The all-new Isuzu truck range. Reliability
The all-new range of Isuzu trucks has arrived. With a sleek new cab design, more advanced safety features and a smoother, more comfortable drive, the new range will change the way we rely on our trucks. Forever.
To find out more, visit your nearest Isuzu Trucks Dealer or visit isuzu.com.au
As the final pieces come together for our July / August edition it’s fair to say plenty has happened since the last magazine came out on May 12.
Firstly, there was the biggest ever Brisbane Truck Show from May 15-18 that saw record numbers of visitors converge on the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre to take in the hundreds of stands covering more than 30,000sqm of exhibitor space, filling every nook and cranny of the entire three-storey venue.
All of the major truck manufacturers were back with new models to showcase.
From Isuzu’s completely overhauled offerings for 2025, to the big V8 Scania, MAN’s glorious Lion S model, the popular new DAF, Kenworth’s latest variations, Daimler’s super sleek ProCabin and Volvo and Mack’s latest trucks.
While the new trucks dominated with their cutting-edge safety technology, new styles and shapes, it was also in the surrounding stands that insight into the future of the transport industry was to be found. A future where collaboration is king, bringing together the likes of Cummins, Eaton and Meritor to develop solutions for the transport industry like complete drivelines for diesel, electric, or hydrogen fuel set ups (see story page 30).
From the telematic technology designed to maximise efficiency for trucks and fleets, to cutting-edge trailer design, transmissions, engines, lubricants and tools for the workshop, the show had it all. After four full days in and around the halls, I’m still not convinced I saw everything.
One particular highlight was seeing Technical Editor Tim Giles present the team from Volvo with the International Truck of the Year Australasia trophy for the FH16 780 model, designed to pull the biggest loads the Australian and New Zealand market can throw at it (see page 28).
It was interesting to note that while there was still plenty of talk about hybrid and electric technologies, the real hero trucks were being driven by Euro 6 rated diesel engines pushing out maximum horsepower more efficiently than ever before. It seems the race to a cleaner, greener, future has plenty of twists and turns to be navigated before the dream becomes reality.
Dealing with the now, the team at Hendrickson has shared some tips on how to keep trucks on a smooth trajectory, particularly when it comes to maintaining the integrity of the pivot bushes in suspension set ups (page 66).
Along a similarly technical vein, Bob Woodward shares insights into how to best maintain the all-important tow couplings on trucks and trailers to minimise any chance of unexpected malfunctions (page 68).
When it comes to the people in transport, we celebrate six of the best from the recent national awards (see page 48).
Ross Transport and TNS Logistics share a little bit about their fleets and history too. See pages 14 and 36 respectively.
I hope you enjoy the wide ranging coverage of the industry in this issue of the magazine and encourage you to get in touch if there’s a topic or a story you’d love to see featured in our future editions.
Thank you for reading.
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The colorful fleet of Ross Transport is well known across New South Wales, thanks in no small part to how active they are in the community.
30 LOOKING FORWARD WITH CUMMINS
During the Brisbane Truck Show, Tim Giles took the opportunity to sit down with Sean McLean and look at the way forward for Cummins.
36 PENSKE ROARS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
When the Penske team set about planning for Brisbane Truck Show 2025, meek and mild was definitely not an option.
48 CELEBRATING THE INDUSTRY’S FINEST
Six of the most prestigious awards in the transport industry were presented at this year’s Trucking Australia conference.
50 ON THE LAUNCHPAD
Isuzu Australia provided a key update in the progress of the launch of their new model range at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show.
56 GENUINE PROGRESS FOR HVNL
The long process of reviewing the Heavy Vehicle National Law is finally showing some significant results, despite delays.
62 QUANTIFYING EMISSIONS GOALS
Current modelling suggests that significantly more work needs to be put towards making electric trucks and alternative fuels viable.
TAKING ON THE TIPPER TASK
Traditionally Mercedes-Benz heavy duty models have been suited to prime mover tasks, but now some tipper and dog operators are looking to the brand.
42 MULTI-LAYERED HEALTH NEEDS FOR TRUCKIES
The Australian Trucking Association is lobbying the federal government to help look after the health of the trucking industry’s drivers.
44 A TICKING TIME BOMB
The truck driver shortage is only going to continue getting worse, writes NatRoad CEO Warren Clark.
52 END OF THE LINE
European Correspondent Will Shiers checks out a British trucker’s heartfelt tribute to his fellow drivers, built from one very rare Volvo NH.
64 EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR ENDEAVOUR AWARDS
Nominations are open and anticipation is building for the 2025 edition of the Endeavour Awards, celebrating several sectors of Australia’s manufacturing industry.
66 AVOIDING PIVOT BUSH DAMAGE
Workshop technicians should stay aware of the issues that may arise from damage to pivot bushes.
68 KNOWING MECHANICAL TOW COUPLINGS
Technical expert Bob Woodward provides all the information you need to know on all the different kinds of couplings.
• Supporting drivers for more than 50 years
• Seating – on a higher level
Attendees at the Brisbane Truck Show got a good look at the newest models in both the Kenworth and DAF brands.
The new Australian made DAF XG 15L 660hp was on display after first establishing itself during its release late last year.
The DAF XB Electric, a new display of PACCAR’s zero-emissions technology, was also on the stand, with several new additions to the Kenworth range also featured.
The T320, T420SAR, T620 and T620SAR all garnered plenty of attention.
PACCAR Australia has redeveloped the European drivetrain on the DAF models to meet the rigours and realities of the challenging Australian freight task, with every detail optimised for efficiency, durability, driveability and ease of manoeuvring.
Alongside the current CF450 and CF530 models, DAF also presented its ‘zero emission’ DAF XB Electric.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has rebranded and reformatted the Load Restraint Guide (LRG) to enhance usability, with a review now commencing to ensure the guide continues to meet industry needs.
NHVR manager standards and advice Peter Rouse says the LRG provides best practice load restraint
to support safe and compliant loading and load restraint practices,” he says.
“It includes technical information, detailed diagrams and worked examples to help determine the restraint required for heavy vehicle loads.
“To help ensure the guide remains current and continues to reflect safe load restraint practices, a review of the
The Australian transport industry has responded to the announcement that major operator Don Watson Transport has decided the time is right to close its doors and exit the industry.
Australian digital freight provider Ofload said the decision reflected the reality that the country’s freight sector is under “escalating strain”.
The Don Watson Group transported goods over 22 million kilometres annually and moved around 10,000 pallets per week for Woolworths down the east coast.
“We are deeply saddened by the closure of Don Watson Transport,” Ofload founder and CEO Geoffroy Henry says.
“This is a moment to reflect on the fragility of a sector that keeps Australia moving.
“We feel for those impacted and are focused on doing everything we can to support workers, families, and businesses affected by this collapse.”
Ofload has committed to helping the affected drivers find new work.
Four of the world’s largest OEMs are coming together to officially merge two major manufacturers that will see the one company formed within the next year.
In a definitive agreement that involves Daimler Truck, Mitsubishi Fuso, Hino and Toyota Motor Corporation, Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino will merge on equal footing to create a new company.
The combined business will integrate more than 40,000 employees together, with the aim of having them all working under the umbrella of a newly listed holding company from April next year.
The two companies will cooperate on commercial vehicle development, procurement and production, with Daimler Truck and Toyota each aiming to own 25 per cent of the integrated company.
The four OEMs say further details of the business, including its name, will be announced “over the coming months”.
The companies say the integration of Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors together aims to improve
Victorian transport operator Total Logistics Solutions (TLS) has taken delivery of its first ever electric truck, a Scania model.
The Scania 25P serves as a milestone for the business and comes complete with a 10-pallet curtainsider body and powered tailgate.
Scania Australia managing director Manfred Streit was on hand to deliver the special model to TLS managing director Doug Painter and CEO Jason McHenry at Scania’s head office in Campbellfield, Victoria.
Jason says the truck will be used in typical last mile deliveries in urban areas, and that the plan is to test the truck across its depots around the country to better understand the effectiveness of the technology and driver acceptance.
“We are committed to delivering a greener tomorrow,” he says.
“The payload of 10 pallets will be suitable for our delivery needs, and the available range will be more than adequate, judging by the final mile deliveries we currently make.”
to development, procurement and production to create a competitive player in the Japanese commercial vehicle market.
Australian Football League team North Melbourne has entered into a partnership with Orbit Logistics, who has become the official freight forwarding partner of the club’s AFL and AFLW teams.
The Melbourne-based logistics company provides international logistics, local customs clearance, deliveries and supply chain solutions across all continents, with fully owned offices in China and Hong Kong.
Orbit Logistics managing director Glenn Allison says he has a special connection to the club, having spent a lot of time at Arden Street Oval as a child with his father, Jim Allison, who served as a team manager for the club in the ’60s and ’70s.
“Orbit Logistics proudly supports local sporting clubs at all levels, and this is a great opportunity for our organisation to align with a respected club like North Melbourne and its passionate fans,” Glenn says.
“We see the alignment with North Melbourne as an important vehicle to drive further growth for our business.”
Global logistics provider DHL Group has announced it will obtain 30 electric trucks from Daimler Truck in a new zero-emissions vehicle partnership.
A signed cooperation between DHL, Daimler Truck and commercial vehicle rental provider hylane GmbH occurred at the Transport Logistics Trade Fair in Munich that will see DHL receive 30 electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 models.
The partnership will see hylane’s ‘transport as a service’ model allow DHL to obtain the 30 electric trucks, meaning it won’t purchase the vehicles. Instead, DHL will be billed based on the actual kilometres driven in the trucks by hylane.
The electric trucks will be used in the post and parcel Germany division
for transport between DHL’s parcel centres, with the trucks expected to be delivered by the end of the second quarter of next year.
Hylane will be able to expand its
Transport for New South Wales has unveiled plans to install additional signage warning motorists and truck drivers of steep gradients along the Hume Highway.
Situated along the road in south-west NSW, the signs will help keep heavy vehicle drivers safer along steep parts of the major freight route.
The signs are being installed following feedback from heavy vehicle operators and a safety review at several locations between Holbrook and Yass.
In this area, TfNSW says a range of “concerning” rear-end collisions
Wales Heavy Vehicle Repair, a division of AMA Group, has expanded its national footprint with the acquisition and rebranding of Bodyline Smash Repairs in Darwin.
Now operating as Wales Darwin, the move strengthens the group’s support for national fleets, insurers, and ownerdrivers across one of Australia’s most vital freight corridors.
The new site brings Wales’ total national locations to nine, including major transport hubs in Melbourne,
Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Newcastle, Townsville, the Mid North Coast, and now Darwin.
“Darwin is an essential link in Australia’s freight and logistics chain,” Wales Heavy Vehicle Repair general manager Martin Dickinson says.
“Bringing Bodyline into the Wales network means our customers – whether they’re managing national fleets, overseeing insurance claims, or running as independent operators – can access the same level of quality, turnaround and
fleet via the order, which has so far focused on fuel cell electric trucks. For all partners, it represents the largest contract for electric trucks in Germany this year.
involving heavy vehicles have occurred, including a recent fatal bus-truck crash at the Kyeamba Gap Rest Area.
Transport acting regional director south Martin Cocca says steep gradient signs will be placed northbound and southbound at six key locations to provide clearer warnings to motorists about steep inclines where drivers may encounter slow-moving heavy vehicles.
“After receiving feedback from heavy vehicle drivers and analysing crash data, we’ve identified six priority locations where additional signs will significantly improve safety for all road users,” he says.
service they’ve come to expect from us across the country.”
In the midst of a massive calendar year, Isuzu Australia isn’t just focusing on its product department. It is also looking at how it develops its people, specifically in the dealership sector.
The Isuzu Dealership Management Program, or IDMP, aims to drive longterm growth within the manufacturer’s dealership network, and has done so for 12 years.
It has been delivered to current and emerging dealer principals, general managers, and senior managers within the network, as well as selected participants from Isuzu Australia’s head office over that time.
“The program provides a deep dive into the Australian trucking industry, along with insight into sales and management practices across the
for transport, infrastructure and regional development following the Coalition’s reunion.
She says “it’s actions, not words, that are needed” during this time of uncertainty, and says she intends to hold the prime minister and government to account for “their failures”.
“It is humbling to be reappointed to the Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development portfolio to continue my work of the past three years, pushing for improved policies to build the infrastructure Australian communities need, deliver safe, efficient and productive transport networks, and strengthen our regions,” Bridget says.
In a recent statement, the shadow minister outlined some of her focuses for the upcoming term, with freight and logistics supply chains, aviation, and job creating infrastructure at the top of her list.
entire dealership business, resulting in a university-recognised postgraduatelevel qualification,” says Isuzu Australia head of network development Nathan Ton.
industry experts with practical hands-on experience, alongside the modules and coursework.”
Transport industry icon Bob Martin isn’t quite retired yet, but he is departing from his role as national training manager at JOST Australia.
He has spent the past 24 years working for the truck parts supplier, starting as the Brisbane branch manager in 2001 before moving up to national training manager in 2018.
With over three decades in the industry, Bob has amassed many achievements and plenty of changes within the transport industry and within JOST, with one of his greatest
achievements being spearheading the JOST Brisbane move to its current Wacol facility.
Whilst employed at JOST, Bob was also a very active member of the then CVIAQ, which later became the HVIA that we know today.
One of his claims to fame was to be the last ever CVIAQ president and the first inaugural HVIA president. During this time Bob was also involved on the judging panel of the Apprentice of the Year Awards.
Former National Heavy Vehicle Regulator CEO Sal Petriccitto has been appointed as the CEO of Toowoomba Regional Council.
For more than a decade, Sal served as the head of the NHVR and pioneered its expansion into various Australian jurisdictions.
Toowoomba Region mayor Geoff McDonald says that Sal was unanimously appointed by councillors following a national and international executive recruitment talent search for the best
The Victorian government is continuing to prepare for new no truck zones that will be implemented in Melbourne when the West Gate Tunnel opens, outlining exemptions and camera monitoring for heavy vehicles.
When the tunnel opens later this year, six 24-hour no-truck zones will be introduced on key roads across Melbourne’s inner west, including Francis Street and Somerville Road in Yarraville, Buckley Street and Moore Street in Footscray, Blackshaws Road in Altona North and Hudsons Road in Spotswood.
The new regulations will see certain heavy vehicles be permitted to travel in the zones, including buses, tow trucks, concrete trucks and waste disposal trucks.
person for the role.
“Council was on the hunt for an accomplished leader with a business mind and a community heart and Sal is absolutely that person,” Geoff says.
“With over 30 years of executive leadership experience across public and private sectors, including more than a decade as CEO of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), Sal is well known for delivering cultural transformation and strategic outcomes in complex environments.”
Two-axle trucks that aren’t transporting shipping containers will also be granted access to the zones to deliver groceries, parcels and other services, with other exemptions also to be considered.
Image: bigbuild.vic.gov.au
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has revealed it is officially deploying new automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras across New South Wales.
The 10 new ANPR cameras have been deployed across the state to monitor heavy vehicle safety on key freight corridors across the state.
NHVR chief operations officer Paul Salvati says the roll out of the cameras will bolster efforts in making Australia’s major freight networks safer and ensuring the heavy vehicle industry remains productive and efficient.
“The NHVR now has a total of 49 ANPR cameras deployed across the country, including roadside trailers and vehicle mounted cameras, to better detect and intercept potentially high-risk behaviour and unsafe practices by heavy vehicles on the roads,” he says.
“Tragically, we have already seen 51 lives lost in crashes involving heavy vehicles across Australia this year, with 16 of these lives lost on NSW roads – the NHVR remains committed to doing everything in our power to drive down this road toll.”
In a historic moment for MAN Truck & Bus globally, the OEM has announced it has started series production of its electric truck range.
From now on at MAN’s Munich plant, both electric and diesel trucks will be produced in a fully integrated mixed production process on the same line.
The announcement saw MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp join MAN executive board member for production Michael Kobriger and member of the European Parliament and EPP chairman Manfred Weber attend the Munich site.
“The start of series production of our electric trucks is historic. It marks a turning point in our history. The future of MAN begins now, at this very moment,” Vlaskamp says.
“The entire MAN team is proud to be actively shaping the transformation from diesel to electric drive. Our highly efficient electric trucks will make locally emission-free freight transport a reality.
“This is an enormously important step towards achieving our goal of
becoming CO2-neutral by 2050. The fact that we can manufacture the electric trucks on the same production line as our state-of-the-art diesel trucks also gives us enormous flexibility and increases production efficiency.”
Three of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers have come together to establish a new forum that will promote an accelerated hydrogen transport industry throughout Australia.
BMW, Hyundai and Toyota have joined forces to start the Hydrogen Transport Forum (ITF), a new coalition dedicated to deploying hydrogen mobility solutions in Australia.
The collaborative platform will allow the local industry to identify strategic opportunities, align fleet and infrastructure and advocate for supporting government policies. It’ll complement existing industry bodies and address a critical gap in Australia’s hydrogen ecosystem.
The Forum is expected to welcome members from the hydrogen passenger
The range extends from 12 to 50 tonnes and covers everything from refuse collection vehicles to long-haul trucks. MAN’s goal is to deliver the first 1,000 electric trucks by the end of this year.
car, truck and bus sectors.
“The HTF represents a proactive step toward industrywide coordination and a genuine commitment to building the hydrogen refuelling and vehicle ecosystem needed to support Australia’s transport transition,” a joint spokesperson for the founding participants says.
The colourful fleet of Ross Transport is well known across New South Wales, thanks in no small part to how active they are in the community.
There are few fleets quite as distinctive as the Ross Transport fleet. Having been a key figure in the New South Wales transport industry since the 1970s, it’s likely a name you’ve come across more than once.
Family-owned and family-run, the Ross Transport story now goes back 50 years, an anniversary it is celebrating with great pride.
Located right near the stunning oceanside views of Port Kembla, they have solidified themselves as one of the largest fleet owned companies within the Illawarra district.
Three generations in, Ross Transport is now run by owner Alan Ross and daughter True Ross-Sawrey, who acts as the business manager.
It all began with the vision of Reg and Frances Ross, Alan’s parents, founding Ross Transport in 1975. Alan took over in 1988, and has been running the business ever since.
True says that nearly 40 years since taking over the business, her father is still going strong. Hard work must be a Ross family trait, as even though she is retired, Frances still comes in to help out a few days a week.
“Dad is still in every day even though he’s moved away from some of the day-to-day operational work, he’s doing a bit more travelling now,” True says.
“He still has plenty of knowledge to share, and so does my grandmother.
“Dad will jump in a truck on the real busy days when we don’t have enough staff on. He might go pick up parts for example, a lot of the small jobs that we don’t always have time to do in the office.
“Nan still comes in every day and keeps us all in line! She still does little jobs like handling the petty cash.”
As for True, her role within Ross Transport has only grown across the 12 years she has spent in the family business.
At first it was just a job to do alongside studying at university, but she continued to fall in love with the world of transport.
“The plan was never to stay here, but things happen obviously, and I enjoyed it here, so that’s why I stayed,” True says.
“I decided I wanted to stay here before I’d even finished my degree. So I started off doing data entry and payroll. I’ve done bit of the invoicing, bit of the accounts, but only part time.
“I did compliance and safety for ages, and now in my role, I oversee all of those departments. Some customers require a bit more depending on the project, so I’ll help manage them.
“When I started I used to work on Saturdays doing the truck washing. I also went down into the workshop and tried to learn a little bit about working on the trucks.
“I’ve always tried to be involved in the business as a whole. I’ve gone with drivers to load, but I don’t have the time for it now, even though I’d love to do it. I do have my truck license, but it’s mostly just for driving the trucks around the yard.”
True also has a growing fleet under her watch, working alongside the operations team to ensure that everything Ross Transport does goes smoothly.
She has her own fleet of five trucks operating under her own company operation.
“I work alongside two operations managers that do all of our allocations and scheduling,” True says.
“Most of recruitment falls into my hands, and my ops guys do help as well on that front. Those two managers
are based here at Port Kembla, and then we’ve got another one out of Cootamundra, we just got a depot out there a few years ago.
“I oversee all them and work closely with them, and I’m also responsible for projects and drivers, helping keeping them happy.”
The Ross Transport fleet is continually renewing, but is currently stable at around 70 trucks and 120 trailers.
They offer range of transport options
and drop deck trailers, as well as a rough terrain forklift that can do brick deliveries and is used on construction sites.
They also employ between 90 and 100 staff, a size which True says they are quite comfortable with, particularly after navigating the challenges of COVID.
Like any fleet, these challenges include retaining staff, particularly drivers, and hiring new ones when
own because it’s just very hard to find skilled labour.
“Of our drivers I’d say 80 per cent are long term employees and then about 20 per cent are in turnover. But I think the 80 per cent is good figure, and we’ve got some very long-serving staff, especially on our tautliners and our tipper division.
“We do find it a bit harder to keep drivers on the flat-tops.”
Looking for drivers to take on interstate jobs has also been a challenge, True says, due to the amount of time it can take to train someone up.
always looking for an interstate driver here and there, but it’s pretty full considering where we’re at right now.”
Ross Transport tends to stay relatively brand agnostic when it comes to their trucks, but True says they do have their favourites.
They try to get as much as they can out of each of the trucks in the fleet, while still always looking at how to stay modern and up-to-date.
“Our fleet is mostly Kenworth and Western Star on the interstate and our tippers,” True says.
“We do tend to rebuild our Kenworths two or three times. They’re
very, very good trucks. As a result of that some of the Kenworths that we’ve got are quite old, but in saying that, every year we still buy trucks to keep our fleet new and current.
“The drivers also appreciate having newer vehicles to drive in.”
Anyone taking a look at the trucks in the Ross Transport can tell they don’t mind standing out – especially with the amount of colourful characters they boast.
It all started in celebration of their 40th anniversary back in 2015, with a special paintjob for one of their trucks, and it grew from there.
“For the first uniquely coloured truck, we decided we wanted to do something that would stand out,” True says.
“Our standard colour is obviously white with the blue stripes. For our 40th anniversary, we moved to blue with white stripes. So we ended up with three limited edition trucks for that.”
The special trucks the Ross Transport team ended up painting in the new colours were a Mack, named the ‘Devil Dog’, a cabover Kenworth K200 and a blue Kenworth T909, which they still own to this day.
The Mack has unfortunately been sold since being painted.
“That was when we first started it, and it was obviously just to do something different, being our 40th anniversary,” True says.
After this, the Ross family wanted to look at how they could draw attention to important causes, as well as celebrate the people within the business.
A T909 named ‘Truly Frantastic’ celebrates both True and Frances as the key women behind the operation and growth of Ross Transport.
But beyond celebrating the women of the family, it also aims to raise awareness for cancer, being popular at convoys and truck shows.
“That one was a bit of a unique truck,” True says.
“We use it as a way to recognise women, but also to raise awareness behind cancer in general, or illnesses in general.”
trucks with the pictures of superheroes. It’s just something that he’s into, I guess. And they started getting a lot of traction, and we started having a lot of fun with them. We then got into the old school cartoons. We did the Flintstones, Jetsons, and heaps more.
“Dad does most of our older designs, but the newer designs, we kind of both pitch off each other, and then our sign writer puts it all together.
“And then I said to him, ‘we need to start doing some new age ones that younger kids know now’. My fouryear-old twins were much younger at the time when we started doing up the Bluey truck.”
The trucks have proved particularly popular at the i98FM Illawarra Convoy, which Ross Transport is always heavily involved in, having their trucks on parade.
Last year’s event raised more than $1.6 million before the convoy was even run.
All funds raised directly support the Illawarra Community Foundation, helping families battling lifethreatening and life-limiting illnesses.
True says they hope to not only spread awareness and joy with their trucks at events like this, but also get
“It’s just one of the many reasons why we have the painted trucks. One is that we just enjoy it, it really is fun. Running a business can be dull at times, and you can have rough times.
“When we see our trucks, it not only makes us smile to look at them, but we hope it does for others who see them too.
“As well, we’re big believers that the perception of the industry is somewhat skewed, whether that be by the media or old school truck drivers.
“So we thought doing cartoon trucks or colourful trucks, like our rainbow truck as well, it encourages kids and adults to want to speak to our drivers. That makes them go, oh, that truck’s cool. We think it creates a bit more of a positive perception for the industry. So that was a big motivation especially from my side. That was a big driver for it.”
Looking at the near future, True believes that the driver shortage will continue to be the main challenge for operators all over the industry.
Especially when it comes to specialised work, the need for skilled drivers will never go away, even with
the prospect of automation and other advancement in trucking technology.
She says they’re hoping that continuing to show up at events like the Convoy and getting young people involved with their trucks will have a sustained effect, however small.
“It’s common knowledge that the transport industry is a very aging industry,” True says. “We’re really hoping that in getting kids involved from a younger age, they might grow up and go, I want to be a truck driver, where, at the moment, that’s not a thing that you might not really hear.
“People want to go to uni. They want to have a trade. And obviously, being a truck driver is not a trade. It should be, but it’s not.
“That’s another reason why we really invested into our character trucks, to try to encourage people to come into the industry.”
It isn’t just the driver shortage that the team at Ross is looking at – True says fleets and operators also need to be looking inside the workshop.
“The driver shortage is huge, but there’s also mechanical shortage,” she says.
“There’s shortages throughout the whole industry, realistically. A lot of associations are getting involved with career expos more and stuff, which I think is great.
“When our trucks are available for them, we try to take them to as many shows as possible, community events, career expos.”
When you’re 50 years into the game, keeping on going can seemingly get harder by the year.
True says that particularly operating in a smaller area like the Illawarra, the kinship between transport businesses makes every day in the transport industry that much more fulfilling.
“Everyone that’s in the industry is a bit the same in the some ways,” she says.
“It’s got a lot of positives, the camaraderie within the transport industry is great. Especially around the Illawarra, we all stick to our areas, but we all get along really well, even though we’re technically all competition.
“It really is a great industry to be in.”
Traditionally Mercedes-Benz heavy duty models have been suited to prime mover tasks, but now some tipper and dog operators are looking to the brand as a useful addition to their fleets. Tim Giles took one for a spin to see how it performs.
As the infrastructure and housing industry continues to boom, in the face of increasing demand, trucks which service this sector of the economy need to develop to keep up with the demand for higher productivity, reliable equipment.
Not traditionally recognised as a major player in this industry sector, Mercedes-Benz has seen an increasing interest in its product as a solution for operators servicing different parts of the construction industry and its ancillary transport tasks.
When this generation of MercedesBenz heavy duty trucks first arrived in Australia, the models were differentiated by the numbers on the doors and the cabin size and were generally referred to as Actros. Taking the brand further into the vocational world and the different specifications needed takes the models into the area designated as Arocs in Europe (and New Zealand), so Daimler has decided to introduce the model name here, even though it still doesn’t appear as a badge on the truck.
The model was tested over a number of varied routes around the Gold Coast and Brisbane for this article. This is an area which continues to have plenty of new road infrastructure and new residential construction on the go. It’s a natural habitat for a busy tipper and dog.
The first job was to get the combination loaded, in this case in a busy landscaping materials yard at Jacob’s Well. Muddy uneven surfaces like this are the home turf of the Arocs and the aspects of its design which differentiate the specification from the Actros come into play. It feels more robust and comfortable in these conditions, when compared to the interstate-ready Actros prime mover.
On the Arocs you always get a straight front axle making the truck sit a little higher off the ground so the front grille and bumper are set higher, changing the entry height. The front axle shocks are stiffer and there’s a rubber lower step to avoid damage.
Unlike the Actros, the air intake features cyclonic tops on the actual intake, which filter out the heavier dust at the top, taking a bit of the strain
away from the air cleaners.
For vocational work, the Arocs gets a single rail all the way to the back of the chassis on a rigid truck, which is not available with the Actros. This model also has the front axle a bit further back than on its big brother. The design allows for longer wheelbase and more overhang at the rear. These dimensional changes help to align the truck with Performance Based Standards (PBS) requirements.
There’s also a higher ground clearance by running a higher, longer fuel tank, keeping it up and out of the way. Also included is a stacked battery box and a 60 litre Adblue tank, plus air tanks on the right hand side, also set up higher and out of harm’s
way. This particular truck tested is aimed specifically at quarry work and consequently, only needs a 390 litre fuel tank. There is an option for an additional 290 litre for longer distance work.
The truck comes out of the Wörth plant in Germany with the air and electrics already plumbed to the rear, ready for the body builder to connect. No modifications are needed in Australia, the PTO is already on the transmission with the switches already in place from the factory, and it’s pre wired for ancillaries like beacons and UHF. This leaves less opportunity for body builders to interfere with the sophisticated electronics and wiring.
Like the Actros, the Arocs still gets
the full safety suite you would expect from a modern Mercedes-Benz. These are the kinds of specs large contracts require today and the design has to balance those safety requirements with minimising tare weight and improving, therefore, productivity.
When trying to adapt the original Actros product, all of these changes had to be made after the truck arrived at the dealership. Negotiating with the factory in Germany and getting a different model and specification down the assembly line has improved the outcome and streamlined the process of getting a truck on the road with the right specs.
The process that this truck has gone through, and the idea of using this technology, is a reflection of what can only be described as a culture change in the tipper industry. Tipper operators were distrustful of new sophisticated equipment and fittings which they did not consider to be as robust as the older, tried and true technology on which they had relied on for generations.
Clearly, experience with modern technology, its resilience and ability to take a bit of a hammering, getting covered in dust, combined with the big contracts coming with very specific guidelines and safety requirements, especially on large government funded contracts, has seen a cultural shift into the 21st century.
Simple things like yellow grab handles on a truck were resisted as unnecessary, but now 80 per cent of sites, which trucks like this will visit, now require them as a minimum, let alone other requirements requiring even more sophistication. Once the bigger transport companies start to fit this level of equipment, smaller subcontractors are forced to follow suit and be compliant.
The culture change is also happening in the attitude within the Daimler/Mercedes-Benz organisation. When they originally brought in this group of models, they declined from even calling them Actros or Arocs, which was the practice in Europe. The trucks were simply Mercedes-Benz heavy duty trucks.
The model PowerTorque tested will not be called an Arocs on the front panel or the door, but does feature its very different sawtooth front grille. It is named as an Arocs on the MercedesBenz Australia website.
This reflects a culture change in the Daimler organisation here. Now the dealers can spend less time dismantling the only truck model it could source and then go through a major rebuilding process to make it suit operators who have very specific needs, in specification terms. Add PBS requirements into the mix and it becomes even more complex.
Sharing the production line with the Actros models destined for Australia and having Arocs models which can now be specified on the production options list, has proved to be a cheaper, neater and more elegant solution to fit into very specific design envelopes needed to create high productivity and resilient trucks.
When most of the specifications are factory built, the warranty on them works better, the customers are happier and the overall package works well for all parties. Just ask Kenworth and Mack.
Handling is pretty good, the driving position is quite high but the suspension and shock absorbers make rougher conditions relatively comfortable. This new model is a good indication of where there has been a change in the tipper industry, in the way that they think about their tippers. Where in the past they would tender for jobs with older trucks, they now need to meet quite high expectations on the part of the main contractor.
The specifications behind this tipper design includes individual components which would be familiar to anyone who has already engaged with the Mercedes-Benz heavy duty product
in recent years. The engine fitted to this model is the OM 471, a 13 litre engine putting out 530hp (390kW) and 2600Nm (1920 ft lb) of torque. In this particular tipper model this is the only engine choice.
One factor helping the low fuel consumption figures is probably the fact that maximum torque is achieved at just 1100rpm, meaning this truck is doing it easy at low revs. At the same time, the smart AMT, which is standard on this model, will be hunting for a gear to get as close to that sweet spot as possible. This may allay fears on the part of some operators who might be wary of horsepower over the 500 mark and concerned about fuel consumption.
Suspension on the Arocs, which was designed specifically for the vocational market, is steel spring. That combined with the straight steer axle makes for a steady ride, even at high masses. This also means the driver gets a straightforward steering feel, the response is always positive and the steering wheel feel reinforces the driver’s confidence.
The cabin used on this model is the ClassicSpace L-cab, which is 2.3m wide and well suited to the application. A tall cab is unnecessary in a tipper operation and trucks like this one, working out of local quarries do not need that extra height which the line haul driver might prefer. Being close to the ground aids visibility and reduces cab sway over rough ground.
Yes, the headroom above the engine cover is just 1.46m but it is not desirable to have drivers who are in and out of the cab in quarries, construction and landscaping sites to stand on the engine cover anyway.
something like a stalled car and save a life.
Those with long memories will recall the issues earlier MercedesBenz product had with cab suspension unable to properly deal with rough road conditions. Thankfully, those days are long gone. The cabin gives the driver enough feedback to make them aware of the road surface, but this does not make the driving position or ride anything other than pretty comfortable. Then there’s all of the electronic safety systems which come as part of the package. These also serve to make the driver comfortable. Comfortable in
More and more of us are becoming comfortable with systems like Active Cruise Control where we can set the desired speed and then let the truck maintain that speed. It will always maintain a safe distance to the vehicle in front of and back off if it slows.
The big plus side is when the truck is out on the highway in stop-go traffic. Simply set the truck up at a chosen speed and it will maintain the correct distance to the vehicle in front, slowing in a queue, speeding up when it all gets going again, but importantly hitting the brakes when the queue stops in front of the driver.
All the driver has to do is keep it
specifications were handed down to the truck buyers and sellers as if set in stone. This meant there was plenty of adaptation which needed to be done between coming off the boat and being delivered to the customer.
This new Arocs specification shows the company has changed its tune and realised the value of some customisation taking place as the truck runs down the production line on the other side of the world. This kind of flexibility makes for an easier transition across to the truck the customer actually wants and minimises the kind of deconstruction which used to take place after the truck came off the boat into Australia.
Volvo’s most powerful truck in Australasia was presented with one of the industry’s most prestigious awards.
After intense debate from the judging panel, the winner of the 2025 Truck of the Year Australasia is the Volvo FH16 780.
The winner was announced at the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show, presented to the Volvo Trucks team by panel members PowerTorque technical editor Tim Giles and New Zealand Trucking editorial director Dave McCoid.
To be considered for Truck of the Year Australasia, a truck had to be available for sale in both New Zealand and Australia before December 31, 2024.
With 780hp available under the accelerator pedal this truck serves up the most powerful production engine on the Australasian heavy vehicle market right now.
“To be considered for the Truck
of the Year Australasia, a truck has to address the issues that only Australasia can present a truck,” Dave said at the announcement.
“That’s the very reason why we, two years ago, decided we should offer a reginal award, because we offer different conditions here that no other truck has to face in the world.”
Married to the latest iteration of the I-shift technology, the electronic integration between the transmission and engine is such that its gear changes have been described as “imperceptible and very quick”.
The D17 engine in this truck has a cubic capacity of 17.3 litres and achieves 780hp at 1,700rpm, which Tim noted in his drive of the FH16 in the previous edition of PowerTorque.
“The fact of the matter is, the number which is on the door is not as
important as the horsepower rating,” he writes.
“The importance of this number is emphasised by the fact that on the signage above the windscreen on the model tested by PowerTorque, the 780 was in a much bigger font than FH16.
“Many in the industry get carried away by the performance numbers which are written on the door or above the grill on a truck. However, it is not just about the number which is quoted for power, but more about the torque available.
“It is about the way that these two numbers interact and how they perform under load in real highway conditions for an average truck driver.”
In our test drive, the truck was taken out onto the highway as a fully loaded B-double to see how it performs in a normal every day trucking role.
This is how we can tell whether it’s just a number written on the door or there actually is genuine quality power and torque under the hood.
On the drive, when hooking into a corner at speed and then accelerating out of it was when the torque became very apparent, or when hauling a couple of trailers up a series of varying gradients like the long pull up Cunninghams Gap in Queensland.
As a result, the combination made it up to the large servo just outside Warwick in good time, despite the never ending road works on the climb to stabilise the flanks of Mount Mitchell.
“The FH16 780 should start to give away 3800 Nm of torque – it wasn’t
“This level of power on a tough freighter makes the driver feel confident that they can handle high masses in difficult conditions. The extra power and torque is covered with the excellent driver experience which Volvo has developed over the years.
“There’s a level of effortlessness which you feel as you get into a climb at these high masses.”
On the safety front, the Volvo Pilot Assist offered as part of the Volvo Dynamic Steering Package adds another level of driver safety, using a windscreen mounted camera and advanced technology linked to the steering wheel to help keep the truck in the perfect position on the road.
Active Cruise Control, Autonomous
grocery, or a package on a residential street at night very quietly, and then take a 40 foot container weighing 30 tonnes 200km out of range, then come home and hook up a triple and take it from Brisbane to Darwin, or Auckland to Wellington.
“It will do every one of these jobs at an extremely cutting edge level.
“We felt that although we’re heading for a new world, there’s a lot to write in the combustion history of transport yet. This truck is going to write a whole new chapter in efficiency.”
Now in its third year, the Truck of the Year Australasia (ToYA) Award was launched in 2023 as an adjunct to the International Truck of the Year Award that has operated in Europe since 1976.
The world has changed for the Cummins organisation in recent years, as it has for many component suppliers to the truck and trucking industry. A series of exhaust emission changes over the last 20-plus years are now being followed by an opening up of many new technologies as the truck making world prepares for the transformation across to zero or low carbon operation.
Cummins as a supplier of engines for most of its history has diversified to now offer complete drivelines and braking systems to the truck manufacturers, with its acquisition, among others, of the Meritor component business. Complete drivelines are the way of the future in truck manufacturing with the advent of diverse power sources, as the trucking industry moves away from its dependence on diesel and towards electric, hydrogen and other alternative propulsion methods.
As a result, at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show, it wasn’t a matter of a stand full of large and small, red diesel engines, it was a glimpse into the future potential drivelines available to the truck, but with some large red diesel engines of course!
Probably the most notable element of the display was the latest Cummins
engine, the next generation X15, available in a number of forms. There is the X15D, currently available in the DAF XG models, the X15H, hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) and the X15N, another ICE but using natural gas for power. Previously classified as the ‘Agnostic’ engine, it is now part of the HELM program (Higher Efficiency, Lower emissions, Multiple fuels) from Cummins.
There are also components like e-axles to simplify the electric powered truck driveline and to free up chassis space for the bulky batteries needed to power them.
“This brings together the various components in the Cummins family, the engine and aftertreatment system, the axle systems and the transmission that comes from our joint venture with Eaton,” says Sean Maclean, Director and General Manager at Cummins Asia Pacific.
The display included the current Euro 6 X15 engine, which we can expect to see fitted in trucks in Australia for some time to come, with ADR 80/04 becoming mandatory in November 2025. However, the big story from Cummins is all about the integration of the powertrain, whether it’s the joint venture between Cummins and Eaton using integrated software, or developing systems to work with the
alternative power sources which will be coming along.
The full integration of the Meritor product into the drivetrain is becoming more mature. It is now possible to include a steer axle, rear axle, etc. Then there’s the drum brakes and disc brakes to stop the truck.
“Traditionally, we’ve developed components in a very compartmentalised way,” says Sean.
“The engine business has done what it needs to do from an engine perspective, the axle side of the business has done the same. What we’re trying to do now, as we move forward, is different. More and more of the development is not thinking about those individual parts.
“Now we start with the big picture as we move forward. That’s really how we’re trying to increase our integration. It’s looking at a complete system, whereas before, each part was a separate component and we were just looking at optimising the component. Now, there’s more systems talking to each other, integrating.
“It’s also about packaging, providing the right packaging solution for the different applications that our OEMs have. It’s about weight reduction, improving reliability, longevity, reducing the friction. It’s the sum of that from a system perspective now.”
The 15 litre version of the HELM platform is now in Australia. There’s also a 10 litre version and a 7.2 litre version using the similar clean sheet design platforms that Cummins are developing and releasing.
Development of the next generation design came hand-in-hand with the requirement for multiple fuel capability. The natural gas version is available in North America today, while the hydrogen variant is still under development with an expected release in the coming years.
The commonality of the platform comes from one engine block with three different cylinder heads to manage the various fuel delivery options. This approach offers a commonality of training, tooling and parts as well as, from a customer perspective, allowing them to have
the fuels that they have available to them.
By using a clean sheet design for the engine block, Cummins achieved a significant weight saving. It’s a similar shape to the current X15, minimising packaging issues when developing a new vehicle,
“What we do, with any of our designs, is look for the the areas where we need to make changes, to suit three point mount or four point mount installations, 12 or 24 volt requirements, for example,” says Sean.
“We have those different options available in our current product, and we’ll do that with HELM.
“The 15 litre is about 225 kilos lighter than our X15 Euro 6 in the diesel version. The PX 15 engine in the DAF XG is the first version of this product in this region. This product, in the diesel version, will also be available for other brands, at 660hp, 2360 foot pound of torque and 225kg lighter.”
When it comes to the other cylinder heads offered in the future, different requirements will mean different weight. When it comes to the natural gas version, now available in North America, and the hydrogen version, Sean expects them to come onto the market by the end of the decade.
Cummins already has versions of some of the smaller displacements available in some markets, including
test cell 15 litre engines running at the moment. Cummins’ work on a hydrogen powered fuel cell work is continuing, but does provide some challenges, in terms of issues like cost, according to Sean.
“One of the benefits of the X15D is that it’s very engine-like, it’s very familiar for a technician, for a driver, for an OEM trying to install the product,” he says.
“It’s a lot different to opening up the bonnet and seeing a fuel cell and some batteries.”
The X15D currently fitted in DAF XGs are coupled with the ZF AMT, but Cummins is also working with Eaton to integrate the Endurant into a driveline.
“As we move towards the 10 litre version of this HELM engine on the diesel side, that is the natural successor to the nine litre engine that we’ve had in this market for a number of years,” Sean says.
Looking forward over the next 10 years and beyond, there is going to be a lot of change to the Cummins product available globally, and it’s important to look at how these changes going to play out in the Australian market
“There’s now a diesel variant of the new product here and diesel’s going to be around for a long time,” Sean says.
“There will be continuing development, and the diesel version
what we’re working on now and for the foreseeable future.
“The potential benefit from a diesel point of view, is those renewable diesel, HVO type opportunities, which allows customers to manage their carbon footprint, but in a product that is familiar and we know works in the range of applications in this region.
“Continuing to do that development work is a key part of what Cummins is working on, it’s still going to be the core part of our business for many, many years. Part of the opportunity we have is making sure that we’re as efficient as possible, so that power train also provides further improvements outside of just the engine design.
“There’s an opportunity there for us to continue that development as an overall package, beyond the improvements that we see in the package today, the further integration of the product and further integration of electronics across the whole system.”
The fuel system is a key part of the technology going forward and electronics development will require a high level of investment. The goal is getting the efficiency and delivery of the combustion process as seamless as possible, making sure the engine is delivered with the right gearing and enabling the transmission to be able to transmit that power to the drive axles.
“The same way that we need to refine the diesel version of a product,
in terms of the integration of the engine, transmission and shifting, we have to do that work to suit Australian requirements, as they are different from other markets,” Sean says.
“We work really closely with the team at Eaton, locally, to do that. In the same way, as you move from one fuel to another, you’re also going to have to make sure that you’ve got that integration working correctly.
“Next generation engines have next generation control systems. Our next generation platform has a new high pressure common rail fuel system, that requires more precise control, and the software to do that is next level.
“There’s further development work for all of our HELM platforms. On the diesel side, we’re looking at it in terms of those high pressure fuel systems, and part of it is also looking for commonality where we can, either across the different versions of the engine, or the different platforms that we have. Complexity is cost, cost of support and cost to install and maintain.”
Work has already started for Cummins with Paccar locally, to integrate the new HELM engine platform into the Kenworth product. The engines will have to be in trucks in North America to meet the 2027 US EPA requirements. Locally, Cummins did seven million kms worth of development and validation work on the DAF XG. There is going to be more again to make sure it meets the
Kenworth requirements as well.
There’s a version of the X15D in trucks in China today, and those engines are made in China, as are those fitted in the DAF XG. There will be versions of the X15D going into markets like Mexico and South America, but Australia remains a key market for Cummins’ 15 litre engine business globally.
Peterbilt offer the X15N in the US, where there is a reasonable natural gas market for transport. In terms of the Australian market, it’s available to Cummins, but here there is currently no demand for them.
“I think there’s definitely interest on the hydrogen side here,” Sean says.
“Part of the challenge around battery is range and weight. I think hydrogen does have a place to play. It’s getting the timing right, but you need the infrastructure, and the ability for a hydrogen combustion engine to be a bridge to fuel cell technology as it continues to evolve, while the infrastructure is developing. I think that’s an opportunity.
“Fuel cells are available from Cummins, but depending on the size you’re talking about, the volume is low, the cost continues to be a challenge. In volume terms, the hydrogen ICE. product is likely to be a good shorter term opportunity for us.
“The Meritor business has some e-axle technology, so those products and opportunities will also form part
of what we see in the future. The power train will continue to evolve, no question, and battery technology will continue to evolve. The fuel cell will form part of that.”
It is clear that electric power will become a major player in the medium term. As it does, the e-axle will become a major component in building trucks. Cummins’ decision to buy Meritor makes sense in that scenario, as the power plant and the rear axle become one single unit and not two components joined by a transmission and driveshaft.
“The opportunity is there for us to have products today, but it’s really about what does that look like as we move forward, to have options and further technology available to us as the different components change,” Sean says.
Faced with a question about predicting what a road train operator would be looking for in a truck in 20 years time, Sean was willing to stick his neck out.
“I think in some instances, there’s a potential that there’s still some diesel technology in play in some of those applications,” he says.
“When you look around the world, and you ask which tasks can adapt to new technology? Some things are pretty easy, city bus, garbage compactors, return to base kind of applications. Then some are really, really challenging, like three trailer road trains in remote applications.
“There’s range elements as well. Diesels fits those applications really well and there’s other ways of being able to utilise the diesel engine. In more extreme examples, there’s still always going to be places where diesel is going to be the best solution and will continue to be for some time to come.”
What is not yet clear is how the way that the torque is developed in a hydrogen ICE will be able to cope efficiently with hauling over 150 tonnes GCM. The efficiency of hydrogen will continue to develop meaning the difference between diesel and hydrogen efficiency in ICE will continue to be developed.
“Cummins approach is there is no one single solution that will fit every application,” Sean says.
When the Penske team set about planning for Brisbane Truck Show 2025, meek and mild was definitely not an option.
footwear and it was clear that Penske Australia had a story to share.
Even stepping away from the stand, the popular Detroit Plaza bar and dining experience on the top floor of the exhibition centre, complete with a DD13 engine on display, extended the
Penske Australia and New Zealand’s managing director Hamish ChristieJohnston told media gathered for a pre-show tour of Stand #54 that Penske was determined to win in business and to live up to the DNA of its car racing billionaire owner Roger Penske.
“In the past, we’ve probably focused entirely on our brands, Western Star and MAN, and we still will emphasise those, but we’re going to talk a bit more about Penske at this year’s show,” Hamish says.
“You might have noticed the Porsche 963 hyper car behind me. I just want to join a few dots for you as to why that is on the
“So, I guess, firstly, it represents our racing DNA, if you like. And one of the things that’s important about that is that in our business, in Australia, we’re constantly striving to be better, striving to be faster, striving to provide our customers with a better service.
“And we’re not there yet by any stretch, we’re continually trying to expand our network through companyowned stores and independent dealers like Tas Trucks, who we launched just recently in May in Tasmania.
“But it represents that DNA, and it’s Roger’s DNA. Roger Penske started his career racing Porsches in the late 50s and 60s, if you can believe that.
“So, we’re talking 65 years ago now, and he was driving the (Porsche) 718 RSK sports car, racing, before he bought his first car dealership and then built up the business that we see today, which now employs about 73,000 people around the world, including the 1,500 that we have working here in Australia and New Zealand.”
Penske’s recent purchase of three Porsche dealerships in Victoria, his racing teams in INDYCAR, NASCAR and Endurance racing and
involvement in trucking, mining, energy and defence also got a mention.
On the truck front, Penske’s executive general manager On Highway, Craig Lee, says customer feedback on the Western Star X-Series, since its launch two years ago had been positive.
He says the X-Series, which includes the 48X that was created specifically for the Australian and New Zealand market by Daimler Truck North America, was proving popular for its “exceptional fuel numbers”.
On the MAN side of things, Craig says the 640 hp Lion S was the first of its kind to land in Australia from Munich and would join the fleet of south-east Queensland transport operator TNS Logistics after its show duties were over.
“One of the real benefits of the MAN products that we see, it’s engineered in Germany, it’s tested and proven in Australia, and it’s supported by Penske.
“And to the point Hamish was talking about earlier, that Penske DNA coming through and ensuring that we can operate with speed, that we can operate
levels of uptime, guaranteed — and we’re achieving that on both our Western Star and our MAN product.”
For the TNS Logistics team, based out of the Port of Brisbane in Queensland, the Brisbane Truck Show represented the chance to sign off on the newest truck to join their fleet.
Co-Directors Jack and Matthew Norton and their families were at the show on opening day to sign on the dotted line and get a closer look at what will be the biggest truck in their fleet, a 640hp MAN Individual Lion S, loaded with all the options.
The MAN TGX 26.640 Individual Lion S features a 15.2-litre D38 sixcylinder engine producing 640 hp at 1,800 rpm and a maximum torque of 3,000Nm at 900-1,380 rpm.
The European style cab over offers plenty of space with a high roof, flat floor, and a 2.5m wide sleeper cab.
The interior features the lion motif on the seats and steering wheel and a stylish black upholstery with red trim, adding a touch of luxury.
It also offers the very latest in safety
Quilted leather seats, with armrests, that are both heated and cooled are an extra bonus, with the passenger seat even able to swivel if required.
Outside, the MAN Black Optics Pack has been fitted, including blacked out logos, and a black OEM light bar, fitted with locally sourced spotlights.
The exterior paint job carries the TNS Logistics branding, enhanced with scrollwork adding a premium touch, while also capturing the name of the truck, Lionheart, and paying tribute to TNS co-founder Tom Norton on the back.
Tom and his wife Sharon, Jack and Matt’s parents, founded TNS Logistics in 2006 with a 17-year-old second-hand 1989 Ford Louisville truck and one client with containers that needed hauling.
The TNS Logistics story quickly grew from there.
Demand for Tom and Sharon’s services saw more trucks added to the fleet, from Kenworths, to Western Stars, and Europeans including a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Actros that joined the fleet in 2021 and was the first TNS truck to be named.
Sadly, ‘This One’s for You’ was
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“We weren’t really in the market at all
considerable warehouse space at the Port of Brisbane offering door to door logistics services for a range of local customers.
The TNS fleet of about 35 trucks is 85 per cent Penske, with Western Star and MAN dominating.
Semi-trailers, sideloaders, B-double and A-double combinations complement the trucks, and the warehouse offers forklifts from 2T to 45T to help unpack deliveries and get them on the back of rigids for timely local delivery.
The 2025 Lion S will take over as the biggest truck in the fleet, carrying on the naming tradition started back in 2020, and also paying tribute to Tom.
As we caught up with Jack and Matt after the show they were looking forward to seeing the new truck hard at work.
Jack says they had updated the fleet
be part of the Truck Show with the first MAN Lion S in Australia. It felt like a unique chance, and we figured it’d be a great project to take on — so we went for it.
“We’re stoked with how it turned out. It’s a bit of a departure from our usual colours, but the end result looks fantastic.”
With power to burn Matt says the new truck is likely to spend its life travelling between TNS’s Brisbane and Toowoomba yards towing an A-double set – likely two Toowoomba runs a day, and another two a night as well.
“The new truck’s got serious power — it’ll mainly be running between Brisbane and our Toowoomba yard, towing an A-double set. We’re expecting it to do two runs out and back during the day, and likely another two at night,” he says.
“We use Toowoomba as a key changeover hub for Northern NSW Towns.
“Jack and I were lucky — we had seven or eight years working under both mum and dad, probably longer in Jack’s case. During that time, we made a decision to evolve the business into a full-service logistics provider.
“That meant expanding into warehousing and AQIS services — all to support our clients more comprehensively. The goal’s always been to become a one-stop shop, and we’re getting close.
“Now, we’re doing near end-to-end solutions — picking up containers from the wharf, unpacking at our depot, handling pick and pack services, and completing final mile delivery for metro freight, both B2B and B2C.
“We expanded into Toowoomba last year, and we’re really happy with how that’s going.. Looking ahead, the next five years will be about refining what we’ve built — consolidating and getting even better at what we do.”
As for the Penske connection, Jack says they had been buying trucks from the team for nearly 15 years and enjoyed the service and support they received.
Jack says the X-Series trucks had been delivering outstanding performance in their Western Queensland operations, while the MAN trucks were proving highly effective in metro areas.
Speaking specifically about the X-Series, he highlighted the value of reliability in remote conditions.
“What really stood out for us, especially running out west, is that neither of the X-Series trucks have had a single breakdown,” Jack says.
“Fuel efficiency is a big plus, of course, but the real game-changer is uptime. When a truck doesn’t need to come off the road, it makes a huge difference to the business — and these trucks haven’t stopped.”
If the strong support of family, friends and commercial partners the TNS Logistics leaders had on show in Brisbane is any indication, there will be plenty of the company’s trademark burgundy and silver trucks to be seen on the roads in Queensland and Northern New South Wales for years to come.
Truck drivers disproportionately suffer from health issues including sleep apnoea and cardiovascular disease.
The Australian Trucking Association is lobbying the federal government to help look after the health of the trucking industry’s drivers.
The impacts of health issues across Australia’s driving workforce have never been felt more than they are right now.
As the average age of drivers continues to go up, this continues to become apparent.
The Australian Trucking Association and TruckSafe are coming together to do something about it, in a recent submission to the federal government.
Going back to March 2025, the National Transport Commission released a discussion paper looking at expanding the commercial driver medical standards in Assessing Fitness to Drive (AFTD) to include better screening for sleep disorders, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
While the ATA says it has long argued that the commercial standards should include preventative screening, the current review process was only undertaken by transport ministers following a fatal crash in the ACT involving a truck driver with undiagnosed sleep apnoea.
ATA Chair Mark Parry says that adding preventative screening to these
standards will make the roads safer for all road users, including truck drivers.
“The ATA has argued for many years that the commercial standards should include preventative screening for the key health risks to road safety,” Mark says.
“Our submission argues that these low or no cost screening tests should be prescribed in the standards. A GP undertaking a commercial medical would work through the screening procedure and, if needed, refer the driver for specialist follow up.
“The case for acting on sleep apnoea is compelling. Our submission documents its toll of deaths, serious injuries and ruined lives.”
Alongside sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease has continued to be a serious health worry amongst the trucking industry.
Figures from a 2020 Driving Health study indicated that 5.3 per cent of participating drivers suffered from some kind of cardiovascular disease.
Similarly, the Monash University Driving Health study found that 8.2 per cent of truck drivers had diabetes,
which is nearly three per cent higher than the national norm.
But most devastatingly, Australian research published in 2012 found that 41 per cent of long-distance commercial drivers had obstructive sleep apnoea.
“One of the barriers to addressing sleep apnoea, however, is the cost of confirming the diagnosis after a driver’s GP refers them to a specialist for investigation,” Mark says.
“An overnight sleep study at a clinic can cost $1,500, with the driver needing to find $997.60 in out-ofpocket costs after the Medicare rebate. The most effective treatment for sleep apnoea is with a CPAP machine. The machines cost about $2,000; follow up appointments are needed to calibrate them.
“The federal government should offer incentives to encourage sleep clinics to bulk bill sleep studies for truck drivers and other safety critical workers. It should also fund a longterm loan scheme for CPAP machines, similar to the one run by the New Zealand hospital system.”
So what can be done about this seeming health crisis within the trucking industry?
The ATA and TruckSafe, alongside the Australian and New Zealand Society of Occupational Medicine collaborated with Austroads on a survey understand the barriers to conducting AFTD assessments effectively.
The survey participants comprised 23 TruckSafe registered medical practices and 58 medical practitioners, including occupational physicians, GPs and occupational health nurses.
73 per cent of practices and 88 per cent of practitioners said that drivers would benefit from improved preventative health interventions.
“The screening tests that we are talking about highlight if further investigation is needed. They are not diagnostic,” TruckSafe Chair Paul Fellows says.
“That’s why AFTD needs to be amended so a driver who is referred to a specialist as a result of health screening can continue to drive unconditionally, provided they make an appointment to see the relevant specialist at the earliest practicable opportunity.
“TruckSafe led the way on this by requiring our member companies to
“Our new TruckSafe safety management system has a sample worker health and wellbeing policy that requires the development and implementation of health management programs.”
The participants in the survey said there was scope to improve the forms for driver assessments (59 per cent of practices and 61 per cent of practitioners) and supported the use of decision pathways and checklists (59 per cent of practices and 77 per cent of practitioners said these would be very useful).
Looking at the recommendations from medical professionals, the ATA and TruckSafe have proposed an option for mandatory health checks which would include prescriptive requirements for heart disease, diabetes and sleep apnoea screening in the AFTD commercial standards.
The ATA also recommends these standards to include:
• screening for illegal drug use
• changes to AFTD to protect the livelihood of drivers
• better information and education for doctors, employers and drivers
• measures to reduce the number and
and health awareness campaign to be run by Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds. The campaign would include mental health awareness.
One of the findings from a 2023 Austroads survey showed that doctors, employers and drivers need more information about high risk medical conditions and how to manage them.
As such, Austroads will continue to develop resource material for doctors, employers and drivers to further educate them on these issues.
From the government’s side, the ATA and TruckSafe recommend that it should both offer incentives to encourage sleep clinics to bulk bill sleep studies for truck drivers and other safety critical workers and fund a long-term loan scheme for CPAP machines, to make them more available to drivers who need them.
Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds already offers health screenings via its Road Show program. The program is funded entirely by industry. The ATA and TruckSafe say this should be further funded by the federal government to increase its effectiveness.
Last year, the program delivered more than 350 health screenings from its custom-made medium rigid truck
The truck driver shortage is only going to continue getting worse, writes NatRoad CEO Warren Clark.
Discussions within the road transport industry often lead to talk about a shortage of truck drivers, and research shows the time bomb is already ticking, with real potential for a worsening crisis. As the evidence mounts around the issue, now is the time to act to fill the workforce gaps and avoid a decline in the productivity and safety of road freight in Australia.
The 2024 Global Truck Driver Shortage Report released earlier this year by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) showed the extent of the driver shortage and identified the ageing workforce as a key factor. Globally, there is a widening driver age gap, with not enough young drivers entering the profession to cover the predicted 3.4 million drivers who will retire in the 36 countries studied by 2029.
According to the report, Australia is one of the countries most affected by the ageing workforce. 47 per cent of drivers in Australia in 2024 were 55 years or older, and only 5.4 per cent of drivers were under 25. The IRU report went on to project 21 per cent of Australian drivers are due to retire by 2029.
In 2024 we had 28,000 unfilled truck driving positions in Australia. Allowing for the projected retirement of over 50,000 drivers, the shortage will grow to over 78,000 unfilled positions by 2029. This outcome will cripple the supply chain.
The IRU identified this as a worrying worldwide trend, providing a clear picture of the global situation.
“The report from 2024 reaffirms that the shortage of truck drivers is a long-term structural issue that
in 2024, up to 70 per cent, in some countries, face severe or very severe difficulties in recruiting drivers. Locally, the share of truck drivers who are over 55 is 31.6 per cent. Countries with very high percentages of older drivers include Spain at 50 per cent, Australia at 47 per cent, and Italy at 45 per cent.”
NatRoad is calling on the Australian Government to demonstrate national leadership to urgently address the driver shortage crisis and improve road safety. A Road Freight Workforce Action Plan including a National Truck Driver Standard, licensing and training reform and a consistent truck driver apprenticeship across all states and territories is critical.
The warning signs have been there for some time. Anecdotal evidence from trucking operators struggling to get people to fill drivers’ seats and finding older truck drivers are becoming an ever-growing proportion of the workforce.
In agreement with the IRU findings, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey data recently released by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) provided insights into road transport industry independent contractors in 2024. The data showed the road freight transport contractor groups is older, and has relatively more workers aged 55 years and over,
higher percentage of younger contractors compared to road freight transport. 39 of those in road passenger transport, and 43 per cent in courier-type work were in the vital 25-34 age range, compared to just 17 per cent in road freight transport.
At the same time, both the ABS survey data and the IRU report raised another issue - our industry is highly male-dominated. The IRU report showed just 6.4 per cent of truck drivers in Australia are female.
We clearly have an issue attracting truck drivers to our industry and more needs to be done to attract a younger and more diverse workforce to sustain the industry.
When considering the ABS figures and the global results from the IRU survey, Australia is one of the countries with the biggest potential to suffer from a driver shortage. As the economy grows, the demand for road freight services grows. The predicted global GDP growth reported by IRU will further exacerbate the problem, as higher economic output always means a higher demand for truck drivers. In Australia road freight volumes are projected to grow by 77 per cent by 2050, placing immense pressure on top of the existing shortage and impending retirement of so many of our essential truck drivers.
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The NHVR is making a national effort towards safer roads, and Chief Operations Officer Paul Salvati reflects on the result of a major fatigue safety operation.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) knows its road safety operations are integral to protecting lives on Australia’s roads, especially during high-risk holiday periods such as Easter and Christmas. In December last year, the NHVR partnered with police as part of Operation Omega, which saw increased patrols on national, key freight routes and highrisk areas to target driver fatigue ahead of Christmas. The results from this operation supported the need for a second focused effort, after the detection of several serious fatigueoffences during the initial two-week campaign.
When there is increased risk or compliance issues identified within a certain location or specific sector of the heavy vehicle industry, the NHVR strategically plans a safety operation to address those concerns. We will then analyse the results and conduct a secondary operation if required to drive sustained behaviour change. Activities like Operation Omega are run in addition to NHVR Safety and Compliance Officers (SCOs), conducting regular patrols and addressing any immediate safety concerns as part of their day-to-day role.
For far too long, the Easter break has been a critical period for Australia’s roads; with high traffic volumes and increased freight movements putting additional pressure on heavy vehicle drivers. In response, Operation Omega II was developed to address identified fatigue risks in the lead up to the Easter holidays. The operation sought to build on the previous Christmas results through a national, collaborative approach to fatigue compliance.
Operation Omega II, led by the NHVR alongside jurisdictional police agencies, focused on fatigue compliance in the heavy vehicle
sector. Fatigue continues to pose one of the most serious safety risks in industry and is a known contributor to road trauma. When drivers are impacted by fatigue, they’re at risk of impaired judgment, slowed reaction times and an increased chance of being involved in a catastrophic collision. It only takes a momentary lapse in concentration for lives to be lost or forever changed.
Through roadside inspections and engagement with industry, our latest fatigue operation revealed that most drivers and businesses are taking fatigue seriously, with compliance rates generally high. The results revealed many operators are implementing the appropriate measures to prioritise rest and alertness for drivers, and these efforts deserve recognition as they reflect the growing commitment to safety by industry. These professional, dedicated drivers and companies understand that no freight task is worth more than a human life.
However, the results of Operation Omega II also tell us that the risk of fatigue isn’t completely eliminated. Whether you’re a seasoned heavy vehicle driver or new to the wheel,
no one is immune to the risks of driver fatigue; it’s part of what makes it one of the deadliest risks on our roads. That’s why our officers undertook 426 intercepts each day during Operation Omega II, focusing on ensuring that drivers both understood how to manage their fatigue and were compliant with the law.
Of the 2,985 intercepts conducted throughout the week-long operation, 131 were found to be non-compliant with fatigue requirements in some way. There were 172 fatiguerelated offences issued across the country, including 76 infringements, 47 breach or offence reports, 25 directions for fatigue and 24 formal warnings.
Of the 172 offences, 46 were classified as either critical fatigue breaches or breaches due to drivers making false and misleading entries in their work diary to hide a fatigue offence. Each of these breaches presents the highest risk of a driver causing a deadly crash. This is a concerning figure and is an increase in the number of breaches of this severity in comparison to the previous Operation Omega in December.
During the operation, a number of additional compliance issues were also identified, with mechanical non-compliance proving to be the primary area of concern.
We commend those safety minded drivers and companies across industry for their strides in fatigue management so far, however the NHVR is truly disappointed and concerned by those who are intentionally putting people’s lives at risk by driving fatigued. As evidenced by the results of Operation Omega II, SCOs are continuing to find non-compliance within industry.
If you feel any fatigue symptoms, please don’t push through.
NHVR daily check
Six of the most prestigious awards in the transport industry were presented at this year’s Trucking Australia conference.
The National Trucking Industry Awards is the Australian Trucking Association’s night of nights, with the winners being announced to conclude this year’s Trucking Australia conference earlier in the year.
This year, there were six categories featuring some of the very best and most influential figures and businesses across the industry. But of course, there could be only one winner in each.
Here are all the winners of some of the industry’s most prestigious awards:
JOHN KELLY MEMORIAL AWARD –JIM PEARSON TRANSPORT
The first award of the night was the prestigious John Kelly Memorial
Award, named in honour of the passionate safety advocate in the truck insurance field who was vital in the development of TruckSafe.
With more than 45 years of industry experience, Jim Pearson Transport has built a reputation as a leader in Australian road transport, specialising in servicing the food and supermarket supply chain.
Proudly Australian family owned and operated, this second-generation company is committed to delivering safe, reliable and sustainable logistics solutions through a modern fleet equipped with industry-leading technology.
Operating more than 280 prime movers and 400 trailers, JPT completes
more than 6,000 heavy vehicle trips each month, supported by a highly skilled team of more than 600 employees.
JPT was the 15th company to gain TruckSafe accreditation. As a pioneer in safety, innovation and sustainability, JPT sets a high standard for excellence in the Australian transport industry.
The National Trucking Industry Workforce Award was presented to husband and wife Jason and Melissa Barry for their efforts in creating a safe and diverse workplace.
The pair have been working together in their business since 2011, over which time it has grown immensely. Jason also won the Craig Roseneder Award in 2019 for technical and maintenance excellence.
“The road to inclusion and belonging truly is a road,” Melissa said when accepting the award.
“You don’t just get there overnight. At times it is a bit overwhelming – how do you make so much change and get all your staff on board? My advice to anyone else is one bit at a time, keep chipping away.”
NATIONAL TRUCKING INDUSTRY WOMAN OF THE YEAR – ANN LOPEZ, LOPEZ BROS TRANSPORT
Ann Lopez, co-owner of Lopez Bros Transport, claimed the National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year.
She became the co-owner in 2011, after originally helping in the office during a staff break. The business operates more than 20 trucks and has some 30 employees.
Ann is passionate about advocating
representation and safety in the sector. Her commitment to the growth and development of the industry is evident in her efforts to promote young talent, as demonstrated by her initiative to create a Road Freight NSW award for rising stars.
In 2016, Ann was the inaugural winner of the Road Freight NSW Transport Woman of the Year Award. She is now a member of the Road Freight NSW and ATA boards.
She was extremely grateful to Transport Women Australia Limited for their support when accepting the award.
OF THE YEAR – BRAD TRAIN, VE GROUP
Brad Train of VE Group was the winner of the National Professional Driver of the Year award.
A man of few words, he thanked this employer and everyone who makes the industry so great for him day in and day out.
“When you’re doing something that
for the past six years, where he has been an exemplary driver with an impeccable safety record. In total, he has held a truck licence for 27 years. His professionalism and willingness to mentor new drivers have made him an inspirational figure at VE Group.
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING INDUSTRY – MARK TOBIN, FOLLOWMONT TRANSPORT
One of the most sought after awards from the night, Followmont Transport CEO Mark Tobin was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry award. He has been entrenched in the business and the industry since he rode his pushbike to the yard after school. He officially started work at Followmont in 1991 and has held a host of jobs at the company, including as a mechanic, forklift operator, driver, CEO and now Managing Director. Mark is dedicated to delivering exceptional transport services and developing future leaders within his
Under Mark’s leadership, Followmont has become a supporter of diverse charities, including Childhood Cancer Support, the 2024 LifeFlight Gala and regional non-profit entities. For the past two years, Mark has participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout and has been recognised as Queensland’s highest fundraiser, raising almost $100,000 each year.
Past chair and long-serving member of the ATA Kathy Williams was awarded with the Don Watson Memorial Award, which recognises an individual who has given conspicuous service to the industry.
Kathy Williams was the Chair of the ATA from 2000 to 2002. She has served as a member of the ATA’s Board of Directors since 1999, and was the Treasurer of the ATA until 2014.
She has also served as Treasurer for NatRoad and as a board member for the South Australian Road Transport Association.
Isuzu Australia provided a key update in the progress of the launch of their new model range at the Brisbane Truck Show.
After much anticipation, the time is very nearly here for the launch of Isuzu’s new 2025 model range.
It is the first major model launch for Australia’s most selling truck brand in 17 years, in a move which has been closely watched by all across the transport industry.
But with May’s Brisbane Truck Show, many managed to get their first look at the wide range of new models that were on show at Isuzu’s stand.
PowerTorque got the chance to hear from the key people at the helm about
the process that the range has been through to get to this point.
“For close to four consecutive decades now, Isuzu has had the absolute honour of serving the transport needs and demands of Australian industry — as the country’s truck of choice,” says Isuzu Australia Director and Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Harbison.
“With this historic, full-model changeover, we enter new territory as we introduce the safest, most efficient and technologically advanced product in the history of the brand.
“Our existing model range has been a consistent performer and indeed a favourite across every weight category for a number of decades now and based on the reaction we’ve had to date, we’re extremely confident our new line-up will more than surpass expectations.”
Already, key members of the industry have gotten the chance to jump behind the wheel of some of the new models at launch events that Isuzu has held.
A March event in Melbourne was one of these key opportunities, the
first ‘official launch’ before the broader industry and public got a look in Brisbane.
“We have been on a bit of a journey with this model release already,” Isuzu Australia Director & Chief of Sales and Aftersales Ben Lasry says.
“We’ve held a number of launch events with our dealer network and our fleet customers and supporters. The response we’ve had off the back of these events can only be described as extremely positive, particularly around the comprehensive safety benefits offered in the new range.
“From a sales perspective, I can surely say that the inquiry has been significant. We’re on the cusp of wholesaling several models. The
excitement has certainly reached fever pitch.”
Isuzu believes it is coming into the launch of the new model range in as strong a shape as it has ever been.
Topping the truck sales charts again in 2024, the manufacturer has notched up a stunning 36 years as Australia’s number one selling truck brand.
It coincides with a third straight year of record total sales across the Australian truck market, with 51,277 heavy trucks delivered in 2024, some 3,520 units more than the previous year.
There was a total of 13,402 Isuzu trucks sold across the calendar year, with the brand capturing market share of 26.1 per cent; one of its strongest ever results.
“The Australian truck and general automotive market is in decent shape,” Ben says.
“The hyper competitive nature of our truck market bodes well, not only for us as an organisation, but thousands of Australian businesses relying on safe and quality equipment.”
The brand has also placed a significant amount of importance on the safety offerings that will be available in the new range. In fact, this has played a part in why it has taken seemingly so long for the new trucks to become available.
Isuzu’s new range coincides with the enforcements of new Australian Design Rules for trucks, with changed requirements for all of their vehicles.
The N Series safety suite now contains an additional seven active safety features added in 2025, boasting a grand total of 15 safety aids – Isuzu believes it is the safest vehicles they have ever developed for Australia.
The F Series has improved on its dual lens camera and radar-powered Advanced Driver Assistance System, with a string of extra safety features.
Every model across the line-up, including 4x4 models, will feature a baseline safety suite containing up to 12 active and passive systems.
Isuzu’s ADAS camera technology works in combination with a long range milli-wave radar, now available on all F Series variants and located in the centre of the bumper bar.
The FX/FY line-up also receives a
new ADAS system with no less than 10 new active safety aids including Full Speed Adaptive Cruise Control (FACC), Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) and Lane Keep Assist (LKA) to name but a few.
“Whether it be connected technologies, financial services, used trucks, sharing or subscription, we are looking to create a platform that will engage and retain more Isuzu customers for longer,” Ben says.
“Both locally and globally, we want to build on this scope of transport solutions and services. We’re also broadcasting a small increase in market share in 2025.”
While it would take far too long to list all of them, all the new models come with comprehensive options to change to the buyers’ fancy, letting each fleet tailor their truck to their needs.
Isuzu believes this will give their new vehicles applications across all corners of the transport world.
“On launching the model, IAL has set a very clear path in offering flexible commercial vehicle architecture which has been designed to cater for the needs of the global market,” says Chief of Product Matt Sakhaie.
“In Australia, the background to the launch of this new range is the timing of the 2025 ADRs. They’re all very relevant to our industry.
“These regulatory changes have big implications on our emissions and improving safety, which sets the benchmarks for all OEMs in the country.”
European Correspondent Will Shiers checks out a British trucker’s heartfelt tribute to his fellow drivers, built from one very rare Volvo NH.
If you’ve spent your life hauling freight in a big rig, there’s something anticlimactic about a final ride in the back of a carbased hearse. Neill Hutchingson thought the same, which is why he set out to create something that better honoured the legacy of life on the road. The result is a funeral vehicle unlike any other: a fully customised Volvo NH, carefully repurposed to give fellow truckers a send-off that reflects who they really were.
It wasn’t part of some long-term business plan. In fact, the idea came about through a simple act of kindness.
“One of my son’s drivers lost his father, a long-time truck driver,” Hutchingson recalls. “They asked if we could do the final journey by truck. I said yes, but only if we do it right.”
From there, the seed was planted, and so began one of the most unusual and heartfelt builds in British haulage.
What began as a thoughtful one-off soon took on a life of its own.
“With Facebook and whatnot, word got around,” Hutchingson says.
“People started asking to borrow the
platform or wanted us to do a funeral for them. We probably ended up doing half a dozen. But the problem was, it meant taking a truck off the road for about three days, polishing it, doing the funeral, then removing the platform. Financially, it didn’t stack up.”
That realisation sparked the next step: building a dedicated vehicle. Initially, Hutchingson considered a Renault Magnum.
“But Magnums are an acquired taste,” he laughs. In the end, he settled on something even more distinctive - a bonneted Volvo NH. It promised exactly the kind of presence he was after.
The Volvo NH is something of a curiosity in the UK. Never officially sold there, these bonneted trucks were built primarily for markets in South America, mainland Europe, and Australia. European-spec models began life as conventional Volvo FH cabs assembled in Sweden, which were then shipped to Brazil where they were repositioned on the chassis to create that distinctive long-nose profile. The completed trucks were returned to Europe for sale. In contrast, Australian
NHs were assembled locally in righthand-drive at Volvo’s Wacol plant in Queensland, tailored to meet domestic requirements.
Only a handful of Volvo NHs ever made it to the UK, all as private imports. Hutchingson’s example is a relatively late 2002 model that originally worked in France before making its way to Holland, where he eventually found it. Under the hood sits a 12-litre, 460hp Euro-3 engine paired with a 12-speed manual gearbox. Despite its age, it remains mechanically strong, with around 1.2 million km on the clock.
The white NH had previously done duty as a show truck - complete with roof beacons hinting at a past life in construction.
Hutchingson paid £32,000 (around AU$60,000) for it, but that was just the beginning. “It’s probably cost me another £30,000 (roughly AU$57,000) and two-and-a-half years to make it look like this,” he says. “The budget definitely got out of hand. But I wanted to do it right.”
And the result is nothing short of
spectacular. The NH has been fully repainted in a tasteful shade of grey – a colour Hutchingson deliberately chose. “Grey’s easier to keep clean, and it looks great too,” he explains. But it’s what’s taken the place of the fifth wheel that truly sets this build apart: an electric, glass-style display pod that rises up at the push of a button, revealing a coffin table that slides smoothly out.
The engineering work was handled by ZJB Engineering in Wisbech, in the east of England, with the concept evolving during the build.
“ZJB came up with the idea,” Hutchingson says.
“I thought it should be airoperated, but they said electric motors would work better. It’s made of polycarbonate, because glass is too
heavy and fragile. And we’ve added LED strip lights inside for dull days.”
The truck wears subtle ‘End of the Line’ signwriting down its side – the name of Hutchingson’s funeral business – and is also fitted with classic-style bumper guide poles. They’re not just decorative, either.
“You need to know where those corners are,” he explains.
“Some crematoriums and churches are very tight.”
In fact, there’s nothing on this truck that hasn’t been carefully thought out. It’s fully loaded with lights, air horns and polished details – features Hutchingson believes help elevate the occasion.
“For me, it’s about making it an event – a celebration of someone’s life,” he says.
“If a bloke’s driven trucks all his life,
why shouldn’t he go out in one? I’ll be using the air horns when we arrive at the church or crematorium. It’s got to be a proper send-off.”
Even Hutchingson’s attire is carefully chosen to suit the occasion. When he’s working, he wears a full funeral outfit, including top hat, tailored suit, silvertipped cane and black cowboy boots.
“You’ve got to show respect. You can’t rock up in trainers and a tracky,”
But while the finished product is a show-stopper, the journey to get it on the road wasn’t straightforward. One of the first challenges was finding parts
“I mistakenly thought, because it’s based on an FH, that parts would be easy to source. I was very wrong,” Hutchingson admits.
“The headlights came from Australia – new old stock – because they were the only right-hand-drive ones I could find.”
The biggest hurdle, however, turned out to be getting the truck through the UK’s Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) process – a legal requirement for modified or imported vehicles to be deemed roadworthy.
“Because it’s only 22 years old, DVSA – the UK’s equivalent of the road authority – insisted it needed an IVA. If it had been 25 years old, I’d have been fine,” he explains.
But Volvo no longer had the original build data. “After 20 years, they dispose of the records. I was stuck.”
Fortunately, industry friends came to the rescue.
“Martin Tomlinson and Brian Anderson at Volvo Trucks UK helped me,” he says.
“Brian actually found an old CD in his garage with the information I
needed – noise levels and emissions data. Without that, it would’ve been impossible.”
The whole process dragged on far longer than expected, and Hutchingson admits it took a toll.
“It was incredibly stressful,” he says. “There were times when I genuinely thought I’d be its first passenger.” Thankfully that wasn’t the case!
The truck is now fully approved, registered and ready to work. Hutchingson offers funeral services throughout eastern England and beyond, and even hires out the removable coffin platform for operators wanting to use their own trucks.
Whether it will pay for itself, he isn’t
truck was built so that drivers – the men and women who spent their
Neill Hutchingson is a truck man through and through. He passed his HGV test in 1982 and has spent most of his working life in and around trucks — from long days on the road hauling refrigerated freight, to years spent handing over and demonstrating vehicles for major manufacturers.
After hanging up his driving boots full-time, he joined a Volvo Trucks workshop in the early 1990s, where he worked in customer support and driver familiarisation. He continued in that role for more than two decades, eventually covering both Volvo and Renault trucks.
In 2020, he went freelance, offering driver training, demonstrations and handovers for operators needing a safe, professional pair of hands. Today, he combines that experience with his passion project — giving truckers one last memorable ride.
The long process of reviewing the Heavy Vehicle National Law is finally showing some significant results, despite delays.
The words ‘HVNL review’ are enough to raise eyebrows in any room, usually followed by some sort of groan or chuckle.
It has now been seven years since the National Transport Commission (NTC) was first directed to review the Heavy Vehicle National Law in Australia.
In December 2018, the terms of reference for the review dictated the NTC create a “modern, outcomefocused law regulating the use of heavy vehicles”.
The original plan was to see significant review by the end of 2019, where a deadline was set, with the NTC to provide recommendations to the Transport and Infrastructure Council.
However delays due to COVID continued to draw out, taking until August 2022 for transport ministers to endorse a package of legislative and non-legislative recommendations for the HVNL.
It was then in October of last year that the NTC unveiled its 71 proposed
OSOM vehicles are continuing to prove to be a regulatory challenge.
(Image: magann/stock.adobe.com)
rate changes to HVNL penalties – part of what the NTC says will deliver a revised HVNL that is “risk-based and proportionate to harm”.
Since then, key industry figures from the likes of the Australian Trucking Association and NatRoad have kept pushing for the reforms to either become reality, or change.
NatRoad CEO Warren Clark labelled the proposed changes as ‘underwhelming’ in February, while ATA Chair Mark Parry called in March for the HVNL changes to be pushed
through to Queensland parliament in March.
“We urged Minister Mickelberg to support the legislation and press its passage through the Queensland parliament,” Mark said.
“It’s true the HVNL review has not delivered the broad scale reform needed to support a world leading road freight sector in the fast-moving decades ahead, but the amendments it does include would be substantial and worthwhile.
“In arguing for the law, the ATA is putting forward two final amendments for ministers to consider.”
Now, the NTC has revealed a new timeline of proceedings, but is maybe more optimistic than they have ever been about the reality of genuine change to heavy vehicle law.
Aaron de Rozario, Executive Leader of Regulatory Reform at the National
Transport Commission is responsible for NTC’s regulatory reform initiatives, including the automated vehicle, heavy vehicle and legislative reform programs.
He has been one of the main driving forces behind the current group of amendments, having acted in the role since July 2021.
“There’s a lot of detail in the changes we’ve made to the HVNL,” Aaron says.
“There are two pieces of work we’re still working to finalise in mass and dimension and some of the technical statutory instruments that laws need in order to be able to operate.
“We’re expecting this act and changes to take effect on July 1, 2026.”
At the time of publication, these changes will likely have just received approval from the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ Meeting, which is the first piece of the puzzle to the HVNL changes taking effect.
After this, the NTC will release the public exposure draft MDL regulations, which is currently slated for midAugust, with consultation closing in mid-September.
These regulations focus primarily on boosting productivity through the increasing of height, length and mass limits on heavy vehicles.
Under the new regulations, General Mass Limits will be increased to match the level of current Concession Mass Limits. General access height limit
will also be increased from 4.3m to 4.6m, pending confirmation of further technical analysis and appropriate controls.
Vehicle length meanwhile is set to be increased from 19m to 20m, also pending confirmation of further technical analysis and appropriate controls.
There will be further changes to accommodate Euro 6 vehicles, especially road trains, as well as changes to the tag trailer tow mass ratio to reduce unsafe loading practices.
The NTC recognises there will be some complexity in implementing the rules surrounding CML and GML regulations, and is aiming to keep the regulations as simple as possible.
In the interest of this, some current CML rules are being assessed to determine whether they need to be retained, such as the five per cent on GVM constraint.
Technical analysis on the increase of general access height limits have already passed a feasibility check, but controls to reduce vehicle rollover risk may need to be considered, especially for low density payloads and inherently less stable vehicle set-ups.
This includes suspension requirements, trailer deck height controls and assistive technologies, such as rollover stability control.
From August to December, these regulatory changes are expected to go through the Queensland parliamentary process, with the aim of approval by infrastructure and transport ministers before the end of the year.
Until the regulations then become an official part of the HVNL, the NTC has outlined an education and information process to be undertaken throughout states and territories to ensure understanding of the new laws.
Executive Chairman of Simon National Carriers, David Simon, says that cooperation will be needed across all states and territories for this process to be successful.
“The National Heavy Vehicle Law we’ve got is the combination of all the different state laws,” he says.
“We need all the states to agree to the changes and be involved in the process.”
Heavy vehicle licensing changes in South Australia could set the standard for what is to come in the near future for the rest of the country.
South Australia is leading the way in changing the process of obtaining a truck licence, in a move that has been largely welcomed by the industry.
The significant changes to the state’s system, which commenced in February 2025, followed a community-driven petition calling for stricter licencing requirements for drivers.
Delphine Mugridge, who lost her husband and transport industry veteran Neville, in a truck crash on the Eyre Highway in 2024, presented her petition that was ultimately backed by more than 19,600 South Australians.
The major updates to SA’s heavy vehicle licencing system means the state government has established a new Multi-Combination (MC) Licence Program.
Under the program, drivers take part in a “structured learning program” with their employer’s support to receive a MC licence.
Drivers will need to apply for the program with their employer’s support before being issued a learner’s permit for the MC licence, with drivers then required to complete a competency-based training course through an approved Registered Training Organisation before logging a minimum number of training hours and learning components with a qualified supervising driver.
For Heavy Rigid (HR) licence holders, they must complete a minimum of 60 hours of logged supervised driving and additional learning components while those with a Heavy Combination (HC) licence must complete 50 hours of supervised driving with additional learning also attached.
Following this, a practical driving assessment in a MC vehicle with an Authorised Examiner will then
licence.
The second change made is the restriction of overseas heavy vehicle experience being recognised in the state, with the SA government announcing that from early this year, the state won’t recognise overseas heavy vehicle driving experience towards obtaining a MC licence, except for New Zealand drivers due to their similar training and driving conditions.
Austroads has spent significant time speaking with industry to understand the needs of drivers, and problems in the current system.
“Heavy vehicle driver licensing is not currently focused on key risks,” Austroads Chief Executive Geoff Allan says.
“We found that heavy vehicle driving training was inconsistent across the states.”
The new South Australian model is leading the way for what potential licensing changes may look like across Australia.
It was backed heavily by the state
government following the public petition, and we are now set to see the effects of it across the near future.
“Everyone has the right to go to work and return home safely. South Australia is committed to building a safer, stronger road transport industry that prioritises the lives of everyone on our roads,” says South Australian Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis.
“We owe it to families like the Mugridges and to all road users to make our roads as safe as possible. These new standards not only honour Neville’s memory but respond to the needs of the industry and the calls for change from many who work on our roads daily.
“This is a critical step in ensuring that those behind the wheel of the heaviest and most complex vehicles on our roads have the necessary training and experience to drive them safely.
“The reforms ensure drivers meet the highest standards of competency while providing clearer pathways for achieving the required qualifications.”
One of Australia’s most pivotal trade shows will be returning once again in 2026.
After a hugely successful 2024 edition, Australia’s largest supply chain and logistics trade show, MegaTrans, is officially returning in 2026.
Scheduled to take place from September 16-17, 2026 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, MegaTrans 2026 will once again shine a spotlight on ‘The Sustainable Supply Chain of the Future’ – attracting key players across freight, logistics, warehouse operations, transport technology, infrastructure and more.
Building on the success of previous editions, MegaTrans 2026 will continue to serve as a comprehensive platform to exhibit the industry’s latest innovations, host insightful industry discussions and provide unparalleled networking opportunities.
Exhibition space is now available, with early registrants receiving access to premium floor positions and
leadership in the supply chain sector are encouraged to secure their spot early.
“MegaTrans is more than just an expo – it’s where the industry comes to connect, collaborate and shape what’s next,” says General Manager of Events at Prime Creative Media, Siobhan Rocks.
“We’re excited to welcome back exhibitors and partners for what promises to be our biggest and most impactful event yet.”
The 2024 edition, held across September 18-19 last year, experienced its highest attendance level in the event’s history, with 4737 visitors attending over the two-day event.
Last year’s 2024 exhibition floor featured an expanded range of exhibitors, including Loscam, Comblift, Adaptalift, Mobil, Microlise and Allotrac all showcasing their latest innovations and cutting-edge technology.
In addition to an impressive index of exhibitors, MegaTrans hosted a highly
companies such as Toll Group and ANL.
The conference was arguably the most significant to date, featuring 56 speakers from a range of industry leading companies. Discussions about business practices, international developments and a range of other key industry themes were held at both the MegaTrans conference stage and the Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia keynote stage.
MegaTrans boasts its own powerful communication channels across social media, newsletters and our website. In the lead up to the show, it shared exhibitor profiles, key speaker updates, panel discussion showcases and industry news.
Throughout the campaign, the official MegaTrans website page received 62,323 views, and more than 2000 followers were gained across the MegaTrans LinkedIn and Facebook, reaching 719,583 total impressions.
Geotab believes that one of the industry’s next big challenges will be removing the reliance on paper, however they are prepared for this change.
It is only natural for transport operators to continue seeking the next level of efficiency, safety and accessibility in everything they do. With this desire comes the continual need to adapt to change.
All industries have had to adjust to the ever increasingly digital world, and plenty of examples of this can be seen in trucking, both in the equipment itself and the software that is used within it or to support it.
The modern truck is brimming with as much information as any computer, and the best operators get the most out of all the data they have at their hands.
While this can offer significant efficiency benefits, knowing how to get the most out of technology is crucial.
Andrew Hintz, Geotab AVP of Heavy Transport, APAC Region says that this is one of the current issues being
tackled in the telematics space.
Keeping records in the office and work diaries is becoming more digitalised, which Geotab has seen as a new change for transport businesses.
“One of the challenges we’re seeing right now is fleets trying to remove that paper trail and the paper environment for the driver that they have always had in the cab of the truck historically,” Andrew says.
“Now it’s moving that to an application-based system where everything is digitally recorded. We’re seeing fantastic results for some of the early adopter transport companies that have got out in front of the issue.”
Geotab is finding that it has been an easy transition towards electronic solutions using its applications, even for those that are very traditionally paper-based.
“Drivers now have access to tools like pre-trip inspections, which are app based, and are built into the Geotab
Drive application,” Andrew says.
“So traditionally, the driver might have to walk around the truck, checking the tires, lights, reflectors, mud guards, windscreens and every safety related item on the truck. All that information was very much paper based.
“Now you can grab your phone, or a tablet in the cab of the truck, and go through all the questions digitally using the app while conducting the walk around inspection. And once that’s done, any defects that the driver has picked up starts to trigger a workflow in the background. It’s all happening in real time.”
Digital solutions are also evolving in capability when it comes to managing driver and company compliance.
Fatigue management is a key aspect of operating any trucking business, and keeping drivers and other road users as safe as possible.
Geotab offers fatigue management through a key partnership.
“On the fatigue side, that management historically has all been done through paper-based logbooks, pretty much in 15 minute increments when you’re recording your drive time and then your rest time,” Andrew says.
“What you are seeing in the
audit of that paper based logbook, if there are errors, if there are spelling mistakes, there can be costly fines for the drivers.
“We’ve partnered with Logmaster Australia. They were one of the first to be certified by the NHVR. Business for them is booming, and they’ve deeply integrated their system into the MyGeotab platform.”
The solution combines Geotab’s world-leading telematics with Logmaster’s Electronic Work Diary (EWD) and fatigue compliance automation solutions.
It enables Geotab to offer Logmaster subscriptions in a more seamless manner, making EWDs more accessible and empowering heavy vehicle businesses with the tools they need to stay competitive and compliant.
Logmaster’s EWD and fatigue compliance automation ensures drivers remain within legal working and rest times, reducing the risk of breaches and associated penalties.
“If you’re an office administrator that’s using the platform, they can live in the one MyGeotab platform and have the Logmaster solution in there as well,” Andrew says.
“You are seeing a wave now across the industry with the move to EWDs.
“To date, the NHVR haven’t mandated the move from paper logbooks to electronic applications, so we feel like we’re getting ahead of the curve.”
Through the collaboration, Logmaster’s smart alert system notifies drivers and fleet managers when they are approaching a fatigue threshold.
These proactive alerts are integrated with Geotab’s fleet management insights, giving operators the power to act in real-time for optimal route adjustments and scheduling changes.
Andrew says from their experience so far, drivers have responded extremely positively to making the shift to an electronic work diary.
“The bonus of that EWD from a driver’s perspective, even though some are hesitant to make the move, once they’ve made the move they are almost always loving it within a couple of weeks,” he says.
“Most of the fields in the electronic work diary are automatically populated, things like date, time, location, so you might just have to put in your odometer value at the time and then select whether you’re working or resting.
“When you pull into that roadside inspection point, there’s no concerns from drivers that are about to go through this lengthy logbook
Current modelling suggests that significantly more work needs to be put towards making electric trucks and alternative fuels viable.
There is awareness growing around the transport industry that more needs to be done in order to reach our national emissions targets, with the fear that we are falling behind.
This was one of the primary focuses of the Australian Trucking Association across the first half of this year, working with industry to develop their plan to reduce the trucking industry’s emissions.
As they discovered, there’s no one way to magically make sure these targets are hit – hence a four-pronged strategy was developed and suggested to the federal government, backed by modelling from economics firm Deloitte.
This includes:
• Encouraging new truck purchasers to buy electric with a voucher scheme covering half the price gap between comparable electric and conventional truck models. The incentive would be available through dealerships to any truck purchaser, including small business buyers, with the hope that this would increase electric truck uptake.
• Offering incentives to produce enough renewable diesel
domestically to meet five per cent of Australia’s diesel needs before the end of the 2030s. Renewable diesel can be used to reduce emissions from trucking operations that cannot be electrified, and may be more broadly appealing to industry.
• Investing $5 billion over 10 years in targeted road upgrades to support high productivity and zero and low tailpipe emission trucks, as well as making the road network more resilient through flood proofing and the creation of alternative routes.
• Repealing mandatory climate reporting, which will burden hundreds of medium and large trucking businesses. It is essential to track Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, but the mandatory reporting requirement could be replaced with an ABS survey.
Eamon McGinn, partner at Deloitte Access Economics says the modelling looks strong for the ATA’s proposed subsidy for electric trucks, but only in certain areas.
They have been able to compare outcomes to previous projections in order to get a clear picture of the results that these steps might have.
“The important thing here is that
Articulated electric trucks will continue to stay expensive.
Image: Daimler Truck
what we’re doing is looking at what the ATA is putting forward,” he says.
“We’re trying to put some quantified values against that to see what they can achieve realistically.
“They are looking at a 50 per cent subsidy between a traditional vehicle and its EV option. If you can get an EV truck right now, they are more expensive.
“That’s expected to continue into the future, and for articulated trucks that gap isn’t expected to close until 2050.
“We looked at what a proposed subsidy for electric vehicles would do for reaching adoption of electric trucks.
“According to the CSIRO projections, it brings forward the uptake they’re expecting. We move into the future through subsidisation, and having EVs means more zero-tailpipe emissions.
“The modelling for electric vehicle adoption is similar to what the government has done previously. Looking at the price differential between traditional and electric vehicles, rigid trucks have a much lower estimate than articulated trucks. Not surprisingly, what this means is that most electric vehicles will be rigid.
“It could bring forward the uptake for rigid trucks by five to six years or so. This makes sense, they’re more likely to be operating in urban areas, operating shorter haul.”
Producing renewable diesel domestically comes with its own set of challenges, particularly around the current infrastructure to do so.
To do so before the goal of the late 2030s, policy would need to be created that gives incentive for its uptake.
“There’s a lot of complications around renewable diesel and synthetic diesel,” Eamon says.
“From 2036, we’re going to be seeing an introduction of five per cent renewable diesel into the mix. There’s going to need to be policy being built around that, but we think it is achievable.”
Road upgrades – forever a topic
of conversation in trucking circles –will also play a large part in lowering emissions across the industry.
Better roads and more access to them means bigger combinations, which are more efficient, will be in more trucking fleets.
“Transport is becoming one of the biggest emitters in Australia as other sectors move down,” Eamon says.
“23 per cent of transport emissions are coming from heavy vehicle freight. They’re not the major emitter in transport, that being passenger vehicles, but they are contributing.”
The current worry is that the modelling suggests that the 2030 goal set by the government is unachievable with the trajectory the transport industry is on.
“There has been an increase of emissions in trucking since 2005, but this does make sense,” Eamon says.
“The technology to enable decarbonisation in trucking is still being worked on, it’s still in development. But it is starting to be possible.
for decarbonisation is that trucking isn’t going to be a big contributor to reaching it. Going beyond into the distant future, the baseline modelling has major reductions kicking in, in the 2040s.
“The CSIRO estimates that this is when hydrogen vehicles and other alternatively-powered vehicles
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Getting higher productivity vehicles onto the road will ultimately prove to be one of the best solutions for lowering emissions produced by the trucking sector.
“Having fewer vehicles doing fewer kilometres each will inevitably result in fewer emissions,” Eamon says.
Nominations are open and anticipation is building for the 2025 edition of the Endeavour Awards, celebrating several sectors of Australia’s manufacturing industry.
The time is drawing closer for the 2025 Endeavour Awards, which are set to be the biggest edition of the event yet.
processing, packaging, automation, or sustainability.
Presented annually by leading industry magazine Manufacturers’ Monthly, they are celebrated as the premier awards program for the Australian manufacturing industry. They celebrate the successes of the diverse personalities and enterprises across the sector, and highlight the importance and power of Australian manufacturing.
This year, the awards will be held on November 13 and are open across eight different categories, including:
• Technology Application Award –Sponsored by Weld Australia
• Innovation in Aerospace
• Innovation in Health Technology
• Innovation in Food & Beverage Manufacturing
• Innovation in Transport
• Outstanding Start-Up Award
• L eader of the Year – Sponsored by BDO Australia
• Manufacturer of the Year
For the first time in the award’s history there will be an Innovation in Food Manufacturing Award. This category celebrates innovations that improve food and beverage production. It is open to businesses developing new solutions in
Also new this year is the Innovation in Transport Award, which is open to any and all working within the transport space, be that fleets, owners, freight forwarders and plenty more.
If you know anyone who has created innovation in transport this year, you’re in luck – award nominations are still open. To nominate across any of the categories, follow these guidelines:
• Nominations are free and must be submitted online by 11:59pm, Thursday 2 October 2025.
• Nominations cannot be withdrawn after the deadline.
• The form must be completed in one sitting; progress cannot be saved for later.
• All nominated products or technologies must be manufactured and/or commercially available in Australia.
• Nominated companies, sites, and executives must be based and operating in Australia.
• Each nomination must include a high-resolution image (minimum 1MB) suitable for print.
• Be prepared to upload any supporting materials (equipment specifications, photographs, marketing content) under 5MB per file.
• All finalists must ensure a representative attends the Gala Awards evening if successful.
Last year’s awards saw six businesses receive awards, including the prestigious ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award, which was ultimately won by data solutions developer, MEQ.
Not only did MEQ take home this award, but the company also took home the award in ‘Technology Application’ for its MEQ Live solution that provides real time data solution for feedlots and producers.
The 2025 Endeavour Awards Gala is more than just an awards night, it’s a celebration of innovation, resilience, and excellence across the sector. It brings together manufacturers from all corners of the country to honour achievements, connect with industry peers, and spotlight the inspiring people and companies shaping Australia’s manufacturing future.
Join us in celebrating the best of Australian manufacturing and help ensure the achievements of our industry continue to be recognised and shared.
Scan the QR code below, which will take you through to the Endeavour Awards website where you can sign up for early bird tickets or nominate for any of the awards.
Workshop technicians should stay aware of the issues that may arise from damage to pivot bushes.
Pivot bushes allow for suspension movement and isolate road undulation from the truck or trailer and play a vital role in the vehicle’s driveability. Deteriorated or damaged bushes can compromise safety, accelerate tyre wear, and lead to additional mechanical issues.
Technicians may inadvertently damage pivot bushes or accelerate their deterioration through improper installation. Such practices may drastically reduce the lifespan of these otherwise durable components.
Here are some key factors that can significantly affect pivot bush performance and longevity.
Hendrickson provide pivot bush kits that include the correct lubricant for each application. Using unapproved lubricants can be detrimental to the rubber compounds, causing the bush to fail prematurely.
Unsuitable lubricants may also take too long to set, allowing the bush to shift within the trailing arm once the vehicle is in service. Bush movement will allow the trailing arms to contact the hanger and thus eventually resulting in hanger damage.
Even when the correct lubricant is used, it is important to allow enough time for it to dissipate before the vehicle is operated. Hendrickson recommends waiting at least four hours after installation before putting the vehicle back into service.
Hendrickson TRI-FUNCTIONAL pivot bushes contain voids, which must be installed at the correct orientation.
If installed incorrectly, a void may be in a location where there should be supporting rubber. As a result, ride harshness will increase and the rubber will face unnecessary stresses that will cause it to fail prematurely.
Pivot bush voids must be vertically aligned when the suspension is at ride height. If the old bushes are only showing cracks, their orientation can be marked on the trailing arms to ensure that the new bushes are installed in the same position. In all cases, technicians should reference the suspension angle at ride height and ensure new bushes are installed within 10 degrees of this angle (refer to images).
Although technicians generally do a great job installing pivot bushes, issues can arise when the pivot hardware is not fastened with the suspension at the correct ride height.
If the hardware is fastened when the suspension is hanging, the rubber bush will distort when the suspension is moved to ride height. If the lubricant has not set, this may cause the bush to move within the trailing arm. Otherwise, the bush will remain under stress and fail prematurely.
Pivot connections must only be tightened when the suspension is at the correct ride height to ensure
proper bush operation and durability.
Pivot bushes are designed to be durable, however their service life does rely heavily on correct installation practices. Technicians should always refer to the recommended procedures, which are available on the Hendrickson website, to ensure optimal performance and avoid unnecessary component failure.
By paying close attention to lubricant use, bush orientation, and pivot hardware tightening procedures, technicians can help maintain suspension performance, improve ride quality, and maximise bush life.
Strength demands play a key role in coupling. (Image: LightItUp/stock.adobe.com)
Technical expert Bob Woodward provides all the information you need to know on all the different kinds of couplings.
The connection between the towing vehicle and towed vehicle is subjected to significant strength demands.
Whilst coupling functionality is reliant on appropriate maintenance and operation, more importantly the last line of defence, being a visual inspection to ensure – that the coupling is correct and primary and secondary locks are engaged.
Typically, in larger combinations this may include a mix of mechanical coupling types, fifth wheel/s and automatic pin couplings. Other combinations, semi-trailer or truck and dog trailer may only include one type of mechanical coupling, a fifth wheel or an automatic pin coupling.
The increasing number of new combinations has come with new challenges. Many drivers have advanced to A-doubles from B-doubles with little or no exposure to Automatic
Pin Couplings. You don’t know what you don’t know!
This is why a comprehensive introduction and training to all new equipment is important. If in doubt, ask!
Heavy vehicle couplings are designed and manufactured to standards to perform engineering functions reliably.
However, like all things mechanical and structural, they must be maintained and operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications, with due attention to the operating environment.
ADR 62/02 requires that fifth wheels/kingpins and automatic pin couplings comply with Australian Standards. In brief, couplings shall be designed to provide automatic coupling of the towing vehicle to the trailer and automatic locking to prevent the possibility of partial engagement.
Locking shall only occur upon complete engagement. The coupling shall incorporate a secondary mechanism for automatically retaining the locking mechanism in the locked position, and the operation of this mechanism shall be visually verifiable by a person when in a position to operate the locking release handle.
‘Quick Release Couplings’ must incorporate a positive locking mechanism together with a separate means of automatically retaining this mechanism in the locked position. This locking must be readily verifiable by visual examination.
Events of heavy vehicle coupling disconnections in-service (on the road) have been reported both in Australia and New Zealand. In coupling disconnection, the reference is to the
fifth wheel and kingpin or pin coupling and tow eye.
These would seem to be the result of not confirming positive coupling and locking; or, ancillary systems resulting in an uncommanded release of the coupling, not actual equipment component failure.
Whilst many operators provide fixed lighting for inspection of the fifth wheel/kingpin engagement and locking, few if any provide the same aid for pin couplings.
A fifth wheel set for ‘coupling’ is generally not a hazard for personal injury, as the ‘trigger’ for coupling connection is activated by the kingpin and requires significant force.
Whereas, an automatic pin coupling set for coupling (often referred to as ‘loaded’) has potential for personal injury hazard. Accordingly an automatic pin coupling should never be left ‘loaded’, except in preparation for when coupling to a drawbar is planned in the short term (assembling combinations).
Automatic pin couplings have a lower bush where the nominal diameter is around 35mm to receive the pin, but the bush reduces in diameter to less than 20mm to provide a landing for the pin.
Herein lies potential for problems with debris accumulation. If the coupling is left ‘loaded’ (set for coupling) then the lower bush is exposed to road grime (gravel) and product (especially from tippers).
The reduced diameter may result in debris being compacted, thus preventing the pin to ‘land’ and therefore neither the primary or secondary lock will engage – hence the importance of visual validation of locking indicators.
Therefore, except when in the
automatic pin couplings should not be left ‘loaded’. This will also reduce the potential for debris ingress.
Hands and fingers should NEVER be placed in the ‘line of fire’ of any vehicle coupling or other mechanical vehicle.
No air in motion, or NAIM, is a safety function that prevents a vehicle from moving when it shouldn’t, like during loading or unloading, by removing air pressure from interlocks like gates and hose reels and other air operated ancillaries.
NAIM systems are used in trailer brake interlock safety systems to prevent drive-away incidents; with variations of NAIM to manage air operated ancillary functions. E.g., an interlock to prevent operation unless the parking brake is applied.
There are many ‘air operated ancillaries’ on modern transport equipment. Roll-back bodies, dangerous goods valving, air operated uncoupling. Air to all ancillaries must
– the last system to lose air supply/ pressure being the braking system, as is required by the Australian Design Rules.
Where a remote-control device is employed, there shall also be a remote indication device which shall at least indicate the open condition of the coupling; and, there shall be a dedicated switch (i.e. master switch, lever or valve) to enable the coupling to be opened or closed by means of the remote-control device.
If this master switch is not located in the driving cab it shall not be in a position where it is freely accessible to unauthorised persons or it shall be lockable.
The operation of the coupling from the driving cab may only be possible when inadvertent operation has been precluded, for example by an operation requiring the use of two hands or NAIM interlock.
It shall be possible to ascertain whether opening of the coupling under remote control has been completed or not. Visually check all couplings prior to each departure.
Committed to innovative solutions for workshop efficiency and commercial vehicle maintenance, Alemlube’s range extends to eco-friendly oil change solutions to minimise vehicle downtime.
Agame-changing solution designed to reduce labour time and costs, transforming commercial vehicle maintenance, Alemlube’s ESOC875E Electronic Commercial Vehicle Oil Change Solution is compatible with multiple truck brand fittings and ready to handle a wide range of commercial vehicles.
Designed to complete oil changes in just 10 to 15 minutes, the Alemlube ESOC875E, developed by ESOC in the USA, transforms the landscape of maintenance technology.
The fast, automated process removes waste oil and refills with fresh oil, allowing technicians to focus on other tasks while the process runs efficiently in the background.
This system not only reduces labour time and costs significantly but also helps efficiency and sustainability in commercial vehicle servicing.
The system’s fully electronic and metered oil dispensing feature ensures precise control over the oil change process, further enhancing its efficiency and reducing waste.
Patented spill-free quick connect fittings on Alemlube’s ESOC875E keep the workspace clean while completing oil changes and are representative of ESOC’s commitment to developing ‘green fluid exchange technologies.’
These technologies are designed for preventative maintenance of both heavy and light-duty engines and also to minimise truck downtime. The oil change procedures are as quick and easy for the technician as possible.
The universal capability of the Alemlube ESOC875E is one of its key strengths. With support for multiple truck brand fittings, it has a wide compatibility with a range of trucks and commercial vehicles. This
versatility ensures that workshops can deploy the system across a wide variety of vehicles.
From a technical standpoint, the Alemlube ESOC875E can exchange approximately 38 litres of oil in 10 to 15 minutes.
This is a significant advancement for commercial vehicle servicing workshops as they seek ways to achieve real cost savings and improvements with time-saving equipment.
The system’s innovative features, such as automatic oil sampling and patented spill-free quick connect
fittings, utilise the latest technology to accelerate the oil extraction and refilling processes increasing speed and productivity.
The user-friendly operating instructions highlight the simplicity of the Alemlube ESOC875E system. The process is streamlined and straightforward, prioritising ease of use without compromising on functionality.
An integrated onboard fluid management system and USB for data transfer and saving is designed for efficiency and ease of use. It also features an onboard computer to record information such as vehicle ID, mileage, amount of oil added, and technician ID, ensuring accurate maintenance records.
The Alemlube ESOC875E represents a big step forward in commercial vehicle maintenance technology by reducing labour time and costs, offering wide compatibility, and incorporating advanced features that ensure speed, efficiency, and environmental responsibility.
Alemlube’s success over the past 55 years is a testament to its unwavering dedication to quality, service, and innovation.
As markets evolve Alemlube remains at the forefront, ensuring that its products and services meet the ever-changing needs of the industry. With its extensive experience and commitment to excellence, Alemlube is poised to continue leading the way for years to come.
Fast, efficient, green – with its integrated electronic, metered oil dispensing system and time-saving technology, the Alemlube ESOC875E is an essential investment for workshops looking to streamline operations, reduce costs, and enhance service quality.
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