Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 368 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

“Skills and attributes needed for growing when things are good differ markedly when they aren’t” The celebration of the Brisbane Truck Show’s 50th year was one of those opportunities to stare at old black-and-white photographs and marvel at how far we’ve come. One shows Sir William Knox as he was to be but then plain old transport minister Bill alighting from a Banhams Thorneycroft truck, possibly an A2 of similar vintage (he was born in 1927), with sponsor Haulmark’s Bernie Quinn in attendance. Another shows Knox on the back of the flatbed surveying a crowd of, oooh, dozens of men and women in hats as he opened the inaugural event with a BMC amongst other makes in the background. Knox was an adventurous expat Victorian who went to Queensland to…

Despite internal and external pressures, the road freight sector is treading on a growth path, a recent report reveals. Industry revenue is expected to grow by 2.3 per cent per annum from $40.5 billion in 2015-16 to $47 billion in 2021-22. The figures are “marginally lower” than the 2.8 per cent GDP growth predictions for the same period, Bankwest’s Industry Overview Report states. One of the reasons for this upward trajectory is the price of diesel, which has been at its lowest levels since 2010-11 at 122.7 cents per litre on an average for almost the past 12 months, the report notes. The ongoing cargo port facilities developments and improvements are seen as another good sign for the industry. With road and port infrastructure being major external drivers of industry…

 WHILE THE IMPENDING unveiling of the Tesla Semi Truck is far from the only thing on Tesla founder Elon Musk’s mind, he teased the September event in true vehicle manufacturer style. “We want to show that an electric truck actually can out-torque any diesel semi” Musk used this year’s TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talks event in Canada’s Vancouver to show a silhouetted image of the prime mover and to make some pointed claims about the power of its electric propulsion. “With the Tesla Semi, we want to show that an electric truck actually can out-torque any diesel semi. If you had a tug of war competition, the Tesla Semi will tug the diesel semi uphill,” Musk is quoted by the TED media organisation as saying. Musk also reportedly described its…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has upped the ante on the 165,000 companies that make up Australia’s supply chains who will be required to take steps to deliver a safer road transport industry under new laws coming in mid-2018. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto recently released 10 fact sheets that cover information for roles such as consignees, consignors, loaders, packers, schedulers, executives and employers. “We’ve now delivered more than 30 information forums across Australia and I’m pleased to see many companies in the supply chain undertaking their role in safety and taking practical steps to ensure they meet the new laws from mid-2018,” Petroccitto said at the South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) conference. The NHVR information packs and forums will make it easier for duty holders to understand and assess…

 THE QUEENSLAND TRANSPORT “What was never raised was the application of both a fine and loss of three demerit points” Association (QTA) had been involved very early in discussions on ways to avoid traffic and transit issues on the M1 during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year. This led to temporary measures being announced to improve traffic flow on the M1, including restricting trucks over 4.5 tonnes to the two left lanes from the M1/ M3 merge at Eight Mile Plains to Nerang-Broadbeach Road, from this August onwards. While state roads and road safey minister Mark Bailey asserts that authorities have been “working with peak bodies”, QTA CEO Gary Mahon says they were not part of the thrust of consultations. “While, we as an association were consulted and are…

The South Australian government sees the prospect of bulk grain logistics efficiencies as justifying its probe into export supply chain costs. With agribusiness Viterra dominating the state export services landscape, it is accepted in transport circles that it is the main focus of the Essential Services Commission of SA (ESCOSA) inquiry, though it is not named as such by the state government or farmers. “This is an important review for the South Australian grain industry and it will complement the other efforts we have been making to improve productivity,” a government spokesperson tells ATN when asked what aspect of road and rail transport was of particular concern. “This review is aimed at giving the grain sector confidence and enabling the industry to identify any areas where efficiencies in South Australia’s…

Why are there so many unique heavy duty engine oil specifications? Many years ago we had only a few options in the list of engine oils often with only a viscosity grade as the notable difference, such as 20W-40, 20W-50, 15W-40 or SAE 40. Now there are so many variations it can be difficult to make the correct choice. So what has changed? As a very general rule the updates to specifications are usually driven by gains in wear protection, emission control, fuel saving and in some cases, all of these. Most Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) spend a great deal of time and effort in development which will give them a competitive edge. As such, the work they do is rarely shared amongst their competitors. This may then lead to…

The $120 million facility in Melbourne’s west is the first Asia-Pacific headquarters for NewCold and is set to create 127 full-time jobs in the City of Melton’s newly developed Agar Industrial Estate. NewCold’s automatic warehousing technology was the clincher behind McCain signing its first ever 10-year contract. The facility is currently under construction by storage equipment manufacturer Dematic and will consist of an integrated system combining automated pallet handling systems using in-house warehouse and control software developed by NewCold, allowing for a more stable temperature regime and accurate stock control. It will use unmanned stacker cranes, conveyors and automated truck unloading systems to handle more than 11,000 pallets of food products a day. Its second warehouse will handle chilled dairy product for Fonterra Australia and will be based in Truganina.…

Tesla fans are of a distinctly modern turn of mind as you’d expect. And that means focus and concentration are sometimes not a strong suit. How do we know? Well, there’s Elon Musk, all brain the size of a planet, revealing via Twitter that the Tesla Semi will be seen in the metal in September, once that pesky affordable Model 3 is out of the way. And what do we get? Well, of course it’s a grammar-Nazi, almost immediately: “@elonmusk I love you, but please. Unveil is a verb. Unveiling/reveal are nouns.” Fortunately, Musk had one of those grammar-Allies on hand to pull the crazed curmudgeon into line: “Yes, but in this case ‘Tesla Semi truck’ are modifiers for the verb. It’s not classy, but it’s passable grammar.” Not so,…

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is seeking more information on how Toll is to proceed with the reset reiterated by parent company Japan Post Holdings. The union says Toll workers have requested that the company put forward a turnaround plan to staff following recent difficulties. TWU national assistant secretary Michael Kaine says past management failings had led to the company’s current difficulties. “In recent years management salaries have grown, creating 80 millionaires at Toll,” Kaine says. “This came at the same time as the workforce raised repeated concerns about costly outside hire, over-expanded new businesses, poor investment decisions in new technology, and the company’s expansion into marginal and difficult parts of the world. “We want assurances from the new management team that the mistakes of the past have been learned.”…

Alternative transport fuels’ struggles in Australia continue with a new report showing fuel-grade ethanol use at a six-year low and a collapse of the bio-diesel industry. The report, Australian Biofuels 2017, by APAC Biofuel Consultants, a joint venture between EnergyQuest and Ecco Consulting allows only the merest sliver of a silver lining in non-food-sourced feedstock projects. But that is all but overwhelmed by a slump in demand and supply, according to the annual review of commercial, economic and policy developments currently affecting the Australian biofuel industry. The bad news in Australia comes as European truck manufacturers and some fleets have invested in the fuel and technology through the decade. Demand for all biofuels also slumped in 2015-16 to 255 megalitres (ML) – down 63 per cent on the previous year,…

 AUSTRALIA’S SMALL business Ombudsman and transport and logistics peak bodies have welcomed funding allocations in the 2017-18 Budget. “The vast majority of trucking businesses are small businesses” While the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) is pleased with federal government’s commitment to continue funding road safety infrastructure programs, the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) welcomes the $8.4 billion commitment towards the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project. ALC also commends the government for allocating $5.3 billion to construct the Western Sydney Airport and $75 million to duplicate the Port Botany freight rail line. Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Kate Carnell says small businesses will benefit from the $20,000 instant asset write-off scheme that has been extended to June 30 next year. The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) highlights…

The current road funding model fails to link the cost of road use with road investment, a Productivity Commission (PC) report states. A direct road user charging system that is “more cost-reflective” can result in a “more sustainable revenue” base to cover road expenditures and remove the heavy vehicle access restrictions, PC’s farming report, Regulation of Agriculture, suggests. Some of the common concerns raised by farm businesses were identified as including: • inconsistent heavy vehicle regulation between jurisdictions • restrictions on access to the road network, especially on local roads at the start and end of a journey • processing times for road access permits • restrictions on moving oversized agricultural machinery. The PC recommends reduced red tape on transport of agricultural goods through more “streamlined and simplified” regulatory framework,…

Hooper to handle Couriers Please operations COURIERS PLEASE (CP) has appointed Hoy Yen Hooper as its chief operating officer (COO). Hooper, left, is tasked to drive the strategy and innovation of the company’s national operations as it expands its delivery and courier network across the country and overseas, the company says. She will be responsible for the overall management, performance and strategic direction of CP’s operations and instilling a customer-led product focus approach within the organisation. The new COO has nearly two decades of general management and commercial experience in the Australian and New Zealand logistics and supply chain sectors, most recently as the head of commercial operations at Sendle, and previously, managing director at DHL eCommerce Oceania, and commercial and operations manager at Deutsche Post Global Mail (Australia). “I…

With no previous transport experience, Graham Ryall has helped Coastal Transport Services (CTS) fast-track its entry into the Sydney market, leaping over hurdles with perfect strides. It’s not often that a 25-year-old accountant becomes the chief executive of a transport company. Ryall joined CTS in 2007 as a management accountant with no transport knowledge, but a second degree in IT. Three years later he became the company’s general manager and only three months ago was named the CEO. Leading the way of a dynamic 30-year-old company, Ryall has established successful operations, expanding the firm’s domestic workforce. Perhaps it was the rapport based on trust and mutual confidence that saw CTS director Ray Graetz comfortably semi-retire following Ryall’s appointment. Ryall’s holistic business approach has seen the company’s revenue rise from $5…

One of the executives of North American supply chain and fleet management provider Ryder System suggests supply chain can benefit from distributed ledger technology in more ways than one. For instance, it is suggested that something as basic as truck maintenance can be put on a blockchain to add a level of transparency in the system that helps operators and drivers alike. Ryder group director of supply chain excellence Tom Kroswek says that currently the process of a driver vehicle condition report (DVCR), which incorporates condition of transport equipment and information related to operation, safety, maintenance and user, is a “a very paper-intensive process”. However, if automated and put on a blockchain, “all of the inspection and maintenance information could travel with the equipment throughout its lifecycle”, Kroswek wrote in…

International ’s tilt at returning to Australian prominence will centre on four Prostar versions marketed through Iveco and related dealerships. Flagged by Navistar at the last Brisbane Truck Show, the project, which is just short of two years in the making, made its official debut this week with unveilings to dealers and the industry media. “Having the International product added to our very extensive product range already, having the conventional 15-litre, is a real cap across our entire product range,” Iveco Australia and New Zealand MD Michael Jonson says. While the final dealership network setup was still being finalised at the time of the launch, Australia and New Zealand executive GM Ray Osgood of parent firm CNH Industrial (CNHI) reveals Iveco’s sister dealerships for CNHI agriculture-focused Case IH will have…

Supplying a fully integrated digital transport management system for Australian road freight transport and logistics is a mammoth challenge in itself. But giving ongoing support and education to your customers – some of whom are new to all of this – is equally daunting. Melbourne-based company CMS Transport Systems recently held a customer-focused conference that aimed to explain the nuances of their much-touted transport management system, Freight 2020. Getting your customers in one room for one day and delivering presentations on the different elements of your service and answering questions is a good way of consolidating your time and effort, even if it takes a lot of effort and expense to set up and organise. In this respect, the conference itself could be a metaphor for its very topic: Freight…

Let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, Chinese-manufactured vehicles don’t have a great track record in Australia. ‘Cheap and cheerful’ only worked for a bit before issues around build quality, dealer back-up, parts availability and, in some cases, reliability kicked in. No doubt there’s plenty of cultural chauvinism around these vehicles. However, only the naïve or the ignorant will state that the Chinese will never cut it. Just as the Japanese did all those decades ago and just as the Koreans did more recently, make no mistake the Chinese manufacturers will produce world-quality cars and light commercials – and they are already well on the way. Which brings us the Great Wall Steed. A facelifted version of the old Great Wall V240 ute that graced our shores a few…

The South Australian Supreme Court has rejected trucking company owner Peter Colbert’s endangering life and manslaughter sentencing appeal. The three judges sitting as the Court of Criminal Appeal, in findings released recently, rejected unanimously the Colbert Transport boss’ contentions that: • His 12-year sentence was excessive • The sentencing judge failed to place adequate weight on his physical and mental health issues • The sentencing judge erred in placing excessive weight on his 1996 convictions for rape. The maximum penalty for endangering life is 15 years and for manslaughter it is life imprisonment. Colbert was sentenced to five years for the former and nine years for the latter, with a non-parole period of eight years and 11 months further reduced by 18 months to account for time spent in custody…

 GOVERNMENTS SHOULD level the playing field between the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) and TruckSafe, according to Australian Trucking Association (ATA) chair Geoff Crouch. “The NHVAS enjoys a net competitive advantage as a result of its public ownership” Crouch’s call came as the ATA released its submission to the review of the federal government’s competitive neutrality policy. “The NHVAS enjoys a net competitive advantage as a result of its public ownership,” Crouch says. TruckSafe was established before the NHVAS and is operated by the ATA. “Businesses accredited under TruckSafe are required to meet five key standards, and are audited by independent, qualified auditors,” Crouch says. “TruckSafe includes additional safety requirements under its maintenance standard compared to the NHVAS, requires operators to meet all five mandatory standards, uses a more…

While much has been made of the federal Budget’s focus on infrastructure, questions are being asked about unevenness in total and specifically the allocation for South Australia. The state, which already has prickly relationship intergovernmental relations with Canberra, has seen ire raised on the freight front already and that has been amplified by the South Australia Road Transport Association (SARTA), which sees the state Liberal opposition’s chances at next year’s election being sacrificed. SARTA believes that, despite a promise and commitment by the federal government to fund completion of the crucial Northern Connector within 10 years, “the failure to provide any new funding for that project, or any other SA infrastructure project, means that the Northern Connector project will not be completed”. According to think tank Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, the…

 THE AUSTRALIAN LOGISTICS Council (ALC) and the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) discussed priority areas that need government action in a meeting recently. “Once our products leave the farm gate we are heavily reliant on our transport and infrastructure networks to reach consumers” The outcome of the Sydney meeting aims to help shape contributions from both ALC and NFF towards the development of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy. ALC MD Michael Kilgariff says the two sides discussed critical infrastructure challenges in the way of Australia’s freight logistics and farming sectors, and regulatory changes and funding focus that can usher operational improvements. “The meeting allowed ALC and the NFF to explore the key infrastructure issues involved in getting produce from the farm into our cities and ports,” Kilgariff says. He…

“We need to recognise the hard work and efforts of our drivers” As you well may be aware, I am now retired as chair of the ATA and, as such, I find myself reflecting on my tenure. The most important thing I reflect on is that safety is paramount to all parties in our industry; any death is one too many. Safety must remain a high priority for the ATA. Each year, there is an event at Tarcutta that commemorates the lives of truck drivers who have been killed in the course of employment, and people who are affiliated with the industry. I was asked to speak at this function in 2015. The grief displayed by family members who have lost their loved ones while working in our industry was…

If you are a manager of a business which is a link in the chain of responsibility (COR), no doubt you are already thinking about how to prepare for the changes to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) coming in mid-2018 – including the substantial increase in maximum penalties to $3 million for corporations and $300,000 plus up to five years’ imprisonment for individuals. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to COR compliance, and the new laws are designed to ensure businesses craft their COR policies and practices in ways that will manage the specific risks arising from their transport activities. However, over the coming months there are some general steps you can take which will help your business spruce up its COR suite. This task can seem overwhelming, but it…

It was with a certain but somewhat understated satisfaction that International engineering manager in Australia Adrian Wright explained the attractions of the Australian ProStar. Wright’s flat, matter-of-fact delivery would have hidden his feelings to the uninitiated but his words belied that, as did his mention of accommodating the 15-litre Cummins engine with a short bumper to back of cab (BBC) measure. “For Australia, we are the first ones to actually fit the 15-litre under the short hood,” he says. “The short hood is a derivative of the US truck but this was the first time they found a 15-litre engine in that configuration.” He was more voluble about the aerodynamics and visibility of the various cabs, though, arguing that the wraparound windscreen and short nose arc gives more visibility than…

Fuso’s updated Canter range received a road test workout around Melbourne recently, but not before announcing key changes to the brand based around improved after-sales support and improved parts and servicing offering. Changes to the popular light-duty Canter range that was launched are predominantly cosmetic, centred around improving driver experience following customer feedback. Among the changes are an updated interior trim, this time black and grey rather than blue, a silver-top grille louvre, improved seat padding and more durable bolstering, LED interior lighting, and additional in-cab storage. The Canter still uses the peppy 3-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, in both 110kW (148hp) and 129kW (173hp) guise, which delivers drive through either a 5-speed manual or 6-speed twin-clutch Duonic AMT. A crowd pleaser within the updated Canter range at the launch was…