PowerTorque March/April 2022

CARROLLS GROUP

CUMMINS, THE ROAD AHEAD

115000

TECH KNOW

771445

HAULING HORSES

9

HI-TRANS HIGH MILEAGE

03

MARCH/APRIL 2022 $8.95 including GST

Carry more.

Worry less.

Ready-to-Work NLR 45-150 SWB AMT MY21 – $52,990 Drive away*.

With an Isuzu Ready-to-Work Traypack, you can carry over a tonne more than with your typical ute. And that’s on the same car licence you already have. What’s more, the new NLR Traypack comes with three years’ included servicing and a six year factory warranty, all for $52,990 drive away. So start off the new year with a new truck… and carry more and worry less. For details, head to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer. *The NLR 45-150 SWB AMT MY21 Traypack Truck Drive away promotion is available only on new NLR 45-150 SWB AMT MY21 Traypack Trucks sold between 1 January 2022 – 31 March 2022 (Promotion parts and accessories. This offer is not available in conjunction with any other offer. Fleet and Government purchasers are not eligible. †Drive away promotion includes a 3 year Isuzu Total Service Agreement bodies, and all AWD/4x4 models are covered by a 3 year factory warranty. The NLR 45-150 AMT MY21 Traypack comes with a 6 year, 24 hour roadside assistance program. Offer available while stocks last.

Peri pack Visit

Period) and delivered by 30 June 2022. Featured drive away price $52,990 includes GST, 12 months registration, stamp duty and CTP, and dealer delivery costs. Drive away price excludes any additional package and is only available on new NLR 45-150 SWB AMT MY21 Traypack Trucks sold during the Promotion Period. 6 year factory warranty, covering the cab and chassis only. Any Ready-to-Work truck Visit isuzu.com.au for full terms and conditions. FSA/ISZS706

JUST A THOUGHT PUBLISHED BY Prime Creative Media Pty Ltd

THAT’LL BE THE DAY

I

f the pandemic has given the trucking industry anything, it is the opportunity to demonstrate just how vital it is to the well being of the economy and the society. The instances of news reporters and politicians mentioning the words supply chain and logistics have multiplied exponentially during the crisis.

Anyone watching the nightly news or listening to the radio on the way to work will have heard about the system whereby the product from Australia’s farms, factories and wharves gets to the shopping outlet, letterbox or doorstep for the end customer.

Words like distribution centres (even shortened to DC, because we are so familiar with them now) are becoming common parlance. The whole concept that there is an entire industry tasked with the job of getting the goods where they need to be just-in-time is now a much more familiar concept than it was in 2019.

The other idea the general public is having to get its head around is how delicately balanced the whole system is and how, if one decision maker decides on the wrong course of action, or if one link in that chain gets broken, the whole thing grinds to a halt very quickly.

These are pretty disastrous times, but there is a saying ‘never waste a good crisis’. which has been attributed to Winston Churchill. (In fact, the quote is from Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff, who actually said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.”)

Of course, the problem is, when you are in the middle of a crisis and the proverbial has really hit the fan, there is no time for strategic thinking and reflection on the situation, it’s just about getting things done from day-to-day.

This is the moment when the trucking industry should begin thinking long term, and as an important and vital link in the supply chain. If we simply do the headless chook thing and only solve today’s issues, they will return to haunt us during the next crisis.

There is a real opportunity to go into some form of campaign mode, to rally around some central principles we can all agree on and get them out there in the media, on social media, wherever we can. There is an opportunity to be the hero of the ‘real’ news or documentary story and not the victim of tabloid ‘fake’ stories, preying on people’s fears of big trucks.

Trucking is not good at public relations, it’s an ‘every man for himself’ world out there. We need to look past that and identify a series of common goals. First and foremost among these needs to be to improve the perception of our industry among those who depend on it.

A better image means people will want to come and work in our industry, it will also lessen the calls to ban trucks and impose curfews, as well as block high productivity trucks from vital routes. It also might mean the government could feel obliged to provide better facilities for those working in the industry on our highways. That’ll be the day!

EDITOR

4

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

ABN 51 127 239 212 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia Telephone: 03 9690 8766 Fax: 03 9682 0044 Email: enquiries@primecreative.com.au Publisher and Managing Editor: John Murphy Editor: Tim Giles Contributors: Paul Matthei Correspondents: Will Shiers (UK), Steve Sturgess (US) Advertising Manager: Trevor Herkess: 0411 411 352, trevor.herkess@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager: Justine Nardone, justine.nardone@primecreative.com.au Production Manager: Michelle Weston Circulation & Subscriptions Manager: Bobby Yung Designers: Blake Storey, Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey Official Media Partner:

REGISTERED BY Australia Post - ISSN 1445-1158 SUBSCRIPTION 03 9690 8766 subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

PowerTorque Magazine is available by subscription from the publisher.

The right of refusal is reserved by the publisher.

Annual rates: AUS $60.00 (inc GST). For overseas subscriptions, airmail postage should be added to the subscription rate.

DISCLAIMER PowerTorque Magazine is owned and published by Prime Creative Media.

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

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

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

The opinions expressed in PowerTorque Magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

ISSUE 127

14

Contents

THE CHALLENGE OF SAFELY TRANSPORTING HORSES

Transporting any livestock brings with it plenty of challenges, and when that livestock is horses, the difficulty level keeps on rising.

To be in the horse transport game, you have to be an enthusiast, and that’s exactly what Dippy is, he tells his story to Tim Giles.

24

56

CONNECTING THE DOTS

Hino Australia recently introduced its new 700 Series heavy-duty models to the local market. Paul Matthei takes a deep dive into the new model’s integrated telematics system called Hino Connect.

38

COVERING ALL OF THE BASES

Going down the fleet monitoring route requires an operation to commit to the system completely and integrate any telematics system into the entire business. PowerTorque talks to Andy Mickan, National Workshop Manager at Hi-Trans Express about using all of the data created by the truck and trailer assets to improve productivity in the business.

46 IMPROVE COMFORT AND REDUCE DRIVER FATIGUE WITH GOOD SEATING DESIGN One important issue in driving seat design to reduce fatigue risk is the provision of correctly designed seating and the training of drivers to adjust and use the seating correctly.

SUPER DRIVELINE FROM SCANIA

New diesel engines don’t come around often these days, which makes the launch of Scania’s Super driveline big news. PowerTorque’s European Correspondent, Will Shiers, travels to Sweden to find out if it lives up to its name. Amidst a flurry of alternative fuel truck launches, at the back end of last year Scania introduced a brand new 13-litre diesel engine.

62 CUMMINS’ ZERO EMISSIONS ROAD MAP Major global engineering powerhouse like Cummins have been reassessing long term plans in reaction to the impending climate crisis for many years, Mike Fowler, Cummins Director and General Manager On Highway Asia Pacific talks to PowerTorque and explains Cummins’ zero emissions road map New diesel engines don’t come around often these days, which makes the launch of Scania’s Super driveline big news. PowerTorque’s European Correspondent, Will Shiers, travels to Sweden to find out if it lives up to its name

ISRI SEATS the brand behind the brands • Supporting drivers for more than 50 years • Seating – on a higher level 02 97566199

isri@isri.com.au

www.isri.com.au

Standard Issue 08

NEWS AND VIEWS

Truck sales records, Cummins are developing a hydrogen engine and investing in battery technology, industry pushes for electric truck policy, the NHVR Roadworthiness Survey is out and government invests in a new location sharing database project. All this and more in PowerTorque news.

22

ALRTA

There are some, let’s say ‘minor’ issues that not everyone cares about.

Sometimes the threat is local. Sometimes it only affects a minority.

Sometimes the full extent of the threat is not fully appreciated by all. That’s why we do need the various special interest trucking associations.

50

INDUSTRY ISSUES

According to NatRoad CEO, Warren Clark: It’s time you and the heavy vehicle industry sat down and had a serious talk about supply chains.

The ATA has developed the policies necessary to drive Australian trucking into a bright electric future. A key element to keeping our drivers safe is ensuring heavy vehicles are roadworthy and safe to be on our roads, says Sal Petroccitto, CEO of the NHVR.

60

ELECTRIC KENWORTHS UNVEILED

In the USA, PowerTorque’s US Correspondent, Steve Sturgess, was on hand to learn about Paccar’s zero emission plans for the future and to see a selection of electric Kenworths unveiled.

66

32

FROM TWO TO 22 WHEELS

You might think that many years of racing with and managing Motocross and Supercross teams globally at the top echelon would be a tough act to follow. However, PowerTorque discovers that Troy Carroll has made the transition from two to 22 wheels like a duck to water.

TECH KNOW

Resolving technical issues with the road train notice will be key to realising the intended productivity benefits. Hendrickson PRIMAAX heavy-duty rear suspension is inherently reliable and requires no regular maintenance other than checking fastener torque and overall inspection. Choosing reliable equipment is key to operating an efficient fleet.

70

COLD CHAIN

Mark Mitchell, Chairman of the Australian Food Cold Chain Council (AFCCC) wants us to look out for those less fortunate than ourselves.

ISRI: DEALERS

Mobile Sales and Service TAMDELE, 21 Hakkinen Road, Wingfield SA 5013 DARWIN Ph. 08 8927 0986 email info@isridarwin.com.au web www.isridarwin.com.au Ph. 08 8347 1222 email sales@gitsham.com.au web www.gitsham.com.au 510 Victoria Street, Wetherill Park NSW 2164 408 Welshpool Road, Welshpool WA 6106 SYDNEY Ph. 02 9756 6199 email isri@isri.com.au web www.isri.com.au PERTH Ph. 08 9361 7646 email info@mmtisri.com.au web www.mmtisri.com.au Unit 1/569 Somerville Rd, Sunshine West VIC, 3020 21 Ginger Street, Paget QLD 4740 MELBOURNE Ph. 03 9311 5544 email sales@isrisunshine.com.au web www.isri.com.au MACKAY Ph. 07 4952 1844 email admin@isrimky.com.au web www.isriseatsmackay.com.au 3/120 Gardens Drive, Willawong QLD 4110 BRISBANE Ph. 07 3275 2044 email sales@isribrisbane.com.au web www.isribrisbane.com.au Unit 2/13 Hinkler Ave, Rutherford NSW 2320 NEWCASTLE/HUNTER VALLEY Ph 02 4932 0600 email sales@hvss.com.au web www.isri.com.au

ADELAIDE

NEWS & VIEWS

CUMMINS IS DEVELOPING HYDROGEN COMBUSTION X15

As the world looks to new technology to meet emission reduction requirement, it has been announced that Cummins is developing hydrogen combustion X15 engines, as well as the smaller 6.7 litre medium duty engine as a hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE).

“We’ve established significant goals as part of our PLANET 2050 sustainability strategy, including a target of zero emissions,” said Srikanth Padmanabhan, President, Engine Business, Cummins. “Reducing wellto-wheels carbon emissions requires innovation of both energy sources and power solutions. While use cases for battery electric and fuel cell electric powertrains are promising, the pairing of green hydrogen in the proven technology of internal combustion engines, provides an important complement to future zero emissions solutions.”

8

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

Based on next generation platforms, the goal for the new hydrogen engines is to achieve zero carbon emissions, and enhanced power density and improved thermal efficiency.

“Cummins’ leadership and deep knowledge in the global natural gas vehicle market and gaseousfuelled technologies will enable us to develop these new hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engines for medium and heavy-duty markets,” said Padmanabhan. “We are ready to accelerate the pace of our H2-ICE program to ensure Cummins continues to be a leader in this new, exciting technology.”

A new 15-litre platform offers the potential to bring hydrogen gas-fueled engine capability to heavy duty longhaul trucks. Cummins global technical centres will work together to achieve commercial viability for the H2-ICE

project on a global basis.

Part of the development work is to be undertaken at Cummins Darlington facility, and will be supported by a funding award recently received from the UK Government, provided through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), recognising the potential for Cummins H2-ICE to play a major role in de-carbonising transport from 2025 onward.

Using proven and existing engine platforms for the H2-ICE program, also means that Cummins will be able to use its existing engine production facilities and service support network reducing costs and improving efficiency. In addition. the company can also reduce vehicle and equipment re-development timelines, as many existing driveline components can be retained when paired with the hydrogenfuelled engines.

NEWS & VIEWS

CLOSE TO RECORD TRUCK SALES IN 2021 With the release of the latest figures from the Truck Industry Council, we can see that Australia came very close to record truck sales in 2021. The overall number of trucks sold in the calendar year, at 41,404, is just 224 short of the phenomenal record achieved in 2018.

Comparing the two years, 2018 and 2021, by segments, the results in light duty for 2021 beat the 2018 figures by 1225.

However, in both medium and heavy duty the total sales in each market segment fell short of the 2018 mark.

In 2021, Isuzu, again, demonstrated its strength in Australia and, yet again, came number one in the truck sales figures by actually topping its record sales from 2018 by 148 trucks at 10175 for the the year in all segments. Several other brands set unprecedented records.

The heavy duty truck market was also dominated by its perennial leader, with Kenworth increasing market share to 21.8 per cent with 2838 heavy duty sales for the year. Again Volvo came in second, but

the company’s component supply issues have clearly restricted output, seeing sales drop to 1683 from the 1740 posted in 2020, when the plant had to be closed due to Covid for a period.

The medium duty market had a predictable outcome with Isuzu increasing its market share to 41.5 per cent with 3067 sales. Perennial runners up in this segment, Hino, sold more medium duty trucks in 2021

than the previous year, but saw its market share fall by over two per cent. Overall the four Japanese brands represented over 95 per cent of all truck sales in this segment.

In light duty, despite having a relatively quiet December, Isuzu again dominated sales with a lead of 2247 over ‘close’ rival Hino. The three Japanese brands, Isuzu, Hino and Fuso, represent 81.4 per cent of overall sales in the light duty segment.

ISOLATION RULES REDUCED FOR TRUCKING INDUSTRY The Australian transport, freight and logistics sector welcomed the National Cabinet’s decision to relieve pressures on the industry’s workforce, according

Scott Buchholz, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport.

to Scott Buchholz, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport.

“Throughout this pandemic we have worked closely with the transport and freight industry, including peak bodies and the Federal Government has acted swiftly and decisively,” said Buchholz.

“Following this announcement, transport operators that have a driver who was previously deemed a close contact, if they are non-symptomatic and return a negative test, they can leave isolation, return to work behind the wheel and keep supplies moving.

“As the Prime Minister said, ‘the goal is to protect our hospitals and keep our society and economy functioning’, this is recognition of the critical nature of the transport, freight and logistics sector. We cannot keep the economy functioning and Australia moving, without a strong transport, freight and logistics sector and the workforce.

“These changes will help address some of the pressures industry has been telling us about and will enable

critical workers to get back to work, we are encouraged by the increase in people returning to work from the previous changes made to close contact classifications. I encourage all in the industry, as I know the peak bodies have done, to get vaccinated if they are not already and to book in for their booster shot when they become eligible.”

Following the announcement, David Smith, Chairman of the Australian Trucking Association, welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement and agreed there is more work to do.

“Whilst the ATA agrees it is a great step forward and these changes will support our industry, the sector knows that there is no silver bullet,” said Smith.

“As the Prime Minister said today, we are recalibrating our approach regularly. We will continue to explore entrepreneurial ways, alongside state and federal government initiatives, through the National Cabinet process, which support the industry during this pandemic.”

www.powertorque.com.au

9

NEWS & VIEWS

WA WINS THE COMPLIANCE RACE, BUT RIGIDS DON’T

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has released its National Roadworthiness Survey (NRS) outlining the overall health of the national trucking fleet and demonstrates that WA wins the compliance race, but rigids don’t, as overall compliance continues to improve.

The data was determined by the roadside inspection of 8,338 vehicle combinations encompassing 13,325 overall units (hauling units and trailers) examined by the NHVR from May 5 to July 29 this year.

The results were then compared with those of the National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey 2016 (NRBS), where 7,130 vehicle combinations were inspected.

While the lowest incidence of conformity in the recent NRS was witnessed in rigid trucks with 62 per cent, conformity has increased in this category from 48 per cent since NRBS. Road Trains were the combination with the highest levels of conformity and generally the conformity increased as the size of the combination increased.

Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO, explained that the updated procedures used with the NRS streamlined the operation, resulting

in reduced average inspection times of 31 minutes (down from 45 minutes with NRBS), equating to 2,000 hours of productivity gain.

To achieve this, the NHVR and jurisdictional partners, in partnership with Kantar Australia, a data and evidencebased agency, developed improved systems and roadside data capture applications, including the integration of registration data and co-ordinated inspection methodologies using a team’s approach.

Nationally, 75 per cent of units passed inspection, a significant increase from 55 per cent during NRBS. Most vehicles were inspected in the same jurisdiction in which they were registered. Conformity was virtually lineball between units inspected in the state of their registration compared to those vehicles inspected interstate, while the national median mileage was almost 300,000km.

Petroccitto noted that the average age of heavy vehicles on Australian roads is now 10.2 years and that the proportion of vehicles in the national fleet over 12 years of age increased from 29 per cent (NRBS) to 38 per cent.

“This collective suggests an ageing of the national fleet and the NRS also determined there is a direct correlation between vehicle age and non-conformity,” said Sal. He added that the flow-on effects of the Government’s Instant Asset Writeoff Scheme should serve to reduce the average age of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet in the coming years.

Conformity rates have increased across all vehicle types since NRBS, particularly

for buses and coaches with a national average of 69 per cent. State and Territory conformity percentages varied from 51 per cent (ACT) to 83 per cent (WA). Overall, 31 per cent of units inspected had at least one non-conformity, which is a significant decrease from 48 per cent in NRBS. One of the ongoing issues for truck operators has been the relative disparity between enforcement between states and territories, and specifically between the neighbouring states of New South Wales and Queensland.

Sal acknowledged there was still some way to go, but emphasised that statistics showed things were moving in the right direction in terms of a more uniform national compliance and enforcement regime between jurisdictions.

“We saw an improvement in Queensland enforcement in the time between the two surveys, even though the state has had some challenges during COVID with a significant number of inspectorial staff doing border controls,” said Sal. “I would say the gap is narrowing between NSW and Queensland and there’s also been a big improvement in Victoria.”

According to the NRS, those jurisdictions with the highest levels of conformities were Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia. The jurisdictions with the highest incidence of non-conformity were ACT, Queensland and Tasmania.

“We have less trucks breaking down which means productivity is better and we’re not seeing as much congestion in urban environments,” said Sal. “This is much broader than just safety – there’s a massive productivity benefit when we have a fleet that continues to run and operate a lot better than it used to.”

NEWS & VIEWS

ACCURATE AND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT LOCATIONS Designed to facilitate the aggregation and sharing of accurate and up-to-date information about locations, the National Location Registry is an initiative by the Commonwealth Government with support from industry.

The Registry is a key element of the Australian Government’s broader National Freight Data Hub project, a $16.5 million investment to make a range of data available to support the freight industry. This includes the recently launched Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard, which is providing detailed and interactive modelling of Australian transport and logistics supply chains across 130 commodities.

Access to location data will be able to support improved freight pick-up and delivery processes, more informed policymaking and a range of Healthcare specific applications.

The National Location Registry is managed by GS1 Australia with support from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Department of Health and is based on GS1 global data standards to support interoperability across the supply chain.

A central database that allows ‘Location Owners’ to load validated location information online, via excel file upload or an API. Authorised users, such as freight and logistics providers or suppliers can access location data from all their customers and trading partners via a central place.

Organisations wanting to provide or receive location data subscribe to the

service for access via a simple online process and can opt to subscribe to the the Freight module.

The type of location information that can be provided and accessed varies between the subscription option. Some data attributes that can be provided for each location record include: • Up to date information about pick up and delivery locations • Precision on correct delivery points • Details of equipment, PUD parameters, restrictions, curfews, other site conditions • Supports Chain of Responsibility and driver well being • Efficient synchronisation of data with carriers • Trading or operating hours for peak periods

• Safety constraints at a site • Driver amenities • Weight/height restrictions “Every Australian, everywhere, every day relies on freight,” said Barnaby Joyce , Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. “The National Location Registry will benefit us all by backing a more efficient supply chain for our businesses and truckies.

“For farmers, manufacturers and distributors, the Registry will reduce some of the hassle and time it takes to get their products to where they need to go.

“Right across the country the collection and exchange of information about physical locations is all too often a manual process, which is costly to maintain and can lead to errors.

NEWS & VIEWS

ELECTRIC TRUCKS IN THE REAL WORLD For many in the Australian trucking industry the idea of electric trucks is exactly that, an idea, but the reality is that they will become a reality, sooner than we think, so here we see a couple of videos about electric trucks in the real world.

There is a growing awareness of the fact that the electric truck is going to become a reality sooner than we think.

These two videos give us an idea of what the actual experience of alternative power may be like.

There is some momentum growing in Australia. This week the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) and the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) have collaborated to develop the policies necessary to drive Australian trucking into an electric future.

According to the associations, electrification would assist trucking businesses and supply chains by ending volatile diesel costs, reducing maintenance costs, improving urban efficiency, and delivering better conditions for truck drivers.

However they do point out that Australia currently lags most of the world in the electrification of trucks making the need for reform urgent. Of the 58 electric truck models available in North America, Europe, and China only 14 are available to the Australian market.

Key recommendations from the new EVC/ATA policy agreement include exempting electric trucks from urban curfews, changing Australian weight and width limits to accommodate batteries, and exempting electric trucks form stamp duty.

(Full list of recommendations below).

“Every government in Australia has committed to net-zero, but this can’t be achieved without decarbonising the transport sector,” said Behyad Jafari from the EVC. “Curfew-free operations are a huge opportunity, creating benefits for operators optimising fleet operations and to the community through reducing peak hour traffic and congestion.

“We need the government to read these recommendations and get moving fast. If we implement them swiftly the benefits to Australian trucking, our economy, and our environment will be truly massive.

“The AdBlue shortage crisis was a potent warning about our extreme fuel insecurity.

Why should Australia be dependent on China and the Middle East to keep

12

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

itself moving when we could be using homegrown power? Being able to power our supply chains with local electricity is a surely a national sovereignty imperative.”

Australian Trucking Association Chair, David Smith reckons electric power will be a game changer for the industry.

“It costs about $117 to fuel a diesel truck for 300 kilometres, but just $18 for an electric truck,” said David. “If Australia gets left behind on the transition to electric and zero emission trucks, we risk our supply chains and exporters getting stuck with high, globally uncompetitive per km freight costs.

“Trucking operators face a number of barriers to buy and use an electric truck and these must be addressed to lower freight costs, improve fuel security and reduce emissions.”

EVC/ATA policy recommendations: Australia currently lags most of the world in the electrification of trucks making the need for reform urgent. Of the 58 electric truck models available in North America, Europe, and China only 14 are available to the Australian market.

Key recommendations from the new EVC/ATA policy agreement include: Truck width should be increased to align with standards used by major supplier economies (current width standards precludes many electric truck models from being used in Australia) One tonne concession for electric and zero emission trucks (Australia’s steer axle mass limit, currently 6.5 tonnes, is holding back the deployment of larger electric truck models due to

the weight of batteries) Electric trucks to be exempt from urban curfews (electric trucks are much quieter and therefore do not require curfews) Mandate Euro 6 emissions standards for new heavy vehicle models from 2024 (this would bring standards into force 3.5 years earlier than proposed in the government’s draft Regulation Impact Statement) Incentive payment to reduce the cost of installing charging infrastructure at depots Investment in public charging infrastructure to support on route electric truck charging Incentive payment to reduce the upfront purchase price difference between electric/zero emission trucks and internal combustion engine trucks (In California and Germany incentives are provided to reduce or eliminate the price difference for battery, fuel cell and trolley hybrid drive systems. The upfront purchase price of an electric truck can be double its diesel equivalent) Exempt electric and zero emission trucks from stamp duty Set sales target for zero-emission trucks of 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040 (this goal is to drive ambition and measure the success or failure of existing incentives) The policy agreement between EVC and ATA was arrived at through a series of workshops held to identify challenges for the sector involving some 50 participating organisations including truck manufacturers, fleet operators, and charging infrastructure and electricity providers.

NEWS & VIEWS

CUMMINS MOVING INTO THE ELECTRIC BATTERY SPACE In preparation for the move by the truck industry across from fossil fuel power to alternative power sources, a new agreement with Sion Power sees Cummins moving into the the electric battery space.

Sion is a leading developer of nextgeneration rechargeable batteries and the company has entered into an agreement with Cummins to design and supply battery cells based on its proprietary Licerion Electric Vehicle (EV) lithium metal technology.

Cummins has made an investment in the Sion Power enterprise. Under the agreement, Sion Power will engage in a multi-year development program to design and supply large-format lithium metal battery cells for use in Cummins battery packs.

The Licerion system is a hybrid between today’s lithium-ion and tomorrow’s solidstate batteries. It has the advantages of 2022-01-Power Torque Ad.pdf 1 18/01/2022 3:57:40 PM solid-state, but it is available today. The

batteries developed by Cummins will be integrated in its electric powertrains for commercial vehicles.

“Sion Power’s Licerion is an enabling technology for the Cummins’ future electric commercial vehicle offerings,” said Sion Power’s Chief Executive Officer, Tracy Kelley. “Cummins is an ideal partner for Sion Power to enable this next generation of electric mobility and significantly support the decarbonisation of the transportation industry.”

Sion Power’s high-energy battery chemistry is an important component in Cummins’ roadmap to electrify the company’s commercial vehicle products.

Based on Sion Power’s proprietary lithium-metal anode technology and incorporating its patented manufacturing process, the cell provides a robust, longlasting rechargeable battery for Cummins’ demanding applications.

“Our customers rely on Cummins

to provide the most robust electric powertrains in the world,” said Amy Davis, Vice President at Cummins and President of the company’s New Power segment. “We need battery technologies that will meet the performance and cost expectations for tough, commercial vehicle duty cycles.”

Sion Power’s Licerion technology is an advanced approach to lithium-metal batteries containing twice the energy in the same size and weight battery, compared to a traditional lithium-ion battery.

NEW YEAR

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

SALE COLUMN LIFTS

K

1300 694 363

www.genesisequipment.com.au

www.powertorque.com.au

13

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

SAF TRANSPOR HORSES THE CHALLENGE OF

14

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

ELY TING O

n the outskirts of Toowoomba is an area populated with plenty of horse breeders and trainers. Nestled just off the Gore Highway between Toowoomba and Goondiwindi is a small yard with a few trucks parked up, the home of Dippy’s Horse Transport.

For those who deal with the equine community at this level there are a number of extra requirements which are a vital aspect of the business, which make it very

Transporting any livestock brings with it plenty of challenges, and when that livestock is horses, the difficulty level keeps on rising.

To be in the horse transport game, you have to be an enthusiast, and that’s exactly what Dippy is. Real name, Darryl Brusnahan, Dippy and his wife Zelda have developed a strong reputation in the world of horse transport in and out of Queensland.

different to other sectors of the industry.

For the owners of these animals, they are family and need to be treated as such.

“I do about 75 per cent on my driving at night-time,” says Dippy. “It’s because it’s cooler for the horses and works for us. We don’t get many problems with sick horses, which, I believe, is caused by the heat of the day. Especially when you go somewhere like Darwin in 40 degree heat.

“The other day, I loaded out of Longreach and made it out to Camooweal,

and unloaded there at 11am, when it was already 39 degrees. I loaded them up again at 6pm, it was still 37 degrees. It didn’t get down to 29 degrees until 3am in the morning, after some rain. Imagine doing that in the daytime, they would have been in 45 degree heat all day.”

When the driver is spelling the horses in a paddock, even if it is hot, they remain more comfortable, because they can walk around instead of being locked into a relatively tight stall in the truck.

www.powertorque.com.au

15

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

Not only are customers particular about animal welfare, the horses can represent a considerable investment.

“In spring and summer, we cart mares and thoroughbred foals for stud farms around Toowoomba and in the Hunter Valley. We used to cart one old brood mare, and, her with her foal, could be worth up to $3 million. You have that sitting on your truck.

“When a driver rings you up, the first thing going through your head, as your heart starts racing, is ‘I hope everything’s alright’. When they tell you they’ve run out of fuel, it’s a relief. That’s why we build our

16

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

own crates, we want to make them just right for the horses.”

The business’s customers include the horse owners or the managers of stud farms around the country. In fact, the thoroughbred industry is reckoned to provide employment for more than 75,000 people, with around 80 per cent of these jobs being in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The economic value to the economy is estimated to exceed $5 billion per year. This equates to a large number of horses on the road, not only racehorses, but moving horses around the country for breeding purposes.

Another major part of Dippy’s business is involved in moving performance horses, those involved in campdrafting, quarter horses, and other equine specialists. The operation runs regular routes, like a weekly run to Mount Isa, and others used regularly by specialist horse owners.

The regional coverage for the business has changed in the past few years with a lot more clients from Victoria coming on board.

One of the new customers liked the truck they used, saying the airflow for the horses created by the body design meant she would use them all of the time.

The period of the pandemic has created

HEAVY HAULAGE IS IN OUR DNA Designed, tested and manufactured in Australia, Kenworth’s range of heavy duty trucks offer you the strength and durability required to handle the most demanding operating conditions.

Reliable on and off the highway and purpose-built for high GCM applications, the Kenworth K200, T659, T909 and C509 give you flexibility of design with a range of heavy duty axles and suspensions to suit the task at hand.

Wherever the road leads, whatever the load, Kenworth has the power to deliver.

For your heavy duty needs speak to your local Kenworth dealer or visit KENWORTH.COM.AU Images for illustrative purposes only.

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

“It’s easier to teach a good horseman to drive a truck, than it is to teach a truck drivers how to handle horses,” reckons Dippy.

“WHEN A DRIVER RINGS YOU UP, THE FIRST THING GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD, AS YOUR HEART STARTS RACING, IS ‘I HOPE EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT’. WHEN THEY TELL YOU THEY’VE RUN OUT OF FUEL, IT’S A RELIEF. THAT’S WHY WE BUILD OUR OWN CRATES, WE WANT TO MAKE THEM JUST RIGHT FOR THE HORSES.” issues for anyone crossing the borders.

It has meant that horse-owners have become averse to transporting their own horses and have more need to use Dippy’s service. The trade in horses has continued through the Covid era so horses still need to be moved.

This has been a period of a steep learning curve for Zelda who has had to keep herself across all of the continually changing rules when crossing borders with livestock. By keeping the communication lines open with all of the relevant authorities the operation has

18

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

continued at the same capacity, but with much more paperwork, of course.

Zelda realised she was becoming an expert in the field when the Thoroughbred authorities in New South Wales phoned her up and asked her about the paperwork they needed to get some horses moved into Queensland.

GETTING STARTED IN THE HORSE GAME “I started with a bloke called Garry Higgins, when I was 21,” says Dippy. “He used to have horses and I had just come

in from the West and found out what women were, and that was the end of me. I had been born and bred on cattle properties and grew up around horses.

“I did quite a few years for him working with thoroughbreds, doing race loads. He sort of treated me like a son, so I could never work in opposition to him. I worked for him for periods and then would go driving for someone else to get more experience with the heavier trucks. Eventually, I got a trainers license and got my own little body truck. It was around the same time as I met my wife, Zelda, and we borrowed some money from her father, bought a truck and built the body.

“We worked during the breeding season hauling to the Hunter Valley and back. We paid the old man back within just a few months. Garry had me subcontracting for him and when he pulled out, the stud farms asked me if I would keep it going.”

This was the opportunity for the business to expand and it has grown over

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

the past years to the operation running today. The one little body truck became three, before Dippy bought his first semi, a second hand Iveco.

He had employed a female driver to handle the semi, who was unfortunate enough to be involved in a major accident at Lithgow in NSW. Luckily she survived and Dippy puts this down to the safety systems on the truck at the time.

“The paramedic who was the first on the scene, held her head for four hours while they cut her out,” says Dippy. “We had put satellite tracking in our trucks and over the weekend we noticed she seemed stuck in the same place for a long time. It wasn’t until her partner called us that we found out she had been in an accident.

“It’s something you would never wish on anybody. It still, to this day, gives me goosebumps.”

Another reason Dippy likes the Iveco product is because, as he says, “You can throw anyone in them. They just press D for ‘Dumb Bastard’ and away you go.”

The fleet is currently, five trucks, and at one time got up to seven. This comprises three body trucks, one semi and a B-double. Any growth in the fleet will be in rigid trucks as it is getting too hard to find good horse handlers with an HC or MC license. Also many of the smaller horse properties they pick up from can be difficult with a semi.

One of the issues with the smaller rigid trucks, rated at 12 tonnes GVM and able to take a big enough horse body, has been the size of the sleeper cabin available. The Iveco Eurocargo has the advantage of being supplied with a full size sleeping compartment.

The rigid body trucks will fit 11 horses with ease. The fleet comes under the livestock loading schemes in each state, along with the allowances and compliance burden that imposes on the operation. The animal welfare rules require extensive reporting of any instances where there may be an issue.

Dippy likes to build his own bodies on the trucks, but he has bought his trailers, adapting them with air suspension and adding extra openings to improve airflow through the horse compartments.

The standard hours rules are flexible enough to work well in with horse transport. A driver may be able to last longer than 12, but, according to Dippy,

www.powertorque.com.au

19

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

Dippy and his wife Zelda have developed a strong reputation in the world of horse transport in and out of Queensland.

you don’t want a horse on a truck for any longer than 12 hours.

Getting drivers who have the right level of skills has been an issue for the business. This is another reason to retain rigid trucks in the fleet, people who know horses often have an MR license.

When recruiting the emphasis is on the driver’s ability to work with horses.

“It’s easier to teach a good horseman to drive a truck, than it is to teach a truck driver how to handle horses,” reckons Dippy. When the main priority of the operation is the welfare of the horses, then the fact that a truck is involved is secondary to horse skills.

HORSE LOGISTICS There are a number of regular runs the trucks need to handle. Most weeks a truck will head west from Toowoomba into the Northern Territory, a second will head North to Charters Towers and

20

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN GOOD TO US, BUT IT’S BEEN A LOT OF HARD WORK TO GET HERE...

THERE IS MORE GROWTH IN IT IF YOU WANT IT, BUT WE HAVE GONE BACK THE OTHER WAY, BECAUSE I WANT HORSEMEN AND NOT TRUCK DRIVERS. WE DON’T WANT THE HORSES TO JUST BECOME A NUMBER.” a third will make its way to Melbourne and back. The rest of the fleet is involved in bringing in the horses heading out on the long distance loads and delivering the horses which arrive in the yard to and from clients around South East Queensland.

The Toowoomba yard acts as a hub for the operation enabling the team to consolidate and build loads, as and when the horses arrive and are due to

be delivered. All of the transport tasks are on paper work sheets, the job and information is too complicated to do any other way.

Sometimes the yard can have over forty horses in it, all bound for different destinations. The system Dippy has developed includes attaching a label to the mane of every horse as it is collected so that it can be checked every time it is moved.

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

“We try and run mainly inland,” says Dippy. “Going north we go via Emerald and for Melbourne we use the Newell Highway. But we do have to go wherever the load takes us.”

At the moment, Dippy is on the road himself, most of the time. In the past, he has been able to stay home more often, but the shortage of skilled drivers, especially those with an MC license, means he has to do the work himself.

With Dippy out on the highway most of the time, Zelda handles all of the tasks in the Toowoomba area. This includes a lot of loading and unloading of horses, both in the yard and for clients in the area. All of the horses in the yard also need to be looked after, at the same time as she is running the office, answering the phone and sending instructions out to the drivers on the road.

“The business has been good to us, but it’s been a lot of hard work to get here,” says Dippy. “There is more growth in it if you want it, but we have gone back the other way, because I want horsemen and not truck drivers. We don’t want the horses to just become a number.

“We want to provide a more personal service. Time and time again it gets proven. People phone up and we give them a quote, and they use someone else because they are cheaper. Then, a few weeks later, they phone up and say there’s been some problem. You only get what you pay for, it’s the oldest story in the book.

“We just try to be a professional transporter. Don’t get me wrong, animals are animals and sometimes they will get hurt. Touch wood, we have been very very lucky over the years. Word of mouth is everything in this industry.”

The operation has to be available seven days a week and 24 hours a day to fit in with customer needs and animal welfare. However, over the years, Dippy and Zelda have trained clients to refrain from phoning over the weekend, and to simply text if it is genuinely urgent.

“We are running a business, so we are not here to talk shit to you on the telephone,” says Dippy. “I’m not going to tell you how good your horse is or how well-bred it is. We just need the basic information. We get so many horses put on the truck and the owners tell us how valuable it is, and the horse in the next stall on the truck is probably

worth ten times as much.

“All of the horses get treated the same, with the same level of care. They are all the same value to the customer. If we get a client who wants us to prioritise the care of their horse, we just answer that we aren’t good enough to transport their horse. It goes dead quiet at the other end of the line when you say that.

“The best example of what has got us our work, to a certain degree, is when we have pulled horses out of Melbourne, in transit from there to Toowoomba and then on up to Julia Creek, near Cloncurry. Then they have raced them within four days of dropping them off, and won races. That’s where you get your reputation.”

For Dippy and Zelda it is all about providing the right level of service.

Sometimes, if a horse doesn’t seem to be travelling well, they will stop, phone the client and not take them any further. If they are not sure, they call a vet to take a look at them. This kind of policy has further enhanced the business’ reputation.

For this operation the welfare of the animal is paramount and it is incumbent on the driver to be able to do the right thing in any situation. This operation is unlike the high capacity racehorse transport game, which has a strapper specifically on board to look after the horses, with the driver’s main job being getting the truck from A to B safely. Dippy’s drivers have to be able to handle the horses and drop them on and off at different points as they travel across the country.

www.powertorque.com.au

21

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

SOMETIMES IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

T

he Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) and our six state associations have a broad reform agenda. We are simultaneously working on driving hours, access, mass, load restraint, licensing, training, charging, road infrastructure, rest areas, effluent and truck washes.

On top of that, there always seems to be an unforeseen crisis that is forced on our industry. Over recent years we’ve dealt with unworkable industrial laws, drought, bushfires, floods, pandemics, labour shortages and now an Adblue shortage that might literally stop us in our tracks.

It’s heartening to see that the plethora of different state, national and special interest trucking industry associations work best together when the threat is greatest, as they say ‘United we stand. Divided we fall’.

But there are some, let’s say ‘minor’ issues that not everyone cares about.

Sometimes the threat is local. Sometimes it only affects a minority. Sometimes the full extent of the threat is not fully appreciated by all. That’s why we do need the various special interest trucking associations, because not every association is prepared to fight on every issue, even when they claim to represent everyone.

As the peak national body representing livestock and rural transporters, ALRTA regularly encounters important issues that no other association is interested in addressing. Who else would champion an Australian Standard for livestock loading ramps? Who else would establish an extended 160km work diary exemption for rural carriers? Who would spend any time at all developing a national livestock effluent strategy, let alone build free effluent disposal points?

NO ONE ELSE. THAT’S WHO During 2021, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries released a discussion paper proposing changes to the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for the Land Transport of Horses. ALRTA immediately recognised the proposals as important to our industry and

22

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

we swung into action.

But why would we do that when we don’t have a whole lot of horse transporters as members?

Well, firstly, there just aren’t as many horses as there are cattle, sheep, pigs and goats – so it follows that there are not as many dedicated transporters either.

Secondly, horses are far more diverse than other livestock, including racehorses, show horses, work horses, breeding horses, recreational horses and slaughter horses.

The transport task is also highly diverse with each of these categories requiring different equipment and practices.

Yet, our members DO know horses.

Many active ALRTA members have grown up around horses on farms or in families where horses and horsemanship are highly valued. Knowing the mind of livestock is a key attribute of a good livestock carrier, as is knowing the practical side of journey preparation, loading, travel and unloading.

Further, the National Horse Transport Standards form part of a broader suite of land transport standards and guidelines applicable to all common livestock species.

Significant changes in regulations for one species can affect all other species.

If you will excuse the pun, the ALRTA’s National Driver and Animal Welfare Committee (DAWC) took the reins on this one. DAWC considered the proposal and consulted directly with member and nonmember horse carriers and also with peak farming bodies.

DAWC identified several extremely concerning proposals.

For example, it was proposed that horses could not be assembled for loading in temperatures exceeding 27 degrees Celsius, despite the fact that horses live in these temperatures in many parts of Australia. All horse trailers were proposed to have onboard watering and active ventilation systems, something just not practical, and potentially resulting in dangerous slippery conditions.

DAWC was also concerned about the proposal to reduce the maximum water with holding period from 24 hours to

just 4 hours. This would require frequent unloading and reloading on longer journeys, which is widely recognised as the most dangerous element of livestock transport for the handler and the livestock.

Can you imagine how difficult this would be for a semi-trailer load of slaughter brumbies?

In addition, the proposal for a significant reduction in allowable loading densities would have affected load stability in larger trailers and massively increased the cost of transport.

Thankfully, our strong advocacy on these matters appears to have resulted in the department significantly modifying or dropping these proposals altogether.

However, it must be said that there were also several sensible proposals that DAWC has supported. For example, we support new prohibitions on double decker trailers, foal transport within 7 days of birth, mixing of handled and unhandled horses and use of dogs to work horses during transport.

We also support a new requirement to remove hind shoes when horses travel in groups or for slaughter and improved record keeping – especially relating to last access to water.

As with so many of these types of proposals, our well-meaning departments need to be guided by special interest industry associations that deeply understand the competing demands of driver and animal welfare, road safety, the personal safety of livestock handlers and practical considerations concerning the design of trailers and availability of supporting off-road infrastructure.

ALRTA expects that the refined proposals will be released for a second round of public consultation during 2022, with legislative changes in 2023.

SCAN QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ALRTA

REIMAGINING T H E S U P P LY C H A I N

PROUD PARTNER

Department of Transport

24-26 AUGUST

S U P P O R T I N G S P ONS OR

M E L B O U R N E C O N V E N T I O N &

LIMITED STANDS REMAINING SECURE YOUR STAND NOW One of the first trade expos post-COVID, MEGATRANS is the critical event for the freight and logistics supply chain to get your brand in front of customers again.

M E G AT R A N S . C O M . A U

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

ASSOCI ATI ON PART NE RS

E H X H I B I T I O N C E N T R E

TRUCKS ON TEST

CONNECTING THE DOTS Hino Australia recently introduced its sophisticated integrated telematics program called Hino Connect as standard equipment on the new 700 Series heavy duty models sold in Australia. Paul Matthei takes a deep dive into this clever technology which has the potential to maximise efficiencies in truck operation.

N

ow standard across the 500 and 700 Series ranges, Hino Connect is an integrated telematics system that combines key performance data tracking in real time, remote diagnosis of vehicle faults and 24/7 alerts delivered to the truck’s owner and their Hino Connect specialist for priority repairs and service support.

According to Hino, this is a complete business intelligence solution designed to reduce costs, optimise driver and vehicle performance, improve safety and enable the operator to make informed decisions.

24

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

In effect, the system acts like an invisible umbilical cord between the truck, its owner and Hino Connect, with real-time data accessible at all times.

This business intelligence enables the asset manager to monitor key aspects such as driver behaviour, safety and vehicle utilisation either via the Hino Connect portal or an app on a smart device.

The Hino Connect package includes a complementary 12-month subscription for Business Intelligence Access which entails vehicle utilisation, maintenance support and Application Programming Interface (API) data integration for

full fleet visibility.

Other features include key performance data tracking in real-time, remote diagnosis of vehicle faults and 24/7 alerts delivered to the operator and their Hino Connect specialist for priority repair and service support.

In the unlikely event of a severe vehicle fault being detected, an alert is delivered straight to the driver as well as the vehicle’s owner and their Hino Connect Specialist.

Hino describes it as the total business intelligence solution designed to reduce costs, optimise driver and vehicle performance, improve safety and help

TRUCKS ON TEST

“YOU CAN’T GET THE FULL LEVEL OF DETAIL THROUGH THE MOBILE APP SO IT IS PRETTY MUCH A COMPANION APPLICATION TO THE WEB PORTAL; SO THROUGH THE WEB PORTAL YOU CAN GET THE ADVANCED GRANULAR INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON.” web portal; so through the web portal you can get the advanced granular information about what’s going on,” says Gus. He then proceeded to analyse my driver behaviour metrics during the recent test drive I undertook in the SS 2848 pulling a loaded fridge van with a gross combination mass (GCM) of around 40 tonnes.

“In there I can see that you have four over-revving events while moving and three excessive idle events,” says Gus. “We can actually go in and see the impact of these idle events in terms of what amount of fuel the engine consumed during these idle events.

“If you had a fleet of vehicles you could see who your main culprits were and use this information to target those in need of some driver behaviour adjustment training.”

In my defence, I explained that the hot summer’s day I picked up the SS the good folk at Sci-Fleet Eagle Farm had

started the engine sometime before I arrived to pre-cool the cab for me.

As for the over-revving events, I ventured this probably occurred on the descent from Cunningham’s Gap as I was attempting to achieve maximum retardation from the amazingly effective Intarder auxiliary braking system while selecting the most appropriate gear to optimise the journey time, just what every professional driver should do.

Sure enough, further investigation

by Gus pinpoints the GPS positioning of the truck during these events on the eastern side of Cunningham’s Gap, very impressive. Similarly, the major idle event was traceable to the northern side of the Brisbane River near the Gateway Bridge, pretty close to Sci-Fleet Hino at Eagle Farm.

“Everything in the Hino Connect analytics is interactive,” says Gus. “If I right click I can drill down to find information every hour on the day you were driving the truck. I can see there is

the vehicle owner make informed decisions.

In addition, there is a complimentary five-year subscription to Remote Diagnostics + Hino Connect Specialist Support which includes the aforementioned vehicle engine control monitoring, severe fault alerts and case management support.

Hino Connect is an important element of the all-new 700 Series that the company believes will help it snare a larger share of the heavy-duty market.

Hino’s General Manager of Service and Customer Support, Gus Belanszky, walked me through the details of Hino Connect, beginning by explaining that the mobile device app is a complementary adjunct to the web portal.

“You can’t get the full level of detail through the mobile app so it is pretty much a companion application to the

www.powertorque.com.au

25

TRUCKS ON TEST

data here showing the excessive idling occurred for half an hour from 1pm.”

“How’s that!” I exclaim. “I arrived to pick up the truck at 1.15 and drove out the gate at about 1.30.”

Gus adds that there are a lot of very useful metrics available whether you’re tracking an individual vehicle or a fleet of vehicles.

“You can filter down to which trucks you want to look at by the registration number and various date ranges either on a macro or micro scale,” says Gus. “This is going from looking at pre-built reports to actually being able to look at the data and drill down into it.”

After being shown how to access all this information, it was easy to appreciate the relative simplicity of gaining the information, even for someone like myself who’s not known for being overly tech-savvy.

In addition to the Hino Connect web portal, the mobile app is a useful tool for drivers and operators to access the most salient information while on the road or otherwise away from access to the web portal.

“The great thing about this system is that we’ve managed to keep it as simple as possible to use for those who just want the basic information while still having some really advanced tools for

26

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

the likes of fleet managers who want to drill right down into the nitty gritty of fuel consumption and driver behaviour, for example,” says Gus. “The mobile app is simple to use yet can still access the high-level information like data on fuel use and driver alerts.”

Gus reiterates that there is an almost endless amount of data that can be extracted, and that the entire system has been developed in-house by Hino with no third-party add-ons.

“We’ve worked with the Hino team in Melbourne who directed the project and the engineers in Japan to develop the system and we’re getting good accurate data which is ultimately a value-added addition for our customers,” says Gus. As I reflect on this information, it strikes me that the Hino Connect system appears to be much like the Hino trucks themselves: Highly reliable and functional without being unnecessarily complicated to use.

SUBSCRIBE & WIN SUBSCRIBE to Powertorque magazine or register to receive our eNews letter and go in the draw to WIN one of Two Fantastic GME Product PRIZE PACK’s valued at $950.00 each PRIZE PACK CONSISTS OF A BRAND NEW OFFER FOR THE TRANSPORT SECTOR: A personal location device ideal for those working in remote and isolated areas where reception is poor. In the event of an incident press the button and your location is known and help can be arranged.

The latest from the XRS radio range compliments the offer to give 2 lucky winners the best communications package on the market.

MT610G. SAFETY MADE SIMPLE.

XRS-390C. RUGGED RADIO. REDEFINED.

This Australian Made Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) transmits an emergency distress signal and is GME’s most compact and lightweight design ever, with a 7 year battery life and a 6 year warranty.

This unit is the first UHF CB radio to feature a built-in GPS receiver, offering true location awareness without relying on a smartphone for location data. It is GME’s toughest radio yet, dust and waterproof, and backed by GME’s 5 year warranty.

To subscribe to Powertorque magazine at the SPECIAL promotion price of $60.00 p.a for Australian Residents: 1.

2.

3.

Follow the link https://powertorque.com.au/gme/?utm_ source=Print&utm_medium=PowerTorque&utm_campaign=GME_subs Or use the QR Code Fill in the missing word to enter the draw.

Australia’s Premier Truck and Magazine is PowerTorque

OPERATOR PROFILE

22 TO FROM TWO

WHEELS

You might think that many years of professional dirt bike racing and managing Motocross and Supercross teams at the top echelon would be a tough gig to follow. However, Paul Mattthei discovers that Troy Carroll has made the transition from managing two-wheelers to 22-wheelers like a duck to water.

28

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

OPERATOR PROFILE

T

roy Carroll has been messing around with a variety of vehicles ranging from motorcycles to trucks all his life.

“As a professional Motocross and Supercross rider I managed to win 24 Australian Championships and represented Australia several times at international events,” says Troy. “When I retired from racing in 2010, I started managing the NPS Monster Energy Kawasaki racing team.

“We mostly had two riders, and at one stage three, and were travelling all over Australia during the racing season then travelling to the USA for training during the off season.”

He did this for a total of seven years until 2017 when he decided to hang up the riding boots and pursue an entirely different career.

“It got to the stage where I was simply burnt out from all the travelling and I knew I had to walk away from it,” Troy says. “The hardest part was being away from my wife and kids; even when they were travelling with me, most days I was away from six in the morning to six or seven at night.”

Troy explains that he knew it was time to quit during his last season of the Supercross in 2017 which went for six or seven rounds.

“I was basically hiding away in the transporter and not coming out until the guys raced, I just didn’t want to be there and that’s when I knew for sure that it was over. When Kawasaki asked me to renew the contract, I had to tell them I was out.”

Troy subsequently sold all the equipment including the race transporter semi-trailer, but somewhat fortuitously something made him hang onto the prime mover, a black Freightliner Argosy.

Perhaps this was partly due to the fact that his father Vince had worked in the trucking industry for over 40 years, meaning trucks were in the blood.

“The prime mover was sitting there and one of my mates suggested I get hold of a trailer and start delivering for him,” Troy says. “I basically got my semi license the day before I left, and my first trip was from Brisbane out to a mining company’s site at Roma Logistics Hub in central Queensland.”

This was the start of a very steep

Troy Carroll, started his Carroll Group trucking operation after retiring from a successful moto-cross and supercross career.

“WHEN I STARTED DRIVING, I DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THINGS LIKE BASIC FATIGUE MANAGEMENT (BFM) OR CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY (COR), BUT I HAVE CERTAINLY LEARNT ALL ABOUT THESE REGULATIONS AND THE MANY OTHERS SINCE THEN.” learning curve for Troy that four years down the track sees him at the helm of his very own trucking company, Carroll Group Australia.

“When I started driving, I didn’t know anything about things like Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) or Chain of Responsibility (CoR), but I have certainly learnt all about these regulations and the many others since then,” Troy says, adding that it was quite a shift going from being the hero of a sport to driving a truck.

However, he soon realised that if he kept driving it would mean lots of time away from his family, the very reason he had left the Motocross world behind.

“I started driving in November 2017 and then in January 2018 I put a driver

in the truck while I took my family and parents away for a big holiday in Singapore and Thailand,” Troy says.

“And I thought, ‘how good’s this, I’m making money while I’m away on holidays’.

“So when I came back I decided to shift things up a gear and started doing courses to learn everything I needed to know about running a trucking business.”

Troy adds that keeping up with compliance has become a huge thing for the company – which prides itself on maintaining the highest possible standards in safety and compliance.

“This goes hand-in-hand with the type of work in which we specialise; that is general freight going to mining

www.powertorque.com.au

29

OPERATOR PROFILE

and gas exploration companies where safety and compliance are of the highest order,” he says.

FAMILY AFFAIR As the business developed, Troy’s father Vince came onboard with his own truck as a subcontractor. Vince has a wealth of experience in the industry, having founded and managed Carroll Truck Sales Toowoomba for many years before selling it. Prior to that he was operating grain tippers and running refrigerated produce to the Brisbane markets.

“I then bought his truck and he started driving for me for a while, and we added a third truck to the fleet,” Troy says. “As we got bigger, I realised I needed someone I could trust to manage the financial side of things, so I asked Dad to join me in the office as our Financial Controller.

“From there the business has continued to grow and we now have 23 pieces of equipment, and we have another three new trucks on order to be delivered this year,” Troy says, adding that additional flat top, curtain side, side-loader and drop deck trailers with ramps will be acquired in due course.

Troy mentions that his 18-yearold daughter has recently started working in the office which means

30

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“I WAS BROUGHT UP WITH A STRONG WORK ETHIC AND I AM PUTTING EVERY BIT AS MUCH EFFORT INTO THIS BUSINESS AS I DID WHEN I WAS RACING.” three generations of the family are now engaged in the business, along with 18 employees.

DIVERSIFICATION Late last year the company moved into a new dimension, commencing a thirdparty logistics (3PL) end-to-end service at a new facility at Yatala to complement its existing operations. The site has a huge shed where the goods are temporarily stored after being unloaded from shipping containers, before being trucked to the customer.

“We pick up the containers from the port and bring them here, unpack them, store the products then deliver them when the customer needs them,” he says. “At this stage we are using subcontractors with sideloaders to deliver the containers to us and return the empties, but we plan to purchase our own sideloaders so that we can be in full control of the entire operation.”

Troy elaborates on another future development for the operation, that’s in the pipeline, a full quarantine service

that will be used in conjunction with unpacking containers from overseas.

He makes no secret of his desire to keep growing the business over the next eight to 10 years, adding as many facets as practicable along the way to provide the ultimate end-to-end solution for customers.

“I was brought up with a strong work ethic and I am putting every bit as much effort into this business as I did when I was racing,” Troy says. “I try to ensure that all our gear is top notch and looks good and that the service we give our clients is 100 per cent, that the freight is there on time, undamaged and fully compliant.

“I think we’re doing alright,” he says modestly. “In the meantime, we continue to engage companies who have helped us in the past as we believe loyalty and long-term relationships are keys to a successful business.”

CARE FOR EMPLOYEES Troy regards his employees as the backbone of the business and tries to

cummins.com.au

OPERATOR PROFILE

look after them accordingly. Despite this, he says, the company still has a relatively high turnover of drivers, around three to four per year.

“I think every transport company has the same issue,” says TRroy. “We have a couple of guys who have been with us a fair while, so we try to look after them by giving them the new gear.”

Other niceties the company now fits to its new line-haul trucks include IcePack cab air-conditioners, fridges, microwave ovens and televisions.

“This way the drivers can take their meals with them as a potentially healthier and more cost-effective option compared with buying food at truck stops,” says Troy.

Somewhat unusually for long distance driving work, Troy pays his drivers by the hour rather than a per kilometre rate and he says, depending on what projects are on at the time, they average between 3,500 and 5,500km per week.

“They generally leave on Monday morning and get back Friday evening or Saturday morning, we try to get them home for the weekends wherever possible,” Troy says. “We also stipulate that they don’t drive between 10pm and 5am, unless approved by management, in the interests of optimised safety and effective fatigue management.”

As for the reasoning behind paying the drivers an hourly rate, Troy says he believes they should be paid while they rest in the bunk if they have to wait to get unloaded.

“If they get to a site and there’s a four or five-hour delay I’d rather the driver be happy to get in his bunk and have

32

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

a sleep knowing he’s still getting paid while he rests,” says Troy. “Sure it costs us more money but I know I’m looking after the driver and he’s getting more money for his family, and at the end of the day we’re all about family here.”

BRAND LOYALTY The company runs several different brands of trucks, with Kenworth being the new kid on the block. In fact, the first Kenworth, a pre-owned T409, was purchased mid last year from Brown

and Hurley at Yatala. Since then, two new K200s have also joined the fray.

Troy describes the service from Brown and Hurley Yatala as ‘absolutely fantastic’, saying the company goes above and beyond with its support and the way the trucks are impeccably presented at delivery.

He also has high praise for Volvo Commercial Vehicles Australia (VCVA) which he has been dealing with for the past three years since buying some second-hand Macks ,a Trident and a Super-Liner, and two new Volvos, an FH16 and a Globetrotter.

“The Globetrotter is 120-tonne road train rated and has the big rubber guards, we send it out to Moomba in the Cooper Basin on the Strzelecki Track in the north-eastern corner of South Australia and it is performing very well for us under those harsh conditions, we’ve absolutely had zero problems with it,” Troy says.

“This is the main reason why we have changed to only buying new trucks and we put them all on maintenance plans and turn them over after they’ve travelled 800,000km.

“We used to deal with VCVA at Wacol

Drive your business with confidence With more than 90 years of experience and innovation, Mobil Delvac™ helps your organisation grow from strength to strength.

To see what Mobil Delvac can do for your business, call 1300 364 169

Mobil Delvac is a trademark of Exxon Mobil Corporation and used under license by Ampol Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd

Scan to learn more about Mobil™ lubricants

OPERATOR PROFILE

but now that we are based at Yatala it’s easier to deal with the Nerang branch.

Their maintenance package has been great, and we look at it as a sort of insurance policy that keeps our trucks where they need to be, on the road earning money.”

Troy explains that the company’s move to Kenworth is due in part to Volvo having supply issues with its new trucks.

“Volvo have shut their books to taking more orders, hence the reason we started looking at the Kenworth products; and now that we’ve been so well treated

by Brown and Hurley, I think we’ll be buying a lot more Kenworths,” Troy says.

That said, Troy says he has a high regard for the Volvo Globetrotter and believes that model and the K200 Kenworth will be the mainstay of the fleet for the foreseeable future.

TRAILERS OF CHOICE Troy says Freighter and CIMC are the company’s preferred brands for flat top, drop deck and curtain side trailers.

When the time comes to purchase sideloaders, he says he will consult friends who operate them at the port to guide

34

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WHAT I’M DOING NOW WHICH MAKES IT EASY TO GO TO WORK EVERY DAY. SEEING THE BUSINESS GROW AND HAVING FAITH IN MY TEAM AROUND ME IS A MASSIVE BUZZ – I REALLY THANK THE PEOPLE WHO I HAVE WORKING FOR ME WHO ASSIST IN WHAT WE DO ON A DAILY BASIS; THEY ARE ABSOLUTE STARS IN THEIR JOBS.” him with purchasing decisions.

“We have more prime movers than trailers at the moment, so we need to buy more trailers this year,” says Troy.

As the conversation draws to a close, Troy reiterates the key reasons for the success of the company.

“I grew up around trucks in Dad’s truck sales yard and it’s definitely in my blood, but I didn’t know anything about running a trucking company until just over four years ago,” says Troy. “It was a completely different ball game compared to the Motocross glitz and glamour and flying around the world that I was used to.

“So, leaving that all behind and throwing myself into this new career path, boots and all, was probably the biggest turning point in my life. Driving trucks completely changed my mindset in regard to what I was doing with my life and helped me find myself again, that was a huge thing for me.

“I absolutely love what I’m doing now which makes it easy to go to work every day. Seeing the business grow and having faith in my team around me is a massive buzz – I really thank the people who I have working for me who assist in what we do on a daily basis; they are absolute stars in their jobs.”

THE NEW D190 FULL TIME PUMP HAS ARRIVED D190

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

Strength • Power • Endurance

CONVERGENCE

COVERING ALL OF THE BASES

Going down the fleet monitoring route requires an operation to commit to the system completely and integrate any telematics system into the entire business.

PowerTorque talks to Andy Mickan, National Workshop Manager at Hi-Trans Express about using all of the data created by the truck and trailer assets to improve productivity in the business.

H

i-Trans Express is another example of the kind of convergence happening in the Australian trucking industry, where a sophisticated monitoring set-up can be used across the business to improve all of the functions within the business.

The Hi-Trans business has been around for more than 50 years and operates Australia-wide with its line-haul fleet of Kenworth and Mercedes Benz prime

36

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

movers. The fleet regularly runs between its company depots in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Broken Hill, Townsville and Melbourne. It also uses agents in Perth, Darwin and Hobart, servicing customers throughout the country.

A high kilometre, just in time, type operation like this requires a varied fleet which does not miss a beat, to compete in a competitive marketplace. The company has an extensive system monitoring all of the rolling stock, trucks, trailers and dollies to ensure they are up to the job every day.

“It’s a fairly foolproof system,” says Andy.

“The way we carry out our maintenance comes from the recording of all of the data from the system. There is 100 per cent monitoring of all of the vehicles, all of the time. On the fleet maintenance system we can see anything.

“We can see into the truck’s computer remotely, see all of the parameters we need.

CONVERGENCE

“ALL OF MY PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS IN THIS SYSTEM. I DON’T REALLY HAVE TO THINK OF A THING, IT’S SIMPLY A MATTER OF GETTING THE INFORMATION IN AND UPDATING IT. IT’S STRAIGHTFORWARD EASY SYSTEM TO USE AND WHEN WE GET OUR AUDITS, I CAN PULL ALL OF THE INFORMATION OUT AND MAKE HARD COPIES, IF NEEDED.”

I can see where it is, set speeds, look at the engine ECU data, then pull down history reports, look at fuel economy, the whole lot.”

The system Hi-Trans Express use is from MT Data telematics and it is used throughout the business, both as part of the maintenance process, but also for operations to organise fleet movement as well as for invoicing customers. The fully integrated system also includes the Seeing Machines driver monitoring equipment, to give the operation a comprehensive view across the business.

“I get reports every day and go into the system to see where we are travelling with kilometres,” says Andy. “All of our kilometres are manifested on trucks and trailers. So we know, if a truck is going from Adelaide to Sydney, we know it’s going to do 1448km and that gets manifested every day. All of that data on every truck, trailer or dolly gets put into our fleet

Andy Mickan, National Workshop Manager at Hi-Trans Express.

www.powertorque.com.au

37

CONVERGENCE

management system every day.

“I am able to preplan all of the servicing of the vehicles a number of weeks before they are due, because I know what work they will be doing. Then I let the depots know when any unit is needed for servicing and they get sent to the appropriate service location.

“All of my preventative maintenance and everything else is in this system. I don’t really have to think of a thing, it’s simply

38

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

a matter of getting the information in and updating it. It’s straightforward easy system to use and when we get our audits, I can pull all of the information out and make hard copies, if needed.”

ADAPTATION AND DEVELOPMENT Over the past 12 years Hi-Trans has adapted and developed the system to work precisely to help improve fleet performance. The Hi-Trans Express business model is all

around depot to depot line-haul over long distances, where the most important factor is the reliability and consistency of the rolling stock day-in-day-out.

The Sydney to Adelaide trucks do around 400,000km per year, running a changeover regime, a pattern which is repeated between most of the capital cities in Australia.

There are over 40 trucks in the fleet as well as over 150 trailers. There are also lot of subbies involved in the operation hauling the trailers, as well. Monitoring of the trailers is an important part of the data collection, ensuring they are fit for purpose on each night run. Trailer maintenance is all done in-house by the operation.

“If you plan everything in advance, it’s so simple,” says Andy. “It’s not reactive maintenance, it’s all planned maintenance.

We also do a lot of history reporting, with every repair having a job associated with it.

The stock of spares is also allocated to each job and monitored to assess costs.

“Every tyre is monitored. If you put air in the tyre or torque them up, look at steer tyres and rotate them, everything goes into the system and is put against that asset.”

It was this monitoring which brought

CONVERGENCE

Andy’s attention to the efficiencies of the recently introduced Bridgestone M866, with the new drive tyre exceeding mileage expectations across the line-haul operations.

Hi-Trans Express recorded 364,688km from a set, with another set of M866 tyres involved in the trials also projected to have a life of 360,000km and beyond.

The net result of Hi-Trans Express’ experience with M866 is an average of five to ten per cent improvement over its predecessor, the M766.

“These are the best tyres we’ve ever run. I’ve only got positive things to say since we started running them,” says Andy.

“The M766 was a very good tyre overall, but we’ve never seen results like we have from the M866.”

Hi-Trans Express was one of ten Bridgestone customers to conduct extensive real-world testing of the M866, contributing around 1.2 million km of data to the development including direct comparisons with the predecessor model and the competitor’s product. The trial was conducted on the Adelaide to Sydney return run and Adelaide to Emmdale return runs.

LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCIES A fleet like Hi-Trans Express is always going to be looking for efficiencies, but

40

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

is also committed to operating a carbon neutral line-haul fleet by 2025 and is actively investigating ways to reduce its environmental footprint with operational efficiencies, such as those achieved with these new drive tyres.

“Everything is measured and monitored,” says Andy. “We can have a fairly stable cost base for the business with the products we know. We can look at history reports and look at different parameters and compare

them in our system. We can then put a cost against those kilometres and work out our CPK on each route.

“Every run is a bit different and by analysing them we know the run to Sydney from Adelaide is not going to cost as much as the run up to Broken Hill, where the road conditions are worse and the truck is pulling a road train.”

All of this monitoring will also effect how the service life of a piece of equipment may

CONVERGENCE

“EVERY RUN IS A BIT DIFFERENT AND BY ANALYSING THEM WE KNOW THE RUN TO SYDNEY FROM ADELAIDE IS NOT GOING TO COST AS MUCH AS THE RUN UP TO BROKEN HILL, WHERE THE ROAD CONDITIONS ARE WORSE AND THE TRUCK IS PULLING A ROAD TRAIN.” vary depending upon performance and longevity. It’s not only performance on the road, it is also how the vehicle is purchased.

Different agreements lead to different service lives.

The fleet includes mainly Kenworth and Mercedes Benz trucks. While the Benz trucks are on a long term maintenance contract, the Kenworths are purchased and serviced. As a result the Benz will remain in the fleet until the end of its contract, usually 1,000,000km, and will then be moved on.

The Kenworth is a different proposition and, as a result, normally remains in the fleet much longer. The decision in this instance uses the long term data collected to estimate when the truck will

start costing more to maintain and needs to be moved on.

Operations like the Hi-Trans Express fleet are those at the cutting edge of the search for improved productivity. High mileage line-haul creates a lot of wear and tear on a truck and dramatically accelerates the ageing process, when compared to many operations in the trucking industry.

Monitoring costs at all levels is vital just to stay competitive, in a very competitive market. Systems like those employed by Hi-Trans keep pushing the envelope on what is achievable with smart planning and equipment selection, something which is becoming a higher priority across the trucking industry.

TM

COMMERCIAL VEHICLE DISC BRAKE PADS

To combat the extreme pressures that heavy duty vehicles such as Cement Agitators, Garbage Compactors or City Route buses are exposed to, Bendix has created Bendix Protrans™HD. Protrans™HD has a heavy-duty formulation designed to cope with high temperatures found in constant braking and full GVM loading which requires a higher performance brake pad.

MATERIAL REFERENCE

APPLICATION

Protrans™HD

Super Heavy Duty – Severe duty applications, Refuse Compactors, Concrete Agitators, FE Route bus applications. Frequent braking environments, heavy traffic, steep gradients. Long wear life at high brake temperature. Strong resistance to fade at very high temperatures.

Find solutions for every brake job at www.bendix.com.au Or freecall the Bendix Brake Advice Centre on 1800 819 666 Bendix is a trademark of Garrett Advancing Motion Inc.

FRICTION CLASSIFICATION

MAXIMUM CONTINUOUS WORKING TEMPERATURE 500°C

CONVERGENCE

COMBATING DRIVER FATIGUE WITH TELEMATICS Get a better understanding of driver fatigue and how to use technology to manage it.

T

he (U.S.) National Safety Council (NSC) found that driving after more than 20 hours without sleep is the same as driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 per cent, more than the legal limit. Based on this fact alone, it’s more important than ever for fleet managers to monitor and combat dangerous driving habits like driving while fatigued.

WHAT IS DRIVER FATIGUE? Driver fatigue is often seen as an underestimated danger of being on the road.

Drivers often face long trips and inconsistent driving schedules, leading to situations where they potentially find themselves driving while tired and drowsy.

Technology can play a key role in reducing the number of fatigue-related collisions among fleet drivers. For example, vehicle features and ADAS solutions, including drowsiness and lane departure alerts are prime examples of technology that can detect common drowsy driving habits and notify drivers to stay in their lane or take a rest.

COMMON DRIVER FATIGUE SYMPTOMS Fleet and business safety managers can increase safety by encouraging their drivers to spot key driver fatigue symptoms and stay off the roads when they feel tired or drowsy.

To help get a better idea of behaviours to look out for, here is a quick list of the signs of fatigued driving from The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): • B eing awake for a long period of time • L ack of sufficient sleep over a several day period • L ong durations of inaction or monotonous work • S leep disorders • M edications that include drowsiness as a side effect As well, the following symptoms may also be noticeable in fatigued drivers: • F alling asleep at the wheel • S low reaction times to changing road

42

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“WITH THE HELP OF TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS DASH CAMS AND GEOTAB DRIVE, THERE IS HOPE THAT MANY FATIGUE-RELATED INCIDENTS CAN BE AVOIDED.”

• • • • •

conditions, obstructions, traffic or even pedestrians P oor decision making L ane drifting Tunnel vision M icrosleeps (brief moments of sleep lasting anywhere up to 30 seconds) L ack of memory about recently driven miles

DRIVER FATIGUE STATISTICS According to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the peak organisation for Australia’s motoring clubs such as NRMA and RACQ, as much as 30 percent of all car crashes in Australia are due to fatigue. The National Road Safety Strategy states that “fatigue is four times more likely to contribute to impairment than drugs or alcohol.”

With that in mind, note that there is often difficulty in generating these estimations as it is hard to prove fatigue as the sole cause of collisions. Unlike a breathalyser test, there are no tests that can be administered to prove impairment due to fatigue and police currently do not include a regulated fatigue assessment in investigation practices.

Driver fatigue also poses an increasing threat for companies who rely on their drivers to be safe and alert. According to the Sleep Health Foundation and Deloitte Access Economics, inadequate sleep cost the economy $1.9 billion in 2016-17, or $252 per person.

Recording and saving collision footage and filing proper evidence if any collisions result in a lawsuit.

Identifying impaired or distracted driving, not only in instances of fatigue, but also eating, drinking, smoking, or being on the phone.

A live view of drivers’ routes that can be triggered by events like speeding or harsh braking, allowing for quicker reactions by fleet managers to potentially dangerous situations.

By installing dash cams, companies are prioritising fleet and driver safety while gaining an extra layer of visibility into their on-road operations. Geotab offers a number of dash cam options, safety reports, and many other safety solutions in the Geotab Marketplace that can be integrated with the MyGeotab platform. This can make it easier to manage all fleet cameras from one cloudbased dashboard.

In addition, Geotab offers Marketplace solutions for ADAS and cameras.

CONCLUSION With the help of technology such as dash cams and Geotab Drive, there is hope that many fatigue-related incidents can be avoided. For fleet managers, setting up policies and adopting technology that works to prevent driver fatigue is a great place to start. Working with drivers to monitor their health and wellness is another way to help lower fatigue-related incidents, keeping them alert, responsive and safe.

DRIVER FATIGUE MANAGEMENT It is the responsibility of both fleet organisations and their drivers to maintain the safety of their drivers and encourage best practices behind the wheel. This is why Geotab offers fleet dashboard camera integrations that offer added benefits for fleet management, including:

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GEOTAB

Deliver more with advanced telematics The world’s best rated commercial telematics platform is up to Australia’s freight task.

40,000 + Global customers

2 Million + Connected vehicles

40 Billion + Daily records

Fleet optimisation

Productivity

Safety

•

Improve fuel economy

•

Real-time fleet management

•

Risk & safety reports

•

Decrease idling

•

Exception rules

•

In-vehicle coaching

•

Reduce Speeding

•

Trips & activity reporting

•

Accident notifications

•

Monitor engine data

•

NFC Driver ID

•

Collision reconstruction

•

Plan maintenance

•

Easy dispatching

•

Driving in reverse

Compliance

Expandability

Sustainability

•

Vehicle inspections for safety

•

Open-source platform

•

Reduce fuel consumption

•

Seatbelt use reporting

•

•

Track CO2 emissions

•

Manage driver infractions

Marketplace of Add-ons & Add-ins

•

•

Corporate sustainability programs

EV performance monitoring and reporting

•

GO device recycling program

•

SDK & APIs

•

IOX expansion on every device

Learn more at Geotab.com/au/truck

CONVERGENCE

CREATING A SAFE, EFFICIENT WORKFORCE THROUGH DATA

M

aking changes to your operations to streamline practices and cut down on unnecessary costs is difficult at the best of times, let alone in the middle of a global pandemic. But the secret lies in making the most of your fleet’s data.

In fact, a PwC survey found that datadriven organisations were three times as likely to achieve major improvements in their decision-making capabilities.

Here’s how correctly gathering and analysing your fleet’s data and transform operations while ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

REDUCED COSTS Thanks to the data being collected from sensors and AI-powered devices, managers can gather a comprehensive understanding of the real costs behind completing certain tasks, how much fuel is used, how many team members are required, and the number of hours needed can all be viewed in real-time.

Managing trucks and other large assets can be complex, but with data collected via telematics, you can understand the condition of each vehicle without needing to physically inspect them. Potential issues can be addressed immediately, while ensuring that each asset is serviced when needed. With all these insights at your fingertips, you can use this data to cut down on unnecessary costs and improve efficiencies to make more money.

drivers safe from potential legal and compliance dramas. They capture a complete 360-degree view of the driver cabin, as well as finer details like license plates.

If an incident is caused by another road user, the business can refer back to the HD footage to determine who is at fault. Not only does this help from a legal standpoint, but by exonerating drivers of any guilt, multi-camera solutions help to protect drivers’ mental wellbeing.

A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW

ENHANCED DRIVER SAFETY

No matter how much experience you have, being behind the wheel can be unpredictable. If you’re involved in a collision, it’s vital you have all the equipment you need to protect you, not just in terms of safety, but to back up your story and preventing falsified claims.

A smart, multi-camera solution installed around your truck keeps

When drivers are spending long periods of time on the road, away from family and friends, it’s vital that managers are aware of their staff’s health and wellbeing on the job.

EWDs enable drivers to self-manage their fatigue through automated in-cabin alerts, notifying them when it’s time for a break. Designed to keep you compliant with Chain of Responsibility (CoR)

44

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE CONDITION OF EACH VEHICLE WITHOUT NEEDING TO PHYSICALLY INSPECT THEM.” requirements, EWDs help drivers stay safe and give managers peace of mind that their team is doing the right thing.

EWDs provide back offices with second-by-second data, allowing them to better schedule jobs based on their real-time working hours. This ensures that all drivers are safely able to manage their fatigue levels from the get-go, while also ensuring that deadlines can be effectively met.

For fleets that can turn big data into actionable insights, you can expect to see increased productivity, reduced downtime and decreased admin costs, all while keeping your team safe and secure.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT TELETRAC NAVMAN

SMART DASHCAM

Improve driver safety & efficiency with an AI-powered camera solution Designed to ensure the safety of drivers & improve on-road behaviour

Protect your business against fraudulent insurance claims for peace of mind

Supports highdefinition 1080p cameras for highquality footage

Access footage as required or as events occur from the backoffice

1300 111 477 TeletracNavman.com.au

INDUSTRY ISSUE

IMPROVE AND REDUCE DRIVER FATIGUE WITH

GOOD SEATING DESIGN

O

ne important issue in driving seat design to reduce fatigue risk is the provision of correctly designed seating and the training of drivers to adjust and use the seating correctly.

The two areas in which good seat design can assist are: • Correct body support and ergonomic design to reduce muscle fatigue and reduced transmission of vibration • Good design will provide comfort and reduced fatigue.

ERGONOMIC DESIGN The accepted minimum design standard which is used by all major commercial seating manufacturers for the automotive industries is to achieve an optimal position

46

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

and support for the range of driver sizes from the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male. In practice, all good quality seat designs will exceed this standard by providing adjustments beyond the specified range.

As a minimum, adjustments must be provided for height, horizontal position and backrest recline angle.

In addition, cushion slope and length adjustment and a well designed adjustable lumbar support will help to provide the best possible support for the seated driver. Incorporation of lap-sash seat belts completely within the seat is also an important factor in assisting driver comfort and safety in modern trucks and all major European manufacturers, and all Australian manufacturers, now fit this type of seat as original equipment in heavy trucks.

In the areas of cushion shape and hardness there are unavoidable compromises. For example, foam hardness which provides optimum support for an 80kg driver may feel too hard for a 50kg driver and too soft for a 130kg driver but obviously a standard must be selected.

Foam shape design also requires compromise. Computerised pressure mapping systems are used by companies such as ISRI to develop the optimum foam pad shape. These systems work by determining the shape which produces the most equal pressure distribution and minimises the peaks of pressure on the seated body for a wide range of body shapes and sizes. However, personal preferences for pad shape and hardness will still determine whether a driver feels comfortable.

INDUSTRY ISSUE

Fatigue of truck drivers is the result of a number of factors and all the aspects should be addressed to minimise potentially harmful and dangerous fatigue levels.

COMFORT LUMBAR SUPPORT DESIGN

Provision of adjustable lumbar support is fundamental to good seat design.

However, market demand for cheap basic seats means that lumbar support is still optional on many basic seat types and the levels of lumbar support available are also dependent on the price and suitability to application.

For example, ISRI offers three levels of lumbar support systems: the adjustable mechanical support; the ISRI Pneumatic Lumbar Support and the ISRI ‘IPS’ system which adds adjustable side bolsters to provide the best available back support for a wider range of drivers.

SEAT SUSPENSION DESIGN Suspension seats are usually required for heavy vehicles to reduce the effect of vibration reaching the driver. This is important to minimise the health risks of damaging vibrations and also for driver comfort and reduced fatigue.

The limitations of suspension seats

www.powertorque.com.au

47

INDUSTRY ISSUE

inevitable that some drivers will express a personal preference for one seat type over another.

SEAT MAINTENANCE

are greatly misunderstood. It is important to understand that the seat cannot be a ‘cure-all’ for deficiencies in vehicle design, poor road surface, or excessive speed for the road conditions. The seat suspension can only reduce a percentage of the input vibration, it can not eliminate it totally, and the higher the level of input vibration, the higher will be the level of vibration and shock transmitted to the driver.

An air suspension seat will generally provide better performance and improved comfort compared to a seat using steel springs, especially if the suspension is an automatic self-levelling type.

The self-levelling air suspension, which was first developed by ISRI, has the additional benefit of providing an

48

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

automatic weight adjustment to ensure the correct spring rate and mid-ride height for all drivers within the design weight range. This type of suspension will provide superior vibration attenuation compared to a mechanical spring or manually adjusted air suspension seat.

DRIVER EDUCATION When a well designed seat has been provided for the driver it is then important to ensure that the driver is trained in the operation of the seat and the correct method of using the adjustments provided to achieve the best seating position.

Because seating comfort is a very subjective judgement and the seat design must be a compromise to suit a wide range of driver sizes and shapes, it is

The final item that must be addressed to provide the best possible comfort and safety for a driver is to ensure proper maintenance of the seat to ensure that it continues to function as designed for the life of the vehicle.

The basic safety checks on the seat mounting, operation of the seat and seat belt, and inspection for structural damage should be carried out as frequently as other safety related checks on items such as brakes and lighting.

Apart from the obvious visible items such as cushion pads and trim, the seat adjustment mechanisms and suspension will wear, and the rate of wear can vary considerably depending on the type of operation.

A poorly maintained seat may be harmful or dangerous to the driver and will eventually become uneconomic to repair. On the other hand, a good quality seat given regular preventative maintenance will provide good service for the life of the truck.

Another important issue in these times of high insurance premiums and workplace safety awareness is an operator’s legal duty of care to employees for OH&S and for accident safety. This duty of care is a legal obligation to ensure that drivers’ seats should be regularly inspected and maintained. Service should be performed by qualified tradespersons, in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturer, using approved replacement parts to ensure continued compliance with Australian Design Rules.

Good quality seats from the leading manufacturers such as ISRI are fully supported in Australia for parts and service. Cheaper brands may provide adequate comfort and performance when new but may also prove to have a very much shorter life if parts are not available to maintain the seat correctly.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ISRI SEATS

INDUSTRY ISSUE

UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING CAPITAL If you are a new business starting to take off, or a well-established business looking to expand, you will need to understand the importance of working capital.

W

orking capital is a simple, albeit useful measure that businesses use to indicate their ability to complete day-to-day operations and to assess their financial health. The amount of positive working capital a business needs to run efficiently can vary, depending on a wide range of factors such as business type, operating cycles, and any future growth plans.

SO WHY IS WORKING CAPITAL ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Having positive working capital means your business is able to meet its shortterm financial obligations. It enables you to buy new materials and equipment and improve the running of your business.

Working capital is essential for: • P reserving Positive Cash Flow • M aintaining a good cash flow will allow you to fulfil obligations such as payroll, tax, rent, utility bills and other operating expenses.

• P urchasing Inventory • You will need working capital to maintain stock levels and to secure new products to sell. It can also come in handy when larger upfront payments are required for things such as bulk orders.

• I mproving Equipment & Machinery • Working capital can be used when looking to improve your current equipment and machinery, for example purchasing better software solutions to improve efficiency or upgrading equipment to increase productivity.

• I nvesting & Growth

terms you offer and constantly evaluating your inventory needs. You may also look to obtain finance to boost your working capital during times of increased financial liability or periods of decreased sales.

If your business owns equipment or machinery, you may consider a sale and leaseback financial arrangement to gain access to additional cash. This involves your business selling their equipment to a financier, who will then immediately lease the equipment back to you, generally over a 3 to 5-year term.

This provides you with a timely cash injection for working capital, whilst still maintaining access to the asset needed to continue trading. Ultimately allowing you to redeploy capital that was invested in assets, back into the core business.

“HAVING POSITIVE WORKING CAPITAL MEANS YOUR BUSINESS IS ABLE TO MEET ITS SHORTTERM FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS.”

Generally, assets that can be used include business vehicles, commercial vehicles, commercial equipment, heavy machinery, farming machinery and more.

Raising capital through your business assets could help solve cash flow issues both short and long term whilst providing taxation benefits.

Morris Finance are able to raise funds from a number of commercial goods. Unlike major institutions, we do not discriminate between goods, industries or profiles and our terms are flexible, providing tailored solutions to meet your needs and goals.

We offer a range of commercial products to provide cash flow for your business. Our team of dedicated finance brokers and new business specialists can provide you with information and access to financial solutions that will allow you to grow your business.

Contact Morris Finance to learn more about how they can help you raise capital.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MORRIS FINANCE

Sudden investment or growth opportunities may come your way, to take advantage of these, immediate working capital is essential.

Your business can take a variety of steps in order to effectively manage your working capital. From simple tasks such as identifying your day-to-day cash requirements, to shortening the credit

www.powertorque.com.au

49

INDUSTRY ISSUE

SUPPLY CHAIN WOES UNDERLINE THE NEED FOR REFORM Memo to Australia, from NatRoad CEO, Warren Clark: It’s time you and the heavy vehicle industry sat down and had a serious talk about supply chains.

I

n recent months shortages of both people and vital inputs have caused serious disruption to the supply chain. There has been a shortage of distribution centre staff, truck drivers, pallets and AdBlue, compounded by bottlenecks at the wharves so the supply chain has been hit on a number of fronts.

There’s nothing like a shortage of loo paper at your local supermarket or a mum’s missing Amazon shipment to make your average Australian sit up and take notice.

Our industry operates at the pointy end of the supply chain; whether it’s picking up containers from the wharves, trying to deliver a freight load within a tight time frame or making sure a package ends up on the right doorstep.

When it doesn’t go to plan, truck drivers draw a lot of customer and consumer ire.

If there’s one thing our lumpy supply chains have shown the public, it’s how heavily Australia relies on road transport.

Almost every item that passes through the supply chain has been carried by a truck.

50

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A SHORTAGE OF LOO PAPER AT YOUR LOCAL SUPERMARKET OR A MUM’S MISSING AMAZON SHIPMENT TO MAKE YOUR AVERAGE AUSTRALIAN SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE.” Logistics experts have been talking about the fragility of Australia’s supply chains for years.

Having a robust supply chain depends on managing risk.

Forecasting risk is key to avoiding disruption, but who predicted a global pandemic?

Today’s freight task relies heavily on the mantra of ‘just-in-time’ delivery so that the user gets the goods as close as possible to the time they’re needed.

Just-in-time was a concept developed by an engineer at Toyota in the 1950s who took his lead from Henry Ford, the father of modern mass production.

It operates on suppliers delivering goods as needed, reducing the cost of maintaining large inventories and potentially increasing profits.

It’s now embedded in manufacturing and fulfilment processes around the globe.

Recent events have demonstrated how just one incident in an economy or a supply chain can have a ripple effect, compounding other problems.

That’s when just-in-time can become not-at-all.

I’m not for a minute suggesting that just-in-time is dead. Far from it.

But maybe we need to shift focus if we’re going to keep meeting community expectations of a supply chain that delivers within hours, not days, while undergoing all sorts of disruptions.

We can’t do a lot about events overseas but reforming our own supply chain needs to be a government priority.

The Heavy Vehicle National Law Reform process was supposed to make

us a more efficient, safer and consistent industry but it’s been shown to be a failure. That process needs to start again and operate in harmony with other links in the chain.

NatRoad has called for a high-level group of experienced industry operators to be put into the HVNL driving seat.

Let’s do the same with fixing our supply chain.

There’s a long list of things we can do to make road transport more efficient and safer. They can all contribute to enhancing productivity.

We can make access for High Productivity Vehicles the norm rather than the exception.

We can have national driving standards and accreditation to improve professionalism and open career pathways.

We can remove petty offences from our roads laws and replace them with sensible enforcement that drives behavioural change.

We can mandate safe design to be an essential part of road construction rather than a ‘nice to have’ element of road building.

We can legislate to make contract laws fairer and take away penalties that make drivers push the envelope to make deadlines that are beyond their control.

Inaction is not an option.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NATROAD

Join NatRoad to save 10% on nib health insurance* We’ve got you covered.

When you join NatRoad, we don’t just have you covered with great member benefits like on-road discounts on fuel, tyres and truck assist, as well as compliance and workplace advice.

We’ve got your health covered too with up to 10% off nib health insurance premiums.

To keep on trucking, you need to look after your health. Private health insurance can cut hospital waiting time for surgery, so you can get on the road faster and keep your wheels turning. nib Benefits for NatRoad Members • Save on cover for you and your family with our corporate discount of up to 10%* • New to health insurance? Skip the 2 and 6 month waiting periods on Extras services like general dental, optical and physio ** • Already have health insurance with another fund? Switching is easy, and you won’t have to re-serve waiting periods for equivalent benefits

For more information please call 1800 272 144 or email info@natroad.com.au www.natroad.com.au * Discounts vary on some products. Overseas student’s health cover and international workers health insurance not included. ** New members only joining a combined Hospital and Extras Australian resident’s health insurance product. T&C’s apply.

INDUSTRY ISSUE

ROADWORTHINESS GAINS VITAL NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE

The safety of our industry is at the forefront of everything we do and a key element to keeping our drivers safe is ensuring heavy vehicles are roadworthy and safe to be on our roads, says Sal Petroccitto, CEO of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

U

nfortunately, when roadworthiness is discussed outside the heavy vehicle industry it is usually as a result of a major crash or incident.

While there is still a way to go to improve compliance across the industry our 2021 National Roadworthiness Survey (NRS:2021) has demonstrated some real improvement over the past five years.

The survey, which measures the health of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet, was first conducted in 2016.

The NHVR is committed to the National Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness program, which was established in late 2014 to drive safety

52

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

and efficiency improvements to the mechanical condition of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.

Last year NRS:2021 inspected 13,325 heavy vehicle units across 8338 heavy vehicle combinations in all Australian states and territories between May and June. It was great to have all jurisdictions, including Western Australia and Northern Territory involved.

In the five years between the two surveys, we have seen the rate of non-conformities drop from 48 per cent of units inspected to 31 per cent. Importantly the most serious cases of major non-conformities and groundings has dropped from 12 per

cent of inspected vehicles in 2016 to six per cent in 2021.

The continuing maturity of the industry in adopting better safety practices like whole of business safety management systems and daily safety checks, have been key contributors in driving the downward trend. Our heavy vehicle operators, drivers and mechanics should be commended for their ongoing efforts in improving compliance and increasing the safety on our roads.

Some of the other findings from the NRS:2021 survey showed that again brakes remained the highest nonconforming components, although this category has reduced from 25 per cent

INDUSTRY ISSUE

“SOME OF THE OTHER FINDINGS FROM THE NRS:2021 SURVEY SHOWED THAT AGAIN BRAKES REMAINED THE HIGHEST NONCONFORMING COMPONENTS, ALTHOUGH THIS CATEGORY HAS REDUCED FROM 25 PER CENT IN 2016 TO 14 PER CENT IN 2021.” in 2016 to 14 per cent in 2021.

And the average age of the inspected fleet was 10.2 years, compared to 9.2 years in 2016.

However there was again a strong correlation between age of fleet and roadworthiness compliance. For example, freight hauling units over the age of 12 were three times more likely to have defect, than vehicles less than three years old.

Which is why the effort to continue to improve heavy vehicle roadworthiness over the next five years must include incentives for new technology and programs that allow the heavy vehicle industry to drive down the age of the fleet.

Some of our goals and work programs at the NHVR are listed in our Vehicle Safety and Environmental Uptake Plan (Vehicle SETUP). The Plan, which includes five work packages will be vital going forward.

The work packages include removing regulatory barriers that limit the adoption of advanced technologies, offering productivity gains as an incentive for the adoption of advanced technologies and providing education to industry on the safety, productivity and environmental benefits of new vehicle technology.

The results from NRS:2021 will also help inform the NHVR’s modern approach to regulation that uses

intelligence to address the greatest safety risks and keeps compliant operators moving.

Finally, I’d also like to thank the operators and drivers, along with the NHVR staff and staff from transport agencies across Australia for their assistance in conducting the survey, particularly with constantly changing operating conditions due to local COVID restrictions.

Despite the challenges, officers across all states and territories inspected 17 per cent more heavy vehicles in 2021, and through the use of technology and consistent inspection systems they were able to reduce the average inspection time from the from

45 minutes in 2016 to 31 minutes in 2021.

While the data from NRS:2021 highlights the healthy progress made due to the hard work being undertaken to improve and monitor the Australian heavy vehicle fleet, I’m determined as an industry we continue to push on and ensure that Australia has one of the safest heavy vehicle fleets in the world.

THE FULL SURVEY AND OTHER RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE

www.powertorque.com.au

53

INDUSTRY ISSUE

ATA LIGHTS THE WAY TO AN ELECTRIC TRUCKING FUTURE

I

n a game changer for the local trucking industry, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has developed the policies necessary to drive Australian trucking into a bright electric future.

The policies are an Australian first and were developed in collaboration with the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC).

We believe electrification would assist trucking businesses and supply chains by ending volatile diesel costs, reducing maintenance costs, improving urban efficiency, and delivering better conditions for truck drivers.

However, Australia currently lags most of the world in the electrification of trucks and we urgently need reform.

Of the 58 electric truck models available in North America, Europe, and China only 14 are available to the Australian market.

Key recommendations from the new policy agreement include: • T ruck width should be increased to align with standards used by major supplier economies (current width standards precludes many electric truck models from being used in Australia) • O ne tonne concession for electric and zero emission trucks (Australia’s steer axle mass limit, currently 6.5 tonnes, is holding back the deployment of larger electric truck models due to the weight of batteries)

54

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

• E lectric trucks to be exempt from urban curfews (electric trucks are much quieter and therefore do not require curfews) • M andate Euro6 emissions standards for new heavy vehicle models from 2024 (this would bring standards into force 3.5 years earlier than proposed in the government’s draft Regulation Impact statement) • I ncentive payment to reduce the cost of installing charging infrastructure at depots • I nvestment in public charging infrastructure to support on route electric truck charging • I ncentive payment to reduce the upfront purchase price difference between electric/zero emission trucks and internal combustion engine trucks (In California and Germany incentives are provided to reduce or eliminate the price difference for battery, fuel cell and trolley hybrid drive systems.

The upfront purchase price of an electric truck can be double its diesel equivalent) • E xempt electric and zero emission trucks from stamp duty • S et sales target for zero-emission trucks of 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040 (this goal is to drive ambition and measure the success or

failure of existing incentives) The prospect of curfew-free operations is a huge opportunity, creating benefits for operators, improving fleet operations and reducing peak hour traffic and congestion.

It currently costs about $117 to fuel a diesel truck for 300 kilometres, but just $18 for an electric truck.

If Australia gets left behind on the transition to electric and zero emission trucks, we risk our supply chains and exporters getting stuck with high, globally uncompetitive per km freight costs.

Trucking operators face many barriers to buy and use an electric truck and these must be addressed to lower freight costs, improve fuel security and reduce emissions.

We’re calling on the government to adopt these recommendations because the benefit to Australian trucking, our economy, and our environment will be truly massive.

YOU CAN READ MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE POLICY ON THE ATA WEBSITE

GOING GLOBAL

SUPER DRIVELINE FROM New diesel engines don’t come around often these days, which makes the launch of Scania’s Super driveline big news.

PowerTorque’s European Correspondent, Will Shiers, travels to Sweden to find out if it lives up to its name.

D

iesel is a dirty word, at least as far as the general public is concerned. And this negativity seems to have spread throughout the truck industry too. When you attend a European show these days, you can’t move for zero tailpipe emissions trucks. Of course you might spot the occasional dieselpowered one, but it’s usually hidden

SCANIA

away, banished to a corner, like a naughty schoolboy who’s been caught smoking behind the bike shed. It’s like truck makers have forgotten that the vast majority of what they currently sell is still powered by an ultra-clean and efficient Euro-6 diesel engine.

But one company is bucking the trend, and amidst a flurry of alternative fuel truck launches, at the back end of

last year Scania introduced a brand new 13-litre diesel engine. Together with the rest of the Super driveline, it’s claimed to be eight per cent more fuel efficient than its current 13-litre engine.

“If you look at the trajectory we need to take according to the Paris Agreement, we need to reduce [emissions] quickly, and the dilemma here is that although we have a line-up

www.powertorque.com.au

55

GOING GLOBAL

ON THE ROAD I had a brief back-to-back drive in a current R450 and a new 460R Super (the power rating now proceeds the model designation) on a recent trip to Scania's home town of Södertälje, Sweden.

I would like to say that I immediately noticed the additional 10hp, but didn't.

What was obvious however was how the new 13-litre is more refined, and quieter too. It's also happier to lug at lower revs, with maximum torque now being available between 900rpm and 1,300rpm. Obviously lugging at lower revs means fewer gear changes, which correlates directly with improved fuel economy.

The 460 is matched to the new G25 transmission. Gear changes are quick and flawless, and there was certainly no temptation to

56

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

override it on my short drive. I was particularly impressed with how smoothly it re-engaged a gear after a spell in Eco-roll. For the bulk of my mainly motorway journey, the truck was either in 12th gear, overdrive or Eco-roll.

My test truck was fitted with the new CRB and a retarder, the two working effortlessly together. There are four settings, the first being the traditional exhaust brake, followed by CRB, then the retarder, and finally CRB together with the retarder.

The old R450 was unquestionably already an excellent driver's truck, but it's just been usurped by the 460R. What's more, with a claimed improvement in fuel economy and a payback in just 18 months, it's also likely to improve Scania's operator appeal too.

of electric vehicles, customers are not buying to the extent needed to make a big difference,” explains Traton Group CEO and Scania CEO and President, Christian Levin, when I ask him how he can justify investing in a new family of combustion engines.

“So the most efficient thing we can do is work on 99 per cent of the sales, and improve the combustion engine. If we can take out 10 per cent fuel, that is 10 per cent less CO2.

But Levin confirmed that this is indeed the ‘final hurrah’ for the diesel engine, and said Traton Group’s R&D budgets are quickly shifting away from combustion engines, and into autonomous and electrified transport.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SUPER DRIVELINE? At the heart of it is a new DC13 12.74litre, 6-cylinder engine is, which according to Scania, is the most

GOING GLOBAL

“WE BELIEVE THAT THE NEW AFTER-TREATMENT SYSTEM WITH THE SCANIA TWIN SCR SOLUTION IS OF GREAT INTEREST FOR OUR INDUSTRY.” advanced engine platform in the industry today. It’s also claimed to be the most efficient too, operating at a class-leading 50 per cent thermal efficiency. This, says Scania, makes it 5.2 per cent more frugal than the ‘benchmark’ 13-litre engine it replaces.

The single cylinder head, dual overhead camshaft engine, has allowed Scania’s engineers to raise the peak

pressure inside the cylinders to 250 bar.

This, together with the refined injectors, secures a more thorough combustion of the diesel. The downside to this more efficient burn, is a higher level of raw NOx, which is tackled with the same Twin SCR system that was first launched on its new V8s last year.

The first dose of AdBlue is injected in the close-coupled position to the turbo

charger, immediately after the exhaust brake flap where the exhaust gases are still very hot. The second dose is then injected in the usual position inside the after-treatment system. By then the task is easier since the peak NOx level has already been reduced. The particulate filter, which is positioned between the two SCR catalysts, is regenerated without post-injecting

www.powertorque.com.au

57

GOING GLOBAL

“DIESEL ENGINE FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO SUCK IN AIR, WHICH IS A RISK WHEN YOU HAVE A LONG FUEL TANK AND DRIVE UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, SO THAT THE FUEL STAYS IN ONE END OF THE TANK FOR A WHILE.”

extra fuel to the exhaust system.

“We believe that the new aftertreatment system with the Scania Twin SCR solution is of great interest for our industry,” says Magnus Henrikson, Scania’s Chief Engineer. “It brings increased efficiency to Scania’s internal combustion engines and ensures that they are compliant with, or even exceed, current and expected emission legislations around the world, for the foreseeable future.”

58

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

Double dosing has led to an increase in AdBlue consumption from eight per cent to 12 per cent.

The engine is offered in power ratings of 420hp (2,300Nm), 460hp (2,500Nm), 500hp (2,650Nm) and 560hp (2,800Nm). All versions can run on hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO), and the two middle rated ones can be adapted to run on 100 per cent renewable biodiesel.

The DC13 is matched to a pair of

automated manual gearboxes, the G33CM (which was launched last year on the new V8s) or its brand new smaller sibling the G25CM. The difference between the two is physical size, the G25’s all-aluminium housing being slightly smaller.

Respectively they have a 60kg and 75kg weight advantage over the gearboxes they replace. The lighter of the two can handle torque levels of up to 2,500Nm, making it ideal for the 420hp and 460hp engines.

Both gearboxes have 14 forward gears (including a super crawler and an overdrive), and up to eight reverse gears.

Another major component in the new driveline, and one that is crucial in allowing Super trucks to cruise at 900rpm, is the new R756 rear axle.

Developed jointly between Scania and its Traton sibling MAN, the new multipurpose axle will eventually be available with eight different gearings, the fastest being 1.95:1.

Scania says the axle, which has an oil drain interval of 750,000km, contributes one per cent of the Super driveline’s fuel economy saving.

In addition to the traditional exhaust brake, Super trucks are offered with the optional Compression Release Brake (CRB) auxiliary braking system.

Operating on all 6 cylinders, the system provides 350kW (1,500Nm) of braking performance, which Scania says will allow some operators to specify it over a retarder. It weighs just 7kg, as opposed to 100kg for the R4700D retarder.

GOING GLOBAL

DIGITAL MIRRORS Hot on the heels of Mercedes-Benz, DAF and MAN, Scania is the latest truck maker to replace conventional mirrors with a camera and screen system. The Scania Mirror View Camera system (SMVC), which is a retrofit option in Europe, consists of cameras mounted on the outside of the truck, which feed images onto a pair of 31cm tall screens fitted to the A-pillars.

Unlike the DAF and Mercedes systems, which have cameras mounted high up on the sides of the cabs, SMVC's cameras are located on the doors. In my opinion they look more aesthetically pleasing in this position, and are integrated into the truck's styling lines. They also provide a better view of the prime mover's rear wheels than some systems Iove tried, which will presumably make reversing onto trailers easier.

The two A-pillar-mounted screens offer superb clarity, and it even coped admirably with the low winter sun. But annoyingly the field of vision on the main screen is rather narrow, and you soon lose the rear of the trailer. Rival systems follow the trailer's tail while cornering. The wide angle section is better, but very small, and consequently more difficult to see. Unlike the DAF and Mercedes systems, there aren't any lines on the screen to depict the rear of the trailer or to show when it's safe to pull in after an overtaking manoeuvre.

whereas normally only 87 per cent is accessible.

“Diesel engine fuel injection systems must not be allowed to suck in air, which is a risk when you have a long fuel tank and drive uphill or downhill, so that the fuel stays in one end of the tank for a while,” explains Ola Brantefors, head of chassis layout and installation. “Our fuel optimisation unit works as a catch tank that mitigates the problem by holding a sufficient volume of fuel for feeding the highpressure system on the new engine.

This means that we have been able to increase the usable amount of fuel in our tanks, since we no longer need to keep a ‘reserve’ level to avoid sucking in air.”

Scania gave the example of a typical 4x2 prime mover, which would previously have been equipped with a 105-litre AdBlue tank, and twin diesel tanks of 500 and 700 litres. It said an equivalent Super would have a 123-litre AdBlue tank, and both a 420-litre (with FOU) and 615-litre diesel tank.

Despite carrying 165 litres less diesel, FOU would ensure that the useable volume was only 49 litres less than before. Then by the time the 8 per cent fuel economy improvement is taken into account, the Super’s range would be 136km greater than the older tractor.

CRB is claimed to work at up to 65 tonnes in flat operations and 40 tonnes in slightly hilly conditions.

Increasing urea consumption from eight per cent to 12 per cent means having to carry significantly more AdBlue, which posed a problem for Scania’s engineers. As there is only a finite amount of space on the chassis, it would have to reduce the diesel tank dimensions. The question was, how could it do this without affecting the Super’s range?

The answer they came up with is a Fuel Optimisation Unit (FOU). In the black box, which is attached to the front of the fuel tank is a small 26-litre catch tank. From here, an electrical feed pump pushes the fuel to the engine, first cleaning it of dirt and water. This allows the truck to use 97 per cent of the diesel in the main tank,

www.powertorque.com.au

59

GOING GLOBAL

ELECTRIC KENWORTHS UNVEILED In the USA, PowerTorque’s US Correspondent, Steve Sturgess, was on hand to learn about Paccar’s zero emission plans for the future and to see a selection of electric Kenworths unveiled.

K

enworth in the US recently staged a show’n’tell of its electric vehicle lineup. Appropriately, it was in California’s Silicon Valley where the Paccar Innovation Center is located, close to advanced research centres of all kinds and academia to be able to share advanced developments and test them for the appropriateness for medium and heavy truck innovation.

On hand for the short, urban drives were the class 6 K270E, the class 8 T680E and one of the prototype fuel-cell T680s currently under development with Toyota.

THE TRUCKS The truck that held the most interest for me was the fuel-cell electric (FCEV). It is powered by hydrogen which reacts with oxygen from the air in the cell and its main emission is pure water. The involvement of Toyota is from the fact that the FCEV uses two fuel cells from the Toyota Mirai passenger car. A car which is available in California, where public hydrogen fuel stations are scattered around making the fuel reasonably available and the car reasonably practical.

In the T680 FC these fuel cells generate electric power which drive a mid-mount four-speed transmission with the rest of the drivetrain including a conventional driveshaft and tandem drive axle.

Depending on application and topography, the range between hydrogen refills is around 350 miles (560km). However, the time it takes to fill the tanks, located in a

60

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

cupboard behind the cab, is comparable with a diesel truck.

The K270E class 6 and K370E class 7 are medium-duty cabovers that are very European in character. The electric versions have a centre mount E-motor and conventional driveshaft and single axle. The batteries for the all-battery drive system are mounted outside of the frame rails and are available in 141 and 282 kWh packages which give the trucks 100 miles (160km) or 200 mile (320km) range, depending on application. However, it is most likely these trucks will be used in last-mile distribution or on, for instance, beverage applications where routes are thoroughly understood.

Recharging is by braking regeneration on the road and by slow AC charging which takes up to 10 hours. Fast charging by DC can be completed in a little over and hour.

The two mediums are available for order, and delivery times are, in the order of, three months. However, according to Hank Johnson, Kenworth General Sales Manager, at the EV presentation at the Innovation Centre, getting the electric infrastructure in place can take up to a year.

The T680E is also available to order and is a full class 8 day-cab or rigid truck with a range of around 150 miles (240km).

Its intended role is as a container hauler.

It is also battery-only powered with a 396 kWh pack and an additional 2,000pound (907kg) allowance for the heavier powertrain/batteries so it has a gross vehicle weight rating of 82,000 pounds (37.2 tonnes). With fast charging, it can be

recharged in around three hours.

The T680E has a different chassis layout that uses Meritor’s 14Xe electric drive axle, a 14X base axle with a motor and gears on the nose of each differential. Thus there is no mechanical connection to the electronic controller and the drive is all electric until it reaches the single or tandem axle.

Uniquely, Paccar is offering charging solutions through PaccarParts. Additional consulting services can be utilised to realise some of the many zero-emissions incentives and to help in the charging solution most appropriate to the operation looking to go electric.

ON THE ROAD As mentioned, I was keen to drive the Fuel Cell EV so I jumped at this unit first.

Once settled behind the wheel, you fire it up by turning the conventional looking key in its regular position, switch it on and then go to the start position briefly. The truck goes through its diagnostics checks and then gives a dash green light to show it is ready to go. The dash on this truck, incidentally, has a dedicated display for the fuel cell bits and pieces.

Then as with other Paccar automatics, you simply select drive on the steering column stalk, release the brakes and squeeze down on the accelerator.

And that brought a big surprise as this admittedly prototype vehicle was aggravatingly noisy, not the experience I was expecting from an electric drive truck.

In the lowest of the four gears there was an

GOING GLOBAL

appreciated and the generally tight, rattleincredible whine caused by the pumps and free environment could be enjoyed with the fans associated with the fuel cell and three almost silent running gear. separate cooling systems.

The regenerative braking was a big In the next gear, this was considerably less intrusive but to a large extent still there. plus in the driving experience as there was little need to use the service brakes except The short road loop was not enough road for a final stop at the several stop signs on to get up into higher gears, but the Toyota the loop. So while a container truck will development drivers seem to be pleased work in a largely urban environment, there with the experience and are confident that should be no increase in brake servicing, this will be addressed by the time the truck goes into series production. maybe a decrease.

The performance was as expected, Last, but certainly not least, was the though, with great step off from standstill, K270E. This cute cabover is very easy to and lots of torque for mid-range drive with diesel power, but as a battery acceleration. Except for the noise, it was a EV its just a dream. It’s super quiet, pleasant driving experience. turns as you’d expect a European truck By comparison, the battery powered and goes way better than the dieselT680E was a magic carpet drive. It powered model. was eerily quiet and exhibited the It also features regen braking that in its maximum setting really throws you outstanding performance we expect from an electric drive: great step-off acceleration against the seatbelt. and the ability to run up to its top speed of In the right application, drivers will flock 65 mph in short order. The most we could to the K270E and it could well help driver get to on the short loop was 45, but it felt retention. Because it is very nimble with very comfortable there.

As with diesel exceptional visibility, it should also prove IKON-card-FRONT.pdf 1 12/05/2021 3:24:48 PM PM IKONPCARD-FRONT1.pdf 3 12/05/2021 2:51:16 T680s, the fit and finish of the cab could be safe, with lower accident frequencies.

IKON

On hand for the short, urban drives was the class 6 Kenworth K270E.

SUMMARY The battery electric Kenworths are a real triumph of technology laid on top of proven architectures. The big question is how much will they cost? That’s where the Kenworth consultants can help. If the total cost of ownership can approach that of a diesel at the end of the day, these zero emissions trucks are definitely worth consideration for the right applications.

// IKONLIFTING.COM.AU

Lifting solutions for heavy industries...

CC

M M

YY

ROTARY LIFT

WIRELESS MOBILE COLUMN LIFTS

CM CM

MY MY

*STOCKED RANGE AVAILABLE:

CY CY

8.5T

CMY CMY

6.2 / 7.5 / 8.5 Tonne Capacities

FLEX-MAX Features:

- All steel control cabinet - Simple display for safe easy operation - LockLight™ load saftey system - Cordless remote control - Spring loaded steering / braking system - Hard rubber covered steel wheels - Digital gauges shows vehicle height and weight - Robust network connectivity

KK

IKON LIFTING EQUIPMENT PTY LTD

| Nationwide 24/7 service support ..

(03) 9088 6278

sales@ikonlifting.com.au

www.powertorque.com.au

61

TECH KNOW

CUMMINS’ ZERO EMISSIONS ROAD MAP

A major global engineering powerhouse like Cummins has been reassessing long term plans in reaction to the impending climate crisis for many years.

Mike Fowler, Cummins Director and General Manager On Highway Asia Pacific talks to PowerTorque and explains Cummins’ zero emissions road map to get the company to carbon neutrality by 2050.

C

ummins’ Destination Zero strategy outlines the company’s vision for achieving a zero-emissions future. The recently announced strategy is looking for the engine maker to go further and faster to reduce the greenhouse gas and air quality impacts of its products and reach zero emissions by 2050 in a way that is best for Cummins and all stakeholders.

“On the path to zero emissions, we want to remind the industry that it’s a path to zero emission, it’s not a light switch event,” says Mike Fowler, Cummins Director and General Manager On Highway Asia Pacific.

“The plan is to minimise carbon

62

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

emissions over the period between now and 2050. Waiting for vehicles which create zero emissions actually yields a worse carbon footprint over time than adopting a path to zero which has near-term wins in it.”

Cummins is already well down the track of creating better drivelines with lower fuel consumption, automation, down-speeding, renewable fuels etc. This is part of a long term stageby-stage strategy by Cummins to ensure that the product the company sells, from today, reduces carbon emissions as technology becomes available and viable.

As Cummins is outlining its road map forward and continuing its tradition of innovation, there are 11,000

Mike Fowler, Cummins Director and General Manager On Highway Asia Pacific.

DIESEL WORKSHOP

engineers in the global organisation working away on moving the technology, step-by-step to that zero carbon target.

According to Cummins, it has done the maths and calculated that by going down the lower emissions path right now, the amount of carbon put into the atmosphere between now and 2050 is lower than if we wait for zero emission technology to come along and save the day.

CUMMINS AND ISUZU MEDIUM DUTY COLLABORATION

THE GOAL IS CALLED DESTINATION ZERO To reach zero carbon emissions technology needs to come up with affordable and flexible fuel cell technology and high capacity and affordable battery technology.

However, there is also a need to maximise the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from internal combustion engines (ICE) during the period in the lead up to the newer zero emission technology coming on stream.

From Cummins point of view the low carbon fuels available of today (such as biodiesel, renewable natural gas and hydro-treated vegetable oil) are a cost-effective means to reduce carbon emissions in the field with immediate benefits and without requiring infrastructure changes to the transportation system or without substantially increasing demand on the electrical grid.

“Getting to the goal of zero emissions in 2050 does require changes in our product planning today, rather than waiting for the commercialisation of fuel cell or battery electric technology,” says Mike. “When we talk about emissions now it’s a little more complicated. We have regulated emissions like those included in things like Euro 6 and the US EPA rules. They still need to be met, because those gaseous emissions are harmful and have negative public health impacts.

“However, specific greenhouse gases, CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and others are causing this climate crisis. To decarbonise emissions from transport, all involved have to be involved on the road to zero.

There is a need to innovate in the low carbon fuels sector, decarbonise the electricity grid, develop and

Tom Linebarger, Chairman and CEO, Cummins.

scale up a green hydrogen industry on the supply side.”

LOOKING FORWARD The development between now and viable zero emissions technology becoming common in heavy duty applications is going to be a considerable time. This means lower emissions trucks using ICE need to reduce their carbon footprint to help with the overall reduction in carbon emissions.

“A good path to zero emissions has to lower emissions today in the lead up to 2030,” says Mike. “Whatever technology you develop today has to have the capacity to drive wide spread customer adoption as well as reducing well-towork or well-to wheel emissions.”

If the world moves over to battery electric trucks, but the power grid remains coal powered there has been no improvement. From the point of view of an operation like Cummins, there is a need to reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxides as well and carbon emission in this decade.

The path from current product to the final goal involves a number of smaller steps, each delivering a better carbon outcome. The next stage in the future is the delivery of a new engine platform which will enable the lower emissions technology and fuel to deliver the results required.

It is on this platform that Cummins will be able to move forward in a number of stages, from the current

One of the examples of Cummins’ long term plan, and part of the Destination Zero project is the agreement Cummins and Isuzu announced for a global mid-range diesel powertrain and an advanced engineering collaboration.

This marks another step forward in the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership (ICPP), which was agreed in May 2019, and formalised a business structure for the two companies to evaluate and carry out opportunities to jointly develop and bring new diesel and alternate powertrains to global markets.

“We are pleased to take another step forward in the partnership by powering Isuzu vehicles with Cummins engines in global markets,” said Tom Linebarger, Chairman and CEO, Cummins at the announcement. “Our partnership is a terrific opportunity for both companies to harness our respective strengths and drive innovation in advanced diesel and other technology solutions.”

Under this global mid-range diesel collaboration agreement, Cummins will provide Isuzu mid-range B6.7 diesel platforms for use in medium-size trucks to meet global customer needs.

Cummins and Isuzu will closely work together to integrate the engine with Isuzu’s chassis and to meet Japan’s emission regulations.

“We will accelerate holistic collaboration in joint research for advanced engineering capabilities and further developments in advanced diesel technologies to deliver optimum trucks and powertrains to customers all over the world,” said Masanori Katayama, President and Representative Director, Isuzu Motors.

Isuzu and Cummins also entered into an Advanced Technology Agreement, to conduct joint research for various powertrain technologies using the companies’ respective advanced engineering capabilities. As part of the path to carbon neutral, Isuzu and Cummins have expanded the partnership discussions to include new power sources, including electrical powertrain technologies.

www.powertorque.com.au

63

TECH KNOW O U R EN VIRONMENTAL SU STA IN ABILITY STRATEG Y

Making people’s lives better by powering a more prosperous world requires a healthier planet.

Leveraging our unique skills, experiences, and stakeholder relationships, we are committed to addressing climate change and air emissions, using natural resources in the most sustainable way, and ensuring our communities are better because of our presence in them. We have quantifiable goals for 2030 and visionary longer-term aspirations for 2050.

DESTINATION ZERO Our strategy to go further, faster to reduce the greenhouse gas and air quality impacts of our products in a way that is best for our customers and all stakeholders.

CUMMINS WATER WORKS Our initiative to address the global water crisis by strengthening communities through access to sustainable water.

diesel technology to the final goal of zero carbon. That new platform is in the latter stages of its initial development and we can expect Cummins to reveal the new technology over the next few years.

There are a number of elements which can offer emissions reduction on the road to zero. For example the new platform will be able to adapted to use natural gas. Just using natural gas does reduce carbon emissions to a degree, but if that gas is made from a biomass, then it becomes a zero emissions engine.

The most likely next step in the development of that particular engine will be to run on hydrogen.

Cummins reckons that developing and growing the hydrogen economy is essential. With less expensive, more available green hydrogen, the engine maker will have the opportunity to switch to green hydrogen as a fuel source to decarbonise industries, particularly transportation.

There is already a lot of interest in the production of green hydrogen, manufactured using solar power to convert water into the gas. Again this is a zero emission result with a couple of lower emission stages on the way.

“Government does need to provide incentives and encouragement for

64

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

operators to adopt new technology,” says Mike. “Transit bus is an early adopter market, heavy duty truck is not.”

THE ROAD AHEAD Between now and 2030 Cummins says it will be focused on advancing its solutions, and creating a technologyforcing regulatory environment. Over this period it expects to get to the point where it will build scale in new technologies as the economy builds renewable grid infrastructure.

In its forward thinking Cummins sees the decade between 2030 and

2040 as a period when a number of new technologies will compete and improve, leading to a reduction in prices. At this time the refuelling infrastructure will spread out over the highway network.

After this decade of change, Cummins sees the run up to 2050 as a time where the technology, infrastructure and supply industry will mature to enable genuine zero emission transport to flourish. There will be a renewable and resilient grid in place, mature hydrogen infrastructure and widespread deployment of new zero and low carbon technologies.

Always Delivering

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

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

DAF XF, CF AND LF PURE EXCELLENCE

TECH KNOW

WALKING FLOOR TRAILERS Choosing reliable equipment is key to operating an efficient fleet. Frequent breakdowns or complex maintenance requirements keep vehicles off the road, costing your business in time and money.

K

eith has spent the past 50 years designing a trailer unloading system aimed at providing customers the lowest cost of ownership of any moving floor on the market.

According to Zyggy Reinoga of Keith Walking Floor Australia, the reliability of Keith’s hydraulic drive unit helps build loyalty among Keith Walking Floor customers, “The Walking Floor drive requires very little maintenance, especially when compared to the daily maintenance required to keep other systems in good working order.”

Reinoga explains that the Keith Running Floor ll drive unit was designed for the lowest total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the equipment. Interchangeable

components like the cylinders and the check valves mean fewer parts are required for a fully stocked back-up inventory.

In addition, Keith systems are designed to make servicing the equipment as simple as possible.

Easily accessible components cut downtime when repairs are needed.

“You don’t need to break down the entire system to replace one valve.”

Maintenance requirements are also minimal. Keith recommends drivers conduct daily visual inspections of the Walking Floor system, checking hydraulic fittings, hoses, bolts and floor slats for loose connections, leaks or damage. “Drivers are in the prime position to notice small issues like loose floor bolts and fix them

“THE WALKING FLOOR DRIVE REQUIRES VERY LITTLE MAINTENANCE, ESPECIALLY WHEN COMPARED TO THE DAILY MAINTENANCE REQUIRED TO KEEP OTHER SYSTEMS IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.”

before they cause any damage,” adds Reinoga.

Aside from that, implementing a basic monthly and biannual maintenance routine will help keep the Walking Floor system operating trouble-free. On a monthly basis, or after 25 operating hours, recommendations include checking the system for hydraulic leaks and making sure that the operating temperature is within acceptable range. No component should be warmer than 60° Celsius.

Retorquing the bolts that see the most movement is an important step in the monthly maintenance schedule.

The three cylinders are attached to the drive unit with barrel clamps. Those bolts, along with the floor bolts should be retightened each month.

At the six-month mark, or after 150 operating hours, Keith recommends inspecting the wear areas of the drive unit and flooring components for possible replacement. Oil filters should also be changed. “If you are running clean hydraulic oil through the system, problems will be few,” says Reinoga.

Rotating the floor slats end-for-end is another procedure recommended

by Keith to extend the life of the slat. If the ends of the floor slats are worn more than three-quarters of the original thickness, it is suggested to remove the slats and rotate them.

“A general guide for slat rotation or replacement is after approximately 3,000 loads, depending on the material you are hauling.”

“A little regular care goes a long way with Walking Floor systems,” says Reinoga.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KEITH WALKING FLOOR SYSTEMS

66

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

TECH KNOW

PRIMAAX D PIN BUSH

H

endrickson PRIMAAX heavy-duty rear suspension is inherently reliable and requires no regular maintenance other than checking fastener torque and overall inspection.

However, like any system with rubber bushes, these require regular assessment and will eventually need replacement.

Replacement of the D-pin bushes is a simple procedure provided the correct process is followed along with suitable equipment.

You will need a suitable portable hydraulic press and adapters. OTC make specialised PRIMAAX suspension bush replacement kits. They are available including a hydraulic pump OTC 4247 (Hendrickson 66086-204) and without the pump OTC 4246 (Hendrickson 66086-202).

R EPL ACEM EN T Figure 01.

3. I nstall the alignment tool over the D-pin and place the clamping plate over the alignment tool. Refer Figure 02.

4. Assemble the clamping nuts to the threaded rods.

5. Insert threaded rods through the upper and lower holes in the clamping plate and the head plate. Install a hex nut on the threaded rod.

6. Tighten the clamping nuts to the clamping plate.

7. Remove the alignment tool.

WARNING: To prevent personal injury, the cylinder must be fully threaded into the cylinder mounting plate.

WARNING: To prevent personal injury from possible breakage under pressure, do not stand in the vicinity of the tool while the D-pin is being extracted or installed. It is especially important to not stand in the direction of the hydraulic force. Pump capacity must not exceed 700 bar (10,000 psi).

DISASSEMBLY

FIGURE 01

1. Mark the support beam to show the alignment of the existing D-pin. Refer

FIGURE 02

8. T hread the cylinder into the cylinder mounting plate. Refer Figure 03.

9. Install the cylinder mounting plate onto the end of the threaded rods. Adjust the clamping nuts as needed to fit the threaded rods through the holes in the cylinder mounting plate. Assemble the hex nuts on the threaded rods. Tighten the hex nuts on both ends of the threaded rods.

10. Place the D-pin adapter over the D-pin.

11. Insert the adapter pin into the head of the cylinder.

12. Prepare the hydraulic pump for use by following the instructions provided with the pump regarding connection, venting, priming and operation.

13. Connect the hydraulic hose from the hydraulic pump to the cylinder.

14. Operate the pump to extend the cylinder piston and apply pressure to push the D-pin out of the support beam.

ASSEMBLY

1. Clean and lubricate the entire surface of the inside diameter of the support arm and D-pin outer metal sleeve with chassis grease. Refer Figure 04.

2. Insert the saddle into the head of the cylinder.

3. Assemble the new D-pin and the D-pin adapter as shown. Align the line in the D-pin adapter with the alignment marks made during the removal procedure.

4. Operate the pump to extend the cylinder piston and apply enough pressure to hold the tool and components. Check the alignment of the D-pin. The centreline of the D-pin must be aligned with the centreline of the inside diameter of the support beam.

5. Operate the pump to apply pressure to install the D-pin completely into the support beam.

For more details refer to technical bulletin PRIMAAX maintenance and service procedures, 97117-212, which is available on the Hendrickson Australia website.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HENDRICKSON

www.powertorque.com.au

67

TECH KNOW

CHANGES

NEEDED

TO ROAD TRAIN NOTICE The development of a national notice for road trains has great potential, and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator should be commended for taking the task on, reckons Bob Woodward, Australian Trucking Association Chief Engineer.

T

he release of the draft Heavy Vehicle National Law, National Class 3 Road Train Prime Mover Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2021 (No.1) shows that changes are needed to achieve this potential. Resolving technical issues with the notice will be key to realising the intended productivity benefits.

Three key technical issues stand out: • Steer axle mass up to 7.1 tonnes • D imensions up to 27 metres, with internal constraints • L ivestock and volumetric loading.

Many people are quick to focus on the steer mass and the overall length, but there are limits within the detail.

STEER AXLE MASS The National Class 3 Road Train Prime Mover Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2021 Operator’s Guide sets out: Section 11 Condition (3): An eligible vehicle that is a road train prime mover towing two compliant trailers as a B-double combination may exceed the mass limits set out in Table 3 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the National Regulation by 1.1t, on condition that the excess is caused by the steer axle mass limits in section 10.

Some consignors are assuming that all B-doubles consisting of a road train ‘registered’ prime mover are eligible for GML at 63.6tonnes (62.5 plus 1.1) and CML at 65.6tonnes (62.5 plus 1.1 plus 2.0).

WELL, THIS ISN’T NECESSARILY SO! To be eligible for 7.1tonnes the steer axle must meet technical specifications.

68

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

“MANY PEOPLE ARE QUICK TO FOCUS ON THE STEER MASS AND THE OVERALL LENGTH, BUT THERE ARE LIMITS WITHIN THE DETAIL.” There is more to this than just tyre section width.

The steer axle mass is limited by technical and legislative requirements.

This includes tyre section width and tyre load index (minimum tyre section width 375mm), steer axle load rating, this may be reduced by tyre/rim offset factors and steer axle suspension load rating.

18metres from the first driven axle to the last axle of the rear trailer triaxle for full GML mass.

In Queensland the prime mover also must have a minimum theoretical wheelbase of 5.0 metres, and whilst the internal axle spacing rules for a B-double remain, in Queensland there are minimums on clear space (the X and Y rule) X ≥ 5.35 and Y ≥ 5.5

The allowable mass limit for the steer axle assembly is the lesser of ALL these constraints. For example: • T yre/s: 385/65R22.5, 158L, Load rating (at maximum ADR cold inflation pressure of 825kPa) 8270kgs.

• A xle: ABC6600 GALR (gross axle load rating) 6600kgs • Suspension: XYZ670, GALR 6700kgs

LIVESTOCK VOLUMETRIC LOADING

The maximum technical limit for the example steer axle is 6600kgs.

The equipment technical requirement applies to all road train prime movers regardless of combination configuration.

Volumetric loading is not permitted under this Notice.

NATIONAL NOTICE The notice does not give us national uniformity. It sounds more like the rail system of the past, Queensland 3’6”; New South Wales 4’8½”; Victoria 5’3”; South Australia 3’6”. But national consistency risks being reduced to being consistently different at each border crossing.

Whilst the objective of this notice is commendable, it risks falling apart on these technical issues which will impact the practical application by industry.

DIMENSIONS The use of a ‘qualifying’ road train prime mover used in a B-double raises a number of issues. Whilst the overall length of 27metres seems to be well understood, the kingpin to rear dimension maximum of 20.6metres remains, along with a minimum of

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND MORE TECH DATA FROM THE ATA

INTRODUCING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN LIFTABLE STEERABLE AXLES Liftable, Steerable Pusher or Tag Suspensions

NEW e to th

n Australiat e Mark

IMPROVED MANOEUVRABILITY COMPOSILITE™ EXS is the latest generation of lightweight, steerable lift axle suspension systems from Hendrickson.

It enables improved manoeuvrability or larger bodies compared to conventional 10×4s.

COMPOSILITE EXS offers: • Enhanced performance in GML and CML applications • Up to 200mm of lift • Up to 300kg lighter than traditional lift axles • Low complexity passive steer technology Scan to learn more about COMPOSILITE EXS

Hendrickson Asia Pacific Pty Ltd 32-44 Letcon Drive Dandenong, Victoria 3175 Tel: 03 8792 3600

www.hendrickson.com.au

Actual product performance may vary depending upon vehicle configuration, operation, service and other factors. ©2022 Hendrickson USA, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks shown are owned by Hendrickson USA, L.L.C., or one of its affiliates, in one or more countries.

COLD CHAIN

THE 2022 CHALLENGE, HOW CAN THE HAVES HELP THE HAVE-NOTS? Mark Mitchell, Chairman of the Australian Food Cold Chain Council (AFCCC) wants us to look out for those less fortunate than ourselves.

I

n my new year review of projects that need tackling in 2022, I was inspired by the 100People Project, a not for profit foundation in America that helps people facing all sorts of emergencies, like food shortages, in very practical ways. Simple enough, but unlike many charities, they inspire themselves and many others by breaking the earth’s human population down to just 100 people.

The deprivations that face many people in developing countries are suddenly brought into very sharp focus, which is hard to ignore. For example, if 100 people lived on earth, 15 people are underfed, one is starving and the rest are either overweight or normal weight; 87 people have clean water, but 13 people don’t; 77 have somewhere to live, but 23 don’t; 44 have the internet, but 56 don’t; 75 have a phone, 25 don’t; only seven attended college, the rest didn’t; and just one person controls 50 per cent of all the money.

So what does all this have to do with the work of the AFCCC, and why is is relevant in a country that has so much refrigeration and transport technology and so much money? I feel a burning imbalance, Australia wastes so much food, yet we have bloated industries involved in the cold chain who really should know better and who should start thinking about how our advanced technologies and know-how can be transferred to those in the world who need it most.

Throwing money at it just doesn’t work any more, in fact, I doubt if this ever worked. These global numbers are telling us that developing communities don’t have any chance of accessing the technologies they need to improve their food supply and their cold chain processes.

We don’t seem to be able to allocate

70

POWERTORQUE March/April 2022

resources and funding for those who need it most.

Certainly, supplies of clean water and nutritious food are affected in many countries because of conflict, both political and violent, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying to come up with strategies to share our technologies and resources. And the 100People chart points accusingly to that one person who controls 50 per cent of all the money, that one person could be represented by countries just like Australia and the financial and banking systems that back them.

It is frustrating for us at the AFCCC because the global food loss and waste

in Australia to think about how we can arrange a technology transfer to those communities who desperately need a robust cold chain for survival.

Having issued the challenge, I must own up to the fact that AFCCC doesn’t have the answer and I wish we did.

I’m hoping that my adoption of the 100People principle might trigger similar concerns in others. AFCCC would like to act as an influencer to bring practical changes to the way the world’s food is grown, transported and managed.

Global food shortages are a world problem, not just something that happens in underdeveloped communities. Surely

“GLOBAL FOOD SHORTAGES ARE A WORLD PROBLEM, NOT JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS IN UNDERDEVELOPED COMMUNITIES. SURELY COUNTRIES LIKE AUSTRALIA HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PUT FOOD ON EVERY PLATE. WE SEEM TO FIND THE WILL AND THE MONEY TO THROW AT SO MANY OTHER GRAND SCHEMES.” problem is easily split right down the middle between the developed world and the developing world. The developing world doesn’t waste anything in its supply chain or in the home, it is all lost at the farm, pre-harvest, whereas in the developed world, the majority of our food is lost somewhere in the supply chain and in the home, post-harvest. This disparity points clearly to the need for an efficient cold chain, with proper refrigeration and better transport facilities so that the food that’s grown can reach consumers instead of left rotting on the ground.

So I challenge all those who have anything to do with in the cold chain

countries like Australia have an obligation to put food on every plate. We seem to find the will and the money to throw at so many other grand schemes.

The AFCCC has plenty of ideas, but no solution just yet. Perhaps you readers of PowerTorque have some answers, and if so, we would welcome them.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT AFCCC

iod) and delivered by 30 June 2022. Featured drive away price $52,990 includes GST, 12 months registration, stamp duty and CTP, and dealer delivery costs. Drive away price excludes any additional kage and is only available on new NLR 45-150 SWB AMT MY21 Traypack Trucks sold during the Promotion Period. 6 year factory warranty, covering the cab and chassis only. Any Ready-to-Work truck t isuzu.com.au for full terms and conditions. FSA/ISZS706

certified

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

THE ALL-NEW HINO 700 SERIES - THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR EVERY FLEET.

The Hino 700 Series has long been one of Australia’s favourite heavy-duty trucks and the all-new Hino 700 Series features

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

XAVIER_HINO38003.23

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

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

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