Prime Mover, June 2025

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

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JUNE 2025

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Tasman Logistics Services Nature of the Beast

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INDUSTRY Fleet: Flash Line Transport Spotlight: JJ Lawson Report: Artificial Intelligence Personality Profile: Steve Shearer

INNOVATION Carrier: JCT Logistics Feature: VTG Waste & Recycling PBS: Multiquip Test Drive: Mercedes-Benz Arocs

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

Tasman Logistics Services Nature of the Beast

Christine Clancy | COO

William Craske | Editor

Over the past two decades William has published widely on transport, logistics, politics, agriculture, cinema, music and sports.

He has held senior positions in marketing and publicity for multinational businesses in the entertainment industry and is the author of two plays and a book on Australian film history. Like many based in Melbourne he is in a prolonged transition of either returning or leaving.

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

pr i me move r mag. com. au

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

Paul Lancaster is the editor of Global Trailer magazine. He has enjoyed broad career experiences spanning more than 20 years across different sectors, including law, journalism and marketing in Australia and internationally. He derives great satisfaction from creating targeted content that appeals to audiences of various backgrounds and interests.

Sean Gustini | Journalist

Having completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Media and Communications at the University of Melbourne in 2024, Sean looks forward to bringing his passion for writing and journalism to the road freight and transport industries. He previously lived in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

In his downtime he enjoys playing the guitar and running.

Ashley Blachford | Business Development Manager

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

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ISSN 1838-2320

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INDUSTRY Fleet: Flash Line Transport Spotlight: JJ Lawson Report: Artificial Intelligence Personality Profile: Steve Shearer

INNOVATION Carrier: JCT Logistics Feature: VTG Waste & Recycling PBS: Multiquip Test Drive: Mercedes-Benz Arocs

CEO John Murphy

john.murphy@primecreative.com.au William Craske Editor

william.craske@primecreative.com.au

Managing Editor, Transport Group

Luke Applebee luke.applebee@primecreative.com.au

Senior Feature Writer

Peter Shields peter.shields@primecreative.com.au

Business Development Manager

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

Blake Storey Art Director blake.storey@primecreative.com.au

Design Paul Lancaster | Journalist

JUNE 2025 $11.00

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Jacqueline Buckmaster, Danielle Harris

Contributors Sean Gustini

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Paul Lancaster

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Maria Afendoulides Maria Afendoulides@primecreative.com.au

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CONTENTS

Prime Mover June 2025

58

50

30

24

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COVER STORY “We’ve got some inhouse maintenance programs that I think are the best in the space. In terms of breakdowns across our whole fleet the uptime is ridiculous in my view.”

NOT WASTING TIME

Prime Feature STORIES 24

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Nature of the Beast Well into its third decade, Tasman Logistics Services is driven by ambitious outcomes that already include comprehensive supply chain governance in Queensland and global expansion.

The Colossus of Roads Telematics goliath, Geotab, continues to add key pieces to its ever-increasing telematics offering in the region having made recent headway in fault code analysis and AI.

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on an exciting new chapter.

Regular Run

The Hard Way JCT Transport’s meteoric rise as a prominent crane truck specialist in Victoria only accounts for part of the company’s offering, which is set to expand as it embarks

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Simply the Best Sydney logistics and transport fleet JJ Lawson this year is taking the opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

TRUCK & TECH

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Not Wasting Time VTG Waste has deployed a DAF CF530 with an attached vacuum mounted pump into its Darwin operations for drastic and immediate effect.

TEST DRIVE When the Going Gets Tough The Arocs is the tough cousin of the Mercedes-Benz Actros and is engineered to handle the stresses of more demanding applications both on and off the highway.

08 10 54 62 64 66 68 69 70

From the Editor Prime Mover News Artificial Intelligence Report Personality Profile Prime Movers & Shakers ARTSA-I Life Members Truck Industry Council Victorian Transport Association Peter Shields’ Number Crunch

FROM THE EDITOR

Dark Ages William Craske Editor Late April. Summer in the trade winds. The planes have been grounded. Air traffic control is silent. The trains are stranded at stations. Others are yet to leave the depot at all. The year 2025. The country is Spain. It has been plunged into total blackout. “Anomalous oscillations” on long-distance highvoltage lines were identified as the cause. These synchronisation failures tripped a series of sustained power disruptions, across the European system. Portugal and France, whose citizens were not remotely connected to the governance in effect, were directly impacted. The shared grid giveth and also taketh away. A collapse of fifteen gigawatts of power in the system to be more specific.

When synchronous systems fail they do so comprehensively.

Let us backtrack. Throughout spring, Spain’s midday solar generation had several times exceeded its total afternoon demand, leading to frequent negative electricity prices. On 28 April an abnormality in the power flow of the AragónCatalonia corridor, regarded as the

8

most sensitive point of the Spanish network left the Iberian Peninsula in near total isolation. Australian working class families sympathise.

By 12.30pm solar photovoltaics had dropped sharply. They went from generating 18,000MW to 8,000MW. In mere seconds. Siesta time!

At a conference six days earlier at the European Parliament on the future of nuclear energy attended by experts from all over Europe, one keynote speaker warned that under the current energy policies, blackouts would become the norm, not a coincidence.

Steady inertia is needed to maintain proper frequency. Haphazard integration of a host of renewable systems leads to insufficient assistance and unstable physical reserves amounting to a network that can no longer sustain its own demand.

Spain had a dearth of sources at its disposal that could be activated to meet the demand as needed. Nuclear, co-generation, and natural gas, all considered ‘dispatchable resources’ accounted for less than 20 per cent of its power mix. Adding insult to injury, three of five hydroelectric jumps that should have been designated as bootable plants, were out of service at the time. Power was eventually pulled from Morocco and France

to restore the network. France was able to act swiftly primarily because it has the largest nuclear fleet in Europe. The blackout lasted for 11 hours, making it the longest power outage in the history of Spain. Digital pay systems were paralysed. Supply chains neutralised. Thousands of people were stuck. Some on inactive elevators.

For the moment speculation is still rife as to exactly how it all went wrong. But the when, the who, the what and the why are not so tricky to surmise when policies that penalise base energy, the critical infrastructure to providing stability to the system, lay waste to the energy sector. But rather than being an absolute presupposition, western governments view hard facts as limits to perception.

By 9pm the stars were ablaze in the night sky over Iberia. The zodiac, now undiminished by the earthly glow of artificial light, was out in full force.

The dilemma now was to tell apart the celestial objects that were real from the many new synthetic satelites.

Ju n e 2025

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PRIME NEWS NE PRIME

Image: Scania Australia.

> Simon National Carriers sold to foreign conglomerate

Scania prime mover in Brisbane.

Cargo and freight carrier, Simon National Carriers, is now part of a major Japanese group. Senko Group, a multinational that provides logistics services, warehousing, cargo handling and other supply chain management services, last year acquired a majority stake in Simon National Carriers.

The two companies have entered into an agreement in which Senko acquired 75 per cent of shares with Simon family interests retaining 25 per cent.

Though the announcement wasn’t widely broadcast at the time by Simon National Carriers, the Brisbane-based business duly informed its customers and OEM partners.

“We put a lot of effort into selecting the perfect partner we felt was the right fit for our business, that had the right approach with their acquisitions.

Certainly to date it’s been everything that we’ve expected,” said Simon National Carriers CEO, David Simon.

“We deliberately didn’t make a big thing of it at the time,” he told Prime Mover. “Nothing has changed really, aside from the change in financial shareholders. Management continues as is and our customers continue.”

Simon said they have looked at the 10

Ju n e 2025

additional services the business might offer under the arrangement and where synergies existed between it and other Senko businesses such as international freight forwarding.

Senko Group, which has over 200 companies in its portfolio, maintains a strong presence in air freight and is active in other parts of Asia, Europe and the US. “It’s probably as much about additional services at this point,” said Simon.

That ultimately wasn’t the predominant reason behind the acquisition according to Simon. “There was always a view with our customer base, where we would come under pressure from international players and having an international partner would be sensible for the business.

“It’s an ongoing risk to any Australian logistics provider who is predominantly exposed to international customers.

“Most of our customer base is multinational and there’s other international suppliers knocking on their doors in other parts of the world constantly and we fend off those generally. It’s always been a known risk that we’ve seen.

“When a risk like that comes along our

reputation and service levels and our relationships and quality of service delivery has always stood us well including when Senko was knocking on the door of one of our customers a decade or so ago.”

Senko said Simon National Carriers had offered high-quality logistics services with a proven track record serving Japanese companies and major global corporations.

In a statement, Senko said it would focus on further expanding business by leveraging the know-how and networking capabilities that Simon National Carriers possessed with heavy and specialised cargo transportation.

“The Senko Group will also be looking to secure new customers, not only in Australia but on a global scale, by harnessing its forwarding know-how,” the company said.

Since the acquisition, Simon National Carriers have been active on the fleet front continuing to make upgrades to its key assets. Just prior to Christmas the business added five new Mercedes-Benz Actros prime movers, while another six Scanias were deployed in recent weeks. One each of a Volvo FE Electric and FL Electric are presently having new bodies built, with fabrication and fitment almost complete.

These, their first battery electric trucks, will join the fleet in the next couple of weeks. They will be joined by half a dozen new Fuso Canters that are also having bodies manufactured.

While Simon said the arrangement with Senko Group helped to provide additional growth and capital for the business, it was important for its customers and staff that it was very much a case of business as usual, and it has been.

“It’s an investment for Senko and they’re a very supportive shareholder” said Simon. “Senko were the right choice for us.”

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PRIME NEWS NE PRIME

Image: Alpha Linehaul.

> Alpha Linehaul orders batch of B-doubles

New Volvo FH 540 B-double with Krueger curtains.

East coast general freight carrier, Alpha Linehaul, is readying to make a series of significant investments across the fleet. The Sydney headquartered company has just unveiled a new B-double combination ahead of a major order that will involve new prime movers and several B-double sets from Krueger.

Currently, the fleet runs Volvos concentrating on Sydney to Brisbane and Melbourne to Sydney both with return legs.

The company presently provides subcontractor grocery loads for majors operating in that space.

A brand renewal across operations is underway starting with mobile assets but will incorporate new driver uniforms and other signage. It is already paying dividends.

The fleet has recently affirmed new contracts with CEVA Logistics, Northline, Direct Freight Express and is currently onboarding with Team Global Logistics.

“There’s been massive benefits in regard to branding and creating an image,” said General Manager Ray Spiteri, who joined Alpha in March.

“A majority of contractors are not branded. One of the challenges working in corporate transport to then working for linehaul providers is people not knowing who you are,” he 12

Ju n e 2025

told Prime Mover. “It’s very important for a company to have image and to have presence and at the end of the day it’s free advertising wherever that trailer goes. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of who you work for.”

Founded in 2021 by Tejwant Bajwa, Alpha was established with a clear goal in mind: to become one of the country’s top linehaul carriers.

That journey hasn’t been without its challenges — the market has been tough, with reduced rates and record-high equipment costs. But Bajwa’s goal, according to Spiteri, has always been about having a measured approach to consolidation and expansion.

“Over the past few years, he’s made smart investments in equipment and built a solid foundation with a committed team,” said Spiteri.

Spiteri’s move to upgrade the fleet with fully branded prime movers and trailers has helped land some key partnerships with major clients, working directly with both customers and other transport companies.

“It’s next to nothing to paint the trailers if you build it into the loan. It’s not like they have to go and fork out additional funds,” he said.

Two additional Super B-double drop decks from Krueger are due in June.

Spiteri said they were receiving

requests from clients for 4.6-metretall trailers, something of a trend in the sector at the moment.

“The ability to put in an extra mezzanine floor in the 4.6-metre tall trailers has grown in appeal,” he said.

“We’ve had three companies, who are looking to secure a particular type of freight, ask for these.”

The prime mover spec is uniformly a Volvo FH 540s.

When it comes to breakdowns, costs and repairs Volvo has an advantage at the minute according to Spiteri.

“Everyone has a different method for what they do,” he says. “For me it’s service, parts and where you can get the parts if you’ve got a breakdown.

I think Volvo is right up there at the minute.”

Alpha Linehaul opened a new depot on the 4 April in Orchard Hills, an extra convenience given its proximity to CEVA Logistics.

With 25 years in the industry, Spiteri, who has worked at Toll Group, Apex Transport and most recently D&G Transport, is buoyed by the new partnerships that have been launched in recent weeks, especially given the uncertainty of the economy.

“They’re all safe regarding financial stability,” he told Prime Mover.

Spiteri would eventually like to introduce A-doubles into the fleet, given the known quantity of the freight lanes they are operating in.

“Size doesn’t matter so much as utilisation,” he said. “In Sydney there are some additional challenges when it comes to permits but I think that it will ultimately be driven by the customers we get and if it is a requirement. I don’t think we would mix and match with our current clientele.”

He added, “Let’s focus on one thing and let’s smash it out of the park. If it’s going to be Sydney to Brisbane return and Melbourne to Sydney return, let’s own it. That’s what we’re going for first.”

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> Linfox expands electric prime mover road network

Volvo FM prime mover in Melbourne.

Linfox has been granted further access to the road network for its latest Volvo electric prime movers. In collaboration with Transurban and the Department of Transport and Planning (DPT) in Victoria, the transport and logistics titan can now operate its electric prime movers on CityLink as part of a 12-month trial.

In doing so it would expedite the transportation of groceries and essential goods from one side of the city to the other, while reducing congestion on inner city roads.

While electric vehicles are already permitted on CityLink, including the Bolte Bridge and in the Burnley and Domain tunnels, these prime movers

The Department of Transport and Planning is collaborating with local government areas to expand the council-managed road network available for these vehicles. The trial will also allow Transurban and DTP to assess how heavy electric vehicles may help improve the future operation of Melbourne’s road network.

Linfox has committed to rolling out 26 new Volvo electric prime movers in both Australia and New Zealand by 2028.

Freight operators represent a significant portion of Transurban’s customers.

The company said it was committed to supporting the freight industry’s EV transition. In addition to the Linfox Heavy EVs trial, Transurban is also supporting decarbonisation of the transport sector through its our own Sustainable Driving Program.

“Freight keeps our cities moving, and electric trucks have a critical role to play in its future,” said David Clements, Transurban Group Executive Operations.

“This trial demonstrates what’s possible when industry and government come together to solve challenges and shape smarter, cleaner transport networks.

“We’re proud to be working alongside Linfox and the Department of Transport and Planning to support the next generation of freight vehicles and ensure our road network is ready for them.”

Image: Transurban.

have a heavier steer axle weight so special consideration was required.

By using CityLink, the Bolte Bridge and the tunnels, these bigger electric prime movers can avoid local roads and save up to 40 minutes on their delivery tasks. In a statement Linfox said it was a significant achievement for the logistics industry paving the way for the effective deployment of electric trucks.

“We have established a trusted and positive relationship, with Transurban and Department of Transport and Planning, and are working together to achieve our common goal to improve sustainability across the logistics industry,” said Doug Fryer, Linfox President, Corporate Services.

“This is a critical partnership, which has allowed Linfox to optimise transport routes and provide customers with efficient and viable options for more sustainable deliveries.”

Victoria’s Low or zero Emission Heavy Vehicle (LZEHV) pre-approved network access map has been updated on the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) website to help facilitate this trial.

In September 2023, Victoria published the country’s first map dedicated to low or zero emission heavy vehicles. That map demarcated the roads that these vehicles were approved to use.

> Lindsay Australia appoints former AusPost heavy hitter Lindsay Australia has announced the appointment of a Non-Executive Director. The appointment of Rodney Boys was made public yesterday by the company. Boys is a deeply experienced senior executive and company director with more than 30 years’ experience.

He has worked across a range of industries with large-scale enterprise experience in capital allocation, M&A, transformation, cost efficiency and the implementation and oversight 14

Ju n e 2025

of strong systems of performance management, risk management, compliance and governance.

His leadership positions include Australia Post, Acting CEO & Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer which included executive director responsibilities across a range of entities, including StarTrack. During 15 years in executive director roles at Bunnings, Boys’ responsibilities included, CFO, CIO, and Chief Supply Chain Officer.

Rodney previously held senior roles in the Wesfarmers Group including in the rural operations, trading as ‘Landmark’.

Boys is a Director and Chair, Risk, Audit and Governance Committee of the National Heart Foundation, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the INSEAD International Executive Program and a Fellow of CPA Australia.

“The board of the company extends a warm welcome to Mr Boys,” Lindsay Australia said in a statement.

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PRIME NEWS NE PRIME

Image: Vawdrey.

> Hawk Logistics announces partnership with Metcash

Hawk Logistics Iceliners.

Hawk Logistics has officially commenced its new distribution contract with Metcash. The partnership has been launched in South Australia following months of strategic planning, operational alignment and cross-team collaboration. It will involve making deliveries into more than 120 stores.

“Our first wave of deliveries has officially hit the road — servicing independent supermarkets across metro and regional Adelaide,” said Lucas Morgante, Hawk Logistics SA State Manager.

“This achievement marks more than just a go-live. It’s a milestone that cements Hawk Logistics’ footprint in the Adelaide secondary freight market and showcases our ability to deliver

scalable, high-performance supply chain solutions in one of Australia’s most dynamic retail environments.”

Kate Boundey, Operations Manager, was singled out for praise by Morgante “A massive thank you to Kate and her team,” he said.“From drivers and allocators to our admin and support staff,” continued Morgante. “Your dedication, hustle, and attention to detail made this launch seamless.”

The partnership is considered a big step forward for Hawk Logistics as the business continues to grow its footprint in South Australia.

In October last year, Hawk Logistics launched a partnership with Big W, carrying general freight into 16 of their

> Austrans Group decision-maker resigns

Austrans Group Operations Manager, Bill Law, has announced his resignation from the Queensland-based bulk waste management service provider. Law joined Austrans Group with the goals to consolidate and modernise the family business’ operations, to keep it competitive and efficient in the waste management industry.

Now, nearly two years on, Law feels his work has been done, and is setting out to find something new, remaining in the position until 25 April to ensure a seamless transition for his successor.

“I joined the business at a time when it was looking to re-establish some direction and procedures,” he told Prime Mover. “That was the main mission, to bring things under control.

I think together, we did that and more, 16

Ju n e 2025

even setting the business up for some innovations down the line. We implemented some key foundations for success together, which the business can build upon moving forward.”

Law has accrued a wealth of experience in a career that has spanned over 25 years, with positions in Scotland, North America and Dubai. Having developed a skill for guiding companies through key transitional periods and building teams to accompany these changes, Law put these abilities to work with Austrans Group, which provided him with both a community and valuable experience during his tenure.

“The waste industry was new to me,” he said. “I learned how dynamic it really is – you need to be ultra-responsive to the customer in that space. But at the

South Australian retail sites.

Hawk Logistics has invested heavily in the state adding new freight lanes, a coldstore, truck depot with dedicated workshop and acquired local fleet AR Logistics.

“We’re excited about what’s to come as we build on this foundation with Metcash driving innovation, efficiency, and service excellence every step of the way,” said Morgante.

The Metcash portfolio of brands includes IGA, Mitre 10, Home Hardware, Cellarbrations and others.

It operates a $70 million fit-for-purpose distribution centre in South Australia.

The 83,000m² facility located at Gepps Cross opened in 2021. same time, it’s an industry that tends to hold onto a lot of its equipment and gear.

It really needs to make way for some proper innovations.

“What I also really enjoyed was the family environment that Austrans Group fostered. It was a real community where I felt valued as a person, rather than just as an employee..”

While now looking for a role that can use his skills on a larger scale, Law is looking forward to jumping back into some of his hobbies including sitting as the president for Queensland’s official Ducati Club, which can demand full-time hours in its own right.

“I’m very excited to spend some time getting involved with that a bit more,” he said. “We have some major events coming up at the end of the month.”

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PRIME NEWS NE PRIME

Image: MGM Bulk.

> MGM Lodge supports roadtrain operators

The site takes shape in the Pilbara.

MGM Bulk has reached a significant milestone in developing MGM Lodge, a purpose-built accommodation precinct designed to support the company’s Fly In, Fly Out (FIFO) workforce in the Pilbara. Currently being delivered in partnership with WA-based construction and project management firms Grounded and ProjX, the new lodge is set to provide high-quality, resort-inspired accommodation for the team that operates and maintains MGM Bulk’s fleet of 100-plus ultra-quad roadtrains in the region.

According to Project Manager John Smith, accommodation options in the surrounding areas are limited and often difficult to secure, regularly forcing a reshuffle of personnel across multiple camp sites based on local industry activity at the time.

“MGM Group has heavily invested in a fleet of ultra-quad roadtrains and a state-of-the-art, purpose-built workshop in the Pilbara,” he said.

“The development of MGM Lodge 18

Ju n e 2025

is our way of investing in the people behind the wheel and the team supporting them providing a homeaway-from-home built for the long shifts and tough conditions of the northwest.”

James Giacci, Marketing Manager at MGM Bulk, said the project marks a pivotal moment in the company’s growth trajectory.

“This was the natural next step in consolidating and scaling our operations in the northwest,” said Giacci. “Having everybody on one site gives us control over our costs and allows us to design shift-friendly facilities that improve the experience for our people.”

This also forms part of the company’s long-term strategic commitment to the Pilbara, ensuring it continues to deliver exceptional service to our clients in the region for years to come.”

Designed to deliver more than just a place to rest, MGM Lodge will feature 220 private rooms with scope for future expansion, each equipped

with double beds, 50-inch smart TVs, fridges, block-out blinds, integrated cabinetry, silent exhaust systems, and spacious ensuites.

These rooms have also been purposefully designed to be larger and more comfortable than conventional FIFO camp accommodation, setting a new benchmark for space, comfort, and liveability in the industry. Every element, according to MGM Bulk, has been thoughtfully considered to foster a connected, high-quality environment that supports well-being, productivity and a better experience for workers staying longer-term.

Earlier this month, the project reached a major milestone with the arrival and installation of the site’s first concrete living modules, a clear indication that MGM Lodge is progressing from planning to reality “Seeing those modules land on-site was a great moment for the team and a sign to our people that the vision is well and truly taking shape,” said Smith.

> Stonepeak enters acquisition agreement with IOR chains which underpin our daily lives.

“In IOR, Stonepeak is investing in essential fuel distribution as a critical input into the Australian economy. We look forward to partnering with IOR’s existing shareholders and talented management team to support its continued growth.”

IOR Director, Stewart Morland, further commented on this acquisition and its implications for the fuel and logistics provider.

“There is so much opportunity across this industry for IOR to continue its strong growth, serving our hardworking customers in more locations, every day,” he said. “IOR’s management team and existing shareholders are excited to be partnering with Stonepeak to accelerate our vision for the business.”

IOR CEO, Drew Morland, commented on the prospect of working with Stonepeak.

“Stonepeak is a highly respected and well-capitalised infrastructure investor, with deep expertise across the energy, transport and logistics sectors, and boots on the ground in Australia, where their strong ownership ties and local presence were critical to us in selecting our partner,” he said. “With Stonespeak, we will continue to prioritise our local, hands-on relationships with our customers and suppliers, and be wellpositioned to enhance their experience by providing them with innovative

solutions that drive the industry forward.

“The strength of our team has always been the foundation of our success, delivering for our customers through our values of Innovation, Our Communities, and Reliability.

“I am proud that Stonespeak believes in our future, by investing in the next chapter which will shape our success and build on this great Australian business.”

Stonepeak has a strong presence in Australia and New Zealand, with an expert team on the ground that has deployed approximately USD$1 billion of capital into high-quality infrastructure investments in the region.

To date, the firm has invested in several critical infrastructure assets across the energy, transport and logistics, and social infrastructure sectors, including GeelongPort, a diversified landlord port and major driver of Victoria’s economy, ZEN Energy’s Templers BESS project, the second largest energy storage project under construction in South Australia, AGP Sustainable Real Assets, an investor, developer, and operator of renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure in Australia and New Zealand, and Arvida, one of New Zealand’s largest retirement and aged care providers.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Image: IOR.

American investment firm, Stonepeak, has entered an agreement to acquire a 75 per cent stake in IOR, a commercial fuel and logistics provider in Australia.

Founded in Queensland in 1984, IOR offers fully integrated fuel distribution, storage, equipment and management services, and operates across the full value chain, from import to distribution. The company’s extensive network of commercial distribution channels includes a national footprint of over 110 unmanned truck refueling locations, and provides more than 7,000 customers across Australia and the Pacific with the supply of diesel, AdBlue and aviation fuel in regional and metro industrial end markets including transportation, mining, oil and gas, agriculture, aviation and construction.

This value offering was further explained by Stonepeak’s Senior Managing Director, Darren Keogh, who also commented on the investment firm’s interest in IOR. “IOR is a leader in commercial fuel distribution and logistics in Australia, and with its strong operating model, expansive network, and established customer base, the company is a compelling fit for our Asia infrastructure strategy,” he said.

“Stonepeak invests in companies that are critical to the resiliency of supply

Two Kenworth tankers at an IOR fuel site in the outback. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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PRIME NEWS

Image: Cold Xpress.

> Cold Xpress launches new B-doubles

New Actros 2653 from Mercedes-Benz.

Melbourne-based Cold Xpress has recently unveiled its first B-double combinations. Embracing the costeffective outcomes afforded by the bigger units in moving freight back and forth, Cold Xpress has purchased four new Mercedes-Benz Actros 2653 prime movers, two of which will pull the B-doubles. One is designated the prolific Melbourne to Sydney leg while the other will move goods between Melbourne and Adelaide.

The cold chain specialist known for warehousing and last mile logistics has, in response to demand from customers, made significant investments in its refrigerated fleet this year alone.

“We have spent $2.75 million in in the last four months on additional trucks and trailers to the fleet,” Chief Operating Officer Jack Di Losa told Prime Mover.

The B-doubles, manufactured

by Freighter Group, are carrying chilled and frozen goods as well as smallgoods, produce, poultry, juice and grocery items.

Cold Xpress also added 26- and 22-pallet refrigerated trailers, a 22-pallet curtainsider, two 18-pallet dual zone trailers for retail, three 10-palleters and a 6-pallet unit.

The investments have been prompted by additional business the company is generating in a strong market segment.

Earlier this year Cold Xpress opened its second warehouse, a state-of-the-art 8000m² cold storage facility in Rowville with a 10,000-pallet capacity.

“With this additional site we have needed more trucks, and as we have just opened it, we can see our fleet increasing over the next 12 months by 20 to 30 per cent,” said Di Losa.

“We have plans to launch a linehaul service for our existing customers and we are also increasing our regional

coverage later in the year.”

In keeping with the current trajectory, Di Losa expects the business will likely add even more trucks over the next six months. “That’s the plan,” he said.

The fleet currently runs 130 trucks, the majority of which are light rigids, using Telematica along with its fatigue management system. A custommade transportation system manages tasks like daily pre-starts, drug and alcohol testing and other safety and risk management compliance tasks.

Cold Xpress, moreover, has recently appointed a dedicated Safety and Compliance Officer Steven McCabe to maintain the highest level of safety achievable.

“At Cold Xpress we like to go over and above all standard requirements,” said Di Losa.

Established in 1998, Cold Xpress services over 600 customers across 48,000 delivery points including all the major supermarkets across three states and the ACT. The B-doubles are a realisation of an efficiency mindset more relevant than ever at the growing family-owned company.

“In a climate of rising costs and customers wanting rate reductions you have to be able to save money by being efficient, whether that’s through tech and streamlining systems, or tightening down on policies and procedures,” said Di Losa.

> Martins Stock Haulage acquires livestock carrier Australia’s largest livestock carrier Martins Stock Haulage has acquired a Queensland business. Camrandale Transport a Quilpie-based familyowned livestock transport company agreed to terms with Martins Stock Haulage back in April.

The 21-year old Welk family business runs eight prime movers spec’d for triple roadtrain application.

Founder Tim Welk was honoured 20

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by the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association in February.

All Camrandale Transport staff will be retained under the agreement.

In a statement provided to Beef Central, the senior management of Martins Stock Haulage said the professionalism and reputation of Camrandale had been long admired by the company.

“This is a company that has earned the trust of its customers through consistent, high-quality service,” said the statement. “What Tim and Theresa [Welk] have built is truly impressive, and we see this as a continuation of their outstanding work, and we’re committed to maintaining the high level of service that their customers have grown accustomed to.”

H S

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The appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer has officially been made at the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. NHVR Chairperson Duncan Gay today announced Nicole Rosie as the new CEO following Sal Petroccitto’s resignation earlier this year.

Gay said Rosie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience and is looking forward to officially welcoming her to the NHVR on 30 June 2025.

“I am pleased to announce Ms Rosie was selected as the new NHVR CEO following an extensive and rigorous recruitment process,” he said.

“With over 20 years of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, most recently Ms Rosie was the CEO at New Zealand Transport Agency following her role

as CEO of WorkSafe New Zealand.

“Nicole has also held senior executive roles at Fonterra, KiwiRail, Vector, and Toll NZ. “Ms Rosie’s strong background in governance, law and public policy, combined with a deep understanding of transport and infrastructure, made her the ideal candidate to lead the NHVR into its next chapter of harmonisation and innovation.”

Gay also extended thanks to Interim CEO, Janelle van de Velde.

“I would like to thank Janelle for her outstanding leadership during this transition period and for ensuring business continuity following former CEO Sal Petroccitto’s departure in January,” Gay said.

Van de Velde will remain as the Interim CEO until Rosie commences with the NHVR on 30 June 2025.

Image: NHVR.

> NHVR announces new CEO

Nicole Rosie, the NHVR’s new Chief Executive Officer.

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More than parts, NAPA is with you for the long haul. We make it our business to drive yours. Visit napaparts.com.au

GLOBAL NEWS

Image: DAF Trucks.

> Asset Alliance Group refreshes long-standing relationship with NX Group NX Group has marked its 13th year of partnership with Asset Alliance Group with the delivery of 12 new DAF XG 530 prime movers.

The latest fleet renewals were pressed into immediate service last year and have now been dressed for success in the Daventry-based company’s livery.

“Our first interaction with Asset Alliance Group was when they provided six vehicles in 2012, and they have since supplied a large part of our fleet,” said Neil Powell, Managing Director NX Group.

“At NX we pride ourselves on forming lasting partnerships with both our customers and suppliers, and Asset Alliance Group is a great example of this.

“They have consistently proven themselves, delivering a reliable and efficient service, modern vehicles, with a proactive attitude and excellent communication and customer service.

We hope to continue our successful working relationship with them for many years to come.”

The 12 new units are primarily based at NX Group’s Crick depot, near the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, where its warehousing operation and transport team are based.

The DAFs have been supplied on twoyear contract hire deals with repair and maintenance packages.

This provides operators, such as NX Group, with peace of mind and the simplicity of a single monthly payment.

“We do tend to prefer short lease deals.

They suit the business and allow us to ensure that our fleet is kept up-to-date with new vehicles. It also minimises costly additional maintenance or excess mileage charges,” said Powell.

The deal was facilitated by Stuart Sadler, Business Development Manager for the Midlands and the South East.

“It’s been a pleasure to play our part in supporting the growth of NX Group over the years and we look forward to a continuing, fruitful collaboration,” he said.

NX Group has a fleet of more than 30

DAF XG 530 prime mover in Daventry, UK.

commercial vehicles, consisting of a mixture of box-sided trucks from 18-tonnes up to 44-tonne tractor unit and trailer combinations.

Founded in 2010, the group offers highly secure supply chain solutions, which provide efficient movement and storage of goods that require that extra level of care. It works with customers including technology resellers and retailers, fashion retail as well as those operating in the Gaming & E-sports and home goods sectors.

> Global truck driver shortage report highlights labour issues The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has released the 2024 Global Truck Driver Shortage Report, highlighting critical labour issues in the industry. The report shows a widening driver age gap, with a severe lack of young drivers entering the profession — a demographic that is essential to cover the predicted 3.4 million drivers who will retire in the survey’s 26 studied countries by 2029.

IRU Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto, discussed some of these global shortage trends further.

“The report from 2024 reaffirms that the shortage of truck drivers is a longterm structural issue that persists in all regions,” he said.

“Of 5,100 trucking firms surveyed in 2024, up to 70 per cent, in some countries, face severe or very severe difficulties in recruiting drivers.

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“Globally, 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.”

Australia has long felt this trucking labour crisis, having almost 28,000 unfilled heavy vehicle driver positions according to the IRU. Additionally, the country reports 47 per cent of truck drivers to be over the age of 55, while only reporting 5.4 per cent of drivers to be under 25 — a disparity which is causing serious concern in the industry.

Much of this concern has been voiced by the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) and its CEO, Warren Clarke, who called on the Federal Government to take action.

“This is a global problem, and

the Australian Government must demonstrate national leadership by addressing the local driver shortage and improving road safety,” he said.

“We need 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.”

The predicted global GDP growth reported by the IRU will reportedly further exacerbate the problem, as higher economic output can lead to a higher demand for truck drivers.

In Australia, road freight volumes are projected to grow by 77 per cent by 2050, placing great pressure on top of the existing driver labour shortage.

The IRU’s 2024 Global Truck Driver Shortage survey was the first to include Australia’s participation.

> Hyundai unveils new XCIENT Fuel Cell heavy-duty truck delivering real-world, productionready solutions that move the industry forward, with technology, reliability, and manufacturing expertise.

“At Hyundai Motor, we are redefining the future of clean logistics with innovative solutions that prioritise safety, efficiency and sustainability,” he said.

“By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features and forging strategic partnerships to enhance operations and infrastructure, we are empowering our fleet partners to navigate a rapidly changing landscape and lead the transition to a

smarter and more sustainable future.”

Ramirez highlighted Hyundai Motor Group’s capabilities across the hydrogen value chain – from production to storage, transportation, and utilisation – to build a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem, leading the shift toward a sustainable energy future.

Launched in 2020, the XCIENT Fuel Cell has been deployed in 13 countries, logging more than 13 million kilometres of cumulative driving in Switzerland, where it was initially launched, highlighting Hyundai’s dedication to clean transportation, aided by publicprivate partnerships.

Image: Hyundai Motor.

Hyundai Motor Company has introduced the new XCIENT Fuel Cell heavyduty truck at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo 2025 in Anaheim, California. Considered a showcase for its ongoing commitment to expanding its hydrogen business in North America, the expo, which concludes this week, affords Hyundai an opportunity, according to the brand, to bolster its market position in the North American commercial vehicle sector.

Ken Ramirez, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Commercial Vehicle and Hydrogen Business at Hyundai Motor Company, emphasised the company’s commitment to

The Hyundai XCIENT fuel cell truck at Long Beach. p r i m e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

23

COVER STORY

Image: Prime Creative Media.

Kenworth T610 in Melbourne.

BEAST N AT U R E O F T H E

Well into its third decade, Tasman Logistics Services is driven by ambitious outcomes that already include global expansion.

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T

Image: Tasman Logistics Services.

he fuse was lit for the eruption of growth Tasman Logistics Services currently enjoys back in 2019. Up until then the company had been content to traffic predominantly on a model made for sub-contractors. Clients were short-term, usually disgruntled with their existing contractors, content to use Tasman for 12 or 24 months before finding cheaper rates and moving again recalls Managing Director Ivan Vanis.

“We didn’t mind it as an ad hoc carrier,” he says. “That was fine because we made money while they were here. One would leave and the next one would come. We had been operating like that for 22 years with no problems.”

Now the majority of the fleet is company-owned, an adaptation fostered, in part, by the extent of new customer contracts. The quality of customer has, in addition, also greatly improved. Buying a new truck with a lifespan of ten-years that could be owned outright after five years suddenly made sense as margins drastically

increased over the second half of the contract.

“Up until five years ago we weren’t in a position to go and bid on major blue chip clients in mining, retail, and manufacturing,” says Ivan. “Today we work for all of them. We’ve built a decent footprint across the country chiefly on our ‘never say no attitude.”

It’s a primary reason the company has expanded into areas hitherto foreign to it like the cold chain and mining.

Though young for a transport executive at 39, Ivan is of the old school like his teachers. The first lesson: always say yes to the client. Ivan acknowledges he had very good mentors. One of which was Joe Catalfamo, the founder of Tasman Meats from where the transport company takes its name. That business was eventually sold to Brazilian meat processing firm JBS in 2008 but by then the transport division was well and truly entrenched.

In the beginning, Tasman Logistics Services Executive Director and Founder Craig Morris, who had worked

previously for Patrick’s, Linfox and TNT, was frustrated with the unreliable service they were getting on their container movements and remedied it. Two weeks later Tasman Logistics Services was born with a handful of trailers and half a dozen subbies with Tasman Meats as its primary customer.

Not soon after he started bolting on his network.

“At the time the team recognised there was a growing demand for efficient logistics solutions,” says Ivan. “Our gradual expansion drew on having agility and flex which helped enhance the Tasman reputation for reliability and excellence.”

According to Ivan both Craig and he seek out Joe for advice even today.

“He’s 75 and he’s still got incredible energy,” says Ivan. “If I ever have a down day I can got to his house and have a coffee with him. He’s one of the wisest people on the planet. You’re talking about a guy who came from Italy with nothing and built an empire.”

By the time Ivan started with Tasman

In Brisbane an A-double set with dolly from Midland Trailers. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Euro 6 DAF CF530 at the depot in Derrimut.

Logistics Services 16 years ago it was operating out of a small depot in Brooklyn augmented by a little warehouse in Derrimut with 15 staff.

Today his compliance team has more people. Now they have 200 trucks on the books, 600 trailers, 800 staff and 17 facilities around the country. A key turning point for Ivan was landing shipping giant Kuehne + Nagel as a customer. Delivering a pallet on a ute to Sydney one Friday night for urgent next day delivery when no other drivers could be contacted took the account from $10,000 a week to almost $100,000.

“To bend over backwards for the customer, small or big, it doesn’t matter, that was a behaviour ingrained in me,” says Ivan. “I use this as an example for my ops guys and sales guys, that the little thing could be a really big problem for them. But solve that and watch what it leads to, and it still works.”

The first A-double units in the Tasman Logistics Services fleet were trialled six years ago. It now runs 60 of these high productivity combinations between its Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide sites. The Melbourne 26

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headquartered transport and logistics multinational started aggressively rolling out A-doubles in 2023 ahead of the absorption of the Malec asset base.

That proved a tipping point. Tasman, subsequently, began ordering the PBSapproved combinations in lots by the dozen. Krueger are the main trailer builder with Midland Trailers as their second supplier.

A vast majority of the prime mover fleet is supported by PACCAR Australia.

These are mostly Euro 5 Kenworth T610s or Euro 6-rated DAF CF530s. The Kenworth T610s are powered by the Cummins X15, an engine that delivers a maximum output of 675 horsepower.

It has been paired with an Eaton UltraShift Plus AMT. Kenworth provides the right balance of versatility and robustness according to Ivan.

“These Kenworths are under service agreements. They’re on time and they do everything they tell you they can do,” he says. “Yes, those trucks may be a little more expensive but it’s like buying a Porsche versus a GWM.” Prime movers are purchased in a day cab configuration notwithstanding a handful of units working on dedicated

interstate routes. Tasman also owns 60 46-foot refrigerated containers it has had commissioned.

“We’ve got a trailer combo that requires two of those can be towed at a time whereas previously getting that through a PBS approval and the NHVR was next to impossible,” says Ivan. “We’ve just got some doers in the business that can make stuff happen that makes my job easier.”

One of those is new National Fleet and Procurement Manager David Simmonds.

“He is putting stuff in front of me I didn’t even know existed in terms of trailer combinations and trucks that do certain types of things,” says Ivan.

“We’re getting big in that cold chain space and not just in the warehousing space but on roads.”

More precisely, in a practical application, this has amounted to a 36.5-metre-long B-triple running as a Tautliner with extra height to accommodate greater capacity.

“It puts the onus on us to get smarter.

We know we’ve got a ten per cent margin in that. How do we utilise the better kit out there? How can we utilise

certain combos? What routes can we utilise?” says Ivan. “From trucks, trailers to routes — the difference is as soon as we start thinking outside the box within 12 months the customer gets wind of what you’re doing and starts screwing you down on rates again. But that’s the nature of the beast. You have to stay one step ahead of it.”

This approach has furnished additional efficiencies particularly on their Melbourne to Adelaide and Melbourne to Sydney linehaul legs.

Fleet replenishment varies. Trucks are turned over on six-year cycles. Trailer depreciation occurs over eight to ten years.

“I’ve got trailers in my fleet that have been so well maintained that they are 15 and 16 years old and are still going strong,” says Ivan. “We’ve got some inhouse maintenance programs that I think are the best in the space. In terms of breakdowns across our whole fleet

the uptime is ridiculous in my view.”

By 2028, Tasman plans to start incorporating Euro 7 rated commercial vehicles into operations. The business is targeting 75 per cent of the fleet to be Euro 6 in the next 18 months. In Adelaide, the fleet is presently running Janus electric retrofitted Volvo FH12s to cart tunnel segments, with three driveaxles to carry the battery, on the TorresDarlington tunnel project.

The company’s EV market expectations are clear. It requires an operational range of up to 800km at a gross combination mass of 85 tonnes or higher, coupled with charge times of under eight hours. For the moment integrating retrofitting opportunities like those offered by Janus Electric, allows for older vehicles to transition to a zero emissions profile.

“If you understand the customer’s freight profile then you will know what trailer type they need,” says Ben

Overman, Chief Operations Officer.

“There’s a handful of trucks that you can best utilise for longer length scenarios.

But it’s always the best truck for the best combination to get the best output for the customer.”

Accountable to a momentum set in train very early on and sustained ever since, Tasman Logistics Services is now a major presence in Queensland, with investments made across several sites including the Port of Brisbane, which is proving a keystone for streamlining its export processes.

Strategic development not only for competitiveness but also to provide adaptability has made it necessary to redefine the notion of comprehensive transport, logistics and warehousing.

In Queensland the triangulation of its locations at the Port of Brisbane, Wacol, Morningside and Toowoomba has improved access to both existing and emerging markets.

Ben Overman, Chief Operations Officer.

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“Supply chains are the backbone of the Queensland economy, and we are playing a vital role in meeting the needs of Queenslanders and facilitating access to global markets across sectors such as agriculture, resources, and construction,” says Ben. “Tasman is committed to supporting robust inland freight routes that support supply chains, bridging major cities.”

The new port location is considered a gateway for Tasman’s growing commodities business for which they have introduced advanced tracking technologies and data analytics to

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enhance visibility across the supply chain. At the Port of Brisbane allocators are situated in a control tower for centralised management of operations.

Transparent reporting is enabled throughout the delivery process via endto-end communications. Telematics are supplied by WHG. Nearby, the business has leased two cold storage rooms in Morningside and is eyeing a third with plans in place for a purpose-built facility in Melbourne at a later date. The locations have helped to optimise regional reach through reduced transit times and addressed the

increased demand for southern states to supply road-based refrigerated transport.

Current capacity sits at over 9000 pallets across the two rooms with 7,500 pallets already accounted for at the moment.

A meat export business contingent on this expansion and regulatory oversight is in full swing after encountering delays from par-for-the-course licencing red tape.

“You have to have contingencies in place when you’re dealing with third parties and regulators,” says Ivan. “It’s taken a bit longer to break even, but we got there. Tasman works at a fast pace but

not everyone, unfortunately, operates like that.”

Equally, the business might have to subject itself to the restraint appropriate, for example, of an expansionist power. The move into the cold chain and refrigerated storage has, as a consequence, paved the way for international territories starting with the Philippines where it will be instrumental in a food relief program with the government that is ripe for replication in nearby countries.

“I went to the Philippines to build a cold storage facility in Manilla, and I

Kenworth T610 pulls one of 60 A-double units operational in the fleet.

Images: Tasman Logistics Services.

An allocator for Tasman Logistics Services at the Port of Brisbane.

came home with a food stamp project,” says Ivan. “We’re sourcing produce from the locals then consolidating it into a big food package which is generally 40 kilos of food, and we service 300,000 people every month with that.”

Conducted in partnership with Aviva Prime Corporation, the joint venture known as Aviva Tasman is helping provide dynamic solutions to the world

hunger crisis and in doing so expands the company’s nascent operational footprint in Southeast Asia.

“Providence is that for which even obstacles are means to some higher good,” Joseph de Maistre noted more than 200 years ago. On the cusp of a golden era, Tasman Logistics Services would appear to have future formidable achievements already awaiting it. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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FLEET FOCUS

THE

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An Isuzu F Series crane truck outside the Exhibition Building in Melbourne.

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D WAY Images: JCT Logistics

M

uch can be condensed into four short years for a business just starting out. Especially the last four years. Conditions, it must be said, have not been kind. That’s why the sudden ascension of JCT Transport, a crane truck specialty outfit based out of Epping in Melbourne, is a success story worth telling.

Arrayed against it in that passage of time have been material shortages, contracting markets, skyrocketing fuel and energy costs, and apocalyptic inflation. Just as these surroundings have certainly unsettled some less fortunate small businesses to the point of closure, JCT Transport has thrived.

In 2021, its first year, JCT Transport turned over $600,000. It did $6 million in the second. That coincided with

JCT Transport’s meteoric rise as a prominent crane truck specialist in Victoria only accounts for part of the company’s offering, which is set to expand as it embarks on an exciting new chapter.

Bunnings, their first major account, coming on board. This led to its first significant order of seven Isuzu trucks adding to the four crane trucks it started out with.

The tightknit team have history together.

Shaun O’Connor, JCT National Transport Manager and Managing Director Sukhdial Jhanji have known each other for 15 years, at various transport companies with Shaun nominally in operations and Sukh a multi-vehicle crane truck operator. They worked out of a lounge room for part of the first year as the dreaming, as Shaun refers to it, was put into concept and eventually a solid plan.

“Whilst there was no shortage of established crane truck operators, we saw that they were all fitting the same service profile,” he says. “Which is, they

were either project work orientated or on-demand in the retail side of things.”

At the time the retail application for crane trucks was serviced mainly by owner-operators. As a niche segment, it was wide-open. The plan was to take their vast knowledge and acumen gathered from the general freight game and apply it to crane trucks, in order to provide clients with a specialised and tailored service.

“We entered the market knowing full well that transport is a cutthroat competitive industry,” says Shaun.

“General freight is probably the go-to sector, especially for new entrants into transport. We identified quickly looking at statistics that over 90 per cent of transport startups fail within their first 12 to 18 months in general freight.”

Isuzu FYX 240-350 with Hiab crane.

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FLEET FOCUS

Sukhdial Jhanji, Shaun O’Connor, Lucas Lopez.

Another crucial part of the approach was a decision to run quality equipment. That was key. From a compliance perspective JCT Transport were going to sell the fact that they were beyond best practice. From a driver perspective they needed to have the best operators from both operation of the cranes to the heavy vehicles themselves.

“We wanted to do it right and we knew it wasn’t the easy way to do things,” recalls Shaun. “It’s been a hell of a ride.”

In no rush to go out and establish a portfolio of 100 customers, the team’s approach was to preference quality over quantity. Then came the watershed moment in the company’s short history. It landed an account with Bowens, the Victorian-based timber and building supplier. At the time the fleet consisted of ten trucks.

A chance visit to a nearby Bowens branch, its busiest as luck would have it, yielded immediate results. They needed two trucks for a job early the 32

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next morning. Despite having every truck in the fleet allocated already Shaun made it happen by hiring two vehicles.

“Bowens for us are not just a customer, they’re a partner,” says Shaun. “We have a great relationship at all levels from the upper managerial right through to the branches and we’ve learnt a lot from them. They have mentored us in a way. The culture they have there is fantastic. You will not meet a Bowens staff member who is not excited to be there.”

Bowens have 20 branches. All of which are located inside Victoria. Bowens, as the lynchpin to its formidable growth arc, is even recognised by JCT Transport with trucks wrapped in its distinct blue branding. The fleet today fast approaches 50 units — significant growth by any measure, especially in the crane truck segment. In conjunction with the wraps, each of the vehicles have been fitted out with the latest telematics and dashcams from EROAD to provide another layer of safety. Fuel

use, braking and driver performance are all being monitored.

“It’s a good system, great technology and easy to use,” says Lucas Lopez, JCT Transport Commercial Manager, who actioned the rollout. “Those are reports we can give back to our customers. I’m pretty sure no one in the crane truck industry has that technology in their vehicles.”

JCT Transport’s customer retention stands at 100 per cent. The portfolio has expanded to include reputable brands like Reece, Kennards, Big River Timber and Stramit, with the latter contract assisted by DHL. “Everything we’ve done is through proof of service,” says Shaun. “With Bowens they had existing carriers. We went in there with the attitude we weren’t going to cut anyone’s lunch.

We didn’t want to take work away from anyone.”

Shaun laments the fact that too many carriers are aggressive in chasing work by eroding margin at every opportunity, in doing so effectively diminishing quality drivers.

“All these distasteful things become fair game,” he says. “Early on we adopted a policy, having been truck drivers ourselves, that anyone who works here should have experience out on the road.”

A slogan the company abides by was born from this: ‘Built by drivers, Driven

by Excellence.’

“Where many transport companies go wrong is they underestimate the value of the driver,” says Shaun. “If you have a good driver group who you look after and you take the time to train them properly and give them the support they need, make efforts to make them feel appreciated, what you get as a result is a committed and loyal, dedicated operator who is going to take pride with the job at hand and go the extra mile for the customer.”

The original driver group that the business began with is still with JCT Transport today, headed up by fleet manager Adam Trimble and operations supervisor Lovepreet Kaura with Karan

Tandon overseeing the JCT Driver Hire division. Shaun and the team have pushed for top heavy investment in driver management, training and development. Having good equipment, he acknowledges, is only one half of the equation.

“Being ex-truck drivers, we put a huge emphasis on training drivers,” he says.

“Drivers are on the front lines of any transport business. They are your face.”

The business, what’s more, has been prepared to run at a loss, on previous occasions, to sustain a high quality of care for the driver group. JCT Transport uses Makesure, a subsidiary to preemployment screening service Ratify, to build courses and refresher materials for the drivers to read and stay on top of applying their skills.

In 2022, Shaun invited WorkSafe to their premises. The Northern regional heavy plant inspector was asked to help them go further than the normal legislative standards of which they were already competent.

They spent several days going through the compliance suite. Crane trucks, as high-risk equipment, are something to lean into when it comes to risk assessment and not something to shy away from according to Shaun.

“If you don’t take every possible step for safety and compliance with cranes things can go horribly wrong,” he says.

“It’s imperative that you work tirelessly to that effect to protect your team.

They’re all of the highest value.”

A proactive approach from the get-go has helped the business maintain an immaculate safety record. Every single truck has a folder detailing the risk assessments, safe operating procedures and also a dedicated device that runs the client’s operating delivery system.

The other half of the equation in the segment of course is equipment.

Heavy rigid trucks sell for well north of $450,000. A mounted Hiab crane retails at around $200,000. This is even before factoring in slings, pads and other accessories.

There are three prime movers — Volvos — in the fleet and a Mack Granite, the

sole semi-crane. The remaining 90 per cent of the vehicles are Isuzu heavy rigids with the majority being the F Series variant. Sukh anticipates this will be 100 per cent Isuzu by next year.

“Mid Coast Trucks look after us very well,” he says. “Sales Manager Brad Southan has been an exceptional resource for our fleet.”

In the wake of the turbulent COVID period, serious shortages were hampering material supply.

This, by chance, was the time JCT Transport urgently needed seven new trucks — Isuzu FYX 240-350s.

“It was all very pessimistic from some of the dealers we reached out to,” recalls Shaun. “We were hearing 12 even 18 months for delivery. Brad made it happen. Mid Coast got us four and they went to alternate dealers for the other three. They think outside the box.

Mid Coast deserve a commendation.”

An Isuzu F Series that produces 221kW of power through an Allison 6-speed automatic gearbox, is the most prominent truck at the business.

These latest models feature Electronic Stability Control, an Anti-lock braking system and also an Anti-skid regulator.

A chief selling point is the six-year warranty Isuzu offers.

“No truck is perfect, but Isuzu gets damn close,” says Shaun. “In terms of a fleet maintenance point of view the bills from Isuzu are very rarely heartbreaking because they are built that tough. The reliability is there.”

As these trucks are not moving in and out of distribution centres, they need to be.

“Our trucks are going into regional areas, construction sites, rough terrain,” says Shaun. “The areas we have to go into, especially in the winter months is often boggy.”

For a customer like Stramit the Isuzus are frequently asked to travel far and wide within the state. JCT Transport has permanent trucks based at Phillip Island and Warragul also for this purpose.

A recently announced partnership with Tas Connect Logistics will see

JCT Transport providing transport services to help with their local pickup component. Initially it involves taking trailers to the sea freight terminal bound for Tasmania. Through its client base, JCT’s newly created freight management division will give Tas Connect work, mainly consolidating loose pallets, destined for Tasmania.

Unofficially, it prefigures JCT’s entrance into the freight management sector.

Tas Connect Logistics are also one of many carriers, all specialising in their own niche whether it’s parcels, pallets, or oversize freight, that JCT is bringing onto a booking platform called Machship, launching this month.

It will be headed up by Commercial Manager Lucas Lopez alongside Sales Manager Theo Hronopoulos with Lambrini Lopez taking care of admin and customer service.

“We’re attacking the general freight market even further for clients who are sending freight not just locally but interstate as well,” says Lucas.

Seldom does building a business from the ground up, like JCT Transport has done so impressively, come without sacrifices. Especially in such a condensed period of time. When seen through this lens Shaun is philosophical.

“It’s been one incredible journey,” he says. “The great thing is we’ve done everything the right way which is the hard way. But we hold our heads high having done that.”

A Hiab mounted crane.

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VISION DRIVEN BY

From humble beginnings to becoming an industry leader, Flash Line Transport is a story of passion, perseverance and purpose.

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W

hen Indy Dasanayaka arrived in Australia in 1998 to pursue a degree in business studies at university, he had no idea he was about to embark on a journey that would redefine his future and make an impact on Australia’s fresh produce logistics industry. Indy’s introduction to the Australian fresh produce industry began humbly at the iconic Flemington

Markets in Sydney working with the Fresh Produce Group, and later with Perfection Fresh Australia. What began as a job quickly transitioned into a calling as Indy discovered a true passion for the logistics involved with the management and distribution of fresh produce.

Indy’s entrepreneurial drive is fuelled by his family’s background in mining and commerce back in Sri Lanka and

he knew he was destined to build something of his own. Encouraged by his mentor John Simonetta of Perfection Fresh, Indy’s dream began to take shape and with just one truck and a bold vision he established Flash Line Transport delivering fresh produce to 17 supermarkets in Canberra. It was certainly a leap of faith for the young Indy, backed by grit, guts and a profound belief in reliable service.

Flash Line Transport Owners Anushka and Indy Dasanayaka. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Images: Prime Creative Media

Anushka and Indy with their son.

“John trusted his gut to give me this opportunity,” says Indy. “The Simonetta family have been our pillar of strength since day one.”

From that initial single truck Flash Line Transport has developed into a real powerhouse investing over $20 million into its operations and building a deserved reputation for excellence.

Currently with more than 70 trucks in its fleet, the company has outgrown its original site in Parramatta and moved to larger premises in nearby Camellia.

Flash Line has a bold $30 million investment plan which includes the development of a purpose-built and state-of-the-art 3.5 acre facility in the rapidly growing freight hub of Marsden Park incorporating cold storage warehousing and an on-site permanent refuelling facility.

To achieve its level of success Flash Line Transport’s journey hasn’t just been about trucks and infrastructure.

“It’s about people, culture and doing things the right way,” says Indy. “Our vision extends beyond infrastructure. We

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are building a future which integrates logistics, warehousing and innovation, all the while staying grounded and committed to our values.”

An indication of the commitment to a high level of operational and compliance efficiency is the utilisation of a dedicated team to come in every night to refuel the trucks from a selfcontained 35,000-litre fuel facility and also wash out the truck bodies to result in a cleanliness standard exceeding industry benchmarks.

An advantage of the on-site fuel facility is the easy access, and no time is lost queuing at service stations. This level of care keeps the drivers happy, the trucks in excellent condition and the operations running with clockwork precision.

“It’s the easiest and most efficient way to get the job done correctly,” says Indy.

At Indy’s side is his wife and partner Anushka who is the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Together they make a formidable team.

“I’m good with numbers and finance,

and Indy is good at operations,” says Anushka, whose financial management skills are underwritten by degrees in Accounting and Finance from RMIT, a certificate in Human Resources Management from Monash University, and experience with a major bank.

Anushka is also certified in managing food safety compliance under HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. The couple’s proudest achievement, however, is the culture they have built.

“Our team is family. They’re part of Flash Line, too,” says Anushka.

“Everyone has a seat at the table, drivers, staff, everyone. They are the face of our company and the heart of our success.”

That commitment to people extends into every area of Flash Line Transport’s operations, from selecting the right trucks by carefully choosing Hino for its reliability and Toyota-backed trust to investing in new technologies and capabilities. Indy personally tested a number of brands before deciding

upon Hino and has formed strong partnerships with TRS body builders and Daniel Glynn, the Dealer Principal at City Hino in Huntingwood in Western Sydney, who Indy credits with being a major contributor to Flash Line’s success. Flash Line Transport’s footprint has expanded to include branches in Melbourne, Brisbane and the NSW Central Coast.

The fleet ranges from small two-pallet vehicles, to 14-pallet Hino 500 Series rigids, with prime movers handling long haul B-double duties along the East Coast. Flash Line continues to build its diverse range of clients, from all of the major supermarket chains, fast food outlets, and many aged care facilities across New South Wales to Kmart and Dulux, with the transport of fresh flowers and dangerous goods an indication of the range of transport solutions the company offers.

The company’s versatility also extends into air freight logistics moving urgent perishables between airports and distribution centres. Flash Line Transport is also a trusted supplier of services to QANTAS and D’nata through their relevant logistics partners.

During the devastating bushfires which raged through the NSW South Coast late in 2019, roads were blocked and communities were isolated. Committed to making food deliveries to aged care residents in Nowra, Flash Line’s drivers travelled ‘two-up’ via Canberra and Bega in order to make the deliveries, turning a normal three-hour delivery into a successful 24 hour mission. Indy and Anushka stayed up through the night tracking the trucks and ensuring the entire exercise went smoothly, yet another example of their relentless dedication.

Indy credits part of the company’s

growth has been due to advice given to him by industry veterans such as Peter Polo and Umar Farooq from Linfox, mentors who helped guide the business through challenges such as during the COVID pandemic.

“Australia has given us an incredible opportunity,” says Indy with genuine humble gratitude. “Back in Sri Lanka, business was in our blood, but here we have found our true path. We don’t just deliver goods, we deliver trust, reliability and solutions for our customers.”

The company slogan, ‘We carry our weight,’ belies the importance placed on looking after customers and achieving their goals. Indy and Anushka and their wider team see themselves as more than another logistics company.

“For them, it’s about building something which lasts, one delivery at a time,” he says.

A Hino 616 300 Series equipped with a Thermo King cooling unit. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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BEST S I M P LY T H E

Sydney logistics and transport fleet JJ Lawson this year is taking the opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Mack Metro-Liner outside of Allianz Stadium.

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Images: JJ Lawson.

O

ften referred to as the greatest game of all, rugby league instills the values of teamwork and discipline, with players combining individual skills and talent to achieve the best outcomes for both team and club. That same dedication has been adopted by James John ‘Jim’ Lawson for the past 50 years in his eponymous customs clearance, freight and transport business of JJ Lawson Pty Ltd. The footy loving, diehard North Sydney Bears fan has built the family-run business on a foundation of teamwork and dedication to their craft. For the Lawson team the commitment has always been to their ‘club’ — the customer.

Celebrating its golden anniversary this year, the company operates a multi-faceted business from its Mascot headquarters in the thick of Sydney’s dynamic transport hub. It employs more than 60 people across its services of customs clearances, freight forwarding, storage and warehousing, transport and consultancy services.

The family business, which has trained Jim’s three sons, Martin, Gavin and Gary, throughout the years has come a long way from those early days in 1975 when it was a fledgling two-man

The Lawson family celebrates a new truck to commemorate their 50th anniversary.

customs clearance outfit, operating from humble offices in Coleman Street, Mascot.

The business may not have physically moved far, but it has expanded its operations in leaps and bounds over the years. After operating from various shared yards around the Botany area, JJ Lawson made the decision to secure a permanent home for its growing fleet in the late 1990s prompting the first major shift in its operational footprint.

While the company roots remain firmly planted in Mascot — where its head office still operates today — the move to Seville Street in Villawood wasn’t just about parking trucks, but about expanding what the business could offer. With that space came the ability to introduce container storage, unpacks, and warehousing into the service portfolio. Having outgrown the Villawood yard, the entire transport fleet by 2008 had been transplanted to JJ Lawson’s current site in Chipping North. The new location featured a purpose-built warehouse and over 6,000m² of container-rated hardstand.

“Whether or not it boosted the external profile of the business I’m not sure but internally, it was transformative,” says Greg Lawson, General Manager Transport & Warehousing.

“Strategically, the move gave us the

best of both worlds: a central location within Sydney’s rapidly expanding freight and logistics corridor, and immediate access to the M5 with a direct route to and from Port Botany.”

Growing up as the fourth of six children in the suburb of Mosman, on Sydney’s lower north shore, Jim’s strong family connections nurtured a respect for teamwork and helping others.

As part of a busy family, he enjoyed spending time with his parents and siblings, while also making time for his passions for football, sailing and just hanging out with his mates.

His first part time jobs, as a schoolboy, showcased his flair for customer service and an entrepreneurial spirit.

As a portent for his future career, his after-school jobs included delivering papers, early morning milk deliveries and helping the chemist with local deliveries.

It wasn’t too long before Jim, as a 17-year-old, took on a full-time job in 1958 with customs brokers, Jackson & Spring Pty Ltd in Bathurst Street, Sydney. He learned a lot from his early role in the workforce, and it would be these experiences and knowledge that would support him in his future career, operating his own customs clearance outfit.

In 1962, Jim obtained his Customs p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Part of the fleet with the Bears at North Sydney Oval.

Brokers license, being the youngest person in NSW to obtain that qualification. A year later, Jim married Jenny and their plans to expand the Lawson family soon came to life with the birth of their first son, Martin in 1969. The Lawson clan soon expanded with the births of Gavin in 1970 and Greg in 1974.

Jim instilled in the boys his love of rugby league and his beloved North Sydney Bears, with the family often found at North Sydney Oval on a Sunday afternoon watching the Bears heroes dazzle the admiring crowds.

The ‘70s proved to be a watershed period for Jim, with the sale of Jackson & Spring to Royal Interocean Lines prompting him to branch out on his own, forming JJ Lawson, on 1 April 1975, as a small custom brokerage.

Buoyed by boundless family support, including from his wife Jenny as bookkeeper, the business steadily grew with a loyal customer base.

Jim’s focus was so devoted to customer satisfaction that the business still works with some of its original clients. Greg’s 40

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earliest memories of the business revolve around his father’s tireless work to grow it.

“The lessons and knowledge I received were imparted mainly from his fairness, generosity, integrity, loyalty and humour,” he says. “We humbly strive to follow these today.”

Jim’s formative, schoolboy entrepreneurial approaches and attention to customer service soon came to the fore in his business venture when he bought his first truck in the early 1980s.

After seeing a gap in the local market, Jim’s decision to start the business’s own transport services rather than using subcontractors paid off, as he saw a boost in goods transportation.

While Greg can’t be certain of the first model of truck the business purchased, the very first prime mover to enter operations was a second-hand Atkinson sometime in the 1980s.

“That Atkinson marked our first real step toward becoming a fleet, having control, accountability, and the ability to deliver on our word not just cross

our fingers and hope,” he says. “That said, the wheels fell off fairly quickly on our hope. In its very first week on the road, the transmission gave out.”

The mechanic’s diagnosis? Someone had stuffed banana peels in the gearbox to hide the problem. It was both a hard and messy lesson but one that shaped the company’s approach for decades to come. From that moment, Jim made a mental note to himself to focus on buying new trucks and trailers. The mantra now was to avoid buying other operators’ problems.

For this past decade, the fleet has been under a service and maintenance agreement. According to Greg that has provided predictability when it comes to operating costs and, more importantly, peace of mind.

“Knowing that unscheduled repairs and maintenance are handled promptly means we can focus on what matters — delivering for our clients,” he says. “In recent years, though, the conversation has shifted from just maintaining the fleet to optimising its size. We’ve always prided ourselves on retaining our

company drivers long-term — and our record speaks for itself — but sourcing new, high-quality drivers has become more challenging than it should be.”

While work volumes fluctuate and a strong subcontractor network remains essential, the priority for JJ Lawson is to own and operate as much of its day-today fleet as possible.

“Company trucks with company drivers give us consistency, service control, and accountability, all things we value highly,” says Greg. “It’s a balancing act, but it’s one we’re committed to getting right.”

At the heart of JJ Lawson was its commitment to Jim’s core values of exceptional service, fairness and honesty to both customers and staff.

“One of our major successes is our staff,” he says. “We have a long list of long-term dedicated people in all parts of our business who have contributed so much to the company.”

That dedication has seen the company’s employee ranks include several brother/sister, father/son and brothers-in-law combinations. It is a

generational business, with current driver Brandon Morris’ father Terry being one of their first employees back in 1978.

“He worked as a Customs Broker and was our Customs Manager when he retired in 2020,” recalls Greg. “Terry was a cornerstone of the business during its formative years.

His loyalty and reliability gave clients the confidence that they weren’t just another number — they were in good hands.”

Today, Brandon carries the family legacy forward behind the wheel of a Mack Anthem 6x4 535hp MP8 day cab set up to tow a B-double slope deck trailer combination capable of carrying 2 x 20’ ISO Tanks.

“In a business like ours, those generational links mean something,” says Greg. “They’re not just nostalgic — they’re a reflection of the strong culture, loyalty, and values that continue to drive JJL today.”

Indeed, the company’s focus on its core values also extends to the wider community with Jim and the business supporting many local sporting teams and community groups over the last 50 years. For more than 20 years the Lawsons have worked closely with Surf Life Saving NSW, supporting state and country carnivals by providing transport and storage facilities.

They have also been long-time sponsors of the Collaroy Surf Club March Past team, and have supported many local charitable organisations and events over the years. At the foundation of that community support has been the business’s almost fanatical support for the North Sydney Bears, firmly cemented since the early 1980s.

The Lawson family has certainly embedded itself in the DNA of the logistics business, with all three of Jim’s sons representing the company. Jim’s second son, Gavin was first to join the business in 1995 after completing a plumbing trade. Greg followed in 1999 after finishing his electrical trade and eldest son, Martin came on board in 2002 after also completing an electrical

trade and having previously worked in the industry. Gavin sadly passed away in 2001.

Jim remained at the helm of the company until his retirement in 2018, but a viable succession plan had been discussed as far back as 2007.

It was then that Jim laid out the future direction of the business by announcing that Marty and Greg, would take over the company’s reins. Myriad challenges both prior that watermark and since then have had to be overcome. From waterfront disputes and legislative changes to cash flow crunches, bad debts, and even the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic — each has forced JJ Lawson to pause, reassess, and adapt.

“These moments weren’t always easy, but they were necessary,” says Greg.

“They have made us sharper, more resilient, and more strategic.”

Greg foresees the fleet in ten years’ time being better but not necessarily bigger.

“Technology will play an even greater role in how we manage everything from route optimisation to preventative maintenance. I’d expect to see part of our fleet electric or hybrid,” he says.

“I hope we’re still running a fleet of company-owned vehicles and longterm drivers. Ideally being managed by many of the same operational team members we have today who know our systems, our clients, and our standards inside out.”

Jim, at 84 years old, can now enjoy the fruits of his labour, assured that his 50-year ethos of providing supreme customer service continues today with the next generation of Lawson leaders.

When it comes to the important question of his all-time favourite North Sydney Bears player, he can’t help but nominate two. Winger Ken Irvine – greased lightning – with the all time Rugby League try scoring record; and club games record holder Greg Florimo.

“Skillful, tough, humble, and always turned up,” he says. “Even when the scoreboard didn’t.”

Virtues one might look to build a successful business on. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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NOT WASTING TIME

DAF CF530 in Darwin.

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VTG Waste & Recycling has recently added a DAF CF530 to its collection fleet, consolidating its services and reinforcing its commitment to the Northern Territory.

V

TG Waste & Recycling has long been a staple business in Darwin’s community.

Operating out of the suburb of East Arm, the company has spent the last eight years servicing the area’s waste management needs through a steadily growing assortment of dedicated staff, custom-made equipment and even its own liquid waste treatment facility that recycles waste oils and hydrocarbon liquids and Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

Effective consolidation of its expanding capabilities means VTG now can promptly respond to a variety of waste management situations across an array of industries. Such growth being a function of both a knowledgeable management team and a commitment to a strong set of values, according to Managing Director, James Prakash.

“The company has grown significantly

and continues to grow,” he says.

“Between VTG’s board of directors and management team, there is a wealth of waste management experience that we rely upon to ensure we perform to the highest standards, so that we offer safe and quality services for our customers.”

These business values are, furthermore, imperative to the brand’s identity.

“If we say we’re going to do something, we do it,” says James. “Our reputation and integrity are everything. We move forward and get the job done, which builds trust with our customers.”

VTG Waste & Recycling’s promise to its customers is upheld by the company’s more than 100 pieces of waste management equipment.

These consist of various vehicles and cleaning apparatuses and more recently have been further strengthened by the addition of a DAF CF530 prime mover mounted with Vorstrom

24,000-litre tank.

The DAF CF530, recommended and delivered by the CJD Equipment truck dealership, marked a departure for VTG Waste & Recycling, which in the past has routinely used trucks from another manufacturer. According to James, VTG did its due diligence before making the jump.

“Once CJD recommended a DAF prime mover to us after we approached them, we did our own research on the DAF equipment,” he recalls. “I had run DAFs in my previous management roles, and I knew they were good, but still wanted to see what other companies had to say. We asked around, and all the feedback from other operators was overwhelmingly positive. It became much easier for us to go down the DAF path after that, so we did.”

From an operational perspective, VTG Waste & Recycling wanted the prime

Images: VTG.

Dion Lewis, VTG Operator.

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mover to be able to carry two trailers while also being agile enough to complete quick services around Darwin and other townships. The DAF CF530 ticked this box and then some.

Known in the industry for its versatility, the DAF CF530’s medium size and compact build make it an ideal choice for metropolitan work due to its ability to manoeuvre tighter streets and spaces, while also being able to cover long distances and operate on a regional scale because of its robust engine power.

This versatility suits VTG Waste & Recycling well, as its operations in the Northern Territory often require remote work.

“The Northern Territory can be quite a challenging environment for operations,” James says. “It can A 24,000-litre Vorstrom tank is mounted to a semi-trailer.

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be quite remote and vastly spread.

Because of this, our equipment needs to accommodate these distances and spaces, so that we stay reliable for customers.”

It’s officially the first DAF deployed in the application by the fleet. Purchased as a sleeper cab to accommodate some of the long-distance jobs required of it, the truck pulls a semi with the Australian manufactured blower vacuum pump which is equipped with full rear opening door and hydraulic tipping function.

For James the truck reflects a calculated approach to operational requirements.

It needed to be nimble enough for travel in and around Darwin; powerful enough for regional work; and reliable enough to do both, often. That, in a

nutshell, is how he confidently arrived at the Euro 6 DAF CF530 6x4. On top of these capabilities, the DAF’s role in pulling semi-trailers with attached vacuum mounted pumps is integral to VTG Waste & Recycling’s waste management value proposition, particularly for its specific ‘Liquid and Industrial Services Wastes’ segment within operations. These industrial vacuum units can suction up a plethora of sludges, slurries and other waste residue into large tankers carried by the DAF CF530 across many sites.

These include but are not restricted to metropolitan areas, ports, mining sites and other heavy vehicle prone industry locations.

“The truck has a tipping function, which allows the waste to be dumped out of

the tanker efficiently,” explains James.

“This makes waste disposal much easier, allowing us to get our trucks back on the streets faster.”

The unit, which has been seamlessly integrated into the fleet’s daily operational footprint, has been met with glowing appraisals from drivers and maintenance crews. It comes as no surprise to James given the long working relationship VTG Waste & Recycling has enjoyed with dealership CJD Equipment.

“CJD always knows what we’re after when we put in an order,” James explains. “They know that the truck will need to be painted in our own VTG green, it needs to have alloy wheels, a bullbar, and many other details. These details go a long way for our operators

and business, and CJD understands that so well. They’ve always been able to give us what we need, in both the initial sale and aftersales support. They’re key to what we do.”

CJD Equipment’s General Manager in the Northern Territory, Evan Woodall – who oversaw the DAF CF530 order – was proud to work on the project.

“VTG is a long-term customer of ours, and a very good customer of ours,” he says. “We were very excited to work with the truck. It has quite an interesting set-up. For us here in Darwin, we don’t handle too many European trucks — that’s just the way the market is up here.”

That was cause for excitement itself as Evan and his team were eager to see how the vehicle would perform under

the conditions. With a 30 per cent larger cooling system reducing the time the PACCAR MX-13 engine draws on auxiliary power to reduce unproductive air flow, the cab, aside from the ergonomic advantages of the driver environment, is well appointed for the humidity of the Top End. The 12.9-litre engine tops out at 2,600Nm. There’s the right amount of torque to make use of getting in and out of sites that share one commonality: variability.

With a versatile build, a VTG lime green coat and a mounted vacuum pump trailer behind it, VTG Waste & Recycling’s new DAF CF350 has proven instrumental to the waste management service’s operations in the Northern Territory, keeping industries and towns waste-free.

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COLOSSUS OF ROADS THE

Telematics goliath, Geotab, continues to add key pieces to its ever-increasing telematics offering in the region having made recent headway in fault code analysis and video technology.

Sean Killen, Vice President Global Markets.

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I

Images: Geotab.

n April, Geotab was certified as an application service provider for the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA) and Road Infrastructure Management (RIM) applications under the National Telematics Framework.

The certification builds on Transport Certification Australia’s type-approval of Geotab’s GO9-LTM telematics device prior and means vehicle operators can now use the device for enrolment in government schemes and initiatives that use TMA and RIM. Effectively, these developments have helped to expand Geotab’s operations to support what it considers to be a growing market in Australia.

Two years ago, when Sean Killen, Geotab Vice President Global Markets, inherited the team responsible for the region, compliance in the heavy truck segment was immediately identified as a priority given it was considered core to its offering. It was a matter, Sean recalls, of no longer playing

by Geotab rules and playing by the Australian rules.

“Some of the bigger fleets in Australia haven’t looked at us as a possible solution,” says Sean. “They never had,

which if you look at our position globally, it’s a kind of an odd position since we have about a million heavy trucks on the road around the world.”

A decision to invest aggressively in the development group was undertaken as part of its commitment to meeting the highest standards of performance and reliability in telematics technology.

There were two areas of focus the team gave its full attention. The first was the aforementioned Transport Certification Australia TMA compliance; and the second was for the eventuality of an Electronic Work Diary (EWD) mandate which was sewn up through a joint venture with Logmaster.

“It doesn’t happen quickly as it takes around a year of development,” Sean adds.

That involved at first getting the hardware, and then later, a full application suite approved with Geotab subsequently building the EWD into its software. The organisation, as Sean observes, had performed well where it played historically but was yet to fully realise its potential for this market segment in Australia.

“Putting those two things together

going into the truck show gave us a lot of momentum in the product,” he says.

Among the maintenance tools Geotab launched this year Fault Code Management, which provides actionable insights into fault severity, recommended actions, and potential component impact, will be key as fleets look to minimise major cost drivers.

“Look at the state of the world right now,” he says. “Cost reduction is going to be really important. We tend to do very well in tough economic times and down cycles because of that.”

Having the facility to delve deeper into the fault data to extract predictive solutions from analysis will do wonders, naturally, for fleet management protocols and vehicle utilisation. For consumer goods companies, of which Geotab currently partners with some of the biggest in the world, namely Amazon, PepsiCo and UPS, having a fully loaded vehicle break down is a nightmare scenario.

“It’s just a huge cost. A lot of this fault code stuff and the predictive maintenance that we’re going to be doing and do now we’ll be bringing to Australia,” says Sean. “Some of

A display at Geotab Connect in Orlando, Florida earlier this year. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Sean Killen speaking at a Geotab event.

Mike Branch, Vice President Data & Analytics at Geotab Connect.

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these fleets are forcing us, from an innovation standpoint, to get to a place where they can really get an ROI globally off of their fleets.”

He adds, “If you look at the library of fault codes that we can do now, it’s second-to-none.”

Video technology is one area Geotab is investing heavily. The company views it as being a key component to the future of safety and telematics for commercial road transport in Australia. It’s not the only pipeline the company expects to see boom.

Artificial Intelligence, aside from being the next big disruption in the industry, is anticipated to occasion growth opportunities in contracting markets as businesses consolidate. The onus of doing more with less will be never more crucial when crunching numbers and utilising everything from mobile assets to safety systems. The biggest headaches for fleets especially top tier carriers, such as accidents which are costly and also represent challenges to branding, can be minimised with lightning efficiency by an almost instantaneous scrutiny applied to the data captured.

“Because Geotab produces so much data, something like 80 billion data

points a day, AI is the tool to really get value from it,” says Sean. “We’ve invested heavily in the data and the value that it can add. The AI that’s coming just takes it to the next level.”

Geotab CEO Neil Cawse works with an internal AI engine he has developed over recent years. It’s well advanced, way past the BETA stage.

“A customer can say to him how do I reduce accidents by 5 per cent over the next year?” says Sean. “It will take their data and churn out a pretty good way to do it in 90 seconds right now. Some of the things it’s putting together are in 45 seconds.”

Because every make and model that shows up in Australia is not identical to those in North America or even Europe, the more Geotab can reverse engineer, the more fault codes it inputs, the more OEMs it partners with the better it becomes.

“It helps immensely when you have a partnership with the actual OEM instead of trying to get around them,” explains Sean. “What’s interesting about Geotab’s position in the market is they’ll entertain Geotab at the table at a global OEM level. Ford will sit down with Geotab globally and talk about a partnership. That’s a

hard position for a small telematics company local only to Australia. They won’t probably have that conversation just because there’s too much to do.

There’s too many of them.”

Geotab has about 50 OEM partnerships globally with all the major OEMs, both heavy and light commercial. Many of these companies planned on being players in the space, by trying to make revenue off their data which despite having generated it is likely inferior.

Sean explains why.

“No OEM does it the same and none of the OEMs talk to each other,” he says. “Take Linfox as an example. Think about how many different types of vehicles they have in that fleet right now and how old some of them are.”

Fleets, to that claim, are getting as many kilometres as possible from a vehicle until there are no further benefits. With ten different OEMs from different parts of the world all talking a different language a software platform is needed that can aggregate it and make a common output. According to Sean, this is why the OEMs have failed at data analysis.

“Unless it’s a small fleet with 15 vehicles and it’s all their data it just doesn’t scale,” he says. “GM will never

talk to Ford who will never talk to Toyota who will never talk to Volvo who will never talk to Kenworth.

But they will all talk to us, and we can bridge that gap and that’s the value long-term. The hardware will eventually go away. I have no doubt in my mind, ten years from now, Geotab will sell very few aftermarket devices, but it will still be the platform.”

As for the prospect of its regional focus in Australia, Sean is volubly optimistic.

“The Aussie market is incredibly compelling and the one I really feel the best about,” he says. “I think Australia is ready to move away from the incumbent telematics providers that gave them what telematics did ten years ago.”

The Australian market if it is to keep pace with the latest telemetry developments happening in North America and western Europe is poised to make a giant leap says Sean.

“I do think the adoption of really innovative telematics has been slow into Australia not because nobody wants to do it but because it’s hard for a small company to expand globally fast,” he says. “We’re the biggest and we’re ready.”

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49

TRUCK & TECH

IMAGE A CLEAN

Wash It Australia’s services are instrumental to the commercial road transport industry, providing operators with fleet longevity and a strong brand reputation through thorough cleans.

A Wash It Isuzu at its head office in Brisbane.

F

or nearly 20 years, Wash It Australia has led the charge to clean the country’s commercial road transport sector. Since Ben Hennock founded the business out of Brisbane, Queensland in 2008, the one-truck washing effort has turned into an entire fleet of purposebuilt trucks and a dedicated staff to match, helping the business boast a national presence across trucking fleets of various applications. With this manpower and equipment, Wash It Australia’s value proposition has become quite versatile, being able to tackle many different fleet

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requirements with several cleaning service types – ranging in intensity, duration and diligence. The business offers what National operations Manager, Glenn Nankervis, calls a tiered system — Express Wash, Detail Wash and Showroom Wash.

“The Express Wash is used by larger fleet companies that get their equipment washed more regularly and don’t need as thorough of a clean, while a Detail Wash includes services like tyre shining and polishing,” he explains. “A Showroom Wash is done ahead of a fleet’s special promotion, like a photo shoot or truck

show appearance.”

This versatility allows the company to clean fleets of all sizes, too. A point that Glenn and Wash It Australia take great pride in.

“As an all-in-one company, we get to do a lot more work with our customers directly than some other washers,” he says. “We cater to anyone from an owner-driver with one truck, right up to the more massive fleets on the road.

One customer of ours has up to 1,700 trailers in their fleet, so we’re most definitely set up to handle any sort of customer requirement, regardless of their size. We cater to everything.”

Through this frequent exposure to truck fleets of all shapes, sizes and conditions, Glenn and the team at Wash It Australia have keenly observed the industry’s attitudes towards the washing service that the company provides. While Glenn feels that many see the value proposition as simple cleaning, in reality, it offers so much more.

“I think the role of washing trucks and fleets does get overlooked in the industry,” Glenn reflects. “Fleet owners obviously see the financial cost of washing, but not some of the positives that the service provides. These owners don’t always understand that neglecting these washes will cost them in other ways.”

According to Glenn, these seemingly hidden costs of neglecting truck washing come largely in the form of maintenance issues. The comprehensive nature of Wash It Australia’s fleet cleans can often reveal damages or malfunctions in a truck’s body and prevent these issues from worsening by keeping the damaged areas in pristine condition before they are serviced. The maintenance issues and damaged areas, if left uncleaned, have the potential to compromise both the safety and efficiency of a truck fleet’s operations, as repair processes could be delayed giving the truck a bigger clean, if it hasn’t received regular washes.

“We’ve found that fleets which don’t

Images: Wash It.

Glenn Nankervis, National Operations Manager with Mitchell Robertson, National Safety & Compliance Manager.

regularly wash their trucks are more at risk of some pretty severe maintenance problems,” Glenn says. “Various damages, leaks, cracked tyres – they can all easily turn into massive safety concerns later down the track. A truck that hasn’t been washed in three months with serious maintenance problems cannot be fixed quickly.

It will need to undergo a big clean, and that will hold up operations immensely, making operators and drivers lose time and money.”

Glenn believes that these safety issues even extend to the mental well-being of fleet drivers, who may be stressed or unconfident on the road by being unsure of their trucks’ working conditions. Clean fleets, on the other hand, are thought to instil confidence and pride in drivers, encouraging them to perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

“Most truck drivers are very proud of what they drive, especially when their unit’s exterior is nice and clean,” Glenn says. “Bigger companies tend to have nice-looking fleet exteriors, and often that will correlate with well-kept interiors, too, which generally make drivers feel prouder of their work, and less stressed.”

In addition to the delivery of fleet longevity through comprehensive cleaning, Wash It Australia’s benefits to fleet also extend to strengthening their brand images in eyes of consumers.

Glenn believes that consumers strongly associate the clean appearance of a trucking fleet with its ability to provide services in an efficient manner — a thought process which may apply to some industries in particular.

“Clean branding is absolutely essential for supermarket distributors,” Glenn says. “We clean many of those fleets. Those companies have many requirements that they must adhere to, but they’re the ones that really take pride in their cleanliness and stand out as a result. When consumers see the big-brand supermarket trailers driving down highways and shining clean, they feel more comfortable in consuming products from those brands.

“Consumers trust that those brands take precautions, that they’re compliant and that they’re safe, all through the clean look of their units on the road. Dirty transport units don’t instil confidence in anybody.”

Wash It Australia’s effective delivery of fleet longevity and strong branding to its customers is always part of the company’s services but has more recently been greatly amplified by new technological capabilities.

The opportunities to modernise have increased significantly in the company’s near two decades of operations, and founder Ben Hennock has jumped at all of them.

“Ben has always been ahead of his time,” Glenn says. “He has always been looking for the best and most efficient ways to clean fleets. He’s always coming up with new ideas, which have more recently focused on sustainability. That constant thirst to improve is what has kept us ahead of our competition for quite some time.”

Through this thirst to improve and integration of technology, Wash It Australia has provided so much more to the country’s commercial transport industry than just a cleaning service.

The company’s commitment to its craft through these modern methods has ensured that its own motto – a clean fleet is a clean image – is also now industry best practice. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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TRUCK & TECH

PECKING

ORDER

Much of Multiquip’s dynamism as a service provider stems from its capacity to innovate and its latest high productivity combinations are no exception.

T

he seven hour trip from Griffith to Sydney cuts through some of the most rugged escarpment in the country. Multiquip, a multifaceted poultry meat business in which transport is one of its primary concerns, have launched a 33.5-metre high productivity unit on this route pulled by a new Scania V8 R 770. From Griffith it travels to Wagga Wagga via Narrandera before joining the Hume Highway for the final stage of the trip.

Looking to optimise its linehaul, particularly on this one leg from Griffith to Sydney, the fleet commissioned a high productivity unit, which debuted late last year and has been joined by several others which includes an established route between Tamworth and Sydney.

Multiquip deploys over 300

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Performance-Based Standards (PBS) combinations across a national network of some 27 depots.

Something of a leader in the PBS segment, the fleet continues to take advantage of the latest in heavy vehicle payloads.

According to Multiquip Company Director & CEO Jason Mikosic this task was originally performed in single fridge van loads because B-doubles were unsuitable.

“Then we worked really hard to get PBS approval to take two standard size fridge trailers from both regions into Sydney,” he tells Prime Mover.

“What it did was give us the opportunity to take full single trailer loads and hook them up as a roadtrain to take into the greater Sydney region.”

The yards at Picton, for the loads coming out of the south and Bringelly,

for the loads from the north, are where they can break up the trailers before they are ferried into the greater Sydney metropolitan area.

“When we get to Sydney the important part is having the right facility to be able to disconnect and then trans-ship as two single trailers again,” says Jason.

“There was a lot of back and forth in finding the right group of trailers, talking to the authorities, talking with trailer builders about the right combination to be able to do that and then we eventually found the right combination after a lot of hard work including getting the routes approved,” The vans, which were built by Freighter Group, have capacity for 44 pallets.

These have been designed to promote double stacking.

Because the Tamworth to Sydney run involves more townships with greater

Multiquip’s live bird roadtrains in Griffith.

Images: Multiquip.

Scania R 770 in front of the new 44-pallet high productivity unit.

interaction with traffic, the primary concern was that local councils would be opposed to the newer PBS-style of vehicle.

“In the back of my mind I always thought Griffith to Sydney would be achievable but when the Tamworth to Sydney run was approved it was a huge achievement to get that done,” explains Jason.

Different road authorities including Transport for NSW and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator were involved in the route application process, however, consent was also needed from many individual councils.

Approvals, however, proved to be relatively painless from these regional jurisdictions.

Length of the unit is 33.5 metres with a gross combination weight of 81 tonnes. Because of the vehicle length

the unit is limited to 90 km/h. As the combination must contend with the elevated heights of crossing the Great Dividing Range it’s anything but an easy run.

The driver of the unit is nonetheless impressed with the performance of the prime mover over the 640 kilometres involved according to Jason.

“The Scania 770 is a really interesting vehicle because the drivers are telling me that from Griffith to the Sydney metro area it is taking them about half an hour less in time,” he says. “All the hills should make a lot of difference when you’re pulling that kind of weight.”

The roadtrains in the fleet are nominally hooked up to Scania 620s, 660s or 770s depending on the journey and distance required.

The fleet has also introduced new additions to its live bird fleet for operations predominantly around Griffith. There are 16 roadtrains working around the agricultural region transporting poultry.

“The live bird industry in Griffith is very busy and the processing plant is double the size of the next biggest one

in Australia, making it the biggest in the country,” says Jason. “That means there are plenty of birds to move around.”

The live bird roadtrains have been in operation for eight years with five new ones added recently. Multiquip relies on Jamieson to build these livestock combinations.

“As a business we’ve really tried to embrace PBS where we can and maximise the tonnage on every load that we do,” says Jason. “Because, really, we’ve got a transport task and taking trucks off the road is one of our key goals.”

Since Steve Mikosic began the business delivering feed to poultry farms in 1982, Multiquip has continually sought out the best technologies to adopt for its labour intensive operations.

“We’ve got so many different PBS units on the road it’s really good when we come up with an idea, conceptualise it and receive principal approval and then the route approval and then get it on the road,” says Jason. “It’s a hard journey but well worth it once you get it done.” p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

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Image: Game Pixel/stock.adobe.com

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT

BRAVE A NEW WORLD

Decision-makers are turning to AI systems increasingly for compliance and safety.

From afar, Artificial intelligence promises innovative safety and efficiency benefits making it ostensibly the future of Australia’s trucking industry. But uncertainty regarding the technology’s application and regulation is not unfounded.

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ustralia’s trucking industry is no stranger to innovation.

The sector serves as a key pillar of the country’s economy – employing over 200,000 people and carrying over 234 billion tonne-kilometres each year, according to a 2023 report by the Australian Trucking Association – and as a result, is the site of frequent technological innovations designed to improve the efficiency and safety of its operations.

These solutions have come in many forms over time to address key industry challenges during certain periods, ranging from the arrival of international manufacturers like Volvo and Ford in the 1970s and subsequent competition and development, to the advent of the Electronic Work Diary, and more recently an array of alternative fuel programs that are fighting to make the

The reception of this technology and the sentiment surrounding AI is largely dependent on where in the workforce one lies. Chris explains that those in the logistical supply chain are eager to bring safety and efficiency benefits to their operations, while the drivers themselves are wary of this technology in the truck cab with them. Teletrac Navman seeks to address these concerns through the TN360’s application of corroborating drivers’ accounts of certain situations due to its recording abilities.

“Some drivers are certainly sceptical or anxious about this technology,” Chris says. “But something that we’ve seen early adopters of our AI video telematics jump at is its ability to capture evidence of situations and events which corroborate the truck driver’s perspective.

For the longest time, drivers haven’t always had the best reputation, due to their portrayal in the media mainly but I’ve come to realise that this portrayal represents an overwhelming minority of those actually on our roads.

“Members of the public and even the media tend to jump on the backs of truck drivers when things go wrong on the road, but with this AI video

Paul McGlone.

technology, we can see events as they play out, and support a driver’s account.

This ultimately can prevent them from having to get off the road and come into an office to explain their situations.”

On that point, AI can help preserve a driver’s reputation, not to mention improve the fleet’s efficiency. That these benefits extend beyond driver corroboration, suggest, what’s more that the surveillance capabilities and feedback systems offer new provisions for advances in coaching. AI cameras can record audio and output this audio to drivers in real-time to warn them of potential obstructions or other hazards mid-drive. Such functionality can serve to better inform drivers of their transgressions therefore ensuring better practice behind the wheel.

Chris is particularly excited about this application, as it offers a whole new standard for continued driver training and improvement.

“With our video telematics, drivers can be coached in real-time on a plethora of issues while driving from their speed to their following distance, to even adherence to road signs,” he says. “All these things that the cameras capture

Image: Seeing Machines.

industry more sustainable.

Today, concerns over driver safety and management, coupled with an everadvancing technological space, have manifested in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has seemingly exploded on the scene since its introduction only a few years ago.

Since this arrival at the hands of various telematics and software companies, the applications and abilities of AI have been growing at a rapid rate, seeking to meet operators’ safety worries with state-of-the-art monitoring and alerting systems.

One of the key players in this space is Teletrac Navman, a software service company which offers electronic guidance solutions to transporters. The developer was quick to incorporate AI into its value proposition early on in this phenomenon — a move that has seemingly paid off.

According to one of Teletrac Navman’s Safety and Compliance Solutions Specialists, Chris L’Ecluse, it is essential to be at the forefront of innovation in this space.

“As a tech company, I think being an early adopter of any technology is an imperative,” he says. “If you’re a tech provider and you’re not ahead of the curve, you’re going to get left behind. Something we take great pride in at Teletrac Navman is the ability to understand our market and the organisations within it and create products and services that meet the needs of all parties involved.”

Teletrac Navman’s entry into the AI world came in 2020 with the release of the TN360, a large-scale software platform that collects key data on the efficiency, productivity and safety of truck drivers by measuring speed, driver behaviour behind the wheel and an assortment of other variables.

These capabilities, coupled with video cameras in the truck cab which link to this system, provide fleet managers and operators with a holistic view of any obstructions that drivers may face during their transport journeys, enabling them to create comprehensive solutions.

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Image: Teletrac Navman.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT

Chris L’Ecluse.

provides essential feedback which drivers can take on to become much safer.”

Teletrac Navman’s recognition of some stigma around AI’s application, and subsequent efforts to make these applications transparent, has been echoed by other developers in the space to encourage the uptake of this technology.

Seeing Machines, another developer in the sector, has innovated in the space for over 15 years. The company’s own AI-safety solution, Guardian, addresses similar issues pertaining to driver distraction and fatigue for fleets, and has also experienced pushback for the extent of its applications in the past.

Company CEO, Paul McGlone, notes that transparency remains a key tenet of AI development.

“One of the main challenges of implementing AI in the transport industry is the perception – sometimes misconception – around privacy and security,” he says. “People want to know how data is being used and protected, and that’s completely understandable.

Building trust with different industry stakeholders is an ongoing journey. It takes time to demonstrate the reliability and integrity of AI systems, especially in such a critical industry.”

Seeing Machines is a staunch advocate and practitioner of making the use of its data traceable and clear to alleviate concerns from the public. In another effort to break some of these 56

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comprehension barriers of AI, Paul also refers to a list of tried-and-true technologies within the industry that have incorporated an element of AI for some time already.

“Many people don’t realise just how much AI is embedded in the products they already use,” he says. “Cruise control, driver assistance systems, and other features have relied on AI for years, and its role is only growing. This shift in sentiment around AI, now that it’s being used in a new way, reinforces the importance of educating stakeholders and ensuring our solutions are designed with trust, security and clear benefits in mind.”

For Seeing Machines, part of this delivery of trust to consumers comes by adhering to different regulations for its AI applications, including European GDPR laws which protect data privacy, and a recent update to the EU General Safety Regulation which mandates certain AI-based safety features in vehicles. However, these EU regulations are being consulted in lieu of any AI related mandatory guardrails. There is no standalone law inherently created for AI regulation explicitly. While the Australian Government has introduced the Voluntary AI Safety Standard and the AI Ethics Principles to guide technology development in this space, it seeks input on proposed legislation as calls for more targeted regulation, particularly for highrisk AI applications, increase all while

widespread adoption and innovation of the technology intensifies albeit in what are considered low-risk areas.

Stephen King, Commissioner of the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission notes where potential harm exists, it must be weighed against the benefits of the technology.

“Governments need to determine whether the identified uses of the AI technology result in heightened risks of serious harm compared to the alternative,” he notes. “The risks of AI should be judged against realworld, human-based alternatives, not a fictitious risk-free world.”

In King’s opinion, if existing regulations adequately address the identified risks, then there is no need for new regulation.

“Existing regulations may clearly cover the use of AI technology. Alternatively existing regulations may need clarification, potentially via the courts, or amendment,” he writes. “This means that regulators must be trained and resourced to understand and respond to any risks that come from the use of AIbased technology.”

AI models are trained on massive data sets. Already in the legal profession shortcuts in legal research and document preparation have seen attorneys in a New York court submit a brief containing fake extracts and case citations. What the lawyers didn’t know was ChatGPT, where they researched the case, can hallucinate. The subsequent failure to check that the cases actually existed had dire consequences.

A Voluntary Standard has been put forth with ten guardrails, the first of which insists accountability for the safe and responsible deployment of AI cannot be outsourced. These regulatory discussions and frequent innovations involving AI can greatly impact the perception of this technology for even some of the most established members of the trucking industry. One such company, Russell Transport, has been operating in Queensland’s logistics sector for over 100 years, and has a very specific perception of the term AI and its accompanying technology. The

it,” she says. “We’ve focused on utilising specific innovations that can create efficiency and take our own people along for the journey so that they can harness that efficiency into their work and focus on what application of it can be most beneficial.”

In this way, Julie and Russell Transport are certainly eager for AI’s advent into the industry, as the technology will bring with it new demographics and business into the sector. But, for the time being, a pitfall in AI’s presence actually comes from the trucking industry itself, and what Julie thinks may be a workforce which is still largely unsure of how to use it.

“I feel a lot of these new applications may not work so easily with our existing applications,” she says. “Some of these programs may not be compatible with the ones we run, and we need to source people to bridge this gap for us. The process of scaling the learning curve can be a big bleed on a business like ours. That’s where I foresee the biggest problems with the rapid uptake of this technology in this space, particularly.”

This rapid uptake of AI technology has seemingly worked to both unite and divide members of the trucking industry – addressing sector-wide concerns of safety and fleet management with modern solutions. While these solutions have worked to deliver enormous safety and efficiency benefits thus far, reluctance towards the technology’s widespread application persists, while its regulation and the full scope of operations are yet to be determined.

Telematics and software company Geotab is heavily invested in AI. Sean Killen, Geotab Vice President Global Markets, views it as an advanced tool for interpreting data and making more from less.

“The math is just better than human math,” he says. “No matter how good the compliance and scheduling person is at any of the major transport companies when their data flows through Geotab AI they’ll be able to get a better more efficient operation from it.”

The big question over the next ten

Julie Russell.

Image: NHVR.

carrier’s third-generation family member and Director of Support Services, Julie Russell, classes the business as one intentionally not leading the pack in adoption of the technology, but rather carefully procuring the advancements that works for it.

“To us, AI includes many types of technologies that we’re using in our fleet to prevent and detect accidents in our operations, as well as support the business further,” she says. “We are in a phase of trialling different things and seeing what works for us.”

Russell Transport is seemingly uninterested in development for development’s sake. The fleet is opting for a more pragmatic approach, incorporating this new wave of technology to serve specific purposes, where suited, namely in safety and efficiency. This approach was established some 20 years ago, when the company was faced with a crossroads of modernisation that has seemingly defined its attitude to innovation.

“At that time, I remember we were faced with a decision between these new technology systems,” Julie says. “One system required one dedicated computer to run its software and would provide us with information on the location of our trucks during their routes. Another brand had this same application that could sit on multiple desktops. We opted for the choice that provided us visibility on our fleet regardless of where we were. I think that choice really defined our approach to taking up technology moving forward.”

Today, Russell Transport is a dedicated user of Seeing Machines’ AI-powered Guardian solution, monitoring driver fatigue and fleet management.

Additionally, the company has been open to a wide spectrum of AI-assisted organisational applications from route planning and job planning and other fleet administration tools. The approach, at least initially, is cautious when it comes to incorporating these assets.

“It’s a lot harder to understand how this technology works when you don’t have a clear purpose or application for

years will be at what point does it jeopardise human employment. Waymo in Phoenix, Arizona has launched its self-driving taxis which are currently operational. Sean says it does pose a question: how does eliminating that driver help society?

“I’m not sure I really see the value in eliminating that job,” he says. “There’s value in utilising assets for fleets and being safer and wasting less fuel. If AI can do that and we know it can, then that’s great. Is it safer? You can certainly argue that it is. But I’ve also had drivers who have driven for 20 years and never had an accident.”

As some operators proceed with caution and others are quick to adopt this technology, it’s going to be a fascinating space to watch develop with perhaps no end of complexity. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

57

TEST DRIVE

GOING GETS TOUGH WHEN THE

The Arocs is the tough cousin of the Mercedes-Benz Actros and is engineered to handle the stresses of more demanding applications both on and off the highway.

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the job it has been engineered for.

The Arocs has a lot in common with the Actros, and after a day behind the wheel the initial impressions are that it’s as easy and comfortable to drive despite its more robust underpinnings.

The almost limitless list of electronic driver support systems incorporated into the Arocs reads much the same as for the Actros, and in combination, those systems deliver similar results in the critical areas of safety, efficiency and driveability.

One difference from the Actros is the fact the corner sections of the front bumper are manufactured from steel to provide better protection for the cab’s sheet metal. In deference to the slippery sites the Arocs may encounter during its daily operations, towing eyes and a coupling jaw are located in the centre section of the front bar.

The increased front approach angle also reduces the likelihood of damage and there is an alloy front under-run

protection system (FUPS) to minimise the severity of frontal collisions with smaller vehicles. At the centre of the front bumper is a step to assist when cleaning the windscreen manually and the washer outlets attached to wiper arms provide an effective clean at the touch of the control stalk in the cab.

Rain sensing wipers combine with automatic light-sensing headlamps to make the driver’s job easier, and the cab’s automatic climate control can be set to provide a comfortable inside temperature regardless of the weather.

Behind the toothy front grille and sitting on reinforced engine mounts is the OM471 13-litre engine which has 530hp (390kW) of power and 2,600Nm of torque and meets the Euro VI emission standard.

The electrics and the electronics on a modern truck such as the Arocs are complex and not to be interfered with, so this Mercedes-Benz comes equipped with the pre-installation requirements

Images: Daimler Truck.

T

he Arocs has earned a solid reputation and enjoyed a high degree of success in Europe where it can be had in interesting specifications such as 8-wheelers with auxiliary hydraulic drive to the front axle. Positioned as a ‘construction’ truck the Arocs can be specified to suit a range of applications including tippers, agitators and hooklifts.

Recently introduced to the Australian market, our Arocs 2653 test combination may seem a bit mundane compared with some of the exotic engineering features implemented in some European versions, but a 3,600mm wheelbase tipper with 530 horsepower towing a four-axle Hercules PBS dog trailer is more typical of the types of applications found locally.

The Arocs is basically a tougher version of the highway-focused Mercedes-Benz Actros, not that the Actros isn’t up to

Mercedes-Benz Arocs with four-axle Hercules PBS dog trailer. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

59

TEST DRIVE

Loaded to 39 tonnes at Jacob’s Well near the Gold Coast.

for roof beacons and roof mounted driving lights should they be required, as well as up to four cameras.

LED daytime running lamps are incorporated into the stylish front combination lamp assemblies, along with automatic dipping LED main beams and halogen fog lamps. At the rear the LED taillights are located in a metal mesh protective bracket as a protection against damage.

This is Mercedes-Benz’s ClassicSpace L-cab, which has a main floor to ceiling height of 1.75 metres and a width of 2.3 metres so it’s a big cab and the driver sits a long way off the ground. The climb up the three steps is worth the effort as the interior is very comfortable and well appointed, as expected from Mercedes-Benz.

The air suspended driver’s seat has significant ranges of adjustments, so combined with the adjustable steering wheel height and angle, the driver’s sitting comfort is well catered for. The cab has a rear window which is fitted with factory curtains. The single bunk sits atop a slide-out fridge and storage drawers.

There is also external access to storage bins located at the side rear of the cab.

The heated external mirrors are relatively large and are definitely an asset in a tipper and dog application such as this unit when tipping to unload requires the driver to perform a pretzel park. The compromise with the big mirrors is the need to lean forward slightly to check for traffic at intersections and roundabouts which makes the option of Daimler’s MirrorCam technology a sensible consideration when filling out the order sheet.

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Fuel is drawn from a 390-litre tank on the kerbside of the chassis, with a 60-litre AdBlue tank close by. The AdBlue lines are heated by the engine’s coolant system to eliminate the crystallisation which can occur in very cold working environments.

Despite its necessary ruggedness, from the outside the Arocs is quite an elegant truck and once inside the cab the interior is typically European.

Mercedes-Benz’s interactive Multimedia Cockpit has large customisable screens, providing as much information as the driver needs without being barraged by too much. In line with contemporary practicality, there is an inductive phone charger pad on the dash.

Frequently used switches to operate functions such as PTO, crosslocks, diff locks and hoist and tailgate controls are located in a stylish panel as part of the dash, instead of ad hoc placements.

This panel is positioned just above the electronic parking brake control.

The PowerShift 3 transmission is a direct drive 12-speed with its selector wand located on the driver’s side of the steering column. The driveline can be selected to access the optimum of either economy or power modes.

The eight-tonne front axle rides on a three leaf mechanical suspension with airbags fitted at the rear of the truck for the drive axles, with an additional anti-roll bar to assist with stability.

The combination’s stability is further enhanced by the Trailer Stability Control Assist system which operates by using the truck and trailer’s disc brakes to automatically compensate for any excess sway. Thankfully, along

with the Active Brake Assist 5, we don’t have to experience the effects but it’s reassuring that safety systems such as these are operating behind the scene.

The ratios of the hypoid rear axles are a relatively tall 2.846:1 to capitalise on the big six’s impressive torque to contribute to fuel efficiency.

Our test route is a relatively short one and we manage to cover quite a few kilometres along a number of the roads and highway sections located on the eastern side of Queensland’s Gold Coast, a region noted for its perennial construction projects, which is appropriate for this combination.

The heavy traffic around some of the roadworks helps us appreciate the comfort and good vision of the cab, as well as the ease of driving a loaded combination of this size. The good folk at Rocky Point organic soils assist in achieving a gross weight for our road test of just under 39 tonnes by loading a damp compost mix from their extensive range of products produced at their extensive facilities at the suburb of Jacob’s Well.

The front wheel cut angle assists us in some tricky manoeuvring around a busy car park while remaining attached to the quad axle trailer. In such circumstances we appreciate the cab height and available vision and manage to extricate ourselves from a veritable maze of cars and trailers without any damage.

The Mercedes-Benz Arocs truck is engineered to be capable of standing up to the additional demands of quarry and construction site work, while managing to maintain excellent driveability and refined road manners.

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PERSONALITY PROFILE

WAKING UP TO THE

REALITY

Images: Australian Trucking Association.

Steve Shearer at an Australian Trucking Association event.

Steve Shearer has been heading up the South Australian Road Transport Association for 31 years.

A

qualified biologist, SARTA Chief Executive Officer Steve Shearer brings a unique perspective to the issues and challenges that confront road transport at this critical juncture in time.

Prime Mover: As costs inevitably increase, will the brakes go onto the perennial rate race to the bottom?

Steve Shearer: For a long time collectively as an industry we’ve been our own worst enemies. We are suffering already with very tight margins and operating conditions. Unfortunately, there’s always just enough people who haven’t got their business act together and too many of the customers have zero loyalty. Even if they have a contract with their transport provider, most of those contracts do not lock in volume, 62

Ju n e 2025

they might only lock in a price structure which pretty much makes the truck operator captive.

PM: Can the industry sustain the added costs of meeting emission standards?

SS: The push towards stricter emission standards will push towards greener alternative fuels. Electric might be fine for local work, but it will be a long time before it’s really useful for long distance if ever. The biggest challenge, whether it’s hydrogen or electric or whatever, is the cost of the infrastructure to facilitate the use of an alternative energy source.

Electric requires additional power supply and charging capacity. Hydrogen requires production of the fuel and both need government for the infrastructure to be able to handle it. Customers are

leaning towards lower emissions, but the carriers get little support from the government to go electric so have to fund their own charging facilities, then the truck is two tonnes heavier so unless we get an increased mass limit the carrier cannot compete, therefore will decide not to go electric. Governments are only just starting to wake up to that reality. They’re happy to brag and cut ribbons and pat the few operators venturing into electric on the back for photo opportunities, but most operators state they cannot compete due to the extra mass of the batteries. We can’t just click our fingers and all those operators are suddenly green and also on a level playing field.

PM: Will diesel continue to be the fuel source of choice?

Images: Shirley and Johan/stock.adobe.com.

SS: For a lot of people in the industry they will make the fairly easy business judgement to stick with diesel because currently that’s fundamentally the most viable strategy. Governments have to understand the conversation is really about reducing emissions, not net zero, and they have to roll their sleeves up and work with wider industry and not just a couple of majors, but grass roots industry bodies, and determine what’s needed to make this work so we can actually afford to go green and still compete.

PM: Will their easy answer be to increase a tax on older technologies?

SS: Doing that will have an impact on the cost of living. It’s actually a real dilemma and they need to find a way to work through it. This is simplistic, but maybe federal and a state government, for example South Australia, could work together about creating a statebased pilot for optimising going green in road freight. And pour money into it and see if we can actually implement measures that work. Get beyond issuing policy edicts and start working with industry on agreed ways to implement lower emissions in a way that’s actually realistic. I’m a biologist by training and since I first started at SARTA 31 years ago I’ve been explaining to people in government they’ve got to understand road transport is the cardio-vascular system of the economy. We bring everything in that’s needed and we take out the rubbish. Transport is the lifeblood of the economy and if we’re not operating in a healthy viable way with a network which reaches to all the

Heavy vehicles move across the Murray River in South Australia.

little corners, like the capillaries getting into fingertips, we’re in trouble. If we have a major blockage then, just like the cardiovascular system in our bodies, the consequence is you die. The economy dies. We’ve been saying it for 30 years and more people are recognising that’s the reality.

PM: Will the long awaited revision of the HVNL be a positive change for the industry?

SS: The draft Bill has been sent to the Ministers and all the industry associations are approaching our relevant Ministers to get them to understand that while the Bill is nowhere as good as the root and branch review as promised, it’s a tweaking which has been heavily stymied by infighting between state transport agencies and jurisdictions plus the police saying they don’t support the fatigue reforms. The police like the current method because all they have to do is count the numbers relevant to the amount of work and the amount of rest.

They don’t have to form any judgements.

But that is not fatigue management, that is compliance management with a set of default rules. There were serious proposals supported by academics who were experts in their field to have more flexible fatigue rules that would have actually enabled more genuine fatigue management. It’s too late now. Putting that aside, we are supporting, or at least not opposing, the draft Bill.

PM: What are the key changes you would have like to have included?

SS: There are two key changes that

need to be made to the Bill. One is to do with the fact the draft Bill says the NHVR will be able to write and approve codes of practice. Our view is that’s very unwise. The NHVR must never be in the position as the Regulator of being able to write a code and approve the code where they have injected something they want but industry doesn’t support. We’re saying the Regulator should not have the power to approve codes of practice.

That should rest with the Ministers, just as it does under the work health safety legislation which gives industry the opportunity to put their case to Ministers. The second thing is, we understand the need for penalties, but while they’ve reduced a few of the penalties, they’ve increased more.

You’ve got to look at the maximum fine as well as the smaller end of the scale and, in our view as an industry, it is inappropriate to have minor work diary errors that have no safety consequence expose a driver to a maximum fine of $2,000. That is way over the top for a clerical error that has no safety significance. Fines for that should be smaller and the maximum fines should only apply to serious and repeat offenders. Fines should be commensurate with the risk and safety outcomes of the breach unless it’s fundamental, systemic and wilful false documentation to disguise the facts.

PM: Are we missing the forest for the trees?

SS: We want a highly productive and efficient industry that is able to underpin the economy in the way it needs to while being safe and as compliant as possible. We need police around this country to work in a collaborative way with the trucking industry and adopt the safety-focused, risk-based approach to enforcement that the NHVR is now getting pretty good at.

The police need to drop the adversarial approach because all they are doing is racking up statistics and making good, safe and responsible people leave the industry. p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

63

FITTING IN PRIME MOVERS & SHAKERS

A

A chance opportunity to attend a work experience program at a heavy vehicle workshop set the course for Ashley Belteky’s career.

lthough Ashley Belteky had no family background in vehicles, during her work experience she discovered an interest in things mechanical and, after finishing Year 12 with the second highest ATAR at her school and in the top five per cent of all Victorian students, instead of enrolling at university, she went on to an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic at Cummins in Laverton. Ashley completed her trade qualifications seven months early and received the prestigious Kangan Institute’s Inspirational Young Achiever award for 2019. Once qualified, Ashley worked as an on-highway diesel mechanic, a FIFO mechanic at a remote Queensland coal mine for 18 months, ran her own local business as a diesel mechanic, and carried out field service repairs to earth-moving equipment in the construction industry.

Ashley’s current role is as a Women in Trade Mentor with Apprenticeship Support Australia, an organisation that facilitates relationships between apprentices, employers and trade schools.

“We support apprentices and employers to make the apprenticeship journey successful and with an increased focus on women in trade and the unique barriers they face,” Ashley says. “My role as a Women in Trade mentor is to be the person who checks in with our apprentices and be a connection outside the workplace who is able to help if issues occur and to provide the support to overcome hurdles and challenges, and for them to stay in their apprenticeship.”

Oftentimes, Ashley notes, they are the only female tradie onsite or even in that particular business.

64

Ju n e 2025

Ashley Belteky from Apprenticeship Support Australia.

“We have a team of people who have experience, and they’ve all walked in steel capped boots and themselves were often the only females on site,” she says.

The organisation supports all trades and apprenticeship types including in the construction industry in trades such as plumbers, electricians and carpenters.

“We are fortunate to have the capacity to check in with apprentices,” she explains. “And we don’t have to wait for them to reach out because things have finally reached a breaking point. In that way, we are proactive in our support and it might be we are having regular catch ups every few months to see if things are on track”.

Ashley’s own time as an apprentice and

as a tradesperson allows her to have a special perspective. For a time, she operated her own business where she was an employer, and she recognises the value of having a holistic picture.

Social media can play an important part in alerting potential apprentices to the opportunities the industry provides.

“It’s about creating visibility as early as possible, using social media and the role it plays for younger generations, our message has to be repeated over and over. We have to do the leg work to bridge the gap between them seeing something which they think might suit someone else, to the realisation the transport sector, and a trade in it, could be ideal for them,” she says. “We are bridging the gap between knowing the industry exists to understanding how each individual could potentially fit in and thrive.”

In any workplace there can be challenges around an individual’s confidence, and Ashley draws from her own experiences in helping the next wave of apprentices.

“Even if the individual is a confident person, if they don’t have good role models in their workplace or in the

wider industry, it’s a much harder journey,” she notes. “It’s not just about ticking a box and having quotas for women, although the good thing about quotas is they encourage people to be more active in trying to attract women to the workplace, and once there they need to be treated as a person and gender shouldn’t be part of the equation. Having a better balance and a diversity of thought is always going to be better for our society and our community as a whole. And that’s at any level, if we’re talking politics or a small workshop which has five people”.

It’s widely recognised women have a reputation for being logical in thought when diagnosing mechanical issues and also as being more mechanically sympathetic when operating heavy vehicles and machinery.

“Reflecting on my own journey as an apprentice, there is a greater resistance to taking risks and making mistakes and I think that’s a reflection of societal conditioning,” says Ashley.

“As very young girls we’re praised for being responsible and being wellbehaved and that’s not necessarily true for young boys. It has repercussions

Images: Ashley Belteky.

Ashley has a non-synchro truck licence.

consciously or unconsciously in how we show up in the world and the workplace. It is valuable to have a person who is going to take less risks and make less mistakes, but with female apprentices we have got to make sure that doesn’t turn into a lack of confidence. Comparison to male peers might make them feel they are less valuable, when that’s not at all true from an employer’s perspective.”

A number of emerging programs are promoting an apprenticeship or trainee model for truck drivers.

“I’ve witnessed trainee programs, mostly in the bus sector, and I’ve had conversations in the context of construction in relation to excavator operator credentials, but it’s like getting a truck licence in just a couple of days,” she says. “I obtained my non-synchro truck licence a few years ago and I’ve only driven half a dozen times since in a non-synchro truck. As much as I have the skill set, I don’t have the muscle memory and I’d need to take a couple of laps around the block before I take a non-synchro truck on a drive.

The great advantage of apprenticeship systems is the fact you get the repetition and learned experience to help build confidence because you do have more time to learn and practice under mentorship. If that becomes a norm in industry it’s going to help.”

Despite the positive elements of her current role, Ashley occasionally still misses being ‘on the tools’.

“Some mornings you watch the sky turn pink and the sun is just coming over the silhouette of the landscape and I’m thinking ‘this would be the perfect morning to be doing a generator service on site,’” she says. “There’s a special relationship with being a tradesperson which I think is taken for granted. Stepping away has been hard and I sometimes do miss it, but I’ve been fortunate to find a pathway in the industry that I’m passionate about.

I can be nostalgic for my trade and I still tinker on things once in a while and that’s enough for me because I do enjoy what I do now.” p rim e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

65

INSIGHT | VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE

Insights from a much-journeyed ARTSA-I life member

PETER HART

A

RTSA-I recently held a dinner meeting at which I talked with Dr Peter Sweatman about his career in heavy vehicle road safety. Peter is an outstanding technical leader in the Australian heavy vehicle road transport sector. Peter described our industry sectors’ history, achievements and potential to improve road safety using innovative vehicle types and technologies.

Peter’s passionate interest in heavy vehicle dynamics led him firstly to the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB which is now NTRO) and later to University of Michigan Transport Research Institute (UMTRI). In the intermediate period he founded and led Roaduser Systems (later expanded to Roaduser International) that provided consulting services to the heavy vehicle industry in the domain of technical aspects of safety, innovation and compliance with regulations. His professional work in Australia provided leadership that helped identify a regulatory reform path that fleet operators, regulators and road owners could accept to balance the competing forces of safety, productivity and the sharing of road by small and large vehicles.

Peter pointed out the intellectual connection that exists between people who manage roads and people who use heavy vehicles to move freight on those roads. There is a common interest, even if it is often ‘testy’. Australian highways

66

2018 66de c e mbe Ju n e r 2025

have relatively thin pavements and so damage done by heavy vehicles is of central interest to road managers. That intellectual connection underpinned collaborative work involving ARRB with the fuel-haul sector, which wanted to prevent rollovers, and the roadtrain sector, which wanted better road access. Vehicle performance together with road design determined the outcomes.

After studying mechanical engineering at a doctoral level, Peter took a position at ARRB to look at dynamic pavement loading by heavy trucks. An associate quipped he needed to be the ‘mechanic with a PhD’. VicRoads had installed a weighbridge at Seymour in central Victoria and he spent a lot of time bouncing trucks on it to measure transients. The basics were important. Later on, this work informed his work on technical standards for road friendly suspensions, which regulators linked to road access and higher mass limits.

The major fuel producers had their own fleets in Australia, and they were very concerned about tanker rollovers.

The Australian Institute of Petroleum (AIP) had contacted ARRB about tanker dynamics and this led to collaboration between ARRB, the AIP and eventually Hockney tankers. Hockney used this collaboration to develop the ‘Thomas tanker’, which had a very low centreof-mass height and was therefore world leading for rollover stability.

State and territory governments owned the ARRB. The focus of government was to keep pressure on the heavy truck industry. Peter had a different perspective, which was that the focus should be on improving heavy vehicle dynamic performance of trucks. Now, as a senior engineer at ARRB, he could promote the concept of Performance-Based Standards and opening things up.

Peter’s international reputation grew at ARRB and later at RoadUser. He was interacting with researchers overseas who were working at improving the road

handling of long and heavy vehicles. It was clear to Peter that better designs rather than restrictive standards provided the path to better heavy vehicles. Australia was good at doing economic studies into transport logistics productivity and governments were appraised about the possibilities to increase productivity. It was then clear to Peter that a project was needed to develop Performance-Based Standards that would underpin reforms that allowed high productivity vehicles onto urban roads. The National Transport Commission (NTC) picked this idea up.

State and Territory transport ministers authorised the work and eventually became comfortable with the proposed approach. Twenty-five years later the resulting PBS scheme is operated by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). It was the key to getting HPVs onto main roads in built-up locations because it gave ministers confidence that the safety risks were being managed.

Peter’s technical leadership was important to getting ministers and vehicle owners to accept the PBS approach. Australia turned out to be a ‘risk taker’ with high productivity vehicles whereas the USA was not interested.

As Director of UMTRI, Peter was involved with many projects but notably worked on the potential for communications between vehicles and infrastructure via radio communications to improve road safety. Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communications have great potential to inform vehicles with autonomous vehicle systems about immediate risks.

The USA regulators had focused on the potential for autonomous vehicle responses to improve road safety. UMTRI conducted a major pilot investigation into the performance of a special fleet of connected (small) vehicles around the vicinity. This was part of a larger investigation by the USA regulators into the potential for communication between vehicles to improve road

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GEOFF CROUCH

A truck sensing its environment.

safety. Draft regulations to mandate V2V communications on new cars in USA had been prepared by the Obama administration, but they were not proceeded with by the first Trump administration. US regulators saw automated driving as the panacea for road trauma. Notably it only took one pedestrian fatality in Arizona for Uber to cancel its direct interest in autonomous driving.

Peter Sweatman, who is now an Enterprise Professor at Melbourne University, is the author of a very recent book Approaches to Road Safety that is published by CRC Press. This wideranging work considers the potential safety benefits of intelligent transport systems and how they could be implemented to build the social contract that operators need to have with the community.

This talk with Dr Sweatman caused me to consider where Australia is at on the long and continuing journey to better heavy vehicle road safety.

Australia has mandated vehicle stability controls, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warnings on new vehicles. These advanced

systems use sensors coupling to computer technology to measure the vehicle trajectory and to assess the risks of that trajectory. Route data and intervention data is routinely collected on board. The development of these technologies has come from overseas, mainly from Europe. Australia is unlikely to be a leading developer of advanced safety technologies on heavy vehicles. However, we could be a leader at using data about the locations of interventions of safety systems to inform the fleet operator and government about the dangerous locations in the road system. Fleet operators could also be appraised about individual driver and truck performance. The regulatory infrastructure that Australia has established for the Intelligent Access Program and vehicle accreditation monitoring could provide the basis for V2B (vehicle to base) monitoring.

We have the world leading Australian Transport Certification Agency (TAC) as an asset to make standards for data sharing. Using AI tools applied to routinely collected road data, many insights about safety, driver

Peter Sweatman.

performance, freight management and fuel usage could be achieved.

In many other industries employers monitor ‘near misses’ to be informed about the circumstances that result in hazards becoming high risk. Our road freight logistics industry, which is by nature a dangerous one, could greatly benefit from information coming from V2B information. Gaining insights from road data should not be a Big Brother exercise. Rather a collaborative project is needed that aims to provide insights to vehicle operators in the first instance and later aggregated data to road agencies. ARTSA-I intends to develop a ‘white paper’ about the potential of V2B information to improve our world leading heavy road transport freight industry.

Peter Hart, Chair ARTSA-I p r im e m ove r m a g . c o m . a u

67

INSIGHT | TRUCK INDUSTRY COUNCIL

A safer, greener, cleaner, national truck fleet requires government action

TONY MCMULLAN

J

ust over a year ago (May 2024) the Labor Federal Government released their Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Consultation Roadmap.

This Roadmap being one of six sectorial consultation papers designed to stimulate discussions and recommendations from various levels of government, industry and the public, with regard to fashioning the government’s policy pathway to meeting its stated climate change objectives.

The Consultation Paper noted that the transport sector is the third-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia, amounting to 21 per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and since 2005, Australia’s transport emissions have increased by 19 per cent. Without further action, transport will be the largest source of CO2 emissions in Australia by 2030.

The Consultation Paper details that road transport is the main source of transport emissions, at around 83 per cent, with emissions from light vehicles (passenger cars, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles) responsible for almost 60 per cent of the sector’s emissions. This is followed by heavy vehicle emissions (trucks and busses) that account for 23 per cent of all transport emissions. The rest is made up domestic aviation (9 per cent), rail (4 per cent) and marine (2 per cent).

The Truck Industry Council (TIC) and our members welcomed the government’s 68

Ju n e 2025

Consultation Paper and we were particularly pleased to note that the Paper discussed the need for a “transition” to a net zero future. Something that TIC has been championing for some time now. Carbon abatement will not be a ‘light switch’ moment, it will take careful planning, government incentives, both regulatory and financial and importantly, it will take time. The size of the challenge for the road freight sector should not be underestimated. There are currently approximately 745,000 trucks operating on Australian roads and due to the evergrowing freight task that is expected to grow to 850,000 trucks by 2030. Despite the continued take-up of low emission trucks (hybrids) and zero emission trucks (principally battery electric with some hydrogen fuel cell), TICs modelling shows that emissions from the Australian truck fleet will likely increase between now and 2030. This is due primarily to the growing freight task and the increased number of trucks required to deliver that increased amount of freight.

In addition to low and zero emission trucks, TIC has highlighted a number of other CO2 reduction measures that should be adopted by the road freight sector. These include freight consolidation. By way of an example, freight delivered on a B-double combination reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 30 per cent when compared to delivering the same freight on multiple semi-trailer combinations.

Moving freight on even higher productivity trucks, such as PerformanceBased Standard (PBS) vehicles, can result in even greater CO2 savings. Another significant CO2 reduction measure that needs to be adopted in Australia is low carbon fuels. In the heavy vehicle sector this is primarily renewable and biodiesel though bio-methane is another

renewable fuel that could be used for road transport.

TICs principal policy document that details a pathway for government to reduce the age of the Australian truck fleet, improve road safety and reduce CO2 emissions in the road freight sector is the National Truck Plan. A current copy can be found here: https://www. truck-industry-council.org/downloads Recently, late April 2025, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) released their proposal for reducing CO2 emissions and improving road safety for trucks, a piece of work developed in conjunction with Deloitte Access Economics and titled: Emissions Modelling and Analysis.

One of the key issues highlighted in this report was that the current projected baseline case (business as usual), projects emissions from trucks will not reach the government’s 2030 target levels until 2049 and hence the transport sector is currently not on track to meet the government’s objectives. The ATA/ Deloitte report can be found here: https://www.truck.net.au/media/mediareleases/atas-plan-trucking-industry%E2%80%93-and-reduce-living-costs Both TICs National Truck Plan and the ATA/Deloitte report have the same basic objectives and call upon government to incentivise the uptake of new low and zero emission trucks as well as provide incentives to foster the development of a low carbon fuels industry here in Australia. Actioning these proposals will increase the take up of new low and zero emission trucks and will lead to a noticeable reduction in CO2 emissions from the existing Australian truck fleet, while newer trucks will provide better road safety outcomes for all road users.

Tony McMullan CEO, Truck Industry Council

VICTORIAN TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION | INSIGHT

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ARTIO’s role and achievements in road transport

PETER ANDERSON STUART ST CLAIR

T

he Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO) has been at the forefront of advocating for a safe, sustainable, and efficient road transport industry. Our journey began with the Sterle Senate Inquiry, which highlighted the critical importance of our industry. This inquiry laid the groundwork for significant legislative advancements, most notably the Closing the Loopholes Legislation No. 2, passed in February 2024.

This landmark legislation has been a game-changer for the road transport industry. It directly integrates our industry into the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) structure, allowing for specific issues to be raised, investigated, and adjudicated within its jurisdiction. This integration ensures that the road transport industry now has an independent standards body within the FWC, dedicated to setting and enforcing minimum industry standards. This includes greater recognition of operating standards and variations, ensuring a fair and equitable process that does not hinder the excellent work being done across the industry. One of the key outcomes of this legislation is the establishment of the Road Transport Advisory Group (RTAG).

This group plays a crucial role in advising the FWC about the interests of road transport businesses and

regulated road transport contractors.

The RTAG is responsible for: • Making and changing modern awards related to the road transport industry.

• Setting and varying road transport minimum standards orders and road transport contractual chain orders.

• Deciding on deferrals or suspensions of road transport orders and making changes or revoking them after suspension or deferral.

• Prioritising cases related to the road transport industry.

The RTAG consists of members appointed by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

The President of the FWC can appoint a member of the expert panel on road transport as the RTAG Chair.

Currently, Vice President Ingrid Asbury holds this role. The RTAG also includes representatives like myself representing the industrial interests of road transport businesses, and Richard Olsen, representing the industrial interests of regulated road transport contractors.

The RTAG can form subcommittees to consult broadly and provide advice on specific issues. These subcommittees are vital for thoroughly examining and debating the potential impacts of any proposed standards. They ensure that all perspectives are considered, maintaining a balanced approach to setting minimum industry standards.

The Sterle Senate Inquiry provided several recommendations, many of which are being, or already have been, implemented: 1. Establishment of an independent standards body within the FWC 2. Empowered to address the dispute resolution process 3. Ensure compliance with industry standards

4.

Setting new skill and training standards 5. Deeper investigation into heavy vehicle road crashes 6. Greater on-road driver facilities 7. Developing technology and data standards 8. New standards for the cash-intransit sector 9. Greater recognition of operating standards and variations 10. Establishment of a Transport Advisory Group While we have made significant progress, there is still work to be done on several fronts. Setting new skill and training standards, investigating heavy vehicle road crashes, improving on-road driver facilities, developing technology and data standards, and establishing new standards for the cash-in-transit sector are all areas that require our continued focus and effort.

ARTIO, established in early 1992, is a federated body dedicated to industrial relations within the road transport industry. We now hold jurisdictional power within the FWC that no other employer organisation in our industry possesses. This unique position allows us to advocate effectively for the interests of our members and ensure that the road transport industry operates under fair, equitable, and robust standards.

Our commitment to the road transport industry remains unwavering. We will continue to work tirelessly to implement the remaining recommendations from the Sterle Senate Inquiry and ensure that our industry remains safe, sustainable, and efficient for all Australians.

Peter Anderson CEO, VTA p rim em ove r m a g . c o m . a u

69

PETER SHIELDS’ NUMBER CRUNCH

Holiday Modes local interest rates in the second half of 2025 which will assist in investing in new equipment such as trucks and vans at the same time as fuelling the construction industry, which relies significantly on road transport.

New truck and van sales were faced with a number of factors during April which are likely to have influenced the final truck and van sales results for the month. The timing of the Easter break followed just three days later by the ANZAC public holiday effectively took a full week out of the order/build/ delivery cycle. Mix in the uncertainties of the then-impending Federal election at the beginning of May and it’s no real surprise that the Truck Industry Council’s result for April of 2,582 new trucks was 23.1 per cent less than in April 2024 (-777 units).

The year-to-date (YTD) accrual of 10,554 units at the end of April represents 1,461 less new cab-chassis and prime mover sales than at the end of the same month last year (-12.1 per cent).

The Heavy Duty sector achieved 1,110 new units, down 440 from April last year (-28.4 per cent) and the YTD of 4,490 shows 848 less units for the first four months of 2025 (-15.9 per cent).

Medium Duty results were not as brutal with April’s 600 units just 59 less than for the same month in 2024 (-8.9 per cent) and the YTD of 2,264 shows a contraction of the sector of just -5.7 per cent (136 less units).

The Light Duty truck category achieved 872 new units in April, 291 less than the corresponding month last year (-25.0 per cent). The YTD total of 3,800 units was 526 less than for the same period in 2024 (-12.2 per cent).

The Van sector reported 834 additions during April, 148 more than in April 2024 (+21.6 per cent) which was prior to the inclusion of the statistics from LDV and Peugeot vans. Taking into account the results from those two brands the total at the end of April was 3,219 large vans, 847 more than last year (35.7 per cent).

The Federal Government is now in place with a strong majority in the Lower House for at least another three years which, at the very least, will provide stability for the economy which is still coming to terms with the effects of the Trump administration’s tariff policies which continue to create unpredictable fall-out across the globe. In Australia, the retail spending results for the March Quarter showed a rise of just 0.3 per cent which, along with factors such as inflation being below the Reserve Bank’s target, could see several reductions in 70

Ju n e 2025

Apr-25

YTD

Change

ISUZU

992

3893

-2.3%

HINO

340

1291

-18.6%

FUSO

242

1050

-11.2%

KENWORTH

271

1037

5.2%

VOLVO

184

760

-35.0%

MERCEDES-BENZ

88

410

-28.9%

IVECO

69

397

-27.8%

SCANIA

70

327

-28.8%

FIAT

59

259

42.3%

MACK

53

221

-31.8%

RENAULT

41

200

400.0%

UD TRUCKS

40

161

-48.6%

MAN

47

145

-37.2%

DAF

24

124

44.2%

HYUNDAI

23

87

-19.4%

WESTERN STAR

10

51

-32.9%

LDV

7

46

-6.1%

FREIGHTLINER

7

37

-56.0%

DENNIS EAGLE

4

22

29.4%

FORD

8

21

10.5%

VOLKSWAGEN

2

8

-60.0%

FOTON MOBILITY

1

7

-46.2%

CAB CHASSIS/PRIME

2582

10554

-12.5%

M-B VANS

318

1108

15.4%

LDV VANS

156

694

-31.8%

FORD VANS

125

531

50.0%

RENAULT VANS

129

445

-20.0%

FIAT VANS

53

247

65.8%

IVECO VANS

30

118

5.4%

VOLKSWAGEN VANS

21

69

-71.4%

PEUGEOT VANS

2

7

-30.0%

VANS

834

3219

-5.3%

TOTAL

4125

10357

-6.9%

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Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Oil

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