Prime Mover Magazine October 2021

®

October 2021

PrixCar

Full Throttle OCTOBER 2021 $11.00

ISSN 1838-2320

9 771838 232000

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Industry Fleet: Brisbane Posts & Beams Feature: QUEST Spotlight: AMA Group Personality: Felipe Rubio

Innovation Fleet: Kalari Technology: Primary Connect Test Drive: Mack Anthem 8x4 Delivery: Toyota HiAce

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 59-69.

MAGAZINE

Always Delivering

The DAF model range delivers on Safety, Fuel Efficiency, Driver Comfort and Good Design.

Whether it’s moving freight across the nation, or going the last mile, DAF Trucks are Always Delivering.

DAF XF, CF AND LF PURE EXCELLENCE

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October 2021

MEET THE TEAM

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

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Full Throttle

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.

OCTOBER 2021 $11.00

ISSN 1838-2320

9 771838 232000

09

Industry Fleet: Brisbane Posts & Beams Feature: QUEST Spotlight: AMA Group Personality: Felipe Rubio

Innovation Fleet: Kalari Technology: Primary Connect Test Drive: Mack Anthem 8x4 Delivery: Toyota HiAce

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 59-69.

MAGAZINE

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

william.craske@primecreative.com.au

William Craske | Editor

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

managing editor,

transport group

Luke Applebee luke.applebee@primecreative.com.au

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

business

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.

design production

manager

Michelle Weston michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au

client success manager

Justine Nardone justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au

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

Ashley Blachford | Business Development Manager

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

www.primemovermag.com.au

Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty

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

Paul Matthei | Senior Journalist

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

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

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

CONTENTS

Prime Mover October 2021

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40

50

44 26

COVER STORY “Having a locally built prime mover like the T410 ensures we get the unique features required for car haulage included in new designs. It’s also built to suit our new trailers offering both safety and load efficiency features which makes the job of our drivers so much easier.”

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LIFE FORCE

Prime Feature Stories FLEET FOCUS 26 Full Throttle For more than 30 years PrixCar has been trusted to provide a range of specialised services to the Australian motor vehicle industry.

32 Firm Foundations Brisbane Posts and Beams operates in a specialised niche in the building industry and uses Hino trucks to serve its clients.

36 Life Force Kalari is a renowned leader in high productivity vehicle innovation. When it came to introducing specialised super quads pulling loads of 185 tonne in its unique Ceduna operation, the bulk transport specialist turned to Dana for a differential especially equipped for the task.

TRUCK & TECH 40 Notes from the Underground In an innovative application a Darwin plumber has set up a fully functional vacuum truck based on an Isuzu NPR Traypack.

44 Haul Monitor Primary Connect operates one of the longest and most difficult transports of ambient and refrigerated food in the world. To safely move its product the length of the

Australian continent daily, it entrusts its temperature and real-time monitoring to technology partner ORBCOMM. TEST DRIVE 50 Hard Eight Since becoming available in Australia the Mack Anthem has been demonstrating its versatility in a wide variety of situations ranging from line haul prime movers to rigid vocational applications. The Anthem range also includes a versatile 8x4 made right here in Australia.

Regular Run 06 From the Editor 08 Prime Mover News 54 Personality 56 Prime Movers & Shakers 59 Delivery 70 ARTSA-I Life Members 72 National Heavy Vehicle Regulator 74 Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds 75 Australian Logistics Council 76 Trucking Industry Council 77 Victorian Transport Association 78 Peter Shields’ Number Crunch

FROM THE EDITOR

Wages of Fear

William Craske Editor Disruptions under the ongoing imprimatur of COVID regulations are a way of life for many heavy vehicle operators and transport companies. In a world no longer arranged for human convenience, interstate drivers have been subject time and again to intolerable enforcement policies that are, even in the scheme of things, hard to fathom. It was unprecedented border closures last year that served as pretext for present unworkable medical mandates required of one for their right to work — often at interminable peak capacity — from which these extraordinary but not unforeseen events have since escalated.

Drivers have found themselves on the frontlines not of a war, as politicians have erroneously called it, but of the type of crisis bureaucrats are infamously loath to let go to waste. Welcome to the abnormal new normal.

Insurmountable odds and high stakes logistical challenges got me to thinking about William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (1977), in which a group of mercenaries exiled to a crumbling Latin American jungle outpost are given the opportunity to get out when a remote oil well erupts. To

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curtail the blazing inferno an explosion is needed. For this to happen volatile nitroglycerin must be transported on trucks over 200 miles of rutted jungle tracks across an inhospitable mountain.

Those who have yet to see Sorcerer are in for quite the ride. The movie is propelled by a kind of spellbinding fatalism that makes the atmospherics of the tense journey, including an unforgettable sequence involving a suspension bridge crossing, otherworldly. The third world economy of the village is almost entirely reliant on the usurious practices of the disrupted oil company pipeline. Tensions are already heightened. Civil unrest, in the face of collapsing infrastructure, all but assured. Head office for the oil company questions how they are going to meet immediate supply obligations of 160,000 barrels by the end of the month. The foreman provides the assurance, “it’s not your problem, we’ll get it up there.”

The kind of “routine acceptance of professionals as a class apart” in the words of historian Christopher Lasch, of which an elitist managerial class is totally alienated from the physical side of life is no more normalised in the movie, as it is in our current COVID response. Under such assumed terms all roads eventually lead to an abnormal new normal.

To supposedly fortify supply chains and critical infrastructure, the Department of Home Affairs’ Crisis Coordination Centre has been given the role to consistently manage borders and travel bestowed upon it by the National Cabinet. Many of us would like to know exactly what that is. Established by the Prime Minister, premiers and territory leaders to have “the status of a cabinet meeting” that would

exist at a federal level in “wartime”, the National Cabinet, under these parameters, has maintained the same confidentiality and Freedom of Information protections and protocols as the federal cabinet. Here is another harsh lesson of democratic liberalism. Managerial detachment resists through its secrecy the accountability that allows us to have a say in a system designed to destroy the very conditions that made the democracy, from which it was established, possible. New federal operating models, so understood, are being created to the exclusion of the essential workers — the same people, not coincidentally, most adversely affected by them. When a social contract is exploited it’s the messy series of premeditated violations that ultimately reveal how things have been directed to a clear end.

In Sorcerer this devastating realisation comes, for the mercenaries, on the eve of embarking on their journey, when they discover the two trucks are going to carry more than twice the volume of explosives required to achieve the goal of extinguishing the blaze. The oil company is doubtful both will make it.

Sorcerer takes its quixotic title from one of the battered General Motors M211s featured at the behest of producers who were hoping it might play to the same crowd as The Exorcist. In the New Testament, sorcery is translated from the original Greek as pharmakeia, more commonly associated today with the use and administration of drugs. But that’s another contract we’re not supposed to talk about.

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

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

PRIME NEWS

> Senate Report tabled, pushes for immediate government intervention

Senator Glenn Sterle with Sharon Middleton and Tony Jones.

The Rural Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee has tabled its final report into the committee’s inquiry into the importance of a viable, safe, sustainable and efficient road transport industry. The Report tabled said the inquiry had clearly demonstrated the need for immediate government intervention to change the operation, practice and safety culture of an industry that the entire country relies on.

Urgent proposals for reform put forward by submitters across all parts of the sector include a focus on making the industry sustainable, making training and safety the number one priority, and addressing the underlying causes of unsafe behaviour. Established in September 2019, the inquiry came as a result of extensive consultation including at two Transport Industry Standards Forum’s, with state based and national transport associations, owner drivers, trainers, academics, transport companies and employers, industrial organisations and unions.

Over time, an overwhelming majority of 8

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participants agreed that a path forward for the transport industry was to push for the establishment of a Senate inquiry which would not only examine the many factors that confronted the industry at a national level, but would also produce recommendations as to how the industry could become more viable, safe, sustainable, efficient and profitable.

Over the course of this inquiry, 150 witnesses appeared before the committee across 11 public hearings around the nation, and also via tele and videoconference from the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania.

Of the 150 witnesses 37 appeared in their capacity as a truck driver.

The committee received 128 submissions overall and 58 of those submissions came from truck drivers. The Report included ten recommendations ranging from the establishment of an independent body to set universal and binding standards of pay and the outlawing of unfair and unsafe contracts, to an expansion of the powers of the Australian Transport

Safety Bureau which currently investigates air crashes to carry out independent, no-blame safety investigations of road crashes involving commercial heavy vehicles.

“I want to sincerely thank everyone who made a submission or appeared as a witness as well as the many people I have spoken to, the majority of them being truck drivers, over the course of this inquiry for being involved and having your say as to what needs to and can be done to improve the road transport industry for all, going forward,” said Committee Chair Senator Glenn Sterle, who is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine welcomed the recommendations, adding that for an independent body to succeed, it must be genuinely industryled.

“This comprehensive report is emphatic in its portrayal of the transport industry and the regulatory requirements to fix deep-rooted, deadly pressures in transport supply chains,” Kaine said in a statement.

MORE MODELS MORE POWER MORE FOR YOU THAT’S ANOTHER HINO

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more models for you to choose from, no matter what sort of business you run. There is a wider range of axle configurations,

including 4x2, 6x2, 6x4 and 8x4. More transmission and engine options, with the proven A09C 9L engine producing 320hp

or 360hp and the ever reliable E13C 13L producing 450hp or 480hp. It all adds up to an enhanced driving experience from

a bigger, better and cleaner range of heavy-duty trucks. The only question is, which Hino 700 Series will you choose for your fleet? Find out more at hino.com.au

PRIME NEWS

> Maktrans drivers awed by new Cascadia Toowoomba-based fuel transport specialist Maktrans has injected its mixed fleet with new commercial vehicle technology. Having played a key role in the local test program of the right-hand drive Freightliner Cascadia, Maktrans has invested in another Cascadia after it reached a milestone of half a million kilometres on its test truck. That test truck performed extremely well running a B-double tanker trailer combination at 68.5 tonnes on roads across regional Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia, including dirt tracks into many farms.

The new Cascadia 126, purchased from Daimler Trucks Toowoomba, is reportedly the most efficient conventional truck in the Maktrans mixed fleet.

“The leap in technology we see in the new Cascadia is certainly delivering economic gains,” said Maktrans Director, Rob Hannemann. “It’s getting Freightliner Cascadia 126.

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1.9km per litres at 68.5 tonnes. A lot of that work on the New England highway, which knocks your fuel numbers around a bit.”

The new Cascadia features a 600hp 16-litre six-cylinder Detroit DD16 engine that wastes little torque. It’s been paired with a 12-speed DT12 automated transmission.

“All the drivers comment on how quiet and comfortable the Cascadia is. It has absolutely no rattles or squeaks whatsoever,” said Hannemann. “We’ve not had an ounce of trouble with it.”

Making drivers comfortable and helping then remain well-rested is also important at Maktrans.

“We try and provide a good quality of life for drivers,” said Hannemann. “The spacious, comfortable interior of the Freightliner certainly goes a long way in providing a home-away-from-home for our drivers. Having space and comfort in the truck is important for these long hauls.”

The new Cascadia features a 48-inch XT cab. Other features include a driver airbag, radar-based AEBS advanced emergency braking system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and Sideguard Assist, which uses radar to detect people, cars and other objects down the side of the truck when it is about to move left into a lane or turn left.

“In this business, there are no fail options; uptime is everything because there are a lot of people who depend on us,” Hanneman said. “Especially during harvest season when demand for fuel is high, contractors rely on us and our trucks to turn up on time. If the rivers flood and the roads are cut off or something happens out of our control, that’s one thing, but we’re responsible for everything that’s in our control. It’s our job to make sure we always deliver the fuel on time.”

As for the first Cascadia, the unit is still collecting data.

THE CASCADIA IS SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR SAFETY AND THE REST WILL HAVE TO FOLLOW” BRETT CLEARY CLEARY BROS DIRECTOR

SAFETY FROM THE GROUND UP There is nothing more important than ensuring the safety of all road users. That’s why the new Cascadia is designed to be one of the safest vehicles on the road. A safer truck keeps you and your business on the move, ready and capable for what lies ahead.

TO FIND OUT MORE PLEASE CALL 1800 033 557

CASCADIA 116

DAY CAB

PRIME NEWS

> Women driver training program shortlisted for major award A WDTC program trainee receives some pointers.

The Women Driving Transport Careers (WDTC) program has been announced as a finalist for the 2021 Victorian Training Awards Industry Collaboration Award. WDTC is a collaboration between Transport Women Australia Limited (TWAL) and Wodonga TAFE, with sponsorship from Queensland based truck manufacturer Volvo Group Australia (VGA).

The program has been designed to help reduce the driver shortfall within the transport industry that was identified in the 2016 Volvo Report, and to promote the industry as a viable and desirable option for women seeking employment.

TWAL Chair, Jacquelene Brotherton, said the organisation was thrilled to play a part in a program that offers such a great opportunity for women to be employed and trained in the transport industry.

“I’m so proud of this initiative that gives women from all walks of life a fully employed pathway into the trucking industry,” said Brotherton. “The women 12

o c t o b e r 2021

are employed by participating transport companies and paid to complete a four-week intensive course covering all aspects of the job including driver training, load restraint and correctly filling out a work diary.”

In a statement, Wodonga TAFE said it worked together with TWAL to encourage employers to change their perspective on employing lesser experienced, but better trained staff who have completed the WDTC program, stating it’s widely acknowledged that experience does not always guarantee quality.

This course has reportedly had over a 95 per cent retention rate of students on completion, with multiple students across a number of employers having been promoted into team leader and management roles.

By creating an inclusive training program through consultation with employers, TWAL and Wodonga TAFE have helped to empower these women to become ambassadors for the

industry and to inspire other women into considering a career path in the transport industry.

The project shows a great deal of commitment by the employers, who hire staff and cover the cost of them completing the four-week training program before they begin their driving career.

VGA supplied Wodonga TAFE with a new UD truck, co-branded with Wodonga TAFE, VGA and TWAL livery, to assist with the program.

TWAL plays an important role through industry engagement and networking to ensure continued growth of the program, which has been embraced by some of the largest employers within the industry including Linfox, Australia Post, Visy, Alex Fraser, Hanson Australia and Mainfreight.

The winner of the 2021 Victorian Training Awards Industry Collaboration Award will be announced at a gala event scheduled to be held on Saturday 16 October.

THE NEW D190 FULL TIME PUMP HAS ARRIVED D190

E NG I N E E RE D & BU I LT I N AUSTRALIA For more information contact Dana on 1300 00 DANA or visit us at www.Dana.com.au

Strength • Power • Endurance

PRIME NEWS

> Dana supports technical training for Electric Vehicles

At the launch of the new electrification facility at TAFE of Queensland.

Dana has announced it is supporting technical training for electrified mining equipment at Technical and Further Education (TAFE) of Queensland’s new electrification facility located in the Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge. The electric heavy vehicle technical training is designed to prepare technicians with the knowledge and capabilities to conduct maintenance and repair activities for the growing number of high-voltage, heavy-duty electric mining vehicles.

In addition to supporting the development of the curriculum for the program, Dana will provide two sets of Dana TM4 SUMO motors and CO150 inverters, which are used on the Sandvik Artisan A18 battery-electric loader.

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“Dana offers a full suite of electrified technologies for off-highway equipment and we understand that the technicians of the future will require training to ensure they can safely manage the maintenance activities for these vehicles,” said Nick Stavrakis, Dana Australia Managing Director. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with the TAFE of Queensland and our customer Sandvik to customize training to meet the unique needs of these important future career paths.”

As a part of the program, students will have the opportunity to conduct maintenance tests and checks while learning the key components and operations of these specialised vehicles.

The new SkillsTech building, which

has been designed with extra height to accommodate large heavy vehicles, mobile plant electrification and elctro hydraulic control was opened this week

by Di Farmer, Queensland Minister for Training and Skills Development.

Labelled ‘World’s Best Employer’ by Forbes magazine and based in Ohio, USA, Dana is a leader in the design and manufacture of efficient propulsion and energy-management solutions for all mobility markets across the globe.

The company’s conventional and clean-energy solutions support nearly every vehicle manufacturer with drive and motion systems; electrodynamic technologies, including software and controls; and thermal, sealing, and digital solutions.

BUILT FOR SUCCESS THE FUSO SHOGUN

With a low tare weight of just 6950kg on the 6x2 ‘s and 7600kg on the 6x4’s, and an 11.5m length pallet able to handle 14 pallet applications; the Fuso Shogun 360 is the heavy hitter, that’s not so heavy. Pair this with its powerful 6-cylinder 7.7 Litre twin turbo Daimler engine with a gutsy 360 horsepower and an impressive 1400Nm of torque and you’ve got yourself a truck that can get the job done, and some.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE POWERFUL SHOGUN 360 PLUS ITS SUITE OF CLASS-LEADING SAFETY FEATURES, HEAD TO FUSO.COM.AU

PRIME NEWS

> MDH Haulage adds new conventional for B-double task Specialising in coal haulage from the mines at Gunnedah in New South Wales, MDH Haulage recently commissioned a new 600hp conventional prime mover to pull a B-double combination. It’s the third Western Star delivered to the business

by Double R Trucks in Tamworth.

The company was formed seven years ago by husband-and-wife team Mark and Darlene Hall with a rigid tipper and three-axle dog which Mark drove himself while Darlene managed the administration side of the business.

The business quickly grew and today comprises four truck and quad-dog combinations, a truck and three-axle super-dog, an A-double roadtrain and a B-double combination.

Around 85 per cent of the business involves hauling Gunnedah coal to some 23 customers at destinations in NSW ranging from Grafton on the north coast to Bomaderry on the south coast

and Oberon in the central west.

MDH Haulage purchased its first new Western Star 4864FXB around three years ago. It was equipped with a Sloanebuilt aluminium tipper body and pulls a quad-dog trailer.

The second new unit is a prime mover that is hitched to an A-double while the latest acquisition hauls the B-double combination. In common with the first two, the new unit is a 4864FXB sporting an X15 Cummins delivering 600hp and 2,050lb/ft of torque, linked with an 18-speed manual Roadranger box feeding into Meritor diffs with a 4.3:1 ratio riding on 46,000lb AirLiner suspension. The sleeper cab is fitted with a Coolabah electric air conditioning and heating unit.

According to Mark Hall, Western Star trucks are an ideal fit for their business.

“They’re a good, big, strong truck with 40” bunks that provide plenty of space inside,” said Hall. “Some of the

roads we go on are not the best, so we need durable, reliable and comfortable trucks. You can sit in the Western Star and do 1,000km a day and still feel as good as gold.

“I also prefer Cummins engines for their reliability and pulling power, which is why all three of our Western Stars are 600hp Cummins powered,” said Hall — adding that they do it easy pulling the A- and B-double combinations which have Gross Combination Masses (GCM) of 74.5 and 68.5 tonnes, respectively.

Hall said he’s happy with the fuel economy of the Cummins engines, with the Western Star tipper and quad-dog unit averaging around 2.0km/l (5.65mpg) loaded to a GCM of 57.5 tonnes. He added that another advantage of having Cummins engines is that it’s easier to find people who possess the necessary skills to work on them in regional areas such as Gunnedah.

Western Star 4864FXB.

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PRIME NEWS

> Lindsay Australia achieves spectacular revenue growth Multi-modal refrigerated transport, logistics and rural supplies company Lindsay Australia has reported Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation of $45.3 million, up 12.1 per cent year‐on‐year, for the financial year (FY) ended 30 June 2021.

In a recent statement, the company said its record revenue of $435.2 million had been driven by its rail diversification strategy and increased competitiveness as a fully integrated logistics provider. The company’s Rural division has reportedly delivered record revenue of $137.9 million as investments in its store network and sales organisation boost results.

Rail expansion has lifted Transport division revenue to a record $297.3 million with 110 new refrigerated rail containers added to capacity in FY21, the company stated.

Operating cash of $51.7 million, up 35 percent year‐on‐year, with cash balance of $27.6 million at FY21 year end, allowed the Board to declare a final unfranked dividend of 0.5 cents per share, bringing total FY21 dividends to 1.7 cents per share.

Lindsay’s Transport and Rural divisions both contributed to the solid underlying earnings result following record revenue for the two operating segments.

At a Group level, FY21 revenue of $435.2 million was 5.7 per cent above the prior year’s record. The cost discipline achieved during the period of growth delivered underlying profit before tax (PBT) of $13.8 million – a 24 percent increase on FY20.

A reconciliation of underlying to statutory results is provided in the Operating and Financial Review of the 2021 Annual Report. Lindsay also delivered a material lift in net operating cash flows, which rose 35 percent on the prior year to $51.7 million in the period.

Lindsay continued to invest in organic growth opportunities in rail, including capital expenditure of $12 million for the addition of 110 new refrigerated rail containers and associated equipment in FY21.

Across the company’s road fleet, $12.4 million was invested in fleet renewal, safety technology, trailer fleet

expansion and other projects.

“FY21 has seen us deliver a strong result despite the challenges presented by what has been a highly fluid environment,” said Lindsay Australia CEO, Kim Lindsay. “The outcome is testament to our employees who have remained committed to Lindsay as the company ensures Australia’s food supply chains remain unimpeded by the disruption of COVID‐19.”

Lindsay said the ongoing drive to diversify the company’s services and deliver new and innovative solutions had helped it mitigate the challenges and take advantage of opportunities that presented during the fast‐changing conditions seen over the year.

“We continue to see strong demand for both our road and rail services and will further expand our operational capacity in FY22 to meet these needs,” said Lindsay. “The year demonstrated Lindsay’s disciplined approach to costs while growing our businesses. We will continue to drive organic growth forward in FY22 while maintaining a watching brief on any transaction‐led opportunities that may arise.”

> Multi-national logistics firm falls foul of fatigue investigation An investigation by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has uncovered evidence of falsified records and insufficient fatigue management, compliance, and auditing practices by a multi-national logistics company. The company has subsequently been issued with an Improvement Notice.

NHVR Investigators completed an extensive safety duties investigation after receiving a report through the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line. Evidence found the company had scheduled drivers to drive between Adelaide, Melbourne and regional New South Wales without sufficient rest hours. Multiple drivers had falsified their National Driver Work Diary pages by recording rest breaks during 18

o c t o b e r 2021

work hours.

NHVR Director of Investigations Steve Underwood said these activities were a serious breach of fatigue management regulations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law. “Alarmingly, the company’s tight scheduling and insufficient auditing allowed these critical risk breaches to occur. Drivers exceeded the maximum allowable work time by as much as three hours in a 24 hour period,” said Underwood. “This Improvement Notice ensures the company will make scheduling arrangements that allows drivers to recover from fatigue, record all long-distance work hours accurately and won’t cause drivers to work in breach of their work and rest options.

“This should act as a reminder to all operators to check you have right protections in place to manage fatigue, set manageable schedules and carry out robust quality assurance measures, to meet their safety and regulatory obligations.”

Under the Improvement Notice, the logistics company must make improvements to their scheduling and auditing practices. Every vehicle combination in the company’s fleet will use an Electronic Work Diary to support compliance with fatigue laws, as part of the notice.

The company is now subject to monitoring by NHVR Investigators over a six-month period to ensure compliance with the notice.

> Hino announces expanded tipper range Hino 500 FC1124.

Hino Australia has further expanded its range of Built to Go (BTG) trucks it has announced. The introduction of the new Tipper Pro variants cover both the 300 Series and 500 Series model ranges.

A direct result of customer feedback, according to Daniel Petrovski, Hino Australia Department Manager of Product Strategy, all Hino Built to Go models feature Hino SmartSafe, a comprehensive safety package with advanced driver-assist technology.

“Passenger car, light and medium trucklicenced customers looking for the reliability of a Hino truck and quality of a Hino Genuine body now have additional tipper models to choose from,” he said.

“Hino offers Australia’s largest range of Built to Go Tippers starting from a carlicenced 300 Series 616 Standard Cab through to the medium-duty 500 Series Tipper Pro with a 4 metre body. We expect this product to be of particular appeal given the extension of the Federal Government’s Temporary Full

Expensing of the Instant Asset Write-Off until 30 June 2023.”

Like all 300 Series Tipper models, the new Tipper Pro models feature a high quality tipper with the addition of a ‘barn door’ type tailgate, body lock and rope rails.

“While all Hino Tippers have an automatic release tailgate that opens when the body is raised, the Tipper Pro has the additional advantage of the ‘barn door’ side swinging gates which allows the tailgate to be split in half and locked open,” said Petrovski. “The ‘barn door’ design means less space is required around the body when the gates are being folded away, which is particularly useful in the tight areas that these vehicles often operate in.”

The body lock feature mechanically locks the body to the chassis while loading and driving and ensures the body does not raise unexpectedly. The body lock automatically releases when the body is tipped.

Full length rope rails run underneath the drop sides and assist with securing loads.

The 616 Standard Cab Tipper Pro can haul 1.7 tonnes of payload on a car licence and is only 1.9 metres wide allowing it to squeeze into some very tight spaces. The Wide and Crew Cab variants of the Tipper Pro are available in body lengths between 3.1 and 4 metres with a payload of up to 4.7 tonne.

The Hino 300 Series Tipper range is the only Japanese light-duty tipper available with a choice of either a manual or a true automatic transmission.

The 500 Series Tipper Pro option with the barn door tailgate, body lock and rope rails is also available in the medium-duty range in the FC1124.

With a payload of six tonne, 4 metre body length and six-speed manual transmission, it offers customers a bigger and more versatile option. p r im em ove r m a g . co m . a u

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PRIME NEWS

> ATA announces new CEO The Australian Trucking Association has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer.

Last month the industry body welcomed industry veteran Michael Deegan as its new CEO. The heavily credentialed Deegan has been involved in road freight transport policy for more than 20 years. His previous senior roles include Chair of the National Transport Commission, National Infrastructure Coordinator at Infrastructure Australia and CEO of the South Australian Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure.

Deegan’s involvement with trucking began working in the mines driving heavy vehicles and has evolved to include an instrumental role in the establishment of PBS and vast experience with heavy vehicle charging policy.

“Michael is an expert at developing

and implementing visionary strategies, responsible for Australia’s first national transport plan and first national freight strategy,” said ATA Chair David Smith.

“The ATA board believes Michael is the leader we need to push ahead with the extensive work the ATA and its members have done on our strategic plan.”

As CEO, Deegan will work with ATA members to refine and implement the plan, as well as improving member engagement and leading strategic lobbying activities.

“Michael will lead and implement our strategic direction and the projects we deliver, from the ATA’s role in the industry’s COVID-19 response through to infrastructure and productivity priorities,” Smith said.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator welcomed the appointment. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the NHVR

looked forward to working with Deegan to continue to support the delivery of a modern heavy vehicle reform agenda.

“Michael has decades of experience across infrastructure and transport in Australia and has delivered many positive and practical outcomes for industry,” Petroccitto said. “He joins the ATA at a pivotal time, as we work towards delivering a forward-looking heavy vehicle law to support improved safety and enhanced productivity.

“I look forward to working alongside Michael, ATA Chairman David Smith and the ATA staff to ensure we deliver the best outcomes for the hundreds of thousands of workers that keep Australia moving every day.”

Petroccitto also thanked interim CEO Bill McKinley for his dedication and ongoing engagement over the past few months.

> Industry tributes flow for Senator Industry his mourning the loss of Senator Alex Gallacher. Gallacher, who passed away after a two year battle with lung cancer, was described as ‘a transport man to the bootstraps’.

Having worked as a truck driver, labourer and airline ramp operator before joining the Transport Workers’ Union in 1988, Gallacher became the Branch Secretary of South Australia in 1996 before being elected to the Senate of Australian Parliament in 2010, where he served until his recent passing 30 August 2021. In the Senate he was a staunch advocate for road safety, also chairing several parliamentary committees. As a director of industry fund TWUSUPER, Alex advocated for the financial interests of transport workers in retirement.

In a released statement, TWUSuper called Gallacher a voice in the Senate for the transport Industry, for safety, and countless other issues serving the Australian community.

“We hope that some of what he took to 20

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the Senate was honed during his time serving on our Board and the various Committees,” TWUSUPER said.

Gallacher was also chair of the Investment Committee where he established protocols and culture which are still followed today according to the Victorian Transport Association.

“Alex had the skill to solve complex problems by using common sense and the wisdom gained over many years of listening to people to people from all walks of life,” said VTA CEO Peter Anderson. “He possessed an uncanny ability to separate fact from fiction.

The VTA was fortunate to work with Alex in his various transport industry representative roles, developing a respect for his genuine interest in advocating for the prosperity of the industry and its workers.”

Gallacher brought a sharp mind, a no-nonsense attitude and sense of responsibility to the Senate and to the TWUSUPER Board where he served from 1996 according to the TWUSUPER

statement. Current Chair of the TWUSUPER Investment Committee Paul Ryan, who served with Gallacher said he was respected by fellow TWUSUPER Board members from both the TWU and those representing transport businesses.

“His ability to cut through complex investment issues with common sense made it much easier for the Board to make crucial investment decisions with members’ interests at the heart of their decision-making,” said Ryan. “He didn’t suffer fools and could quickly separate fact from fiction.”

Sentiments that are echoed by Frank Sandy, TWUSUPER CEO, who remembers Gallacher as a gifted intellect and persuasive speaker.

“At TWUSUPER, we were fortunate to have Alex Gallacher as a long-serving Board member where Alex’s views and insights brought clarity to issues and always with a strong sense of service.

He was a man of deep intelligence, passion and care,” he said.

Technology / Innovation / Safety

JOST wins 2 major industry awards for its new JSK42-ASW fifth wheel JOST Australia has been awarded for its innovative JSK42-ASW fifth wheel coupling that combines pneumatic air release, sensor and low The JSK42-ASW uses innovative technology to improve operator safety

“Our thanks to the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association (HVIA) and the Australian Freight Industry Awards (AFIA) for their recognition.”

www.jostaustralia.com.au

SENSOR SYSTEM CLEAR INDICATION OF COUPLING STATUS SHOWN IN THE CABIN

PNEUMATIC AUTOMATION REDUCES BACK STRAIN

LOW MAINTENANCE EXTENDED SERVICE INTERVALS ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

GLOB AL NEWS

> Fuso donates 126 Canter trucks Fuso Canter mobile vaccination centre.

Fuso through its distributor, the Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO), has donated 126 Canter trucks to the national vaccination drive in the battle against the COVID-19 crisis in Vietnam. In response to government calls for private sector support, THACO has donated 63 units of the 4.99 tonne Fuso Canter for vaccination transport.

Another 63 units of the 6.5 tonne Canter

are to be used as mobile vaccination and testing centres.

These Canters were produced as Complete Knock Down (CKD) kits in the Fuso plant in Kawasaki, Japan, and assembled by THACO in their Quang Nam Province plant, located in central Vietnam.

The trucks, which come with refrigeration and rear steps for easy access into the cargo area, collectively exceed 150 billion VND ($AUD 9 million) in total value.

The Fuso vehicles will be operated around the country to meet the Vietnamese government’s goal of vaccinating 80 per cent of the population by June 2022.

Earlier this year, Vietnam launched a public fund to secure and distribute vaccine doses for its population of 100 million.

Organisations within, and outside

of, Vietnam have since contributed in an effort to spur on the nation’s vaccination campaign.

THACO has supported prevention measures since the beginning of COVID-19 and in addition to this recent donation of trucks, the company has provided local municipalities with funds and medical supplies such as disinfectants, gloves, protective gear, and testing kits.

THACO was established in 1997 and has since become a leader in the Vietnamese commercial vehicle market.

At present it has a distribution network of 33 outlets. THACO became the exclusive wholesale distributor and local assembly partner for Fuso products in 2017, and through its extensive sales network, has increased market presence for the Fuso brand in Vietnam.

> Navistar appoints Scania exec to top job Navistar has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors named Mathias Carlbaum as CEO and President of Navistar International Corporation, effective September 1, 2021.

He will succeed Persio Lisboa, who has held the position since July 2020.

In a recent statement Navistar said Lisboa was instrumental in returning the company to profitability and launching and executing a solid strategy called Navistar 4.0. After a short transition phase, Lisboa will retire, bringing his tenure of 35 years at the company, where he held key roles as Chief Operating Officer and CEO to a close.

Up until last March 2021, Mathias Carlbaum was Executive Vice President Commercial Operations at Scania CV AB. He has developed extensive experience in sales and international markets during his long management career at Scania.

Since April 2021, he has been leading the post-merger management of Navistar on behalf of the Traton Group.

At the start of 2020, Traton submitted an initial offer to acquire all of the ordinary shares in Navistar. A binding merger 22

o c t o b e r 2021

agreement was signed in November 2020.

The merger was closed on July 1, 2021.

“Mathias Carlbaum is an internationally experienced Manager with the right skills and mindset to lead Navistar into this new era as part of TRATON GROUP,” said Matthias Gründler, Traton SE CEO. “I am welcoming Mathias in his new responsibility. A great thanks goes to Persio Lisboa for his great support before, during and after the merger.”

To reflect the existing corporate governance of other TRATON GROUP companies, Navistar’s Board of Directors appointed an Executive Board, effective 1 September, 2021, which, alongside CEO Carlbaum, will be made up of five other members: Walter G. Borst continues to be Chief Financial Officer until he transitions his role to Do Young Kim on January 1, 2022.

It is intended that Walter G. Borst will continue to serve as a member of Navistar’s Board of Directors thereafter.

In his current function, Do Young Kim had been the project lead for Traton’s IPO and the merger with Navistar.

Michael Grahe, formerly CTO of the

TRATON GROUP, will head Operations, which covers the areas of product development and procurement.

Current President of Operations, Phil Christman, will remain at Navistar until March 2022 to oversee Mexico and Brazil, as well as transition related tasks and continue reporting to the CEO. Since September 2016, Traton and Navistar have benefited from a strategic alliance that has generated significant added value for both companies due to higher purchasing power and the integration of new technologies.

With its brands Scania, MAN, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, Navistar, and RIO, Traton SE is one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

Navistar RH On Highway Class 8.

> UK Govt greenlights longer semi-trailers Vehicles up to 15.65 metres in length are set to be approved for widespread use in the United Kingdom. After a successful trial and consultation, the Department for Transport (DfT) will now consider the use of longer-semi trailers (LSTs) on Britain’s roads outside trial conditions, and the environment-boosting vehicles could be rolled out sometime in 2022.

The news follows the DfT releasing a response to its consultation on the introduction of longer-semi trailers, for which a majority of respondents were in favour of their use. It’s estimated LSTs could remove up to one in eight freight journeys by carrying the same amount of cargo in fewer lorries.

This would support the Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan by reducing mileage, congestion and carbon emissions given the nine-year trial found them to be safer, more economical and better for the environment. Trial data

demonstrated an 8 per cent average reduction in freight miles and a 6.2 per cent reduction in pollutants.

The news comes as the UK prepares to host COP26 this November – the 26th UN Climate Change Conference.

Final approval of LSTs for general use had been long anticipated by industry with rumours of the move first mooted back in February. LSTs can be up to 15.650m long, effectively extending a standard trailer length by two metres.

Despite the maximum plated weight having not been increased, the additional length and subsequent volume is expected to afford carriers another four UK pallets on single decks and up to eight extra UK pallets on double deck variants.

Of those respondents who took part in the DfT survey, it is understood 57 per cent endorsed LSTs for general circulation as part of efforts to improve efficiency and reduce the impact on the environment.

Although LSTs conform to existing turning circle regulations, the extra length can make manoeuvring a challenge and potential new operators should be wary of yard space and local road infrastructure.

Savvy operators might also be presented an opportunity to de-fleet.

The trial is said to have highlighted an exceptional LST safety record that was arguably superior than standard length trailers.

Meanwhile, the UK Government is preparing to launch a separate trial involving 48-tonne lorries, following a positive response from the consultation on their introduction. These lorries will be able to transport heavier containers directly to and from rail depots so that goods can be transported across the country by train, said the DfT. At 44 tonnes, the maximum weight of a lorry currently makes it difficult to carry heavier goods to rail depots.

Darren Wales, CEO

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BRISBANE

PERTH

NEWCASTLE SYDNEY

ADELAIDE

MELBOURNE

HEAVY MOTOR DIVISION

SUPERANNUATION SUPER MINDSET MINDSET

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

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

WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HAZARDOUS OCCUPATIONS Superannuation is undergoing profound changes this year with a raft of legislated policy that will touch all of us, including those running transport businesses.

O

n the 1 November 2021, Superannuation ‘Stapling’ will be introduced — a new system where superannuation follows a person from job to job. When a person starts a new job and they have an existing super account, the new employer is tasked with finding their previous superannuation ‘stapled’ account via an ATO web portal.

We understand that the ATO is working on the process side, but for some months tracking down previous super accounts will be a clunky process for businesses. Keeping in mind that we can all make an ‘active choice’ and nominate a super fund or change anytime — so choice overrides ‘stapling’.

The change has been sold as a goodnews story for its potential to stamp out duplicate accounts and prevent people whittling their super away on multiple fees. But stapling can have serious implications for people working in transport and logistics.

Insurance not fit for transport Many people rely on insurance – life (death cover) and Total and permanent Disability (TPD) –

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included (and paid from) their super fund, but when it comes time to claim, not all funds are equal. A recent survey found that 40 per cent of super funds have occupational exclusion clauses, often relating to hazardous occupations. If the job is classed as dangerous, some insurers just won’t pay a benefit, which is of deep concern for people and businesses operating in industries regarded as risky, including mining, building and of course transport.

In short, many of your people may have insurance cover in their super that is not fit for purpose. This issue was highlighted in a recent media report of an interstate truck driver injured at work and was totally and permanently disabled.

Before the accident, his employer had signed him up to a superannuation fund which claimed to have a TPD payout of about $130,000. But after his injury the fund declined the claim, saying the policy excluded interstate truck drivers.

At TWUSUPER, our insurance covers people working in every transport occupation and was specifically designed for your people, and your industry.

SPONSORED BY

TWUSUPER insurance covers people working in every transport occupation.

We need to do a better job of making people aware of this issue, and we will be doing just that. As managers of businesses or people working in T&L, you may want to let your people know about this issue. For some, it may be one of the reasons they consider which super fund best suits their needs. We obviously have a bias in that respect, but it’s an important consideration as we paid out $58.5 million in claims last financial year alone.

The last financial year saw people stranded, but assets flying TWUSUPER delivered outstanding investment returns in 2020/21, with important changes lifting our overall performance and opening the door for strong growth in the years ahead.

In the year to 30 June, TWUSUPER’s Balanced (MySuper) investment option – the fund most members are invested in – delivered a return of 18.98 per cent, while the Equity Plus investment option delivered an impressive 25.72 per cent. Both returns are after tax and investment fees.

For those looking closer to retirement, the Balanced pension option returned 20.9 per cent for members, and the

Equity Plus pension option 28.43 per cent. Returns are higher as pension accounts are not taxed.

These great numbers are mostly due to the fact that investment markets performed strongly over the past year, despite all the early warnings and fears for the global economy.

But great returns for members are no accident. TWUSUPER’s has performed well relative to other superannuation funds thanks to some standout performances by specialist managers working on members’ behalf, and the effects of an investment restructuring program we began early last year.

Some of the changes to TWUSUPER’s investment portfolio have been designed to better focus active management on those parts of the portfolio where we can add the most value, reduce investment costs, and better recognise the importance of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in our ongoing investment decisions.

These changes have seen the TWUSUPER shift approximately a quarter of our assets – around $1.5 billion – across several investment managers, representing the largest strategic and transactional investment activity we

have ever undertaken.

As part of our commitment to ESG, our new investment mandates specifically exclude companies involved in tobacco manufacturing, nuclear and civilian weapons manufacturing, and fossil fuel extraction such as thermal coal mining.

In other parts of our portfolio, TWUSUPER recently gained exposure to a range of cutting-edge industrial properties through a $90 million investment in the Charter Hall Industrial Property Fund. Its warehousing sites include the state-of-the-art Woolworths Distribution Centre in Dandenong, Victoria, located on 15.9 hectares, and the MidWest Logistics Hub at Truganina in the same state. When complete the 60-hectare MidWest Logistics Hub will host leading businesses including Toll, Coles, Uniqlo and Bridgestone.

At a time when the nation has faced economic turmoil and all the challenges thrown up by COVID-19, TWUSUPER has maintained its position as an industry leader, earning members more while keeping costs down.

At TWUSUPER, we are proud to support the people and businesses that have so tirelessly worked to keep Australia moving in these challenging times. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

FULL THROT TLE For more than 30 years PrixCar has been trusted to provide a range of specialised services to the Australian motor vehicle industry.

P

rixCar is mostly known for its processing, storage and transport of passenger and commercial vehicles in Australia and operates from 25 depots in strategic locations across the country and is regarded as the dominant player in its field.

It would have always been expected that the demise of the local automobile manufacturing industry would have a significant effect upon an operation such as PrixCar, yet the entire team

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has adopted a flexible mindset which has allowed PrixCar to indeed flourish despite the many challenges the Industry faces.

Throw in the effects of the COVID-19 situation and the vehicle transportation landscape has altered significantly in just a few years.

Previously, much of the car carrying business was centered around distribution ex local factories (located in Melbourne and Adelaide).

Today’s reality of total importation

means that new passenger vehicles are collected from seven different sea port locations around the country such as Port Kembla, NSW and Webb Dock, VIC and distributed nationally which creates logistical pressures because the number of vehicles in storage yards is now very much reduced from the previous scenario.

“We needed to adapt to these new challenges by finding ways to innovate the supply chain and increase our flexibility,” says PrixCar National

Fleet Manager Goran Koviloski who joined PrixCar some four years ago.

“However, we must continue to deliver any innovation with our commitment to high quality service and safety standards.”

Born in Germany of Macedonian parents, Goran came to Australia for a ‘look around’ 25 years ago and like so many other young Europeans who visit here, he never went back. Although he trained as a diesel mechanic back in Germany, Goran started at Patrick

Autocare as a driver before progressing into management roles at that company over the next 19 years before moving to PrixCar. The PrixCar fleet presently includes over 200 of its own prime movers, over 400 trailers plus around 200 subcontractors who are an integral part of the overall operation and are encouraged to follow the company’s trends in vehicle choice and specification. Trailing equipment includes a few road trains and a small number of B-doubles with the over-

riding majority of combinations being single semi-trailers because they are more suited to getting in and out of car dealerships in metropolitan settings.

Vehicle dealerships (and their OEM parent companies) provide the majority of PrixCar’s client base.

During the past few years more than $52 million has been invested in new transport equipment including over 200 new trailers, many of which have been engineered to PrixCar’s requirements

by NCC Maintenance and Trailers in p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

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PrixCar Fleet Manager Goran Koviloski.

Melbourne and manufactured in Asia.

The current average age of trucks and trailers across more than 500 pieces of equipment is an impressive 2.9 years.

“I’ve worked with most car carrying trailer manufacturers and about five years ago I decided to go in a bit of a different direction and I got in contact with a local engineer at NCC and said ‘This is the trailer I’d like you to build’. We ended up ordering 155 units over the last three years.”

Inherent in the safety of the design is what is termed on-ground loading which uses a winch device to transfer the deck that has one of the vehicles from the trailer on it, to the above-cab frame location.

Goran has acquired 30 new trucks so far this year including 14 Kenworth T410SAR prime movers. Although PrixCar operates a diverse prime mover fleet with many leading and valued brand partners, the Kenworth T410SAR meets the criteria for a short bonneted, low-roof and short wheel-based prime mover to suit the vagaries of vehicle transport, and this has driven some of the recent purchase decisions. The typical combination enables the carrying of a car on the high mounted cab-frame followed by a 48 foot (14.6 metre) dual deck trailer to achieve the capability to carry up to eight vehicles at a time.

“I have been surrounded with Kenworths since I’ve started working in the car carrying Industry back in 1998,” says Goran.

“Having a locally built prime mover like the T410 ensures we get the key features required for car haulage included in new designs. It’s also built to suit our new trailers offering both safety and load efficiency features which makes the job of our drivers so much easier. Our drivers appreciate that we spec them as if we in the Fleet team are buying them for ourselves, and go ‘full throttle’ with lots of lights, super singles and bull bars where we can.”

Front axle weight is extremely crucial in car-carrying, especially when loaded with a vehicle on the overhead frame, and the set-forward location of the SAR’s p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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COVER STORY

front axle allows for a reasonably sized vehicle to be carried in that location without exceeding permissible axle weights.

The Kenworth’s T410SAR’as proprietary driveline results in a very homogenous truck where the PACCAR 460hp 13 litre MX engine is well matched to the 12-speed PACCAR automated manual transmission.

“Having PACCAR producing their own engine and transmission is certainly something we have been looking forward to,” says Goran.

“Recently I took a loaded rig through Kenworth T410SAR with BMW M3 on the overhead frame.

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some back streets and along the Ring Road and I must say that I was very pleased with the truck, particularly the interior with its integrated sleeper. The truck is extremely quiet on the inside, the visibility for the driver is astonishing and the smooth gear changes made me feel like I was driving my private car.”

Goran says his drivers are saying that the combination of the traditional Kenworth SAR look with the 2.1 metre wide T410 cab and its integrated sleeper, plus the extensive suite of safety features make it a joy to drive and operate. “We believe that the T410 is going to serve us

well here.”

As a national organisation, PrixCar appreciates the support and service of PACCAR’s own national dealer network.

“The dealer network is very important, and I view our association with PACCAR to be that of a solid partnership, and as a customer I can take comfort in knowing that we’re not only covered by things like warranties but are also well respected and looked after throughout the country.”

In return Goran respects the management at PACCAR and describes them as key supporters in the industry.

uniquely

AUSTRALIAN MADE FOR 50 YEARS AUSTRALIAN MADE. WORLD’S BEST. | KENWORTH.COM.AU

FLEET FOCUS

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FIRM F O U N D AT I O N S Brisbane Posts and Beams operates in a specialised niche in the building industry and uses Hino trucks to serve its clients.

G

reg Watkin has a 25-year history of using vehicles from the Toyota-Hino family having started working out of the back of a Toyota Landcruiser ute doing onsite welding.

Since those early days the business has evolved to meet the changes brought about by different circumstances and market opportunities.

Brisbane is the home of many ‘Queenslander’ style of residential buildings and as they age many of their owners opt to have the original wooden supporting poles replaced with structural steel. Many also take the opportunity to perform extensive renovations by ‘building in’ additional rooms and spaces under the house. The occasional flooding of areas around the Brisbane River has also prompted some, where possible, to physically lift the level of their homes to have a better chance of being clear of any future floodwaters. Greg’s business Brisbane Posts and Beams currently employs around 25 people and supplies steel structural components to builders and renovators who are mostly in the domestic dwelling category, along with providing the steel components required for larger architectural design homes, as well as smaller commercial buildings.

“Everyone wants open plan living now

which requires a lot of big beams. Over the years they’ve gone from having a maximum six metre span and now we’re starting to deliver nine metres and longer. Timber is getting scarce, so we supply more and more steel components” To be able to accommodate those increased lengths the Hino trucks operated by Brisbane Posts and Beams have extended chassis. The newest truck is a 2021 Hino 500 Series FE1426 Standard Cab model fitted with a nine-metre tray to enable it to carry the full length beams. The Palfinger truck-mounted crane is the first remote controlled crane Brisbane Posts and Beams has had.

“This truck is a little bit bigger than what we would normally get and it carries an extra tonne and the crane extends a little bit further,” Greg says. “We did that because a lot of our products are long and skinny without a lot of weight. For a single house it’s lucky if there’s a couple of tonne in it.”

Standard safety features of the Hino 500 Series include a Pre-Collision Warning System which includes Safety Eye, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Detection in addition to Adaptive Cruise Control, Vehicle Stability Control, and Anti-Lock Brakes, Lane Departure Warning and a p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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FLEET FOCUS

Hino 300 Series 721.

reverse view camera. The driver has the protection of an airbag.

The Standard Cab 500 is supported by a 2020 Hino 300 Series 721 model which also has a Palfinger crane fitted. A 2014 Hino Dutro is kept on hand to fulfil any urgent tasks.

One purpose of using their own trucks to perform the deliveries is the benefit of maintaining control right to the end user. Operating from their base at Everton Hills in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, the Brisbane Poles and Beams trucks cover an extensive delivery area which reaches to the Sunshine Coast down to the Gold Coast and out past Ipswich, with the occasional trip as far as Toowoomba. The trucks cover between 60,000 and 100,000 kilometres per year and third-party carriers are utilised to deliver products to more distant locations.

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Some years ago Greg bought a truck which wasn’t a Hino.

“But I soon realised I’d made a big mistake. I only had it for three and a half years and just got rid of it. It was not a good truck at all, so back to Hino,” he recalls. His reasoning for choosing the Hino brand for his trucks is very concise. “They’re good, they’re reliable and they seem to hold their value.”

The business also includes the custom fabrication of steel items such as frames for gates and awnings to suit clients’ specific requirements and offers a fast turnaround.

In addition to the steel posts, Brisbane Posts and Beams also manufactures the accompanying brackets as well as bespoke steel stair stringers and landings. It can also supply the necessary hardware such as bolts and tensioning wires. The steel components

are mainly made from ‘supergal’ material which Greg considers as having the thickest internal and external anticorrosion coating of any ‘pre-gal’ steel tubing. Finished items can also be hot dipped galvanised or put through a powder coating process to provide an additional level of protection and an appealing finish. Raw steel items can be shot blasted to remove scale and rust prior to being primed.

Greg is continually upgrading the business with modern technology equipment such as the latest plasma cutting equipment which enhances the accuracy of component dimensions while increasing efficiency. A Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Beam Drill Line provides an exceptionally accurate and durable laser system for all holes and the attachment placement of all welded components. Demand for steel

Hino 500 Series FE1426 Standard Cab with Palfinger crane.

during the last couple of years has resulted in repeated price increases.

“The cost of timber has gone up as well,” says Greg. “I think just due to the scarcity as demand has gone up for use in renovations. The steel mills in places such as Whyalla don’t seem to be producing as much as they were.”

He cites combined steel price increases of around 40 per cent so far this year alone.

“We used to try to hold prices for a couple of months if we knew a job was happening but it’s just so hard now we can’t promise anything because we know prices will go up again,” Greg laments.

Despite the pandemic the business is flourishing with its order book appearing healthy.

While Greg has been happy to accept the Government’s instant asset write off, that incentive was just one of several factors in

the decision to purchase the new Hino.

“The old one was about six years old and was probably getting to the point where you know there are a couple of little issues coming up with it,” he says. “Also, at ten years we have to get the cranes x-rayed. It had been a great truck, but it was time to update it.”

The new FE is essentially the same configuration as Greg’s previous FD model.

“I had two FDs at one stage and we had a bit of trouble with the cranes we were putting on. We’d find the weight on the front axle wears tyres out,” Greg explains.

“But this FE is a heavier truck and it’s stronger in the front axle. It can carry about 800kgs more which doesn’t sound like much but that additional capacity can equate to an additional delivery per trip. We’ve got a slightly bigger crane now but it’s a lot more robust truck just by

going up a tonne or so.”

Greg is currently contemplating stepping back from being as involved in the company’s operations as he has been since he established it. His son Tom is stepping up to take on the overall management role.

“Tom started right at the bottom here working on the saws and he’s progressed to be in charge of production now,” says Greg. “Some of our staff have been here for 20 years. We’ve got the new generation coming through and, as people retire, we’ve got younger people to take over the opportunities in those jobs.”

Brisbane Post and Beams has built its reputation and success over a quarter of a century by concentrating on quality and service as its points of difference, a philosophy which is somewhat paralleled in its choice of Hino trucks. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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L I F E Kalari is a renowned leader in high productivity vehicle innovation. When it came to introducing specialised super quads pulling loads of 185 tonne in its unique Ceduna operation, the bulk transport specialist turned to Dana for a differential especially equipped for the task.

I

n the niche but growing domain of high productivity vehicles, bulk transport specialist Kalari, remains a proven force. Though perhaps less familiar as a presence in metropolitan areas as it once was, the company has, during its nearly four-decade existence, evolved into a kindred outfit to that of the resource sector left largely to its own devices — devices of inordinate power and payload when it comes to designing multi-combination commercial vehicles.

As the business model evolved, moving the company away from its origins as an interstate freight carrier, much of its work has become more specialised and while the sightings of its distinct yellow and orange trucks are less frequent on major highways, the fleet over time has not dissipated but rather relocated to remote areas where resources are more commonly found.

Kalari, to this day, maintains a national presence across the country. At the company’s spiritual home of Portland, Victoria, it still moves bulk material such as mineral sand and woodchip for export through the Port of Portland.

Since the mid-1990s in keeping with the new direction of Swires Group

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ownership, Kalari expanded its footprint into Central Queensland, which is now something of a stronghold for the business. When it’s not hauling coal to train load-out facilities, the fleet is transporting explosives and ammonium nitrate in both liquid emulsion and dry form prill into coal mines along the seam that runs east of Moranbah down to Emerald.

For the past 27 years Kalari has had a presence in South Australia where most of its operations are concentrated around moving bulk products which include commodities like sulphur, cement, acids and various other dangerous goods into BHP Olympic Dam north of Roxby Downs. On the return journey it moves copper out of the mine on dual loading vehicles going both ways, daily. The company also runs some pneumatic tankers and acid tankers around the Adelaide region for other customers.

Out at Ceduna, a remote fishing village on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula, Kalari transports mineral sands. It’s largely gruelling point-to-point work involving new Kenworth T659s pulling super quad combinations approved under the Performance-Based Standards scheme two hours on the flat between

F

Jacinth-Ambrosia, a mining site still missing from most maps, to the deep sea port at Thevenard, where there is two berths each capable of handling ships of 198m length overall. Aside from its impressive logistical infrastructure the town’s local Greek community lays claim to having introduced Barramundi, as a cuisine, to the rest of non-indigenous Australia. Out on this frontier, with the exception of the whales and sharks, there’s nothing as imposing as Kalari’s super quads.

These colossal units are operational 24/7 picking up product from the remote mine and bringing it back to port. High productivity vehicles or HPVs for short have been a big part of Kalari’s business since its Fleet General Manager Darren Whyte joined the company back in 1994.

“The PBS scheme is something I’ve been involved with for nearly 27 years,” he says. “We’ve always tried to differentiate ourselves in those tasks moving those products on the most productive vehicles we can come up with but also on some of the safest vehicles we can come up with.”

Given its critical import within the business, safety also permeates the role to which the higher productivity

ORCE vehicles have risen to predominance.

At the Ceduna operation, Kalari runs its super quads at 185 tonne GCM. The commitment to safety on these vehicles is personified, for one example, on an enhanced step design for access/ egress that incorporates the removal of a fuel tank on the driver side. The team at Kenworth and in particular the Barry Maney Group helped to achieve this unique design. To get the vehicles to where they are now in SA has itself been something of a journey. Repeated refinements have been made to the application over the course of those last 12 years.

“Initially everyone was running double roadtrains. Then we got approval to operate triples with tri-dollies,” recalls Darren. “Back in those days in South Australia you could only have bogey dollies south of Port Augusta. It was a bit of a coup to run triples plus obtain the tri-dollies in one fell swoop and

that’s how we got started on the contract out there.”

Naturally, the task progressed. At first Kalari were achieving a payload of around 90 tonnes. A move to a twin-steer configuration resulted in an increase to 96 tonnes before the team settled on the current super quad with four trailers, three dollies.

“We’ve now got those operating at 185 tonne GCM on the same job,” explains Darren. “Over the years we’ve developed a pretty good relationship with all the authorities. Working with the likes of DPTI in South Australia, who have been extremely good to work with and the NHVR, but also councils and local authorities. We’ve worked with those guys to ensure we get not only the most productive vehicle, but the safest vehicle on the road we can.”

Credit must also go, according to Darren, to the local team lead by Glenn Dunn and Jordy Grills for the way they have

helped ensure Kalari has worked closely with the local community.

“They are key to our success within the region,” he says. “Our Continuous Improvement Specialist, Bill Natt, is the lynchpin between Kalari and the authorities. He’s our PBS specialist.”

The super quads are being pulled by Kenworth T659s that are equipped with locally designed and manufactured Dana D52-590 tandem axles, one being fitted with the Full Time Pump. Suited for heavy applications, these differentials are available across all gross combination mass ranges with complete coverage for Tandem and Tridem Axle Sets.

Dana has come on board especially for these HPVs, making it the first major differential purchase Kalari has made of Dana in some time. The companies have always had an association but not necessarily in this space says Darren.

“It’s a very unique thing these units and many of the approvals we get in the

A Kenworth T659 pulls a super quad for Kalari in South Australia.

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FLEET FOCUS

Kalari twin-steer B-A-B combination loaded with sulphur.

industry nowadays, particularly when it comes to PBS, are very route specific,” he says. “When we designed these vehicles, it was based on the terrain and a specific point A to point B assignment. Dana are really the only one who could supply the diffs we needed for this particular vehicle to meet the criteria we were looking for at the time.”

In this application length issues were certain to arise. Restricted to 49 metres, Darren needed to balance that limitation with a critical requirement of maintaining the trailer capacity in order to get the payload as advertised. The topography is free of the type of grades that forbid the drivetrain from engaging properly with the load. Opting for a bogey drive therefore made sense. A fixed drawbar dolly is preferred for enhanced stability. General Transport Equipment in Western Australia developed a design in which a Ballcock coupling, similar to that which is seen on a low loader, is used to bring the pairing further forward over the centre of the back tri-axle. From a performance point of view Darren claims they have been incredible.

“They perform really well on the road in terms of all the PBS standards that they’ve got to meet,” he says. “When you follow these things down the road they track extremely well. They basically snake up and down the road like a big centipede. The design has been in use for a few years now. They’re pretty well proven.”

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introduced in 2019. As the Full Time Pump is externally mounted to the Drivehead, it pressure-feeds the oil directly to the critical bearing and gear surfaces, eliciting a reduction in oil temperature and crucial extended oil drain intervals. With constant lubrication supplied to all moving gears, the Full Time Pump has been designed to improve the longevity of the drivehead.

“You’ve also got to put that into context of the application that they’re running in regarding the weight that they’re pulling,” says Darren. “The extra lubrication will help. The first group of trucks didn’t have it. But the last one did — and we expect to see a difference in that for sure.”

With respect to the Kalari duty cycle, the team is only just starting to pull out the tandem sets for what Darren calls a ‘freshen up’. Particularly, the front diffs and the rear diffs, before each is again fitted.

“There’s a couple of checks that Dana requires of you in terms of service for pinion end float,” he says. “Overall, we’re reasonably happy with how they are performing. In general Dana’s ability to support us has been good especially from a training perspective. If we have had any issues their support in making sure that we get a speedy response has been excellent.”

For Kalari it has to be as the operation is at the mercy of being in a remote location.

“Ceduna is eight hours from nowhere.

Having the support of your suppliers is really important in these sorts of environments,” says Darren. “Particularly when you have a high utilisation task like this one.”

That goes for most of Kalari’s commercial vehicles which will, as a matter of routine, clock upwards of 300,000 kms a year. Operating 24/7, the Kenworth super quads stop every 7,000 to 8,000kms on the fortnight for a service. Should an issue be encountered on the high productivity vehicles it demands immediate attention of the team being as they are so unique the closest, approximate replacement vehicle in Ceduna offers around 40-tonne less in payload.

“We just can’t get a subcontractor to do that work. For starters, providing we can find one, they are down to an AB triple which is only good for 70 tonne payload,” says Darren. “Obviously, you’ve got to have the ability to back these trucks up very quickly and Dana’s support has been pretty good.

Jock Pickford and Peter Verde have been great.”

Duress on the HPVs requires Kalari to take something of a modified approach to vehicle replacement that otherwise might be more aggressive in contrast to conventional commercial vehicles.

It’s a strategy under constant review.

In the past Kalari would have run the vehicles, expressly in this application, to as high as 1.2 million kilometres before turning them over. But as the occasions to improve vehicle payload have presented themselves Kalari has seized the opportunity to upgrade the prime movers, accordingly, notes Darren.

“Our strategy at the moment, particularly with the Kenworth product, is to run them even further in their duty cycle,” he says. “For example, these trucks were upgraded to 185 tonnes this year and the previous trucks we had were around 140 tonne GCM so we actually upgraded those trucks around 800,000 kms in their duty cycle because we got an advantage in the payload meaning

we can use the other trucks somewhere else. Our business is dynamic like that.

We’re always looking for opportunity to increase the productivity of the vehicles and that sometimes can dictate when we will change a vehicle out and we then might move to another application.”

The current plan to extend the duty cycle of the vehicles is complemented by making use of robust, competitive maintenance data to help determine the decision is the correct one. In some, admittedly more outlier, cases Kalari have waited to hit 1.5 million kilometres before vehicle replacement. Again, Darren reiterates his resolve in doing so is wholly contingent on application and supplier specific considerations.

“With the Australian-made Kenworth product we can do that,” he says.

“We’ve got some really good data now particularly around the Kenworth product in terms of how far we can go with the life on a Kenworth. Our data is telling us that the product is open to extended duty cycles for sure.”

Under the present circumstances, strategy for maintaining equipment is going to merit further scrutiny among already vigilant fleet managers. While extending the life of vehicles might be a way of mitigating against supply chain disruptions, Darren is reviewing data streams for a varied group of highly specified vehicle combinations that don’t exactly lend themselves to generic kinds of analysis.

“We’ve found, having done direct comparisons, what works for someone running a Tautliner between Melbourne and Sydney is chalk and cheese to what we’re doing. Once you get up into that high end GCM bracket and, even with PBS itself, you do get restricted a little bit more in terms of what your options are,” he says. “At the moment the supply chain is very difficult for everyone. It’s definitely going to influence how fleets change trucks. We’re mindful of it, but it’s uncharted territory. I’ve never seen delivery times this long. It really is unprecedented.”

Kalari’s Glenn Dunn and Jordy Grills on the job in Ceduna. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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TRUCK & TECH

NOTES FROM THE

UNDERGR In an innovative application a Darwin plumber has set up a fully functional vacuum truck based on an Isuzu NPR Traypack.

S

cott Stewart is a plumber by trade and became involved with vacuum trucks while he was working on various road tunnel projects in Sydney. Scott’s progression to a supervisory role provided him with an insight into the costings and hire terms of specialised equipment such as truck-mounted vacuum units.

Scott moved to Darwin in 2013 and again worked with vacuum trucks on numerous projects including during the construction of the massive INPEX gas facility. After the completion of the construction phase at INPEX Scott identified an opportunity for a downsized vacuum truck which was still capable of handling the potholing excavation,

Isuzu Traypack holds up to an extra tonne more than a conventional ute.

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drain cleaning, and CCTV camera inspections of underground pipework that conventional vacuum trucks performed and to have the benefit of being able to access spaces which may present tighter access.

“It was an idea of mine from a while back,” says Scott. “There are a lot of big ‘vac’ trucks in the industry, and I thought I could make a small one possible to target a niche market specialising in smaller scale projects and jobs.

The truck was my COVID project.”

After considering several brands of new trucks, as well as second hand units and even tippers, Scott’s final analysis pointed him to the Isuzu NPR Traypack for three main reasons.

OUND

Scott Stewart at work in Darwin. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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Scott Stewart inspects the 1000-litre spoil tank.

“For starters, the Isuzu Traypack comes equipped with a bullbar, ladder racks and a soap dispenser,” he says. “The extras that it comes with make the truck look very professional for the same cost as something such as a HiLux. The ‘bang for my buck’ in terms of the Isuzu’s storage and carrying capacity was the second reason, and thirdly it was just actually driving it. I’ve driven Isuzu’s a bit in my time and I’ve always rated them as a good truck.”

Isuzu NPR 45-155 Premium Tradepack.

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Scott purchased the Isuzu NPR 45-155 Premium Tradepack through local Darwin Isuzu dealer CJD in June 2020. His goal was to have it finished by the end of the year and, mostly working on weekends, he managed to have it ready to operate by the end of October. Obtaining the necessary paperwork for items such as the required environmental licences takes some time to process so it was the beginning of 2021 when Scott’s business Quality Underground

Excavation Service Team (QUEST) began its operations.

The Isuzu NPR Traypack is usually sold as a ‘ready to work’ vehicle and Scott accepted he would have to make some modifications and additions to suit the specialities of his intended purposes for the truck.

As a result of his research into the most suitable vehicle for his specific needs, Scott upgraded the Isuzu’s suspension by adding a couple of extra leaves to the rear springs to help when fully loaded especially in consideration of occasions when the 1,000 litre liquid spoil tank is full. The Isuzu is also equipped with a 400 litre clean water tank.

Scott credits local company A&K Maintenance and Mechanical for its assistance in making the truck an operational reality and making best use of the available tray space in order to accommodate items such as pumps and hose reels.

“I was able to work with the specifications and my mechanic at A&K and I spent the time to shuffle around the mounting locations of the various pieces of equipment I required in order to make them all fit,” he says. “The dealer has a computer program that does all the weight distribution and when it came down to finally putting it together with the new items the accuracy was down to the millimetre. We could fit everything we wanted such as the Vermeer vacuum pump and it worked out spot on.”

A lot of Scott’s work is involved in using ultra high pressure water jets to perform non-destructive hydro-excavation including ‘pot holing’, as a method to locate

underground utility service locations including water and sewerage pipes without the risk of damage that a mechanical excavator would encounter if used to perform the same job.

The Isuzu has also proved to be very effective for the cleaning and regular maintenance of large boats. The high pressure water jets are ideal for cleaning the outside of boat hulls and the vacuum pumping function also lends itself as the ideal and safest method for the removal of the liquid waste which collects in boats’ bilges and holding tanks.

These liquids are frequently contaminated with hydrocarbons and display the consistency of oily water.

The Isuzu Traypack has a Gross Vehicle Mass of 4,500kgs allowing it to carry at least a tonne more than a conventional ute and is still able to be driven by the holder of a passenger vehicle licence. The height dimensions allow Scott to easily access shopping centre car parks and, importantly at lunch time, McDonald’s drive-throughs.

Scott is impressed with the Isuzu’s onroad performance delivered by the 155hp (114kW) four cylinder engine and the six speed automated manual transmission.

The Traypack comes with a tow bar as a part of the total package and the towing rating of 3,500kgs for a braked trailer far exceeds anything else Scott looked at when considering the candidate for his project.

The additional capacity for a trailer allows for the transport of a small excavator or an additional liquid spoil tank in the future.

“Up here in the Northern Territory the speed limit is 130km/hr on the freeway and I can easily cruise at 130 kms between jobs and with the 65 litre fuel tank I still get 500 kilometres out of a full tank even with the load on the back.”

Scott also appreciates the spacious Isuzu NPR cab which can accommodate three adults in comfort which is a significant advantage over a conventional single cab ute. The driver and outside passenger are afforded supplementary safety due to standard airbags. The driver has a suspended seat and the coil sprung independent front suspension delivers a car-like ride for all the occupants. Isuzu’s electronic stability control is an important safety feature in any vehicle carrying liquids which can have the propensity to surge and suddenly shift weight and seriously affect the dynamic

stability of the vehicle.

The climate in tropical Darwin has extensive periods of hot and humid weather and the Isuzu’s climate control air conditioning maintains a comfortable environment in the cab which is equipped with the familiar Isuzu multimedia system with 6.2inch screen, digital radio, DVD, MP3, voicecontrol and Bluetooth connection for easy smartphone integration. Another feature of the Isuzu Traypack which impresses Scott is the turning circle.

“The turning circle is phenomenal and I can just turn it in a normal street. My girlfriend is an electrician and has a Ford Ranger which needs a three-point turn, but my truck just does it in one go,” he says.

Scott’s enthusiasm for the practicalities of his Isuzu Traypack cannot be overstated.

It is also important to him that any vehicle representing his business has to be professional in its appearance and the Traypack’s image has been further enhanced by NP Styles and Graphics.

“Personally I really can’t speak highly enough about it. It’s been awesome and worth every cent,” he says. “It looks and drives great.”

CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY LEGISLATION GOT YOU WORRIED?

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WITH AXTEC ONBOARD You can: • Load vehicle to capacity every time • Avoid fines and threats to Operating License • Avoid excessive wear and tear to associated with overloads

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ph: 02 9623 1800 e: chris.coleman@twsaust.com.au www.twsaust.com.au

TRUCK & TECH

PT 6000 dual mode unit.

H A U L MONITOR

Primary Connect operates one of the longest and most difficult transports of ambient and refrigerated food in the world. To safely move its product the length of the Australian continent daily, it entrusts its temperature and real-time monitoring to technology partner ORBCOMM.

T

he train line between Adelaide and Darwin is some 3,000 kilometres, making it one of the longest stretches of track in the world. In fact, it’s the eighth longest, by way of comparison, behind Paris to Moscow. Moving perishable freight through an expanse of uninhabited desert has been a challenge since the earliest camel trains traversed it on their way to railheads with goods and services as railway expansion through Inland Australia moved further north.

In 2004 the 1,420 kilometre line from Alice Springs to Darwin was completed.

Today the rail corridor is used by The Ghan passenger train and freight trains 44

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operated by One Rail Australia.

Primary Connect, the logistics division of Woolworths Group, moves essential goods daily, Monday to Saturday, on freight trains to Darwin, on the edge of the Timor Sea, from Adelaide in South Australia. The integrity of temperaturecontrolled cargo along a supply chain as big as this requires complete visibility to supervise and moderate cold chain operations in real-time, all the time.

Satellite coverage is crucial. Along with a raft of strategic investments aimed at further enhancing its technological and data capabilities, the company since 2010 has been committed to making key upgrades to the satellite coverage on

the corridor. Part of this plan involved a move to the PT 6000 dual-mode unit for tracking and two-way control of its refrigerated rail containers in 2017, making it the first technology it had adopted from Internet of Things solutions provider ORBCOMM. The PT 6000 is designed as a comprehensive reefer telematics solution that includes sensors, connectivity and enables network coverage through the support of a single SIM. Orders destined for Darwin that morning get picked for the day the same as they would at a local Adelaide store before being loaded onto a freight train. The only difference, according to Ben Newton

Primary Connect Head of Transport Development, is the not inconsequential 3000km rail leg in between.

“Moving to the PT unit is important for the stores to be able to get real-time visibility and not lose contact,” he says.

“As we’re going up through the middle of Australia on what I suspect is the longest and most difficult distribution centreto-store delivery task in the world, we are conscious about lifting the level of control of visibility around for freight on the corridor.”

The effectiveness of this operation rests on meticulous temperature monitoring.

Having the latest advances in technology at its disposal can help determine whether its stores have the best possible supply chain, an ongoing focus, not without challenges, of the business.

Not all of the produce, however, is just destined for Woolworths outlets. On the return rail leg Primary Connect transports out of the Northern Territory melons and the majority of the mango crop for the entire eastern seaboard. It’s an immense operation. As this part of the business has been commercialised, it means Primary Connect must return produce freight under a premier temperature controls service.

“The beauty of the PT unit is it has got the two-way controls of the fridge and

the microprocessor so our ability to actually change temperatures and restart engines can all be done remotely,” says Ben. “You can also incorporate other sensors.”

Most of the temperature control containers are equipped with evaporators at the front and the rear. There can be up to three different modes of temperature settings in the same compartment all of which can be monitored as well and linked back through to the Carrier Vector 1950 refrigeration system. Notifications sent via a door switch will provide alerts should a door be opened or closed when it shouldn’t be. This is a major benefit of satellite GPS tracking according to Sam Bambery, Primary Connect South Australian State Transport Manager.

“The PT unit isn’t just temperature monitoring but pinpointing location as well and can include geofence notifications,” he explains. “It essentially comes with all of the options that you get in a standard GPS unit. Given we’re using it on a rail container it can’t quite go down to the level of EBS tracking. But it provides the two main elements of which we are after — location with current temperature and running condition of the engine.”

Sam and his team are constantly receiving micro communications from

the refrigerator. Should a fridge fail they are alerted instantly. In the rare event that there is some kind of issue making it impossible to recover via two-way communication, Primary Connect have a maintenance leg as a contingency between Adelaide and Darwin. Under this scenario, the cargo either gets removed from the train at Alice Springs so that the fridge can be repaired or the freight undergoes cross docking, a procedure that entails distribution of the goods directly to a customer or retail chain with marginal to no handling or storage time.

“Long gone are the days where once it’s on the train you hope it gets to the other end all in one piece,” says Sam. “Having the live monitoring of the equipment allows us to make those agile decisions and save significant stock loss on our journeys.”

The other advantage of being able to change temperatures remotely means refrigeration can be reset to ensure it’s at the right temperature especially for any sensitive produce being moved. On any given container there could be up to $100,000 of goods depending on the consignment. For Primary Connect this often comprises a mix of fresh meat, produce and other chilled goods.

“For every container saved you can be

Refrigerated containers awaiting transport by Primary Connect.

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TRUCK & TECH

looking at up to $100,000 ,” says Ben. Indeed, reducing stock loss is another way of helping to mitigate costs.

Technology like the PT 6000 aligned with, say, new refrigeration technology can save between $150,000 to $200,000 a year in reduced stock loss over the journey according to Sam. “It’s something of an unknown given you don’t know what would have been lost previous to using the technology,” he says. “But we certainly have had significant instances where we’ve been able to salvage product due to a live communication. Putting an exact dollar figure on that could be quite challenging.

Needless to say, there have been substantial instances where we’ve been able to remove the element of stock loss right there and then.”

Given the positive experience had with ORBCOMM on the rail corridor, a trial is being done with Primary Connect’s Adelaide metro fleet. Eight rigid trucks operated by one of its carrier partners are currently evaluating the ORBCOMM BT 320. Primary Connect sees potential longer term in using the units for the in-cab temperature monitoring they offer drivers while on the move. Among its many attributes, the BT 320 provides two-way reefer control, maintenance scheduling, temperature compliance data, EBS connectivity, refrigerated vehicle tracking and real-time alerts. The ability of utilising a simpler tracking unit on a rigid or a trailer is likely more suitable to increasing visibility without having to necessarily plug in to receive the rich information from its vehicle tracking integration platform. There’s also a couple of BT 120s being trialled on Tautliners.

“That process began more than three months ago and it’s been encouraging,” says Sam. “The main thing for us during this trial is the user interface.

The useability and the functionality of the user interface and what potential benefits that it can offer us over the other market competitors and our incumbent technology at this stage.”

In South Australia Primary Connect is looking to integrate all of its fleet 46

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ORBCOMM’s BT 320 unit.

tracking into one platform as opposed to multiple platforms.

“At this stage the ORBCOMM unit have done everything we expected it to do,” says Sam. “It’s certainly been really good consistent reporting. The fact that it integrates well into our current visibility program – Trimble– that’s been a big benefit to us as well.”

Trimble is essentially an all-in-one platform that allows Primary Connect to track freight movements inbound and outbound to distribution centres. It can take GPS information in from multiple different providers and essentially provide a single point of contact for

users to see where the freight is going all across the country. As an aggregator, all of the telematics providers can integrate into one place, so it gives the end user the opportunity to essentially track their freight and ETA updates.

“The point of the system is you take feeds from multiple telematics providers. But where most of the telematics providers are focused on tracking and asset control, the visibility solution typically pulls in the order management, the routing, the planning and the time windows and match that up with the asset feeds to give you the visibility of what’s actually happening and whether you’re executing

to the plan and proactively providing ETAs,” Ben explains. Primary Connect not only co-ordinates its own fleet of equipment but works with other carriers like ABC Transport and Cameron’s who are using their own telematics solutions which need to be effectively integrated into the system as well.

“It works as a harmonized tool so you’ve got consistent data, irrespective of the technology the various transport companies are using, and visibility that can also take in things like the temperature control feed so it’s not just the tracking it offers, you can also monitor the temperature from those carrier partners on the platform. ABC would have similar units to ours. That’s a bit of a distinction between the asset management versus visibility.”

With COVID restrictions now deep into a second year many freight forwarders and transport groups have been working at a sustained peak capacity. Supermarkets which have been open the entire time have borne the brunt of extremities in consumer behaviour as state government mandates trigger sudden rushes on essential items. The impacts of the market, however, are very much different between the national network and local operations according to Sam. “From a South Australian market

perspective the first wave had that panic element attached to it and a little bit of the unknown as far as availability of stock, but certainly in South Australia I feel like the consumers have got the trust and the comfort level that there is no need for that panic buying,” he says. “As each of the lockdown waves occurs across Australia, we’re seeing a peak and a much quicker return to standard shopping habits. I think that comes from having a strong supply chain and a strong cold chain offering.”

Even so, the team in Adelaide must be cognisant of the Northern Territory market given the three-day lead time involved. Therefore it’s critical that Primary Connect ensures they maintain a solid cold chain there as any sort of stock loss or empty shelves during those critical times would threaten to erode consumer confidence.

“Those are the sorts of instances where you will see panic buying pick up,” says Sam. “We’ve been able to keep up confidence with the consumers and I guess minimise the requirements of that panic buying. I would say locally we’ve been quite lucky compared to what they might be facing in some of the other states. Certainly, from a South Australian perspective that’s where we stand at this stage. It’s not quite business as usual but

it’s not as much of a peak as we had seen in the initial lockdowns.”

Ben, who shares in this outlook, points out that the lockdowns, many and repeated as they have been, over the past 19 months have actually provided occasion for the collective supply chain to get good at managing these fluctuations and fine-tune how it reacts to them. A more pressing concern at the minute, he observes, is the management of drivers and logistics teams in navigating border crossings.

“We’re trying to get consistency between States and we’re advocating for adoption of the Freight Movement Code agreed to by National Cabinet to ensure goods keep moving and drivers are not adversely impacted. I think the other one we’re seeing is the strain it puts on the drivers at a personal level,” he says.

“Between different states, between NSW, Victoria, South Australia we’re seeing that reluctance to potentially cross borders given things change quickly, possibly facing lockdowns, being kept away from families, kept away from seeing their kids or whatever else. There’s just that level of uncertainty creeping in.

Our chief concern is how do we look after people and make sure we have the right procedure safeguards to keep things moving?”

Primary Connect’s Adelaide distribution centre.

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PERSONALITY

SUBJECT TO

CHANGE A leading player in the Australian and New Zealand collision repair industry is growing its Heavy Motor Division to meet the needs of an ever-expanding transport industry.

O

Darren Wales.

ver several years, AMA Group has grown its Australian Heavy Motor (Truck and Bus) Repair Network, comprising top-shelf heavy vehicle repairers in its Heavy Motor Division. COVID-related restrictions have seen the company change the way it does business in recent times, and Darren Wales, AMA Group Heavy Motor Division Executive General Manager, maintains that change, when embraced with gusto, is one constant that can be relied on to promote business growth and success.

“Change is the only way we can improve ourselves and our environment,” he says. “Change is what distinguishes those who do not want to embrace it

from those who do.”

Having fulfilled various roles at senior management level in the truck repair industry for more than 30 years, Darren stresses that never in his professional career has he encountered so many obstacles as in these very trying times.

Despite this, he asserts that his team of dedicated staff has accepted the challenges at hand and worked through them with a willingness to change and adapt that he has found, quite frankly, astonishing.

“The more I am involved with AMA Group, the more I realise what a tremendous team of people we have around us,” he says. “Growth in the Heavy Motor Division is something that management and the Board are A bus frame and chassis alignment process for accident repairs.

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Wales Truck Repairs in Smithfield, NSW.

committed to. This will ensure we serve the interests of our trusted clients and supply partners, now and into the future.”

Darren says the company has made some fantastic appointments in recent times – including new Board members and executives in the senior leadership team, who bring a wealth of knowledge to the Group.

With a focus on governance and delivering outstanding service, he says, the new team is extremely excited about what the future holds. According to Darren, AMA Group’s Heavy Motor Division is now the prominent leader in the heavy vehicle accident repair sector, with nine dedicated repair facilities around the country to serve the needs of its clientele.

“With our acquisitions, we have concentrated on large, wellequipped companies to ensure the expertise, knowledge and correct repair procedures are rigorously followed when

repairing our clients’ tools of trade,” Darren says. “We need to ensure safety standards, repair quality, timeliness of repairs and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems requirements are all met when undertaking works of varying magnitudes from major collisions and rollovers to minor bumps and scrapes.”

Darren adds that AMA Group has strong relationships with all major insurers, which means repair work can be quickly assessed, quoted, and completed on a range of vehicles including trucks, trailers and buses; and getting them back on the road as soon as possible.

“I am looking forward to seeing how the next chapter for the AMA Group unfolds,” he says.

Staff consult the day’s maintenance schedule. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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TEST DRIVE

HARD

EIGHT

Mack’s Anthem range includes a versatile 8x4 made right here in Australia.

S

ince becoming available in Australia the Mack Anthem has been demonstrating its versatility in a wide variety of situations ranging from line haul prime movers to rigid vocational applications.

Externally the new wind cheating Anthem cabs exhibit the unmistakable Mack style while extensive effort has been put into improving the trucks’ drag co-efficient and reducing air resistance by closing gaps between panels and minimising seams. A flange between the bonnet and bumper directs air around the cab and even the LED clearance lights are recessed to further smooth out the Anthem’s lines.

The Anthem’s bonnet is unlocked by a single point latch at the front and assistance from gas struts significantly reduces the effort to tilt the front end to be presented by excellent access for servicing engine components.

The driver’s side of the truck has a wide 50

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three step alloy staircase to provide safe and easy access. The pressed metal stair treads have holes punched in them to provide safe grip for boots even in wet or muddy conditions and are complemented by a long handrail located to the rear of the door jamb. The kerbside has the exhaust muffler and after treatment assembly neatly located between the steer wheels, with the exhaust exiting through a single vertical stack. On the day cab model subject to our test drive the Sloanbuilt alloy tipping body sits on the Anthem’s 6,035mm wheelbase.

Changes which come with the Anthem compared to its predecessor have not been limited to the exterior, and the interior of the day and sleeper cabs have been subjected to comprehensive upgrades. The first thing noticed on entering the cab is the flat bottomed steering wheel. The change of shape provides additional clearance to enhance

entry and exit, as well as improved visibility of the automotive styled dash. Mack has partnered with ISRi to develop seats which are attuned to the suspensions of the cab and the truck to provide a comfortable ride without any feeling of being isolated from the truck.

The distinctive steering wheel has back-lit illuminated controls for the cruise control and phone on the left, and the audio system on the right. The flattened bottom section of the steering wheel is similar to modern racing and performance cars and contributes to the cab’s improved access. Steering column rake angle can be adjusted by depressing a locking pedal located to the right of the accelerator.

The touch button controls for the mDRIVE transmission have been moved closer to the driver. The rocker switches on dash for items such as the diff lock and power divider are laser etched and should prove readable for the lifetime of

Mack Anthem 8x4.

the truck. The Mack’s ‘PowerLeash’ engine brake is integral to the truck’s speed control and its levels of effectiveness are selected via a stalk mounted on the right hand side of the steering column.

The first stage activates the exhaust brake and moving the lever to the second stage activates the internal engine compression brake system. The lever’s third stage is spring loaded and instructs the electronics to initiate down-shifts when possible to enhance engine braking effectiveness.

Maximum engine braking is achieved at 2,000rpm. The same stalk also manages the Mack ‘CoPilot’ driver information system which is displayed on a five-inch colour screen between the large easy to read analogue main instruments.

Forward vision is first class through the wide two-piece windscreen, augmented by narrow ‘A’ pillars. The west coaster mirrors are mounted on spring loaded mounts and their wide positioning on the cab’s doors is a boost when checking for traffic at intersections and roundabouts.

In addition to its aerodynamic benefits

the sloping bonnet provides a better sight angle for objects immediately in front of the truck. The gold bulldog on the bonnet of this test tipper indicates that the truck has an integrated Mack powertrain with its 13-litre Euro 5 MP8 engine, mDRIVE HD transmission and Mack rear axles which contain 3.40:1 gears.

The Anthem supersedes the previous Granite model which had been limited to a maximum engine rating of 500hp. The Anthem has three power output ratings of 435, 500 and 535HP available from its Euro 5 13.0-litre MP8 engine with maximum torque ratings ranging from 1659 to 1920 lb/ft (2244 to 2603Nm) of torque.

In this 8-wheeler the mDRIVE HD transmission is a 13-speed direct drive with a deep reduction gear and multispeed reverse. The availability of the deep reduction is ideal for many of the applications an 8x4 such as this will encounter, delivering excellent startability when required and also able to maximise fuel efficiency when combined with the

high ratio rear axles. The deep reduction transmissions have a rock free feature which automatically rocks the truck backwards and forwards to break free from being bogged. There is also the ‘Power Launch’ mode which increases the engine’s rpm and torque delivery prior to engaging drive mode which helps with off-road low traction starts. Mack’s Grade Gripper is a hill start assist function which holds the service brakes for up to three seconds after the brake pedal is released to avoid roll back. On the road what stands out with the mDRIVE is the smooth shifting when the power is reapplied at the conclusion of an upshift and it’s almost as if it was a human applying the accelerator rather than a computer controlled electric servo.

The new electrical architecture of the Anthem opens the range up to be able to integrate the Bendix Wingman Fusion suite of safety features into the truck rather than merely being an add-on supplied by a party. Thus functions such as the Bendix ESP stability system are in p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

51

TEST DRIVE

New Mack interior dash.

the Anthem’s DNA right from the truck’s conception. The Bendix Wingman is standard equipment in the Anthem and includes adaptive cruise control, blind spot alerts, Autonomous Emergency Braking and the Road Stability Advantage roll stability programme. A new level of Mack telematics incorporates increased diagnostic services and the advances in the electrical system also foster the integration of optional features such GPS-based predictive cruise control which includes topography in the computations related to gear selection and throttle application. Installing a twin steer load-sharing front suspension requires much more than just drilling holes and bolting on components.

The point of having the extra axle is the ability to carry additional payload and unless careful attention is paid to keeping the tare weight down the purpose of the exercise is defeated.

Fortuitously, as a key member of the global Volvo Group, the Mack engineers are able to supplement their own knowledge and experience by accessing the Volvo Group CAST (Common Architecture and Technology) system for many of the components required for the changes to the steering and front suspension. The use of the CAST proprietary components results in the 52

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utilisation of proven items as well as a financial benefit as the development costs have already been amortised.

Consequently Volvo-style parabolic springs are used at the front, with Mack’s 21-tonne rated AirRide suspension at the rear.

Eight wheelers continue to be found in an expanding range of applications including fuel and water tankers, roll back tilt trays, concrete agitators and in the waste industry as hook lifts and front bin lifters. The additional steer axle gives the capacity to carry more load weight towards the front and so can be suitable for refrigerated transport and truck

mounted cranes where additional weight is carried further forward. The twin steer setup allows more weight to be carried and it provides additional benefits in stability and braking with more rubber on the ground and an extra set of brakes.

The Anthem is a sophisticated truck combining many of the best elements of its Mack heritage with many of the features we have come to expect from modern European trucks, particularly in the areas involving a high standard of safety which is integrated into the vehicle, rather than being an afterthought tacked on to appease some sections of the market.

Mack Anthem offers vehicles for linehaul and vocational applications.

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Motors Company

PERSONALITY

RISE AND

SHINE Felipe Rubio joined PACCAR Australia as General Manager of DAF Trucks in November 2018.

T

he DAF Trucks division of PACCAR Australia has been noticeably emerging from the giant shadow cast by its stablemate Kenworth. In February 2020 DAF launched a comprehensive new range of its Heavy Duty CF and XF models and has since, under the guidance of personable General Manager Felipe Rubio, increased the brand’s share of an extraordinarily bullish Australian market.

administration and marketing. I joined DAF back in 2006 and since then I have been working in different positions with increasing responsibilities in the finance, marketing and sales areas. My last assignment in Europe before coming to Australia was Fleet Manager for my home country Spain, where the Heavy Duty truck market of 22,000 units per year is roughly double compared with Australia. The DAF market share is about 13 per cent.

Prime Mover: What is your industry background?

Felipe Rubio: My background is business

PM: What makes DAF attractive to operators and purchasers in Australia?

FR: I am very pleased about how DAF

Euro 6 DAF launch.

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o c t obe r 2021

has been progressing here. In 2020 we introduced our Euro VI XF and CF models with a lot of success and increased our market share from 3.4 per cent to a record 4.5 per cent. This year we had a slower start in January but since then we’ve been recovering, and I think we are in good shape to see some further growth for the remainder of the year backed by the strong demand we are experiencing for the Euro VI DAF product. I think DAF still has a huge potential in Australia. Our new Euro VI range has been a significant step forward as it has been proven to offer an excellent return on investment for our customers with lower operating costs combined with high quality and reliability and the full suite of safety features. Of course, drivers come first so they are very easy to drive and very comfortable. Another thing that is really helping us is the outstanding dealer network that we have which keeps investing in facilities, people, training and equipment to offer the best service and support to our customers.

PM: Is local manufacture a factor in the success?

FR: That’s also helping. Local assembly of DAF trucks is giving us the opportunity to offer a more customised product in Australia and at this stage we are assembling trucks from kits that come in from Holland, with some locally sourced components. We can offer different horsepower ratings and some other options to our customers, but

we plan to progress towards offering more customisation such as different chassis lengths, wheelbases, fuel and AdBlue capacities, and rear axle ratios. We have a very successful blueprint right here with Kenworth, using local manufacturing to add more value for customers. That’s the ultimate goal — listening to customers and leveraging local manufacturing and component sourcing where it can really make a difference for them.

PM: Is there much local input in Australian DAFs? FR: Another advantage of manufacturing and assembling the DAFs here is it gives us opportunity to use our local engineering capacities to enhance or create products to suit different niche segments and different applications. As an example, in the fourth quarter of this year we will commence the assembly of our CF light weight twin steer model which is suited for the refuse market and other weight sensitive applications.

Our engineers at PACCAR Australia have worked on changing the rear of the truck, the suspension and the axles. They have reduced the weight of the European based model by more than 500kgs which is massive. What is really good is this 8x4 model is unique for this market, so it won’t be sold in any other parts of the world. It has been specifically designed and engineered in Australia and some of the components will be locally sourced.

PM: What are the main challenges at the moment?

FR: The main challenge is the whole

industry seems to be facing component supply issues and we haven’t been immune. The shortage of some components, mainly microchips, necessary to manufacture trucks has caused some disruption and limited our capacity to ramp up production in Europe. Combined with an increasing demand for trucks in all core DAF markets globally this has led to much longer lead times. We are working hard to align our supply of DAF trucks from Europe to meet all of the demand we are experiencing in Australia. That’s a big challenge. I have to say that DAF is being very proactive to work along this difficult situation but the threat to our production capacity is still there and it’s really hard to predict how this is going to evolve. When demand is high we also see industry-wide challenges with delivery of trucks into the market including third party capacity constraints, shortage issues from their manufacturers’ suppliers, not enough availability of labour and so on.

Other challenges are the consequences of all the extended lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne that we have been experiencing and what impact is this going to have on the economic activity and consumer confidence? That’s another risk that we cannot ignore. There has been a shift in consumer behaviour with more spending on goods via e-commerce and that has increased the demand for trucks.

PM: What got you into the truck industry?

FR: That’s a good question. At the beginning of my professional career I tried different industries but I have to say none

Felipe Rubio.

of them really appealed to me. Then I started working with DAF without knowing too much about trucks to be honest. I was attracted more by the long history of quality products. It was refreshing working for a company where we all share the same passion to deliver the best quality products to our customers. I really love working in this industry. I think it’s very vibrant and exciting and every day is different so in the end I find my job very rewarding. That is what’s keeping me staying in this industry and not changing to something else. I don’t have any intention of changing to a different job so I’m really happy doing this. I’m really enjoying working with Australians. They are very professional, practical and really focused on solving issues. All the people here are very friendly and supportive and the culture at PACCAR Australia is fantastic.

I think that we are very fortunate to belong to an industry that is doing well in these times.

New DAF XF and CF model line up.

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

55

PRIME MOVERS & SHAKERS

DOCTOR OF

DIAGNOSTICS His background in the practicalities of field service has equipped Gus Belanszky with a unique skill set and understanding of the needs of both operators and technicians.

E

arly in his career Gus Belanszky was a plant mechanic with a specialisation in road making equipment such as asphalt paving machines and profilers, which at the time were becoming increasingly sophisticated in areas such as hydraulics and electronics. The experience of often working on-site ensured Gus became selfreliant, as in those times there was no way to ‘Google’ information and frequently

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o c t obe r 2021

his only reference material was a battered technical manual.

Gus went on to join Hino in 2007 as the Regional Service Manager for Queensland and subsequently was tasked with other service and technical roles within the company and in 2020 became responsible for the Hino Customer Support Centre. Gus was appointed General Manager – Service and Customer Support for Hino Australia i

n January 2021.

Gus has been closely involved with, and is enthusiastic about, the development of Hino-Connect which is the manufacturer’s next generation of vehicle telematics and includes real-time performance data tracking coupled with remote diagnosis of vehicle faults, which is now standard equipment on the allnew Hino 700 Series trucks.

“The operators of the Hino 700 Series are probably the market which has a good understanding of telematics and have a greater use for the system,” says Gus. “But we didn’t just want to do telematics as we already had something out there in the form of Hino-Traq. We wanted to look at how to better support the customers and reduce their downtime, and we also wanted to create a direct link to Head Office.”Hino-Connect is an Australianbuilt and designed system which communicates directly with the driver via the truck’s dash-mounted multimedia unit, and delivers comprehensive levels of data to fleet managers through an online portal and app.

“More than just a mapping or tracking tool, Hino-Connect delivers 700 Series customers real-time insights into the

operation of their fleets,” says Gus. “In an Australian-first, Hino-Connect will allow direct communications with drivers through the multimedia Audio Visual and Navigation unit (AVN).”

Telematics have become more important than ever in recent years as the growth in driver ‘hot seating’ and changeovers had led to less frequent direct contact between the drivers and fleet managers.

It’s impressive that the Hino-Connect system and accompanying software has been 100 per cent developed in Australia.

Hino partnered with Melbourne-based Directed Electronics and, with the support of an array of usable information provided by Hino in Japan, has been able to access data from the vehicles at a higher level than any non-genuine telematics provider is capable of.

“We’re doing things like reading fuel consumption direct from the Engine Control Unit so we’re not doing calculations, we’re actually getting the correct and accurate data,” says Gus. He is delighted the new system is able to provide not just a high level of business intelligence through its analytical power, it is also able to deliver remote diagnostics by having the provision to read vehicle diagnostic error codes.

“Any time the vehicle has a fault it is recorded and reported,” Gus says. “If a vehicle has a severe fault, which is generally considered something that will de-rate the vehicle and put them on side of the road or slow them down, we can send a message directly to the AVN in the truck with a call to action for the driver. That may be to call the roadside assistance via Hino’s 24/7 call centre to arrange for someone to either come to the vehicle and repair it, or have it taken to the local dealership.”

Gus has drawn upon his own experiences in not wanting to overload the driver with endless messaging via the AVN. All fault codes, including minor ones, are logged onto the system and forwarded to the fleet manager but only the severe ones are sent to the driver. Another practical feature of Hino-Connect is the capacity for case management.

“Let’s say the vehicle has had a fault and

maybe the driver is able to clear it and keeps driving and finishes their trip, then takes the truck to the dealer the next day. Our Hino-Connect Specialists at our Customer Support Centre will work with the dealer and support them in the repair,” Gus explains. “Not that we necessarily need to get involved and help fix it but we can keep track of the repair and be the point of contact if the customer or the fleet manager wants to know the status of how their vehicle is going.”

When Hino-Connect registers a fault code it will draw the data from just before that fault occurred and by using its analytics tool, Hino can examine if there is a trend and examine the fault code such as at a certain engine temperature or vehicle speed. The flow of detailed data will help shape servicing and repair of the current generation of Hino trucks and will also have an influence on the future.

“From a manufacturer’s point of view obviously it’s all aggregated data that we will have especially around faults,” Gus says. “It will allow us to look at any concerns or common issues.”

Hino Australia is consulting to see if there is demand for Hino-Connect in the 500 Series and the 300 Series trucks. At this stage it’s not a standard fit but will be available as an option which will suit customers who have a 700 Series and want to roll it onto their other vehicles.

Gus says the Hino-Connect system can also be configured to fleets using another telematics provider.

“We can pull the data out of a truck via our telematics hardware and provide a feed to the third-party provider and give them key data such as engine rpm’s and this means they don’t have to fit a second piece of telematics hardware,” he says.

“Before we launched Hino-Connect this was a key feature we wanted to provide to fleet businesses.”

It’s a practical and realistic position Gus takes on the wider applications of the Hino-Connect program.

“Most fleets are multi-brand and we do understand that,” he says. “There are a lot of benefits in our Hino-Connect system and in our portal with the remote

diagnostics, but we also understand that some customers have a long-standing relationship where they are going to want to stick with their current telematics portal and management system.”

Customers who buy a 2021 all-new Hino 700 Series will receive five years of complimentary remote diagnostics and Hino-Connect Specialist support including vehicle engine control monitoring; severe fault alerts; and case management of fault rectification. In addition, they will also receive 12 months of complimentary business intelligence access, which will provide in-depth operational management of their fleet including live tracking and trip analysis; fuel consumption and forecasting; vehicle performance monitoring; and maintenance support.

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

57

PERFORMANCE-BASED STANDARDS ADVERTISE IN OUR DECEMBER 2021 PRODUCT SHOWCASE ON PBS EQUIPMENT. Under Performance-Based Standards heavy vehicle productivity has been transformed in Australia. In December Prime Mover will publish its annual PBS Special Report in conjunction with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator with data insights and the latest developments on the scheme. In the new era of high productivity freight vehicles (HPFVs) commercial road transport operators, OEMS and industry players are increasingly looking to PBS to reap the benefits of newfound discoveries in engineering and performance. As the efficiency gains of PBS-approved vehicles is becoming more well known and recognised access on major freight routes is fast becoming the norm for these often impressive feats of engineering Prime Mover offers an opportunity for businesses to present their products and solutions in this unique space.

BOOKING DEADLINE

22 OCTOBER 2021 ®

October 2021

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09

Industry Fleet: Brisbane Posts & Beams Feature: QUEST Spotlight: AMA Group Personality: Felipe Rubio

Innovation Fleet: Kalari Technology: Primary Connect Test Drive: Mack Anthem 8x4 Delivery: Toyota HiAce

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 59-69.

MAGAZINE

TO BOOK IN PRIME MOVER CONTACT ASHLEY BLACHFORD NOW ASHLEY.BLACHFORD@PRIMECREATIVE.COM.AU | 0425 699 819

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

www.deliverymagazine.com.au ISSUE 102 OCT 2021

TOYOTA HIACE

ACE IN THE HOLE ROK STEADY | LAST VAN STANDING

OCT

CONTENTS

21

Welcome to Delivery…

64 DELIVERY NEWS

62

LATEST FROM THE INDUSTRY

FINAL MILE

64

ACE IN THE HOLE

The Toyota HiAce has long been the king of the 2.5 to 3.5 tonne van segment.

Now it adds more safety and security features thanks, in part, to its new Toyota Connected Services.

ON SITE

66

ROK STEADY

Volkswagen has teamed up with specialist vehicle enhancer Walkinshaw Automotive Group to produce a smoking hot GT version of its venerable Amarok dual cab ute.

LAUNCH PAD

68

LAST VAN STANDING

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the new Citan, a range of compact vans which line up beside the mid-sized Vito and the larger Sprinter.

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Maintaining the ability to power certain systems on commercial vehicles big and small is an increasing challenge globally with the semiconductor shortage unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Manufacturers temporary suspending assembly lines, a response to the crisis many had hoped had hit critical mass midyear, appears to be an ongoing problem for truckmakers and automotive companies as they come to grips with supply chain stoppages. This lack of supply is forcing many to bring assembly lines to a grinding halt as they await microchip back orders before they can resume production.

Delivery disruptions such as these are currently affecting operations negatively at around 70 per cent of Swedish manufacturing companies, according to a survey published by Silf/Swedbank.

As of last month 16 per cent of the companies have since revised production plans downwards for the coming six months as a result of material deficiencies, according to the survey.

Scania was also forced to take a break in truck production at its European facilities directly impacting plants in Sweden, France and the Netherlands before the knock on effect reached Brazil and Argentina.

Geely-owned Volvo Cars also halted production at its Gothenburg plant while AB Volvo has confirmed it anticipates further disruptions and stoppages.

Back in July, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares warned the semiconductor shortage could drag on into next year. In the US, Ford has adjusted its production schedule for the new F-150 as it too, battles the scarcity of components needed for the highly anticipated pickup’s electronic systems.

An upsurge in demand for electronics products on a global scale last year, as people were forced to work remotely, saw chip foundries struggle to align their production with the orders. As estimates go, a lack of semiconductors will be responsible for about five million cars not being built in 2021. And it’s not, however, as simple as swapping out a chip for another. Software for microchips also needs to be rewritten. Over a thousand different chip sets are used in vehicles making the task of overcoming the shortage more complicated. So too does the launch of popular products with little kinship with the light commercial vehicle market. All foundries recently have been working around the clock, but not for a major OEM or consortium of them. The new iPhone generation has reportedly just been released and in that market Apple is king.

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NEWS

AUSPOST ENLISTS 7-ELEVEN TO EXPAND DELIVERY NETWORK

Australia Post has 500 existing parcel locker locations in the network.

Australia Post and 7-Eleven Australia have announced a partnership to offer customers more choice where they pick up their parcels. According to Australia Post the arrangement will provide unprecedented access to free all-hours parcel lockers at 7-Eleven stores across the country.

This doubles the number of parcel locker locations throughout Australia to more than 1,000. It will also give Australia Post customers greater choice in how they receive their online shopping and other parcels. In the 12 months to July 2021 parcel volumes have grown considerably,

with Australia Post’s latest Inside Australian Online Shopping e-commerce report revealing online shopping grew almost 32 per cent over the 2020-21 financial year.

To help meet the needs of the more than nine million households who shop online, Australia Post customers will have the choice of many more parcel locker locations and will be able to access the lockers at 7-Eleven stores 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The service launches across more than 200 7-Eleven stores where 7-Eleven ParcelMate lockers are already installed, with another 300 7-Eleven stores to be added for Australia Post deliveries by the end of 2021. This is in addition to more than 500 existing Australia Post parcel locker locations in the network.

Australia Post Executive General Manager Community & Consumer Nicole Sheffield said the partnership was timely given the growth in e-commerce, and was all about

giving customers more choice.

“Australia Post is delivering more parcels than ever before, with Australians showing us over the past year just how much they’ve embraced shopping online,” she said. “This partnership with 7-Eleven gives our customers greater choice on the most convenient way to collect what they’ve bought, at the times and places that suit them, which is why expanding our locker network into 7-Eleven stores just makes sense.”

7-Eleven Australia General Manager – Product, Matt Keogh, said that providing consumers with choice and convenience continues to be a focus.

“Australians live pretty busy lives, and our focus is on making their everyday wonderfully easier,” he said. “Being able to offer Australia Post customers the choice to collect their parcels in one of our stores, when and where it suits them, is a convenience we are proud to partner with Australia Post to provide.”

TOYOTA HILUX, FORTUNER SUV RECEIVE KEY UPGRADES Toyota has updated its HiLux ute and Fortuner family SUV with a variety of new comfort and safety features.

These include fitting Toyota Connected Services as standard on all models to provide vital assistance in the event of a collision or if the vehicle is stolen with the system able to automatically generate an emergency call to Toyota’s 24/7 Emergency Call Centre and relay the location of the vehicle in the event of a collision that requires intervention, or if an airbag deploys.

New interior comfort and convenience features have also been added to the HiLux range, while the Fortuner is now safer for the whole family with the addition of more active safety features as standard.

Externally the high-profile roof-mounted antenna on HiLux has been replaced by a more sophisticated “shark fin” antenna on all models to help reduce the potential for damage. HiLux SR5 62

o c t obe r 2021

Toyota has invested in comfort and convenience.

variants now feature an upgraded front dual-zone climate control system, replacing the single-zone system of previous models. Fortuner models have also benefitted from additional upgrades with the GX variant now offering control of the instrument cluster illumination, GXL and Crusade versions gaining the new front dualzone climate control system, and the flagship Crusade featuring a panoramic view monitor. To further enhance active safety, blind spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert have also been added

to Crusade variants.

The HiLux is offered with the choice of three engines headlined by the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine which it shares with the Fortuner, developing 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque when coupled to the six-speed automatic transmission. The 4×2 HiLux models can also be had with a 110kW/400Nm 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine or 2.7-litre petrol four-cylinder which offers maximum outputs of 122kW and 245Nm. All 4×4 models feature a low-range transfer case for enhanced off-road ability, while all Fortuner grades and HiLux SR, SR5, Rogue and Rugged X variants also incorporate a rear differential lock as standard.

Maximum braked towing capacity is rated at an industry-leading 3500kg on HiLux and 3100kg on Fortuner, which offers seating for seven making it ideal for camping.

LIPINSKI PROMOTED TO ARAMEX CEO OCEANIA ROLE In recognition of the expansion of Aramex in Australia, CEO Peter Lipinski has been promoted to the role of Aramex Oceania CEO. The transport and logistics, publicly-listed Aramex confirmed the appointment of Lipinski who had overseen a complete rebrand across the Australian network of 27 regional franchisees and more than 800 franchise partners. In addition to this Lipinski had successfully led the business through record growth across the network and met ongoing opportunities and challenges, including those associated with the pandemic and subsequent exponential growth of e-commerce delivery.

Aramex has maintained an international presence for almost 40 years. Based in Jordan, Aramex operates in over 60 countries worldwide.

In 2016 it purchased the Fastway Couriers delivery network.

“The delivery sector has been experiencing significant growth for many years. Transport and logistics has never been more critical. I’m proud to be stepping into the Aramex Oceania CEO role and look forward to driving more expansion and delivery innovation across the region to support our customers, our people and our network,” said Lipinski in a statement.

Aramex Group CEO Othman Aljeda said Lipinski’s appointment to a regional role will further reinforce Aramex’s commitment to delivering excellence and meeting global delivery demand now and in the future.

“We are so pleased to announce the appointment of Peter Lipinski to the role of Aramex Oceania CEO. With Peter’s strategic guidance and leadership in recent years, Aramex Australia has expanded and successfully navigated the challenges and growing delivery

demand generated by COVID-19,” said Aljeda. “In his new role as Aramex Oceania CEO, Peter will be instrumental in ensuring the network continues to grow and innovate to meet global demand in delivery.”

A highly experienced executive in the logistics, supply chain, manufacturing and supply chain industries, Lipinski has been a dedicated member of the Aramex management team since 2010. He has an MBA from AGSM at UNSW Business School and is accredited with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Peter Lipinski.

NISSAN COMMITS TO ZERO EMISSIONS CAMPAIGN A Nissan Navara gets put through its paces.

Nissan has become the first Japanese automaker to join the ‘Race to Zero’ campaign. As part of the announcement it also flagged accelerating the company’s full electrification and carbon neutrality goals. Nissan additionally signed the campaign’s Business Ambition for 1.5°C commitment, aligning Nissan with the goal to keep global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Nissan has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a requirement for participation in the campaign. Joining the initiative means that Nissan’s carbon reduction targets have been validated by the SBTi, ensuring that they are aligned

to the latest climate models.

“Through joining the SBTi and participating in these campaigns, we are renewing our determination to work with like-minded companies and local governments around the world to solve the challenges of climate change and realise a sustainable society,” said Makoto Uchida Nissan President and CEO. “To accelerate global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, Nissan will continue to address various issues in a responsible manner, including further promotion of electrification. Also at Nissan we are determined to fulfil our role as a company that will continue to be needed by our stakeholders in the future.”

Earlier this year Nissan pledged to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050. Nissan is looking to accelerate these efforts through initiatives like Nissan EV36Zero – the manufacturing blueprint combining electric vehicle

production, battery manufacturing and renewable energy generation.

Central to Nissan’s carbon neutrality plans is its rollout of electrified vehicles and technologies. This began in 2010 and continues today with the expansion of Nissan’s unique e-POWER technology and new fully electric vehicles.

Nissan is aiming for 100 per cent of is all-new vehicle offerings to be electrified in the key markets of Japan, China, the United States and Europe by the early 2030s.

“By aligning with climate science, Nissan is making a clear declaration that it is ready and willing to play its part in achieving the Paris Agreement,” said Alberto Carrillo Pineda, Managing Director and cofounder of SBTi. “All other companies worldwide must take immediate action to increase their climate ambitions and support the global economy to significantly reduce emissions and achieve net-zero before 2050. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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FINAL MILE

ACE IN THE HOLE Toyota adds more safety and security features to the latest HiAce vans thanks, in part, to its new Toyota Connected Services.

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he Toyota HiAce has long been the king of the 2.5 to 3.5 tonne van segment. Sales during the first half of 2021 have increased by 51.9 per cent primarily as a result of the emerging e-commerce boom being supercharged by the effects of the pandemic on Australian shopping habits and driving demand for to-thedoor deliveries.

The current HiAce has been around for a couple of years and is the sixth generation of Toyota’s ubiquitous delivery and trades van. Externally it features contemporary styling with high sweptback front light assemblies and a large grille area. The semi- bonneted design results in the engine not intruding into cab and also delivers a better balanced handling performance as well as improving service access.

All versions of the HiAce are now powered by Toyota’s durable 2.8-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

A six-speed manual gearbox is also offered on the HiAce Long Wheelbase van, which is actually the shorter of 64

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the two available wheelbases with the other being labelled the Super Long Wheelbase model.

The Euro 5 engine develops 130kW/450Nm at 3,400rpm when teamed with the six-speed automatic, with the same power but a lower 420Nm of torque for the manual variants. The

The Super Long Wheelbase HiAce accommodates 9.3 litres of cargo.

Commuter bus version of the HiAce is detuned to 120kW/420Nm. Toyota say overwhelming customer preference for the efficient turbo diesel engine has led to the 207kW 3.5-litre petrol V6 for HiAce being discontinued after it had been introduced just a couple of years ago. The deletion of the V6 petrol option

follows a similar course to the removal of the V6 option in Camry sedans and the HiLux ute range. Fuel consumption figures from Toyota claim the HiAce Long Wheelbase uses 8.2L/100km of diesel in the combined city and highway cycle. Based on those results the 70 litre fuel tank should be able to provide a range in excess of 800 kilometres. In contrast with Henry Ford’s famous quip from early last century, “You can have it in any colour you like, as long as it’s black”, a further narrowing of options for the HiAce range results in it only being available in a shade of white known as French Vanilla.

The Long Wheelbase models have a load volume of 6.2 cubic metres and can carry a 1,075kg payload. The Super Long Wheelbase versions can squeeze in 9.3 litres of cargo with a maximum payload of 1,135kgs.

The HiAce has a forward facing camera and radar unit which are integral to the pre-collision safety system including Autonomous Emergency Braking as well as pedestrian and cyclist detection. The lane departure alert is able to assist with the steering function using the braking system. The HiAce is also able to detect certain speed signs and advise the driver.

The driver and passenger receive an enhanced level of safety in the event of a collision with seven airbags including

front, side door, side curtain and driver knee protection.

Elsewhere, the rear wheel drive configuration of the HiAce allows for maximised front wheel cut angles resulting in a tight turning circle with either wheelbase. Front and rear parking sensors are standard as is a reversing camera with guide lines displayed on the screen.

Available from September 2021 is a higher level of safety and security technology due to the standard fitment of Toyota Connected Services to all models. HiAce vans now join other vehicles in the Toyota family in being able to connect via a built in communication device to the 4G network and then to Toyota Connected Services which affords greater peace of mind for owners with the system able to automatically generate an emergency call to Toyota’s 24/7 Emergency Call Centre and relay the location of the vehicle in the event of a collision that requires intervention. The system also activates when an airbag deploys. Toyota Connected Services uses the inbuilt communication device rather than a separate mobile phone.

Occupants can also manually trigger an emergency call to the call centre via an SOS button, allowing the Emergency Call Centre to determine the vehicle’s precise location and coordinate with

the appropriate emergency services to attend the scene. If the vehicle is reported stolen, Toyota Connected Services can assist authorities to track the vehicle’s location in live time. Included as part of the mid 2021 upgrade inside the HiAce is a large centre console box that replaces the console tray of previous models and has storage for items such as essential business paperwork. Included in the new storage box is a removable in-box tray, an A4-sized binder rack, and a moveable partition at the rear of the box which can be used as a cup holder. Other rangewide standard equipment additions in the upgrade include front all-weather floor mats and an additional low-profile roof-mounted antenna.

The 4G network fees associated with Toyota Connected Services are covered for the first three years and after that it is expected that the owner will need to make arrangements to maintain the connection.

The HiAce has a reputation for holding its value over an extended period with low running costs in the interim due to service intervals at six months or 10,000km. The vans are covered by the five year Toyota Warranty Advantage and with the option of the extra cost seven year Toyota Warranty Advantage Extended Engine and Driveline.

Customer preference will see the 3.5-litre petrol V6 discontinued. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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ON SITE

ROK STEADY

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nhanced suspension tuning, unique styling and mean looking twin side exit exhaust pipes are just some of the ameliorations that set the Amarok W-Series – which includes W580 and W580S variants – well apart from their lesser brethren.

The entry level W580 features a range of interior enhancements including black headlining and ‘Art Velour’ upholstered front seats with Walkinshaw motifs embossed into the headrests – and also on the tailored floor mats. The multifunction steering wheel features paddle shifters and there’s a Composition multimedia system with App-connect and tyre pressure monitoring system.

On the outside are black side steps, bi-xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights, LED foglamps and wheel 66

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Wheel arch extensions oblige the W-Series Amarok’s wider track.

Volkswagen has teamed up with specialist vehicle enhancer Walkinshaw Automotive Group to produce a smoking hot GT version of its venerable Amarok dual cab ute. arch extensions to accommodate the wider track.

Meanwhile, the top spec W580S adds a moulded ‘sail plane’ styled sports bar painted in body colour, front underbody styling element, five-piece tub liner, dramatic GT style bonnet and body side decals, and Walkinshaw branded exhaust tips.

Upholstered with ‘Vienna Leather’ in black and grey tones, the 14-way adjustable Ergo Comfort heated front seats in the W580S also feature Walkinshaw branded headrests, while the instrument cluster sports a centre

colour multifunction display and in the dash centre resides a Discover Media navigation system. Both versions also feature a plaque on the dash displaying the individual build number.

An interesting detail about the W580’s production that should give long-time VW fans a warm and fuzzy feeling is that these vehicles are transformed at Walkinshaw’s Clayton premises in Melbourne, which is virtually a stone’s throw from the original Volkswagen Australia site where Beetles were assembled for more than 20 years.

Prior to Volkswagen’s ownership of the

Vienna leather upholstery.

site it belonged to automobile body and railway rolling stock manufacturer Martin & King which was contracted to assemble VW Beetles from CKD (completely knocked down) packs imported from Germany commencing in 1954.

Martin & King was founded in 1888, building horse-drawn coaches and wagons until 1914 when the first motor car body, based on a Ford Model T chassis, was manufactured. The company subsequently gained a solid reputation for building bodies that were considerably more robust and had superior dustproofing than British built bodies, attributes that rendered them ideal for Australia’s harsh road conditions.

In due course, the company became the preferred Australian motor body builder for upmarket brands including RollsRoyce, Bentley, Delage, Hispano-Suiza, Bugatti and Jaguar, among others.

In 1952 Martin & King was floated as a public company, and the railway business was becoming dominant.

However, the company remained in the car industry in surprising ways. One important motor contract was to take up the assembly of the VW Beetle 1200 from CKD packs in 1954, and in 1957 the company’s Clayton plant was sold to the newly formed company of Volkswagen Australia. It became known as the Clayton Volkswagen factory, and William (Bill) King, the eldest son of Martin & King co-founder A. King, was appointed as the first MD of Volkswagen Australia.

The plant was extensively modernised with an overall investment in plant, equipment, laboratories and buildings funded by an AUD $24 million injection

from VW Germany. By 1960 a modern panel pressing shop using dies manufactured by Chrysler in Adelaide had been established and Volkswagen manufacturing from a combination of imported and locally made components began in earnest.

When Australian VW Beetle production ceased in 1976, the factory was bought

by Nissan for the manufacture of its cars in Australia, which ended in 1992.

Today, the new W580, based on the Amarok Highline 580, has been given a host of special styling and performance upgrades from Walkinshaw, including a bespoke front grille and bumper, a custom tuned twin exhaust system with side pipes that exit aft of the rear wheel arches and a set of unique, Walkinshawdesigned 20” x 9” forged alloy rims aptly named ‘Clayton.’ These are exclusive to the W580.

In order to maximise grip and boost steering feel of the W580, Walkinshaw conducted a comprehensive retune of Amarok’s standard suspension.

Revisions include MTV twin-tube dampers front and rear while overall ride height was increased with the fitment of larger diameter Pirelli Scorpion 275/50R20 ATR tyres. The front suspension has been lifted by 40mm which gives the vehicle a more aggressive overall stance and improved ground clearance.

The Amarok’s legendary drivetrain – a 3.0 litre V6 turbo-diesel engine punching a massive 200kW of power along with a thumping 580Nm of torque, mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission – remains untouched. Power is delivered to all four wheels via Volkswagen’s

Up to 200kW are delivered by the VW V6 turbo diesel engine.

well-proven 4MOTION permanent allwheel drive system. In fact, much like the apprentice-tuned World Time Attack Amarok that blazed Mount Panorama in under three minutes, the W580’s running gear is designed to maximise the potency of the most powerful ute in its class.

Volkswagen claims a lively 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.3 seconds and a highly respectable average combinedcycle fuel consumption figure of 9.5l/100km. The W580S has an unladen weight of 2,284kg, a payload capacity of 848kg and a gross vehicle mass of 3,080kg.

The tub is spacious enough to fit a Chep or Loscam pallet. A 3,500kg braked towing capacity and a gross combination mass of 6,000kg signifies that the W580 series has lost none of the Amarok V6’s legendary trailer hauling ability.

As for its development, the W580 is the culmination of some 12 months of closely guarded collaboration between Volkswagen Australia and Walkinshaw, which also included technical support from head office of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany.

The W580 has been available to order from Volkswagen dealers around the country and online since 1 December, while customer deliveries began in April 2021. The first 30 customers who completed a pre-order online and then proceeded to purchase an Amarok W580 received an all-expenses-paid exclusive Walkinshaw experience, which included flights, transfers, meals and accommodation to attend a Walkinshaw factory tour and a Walkinshaw Andretti United track day. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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LAUNCH PAD

LAST VAN STANDING

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the new Citan, a range of compact vans which line up beside the mid-sized Vito and the larger Sprinter.

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f the Citan looks familiar, it’s because it is, as the Citan is the Mercedes-Benz version of the current third generation Renault Kangoo. At present availability of the Citan is limited to Europe with no declared commitment yet to introduce it to Australia. The European range includes both panel vans and “tourers” which have a second row of passenger seats. Interiors are available in two trim levels.

Similarly to the Renault siblings, there are three diesel engine ratings on the Citan of 55kW, 70kW and 85kw and, two petrol engines which produce either 75kW or 96kW. Transmission options are a six-speed manual across the range with a seven-speed dual clutch automated manual available as an option with the top power petrol and diesel models.

The load volume of the van version is 2.9 cubic metres and if more load needs to be accommodated the towing capacity of 1.5 tonnes will allow for a decent sized trailer.

Safety is very well accommodated with six airbags in the vans and seven in the Tourer which has an additional airbag located in the centre front.

The Mercedes-Benz Citan offers three diesel engine ratings.

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Citan Tourer offers extensive driver assistance systems.

Supported by radar and ultrasonic sensors as well as cameras, the driving assistance and parking systems observe the traffic and surroundings and, if necessary, can issue warnings

or assist the driver by intervening.

As in the new generations of the Mercedes passenger sedans, the Active Lane Keeping Assist uses steering interventions as opposed to braking to achieve lane keeping.

In addition to the usual ABS and ESP systems, the new Citan van models are also equipped with Hill Start Assist, Crosswind Assist and the fatiguewarning system ATTENTION ASSIST. The driver assistance systems on the Citan Tourer are even more extensive with Active Brake Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist and Speed Limit Assist with traffic sign detection all standard to provide the driver with additional safety support.

Other driving assistance systems available as options include Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC which can automatically take over driving in traffic jams, as well as Active Steering Assist which helps the driver to keep the Citan in the centre of the lane.

The Citan is the last new vehicle project for commercial customers at Mercedes-Benz Vans to use a combustion engine. All future new developments will exclusively be available with an electric drive and the eCitan will be available in the near future to join the eVito and the eSprinter. d el i ver ym aga z ine . c o m . a u

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INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE

Implementation of High Performance Freight Vehicles in Latin American countries

T

BOB PEARSON

Director, Pearson Transport Resource Centre.

DR ALEJANDRA EFRON

Partner, BrAle Consulting. Vice President, South and Central America, International Forum for Heavy Vehicle Transport & Technology.

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he introduction of High Performance Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) has been on the agenda of various countries in Latin America in recent years. Mostly, it has been driven by private companies looking to improve their efficiency and sustainable performance. Reaching operational legislation has had diverse levels of success too, as different as their names and characteristics are.

Implementation strategies used vary regionally from: • Regulating vehicles that are already circulating (Brazil) • Periods of experimentation before final legislation (province of San Luis in Argentina, Uruguay) • Final legislation with detailed regulation and implementation procedures before allowing any HPFVs to travel (Argentina, Mexico, Colombia).

Brazil Brazil Introduced regulations in 1998 for vehicles called Cargo Vehicle Combinations (CVCs) which have a maximum gross of 74 tonnes and total length between 25 and 30 metres. They were defined as vehicles with more than two units, including the tractor unit, with a gross mass over 57 tonne or total length over 19.80 metres. No safety technologies were initially required, only ABS after 2013.

Users began to circulate with a new type of vehicle, intermediate to the ones regulated, which they called “bitrenzões”, which were vehicles as short as B-Doubles in length (19.8 metres long), but up to 74 tonne gross, with nine axles. Eventually these vehicles were included in the regulations, but the damage to the road infrastructure has been such that many states have banned their circulation.

Currently, the prescriptive limits and specifications make a differentiation between the B-Double and another type of CVC known as the Rodotrain. The

Rodotrain has three sets of articulations; the two semi-trailers are linked together by a dolly. An 11-axle and 91-tonne model (Super Rodotrain) was approved by the National Traffic Council, however, its circulation was suspended in September 2018 after an action brought about by the Brazilian Association of Highway Concessionaires claiming there were negative impacts caused to the pavement.

Argentina Trials with HPFVs started in the province of San Luis in 2008. A 25 metre B-Double, gross mass 75 tonnes and nine axles with two triaxle trailers, was the vehicle chosen for the trials. The first experimental law allowing the circulation of B-Doubles was written and signed in 2009. Three years later with no accidents reported the permits were extended. The regulation specified compulsory safety and road friendly technology, not required on the other conventional vehicles at the time, for example ABS/EBS in all axles, a 6x4 workhorse with a minimum power/ tonne ratio of 6CV/ton (50 per cent more than the other vehicles), retarder brake, pneumatic suspension and on-board-mass devices to name a few. A compatibility certificate between tractor and semitrailers, plus a certificate indicating the vehicle was built to be a B-Double, were also requested. Other provinces sought to draft their own laws regarding HPFVs. However, in the name of standardization and operational straightforwardness, stakeholders were convinced of the need for a national legislation that provinces could adhere to later. In April 2014, a National Presidential Decree allowing circulation of B-doubles nationally was signed and published. The signature of the Decree was made in a large public event, and televised. Voices for and against were heard and read, the former technically correct, the latter emotionally louder.

Regulations under the legislation came out at the end of 2015. The legislation of San Luis was updated in 2016 to concur

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Powered by with the National Legislation, taking the total length to 30.25 metres and 6.75CV/ tonne.

In 2017, San Luis created the first School of B-double Driving in South America, with over 100 graduates so far. While the drivers’ training course was initially compulsory, in October 2018 a new national regulation took that requirement away. In January 2019 the B-double went from the bad hag that was too big/too dangerous to “best thing that could ever happen in road transportation.” From newspapers to tweets, authorities and associations were praising the higher road safety, competitiveness and reduction in pollution of these vehicles. Diverse industries were strongly arguing in favour.

It does take years to become an overnight success.

Currently, over 72 B-doubles and over 2000 “scalables” are running in Argentina.

Scalables are trucks with trailers of higher weight than conventional vehicles, up to 55.5 tonnes GCM, however they do not require the safety technologies the B-doubles do, or the power in their workhorse. Many provinces have adhered to the national legislation, adapting their provincial laws in order to do so.

Uruguay In Uruguay, the president signed a Decree in October 2011 after six months of a pilot experiment with a seven axle, 57 tonne B-double in one specific corridor. Only a B type coupling was permitted. Road safety technology devices required were specified including ABS, EBS and stability control programs. In 2017, the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP) received a request from the private forestry sector to study the possibility of authorizing the circulation of vehicle configurations larger than conventional ones, such as a B-triple of 30m and 74 tonnes. Foreseeing the potential benefits for the country’s economy of using HPFVs and with the collaboration of the InterAmerican Development Bank, the MTOP hired the authors to study the feasibility of designing a sustainable regulation that would allow their circulation, taking account of the country’s road conditions

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Uruguayan forestry B-triple.

both in terms of safety and infrastructure.

It was decided to call the new potential configurations VAD, which translates as High Performance Vehicles.

The VAD project was divided into two phases. A first phase of two months at the end of 2017 included a reconnaissance trip to Uruguay through various Uruguayan routes and the delivery of a report with an initial diagnosis based on the experience of the consultants. The report confirmed the reasonableness of continuing with a second, more extensive phase of study.

The second phase used Performance Based Standards (PBS) as in other countries and regions of diverse geographies and economies like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and the European Union.

The comparative studies – PBS for vehicles and bridge Tier 1 comparative assessment – measured the positive or negative impact the introduction of VAD configurations would have on safety and road infrastructure compared to the existing fleet and recommended the accessibility conditions under which they could be approved. The new VAD configurations include B-doubles and B-triples, and conditions comprise a combination of prescriptive requirements regarding high safety technologies and a report on 5 PBS standards from an internationally accredited assessor. Other legislation was written for tractor and triaxle semitrailer combinations up to 18.5 metres long and 48 tonnes GCM (3 tonnes more than the conventionals) which do not require a PBS report. However, travel in authorised corridors is required and similar safety and road friendly devices like the VADs

are requested. Uruguay implemented the VAD legislation in November 2020. In the first few months, over 500 applications for the 48-tonne tractor and semi-trailer were submitted.

Mexico A notice regulating maximum of weights, dimensions and circulation requirements for road transport was published in 2008.

This legislation included for the first time HPFVs, locally called ‘fulles’. The current weight and dimension regulations were published in December 2017. There are 11 double trailer configurations allowed in Mexico. The most popular is the T3-S2-R4 (a 3-axle tractor, 2-axle semi-trailer and 4-axle trailer (two axles at the front and two axles at the rear)), 75.5 tonnes GCM. All vehicles doing transport service in double trailer configuration must comply with the safety, capacity and administration requirements. The requirements include GPS reporting, ABS, air suspension and electronic controlled engine.

Colombia With an ambitious CO2 reduction target of 51 per cent by 2030 and given that more than 90 per cent of its transport is by road, one of the proposals for CO2 reduction is High Performance Vehicles, or VCCs – combined cargo vehicles – as the authors recommended to call them in 2013, when we were invited for a workshop with transport users and national road authorities. Since that visit, many trials and draft legislations have not seen the light of day for different reasons. Maybe the decarbonisation agenda will give it a push this time. p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION

SAL PETROCCITTO

E

arlier this year, the NHVR launched an education campaign highlighting the risks associated with illegal engine remapping. The first round of the campaign focused on the health and environmental impacts emissions can cause within the heavy vehicle industry and the community. The latest version of the campaign emphasises the significant danger speed limiter tampering poses for heavy vehicle drivers and other road users.

We’ve received a lot of feedback on

A billboard for the NHVR’s speed limiter tampering campaign.

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Tampering with engine speed limiters is dangerous the campaign from all parts of the industry – and that’s a good thing.

When people are talking about what’s happening within the industry and voicing their opinions on something as important as illegal engine remapping, I welcome the discussion.

Education and awareness go handin-hand with our compliance and investigation activities, which will target those who continue to do the wrong thing. This campaign has certainly struck a chord, and the more people we reach, the more impact we

An ad from the same campaign.

have. After all, the core message reflects why the NHVR exists: to ensure a safe, productive and efficient industry.

Tampering with an engine to disable the emissions control system can release up to 60 times more pollutants into the atmosphere. Emissions are often invisible to the eye and may not necessarily be front of mind, but they can leave a lasting impact.

What is more obvious is speeding in a heavy vehicle, which is illegal and unnecessary, and the risks are even more significant.

The latest Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics report shows 70 per cent of fatalities involving articulated trucks occurred in speed

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A descent on the Pacific Highway in New South Wales.

zones of 100km/h or above.

And this is why the latest version of our engine remapping campaign is so important. Tampering with an engine to deliver increased speed capacity above the legal limit is dangerous.

Whether you’re an owner, driver or performing maintenance on a heavy vehicle, everyone has a responsibility to ensure the vehicle is compliant.

So, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re being pressured to tamper with an engine’s speed limiter, I encourage you to contact the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line, so our team can assist you. The NHVR has recently charged a number of companies and individuals with illegal engine remapping and we’ll continue to undertake investigations to protect

the safety and integrity of our industry.

In addition to the education campaign, we’re also doing our part to support the introduction of new technology into the Australian heavy vehicle market to help improve safety, increase productivity and reduce environmental impacts. Our Vehicle Safety and Environmental Technology Uptake Plan (SETUP) outlines a program of work currently being undertaken to accelerate the introduction of new safety and environmental technologies into the Australian heavy vehicle market.

The plan contains five work packages that aim to encourage operators to incorporate newer, more advanced systems and vehicles into their fleets. It supports the Federal Government’s National Road Safety Action Plan and was

developed following extensive consultation across industry. It’s pleasing to see more and more heavy vehicle operators interested in using technology to improve the safety, productivity and efficiency of their fleets. A copy of SETUP can be found on the NHVR’s website.

Thank you to the majority of operators that do the right thing and operate heavy vehicles that are compliant.

We all have a right to feel secure on the road and arrive safely at our destination.

For more information about illegal engine tampering, visit www.nhvr.gov. au/engineremapping

Sal Petroccitto CEO, NHVR p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

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INSIGHT | HEALTHY HEADS IN TRUCKS & SHEDS

Caring for our team is always essential work

JO HAMMOND

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed a profound change with the way we do business at Coles Group. Like every business in Australia, we had to pivot our operations to respond to the health crisis, but we also had to ensure we remained steadfast with a duty of care to our team members, our customers and our supply chain partners.

Our immediate realisation was quite a business paradox, where we had to disrupt our operations in order to maintain continuity of grocery supply to our community. We implemented a range of enhanced safety measures at all of our sites and distribution centres to help our team members and transport partners stay safe while continuing to keep Australians supplied with essential food and groceries. At DCs this includes an increased frequency of deep cleans, additional cleaning of high-traffic areas, adjustments to shift times to maintain separation between team members, the implementation of ‘shift bubbles’ to further minimise contact between team members, including installation of additional facilities to maintain separation between bubble groups and sanitiser stations and check-in QR codes at all entrances and throughout the facility.

At all times, we have maintained a high level of consultation with our team members, so they were clear on the need 74

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for change and our health and safety representatives were instrumental as a key enabler for changes to be embedded effectively. The term ‘essential worker’ was something that most people in the community would have not profoundly considered until the COVID-19 crisis emerged. With panic buying occurring and toilet paper flying off shelves, it was abundantly evident that we had a duty to not only ensure the health and safety of our own team, but to also ensure that we were fit to work to supply retail goods to our communities that were going through extreme hardships.

Coles has been working closely with the Federal and State Government to conduct on-site COVID-19 testing and secure priority access to Pfizer vaccines for our distribution centre team members and contracted transport drivers.

Notwithstanding the myriad physical changes in our network, it was crucial that we were aware of the effects that the term ‘essential worker’ had on our own team. Now more than ever, was the time to proactively respond with the proportionate balance of physical and mental health and wellness controls for our team. This is where we are deploying a range of effective resources aligned with Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds (HHTS). We have acknowledged the critical importance of social connection and identified that this was one of the many impacts COVID-19 had contributed to with our team members.

Consequently, we initiated a weekly social connection program with free meal vouchers to say ‘thank you’ to the team for their continued support and engagement during these difficult times.

This encourages the team to engage and connect with each other, in a socially

distanced manner, to check-in and ask #RUSTILLOK? Embedding resilience into our network is now business as usual. We are upskilling and empowering our network to practice the #GEM framework; by practicing gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. The power of this cannot be underestimated, and it has been one of the many pillars of success that have provided the strength to our team to remain resilient even through the toughest of pandemics.

Additionally, we are very conscious of supporting our transport partners and Coles partnered with Health in Gear to rollout a ‘truckie tune-up’ program.

Health in Gear is an initiative focused on physical health, mental health, and suicide prevention. The program is funded through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) and was an engaging program that promoted genuine care for many of the local and interstate transport drivers delivering freight into Coles’ distribution centres.

These business practices have galvanised our operational approach to managing the COVID-19 crisis and reinforced why ‘caring for our team and communities is always essential work’. Our duty of care will not diminish once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, however it has reaffirmed that our values are about upholding genuine care for our team and ensuring we promote the health, safety, and wellbeing across all of our operations. It’s our obligation to do so.

Jo Hammond General Manager Health, Safety & Wellbeing, Coles Supply Chain

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Don’t box us in – industry needs room to move BRAD WILLIAMS

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ustralia’s urban areas are growing, and so is the industry’s urban freight task. The future looks bright to some — new homes, increased amenity, and everything from your shoes to the kitchen sink will soon be able to be ordered and delivered online, if it’s not already. But there is a storm on the horizon. And it takes the shape of a poorly planned, overdeveloped city brought to its knees by an inability to deliver its essential supply chain functions.

Australia’s national freight task is estimated to be 725 billion tonne-km, increasing by over four-fold in the last 45 years. Between 2018 and 2040, it is forecast to increase by 25 per cent to 962 billion tonne-km, meaning planning now will determine how that task is met.

The preservation of industrial land supply and locations is fundamental to the future horizon that communities look towards.

However, tension between industry and government over the protection of industrial lands is not a new argument. ALC has long advocated for the preservation of freight corridors and industrial land, resulting in the development and adoption of National Urban Freight Planning Principles. These principles were endorsed by the Infrastructure Transport Ministers Meeting earlier this year. These principles form part of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy and are integral to ensure government planning properly considers the continuous movement

of freight as our cities grow. However, these principles are not mandatory and industry regularly finds itself in a position of defending the use of the very land it uses to service those communities surrounding it. As recently exhibited by the Industrial Lands Policy Review by the Greater Sydney Commission on whether the current ‘Retain and Manage’ policy for industrial lands should be changed to permit rezoning and more flexible use of industrial lands. This would potentially allow residential and other non-industrial services on current industrial zoned lands in Greater Sydney. The protection and preservation of industrial lands in markets both nationally and local are fundamental to the future operating capabilities of the supply chains. The assured supply of industrial land, close to population centres and separated from residences, is essential to managing the cost of moving freight and the efficiency and productivity of supply chains. Long term thinking and common sense is needed to avoid poor planning decisions that will allow encroachment of residential areas on industrial lands, placing pressure on critical supply chains. Land use planning and development approvals that inadequately consider noise, vibrations, and other amenity impacts of freight facilities can ultimately see inappropriate zoning, placing industrial areas and transport corridors next to residential land use. In addition, further restrictions are sometimes imposed such as delivery curfews, areas of operation and vehicle types further dampen productivity of the sector, decreasing economic competitiveness and increasing costs.

As a result, increased congestion in our

cities restricts efficient access to freight facilities and impacts the predictability of deliveries. Last mile delivery is already growing at a rapid pace servicing consumer demand in metropoltian areas. Growth in business to customer, just-in-time and ondemand delivery, driven by the continued rise in e-commerce and home delivery services, are resulting in increased pressure on kerbside space and growing interaction between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Poor land use planning is contributing to congestion in our fast growing cities.

Congestion impacts liveability and the economy. Australian congestion costs equalled $19 billion in 2016 and are expected to rise to $39 billion annually by 2031. The cost of congestion is lost productivity to business and individuals, environmental and health concerns from emissions through impacts on air quality and noise generation, safety for pedestrians and cyclists, impact on footfall in retail precincts, impact on public space available to community. If we take a common sense and long term approach through adherence and application of the National Planning Principles we can avoid some of the problems we are seeing now, but we can also contribute to increasing the liveability of our cities. Getting the process right today and educating the community of the need to co-exist with the supply chain who provide our food, groceries and consumer goods in a timely and efficient manner, might mean that storm brewing on the horizon doesn’t eventuate.

Brad Williams CEO, ALC p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

75

INSIGHT | TRUCK VICTORIAN INDUSTRY TRANSPORT COUNCIL ASSOCIATION

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Caught in the act!

TONY MCMULLAN PETER ANDERSON

T

ruck Industry Council (TIC) members, the truck and engine manufacturers, each spend hundreds of millions of dollars, to develop, test and certify new truck diesel engines, with the end result being the cleanest, most powerful and fuel efficient products that have ever been seen in the trucking industry. New trucks that are ADR80/03, Euro V and equivalent – Australia’s current emission standard – are 60 times cleaner than trucks built before 1996. But the story gets even better. The proposed ADR80/04 regulations will require new trucks from about 2025, in Australia, to meet Euro VI, or equivalent, emission levels. These engines are 120 times cleaner than the engines in pre-1996 trucks. While our government continues to dither about the introduction timing of these new emission requirements, TIC members have taken a proactive health and environmental stance, with more that 20 per cent of new trucks sold in Australia last year, meeting the yet to be introduced, cleaner, ADR80/04 standards.

However, the news is not all good, a sinister problem exists, that of illegal tampering with truck safety and emission systems, rendering these clean and safe technologies inactive in many trucks.

The NHVR estimates that up to one in ten heavy vehicles may have their engine emission and/or road speed limiting systems illegally tampered with, putting the health and safety of millions of Australians at risk. When 76

o c t obe r 2021

discussing increased diesel emissions due to tampering, we are talking about two main substances. Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are poisonous gases that are extremely harmful to both human health and the environment (acid rain). When an emission system is tampered with, it is typically these nasty, invisible to the eye, NOx compounds that increase and not by a small amount — their presence skyrockets! The other is particulate matter (PM), small carbon-based particles, most often seen as black smoke, though they too can be small (PM 2.5) and almost undetectable to the eye. PM is a known carcinogen, causing increased cancer rates and respiratory diseases in humans.

Modern emission technologies keep these elements in check, however in a tampered engine, these toxins are released at uncontrolled rates.

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) Executive Director of Statutory Compliance, Ray Hassall, recently said, emissions tampering caused significant health and environmental risks and that speed limiter tampering was a serious safety offence.

“We’re currently undertaking an education campaign to highlight the harmful effects engine remapping can have on heavy vehicle drivers and logistics workers, as well as communities and the environment,” Hassall said. “We know that truck drivers, who are constantly exposed to high levels of diesel emissions, suffer higher rates of diesel-related illnesses, including cancer, heart disease and asthma.”

He adds, “By ensuring all engines are compliant with current regulations, the transport industry can better protect the health and safety of truck drivers, the supply chain, and the general community.”

In fact, recent joint NHVR, South Australian and Queensland police service operations have led to the successful

prosecution of a number of persons who illegally modified truck emission and safety systems. Leading to thousands of dollars in fines and corrective actions to restore truck emission and safety systems to compliant order.

Cummins Director and General Manager, Mike Fowler, recently commented, “You would think in this day and age, the fact that emissions system tampering is against the law would be enough to deter operators in engaging in such activity. As a life-long industry participant, I am really proud of how the industry has improved its image and takes it responsibilities’ seriously in regard to safety and compliance. However, there do seem to be a few out there that are prepared to pick and choose which laws they abide by and which ones they don’t.”

If the potential prosecution and fines, or the risk of premature engine failures, or warranty implications, does not deter people from tampering with emissions then maybe, just maybe, the impact to the nation’s health might. TIC applauds the work and cooperation shown by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, as well as the State and Territory agencies in detecting and bringing to justice those individuals and organisations who choose to illegally modify heavy vehicles. TIC believes these recent actions send a clear message to those wishing to illegally tamper with trucks safety and emission systems.

The NHVRs multi-media campaign includes, magazine, billboard and YouTube advertisements designed to educate truck operators to the consequences of illegal truck modifications. More details can be found here: https://www.nhvr.gov.au/ engineremapping

Tony McMullan CEO, Truck Industry Council

VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION | INSIGHT

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Thirty year plan emphasises road and rail projects

PETER ANDERSON

T

he Victorian Transport Association has welcomed a raft of new and improved transport infrastructure in a report presented to the Victorian Parliament by the state’s infrastructure advisory body, Infrastructure Victoria.

The report builds on Infrastructure Victoria’s first integrated strategy from 2016 and addresses key challenges facing the state over the coming three decades including a growing and ageing population, technological transformation, climate change, and worsening congestion on our transport network.

Of the report’s 94 recommendations, many specifically address the needs of freight operators whose volumes are on track to almost triple by 2050, including: Construction of a new Outer Ring Road and rail corridor that would ease pressure on the M80 and provide a much-needed free-flowing road transport network in Melbourne’s fast-growing north, west, and northwest; construction of a Cross City Motorway (CCM) facilitating east-west travel for people and freight through a connection between the West Gate Tunnel/CityLink and Eastern Freeway; significant investments in new passenger rail including the Metro Two project, Western Rail Corridor upgrades, reconfiguration of the City Loop and upgrades to the Northern Rail Corridor, taking cars off roads and freeing up existing road infrastructure for

heavy vehicles and freight; investments in Road Management Systems to reduce congestion; supporting efforts to optimise capacity at the Port of Melbourne to ensure Victoria can remain the freight capital of Australia; and investments in new intermodal freight terminals to coincide with completion of the Melbourne-Brisbane Inland Rail Project.

The VTA has long supported the construction of new infrastructure so that the freight industry can productively, efficiently and safely transport exponentially growing volumes of freight.

Infrastructure Victoria has rightly identified the risks of not acting and planning now for our future transport needs. Big trucks need big roads, and this report identifies key new roads such as the Cross City Motorway and an Outer Ring Road to cater for freight and keep arterial roads for passenger vehicle traffic where possible. These two road projects have been on the VTA’s radar for some time. Whilst the State and Commonwealth have been investing in the inner M80 ring road, we’ve anticipated the need for an outer orbital road to keep pace with population growth on the fringes of Melbourne, and the associated need for road freight corridors to service these populations.

We must also mitigate the need for heavy vehicles to transit through the city when going around it would create productivity and efficiency gains.

As for the Cross City Motorway, this is effectively a rebadged East West Link – a project the VTA and many others have always supported to provide a common-sense continuation of the Eastern Freeway into CityLink and the Tullamarine Freeway. If a new name is

what it takes to build this vital missing piece of transport infrastructure then we support it.

We also welcome investments in commuter rail in the plan because fewer cars reduce congestion, making the road network more productive for freight operators. As our economy starts to reopen with increasing rates of vaccination, people will return to work and the last thing we need is for them to shun public transport and jump in the car. Having more frequent and affordable commuter rail options is critically important to encouraging public transport patronage and not clogging our road networks.

Sustaining the Port of Melbourne as Australia’s largest container port is essential for Victoria to remain the freight capital of Australia, so we support the Infrastructure Victoria recommendations around optimising capacity at that Port, while planning long-term for a second port long-term.

Equally important is not compromising the Port of Melbourne precinct with public transport projects that pit commuters against heavy vehicles.

Fisherman’s Bend has been earmarked as home for 80,000 people over time, and while we support public transport options for these communities, it must not encroach the Lorimer Street freight route, which must be preserved for heavy vehicles and HPFVs. Freight infrastructure in the report will go a long way to supporting operators and we commend Infrastructure Victoria for recognising the value of our industry to our state and national economy.

Peter Anderson CEO, VTA p r i m em over m a g . c o m . a u

77

PETER SHIELDS’ NUMBER CRUNCH

The Waiting Game additional vehicles once they reach the end of their economic working lives with their original owners. Depreciation schedules were once a factor in decisions to replace an aging vehicle with a new one, but the current instant asset write-offs for taxation purposes negates that reason. Significantly, the widespread addition of current models will contribute to the lowering of the average age of the national fleet and improve the safety and environmental impact of road transport.

The old saying “it’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good” is currently as relevant as at any time as societies worldwide grapple with the pandemic, and entire industry sectors such as air travel and tourism remain shuttered, yet the new truck industry in Australia remains on course to deliver one of the best results in history according the Truck Industry Council statistics.

During August 2,953 new trucks were sold, an increase of 196 units (+7.1 per cent) over the previous month of July and taking the year-to-date total to 21,907, an increase of 3,973 units (+22.2 per cent) and placing the year so far just 4.8 per cent below 2018’s record result.

The Light Duty result of 1,221 units was 372 more than in August 2020 (+43.8 per cent) and the year-to-date accrual of 9,293 at the end of the month signaled an increase of 2,200 units (+30.6 per cent). Medium Duty trucks had a good month and added 639 new units to the national fleet, 155 more than in August last year (+32.0 per cent). The Medium Duty total for the year so far of 4,710 is 9.0 per cent more than for the first eight months of 2020 (+9.0 per cent).

The Heavy Duty category for trucks and prime movers again easily exceeded 1,000 units for the month at 1,093, which was 272 more than during August last year (+33.1 per cent) and the accrued total of 7,904 indicated the strength of the market was with a growth year-on-year of 1,382 vehicles (+21.1 per cent).

Stalwarts of last mile and tradie transportation, the Heavy Duty Van sector maintained its steady growth rate with 567 delivered during August, 105 more than in the same month of 2020 (+22.7 per cent).

The year-to-date total of 4,829 at the end of August showed an extra 808 big vans had been sold compared with 2020’s result for the same period (+16.7 per cent).

The only dark cloud on the horizon appears to be the supply to meet the demand for new commercial vehicles, with a number of manufacturers citing constraints in being able to source enough of essential components including the micro-processors which are at the heart of numerous systems in modern trucks and vans.

A challenge a few years down the road is what becomes of all these 78

o c t obe r 2021

July-21

YTD

% Change YOY

ISUZU

889

6413

17.8%

HINO

521

4188

23.0%

FUSO

410

2987

36.0%

KENWORTH

289

1703

51.9%

MERCEDES-BENZ

136

1162

51.3%

VOLVO

131

1035

-15.8%

IVECO

108

884

6.0%

SCANIA

74

752

35.7%

UD TRUCKS

77

453

16.8%

DAF

62

379

23.5%

MACK

43

378

-20.8%

FIAT

43

363

16.7%

WESTERN STAR

42

241

51.6%

FREIGHTLINER

36

240

57.9%

MAN

38

203

-15.8%

HYUNDAI

15

151

96.1%

FORD

13

129

130.4%

RENAULT

23

115

-3.4%

DENNIS EAGLE

1

87

210.7%

VOLKSWAGEN

1

24

-29.4%

INTERNATIONAL

1

20

-33.3%

CAB CHASSIS/PRIME

2953

21907

22.2%

M-B VANS

344

1793

21.0%

FORD VANS

20

938

36.7%

VOLKSWAGEN VANS

51

800

6.8%

RENAULT VANS

103

774

7.5%

FIAT VANS

35

308

76.0%

IVECO VANS

14

216

303.0%

VANS

567

4829

20.1%

TOTAL

3520

26736

21.8%

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