Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 373 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

“They failed to lead and they failed to plan and they were rewarded in their failure” And so it begins. It only took a matter of months for the ‘infrastructure surcharge’, which those cunning stevedores decided container haulage firms would have to pay to do their jobs, proliferated. Now two other firms, Price & Speed and ANJ Container Services, both relative minnows compared with Qube’s stevedoring subsidiary Patrick and stevedore DP World, have joined what could well be a feeding frenzy. Anyone in the trucking industry still wondering why ATN has taken such a keen interest in the container haulage sector’s recent travails should take time to mull over the implications here. They should consider the issue as on a par with state governments singling trucking out for special costs…

There are signs the rate of wage increases in enterprise agreements negotiated in the road transport industry may have bottomed out, according to the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO). Speaking in his capacity of ARTIO secretary and treasurer, Victorian Transport Association (VTA) CEO Peter Anderson says a recent ARTIO review of hundreds of enterprise agreements lodged in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) in the road transport industry since the second half of 2011 show a slight uptick in the rate of wages growth in 2017 to date, compared with 2016. “The apparent plateauing of wage growth follows a steady decline in the rate of wages growth each year in the five years to 2016,” Anderson says. He notes enterprise agreements may also include variations related to superannuation and other…

“Accreditation schemes have proven benefits for road safety across a number of heavy vehicle sectors” THE NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR (NHVR) has commissioned an independent review into heavy vehicle accreditation schemes to support improved road safety. The review will inform future structural and operational improvements in the schemes, according to the regulator. The move comes three years after National Transport Commission (NTC) CEO Paul Retter called for a single accreditation model and in a year when the Australia Trucking Association (ATA) campaigned in support of the industry’s Trucksafe scheme, backed by TruckSafe Industry Accreditation Council chair Professor Michael Coper. “Heavy vehicle accreditation schemes have proven benefits for road safety across a number of heavy vehicle sectors, including trucks, cranes and buses,” NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says. “The national roadworthiness survey…

Dairy foods company Murray Goulburn Co-operative is set to let 60 tanker drivers go as part of a corporate reshaping move. A company statement states that a reduction in milk supply, as well as changed milk collection needs led to the restructure of its Inbound Logistics (IBL) business. A number of support roles are also expected to get the axe, something the company says will improve logistics efficiency and increase earnings. “The phased changes to IBL will significantly increase MG’s logistics efficiency relative to milk intake, while ensuring suffient capacity to manage collections through seasonal peak production,” the company statement notes. The tanker operators who will lose their jobs as part of this move are based in Koroit, Leongatha, Maffra and Rochester. The company says changes to rosters as well…

The New South Wales Joint Traffic Taskforce personnel have concluded a trucking company compliance inspection following a fatal truck collision with a ute near Berrima at the weekend. The truck, bearing Kitco livery, ran through the Hume Freeway median strip before hitting the ute and Kitco has been named as the raided firm in media reports. NSW Police would not confirm that but says 21 trucks and trailers were inspected. Speed limiter and drug and alcohol tests were negative, however: • One vehicle was issued a major defect notice and grounded due to a steering issue • Notices were issued for minor defects including oil leaks, inoperative lights, and worn tyres • One driver was issued a field court attendance notice for work diary offences • Storage, handling, and fatigue…

There is a possibility that self-driving vehicles can create more congestion on Australian roads, according to a recent survey. Contrary to predictions that people will rideshare with self-driving vehicles, the University of Sydney Business School’s latest Transport Opinion Survey (TOPS) found that two thirds of people who said they’d buy a self-driving car also said they wouldn’t lease their vehicle to other users when not in use. The findings of the quarterly survey came out of the School’s Institute of Transport and Logistic Studies (ITLS), and the results fly against predictions made by rideshare advocates. The results of the TOPS survey prompted the ITLS director Professor David Hensher to suggest that the government may have to impose a levy on the use of private cars in order to combat increasing…

TOLL GROUP has appointed former KPMG Asia Pacific chief operating officer Geoff Wilson, left. to its board of directors. He becomes the eighth and final appointment to the Toll board following the rebuilding of the board this year. Toll Holdings reported an annual loss of $1.43 billion last year. It is owned by Japan Post, which paid $6.5 billion for the group in 2015. Wilson, who served 35 years with KPMG, is financially savvy and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Toll Group’s chairman John Mullen welcomed Wilson’s appointment to the board. “His deep knowledge and experience across multiple markets, including Japan, and his leadership of large, dynamic workforces will be invaluable to Toll’s transformation, governance and future growth agenda,” Mullen says. Wilson will also…

“Officials and the industry have been frustrated by the lack of real reforms” In 2018, the amendments to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) chain of responsibility (COR) provisions will come into effect, imposing a primary duty of care on all parties in the chain, including customers, to do everything as far as reasonably practicable to ensure the safety risks arising from transport operations are managed. Some 12 years ago, I attended a pivotal HV safety conference in Sydney, where broad agreement was reached between the industry, enforcement agencies and policy folk from transport agencies that there was a need to impose tough new COR laws to hold all parties in the chain responsible. It was understood then that this would be the only way to get everyone held to…

“It serves as a warning to all transport operators” On November 12, 2016, the unfair contract term provisions in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) were extended to cover terms of standard form involving small businesses. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has recently commenced proceedings taken in the Federal Court against large privately owned waste-management firm JJ Richard & Sons Pty Ltd (JJ Richards). This is the first of its kind and, in our view, many more will follow. It serves as a warning to all transport operators to review the consumer contracts they have with small businesses. THE JJ RICHARDS CASE The ACCC has alleged that, until earlier this year, JJ Richards entered into standard form contracts with a number of small businesses which contained terms that the…

Continuing our very occasional and not at all serious ‘Trucks unlikely ever to make it Down Under’ series, herewith is a TAM 80T50 light rigid. Don’t let the Croatian plate fool you, this is of proudly Slovenian manufacture. TAM stands for Tovarna avtomobilov Maribor, the former Yugoslavia’s one-time biggest truck maker (or as successor firm TAM-Europe has it, “the crown jewel of Yugoslavia’s automotive industry”). It had links with Iveco-friendly Magirus-Deutz and MAN through the decades, which just shows how incestuous European truck manufacture can be. TAM has morphed into bus-making 70 years after it was founded, making repairs a difficult prospect, which might explain the strapping and the state of the seat. Finemore’s Bob Woodward’s humour is so dry it makes the Simpson Desert seem like the Garden of…

“This ... allows ACFS to integrate its service o›ering connecting customers to its aligned shipping lines for best cost solution outcomes” ACFS PORT LOGISTICS has expanded its national operations in Adelaide with the acquisition of empty container depot operations of Kerry Logistics. The empty container business operations will be rebranded ACFS e-Depot, with the move becoming official on October 1. ACFS has also entered into an agreement with Kerry Logistics to lease and manage property leasehold interests. The arrangement will allow ACFS to relocate its transport and warehousing operations to the Gillman facility. ACFS says the newly acquired facility is fully bitumen-sealed and is approximately 27,000sqm in size, including 4500sqm of warehousing and 40 reefer points for the handling and storage of reefers. “This latest acquisition will complement the $10m+…

National Transport Commission (NTC) chief executive Paul Retter has reiterated his position on the need to rationalise Australian heavy vehicle accreditation. Retter was responding to last week’s National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) announcement. “In 2014, I noted that many heavy vehicle operators in Australia were enrolled in more than one heavy vehicle accreditation scheme and that this was both a time-consuming and costly exercise,”Rettertells ATN. “At the time, I suggested there was a need for a move towards a single national accreditation scheme that included all the appropriate core and discretionary modules needed to help manage the safety and sustainability of a diverse range of Australia heavy vehicle operations both – and o›-road. This remains my view. “It is my hope that the review will have an opportunity to examine…

“This change will allow Daimler Truck and Bus to intensify our focus on our customers who have di›erent needs to van and car customers” “FLEXIBILITY” AND “CUSTOMER FOCUS” have been cited as contributing factors in the recent formal split of Daimler Truck and Bus from Mercedes-Benz car and van divisions. From October 1, the three divisions are functioning as separate legal entities as part of a global Daimler strategy, driven from its German headquarters. The move is the latest phase of Daimler’s customer dedication process. According to Daimler Truck and Bus Australia CEO Daniel Whitehead, the move will allow the business to focus on specific customer needs. “We are now a fully dedicated truck and bus company,” Whitehead says. “This change will allow Daimler Truck and Bus to intensify our…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has commissioned compliance officers in South Australia. The compliance officers are equipped with uniforms, badges and vehicle decals with the NHVR’s Safety and Compliance branding, so you’ll be sure to spot them. The regulator’s director of strategy services Kelli Cumming says the team of officers patrol from the new Adelaide head office as well as regional offices in five locations. “Our regional bases are in Mount Gambier, Berri, Murray Bridge, Port Augusta and Ceduna,” Cumming says. “We’ve increased the number of officers to 22 to ensure there is adequate coverage across the state.” Details on the enforcement rights of the officers are yet to surface.…

Victoria has followed New South Wales in implementing a 5 per cent increase in payload to trucks carrying grain during the harvest season of October 1 to April 30, 2018. The Grain Harvest Management Scheme allows participants a 5 per cent mass concession above the statutory general mass limit. It’s available to anyone transporting grain from a farm to a participating grain receiver, provided the vehicle is manufactured on or after January 1, 2002. Currently just three grain receivers – Emerald Grain, Viterra and Broadbent Grain – are on the VicRoads list. Victorian Transport Association (VTA) CEO Peter Anderson welcomes the announcement. “Provisions made for bigger loads mean fewer trips for operators, which will improve their profit and safety margins,” Anderson says. According to VicRoads, the scheme has been initiated…

The national survey of Community Attitudes to Road Safety 2017 was launched by the federal infrastructure and transport minister Darren Chester last month. It will be the first time the survey will address questions on sharing the road with heavy vehicles and drug-impaired driving. Chester says the 24th iteration of the survey, which dates back to 1986, will help improve road safety policies. “Results from previous surveys have revealed the major factors that people most commonly identify as being involved in road crashes are speed, inattention, drink driving, driver distraction and fatigue,” Chester says. “It will be interesting to see what the results are this time. “In the 2017 survey, a sample of Australians will be asked questions on a range of topics, including attitudes to random breath testing (RBT),…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has appointed two new directors in regulatory compliance, and productivity and safety divisions. Tony Martin, right, joins NHVR as director of regulatory compliance and assurance while Greg Fill, far right, takes over the role of director safety standards. Martin has been working with the NHVR since 2011 as the manager of regulatory compliance. He has extensive leadership, business management and operational experience in the heavy vehicle regulatory environment, including 15 years with the NSW Roads and Maritime Services in a variety of management and heavy vehicle compliance operational roles, NHVR states. Meanwhile, Fill also has an extensive career in the transport industry, specialising in the development and implementation of transport-related safety management systems, undertaking safety incident investigations, and building assurance frameworks. “These important roles…

“Women make up just 14 per cent of full-time transport roles” Australia’s transport and trucking industry has long been dominated by men. Women make up just 14 per cent of full-time transport roles and a Clemenger BBDO survey, commissioned by Volvo, shows women account for just 3 per cent of truck drivers. Pam McMillan, owner of D&P Haulage and chair of Transport Women Australia, says this is the way it’s always been. Men aren’t just the managers and drivers, they’re the workers at every part of the logistics chain, the ones buying the trucks and the ones selling them. But the status quo doesn’t cut it anymore. With Australian businesses facing a driver shortage crisis, the industry’s gender gap is under the spotlight. IBISWorld figures show the Australian road freight…

The federal government has provided a $200,000 boost for the development of an industry master code of practice for heavy vehicle safety. The funding comes under the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative program. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) are jointly developing an industry master code, which is due to be submitted to the NHVR for assessment in the first quarter of 2018. To this effect, ALC and ATA have established a company called Safe Trucking and Supply Chains Limited to develop the code of practice. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the industry-wide master code will provide consistent and risk-based approaches to improving safety and compliance with the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). “Led by the Australian Logistics Council and the…

Liquid natural gas and biogas is being introduced to the latest Volvo trucks in order to bring them into line with Euro 6 compliance standards. The Volvo FH LNG and FM LNG will boast the same performance and fuel consumption of Volvo’s diesel-powered trucks, the company says. Available in 420hp (313kW) and 460hp (343kW), the trucks are expected to result in 20-100 per cent lower CO2 emissions, depending on the choice of LNG or bio-LNG, according to the manufacturer. The trucks are powered by gas engines utilising diesel cycle technology, rather than the Otto cycle typically used for gas-powered vehicles. The 460hp gas engine delivers maximum torque of 2300Nm, with the 420hp version giving 2100Nm. Volvo director of environment and innovation Lars Mårtensson says both the climate and balance sheets…

MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS of heavy vehicles and their components have raised significant concerns on the performance-based standards (PBS) scheme. Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), their representative body, believes PBS benefits must be more broadly understood by policy makers, road managers and the general community. The comments are included in HVIA’s response to the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) discussion paper, Assessing the effectiveness of the PBS Scheme. According to HVIA national manager policy and government relations Greg Forbes, the NTC’s review provides “compelling evidence” of the type and magnitude of benefits the PBS scheme has delivered to the community and to road managers. “It is clear, however that the understanding of these benefits is poor,” Forbes says. “PBS has driven a considerable amount of innovation in the heavy vehicle sector, however,…

“Unless remedial action is taken, the problem is set to worsen” THE AUSTRALIAN LOGISTICS COUNCIL (ALC) has reiterated its view that governments must initiate relevant policy implementation to support growing freight task in CBD areas. The transport industry is facing increasing challenges while delivering freight to all major urban centres, particularly CBD areas, because national “cities are not freight-friendly”, ALC MD Michael Kilgariff says. ALC attributes this problem to lack of proper planning that accounts for freight movement and “unless remedial action is taken, the problem is set to worsen”. Currently in Australia, urban planning systems are not in line with urban freight delivery policies, particularly in CBD areas, with many policies impeding freight transport by limiting access to heavy vehicles, ALC states. “A lack of adequate street loading zones,…

In an effort that is being cast as a pre-Christmas shot across Amazon’s bow but could do for its other competitors as well, Australia Post is trialling free distribution to online shoppers of more than 40 brands. The catch is that they will have to join a $9.95 membership program, Shipster, and spend $25 or more with participating brands and stores. Last year, it took parcel delivery operators until the end of November to spruik their Christmas shopping initiatives but, like other things surrounding the festive season, things have started earlier. Shipster members will have their shipping costs automatically deducted on eligible purchases at the checkout. Australia Post acting MD and group CEO Christine Corbett says the service has been launched “just in time for savvy shoppers to get organised…

“We are preparing our current workforce for new ways of working to ensure they remain part of our industry” AUSTRALIA’S FIRST FULLY autonomous heavy haul rail journey has been successfully carried out in Western Australia. The nearly 100km pilot was conducted by Rio Tinto as part of its AutoHaul project to transport iron ore in the Pilbara region. The company’s AutoHaul project is focused on fully automating trains that transport iron ore to four port facilities by late 2018. The project began running trains in autonomous mode (with drivers onboard) in the first quarter of 2017, with currently about 50 per cent of pooled fleet rail kilometres completed in autonomous mode. The inaugural fully automated rail run was completed without a driver on board, with Rio Tinto teams and representatives…

The CBH Group says it has set a Western Australian shipping and rail records for the largest amount of grain moved by the co-operative over a 12-month period. A total of 15.01 million tonnes was shipped from October 1, 2016 to September 30 through CBH’s four port terminals in Geraldton, Kwinana, Albany and Esperance. This includes the monthly record of 1.89 million tonnes in January. There were record rail movements with a total of 8.65 million tonnes moved in the same period, beating the previous high of 8.53 million tonnes in 2013-14. The annual records were driven by the bumper 2016-17 harvest and “the ability of the co-operative’s supply chain to meet the high volumes”, CBH GM operations David Capper says. “More than half of the amount shipped, just over…

THE AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION (ATA) TRUCKSAFE board has welcomed two new directors. Industry expert Peter Elliot and Holding Redlich’s national transport team partner, Nathan Cecil, were appointed to the board last week. ATA says Elliot and Cecil will work with TruckSafe members to “underscore safe and responsible operations ... and help deliver the TruckSafe safety accreditation program”. Cecil, a leading expert in the transport sector, specialises in shipping, logistics, road transport and trade law, and has particular expertise in heavy vehicle regulation and chain of responsibility laws. He was named one of Australia’s best lawyers in transportation, trade and international arbitration in the 2016 AFR Best Lawyers in Australia guide. Elliot has been part of the trucking industry for more than 40 years and has worked across numerous operations and…

Dedicated programs addressing pay equity have resulted in Australia Post reporting a zero per cent gender pay gap this year. It is the second time the company has conducted an annual pay analysis between male and female employees, with results improving from 1.4 per cent difference reported last year. The result means Australia Post has broken the national average of 16 per cent gender pay gap. Women account for 37.5 per cent of all management staff including, the CEO, CFO, deputy chair and company secretary. Acting MD and Group CEO Christine Corbett attributes the record gender pay parity to targeted programs and the company’s efforts to nurture talent. “Australia Post is one of the largest employers in the country, so we are extremely pleased to report that we have reached…

“It’s vitally important that the conversation about safety is measured” In early September, the weekend Fairfax papers carried a story on truck safety and recent accidents. Any casual reader would have been left with a very bad, and very wrong, picture of the trucking industry. Every fatality on our roads is one too many, and has significant human, social and financial costs. For this reason, it’s vitally important that the conversation about safety is measured, focused on improving outcomes, and doesn’t gloss over the progress that has been made. If you don’t talk about the good news, you’ll risk not recognising how we can achieve even better safety outcomes. Your trucking industry is a leading voice on how we can deliver improved safety outcomes. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and…

A couple of kilometres in a couple of trucks can’t tell you much. Or can it? Despite many decades of driving trucks of all shapes and sizes, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve driven a concrete agitator. And, until now, I’d never driven a 10x4 version. Still, I was keen to grab the offer of a stint behind the wheel, first in a standard 10-wheeler and, immediately after, one of the latest ‘low-profile’ designs. With eight cubic metres of ‘mud’ rolling around behind, the standard unit certainly felt top heavy as it was sedately guided around suburban streets laced with traffic, traffic lights and roundabouts. Even so, it was nothing a bit of care couldn’t counter. Ten minutes later, at a big construction site…