Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 369 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

PATRICK CONTAINER TERMINALS will impose new “infrastructure surcharges” in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle starting July 10. The change includes introduction of infrastructure surcharges at the Sydney and Fremantle terminals and increasing existing infrastructure surcharge at the Fisherman Islands and East Swanson Dock terminals. The company says the new surcharge on containers at Sydney and Fremantle brings these terminals in line with Patrick’s other terminals. The rates of the surcharges are: • Sydney – $25.45 per box • Fremantle – $4.76 per box • Fisherman Islands – $32.55 per box • East Swanson Dock – $32.00 per box. Patrick’s decision comes three months after DP World imposed container surcharges at its Sydney and Melbourne terminals, a move that sparked intense criticism from the container haulage industry. The Container Terminal Alliance…

“Its members will benefit when wealthy clients are forced to pay their fair share” ‘SAFE RATES’ continues to be a burr under the saddle of Transport Workers Union/industry body relations, even though safety discussions do take place between the sides. The latest friction involves a 2014 email from South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) executive officer Steve Shearer to the TWU and released by its South Australia/Northern Territory branch. The union cast the email as highlighting a disconnect between SARTA’s stated concerns and opposition to the RSRT. “What we need is for the government to fund an independent body which can investigate these pressures and hold these wealthy clients to account for the pressure in transport that is killing people,” TWU SA/NT branch secretary Ian Smith says. “We concur with…

“The audience included a tremendous calibre of business customer” The month of May saw another successful Brisbane Truck Show take place. Run by Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), the show attracted the cream of Australia’s commercial vehicle transport industry. HVIA chief executive Brett Wright says 33,763 people came through the door for the 2017 edition, beating the previous attendance figures for 2015. “More importantly, anecdotal evidence tells us the audience included a tremendous calibre of business customer,” Wright says. The 2017 Brisbane Truck Show covered 35,000sqm over three levels of the venue, filling every space with a spectacular array of trucks, trailers, technology, components and equipment. “Exhibitors really need to be commended for the presentation of their displays. “They really went all out to create a special visitor experience, so…

Winners of the 2017 Brisbane Truck Show Awards were announced at a special event on May 25 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The new Mercedes-Benz Actros took out the award for Best Heavy Duty Truck, beating Kenworth’s new T610 and T610SAR, and Iveco’s Stralis AS-l Series II. Hino’s much-vaunted new 500 Series Wide Cab was voted the Best Light to Medium Duty Truck. However, it was the MaxiTrans group that brought home the bounty with four awards. MaxiTrans’ Freighter T-Liner Mark II with load restraint gates was voted Best Trailer, while Freighter’s Hanging Load Restraint Gates was voted the Best Component, Equipment or Service Innovation. In addition, Freighter’s T-Liner Mark II curtain system won the Best Australian Designed and Engineered Product award, as well as the Best Australian…

From the moment it arrived on Australian soil in the late ‘90s, Argosy had the potential to blow Kenworth’s K-series out of the water as the leading US cab-over. Obviously it didn’t, and all indicators suggest it never will. That, however, does not change the fact Argosy was a huge burst of fresh thinking in American cab-over design, sporting so much more than a K-series that, back then, had become outdated in both form and function. In effect, old and awkward! With Argosy came advances in driver comfort, convenience and style, which almost overnight made Kenworth’s long-serving cab-over archaic in comparison. It would, in fact, take Kenworth well over a decade to catch up with the stunningly surprising and, equally, surprisingly stunning K200. From the outset, Argosy was modern, exciting,…

To find these products online, go to fullyloaded.com.au and enter the TA code shown below in the Keyword search panel. 2007 DAF CF85 Low kilometres, near-new vacuum unit, auto shift QLD 07 3171 1768 $126,500 inc GST 2014 DAF FTTCF85 4 x 2014 CF85 DAF day cab prime movers or suit tipper & dog application. 460hp @ 1850ft-lb. 12-Speed automated transmission. Meritor RT46-160 diffs. Kenworth airglide rear suspension. ABS/EBS air controls for trailers. NSW 02 6171 3465 $$157,690 inc GST 2009 DAF CF85 460 Eight-wheel tipper. New Hardox bin with top swing and wrap around tailgate. New electric roll tarp. New hoist and subframe. Auto ZF gearbox. Mine spec including ROPS & FROPS Emergency stops. Day & night auto-adjusting reverse alarms. WA 0408 873 231 $175,000 inc GST 2009 DAF…

While the big news out of Iveco in recent times has been the much-anticipated announcement that it will once again add the International brand to its product portfolio, there can be no question the lighter classes continue to be an intense focus for the European conglomerate. And rightly so! After all, it’s in the lighter ends of the commercial vehicle business where Iveco has kicked the greatest goals over recent years, notably with the sales volumes of its versatile Daily range. By comparison, the big end of the family has largely languished. This year up to the end of April, for instance, Iveco held just 4.8 per cent of the heavy-duty market, putting it only one short step ahead of the lowest ranked European brand in the heavy-duty class. For…

“We now have information that allows us to utilise our road network in a more effi cient way” The middle of the calendar year is transport industry conference time, and data management and collection for a variety of uses is an increasingly high-level issue for discussion. The recent Victorian Transport Association (VTA) state conference was a case in point, and there seems little doubt that one impetus for transport and logistics companies and technology service companies alike is the government trend to computerise compliance in everything about the industry, from road taxes and access, to chain of responsibility. Though that might sound somewhat negative, there are productivity gains to be had as well, such as lowering bridge load factor of 2 down to 1.6, through verifiable on-board mass systems, as…

The town of Boort in regional Victoria would have to be one of the few places in Australia where you can wake to the sound of gunfire and not think that you are about to be the victim of a home invasion. Though, my sleep-addled and rather disoriented brain didn’t really compute this as I instinctively dived to the floor and rolled under the bed. It took a couple of seconds for my senses to catch up with the fact that I was rolling around in the dust bunnies for no real reason as what sounded like an artillery barrage rattled the windows of my hotel room. Clearly I’m hero material. It was, of course, actually the start of duck hunting season. Once I realised this, I managed to extract…

THE NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR (NHVR) has finished Australia’s first national heavy vehicle health check, inspecting more than 7000 heavy vehicles and 11,000 total units between August and November 2016, and the results are finally here. The health check, officially coined the National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey (NRBS), targeted every sector of the road transport industry, accumulating a staggering 6 million data points relating to fleet health. The results place Australia well when compared with the UK and US, which had substantially higher rates of non-conformity amongst their national fleets. Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester says the results of the NRBS will provide further focus on inspection programs and help measure improvements in the mechanical condition of the heavy vehicle fleet. “The survey covered 7,130 heavy vehicles between…

“Alternatively, legislation mandating 30-day payment should be introduced” MORE THAN 30 COMPANIES have signed a voluntary code of conduct that aims to encourage businesses to pay their suppliers on time. Although the initiative has received a nod of approval from the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) and the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad), both parties are sceptical any significant changes will result from the move. While welcoming the news, ASBFEO Kate Carnell expresses doubt that the Business Council of Australia (BCA’s) Australian Supplier Payment Code will be able to tackle the issue of unreasonable payment times. She is calling for a ‘national payment transparency register’ to independently monitor payment terms and practices. The register will provide an independent space where companies can be held responsible for unreasonable…

“A major issue, according to the NRFA, is the lack of leeway around driving hours” A RECENT MOVE in the United States is causing questions to be raised about Australia’s current fatigue laws. The Federal Motor Carrrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the US is proposing a three-month program to study the safety implications of letting drivers split up their compulsory eight-hour sleep break. The FMCSA wants to give about 200 truck drivers permission to split their eight-hour sleep break, and study their “safety performance and fatigue levels”. Currently in the US, drivers are forced to take an eight-hour break in the sleeper, plus two extra consecutive hours off duty before recommencing work. In Australia, drivers from states participating in the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Heavy Vehicle National Law are bound…

VIDEO: THE DAF DIMENSION DAF continues to grow market share in the world’s most competitive heavy vehicle markets. Australia is next and the new CF85, with the strong 510hp MX-13 engine widely known for its effi ciency, spells a new era for DAF down under. VIDEO: RENAULT TRAFIC VAN Renault’s mid-size van contender has just expanded its horizons with the addition of a second row of seats. It’s an option for those who want a dual-purpose vehicle that works during the week and can haul family and friends on weekends. VIDEO: NEXT GENERATION SCANIA Fresh from winning the International Truck of the Year 2017 award, Scania’s Next Generation S 500 model was on display at the Brisbane Truck Show. Here is a taste from Sweden of what the locals have…

“About nine out of 10 fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles are caused by the other party, not the truck” While spreading the message of safe driving around trucks is becoming a fraught issue between parts of the industry and the government on a national level, the industry is tackling it directly with more impressionable minds. At the wheel of this initiative, and driving the message home, is the individual who is one of the best-equipped to do the job. The vehicle is the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) Safety Truck. It has been seen by many on the roads at some point, and many have also met the man in the driver’s seat – Glen Schmidtke. What people might not know, though, is that Schmidtke has been driving trucks for all…

INTERNATIONAL: BORN AGAIN Previewed in Australia for the first time at the 2015 Brisbane Truck Show, where it won the Truck of the Show award, International ProStar has found a home down under. After long-winded negotiations with Navistar in the US, Iveco is now the distributor of the versatile American truck, which was showcased alongside Iveco’s Stralis flagship. Under ProStar’s sloping snout is an industry-standard driveline punched by a 15-litre X15 Cummins coupled to manual or automated versions of Eaton’s ever-reliable 18-speeder, feeding through a Dana driveline into Meritor diffs mounted on Hendrickson Primaax air-suspension. Cabs come in three forms: day cab, extended cab and full-size integrated sleeper. Word has it that Iveco dealers are excited to again have International on the books but the big hope is that this…

The road transport industry’s insatiable demand for high-productivity, low tare-weight combinations has put Australia on the map as a leader in trailer innovation. A distinct increase in made-to-order trailer demand has been brewing since the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) performance-based standards (PBS) scheme was introduced in 2007, with industry choosing to move more freight with fewer trucks. From tippers to A-double trailer sets, the theme at Brisbane Truck Show this year was high productivity options for just about every application. Some trailer standouts had displays normally reserved for spacious showrooms, somehow fitting an impressive array of high-quality trailers into the bustling Brisbane Exhibition Centre. ATN took a look at some impressive industry innovators with show setups that hauled the patrons in. VAWDREY Family-owned manufacturer Vawdrey has more than 40…

To find these products online, go to fullyloaded.com.au and enter the TA code shown below in the Keyword search panel. 2012 FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 110 mid roof Two-pedal Smart Shift gearbox, DD15 Detroit @ 560hp, travelled 1,016,505km, 106-tonne rated, Viesa, alloy bullbar, draw fridge, full service history. NSW 02 8279 7053 $110,000 inc GST 2011 FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 110 Mid roof, 525 Detroit fully rebuilt by Detroit including cams and rockers injectors, Super singles on steer as new – 80% on drive, 2 x UHF radios, BT stereo, TV in bunk. This truck is in excellent condition inside and out. VIC 0439 048 199 $82,500 inc GST TA753623 2010 FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 101 525hp Detroit, 18-speed manual, 90-tonne B-double rated, travelled 735,670km, rear air bag suspension, Veisa, ›xed turntable. NSW 02 8279 7053…

Unveiling one of the European truck industry’s best-kept secrets, DAF shocked competitors and visitors alike at the recent Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show in the UK with its showcase of a new generation of CF and XF models. Building on the strong market acceptance of its current Euro 6 models throughout Europe and the UK, DAF says this new generation of models will go into European production later this year equipped with engine innovations, new drivelines and aerodynamic optimisations that will deliver up to 7 per cent lower fuel consumption than existing models. With its current MX-11 and MX-13 Euro 6 engines, DAF is already regarded as one of the most fuel-efficient brands in the commercial vehicle industry. However, DAF principals insist the new ‘DAF Connect’ fleet management system will drive…

To find these products online, go to fullyloaded.com.au and enter the TA code shown below in the Keyword search panel. 2010 IVECO EUROCARGO ML120E25 Euro 5, 10-pallet curtain-sider, 184,256km, refurbished with new curtains, new rear doors, safety gates, roof and nose cone one owner, service history like a new one. QLD 07 3073 8129 $64,950 inc GST 2014 IVECO EUROCARGO Ideal business for a couple that wants to get paid to travel around Australia. Prefer long-term. 9-metre tilt tray with a sleeper cab and a 6m, 6-tonne flatbed trailer. Able to transport 4 cars, 9m caravans, 20’ containers, tractors, small trucks. WA 0400 303 602 $6,600 Lease payments 2012 IVECO EUROCARGO 160E28 ML160 high-roof sleeper cab, Tector 280hp, auto transmission, Meritor diff with diff lock, steel wheels, alloy tank, suit…

REMAINING CHARGES against Blenners Transport and its managers were dropped earlier this year, Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) tells ATN. This state government action against the firm looks unlikely to re-emerge. Blenners’ owner Les Blennerhassett and company directors involved have always denied the accusations and put up a staunch legal defence of their position over three years. The outcome follows a series of diminishing sets of charges that came after a 2012 department investigation that gained national prominence when it formed part of the ABC Four Corners program, ‘This Trucking Life’. Legal action against management and the company came after 45 drivers pleaded guilty to 148 fatigue-related charges and were fined a total of $65,000. They faced 742 charges on alleged fatigue management and COR breaches in…

POLICE AND OTHER authorised officers will have improved powers to investigate breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and, where appropriate, impose sanctions, under policy changes agreed by Australia’s transport ministers. National Transport Commission (NTC) chief executive Paul Retter says improved investigative and enforcement powers will help to make Australia’s roads safer for everyone. “These changes to the HVNL will help the authorities crack down on illegal practices that put people’s safety at risk – not just people who work in the transport industry but anyone who uses the road,” Retter says. “Where possible these policy changes have been designed to make the rules easier to comply with by more closely aligning them to existing workplace safety regulations.” The changes are expected to help authorities investigate individual crashes and…

Transtex Transport director Shane Blakeborough doesn’t think twice when asked what safety means to him. The father of three values the wellbeing of his drivers more than profits – so much so that he got rid of the $4 million flat-top side of business, one servicing general construction and oil and gas sectors, due to safety risks. Despite losing 25 customers as part of that decision, Blakeborough is adamant that every driver should return home from work. “The chain of responsibility as far as worker’s safety and risk are concerned were too high – it was difficult for a driver to be on top of a trailer and load them, tying them down and chaining, there were just too many OH&S issues and we just felt that the risk to…

The team from the eastern region, representing Queensland and New South Wales, claimed the 2017 Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) National Apprentice Challenge at last month’s Brisbane Truck Show. Angus Thomson, a fourth-year apprentice from Volvo Brisbane South and Drew Charlesworth-Smith, a fourth-year apprentice from Westco Truck Sales, Rockhampton, beat the southern and north-western region teams. The three regional teams worked simultaneously on identical trucks to identify and rectify a series of programmed faults as the clock ticked. “To win, the team was the first to successfully identify and repair all the faults,” HVIA national workforce development manager Mark O’Kane says. “The teachers from TAFE Queensland SkillsTech, who set the faults, made sure the task was anything but a cake-walk. We didn’t expect any of the teams to be able…

Due to its remoteness and small market, Australians could be forgiven for assuming its premier industry event might not garner much international interest. But the international contingent was very much there, as evidenced by the likes of Sweden’s VBG Group Truck Equipment sales director Niko Verstockt and Italy’s Binotto representative Marco Monegato. “BPW Transpec participates at the Brisbane Truck Show many times and I visited them four times in the last six years when they were on show,” Verstockt says. “The big difference this time was the setup of the stand. This time, quality, visibility and presence was on a very high level.” GOUGH TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS Gough Transport Solutions has a wealth of products on the market but the show was an opportunity to debut two of them. In the…

It has surely taken a while, but DAF finally appears to have done everything right in development of a model specifically for the Australian market. And that truck is the versatile CF85 with the top 510hp (380kW) version of Paccar’s MX-13 engine. More than any of its past or present siblings, this truck has the distinct and overdue potential to lift DAF out of the depths of the heavy-duty class and, in the process, provide the brand with the levels of market acceptance long sought but rarely realised. Not for a moment is that meant to suggest DAF will be anytime soon stealing Volvo’s crown as the leading continental cab-over in this country. Absolutely not! As things stand at the moment, the thought is farcical. What it does dare to…

It was perhaps appropriate DAF’s newest model should be coupled to Freighter’s T-Liner Mark II curtain-sided trailer. After all, DAF says its 510hp CF85 is designed specifically for local and regional distribution duties where loading and unloading a traditional curtain-sided trailer is a regular, time-consuming part of the daily routine. Fortunately, Freighter’s latest T-Liner is designed to save substantial time by using less than a third as many buckles while maintaining the same equivalent vertical tension on the curtain. The T-Liner Mark II reduces the number of buckles over a traditional design from 22 to six, saving a significant amount of time at each and every drop while also limiting the risk of repetitive strain injuries. “Less buckles results in less time spent opening and closing curtains,” Freighter general manager…

Graham Lusty Trailers (GLT) displayed its new custom-built transporter especially designed for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team at the 2017 Brisbane Truck Show. Designed by the company’s in-house Brisbane team, the transporter highlights the company’s “ability to push the boundaries of trailer fabrication”. ATN caught up with GLT CEO Graham Lusty and marketing manager Simon Frederiksen during the show to find out more about the company’s future plans and its new race car transporter. Lusty says the company has seen excellent growth over the past 12 months, with both demand for products and volume of inquiries up. GLT now has two factories – one of which produces aluminium bodies and steel chassis and the second factory does fitouts of the trailers, which is also the pick-up location for its…

“I was looking for something very different just to see where we could expand into a different market” Melbourne-based CITO Transport has signed a commercial multi-year agreement with GetSwift, as its customer, Phillip Morris, becomes the tech company’s latest client. CITO director Paul Calleja, who established the company in 2005 out of his garage, has grown the business into a 7500-square-metre warehouse in Tottenham with 56 trucks. He hopes to take the business further thanks to GetSwift. With 900 major accounts on its books, CITO has thousands of customers and handles 250 container movements each month. Calleja believes now is the time to establish a relationship with the tech company as he explores the online sales market. “The whole thing with Phillip Morris is very experimental; we’ve all got into…