucks were sold, 904 more than during the same three months last year (+43.7 per cent).

The Heavy Van sales result for March of 690 units was down 75 units on February’s figure of 765 (-9.8 per cent) yet was 274 more than in March 2020 (+65.8 per cent). This, and the strong performances during the first two months of this year’s first quarter kept the accrued total in positive territory at 1,455 vans, 273 more than at the end of the 2020 March quarter (+23.1 per cent).

The scaling back of widespread government monetary support in the form of schemes such as JobKeeper didn’t have the drastic effect upon the wider economy as predicted in some areas, and unemployment statistics have also shown some encouraging results. Demand for large and small commercial vehicles has been 94

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Mar-21

YTD

% Change YOY

ISUZU

820

2034

18.7%

HINO

551

1326

33.1%

FUSO

378

925

39.7%

KENWORTH

222

497

24.9%

MERCEDES-BENZ

141

387

41.2%

VOLVO

115

325

-17.5%

IVECO

149

293

2.4%

SCANIA

107

218

2.3%

FIAT

55

128

1.6%

UD TRUCKS

42

125

14.7%

MACK

62

119

-21.7%

DAF

49

95

-4.0%

FREIGHTLINER

34

90

87.5%

WESTERN STAR

32

63

46.5%

MAN

25

61

-45.5%

HYUNDAI

24

60

122.2%

RENAULT

18

42

16.7%

FORD

21

36

500.0%

DENNIS EAGLE

16

27

200.0%

VOLKSWAGEN

6

10

11.1%

INTERNATIONAL

1

9

-10.0%

CAB CHASSIS/PRIME

2868

6870

20.0%

FORD VANS

177

414

66.9%

M-B VANS

178

409

-19.5%

VOLKSWAGEN VANS

144

281

72.4%

RENAULT VANS

115

154

18.5%

FIAT VANS

46

113

66.2%

IVECO VANS

30

84

29.2%

VANS

690

1455

23.1%

TOTAL

3558

8325

20.6%

Behind the people who keep Australia moving Everything we do, every day, relies on the people who literally keep Australia moving. From the fresh food in our supermarkets, to the petrol in our cars, from the school bus, to the train you catch to work, even your holiday travel. None of it would happen without transport workers.

And behind them is TWUSUPER, the industry super fund for the people who look after you.

1800 222 071 twusuper.com.au SUPERRATINGS GOLD 2019 MYCHOICE SUPER

SUPERRATINGS GOLD 2019 PENSION

TWU Nominees Pty Ltd, ABN 67 002 835 412, AFSL 239163, is the trustee of TWUSUPER ABN 77 343 563 307 and the issuer of interests in it. 55621

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, TRUCKIES KEEP EVERYONE GOING. Transport operators across Australia rely on Shell Rimula oils to protect their equipment operating in Australia’s tough conditions.

Contact us on 1300 134 205 or visit Shell.com.au/Rimula to find out more about Shell Rimula and the range of transport lubricants to ensure your fleet keeps going when the going gets tough.