PowerTorque November 2023

POWERTORQUE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

RISING STAR INTERVIEWED

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NON-GENUINE PARTS

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ISSUE 137

60 YEARS FOR CATALANO’S

TECH KNOW

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THE FUSO SHOGUN 510

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JUST A THOUGHT PUBLISHED BY Prime Creative Media Pty Ltd

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CHANGING PACE OF CHANGE

t is difficult for us in the trucking industry to understand just how the rest of the world works. When a trucking operation takes on a task, for example, the customer wants it picked up before 5pm today and it must be delivered before 9am the day after tomorrow. These demands are not unusual and would be regarded as a normal way of doing business.

This not just an Australian situation, road transport around the world has to deliver on similar timelines, although in some countries, the concept of time seems to be considerably more flexible.

However, the basic concept is that the customer needs this freight moved at this time and the transport operator has to find a way to get the goods to their final destination, as required.

This kind of business relationship is not unique, but it does bring with it some real challenges for the transporter. The freight could be a small cardboard box with some electronic componentry inside, it could be a valuable prize bull, or it could be a 25 tonne crane. The same rules apply to all of these items, the customer expects the same level of service.

This situation has been created by the transport industry itself, because it is so competitive and the only way to compete is either by price or speed of service, and we have honed both of these parameters to the bone by constantly looking for efficiencies in providing the service.

However, achieving these efficiencies and cutting costs does not go into our back pocket, as it would in many other industries. It goes into the customer’s back pocket in lower prices or faster service. This process is repeated over and over again every day in just about every segment of the trucking industry.

This is the dilemma many truck

operators are always in, a dilemma they are often trying to mitigate. The constant motion in the market caused by our intense competitiveness means the business is always looking behind its back to see who will try and undercut the pricing or offer an extra aspect of service for the same price. It’s classic capitalism at it rawest, a dogeat-dog scenario.

This business philosophy is what makes road transport such an interesting and dynamic industry to work in. It is also what makes it such a precarious environment to develop a business in. The demands of the industry have led to serious risk taking in the past, with people turning a blind eye to some dangerous business practices which enabled them to get their goods on time and in a reasonably good condition.

We like to think of our industry as so much more sophisticated and civilised, when compared to the much more rough and ready image which pervaded the industry until 20 or so years ago.

However, the same basic business conditions exist and fierce competition still brings with it some inherent risks.

The method to improve the working conditions of the workforce and the safety outcomes involved in hauling freight have come though much smarter and well organised regulation of the industry. We are starting to see some real chain of responsibility enforcement taking effect, although there is still not enough from the trucking operators’ point of view.

This is the way to facilitate change towards a safer environment, without taking out that vital ingredient of fierce competition, which makes our industry such a dynamic place in which to work.

What we need is for young people without that experience to be brought into the industry. Where do we start?

EDITOR

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ABN 51 127 239 212 379 Docklands Drive, Docklands VIC 3008 Australia Telephone: 03 9690 8766 Fax: 03 9682 0044 Email: enquiries@primecreative.com.au Chief Executive Officer: John Murphy Managing Editor: Geoff Crockett Editor: Tim Giles Contributor: Bob Woodward Correspondent: Will Shiers (UK) Advertising Manager: Trevor Herkess: 0411 411 352, trevor.herkess@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager: Salma Kennedy, salma.kennedy@primecreative.com.au Production Manager: Michelle Weston Circulation & Subscriptions Manager: Bobby Yung Head of Design: Blake Storey Designer: Caterina Zappia Official Media Partners:

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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ISSUE 137

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Contents

SIXTY YEARS AND COUNTING

The backbone of the trucking industry is formed by the many major regional operators, which were founded from the fifties through to the seventies. They built their brand and their fleets when the going was tough but the rewards were good enough to invest in growth.

24 THE SHOGUN AND THE KISS PRINCIPLE

48 THE NEW, NEW FATIGUE MANAGEMENT PLAN

There is no need to make driving a truck too complex. A simple no-nonsense approach will work most of the time. The Fuso Shogun 510 is an example of making driving a sophisticated truck relatively simple.

The Australian trucking industry has been listening to

42 CUMMINS GOING FORWARD The road to zero carbon emissions is far from a certain route and technology companies like Cummins are having to develop several alternatives to meet future driveline demand in trucks.

46 ISUZU TIPPERS MOVE MOUNTAINS FOR FOCUS

discussions about fatigue management for a long time and now the NTC has come back with another set of proposals.

52 RURAL TRANSPORT OUT WEST The joint conference between the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association and the Livestock and Rural Transporters of Western Australia took place in Busselton WA recently.

55 A TALENT FOR GETTING THE JOB DONE

MACHINERY HIRE FLEET Amy Throckmorton was awarded the Rural Transport Rising Being in the right place at the right time can offer a life changing moment, as Charles and Jerry Nipper of Focus Machinery can attest.

Star award at the recent joint ALRTA/Livestock and Rural Transporters of Western Australia event, after demonstrating a talent for getting the job done as an operations manager.

ISRI: DEALERS

Mobile Sales and Service TAMDELE, 21 Hakkinen Road, Wingfi eldSA 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 110-120 Maggiolo Drive, 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

u

com.au

Standard Issue 08 NEWS AND VIEWS Closing loopholes welcomed, Cummins, a Daimler, Paccar battery joint venture, DHL’s first Australian EV truck, the NHVR and the NRL, an EV tipper on the market, an electric garbage truck, new S-Ways for PrixCar, Martins fleet take some Macks and management changes at Volvo.

54 ANIMAL WELFARE CRITICAL CONSIDERATION FOR LIVESTOCK TRANSPORTERS This is the first column in PowerTorque from the new Executive Director at the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association, Rachel Smith, and it’s tackling the issue of the live export of livestock.

62 REVIVING RURAL ECONOMIES: TRUCKING’S ROLE IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Highways are the arteries of small towns and trucks are their lifeblood, writes Warren Clarke, NatRoad CEO.

68 WHY DIDN’T THEY ASK EVANS’?

Will Shiers, PowerTorque’s European Correspondent, meets up with two UK truck industry experts, who dare to speak out in favour of the diesel engine. It’s safe to say they’re probably not on Greta Thunberg’s Christmas card list…

72 TECH KNOW

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LOOK INTO THE TECHNOLOGY CRYSTAL BALL

PowerTorque sat down for a chat with Stefan Pahl Director Application Engineering and Technical Sales at Knorr Bremse to talk about future developments and look into the technology crystal ball for the trucking industry

Condition-Based Maintenance, EBS will save a roll-over on that poorly designed roundabout, the difference between genuine and non-genuine parts, truck industry leading brands joineing forces to educate about the potential issues that non-genuine components pose, the complex logistics challenges of staging a travelling motorsport series and hauling abrasive materials with moving floor systems can prove challenging if you don’t have the right flooring.

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

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NEWS & VIEWS

CLOSING LOOPHOLES WELCOMED The closing loopholes bill will deliver fairer contracts for all trucking businesses, reckons the Chair of the Australian Trucking Association, David Smith, who was commenting on the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023, which the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke, introduced into Parliament.

RDO AUSTRALIA TAKEOVER INLAND TRUCK CENTRES PACCAR Australia has announced RDO Australia Group has successfully completed the acquisition of the Inland Truck Centres business that provides sales and aftersales support to Kenworth and DAF customers in Dubbo, Griffith, Orange and Wagga Wagga.

Originally founded in 1968 as a machinery dealer in the town of Warren NSW by Peter Swane, the company quickly expanded to Dubbo in 1970 offering second hand trucks to customers, as well as farm equipment and rural products. Peter Swane Machinery was appointed as a Kenworth dealer in 1975 with trucks becoming the core focus of the business. After working in the business for several years, Cliff Swane (Peter’s son) was promoted to Managing Director in 1993 and has guided the company with a strong dedication to the PACCAR truck and parts brands, and Cummins aftersales support. In 2001 the company changed its trading name to Inland Truck Centres to better reflect the expansion of the business into the NSW Riverina region and the core business focus of truck sales and support.

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David said the bill and future regulations would enable the Fair Work Commission to issue two new orders. Road transport minimum standards orders would apply to owner drivers and similar small trucking businesses. Road transport industry contractual chain orders could apply to the whole contract chain.

CUMMINS, DAIMLER, PACCAR BATTERY JOINT VENTURE Accelera by Cummins, the zero-emissions business unit of Cummins, Daimler Trucks North America and Paccar are partnering to accelerate and localise battery production and the battery supply chain in the United States. The planned joint venture will manufacture battery cells for electric trucks and industrial applications.

Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck and PACCAR will each own

30 per cent of, and jointly control, the joint venture, which will initially focus on the lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery technology family for battery-electric trucks.

The LFP battery cells introduce lower cost, longer life, and enhanced safety, without the need for nickel and cobalt raw materials. Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck and Paccar expect to see growing demand for battery technology throughout this decade.

CONTAINER TRACKING FOR EFFICIENCY The automated tracking of empty freight containers can improve turnaround times by more than 30 per cent. A collaborative Victorian project, using data supplied by Transport Certification Australia (TCA), has demonstrated that empty container parks with high levels of automation are significantly more

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

efficient than those that use paper forms to track vehicles.

The trial, commissioned by the Department of Transport and Planning Victoria, studied automation levels at empty container parks in Victoria, aiming to better understand the benefits of paperless and contactless truck arrivals.

NEWS & VIEWS

DHL SUPPLY CHAIN LAUNCHES ITS FIRST AUSTRALIAN EV TRUCK DHL Supply Chain (DHL) has energised its transition to electric vehicles with the first Australian delivery of Volvo FL Electric with second-generation battery packs. Based at DHL’s western Sydney supply chain campus, the medium-duty Volvo FL begins the fulfilment of DHL Supply Chain’s efforts in Australia to help achieve the Group’s target of 60 per cent electric vehicles in its last-mile fleet by 2030.

Dispensing with internal combustion power, the Volvo FL combines a 600-volt motor with a two-speed transmission to deliver a 5,500-kilogram payload. Four 66 kWh Gen 2 battery packs provide power with charging times dependent on the duty cycle and chargers used.

NHVR AND THE NRL Rugby league legend Sam Thaiday has partnered with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to spread an important safety message as part of its ‘We All Need Space’ campaign. The 304-game Broncos champion, known for his tough and uncompromising stance on the field, said it was important for motorists to show the same relentlessness when it comes to road safety.

“So many of us get behind the wheel of a car every day; to get to work, do school drop offs and for me, back in the day, head to training,” said Sam. “But unfortunately, we often forget to stop and think more deeply about our behaviour behind the wheel. In rugby league, especially as a second rower, I always aimed to give my opponents as little space as possible and break down their defence.

“While the opposition may not need space on the field, trucks sure do on our roads!”

FOLLOWMONT AND THE CONVOY FOR KIDS Followmont Transport announced its continued support for the Brisbane Convoy for Kids, a local not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising funds for children’s charities. The trucking operator will once again provide the Trailer of Hope for the upcoming 2023 Brisbane Convoy for Kids,

reaffirming its commitment to this worthy cause.

The initiative invites individuals, families, and businesses to contribute between $20 and $2,000, allowing their names or logos to adorn the Trailer of Hope B Double set, turning it into a traveling billboard of community support.

www.powertorque.com.au

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NEWS & VIEWS

EV TIPPER ON THE MARKET Foton, has launched an Australian first with the T5 EV Tipper, the first all-electric ready-togo tipper. The new truck has a 3,500kg braked towing capacity, a point of interest for municipalities,

NEW BATTERY PRODUCTION PLANT Scania has opened a new, purpose-built battery assembly plant in Södertälje, Sweden, which will take battery cells produced jointly

by Scania and Northvolt in northern Sweden and assemble them into modules and then into battery packs, to be transferred to the truck assembly line, located within the same production precinct. [article_signup] “At Scania, we have made it our purpose to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system,” said Christian Levin, President and CEO Scania and TratonN Group. “With the battery assembly plant in operation, we have one of the key enablers in place to accelerate the shift to electrification.”

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

landscape companies etc.

With a rated GVM of 4,500kg for car licence operation, or 6,000kg for light rigid licensed driver, the model features an Australianmade steel tipper body.

NEW S-WAYS FOR PRIXCAR

PrixCar Services, has invested in a new order of Iveco S-Way flagship AS models with 550hp. The first vehicle entered service in April this year with three subsequent deliveries following.

“The reviews of S-Way coming out of Europe were very positive, we also liked the fact that it was a new model with all the latest technologies and

features, the specifications stacked up well, so we decided to begin introducing them to our fleet,” said Goran Koviloski PrixCar National Fleet Manager. “As a company we work with many of the truck manufacturers and have different brands within our existing fleet. We wanted to support Iveco, given we provide transport services to them.”

NEWS & VIEWS

NEW CAMERA FROM TELETRAC Teletrac Navman has announced the launch of the IQ Camera, an AI-powered, dual-camera dash cam that is integrated with Teletrac Navman’s TN360 fleet management software to give fleet owners a unified view of their video and telematics data.

The connected IQ Camera uses sensors and video AI to review every minute of drive time and understand behaviour. Together with TN360, the IQ Camera pulls driver performance data into a single location, giving fleet managers a full view of performance so that they can implement reward programs and identify areas for improvement.

MANAGEMENT CHANGES AT VOLVO

Volvo Group Australia has announced appointments reinforcing its commitment to enhancing relationships with government and industry stakeholders.

Lauren Pulitano, currently serving as Vice President of Governmental Sales and UD Trucks Australia, has been appointed as Vice President of Public Affairs. Her strategic

focus will be on strengthening engagement with major government and industry partners.

Cameron Bettany, an expert in government projects, emergency services sector, and stakeholder management in the Asia Pacific region, has been promoted to the position of Vice President, Group Governmental Sales.

ELECTRIC GARBAGE TRUCK Volvo and waste management contractor, JJ’s Waste and Recycling are to trial a Volvo FE Electric in waste applications. The 6x2 FE Electric featured on the Volvo stand at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show has been fitted with a rear loading; 16 cubic metre waste body for urban operations.

The three-month trial will take place on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and will provide insights into the impact of electric PTO use on range and productivity.

Utilising four Gen 2 batteries with a capacity of 265KWh the dual motor FE Electric has a potential range of up to 220 kilometres.

www.powertorque.com.au

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NEWS & VIEWS

MARTINS FLEET TAKE SOME MACKS Major livestock hauling operation, Martins Stock Haulage have a fleet of instantly recognisable Kenworths. Now, these are going to be joined by eight new Macks. Martins run a fleet of around 90 prime movers in every configuration up to triple road trains. Their livestock operations cover all of eastern Australia, from western Queensland to South Australia, while they also have tankers carrying dangerous goods for the mines in Western Australia.

“We’ve had over a hundred Macks in the past,” said Adam Ross, Martins General Manager, “so this is nothing new, but when they sent us a Titan to trial, we were very impressed with it. We were a bit concerned about driver acceptability, but we needn’t have worried, we put one of our most senior drivers in the Titan and he loved it.”

1. LEFT HAND PAGE

900 ELECTRIC TRUCK SALES Fuso has announced the sale of around 900 Fuso eCanters to Yamato Transport in Tokyo. This is the world’s first introduction of the next generation eCanter.

Yamato introduced 25 units of the first generation eCanter in

2017, and based on the results of its utilisation in home delivery and other logistics services, Yamato has now decided to introduce around 900 units of the new eCanter nation-wide. This is the largest single order of the eCanter to date.

HARTWIG ANNIVERSARY Hartwigs, is celebrating 100 years serving south-central NSW, ACT, and northern Victoria truck customers.

Representing the Western Star Trucks, MAN Truck & Bus, Dennis Eagle, and Detroit brands, the team at Hartwigs services customers with dealerships in Queanbeyan and Shepparton.

“A centenary is a remarkable achievement for any organisation, and it’s no surprise that the team at

Hartwigs has achieved this,” said Craig Lee, executive general manager of on-highway at Penske Australia.

“We are expanding Hartwigs’ coverage into the Orana and Riverina regions of NSW and the Sunraysia region of Victoria. We are confident that customers will continue to receive exceptional support from the team at Hartwigs, and here’s to the next 100 years.”

ON BOARD ON SITE ON DEMAND

D E D

NEWS & VIEWS

30 YEARS FOR TRAILER SALES Trailer Sales was established as Freighter Queensland in 1982, beginning operations in 1983. The company, initially distributing trailer brands like Freighter, expanded its reach in the late 1990s by acquiring distribution rights to Maxi-CUBE refrigerated vans, subsequently rebranding to Freighter Maxi-CUBE Queensland (FMQ).

In 2009, another turning point came when FMQ strategically acquired Trailer Sales NQ, a move that included the prominent trailersales.com.au domain. This acquisition not only expanded the company’s reach but also led to the current, familiar name of Trailer Sales in 2012.

DAIMLER DEALER EXPANSION Tristar Truck and Bus will open Daimler Trucks Shepparton and Daimler Trucks Canberra later this year, selling Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Freightliner and Fuso trucks and buses.

The family-owned organisation, headed up by David Warren, currently operates Daimler Trucks Albury and Daimler

Trucks Wagga Wagga, delivering outstanding customer service.

Earlier this year David was presented with the 2022 Daimler Truck Dealer of the Year award.

Daimler Truck Australia Pacific President and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, said he is excited that Tristar Truck and Bus will soon cover two additional regions.

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OPERATOR PROFILE

SIXTY YEARS AND COUNTING

The backbone of the trucking industry was formed by the many major regional operators, which were founded from the fifties through to the seventies. They built their brand and their fleets when the going was tough but the rewards were good enough to invest in growth.

A

nyone on the roads of Western Australia will be familiar with the Catalano’s brand name – yellow trucks with B&J Catalano in cursive script along the side of each trailer, plying their trade around the state.

The B and the J denote the founders of the operation, Bill and Joe Catalano.

They started the business in 1962 in Brunswick, a small settlement – about a 90-minute drive south of Perth near the coastal town of Bunbury.

PowerTorque spoke to founder Joe’s son, Clem, who along with his cousin, Stephen, now run the company, with founder Bill still in place as Managing Director. This is a strong family focused business which has grown from a small local country trucking operator to an operation working in many areas of the state with tippers, tankers and a

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large fleet of equipment involved in many major transport and earthmoving projects for governments, mining operators and others.

In the beginning the two brothers were carting gravel, hauling milk to the dairies and clearing land. They would put their hand to anything they could.

“They just started around here and got into it and that just built and built and got bigger and bigger,” says Clem.

“From just themselves to the 400-plus people that it is today.”

In the current operation there’s three parts to the business. There’s the mining and civil fleet, which includes scrapers, dump trucks, excavators and dump trucks. The dump trucks go up to the 100-tonne mark and then there’s 120-tonne excavators through to D 11 dozers, down to D 6 bulldozers. The construction of tailings dams is one of

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

the operation’s specialities but there are a wide variety of projects being managed all across WA by Catalano’s.

“My uncle and my father started the B&J company, and at the moment, my uncle is still in the company,” says Clem. “He’s 88, and fully hands on. It’s unbelievable. He’s happy, he does his own thing. There’s my cousin Stephen, and myself, we’re all hands on. We don’t sit in offices, we like to get out and get behind the wheel and go and do a job.”

The operation also has a large materials and crushing division which works with a number of resources from the north of Perth, as far down as Walpole on the south coast of WA. These quarries supply road base materials for an increasing variety of projects, too. The company also supplies other quarry products

OPERATOR PROFILE

and blue metals as well, including limestone and sand. Catalano’s will handle everything from screening to crushing and also employs mobile crushers that shift from pit to pit.

On top of, and allied with, these two parts of the business is the transport operation. This fleet mainly shifts Catalano’s own products. There’s a tanker division, too, which handles hydrochloric acid, caustic soda and liquid lime. Most of the transport fleet works out of the Brunswick headquarters, but there is also a depot in the Perth metropolitan area at Hazelmere.

There’s also the heavy haulage division with a wide range of floats which are predominantly tasked with moving Catalano’s own gear. They will do a little bit of outside work as well for some of their local customers.

With all of these different arms to the operation, this is a big transport fleet, supporting a substantial business.

THE BIG PROJECTS At the moment, Catalano’s is managing a big job in its own backyard with construction of an outer ring road for Bunbury. This is a project involving over nine million tonnes of materials to be sourced and delivered on site, plus a similar amount of sand.

“That’s been keeping us pretty busy for the last couple of years,” says Clem. “We have to have a lot of capital equipment and we are sort of a onestop shop. Where, we can do anything, and we are sort of a diversified company. We do everything, so, when one division is quiet, the other one’s busy.

“We’ve been doing work for Austral Bricks for the last 20 years. It’s just come to an end.

“We’ve got a terrific crew of people.

All the managers that we’ve got in place and all the general managers have been here for a long time, like Jack who runs the workshop, he has been here as long as I have, for 47 years.”

One of the larger projects which boosted the growth of the company would have been when Worsley Alumina started operations in South West WA with its integrated bauxite mining and alumina refining

operation. This stimulated fast growth for Catalano’s as a company. Other projects started in the area and the Catalano’s operation has grown with them.

“We’ve got enough permanent work and to keep ourselves going in what we do,” says Clem. “And with the clientele, we don’t need to go out and start buying work. We’ve got one

www.powertorque.com.au

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OPERATOR PROFILE

client, that we do a lot of port work for. There is a facility with which we load the woodchip, in Bunbury. I think we’ve been with them 47 or 48 years.

We have a lot of long-term work.

“We won’t take a job, if we’re going to hurt the brand. We’ll walk away from it. It’s not about doing everything. At the moment, there’s that much work out there that you can conquer the world if you want to. But, how are you going to do it? You don’t want to overstretch yourself. The way the labour market is at the moment, getting good people, it’s hard.

“You’ve got to offer people a lifestyle, and everyone’s different.

People move so quick, there’s the ones that have been here a long time and don’t move, but you need to get to another certain percentage of people who come in and then go.”

Clem reckons the business actually works like a training ground for young people who end up working in the mining industry. They come into the business and get trained as equipment operators but are then drawn by the attraction of FIFO work on mine sites.

He says that the operation can find young fitters or apprentices but is really struggling to find young people who want to drive a truck.

“The big thing with the transport industry these days and getting the young kids into it, is the fact that years ago, you could bring your children in on weekends or the school holidays and they could sit with their fathers,” says Clem. “They could experience a truck or a machine or help you work in the workshop. You could do that in those days. Now with the laws and the insurance and all the rest of it. You can’t do that.

“Especially with a truck driver, if you don’t get that person at a young age. After school they are told to get up and get work, to go find a job. If you haven’t had it, pushed in front of you, to drive a truck or get in the transport industry at a young age, you’ve missed them. They’ve gone into another trade and bang.

“The lifestyle of the long-distance truckies is sort of going and it’s a shame, but I don’t know where the industry is going to end up.”

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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OPERATOR PROFILE

STEADY AS SHE GOES Although there are fluctuations in the business as the projects come and go, the Catalano operation expects to stay at around the same size into the future.

They were bigger in the latest WA boom, with more than 400 employees, but the number is steady now around the 350-mark. In the early 2000s, the payroll got up to 500 plus, and it was all going well, until it all fell over. The business has consolidated back into where it wants to be.

The current fleet of trucks sits somewhere between 50 and 60 trucks.

Alongside these, especially with the large outer ring road contract running, there are also around 40 subbies to help handle the work.

When it comes down to the choice of trucks, the long-haul work is handled by Mack trucks, in the main.

There are also some Western Stars

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

Clem Catalnano runs the business with his cousin Stephen

CUT THROUGH THE BULLDUST WITH MACK TITAN. MAKE HISTORY WITH MACK Since 1963, Mack has been designing and building trucks to handle Australia’s unforgiving conditions. Mack Titan has always taken on the toughest of road train, triple and quad assignments, tackling long distances and big payloads with ease. Its powerful Mack MP10 engine delivers up to 685hp and 2,300 lb-ft torque, while the innovative mDRIVE automated manual transmission delivers the grunt to the gravel with the minimum of effort. Titan delivers excellent fuel efficiency and low emissions, making it the ideal truck when you’re clocking up the k’s.

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OPERATOR PROFILE

among the fleet. Alongside them some Volvos are involved in certain tasks and there are also a selection of Scanias and Kenworths.

The combinations include a lot of twin steer prime movers or twin steer tippers pulling different trailer combinations. There are also what they call the ‘two and a half’ combinations, which are a B-double pulling a single dog trailer at the rear. There can also be a rigid tipper with two trailers.

However, the main combination is the WA pocket road train, which comprises a prime mover with two tri-axle trailers with a tri-axle dolly.

These run at 27.5 metres long and at 98 tonnes GCM. These pocket road trains have access just about anywhere a truck needs to go in the state. This combination has superseded the previous favourite which was a fouraxle rigid with a five-axle dog trailer.

Catalano’s have to run a big workshop with all of the machinery it runs, this means that all of the maintenance is done in-house, all the trucks and trailers can be handled alongside the excavators and bulldozers.

The company has a fully manned workshop team but has struggled for people in the past couple of years.

The team of fitters is around 50 strong.

Some of them work out at mobile sites for specific projects. They also run a number of contract fitters as well.

“We probably fall in love with our gear and keep it too long,” says Clem.

“What we generally do is, we will do a rebuild after 1.2 or 1.3 million km.

Then halfway through that rebuild life, we’ll get rid of it. It all depends on the truck, and what it’s doing too. We’ve got the trucks that do a lot of hours but not a lot of kilometres. Then we’ve got some on the long runs, doing some of the tanker work and doing high kilometres.”

In terms of monitoring all of this gear Catalano’s use MTData, which is hooked into the maintenance program.

Prestart checks are monitored and maintenance programs pull in equipment, trucks and trailers into the workshop when issues are reported or regular maintenance required. All the trucks run through the workshop at night.

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

One of the Diamond Reos in the Catalano collection of their retired trucks

www.geotab.com/au/

OPERATOR PROFILE

“We haven’t got driver monitors or cameras watching them,” says Clem.

“We pick it up on the MTData, because that comes up with all the waypoints for speeding, and then you got the fast cornering and heavy braking alerts.”

The kind of work involved means the fleet does not have to stretch the limits on fatigue issues. Longer haul drivers can manage their own fatigue within a relatively relaxed schedule.

Other drivers on shorter runs rarely need to go over 12 hours in any day.

Most drivers only have a five-day week. Drivers working out of the port get warning if there is a ship due in on the weekend in need of unloading.

All trucking operators in WA are involved in the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation as part of their certification to operate in the state.

“We get audited all the time,” says Clem. “We can we do an internal audit ourselves, and then we get outside auditors every every 12 months. They come in and check us and we don’t have a problem with that.”

A selection of Mack Trucks in the Catalano collection of their retired trucks

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

TRUCKS ON TEST

THE SHOGUN AND THE KISS PRINCIPLE

There is no need to make driving a truck too complex. A simple no-nonsense approach will work most of the time. The Fuso Shogun 510 is an example of making driving a sophisticated truck relatively simple.

E

ver since the first showing of the Fuso Shogun 510, it has been clear that this is the beginning of a transformation for Japanese trucks here in Australia.

For Fuso this has meant the introduction, in the heavy duty truck range, of drivelines and control systems from Europe and the US. In the Daimler Trucks organisation Fuso is the only brand playing in the lighter end of the truck market and still retains a mainly Japanese sourced designs in that market segment.

When it comes to the heavier trucks, the Japanese truck makers have, in the past, designed for their

24

domestic market, with a preference for rigid trucks, 8x4 configurations and relatively high GCM levels. At the same time, those selling Japanese trucks in countries like Australia and New Zealand are looking for heavy duty prime movers and rigids running at much higher GCMs, like truck and dog combinations and some B-doubles.

This dynamic tension between the two conflicting philosophies has led to compromises between the two. Some are effective, while others are not so effective.

This changed when the Europeans moved over to owning a major slice of truck manufacturing in Japan, with

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

Daimler’s purchase of Fuso and Volvo’s purchase of UD Trucks. The Daimler drive for a ‘global’ engine saw them look at the three major truck markets, the US, Europe and Japan, to come up with a solution which would suit all three, with minor adaptations from country to country.

At the same time, the global Volvo Group engine was being developed for Volvo, Mack and UD. From a global perspective, and looking at the figures, the truck makers decided the 13- and 15-litre engines were to be made for the US and Europe, but for the Japanese market, an 11-litre engine would suffice, in most cases.

TRUCKS ON TEST

While UD Trucks have stuck to the initial plan, and here in Australia the brand’s most powerful truck uses an 11-litre rated at 430hp, Daimler in Australia managed to convince its Japanese manufacturing arm to also include a 13-litre engine in the mix and to rate it at 510hp.

This gave Fuso an advantage in the Japanese-truck-orientated part of the Australian truck market, but would also give the brand a chance to compete directly with US and European competitors in sectors of the market that want 500-plus hp. This opens up the intrastate heavy prime mover market, but also the heavy tipper and tipper and dog market, for a brand which has had limited success in this specialist sector.

This is how we come to the truck which is the subject of this road test, the Fuso Shogun 510 6x4 tipper. This is able to function as a single tipper or with a dog trailer, as it has the power

to handle the 50-plus tonnes GCM needed in this space.

This design brings with it the kind of advantages we have come to expect from a Japanese truck. It shows the

traditional virtues of a practical solution for a hard-working tipper operator able to stand up to the task, but also have a tare mass which comes in below the opposition’s.

The Fuso Shogun 510 6x4 tipper is able to function as a single tipper or with a dog trailer,

www.powertorque.com.au

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TRUCKS ON TEST

OUT ON THE ROAD The 510hp OM471 engine puts out 2500Nm of torque, through the Fuso Automated Manual G330-12 (Daimler DT12 AMT), which can be found in the Mercedes Benz and Freightliner models, which Daimler also sell here in Australia.

As part of a global group design this truck also gets all of the latest electronic bells and whistles. This means automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and a number of other abbreviations, which we have become accustomed to seeing on all new trucks on the market like AAA, LDWS, ESP, HSS. Climbing up into the cabin we are greeted by a familiar looking heavy duty Fuso interior. Apart from the two footwells, the cab is one large flat surface at a height of about 200mm above the engine cover in the middle of the cabin. There’s a bunk at the back and the area above the engine has a number of lockers and compartments.

The overall look of this cabin has barely changed in the last 20 years but when you get down to the detail there is a lot more going on. The two information screens, one in the middle of the dash, directly in front of the driver and the other to their left, are a window into the data flow around the truck.

This is a totally modern truck under

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the skin. The CANbus is used by all of the modern sophisticated safety systems, and the information and data screen can pick up to five camera feeds as well as navigational and entertainment feeds.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

This model is aimed squarely at the tipper market where the truck needs enough power to pull a dog trailer.

This short wheelbase tipper suits the market segment with the ability to run as a single rigid or with a trailer, that’s the flexibility the market is looking for. Often a tipper like this will pull a piece of equipment, like a backhoe or excavator from job to job and then run as a single to move material.

When a truck is not running in the 50-to-60 tonnes range all of the time, the 510hp rating is going to be enough to handle higher masses when needed and not burn too much fuel most of the time. As a single, this engine is not working hard at all.

This is a Japanese truck working in a segment where the North American trucks dominate. It can outperform them in terms of tare mass, turning circle, fuel economy and ease of use, as well as in terms of visibility, because it’s a cabover. Okay, it does not have the bling potential, but it is a very comfortable truck which is easy to drive, safe and economical.

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TRUCKS ON TEST

a Japanese truck for the first time, this will also be their first experience of a warranty period, and all of the other backup which comes with buying a Japanese product. The performance of the AMT will also be a surprise to many tipper buyers, who have been brought up on manual constant mesh gearboxes.

The AMT also has three modes in operation, simple auto for normal driving, economy will be useful when the truck is running empty and then it has a skip shift function to save on time and fuel. Although the maximum torque is stated to be at 1100rpm, providing 2500 Nm to the driveline, the level of torque available to the driveline is close to that maximum figure, all of the way from 900rpm to just under 1500rpm. This gives the driver plenty of flexibility on the road and means the truck will not miss a beat pulling a loaded trailer.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE On the test run PowerTorque took the truck in and around the back roads of the Gold Coast and up on to the top of Tambourine Mountain, on difficult winding roads to see how the truck goes in a typical environment for this kind of task.

This is where the excellent steering and visibility comes into its own and the 510hp available is evident in climbing steep grades with a full load on board. The truck never missed a beat and it was a relaxed drive along routes which can be problematic, with plenty of other traffic not used to lots of trucks on suburban roads.

The other elements of the tipper task which this truck needs to be able to handle include slow manoeuvring around sites. this is something this AMT can handle with a slow manoeuvring mode available and it also has the ability to rock the truck out of sticky situations on difficult surfaces.

One of the regular fun tasks when driving a new model is working out what all the buttons on the dashboard do and trying to navigate around an unfamiliar set of information screens in order to drill down to what there is to see under the various options available.

Needless to say, playing around on

28

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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TRUCKS ON TEST

two separate screens is not a good idea while climbing up a winding grade on the way to Tamborine Mountain.

However, there were opportunities to investigate the opportunities on some the straighter wider roads.

Although working off the same basic set-up used by Daimler in the Mercedes Benz, this is a much simpler system to move around in. There are a few simple menus to access cameras, media etc, but the routes around these are relatively straightforward.

Here is the Japanese pragmatism and practicality coming through, yet again.

That practical approach to the designing of a truck comes though with most Japanese brands of truck. It is probably illustrated most clearly in trucks like the Shogun, mainly because a lot of the aspects of the truck are also available in a Mercedes Benz

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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TRUCKS ON TEST

Actros but integrated in a completely different way.

Fuso didn’t need to change the cabin design much for this model. It is has some smoother lines, but is the

32

same basic shape. The cabin interior is also little changed, there was no need to amend it, as it fits with the Japanese truck design philosophy of plenty of storage, and there’s no need

for the driver to get out of the seat and move around in the cab. Designers simply had to allow for the AMT control and the information screens to be integrated.

Those automated systems are all there but there is no Star Trek style presentation of information, or complex menus with more information than a humble tipper and dog driver might need. It is all presented in a matter-offact manner, befitting of the tasks this truck will be handling.

At the end of the day this truck is simply a tool, a can opener, designed to get the job done safely and efficiently. The truck also offers easeof-use and comfort for the driver and a certain practical functionality, which appeals to the driver community.

From the point of view of this driver, it was also a relaxing drive, on steep grades, both up and down, the truck was fully in-control. There was enough power and torque, alongside swift shifting from the AMT to make the ascent a relaxing one. There was also plenty of retardation up the driver’s sleeve to bring the truck down a steep winding grade smoothly and with a bit more retardation available in the back pocket if needed. It wasn’t, and it was also possible to change up a gear going down the descent, when it demonstrated just what it could do.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

FRE105

FRE10597_Freightliner BIG STATE_Power Torque_FP_MAM_210x297mm_MAM_FA.indd 1

20/9/2023 9:14 am

TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

LOOK INTO THE TECHNOLOGY CRYSTAL BALL PowerTorque sat down for a chat with Stefan Pahl, Director Application Engineering and Technical Sales at Knorr-Bremse, to talk about future developments and look into the technology crystal ball for the trucking industry.

T

he highly sophisticated technology we fit on our trucks and trailers today has come a long way in the last twenty years, but with the need for ever more efficient and safe road transport, there is much further to go, when it comes to the level of sophistication needed in the decades to come.

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“I think we haven’t seen everything yet,” says Stefan Pahl, Director Application Engineering and Technical Sales Knorr-Bremse. “So the development is specifically for highly automated driving, there will be a lot to come in the future. It will be a lot more precise and, and what we then also need is a certain level of redundancy of certain mission critical systems.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

“If someone is willing to invest more money into their vehicle combination they would only do that if the outcome is more reliability. That’s the expectation that everyone has, and therefore, we’ve started to work on exactly those kinds of systems. We’ve started to prepare ourselves to work out concepts for redundant braking, but also redundant air suspension control.

“We’re also convinced that on certain other systems, since they are also mission critical, we will have to implement a certain redundancy in them. Like lighting, a single failure of one light will not be an acceptable reason to stop the combination on the highway. It’s the same for the trailer.

You cannot stop a trailer when a single wheel speed sensor error might stop the whole combination. That’s just unacceptable.

“We’ve also worked on solutions for redundant ABS, redundant stability control, we have concepts for that.

We’ve already also tested those in test

TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

vehicles in Sweden, on our test track, and on a new test track in Hungary.”

The ZalaZONE project, the largest test track in Central Europe, is located in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary and was financed by the European Union

and the Hungarian state. The facility has built a virtual city so that highly automated driving can be tested in a realistic environment, interacting with other vehicles and buildings.

There are a lot of issues and

technical challenges which still need to be clarified before these will begin to appear on our roads. The legislative background to create the environment for these systems to be allowed is still not clear and will have to be

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TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

harmonised across different countries and continents.

“We need to be able to provide the right solutions at the right time, which are then still cost effective enough so that we can also really sell that to our customers,” says Stefan. “If we were to just simply double the braking system, it will probably also be a kind of a redundancy. It would be very good and we would make a lot of money for us, but no one would accept that.

“We need to have some kind of clever architecture in place, and it is a fascinating topic that we’re working on at the moment. Partial failure modes, and stuff like that, will be an important part of the development. If we have one critical error, there’s a red warning lamp and the driver would need to stop.

“In the future, we will have to have the possibility to switch from a primary system to a secondary system, and then the driver will not even realise that it has happened. They will get a certain notification, that they’ve gone over to the backup, but the backup system will still provide the same performance.”

If a failure occurs the system will just move on to the next layer of redundancy and the vehicle will perform as normal. The back-up will still provide the same functionality, the same performance, so the vehicle can continue on its route unhindered.

This is unlike the current situation with some electronic systems, where they simply go into limp home mode if there is an issue. The vehicle’s driver will not notice any difference as one system fails in some way, the back-up kicks in seamlessly. If the second layer of redundancy has an issue there will be a third layer to back-up any failure.

“In the second redundant layer, there will be certain performance deficiencies within the system, but the performance also be acceptable and safe,” says Stefan. “It may be like a limp home mode, but maybe, the depending on the criticality, it can just still perform a certain kind of minimal risk manoeuvre. It may be able to park the trailer in a safe spot get the vehicle combination out of the way so that it doesn’t affect the flow of traffic.”

Armed with this knowledge the team at Knorr-Bremse is already building an architecture which will be able to cope with these new and expected developments. As a system is developed it already has the capacity to handle tasks and functionality which are yet to become available. When new systems come to fruition it will not necessarily be a hardware update but may be a software update.

“Changes in the future may also need additional hardware, if you if you think about the communication between truck and trailer,”says Stefan.

“We will definitely need to have a different type of connection, which will also provide a certain type of redundancy, but also a much higher speed interaction.

“We’re convinced that due to certain manoeuvres that can easily happen on a day to day basis on motorways, that you also need to have some kind of real perception behind the trailer.

Something like long range radar, maybe also combined with a short range radar, so that you can also detect what’s going on behind the trailer.

“Especially when you come to certain yard manoeuvring issues.

When you have a certain angle between the truck and the trailer, there will be a big blind spot behind the trailer, and the environment perception of the truck alone will not be able to get a real overview.”

HARDWARE SOLUTIONS Additional hardware will come into play but there may already be systems fitted to the trailer which could be utilised by any safety system, to help in the task. There may not be a need to double-up on everything. Spring brakes on a trailer already have two chambers and Knorr-Bremse has already tested ABS via the spring brakes, this may be used as a back-up braking option.

“In the future, it will not only be

“In the future, it will not only be one trailer EBS, there will also be a second one.”

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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TRUCK DEVELOPMENT

Stefan Pahl, Director Application Engineering and Technical Sales at Knorr-Bremse

one trailer EBS, there will also be a second one,” says Stefan. “Maybe not as complicated as the main one. What we expect to see on trailers will be something similar to what we now have on a truck, a central ECU on board, which is controlling all of the environment on the trailer.

“We need to have reliable information about the health status of the trailer. If you have some kind of vehicle combination where no driver is on board anymore, you would still need to know how the vehicle combination really performs.

“We will need to know whether the level of braking performance that we can get out of this or that part of the combination is really sufficient. In the past, we talked about platooning, and that was a kind of hot topic, but if you want to consider something like that, where you would really like to reduce the distance between the vehicles, you will need to be pretty confident that the braking performance of all these vehicle in combinations would be somewhat similar.

“You also need to know if you have any kind of change to the road surface.

If you enter, into an area where the front vehicle is on a slippery road, then it cannot provide the same braking performance as the one behind it.

“There’s a lot of topics that we would need to understand in the

38

future. The health status of all of the components is mission critical. So you need to have some much more sophisticated diagnostic capabilities to really understand what the systems are capable of at that moment, and it will be an interesting challenge getting all of that knowledge into the workshops later on.”

As the trucks and trailer get more and more sophisticated and at the same time the trucks are becoming more and more reliant on automated systems, the personnel in the workshop who maintain these vehicles need to be capable of servicing everything.

Driver intervention is going to be less critical, but the fact that the automatic system has a number of failsafe functions is going to be vital.

“If you look at the kind of effort our team has spent building up a service network in Australia and New Zealand, that is not a trivial job,” says Stefan.

“Finding the right workshop partners, qualifying them, having a reliable overview of which skill set they have in place, so that when someone from a fleet calls us with a problem, you need to have enough confidence that you can send them to the right spot and someone is able to help them.

“With those much more complex systems in the future, we will have amazing challenges, and we’re going to have to engineer those complex systems

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

onto different vehicles all the time, which is already currently a challenge.”

REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS Last year, Knorr-Bremse acquired a controlling interest in the Spanish company, Cojali, which has developed the world leading multi-brand remote diagnostics system , Jaltest. The Jaltest system is already available here in Australia. In the past Knorr-Bremse has worked on diagnostic solutions specifically for the aftermarket.

However, now, unlike on a truck where Knorr-Bremse never really needed to provide any kind of diagnostics tool for the OEMs, the company has to provide that for the trailer systems. The trailer manufacturers are too small to work on their own solutions and an operation like Knorr-Bremse can only sell an EBS into the market if it has a complete infrastructure in place.

“In the future, with our next generation trailer EBS, we will step away from the offline configuration where you have just a diagnostics program installed on your PC and with a pin code to get a certain level of access and the right to set error messages,” says Stefan. “Instead, we will change over to an online configuration system, so that we have much better control over what is going on and what has been set up which vehicle, to which ECU.” Knorr-Bremse will be able to keep track of all changes remotely when the vehicles are out in the field, and the workshop will need to authenticate themselves to work with that platform.

This will be Knorr-Bremse laying a foundation to fulfil the requirements of UNECE regulations 155 and 156 on cyber security and software.

These new European based regulations will make their way to Australia over time, 155 and 156 are not mandated for trailers, yet.

The rules around cybersecurity and software will be included in general safety regulations going forward and any future updates will need to meet the minimum requirements coming into place and Knorr-Bremse are developing the online configuration platform set up to ensure the systems comply.

CONVERGENCE

WHY TELEMATICS IS THE KEY TO EV ADOPTION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Electric Vehicles (EVs) are growing in popularity, and it’s clear they’ll play a major role in transport in Southeast Asia in the years to come, writes David Brown, Associate Vice President Sales, ANZ, Global Channel, Geotab.

T

he Association of Southeast Asian Nations recently agreed to develop a regional EV ecosystem, formalising an existing region-wide push towards more environmentally-friendly vehicles.

Even so, they currently account for less than two percent of cars in Southeast Asia, and the infrastructure needed to support them is still in its infancy.

Fleet managers need to ensure the EVs not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also achieve the same operational objectives in a costeffective manner.

Telematics is essential, as it empowers fleet managers to make the right decision about which cars they buy, and which ones they retire.

A FAST-GROWING MARKET EVs are gaining momentum in Southeast Asia, Thailand and Indonesia have the largest domestic markets, with each selling close to a million units a year.

The region is also becoming a hub for manufacturing. In fact, by 2025 Indonesia aims to export 200,000 EVs, which is roughly 20 percent of all its car exports. In May 2022, Indonesia signed a deal with Tesla to build a battery and EV plant in Central Java.

Vietnam’s Vinfast is attempting to sell its cars in the US, using a unique battery rental model.

In Singapore, the country is limited by available land area for charging infrastructure. Elsewhere in the region, Indonesia and the Philippines grapple with congestion, which makes EVs less appealing, because stop-and-go traffic and frequent idling decrease their efficiency and impact battery range.

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Maintenance costs might be more expensive than conventional cars due to lack of fewer experts that are trained to fix EVs. High demand for electricity during peak traffic hours might also cause a strain on the electricity infrastructure.

The climate in Southeast Asia isn’t ideal either. The optimum temperature for battery performance is about 17º, but that’s cold by local standards.

Singapore, for example, hasn’t ever recorded a temperature below 19º.

HOW TELEMATICS CAN HELP All of these factors make it more difficult for fleet managers to figure out how and when to make the switch from combustion engines to EVs. It’s usually too expensive or impractical to switch over an entire fleet at once. With telematics, fleet managers can make an informed decision about which cars to keep and which to retire.

Telematics combines the use of telecommunications and informatics to enable the gathering and transmission of data from vehicles. This enables remote monitoring, diagnostics, range management, charging infrastructure navigation, and predictive maintenance alerts. It also contributes to improved safety, efficiency, and convenience for the entire EV ecosystem.

It can inform business decisions for fleet managers,knowing it will do the same job, has a comparable range and will bring in more money for the business over the long run.

Telematics allow transparency over emissions, fuel consumption and maintenance costs for their existing combustion-engine cars, while also helping them to assess the potential costs or savings of switching to an EV.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

In fact, Geotab has an Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment (EVSA) report, which gathers all that information, and compares it with the manufacturers data for electric vehicles in each country.

Telematics solutions will enable fleet managers across the region to compare their existing fleet with new options that are available locally, while also getting data on the price and the average operating costs each vehicle might have on a monthly basis. This makes it simple to evaluate the options that best meet their needs and reach a decision.

Remote monitoring and diagnostics capabilities allow EV users to access real-time data, enabling prompt and effective vehicle maintenance. Also addressing the common concern of range anxiety and promoting greater confidence in EV usage.

Telematics could help to play a role in the successful integration of EVs into the transportation ecosystem by providing insights that facilitate efficient infrastructure development, fostering a more convenient and accessible EV charging network.

AN EXCITING ROAD AHEAD As the climate crisis becomes more urgent, the need for cleaner forms of transport is becoming more evident.

The growth of EVs in Southeast Asia is an exciting development, that could help drive growth while helping the region adhere to its carbon commitments.

Telematics will support the expansion of EVs by giving all fleet managers the transparency they need to make the change successfully, and by helping governments assess their infrastructure needs.

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ALT-POWER

CUMMINS GOING FORWARD The road to zero carbon emissions is far from a certain route and technology companies like Cummins are having to develop several alternatives to meet future driveline demand in trucks.

T

he deepening concern about climate change globally is going to have a seismic effect in many industries. Trucking is one of those at the moment as it is totally dependent on burning fossil fuels to get the job done. If there is going to be any lessening of the effects of a warming planet, the trucking industry will have to get onboard, sooner or later.

One of the issues we are faced with is that the new technology which is likely to take over the task currently filled by diesel Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) is not certain and is not mature enough to assure trucking businesses of its effectiveness.

This lack of certainty is one of the factors leading to a level of nervousness on the part of potential truck buyers.

Early adopters of these technologies may find in five- or 10-years’ time, they backed the wrong horse.

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For our foremost engine maker in trucks, Cummins, the quandary is equally fraught with issues. As a result of the ongoing uncertainty, the engine maker is having to develop its technology down a number of different avenues to make sure it does have an effective solution for customers into the future.

“As we look ahead, we know that our industries, markets and customers need to change and continue to change and we’re committed to bringing our customers the right technology at the right time to power their business,” said Andrew Booth, Manager On-Highway Business Cummins WA, at the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association event.

“Destination Zero is our company’s strategy to achieving net zero emissions by reducing greenhouse gases and supporting the transition to a decarbonised future.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

“It’s not just the engine it’s also the well-to-wheel conditions, from creating energy to using energy to move goods and services. We are looking for widescale customer adoption with the net result of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“So how do we do this? Cummins have multiple applications. We’re in rail, on-highway, agricultural, industrial power generation, marine, mining plus our data centres where we store our information in the cloud. We’ve got multiple technologies that we’re going to be using to achieve net zero emissions.

“Diesel is not dead. We’ll be advancing internal combustion engines like diesel, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, which is a hot topic of conversation, fuel cells and battery systems. Cummins is investing heavily in our future by doing things like acquiring Meritor, Jacobs Vehicle

ALT-POWER

Systems, to bring that technology back in house for Cummins, to drive future technologies such as two stroke, engine braking, and cylinder deactivation for fuel economy benefits.”

Cummins will also be continuing with its a joint venture with Eaton and its automated manual transmissions including the Endurant XD Pro, which appeared this year in the new Kenworth K220.

There are other internal combustion engines, using hydrogen and various gases, but also electrolysers to create hydrogen to power fuel cells, there’s also, batteries, electric motors, inverters and software. Meritor are developing e-axles for the business.

“Effectively, what does all this mean?” said Andrew. “At the end of the day we want technology to match the power we use today. We want to do that in a staged and rational manner.

The best way to do that is to ensure that we do not tear up the truck design. We need minimal impact to transition us to a net zero future.

“Let’s be real, today we use internal combustion engines, and we are advancing the diesel internal combustion engine. I’m sure many people were at the Brisbane Truck Show and would have seen our

recently announced, next generation X15 platform. Part of that is the X15H hydrogen combustion engine.

These are the practical solutions for decarbonisation, where we can change the energy source for the engine while still having the same powertrain combined behind it.”

The implementation of these kinds of technologies can go ahead when Australia gets the kind of renewable green hydrogen fuel infrastructure the industry will need to support the number of trucks on the road

the economy requires. Cummins is working towards the position where it can supply the right technology for the applications the industry needs.

The new X15 is a completely new engine from Cummins. It has been designed from the ground up as a platform for a series combustion engines using various fuels. The basic design, which features a modern sculpted block, can be fitted with a variety of different cylinder heads for different fuels. For the diesel or hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)

The cylinder head for the X15 using hydrotreated vegetable oil

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ALT-POWER

Cummins X15H, which is a hydrogen internal combusion engine

version, the whole package is reckoned to be 225kg lighter than the current X15 we have today. The X15D, diesel version, will be available up to 660hp.

The hydrogen engine, the X15H, will use spark ignition and a renewable gas or biogas engine which is included in the new X15 family as well. These engines will be able run on various forms of gas. Depending on the feedstock used to make any of these gases, these can be capable of a 90 per cent reduction in carbon emissions. These gas engines will not be able to produce the level of horsepower available in the diesel version of the range and will probably be available at around 510hp.

“This is a next generation engine, and with the upgrade in materials and design, we’ve been able to go forward, in terms of reducing tail pipe emissions,” said Andrew. “This is not our first foray into hydrogen. We have hydrogen engines in production today.

We started with the X7, and the X10 which is our new mid bore engine design, and then the X15. These are spark ignited direct injection engines.

“For hydrogen power there are

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two applications, one is the internal combustion engine, which fits in the same envelope as your traditional diesel engine today, mounted to an automated manual or manual

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

transmission. We will mount the hydrogen packs on the back of the cab. The other way forward is the FCV, the fuel cell electric vehicle. This will have the hydrogen fuel cell stack in the engine bay. Then there will also be battery packs, hydrogen tanks and traction motors. We’re not going to be changing the base truck design and will be integrating the technology with a design which helps improve that transition towards zero.

“This is all about how we reach destination zero. Diesel is not dead.

We expect to keep diesel technology for another 20 to 30 years to come.

But we are going to be phasing into lower carbon technologies in the next five to 10 years’ time we will be advancing and driving reductions in CO2 emissions as well as NOx and particulate matter in internal combustion engines.

“Whilst we start this journey, we need the government to start investing in new technology and into the grid system. So that, if you want a battery vehicle, you’ve got more capacity in the grid to deal with charging those vehicles, and then also other renewable fuel infrastructure. There’s no point, producing hydrogen if it’s coming from fossil fuels in the first place.”

Andrew Booth, Manager On-Highway Business Cummins WA

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OPERATOR PROFILE

ISUZU TIPPERS MOVE MOUNTAINS FOR FOCUS MACHINERY HIRE FLEET Being in the right place at the right time can offer a life changing moment, as Charles and Jerry Nipper of Focus Machinery can attest.

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hatting one night to friends in the United States who owned a quarry which was busy during the summer months, Charles and Jerry Nipper asked what the business did during the cold season. The answer was dry hire, and the Nippers knew they had hit on a winner to bring home to Australia.

When the Nippers first went into business in 2010, the plan was to import machinery from the United States and sell it on to the Australian market. This was put to rest quickly in favour of local dry hire as international market pressure bore down on the Aussie dollar.

“It was dollar for dollar for a time there,” explains Focus Machinery Founder and Branch Manager, Charles Nipper. “Once the dollar started dropping again, it wasn’t feasible to do that, and that’s what made us really get into dry hire.”

FIT FLEET Focus Machinery has amassed quite the substantial fleet with over 500

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machines available to rent. This is complemented by an arsenal of attachments, over 1,000 varieties, from loading ramps and pallet forks to augers and grinders.

Their range covers everything from large excavators and ground compactors to a keenly honed selection of medium-and light-duty Isuzu factory Tippers. Charles has been very pleased with performance across the Tipper fleet, noting customer demand as a motivator for continued purchase of the Isuzu product.

Charles says business has reached a stage where much of the work performed by the hire fleet is now on Tier One government projects such as the West Gate tunnel in Melbourne.

Their equipment lockers are expanding to reflect this progression.

“We’re trying to keep up with the demand, which is always a good problem to have so we have up to 30 Isuzu Tippers across the size range and another 11 Isuzu trucks on order for 2023,” says Charles. “They’re a great vehicle for our customers on site;

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

they’re versatile and very popular with our customers.

“In previous years, we were trying to say yes to everyone and anything that came our way, now we’re being a bit more selective with our opportunities to ensure we can cater for larger projects. It’s not just about being able to have equipment available for big projects, we also need to make sure the gear that’s going out under the Focus Machinery banner is up to spec.”

READY TO RUMBLE This is where the business finds sustained value in Isuzu’s tough as they come Ready-to-Work Tippers, which offer a GVM range of 4,500 kg to 8,700 kg on N Series models through to a rugged 11,000 kg or 14,000 kg GVM in the FRR and FSR model range.

With new 2023 Isuzu trucks now standard with 6-year warranty (distance dependent on model) and 3-year unlimited km body warranty, as well as a suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in many N

OPERATOR PROFILE

and F Series models, an Isuzu Tipper means safer conditions for drivers and decreased downtime prospects for Focus Machinery.

Their medium-duty Isuzu F Series Tippers are also specified with a GCM of either 16,000 kg or 21,000 kg, capable of handling all but the most massive towing and dumping jobs.

Rope rails, tie-down points and the auto-release two-way tailgate fitted as standard help clients achieve better productivity, and this combined with Isuzu’s promise of reliability on the job is satisfying their needs.

“We understand our clients have time restraints and time-critical projects,” Charles notes. “Providing only quality equipment means we can eliminate downtime for us and our clients to the best of our ability.”

Another way in which they maintain a full client list is by treating one and all with transparency and honesty.

“We had a client who had a piece of equipment break down on site,” Charles recalls. “It was going to cost a lot of money to be idle, a lot more than the hire price. We made sure to replace this very expensive piece of equipment and have it available for him on site the following morning.

Because of that speed of response, we have a customer for life.”

Focus Machinery Founder and Branch Manager, Charles Nipper

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

THE NEW, NEW FATIGUE MANAGEMENT PLAN The Australian trucking industry has been listening to discussions about fatigue management for a long time and now the NTC has come back with another set of proposals.

Aaron de Rosario Executive Leader of Regulatory Reform at the NTC

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n introducing the topic of fatigue management at the Australian Trucking Association’s Trucking Australia 2023 event, Gary Mahon, CEO of the Queensland Trucking Association pointed to the 21st of November 1938, when the first fatigue law in this country was introduced.

The fatigue issue deliberations, at the moment, are all tied up with the long running and stuttering process towards reform of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), at a point 12 months after Ken Kanofski handed over his report on the HVNL reform debacle.

The original HVNL was introduced

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11 years ago, with a review process beginning six years ago, which was seen to fail, prompting the report from Kanofski. At the moment we are in a situation where the jurisdictions are digesting his report, and the trucking industry waits for a new HVNL, frustrated by the extreme length of the process.

The whole area is fraught with arguments on all sides, from the fatigue experts specifying safe working behaviours, to trucking operators explaining what their customers want them to supply in terms of service and, more recently, those offering fatigue

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

monitoring systems to bring state of the art technology solutions to further enhance safety.

The agency tasked with coming up with a possible solution, which will take the trucking industry forward while also satisfy the concerns of fatigue experts and safety advocates is the National Transport Commission.

Speaking at Trucking Australia 2023, Aaron de Rosario Executive Leader of Regulatory Reform at the NTC gave the event a run down on the latest proposals.

“Let’s talk a bit of history,” said Aaron. “The journey, has been a very long lived continuing journey, to a new set of standard work and rest hours.

Fatigue is an issue that was examined during the HVNL review, and transport operators made submissions and provided comments about fatigue rules during that process. I certainly know industry associations were very, very motivated to get changes in this space.

“The HVNL review transitioned into the safety and productivity program and in that safety and productivity program the NTC was asked to look at three things in relation to fatigue, simplified work and rest hours, to simplify the general schedule, and enable performance and outcomes based fatigue management options for certified operators, and simple record keeping.

A lot of work was done under the safety and productivity program, the Minister asked Ken Kanofski to do extra consultation work and that led into some very important discussions between jurisdictions, with industry, and with the NTC about what can be achieved in changes to that general schedule.’

The NTC considered a number of options during that process. One was

INDUSTRY ISSUE

the provision to provide additional time for drivers to drive in specific circumstances. This would include flexibility providing additional opportunities for drivers to get home and greater flexibility around break times. The NTC examined resetting the 24 hour clock after an eight hour break, reducing administrative offences and simplifying the enforcement regime.

The NTC has settled on a two tier fatigue regime, and within the constraints of that, intending to maintain the standards of the current schedule. The limits on the maximum number of hours that can be worked and the amount of rest drivers need to take will be maintained.

WORKING TOWARDS A CONSENSUS “We achieved minor amendments to the standard work and rest hours,” said Aaron. “The NTC put forward a more ambitious proposal than the ones that were ultimately settled upon, but ultimately there were minor amendments to the standard work and rest hours. These have not necessarily been signed off on. There is a desire for ministers to make sure that it’s subject to an appropriate safety assessment.

“With respect to the proposal about the 24 hour clock, it was to reset after a break of 10 hours. Another one that was put in there was around flexible rest breaks with electronic record keeping. We are looking at changes to assessing fitness to drive in particular working to better identify and take action around sleep. apnea as part of the licensing regime.

“That’s a process that happens under the driver licensing law, rather than the HVNL, but changes to assessing drivers’ fitness to drive requirements are also a piece of work that the NTC is looking at.

“There was an agreement to reduce administrative offences, and make sure those offences focus on deceptive or misleading conduct, rather than just spelling errors or minor mistakes.

Simplifying the enforcement regime, reducing the timeframe for using infringements as a tool for addressing fatigue and making sure the focus is on the immediacy of fatigue problems.”

There is also a plan to simplify

record keeping and another discussion on fatigue and distraction detection technology, etc, which the NTC views as a mechanism for actively managing fatigue.

According to Aaron, there isn’t a very big change between the current regime and the proposed regulations.

It’s said to be a slight simplification in terms of the number of internal breaks and requirements to rest within a 12 hour working environment.

“There’s not a significant change there at all,” said Aaron. “There is a schedule for written record keeping and there is a desire to see a greater uptake of electronic record keeping, so the schedule for electronic record keeping is slightly different. Essentially, the most significant change here is the period that counts as a rest break doesn’t have to be a 15 minute period.

“At the moment under the schedule, it’s not a break if it’s not 15 minutes, and for electronic record keeping there’s a proposal for that break not having to be 15 minutes. It’s really important to understand that this doesn’t mean that if you stop at a set of traffic lights, you can just click your machines and say you’re taking a break. That isn’t the intent, and I think that when we get to the end of this process, there’ll be still be some kind of prescribied minimum period that counts as a break. It won’t be five

minutes, but might be 10 minutes, it’s not intended to be 15.”

TWO TIER SYSTEM Operators will be able to be certified and get their safety management system (SMS) certified by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator as well as meeting the requirements of the required level of fatigue management within that SMS. This means they can graduate to tier two, which provides an alternative schedule on rest and work hours. The alternative schedules which will be accessible will be within the limits of the current AFM limits.

“At the moment you kind of have a similar kind of scheme,” said Aaron.

“You have BFM and you have AFM. What we’re looking to do through this particular system is making an environment whereby the regulator can develop a whole range of alternative other schedules. We have BFM and AFM and then the regulator could create something called BFM plus or BFM minus.

“There could be a fatigue management that allows for a little bit of extra flexibility. The intent here is that within those parameters, the base work and resting hours and the AFM, the regulator can develop standard sets of fatigue schedules and that an operator which can meet the requirements for that particular

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

one, can go and apply for it and get it without having to go through as many convoluted processes as the current AFM requirements.

“There’s always going to be that situation where something that the regulator develops might not meet these needs and there will still be an opportunity for an operator to put in for their own kind of schedule that is more suited to their business.

“The principle here is that there’s going to be standard work and rest hours, but we will also have a scheme for certified operators that provides a whole range of flexibility in between the general schedule and AFM. Importantly, if we accept that those AFM limits and those ministerial standards allow ministers to set a risk appetite for fatigue, it’s for the regulator to appropriately manage those kinds of risks and provide the right kind of environment that allows businesses to do what they need to do and make sure that those fatigue risks have been properly managed.”

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

RURAL TRANSPORT OUT WEST The joint conference between the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association and the Livestock and Rural Transporters of Western Australia took place in Busselton WA recently.

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he national conference for rural road transport travels the country every year, with the state associations taking turns to host the national get together, alongside their own state conference.

This year it was WA’s turn and the venue was the town of Busselton on the south west coast of the state.

This year was different in one way, with a new national Executive Director in place, Rachel Smith, starting her new role with a major conference.

She takes over after the decision by her predecessor Mathew Munro to move across to the role of CEO at the Australian Trucking Association.

Continuity is provided by Scott McDonald who stays on as President of the ALRTA during this period of change. He spoke to the conference about the events of the year and how the industry’s relations with governments have been developing.

“After years of dealing with one crisis after another and suffering from droughts, fires, floods, pandemics, and various economic shocks I would say that we’re finally getting back to normal,” said Scott. “Once again the biggest threats on our horizon are government regulation changes.

“Firstly, we’re facing massive changes in our industrial laws.

The federal Labor government is progressing a broad reform agenda including same job/same pay employee-like work arrangements and specific reforms for the road transport sector. Our biggest fear is that a new authority will be established with similar powers and goals as the now defunct Road Transport Remuneration Tribunal. As many of you know, the RSRT issued a minimum payments order that almost wiped out owner drivers overnight, ensuring they were uncompetitive and tied up in red tape.”

In response to these proposals, the ALRTA has launched a submission

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to the government that includes 29 recommendations, designed to ensure that something like the RSRT cannot happen again. The association is seeking exemption for rural carriers and for all general carriers who will need to continue to operate freely as independent operators.

“We’ve met several times with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and key ministers,” said Scott. “We will also speak with cross-bench senators.

While no decision has been made, we do expect some form of new regulation to be introduced this year.

“Our export rules in Australia have gone further than any other nation to protect animal welfare. If we discontinue the trade, it will be taken up by a less regulated competitor and the animal welfare will suffer.”

“Secondly, federal Labor is consulting on options for phasing out live sheep export by sea. In June this year the ALRTA strongly supported the LRTAWA submission to the independent panel via a letter endorsing the state association position and making the following points: The proposed phase out of live sheep exports by sea is another threat to rural carriers, the government was not even consulting on the merits of phase out policy.

“While we cannot shy away from the fact that live sheep export practices were deficient, in the past,

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

new rules introduced since 2018 have dramatically improved the trade.

Average sheep mortality rates have since dropped by more than 80 per cent and are continuing to fall. In our view, the live sheep export by sea could and should continue under strict regulations. The trade is an important part of our sheep production system, it supports regional economies and helps to shore up domestic sheep prices.

“Our export rules in Australia have gone further than any other nation to protect animal welfare. If we discontinue the trade, it will be taken up by a less regulated competitor and the animal welfare will suffer.

The majority of Australians are not opposed to meat production, transport, processing, consumption or live export, provided that reasonable animal welfare standards are met.”

The ALRTA is concerned that giving ground on live exports will embolden extreme animal activists who will have succeeded in hobbling an industry regardless of actual animal welfare performance.

Australian livestock producers, transporters, handlers and processors would likely be subjected to increased trespass, harassment and disruption, in the hope that same similar outcome may be achieved across the entire livestock supply chain.

In coalition with the rest of the livestock industry the ALRTA says it intends to fight, what it regards as, a misguided government policy, because it is the right thing to do for the rural transport and animal welfare.

HVNL DISCUSSIONS “ALRTA is working on effective discussions to influence Heavy Vehicle National Law reforms, biosecurity and response plans, PBS, NVD declarations, telematics conditions, road construction standards, truck wash standards and low traffic density rules in heavy vehicle charging,” said

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

Scott. “It’s a big agenda, and that’s what we’re here for.

“Mat Munro, our National Executive Director for the past 10 years has been promoted to become the CEO of the Australian Trucking Association.

In his time with us he strengthened the ALRTA’s governance finance and operational capacity. He also had many policy wins on our behalf and demonstrated that the federation of state associations has real clout when we work together for a common cause.

“Mat’s promotion is good news for the trucking industry as a whole, he takes with him a deep understanding of rural road transport, a flair for finding common ground and the ability to influence decision makers. I know he will put this to good use at the ATA and we wish him luck.”

In recent years, the ALRTA has secured an exemption from new financial laws which had created issues in getting insurance before journeys.

It has improved the livestock standstill rules that will apply in the event of foot and mouth disease outbreak. It has established a national standard for loading ramps and forcing yards, and also built several free effluent disposal facilities in South Australia and Victoria. The national association has also registered an industry Code of Practice for managing livestock and effluent issues.

Scott McDonald, President of the ALRTA

“Without our associations working together, these achievements simply would not have happened,” said Scott.

“By working together into the future, I know that the association will continue to make a real difference to the safety, viability, sustainability and be a driver of animal welfare.

A NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “I’m really really pleased to have joined the ALRTA as Executive Director,” said Rachel Smith in her first address to the rural transport industry.

“I was at the Australian Logistics Council for about two years and I really enjoyed the transport sector. So it’s been great to come back. It’s an issues rich environment, as they say in policy.

“There’s issues that will tick along, but there’ll be some fires to put out and some fights to have, and I’m really looking forward to doing that.

What you can probably expect to see from the ALRTA is an increase in the public image and engaging more with the communities that industry works in.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out to some of the businesses, seeing trucks on the road and getting out there and seeing all the industry facilities. I grew up in country Queensland, in between Brisbane and Warwick, and was running around on farms with my brothers and cousins, so I’m really looking forward to getting back out into the regions.”

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RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

ANIMAL WELFARE CRITICAL CONSIDERATION FOR LIVESTOCK TRANSPORTERS This is the first column in PowerTorque from the new Executive Director at the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association, Rachel Smith, and it’s tackling the issue of the live export of livestock.

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s we have seen is with the announcement by the Government to commence phasing out Live Sheep Export by sea, the public is increasingly aware of animal welfare issues and are willing to take collective action should they feel determined to do so.

Animal welfare issues are front and centre in the day-to-day life of a livestock transporter. Livestock transporters are highly skilled operators who possess advanced driving, animal welfare and animal handling skills. Animal welfare is critical to their job.

In 2017 when the spotlight was shone on live sheep exports out of WA, mortality rates were 0.71 per cent this rate has continuously fallen to where it sits now at 0.14 per cent. This can be attributed to a variety of measures including having vets and animal health specialists on board and sailing only during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. These improvements have demonstrated that sheep can continue to be transported by sea, safely and humanely.

The value of the live sheep export industry to Australia cannot be understated. In 2022, Australia exported 524,908 sheep valued at $82m, with the vast majority exiting Western Australia. Historically, live exports support more than 13,000 jobs in Australia, with wages in excess of $1b annually, and the vast majority of jobs being in rural areas. Independent research has shown that sheep saleyard prices would be around 18% lower without an export market. Anecdotally, there are reports that the price per head of sheep has dropped 50 per cent

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since the announcements alone.

ALRTA is strongly opposed to the intended phase-out of live sheep exports by sea. Not only will road transport businesses be negatively affected by any decision to terminate live sheep exports, there will be an economic ripple effect right across the Australian domestic sheep market, and dependent rural and regional communities.

Animal welfare issues and management are present in all areas of the livestock supply chain, regardless of the mode of transport.

ALRTA has been working with MLA to review the ‘Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines – Land Transport’. This is a critical piece of work that is intended to have positive impacts on animal welfare during transportation.

As an industry we know that factors such as time off feed and water and loading density play a significant role in the safe transport of animals from farms, feedlots and saleyards to farms, feedlots, saleyards and processors.

The review of the Guidelines will take into consideration the larger size of animals to minimise over crowding

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

and ensure safe conditions for animals being transported. This combined with the recent work ALRTA undertook to develop the Effluent Code contributes to animal welfare and safety.

ALRTA members and the livestock transport sector continue to prioritise animal welfare, demonstrating the social licence to operate. This can be attributed to proactive steps that industry has undertaken, which are looked at favourably by the broader community including Livestock Assist program in partnership with NTI. These important programs support positive public perception and improved animal health outcomes.

Through continued collaboration and commitment to working with all players in the animal transport supply chain the livestock sector continues to deliver safe and humane animal welfare outcomes.

SCAN THIS QR CODE FOR MORE INFORMATION

RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

A TALENT FOR GETTING THE JOB DONE Amy Throckmorton was awarded the Rural Transport Rising Star award at the recent joint Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association/Livestock and Rural Transporters of Western Australia event, after demonstrating a talent for getting the job done as an operations manager.

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he Rural Transport Rising Star Award was inaugurated to shine the spotlight on and encourage the best in the young people who are working the rural trucking industry and driving it forward into the future. This is an annual initiative to celebrate and reward the young people building the rural transport industry of the future.

This year’s winner is Amy Throckmorton who works as an Operations Manager forTGR Transport in Geelong, running a fleet of company trucks and subcontractors hauling various loads around the country.

“I like the fact that the Rural Transport Rising Star award is going to highlight the fact that we’re an industry that needs new people coming through in lots of different areas ,” said Amy. “We only highlight truck drivers and you don’t see all the behind the scenes

people that may handle things like scheduling. You don’t see the three am ridiculous phone calls, or any of that.

“My partner’s a diesel mechanic and even in that area now you don’t see any young guys coming through to work in that industry. People aren’t coming through as mechanics. It’s scary.

“I’m lucky I’ve got a boss who just thinks all this stuff is great and he’s happy to back all of this sort of stuff. At the end of the day you have to go with it, there’s no choice now, it’s become more and more about the people rather than about actually doing the damn job. It’s so important to remember that. It’s all of theses flexible working conditions you have to deal with and in the past they didn’t exist.”

Asked what she enjoys most about her job, Amy points to the fact that she has a million things to do every day,

she’s likes the variation every day and to work towards organising the chaos that a road transport operation often is.

“It’s just pulling it together and being able to say to people this is what we’ll move, this is how many trucks, let’s get the trucks are sorted out, let’s get going,” said Amy. “You never know what you’re up against. You don’t know whether something’s going to break down, or the site will break down. I’ve come out of a background of operations at other companies, where we carted milk, and you get a phone call at 2am to get another 20

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RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

trucks, and you have to deal with it, restructure it, it’s the chaos, making it calm and making it happen. I just love being busy.”

The operation where Amy works, TGR Transport has six of its own trucks but also runs a subcontractor network involving 30 different operators’ trucks. The two largest customers are Graincorp and Cargill, the main task is simply moving grain from Ato B. The operation is also involved in carting headers and tractors around the country. A lot of the combinations run as A-doubles, requiring permits and negotiating access where needed.

“There’s a lot going on at any one time, particularly at peak times around harvest,” says Amy. “Harvest will go crazy, all of a sudden, you’ve got 50 trucks that you’re dealing with every day, compared to the 10 or so we are dealing with, when it’s quiet. So it varies every single day in every single week, and that’s probably the best part. The minute that phone rings you just you don’t know what you’re up against. It could be a happy phone call or it could be the opposite.”

WORKING FROM HOME Amy actually works from home and she became the operations manager after her boss, Tom, who used to run the business by himself, approached Amy

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to take on the task. He is still strongly involved in the business, which also has a sales manager and one of the drivers acts as as a point of contact for a lot of subcontractors, as well.

“We’ll be the phone to each other all day, but I work from home, and it’s fantastic,” says Amy. “We’re building a new depot, so once that goes in, I’ll do a few days in the office every week.

It’s great compared to the jobs I did previously, like working as a service manager. It’s a whole different world.

“I’ve been in the job just over six months, he used to be customer of mine, for the last year five years, when I was at the Kenworth dealership. I started off there as a service advisor and moved into service administration to supervise running the office, when they first created the role. That was crazy, I could be there from five o’clock in the morning to eight o’clock at night.

“I was lucky I had a pretty good team at the time and we had a really good workshop team. We needed to progress and they put two management positions in place and it was a really good move, but a very different environment.

“I started off working at Wettenhalls, years ago, that was probably my first real dip into the industry. That was in Geelong and they were a big company. When I first went into there,

I was processing worksheets, and then moved into the workshop doing the administration stuff.

“Then the workshop manager left suddenly, and I was basically asked, can you run it? So I ran the workshop and that had its own set of challenges.

I was only about 22 or 23 at the time, I was lucky my dad had trucks and I had a clue about what was going on.”

This was just the beginning of set of challenges for Amy. The fleet manager had a disaster in his family was suddenly out of the picture and Amy had been working closely with him.

So she then took on fleet management work as well. It was a period Amy describes as when she would ‘run around like crazy person’.

“I used to live there, Wettenhalls was life,” says Amy. “But I wouldn’t have learnt any other way. I’m still friends with those guys now, but getting past that initial barrier was a very big challenge, but I loved it.

That was the first real high pressure, constantly on the go scenario that I’d had.

“I was at McColls for a while, handling milk cartage, and that roster is the craziest thing I’ve ever been on. It used to chop and change all the time as soon as it went dark. It was all around midnight to 3am because that industry just doesn’t stop.”

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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RURAL TRUCKING MATTERS

MANAGING CHANGE Amy was nominated for the RTRS award by her current boss Tom Allan from TGR Transport and is a member of the Livestock and Rural Transporters of Victoria. He is involved in the business community in Geelong and Amy talks about his aim to try and reduce the stigma around the trucking industry.

One of the issues Amy is currently dealing with is around changes which GrainCorp have made to the way they interact with transport companies. It’s upended everything the TGR business does and arrived with very little consultation. The TGR relationship with its network meant they were more able to handle it than others.

“We coped well with the changes because we’re on board with the technology as well,” says Amy “For me to be able to sit there and really work out what they’ve changed, how it changed, what affected us, how to deal with it.

“They allocate part of our loads, we book the rest of them, or anyone who we’re carting for. All the permits and all the paperwork changed, so their computers began averaging out what our trucks are carting, so when you went to book, all of a sudden, you needed extra tonnes because we used to book at 44 tonnes, all of a sudden, the new 44 was 44.3.

“All the permits, everything has

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to be uploaded to GrainCorp, they need all your permit numbers. It asks us to input permit numbers and all these sorts of things. So it completely changed everything, overnight, and it’s was a really big couple of weeks just sorting it out.”

In bringing in a system to protect the grain company from chain of responsibility liability it has pushed the responsibility for proving compliance

onto the operators with little real notice.

GrainCorp are responsible for whatever they load a truck with. They are now demanding visibility as to the PBS permits for the trucks involved and their access permits. Operators have to demonstrate that they have the permits for that route that GrainCorp have allocated the load for.

“I have about eight interactive maps bookmarked on my computer, because states like New South Wales have three different sets of maps,” says Amy. “We’ve only got two A-doubles, which we run as a company, so we’ll pick and choose where our boys go, depending on what loads we’ve got that week, because we know we can 100 per cent get there.

“We’ve got one subcontractor with an A-double and because we’ve got them, we know where he can and can’t go and can manage his workload.

We will allocate loads to him based on what we know. It will get more complicated as more of the subbies start to get onto the A-doubles.

“It’s nothing for one of our permits to sit in the Victorian system for a long time, we’ve got a few in there now at 230 plus days or 300 days. The other week we had a great day, we got like 10 or 15 approvals in one day, we were very excited.”

J

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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CONVERGENCE

ENHANCING FLEET SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY WITH TELETRAC NAVMAN’S IQ CAMERA AND VIDEO TELEMATICS

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n the fast-paced world of fleet management, prioritising safety, efficiency, and accountability is a crucial concern, writes Andrew Rossington, Chief Product Officer at Teletrac Navman Valuable insights empower better decision making leading to enhanced driver safety and optimised operations.

Teletrac Navman’s IQ Camera makes it easier for fleets to promote safety and protect drivers on the road.

An AI-powered, dual-camera dash cam, it seamlessly integrates with TN360 fleet management software offering the flexibility to use a range of cameras across your fleet and providing a unified view of video and telematics data.

One of the standout features of the IQ Camera is its real-time fleet management capabilities. It brings coaching right into the cab by offering driver assistance and status monitoring. Equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance (ADAS) and Driver Status Monitoring (DSM) features, such as forward collision detection, stop sign, tailgating, speeding, and following distance, enabling drivers to respond promptly, reducing the

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risk of incidents and increasing safety via real-time driver alerts for their behaviours.

By incorporating video into training, coaching efforts can be streamlined by monitoring driver performance for dangerous actions as well as for generating video-supported performance scorecards to create an engaging rewards program that fosters safety. The dual-camera system not only captures high-quality footage before, during, and after events but also automatically uploads this video data to the TN360 connected platform for immediate viewing. Fleet managers can identify high-risk actions and provide transparent feedback to drivers, reinforcing this culture of safety within the organisation.

In September 2022, more than 1800 global fleet professionals were surveyed by Teletrac Navman.

The survey found that telematics users benefit from improved driver performance, with 95 per cent of users reporting fewer collisions due to their telematics solutions. Camera solutions monitor the environment for the driver, providing increased visibility of their surroundings at all times.

Telematics can also enhance your

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

ability to manage incidents effectively if something does go wrong. Managers and back-office staff can communicate with drivers in real-time and pinpoint their exact location, facilitating quick responses and potentially reducing the impact of collisions. With fully connected smart cameras, such as the IQ Camera, real-time visibility can simplify risk management.

Fleet operations are complex, involving different vehicles performing various tasks in diverse locations. A unified platform that allows for a range of cameras across the fleet provides greater transparency and understanding into driver behaviour, keeping safety a priority while continually coaching drivers to make the most informed decisions.

Teletrac Navman’s IQ Camera and video telematics solutions provide fleet owners with the capability to enhance safety, efficiency, and accountability. Integrating video and telematics data with real-time monitoring, coaching, and incident management empowers datadriven decisions and creates a safer environment for drivers and the community alike.

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

REVIVING RURAL ECONOMIES: TRUCKING’S ROLE IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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ighways are the arteries of small towns and trucks are their lifeblood, writes Warren Clarke, NatRoad CEO. Picture this: You’re cruising down a peaceful country road, surrounded by farms, small towns, and wideopen spaces. While these places may seem tranquil, they face their own challenges. One is the lack of a critical mass of people to sustain a diversity of businesses. The other is a lack of connection.

The spate of extreme floods and fires over the last two years underlined the importance of the latter. It’s not simple for farmers to get their fresh produce to the factories or retail stores. While rail has the advantage of enabling the efficient movement of bulk goods from Point A to Point B, road reaches places it can’t.

This is where trucking’s role is vital in keeping those small-town economies ticking along. Without a way to get their fruits or veggies to market, a remote business can’t sustain itself, let alone grow. And it’s not just farmers. Factories in these small towns rely on us to send their products out into the world.

That means more people get jobs,

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and regional areas all over Australia get a boost. Access to markets drives demand for their products, which, in turn, drives the need for more transportation services.

The broader community sees these benefits and recent NatRoad research shows that four-in-ten Australians are ‘much more likely’ or ‘more likely’ to support a politician who supports road freight.

This support is even higher in regional Australia which shows that people in the bush understands the importance and benefits of trucking more than most.

Trucking is not just about moving goods. It’s also about growing small businesses that provide critical support services such as truck maintenance, logistics management, and fuel supply.

These businesses become the backbone of rural communities, providing employment opportunities, and contributing to the local economy.

So why are our governments slow to do enough to lift the standard of roads in regional areas?

The answer is, of course, money. The 2022 floods in New South Wales alone are estimated to have cost the insurance

industry $12 billion in claims. Local governments, already strapped for cash to maintain basic services, faced enormous road repair bills and the backlog of work is likely to take years to clear.

State Governments are heavily reliant on GST to raise funds, and our nation’s economic policy right now is about putting the brakes on spending so inflation can be brought back under control.

Our industry faces its own challenges in ever rising costs, strangulation by red tape, a chronic driver and diesel mechanic shortage and the looming need to decarbonise.

These challenges underscore the importance of continued investment in rural road networks and transportation infrastructure to support both our industry and the communities it serves.

Our governments must recognise the central role of the trucking industry in rural development and prioritise its growth.

That means improving roads to enhance rural economies, fixing national truck laws and addressing the skills shortage to allow trucking to grow, and incentivising the adoption of emissions reduction in road transport to reduce overall costs.

In a nutshell, the trucking industry is not just about transporting goods; it’s about transporting hope and opportunity to rural areas. By recognising the critical role trucks play in regional development, we can ensure that the regions continue to thrive and prove that the road to prosperity truly runs through the heart of our nation.

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

GETTING THE

MESSAGE OUT

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s ‘We All Need Space’ campaign reaches over eight million users, helping to spread heavy vehicle safety messages, writes Michelle Tayler, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, NHVR.

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o continue to protect and support the safety of operators, drivers, and everyone on our roads, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has continued to promote our road safety campaign “We Need Space” to enhance heavy vehicle safety messaging. I’m excited to share that our latest phase of We Need Space, aptly titled We ALL Need Space, has been a huge success.

This latest phase featured the faces of popular celebrities to help spread the word that whether you’re a comedian, musician, athlete, truck driver, car motorist, cyclist or pedestrian, we all need space to stay safe on our roads.

I’m enormously proud to say that to date our ‘We All Need Space’ campaign has reached over 8 million

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people across Australia through our partnerships with key Australian icons.

The first celebrity we partnered with was renowned Aussie comedian and social media personality, Jimmy Rees. He was able to share videos in his signature point of view style; a humorous take on the family road trip, young driver’s attitude after first receiving their Provisional (P) licence, and the habits of caravanners, all whilst highlighting how these groups, and everyone, can drive safely around trucks.

Our next partnership was with Glenn ‘Yogi’ Kendall, a popular truckie from Western Australia who joined the campaign to share what a truckie wants light vehicle drivers to know.

After driving trucks for over 26 years on our roads, Glenn was passionate about sharing the message to ensure

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

that everyone gets home safely.

Following Glenn, we then had Australia country music star James Blundell join the campaign, putting a new spin on his smash hit ‘Way Out West’ to help motorists understand the We All Need Space messaging. With over 35 years as a touring artist, James knows how important it is to drive safely around heavy vehicles and was keen to support our messaging.

Shortly after James, we had a second truck driver join the campaign – Casuarina ‘CJ’ Smith from Adelaide, South Australia. Seeing her dad driving trucks since she was a little girl inspired the 33-year-old to make a career as a truck driver herself.

CJ worked with us to develop some terrific videos about driving in a truck’s blind spots, demonstrating where they are and how easy it is for light vehicle to end up in one.

Our final talent to join the campaign was NRL legend Sam Thaiday, tackling everything heavy vehicle safety. While on the field the opposition may not need space, on the road, trucks sure do, and it was great to partner with Sam to deliver important road safety messages in a fun and relatable way.

Together, all five of our talent were able to collaborate with the NHVR to share safety videos addressing topics such as; • How to navigate a truck’s blind spots • Keeping the lanes beside a turning truck free • How to safely overtake a truck • Keeping truck rest stops free for truckies • How caravanners can communicate with truck drivers via UHF radio

The videos and supporting content were shared across a range of platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Radio, Podcasts, Print and online media. We chose to work with each of these talent as they have a wide-ranging audience that helped us target people across the country with a range of demographics.

Some key accomplishments we had were; • Reaching over 4 million news feeds from the NHVR social media accounts alone • Jimmy Rees “Caravanners POV video” was viewed over 1.5 million times through Jimmy’s channels • James Blundell’s video was seen over 900,000 times on Digital TV and YouTube • 250,000+ views on Glen “Yogi” Kendall videos with a positive sentiment from truck drivers • Our media reach between June – September was estimated to be 129M with coverage across Channel 7 News, WIN news, 9 News, ABC Radio, 6PR Radio, The West

Australian, The Morning Show, 2GB, B105 breakfast and more The sentiment for the campaign has been overwhelmingly positive from the heavy vehicle industry, government partners, general road users and caravanners. It has had the most positive response of any NHVR campaign to date.

All road users must understand and adjust their driving behaviour based on some simple differences between driving with other cars, compared to heavy vehicles. Put simply, the messages are trucks take longer to stop, have large blind spots, need more lanes to turn and require extra care to overtake or merge. These simple safety tips can make all the difference, and crashes can be avoided only when light vehicle drivers take the necessary precautions.

In terms of next steps, we will conduct post-market research to measure the effectiveness of the campaign and determine how we could improve these results in future.

Ideally, we want to understand the message uptake of the campaign and measure the impact it’s had on truck drivers and light vehicle drivers.

Ultimately, we want to be able to understand and uncover the attitudes towards heavy vehicles and measure the propensity to change driving behaviours around heavy vehicles to make our roads safer for all road users.

We will continue to spread the word on these campaigns and reach more light vehicle drivers to make a difference. I encourage you to do the same – please share our campaign with friends, family and colleagues, have a conversation about what you see and feel from a driver or operator’s perspective, and help us put a stop to fatalities on our roads.

The campaign website can be viewed here: https://www. weallneedspace.com.au I look forward to seeing the positive impact these campaigns have had on our industry.

www.powertorque.com.au

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INDUSTRY ISSUE

CLOSING LOOPHOLES BILL TO DELIVER FAIRER TRUCKING CONTRACTS David Smith, Chair of the Australian Trucking Association comments on the proposed ‘Closing Loopholes’ now before parliament.

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he Government has now introduced its road transport minimum standards law into parliament. It’s part of what is called the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill, a 284 page package that covers a series of industrial relations issues as well.

The bill and future regulations would enable the Fair Work Commission to issue two new orders.

Road transport minimum standards orders would apply to owner drivers and similar small trucking businesses.

Road transport industry contractual chain orders could apply to the whole contract chain.

One of the ATA’s objectives in our discussions with the Government was to avoid a repeat of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s decision to set minimum rates for owner drivers that were too high for the industry to pay.

The result was that prime contractors and industry customers chose to move their freight in other ways. The bill goes some of the way to addressing this problem. Under the bill, the commission would be required to avoid unreasonable adverse impacts on sustainable competition and compliance costs.

The commission would also be required to have regard to the commercial realities of the road transport industry and that owner drivers have chosen to be contractors not employees.

While these protections are welcome, and a great improvement on the former Road Safety Remuneration Act, they are open to interpretation and may not be enough prevent the adverse impacts of mandatory minimum rates, especially at the individual business level. We think it

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would be better if the bill prohibited the commission from setting rates, or as an alternative, restricted such orders to the recovery of specific business costs.

Peter Anderson and the team at the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation deserve credit for arguing for these contractual chain orders. The concept recognises that the problems we face go beyond owner drivers and that corporations in the chain need fairer contract terms too.

The bill would also allow the commission to hear unfair contract and termination cases from owner drivers and other small road transport contractors. The minister would be able to make a Road Transport Industry Termination Code to guide businesses.

The commission’s powers to resolve unfair contract disputes would be subject to a high income threshold and would be limited to issues that would be workplace relations matters if the contractor was an employee.

The ATA has welcomed the Government’s decision to restrict the commission from issuing orders about road transport issues covered by the Heavy Vehicle National Law or other laws.

We argued that the commission’s powers needed to be separated from

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

safety regulation, because otherwise the industry would end up facing conflicting or overlapping safety requirements.

The bill includes extensive consultation provisions, including a requirement that road transport minimum standards orders be published 24 months before they come into force. The bill would also put in place a framework for reviewing commission orders.

I’m pleased to say the Government consulted with the industry on the road transport provisions of the bill.

During the consultation process, Minister Burke met our representatives in person on three separate occasions.

The ATA also worked closely with Minister Burke’s office and his department.

Our policy staff were able to review and comment on the in-confidence exposure draft legislation. It is evident that most of the checks and balances the ATA asked for were included in the bill.

The bill is now being considered by a Senate committee. We made a submission, and we look forward to working with the Government on amendments and the regulations to achieve the best results for our industry.

Is your load safely secured?

The load on a heavy vehicle must: be secured so it is unlikely to fall or be dislodged be restrained using an appropriate restraint method be secured or restrained in a way that meets the loading performance standards listed in Schedule 7 of the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation not be placed in a way that makes the vehicle unstable or unsafe.

For more information and to access loading guides and tips visit nhvr.gov.au/loading

GOING GLOBAL

WHY DIDN’T THEY ASK EVANS’?

Will Shiers, PowerTorque’s European Correspondent, meets up with two UK truck industry experts, who dare to speak out in favour of the diesel engine. It’s safe to say they’re probably not on Greta Thunberg’s Christmas card list… “

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D

iesel engines will be with us for at least the next 50 years,” reckons Des Evans OBE, who together with his twin brother Dennis Evans co-wrote the book The Road to Zero Emissions. This bold statement is an example of how passionate the two men are about the combustion engine, and how at odds they are with the UK Government’s current strategy towards reaching net carbon zero.

From a journalistic point of view, the statement is music to the ears. In my job I’m bombarded with press releases from people who claim the electric truck to be the best thing since sliced bread, and it’s a refreshing change to hear someone who’s brave enough to express the alternative view in public.

The UK’s journey to net zero is one of many subjects that has completely divided the nation in recent years

(hot on the heels of Brexit, Covid vaccinations, illegal immigration and of course Meghan Markle), and the article triggered positive and negative responses in equal measure.

Des draws a parallel between the industry’s current situation and the division of the truck-making Foden family in the 1930s. Back then Edwin Richard Foden could see the future was diesel, but failed to convince the Foden board of directors that steam didn’t have a future, so left the family business and set up rival lorry manufacturer ERF. “Only this time I think we’re choosing steam over diesel, because there’s so much hot air about what we should and shouldn’t do,” says Des. “And we’re listening to more people like Greta Thunberg, who in my opinion has very little knowledge of the applications that are required

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

in transport today. Transport has consequently been denigrated and penalised for all the wrong reasons.”

He firmly believes that the internal combustion engine has done more for prosperity and for saving this planet than any other invention, and reckons it won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

“It’s going to be around, certainly for heavy goods vehicles at 15 tonnes and above, which accounts for 80 per cent of transport requirements in the world, for the next 50 years. It’s still arguably the most economic and the most environmental application to transport goods around the world.”

He reminds me just how clean a Euro 6 engine is, explaining that 100 Euro 6 trucks produce the same emissions as one Euro 3 truck from 25 or 30 years ago. “The air coming out of the tailpipe of a modern truck

GOING GLOBAL

is cleaner than when it went in. We can redefine a Euro 6 44-tonne prime mover as an air freshener!”

This leads us on to the UK’s plans to decarbonise road transport. In 2030 the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned. And the government has pledged that the UK will become the first country in the world to commit to phasing out new, non-zero-tailpipeemission heavy goods vehicles weighing 26 tonnes and under by 2035, with all new trucks sold in the UK to be zero-tailpipe-emission by 2040.

WHAT DO DES AND DENNIS THINK ABOUT THIS TIMETABLE? “I think it’s ridiculous,” says Des. “The pressure on vehicle manufacturers to bring about this change is enormous, expensive, and we’re not ready for it.”

In terms of ‘not being ready for it’, the pair cite two huge hurdles that the UK government faces.

The first relates to vehicle assembly, and whether or not the UK plans to retain the 1.5 million vehicles it builds every year (currently with internal combustion engines, but soon to be with battery power packs). If so, Des and Dennis says it needs to build three 35GW gigafactories, each producing 500,000 battery units per year, and ideally located close to vehicle assembly.

“But it takes five years to build a gigafactory, and it takes $157m to produce one gigawatt,” explains Des. “So, multiply that by 35, and it gives you some idea of how much it will cost. It’s in the region of $15.6bn for three of them.”

Dennis adds that there are currently (summer 2023) 136 35GW gigafactories either being designed or fully operational right now in the world.

“China has won the battery arms race as they have got about 110 of these,” he says. “Europe has eight, America has six and Britain has zero. So, we’re not even in the race anymore. And if you look at what the Faraday Institution has forecast, and this is a government-sponsored organisation looking into technology of the future related to the electrification of fleets, they believe at least 200,000 direct automotive industry jobs, and maybe up to one million direct

Dennis and Des Evans, co-authors of ‘The Road to Zero Emissions

www.powertorque.com.au

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GOING GLOBAL

and indirect jobs in the supply chain, will be lost. If we don’t manufacture powertrain in the UK, we will definitely not assemble vehicles.”

“But there’s no point in building electric vehicles when there’s no infrastructure,” interjects Des, moving onto the second hurdle.

“We need 400,000 charging points, yet today we have less than 40,000.

And they need to be in the right locations.”

He reminds me that a typical car charge has to replace a 40-litre tank fill, which takes two minutes and gives a vehicle a 500-mile range.

“How long will charging take to give you a 500-mile range on a current electric vehicle?” he asks.

The brothers have a possible solution, which they refer to as ‘Freight Ports’.

“The government has, in my opinion, missed a massive opportunity,” says Dennis, explaining the concept. “They should be focussed on brownfield sites that existed, and built business parks of the future, where a coalition of green technology industries could coexist.”

He believes such places could incorporate a solar farm, a gigafactory, a recycling centre

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POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

GOING GLOBAL

for batteries and vehicles, recharging facilities for 2,000 vehicles, logistics companies, warehousing, a university campus, and test centres for fully autonomous vehicles. The pair have identified 12 suitable 1,000-acre sites around the UK, including ex-car manufacturing factories. All are located near to current, or soon-to-be low emission zones.

“If one of these had been commissioned three years ago, it would be up and running by next year.

It would have demonstrated progress in transitioning to a net zero strategy,” says Dennis. “But without the right infrastructure, saying we need to stop production of combustion-engined vehicles is just so short-sighted.”

Des adds: “Over the next 100 years we will develop a greener society, but it should be based on an evolution as opposed to a revolution. The timeframe of 2030 and 2035 is for the birds, it is just not realistic, and will be delayed.”

Finally, both men are keen to remind me that the UK plays a tiny part on the world stage in terms of its carbon footprint. “Based on 2022 figures, 37 billion tonnes of CO2 is emitted by the planet each year, and the UK is responsible for 1 per cent of that,” says Des. “Until and unless China, India, USA and Russia collaborate and operate at the same level, whatever

we do will not make a difference. We can probably salve our conscience, and say we’ve done the right thing, but there will be a very big price to play for not moving the dial. Why aren’t Just Stop Oil protesters active in Beijing, Moscow, Jeddah or Riyadh?”

MEET DENNIS EVANS

MEET DES EVANS Des Evans started his career in the automotive industry almost 50 years ago, working first with Ford and then Mercedes-Benz.

He joined MAN Truck & Bus UK in 1993 as sales and marketing director, a job he did for 11 years, before becoming UK MD. He retired in 2015, after 22 years with the truck manufacturer.

Since then, he has been involved with the Aston Business School as a visiting professor. He has also been a non-executive director of a MercedesBenz dealer group, and an advisor to one or two other transport companies.

Like his younger brother (by 10 minutes), Dennis has been active in the automotive industry for close to five decades. He started off by selling Isuzu trucks for GM in Zululand, before working for Ford in Angola and Mozambique.

Back in the UK he had a career with British Leyland/Unipart/Rover Group, holding a number of senior positions over 18 years. He then moved back into the truck industry, taking the roles of head of parts, and aftersales business development at MAN Truck & Bus UK, and retiring in 2016.

www.powertorque.com.au

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TECH KNOW

MOVING WHAT MATTERS The Supercars Championship is Australia’s leading motorsport series and PACCAR is a key sponsor and logistics partner, getting essential personnel and vital equipment to tracks all around the nation.

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he Supercars Championship is the biggest motorsport show on the Australian calendar, each year attracting hundreds of thousands of fans to a dozen street and circuit races around the nation.

With the complex logistics challenges of staging a travelling motorsport series in locations as far apart as Darwin, Launceston, Townsville and Perth, Supercars needs a reliable transport partner, a role PACCAR has been happy to fulfil for more than two decades now.

This year, PACCAR has supplied its all-new Kenworth K220 and T610 trucks as part of its ongoing support of Australia’s most popular touring car championship, which in 2023 extends into its 24th season.

Jason Routley is Supercars Transport and Logistics Manager and has only ever been behind the wheel of a Kenworth during his 12 years with the organisation.

“PACCAR has been with us for over 20 years now. Right from the outset, they were a series sponsor providing two brand new prime movers, which would generally involve a new model being released to transport our two B-double transporters.

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“We’ve had a run of 10 years with the K200 and we’ve just recently upgraded to the K220, along with a new T610. We’re lucky to receive a big cab option, which gives us a lot more space when we’re sleeping in the truck on the road.

“PACCAR has always been very good in asking what we’ve wanted in the vehicles and have always specced them up with features like Dura-Bright wheels, chrome guards, manual gearbox, and any other bells and whistles.

“We generally do between 30,000 and 40,000 kilometres a year to attend the 12 events on the championship calendar. When we’re at events, we’ll park up at a Kenworth dealership and have the trucks on display out the front.

And when we do a transporter parade, the K220 is always the first truck in the parade. PACCAR also sponsor the Kenworth Drivers Parade at Bathurst, before the start of the main race, so our two prime movers always lead that parade, too.

“The trucks have been unbeatable.

We’ve never had an issue with them.

Admittedly we give them back when they’re three years old and barely run in. But the performance of the

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

Cummins engine is incredible. It’s second to none.”

While the Kenworth prime movers are the heroes of the Supercars’ Road show, it’s the contents of the custombuilt trailers they haul that are vital to ensuring the smooth operation of the Championship.

“We have two B-double transporters, one of them is the CEO’s boardroom, which is the A trailer, while the B-trailer houses all our media and IT personnel and can seat up to 21 people,” said Jason, who personally drives the cab-over K220.

The trailers, like the trucks are maintained at some of the 58 PACCAR Parts and TRP Dealerships located around the country. Malcolm Toop, PACCAR Parts Australia’s Special Markets Manager, says the extensive dealer network means Supercars and other transport organisations can be confident they can get the parts they need, and the expertise to make the necessary repairs.

“PACCAR Parts offer our dealer network training several times per year to strengthen their knowledge base on the Kenworth, DAF, TRP and Trailer parts we sell. We also have the newly developed Trailer catalogues available, plus the TRP product range guide which covers trailer parts, truck accessories and aftermarket truck part options.”

“Shepparton, Wodonga, Mildura, Adelaide and Mt Gambier are well established in the trailer parts business and have been servicing trailers in their regions for many years. With their experience and in-depth parts knowledge, they’re very well versed in stocking the right parts to suit the local fleets and owner operators. Our regional WA and Queensland dealers also have the volume required to assist them in stocking a large range of parts for local fleets, who often service or refurbish multiple trailers at a time.”

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TECH KNOW

NON-GENUINE PARTS NOT WORTH THE RISK, WARNS CUMMINS It has been happening forever and it definitely won’t be changing anytime soon: Consumers tend to take a priceconscious approach when purchasing items.

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t happens in the trucking industry where genuine parts can be expensive, seemingly overpriced compared with non-genuine parts.

So, is there a difference between genuine and non-genuine parts? Is it really worth shelling out the extra dollars purely for genuine parts?

Powering more types of equipment in more markets than any other engine company, Cummins warns there is a difference and that non-genuine parts can have potentially serious consequences in terms of an engine’s lifespan, resulting in a blow-out of whole-of-life costs.

“When you look at the R&D put into the design and manufacture of

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Genuine Cummins Parts, the nongenuine suppliers don’t do that, so the risks are obvious,” says Jackson Meredith, on-highway aftermarket business development manager for Cummins Asia Pacific.

He points out that Cummins engineers conducted lab analysis and destructive testing on over 300 non-genuine overhaul kit components for ISX and N14 engines, including pistons, piston rings, piston pins, cylinder liners, main bearings, connecting rod bearings, head gaskets and injectors.

Of the over 300 non-genuine parts tested, none met all Cummins Design Specifications.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

“Non-genuine parts are usually reverse-engineered with poor quality materials and loose specifications,” says Meredith. “They are not designed or tested to Cummins’ exacting engineering and quality standards, and this can lead to rapid wear, poor reliability, high fuel and oil consumption, excessive emissions and even engine failure.

“Non-genuine parts can also pose a safety risk if they are poorly produced or made of substandard materials. For example, fire risk or electrical failure may result from faulty components.”

He points out that while manufacturers of non-genuine parts may claim their products will work

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in a Cummins engine, the fact is they are not fit for purpose. Only genuine components are built to meet the original factory specifications while using the latest materials, component designs and manufacturing techniques.

“With Genuine Cummins Parts, customers know where and how they have been manufactured, so they can be confident in the quality, durability, and reliability of the parts. In the event of failure, Cummins takes responsibility in providing warranty.”

Joe Ribera owns Melbourne Diesel Repairs, a business well known for its focus on quality.

“Genuine Cummins Parts are important to the success of our business,” he says. “The parts are more expensive than non-genuine parts but if you want quality you have to pay for it.”

He points out that the parts warranty and extensive service support coverage provided by Cummins also “strongly favour” the use of genuine parts.

He confides he once used nongenuine parts when rebuilding a Cummins engine and it failed due to this. “The parts supplier didn’t want to know about it, they didn’t want to support us,” says Joe. “When something goes wrong like that it’s hard work for all involved – the owner of the truck or engine, the mechanical repair business. There ends up being a lot of unpaid labour.

“I learned from that mistake. When you buy non-genuine parts, you risk having problems.”

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE – GENUINE CUMMINS PARTS THE GENUINE DIFFERENCE

300+

0

100+

non-genuine overhaul kit components tested through lab analysis and destructive testing

non-genuine parts met all of Cummins design specifications

years of perfecting the design and manufacturing of Genuine Cummins parts

SAVING A LITTLE TIME UPFRONT COULD ULTIMATELY COST YOU:

Early life failure

Downtime

Non-warranty repair cost

Additional fuel cost

Progressive damage to aftertreatment

Catastrophic failure

Results: ISX heavy-duty parts analysis

Scan the QR code to view the results of our lab testing on heavy duty non-genuine parts for the on-highway market and see why There is a difference.

cummins.com

www.powertorque.com.au

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TECH KNOW

NON-GENUINE CONCERNS Earlier this year truck industry leading brands joined forces to educate about the potential harm that non-genuine components pose to the transport industry.

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large group of interested parties attended an event in Setia Alam in Malaysia earlier this year to discuss the issues around non-genuine components in the truck industry and to raise awareness around the issues these components can create. The event was also aimed at educating the market about the issue.

Part of each presentation by the supporting brands was an elaboration on how to identify genuine and nongenuine parts. In particular, packaging is a significant component of any product and users may be able to spot an issue just by looking at the packaging. For instance, a product may only be supplied in a brown carton, whereas the original would be in a colourful box with ha logo printed on it.

Today, QR codes are another important tool that can help users to identify original parts and components.

Almost always, the packaging is made to look like the original, while showing some obvious differences. For instance, the logo may not be correct, using a different name or letters.

Imitating a logo, termed ‘Passing off a mark’ is commonplace in copying and constitutes a trademark infringement as well as posing risks to the buyer.

The original packaging is typically changed at regular intervals. Buyers of spare parts and consumables were urged to familiarise themselves with the look and feel of original packages.

If in doubt, as sometimes there could be older versions of the original packaging still in circulation, a call to the supplier will clear up any doubts.

We are all familiar with the idea that if something is too good to be true, then it probably is. The same applies to spare parts and consumables. If a product is offered at half the price the same product would cost from other suppliers, then there may be something wrong. While discounts maybe offered from time to time, there

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is no way that the distributor and principal would slash prices to levels that seem unbelievable.

An example given during the seminar was that a filter might have been half the price and swapped regularly, and as the filter was of inferior quality, it comes apart when in use, this could lead to replacement costs far exceeding the saving that one could possibly achieve by using inferior parts.

Typically, spare parts and consumables are sold via dealers (seldom direct from the manufacturer, but the same idea put forward applies).

Original Equipment Manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure that they have appointed a trustworthy and dedicated dealer. Therefore, they will list all the appointed dealers on their website. If someone is offering a part or consumables, the buyer can easily check on the OEMs website if the dealer is listed. If not, chances are that the dealer is not appointed and is suspicious

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

In addition, many of the OEMs issue certificates that the dealer would have to produce upon request. These certificates are usually limited to one or two years. The inability to produce a valid certificate would also indicate something being wrong.

I is recommended that beyond market prices, users also become familiar with the brands they use and their portfolio. If a brand suddenly offers a part that is not aligned with their philosophy (quality level for example) or product portfolio, it might be worth checking if the product is offered by the OEM. Non-genuine products can be of high quality with no obvious tell-tale signs, they may be hard to identify without taking them apart. Sometimes it may be a good idea to purchase an extra part to understand how it is constructed in order to know what makes an original part.

For instance, an air filter could be bent and if it cracks, it is of lower

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quality. The number of pleats, the folding of the pleats and how the filter material is connected to the end caps are further indications for genuine products.

Utilising the internet, buyers of parts and consumables can also check online if their purchase is legit.

The product labels can now serve as a quality seal, with distinguishing features such as holograms. In addition, QR codes and other identification numbers can be fed into online portals that verify a part to be genuine.

When companies offer multiple years of warranty on their products and promise superior performance, then they do so as their components are manufactured to the highest standards. Gears, piston rings, shafts and rods may look like they are original, but a closer inspection may reveal issues. Non-treated surfaces easily scratch, holes may not be chamfered, and logos may only be printed on the parts.

With the exception of highly complicated assemblies, such as a complete gearbox, not much is safe from imitation.

Modern components and parts may be highly complex as many suppliers have taken the strategic approach to become solutions providers. Those wanting to make a quick buck by copying products would do so by offering simpler, easier to copy products. These components also require trained and qualified staff to sell them to the market, OEMs nowadays work with reputable distributors and dealers, which can typically be identified via the brands’ websites.

As spare parts are crucial to maintaining a high level of uptime, it is important for fleet operators to be knowledgeable about the market.

One should get to know the brands, their market prices, the distribution network and the people behind them.

When a part is offered at a price that is ‘too good to be true’ and out of sync with the market price, something could well be wrong. Should a vendor offer a branded component that is not typically offered by a brand, alarm bells should ring.

www.powertorque.com.au

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TECH KNOW

GET LONGER SLAT LIFE WITH THE J-MAX FLOOR Operators who haul abrasive materials need the J-MAX Steel Slat.

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auling abrasive materials with moving floor systems can prove challenging if you don’t have the right flooring. Sand, gravel and even mulch can create premature wear for standard aluminium slats. Designed for longer wear when handling abrasive loads, the J-MAX steel slat is a versatile choice for unloading a variety of materials.

Trailers outfitted with moving floor systems are used to unload a wide range of materials. The horizontal unloading systems discharge material without the assistance of a tipping system. Instead, a series of hydraulically driven floor slats ‘walk’ the material out the rear of the trailer.

Constructed of roll-formed, high strength steel, the J-MAX floor system offers operators more flexibility in the products they haul. “In addition to handling regular bulk products like agricultural products or waste, the J-MAX slat stands up to construction debris, light demolition and even glass,” says Zyggy Reinoga of Keith Walking Floor Australia Compared with standard

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aluminium flooring, the J-MAX has a longer slat life. This durability ensures that the floor can withstand the wear and tear of frequent unloading of abrasive material. The unique “J” floor seal, located between the slats, reduces the sifting of material through the trailer floor. This makes the J-MAX flooring suitable for hauling loads of sand, mulch or similar materials.

“Another area in which the J-MAX slat excels is in specialty applications such as unloading mineral concentrates,” adds Reinoga.

“Materials like gypsum are not free-flowing, but tend to be sticky.

Combined with the correct drive unit, the steel slat will do an impressive job of unloading the material.”

The trailer subdeck is reinforced with full length floor bearings, with a hold down design. This provides a maximum support surface for the flooring, creating a forklift compatible system. Backhaul opportunities are expanded with the ability to handle pallets and bales.

Overall, the J-MAX floor slat offers durability, versatility, and efficient

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

Compared with standard aluminium flooring, the J-MAX has a longer slat life.

trailer unloading capabilities.

Whether it is handling abrasive materials or ensuring long-lasting performance, the J-MAX floor slat is designed to meet the demands of various industries and applications.

Since 1973, Keith has provided a variety of industries with Walking Floor technology. Learn more about the J-MAX Floor and Keith Walking Floor systems, visit www. keithwalkingfloor.com or contact Zyggy Reinoga of Keith Walking Floor Australia at 0404 041 833 to discuss your material handling needs.

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TECH KNOW

A SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT FROM EBS EBS, when properly maintained, along with the rest of the braking system, will save a rollover on that poorly designed roundabout that has caught your unfamiliar driver unaware.

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n the past 25 or so years, vehicle safety technologies and reliability has improved. Its now more than 30 years since the first heavy vehicle electronic engines arrived on the scene, the sceptics all aired their reservations it was the same with ABS, EBS and other technologies. More recently LDW (lane departure warning) ACC (adaptive cruise control) and other technologies have been adopted, many relying on ABS and EBS as a key part of the base package.

Whilst some may not agree, the recent generations of ABS/EBS have been of significant benefit to safety for vehicles. However, an often-discounted fact is that this is all dependent on the foundation braking system, if the foundation braking system isn’t 100 per cent functional don’t expect the ABS/ EBS to be the fix all.

Major brake defects continue to be significant at heavy vehicle interceptions/inspections. The National Roller Brake Testing Procedure (https:// www.nhvr.gov.au/files/201801-0760national-roller-brake-testing-procedure. pdf), addressed the history of issues with air suspension and roller brake testing and false negatives. What remains a concern is that many operators do not understand how the braking system basics on a heavy combination vehicle function.

The supply system (red line) to a trailer (or trailers) doesn’t supply air unless the parking brake is released and it may take considerable time to charge the trailer/s (10 minutes plus for an air depleted B-double).

The control signal (blue line) doesn’t provide the air to actuate the trailer brakes, it is the control signal and meters air from the trailer air storage system to activate/operate the brakes. A typical (pre-EBS) road train brake system can take around 1.5

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seconds to apply/release the brakes at the last trailer, which is why clearbore couplings were necessary to meet AVSR (Australian Vehicle Standards Rules) brake response times.

The arrival of combination smart EBS systems (prime mover communicates with trailer/s and vice versa): ADR 38/05 mandated ABS for trailers with an ATM > 4.5 tonnes and vehicle stability function (directional control and rollover function) for all TD category (GTM > 10 tonnes).

Many operators accepted T-EBS because they had to, and some trailer salespersons didn’t help, the education was poor and the risk management and potential benefits of these safety systems were not communicated.

One example was a situation where a vehicle combination had 259 roll stability interventions in the previous year, at event #260 the combination rolled-over; the driver had complained about the brakes coming on in corners, but no one had explained (educated) the RSS intervention.

Talk to your EBS system supplier’s technical team to learn what is available and how to get the best from the system. Another benefit of smart EBS systems is the response times for

multiple axle groups, with T-EBS within a couple of milliseconds of the prime mover service brake being applied it sends an electronic signal to the trailer groups (this won’t happen if the EBS isn’t connected) and it even applies the brakes if the control line is not connected; the further advantage is that as the brakes on all trailing axle groups are activated almost immediately there is greater brake performance due to the lack of lag in the brake response, less speed sooner.

In November it will be 4 years since ADR 38/05 mandated ABS, directional control and roll stability. A recent article suggested that currently less than 30 per cent of heavy trailers are T-EBS equipped, road transport needs to do better! Axles don’t last forever, so at axle replacement upgrade with wheel sensors and T-EBS. Industry has little control over potholed roads, poor roundabout design, rest area design and location; but industry can be more embracing of adopting proven safety technologies, supported by appropriate and structured maintenance programs.

A properly maintained brake system with T-EBS is a valuable investment in risk management!

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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TECH KNOW

Avoid Pencil Only Inspections.

TRUCK & TRAILER MAINTENANCE The basic concept behind maintenance is to prevent vehicle breakdown and to minimise overall costs.

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any Australian fleets are adopting servicing models to comply with the Maintenance Management module of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS). The main purpose businesses in Australia have of joining this scheme is usually increased mass limits (concessional mass limits) along with removing the need for a certificate of inspection for annual registration renewal. However, when correctly implemented, it will also reduce costs, minimise vehicle down time and improve safety.

While the NHVAS is usually seen as the standard that businesses should meet, smart operators will do more and implement Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM). CBM predicts the wear rate, life cycle of vehicles systems along with a risk factor to determine when and how to service components.

The basic principle of CBM is already being used to a limited degree in many fleets. Most operators will be able to tell you how long some components, such as tyres or brake shoes, will last in a specific vocation.

So, they will plan ahead to replace or service that component once a trailer gets to that mileage. Just as component damage and breakdowns are a waste of money, so is over-servicing.

Expected component life varies significantly depending on a number of variables. Driver competence, mileage, manufacturer, equipment level and vocation all play a role in maintenance needs. For example, Hendrickson HXL7 trailer wheels

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ends will travel 1.2 million kilometres with only simple regular inspections, while some other wheel ends require rebuilding every 12 months.

If you have only a few vehicles or trailers, it may be possible to set up an excel workbook with your chosen factors. However, computer programs and web-based software can add automation, functionality and details that are not possible with more basic methods, as well as the ability to deal with larger fleet numbers. The primary objective should be to keep maintenance to the minimum required to ensure your equipment performs at peak efficiency to suit your business, vocation, and application. This will keep costs to a minimum and reduce downtime, both for maintenance and for breakdowns.

AVOIDING PENCIL INSPECTIONS Pencil inspection is a term sometimes used to describe when a technician uses a pencil to tick off a maintenance checklist, without correctly conducting the required maintenance inspection. Pencil inspections are a common cause of component failure and breakdowns.

Everybody involved in maintenance of vehicles needs to understand the importance of spending suitable time and effort maintaining vehicles. It is not just the technicians that need to understand this. Enough time needs to be allocated by workshop management to conduct the needed work. If this is not considered, people will cut corners and eventually there will be a disastrous failure.

Thorough Inspection Is required.

POWERTORQUE November/December 2023

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