Prime Mover June 2022

®

June 2022

IOR Group J UNE 2022

Diesel and Dust

pr im emov er ma g.c om .au

JUNE 2022 $11.00

ISSN 1838-2320 05

9 771838 232000

Industry Fleet: Shamrock Civil Feature: Vic Mix Spotlight: Terry Jewson Personality: Richard Emery

Innovation Fleet: Energy Logistix Technology: AK Evans Group Test Drive: Mercedes-Benz Actros Delivery: Coles Group

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 64-67.

MAGAZINE

RE A DY- TO - W O R K R A N G E

Playtime’s over.

Visit twusuper.com.au/insurance People talk about being in the “building game” but it’s no game, it’s serious business. And you need a serious truck to handle bigger payloads. Isuzu Ready-to-Work trucks can carry around a tonne more than a typical ute, most only requiring a standard car licence. So if you’re ready to get serious, head to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer now.

Warranty is subject to the conditions outlined in the IAL New Vehicle Warranty. For further information please visit isuzu.com.au or contact your local dealer. Features shown are available across Isuzu 4x2 Ready-to-Work models only. FSA/ISZS946

TW

s

®

June 2022

IOR Group

MEET THE TEAM

Diesel and Dust

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.

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.

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.

JUNE 2022 $11.00

ISSN 1838-2320 05

9 771838 232000

Industry Fleet: Shamrock Civil Feature: Vic Mix Spotlight: Terry Jewson Personality: Richard Emery

Innovation Fleet: Energy Logistix Technology: AK Evans Test Drive: Mercedes-Benz Actros Delivery: Coles Group

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 84-87.

MAGAZINE

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

william.craske@primecreative.com.au managing editor, transport group

Luke Applebee luke.applebee@primecreative.com.au

senior feature writer

Peter Shields peter.shields@primecreative.com.au

business Ashley Blachford

development ashley.blachford@primecreative.com.au manager

0425 699 819 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.

Paul Matthei | Senior Journalist

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

design

Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey

journalist Peter White peter.white@primecreative.com.au design production manager

Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

client success manager

Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au

head office 11-15 Buckhurst Street

South Melbourne VIC 3205

P: 03 9690 8766

F: 03 9682 0044 enquiries@primecreative.com.au

subscriptions

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

The right of refusal is reserved by the publisher.

Annual rates: AUS $110.00 (inc GST).

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

articles

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

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

copyright

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

All material in PRIME MOVER magazine is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher.

The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

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

A SMALL STEP ON OUR PATH TO CHANGE FROM 2021, ALL CASTROL PRODUCTS WE SELL IN AUSTRALIA ARE

COMMITTED TO CARBON NEUTRALITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH PAS 2060** A SMALL STEP TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

* **

in accordance with PAS 2060, see www.castrol.com/cneutral for more information.

The C02e emissions are calculated in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Product Life Cycle Standard and includes life cycle emissions. The demonstration of carbon neutrality will be assured by an Independent Third-Party and certified to BSI’s PAS 2060 carbon neutral specification. See www.castrol.com/cneutral for more information.

CONTENTS

Prime Mover June 2022

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46

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COVER STORY “Our roots as a company are in the bush. That’s where we come from. Our business has always been about challenging ourselves and going out to remote and regional places, establishing new fuel and energy infrastructure, enabling remote communities with access to fuel, 24/7, and giving back by supporting organisations that save lives.”

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MERCURY REVS

Prime Mover Feature Stories FLEET FOCUS 28 Diesel and Dust A major player in national fuel infrastructure, IOR meets the needs of Australia’s long haul transport industry with an expanding national network of diesel stops amid a significant profile of mounting and ambitious projects.

34 Here to Help Established in Brisbane in 1994 Shamrock Civil Engineering has been steadily expanding its operational footprint from Southeast Queensland into central and north Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.

38 Cleaning Up As the swing towards environmentally friendly solutions continues to gather momentum, Cummins is shifting gears to stay ahead of the curve. As a result, forward thinking companies like Energy Logistix are availing of the red engine maker’s offering of Euro 6 versions of its heavy-duty X15 powerplant to help them in their ‘clean ‘n’ green’ quests.

TRUCK & TECH 42 Mercury Revs Operating from the Pilbara Region of Western Australia, the

AK Evans Group utilises such brands as Kenworth and Dana to handle the demands its vehicles are required to meet.

46 Coming of Age Vic Mix, a Melbourne-based concrete supplier, runs a fleet of hard-to-miss pink heavy vehicles across its operations. An eyecatching new 630hp Mercedes-Benz Actros is the latest addition.

TEST DRIVE 56 Climbing the Rise The evolution of advanced driver systems has been having a positive impact on vehicle performance and safety as more features are becoming integrated into vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz Actros.

Regular Run 08 10 26 60 62 64 68 70 72 73 74

From the Editor Prime Mover News Mindset Personality Prime Movers & Shakers Delivery ARTSA-I Life Members National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Trucking Industry Council Victorian Transport Association Peter Shields’ Number Crunch

FROM THE EDITOR

William Craske Editor If such an industry as Big Suspension were said to exist the place to go find it would be in California where, for the sake of the argument, merchants who specialise in fixing shock absorbers and struts should, if they don’t already, make a killing. The road network in the Golden State has been decaying for decades. In a car you don’t ride so much as jounce over the pothole strewn road base and rutted cement. The concrete surfaced freeways and major transit routes have been in varying states of deterioration every time I’ve visited over the years, no matter who is in government. Managed decline here is a bipartisan project. It’s amazing anyone can be understood in a movie car chase for all the loud rattling. The only places that these road conditions are not the default is apparently Beverly Hills and on the 405 — the world’s longest parking lot in flux.

Big Suspension might also be headed for an economic boom in Australia, to judge by the current state of things, where our own crumbling arterials seem to go unnoticed by government, periodically, until there is an election

8

scheduled. That’s when most road works begin in earnest. Not all neglect, to be fair, is from managed decline. Drastic increases in construction, building and freight movements, have led to rapid deteriorations to the asphalt that holds together some 800,000 kilometres of road network nationally, irrespective of state or federal jurisdiction. Even so, poor roads hurt road safety and national productivity. Export competitiveness also suffers. Rural roads account for 65 per cent of the national road toll.

Maintenance spending on our roads has fallen way behind its current needs according to the Australian Rural Road Group (ARRG). In local roads alone, detailed economic analysis suggests an annual national funding gap of $2.8 billion per year has been created. That’s the annual amount of funds missing, compared to the real amount required to keep local roads maintained to a benchmark condition.

Poor weatherproofing of key access roads means that floods and even heavy rain episodes can isolate remote communities and their commodity exports for weeks on end. These lessons, regardless of whether they are learned, have been taught again this year in Northern NSW, Central Australia and outback Western Australia. The ARRG, a body that represents rural local governments nationwide producing over $100 million in agricultural product annually, insists the solution isn’t merely having more government money thrown at the problem but rather structural reform. Food security is, naturally, a vital issue for them. As it

should be for the rest of us.

A 2006 ALTA study submitted to the Productivity Commission revealed that a ten per cent reduction in truck weights that resulted from the poor condition of roads was having the effect of increasing the final price of export meat products in NSW by 12 per cent.

“Rural and remote areas can be more vulnerable to the risks of natural hazards, and greater investment may be required to protect or maintain these assets,” reported Infrastructure Australian in its Australian Audit for 2019. Buried in the same report was data it cited to November 2018, confirming that over 85 per cent of Australian goods exported were rural goods or mining products. High transport costs, driven by large distances, poor supply chain efficiency, and limited access for heavy vehicles on some regional routes due to weight restrictions and ageing bridges is no longer the inexorable stumbling block it once was through targeted lobbying that has addressed many of these vulnerabilities.

Advanced transport technology across which assets and infrastructure engage is now abundant. Bodies like ITS supposedly exist to shape the future of national networks by supporting the delivery of safer, more efficient, sustainable transport solutions. That’s why Los Angeles looms as an interesting choice for its 2022 World Congress.

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PRIME NEWS

> AJM Transport prepares for 22 incoming Kenworths A newly delivered Kenworth K200.

Overnight express specialist, AJM Transport, has taken delivery of the first Kenworth K200 of an order of 21.

A second K200 is reportedly in the workshop nearing handover.

Delivery of the order is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 when the last truck is slated to roll off the production line and will include a new Kenworth T909.

The lion’s share of the order is set for deployment as shuttle trucks operating on the busy Melbourne to Brisbane road freight corridor. For the interstate drivers the newest K200s will have fridges and microwaves and some extra bells and whistles according to Dennis Roohan, AJM Transport Group General Manager.

“We want to look after the guys who are away five nights of the week and also attract a better calibre of driver,” he said.

The Kenworth K200 is a tried and proven product in the AJM Transport 10

ju n e 2022

fleet which, in terms of sheer numbers, sits around 80 prime movers, with a mix of Kenworth, Volvo and the outgoing Freightliner Argosy which some of these new trucks are expected to eventually replace. Of the strategic benefits often realised from investment in the Kenworth K200 its ability to have multiple lives is singled out by Roohan.

“We love the fact that it can do a job for a number of years and then be redeployed in a whole new role,” he said.

“It can easily do a million kilometres on the long haul journeys and then be reassigned to Sydney to Brisbane or Sydney to Newcastle for another million kilometres.”

Operations also favour, in the majority, a 26-metre specified Vawdrey super drop deck, a requirement the dogged K200, which is powered by an ultra-reliable Euro 5 rated 600hp Cummins X15, has no issues with.

“We know every nut bolt on them, how

they brake, what they require at certain intervals,” said Roohan. “That kind of familiarity means we can fix them really quick,” he said.

Transmissions on the new K200s are an 18-speed Eaton manual 22918B through a Meritor RT 46-160 tandem rear drive axle.

Roohan said he is looking forward to the new Kenworth K220 which has only been teased so far by the Melbournebased OEM. He has been promised one in the not-too-distant future.

Now nearing the midpoint of 2022, the business, according to Roohan, has never been busier hence the necessity for additional mobile assets. He said having planned a good forward order in the bank has paid dividends in terms of possessing reliable new equipment to meet the contractual demands of the moment.

“I can’t see myself having to trade a lot of gear given how busy things are at the minute,” he said.

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PRIME NEWS

> Followmont celebrates delivery of 200th UD truck

Volvo Group Australia members with Mark Tobin [middle].

Queensland-based carrier and logistics company, Followmont Transport, have taken delivery of their latest UD Truck, the 200th from the Japanese marque. The bright red UD Croner 6×2 comes with a set of curtains to match with a gradient fade.

At an event held at Volvo Group Australia (VGA) corporate headquarters in Wacol, key leaders from the two companies gathered together to talk about the past, present and future.

Followmont Transport CEO Mark Tobin, VGA President and CEO Martin Merrick along with UD Trucks Vice President, Lauren Downs and Mack Vice President, Tom Chapman, held a discussion panel airing views on the transport industry, its evolution and what it might look like in the future.

A Volvo FHXXL was also on display, marking another milestone — that of 300 truck sales made by VGA 12

ju n e 2022

to Followmont.

The event, according to Tobin, as well as the two trucks symbolised an incredible partnership between the brands.

“It started off as a supply and demand need to one which has flourished over the decades to become one which is built off of trust and transparent communication,” he said.

“Both organisations know each other’s businesses and we work together to not only contribute but to strengthen the transport industry as a whole,” continued Tobin.

“Whilst our values are aligned, the frequent and open communication has assisted to remove the anxiety out of the curveballs our industry has faced whether it be natural disasters, the pandemic or the current recruitment strain.”

Staffing struggles, at present,

impacting the industry were occasion for Followmont to reiterate the vast opportunities the evolving industry still can provide workers.

“Whatever your background, age or ethnicity, there is a place for you within transport and we are an industry which cares and accepts you as one of the family,” said Tobin.

Merrick, who also spoke during the panel, said celebrating customer success was a key part of who Volvo Group Australia is.

“Marking milestones such as this with such a valued customer makes us very proud to have played a part in that success,“ he said.

“We don’t just sell trucks, we forge meaningful partnerships that are ultimately based on trust and integrity and I’m delighted to see a family business like Followmont Transport continue to flourish”

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PRIME NEWS

> WA announces program to improve heavy vehicle rest areas Important upgrades to rest area facilities for heavy vehicle industry operators are now underway across 13 locations in Western Australia. The program is part of the $50 million Freight Vehicle Productivity Improvement Program across more than a dozen locations recently announced that covers sites across the Pilbara, Mid-West Gascoyne, Wheatbelt, Goldfields Esperance and South-West.

The $50 million program, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State Government, includes improvements that will allow for safer turning movements, improvements to parking and breakdown areas for combination vehicles reducing noise and dust, and the construction of ablution blocks at some locations.

Work recently commenced at the heavy vehicle rest area in Munjina adjacent to the Auski-Munjina Roadhouse and Accommodation and includes the sealing of the rest of the area and improved access for heavy vehicles.

Work will progressively commence on each of the 13 locations over the next six months, with all improvements due for completion in late 2022. The 202223 program is also being developed through consultation with industry and will continue to be developed to

A heavy haulage vehicle negotiates a rest area outside of Perth.

ensure the appropriate priority areas for drivers are identified for forward works planning.

These priority projects, according to the State Government were identified through extensive consultation with peak industry groups, including Transport Workers Union (WA Branch), Livestock and Rural Transport Association of WA and Western Roads Federation.

“Our freight drivers in WA provide an essential service and are key for delivering critical supplies across the country,” said Transport Minister Rita Saffioti. “Our engagement with the

transport industry has helped WA achieve outcomes that are often the envy of our eastern state counterparts and providing these much-needed amenities and facilities in regional WA will only make it that much easier for our freight drivers.

“The Heavy Vehicle Industry has advocated for all needs to be addressed in one place creating a ‘one stop’ approach, and we are delivering these improvements to support road safety and provide greater opportunities for heavy vehicle operators to utilise as part of their fatigue management.”

> Qube begins world’s first outback electric truck trial Leading logistics and bulk carrier, Qube, has embarked on a trial of batterypowered trucks for heavy haulage in Western Australia. Qube in partnership with OZ Minerals is working on what it calls a world first in which battery electric heavy vehicles are tested across long distances in the rugged terrain of the Australian outback.

Known as the Vision Electric project, it focuses on tackling the challenge of emissions footprint reduction in the heavy transport and resources industries.

This self-funded trial is at an early stage and will be phased over 12 months, 14

ju n e 2022

beginning in the latter part of 2022.

“Qube is constantly evolving and that building a strategy that ensures a resilient and robust approach to sustainability is key for Qube’s long-term success,” said Todd Emmert, Qube Bulk Director.

“Vision Electric is a collaboration of technology and service for a challenging environment with currently limited alternate fuel solutions,” he said. “The vision is to elevate current technology to meet the demand of a dynamic remote export supply chain and advance our respective pathways to decarbonisation.

Vision Electric is an exciting element to

the next chapter of our pathway with OZ Minerals.”

As part of this trial, a battery recharging and replacement station will be set up in South Australia at Port Augusta, approximately 300 km from Adelaide.

Construction of this station is estimated to start in May 2022 and be completed by early August 2022.

Once ready, the station will be used as a battery change over pit stop for the battery-electric truck.

It is expected that the battery change over can be completed in the same time it takes for traditional refuelling.

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PRIME NEWS

> Isuzu reveals new F Series Range The 2022 F Series range of trucks from Isuzu have been unveiled on the back of an all-new audio-visual unit and industry-leading, new vehicle six-year warranty and roadside package. A 10.1-inch touchscreen audio visual and multimedia unit, the MyIsuzu Co-Pilot, is being marketed as an all-in-one smart partner out on the road by the OEM who has complemented many of the high-volume models in the range with advanced safety features.

The 4×2 models powered by the hightech and efficient four-cylinder N-4HK1 engine come equipped with Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Distance Warning System (DWS) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW).

These models and the larger FTR and FV models have, as an additional benefit, received Electronic Stability Control (ESC), while the Electronic Braking System is introduced to the four-cylinder FSR and FTR and FV models. New LED headlamps for all FRR/D, FSR/D, FTR and FV models have been installed for improved nighttime operation while cab-tilt warning has been introduced across the entire range.

In the cab, the four-cylinder 4×2

New FSR from Isuzu with LED main beam and halogen high beam headlamps.

16

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models also have a new instrument panel with 4.2-inch colour multi-info display and steering wheel controls.

Further highlights of the 2022 release include an upgraded GCM of 21,000 kg for FSR, FTR and FTS models with the 6HK1 260PS engine.

Isuzu’s highly regarded aftermarket support is bolstered with warranty upgrades across the range, featuring a six-year standard warranty with much higher distance and engine hour limits than previous models, as well as a sixyear roadside assist package.

“The Isuzu F Series has enjoyed excellent customer acceptance over the years, and the 2022 model year release offers even more for mediumduty truck operators, from improved owner and driver experience to even greater application suitability,” said Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) National Sales Manager, Les Spaltman.

“In planning this model release, we’ve looked at how our customers are using their medium-duty trucks and we’ve targeted our updates at the key market requirements,” he said.

“We’ve introduced active safety with ADAS to the volume 12 to 14 tonne GVM segment and in doing so, we’ve got features that match the

operating environment.

“In the heavier end of our offering, again the introduction of electronic stability control and electronic braking system brings the features that operators of these models, namely fleets, are looking for.

“And our 6-year warranty and roadside upgrades for all models further underlines our confidence in the reliability and performance over time, of our specification for this range,” concluded Spaltman.

The brand-new AV unit was developed in partnership with Blaupunkt Asia Pacific with a design and user interface exclusive to Isuzu according to IAL Chief Engineer, Product Strategy, Simon Humphries.

“We’ve also introduced a new navigation system from HERE Navigation with smart updates for maps, live traffic with a mobile phone wifi connection and the requisite truck specific data and routing,” he said.

“Drivers will appreciate the array of features from this major in-cab upgrade — this really is the latest in automotive AV technology,” said Humphries.

“The inclusion as standard of a new, digital low-light capable reversing camera furthers the smarts and safety of these models.”

The heavy-duty Isuzu FX and FY Series model ranges also receive a select series of updates, including the MyIsuzu Co-Pilot AV unit.

In common with the FV models, FX and FY ranges are upgraded with the new headlamp assembly, with low beam and position LED lamps, and halogen high beam and fog lamps.

“The technology used in these new lights provides performance that is superior to the most premium HID globes, and these aren’t even available for Isuzu models in Australia,” said Humphries. “This and other inclusions such as the fast USB charger and CAN connector for fleet management systems add to the improved driver and operational amenity of these models.”

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PRIME NEWS

> Don Watson Transport partners with Primary Connect on A-double first for Sydney Primary Connect has partnered with Don Watson Transport to trial the first approved 35-metre A-double combination operating in the Sydney region. Transport NSW approved the trial in February to help businesses create more efficient ways to move goods for their customers during the pandemic.

Two 35-metre A-Double combinations, pulled by Kenworth K200s, travel between Sydney and Melbourne daily, passing each other along the Hume Highway. Their final destination is at Primary Connect’s consolidation sites in Truganina VIC and Wetherill Park NSW. A permit for the use of 35-metre

A-Double combinations in Victoria had previously been granted by the Victorian Government.

Over the past few years, Don Watson Transport has partnered with Primary Connect to operate A-double combinations between Melbourne and Brisbane.

Lyndon Watson, CEO Don Watson Transport, said he was excited to be part of the trial into Sydney.

“The trial in partnership with Primary Connect has been a great experience,” said Watson.

“These high performance vehicles are so advanced. They are designed with a fixed drawbar which improves braking performance,” he said. “They hum

along by themselves and are typically contained on the highway and industrial estates while east of the Newell Highway. The general public don’t even know they are there.”

With each trailer having the capacity to hold 22 pallets, a 35-metre A-double combination will help reduce truck movements according to Primary Connect.

The logistics specialist for the Woolworths Group anticipates a 29 per cent productivity improvement with it equating to a total of 44 pallets. A standard B-double load would typically hold 34 pallets.

The trial is expected to continue until the end of June.

> Daimler Trucks announces Dealer of the Year A Queensland-based dealership has been awarded the Daimler Trucks prestigious Dealer of the Year. At a gala event in Melbourne representing Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Freightliner and Fuso brands in Australia and New Zealand, Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast was named as the Daimler Truck Dealer of the Year for 2021.

Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast Dealer Principal, Chris Spence was on hand to receive the award in person.

Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast Dealer Principal, Chris Spence accepts an award. was also announced as the Fuso Regional Dealer of the is a worthy winner of the Daimler Truck Year for 2021 and staff member Victor Dealer of the Year award.”

Dos Santos took out the Service Manager While Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast of Year award for both Freightliner and won the Fuso Regional Dealer of the Mercedes-Benz.

Year award, it was the Whitehorse “Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast provides Truck Centre in Dandenong that was a shining example of customer service announced as the Fuso Metro Dealer of and the team has well and truly earned the Year for 2021. Mercedes-Benz Trucks this award with sheer hard work,” said announced that Mavin Truck Centre Daniel Whitehead Daimler Truck and Bus was the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific President and CEO. Regional Dealer of the Year, while Daimler “Remarkable customer satisfaction and Trucks Huntingwood was recognised as strong sales across all three brands the 2021 Mercedes-Benz Trucks Metro means Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast 18

Dealer of the Year.

Daimler Trucks Huntingwood was also recognised by Freightliner as its 2021 Metro Dealer of the Year, while Daimler Trucks Albury was announced the 2021 Freightliner Regional Dealer of the Year after another strong performance.

Daimler Trucks Adelaide was announced as the Daimler Truck Financial Guild Dealer of the Year for Light and Medium Duty Trucks, while Daimler Trucks Laverton was announced as the Daimler Truck Financial Guild Dealer of the Year for Heavy Duty Trucks.

“The multitude of awards taken home by the Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast team highlights the depth of its customer commitment,” said Greg Lovrich, Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific Director Aftersales and Network Operations.

“Whether it be the person out the front helping a customer select the right truck for the job, or the person behind the service counter or under the truck in one of the service bays, the whole Sunshine Coast team is working hard to serve the customer.”

ju n e 2022

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PRIME NEWS

> CS Asset reveals monster B-triple Rising interstate carrier, CS Asset, has taken delivery of a new Freightliner Cascadia B-triple. The combination, which features a Cascadia 60 inch cab, the roomiest on the market, is spec’d for gruelling long haul journeys such as Adelaide to Perth, return, as well as Adelaide to Darwin, transporting general freight.

Owner Chamkaur Sodhi established the Adelaide-based company in 2013 following five years behind the wheel as a driver having graduated from a heavy rigid licence to B-doubles and later roadtrains. His current operations feature 35 prime movers, a majority of which are Mercedes-Benz Actros units, with some Kenworths, Volvos and Western Stars.

CS Asset also runs 52 B-double sets in addition to roadtrains.

Melbourne and Sydney are also on the B-double legs the business caters to overnight.

The fit-for-purpose Cascadia 126 is rated up to 98 tonnes gross weight and is already accumulating an estimated 6000 kilometres a week. Powered by a Detroit DD16 600hp engine with a peak of 447kw and 2,708 Nm of torque, the prime mover comes loaded with the latest safety systems including Antilock Braking System, Vehicle Stability Control, Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto Head Lights and Wipers, Lane Departure Warning and Side Object Detection.

CS Asset’s new Freightliner Cascadia 126.

The truck is also fitted out with Guardian driver monitoring technology and forward facing and side view cameras which are alway live into the dispatch office located in Green Fields where the business runs its sizeable warehousing and distribution operations.

A 60-inch XT Sleeper Cab incorporating overhead storage with doors, premium cab lighting and between seat storage ensures the driver, who is reportedly thrilled by the new vehicle, with plenty of working space on his long journeys.

“I’m super impressed. There’s a lot more space in the cab which is important for the distances it covers,” said Sodhi.

Sodhi spends the majority of his time these days in the office, helping coordinate transport operations which have rapidly expanded over the last nine years.

“Road transport is never slow especially over the last year. It’s been anything but predictable,” he said, acknowledging

supply chain challenges including flood disruptions earlier in the year that befell, many interstate trucking companies that rely on the Nullarbor and Central Australia transport corridors. “It’s rarely the same day to day. There’s only so much you can control at the moment and upgrading our trucks is certainly one way of managing that as best we can.”

The new Cascadia is the fifth new prime mover to enter the CS Asset stable this year.

“The truck is going great and the driver very much is liking it,” said Sodhi.

“It pulls the weight behind it like you would expect from a new American prime mover. It’s got the guts of a North American truck but the comfort of a European vehicle,” he said. “For the driver it’s the best of both worlds.”

Sales Executive Ghautum Dhillon, courtesy of Daimler Trucks Melbourne, helped facilitate the delivery.

> Silk Contract Logistics appoints new COO Wharf cartage and distribution firm, Silk Contract Logistics, has announced the appointment of a new Chief Operating Officer. Dani Aquilina was appointed to the role after 14 years as COO of the Reject Shop. She joined Silk officially in April. “I am excited to take my experience and passion for supply chain and the customer into this new role,” Aquilina said via a LinkedIn post.

“It has been great to meet and connect with Brendan Boyd, John Sood, Nicole 20

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Sullivan, Brendon Pentland, Matt Hannah,” she said. “I look forward to working with all of you and the team as we continue the Silk journey and make it easy for customers to do business.”

At The Reject Shop, Aquilina was accountable for all operating functions including store operations, supply chain, new store development and space optimisation. She also helped oversee business optimisation, in which operational costs were a focus

along with support for business growth requirements. Silk Contract Logistics had been enjoying a steep upwards trajectory with several high profile acquisitions and the opening of a new facility in Brisbane prior to the arrival of the COVID crisis.

At present the company operates 21 sites nationally and billed for over 283, 300 containers according to FY 2021 results. In that same period Silk reported revenue of $323.3 million, a 28.6 per cent increase year-on-year.

> VTA urges Govt to lift mandatory vaccination requirement for workers The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) is calling for the vaccination mandate for transport workers to be lifted, bringing it in line with other jurisdictions around Australia.

While the VTA welcomed the further easing of COVID restrictions in Victoria announced by Health Minister Martin Foley, it questioned why the state was now one of only three jurisdictions to retain vaccine mandates for workers.

“With transport being a truly national industry, we need consistency in the rules between the states and territories,” said Peter Anderson, VTA CEO. “Since mandates were introduced last year, we estimate around seven to ten per cent of drivers have left the transport industry, which is significant

for an industry already facing driver shortages and challenges attracting new drivers to the industry,” he said. “We need to make it easier for drivers to enter the transport industry, not harder.”

Anderson said the mandates had been a factor in supply chain disruptions that have led to delivery delays and chronic shortages at supermarkets and other retail stores.

Removing the mandates, according to Anderson, would ease the labour pressures operators have been dealing with for months.

“The sooner vaccination mandates in Victoria are removed, the sooner drivers can get back to doing the work they love, and operators can re-employ workers they desperately need,” he said.

Anderson also pointed out that the transport industry has worked harder than ever during the pandemic under some of the toughest rules and restrictions, and that having maintained its social licence to operate the time had come to start to responsibly ease rules in the workplace.

“From having to get swabbed up to ten times a month, isolating from family and friends in order to continue working, and observing strict hygiene practices, the transport industry hasn’t skipped a beat keeping Australia moving,” he said.

“As we start to move into the next phase of COVID, and with vaccination rates as high as they are, we need a consistent set of rules to start to get our supply chains back to normal.”

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PRIME NEWS

> Hyzon to build hydrogen refuelling depot in Melbourne

Lily D’Ambrosio speaking at the media event.

Hyzon Motors Australia has announced plans to build a green hydrogen refuelling depot at their regional headquarters in Melbourne. The commercial-scale green hydrogen depot will reportedly support Hyzon’s rapidly growing manufacturing footprint in the region, to supply hydrogen to new customers, and to further demonstrate the commercial viability of what the company refers to as ‘behind the fence’ hydrogen to decarbonise fleet operations.

Expectations are that the depot could be up and running by late 2023.

Hyzon, in partnership with the RACV, hydrogen specialists ENGV, and other yet-to-be announced third parties, is working through the design, planning, permitting and development process for the green hydrogen depot anticipated for Noble Park.

This follows Viva Energy’s announcement last month of a New Energies Service Station in Geelong which also incorporates hydrogen refuelling for heavy vehicles.

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Hyzon is currently delivering an initial order of hydrogen powered vehicles for RACV-owned subsidiary Nationwide Group, the first order of such vehicles for a Towing company in Australia.

These vehicles are the first customers for the planned green hydrogen depot.

It is likely the green hydrogen refuelling depot will be powered, at least in part by onsite solar generation installed and operated by RACV Solar.

Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D ’Ambrosio, was on hand at Hyzon Motor’s Noble Park site to officially open the manufacturing facility and announce the development of the green hydrogen refuelling depot.

“Green hydrogen is a key part of our plan to halve emissions by 2030,” she said. “We’re creating jobs in new industries as we lead Australia’s clean energy transition.”

Hyzon Motors Global CEO, Craig Knight, said the announcement sent a strong message that Hyzon was playing

a key role in Australia’s energy transition.

“Our hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles will play a key role in the decarbonisation of the transport sector and be a key component of Australia’s fuel security strategy for the future,” he said.

Hydrogen availability for heavy duty vehicle refuelling is the key missing infrastructure link in Australia for the industry, according to Hyzon Motors Managing Director ANZ, John Edgley, who said investments like this one would underpin the creation of local hydrogen communities, essential to build into the promise of the hydrogen economy.

“We are focused on generating new local jobs, new and sustainable local manufacturing facilities, and a fundamental transformation of fuel supply to green and local,” he said.

CEO of Nationwide Group Michael Stephenson said as Australia’s largest towing and roadside assistance company, that the company was always working to be at the forefront of fleet innovation.

“We are excited to explore how hydrogen can play a part of road transport in Australia,” he said. “This trial will give us an opportunity to test hydrogen vehicles in a real-world test for towing and transport and we’re thrilled to be part of this new industry leading partnership.”

Business Development Manager for ENGV, Gemma Harrison said ENGV was thrilled to work with HYZON and RACV on renewable hydrogen production and refuelling infrastructure in Melbourne.

“Along with our global technology partners, we are continuing our contribution to the growth of the Australian renewable hydrogen industry,” she said. “By deploying and servicing hydrogen infrastructure to support the transition to zero-emission transport and a clean energy future, ultimately reducing global emissions and providing local resources to support such projects.”

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> Transport merger shakes up heavy haulage sector Two mainstays of the Australian heavy haulage industry have announced their imminent merger. Hunter Valley-situated Hogan’s Heavy Haulage is to be acquired

by Bower’s Heavy Haulage. The proposed acquisition of Hogan’s Heavy Haulage gives Bower’s Heavy Haulage a major stake in the region’s coal mining and civil industries the latter said in a statement.

“The merger with Hogan’s Heavy Haulage adds to our NSW presence and national footprint and like our other business. It is an established family business with a reputation for great service to its customers and an excellent safety record,” said Daniel Bower, Bower’s Heavy Haulage Managing Director.

“Hogan’s Heavy Haulage has led the way for many privately held transport companies in NSW since they began trading over 25 years ago. They are a highly respected company and have always demonstrated their appreciation

of all individual roles within the transport and heavy haulage industry and their involvement will be heavily missed,” he said in the statement. “We have had an incredible relationship with Hogan’s Heavy Haulage for almost 15 years with the working relationship between the companies going back even further for my father and grandfather. We are saddened to lose this working partnership, but we are excited for the Hogan’s family to be moving towards their well-earned retirement from the industry.”

Settlement was targeted for the end of May. The purchase for Bower’s Heavy Haulage follows two major acquisitions in the Hunter Valley over the past seven years with the acquisition of the Boom Logistics’s Hunter Valley transport fleet in 2015 followed by Tutt Bryant Heavy Lift and Shift in 2018.

As specialists in transport for both large and small freight, Hogan’s Heavy Haulage offers a dedicated service 24 hours a day,

seven days a week. Its clientele range within New South Wales, Victoria and North Queensland for whom it can offer a variety of low loaders, tilt trays and other trailers towed, in the main part, by Mack and Volvo prime movers.Hogan’s Heavy Haulage specialises in transporting mining machinery and associated equipment, earthmoving and farming machinery and heavy industrial components.

“We want to take this opportunity to say thank you and express our gratitude to Gary, Yvonne, Tanya, Jason, Sonya and their families for trusting us to take forward one of your life’s greatest achievements,” said Bower. “We are very grateful for the relationship we have had in the past, and the opportunity to continue this into the future. We are confident we will continue Hogan’s Heavy Haulage at the level you did and aim to make you proud of what you created when you see your legacy still on the road.”

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GLOB AL NEWS

> Daimler subsidiary launches Autonomous Advisory Council Torc Robotics in partnership with major US logistics companies, has launched an Autonomous Advisory Council in North America. An independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck, Torc is cooperating with the likes of Schneider, Covenant Logistics, Penske Truck Leasing, Ryder System, Inc, CH Robinson and Baton to further develop the real-world applications for autonomous trucking.

To that end, Torc has established the Torc Autonomous Advisory Council (TAAC) with these key freight industry players to incorporate deep industry insights into its development process. Daimler Truck North America as OEM partner will provide strategic guidance to Torc as they integrate with the freight network and tackle challenges beyond highway driving.

With customer co-creation, Torc enters what is considered the next stage of development, focusing even more sharply on specific customer requirements and concrete business models.

Daimler Truck and Torc are reportedly committed to making autonomous trucking a reality and commercialising the technology within the decade.

Daimler Truck CEO, Martin Daum, foresees an opportunity to increase its service revenue, in addition to promoting significant market and growth potential.

“We are fully committed to autonomous trucking as it can benefit everyone. It will increase safety, because systems do not get tired and do not lose attention,” he said in a statement. “It will boost logistics performance by enabling trucks to run more. It will help society cope with the growing volume of freight, particularly in times of severe driver shortages.”

Daimler Truck and Torc claim to have the longest autonomous driver technology and truck OEM partnership in the industry and have been testing a fleet of autonomous trucks on public roads in the US on a daily basis.

Since acquiring a majority stake in Torc three years ago, Daimler Truck has made significant progress in turning autonomous trucks from an idea into reality. Typical driving scenarios such as lane changes 24

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L4 autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia.

and complex merges have been tested intensively and have proven that Torc’s autonomous driving software can safely navigate on highways.

More recently, Torc expanded its testing and is now demonstrating L4 autonomous trucks with enhanced capabilities in more complex scenarios.

Autonomous truck testing in the US has expanded to include surface streets, ramps and turns at controlled intersections through state-of-the-art LiDAR, radar and camera technology. These capabilities are essential for the planned deployment in the hub-to-hub use case.

In this application, drivers deliver goods in conventional trucks over the first mile to transfer hubs along highways in key US freight corridors.

From there, the trailer is coupled with a purpose built L4 autonomous truck that safely navigates long stretches of highways by driving autonomously from hub-to-hub.

Once the L4 truck reaches the destination hub, the last-mile distribution will continue via manually driven trucks.

Factors such as long, open stretches of highway, increasing demand for freight movement, large fleets and forward-looking regulators make the US the ideal proving ground to deploy this new technology first.

As a next step, Torc is now involving leading logistic companies to specifically develop the real-world use case of the autonomous logistic system of the future.

In the past few years, engineers at Daimler

Truck North America have successfully developed the first scalable autonomous truck platform with critical safety systems.

Based on Freightliner’s industry-leading flagship truck, the Class 8 autonomousready Cascadia with redundant functions enables the deployment of autonomous trucking. This truck has been designed and developed with a second set of critical systems, such as steering and braking to meet Daimler Truck’s uncompromising safety standards. The vehicle continuously monitors and assesses the health of these systems. In case of interruption or errors, the newly developed redundant systems will be able to safely control the truck.

Given its redundancy of systems, the autonomous truck can contribute to enhancing safety in traffic and brings Daimler Truck that much closer to its vision of what it refers to as accident-free driving.

“With Torc’s experience in commercialising autonomous vehicle solutions and Daimler Truck’s strong customer relationships in the freight industry, we’ve formed a powerhouse team to develop Level 4 technology for long-haul applications,” said Michael Fleming, Torc Founder and CEO. “The cooperation with our partners from the logistics industry creates numerous opportunities to co-develop concepts and facilities, and conduct research and development for Class 8 autonomous trucks, hub-to-hub operations, fleet operations, and fleet maintenance services.”

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OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS The future is bright for the Australian trucking industry.

Daniel Whitehead Daniel Whitehead is the President and CEO of Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific, which represents the MercedesBenz Trucks, Freightliner and Fuso brands.

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T

hat much was clear at the recent Australian Trucking Association Trucking Australia conference on the Gold Coast, especially during the Daimler Truck Future Leaders presentation. A joint initiative between Daimler Truck and the ATA since 2018, the development program has helped nurture some wonderfully talented young people who will help our industry navigate the challenges of the future.

Daimler Truck sees massive potential in embracing new ideas and empowering our next generation. We are also proud to back Transport Women Australia Limited and are the only truck manufacturer to be accredited by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, demonstrating a genuine willingness to make Australian road freight a destination industry for the best and brightest, regardless of gender.

In an industry traditionally dominated by men, often older, we celebrate new perspectives and fresh ideas. We believe the future of Australian trucking will benefit greatly from investment in people as well as the continued innovation of products and services.

As the world’s leading truck manufacturer, Daimler Truck has always been prepared to invest in order to deliver the most advanced technology to help our customers save fuel, boost safety and improve driver comfort across our Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Freightliner and Fuso brands.

Our track-record shows leadership with

the introduction of Euro 6, seamless fully-automated transmissions, integrated Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS), airbags in conventional trucks, high-resolution tablet screens, electric trucks and guaranteed buyback finance programs.

While some of our rivals had to be dragged kicking and complaining to recently introduce Euro 6 as an option by progressive customers who demanded it be offered, Daimler Truck set the standard with the first complete range of heavy trucks to feature Euro 6 engines when the new generation Mercedes-Benz Trucks Actros was launched locally back in 2016.

Some critics thought we went too early, but operators soon discovered that our advanced technology enabled them to reduce emissions and save on operational costs at the same time.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks first introduced this AEBS autonomous emergency braking technology here all the way back in 2010, Freightliner introduced it first as standard on conventional trucks in 2019 and Fuso became the first manufacturer to offer it as standard on a complete range (light, medium and heavy) as well as light bus, last year.

We have had several customers mention a dramatic reduction in incidents involving their AEBS trucks, with some even reporting no crashes since we introduced the technology.

Indeed, a large US fleet, which switched to AEBS-equipped Freightliner Cascadias saw incident repair costs

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Daimler’s three truck brands.

for its trucks ‘drop off a cliff,’ thanks to the feature.

Saving lives and money. Now, that’s a great outcome.

Regulators recently announced AEBS will be mandated in stages between November 2023 and February 2025, but it is clear to us that customers shouldn’t wait until then to choose models with this brilliant technology.

Recently, we launched Australia’s first Level 2 automated truck, a MercedesBenz Actros that can effectively steer itself (although the driver must have their hands on the wheel). You have to get behind the wheel to experience this

amazing optional technology, which really does help reduce the fatigue of drivers and free them up to concentrate on driving. The proactive system basically keeps the truck centred in its lane, in order to prevent drivers from drifting out, while the electric assistance makes life easier for the driver both on the highway and in the yard.

There can be some default resistance to these kinds of technology, but most drivers come around once they experience the benefits for themselves. Of course, the biggest benefit is avoiding fatigue-related incidents that occur on our highways, often in the early hours that can tragically

change or even end a life.

Daimler Truck was also the first Original Equipment Manufacturer to launch an electric truck with the Fuso eCanter last year with more exciting zero emission solutions hitting Australia in the very near future. These will start with battery electric for shorter haul operations while hydrogen fuel cell technology shows great promise for long haul zero emission work.

Embracing these various innovations will lead to a better, cleaner, safety and more profitable road freight industry in Australia. The future is full of exciting opportunity; let’s make the most of it. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

DIESEL & 28

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& DUST A major player in national fuel infrastructure, IOR meets the needs of Australia’s long haul transport industry with an expanding national network of diesel stops amid a significant profile of mounting and ambitious projects. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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mong the innovations taking place in the essential fuel industry sectors, IOR Group, an Australian-owned business established in 1984, leads the way through an adoption of new technology, sound investments and rapid expansion.

On the back of an oil refinery in Eromanga, a little-known town in outback southwest Queensland where IOR originates, owners Stewart Morland and Ross Mackenzie have been steadfast in realising a shared vision — a vision to scale up the 24-hour company-owned Diesel Stops that service remote areas of Australia. The business, in accordance with the pursuit of that vision, has grown

Colin Quinn.

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exponentially with over 90 of these Diesel Stops now in effect all over the country while bolstering infrastructure and diversifying its customer portfolio for good measure.

One of the company’s core aims is to serve more customers in more places.

It’s a unique model. Many of its regional depots are operated by local community members. Bulk fuel is then distributed to surrounding communities and regionally based industries, such as long-distance transport, farming, local councils, mining and oil and gas. As it offers fully integrated fuel management services, IOR handles most of its operations inhouse.

“We have infrastructure, capability and

people across the entire Australian fuel supply chain” says Drew Leishman, IOR Head of Infrastructure. “IOR tries to do everything, within reason, ourselves.

That’s the most important thing. We secure our own supply chain and COVID has taught us that’s more important now than ever.”

As a service provider to the remainder of the business, Drew’s role is to look after all assets. That encompasses everything that goes with physical infrastructure including property from its construction to operation, service, maintenance, and keeping the multitude of fuel assets pumping every day. Workshops also come under this portfolio. In this day

IOR’s Eagle Farm Diesel Stop.

and age it’s a formidable business that foregoes the need to outsource any of its operational inputs to third parties.

“We take a hands-on approach to our site development, including planning, legal, engineering and construction all being executed in-house,” says Drew.

Fuel tank manufacturing takes place at IOR’s infrastructure hub in Eagle Farm.

IOR runs a fleet of around 110 trucks and 300 trailers as part of its transport operations, a business unit to itself.

Several new Hino trucks have been acquired of late as service vehicles to help with remote sites which, like everything, require maintenance.

On a normal preventative maintenance run, attendance of these new Hino 300 Series vehicles can involve minor tasks such as the replacement of parts and metre calibrations to major internal and external cleans. The trucks are commonly

“We take a hands-on approach to our site development, including planning, legal, engineering and construction all being executed in-house.”

Drew Leishman IOR Head of Infrastructure

fitted with a tray-back upon delivery.

After that point, the pump fit-outs, tanks and hydraulic-driven equipment is all installed in the IOR workshop.

Breakdown maintenance might require the changing of hoses, nozzles and pumps, as well as different types of mechanical and electrical components.

IOR technicians, according to Drew, must be multi-skilled. In addition to breakdown and preventative maintenance they will participate in site builds, installations of underground and aboveground tanks and be asked to

perform welding and electrical work — usually in remote Australia.

“They might even paint tanks and change stickers and decals,” he says. “These trucks have a couple of IBC containers in the back with hose reels and tools. They will have pipe racks on the roof and are driven thousands of kilometres or more to either fix something or build something.”

Drew’s team also runs a 24-hour hotline.

Faults on sites are detected through a cloud-based telemetry system IOR has built. In fact, that’s the project that brought Drew to the company ten years p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

ago. The online system, known as HyDip fuel management, runs the entire IOR network. Fuel tank levels at all sites can be monitored online via HyDip in realtime. It also provides notifications for faults on hoses and dispensers.

“We have eyes through the cloud on every single facility and that’s what feeds into our maintenance plans and sending people all over the country,”

always quite flash, it’s all buttons — like driving a car. They’re practical and good to run. When the rental vehicles come back to us, we’re only replacing mudguards and broken taillights.

Nothing is rattled. They’re unshakeable in that sense.”

The relationship with Hino is relatively recent. Along with John Fraser who runs the Transport Division, Drew decided

“That, if anything, sets us apart in the industry. We have got leading technology that has enabled us to establish remote unattended refuelling sites around the country, which wouldn’t have been possible without HyDip and this is why we have invested so heavily in it.”.

Drew Leishman IOR Head of Infrastructure

explains Drew. “That, if anything, sets us apart in the industry. We have got leading technology that has enabled us to establish remote unattended refuelling sites around the country, which wouldn’t have been possible without HyDip and this is why we have invested so heavily in it.”

IOR will have an engineer or technician onboard ready to assist customers should they call up with an issue on site.

“When a customer, no matter where they are, calls up for a fix on fuel tags or pin numbers or a reset they are talking to someone who actually goes out and fixes the tanks,” Drew says. “That’s pretty unique at any hour of the day.”

Unlike the company’s fuel service trucks, that are rented to third parties, the maintenance vehicles are not 4x4. The fuel service trucks, however, are fitted with 5000 litres of diesel storage, some AdBlue, grease and air and are rented for use on large mine or construction sites before they are returned and refurbished

by IOR for another project.

“I’m a fan of Hino and Toyota,” says Colin Quinn, IOR Infrastructure Fabrication Manager. “I find them robust and easier to service. The insides are 32

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it was time for a change of OEM and a conversation with Sci Fleet Hino’s Nathan Murdoch proved fortuitous for both parties.

“To be quite honest he’s been awesome to deal with and he’s looked after us really well,” says Drew. “So, we have kept going back for more. Any time we’ve wanted any factory extras, like PTOs or different guards or trays and fit-outs, they’ve always been accommodating.”

Partnering with Hino resonates on another level. It enables the service and manufacturing team to continue in its mission to bring new refuelling services to regional and remote communities, in places like Quambone, or on King Island Airport, that might never have had fuel infrastructure beforehand.

“That’s what we do. We just continue to roll these facilities out,” says Drew.

“Our roots as a company are in the bush.

That’s where we come from. Our business has always been about challenging ourselves and going out to remote and regional places, establishing new fuel and energy infrastructure, enabling remote communities with access to fuel, 24/7, and giving back by supporting organisations that save lives and improve

people’s wellbeing. For years, IOR has been a major supporter of RACQ LifeFlight Rescue, Heart of Australia, It’s a Bloke Thing, Outback Futures, and the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service Queensland.”

Self-bunded fuel tanks are a major part of the rental business. These range from 1000-litre tanks up to 100,000-litre tanks. There are more than 50 other small mobile fuel assets to rent which provide capacity for 2000-litre trailers and go up to 24,000-litre trailers for towaround projects. Agricultural customers, particularly in time for harvest, take the 24,000-litre self-bunded quad dog trailers according to Drew.

“They can be towed around the farm to fill up equipment. This way of bringing fuel to equipment in the field reduces downtime and enables massive productivity improvements at a critical time of the year,” he explains. “The smaller stuff is hired out by oil and gas groups and solar farms and civil construction projects, rail projects.”

The company continues to invest heavily in research and development to provide integrated fuel access, storage and management solutions to meet the specific needs of its customers. In Yaraka, 220 kilometres south of Longreach, to give an indication of its isolation, the only option to refuel in the district was, previously, a 100-kilometre trip to Isisford before IOR developed a 24/7 refuelling site. That required farmers and residents to make costly return journeys to purchase fuel. Bedourie in the Simpson Desert is another new location in the IOR network. The refuelling site here will support connectivity and access to fuel for transporters from northern Queensland into South Australia.

“We’re building sites in the locations our customers need us most,” says Drew. “The more we connect the dots, the more the network grows, the further our customers will be able to go.”

Joining the refuelling sites with major highways is critical to this expansion strategy and sees the company growing its presence in metro areas. Aviation fuels were added to the business in 2017

to expand and strengthen its services to remote and regional areas. It follows the diesel network model, combining HyDip with aviation grade fuel tanks which it uses at regional airports. IOR plans to further increase the number of airports it services in the coming year.

Back in February it was announced that IOR had secured a $15 million loan from the Queensland Government’s Building Acceleration Fund to help expedite the development of a new diesel import terminal at IOR’s site in the Port of Brisbane. Operated as a Crude Oil Terminal until last year, the Lytton Terminal facility was constructed in 1984 and was acquired by IOR in 2008. The planned upgrades will be critical for Southeast Queensland’s fuel security, introducing new fuel importing and storage infrastructure. Upon completion, the Terminal will provide Brisbane with 110 million litres of new domestic

diesel storage. IOR is commissioning an estimated $50 million of works. For perspective on the scale of the project, the site’s existing 50ML tank is being repurposed for diesel storage, two new tanks are being erected for extra diesel capacity and one new tank for biodiesel additive. Various upgrades have also been greenlit including improvements to the containment bund, electrical infrastructure as well as delivery of new diesel loading pumps and loading bays, and construction of a 4km pipeline to the nearby wharf complete with new marine loading arms. The project will support over 260 construction and eight operational jobs.

“IOR’s core business is the on-road refuelling sites and bulk fuel. But each business unit including lubricants, aviation and tank rentals are essential to IOR and our customers in their own rights,” says Drew. “Together it just

creates a great proposition and capability that can do a lot of things for a lot of people. If someone calls us for support on their project, in most cases, we can solve nearly all of their problems in one hit.”

Cohesion across the business is therefore vital. The two directors Stewart Morland and Ross Mackenzie, according to Drew, are still both in the office every day.

“They are heavily focused on getting the terminal up and running in Brisbane and keep on investing in the business,” he says, “It’s exciting. That’s why I’ve stayed as long as I have and will continue to. It’s such a good place to work. There’s never a dull moment.”

Despite ongoing scarcities in global markets that continue to ripple across the world, it’s reassuring to see dedicated energy, ambition and Australian knowhow are not, at least where IOR is concerned, resources in short supply.

One of the new Hino 300 Series deployed in IOR’s maintenance fleet. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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FLEET FOCUS

Isuzu FVZ 260-300.

HERE TO 34

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O HELP

Established in Brisbane in 1994 Shamrock Civil Engineering has been steadily expanding its operational footprint from Southeast Queensland into central and north Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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FLEET FOCUS

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idely known throughout the industries in which it operates as simply ‘Shamrock Civil’, the company is involved in a variety of construction and environmental projects in both remote and metropolitan locations, with works including concrete, roads, pipelines, and major earth works. Shamrock Civil’s team provide expertise for a diverse range of construction projects delivering services to gas and mining, transport infrastructure, commercial, defence and government development sectors. They have had a hand in constructing gas fields, defence facilities, major shopping centres and even concrete bridges such as the Chardon Bridge in Logan City, south of Brisbane.

An area of increasing activity for the Shamrock Civil organisation is the preparation of refuse waste dump sites for clients such as, local councils and major contractors such as Cleanaway. This sector can encompass the initial earthworks and the ‘capping’ procedures necessary as the refuse landfill cells reach their capacities.

Rehabilitation of mine site areas is yet

A water truck on site in Whyalla, South Australia.

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another sector where Shamrock Civil’s experience, expertise and equipment are put to good use.

“The one area that we don’t get into is residential sub-division work,” explains Shamrock Civil Director, Leslie Zeeman.

“A couple of years ago we decided to become more geared up towards the management of bigger jobs, with bringing in sub-contractors and equipment to complement our own if we needed to.”

Shamrock Civil has grown to employ around 150 full time employees including managers, engineers, quantity surveyors and safety advisors. The company comfortably contracts for projects totalling around $150 million per year. Currently there is at least $150million of future work on the books.

“There are very good conditions at the moment and we have to be prepared on how to get through all of it,” says Leslie.

The core fleet of equipment includes more than 120 items ranging from bulldozers, graders and excavators with up to 50 tonne capacity, dump trucks with up to 40 tonne capacity, skid steer loaders, as well as small and large tippers with up to 40 tonne capacity. They also

own 20 water trucks ranging from 8,000 to 40,000 litre capacities.

“We’ve gone through a big capital expenditure program over the last couple of years and have spent about $5.5 million on plant and equipment, with an additional $3 million over the next six months,” says Leslie. The fleet includes many items other than vehicles and earthmoving equipment such as generators, pumps, portable site offices and a series of attachments.

“The basic intention is to use companyowned assets as the mainstay, especially in the work being done for defence and our larger contracts for Cleanaway doing rehabilitation of refuse sites as well as our current work with premium companies such as Santos and Arrow Energy,” says Leslie. “We’ve always stuck with Toyota as our main fleet vehicle, but last year we decided we needed to diversify so we could keep up with the supply and demand. After we did a bit of investigating, we decided on supplementing our fleet with the Isuzu D-Max.” In addition to the water tankers, the Isuzu brand appears on tippers and

Shamrock’s Plant Operator, Jonathan Skinn with a 15,000-litre water truck.

service vehicles for maintenance of the various pieces of earthmoving equipment. A dedicated team of diesel fitters perform scheduled servicing and maintenance on the plant and equipment, which reduces the risk of down time and ensures the fleet is utilised to its maximum capacity.

John Delaney, Plant Manager for Shamrock Equipment, is proud that the company’s Isuzu FVZ 260-300 water truck was a finalist in the Isuzu Truck of the Year awards.

“We love our Isuzu water truck, it’s the perfect addition to our fleet,” he says.

Consequently, three similar Isuzu 15,000 litre water truck units are on order from Isuzu. The FVZ 260-300 is a 6x4 configuration with a GVM of 26,000kg and a GCM of 36,000kg. It is powered by the 8.0-litre Isuzu six-cylinder engine which meets Euro 5 emission regulations without the use of a Supplementary Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system and its associated requirement for AdBlue liquid.

The engine develops 221kW of power and delivers 981Nm of torque and the truck rides on Isuzu’s six rod multi-leaf rear suspension.

In similarity to operators around the world, a challenge for Shamrock Civil

is more about being able to get the equipment.

“We have ten Isuzu D-max utes on order,” says Chief Financial Officer Shamrock Equipment and Shamrock Site Services, James Moore, who looks after the company’s assets. “We were hoping we would get them by January, but the world of COVID has pushed that back so we’re probably talking about mid this year.”

Shamrock Civil has been in the vanguard of corporate and community responses to recent and past incidences of flooding in Brisbane.

“In 2011, we saw some of the worst floods Brisbane had ever dealt with, that’s when we first got involved with the Brisbane City Council,” says Leslie. “They even used our premises to fill sandbags and deliver them to affected areas. We got involved again in the 2022 flood events and this time made machinery available to repair roads and help with the wide scale clean up. We often do silent charity work because that’s just the way we are and we like helping where we can. If people need us and we can help, we most certainly will.”

Flood clean-ups and equipment delays aside, the future for Shamrock Civil looks

very positive. The construction industry in Australia has not been as badly affected through the COVID pandemic as others. Achieving $160 million this year represents a 60 per cent increase and is an indication of the greatly increased level of activities in which Shamrock Civil is involved.

“We’re thinking positive, and we are having a good run, but we have our ups and downs just like any business,” says Leslie. “At the moment we are doing well.”

Shamrock Civil has a strong commitment to understanding, meeting and continuously evolving its approach and responsibilities to the environment.

They have developed, and rigorously apply their own environmental management system to reduce the impact their operations have on all aspects of the environment, including native flora and fauna, air and water quality, soil conditions and cultural heritage. Shamrock Civil also has a strong commitment to ensuring they provide a healthy and safe work environment for their employees, subcontractors and project partners.

The company approaches its 30th year in 2024 and in an industry sector like road transport, one of the biggest challenges is recruitment and retention of qualified people. Shamrock Civil commits significant time and resources to retain its reputation as an employer of choice and a core group of employees has been extremely loyal to the business over the past couple of decades. The very first employee appointed by Shamrock Civil is still with the company today.

“I’ve been here for two years, and I’ve never worked in a company where so many of the people have been here ten plus years,” says James.

Shamrock Civil also aims to make a positive impact on the local communities in which they operate, which includes employing local people and supporting local businesses wherever possible.

Shamrock Civil also has a strong history of providing indigenous employment opportunities and developing cultural understanding. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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CLE ANI As the swing towards environmentally friendly solutions continues to gather momentum, Cummins is shifting gears to stay ahead of the curve. As a result, forward thinking companies like Energy Logistix are availing of the red engine maker’s offering of Euro 6 versions of its heavy-duty X15 powerplant to help them in their ‘clean ‘n’ green’ quests.

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here can be no denying that fossil fuel burning engines are steadily on the way out the back door, with a range of electric options steadily spooling up to take their place. However, while this snail’s pace shift in reliance on new power sources plays out over the next few decades, the interim measure is to ensure the ongoing diesel donks are developed to the pinnacle of possibility in terms of fuel efficiency and minimal emissions.

For its part, Cummins South Pacific has been evaluating Euro 6 engines in Australia for the past four years. Over that time, X15 Euro 6 engines have chalked up millions of kilometres in a wide range of applications and environments, hauling a range of combinations including single trailer, B-double and roadtrain.

Importantly, Cummins has been able to meet the stringent Euro 6 standards without the need for exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), which the company 38

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One of the Kenworth roadtrains Energy Logistix operates.

NING was keen to avoid due the issues it caused in the past.

Reduced emissions start with Cummins’ Extreme Pressure Injection (XPI) system that is claimed to reduce noise and improve combustion efficiency and fuel economy; while a relatively simple wastegate turbocharger is also used rather than the complex and potentially problematic variable geometry turbo (VGT).

It also utilises selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) combined in a single housing known as Single Module Technology, which is said to be more compact, lighter and stronger than separate module designs.

The Cummins X15 Euro 6 is available in two variants known as Performance Series and Efficiency Series. The differences between the two comprise

Energy Logistix is running with the Cummins X15 Performance engine.

altered hardware including intake air management and compression ratios along with tailored computer software.

The Performance Series has ratings ranging from 525 to 625hp, with peak torque of 1,850 to 2,050lb-ft, while the Efficiency Series features ratings ranging from 460 to 550hp, with peak torque between 1,650 and 2,050lb-ft.

The top Efficiency Series rating of 550hp accompanied by 1,850 to 2,050lb-ft of torque was previously the preserve of the 600hp class. According to Cummins, this rating is ideal for B-double prime movers with down-sped (lower 100km/h cruising RPM) drivelines, to promote fuel efficiency without compromising performance and trip times. This variant is intended for mating with Eaton’s UltraShift Plus 18-speed automated manual transmission (AMT), while the Performance Series, which is intended for vocational and heavy haulage roles, is best suited to the Eaton 18-speed manual ‘box.

One of the early adopters of Cummins X15 Euro 6 technology is Energy LogistiX (ELX), a multi-million dollar transport and logistics company founded by Co-Directors Jo Williamson and her son, Shaun, just over ten years ago.

Jo worked with her father at his transport company and also worked for some other large trucking companies before starting her own business, with Shaun joining her soon after.

“At the time I was working on oil and gas rigs and I suggested to mum that she should focus her efforts in the resources space because I’d identified a gap in the market at that time,” Shaun says. “Not long after I came onboard as a partner in the business, and the rest, as they say, p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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New Kenworth C509 specified for roadtrain application.

Energy Logistix prefers to invest in Australian- made products.

is history.”

According to Shaun, the growth of the business has been phenomenal – in the vicinity of 20 to 30 per cent, year-on-year. Today the company runs a fleet of prime movers and has a subcontractor base of roughly equal size.

The company fleet comprises a couple of Western Stars and the same amount of a European brand, with the majority 40

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being Kenworths.

“Our fleet of double and triple roadtrain prime movers is primarily Kenworth with Cummins engines and we have a very strong relationship with our local dealer CMV in Adelaide,” Shaun says.

As for the reasoning behind choosing to purchase Euro 6 compliant prime movers well before the introduction of equivalent Australian legislation, Shaun

says it’s all about going on the front foot and leading by example.

“My mum is nearing retirement age and she wanted to take a step back so early last year we sat down together to work out a direction for the business,” Shaun explains. “I have two young kids and the vision we had as a family was to build a sustainable generational business, so we needed to work out how the next five to ten years in our industry would look and where we would fit in.”

Shaun says that’s when the issues of sustainability and reducing emissions came into sharp focus, including increasing technological innovation and efficiencies in the company’s truck combinations and other areas of the business.

“One of the imperatives that came out of this was that any new trucks we purchase from now on will be Euro 6 compliant at a minimum,” he says.

Kenworth was quick to come onboard with the idea and in turn got Cummins involved.

“All the parties including Kenworth, Cummins and CMV got involved and found out what we needed, with the

“One of the imperatives that came out of this was that any new trucks we purchase from now on will be Euro 6 compliant at a minimum. Kenworth was quick to come onboard with the idea and in turn got Cummins involved.”

Shaun Williamson Co-Director, Energy Logistix (ELX)

end result being that we were able to take delivery of two new Kenworth C509 roadtrain prime movers fitted with X15 Euro 6 engines,” Shaun recalls. “We’re one of the few companies in Australia that has adopted these new Euro 6 engines for the heavier end of the load capacity – which is a 130-tonne payload.”

Shaun mentions that the company does a lot of carrying to remote mine sites across Australia which demands ultimate reliability. He says that one of its key customers is right behind the push to develop a sustainable transport business and industry, adding impetus to ELX’s efforts.

“They backed the idea of us trialling one of these trucks in our operations which enabled us to move forward with the concept,” Shaun says.

Perhaps going some way to explaining why not every transport operator is keen

to jump aboard the Euro 6 bandwagon just yet, Shaun mentions that from a financial perspective he believes there is no tangible benefit from using Euro 6 compared to Euro 5 compliant engines.

“From our experience the new Euro 6 engines are using a fair bit more AdBlue than our Euro 5 Cummins engines which essentially means the Euro 6 engines are running cooler, and of course, there are less emissions coming out,” Shaun says. “From a fuel usage perspective, to be honest, we haven’t seen any noticeable benefits yet but they are still breaking in with about 80,000km on the clocks, so we are hoping to see a small improvement in fuel economy once they are fully run in.”

Nevertheless, Shaun says that he feels the benefits of running cleaner engines will play out over the longer term and that he is proud to be an early adopter

of the Euro 6 technology.

“I’m young and an innovative thinker and my goal is to push this space forward, whereas generally the industry isn’t quite so proactive in this area,” he says. “There are a lot of bigger companies these days and many of the medium-sized private enterprises like ours don’t exist anymore, while those that are still operating generally have older people running them who tend to not want to change the way they do things unless it provides a cost reduction for the business.”

Then there are the big multinationals who are investing in European trucks in the Euro 6 space in Australia.

“But for us,” Shaun continues, “we’ve always tried to invest in Australian-made products where possible, and for us that’s the Kenworth product.”

For the moment, it’s trailblazing companies like ELX that are paving the way for the Euro 6 equivalent emissions standards this country will have in the near future.

The advantage for companies such as Cummins, the world’s largest independent powertrain manufacturer, is that having forward thinking companies willing to bite the bullet with the Euro 6 engines means the technology will have many runs on the board when it comes time for the mainstream rollout.

Part of Energy Logistix’s formidable Kenworth fleet.

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MERCURY

REVS Operating from the Pilbara Region of Western Australia, the AK Evans Group utilises such brands as Kenworth and Dana to handle the demands its vehicles are required to meet.

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Kenworth C509 triple roadtrain.

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T

he mention of the Pilbara region in Western Australia’s northwest usually evokes two distinct images: red dirt and big trucks. Since it was established in 2006, the AK Evans Group has amassed considerable experience in both of these.

AK Evans has progressed from specialising in the hire of earthmoving plant and equipment, to a rapidly growing bulk haulage division and an increasing involvement in the construction of renewable energy facilities.

Access to the mines requires roads which can be used in all weather conditions and the construction and maintenance of those vital supply lines requires a spectrum of earthmoving equipment.

Those big yellow pieces of machinery also require transport to and from their hirers’ sites and AK Evans has an extensive selection of floats of up to 100 tonnes complemented by ramp-equipped drop deck trailers and conventional flat top trailers. Hauling, the often, high levels of mass is a fleet of Kenworth C509 prime movers, many equipped with tri-drive axles supplied by Dana. In fact, Dana components are specified in bogie drive configurations as well, along with Dana steer axles on single- and twinsteer trucks.

Aerial view of the rugged Pilbara region.

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Traditionally AK Evans was a plant and equipment hire company with a few prime movers designated for transporting their own pieces of equipment. Early in 2021 the company began its involvement with bulk commodities including moving ore. Initially, this was intended to improve the utilisation of trucks and trailers which were often parked and not doing a lot of work between shifting equipment. AK Evans already had some side tippers which were used mainly in construction work in double trailer configurations. The first triple was put to work after they moved into bulk ore transport and the winning of a sizable contract, subsequent to that, resulted in the need for ten quad trailer combinations.

“There was a quite a challenge for the business going to triples, and then we won a contract hauling manganese ore for Element 25 and we needed ten quads,” says AK Evans Managing Director, Michael Still. “We decided that we were going to do it properly and buy brand new Kenworth C509s and new quad side tipper sets. I’m a big believer that a poor man pays twice, so when we were successful in securing our first long term contract we went and secured brand new equipment for it.”

While other prime movers may have been up to the task, the decision to choose Kenworth has led to an unintended consequence in the area of driver recruitment and retention.

“When we spec the trucks we don’t skimp on anything and they really do look the part,” says Michael. “The Kenworths are also one of the reasons people want to work for us. Good drivers attract more good drivers and by providing new gear morale is good, the staff are happier, and the potential justifies the investment.

With what we have committed to, by mid-2023 we’ll have 60 prime movers in our fleet.”

The expansion of the AK Evans operation has been made possible in part due to a focus on the company culture both as a group and from an individual employee’s perspective and the need to care about the well-being of people such as truck drivers.

“We’ve taken some hard looks at ourselves and the leaders we employ, and in our industry getting people who actually ‘like’ people can be challenging,” says Michael.

“Fortunately, we’ve got a very good group of leaders who want to see other people be successful.”

One of the challenges Michael gives to the leadership group as individuals is for

them to employ people with the potential to take over their own jobs, which can be quite daunting sometimes.

“They might ask: ‘What if they do take my job?’ Well, that’s great because it means the business is growing and you can grow within the business. We probably have a different outlook and perhaps that’s why we haven’t had any trouble attracting people, including drivers.”

Another attraction for professional drivers is the roster system which is possibly unique in the industry. The drivers work 12 days on and then they have nine days off, instead of the more common two weeks on and one week off.

“It fits within fatigue management and rather than working them for fourteen days with an RDO in the middle of those 14 days up at a work or mine site, we work to where they can still be within allowable hours working 12 days straight and have their RDO at home with their families,” Michael explains. MTData and Guardian driver fatigue systems are being rolled out to all of the trucks to ensure the best safety measures are in place.

AK Evans may have grown by being a hire company, but it has also increasingly been asked by clients to be a solutions business. A key factor of that is running some projects with its own people including operators, supervisors and engineers. The expertise embodied in the AK Evans team is available to properly manage projects for better efficiencies and in the project management capacity, the company will oversee onsite operations, procurement, subcontractor management and resourcing, which contributes to streamlining the overall construction process.

Future-proofing the business has been secured by making a commitment to the renewable energy sector across Australia and AK Evans has, in the past few years, built recognised capabilities in solar and wind farm civil construction projects. Renewables has become one of the three core parts of the business joining the equipment hire and haulage divisions. One of the initial projects in the renewables sector has been to build a 10Mw solar farm for Aggreko Energy with

Goldfields Mining as the end user.

“That project opened up our eyes to the fact that there are very few mining contractors that had experience in building solar farms, or solar farm contractors that understand mining,” recalls Michael. “Being in the Pilbara we understand the requirements of working in mine sites and that’s probably why we see a massive future for our business in building renewables. Plus, we are trying to do the right thing and reduce the impact our industry has had on the planet.”

Another successful renewable-focused

with reduction hubs. All are fitted with Dana’s Australian-designed lubrication pumps that contributes to extending the life of the lubricant and reducing internal component wear. The pump circulates the lubricant to ensure components, which are subjected to the high loads experienced in AK Evans applications, such as power dividers and ring and pinion gears, receive adequate lubrication with the additional benefit of reduced temperatures throughout the entire axle assemblies. In conditions combining high ambient temperatures with high gross

“Being in the Pilbara we understand the requirements of working in mine sites and that’s probably why we see a massive future for our business in building renewables. Plus, we are trying to do the right thing and reduce the impact our industry has had on the planet.”

Michael Still AK Evans Managing Director

project has been the Christmas Creek solar farm, which at the time of its construction was the largest off-grid solar farm in the country. A project on the eastern side of the country has been the 120Mw solar farm at Nevertire, in NSW, which provides electricity to the nearby city of Dubbo as well as to the NSW energy grid.

“We have good partnerships with people who need us on the east coast and the benefits of having our own trucks and having our own mobile workshops and some of our 150-plus staff already based on the east coast, it’s not a far stretch for us to mobilise to even quite remote sites to set up shop,” Michael explains. “It is something we can do really easily and with flexibility. There is plenty of work in WA but through those partnerships moving forward we will be involved in more projects in NSW and Victoria.”

The Kenworth C509s are powered by Cummins engines with Eaton Road Ranger manual transmissions delivering the power to tandem or tri-drive Dana rear axles, some of which are equipped

mass loads the Dana drive axles have a distinct advantage provided by the oil pumps over conventional ‘splash feed’ lubrication methods.

“We’re very happy with the service we get out of Kenworth and the CJD dealership.

All of our new gear is Dana-equipped and manufactured in Melbourne which also gives us confidence in the product,” says Michael. “Jock Pickford, one of Dana’s key truck sales support people, actually flew up to the Pilbara to meet with some of our customers to see firsthand the challenges we have up north. We have no Dana-related issues with our trucks and Dana have been really reliable truck components for us.”

Michael has been closely watching the local development of battery electric trucks such as those from Australian company Janus, which uses Dana electric motors/inverters and he looks forward to performing some trials with the concept.

“We are in contact with Janus already because I believe personally that there is a really great future for our business as well,” he says. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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COMING

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OF

AGE

Vic Mix, a Melbourne-based concrete supplier, runs a fleet of hard-to-miss pink heavy vehicles across its operations. An eyecatching new 630hp Mercedes-Benz Actros is the latest addition.

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Mercedes-Benz Actros 2663.

ic Mix takes transportation of its core products - namely cement, sand and rock — very seriously.

The Victorian business, which specialises in pre-mixed concrete for decorative, industrial and domestic use, considers itself a transport company first and a concrete company second. The fleet at current is made up of a range of different trucks to suit all projects, with revenue bifurcated between commercial and residential streams. These include 8x4 agitators, tankers and truck and dog applications that ferry materials depotto-depot and between quarries. A new Mercedes-Benz Actros 2663 was introduced into the fleet of pink trucks some weeks back for the latter task. Its owner-driver, Daniel Venditti, fits into this broader picture as a long-time subcontractor who has been working for Vic Mix or one of its subsidiaries, for the better part of 30 years, having started out at the age of 19. That amounts to a lot of hours in the saddle, especially when appointed to do so, more often than not, six days a week.

“I’ve driven Kenworths, Sterling and International trucks,” he says. “I’ve been in a truck for most of my adult life.”

The human body over that time can take a battering. To the point his last truck, an Actros 2658, provided him noticeable relief at once as a working environment and on overheads. Fuel consumption being a major one.

In the 2658 Daniel soon discovered remarkably low noise levels. Up until that point he had been making gradual

upgrades through a range of ageing trucks hunkered over a clutch pedal. There were a few factors that helped convince Daniel to ultimately try out an automated transmission, Mitchell Hynd, Whitehorse Truck Centre, Sales Manager, was one of them.

“Quite often veteran drivers have to be talked into driving an automatic as was the case with me,” says Daniel. “Once you make that change you wonder why you didn’t do it earlier. I’ll never go back.”

Last April, after four and a half years of gallant service and over 600,000 kilometres, Daniel traded in the Actros 2658.

“There were no issues with the truck so his servicing was essentially paid for,” says Mitchell. “Knowing Daniel was chasing 63 tonnes in the application, the Actros MP5 can provide him with the extra power he needs now that he has upgraded.”

The new Actros 2663 features the Euro 6 rated OM 473 630 hp engine capable of 3000 Nm maximum torque. Coupled with the Mercedes PowerShift 3, it enables fast shifting from forward to reverse and highratio reverse gears for easy manoeuvring.

On that front, the Actros is particularly suited for the access requirements of the sites hence the five-axle dog trailer which accords with this consideration. A six-axle dog might provide an increase in payload, but it won’t get drivers into the concrete plants, the most common destination for Daniel, who is in and out of these facilities, not to mention traffic, throughout the day.

“Cabovers, to compare, are much easier to p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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manoeuvre than a bonneted truck in this line of work,” Daniel says. “This has also got the pulling power I need.”

Traffic delays are commonplace for heavy vehicle operators and with Vic Mix’s four operation plants spread throughout metro Melbourne — head office is in Dandenong — the agitation caused by congestion is lessened considerably by his ability to adjust to conditions promptly.

“I’m in and out of traffic for the best part of my time,” says Daniel. “In that sense the automatic makes it more like driving a car.”

Moving off is noticeably more comfortable by virtue of the crawler mode, which allows the vehicle to creep forwards automatically when the service brake is released and to roll along at idle

Daniel Venditti.

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speed when the accelerator pedal is not depressed. After creeping forwards, the vehicle will continue to roll at idle speed until the vehicle is stopped with the service brake or the crawler mode is deactivated.

Creeping forwards and rolling at idle speed take place in all permissible start-off gears so that when in traffic jams, rolling speed can be adjusted to the traffic.

It’s not all urban navigation, however.

Notwithstanding the plants, Daniel often finds himself on the open road attending quarries, contingent on the job allocation he receives the night prior. He finds himself as far east as Bairnsdale, southwest in Moriac, as far north as Glenrowan and on the outer edge of Western Port Bay at Grantville in the southeast.

Fuel economy sits around 2.3 to 2.4 km/l

fully loaded.

The new Actros 2663 averages around 3000 kilometres a week, roughly between 500 to 600 kilometres a day.

As the Actros 2663 truck and dog combination has been approved for 106 tonnes GCM, it’s crucial that Daniel can monitor trailer and drive axle weights. He retains full visibility on payload from the dash cluster.

Predictive Powertrain Control optimises the vehicle’s kinetic energy to avoid unnecessary acceleration, shifting or braking. Cruise control, consequently, is made available in more situations. The benefits are many for the driver, assisting, for example, in the enhancement of a fuel-efficient driving style. On the longer highway stretches Daniel is likely to

The new pink Actros as truck and five-axle dog in Melbourne.

encounter en route to a regional quarry, the vehicle, through this function, can be put to even greater use.

Bulk Transport Equipment have provided the tipper and dog trailer bodies. As the vehicle is nearly identical to his last Actros, on hand diagrams allowed BTE to commence body building work before Daniel had possession of the truck. As a result they turned around the build quickly in under three months.

The recent boom in the new housing market can be felt, without question, in the surging demand for materials and the resultant movement of tippers and dog trailers on the road is appreciable. Exposed aggregate is proving popular, again, for residential driveways and also for footpaths in areas with aging populations. After

placement of the concrete, the top few millimetres of concrete paste are removed from the surface in order to reveal the stone called aggregate embedded within.

A sealer is then applied to enhance and protect the finished product. Aside from a myriad of colourful designs it also grips better under foot.

“On the Mornington Peninsula exposed aggregate is preferred by councils where older residents might have less confidence walking on wet surfaces,” Daniel says.

“That’s something I’ve noticed when I’ve got time to notice. To be honest it’s been that busy — the busiest time in the years I’ve been driving.”

An ability to efficiently and reliably manufacture load after load of concrete has become for Vic Mix, inextricably linked

to the capabilities of its trucks with their memorable signage — signage that’s hard to miss. In addition to a shrewd branding strategy, the fleet of pink trucks help raise awareness for breast cancer with Cancer Council stickers also a prevalent part of the livery. On the new Actros, Daniel has opted for an ‘old school’ paint detail, a personal preference over the current trend of vinyl wraps. The pink with black trim matched with black bullbar certainly make for a striking presentation. The spry appearance of the truck would, at first glance, suggest its occupant might be a much younger driver.

“The Actros has got a level of comfort that should appeal to older, experienced drivers,” he says. “I like to keep things fresh — myself included.”

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REQUIEM FOR A

HEAVY WEIGHT Multi-drop loads, with their constantly changing weight distribution can easily catch drivers out leaving them at risk of an axle overload. Transport & Waste Solutions and Axtec provide real-time information to the drivers of thousands of vehicles from 3.5t van-based derivatives through to 26t and 32t rigids.

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ince commencing operation in 2009, Sydney company Transport & Waste Solutions has built a strong reputation for providing and installing NMI approved weighing systems — systems that have been tested and passed to meet predetermined standards to ensure upmost accuracy, to the waste sector and other industries.

In 2018, continuing with its loadmanagement focus, TWS formed a strategic partnership with UK axle weighing specialist, Axtec.

Forming a partnership with Axtec, according to TWS Founder and Managing Director, Chris Coleman, just made sense.

A DAF prime mover approaches an Axtec dynamic axle weighbridge.

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“It allowed us to continue to help our customers maximise their payloads whilst operating within the law,” he says. “By achieving this, our customers improve their efficiencies, resulting in greater profits, whilst reducing their

environmental impact.”

Put simply, Axtec OnBoard axle load indicators allow drivers and fleet managers to ensure appropriate placement of loads and avoid overloading vehicles.

Here green indicates that the vehicle has safe loads over each of its axles.

They can be applied to rigid vehicles from 3.5 tonne vans up to multi-axle 32 tonners with accuracy of up to 2.5 per cent margin of error.

OnBoard connects to GPS and telematics devices and up to six cameras to help make the vehicle safer for the driver, other road users and pedestrians.

It constantly displays the individual axle and gross vehicle weights to the driver via a clear colour coded graphical display and warns of overload via audible and visual prompts.

Since becoming a strategic partner, Transport & Waste Solutions has gone on to install around 1000 units for Axtec nationwide. Axtec products are currently being utilised by several state utility companies which helps them meet Chain of Responsibility (CoR) obligations by providing accurate and reliable vehicle load information in real-time as vehicles perform their daily operations.

The introduction of CoR legislation, as part of Australia’s National Road Transport Reform (Compliance and Enforcement) Act 2003, followed by the introduction of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, in which “anyone who has influence over the transport activity is responsible for safety on the road” has changed, among many other transport sectors, the waste and

refuse industry.

Under the legislation, those responsible for consigning, packing, loading or receiving goods in a business, regardless of whom is driving the truck, may be held legally responsible for breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law. Moreover, corporate entities, directors, partners and managers are not immune to the legislation. The law now requires all parties, who have a duty of care on the supply chain, to exercise due diligence to ensure safety across all transport activities.

No less important for this very reason, axle load indicators help to ensure waste and recycle transfer businesses are complying with the legislation while out on the road.

Weighbridges will confirm the gross mass of a vehicle, and whether load limits specified in the Heavy Vehicle National Regulation are exceeded, but they miss one vital statistic. To satisfy the regulations, loads must be placed in a way that ensures the vehicle remains stable and safe. In other words, loads need to be distributed so as not to overload axles; a common problem that until now has been often overlooked, and largely because of the difficulty in monitoring load distribution.

Axtec offers what it calls dynamic, static, portable and on-board weighing systems.

This includes the Axtec OnBoard Axle

Load Indicator. The Axtec OnBoard Axle Load Indicator provides drivers with realtime information on axle and gross vehicle loads via a simple, easy to read, colour coded bar graph display.

“Due to the simplicity of the screen, the driver doesn’t have to interact or scroll through menus,” says Chris. “Everything he needs to see is clearly presented for him. Further, from each display we can transmit RS232 protocol and what the driver sees on the display in the cab is what will be seen on the screen depending on the provider of the telematics.”

He adds, “What we do is give the customer the RS232 protocol and then the telematics converts that into the language the customer wants to see it in.”

The RS232 is user-friendly meaning a programmer can extract whatever information from it they want to see.

Transport & Waste Solutions currently has two customers trialling a couple of units, using their own back-to-base system according to Chris.

“Even if a customer doesn’t have the RS232 capability, if they can spare a fivevolt input into their tracking system, we can give them an in-load limit output,” he says. “But we don’t supply back to base information. There’s lots of people out there who can do that.” p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Visual and audible warnings can prompt the driver when overloads are present, while load data can be simultaneously written to the built-in logger and transmitted to a tracker system. A colour touch screen automatically displays images from rearview or side-mounted cameras. It can also be set to dim when the vehicle is in motion.

Imagine a traffic light with its red, amber and green lights. Green in this instance represents go, amber represents 80 per cent axle load capacity and red signifies the vehicle is overloaded. A warning light outside the cab can prompt the driver to check which axle is overloaded and adjust the load accordingly while they are still loading.

“That’s what many of our clients are using it for,” says Chris. “You can be legal on the front axle, and you can be legal on the rear, but the combined two masses can put the truck over the general mass limits.”

Operators in the waste sector are driven, Chris points out, to ensure that they get a premium load on the truck without breaching any overload requirements.

“The waste industry is using the equipment to get maximum productivity without risking overloads, but they’ve got no way of measuring their weight while they are picking up bins because everyone has different volumes in their bins,” he says.

“But if you’re on long haul or short haul and you’re up in Kempsey or down in the boondocks and you have loaded it up with a forklift and the public weighbridge is not working, you have a load indicator there to ensure that you are distributing your mass correctly.”

Trucks found overloaded on the weighbridge are penalised according to how much weight they exceed on the limit. It’s not uncommon for a truck to be impounded depending on the severity of the breach.

“That’s true of any weighbridge in NSW that is wired into the State Government,” says Chris. “If you go over that weighbridge overloaded it automatically sends a message to the RMS alerting them to the breach. Straight away that vehicle cops a fine. It doesn’t take much to go overloaded.”

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A commercial vehicle can over-tip in excess by as much as half a tonne over the front axle limit. An onboard system in this instance ensures that they get a maximum load over the rear axle especially when one or two additional bins will put them over the threshold. Because weights are variable during a trip it puts even more onus on operators to have real-time insights into their axle loads.

Aside from assisting waste companies meet compliance and reducing possible fines and downtime from having the truck penalised, the Axtec system improves productivity. Transport & Waste Solutions uses a Swedish NMI approved weighing system. When used in conjunction with the onboard axle indicator, it enables the customer to charge their client a premium price for moving the waste, especially when working in a regional area.

“They can monitor their axle loads to ensure the truck is economical to be run on the road for a long duration without going overloaded,” Chris explains. “They can use the NMI on their light bins. They can do multiple pickups at the same time ensuring that their axle limits are not exceeding the load limits.”

Transport & Waste Solutions also installs the Axtec Load Indicator on prime movers, low loaders and drop deck trailers.

“A customer of ours recently found that they have been going overloaded on their prime movers and they had no control over the weight on the drop deck,” Chris says. “We have done four drop decks now

using the Axtec load indicator, and it’s working out fine. While you’re loading the vehicle you can either move the load towards the front or towards the rear to ensure you don’t exceed the load limit. The display can be used to pack the load on your trailer or tray of your truck. If you’re using a forklift, for instance, you can add a tonne here and a tonne there and pop up into the cab to observe how the weight distribution is going over the axles.”

Transport & Waste Solutions also installs axle load indicators in the vacuum truck sector. Because they have got a 10,000-litre tank, many operators are under the impression that they can carry 10,000 litres of water.

“They forget that they’ve got two blokes whose combined weight is 150 kilos plus their lunch box, half a tonne of shovels, picks and equipment, all of their PPE gear and at the end of the day they realise they can only carry 7,000 litres of water,” he explains.

Infringements to loading and mass compliance are most common in the industry and so easily missed by loaders, load managers, drivers and operators. In this way the Axtec Onboard Load Indicator provides reassurance to drivers that they are complying with Mass Load limits while being able to distribute their loads safely and, it must be noted, legally at all times.

“Everyone is pretty happy so far with the accuracy,” says Chris. “Not only because the accuracy is consistent but it’s repeatable. That’s the selling point.”

A colour touch screen automatically displays images.

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TRUCK & TECH

Automated digital tracking solutions makes predictive maintenance easier.

CHE AP T Fleet management technology can improve long-term fuel efficiency. Here’s how according to Teletrac Navman.

A

fter wages, fuel is the second biggest direct expense for transport companies, accounting for around a third of all business costs. Given this, it’s no surprise that the recent rise in fuel costs is having a sizeable impact on the trucking industry.

The 22.1 cent cut to the fuel excise has resulted in a mere 4.3 cent per litre reduction for truck drivers after factoring in the road user charge and the loss of Fuel Tax Credit. Without adequate government relief, the industry will continue to bear the brunt, with consumers eventually taking on the cost.

However, the current situation offers a unique opportunity for operators to take control of fuel costs to ensure long-term success, rather than just weathering the fuel storm. By exploring the causes of fuel inefficiencies and embracing the

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opportunities that telematics technology and fleet management solutions can bring to the table, drivers can stay on the move now and well into the future.

Here’s how technology, such as smart route mapping, can improve long-term fuel efficiency and reduce the impact of fuel costs. Reducing unnecessary kilometres to save on fuel costs is the first, easy step truck drivers can take to improve long-term fuel efficiency according to Andrew Rossington, Teletrac Navman Chief Product Officer.

“At its most basic level, GPS fleet tracking gives businesses instant visibility to allocate fleets more efficiently and enhance fleet accountability,” he says.

“Beyond this, AI-powered telematics technology also measures everything from driver locations to time spent at a job and travelling time.”

The telematics platform allows for

optimised route planning that shaves off unnecessary kilometres from trips. The application considers scheduled stops for jobs and waypoints vehicle operators must pass through for compliance. The prepared journey is then available in real-time to select through the driver’s invehicle device.

“If you’ve deviated from your set path, you’re notified and immediately directed back to the defined route via the safest roads,” says Andrew. “Back-office staff are also alerted, helping managers identify consistent problems and overcome inefficiencies — simultaneously saving on fuel and protecting assets while increasing driver safety and compliance.”

Predictive maintenance is an essential tool in a transport business’s belt.

Proactively maintaining assets and keeping them at the top of their game ensures they operate smoothly,

TRICKS improving fuel efficiency. Equipment management solutions use historical data to identify and alert fleet managers of what equipment needs maintenance and when. Digitised systems fully automate maintenance routines with custom schedules and real-time access to equipment diagnostics and inspection reports.

Key vehicle parts to keep in peak shape include tyres, motor oil, engine fans, sensors and battery cables. Ensuring these are well-maintained can have significant benefits for fuel efficiency. For example, reduced tyre pressure, misaligned wheels, and bad spark plugs can increase resistance, reducing fuel efficiency by up to 30 per cent, which equates to an added cost of 11–33 cents per litre.

“Using automated digital tracking solutions makes predictive maintenance an easy task for businesses and helps to avoid costly breakdowns,” says Andrew.

“It also greatly reduces manual labour on paper-based processes — increasing efficiency and savings both on and

off road.”

Driving performance and its improvement is another key indicator.

Of course driving performance can drastically impact fuel efficiency.

Driving faster than necessary, aggressive acceleration, harsh braking, and idling can all burn through excessive fuel.

Reducing a truck’s average speed from 113 km per hour to 105, for example, can reduce fuel consumption by up to six per cent. Equipping your vehicle with a Smart Dashcam, which combines the power of AI technology with telematics data and advanced onboard sensors, provides insight into these metrics and identifies training opportunities.

The camera provides alerts in realtime to reduce inefficient driving habits instantly.

Smart Dashcams, as Andrew points out, also come equipped with built-in scorecard and coaching features to create long-term, fuel-efficient driving habits.

“The live dashboard displays fleet and individual driver metrics meaning

you’ll have complete insight into your performance,” he says. “You can see how you compare with your colleagues to foster healthy competition and encourage improvement. You’ll be alerted when there’s a significant change in metrics, either positive or negative.

The system provides tips and feedback to help you set measurable goals and improve your driving habits and fuel efficiency over time.“ Long-term thinking is also a key part of improving fuel efficiencies. Weathering the soaring cost of fuel requires more than just a band-aid approach according to Andrew.

“Instead, you should focus on identifying and tackling the root causes of fuel inefficiencies and adopting integrated fleet management solutions to create a solid foundation for longterm growth,” he explains. “Fuel costs may continue to rise, but with smart systems in place, you’ll give your business the best chance at a successful, fuel-efficient future.” p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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RISE CLIMBING THE

The evolution of advanced driver systems has been having a positive impact on vehicle performance and safety as more features are becoming integrated into vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz Actros.

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evelopment of autonomous vehicles over the past decade or so has not contributed to the demise of Western civilisation, as some early detractors may have preached, but instead has resulted in the progressive adoption of a number of key systems which offer to significantly improve the safety and efficiency of modern commercial vehicles. In many cases, what were futuristic concepts just a few years ago are now the new realities available in current generation trucks.

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The Mercedes-Benz Actros is enjoying considerable success across many world markets including Australia and is available with an expanding range of autonomous-related functions. The introduction of the Active Drive Assist (ADA) system by Daimler Trucks in Europe in 2018 made the Actros the first series production truck to be capable of partially automated driving (SAE Level 2). ADA is another step forward in terms of safety and delivers much more than the adaptive cruise control systems which are becoming more

commonly available across a number of manufacturers.

Under certain preconditions ADA actively supports the driver in the longitudinal and lateral guidance of the truck and can automatically maintain the distance to the vehicle ahead, accelerate and also steer if the necessary system conditions, such as adequate curve radius or clearly visible road markings, are met.

The adaptive cruise control function integrated into the ADA means if the driver gets too close to a vehicle in front, the ADA can automatically brake the

MirrorCam view with panoramic mode on the new Actros.

Mercedes-Benz Actros 2653 with Active Drive Assist.

truck until the pre-determined minimum distance has been re-established. Once that is the case, the system can then re-accelerate the truck up to the predetermined set speed.

The newest generation of ADA can do even more and the system is capable of initiating an emergency stop if it recognises that the driver has not been actively involved in the driving process for a certain period of time, which could be related to fatigue, inattention or medical issues. Initially the system requests the driver via visual and acoustic signals to place their hands on the steering wheel.

If, even after multiple warnings, there is no response in the actions of braking, steering, accelerating or operating the vehicle systems via the buttons on the steering wheel, within its limits the ADA system can brake until the truck safely comes to a complete standstill while

staying within its lane and warning the following vehicles by automatically initiating the hazard lights. As the truck comes to a standstill, the system can automatically engage the electronic parking brake. In addition, the doors are unlocked so that paramedics and other first responders can directly reach the driver in the case of a medical emergency.

Thankfully, we don’t have to resort to feigning a heart attack to test the ADA system, although it does demonstrate its effectiveness during our test drive when a passenger vehicle travelling in front decides, too late, to take an off ramp and leaves its rear bodywork partially in the lane in which we are following. We are far enough away to take evasive action if it becomes necessary and it is reassuring to feel the Actros’s brakes applied automatically. The only function missing from the scenario is an autonomous blast of the air horns directed at the fool who risked getting jammed between a semi and a guardrail.

Previously we’ve had opportunities to assess Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks which have been equipped with the MirrorCam system and on other occasions the Predictive Powertrain Management system. However, this Actros 2653 is the first time we have been able to experience those two systems in the one truck, plus we are able

to experience both in conjunction with the Active Driver Assistance system. The benefits of MirrorCam are numerous and the familiarity with the screens mounted on the A pillars quickly becomes intuitive and again we ask ourselves why wasn’t this available years ago. The effectiveness of MirrorCam is further highlighted when negotiating tight turns and reversing due to the automatic switching to panoramic mode providing an increased field of vision to the driver as the panning function delivers the situation, where the displayed image follows the trailer(s) according to input from the steering wheel angle.

When overtaking on the highway the driver no longer needs to receive a headlight flash from the vehicle being passed thanks to the bar markings on the screens which show when it is safe to merge back into the left lane. The MirrorCam system is easily and quickly adjustable to suit various lengths of trailers and makes most drivers look like experts by delivering the ability to park within 20mm of a dock, which saves time and damage costs.

The Predictive Powertrain Control once set and left alone will unobtrusively use its smarts to maintain momentum and maximise fuel efficiency by harnessing information from within the Global Positioning System using p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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three dimensional topographic mapping combined with history from previous trips to provide the truck with the details of the road ahead for up to two kilometres. The system will continue to learn and plan from data collected on routes which haven’t been travelled previously. Data from the on-board weighing system is also constantly utilised to calculate loads, throttle and brake applications as well as gear selections. This has the potential for enormous benefits in fuel efficiency and trip times. For instance, when climbing a steep hill where the inclinometer in the prime mover senses that the top of the hill has been reached, yet the trailer(s) are still subject to gravitational pull due to still travelling on the upwards gradient, the Actros remains under power until the right time to ease the accelerator and upshift as the trailers pass the apex of the rise.

We’ve been in other trucks equipped with conventional cruise control where the power was decreased and an upshift attempted at precisely the wrong point which required intervention from the driver to prevent a massive loss of momentum. Another situation in which the PPC makes its presence known is when travelling along an undulating road. Where possible it will ‘eco-roll’ in neutral and when driving down into a dip because the Actros knows what’s up ahead it will accelerate slightly approaching the bottom of the dip and then apply more power as needed to climb the other side. This can create the situation where the truck is travelling ten or so kilometres faster at the base of a climb than it would be if using a conventional form of cruise control or relying upon the driver’s knowledge and skill to apply the power at just the right instant to maximise the efficiency of climbing the rise, and at the same time avoiding inadvertent over-speeds.

The Active Steering function, however, takes just a little time to get used to.

Initially we found we were continually pushing slightly against the additional force used by the truck to keep in the selected position within the lane. The 58

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It’s the first time Prime Mover has experienced both Predictive Powertrain Control in conjunction with MirrorCam.

realisation that this driver’s natural lane positioning is slightly to the left of centre is the impetus to electronically realign the truck by making a small adjustment in the appropriate app via the centre touch screen which results in the truck shifting ever so slightly to the left and maintaining that position within its lane without any input from the driver.

The same adjustment process can also be used to locate the truck closer to the right-hand side of the lane if that is the preference of the driver. When no longer pushing against the resistance delivered by the electronic-controlled steering the driver’s task is relaxed significantly.

The highlights of the Actros’s interactive multimedia cockpit are the two screens with one positioned in front of driver (dashboard) which is adjustable from the controls on the steering wheel with the main displays being speedo, tacho and air pressure gauges as well as the complement of driver support readouts such as fuel burn, and adaptive cruise control settings. The multimedia display

located on the dash to the left of the driver has components familiar to those fitted to the latest Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and is a leap forward in the connectivity between the trucks and their drivers and operators. The centre touch screen has the capability to be programmed to incorporate more than 200 ‘soft’ switches to operate components such as power take offs. The screen responds to operator’s input by making an on-screen switch available, which is not dissimilar to using an app on a smartphone. Reliability and durability are extended significantly as there is no longer reliance upon physical contact-making and -breaking switches.

Daimler Trucks recognised early-on that autonomous trucking has enormous potential to fundamentally change the road transport industry. Crucially, Daimler also recognised it will take time to do it right with safety being the priority. The path to increased levels of autonomous trucking, to that end, is a marathon and not a sprint.

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PERSONALITY

STEPPING

STONES Richard Emery occupies one of the top positions at Hino Australia. Newly appointed at the beginning of 2022, the Vice President – Brand and Franchise Development, is adapting to the commercial vehicle industry after years at the helm of various top passenger car brands.

F

ive months after his appointment as Hino Australia Vice President – Brand and Franchise Development, Richard Emery, is enjoying the transition and challenges of the highly competitive trucking sector after more than three decades working in the passenger car industry for the likes of Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Land Rover.

PRIME MOVER: Given your background and extensive knowledge in the automotive segment, what kind of mindset adaptation has been required of you moving into the commercial vehicle space?

RICHARD EMERY: The parallels are stronger than I had anticipated. What I’ve found is the building blocks for operating our business, working with dealers and talking to customers are the same building blocks across the automotive industry.

However, the delivery timing and priority are clearly in a different order with a different emphasis.

PM: What kind of adjustment have you undergone to date?

RE: In the passenger car business, particularly in the current context, you can potentially massage customers into your product offering and stock position. In the truck business, it’s quite different —

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the applications and the specific purposes that trucks are used for don’t give you the same flexibility. When it gets into specific products, customer circumstances and applications, you can’t convince a customer to buy something that doesn’t fit their application just because that happens to be the one that you’ve got in stock. That’s just not how the truck industry works. It’s very specific to the application and to the customer need.

There’s always an element of this in any auto business, but in trucks it becomes quite amplified. This flows through to conversations we have with Hino in Japan and elevating those customer-focus specific requirements further up the chain into our build program. It’s a weekly, if not a daily, conversation between us and Hino in Japan to ensure we get the supply mix and volume right. It’s a real balancing act.

PM: What do you hope your background allows you to bring to the trucking industry?

RE: In the truck business, at the moment, there’s a danger of demand outstripping supply meaning that the edge can come off a little bit in terms of the actions that you take or the business you chase down. You need to prioritise and focus on key opportunities. I suppose that ‘edge’ or sense of urgency comes from

Richard Emery.

my car background. On that front, I’ve had to slowdown a few times as I’m always ready to rock and roll. Things can take longer in the truck business for all sorts of reasons at the moment, which has been exacerbated by, not just the supply chain out of Japan, but also body builders’ capacity and capability. The whole supply stream of the truck industry is under a unique set of pressures. It’s hard to ascertain whether I’ve got used to the truck business because I don’t think there’s a ‘regular’ truck business right now.

There’s something different every week.

PM: Hino had a record volume of deliveries last year despite all the challenges. How much bigger could it

have been in a more normalised market?

RE: We certainly could have sold more and delivered more, though that’s not necessarily the same number. The number of unfulfilled orders we carried into this year would suggest we had capacity to do somewhere between five and ten per cent more last year. Having said that, I’m not sure the bodybuilders could have built them and turned around the applications. Our Built to Go product can be in customer’s hands in a few weeks of arrival, and there are other applications that take six months to turn around. I still think we’re going to be in this restrictive environment for the rest of this year and probably next year as well. We’re never really going to find out what the real natural potential of 2021 was. It’s like trying to nail jelly against the wall.

PM: Do you foresee ongoing production constrictions in Japan over the next 12 months?

RE: Yes, I do and it’s going to be a moving target. It’s easy to singularise the issue around microchips but it’s no longer just one thing. It’s the remnants of the chip shortage situation which was probably close to getting solved in 2022. But then you add in COVID staff shortages and supply chain issues. Just moving componentry from country to country is proving to be a challenge. So even if you have the chips and your staff, then you’ve got to get the chips to where the factories are. Globally, freight movements are under immense pressure.

PM: The Hino 700 Series brings an end to a strong five-year product cycle for Hino locally. Are you pleased with how it has been received?

RE: It’s beyond our expectations to be honest. We were very confident about the product because of the significant changes and how it fitted into the market. Pleasingly, what’s been driving our volume of 700 Series has been our loyal 300 and 500 Series customers, who have traditionally probably bought a heavy truck from our competitors.

Because of their strong relationship with us in the light- and medium-duty

segments, these customers see a natural fit with how the 700 Series slots into their business model and their relationship with us. Customers are loving the Hino SmartSafe safety package that includes Driver Monitor, and a comprehensive Pre-Collision System. Pleasingly, the FY 8x4 will get Hino SmartSafe safety package within the next couple of months, meaning all 700 Series will be fitted with it as standard.

PM: What’s next in terms of development?

RE: For us, there is a window of opportunity with our 300 Series hybrid over the next three to five years. We have not been as aggressive on hybrid as we probably could have or should have been.

As often in the truck business, it’s about the stars aligning. We’re in a customer-led business and we react to what customers are demanding from us.

We’ve had the product in market for 15 years so it’s unique in that regard. There is currently a window of opportunity, given the combination of pressure on fleets from the emissions perspective, fuel prices, and the seemingly large leap for existing fleets to fully convert to battery electric and hydrogen. That leap absolutely will happen, but we suspect it’s a bit further down the road and that there’s an opportunity for hybrid to gain some ground over the next three to five years.

PM: It sounds like it’s an ideal steppingstone.

RE: Correct. That’s a good way of putting it. I think there’s going to be a pinch point over the next 12 to 18 months where there’s a push from our customers, stemming from shareholders and board level about commitment to emission improvement. However, the zero emissions products aren’t readily available or financially viable as yet. That’s where our 300 Series hybrid fits in.

PM: The seismic changes in a ‘zero emissions world’ call for new platforms, new infrastructure, new planning and investment. What are you excited about

in terms of the road transport and freight movement sectors in Australia?

RE: I think it is going to drive creativity and lateral thinking and quicken up the pace of decision-making. There will be some innovation that hasn’t been previously anticipated. It could be the things that have been hidden in back rooms at OEMs with a little team that is not allowed to talk about anything to anybody. There’s going to be a few little secret projects that will probably be brought into focus, which is exciting for the industry as a whole. Some of these secret projects will emerge now because circumstances have turbocharged their practicality.

PM: Is there any legislative development you would like to see happen in Australia before the end of 2022 that may facilitate some of these innovations?

RE: Not to oversimplify things, but I believe governments still don’t really understand our industry, and the levers and buttons they could push to alter the outcomes. All around Australia, governments are talking about investing in electric and hydrogren infrastructure, which is fine and encouraging. In reality, one of the quickest and easiest things that governments could do, is to bring down the average age of our truck fleet for both safety and efficiency reasons.

For instance, think of a small ‘mum and dad’ business which has three trucks including an old banger that is 15+ years old. It’s unlikely that in the next five to ten years, they’re going to have the resources to turn their fleet to full electric. But, with the right tax breaks in place, they could renew their fleet, improve their fuel efficiency and reduce their CO2 output, plus their drivers would be behind the wheel of a much safer truck as well.

That mum and dad operation doesn’t need to buy a new truck. Instead, they just need to buy maybe a five-year old one to replace the older one. It will be available because we’ll be encouraging the bigger fleets to get rid of their five-year old ones to get new ones. So suddenly, it all feeds off itself – a win win. p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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ACCIDENTAL

HERO

Terry Jewson with daughter, Lauren, grandchildren and wife Julie.

Patterson Cheney Isuzu Dealer Principal, Terry Jewson, has achieved the rare feat of a 40-year career having started at the entry level and progressed to the top.

W

hen Terry Jewson’s best friend’s father asked what he was doing with his life on an autumn day in 1982 he was taken aback. At the time he was 25 having worked as a butcher’s apprentice, a meat inspector and a gardener. The friend’s father suggested that Terry would be well suited to selling cars, a notion that hadn’t been impressed upon him before. That Saturday, in the job section of The Age newspaper, he found an opportunity advertised for a cadet commercial vehicle salesman at Dandenong Toyota. He started the job, chiefly based around the selling of Hiluxes and Landcruisers, on the 19th of April. On the 1st of July, 62

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a few months later, Patterson Cheney acquired the business and Terry with it.

The friend’s father, Alan Weston, just so happened to be the Used Truck Manager at Patterson Cheney. He promptly took Terry under his wing.

Recently honoured at a celebratory luncheon marking his four decades in commercial vehicle sales, Terry is now the long serving Dealer Principal at Patterson Cheney.

“I started as an appraiser and valuer selling used trucks before I was trained to sell new trucks,” he recalls. “Eventually, with time, I took every bastard’s job as they retired!”

The cadet role since then remains essentially the same. It’s where Terry and

other apprentices, today, learn the tools of the trade before they engage with the public. Part of that training involves a four-week period in which the cadet does a stint in the pre-delivery department gaining a better understanding of how the trucks are prepared ready-for-delivery before another month is spent in parts and service observing operations. More training follows before the cadet, who is now familiar with the key processes in place, is unleashed on the public. That’s after at least three months.

“That’s not that different to how I learned the business,” says Terry. “We’ve got a bit better at it over the years. The idea is the cadet will become a fully-fledged salesperson after 12 to 18 months. It’s a

good learning framework.”

He had only just started out himself when he was transferred to the Footscray premises where he began working under David Cheney. “I found Terry to be young and personable but extremely energetic and enthusiastic potential ‘truckie’” recalls David.

Following the credit squeeze and economic upheavals of the late 1980s, the business was forced to consolidate to four mobile offices arranged together in a vacant lot in Cheltenham Road.

The industry and its practices were set to undergo some big changes.

While the servicing of trucks hasn’t altered a great deal since Terry commenced, the job is still timeconsuming given everything involved is heavy and big. Bearing this in mind, Patterson Cheney Trucks, over the years, has focused on making the process easier for the customer by keeping the service department open 24 hours a day including a streamlined priority service.

Instead of only having one technician working on a truck, there’s four working on a pit, with two-down and two-up. In essence this cuts the customary six-hour service time in half.

“They’re doing the same amount of work obviously but just doing it in a shorter time,” says Terry. “Having that system in place reduces the waiting time for the customer. It’s all about reducing their down time. That’s been an important development in my time here.”

By 1994 Terry had been appointed New and Used truck Manager with the

Terry Jewson at an Isuzu Gigamax launch with Yuki Murata, former IAL Managing Director and CEO [right].

retirement of Roy Simmonds. Terry’s eventual appointment to Truck Manager and Dealer Principal at Patterson Cheney Trucks led to 24 years of expansion of the business including the acquisition of Westar Isuzu and Western Star which had locations in Dandenong, Campbellfield, Derrimut and involved a brief flirtation with Tasmania.

Of the many achievements he has achieved in the last 40 years, Terry is most proud of what he has done with the WeStar business since he purchased it back in 2006. This included building a new dealership at Derrimut four years later of which Terry and his wife, Julie, were both heavily involved in the project management. He calls Julie his rock.

“It was a great accomplishment,” he says.

“But also running a dealership that sells 800 to 1000 new Isuzus every year is good fun.”

The staff at Patterson Cheney Isuzu are familiar with two philosophies commonly espoused by Terry. A can-do attitude is essential and perhaps only rivalled, as a key value expected of staff, by the need to have a real care-factor for every task at work undertaken.

“I’m a true believer that nobody works for me they all work with me,” he says.

“You’re all in the same team with the same vision and direction as to where you want to go. The best piece of advice I can give a salesperson is to listen.”

At Patterson Cheney Isuzu a natural extension of this philosophy is the salespeople are considered, foremost, advisors to business partners. It’s about

selling a need more than a want and making sure the product is fit, foremost, for the need. This is a factor that undergirds the model of success that has helped Isuzu stay on top of truck sales in Australia for the last 30 years.

Ultimately, as Terry sees it, there’s not a huge amount of difference between the products of the three major Japanese brands in the build and performance.

“I tell this to customers every day. It’s all about how the customer and the product is taken care of after the sale,” he says.

“Nobody does it better than Isuzu and their dealers. No one comes close. That’s ultimately what it’s about.”

The latest Isuzu N-Series, with the many new advanced safety systems that have been incorporated into the vehicles, elicits enthusiasm from Terry who is equally excited by the wide range of variants also on offer. After 40 years, Terry has seen a host of different models, come and go. His favourite Isuzu truck in that time is the SBR-422.

“They stopped making them in 1987,” he recalls fondly. “I sold a lot of them. They were a great truck to sell because they were super reliable and bulletproof.”

Despite the inauspicious beginnings of such a serendipitous career, Terry today still makes his own pork and fennel sausages, part time, at home, using his own mincer and sausage filler. For good ingredients to work, he believes, there must be complementary preparation.

Looking back on a remarkable career that is, for all intents and purposes, still midstream, Terry counts the relationships he has made and maintained with customers and staff over the years as one of the most pleasing aspects.

“People say you must have been ambitious,” he says, “At the end of the day I became Dealer Principal. You can’t go any higher than that. I never sat there saying ‘I want to be that person’. I just did my job to the best of my ability and had a lot of fun on the way through. One of the biggest things for me has been the support from my wife Julie. She’s been there all the way through and she’s a real partner in all of this.” p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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NEWS

MITSUBISHI EXPRESS DISCONTINUED IN AUSTRALIAN MARKET Production of the Mitsubishi Express van is ending in Australia. After assessing current global business and supply conditions with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, the decision has now been made to cease production of Australian market Mitsubishi Express.

May was the final production month for short wheelbase (SWB) variants.

Last year the Express van became the first vehicle to receive a zero-star ANCAP rating.

It was reintroduced locally last year following a seven-year hiatus.

Mitsubishi reportedly withdrew the previous Express van – an oldschool single box model – from the Australasian market in 2013 due to its failure to meet rapidly evolving safety and emissions standards.

The commercial vehicle had managed a respectable market share of 6.5 per cent under the current iteration.

Based on previous demand, vehicle

Mitsubishi Express.

supply is expected to remain available until late-2022.

Due to supply and component-related issues, long wheelbase variants will not form part of the final allocation according to Mitsubishi.

Existing long wheelbase supply is expected to be exhausted by mid2022.

“Since joining the Australian market in mid-2020, the Mitsubishi Express Van range has delivered value for owners – from its competitive purchase

pricing (from $39,040 plus on-road costs) through to its industry-leading 10/10 Diamond Advantage Program, which offers a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty and 10 years of competitive capped price servicing,” the company said in a statement.

“With a healthy production allocation over its final months, Mitsubishi Motors Australia has ensured solid stocks of Express SWB, together with ongoing support of service, parts and accessories.”

GENERAL MOTORS ELECTRIC VAN BREAKS DISTANCE RECORD

BrightDrop Zevo 600 en route to Washington DC.

An EV manufactured by General Motors has set the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance travelled by an electric van on a single charge.

BrightDrop, a venture by General Motors, in collaboration with FedEx achieved a distance of 418 kilometres.

The BrightDrop Zevo 600 covered the journey from New York City to Washington DC in one single charge.

With its top speed electronically limited to 65 mph, the record was set

by Stephen Marlin, a client solutions account executive for BrightDrop, the division of General Motors that took 64

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the battery electric van from concept to production. The van, in doing so, also delivered a shipment of Full Circle sustainable cleaning products to a family-owned chain in Washington DC. Since conception, the Zevo 600 has been a record-setting vehicle, according to Travis Katz, BrightDrop CEO. “Now we are seeing first-hand what BrightDrop can do by pairing our zerooperating-emissions technology with FedEx, a leader in the transportation and delivery industry,” he said in a statement.

“Having a long battery range with reliable power is critical to electrifying delivery fleets everywhere. This special delivery highlights our products’ advanced capabilities and our mission to decarbonise deliveries,” said Katz.

BrightDrop delivered its first electric light commercial vehicles to FedEx in December after completing its first production builds of the Zevo 600 in just

20 months, making it the fastest vehicle to market in GM’s history.

FedEx Chief Sustainability Officer, Mitch Jackson, said the company was proud to be part of the record-setting moment as it works toward a goal of achieving carbon-neutral operations by 2040.

“Electrifying our entire parcel pickup and delivery fleet is a crucial component of that goal and we’re thrilled BrightDrop is bringing real solutions to the market that can help us get there,” he said.

“I’ve long said sustainability is a team sport. Today’s milestone is a perfect example of how businesses can lead the charge in ushering in a more sustainable future for customers, our communities and our planet through collaboration.”

The BrightDrop EV is equipped with various features including Automatic Emergency Braking, Front and Rear Park Assist and Forward Collision Alert.

NIRO PLUS FURTHERS KIA’S MOBILITY SOLUTIONS Kia has launched its first ‘purpose-built vehicle’ (PBV). As a Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider, Kia is exploring ways to help people and businesses move beyond traditional automotive. The company, according to a statement, expects its PBV models to be an important part of future mobility.

The Kia Niro Plus will be deployed as a general model and zero-emission taxi in Korea, with the company modifying the first-generation Niro EV to make it suitable for the demands of modernday car-hailing. Its introduction follows the launch of the Ray Van in February, Korea’s first single-seater van designed to satisfy the growing national demand for small cargo delivery services.

Kia is one of the first movers in the global PBV market and plans to become a market leader by 2030. To this end, the company is developing a dedicated platform upon which PBVs of different shapes and sizes can sit,

meeting evolving customer needs and market trends.

Kia’s first dedicated PBV model will launch in 2025, by which time the global PBV market is expected to mature.

The brand’s first dedicated PBV will be similar in size to a mid-sized vehicle, with inherent scalability.

“Kia is transforming its business strategy to focus on popularising EVs, and introducing new mobility products that are tailored to the needs of users in markets around the world,” said Sangdae Kim, Head of Kia eLCV Business Division.

“The Niro Plus is our first step into the world of PBVs, a market that holds great potential for future development.”

As the PBV market grows, Kia plans to gradually expand its range from micro to large PBVs that can potentially offer an alternative to public transportation or even be used as mobile offices.

The general, non-taxi version of the Niro Plus will be made available in select

Kia Niro Plus.

overseas markets in the second half of the year. In addition to the battery electric vehicle (BEV) version, the Niro Plus will be available as plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) electric vehicles in these markets, reflecting countryspecific characteristics and diverse customer needs. The Niro Plus taxi model is based on the first-generation Niro EV – Kia’s popular electric crossover.

Since its launch in 2018, the Niro EV has sold globally, demonstrating the growing public appetite for versatile BEVs.

TOYOTA HIACE SET FOR REAR BARN DOORS A rear barn door arrangement will be offered on the Toyota HiAce later this year. Toyota Australia made the recent announcement following what it called strong customer demand. The

Toyota HiAce with rear barn doors.

wide-opening rear barn door option is expected to provide customers with a new ergonomic solution to suit user needs.

With all versions of the HiAce now

powered by Toyota’s 2.8-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the leading OEM has added extra safety and security features to the latest HiAce vans following the introduction of its Toyota Connected Services initiative.

Toyota was the market leader in passenger vehicle sales in March 2022.

It had 38 per cent of the market in the 2.5t to 3.5t category having sold just over 800 units.

Toyota expects the upcoming arrival of the rear barn door option some time in the second half of 2022.

Toyota Australia will offer increased buyer choice for the HiAce van with the upcoming arrival of a rear barn door option, which will debut in Australia in the second half of 2022.

More details Toyota have promised will be revealed closer to the model’s arrival in Australia. d e live r y m a g a z ine . c o m . a u

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FUTURE TENSE

Linfox’s eCanter is servicing Coles Local, a new supermarket format by the retailer.

CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE Coles and Linfox Logistics have partnered on a trial using the battery-powered Fuso eCanter to deliver stock across select locations in New South Wales.

A

n electric Fuso eCanter, the first deployed for Australian supermarket giant Coles, is servicing several of its stores in Sydney on behalf of Linfox Logistics. Products are loaded onto the all-electric truck at the Eastern Creek Distribution Centre where they are shuttled to Coles supermarkets and new format Coles Local stores, its new supermarket format tailored specifically according to the needs of local customers. These stores, which are cashless, incorporate a range of environmental initiatives to make it, per a Coles Group media release, the

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most sustainable Coles supermarket in Australia.

The Fuso eCanter is part of an ongoing trial undertaken by Coles’ long-time transport partner Linfox Logistics and is expected to eventually help the organisations displace more than 60 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions each year compared to the same size Euro 6 diesel powered truck. Introduction of the eCanter plays to a much larger initiative Coles is said to be tirelessly working towards — Together to Zero, sustainability ambitions that will eventually involve the deployment of electric vehicles into

its fast-expanding home delivery fleet.

The electric truck trial is a significant step in Coles’ Sustainability Strategy says David Clark, Head of Transport Safety & Sustainability – Supply Chain.

“Coles’ first electric truck is a big step to introducing alternate fuel technologies to our supply chain, and we are excited about the opportunity to see more electric vehicles delivering groceries to our distribution centres and supermarkets in the future,” he says. “By working with Linfox, we have considered the sustainability of the truck, from its carbon footprint when operating, to the end-of-lifecyle

impacts on the environment.”

Environmental practices are underpinning a swathe of new approaches in the development and supply of products from farm to plate. In Victoria and New South Wales, Coles has been working with farmers for the past two years to help them calculate and reduce their emissions. This consultive process has, according to Coles, resulted in lowering emissions 19 per cent below the Australian national average when based on the average emission per kilogram of live weight produced. This has subsequently led to the launch of a carbon neutral beef product that spans across seven premium quality cuts of beef. Work since 2020 with Dr Stephen Wiedemann, Principal Research Scientist at Integrity Ag & Environment, has, through studies, helped to yield innovations in tree planting and vegetation that have helped reduce net carbon emissions on beef farms through carbon sequestration. Carbon stored in trees is then included in the farm’s ‘carbon account’ and reduces the overall emissions associated with

the farm’s production – a process known as carbon ‘insetting,’ in which the process of reducing emissions is carried out at or directly related to their source.

Through its GreenFox program, Linfox is focused on reducing net carbon dioxide to zero, making it the ideal fit for the type of supplier partner Coles has sought out in alignment with its sustainability values.

“We are proud to be working with Linfox Logistics to deliver Coles’ first electric truck. We are excited to see how electric truck technology evolves and are eager to continue working with Linfox to discover ways to reduce emissions in our supply chain through alternate fuel technologies,” says Clark, who claims the Fuso eCanter trial demonstrates how Coles can meet its lofty internal environmental ambitions together with transport partners to reduce its carbon footprint.

The switch to electric vehicles will make the biggest difference, according to Linfox Logistics Executive Chairman Peter Fox, in light of the cumulative effect of Coles connecting customers

with products from thousands of farmers and suppliers.

“As a leading logistics provider that has traditionally relied on fossil fuels to transport goods, Linfox has made a commitment to find alternative sources of energy to power our customers’ supply chains,” says Fox. As a major supply chain partner, Linfox will use findings from this trial and its other electric vehicle trials to better understand how further scalable solutions can be integrated across the distribution network in Australia to keep Coles stores stocked with essential goods in a sustainable way.

Coles customers that drive electric vehicles can also charge their cars while they shop at some Coles supermarket and Coles Express sites.

To date, Coles has integrated electriccharging stations at 12 supermarket sites, and two additional Coles Express sites. Under the guidance of its major shareholders who include Wesfarmers, Vanguard Group, BlackRock and Norges Bank Investment Management, Coles aims to source 100 per cent renewable electricity by as early 2025.

Fuso eCanter in the Sydney CBD. d e live r y m a g a z ine . c o m . a u

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INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE

SIMON HUMPHRIES

F

rom Monday, 18 April to Friday 22 April, a road trip branded ‘Mateship Miles’ was held to reach out to communities in regional Victoria, regional NSW and the ACT. The trip started in Shepparton, moving to Wagga Wagga, then Canberra, onto Nowra, and finished up in Wollongong, south of Sydney.

Mateship Miles was an initiative developed between Gus Worland, founder of Gotcha4Life, Australia’s leading not-for-profit mental fitness foundation and the host of Channel 9’s Today Show, Karl Stefanovic. The goal: promote improved mental fitness through meaningful conversations, leading towards zero suicides. Gus advised me that every day nine Australians, consisting of seven men and two women, don’t wake up the next morning due to suicide, more than 3,300 each year. On top of that alarming statistic, each year there are over 65,000 attempts made.

Gus Worland and his team are passionate advocates for assisting people from all walks of life with simple tools and techniques that build ‘emotional muscle’ and lead to strong mental fitness, through presentations, workshops and training programs in schools, sports clubs, community groups and businesses.

Mental fitness is used to help avoid any stigma associated with the phrase ‘mental health’ and offers a more positive and proactive approach. Gotcha4Life

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On the road towards improved mental fitness and zero suicides acknowledges that many Australians find it difficult to share their pain when going through difficult circumstances. Too many people internalise their worries and problems, leading to thoughts and actions that are damaging to self and others. Their mission is for everyone to have a Gotcha4Life Mate — a go-to person you can rely on and talk to about anything when times are tough, so no one worries alone.

The Mateship Miles roadshow was all about taking action to build mental fitness and meaningful mateship, and social and emotional connections, ultimately inching closer to Gotcha4Life’s goal of zero suicides, through the reach of the popular Today

Simon Humphries with Karl Stefanovic.

show on Channel 9 and WIN TV regional stations, but also through direct contact with communities in each location.

To support this great initiative, Isuzu trucks and key suppliers Service Bodies Australia, REDARC Electronics and Weber Barbeques supplied a customised Isuzu NNR 45-150 AMT Crew specifically for the road trip. This truck has a service body that is equipped with water tank, Lithium batteries able to support a full day’s unplugged operation, twin DC refrigerators, a Nespresso professional coffee machine, a large screen television, two portable Weber barbeques and multiple shelves and drawers for promotional merchandise such as caps and beanies.

ARTSA-I LIFE MEMBERS

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Isuzu NNR 45-150 AMT Crew.

The truck driving and setting up duties were shared between Adam White and myself from Isuzu Australia, with the weeklong journey providing a valuable insight into the strong need to build mental fitness in communities.

The good news is that the Mateship Miles week generated over $100,000 in donations for Gotcha4Life, while raffle ticket sales to win the custom build Isuzu support vehicle (in a draw scheduled for October) are on target to at least double that amount. All proceeds fund Gotcha4Life’s programs that engage, educate and empower Australians to end suicide. The building of the Isuzu support vehicle represents the beginning of a formal partnership between Isuzu Australia and Gotcha4Life, with an aim to take the message to where it is needed within the transport/logistics and truck driver demographics.

Isuzu and Gotcha4Life are now exploring how we can extend the partnership to continue to spread the positive message of mental fitness to the communities we serve around Australia, including our diverse truck dealer network. This partnership is principally about giving back to the community and customer base we serve; it represents us getting involved meaningfully in a cause that is a perfect fit with our corporate and personal values. In September 2021, in

the midst of the long lockdown in, Gus Worland spoke online to our entire staff on ‘R U OK? Day’. The message was simple but profound, and really struck a chord with many of the staff of Isuzu Australia. We needed to hear a positive message that had us thinking about our own mental fitness, but also those near and dear to us.

Isuzu espouses a core value of being a ‘people first’ company – in fact this is number one in our company values. So, in all circumstances, we can appreciate that the mental fitness of our staff is important, and we need to take appropriate measures to work on that. Otherwise, how can we effectively support and serve our dealers and customers?

The Transport and Logistics industry, and especially its population of drivers and other equipment operators, is a male-dominated industry with a need to hear and apply the simple messages and tools that Gotcha4Life provides.

If our combined efforts save just one life, then it has been worth it, however I am confident that we can actively and consistently contribute to a significant reduction in the suicide rate in our industry and local communities.

In conclusion, I ask the simple question: How mentally fit are you? Do you have a ‘village’ of a few close friends –

Gotcha4Life Mates – and relatives that have your back and you can reach out to in times of trouble? If you do, then Gotcha4Life can assist with training in their programs that will enhance this connection you already have. If you struggle to think of someone that you could share your innermost thoughts with, then Gotcha4Life has a growing team of Community Champions that can get alongside you and help. I encourage members of our transport, logistics and trucking communities to contact Gotcha4Life to arrange a workshop, presentation, training session or other potentially life-changing event in your area. Please follow the link: https://www. gotcha4life.org/ Alternatively, you can help fund this wonderful cause by donation, or by purchasing a ticket to enter the draw to win the customised Isuzu NNR 45-150 AMT CREW truck with all of its equipment. Please follow the link here: https://www.raffletix.com.au/ gotcha4lifeisuzuraffle. The truck, it’s body and all equipment has been donated by the suppliers, and all proceeds will go to further the great work of Gotcha4Life Foundation.

Simon Humphries, Isuzu Chief Engineer, ARTSA-i Life member p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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INSIGHT | NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR

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SAL PETROCCITTO PETER ANDERSON

T

he NHVR’s priority is to build a single, consistent national regulator for the heavy vehicle industry. To achieve this, we work closely with each level of government, industry, and agencies to ensure we have a safe, efficient and productive heavy vehicle industry serving the needs of Australia.

We continue to progress the National Services Transition (NST) program, working closely with governments and jurisdictions to transition regulatory services to the NHVR. National reform isn’t easy, and it doesn’t happen overnight. We’re working towards a blueprint for the NST, approved by ministers and jurisdictional heads, that outlines the journey the NHVR is on to become the single national regulator for all heavy vehicles in Australia.

What the last two years has shown is that national consistency must be our paramount goal. You can’t have individual rules or requirements for operators that need to travel across the country seamlessly.

We have been able to create seamless operations in South Australia, Tasmania, ACT and Victoria where we are now the regulator. In these states we have increased the levels of resources, services and functions at no cost to industry. We’ve provided improved regulatory capability, and we’re now

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Building a single, consistent national regulator starting to see harmonised policies, procedures, and training of our staff.

We are well on track to transition New South Wales (NSW) later this year. This is a significant milestone in terms of transitioning one of the largest jurisdictions to the NHVR. They are also a jurisdiction that has been leading the way in terms of safety and enforcement.

As part of the transition in NSW, we will be undertaking the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) functions as well as delivering the heavy vehicle inspection services function for the NSW government.

What does the NST mean for industry?

A more consistent approach to compliance and enforcement is the most significant improvement for industry, particularly those drivers intercepted on the roadside. The capability to deliver timely national responses to critical compliance issues will also be a significant advantage of the NST. Industry can rely on a single contact point for consistent, reliable information about the HVNL and issues facing drivers or businesses. The other key piece of work is the relationships we build with our existing and new partners. As you’re aware, there are two regulatory agencies that implement the HVNL – us as the regulator and the

police agencies. We have been working closely with all police agencies to address any inconsistencies, and our relationship with NSW police continues to grow as we undertake this transition.

In the states where we have transitioned, we are delivering an ‘inform, educate, enforce’ approach.

While we acknowledge this takes time, we also reserve our regulatory powers for those that consistently do the wrong thing, to ensure we maintain the highest safety outcomes. We’re using multiple data sources to ensure we identify high risk operators. Examples include crash data, data captured from our national camera network, information provided from industry, police and other state agencies. We are becoming data rich to ensure we can tailor our activities to the areas where we need to provide the most focus.

So, compliant operators and drivers shouldn’t see us, as we are focused on allowing industry to operate seamlessly and effectively in doing what they do well. As we complete the full transition of services, we will continue to grow our data and resource capabilities which will allow us to become a truly risk-based regulator.

Sal Petroccitto CEO, NHVR

PARTS & AFTERMARKET ADVERTISE IN OUR AUGUST 2022 PRODUCT SHOWCASE ON SPARE PARTS AND AFTERMARKET. Outside of the Original Equipment realm, booming online trade and the increasing proliferation of all-makes outlets have made finding suitable and reliable parts increasingly difficult. While customers benefit from competition – both in regard to choice and price – the flood of non-genuine parts from low cost producer countries has created a ‘choice overload’ situation, according to industry experts – where a dearth of reliable performance data fails to compensate for the many choices. Statistics highlight the importance of using premium components developed and engineered to provide consistently high levels of performance during a preChristmas peak period that has lasted the best part of two years. No OEM or equipment brand can survive without a strong aftermarket and spare parts division. Prime Mover’s July Product Showcase is the perfect opportunity for you to shed light on spare parts and the increasingly complex environment known as the ‘aftermarket.’

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Industry Fleet: Shamrock Civil Feature: Vic Mix Spotlight: Terry Jewson Personality: Richard Emery

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INSIGHT | TRUCK AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY TRUCKING COUNCIL ASSOCIATION

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Australia lags over a decade behind health emission regulations

TONY MCMULLAN

A

year and a half ago, in my December 2020 column, I called on the Australian Government to act on implementing ADR80/04, Euro VI and equivalent alternative standards from Japan and the USA. I detailed in 2020 that the Australian Federal Government has a mandate to align with international regulations where ever practical.

This is part of an overarching global harmonisation strategy that is aimed at enabling trade to be accomplished between our country and international markets, whilst reducing the time, effort and expense of developing Australian specific laws and rules. This is a two-way street, allowing products from Australia to be exported more efficiently and allowing us to import goods that have been developed to international regulations, rather than to Australian specific laws. The end result is the ability for our exporters to play on the world stage and more choice for Australian consumers.

In the new vehicle space, this international harmonisation is achieved by a piece of regulation known as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Agreement for World Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations - 1958, known within government and industry circles simply as ‘the ’58 Agreement’, of which Australia has been a signatory since the year 2000.

Under our ‘58 Agreement obligations, Australia adopts European safety and environmental vehicle regulations where 72

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appropriate and typically within two, to four years, after implementation in Europe.

A notable exception to this practice is Australia’s non adoption of the Euro VI emission standard for heavy vehicles. This regulation came into effect from 2014 in Europe. Japan adopted this regulation in 2015, while the USA led the world, moving to an equivalent emission standard, USEPA10, way back in 2010, twelve years ago now. Recent announcements by Mexico, China and India, will see these countries all adopt Euro VI, or equivalent standards, well before Australia, as we are yet to set an introduction date.

In October 2020, the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications released its Draft Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) for public information and comment, the first step in the process for the adoption of better exhaust emission standards. Just as it would appear that our regulators were finally moving on the issue of improving Australian air quality, that was not the whole story. For those with a long memory, this was not the first attempt at implementing Euro VI that the Australian Government has undertaken. Back in late 2015, the then Abbott government announced, with much fanfare, “a whole of government approach” to the introduction of new vehicle emission standards. A year later, in late 2016, a Draft RIS was released that outlined the benefits of moving to cleaner vehicles. Nothing eventuated from that process.

Some six and a half years later, there is still no regulation in place. This is despite regulatory support from the heavy vehicle manufactures, operator organisations such as the ATA and Natroads, States and Territories alike. The October 2020 RIS made a compelling case for cleaner heavy vehicle emission standards. Financial

analysis by Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics in Canberra, found there would be a direct benefit, to the health and wellbeing of the Australian community, of $6,672 million by 2050 if ADR80/04 was adopted.

This would have an indirect benefit to governments by reducing pressure on the public health system. The majority of health benefits will accrue in metropolitan areas, where the number of people and average level of exposure to noxious emissions from road vehicles is greater.

The benefits for Australia and our population, do not stop with the cleaner air health outcomes, the implementation of ADR80/04 would bring a reduction in new truck CO2 emissions of approximately five per cent over current aging regulations. There are also operator fuel savings to be had with these new cleaner engines. Most importantly, Australia would see the introduction of the latest truck safety technologies from leading global markets. Safety systems that are largely unavailable on our current regulation ADR80/03 trucks, these models being tied to electrical and systems architecture that is over a decade old now.

In 2015 the Truck Industry Council (TIC) strongly supported the introduction of Euro VI and alternative emission standards from Japan and the USA, for Australia.

That TIC position has not wavered.

We continue to call upon our Federal Government to introduce Euro VI and alternative standards, sooner than the 2027/2028 timeline that is recommended in the 2020 RIS. Australian vehicle emission regulation already lags over a decade behind many global markets, regulatory action must be taken without further delay.

Tony McMullan CEO, Truck Industry Council

VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION | INSIGHT

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People, diversity and culture the future of transport PETER ANDERSON STUART ST CLAIR

W

ith the COVID experience slowly dissipating we are gradually getting back to the new normal. Our industry has not slowed down and we are continually being challenged to find greater productivity and efficiency while staying 100 per cent safe. Oh, and by the way, make sure you make a margin in the business. But as much as our industry has had challenges in the past, the future throws us even more difficulties and opportunities to look at why, where, what and how we go about our business.

Global supply chains are now having a greater influence on our local activities.

Other factors such as supply chain sovereignty, the gig economy, climate awareness and work-life balance have risen in importance on how we see our businesses and industry, operating in the future. If the COVID experience has taught us anything it is the importance of supply chains within our communities and the commitment that is needed from those within our industry to meet the requirements, parameters and demands of our customers.

As our industry gains more recognition and understanding from the broader community so does our requirement to understand the value of our social licence and what will be of value to our customers. Our industry is, and

will be, labour intensive for quite some time yet. People are the hardest resource to manage. It is people that makes our industry work and how those people work is what makes our businesses successful.

Having an environment where all people are working to their own individual potential is an exciting atmosphere. We experience this every day in transport. And it is wonderful to see the transport industry moving away from the stereotype of a gender dominated workplace. For too long our industry has not understood that greater value is brought to the workplace when there is greater diversity of people within the workplace.

An example of this inclusive perspective is the VTA’s Driver Delivery Program where we have been able to train and place over 200 new people into our industry as drivers. Over 15 per cent of those placements have been women, where there has been an industry average of only seven per cent. A small improvement that could be regarded as too slow but one that we are trying to build upon.

It must be noted that of the placements to date, over the past three years, we have not had a single report of accident by the drivers, female or male. And the VTA has recently launched a new initiative to train and place over 125 women into our industry over the next 18 months. As Victorian Ports & Freight Minister Melissa Horne rightly points out in reflecting on this new program and recent freight industry labour

shortages, COVID-19 was the most immediate cause, but the pandemic was the tipping point for industries that have traditionally recruited from only half the workforce.

For a long time, this approach has hamstrung industries that form the cornerstone of our economy – infrastructure development, construction, freight, logistics and transport. These industries have deprived themselves of the talents of 50 per cent of the working population.

The transport and logistics industry can be very complicated and to those that have not had direct exposure, very intimidating. A bit like sitting next to a semi at the lights. Building a career in an industry that already looks like it happens by ‘magic’ can be very daunting. But our industry does provide career pathways, does reward effort and is hungry for change.

Understanding what is important to the people that are engaged, to ensure that all individuals reach their potential in the workplace is a cornerstone of good management and effective culture.

Our industry has its challenges as do our businesses and the people that work within those businesses. Building greater awareness and acceptance of our industry within the communities that we serve is the challenge. The future of our industry is about people, diversity and culture. We sometimes move too slowly but we will always keep moving.

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

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PETER SHIELDS’ NUMBER CRUNCH

Safe Distances Activity in the new truck market remains strong with the overall cab-chassis and prime mover sales up 13.6 per cent to date on last year. Total for April was 2,886 units, which takes the year-to-date total to 10,768 units. The heavy van market hasn’t enjoyed similar good results and the -34.4 per cent at the end of April is close to where it has been since the beginning of the year.

The Light Duty truck sector was up 8.6 per cent, Medium Duty up 12.7 per cent and Heavy Duty keeps bounding along having grown 20.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2021.

During the past decade the usually dynamic relationship between employment and wages has diverged leading to a situation where many employers can’t get close to maximising their business’s efficiencies and outputs due to staff shortages, while employees have been stuck in the twilight zone of doing the same work (or even more) for what is essentially less money, due to the combined effects of inflation (5.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year) and stagnant wage levels. During the same decade of 2012-2021 the Australian truck market grew by 28.1 per cent in terms of units of cab-chassis trucks and prime movers, much of this growth taking place during the past couple of years thanks to freight demands, low interest finance and the especially generous tax incentives which formed a major factor in the Morrison’s Government’s response to the COVID pandemic.

Market share for European truck brands remained relatively steady at 23.9 per cent in 2021, only slightly up over 2012’s 23.8 per cent.

Market share for Japanese and other emerging Asian manufacturers rose from 56.1 per cent in 2012 to 63.9 per cent a decade later in 2021, with the rise almost exclusively at the expense of North American trucks which went from 20.1 per cent market share in 2012 to 12.2 per cent during the 2021 year.

Moving into 2022, at the beginning of May the nation has had its first interest rate rise put in place by the Reserve Bank since 2010.

To put that into some sort of historical context, John Howard was PM and the Apple iPad had just been released. The rate rise came although the RBA had previously indicated that the cash rate would remain on hold until at least 2024. The RBA brought forward what is expected to be a number of modest rate adjustments to follow during the rest of this year after admitting the 2024 prediction had been based on some inaccurate forecasts it received back in 2020 from the public sector and the government in relation to then anticipated effects of the pandemic.

“We were told thousands of Australians would die from the pandemic, hospitals will be full, that we would have double-digit unemployment, perhaps 15 per cent unemployment, that deep scarring would last for years, perhaps decades,” said RBA Governor Philip Lowe. In light of those predictions of a financial and health Armageddon, a 25-basis point rate increase (a quarter of one per cent) shouldn’t be much of a bitter pill to swallow for most individuals and businesses, although what the banks choose to do with rate changes can often be a bit of an unknown.

74

ju n e 2022

Apr-22

YTD

Change

ISUZU

932

3382

19.8%

HINO

584

1989

7.1%

FUSO

379

1490

19.9%

KENWORTH

215

863

23.8%

VOLVO

141

596

36.7%

IVECO

65

389

4.9%

MERCEDES-BENZ

130

378

-29.9%

UD TRUCKS

91

292

77.0%

MACK

46

246

47.3%

SCANIA

77

235

-32.7%

FIAT

35

193

7.8%

DAF

36

164

18.8%

MAN

44

132

57.1%

FREIGHTLINER

36

130

9.2%

WESTERN STAR

22

95

10.5%

HYUNDAI

18

66

-12.0%

RENAULT

18

66

29.4%

VOLKSWAGEN

8

31

138.5%

FORD

4

15

-73.2%

DENNIS EAGLE

5

11

-60.7%

SEA ELECTRIC

0

3

INTERNATIONAL

0

2

-83.3%

CAB CHASSIS/PRIME

2886

10768

13.6%

M-B VANS

213

572

-11.7%

RENAULT VANS

77

283

49.7%

VOLKSWAGEN VANS

61

192

-52.0%

FORD VANS

35

153

-73.7%

FIAT VANS

18

82

-44.6%

IVECO VANS

16

73

-25.5%

VANS

420

1355

-34.4%

TOTAL

3306

12123

5.1%

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