Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 363 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

“Any year with a Brisbane Truck Show in it can’t be too bad, after all” A new year and another opportunity to look forward with optimism at the months ahead. Any year with a Brisbane Truck Show in it can’t be too bad, after all. Part of the charm of this period is trying to work out just how things are going to unfold after the serious intrigue of the few months before last year ended. At least some of them relates to a part of the magazine that may not usually get much of a mention on this page – Executive Appointments. Sitting high on the “didn’t see that coming but it has a certain logic” graph is the elevations to the top jobs at Toll Holdings of Michael…

The campaigning focus of trucking representative bodies continues with Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association (LBRCA) taking up the cudgel on lack of access to New South Wales routes upgraded with state government cash. The association has raised infrastructure issues with the state government before but it is now doing so in a more concerted and systematic way. In its initial sights is Uralla Council’s Abington Creek Bridge on Thunderbolt’s Way, but others can be expected as it identi›es recipients of public funding under round one and two of the NSW Fixing Country Roads program “that are yet to deliver what they promised, speci›cally improved heavy vehicle access, despite successful completion of road improvements”, the association points out. Abington Creek Bridge is now a 450-metre long, dual-lane concrete bridge, yet…

K&S Corporation bosses have acknowledged a difficult ›nancial year but have pointed to positive portents as they strive to turn their ship around. Addressing the company’s annual general meeting, the good news was $25 million in new deals last year and $35 million so far this year. Added to that was a greater-than-expected contribution from its purchase last year of Aero Refuellers and a buoyant New Zealand business. “Aero Refuellers has exceeded our pre-acquisition expectations and we anticipate that it will realise continued growth leveraging off the broader Group network,” MD and CEO Paul Sarant says. Established in September 2015, the K&S Energy division picked up two additional major contracts were secured in quick succession and now services “several other major customers”. “We expect to realise continued growth in fuel…

The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has gained a public promise from premier Daniel Andrews that one of its most sought-after projects, the North East Link, will be built. While the state Coalition says it will await the details before backing it, Andrews is de›nite. “This is it – the missing link that will connect our city – and we will get it done,” he says. “When we build the missing link that completes the ring road, you’ll be able to drive from Ringwood to Tullamarine without stopping at a single traffic light.” The VTA is a long-term advocate and lobbyist for the North East Link as a priority road infrastructure project . VTA CEO Peter Anderson commended the move that would “connect the M80 Ring Road with Eastlink and important…

The first Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) National Industry Awards Night has been run and won, with Cummins South Paci›c’s Zoe Bull taking out the inaugural National Apprentice of the Year award. Held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the awards night brought together industry members, staff and guests to congratulate a range of nominees and award winners. Based in Carole Park, Queensland, the newly crowned apprentice of the year, Zoe Bull, was presented with a trophy and tools to the value of $1300 on the night by former HVIA president Bob Martin and earnt the right for a perpetual trophy to be displayed in her workplace for the next 12 months. High Achievement awards went to Louise Azzopardi of The Tractor Shop, Glossodia NSW, and James De Iacovo…

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT says there is need for further investigation on road user charging to identify a more equitable approach that charges users, not taxpayers. This is one of the 69 recommendations that the government “supports” in response to the first 15-year Australian Infrastructure Plan. The government has also “noted” six other recommendations out of Infrastructure Australia (IA’s) total 78 recommendations in its response report released by federal infrastructure minister Darren Chester. The federal government says it is working with state and territory governments to implement these recommendations, including speeding up heavy vehicle reform and find out the benefits, costs and options to implement “cost reflective road pricing for all vehicles”. “Phase One of the Heavy Vehicle Road Reform is now complete, and is delivering improved transparency around road expenditure,…

The National Transport Commission (NTC) will work with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), road authorities and other stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve the productivity of volume-constrained freight. Earlier, NTC sought public input to find out whether there is an opportunity to lift freight productivity by increasing the permitted volume a heavy vehicle can carry to better accommodate low density freight movements. Having examined the submissions, NTC found that operators needed special permits to access certain roads when the load volume increased beyond the permissible standard even though the load mass was below the set limit. It was found that in such cases businesses incurred increased transport costs and timing, which was particularly bad when the cost of goods was marginal, such as toilet paper. NTC has now released…

Transport industry and logistics super fund TWUSuper has appointed Frank Sandy as CEO, effective immediately. Sandy has been acting CEO since the resignation of Bill McMillin in October. Before that, Sandy had been the fund’s chief ›nancial officer for 11 years. Independent chairman David Galbally says Sandy, as a long-standing employee of TWUSuper, was “respected and well-liked by staff, members and other stakeholders, and that his appointment would bring continuity and certainty to the fund and its operations”. The move consolidates Sandy’s performance as a constant player in fund, which has seen a number of CEO moves in about four years. Long-term CEO McMillin retired in 2013 and his replacement, Debora Jackson, left for personal reasons after a year in the role. Sydney-based Paul Sayers was appointed but resigned after…

“It could be ›ve minutes or an hour or ›ve hours – you never know” One of the trucking industry’s biggest customers, Murray Goulburn (MG), is changing its loading and unloading procedure to reduce fatigue for drivers. Butittookquestionsfrom ATN forthe company to do it. Nearly two decades of the chain of responsibility (COR) has apparently had limited effect on Australia’s largest dairy company. Until now, drivers waiting at its DC at Laverton North in Melbourne have had to stay alert, sometimes for hours on end, past their time slots. Drivers have to listen to an FM radio frequency for their rego and dock number to be called. There is no guaranteed knock on the door, no pager/buzzer system, and no phone call with advice provided on how to block out…

You can understand the confusion. The event: Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) re:Invent promises to bypass the World Wide Web (it sounds so quaint these days all spelt out) to put astronomical amounts of data straight into the Cloud and this is the launch. The scene: A Las Vegas exhibition space full of IT reporters waiting on AWS uber-nerds to unveil their revolutionary new. The sound: a Kenworth T370’s PX-9 engine renders observers speechless as it heaves into view dragging a 40-foot-high cube shipping container. The name: Snowmobile. This is new technology? Well, why not? Trucking has been ahead of the curve in so many other things. Confusion … and disbelief. Local newswebsite Business Insider hada journo there courtesy of Amazon. It quoted AWS CEO Andy Jassy relating the bemusement he…

“After the RSRT this year, the last thing small trucking businesses needed was further confusing changes” THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATION New South Wales Branch (ARTIO NSW) claims that the Transport Industry General Carriers Interim Contract Determination is confined to Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong are mistaken. ARTIO NSW’s position is at odds with the position of the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad). According to the state industry body, principal contractors involved in industry sectors such as general freight, furniture removals and refrigerated transport have obligations under the interim determination to contract carriers engaged in work in regional NSW as well. “Contract carriers also have obligations to principal contractors under the interim determination,” ARTIO NSW secretary/ treasurer Hugh McMaster says. “These obligations do not relate to remuneration but are still…

IN WHAT is described as an Australian first, the Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity (Alertness CRC) and the National Transport Commission (NTC) will link to evaluate the effect of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) on heavy vehicle driver fatigue. With the industry chronically under-researched, the alliance will seek evidence on the impact of work scheduling practices on heavy vehicle driver fatigue, and the quality and quantity of drivers’ sleep during minimum rest periods. The research and understanding shortfall means “our ability to examine the impact of current laws on heavy vehicle driver fatigue has been challenged”, the NTC says. Making use of “increasingly accurate alertness detection methods and sleep monitoring devices”, the Alertness CRC research aims to support future fatigue reforms. “The CRC’s key mission is…

While autonomous vehicle test announcements have emerged in South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland, concern about the development’s impact has taken an unhelpful turn in the Northern Territory. Mainstream media reports have raised doubts about the future of “wayside inns, petrol stations, motels and other businesses catering for drivers” due to automation. Northern Territory Road Transport Association executive officer Louise Bilato tells ATN she believes several issues and impediments in the way of any doomsday scenario and automation of vehicles and facilities such as abattoirs are a long way off for the NT and are unlikely ever to happen entirely. For Bilato, “there [is] no likelihood the Northern Territory’s wayside inns would be significantly impacted in the foreseeable future by driverless trucks, especially in light of the increasing number of…

Muscat Trailers, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and NFA Innovations were amongst the road transport-related winners at the Chartered Institute of Logistics Australia (CILTA) awards annual Awards for Excellence. Muscat Trailers co-founder Maurice Azzopardi says the recognition validated the hard work over two generations put into the Muscat Trailers business now headed by his son, CEO Troy Azzopardi. The award focused on the Muscat Trailers bitumen trailer. “This massive, often unnoticed transport task has been both expensive and dangerous, without tankers spraying bitumen on to blue metal delivered by rigid tippers,” CILTA notes. Apart from the win for its AccessCONNECT Program, the NHVR was also shortlisted twice. “This recognition as winner shows the NHVR’s work is delivering bene›ts for heavy vehicle safety and productivity,” NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says. NFA…

Video: Taking the UD PW 24 280 out on the open road With its new PW range, UD is showing off its ability to cover a range of niche applications. Steve Brooks ›nds out why the truckmaker is so con›dent it will succeed. Video: With a fleet of Volvos on their home test track Volvo test trucks were made available to check out innovations including crawler gears, the dual clutch and electronic dynamic steering. Steve Skinner was there. Video: Mack Super-Liner 685 with 60-inch sleeper review Sitting behind a 685hp Mack Super-Liner hauling roadtrain double in western Queensland, Steve Brooks puts it, and its new 60-inch sleeper, to the test. SPECIFICATIONS TradeTrucks.com.au is your one-stop truck site to buy and sell new and used equipment including new and used trucks,…

Under the current chain of responsibility (COR) regime, all parties in the supply chain can be penalised for breaches, some of which may be “unintentional” and some wrongful. For instance, an unintentional breach may be if a driver simply relies on the paperwork provided and it is proven to be misleading or incorrect, the regulator may take action against the driver as well. There are a number of risk management steps that can be taken to minimise the potential for exposure to COR offences. As you are probably aware, under the COR, any person who consigns, dispatches, packs, loads, carries, receives or unpacks goods as part of their business can be found liable for breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). Companies can protect themselves against possible breaches by…

BURGEONING WESTERN AUSTRALIAN trucking and logistics firm Centurion has bought McAleese’s heavy haulage business and become a national operator in the process, the company has announced. Centurion has appointed former McAleese part-owner Keith Price to be in charge of this expanded business, which means it now has a presence and assets in Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. “The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, will complement Centurion’s existing heavy haulage business and make it the largest heavy haulage service provider in Australia,” it says. Through the transaction, the Perth-based company has also entered into an agreement on premises giving it a foothold in the heavy haulage market across four states – Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. Centurion intends for it to be fully operational by January. Centurion…

The strong ‘Transportation & Utilities’ employment market segment is forecast to cool somewhat in the coming quarter, according to recruitment firm ManpowerGroup. This will occur as, more generally, employers gauge the economy’s direction and hedge any hiring bets, the firm reports in its ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Q1 2017. Transportation and Utilities, which had the strongest forecast across the industry sectors last quarter, “is expected to be sluggish in the upcoming quarter – with its NEO [net employment outlook] dropping from +17 per cent in Q4 2016 to +8 percent”, the report notes. The NEO is calculated by subtracting the percentage of employers anticipating a decrease in hiring activity from the percentage of employers anticipating an increase in employment. Seasonal adjustment is then applied to the data. “The hiring intentions…

Shadow transport minister Anthony Albanese has added his voice to Transport Workers Union (TWU) criticism of federal government funding of fatigue research The TWU’s swipe came after it became clear that Cooperative Research Centre for Alertness, Safety and Productivity (Alertness CRC) research into how laws impact on heavy vehicle driver fatigue was made possible by federal funding. Albanese guided creation of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) when Labor was in power and chimed in using terms almost identical to the union’s message. “The absurdity of the Turnbull Government’s abolition of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal has been highlighted by the Government’s plan to spend $800,000 on a study into the causes of fatigue in truck drivers,” Albanese says. “We already know that the chief cause of truck driver fatigue…

THE AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION (ATA’s) updated technical advisory procedure (TAP) on compliant commercial vehicle air brake chambers includes information on acceptable air brake chamber build standards, brake chamber compliance information and warnings against disassembling spring brake chambers. ATA senior engineering adviser Chris Loose says choosing the right brake chambers is a key step to ensure an effective braking system. “The use of substandard brake chambers could create an unstable vehicle combination by mixing different brake chamber sizes and brands, negatively affecting the brake balance,” Loose says. “This technical advisory procedure was originally produced to counter a run of very premature brake chamber failures, and it is a timely reminder that use of the lowest cost item or a substandard part does not save costs if it then suffers a failure.”…

THE AUSTRALIAN LOGISTICS COUNCIL (ALC), the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) support the federal government’s response to the 15-year Infrastructure Plan. While the ALC backs government’s commitment to develop a national freight and supply chain strategy, the ATA is keen on the government’s plan to further investigate road user charging. ALC MD Michael Kilgariff says the logistics body has been a long supporter of the plan to develop a national, multi-modal strategy and welcomes the government’s proposal to launch an independent inquiry. “ALC’s advocacy in this area recognises that we must treat the movement of freight as a national issue operating in a national market, and to ensure decisions are made in Australia’s national economic interest,” he says. ATA chair Noelene Watson says an independent…

Chain of responsibility (COR) and officer liability reforms will happen, but an exact ‘go live’ date depends on Queensland’s legislative diary, according to National Transport Commission (NTC). The nation’s transport ministers had approved the NTC’s recommendation for this second phase of executive officer reforms earlier this month, acting NTC CEO Dr Geoff Allan says. These further reforms will amend the HVNL to extend the due diligence obligation to cover all offences executive officers currently have liability for under the Heavy Vehicle National Law. There will be a single commencement date for the chain of responsibility and executive officer liability reforms in early to mid-2018, subject to passage through the Queensland Parliament. “We have been on a journey to restructure aspects of Australia’s Heavy Vehicle National Law chain of responsibility and…

THE AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION (ATA) has appointed Ben Maguire as its new CEO, replacing five-year servant Christopher Melham. Scheduled to take up the CEO position in early 2017, the former Stockman’s Hall of Fame CEO will bring an outcome focused, strong, resourceful and committed approach to his new role at the industry body, ATA chair Noelene Watson says. “Ben is a skilled advocate, highly regarded collaborator and known fair negotiator,” she says. “He is committed to contributing to whole of business outcomes for the ATA, and is a leader who will mentor staff and control the ATA’s internal processes. Currently working as a management consultant, Maguire began his career with AGL Energy in 1998 where he worked as an operations manager, business development manager and then national franchise manager until…

Last year, the ATA published authoritative figures showing that the rate of fatal articulated truck crashes fell 80 per cent between 1982 and 2015. This is a dramatic improvement in safety, but even one accident is unacceptable. The ATA was established following the Grafton truck and bus crash in 1989 to improve the industry’s safety, professionalism and viability. We are continuing to push for practical measures to improve road safety. Central to our focus on practical safety measures has been our campaign to reform the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), the co-operative national law for the trucking industry in every state and territory apart from Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Changes to this law require the agreement and co-operation of multiple governments, and take some time to bring about.…

“There have been cases where poor business practices ... led to pressure on drivers and increased the risk of an incident” The National Transport Commission (NTC) has stated that changes to chain of responsibility (COR) and officer liability rules will take more than a year to come into force. While that could become a reality, the bigger concern for the transport industry will be the changes that come with it. If the proposed provisions to the Heavy Vehicle National Law are accepted fully, they will usher some significant changes in the existing COR laws, including capacity to bring proceedings against parties in the chain even before an incident occurs, and greater penalties in case of breaches. The suggestion is part of the Heavy Vehicle National Law and Other Legislation Amendment…

Dr Cameron Murray is from the School of Economics at the University of Queensland. Murray used to work for a couple of developers and for state agencies, including calculating developer charges for the Queensland Competition Authority. He advocates transport value capture through what he says is the relatively simple mechanism of land tax, which already exists throughout Australia. At present, land tax largely covers big landholders and other businesses that own their land. But there are exemptions from the full tax, at least in Queensland, for land that has the family home sitting on it, for primary production such as grazing cattle, and for land developers. “We already have land taxes, but they are at very low rates with a lot of exemptions,” Murray says. “Just removing exemptions and letting…

Internal combustion (IC) trucks are great for multiple shifts when there’s just not enough time to swap a battery pack. And they have way more torque for climbing ramps laden compared to battery trucks. But Crown has taken IC truck development to the next level. Its torquey cast iron John Deere engine (officially designated JD designed as Crown manufactures the engine) is built to survive the rigours of working in extreme temperature, and it has features I’ve never seen before in a small IC truck. For example, most IC trucks have a solid coupled radiator fan that blows air through the radiator and out the back of the truck. Not so the C5. Every time the engine is started, the electric cooling fan sucks air in through the radiator to…

Full: the full-time performance by an automated driving system of all aspects of the dynamic driving task under all roadway and environmental conditions that can be managed by a human driver. High: the driving mode-speci›c performance by an automated driving system of all aspects of the dynamic driving task, even if a human driver does not respond appropriately to a request to intervene. Conditional: the driving modespeci›c performance by an automated driving system of all aspects of the dynamic driving task, with the expectation that the human driver will respond appropriately to a request to intervene. Partial: the driving mode-speci›c execution by one or more driver assistance systems of both steering and acceleration/deceleration using information about the driving environment, and with the…

“Technology trends are driving massive change in the transport sector” Operational efficiency has always been a core element of success in the transport industry, but digital disruption has made it more important than ever. Just as Uber shook up the taxi industry, innovative technology-driven businesses are poised to shake up trucking and freight. Your competitors aren’t as easy to pinpoint these days, making it more difficult to gain a competitive edge. Amazon has stepped into the freight industry with its global shipping operation, and many other businesses have started to handle freight internally. Then there are drones and self-driving delivery trucks. These technology trends are driving massive change in the transport sector. WHAT DO THESE TRENDS MEAN? These developments won’t affect your business straight away, but they do indicate that…

In an automotive world that is increasingly becoming dominated by global platforms and badge engineering, the 70 Series Landcruiser is something of an anomaly. It’s an unashamedly hard-edged, off-road commercial that, since 1985, has found a strong and loyal following among Aussie farmers, miners and recreational off-roaders. In fact, more than 260,000 LC70s have been sold in Oz since its debut. Other old-school contemporaries of the Toyota have fallen victim to tightening global emissions and crash standards. The most obvious recent example is the Land Rover Defender. In the last couple of decades, the Defender lost its connection to its vocational roots and had essentially become a lifestyle vehicle. Closer to home, the last GU Nissan Patrol also rolled off the assembly line this year. The 70-series, however, has never…

“Nearly every sector of WA’s economy depends on transport” Transport has long been regarded as a key lead economic indicator, usually the first in and first out of a recession. Given nearly every sector of WA’s economy depends on transport – from couriers to heavy haulage – the WA road transport industry is uniquely able to provide a more accurate and timely insight into the actual state of the WA economy. Furthermore, three factors combine uniquely to ensure an accurate WA economic insight: • An isolated market with 95 per cent of freight tasks occurring within the state • Near absolute dominance of road transport to move freight in WA • A peak transport association that represents all forms road transport ranging from couriers, waste, cranes, to heavy haulage and…