Trailer Mag September 2022

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A U S T R A L A S I A’ S T R A I L E R I N D U S T R Y R E S O U R C E

SEPTEMBER 2022

9 771838 231003

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ISSN 1838-2312

SEPTEMBER 2022 $10.00

SHOW TIME There and back again

TRAILER BUILDER INDUSTRY ICON SPECIAL REPORTS LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT WORLD MAP ECONOMY

SHOWCASING THE VERY BEST AUSTRALASIAN TRAILER AND BODY TECHNOLOGY

From the Editor’s desk PUBLISHER John Murphy john.murphy@primecreative.com.au

MANAGING EDITOR Luke Applebee luke.applebee@primecreative.com.au

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Lost transmissions Have you heard about the energy crisis? And no, I’m not referring to bill shock. The nuclear energy debate has once again entered mainstream media discourse, presumably as a distraction for fossil fuels.

At the time of writing, Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, declared it was “high time that Australia had an honest and informed debate of the benefits and costs of nuclear energy.” Ok then.

Interestingly, he is pushing for a means to better secure the nation’s energy security but also cut power costs. He admits that renewables will play a role in Australia’s energy mix however it will need to be balanced by investment in dispatchable power generation. Dutton reckons 60 per cent of coal-fired generator capacity will leave the market by 2030 which will leave Australian households and businesses vulnerable. Therefore, the solution, he thinks, is nuclear energy.

Now, does this line of thinking consider the international track record for how Small Modular Reactor (SMR) projects and similar plants have fared?

Look at Western Europe and the US, they have had decade of debacles with all of their nuclear power plant projects.

The only reactor construction project in France is reported to be 10 years behind schedule with a cost estimate of more than $30 billion – almost six times greater than the original estimate.

Meanwhile, executives at Fortune 100 energy firm, Exelon Corporation, have gone on record to say that these projects are too expensive to construct nor is it economic within a foreseeable timeframe.

Former nuclear supporter, New South Wales Premier and Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, said nuclear power was lumbering, cripplingly expensive and moribund. This view can be illustrated

by Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011 where reactor projects ran up massive costs, the power generated was not able to compete with renewables and nuclear waste was not managed adequately which led to the explosion of an underground nuclear waste repository. I’m all ears for an honest, informed debate.

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Industry news The latest news and industry developments.

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Economy Toll Group launched its new control tower earlier this year in Prestons, Sydney.

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Trailer builder Queensland-based heavy vehicle rental firm, 24/7 Hire, recently acquired several 3 Way Heavy Duty Drop Decks from CIMC Australia.

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Trailer building materials/components These are the suppliers that keep Australia’s heavy vehicles operating safer and more productive.

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Livestock equipment Livestock and rural transport industry groups have highlighted some of the pressing issues that are a long way away from being resolved for them.

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Special report: VIC Government State authorities are working to unlock the heavy vehicle industry’s potential for innovative and optimised vehicle design through PerformanceBased Standards.

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Special report: Supply chain Disruption in the supply chain presents opportunity.

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World map The most serious collision to date involving a self-driving truck suggests governments and law enforcement may not be ready to deal with the new technology.

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Fleet of the month A fourth customised Mack prime mover in the limitededition Outlaw series from JT Fossey Trucks is now in operation.

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Industry icon A series dedicated to honouring the unsung heroes of the commercial road transport industry.

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What’s on Upcoming shows and field days.

Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

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News

DHL Supply Chain finalises major acquisition DHL Supply Chain has now finalised the acquisition of the Glen Cameron Group, following the agreement to purchase the logistics company earlier this year.

The acquisition promises to create one of the largest logistics companies in Australia with a combined revenue of over $1 billion and is expected to strengthen DHL’s position in the evolving Australian road freight market.

Talks between the two companies regarding an acquisition had started nearly ten years ago. However, discussions recommenced nearly 12 months ago with an agreement reached recently in which DHL Supply Chain would take control of the Glen Cameron Group on 31 July.

DHL Supply Chain CEO Australia and New Zealand, Steve Thompsett, was pleased to confirm the completion of the acquisition yesterday afternoon.

“I am pleased to confirm that the acquisition of the Glen Cameron Group is now complete,” he said.

“This milestone signals a new chapter of growth in the Australian transport industry. I’m looking forward to getting out and about to meet the wider Cameron team and to get to know the operations.

“Thank you to Glen and his team for the strong foundation they have built over the last five decades.”

The Glen Cameron Group will benefit from DHL’s large-scale network in over 220 countries and global forwarding expertise in air, ocean and road freight to ensure strong development opportunities for the business, its customers, and its employees.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Followmont to deploy Trailer of Hope Queensland-based transport company, Followmont Transport, will again be supporting the Brisbane Convoy for Kids this year by providing the Trailer of Hope for the upcoming event on 5 November 2022.

Originally launched in 2019 through the two organisations, the Trailer of Hope is one of the biggest revenue generators for the Brisbane Convoy for Kids fundraising efforts.

Individuals, families and businesses all play a role in supporting the cause by selecting an amount ranging from $20 to $2,000, which sees either their name or logo on the Trailer of Hope B-double set.

Followmont Transport Managing Director, Mark Tobin, said the company is honoured to once again provide its fleet for such a worthwhile cause.

“We’ve supported the Brisbane Convoy for Kids for a number of years running and are happy to provide what is ultimately a travelling billboard to help create awareness for the great work they do raising funds for children’s charities,” he said.

“The new Convoy trailer will be put to work up and down the East Coast straight after the Convoy event, clocking approximately 20,000kms each month,

it’s a great way for the community to feel involved and get excited anytime they see it on the highway.

“Our team love this event, we always have a large number of drivers and staff register for the Convoy, and this is just another way we can help to make a difference.”

The Trailer of Hope concept was brought to life through the committee to increase awareness of the Convoy and give individuals and families who may not be a truck driver an opportunity to be involved.

Tracy Wood from Brisbane Convoy for Kids said the event grows each year and the committee is always striving to increase their fundraising total.

“Every year our team come together and look at what can we do better for the next Convoy, how can we increase support, and improve people’s connection,” she said.

“We love watching how passionate people are, whether it’s the drivers decking out their trucks with flags and decorations, the industry throwing their support behind it, or the families standing in front of the trailer to get a photo beside their name, it’s a fulfilling event to be a part of.”

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News

Work starts on New Dubbo Bridge project The first phase of the New Dubbo Bridge project will begin this month, with a critical new intersection starting this week.

The work is a crucial initial part of the $220.2 million Newell Highway Upgrade – Dubbo Bridge project that is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments on an 80:20 basis.

Abergeldie Contractors will be delivering the new Brisbane Street and Darling Street intersection, and Caporn Piling has been awarded the contract to deliver test piling in the floodplain.

Test piling is expected to commence

by October, once Caporn Piling has finalised planning and mobilised to the site. It will form part of the final bridge structure and is key to the delivery of the project.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said the project represents a major investment in western NSW. “The start of work on the new intersection of Brisbane and Darling streets is an exciting milestone for the New Dubbo Bridge project,” he said “Once completed, the New Dubbo Bridge will be a key link in the western NSW road network, improving traffic efficiency along the Newell Highway, reducing traffic congestion for local and commuters, and improving access across the Macquarie River flood plain during flood events.”

The work will take approximately five months to complete, weather permitting. Lane closures and reduced speed limits will be in place while work is underway between 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday.

Access to the northern end of Darling Street at the intersection with River Street will be closed with a detour in place.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Port of Bundaberg upgrade to boost efficiency following $17M-plus in investment A new project at the Port of Bundaberg is expected to boost loading efficiencies for bulk minerals and agricultural products.

The works involve a new bulk goods conveyor facility at the port.

Engineering firm, e2o, will complete the construction of the new conveyor infrastructure including modifications to the existing ship loading facilities and the structural, mechanical and electrical works.

Local fabrication company, BME Australia, will work closely with e2o on the fabrication of the main structural components, all of which will be fabricated in Bundaberg.

Once complete, the Common User Infrastructure will provide an opportunity to increase exports of bulk commodities including minerals, timber products (wood pellets and woodchip) and agricultural products.

The Australian Government has committed up to $17.7 million in funding for the project, with additional funding committed by Sugar Terminals Limited (STL) and Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC), provided on behalf of the Queensland Government.

The project is part of the Hinkler Regional

Deal, and is expected to be commissioned

by April 2023.

“This project is great news for the people of Bundaberg but also the broader Burnett region, creating jobs and opportunities for businesses in the region,” said Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Senator Anthony Chisholm.

“The Federal Government understands how important it is to create jobs and opportunities across regional Queensland, and projects like this show our continuing commitment to that.”

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said it will ensure the port can extend its export capabilities and is ready for the future.

“Constructing this new conveyor facility will unlock opportunities for local producers to compete in world markets, supporting businesses and the regional economy into the future,” said King.

For Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, this project is another example of the Australian and Queensland Governments working together with private enterprise to invest in a stronger future for Queenslanders.

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News

Ron Finemore Transport commits to safe, efficient operations Following the announcement of its partnership with national logistics company, Primary Connect, Ron Finemore Transport continues to express its commitment to safety and reliability throughout its daily procedures.

Ron Finemore Transport recently delivered five 30m B-double high cube combinations to Primary Connect to create innovative transport solutions for its customers.

The B-double combinations will be used in Primary Connect’s network to transport

Maps boost heavy vehicle efficiency in VIC

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

ambient freight between Sydney to Wodonga and Brisbane to Wodonga, lifting each lane capacity by an extra 10 per cent.

Managing Director, Mark Parry, explained that safety comes first within the company’s walls and during all business with clients.

“The name and brand Ron Finemore Transport has been synonymous with safety and reliability,” he told Trailer.

“We use that to ensure that we’re meeting our key customers’ requirements.

If we bid for work or win or extend a

contract, the requirement to be safe and reliable is written into those contracts, we won’t commit to work that we can’t do safely and reliably.

“So, when you look at the Primary Connect work, with a contractual requirement of a high 99 per cent delivery on time, you can only do that if you have that unrelenting and sustainable commitment to continuous improvement for safety and reliability.”

Primary Connect and Ron Finemore Transport worked closely with trailer supplier engineers and local government bodies to bring the 100-pallet high productivity vehicles into service. But, according to Parry, it’s not just about how many trucks you can put on the road.

“We look at how we can improve productivity between ourselves and Primary Connect and these trailers do

The Victorian Government has approved eight new maps to expand road networks for mobile crane operators.

The maps are for mobile cranes with six-to-nine axles, and will ensure they can continue delivering projects without the need for a bridge assessment.

They will also assist operators with direct access from the ports of Portland, Geelong and Melbourne to a number of depots identified by the industry and several wind farm locations in western Victoria.

Minister for Ports and Freight, Melissa Horne, recently released the preapproved maps and said their use will lead to an efficiency improvement.

“We’re supporting our heavy vehicle industry and improving efficiency for our mobile crane operators through the release of these pre-approved maps,” she said.

“These maps will give operators information about where they can travel, as well as assist operators with direct access from our ports to depots.”

Operators will still need to apply for access permits for these cranes, but they will no longer need individual route assessments on the published routes.

The publication of mobile crane maps has been a priority of the Heavy Vehicle Permit Reform Roadmap, funded under the Labor Government’s Regulatory Reform Incentive Fund.

that, which clearly benefits in moving more freight per combination,” he said.

“As consumer demand grows, rather than just simply increasing the number of trucks on the road, the more pallets you can move per trailer gives the productivity

benefits, which helps with costs, emissions and efficiency of the drivers themselves.”

Founder of the company, Ron Finemore, has been involved within the transport industry for close to 60 years now. Parry explains that throughout those five-anda-bit decades, these values were always what was most important to him.

“You can’t continue to work for companies like Primary Connect unless you’re prepared to invest and live by those safe and reliable values,” he said.

“Reliability is important for all of our major customers, but particularly Primary Connect, have very strict requirements around load and unload times and we need to make sure that our trucks, drivers and trailers get there safely, legally and on

time, and that’s very much part of what we do and of our brand, and very much part of Ron’s DNA.” Parry also explained that the company’s aim is for zero incidents, missed deliveries and accidents on the road, while increasingly trying to head towards zero emissions. According to him, all of these factors go hand-in-hand and require continuous investment, energy and focus every day to ensure its success.

“We’ll continue to do what we do in terms of regional food and fuels, safe and reliable investment in the latest technology, looking at ways to improve productivity and keep our drivers safe, because that’s very much part of our brand and who we are,” he said.

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Working port cranes loading containers in the Port of Fremantle near Perth in Western Australia.

DP World Australia to enter phase of expansion Supply chain operator, DP World Australia, is looking to take its supply chain offerings to the next level through innovation and further integration beyond ports and terminals.

DP World is also working to enhance its offerings across its terminals. Five new Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes have just commenced service at the Sydney Terminal, with another five on the way in 2023.

A new lease has also been agreed on for the Fremantle Terminal, enabling additional forklifts and a new quay crane to be ordered.

DP World Group Chairman, Sultan Ahmed

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Bin Sulayem, is currently on a tour of the company’s facilities across Australia and underlined the importance of end-to-end logistics solutions to staff at the Brisbane Terminal.

“Innovation drives us, the integration of our four business pillars will make a strategic difference and set us apart from the competition,” he said.

“Diversifying beyond just Ports and Terminals with our expanding Logistics business is vital for growth.”

DP World Australia CEO, Andrew Adam, said it was a pleasure welcoming Sulayem on the country-wide tour.

“We are extremely proud of our team’s

achievements in Australia and commitment to building on this momentum further, to continue to deliver value to our customers,” he said.

“As we move towards an end-to-end Logistics provider, we look forward to expanding our service offerings, particularly in our Logistics business, to ensure we are continuously delivering consistent and reliable end-to-end service performance for our customers and the Australian supply chain.”

All of DP World’s terminals in Australia lifted crane productivity, allowing the company to meet demands of higher volumes on customer vessels.

NSW bridges improve heavy vehicle efficiency

Robert and Graham Gibson, FoodBoss.

Schmitz Cargobull supports FoodBoss’ fundraising efforts Schmitz Cargobull Australia has announced its sponsorship of refrigerated transport company, FoodBoss, during this year’s Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Car Trek, which took place between 4 and 11 June 2022.

RFDS is the largest aerial health and emergency service in the world which assists more than 1,000 people every day.

RFDS hosts the Car Trek rally every year to promote the organisation’s services while raising critical funds in the form of sponsorship. Over the years, the event has raised over $32 million dollars.

“Funds raised from the Rally not only made a huge difference for the Royal Flying Doctors Service but also for the small towns visited along the way,” Schmitz Cargobull Australia Managing Director, Les Lange, told Trailer.

“Some of the schools received donations of tens of thousands of dollars which will really make a huge difference overall to their regional communities.”

Lange said Schmitz Cargobull Australia was proud to support FoodBoss during the fundraiser for such a great cause.

“Schmitz Cargobull has been working

closely with FoodBoss over the past couple of years updating trailers as required,” he said.

“We thought this is a really great cause during the pandemic as it delivers direct to the regional communities who have been further isolated in recent times.”

FoodBoss Director, Robert Gibson supported the campaign with his brother Graham by entering a Ford F150 into the rally.

“We put a car in the rally, a few of the local people in our area were going to it, so we thought we’d give it a go as it was our first time doing anything like it,” he said.

“We’re out in the country west of Penrith and as far out as Bourke and part of the rally went through all those areas, so we thought why not advertise our business and earn some money for a good charity.

“We’ve been buying new trailers and we’ve decided on Schmitz Cargobull, they seem to be a good trailer and they suit our needs. We asked Cargobull whether they’d sponsor us in the event and they put some money up for it, and we’re very happy they did that.”

Two new double-lane concrete bridges are improving access for heavy vehicles on the Darling River Run in New South Wales, making freight movement more efficient and safer through the Far West and Orana regions.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said the new bridges between Bourke and Wilcannia will be more accessible and wider for heavy vehicles, unlike the old timber bridges at Jandra Creek 2 and Compadore Creek.

“The new eight-metre-wide bridges accommodate B-Doubles and road trains,” he said.

“This will reduce journeys by around 102 kilometres for freight vehicles, which previously had to travel via Cobar.

“Both were funded under our Fixing Country Roads (FCR) program, which is about moving freight more efficiently across the state.”

Bourke Shire Council Manager of Roads, Alex Saju, said heavy vehicle movements on the Darling River Run are expected to rise by 25 per cent because of the reduced journey times.

“More than 30,000 tonnes of freight will be transported over these bridges every year,” he said.

“These upgraded bridges provide the added benefit of improved resilience to natural disasters like flood events, meaning access can remain open and freight, everyday motorists and emergency services can keep moving.”

The $1.9 million project included $1.5 million from the NSW Government’s $543 million Fixing Country Roads Program and $400,000 from Bourke Shire Council. www.trailermag.com.au

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XXX News

Rail project to benefit Victoria’s transport industry The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has welcomed progress on the Port Rail Transformation Project.

It follows the Victorian Government’s announcement of $125 million for the next stage of works.

Under the package unveiled by Minister for Ports and Freight, Melissa Horne, a new Coode Road on-dock rail terminal connecting with the Swanson Dock East International Container Terminal will be constructed. A new road will also be built to allow for better movement of shipping containers and provide an east-west link within the Swanson Dock Precinct, meaning trucks will no longer need to exit to Footscray Road.

Logistics operator announces new Melbourne warehouse 16

Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

VTA CEO, Peter Anderson, said the project will provide benefits for Australia’s entire transport system.

“This project is not about reducing the work load for road freight operators; it’s about creating a more efficient intermodal transport system that has benefits for operators right throughout the supply chain,” he said.

“Every investment that creates opportunities to increase our freight capacity means more work for road freight operators because as I’ve always said, ships, planes and trains carry freight but only trucks can deliver.

“The port rail project will free up road

freight operators to take on work that has better margins, and at the same time reduce congestion at the port gate for heavy vehicles moving in and out of the precinct.”

Construction crews have prepared underground services and drainage, along with foundation works for the new rail tracks and associated rail infrastructure.

The project is schedules for completion mid 2023, and according to Anderson, will result in major supply-chain efficiencies benefitting producers, transport operators and exporters servicing the Port of Melbourne.

Container logistics operator, ACFS Port Logistics, has opened a new Melbourne warehouse development.

Strategically located off the Western Freeway, the Derrimut facility provides 24,010 square metres of storage space as well as a large 7,650-square-metre heavy duty hardstand.

“With eight recessed docks and 24/7 B-double access this facility is the latest addition to the ACFS portfolio and plays a

key role in the ACFS zone strategy,” the company said in a statement.

Only 22 kilometres from the Port of Melbourne, the warehouse offers multiple access points to key infrastructure routes within Greater Melbourne and interstate transport routes.

“Further capital investment will be made with the objective to increase the warehouse footprint to match our clients’ needs for tomorrow,” said ACFS Port Logistics.

The NSW Nationals will trial new technology to reduce the risk of level crossing collisions between trains and vehicles in rural areas.

The Government will fund trials of innovative signs with LED flashing lights at level crossings in Narromine and Bribbaree, to improve awareness and safety.

Contracts have been signed with ARCS at Bribbaree and Sage Automation at Narromine to install new level crossing signs and the detailed design work is now currently underway.

Nationals Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said the NSW Government had listened to concerns raised through the community petition led by Maddie Bott, whose fiancée Ethan Hunter and work colleague Mark Fenton

died in February last year when their B-double collided with a freight train at Bribbaree, around 70 kilometres northwest of Young.

According to Farraway, 68 per cent of public road crossings use only stop and give way signs to warn about the presence of a level crossing and the need to stop to look for trains.

“Transport for NSW has developed a new strategic direction to help fast track improvements at level crossings which will involve trialling the use of new technology,” he said.

“On top of this we have reduced speed limits to 80km per hour at more than 50 level crossings across regional NSW as part of the Level Crossing Speed Zone Reduction Program.

“We know a lot of crashes at level

crossings occur where the road speed limit is 100km an hour or greater, so reducing the speed limit gives drivers more time to see the level crossing ahead and stop for oncoming trains.”

TrackSAFE Foundation’s Executive Director Heather Neil said TrackSAFE welcomed today’s announcement from the NSW Government.

“NSW has thousands of level crossings and new technology will play an important part in improving safety,” she said.

“This week is Rail Safety Week, and we remind travellers, pedestrians, commuters and rail workers that they can all play an active role in rail safety. And we urge the Australian community to Stay Rail Safe.”

ARCS Commercial Director Phil Lock said they are excited to be partnering with the NSW Government and delivering innovative technology to improve safety for regional communities.

“I’m looking forward to working with government to develop technology that could potentially save more lives in country communities,” he said.

SAGE Automation Smart Cities Lead Ashby Martin echoed these sentiments.

“SAGE is passionate about developing new systems to improve road safety in partnership with Transport for NSW and the NSW Government,” he said.

The trial is funded through the Digital Restart Fund and will commence later this year. The data collected will be used to determine the effectiveness of the new technology.

The Narromine trial will evaluate the effectiveness of a stop sign with LED warning lighting. The Bribbaree trial will also monitor the effectiveness of stop signs with LED warning lights and LED streetlights.

Lineage Logistics announces cold storage acquisition

Temperature-controlled logistics company, Lineage Logistics, has announced its acquisition of cold storage business, Cold Storage Nelson.

Cold Storage Nelson (CSN) has made major advances in energy efficiency by using advanced process control and design to ensure minimal usage and sophisticated purchasing of energy.

Lineage Logistics Global COO, Jeff Rivera, said expanding its footprint in Asia-Pacific through New Zealand has been a long-term strategic goal of the company.

“CSN has industry-leading skills in inventory control, compliance and traceability,” he said.

“CSN’s facilities, combined with our industry-leading technology and innovation, will assist New Zealand customers to navigate increasing supply chain demands in New Zealand and internationally.

“We look forward to working closely with CSN’s customers on these new opportunities.”

According to Rivera, Lineage is focused on further building out its NZ and Asia-Pacific footprint so customers can take advantage of its global end-to-end logistics capability.

Lineage in New Zealand now has integrated assets in Auckland, Tauranga, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin.

Trials underway to mitigate truck-train collisions in NSW

www.trailermag.com.au

17

News

Hawk Logistics grows operations Refrigerated transport specialist, Hawk Logistics, has moved to a new 3PL storage facility.

The brand new 20,000-square-metre facility is located in Truganina, Victoria, and is owned by one of the company’s clients.

Hawk Logistics Head of Commercial, Brendan Russell, told Trailer that its client offered the company a portion of the site for an initial five year term.

“Ingham’s just finished this major site and they’re not at the point where they need all of it straight away, so they’ve given a portion of the site to us until they get to the point where they want to take over in five to nine years time,” he told Trailer.

“We just wanted to see more vertical

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

integration with our customers. We’ve been doing a lot of classic temperaturecontrolled line-haul work and rigid work in metropolitan areas, but we were getting a lot of enquiries from our customers about what extent we could start running handling facilities for them.”

Russell said moving into the facility was a critical step in advancing into the next stage of vertical integration.

“Rather than being a company that has 100 clients, we’re more like a company that has six to 10 clients and get really heavily involved in their business. And so, we want to be responsive to all the parts of their supply chain.

“Each step one of those steps in the vertical supply chain that we can develop a capability in allows us to get

more revenue and demonstrates more capability to be able to help our clients through what they need to do.”

According to Russell, Hawk Logistics has subleased around 4,000 square metres of the facility which features a freezer area, a chiller area and a cross-dock area.

The site also features several solar panels on the roof, along with temperature and energy monitoring throughout the facility to make it as efficient as possible.

“It’s a very impressive site, they’ve done their homework, they’re trying to figure out how to make it as energy efficient as possible,” said Russell.

“We want to manage our growth and do it in a sensible way that doesn’t hurt our customers or put risk on the business.”

Tyres to boost business recycling

NSW commits more funding to road safety initiatives An additional $196 million will be delivered to improve road safety in New South Wales as part of the Towards Zero Safer Roads Program.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said the program is a key initiative of the new 2026 Road Safety Action Plan that aims to build a safer road network.

“The NSW Government is securing a brighter future for NSW families through our investment in road safety to ensure people reach their destination when driving on our roads,” said Farraway.

“One death on our country roads is one too many and it takes a suite of measures to save as many lives as possible, like improving our road infrastructure.”

The extra funding comes after the NSW government already invested $640 million into the Saving Lives on Country Roads program that targeted regional locations where chances of accidents were greater.

“We’re also installing 2,700 kilometres of

rumble strips – the equivalent of driving from Sydney to Adelaide and back again - along regional highways to combat driver fatigue,” said Farraway. “The extra $196 million means more rumble strips, more audio tactile line marking and more safety barriers. It means more lives saved on country roads.”

Minister for Metropolitan Roads, Natalie Ward, says the extra funding will build on the 630 projects already completed.

“This is a program that works, with the 2021 Safer Roads Program estimated to have prevented 1500 serious injuries and deaths on NSW roads over 15 years,” said Ward.

“Funding will go towards intersection upgrades and the installation of safety measures such as pedestrian islands and traffic light upgrades.

“This is a government that is investing in local communities delivering projects to make sure we are safe on our roads and we get home to our loved ones.”

Tyres and other waste could be transformed into new technologies or used to upgrade existing recycling facilities following a co-investment of $2 million.

It follows a scheme by the Federal and Victorian Governments to boost Victoria’s recycling and remanufacturing of plastic, paper, cardboard and tyres.

The third round of the Victorian Circular Economy Recycling Modernisation Fund is open to Victorian businesses and local councils.

“This $2 million in funding builds on more than $68 million in joint Australian and Victorian government funding that has already been awarded to 21 infrastructure projects across Victoria,” said Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek.

“These have already been announced will support over 270 new ongoing full-time jobs and process an additional 322,000 tonnes of glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, and tyre waste each year.”

The $190 million Recycling Modernisation Fund investment, and measures to support Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, will support approximately 10,000 new jobs all around Australia over the next decade.

The Victorian Government’s funding is a part of its $515 million investment to transform the state’s waste and recycling sector, including $380 million under the government’s circular economy policy Recycling Victoria: a new economy. www.trailermag.com.au

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News

Lindsay Australia follows up record revenue Integrated transport, logistics and rural supply company, Lindsay Australia, has released its financial results for the year ended 30 June 2022.

Despite unprecedented weather events and Covid-19 disruption, the company achieved an underlying Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of $60.1 million, up 32.5 per cent year-on-year. This follows a record revenue of $553.1 million which was driven by strong demand across the group.

Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) of $18.7 million increased 93.2 per cent on the previous year, supporting earnings per share as the group continued to grow and diversify revenue streams focusing on higher value horticulture and commercial customers and leveraging prior year investments in the Lindsay network and fleet.

Rail growth helped deliver Transport division revenues of $396.3 million and segment profit before tax to $41 million with the addition of 75 new refrigerated containers in FY2022.

Rural division generated record revenue of $156.7 million and segment profit before tax of $10.7 million as network expansion and focus on high value horticulture regions underpinned sales boost.

In FY2023, Lindsay will concentrate on increasing road capacity to meet demand in the market. Capital expenditure will reportedly focus on purchasing additional trailers, trialing new road combinations with increased capacity and continuing the division’s fleet replacement program.

“Our ongoing drive to diversify the services available to our customers and deliver new and innovative solutions has helped the company to mitigate the challenges and take advantage of opportunities presented during the fastchanging conditions seen over the year,” said Lindsay Australia CEO, Kim Lindsay.

“We continue to see strong demand for both our road and rail services and will further expand our operational capacity and facilities in FY2023 to meet these needs.

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WRF encourages women to take up trucking Midlife women and domestic violence survivors are finding new careers and self-confidence in the Western Australian transport industry according to the Western Roads Federation (WRF).

WRF said nearly a third of the 220 women trained to drive road trains over the last 20 years by the Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls have come from domestic violence backgrounds.

“We have found that domestic violence survivors find empowerment in a safe space driving trucks, whilst gaining financial freedom in an incredibly supportive on-road truck driving community,” said Heather Jones of Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls. “We really need truck drivers, and there are some amazing job opportunities out there for women.”

Jones’s experience is also validated by both mature age women and domestic violence survivors graduating from the $6.1 million Western Australian Government investment in a transport industry training program which is jointly managed by TAFE and industry.

The program has now graduated over 87 per cent of trainees into jobs in the industry, of which an increasing percentage are women.

Mature age women, who have been identified nationally as often struggling

to find a new meaningful career, are also finding a new home in the WA transport industry.

For Trish, who became a road train driver in her 50s, the experience of the transport industry has been incredible.

“There’s nothing better than driving my truck, listening to my own tunes watching another beautiful sunrise across this amazing state,” she said.

Meanwhile, a recent meeting of the leading women in transport was facilitated last week by WRF to develop an urgent action plan to attract more women.

“As an industry we are recognising that we can both offer life changing opportunities for women whilst addressing our critical skills shortages,” said WRF Board Director, Louise Bilato.

“There are so many career opportunities ideally suited to women in the transport industry, but we need to increase awareness, offer tailored training pathways that connect to our willing employers.

“We need the federal government to help build on the great training investment by the WA Government by offering support to women-specific programs like Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls and tailored training pathways into the myriad of other great career opportunities offered by the transport industry.”

Strategic partnership champions recycled packaging Woolworths Group and Pact are working to establish a new partnership to boost circular packaging, which could see up to 18,000 tonnes of recycled plastic used in Woolworths’ own brand packaging each year.

Woolworths Group is committed to removing plastic from packaging wherever it can, already removing more than 5,800 tonnes of virgin (newly made) single-use plastic and packaging from its own brand range in FY2022. Where there is currently no viable alternative to plastic for food safety or quality, Woolworths Group is working to use recycled plastic to reduce the environmental impact.

The partnership being developed between Woolworths Group and Pact is expected to represent a multimilliondollar investment in local recycling and manufacturing capacity.

Projections that the partnership could see 18,000 tonnes of newly made plastic replaced with locally-produced recycled plastic each year would relate to an estimated decrease in carbon emissions of almost 25,000 tonnes (equivalent to planting more than 37,000 trees) and a saving of almost 500 Olympic swimming pools-worth of water annually.

The intent of the proposed partnership is to establish Pact as Woolworths Group’s key strategic partner by volume in its efforts to deliver more sustainable packaging across its own brand range and deliver the most significant boost to date towards Woolworths Group’s goal to halve the use of virgin (new) plastic across its own brand packaging by 2024.

Under the proposed partnership, Pact will use recycled plastic to make more

sustainable packaging for products across Woolworths’ product range, including in milk bottles, meat trays and beverage bottles, drawing on plastic collected from household recycling and container deposit schemes.

Pact currently operates five plastic recycling facilities in Australia, including the recently opened PET recycling plant in Albury-Wodonga which can recycle up to one billion PET beverage bottles a year. Another four facilities are planned for construction by 2025.

Woolworths Group Managing Director of Format & Network Development, Rob McCartney, oversees Woolworths 360 - the business’ sustainability innovation engine responsible for the development of the partnership.

“As Australia’s largest retailer we have a responsibility to make the products our customers put in their shopping baskets better for the environment,” he said.

“We’re working hard to remove plastic from packaging like our bakery trays, however it can be necessary to protect quality and food safety in some products - which is why replacing it with recycled plastic is the next best thing.

“Across the scale of our range, the real challenge is sourcing quality recycled material in the volumes we need and ensuring it’s coming from within Australia to support the development of our local circular economy and avoid shipping emissions.

“We’re working with Pact on a partnership that would propel us closer towards our sustainable packaging goal than we’ve ever been before, while also helping to grow the Australian recycling

industry to meet demand in the years to come.”

Pact Group CEO and Managing Director, Sanjay Dayal, said: “We know that consumers and businesses are increasingly demanding recycled and recyclable plastic packaging and Pact is working with committed partners like Woolworths Group to drive that change.

“Plastic packaging that is designed effectively, that is recyclable and recycled properly in Australia can be used again and again, creating a truly local circular economy for plastics.”

NSW Minister for Environment, James Griffi, said: “This exciting initiative will support the NSW Government’s ambitious goal to triple the plastics recycling rate by 2030 and reduce plastics from entering our environment as litter or going to landfill.

“It is great to see businesses working in partnership with their customers, to move to more sustainable packaging and help develop a circular economy.”

In addition to its recycling facilities, Pact is also investing $76 million to install new technology and equipment across its packaging manufacturing facilities as it continues to grow local capacity to support increased use of recycled plastic in Australian packaging. The investment is supported by a $20 million grant from the Australian Government through the Modern Manufacturing Initiative.

Woolworths Group and Pact’s latest work on recycled plastic is the next chapter of a long-term relationship between the two businesses, with Pact already supplying Woolworths Group with 50 million reusable and recyclable plastic produce crates to replace traditional single-use cardboard and polystyrene boxes.

Woolworths Group has also co-founded plastic recycling startup, Samsara, to help commercialise plastic-eating enzyme technology that could see plastic become infinitely recyclable. The business is still in its infancy with its first commercial scale plant expected to open in the next 18 months, from which Woolworths will take the first 5,000 tonnes of recycled plastic produced for use in its own products.

Earlier this year, Woolworths became the first major supermarket to announce the removal of reusable plastic bags from all stores nationwide by June next year.

The progressive state-by-state transition is expected to remove 9,000 tonnes of plastic from stores and online orders annually. www.trailermag.com.au

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News

ACCC flags price fixing in waste sector Last month, Bingo Industries entered pleas of guilty to criminal cartel offences relating to price fixing for demolition waste services in Sydney.

Bingo was charged with these offences after an investigation by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) and referral to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP).

It is alleged that in mid-2019, Bingo agreed with its competitors Aussie Skips Bin Services and Aussie Skips Recycling to fix and increase prices for the supply of skip bins and the provision of waste processing services for building and demolition waste in Sydney.

Bingo’s former Managing Director and CEO, Daniel Tartak, has also been charged with two criminal cartel offences.

The charges relate to alleged breaches of the cartel provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act and will be heard by the Federal Court.

“When companies arrange to fix prices, they usually do so to increase their profits, and it is consumers that pay the increased cost,” said ACCC Chair, Gina Cass-Gottlieb. “We are committed to detecting and investigating serious cartel allegations and taking appropriate action against those who are a party to illegal cartel behaviour, including referral of matters to the CDPP. Cartel conduct not only frequently impacts consumers, but it can also significantly harm competing businesses and the economy more broadly. Trying to detect cartels early and working with whistleblowers is an essential component of our work.”

The matter will be listed for case management hearing in the Federal Court at a later stage.

Bingo is a waste management company that provides landfill, waste processing and skip bins services throughout New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

Aussie Skips Bin Services and Aussie Skips Recycling are Sydney-based waste management businesses that supply skip bins and waste processing services for building and demolition waste respectively.

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Queenslanders to have their say on Gladstone hydrogen hub project

Queenslanders can now have their say on the H2-Hub Gladstone proposal to develop a $4.7 billion green hydrogen and green ammonia production and export facility at Yarwun, near Gladstone.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Steven Miles, said the Palaszczuk Government was facilitating investment to create good secure jobs in traditional and emerging industries like hydrogen.

“This is an exciting project for Central Queensland and for the state’s future as an emerging hydrogen superpower,” said Miles.

“Queensland’s Coordinator-General has now released draft terms of reference for the H2-HubTM Gladstone project’s environmental impact statement (EIS), which means Queenslanders can comment “This means Queenslanders can now comment on what will be considered during the project’s assessment.

“H2U estimates the project will create over 550 jobs during construction, with up to 350 jobs during the peak construction phase, and 140 ongoing operational jobs.

“I announced in April that the project had been declared a coordinated project and that H2U and Orica had made a strategic partnership agreement to initiate the project’s first phase. This is another step forward.”

The H2-Hub Gladstone project has a planned capacity of up to 3 gigawatts of

electrolysis and up to 5,000 tonnes per day of green ammonia production.

Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, Mick de Brenni, said the H2U facility is expected to use 100 per cent renewable energy from new-build solar and wind resources in the Queensland region.

“Projects like this help to propel Queensland towards becoming a clean energy powerhouse,” said de Brenni.

“Throughout the state, we are seeing enormous activity because Queensland could have as much as 40 per cent of Australia’s hydrogen production by 2040.

“Domestic projects are being worked on from the tip of Cape York to the New South Wales border and our east coast ports such as Townsville, Hay Point and Brisbane all under active investigation by private sector proponents.”

Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Member for Gladstone, Glenn Butcher, said Central Queensland was establishing itself as a renewables powerhouse.

“Proposed projects like this are highlighting the benefits of investing into Queensland’s regions and creating jobs for the future,” said Butcher.

“This project presents export opportunities for green ammonia at the Port of Gladstone, creating even more opportunities in Gladstone.”

Hydrogen Utility (H2U) is proposing a two-stage development to create a major new industrial hub in the Gladstone State Development Area with export infrastructure at Fisherman’s Landing Wharf, Port of Gladstone.

The H2-Hub Gladstone project has a planned capacity of up to 3 gigawatts of electrolysis and up to 5,000 tonnes per day of green ammonia production.

It is expected the proposed facility will use 100 per cent renewable energy from new-build solar and wind resources in the Queensland region. Subject to approvals, H2U proposes to begin stage-one construction in 2023 with production commencing towards the end of 2025.

Dean of the University’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Professor Mark Cassidy, said the memorandum of understanding will allow the two organisations to collectively deliver outcomes that could not be achieved independently.

“Our engineering and information technology talent and resources, and Rockwell’s capital and expertise are perfectly placed to achieve the digital transformation of Australian industrial manufacturing that is needed,” said Cassidy. “We see this collaboration as a key opportunity to demonstrate the

University’s research capabilities, while providing opportunities to enrich our students’ learning experience through industry-led challenges and access to state-of-the-art technology.”

Rockwell Automation Regional Director – South Pacific, Anthony Wong, said the agreement marks an important new phase that will benefit industry.

“Decarbonisation is now front of mind for Australian industrial companies,” said Wong. “They know they must act to remain attractive to consumers and meet compliance targets, but they often don’t know how to start or where to focus their energies for the greatest returns.

Rockwell Automation and the University of Melbourne are coming together to share our expertise and explore practical solutions to this challenge.”

University of Melbourne will provide research expertise, academic and physical resources, and use the collaboration to give its students realworld training, preparing them to tackle tomorrow’s engineering challenges – including using digital innovation – to accelerate decarbonisation and become future leaders in their field.

The collaboration officially commenced at a signing event at Melbourne Connect on 27 July. Guests from the manufacturing, resources, food and beverage and agricultural processing industries heard from a panel of experts discussing the role of industry/university collaboration in solving digital innovation challenges.

The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) is conducting research into the safety risk of fires caused by Electric Vehicles (EVs) and non-electric vehicles in road tunnels.

A vehicle fire demonstration was recently conducted in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, with a car used for the purpose of the investigation.

A non-electric car was set alight in the southbound tunnel, in a controlled environment about 800m from the northern entrance. After an initial explosion that caused some vehicle parts such a window glass to scatter around the vehicle, the car fire started and triggered the tunnel sprinkler system which kept the fire at bay. The tunnel exhaust system was also engaged to remove harmful smoke from

the tunnel. Professional fire fighters then extinguished the fire.

ARRB said the big question is how EV fires need to be treated. Considering their large batteries and their high energy content, an EV fire can be harder to extinguish. Large volumes of water are required to suppress the battery fire. There is also a risk that the battery reignites after the fire has stopped.

Senior Professional Leader – Mobility Futures, Dr Robert Kochhan, said Europe’s systems set a good example for other countries with their alpine tunnels.

“We should look at Europe where testing has already been undertaken and studies are available,” he said. “The general consensus is that there are no significant concerns regarding EV fires there.”

Industry collaborates with Academia on decarbonising manufacturing Digital innovation is touted to be key to reaching decarbonisation goals for Australian manufacturing and resources industries.

The University of Melbourne and Rockwell Automation have agreed to collaborate on research activities and jointly develop training to help solve realworld challenges.

Rockwell Automation will contribute engineering resources and product training to the project, while the University of Melbourne will bring its academic and research expertise and innovation infrastructure.

Electric vehicle fire risks in review

www.trailermag.com.au

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News

Centurion Transport makes hydrogen statement Western Australian transport company, Centurion, is set to buy and operate two hydrogen powered prime movers.

The move comes as it announced its partnership with Woodside Energy and BGC, a construction and housing specialist, that would also invest in hydrogen heavy vehicle technology.

It was anticipated that BGC would purchase and operate between five to 10 hydrogen fuel cell concrete agitator trucks.

The news follows an announcement last month that all three companies were set to advance plans for a proposed selfcontained hydrogen production, storage and refuelling station situated at the Rockingham Industry Zone.

With support from the Western Australian Government, the project was proven successful in the Expressions of Interest stage of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s $10 million Hydrogen Fuelled Transport Program.

The Program aims to accelerate the uptake of hydrogen fuelled transport, build local skills and capability, and stimulate local hydrogen production in Western Australia.

With matched funding from Woodside, the proposal targets delivery of hydrogen fuel at a globally competitive price of $11 per kilo and subsidises a number of large hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.

Centurion CEO, Justin Cardaci, said it was crucial for the company to support the development of transport sector related technology.

“Transport and logistics is an emissions intensive sector and it is incumbent on businesses like ours to actively participate in the energy transition and the journey

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towards a net-zero emissions future”, he said.

“The investment by the WA Government and Woodside in hydrogen refuelling technology is a material step for companies like ours to accelerate the use of renewable fuel in the transport sector to transition its sustainability pathway.”

Named the Hydrogen Refueller @ H2Perth, the project aims to supply low cost, renewable hydrogen fuel for local customers and stimulate and enable hydrogen demand in Western Australia where the state government wants hydrogen to be a significant fuel source for transportation by 2030.

The project would likely be located adjacent to Woodside’s proposed H2Perth project, a proposed domestic and exportscale hydrogen and ammonia production facility.

Hydrogen is proposed to be produced using a 2-megawatt electrolyser, powered by renewable energy sourced from the South West Interconnected System.

Production will be timed to occur during periods of excess solar in the grid and stored on-site.

Where needed, Woodside will also use Renewable Energy Certificates.

Initially, Woodside is targeting production of 235 kilograms per day of hydrogen at the Hydrogen Refueller @H2Perth, with the potential to scale up to a targeted 800 kilograms per day.

Hydrogen Refueller @H2Perth will be available to industrial customers, as well as the public. Through the Program, hydrogen is targeted to be made available at a globally competitive price of A$11 per kilogram for a 10-year period.

Woodside has signed conditional, non-binding offtake Memorandums of Understanding (MoU), stating its intention to supply hydrogen from Hydrogen Refueller @H2Perth to BGC and Centurion, both of which will invest in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as a result.

BGC CEO, Daniel Cooper said the initiative would be important to the future of mainstream hydrogen uptake in WA. “BGC welcomes the opportunity to work with Woodside, Centurion and the State Government to progress the energy innovations needed to keep our industries powered into the future,” he said.

“We look forward to assessing the performance of these vehicles and sharing our learnings broadly to build the case for wider deployment.”

It is envisaged the grant will support BGC and Centurion with purchasing the vehicles to replace large diesel trucks currently in use.

Woodside also proposes to lease a small fleet of Hyundai Nexo vehicles which are to be refuelled at the facility.

The grant will also support Woodside’s operation of the facility to be able to offer hydrogen at the targeted price.

Woodside Energy CEO, Meg O’Neill said the Hydrogen Refueller @H2Perth demonstrated Woodside’s support for the continued development of Western Australia’s hydrogen market.

“The proposed refuelling facility would deliver on our commitment to make low cost, lower-carbon hydrogenbased energy available to local customers, while also progressing export opportunities such as H2Perth,” she said.

“We don’t just need new sources of energy, we need an entirely new and integrated supply chain for successful energy transition,” said O’Neill.

“I would like to acknowledge and commend the Western Australian Government on its efforts to encourage the development of a homegrown hydrogen industry.”

Woodside will continue to progress design work and engagement with relevant regulatory bodies. Subject to necessary commercial arrangements and regulatory approvals, including securing land tenure, Woodside is targeting start-up at the Hydrogen Refueller @H2Perth in 2024.

From chillies and capsicums to cabbage and cucumbers, Wallaroo Produce Supplies in Severnlea will soon feed more mouths thanks to funding from the Queensland Government’s Rural Economic Development (RED) Grant scheme.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries, Mark Furner, said that Queensland produce providers growing alongside demand is critical to ensuring long-term sustainability and good jobs across the industry.

“The Southern Downs is home to some of the best crops in Australia,” said Furner.

“The more summer vegetables we can produce and consume on home soil, the better.

“That’s why projects like this to increase capacity and boost efficiency through infrastructure upgrades are so important.

“This expansion won’t just benefit the industry, but the entire Southern Downs community through local job creation.”

Managing Director of Wallaroo Produce Supplies, John Patane, said the company will use the funding to expand its produce storage and packing facilities, automate processes and install a dedicated cold room.

“We’re excited to share our more than 45 years of experience in the horticulture industry as we expand our enterprise,” said Patane.

“The expansion will generate 12 direct full-time jobs and employ even more during the construction phase. Many of these ongoing jobs will be long-term, skilled positions that we hope we can fill within our own community to boost the local economy.

“By upgrading our infrastructure in the storage and packing lines of the business, we will be able to pack own broccolini for the first time. Being able to store the different vegetables at different temperatures means we can produce more and do everything on-farm.

“The cold room installation will immediately allow for approximately double our field production capacity.”

Wallaroo Produce Supplies is one of 16 businesses approved in the fourth round of the Rural Economic Development (RED) Grants program with total funding of just over $3 million. Overall, these 16 projects are expected to create more than 217 direct long-term jobs across regional Queensland.

The initial three rounds of the RED Grants Program have seen funding of $10 million over three years to support more than 30 projects which have created 1,800 jobs across regional Queensland.

The Palaszczuk Government has continued its investment with a further $6.6 million to be delivered in two rounds over the next two years to generate more jobs, expand agricultural supply chains and provide significant economic benefit to rural areas.

RAAF restores Blitz truck

A restored World War II era Blitz truck was recently handed over to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre.

The truck, with the serial number 19012, was restored by the History and Heritage – Air Force’s Restoration Support Section (RSS).

Australia and its allies used Blitz trucks extensively during World War II in various roles including transporting troops and cargo.

An estimated 800,000 Blitz trucks were manufactured in Canada by Ford, General Motors and Dodge, and shipped around the world to assist with the war effort.

Following World War II, Australia continued to use Blitz trucks in its defence, forestry, agriculture, transportation and engineering industries.

Wing Commander Kevin Kovic, officer in charge of RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre, said the vehicle was versatile.

“The Blitz truck saw service in all theatres and was used by all branches of the Australian military and allied

Commonwealth forces,” said Wing Commander Kovic.

“This particular truck was in RAAF service and was used as a recovery vehicle.”

The RSS team, led by Corporal Steve Falzon and volunteers Ken Savage, Bill Luyten, Max Farrell, Doug Eadie and Charlie Miles, painstakingly rebuilt the Blitz truck 19012 from the ground up over many years – including a period of intensive activity from 2020-22.

The restoration included overhauling the truck’s engine, rebuilding its clutch and brake systems, re-wiring its electrical system, and manufacturing and fitting the half-doors and modified tray bed. While Blitz truck 19012 was originally fitted with a crane, the restoration team manufactured and fitted a replica cargo tray.

“We at the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre are extremely pleased with the great attention to detail in its refurbishment, as performed by our restoration volunteers and reservists,” said Wing Commander Kovic.

More veggies and jobs to sprout in the Southern Downs

www.trailermag.com.au

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Toll’s new tower of safety and productivity Toll Group launched its new control tower earlier this year in Prestons, Sydney, which will not only further enhance Toll’s safety record through central controls and the creation of more robust processes but will also benefit customers with greater collaboration and strategic decision making.

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When you bring both control towers or sites together, they provide a 24/7 service.

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Launching on 2 May 2022, the Toll Group’s latest control tower is expected to bring many key benefits to the transport and logistics company by utilising technology to mitigate driver risks, prevent unsafe practices and reduce safety-related incidents.

Toll Head of Supply Chain Solutions, Shaun O’Flaherty, told Trailer it took Toll a year to prepare the new tower for its launch this year.

“It all took about 12 months, from the point of where we realised the potential and the benefit of setting up a control tower, to when it actually went live,” he said. “The control tower is based out of our retail fulfilment centre (RFC), which is located in Prestons in New South Wales.

It sits within the global logistics division, which is focused on contract logistics.

“The Prestons RFC is a warehouse facility, and it is fully decked out with the latest automation,” he said. “It’s based on our footwear and apparel customers and it’s a real showcase facility. That’s why it made a lot of sense to locate the control tower at this particular site.”

Toll will be working with its existing Centre of Excellence (CoE) team based in

Australian Consumer Confidence 25

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10

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Penang, Malaysia, to offer its customers 24/7 support. By handing over operations to Malaysia overnight, Toll will be able to work around the clock to service the transport industry globally.

“The control tower operates out of the

Fast fact Inflation in Australia is the highest it has been since the early 1990s according to the Reserve Bank of Australia Governor, Philip Lowe.

“In headline terms, inflation was 6.1 per cent over the year to the June quarter; in underlying terms it was 4.9 per cent,” he said in a statement. “Global factors explain much of the increase in inflation, but domestic factors are also playing a role. There are widespread upward pressures on prices from strong demand, a tight labour market and capacity constraints in some sectors of the economy. The floods this year are also affecting some prices.”

Later this year inflation is expected to peak and then decline back towards the 2.0-3.0 per cent range.

“The expected moderation in inflation reflects the ongoing resolution of global supply-side problems, the stabilisation of commodity prices and the impact of rising interest rates,” said Lowe.

“Medium-term inflation expectations remain well anchored, and it is important

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that this remains the case. The Bank’s central forecast is for CPI inflation to be around 7¾ per cent over 2022, a little above 4.0 per cent over 2023 and around 3.0 per cent over 2024.”

The increase in interest rates is reported to be a further step in the normalisation of monetary conditions in Australia.

“The increase in interest rates over recent months has been required to bring inflation back to target and to create a more sustainable balance of demand and supply in the Australian economy,” said Lowe. “The Board expects to take further steps in the process of normalising monetary conditions over the months ahead, but it is not on a pre-set path. The size and timing of future interest rate increases will be guided by the incoming data and the Board’s assessment of the outlook for inflation and the labour market. The Board is committed to doing what is necessary to ensure that inflation in Australia returns to target over time.”

Prestons site Monday to Friday, 6am to 8pm, and then we do the handshake over to the Malaysian team in Penang,” said O’Flaherty. “So, when you bring both control towers or sites together, they provide a 24/7 service, and that service is based on safety compliance and many other things.”

There are two key phases of development for the tower, and with phase one now complete, stage two is looking promising for the next few months.

“There were two key phases, so when we went live for phase one back in May

“

We’re focused on leveraging the latest tools and technology.

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this year, it was more internally focused,” said O’Flaherty.

“It was focused on the safety and compliance side of the business, so it involved setting up and establishing an emergency response service, 24/7 breakdown service, incident management, processes and protocols and also to enable a proactive approach to fatigue management through the use of technology.

“The second phase is based around www.trailermag.com.au

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Economy

migrating key activity from the field and managing the planning, allocation and reporting side of things centrally. So, that’s where we will identify the key contracts located in like regions with compatible product and equipment types, and then we can manage that activity and the daily demand for those customers centrally, to enable efficiencies and create a network that brings out that economy to scale.”

The new tower, according to O’Flaherty, will benefit its customers through the creation of a centrally controlled transport network and by enabling better visibility of customer freight movements. Ultimatel, Toll will know where freight is going and which

lane that particular movement is operating on. This will be supported by predictive safety protocols such as telematics and DSS systems.

“We’re focused on leveraging the latest tools and technology,” he said. “So, whenever new company equipment enters operations, they come pre-fitted with our new enterprise telematics hardware linking in with the software. That’s rolled out as the vehicle enters operation, and that links in with the centralised control tower that is supported 24/7 across Sydney and Penang.

“The centralised control and visibility, and technology in-cab to support drivers

Fast fact The Australian economy is expected to continue to grow strongly this year, according to Reserve Bank of Australia Governor, Philip Lowe, with the pace of growth then slowing.

“Employment is growing strongly, consumer spending has been resilient and an upswing in business investment is underway,” he said.

“National income is also being boosted by a rise in the terms of trade, which are at a record high. The Bank’s central forecast is for GDP growth of 3¼ per cent over 2022 and 1¾ per cent in each of the following two years.”

Meanwhile, the labour market remains tight.

“The unemployment rate declined

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

further in June to 3.5 per cent, the lowest rate in almost 50 years,” said Lowe.

“Job vacancies and job ads are both at very high levels and a further decline in unemployment is expected over the months ahead.

“Beyond that, some increase in unemployment is expected as economic growth slows. The Bank’s central forecast is for the unemployment rate to be around 4.0 per cent at the end of 2024.

“Our liaison program and business surveys continue to point to a lift in wages growth from the low rates of recent years as firms compete for staff in the tight labour market.”

all leads to enabling a proactive approach to do many things. It also lays a solid foundation to jump from that manual way of operating when it was done infield and in isolation potentially of one another, in terms of contracts. Whereas, when we bring it in centrally with all those key elements, we can then start to become more proactive, and we’re not reacting anymore. We can now see things more clearly and we can try and stop events before they occur.”

The telematics systems fitted to vehicles can trigger alerts which are managed through the control tower team – they can then contact the driver directly, have a conversation with them, let them know that an alert has been triggered and request that they pull over at the next safe location.

“These are all really proactive things that, without this technology and the support 24/7 to manage the alerts, would not have been possible,” said O’Flaherty – adding that along with safety advantages, the tower will also bring a variety of productivity benefits to the table.

“One of the key benefits will come with visibility of company. Now that we can report on how many hours within a given day the company equipment was operating, we can then work out the utilisation of that equipment to ensure that it’s being fully absorbed within a current day.

“With that, you’d like to think that the emissions reductions should also be gained, and the reason is because the equipment is much newer gear, and

“

We can now see things more clearly and we can try and stop events before they occur.

”

therefore it’s more environmentally friendly.

When we can fully utilise the company gear versus older equipment, then that will certainly improve that factor as well.”

Most of the productivity advantages,

however, are expected to arrive with the project’s second stage.

“Most of the productivity gains will come out of phase two,” said O’Flaherty. “Once we start to centralise the activity, we do

the planning and multiple contracts, we line up the cut-off times for customers to place orders so we can guarantee nextday dispatch – that’s when we can piece the demand puzzle together and match it with supply to make sure we’ve got the optimal allocations.

According to O’Flaherty, the team at Toll is confident that the control tower will further support the business and improve operator safety in the field.

“There’s every belief that this will further reduce the safety of incidents that may or may not have occurred, and from a Toll perspective, if we can stop one incident from occurring, then the belief from the team is that we’re absolutely on the right path.”

SPECIALISTS IN ROAD TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT Bruce Rock Engineering is a leading designer and manufacturer of road transport equipment in Australia.

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Trailer builder

Quality equipment for hire thanks to CIMC Queensland-based heavy vehicle rental firm, 24/7 Hire, recently acquired several 3 Way Heavy Duty Drop Decks from CIMC Australia.

Matt Deegan, 24/7 Hire Director, launched his rental company five years ago in 2017. Since then, and during Covid-19, 24/7 Hire’s trailer fleet has grown to 70 units.

In hopes of further expanding the company to offer a wider range of options, Matt turned to CIMC Australia for new trailing equipment.

“I’m looking to expand from primarily doing refrigerated trailers into drop decks, flat tops, and tautliners,” he says. “I met the CIMC team at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show. CIMC’s Queensland Sales Manager, Ashley Hayes, and the team seemed like

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

a good bunch of guys and their product looked good, so I thought I’d give it a go.”

The trailers are a road train specification which features road train tow coupling, 3-way twistlocks, toolbox, tyre carrier, 5” coaming, K-Hitch airbag suspension and

Fast fact CIMC Australia has a large range of products that are designed and manufactured specially for the Australian market.

axles, a 5mm chequer plate on the bottom deck and multiple tie-down points in the bottom deck.

The model is one of the many options on CIMC’s long list of products and can be supplied with or without ramps. Based on standard specification, the heavy-duty trailer has a tare weight of approximately 9,950kg. All CIMC trailers are fitted with parts sourced locally, including WABCO EBS brake kits, AutoLED lights and JOST landing legs.

“I spent some time studying the rental market and the requirements for my clients, Matt says. “The CIMC build suited my

market and with a few small modifications including a 5mm upper and lower deck, gates and a Ringfeder. CIMC built the product to my client’s specifications, and the three-year warranty was a good draw card, and has put my mind at ease knowing that they back their product.”

The trailer is Matt’s first purchase with CIMC, and it will be hired out to clients all over Australia. Whether it be in Western Australia or up and down the eastern seaboard, Matt is certain his customers will

be happy with the quality build.

As well as offering well-built trailers, CIMC Australia also goes out of its way to deliver customer service with a lasting effect. After accepting delivery of the drop deck, Matt says the team at CIMC was in regular contact with him to ensure that he was happy with the purchase.

“The deal was done with Ashley, and I found him to be quite professional to deal with,” he says. He rang me up a couple days later to make sure I was happy with

the product, and he sent all the relevant documentation after the purchase. They’re definitely good to deal with, and I’ll be doing business with them in the future.

Contact CIMC Vehicle Australia 20 Whitfield Blvd Cranbourne West VIC 3977 Ph: 1300 202 462 Web: www.cimc.com.au

www.trailermag.com.au

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Trailer building materials/components

Backing it up

JOST Australia Head of Sales, Corey Povey, TR Group National Fleet and Operations Manager, Leigh Benbow, and TR Group National Accounts and Sales Manager, Rick Halliwell.

TR Group Australia is a truck and trailer rental and leasing company founded in 1992 and originally based in New Zealand. In 2019, TR Group purchased Melbourne-based rental company, Semi Skel Hire, and has since almost doubled its fleet size from 1,000 to 2,000-plus units.

TR Group Australia is a truck and trailer rental and leasing company founded in 1992 and originally based in New Zealand.

In 2019, TR Group purchased Melbournebased rental company, Semi Skel Hire, and has since almost doubled its fleet size from 1,000 to 2,000 plus units.

TR Group’s acquisition of Semi Skel Hire followed years of investigating the Australian market and it aligned with the company’s goals to provide world class service in renting and leasing trucks and trailers.

Semi-Skel Hire was founded in 1994, just after TR Group’s founding, and was known as one of the largest trailer hire business in the Victorian transport market at the time. Both businesses shared similar philosophies with respect to being fully focused on the transport industry and

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

providing high quality vehicles and a great customer experience, which is why they were able to merge so successfully.

Today the company – operating under the name of TR Group – is known for having one of the largest ranges of trailers and prime movers available to hire in Australia. The company is continuously expanding with over 20 categories of trailers and its new fleet of prime movers, and through its 24/7 break down service and maintenance servicing, they’re able to offer customers that extra support.

National Sales and Account Manager, Rick Halliwell, explains that along with expanding operations into Australia and growing its fleet by a significant proportion, TR has introduced a lot of new categories and has evolved its whole business model.

“We’ve got over 200 prime movers

running in Australia, and we’ve got another 100 plus on order,” he says. “We plan to have a national footprint. We’ve got massive growth plans ahead of us. Our growth has been rapid, and it’s been a great journey so far.”

At the time of writing, TR Group is taking delivery of its first batch of UD Quons – 14 6x4 GW26460 prime movers with 460hp which are an ideal offering for local metropolitan and regional applications.

These will also be available to rent.

TR Group uses JOST fifth wheels on all of its units, which Rick says is a testament in itself to the reliable manufacturer.“Our whole business model is about new products and also keeping consistency in your fleet, so supply is crucial and JOST have been fantastic and have helped us with that,” he says. “The number one focus

for us is to make sure we have consistency in our fleet, and JOST’s continuous supply of equipment and their ability to fit all models is fantastic for us.”

The JSK 37 C-Z fifth wheels manufactured by JOST are B-double and road train rated and come with many benefits to aid Australia’s fleets across the country. JOST’s fifth wheels are standard with an automatic safety indicator, and the safety latch on the handle in this model clearly indicates the status of the coupling – which is important in rental vehicles as drivers need to understand when the coupling is locked correctly.

As a result, the JSK 37 C-Z is great for rental fleets such as TR Group as it can be used within many applications without the requirements of a specialised fifth wheel.

“We’ve run fifth wheels from the moment we put prime movers into the fleet,” says Leigh Benbow, TR Fleet and Operations

“

JOST’s continuous supply of equipment and their ability to fit all models is fantastic for us

”

Manager. “All our prime movers run JOST fifth wheels, and we run anything from your standard greasy top right through to ball races depending on the application, and they seem to have something that suits every application as well.”

Along with JOST’s excellent quality and reliability, Leigh believes that JOST’s products are superior because of their flexibility which greatly benefits TR Group customers.

“For me, it’s more about that they have something for every application, so it’s a one-stop shop,” he says. “You don’t have to go to four or five different suppliers to get what you need, and you know it’s a quality product that’s going to do the job and it’s compliant too.

“The other side of it too is that it works for our customers. So, it has to work in everybody’s and anybody’s fleet, and it does. For our customers, it’s a huge benefit to run JOST, because you can hitch it up to anything and you know it’s going to work. You just don’t have issues, and if you do, they’re quick and easy to fix.”

Contact JOST Australia Ph: 1800 811 487 Web: www.jostaustralia.com.au

www.trailermag.com.au

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Trailer building materials/components

Ultra-high performance – Powerdown Supershock with Enveero inside

The latest Supershock Enveero range brings together 40 years of experience with cutting edge fluid technology.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Knowledge, design ethic and thirst for innovation led to the development of Powerdown Supershock with Enveero inside.

The Powerdown Supershock design has proven itself over millions of kilometres to be a reliable high performing product.

To take this product to the next level Powerdown developed an ultra-high performance, environmentally friendly shock absorber fluid called Enveero to replace the synthetic oils currently used.

Enveero is a non-crude based fluid designed to replace mineral and semi synthetic oils used currently in the vast majority of shock absorbers. With a high viscosity index combined with excellent heat conductivity, Enveero has been engineered to deliver optimal damper performance in hot and cold conditions.

A high flash point, exceeding 210°C (higher than that of traditional shock absorber oils), with anti-foaming properties, reduces fade or loss of damping, thus maintaining vehicle control even on the warmest summer days on Australia’s harshest roads, increasing safety and minimising damper related tyre wear.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Enveero fluid has a pour point of less than – 30°C that greatly reduces shock absorber misting or weeping in colder climates. This is often diagnosed incorrectly as a leaking shock absorber and will take away much conjecture on this hot debate.

Australia is known as one of the world’s toughest testing grounds for the transport industry, Powerdown Supershock with Enveero inside were put through an extensive trial period to prove that this new fluid would stand up to our demanding operating conditions and were tested further in an independent lab. The results and feedback were so encouraging that Powerdown backed the Supershock Enveero range with a 2 year/250,000km warranty.

Powerdown Supershock with Enveero inside is currently available for select Kenworth, BPW, Neway, Hendrickson, Meritor and York applications.

Contact Powerdown Australia Ph: 02 4949 000 www.powerdown.com.au

“The service life of TCK pins in comparable operating conditions regularly doubles the life of original equipment pins.”

ADR compliant where necessary

KITS & PARTS TO SUIT:

Contact us for suppliers

Trailer building materials/components

SAF-Holland training the fleets of tomorrow What a lot of people know about SAF-Holland is that it is a quality manufacturer among the top suppliers in the industry. However, what some may not know about the manufacturer is that it offers fleet training services to help customers get their equipment on the road.

SAF-Holland has been running its fleet training for over 10 years, but due to Covid-19, it’s had to sit out for the last few years.

With Covid seeming to slowly fade away, SAF-Holland’s training has resumed.

Available in house or remotely via a mobile set up, it teaches customers how to use SAF-Holland’s products before putting it to use in their fleet.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

SAF-Holland Western Australia Branch Manager, Terry Stott, is in charge of the program and explains that by teaching clients how to take apart and fit their specific products – which are available to learn on during each session – they are much less likely to make errors down the line.

“The main thing behind it is to offer the back up support,” he says. “So that once a customer buys a product they’re not just

left on their own, there’s that aftersales support. That’s the biggest reason why we do it.

“It’s in terms of maintenance in terms of new equipment, so we also offer installation training as well, so you’ve got pre and post sales because we’re training the guys before they fit the gear and then we’re supporting it on the maintenance side of things.”

Terry says the program doesn’t only offer installation training. Instead, it can branch out to service training and refresher training on the service side of products, as well as catering to new fleets who haven’t used SAF-Holland’s products before.

“It gives them an understanding and a familiarity that they’re not learning,” he says. “Then, once the job is in front of them and once the equipment comes in the door, they already know what they need to do and they’re familiar with it, which in turn alleviates a lot of potential errors that could occur.

“It also helps from the safety side of things, in terms of correct torque settings and adjustments,” he says. “It can help them by having a familiarity with the product. In that, errors are less likely to occur, which can cause downtime, injuries and financial implications if they do happen.”

Terry says the program has received a lot of positive feedback from fleets around Australia mainly because of its usefulness, but also due to the flexibility it offers.

“Everyone’s really grateful for it, and I think the fact that they’re not just left out on

“

Once a customer buys a product they’re not just left on their own, there’s that aftersales support

”

their own to figure it all out for themselves is greatly appreciated,” he says. “We take training requests as well, so if anyone wants to reach out to do some training, feel free to contact us.”

Contact SAF-Holland Australia 115 High St Melton VIC 3337 Ph: 03 9971 7900 Web: www.safholland.com

www.trailermag.com.au

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Trailer building materials/components

Aftermarket trailer tow couplings pins – an easy way to save money Australian made and owned + compliant with Australian and European Standards + proven superior performance and durability + value pricing = cost savings for you.

Not so long ago it was thought if you bought an aftermarket part, fit and quality were not guaranteed. However, there are now many instances where aftermarket manufacturers have built parts to OE specifications that perform better than the OEM parts because they are designed slightly differently, are made of superior materials, or are made using newer technology. Field testing has shown that the harder TCK wear parts can last up to three times the life of the OEM parts in comparable operating conditions. “Don’t rule out aftermarket, as quality aftermarket parts can save you a lot of money,” says Kevin Bilske, who co-owns TCK Australia with his brother Merv Bilske.

TCK Australia supplies tow coupling service kits to suit a wide range of Ringfeder and V.Orlandi couplings. TCK has supply arrangements with most trailer

38

spare parts suppliers and trailer repair companies across Australia and New Zealand.

One key to the success of TCK is that it manufactures its products with longevity of service in mind. The focus is on providing second, third, and fourth cycle life to the ubiquitous tow coupling. Convenience is provided through repair kits, and most importantly, the use of the TCK Coupling Repair Kits does not affect the load rating integrity of the coupling.

“The high quality and economically priced TCK items support the logic of continuing to rekit and repair existing tow coupling assemblies and placing them back into service. Buying quality certified aftermarket tow coupling pins could save you downtime and a small fortune in the cost of maintaining a safe trailer tow coupling. Why replace the whole coupling

assembly when you only need to replace the pin and associated wear parts,” Kevin says.

Commitment to durability and performance

An engineer by trade, Graeme Rowlands always had the drive to not just fix or repair an issue, but to analyse the problem and solve it for good. Responding to common complaints about worn out tow couplings, Graeme founded TCK Australia in 2001 with a view to designing and manufacturing trailer tow coupling pins that would provide a much longer life than other products on the market.

This goal was achieved through the combination of a unique design and using materials and a manufacturing process that provided improved toughness and durability. However, with the hesitation of

Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Powerdo

the market in using aftermarket products in safety-critical parts, Graeme knew he had to have evidence that the TCK products were safe and trustworthy. He arranged for the tow coupling pins to be tested and certified by approved Australian authorities.

Tests were carried out under the supervision of Smedley’s engineers and the resultant outcome was that the pins were certified to be compliant with the ADR62 Standards.

The TCK business, which is based in Adelaide, has operated successfully and grown since those early days and continues to supply to a solid core customer base who appreciate the quality and cost savings that TCK products offer. Graeme sold the business in 2021 to brothers Kevin and Merv Bilske, both of whom have previously held senior positions in transport related businesses.

An interest in engineering is a life-long passion for Graeme and he continues to be involved in the TCK business in a consultancy and product development role.

“Not wanting to choose early retirement and because of our interest in transport, Merv and I were looking to find a business that had a sound safety and solid economic base, but a business that didn’t involve us working 70 to 80 hours a week,” Kevin says. “We liked the quality of the products and knew we could continue to offer value pricing and the associated cost savings to those who buy the TCK

products. We also liked the fact that this was a company that sold products that were Australian made and the TCK coupling pins have been proven in the field to be a superior product”.

Contact TCK Australia Ph: 0407 176 551 Email: admin@tck.com.au

www.trailermag.com.au

Powerdown JUN22 TrailerMag 210x145mm.indd 1

39 5/05/2022 10:59:02 AM

Trailer building materials/components

Economical suspension from BPW Since his early driving days almost 30 years ago, Peter Fitzgerald has had faith in the performance and reliability of BPW suspensions.

Peter Fitzgerald Livestock Transport counts on BPW’s less tare weight and stronger components to cart cattle and sheep across the eastern states. BPW suspension offers greater roll stiffness, a flexible trailing arm that provides reliable wheel control, safer driving with reduced stress on the trailer chassis, highest driving comfort, sensitive soft-ride handling of the cargo, excellent stability characteristics and optimum roll resistance – all the features that are highest on the list for livestock operators like Peter Fitzgerald.

His current B-double units, built by Byrne Trailers, are also fitted with BPW suspension. The combination of Byrne units with the trusted BPW suspension gives Peter a hassle-free application, and a safe operating system that ensures reliability for the demanding job of

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

transporting livestock under different driving conditions. The trailers are hooked to a 2017 Kenworth T909 with a 15-litre Cummins engine.

Having been involved in the cattle transport market for nearly 30 years, he has always preferred BPW suspension over any other make. The trust, longevity and reliability that BPW suspension gives him are beyond comparison for Peter.

“When you look at BPW suspensions and axles – they are totally economical low cost maintenance products. That’s why when I was getting my new set of B-double trailers in 2019, I chose BPW suspension,” Peter says.

BPW Transpec is known for offering class-leading trailer suspension systems that provide cost effective, safe and reliable solutions whether you need

air or spring suspensions or a swivel axle bogie. BPW’s comprehensive range of air suspensions is designed to perform effortlessly in all Australian road transport conditions – offering maximum productivity through low tare weight configurations for highway applications to heavy-duty on/offroad models up to 14 tonne per axle. The intricate detail of the suspension component design and quality of workmanship deliver superior form and function and a lower overall lifetime cost.

BPW’s mechanical suspensions cater to axle loads from 9 to 20 tonne per axle, while its spring suspensions are designed for use in all on/off highway conditions.

The BPW air suspension works in perfect harmony with the Byrne’s 4x2 convertible livestock trailers. Designed with two permanent decks and two

convertible swing decks, the 4×2 is ideal for transporting either cattle or sheep.

The innovative design also enables the convertible decks to be lowered and raised with ease by one person. Not just Peter, but many in the livestock transport industry trust this combination to move cattle safely and efficiently across Australia.

Since his boyhood days, Peter has been around trucks and trailers. His grandfather and uncles were in the transport business and Peter started carting livestock trailers for other operators at a young age. Starting his own business was a long-held dream that he finally accomplished in 2010.

He established his namesake livestock transport business from his home base in Queanbeyan in New South Wales, moving cattle and sheep across NSW, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and sometimes Queensland.

A lot of Peter’s current work is moving live cargo through regional areas, including saleyards, abattoirs and farm gates. With

road conditions in these areas often less than scintillating, a robust suspension is what carries the fleet without causing distress to the animals and making Peter’s drive comfortable too.

“When I was driving for other people, I had a very good run with BPW suspension, and I wanted to continue that reliable streak. I knew these would hardly require any work on them throughout their life, there are no dramas because of downtime. It’s a product you can completely bank upon.”

BPW suspension provides reduced tyre wear due to the axle control of the steel-rubber-steel bushes and optimum axle load equalisation. Due to the narrow, straight hanger brackets, the system is easy to install, and the modular design makes it easy to service.

Contact BPW Transpec Ph: 02 8811 7000 Web: www.bpwtranspec.com.au

Peter Fitzgerald with 11-year-old son, Ty.

www.trailermag.com.au

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Special XXX report: Livestock equipment

xxx xxx

xxx.

Long road ahead for livestock infrastructure and safety reforms

As the transport industry welcomes the submission of a package of reform measures for HVNL, the livestock and rural transport industry groups are highlighting some of the pressing issues that are a long way away from being resolved for them.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

With an increase in livestock production and processing in Australia, the relevance of infrastructure that supports the livestock transport industry becomes increasingly apropos. An ongoing issue for rural transporters is the condition of roads in remote areas. Some of these roads haven’t seen any significant upgrades in over 50 years. From what we have gathered through our discussions with industry members in the past few weeks is that the industry in general would like to see a proper commitment by federal and state governments in supporting rural transport infrastructure, particularly through road upgrades.

Many other issues surrounding freight transport were in discussion at the joint Australian Livestock & Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) / Livestock and Rural Transporters Association Victoria (LRTAV) – National Combined Conference that took place in Bendigo recently.

Meanwhile, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has been carrying out industry consultations to better understand the needs of livestock stakeholders in order to improve the ability of parties in the livestock supply chain to meet their regulatory obligations and support safe and productive road transport operations.

“Livestock stakeholders across Australia vary in size, sophistication, resources, function and operating periods – resulting in infrastructure and resource variances that complicate the loading task – making it difficult to implement a consistent approach,” says Peter Caprioli, NHVR’s Executive Director for Freight and Supply Chain Productivity. “Several stakeholders identified inconsistency in livestock loading schemes and access arrangements between states and territories as a contributing factor in their inability to comply with HVNL obligations.”

NHVR suggests a proper harmonisation of livestock loading schemes can assist to address issues with compliance and productivity equity in the livestock industry.

NHVR is also administering projects under the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) that supports value-formoney projects that deliver tangible improvements to heavy vehicle safety.

Mathew Munro – ALRTA Executive Director (Facilitator), Dr Megan Scott – Principal Officer – Emergency Animal Disease, Agriculture Victoria, Dr Peter Dagg – Head of Program – AUSVETPLAN, Animal Health Australia, Dr Chris Parker – National Animal Disease Preparedness Coordinator, Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

“

We’re very concerned about foot and mouth disease (FMD), lumpy skin disease, and African swine fever

”

“Some projects include educating remote livestock transport industry stakeholders about Chain of Responsibility and Safety Management Systems; and development of a comprehensive and free online industry training program aimed at preventing heavy vehicle rollovers and crashes, and to prevent loss of life or serious injury in livestock transport operations,” Peter adds.

Infrastructure

Improving loading / unloading ramp standards and improving effluent containment facilities are two of the other key concerns for the industry.

While effluent capture tanks installed on purpose-built livestock trailers do a decent job of containment, drivers need to access suitable facilities for disposal when tanks become full in transit. More effluent disposal pits on freight routes mean cleaner roads, improved safety, animal welfare, and a reduced risk of noncompliance with biosecurity, environment and load restraint laws.

While our neighbours across the Tasman have successfully built many roadside effluent disposal facilities, Australia is much behind. New Zealand’s success in this area is in the fact that both local and national governments have partnered to set up www.trailermag.com.au

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Special XXX report: Livestock equipment

xxx

THe ALRTA conference

xxx

xxx.

effluent management facilities. ALRTA believes Australia could benefit with a similar approach, particularly in the face of biosecurity threats in this space.

“We’re very concerned about foot and mouth disease (FMD), lumpy skin disease,

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

and African swine fever – of those three foot and mouth is by far the biggest threat,” says Mathew Munro, Executive Director of ALRTA. “FMD could set the industry back by up to $80 billion over the next 10 years if it

was to come in now. It would likely result in imposing tougher rules on operators to decontaminate their vehicles before and after use, which means we will need more truck washes that are of decontamination grade. It is the right time to put a proper effluent control strategy in place. Local authorities must work with the industry to identify key freight routes so we can put strategically located facilities on those routes. We are hoping that state agriculture agencies – whose job it will be to control and eradicate this disease if it was to come in – feel that they have a role in this space and they can help us convince state transport authorities that they too need to play a role here in order to make this happen.” A government interagency task force and a Senate review inquiry are currently looking into Australia’s biosecurity preparedness. ALRTA is preparing to submit recommendations to both parties.

A way to proceed with this project could be to fund these facilities on a cost recovery basis by the legal charge, ALRTA suggests. However, there has been reluctance of state governments in moving ahead with this project. Mathew says a common-sense approach would be to upgrade existing sites to keep the financial strain of these facilities in check. ALRTA has collaborated with local governments to initiate three new facilities recently – one each in Horsham, Mount Gambier, and Warrnambool. Backed by the federal government’s HVSI program, the new facilities are free for operators to use.

“While our members are doing the right thing by capturing effluent, there are very few roadside effluent dumps across the country. Investment in infrastructure by improving ramp standards and effluent containment facilities along the supply chains would be a welcome relief. At present, operators sometimes have to drive hundreds of kilometres out of their way just to wash their trailers, which is a waste of time and money for them. It also increases risks associated with fatigue.”

Additionally, with many loading ramps either ageing, or in substandard and poor working conditions, investment is needed in this space as well. In the last few years, ALRTA has worked with Standards Australia to produce an Australian standard for loading ramps. The standard

focuses on features such as separation of people and animals, external walkways, and escape gates – factors that result in creating safer and more efficient loading infrastructure. “We’ve done some surveys across the industry that showed that up to 80 per cent of our members have been injured, loading or unloading livestock in the past five years. Unfortunately, WorkSafe authorities are not always highly aware of this because a lot of those injuries go unreported. Standard loading ramps can help livestock carriers and handlers – making their job easier and safer.”

Industry Red Tape

Applying for permits to access farms continues to remain a pain point for many, particularly small operators. The

New SA mass limit notice In August this year, NHVR announced a new mass limit notice for Class 3 operators in South Australia. Operators of eligible livestock carriers, AB-triples and Type 1 road trains – including nonmodular and modular B-triples – in SA can now operate at increased mass limits on designated routes, providing their vehicle has certified road-friendly suspension.

NHVR Chief Regulatory Policy and Standards Officer Don Hogben said the new South Australian Class 3 Road friendly Suspension Mass Exemption Notice 2022 allows certain heavy

vehicles and combinations fitted with certified road-friendly suspension to operate at masses equivalent to Higher Mass Limits, without needing to be enrolled in the Intelligent Access Program (IAP).

“The notice replaces the South Australia Class 3 (HML Application) Mass Exemption 2021, and includes beneficial changes to vehicle eligibility and networks,” he said.

“This notice represents significant progress towards removing the need for multiple permits in South Australia.”

industry is working with authorities to find ways to reduce the level of red tape around applying for and receiving permits. A better access system could be a guaranteed way to dramatically improve productivity, ALRTA suggests.

In recent times though there has been some progress in this area with the NHVR ditching the need to include registration number from Class 3 Livestock Vehicle permits. Previously, there was a requirement for Class 3 vehicle permits to include a description of the vehicle and the rego number, which had the potential to slow down the process if that vehicle wasn’t available. Under the new National Operation Advice (NOA) from NHVR, farmers have greater certainty, more choice and access to lower-cost transport options, while carriers can immediately accept jobs without the red tape and delay of having to applying for their own permit.

However, awareness of this scheme remains low. “It’s a fundamental change in the way the system could work. We just need farmers to understand that they can do it to make everyone’s job easier,” Mathew says. “In NSW some regional councils have been involved in trials to improve farm gate access. Looks like those trials are fairly successful and if rolled out further, could hopefully improve this issue.”

Safety Reforms HVNL REVIEW In the recent years, one issue that has brought industry bodies together is the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL)

www.trailermag.com.au

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Special XXX report: Livestock equipment

Mathew Munro – ALRTA Executive Director speaking at the conference.

review. Key industry groups including the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), the Australian Logistics Council (ALC), the ALRTA, and the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) have shared industry views and highlighted relevant demands from various sides of freight transport to the authorities.

Former NSW Roads and Maritime Services head Ken Kanofski, who was appointed as an independent consultant to finalise the review, has recently submitted a package of reform measures directly to ministers as a response to industry concerns about HVNL progress under the National Transport Commission (NTC).

While ALC is calling on the government to implement the recommendations from the review, road transport bodies are calling for more work to be done on the review and include specific productivity upgrades in each state and territory particularly, improved access for heavy vehicle combinations right across the road network.

“While there certainly has been a lot of improvements made since the initial review stage, it is still not everything we would like. I guess we do have to keep in mind that it’s a negotiated outcome between industry and state governments. We look at this review as a great opportunity to improve productivity measures, get rid of some red tape around access and flexibility. Unfortunately, I think many of the regulator’s look at this review as an opportunity to regulate more red tape. So striking a balance between those different viewpoints has been difficult,” Mathew says.

Meanwhile, the NHVR recently released its 2022 Judicial Guide to help judicial officers and legal practitioners, as well as operators and fleet owners better understand the HVNL. NHVR’S LIVESTOCK SUPPLY CHAIN REVIEW Earlier this year, the regulator released the consultation findings and outcomes report from its Livestock Supply Chain review that commenced preliminary consultation in 2019. “The NHVR undertook commitment to identify relationships, influences and

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

“

A collaborative approach will accelerate the development and delivery of a new code of practice to improve livestock industry awareness

capabilities of parties in the livestock supply chain in relation to meeting their regulatory compliance obligations. The NHVR’s Livestock Supply Chain Review responds to this commitment and is an approach for the NHVR to work with industry to identify solutions to improve the ability of parties in the livestock supply chain to meet their regulatory obligations to support safe and productive road transport operations,” Peter says.

INDUSTRY CODES OF PRACTICE In February 2022, the NHVR revised its guidelines for preparing and registering Industry Codes of Practice. Under the revised guidelines, the NHVR and industry may collaborate more closely to develop codes of practice, which is a resource that helps parties in the chain of responsibility ensure the safety of their transport activities. The NHVR Codes of Practice team will have capacity in the financial year 2022-2023 to assist the livestock industry, Peter says. “A collaborative approach will accelerate the development and delivery of a new code of practice to improve livestock industry awareness and understanding of mass obligations and chain of responsibility under the HVNL,” he adds.

LIVESTOCK MASS, DIMENSION AND LOADING ARRANGEMENTS In June this year, the NHVR commenced consulting on its review of state-based livestock loading schemes via the Review of Livestock Mass, Dimension and Loading Arrangements. The aim is to create a

”

more productive single national scheme, improve loading scheme consistency, and identify opportunities to improve productivity, thereby enabling improved compliance with the HVNL. “The NHVR acknowledges the challenge to comply with various livestock loading scheme for livestock road operators and undertook significant work with industry and government to review these loading schemes and make some recommendations. Mass management was a recurring theme in a number of submissions, and that variances between different states and territories made it difficult to understand and comply with requirements,” Peter says.

The purpose of this consultation is to create discussions around real-world access and productivity difficulties faced.

The NHVR is inviting industry feedback on the review.

Heavy Vehicle Charges

The NTC is expected to soon release a consultation paper on heavy vehicle registration charges that could have a significant impact on the livestock transport industry. Making a case for a gradual increase in charges, Mathew says that there is a likelihood that authorities could increase charges by 8-9 per cent per year to meet cost recovery as a result of few years of frozen charges. However, an industry that is grappling other major issues like rising fuel costs, inflation, and driver shortages, the last thing operators need is a sharp increase in heavy vehicle charges. “For the last couple of years,

our association has been calling on government to increase charges in small amounts sooner rather than later. So, around 2.5 per cent mark would have been reasonable. A really steep increase in heavy vehicle charges will be the straw that breaks backs and puts people out of business.”

The Bigger Picture

The ALRTA says it will look to accelerate safety improvements in the supply chain under the current federal government while calling for a renewed focus on building nation-wide road infrastructure.

It has asked the government to match the coalition’s $678 million commitment to the Outback Way and $400 million for the Inland Freight route. The group is optimistic that the federal government will continue its push for investing an additional $80 million for rest areas while supporting a better HVNL to improve road safety and make freight movements more efficient.

“While there are some low-cost safety initiatives that governments could undertake, the main thing is to look at road structures. Every jurisdiction seems to have its own peculiarities in terms of what the infrastructure has been built. We’ve got to stop building infrastructure that just services the needs of today, we’ve got to look at what the needs of tomorrow are going to be and put good infrastructure in place that’s going to last and build a better network.

What we really need is more funding overall, and a longer-term network-wide approach to it,” Mathew concludes. www.trailermag.com.au

47

Special report: VIC Government

In-principle approval smooths PBS pathway State authorities are working to unlock the heavy vehicle industry’s potential for innovative and optimised vehicle design through Performance-Based Standards.

With the Victorian freight task estimated to increase from around 360 million tonnes in 2014 to nearly 900 million tonnes by 2051, the state authorities are looking to accommodate more heavy vehicles on the road and ease the process of getting Performance-Based Standards (PBS) certification for operators. Disconnecting the heavy vehicle design from prescriptive limits like height, weight and length, PBS encourages new designs that emphasise safety and productivity boost.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

Earlier this year in an effort to make it easier to operate PBS vehicles in the state, the Victoria Government introduced the concept of in-principle approval.

All heavy vehicle combinations that exceed 26 metres and/or have a gross combination mass greater than 68.5 tonnes, as well as semi-trailers fitted with a quad-axle group, must operate under PBS guidelines.

PBS approval is a two-stage process.

First, a vehicle needs a PBS Design

Approval and second, the vehicle must be certified under that design to obtain a PBS Vehicle Approval (VA). Where vehicle designs are complex or routes are yet to be assessed, it can take up to 12 months to obtain the required approvals.

Under the new scheme, the process of obtaining in-principle approval takes around six months, however because bridge and route assessments can be completed during this stage, design approval and manufacture can be undertaken concurrently.

In-principle approval of a PBS application is valid for 12 months and provides certainty that a PBS vehicle will have network access as long as the final design is within the range of the initial application. It allows operators to factor the costs of access into their business case and because inprinciple approval does not require a PBS assessor, the expense of exploring the viability of a PBS design is reduced.

Applicants only need to engage a PBS assessor after their vehicle has been manufactured, which forms part of the process of gaining access to the road network.

Like all restricted-access vehicles, applications for in-principle approval are made through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) portal. Applications are similar to a standard PBS permit application but include a range for the vehicle’s axle spacings and mass rather than specific measurements. For instance, an application that fits within one of Victoria’s reference vehicle designs (accessible online) will get in-principle approval on the basis of the reference design’s range of axle spacings and gross combination mass (GCM).

In-principle applications are not recommended where there is uncertainty over the final vehicle design. Varying the design from in-principle approval can be more expensive and time consuming than seeking the advice of a PBS assessor to begin with.

In-principle approval acts as road manager consent under Division 2 of the National Heavy Vehicle Law. It authorises the NHVR to issue a PBS permit without the need to re-apply for consent from Victoria’s Department of Transport (DoT).

Any changes made to a PBS-approved vehicle’s route or configuration such as axle mass or spacings, will be reassessed

by DoT. If the combination is deemed to have retained the key performance characteristics of its VA, the original access permit will be honoured, and the vehicle can continue to operate at the mass approved on the original permit.

Heavy vehicle reference designs

Victoria has released a number of reference designs for heavy vehicle combinations that exceed 26 metres and/ or have a GCM of more than 68.5 tonnes.

Reference designs also exist for quadaxle semi-trailers that exceed 46.5 tonnes GCM. The reference designs simplify the process of obtaining a permit and align with PBS. To meet a reference design, vehicles must also be: • fitted with an on-board mass (OBM) system integrated with Intelligent Access Program (IAP) or Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA) • compliant with ADR 80/02 (post-2007 prime movers only).

The Victorian Government uses deidentified information from PBS vehicles fitted with OBM to monitor road use by heavy vehicles. The information allows authorities to: • better identify those bridges and structures doing the most work, which aids in investment decisions • move parts of the network to a gazette notice, negating the need for permits • identify gaps in the heavy vehicle network, particularly those preventing last-kilometre access, and • expand access for configurations like A-doubles, A-B triples and B-triples.

Most significantly, OBM has the potential to reduce the number of bridge assessments that need to be undertaken,

helping to smooth the application process for PBS and other restricted-access vehicles.

Better understanding Vic freight network

The Victorian Government is inviting vehicles fitted with OBM to participate in a study to help guide investment in the Victorian road network. The purpose of the Victorian Freight and Commodity Movement Study is to collect periodic telematics and commodity data, where available, to develop more granular information on the movement of commodities and vehicle types across the Victorian road network.

The study will use OBM and associated freight data from heavy vehicles to: • expand network maps to cater for more commodity types • assess the comparative volume of transport on specific routes for different commodities • identify the travel times between key origins and destinations • better understand and track the impact of disruptive events over multi-year periods, and • better understand network use by participating freight vehicles to inform forward planning of road upgrades and maintenance.

To learn more about the study or to indicate interest, contact heavyvehicles@transport.vic.gov.au.

www.trailermag.com.au

49

Special report: Supply chain

Taking stock of the situation Disruption to the global supply chain has presented thought leaders with an opportunity to solve or at least overcome relatively new challenges.

Last year there was a push from the government and the transport and logistics industry to provide a one-stop shop of pick-up and delivery and location information to support truck operators to move goods to businesses and consumers. This came in the form of a National Location Registry.

Then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce, said the collection and exchange of information about physical locations is all too often a manual process, which is costly to maintain and can lead to errors.

“The Registry solves this problem by creating one digital platform which supplies logistics providers with all the information they need,” he said. “This will make life easier for the more than 50,000 small businesses involved in Australia’s road freight sector. These businesses can now encourage location owners to list their pick-up spots and other important information on this one Registry, saving time and effort.”

Industry participants at the beginning of this initiative included Woolworths, Coles, Sanitarium, PepsiCo, Toll, Linfox and Australia Post.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

The system is reported to take some of the stress off transport operators that might be looking to find a new shed to ensure produce is collected and delivered smoothly. The farmer in the supply chain doesn’t necessarily have to disclose location information for each and every trip.

Linfox delivers more than $60 billion of goods each year globally and Linfox Logistics Australia and New Zealand CEO, Mark Mazurek, at the time said he was excited by this opportunity to work smarter by sharing collective knowledge and data with their customers, the Australian Government and other transport providers.

“As a trusted national supply chain partner, our truck drivers visit thousands of sites, stores and locations around Australia to collect and deliver goods for our customers,” he said.

“The National Location Registry offers enormous potential to increase the efficiency of deliveries, and most importantly, increase safety for our drivers, our customers and our communities.”

The Registry is expected to grow and reach new heights as supply chain participants add their data and was a key element of the Australian Government’s

broader National Freight Data Hub project, a $16.5 million investment to make a range of data available to support the freight industry. This included the launch of the Supply Chain Benchmarking Dashboard.

Australia must be leading the way because in recent months a USled project involving supply chain stakeholders are cooperating to ease port congestion across North America.

A supply chain pilot data-sharing project, according to the US Transportation Department (USDOT), aims to ease bottlenecks at congested US ports by developing a digital tool to provide companies information on the condition of a node or region in the supply chain.

This project was initially announced in March with the help of trucking firms, shippers, wholesales and retailer ports.

The Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program included 18 initial participants including FedEx, United Parcel Service (UPS), C.H Robinson, Albertsons, Target as well as the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and ocean freight operators CMA CGM and MSC and Fenix Marine Terminal and Global Container Terminals.

US Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, called the program a first-of-itskind initiative to share information and help move goods more quickly and cheaply.

The White House said in March the goal was to create a proof of-of-concept freight information exchange by the end of the summer.

DHL, JB Hunt, Maersk, Samsung, Procter

& Gamble and Prologis have since joined the project.

The CEO of Samsung Electronics North America said data sharing enabling timely cargo delivery is a work in progress but remains incomplete. To fix this issue will require cooperation with many stakeholders across the supply chain.

Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation

(NRF) said imports at US container ports are expected to slow for the remainder of the year but 2022 should still see a net gain over the prior year.

“Lower volumes may help ease congestion at some ports, but others are still seeing backups and global supply chain challenges are far from over,” the NRF said in a statement.

The National Freight Data Hub is focused on delivering 13 key projects identified as priorities during the design phase. The Hub’s data projects aim to enhance the collection, harmonisation and publication of freight data and methods and protocols for data exchange.

Project Name

Objectives

Freight Data Catalogue

Establish the first curated and searchable catalogue of freight data with a national coverage.

Report progress on the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy

Improved freight data collection, sharing and analysis to support reporting on the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.

Harmonise and release better quality data about road condition, road spending and road usage

Harmonise and release better quality data about freight vehicles and their numbers on the roads, and road asset.

Understanding truck movements using vehicle location data

Understand truck movements for investment planning and benchmarking, by creating a harmonised national data set based on vehicle location.

Publish new Australian import and export data

Increase the accessibility of Australian import and export data from the Customs Integrated Cargo System, to enhance understanding of freight flows from airports and maritime ports and support planning, prioritisation, and efficient operations.

Publish better quality performance data for ports

Publish better quality performance data for our container ports. This will include more timely throughput data, improved understanding of hinterland container movements and working to align data standards for the container supply chain.

Publish new rail freight Data

Increase the accessibility of rail data to improve industry and government understanding of the intra and interstate rail freight task, including train movement and consignment data, and asset data.

Promoting the exchange of freight consignment data between supply chain partners

Promote the exchange of freight consignment data between supply chain partners to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the freight system.

Establish a National Location Registry

Establish a National Location Registry in collaboration with GS1 as an electronic ‘address book’ of freight locations and sites such as loading docks, agricultural, mining and construction sites.

Understand domestic shipping movements

Publish domestic shipping movements and improve and integrate different sources of shipping data.

Evaluate and benchmark Australia’s supply chains using the CSIRO TraNSIT model

Publish a prototype dashboard of the CSIRO TraNSIT model which provides an improved understanding of modelled supply chains. The develop and release additional international benchmarking assessments at the commodity level.

Forecast freight demand

Australian freight demand forecasts will provide a standard set of freight forecasts for use by government, industry and the broader community across all modes of freight (road, rail, air and sea).

Select and endorse freight data standards

Select and endorse freight data standards to make it easier to compare and exchange freight data.

www.trailermag.com.au

51

XXX World map

Safety first The most serious collision to date involving a self-driving truck suggests governments and law enforcement may not be ready to deal with the new technology.

On 5 May 2022, a Class 8 Waymo Via truck operating in autonomous mode was hauling a trailer on Interstate 45 towards Dallas, Texas. At 3.11 pm at Ennis, the truck was travelling in the far-right lane when a passing truck entered its lane.

There was a human safety operator behind the wheel, who told police that the other semi-truck continued to manoeuvre into her lane, forcing the Waymo off the roadway. She was taken to hospital with moderate injuries, while the other truck drove off without stopping.

According to Waymo, its truck was travelling at 62 miles per hour – just under the speed limit, when the other truck intercepted its travel path. It wasn’t carrying any freight either, as it was conducting ‘standard’ testing with a weighted load.

While the self-driving semi-truck was not at fault, the incident does raise

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

concerns about how ready the public and law enforcement are to cope with heavy vehicles without a driver holding the wheel.

In February, a similar crash involved a Waymo semi-truck. A Waymo Peterbilt 579 was travelling southbound on Interstate 10 near Sacaton, Arizona, when it was struck by a box truck travelling in the adjacent lane – which had also just hit a motor coach. The Waymo was going 50 mph in a 75-mph zone.

Steve Viscelli, a sociologist studying trucking at the University of Pennsylvania, said there’s a mountain of work that needs to be done to be able to integrate these autonomous vehicles into society.

“We need to talk a lot more about what they mean for supply chains, for workers and for the highway,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are going to do stupid and aggressive stuff around

them because they don’t like self-driving vehicles.”

Viscelli believes automated trucking companies have got the basic driving components down, but situations involving different scenarios and road conditions may need to be taken further into account.

“It’s what happens with the family on vacation and the tire’s off, or when there’s construction that changes the shape of the road, or debris on the highway,” he said.

“It’s when you have confidence in those issues that’s going to determine when they’re on the road. But I would not be surprised to see trucks without drivers on lanes next year.”

Putting self-driving trucks on the road may be a huge plus for transport industries around the world at this point, but it seems there’s still much more to be done before the driver can leave the wheel.

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Taking quality to the next level

Fleet XXX of the month

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Let it ride A fourth customised Mack prime mover in the limited-edition Outlaw series from JT Fossey Trucks is now in operation.

The latest in the JT Fossey Trucks Outlaw series initiative, a Mack SuperLiner, looms large in the wheatbelt of northern NSW where it has gone into service for MJR Haulage. A local carrier owned by Jaime Kiehne, who recently welcomed its delivery ahead of the upcoming grain harvest, the Mack SuperLiner comes in British Racing Green and marks the fourth iteration of the fledgling Outlaw series, a continuation of having a different colour scheme for each vehicle in the series to date. The Outlaw series is the brainchild of John Saint, JT Fossey Dealer Principal.

Following the centennial celebrations of Mack in 2019, Saint was energised to make a statement that would help to put the Tamworth business on the map.

Every one of the Outlaw Mack units come out of the factory as a base standard truck.

The goal for Saint was to be able to add every available option to it.

“The people involved understand the quality of the truck,” he says. “Different

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

guards and exhausts are added. We build it carefully in increments to ensure the presentation is comprehensive and cohesive.”

Every unit becomes, in its own right, a special project, customised to the Outlaw specification according to Saint.

A bullbar, LED lights, chrome exhaust stacks and stainless-steel guards are included as standard fittings.

In addition to tinted windows, the MJR Haulage Mack SuperLiner features strip lights fitted under the cab and LEDs on the floor of the cabin which, incidentally, also houses a new microwave, fridge and television. The PTO installation was performed in Brisbane; the signwriting took place in Newcastle; and the chrome and lights were detailed in the Lockyer Valley.

“The truck has been halfway down the east coast of Australia getting fitted out,” says Jaime. “There’s nothing I’ve had to ask for. It’s just been done for me. A great deal of imagination has gone into the truck.”

As a process, fitting the truck out has taken the better part of five months, with every detail complementary to the overall look and design of the vehicle. Rated to 131 tonnes (GCM), the Mack SuperLiner is powered by a 685hp MP10 going through an MDrive manual automated transmission with group rear axles and suspension, Icepack and hydraulics.

The truck will pull roadtrains and cart grain into and out of feedlots around the region known as the Golden Triangle with occasional forays into the Darling Downs, where most of the work is at present.

Jaime, who works five to six days a week depending on the season, typically carries barley, Mung beans and wheat.

Many of the shuttle routes are tough going. The job requires Jaime to do a lot of rough running on dirt roads. It’s a whole new experience in the Mack.

“The Mack delivers a brilliant ride.

It’s comfortable — there’s no noise,” he says.

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XXX Industry icon

www.smedleys.co

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We really try and make it a very inclusive place to work

”

Like father, like son Darren Wales joined Australia’s ever-growing transport industry over 35 years ago through his work in heavy vehicle smash repairs. Starting in his father’s small panel shop in 1986, he learnt the ropes to later take over and grow Wales Truck Repairs to what it is today.

Darren’s father, Barry Wales, initially started the business for cars and taught himself how to spray paint and panel beat.

When times got tough, he called upon a few of his friends from his previous career in cake delivery to get a couple of trucks to him, allowing the business to branch out into heavy vehicles.

Industry icon Made possible by Smedley’s Engineers. Industry Icon is a series dedicated to honouring the unsung heroes of the commercial road transport industry.

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

“That’s about the time that I joined the business,” Darren says. “After school I did an accounting course and then I went down and started on the floor at Dad’s shop. He was probably a bit harder on me than anyone else because he didn’t want me working in a panel shop, he wanted me to pursue my accounting background. I think my first job in the place was cleaning the toilets.”

During the next 15 years Darren got his apprenticeship to become a qualified vehicle painter and spent time at the shop doing all sorts of jobs with his father, such as panel beating and spray painting.

“Around 20 years ago I started to take the business over from Dad,” he says. “I

purchased a share of the business from him – he took a back seat from there and I started to grow the business. He’s still a very important part of my life. Although he’s been retired for many years pursuing other interests, there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t talk to him about how work’s going, because he’s my mentor and best mate.”

In 2015, Darren identified a gap in the market and purchased a facility in Smithfield solely for the purpose of bus repairs and got a large portion of the bus industry on side. By recruiting key personnel with many years of experience within the bus industry, Darren was able to form relationships with some of the biggest bus companies in Australia.

“We saw a bit of a niche in the market – no one specifically was doing just buses.

An old employee of mine went out to start up on his own and he was doing buses for another company. He had a falling out and then he came back to us and put the idea into our heads, and we saw that gap and grew it from there.”

Earlier this year, Darren won a Lifetime Achievement Award from National Collision Repairer which recognised his contributions to the formation of the Australian Heavy Vehicle Repairers Association.

“That came out of the blue,” he says. “It was an industry nominated award that I knew nothing about. I was very humbled to receive it, there was certainly some prestigious people who came before me who had won the award.

“I’m extremely humbled to not only to be nominated for it but to win it, and more so for the recognition that we’ve done in the industry and away from it. We do a lot of mentoring with young apprentices, we employ a few people with disabilities, and we really try and make it a very inclusive place to work.”

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XXX What’s on

Truck Shows & Field Days 2022 Pencil in some information on dates and venues of various truck shows, field days and road transport industry conferences both locally and internationally.

Got an upcoming event? Then let us know about it – email editor@trailermag.com.au September Victoria NBTA Bulk Tanker Day 2 September CMV Truck and Bus, Melbourne Visit: www.nbta.com.au/bulktankerday

Western Australia Newdegate Machinery Field Days 7-8 September 2022 Newdegate, WA Visit: www.newdegatemachineryfielddays.com

New South Wales Berry Small Farm Field Days 9-10 September 2022 Berry Showground Berry, NSW Visit: www.berryrotary.org.au/ small-farm-field-day Henty Machinery Field Days 20-22 September 2022 Henty, NSW Visit: www.hmfd.com.au

Germany IAA Commercial Vehicles Show 20-25 September 2022 Hannover, Germany Visit: www.iaa.de

October Victoria Elmore Field Days 4-6 October 2022 Elmore, VIC Visit: www.elmorefielddays.com.au Royal Geelong Show 13-16 October Geelong, VIC Visit: www.royalgeelongshow.org.au Wandin Silvan Field Days 14-15 October 2022 Wandin, VIC Visit: www.wandinsilvanfielddays.com.au

New South Wales

Murrumbateman Field Days 15-16 October 2022 Murrumbateman, NSW Visit: www.mfdays.com Deniliquin Truck Show & Industry Expo 15-16 October 2022 Deniliquin, NSW Visit: www.denitruckshow.com.au

Germany Bauma 24-30 October 2022 Munich, Germany Visit: www.bauma.de/en

November Brazil Sao Paulo Expo 7-11 November 2022 Brazil Visit: www.fenatran.com.br

New South Wales Illawarra Convoy 20 November 2022 Illawarra, NSW Visit: www.illawarraconvoy.com.au

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Trailer Magazine SEPTEMBER 22

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