Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 364 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

“If you want to know what’s happening in the economy, check out the transport industry” What is it with the constant blah, blah, blah the mainstream media, especially on TV, keep feeding us about a new US President? Is it just the allure of gigabytes of cheap digital ‘footage’? For the 24-hour news providers, that answer is a resounding ‘yes’. For the commercial ones, the prospect of a new reality show called The White House is just too juicy, the sort of infotainment some might actually want to pay for. The ABC has the excuse it never had the resources to avoid using stuff 36 hours after the fact, so it can’t be, um, wasteful. Now it doesn’t help that losing a domestic health minister and raising a hew and…

Transport Certification Australia (TCA) has released the final draft version of the On-Board Mass (OBM) Functional and Technical Specification. The latest document will inform the last round of review from industry stakeholders before finalisation early next year. “The OBM Functional and Technical Specification forms part of the National Telematics Framework, which provides a nationally agreed framework for the use of telematics and related intelligent technologies,” TCA CEO Chris Koniditsiotis says. “The National Telematics Framework houses the Intelligent Access Program (IAP), Intelligent Speed Compliance (ISC), the Certi›ed Telematics Service (CTS), and a suite of commercial telematics applications, as well as OBM systems.” Consistent with the principles of the National Telematics Framework, the availability of the specification will minimise cost to industry, removing barriers and red tape by achieving greater harmonisation and…

PROPOSALS TO INCREASE THE enforcement and investigative powers for state and territory law enforcement must come with ongoing training for law enforcement officers, the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) insists. The point was made in a submission to the National Transport Commission (NTC) in response to its Review of HVNL investigative and enforcement powers discussion paper. “The road transport industry throughout Australia already struggles with inconsistencies in how law enforcement officers interpret the prescriptive and complex National Heavy Vehicle Law,” NatRoad chief executive Warren Clark says. “The intent of the proposed new powers is an important step to improving safety, particularly where evidence gathering could reveal early trends in a driver’s record or a business operations that could be leading towards a serious incident. “Yet the proposed new power to…

Western Australia’s effort at bringing its brightest minds to bear on a heavy vehicle issue is to take the next step. Underwritten by the state’s Department of Transport Driver and Vehicle Services and transport and innovation minister Bill Marmion and supported by the WA industry, a ‘hackathon’ was organised last month to come up with a new kind of heavy vehicle number plate. Dubbed the ‘Smart Plate’, it is to be a self-powered, digitised heavy vehicle number plate that has global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and global system for mobile communication (GSM) network connectivity. Each of the nine teams involved submitted their design idea and provided a presentation on their proposed Smart Plate solution to a judging panel of industry and subject matter experts. The effort was followed by an…

Amid worldwide shock at the Berlin Christmas market truck atrocity, Australia’s peak trucking body has urged the industry managers to be vigilant and review examine closely security structures. According to the latest media reports, at least 12 people died and 48 were injured when a truck drove into crowds in the German capital. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has urged trucking operators to review security for their vehicles and staff following what appeared to be a terrorist attack. “Australia is not immune from terrorism. If you are in the industry and see something that doesn’t add up, contact the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400,” the ATA says. “Our thoughts go out to the Berlin victims and their loved ones.” It was also reported that GPS tracking showed the…

The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) is urging the state government, VicRoads and other relevant authorities to contemplate alternative options for the North East Link (NEL) as opposed to creating “expensive” tunnels. Having gained premier Daniel Andrews’ support on the project last month, VTA expects that public conversation will soon kick off on the subject of NEL routing. VTA CEO Peter Anderson says there are both “pros and cons to the two current options on the table in terms of cost, time and community impacts”. “From a freight perspective, the VTA encourages options be considered that do not require tunnelling. “Tunnels are expensive to build, prolong construction timelines, and cannot accommodate dangerous goods vehicles, which forces them onto other roads, impacting community amenity.” Anderson says a “variation to the northern option…

The South Australian Freight Council (SAFC) has tapped senior airports and ports player Phil Baker as its independent chairman. Baker, right, is already overseeing new strategic plan, setting out SAFC’s change priorities, including improved member value, ›nancial viability and operational impact, the council says. It notes that Baker was Adelaide Airport MD when that enterprise was undertaking major runway and terminal upgrades. He is also Adelaide Convention Bureau chairman and holds directorships with urban development body Renewal SA, Port Hedland International Airport Group of Companies and Flinders Ports Holdings, the last of which operates the Port of Adelaide and six regional ports. “I am looking forward to working with the freight and logistics community in South Australia to ensure our industry can compete with the best - both in Australia…

What is happening with gas-powered vehicles is not a romantic whim – Waitrose and JLP as a whole survey their customers on how they view such efforts. The response is positive and the public relations gains measurable. But beyond that and the compromises the group’s business case demands, there are impacts along certain other supply chains and transport operators. It’s claimed that household goods chain IKEA and detergents firm Unilever have put pressure on transport and logistics firms to use cleaner engines as a prerequisite to gaining or retaining contracts, while Waitrose’s suppliers are taking the hint on their own transport options. It has not gone unnoticed by Waitrose management that French grocery chain Carrefour has rolled out a fleet of 200 bio-methane-power trucks over the past three years. In…

“There is no fixed and final definition of what will constitute all reasonable steps within the HVNL” Section 620 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) sets out some examples of steps you can (and should) take to satisfy your general chain of responsibility (COR) compliance obligation to take all reasonable steps to avoid any breach of the HVNL. Two of those recommended steps relate to exercising supervision and control over other parties in the chain. In this article, we look at how you can, and should, work those supervision and control mechanisms into your contracts throughout the supply chain. ALL REASONABLE STEPS Readers know that all COR participants in the supply chain must take ‘all reasonable steps’ to avoid any COR breach of the HVNL. However, because supply chain…

With Donald Trump now in the White House, US and foreign manufacturers are waiting to see what unfolds. During and after the election campaign, Trump made known his expectation that US manufacturing would be favoured and outsourcing acted against. Volvo has a presence in the country not all its supply chains remain inside its borders. The company is relaxed if alert, though, according to Nilsson. “We have a manufacturing base in the US with a fairly high local content so, whatever kind of measures this gentleman is going to take, I think we’re prepared,” Nilsson says.…

Research ›rm IBISWorld sees road infrastructure building as the likely fastest-growing the Australian industry list this year. With revenue growth tipped to rise 27.2 per cent to a tick over $20 billion, ‘Road and Bridge Construction’ beat ‘Sugar Manufacturing’ down to second, with ‘Oil and Gas Extraction’ expected to gain more, $38 billion, but grow less, 16.8 per cent. Those comparably sized industries on a negative trajectory were led by ‘Heavy Industry and Other Non-Building Construction’, at -38.1 per cent to $37.8 billion and ‘Grain Growing’ -5.5 per cent to $13.3 billion. ‘Multi-Unit Apartment and Townhouse Construction’ is seen falling 26 per cent to $19.3 billion. “Many of the industries likely to disappoint this year have performed strongly in recent years, but research suggests boom times for these industries are…

THE AUSTRALIAN CONTAINER SUPPLY CHAIN is coming under increasing pressure as more higher-capacity containerships call but stevedore chief Paul Scurrah believes it can overcome the challenge. As DP World Australia (DPWA) MD and CEO, Scurrah has a direct exposure to such issues, with his firm the link between global container shipping and the landside container logistics sector. This situation hit home recently, with ship bunching episodes in Melbourne and Perth testing its terminal systems and the patience of those with carriage, responsibility and control of the containers themselves. Ship bunching is a function mostly of containership sailing patterns and interruptions, and the ship arrivals were impacted by weather and other maritime events outside the company’s control. Given the tightly interrelated nature of full and empty container handling between stevedores, transporters,…

The Western Australian Road Transport (WARTA) has welcomed premier Colin Barnett’s decision on the next phase of the Perth Freight Link initiative – Roe 9. Bouyed by polling indicating a narrow majority of popular support for the state government’s road infrastructure strategy, Barnett has promised, if re-elected, to build a $903 million tunnel between the Winterfold Road and Stock Road intersection to High Street in East Fremantle. This would link with the present Roe 8 section and would be part of a 5km stretch towards to port of Fremantle. Echoing Infrastructure Australia’s views on the issue, it sees landside transport effi ciency at Fremantle Port as a major productivity barrier. “The cost of this landside inefficiency directly adds to Perth and our state’s cost of living whilst reducing the global…

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,…

FRANK APPEL will serve as the chief executive officer of DHL Group until October 2022, the company announced. Appel, left, has held the position since 2008 and been a member of the management board Deutsche Post DHL Group since 2002. Appel helped “shape” the Group’s business strategy in 2015 “which has effectively unlocked the company’s revenue and profit potential”, the company states. “With the Group’s new Strategy 2020, Frank Appel and his team are in the process of very successfully leveraging the structural megatrend e-commerce across all divisions of the Group to further build on its global market leadership.”…

The information-gathering powers in the national truck law must be simplified and streamlined before serious problems occur. This was the key message the ATA put to the National Transport Commission (NTC) review of the investigative and enforcement powers in the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). The NTC is responsible for developing changes to the law; the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is then responsible for administering the law. The law does not apply in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. The information-gathering powers we’re talking about here are the sections of the law that enable enforcement officers and police to demand that people produce evidence or give information. But the sections are inconsistent with each other and with fundamental legal principles. For example, some of the powers do not require an…

International express firm DHL is in the midst of a global facility expansion, with the Asia-Pacific region a primary focus. But, having a global customer base means providing a highly advanced service as uniformly as possible everywhere. So, it may be situated in Singapore but the new DHL Express South Asia Hub (SAH) development will prove a boon for Australian ecommerce logistics, DHL Express CEO Ken Allen insists. The €85 million (A$121.5 million) facility officially opened recently is just the latest in a string of updated parcel- and document-related sorting centres the international service has updated or opened recently, not least in Australia and New Zealand. Its opening follows that of the Melbourne and Canberra gateways in the past 18 months and one in Auckland in August, not to mention…

Iveco Australia has offi cially confirmed it will be bringing the International ProStar to Australia this year in a range of specifications. The news follows ongoing speculation, including from ATN’s Steve Brooks, as to what Iveco’s parent company CNH Industrial had planned for the International brand after taking over the rights from Navistar in October. While confirming the arrival date, Iveco says the new range will include a day cab, extended cab and integrated full size sleeper cab variants, and a choice of five wheelbases. “All models will be powered by an E5 Cummins X15 SCR engine producing 550hp (410kW) and 1850lb-ft (2508Nm) of torque, and operators will be able to select from either manual or fully automatic Eaton transmissions,” Iveco says. “The model mix will see the ProStar well…

THE NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR (NHVR) is waiting to look at a Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) proposal to protect the performance-based standards (PBS) scheme, despite pressure from the industry body. The HVIA concept pertains to ensuring a safer, higher-productivity fleet through the use of targeted measures that address shortcomings in the scheme’s safety requirements. Central to HVIA’s submission is the growth of PBS truck and dog combinations that have arisen from metropolitan infrastructure projects and their ability to qualify, at any age, with only load-sensing brake technology. The NHVR says it has taken the submission on board but it waiting on the Austroads PBS Standard – Directional Stability Under Braking project, which is being finalised for a mid-2017 report. The body expects a number of recommendations to be raised…

Linfox plans to install text-blocking devices in its heavy vehicle ›eet in an attempt to discourage its drivers from using mobile phones while driving. Having tested it late last year, the company says it plans to install the gadget in its ›eet on a trial basis this year. The device sends a message to the driver’s telecommunications provider once the vehicle is set in motion to stop text messages from being sent or received and social media apps to be disabled until the vehicle comes to a complete stop. However, the device will allow navigation apps and hands-free phone calls during the trial. Reports suggest Victoria Police has plans to encourage the use of this gadget more widely to combat accidents as a result of mobile phone distractions. Statistics show…

The Truck Industry Council (TIC) believes there can be no resting on laurels after a strong sales year but holds signi› cant hopes for the coming year. TIC president Phil Taylor saw reasons to be con› dent on every line noting amongst other things “we saw that fourth quarter revival in heavy-duty truck sales”. “All positive signs as we start 2017,” he adds. But the TIC believes more can and should be done CEO Tony McMullen is hopeful that the generally stronger fourth quarter just passed is an indicator for improved truck sales this year. “In all, 2016 was a mixed year, starting slowly in most segments, possibly due to the longest federal election campaign seen in recent years and the inherent caution in capital expenditure shown by the business…

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT firm CEVA Logistics has appointed Carlos Velez Rodriguez as its managing director for Australia and New Zealand. Rodriguez, left, has years of experience in the logistics sector and has held commercial positions at companies in Europe, United States and Latin America. In his previous role, Rodriguez was working as the Group MD for FM Logistics’ central Europe division. Rodriguez will be based in Melbourne and report to CEVA CEO Xavier Urbain. “I am delighted to have someone of Carlos’s caliber to lead our operations in Australia & New Zealand,” CEVA CEO Xavier Urbain says. “His extensive industry knowledge, experience in leading large organizations and his collaborative style make him an excellent successor for this critical role in this important cluster.”…

Civil construction and infrastructure service company Fulton Hogan has picked Cos Bruyn as its new group chief executive officer to replace outgoing Nick Miller. Bruyn, right, will join the company in the second half of the year. He has many years’ experience in the contracting industry, including as CEO for Downer New Zealand and has also held a senior role in Downer EDI’s Infrastructure Services business in Australia. Before that, Bruyn had a 15-year association with Fulton Hogan, during which he undertook a range of management roles, the company states.…

Coinciding with the rollout of its new model range, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has reduced parts prices by as much as 30 per cent on key items. “We want to make the business case for our truck even better by reducing the cost of parts,” Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus director Michael May says in a recent statement. “Our customers are already telling us about the money they are saving on fuel with our new-generation truck compared to what they have been running.” According to Mercedes-Benz, engineers had running costs firmly in mind during development of the new generation truck, coming up with simpler designs for key parts and aiming to lengthen the life cycle of parts by 20 per cent. The new engine range also offers service intervals up to 80,000km depending…

If putting money where your mouth is counts for anything, Volvo’s commitment to Australia speaks volumes. As car making sinks into the sunset, the company has $165 million worth of investment currently underway here, together with its private dealer partners. Between 2014 and 2018, Volvo Group is investing about $65m, and our private partners around $100m, and this includes new: • VGA HQ and Brisbane dealership – $30 million • VCV Sydney dealership – $24 million • CMV dealership in Adelaide – $30 million • CMV dealership in Melbourne – $40 million • TCWA (Truck Centre WA) dealership in Port Hedland – $10 million “We’ve also just committed to $3.7 million worth of upgrades to the chassis treatment process in the factory, which would take the total up to more than $30m in the past…

The accepted wisdom is that commercial vehicle manufacturing is best left to the professionals. But if the manufacturers are unable to satisfy your needs, it appears striking out on your own with parts already on the market can be done, even in advanced economies. So it is that Deutsche Post DHL has come to eyeing use of the group’s own electric delivery van internationally as it gets a clearer idea of the limits of its vehicles. Two years after purchasing German start-up firm StreetScooter and four years following a prototype’s unveiling, development is progressing to possible commercial production to third parties this year. Speaking at the recent launch of the DHL Express Singapore hub, DHL Express executive vice president Charlie Dobbie confirmed that arm’s interest in seeing the vehicles working…

“Running a fleet of vehicles involves thinking so many steps ahead” Keeping tabs on your fleet of vehicles used to be more art than science. That’s changed a lot during the past decade as GPS fleet management systems have grown in sophistication. Early iterations allowed you to follow dots on a map but today you can generate much more granular information, supporting real-time business decisions that maximise the efficiency of your fleet. Of course, what you need to know varies wildly from industry to industry. The metrics that matter to a company transporting livestock won’t necessarily be the same for a waste management firm. Fleet management software improves your business visibility straight out of the box but the key to unlocking greater value lies in integration with other smart technology.…