Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 398 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

Automotive Holdings Group Refrigerated Logistics (AHGRL) will open its 24th depot following a new development in Mackay, hailing a recent investment spree, which includes “more than $10 million to acquire additional fleet assets” and backing from new owner AP Eagers. The Mackay facility strengthens its northern Queensland network ahead of peak season and will feature frozen, chilled and ambient storage capability across two rooms and four temperature controlled docks with capacity for 1,600 pallets. The depot represents a significant upgrade on AHGRL’s existing Mackay operations by enabling more efficient movement of bulk product closer to its end consumers, the company notes. AHGRL CEO Stephen Cleary says the new Mackay depot would be operational by the end of November in time for the lead up to the pre-Christmas period. “Our new…

A driver, transport company and recycling facility have been penalised by New South Wales authorities after a dangerous goods violation, while an adhesives company is also on notice, the state’s police force reports. NSW Police reports on September 2, Hawkesbury Highway Patrol detected a Victorian-registered B-double travelling in an area it was not authorised to travel in, in Mulgrave (Windsor). “An inspection of the combination established it was carrying dangerous goods consisting of 24.4 tonnes of used lead acid batteries and 1,080 litres of flammable liquid adhesives,” it continues. “Issues were identified relevant to the vehicle and load, which were rectified before the vehicle could continue. “As a result of an investigation with the assistance of the NSW Environment Protection Authority, police issued penalty notices to a number of parties…

Here’s something to help keep things in perspective when it comes to truck safety. Light vehicles cause 80 per cent of heavy vehicle crashes on average, according to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. On the other hand, elements of the truck and dog sector in NSW and Victoria are behaving poorly on safety compliance. And drilling down further on the maintenance side of things, brakes in Sydney and drawbars in Melbourne are a particular problem. These seemed to be the main pictures coming out of the annual “What the Inspectors See” session at the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) Technology and Maintenance Conference (TMC) held in Melbourne in October. Last calendar year in NSW, 10 per cent of all infringement notices were in the “soil/aggregate” category. Those notices were issued via…

Southern Pacific Sands is based on a high-quality silica sand deposit across 2,500 acres in Ningi, Queensland. Southern Pacific Sands is a trusted name for washed and classified sands, and soil products among a wide range of businesses and industries. Being just 40 kilometres away from Brisbane means Southern Pacific Sands has convenient road access throughout the Brisbane metropolitan area, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast regions, as well as to the bulk loading facilities at the Port of Brisbane. Southern Pacific Sands has a proven track record of delivery of a diverse range of quality specialty sands to south-east Queensland and beyond. To complete this task, the Company relies on its fleet of vehicles including Truck and Dog tippers, tankers and concrete vehicles. Currently, the business owns and operates four…

Staying on top of your spending is no easy task. According to the results from Teletrac Navman’s 2019 Benchmark Report, managing costs remains the top challenge for businesses, with reducing operational costs the biggest goal for fleets this year. As businesses begin preparing for the new year, now is the time for transport operators to turn their attention to new technology. Integrating emerging tech into fleets will bring a range of benefits, from government compliance to driver safety, and at the same time help your business to manage spending and reduce overall costs. TELEMATICS TO THE RESCUE Telematics lets you monitor your drivers’ habits in real-time, be it speeding, harsh braking or fuel consumption. Having easy access to all this data as it happens allows managers to view how often…

TRITON SINGLE CAB 4X4 GLX Cab Chassis 2.4L Man Diesel $32,990 4X4 GLX Cab Chassis 2.4L Auto Diesel $34,590 TRITON CLUB CAB 4X4 GLX Cab Chassis 2.4L Man Diesel $35,490 4X4 GLX ADAS Cab Chassis 2.4L Auto Diesel $38,790 4X4 GLX+ Cab Chassis 2.4L Auto Diesel $41,490 (+$1,000) TRITON DUAL CAB 4X4 GLX Cab Chassis 2.4L Man Diesel $36,240 4X4 GLX ADAS Cab Chassis 2.4L Auto Diesel $39,540 4X4 GLX 2.4L Pick Up Man Diesel $37,490 4X4 GLX 2.4L Pick Up Auto Diesel $39,990 4X4 GLX ADAS 2.4L Pick Up Man Diesel $38,290 4X4 GLX ADAS 2.4L Pick Up Auto Diesel $40,790 4X4 GLX+ 2.4L Pick Up Man Diesel $40,990 (+$1,000) 4X4 GLX+ 2.4L Pick Up Auto Diesel $43,490 (+$1,000) 4X4 GLS 2.4L Pick Up Man Diesel $45,140 (+$500) 4X4…

“We’re pretty confident that 2019 will be a record year for deliveries of vehicles for Scania Australia.” Commercial vehicle sales continue to limp towards this calendar year’s finish line, falling well below October levels of the past two years, the Truck Industry Council (TIC) reveals. All up, sales just ticked over the 3,000 mark (3,082), representing a consecutive month-on-month (MOM) dip, and year-on-year (YOY) decreases on 2018 (3,781) and 2017 (3,410). The trajectory may foreshadow a challenging outlook for 2020. Still, individual wins can be found in the numbers, with Scania in particular lauding its year to date performance, despite what it notes are “signs of a softening in global markets”. “We’re pretty confident that 2019 will be a record year for deliveries of vehicles for Scania Australia (bus and…

■ Like our Bridgestone World Solar Challenge race car? Yep, that’s the ATN Solar Car Team vehicle, called Priscilla. It has to be ours as there is a huge prime mover in the background and these aren’t the sorts of people usually happy to mix with such diesel-propelled behemoths. Well, in our dreams. That ATN actually relates more accurately to the Australian Technology Network of Universities and it would be churlish if we didn’t acknowledge its two years of hard work getting Priscilla up for the, um, challenge . . . ■ Now she wasn’t a winner. In the Challenger Class, that accolade belongs to the Belgian team, Agoria, and then only after Dutch team Vattenfall’s Nunax vehicle was reduced to ashes when in front. But there was a reason…

Qube has lauded its procurement of the Shell Australia Provision of Integrated Supply Chain Services contract, which has been awarded for the next five years. Qube Energy’s contract will include service provision for the Prelude floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, QGC and Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) operations, including supply base, port and logistics services in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. “Qube’s diversified experience in complete supply chain services in the oil and gas market and logistics services ensured Qube was best placed to deliver Shell true operational integration and safety standards that matched Shell‘s high standards,” the company says. Qube says it will target local employment to fit its strategic policy to minimise transient workforces, with its partnership with the Clontarf Foundation to focus on developing indigenous…

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) lost its membership of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) three months ago, it has emerged, but the union fails to see it that way. The move to drop the union, which has been an integral part of the ATA and its predecessor orgainsation since the early 1990s, over unpaid dues, appears to weaken both sides. The ATA now has to present a less-comprehensive industry front to decision-makers, while the union’s voice within the national peak trucking body is muted. The pair have sometimes been in accord on particular issues, not least the Senate trucking inquiry presently underway. But tensions and sometimes harsh words have marked the relationship in recent years, particularly since they took opposing positions during the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) controversy in…

A major jewel in the rail freight logistics crown has been given a final shine with the Parkes Logistics Terminal’s official opening recently in Parkes, NSW. Federal transport and infrastructure minister Michael McCormack and New South Wales regional transport and roads minister Paul Toole were on hand to launch what is dubbed the largest logistics terminal in regional Australia. It is a signature day for long-term proponent Pacific National (PN). PN chair Russell Smith sees the Parkes hub as “a great example of what can be achieved when all three levels of government work with the private sector”. “Parkes Shire Council developed the vision for a national logistics hub, the Australian government supported this vision by starting construction of Inland Rail, and NSW government has streamlined planning at Parkes by…

Australia Post has opened the doors to its new 50,000-square-metre Brisbane Parcel Facility ahead of what the organisation says will be its busiest peak Christmas period in history. Located on a 130,000 square metre site, Australia Post’s largest-ever facility is the size of eight football fields and employs over 500 people, has 3,244 solar panels installed and features technology such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), robotic arms and parcel pickers to process 700,000 parcels per day at full capacity. The $240 million investment in the flagship facility comprises two Beumer high-speed sorters capable of processing over 50,000 parcels per hour, four robotic arms that can clear 320 cages per hour, a parcel picker that can move 2,500 parcels per hour, and 23 AGVs that can lift and move objects weighing…

The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has recognised the achievements and contributions of Glen Cameron and Michael Rocke with its highest honours. Cameron, the founder and director of Glen Cameron Group, was awarded VTA life membership – one of only 19 recipients in the association’s 117-year history – while Rocke, the co-founder of Rocke Brothers, was bestowed the WFD Chalmers Award. VTA president Cameron Dunn lauded Cameron’s long-standing record of success and achievement, with the life membership acknowledging service, loyalty and dedication from an especially distinguished member. “Glen joined the industry working for his father Ed’s business out of school and started his own operation with an eight-tonne tray truck in 1975, aged only 22,” Dunn notes. “The Glen Cameron Group has grown into a multimillion-dollar logistics company that is the…

Fuso eCanter: Melbourne test drive In case you haven’t noticed, the world is changing – big time. And while contemptuous politicians might think it clever to carry a lump of coal into parliament, the raw reality is that fossil fuels are increasingly on the nose with urban society. Fortunately, some of the world’s leading automotive corporations are ignoring political ineptitude with giant strides in development of clean energy. None more, perhaps, than Daimler with potential game-changers like Fuso’s remarkable electric eCanter. Here’s our video report after driving the urban specialist in and around Melbourne Freightliner: A brave new world Reporting from Freightliner facilities across the United States, we take a close look at the right-hand drive development work heralding the upcoming launch of Freightliner’s exciting new Cascadia conventional. This is…

The ATA’s Technical Advisory Procedure on Compliant Brake Chambers/Actuators, the most recent one dated September this year, is clearly an important and useful guide for any operator. For example it contains this stark warning: “Brake chambers are often seen as a commodity. This view is wrong. They are of high importance in achieving effective braking, but the lowest cost items often do not live up to expectations.” It lists a dozen makes which have been submitted by manufacturers and approved by the Industry Technical Council of the ATA. Another supplier is currently in the process of having its certification and performance documentation checked before being added to the list.…

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has rarely been under as much scrutiny as recently and some of the headlines have been severely critical, even as it seeks to make the system properly effective. Now its campaigns against tax avoidance and the black economy have turned in earnest to aspects of the trucking industry with the extension of the Taxable Payments Reporting System (TPRS) to road freight, especially the use of contractors. For industry players that read these pages, this comes as no surprise, given it was flagged 12 months ago and its ramifications discussed by national industry bodies, not least by the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad). NatRoad called for the ATO to be smarter and avoid increasing layers of red tape. The ATO may well argue that this is…

As Australia takes tentative steps in freight data collection – such as the creation of a National Freight Data Hub – overseas, advances have been rapid. Some of these developments were spotlighted by Amsterdam-headquartered Here Technologies – which collects data in more than 200 countries, including Australia – at its 2019 Transport & Logistics Tech Day. The location intelligence specialist outlines how specific freight mapping can assist operators, particularly around route optimisation, asset utilisation and last-mile service, taking into account real-time and historic traffic conditions, truck-related restrictions, approved networks and specific location data – right down to a user’s depot, “which we know often is the bottleneck”. Core to Here’s operations is its data collection car, comprising an array of cameras capturing 360-degree street views, along with position sensors and…

Every two years, on the eve of the Brisbane Truck Show, Volvo Group Australia (VGA) holds a media conference to discuss, among other things, the state of play of each of its three brands and, more broadly, deliver an overview of the business and fiscal factors affecting Australian road transport. All up, it’s a worthwhile exercise with the brand executives from Volvo, Mack and UD each extolling the strengths of their respective products, expressing opportunities still to be tapped and very occasionally, exposing snippets of recent technological advances from within the corporate kingdom. It’s also an event where VGA’s latest leader meets the Australian trucking media en masse for the first time; or at least that has been the case with the last two to join the long line of…

How does a truck and trailer rental and leasing company grow to be supplying and managing over 8,000 vehicles? By focusing on each vehicle and each customer individually and doing the best that it can to make it a successful experience for everyone. This approach and these results are behind the move by TR Group, earlier this year, to purchase Victoria’s largest heavy commercial rental company, Semi Skel Hire (SSH). Having now owned the business for three months, and running with the name TR Semi Skel Hire, TR Group is applying its experience and skills to create a business in keeping with what it already knows and has. “This includes plans to open a new facility in Brisbane shortly and to move to a new site in Melbourne in 2020,…

NHVR notes the operation commenced after police intercepted a number of heavy vehicles in South Australia that were found to have had their engines modified. “On 15 October 2019, search warrants were executed at a business premises and a private dwelling in Victoria. Information, documents and other evidence was obtained from these premises are currently being analysed. “This investigation involves Police agencies from South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland as well as NHVR investigators from Brisbane and Adelaide and VicRoads officers.” NHVR director of investigations Steve Underwood says remapping allows emissions controls and speed limiters on heavy vehicles to be modified. “Remapping engines allows trucks to exceed the speed limit unimpeded, endangering all other road users,” he says. “These are very serious allegations and we are concerned about how…

Two years after the laws were introduced in Queensland, the state’s Work Health and Safety Prosecutor has commenced its first prosecution for industrial manslaughter under the Work Health and Safety Act. The charge is against Brisbane Auto Recycling Pty Ltd for a workplace fatality which occurred on May 17 this year, when a worker was killed after being struck by a reversing forklift at a wrecking yard in Rocklea. Separate charges have also been made against two company directors, Asadullah Hussaini and Mohammad Ali Jan Karimi, for engaging in reckless conduct that resulted in the death of a worker. Following investigations by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Queensland Police, a brief of evidence was referred to the Office of the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor. “After careful consideration, I…

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has accused the Transport Workers Union (TWU) of being a serial non-payer of dues, in response to the union’s dismissive comments regarding withdrawal of its membership. TWU national secretary Michael Kaine had a dig at the ATA’s direction as an organisation when insisting the union remains a member but ATA CEO Ben Maguire is having none of it, stating that ATA chair Geoff Crouch and he had made representations to the union on the issue, to no avail. “The TWU was sent its 2018 membership invoice on 1 December 2017. It was due and payable on 1 January 2018. This invoice was never paid,” Maguire tells ATN. “The TWU was sent its 2019 membership invoice on 1 December 2018. This invoice was also never paid.…

National port operator Australian Container Freight Services (ACFS) Port Logistics is in the midst of a substantial infrastructure push, bolstering its growth path in recent months. The most recent of these was an expansion of its national biosecurity services across its five major ports throughout Australia. “This investment in our facilities has increased our capacity to fumigate up in excess of 700 TEU [twenty-foot equivalent unit] per day nationally with a three-day KPI turnaround whilst offering prompt and professional services to all our valued clients and to the extended industry,” the company says. NEW SOUTH WALES Honing in on NSW, one of the largest projects for the company is the creation of an intermodal hub in St Marys on Sydney’s western outskirts, developed by Pacific National, for which ACFS has…

Bis Industries has lauded a new Western Australian on-road services contract with water and drainage provider Water Corporation that will prompt a road-train fleet upgrade for the mining and haulage services specialist. The initial three-year deal will see Bis load and haul processed biosolids from numerous Water Corporation water treatment plant sites in Perth to a mixture of industrial and farming operations for further processing and recycling. The task requires “an innovative fleet of new road train combinations, developed specifically for this contract; introducing a new level of flexibility and reliability to the handling and movement of biosolids”, Bis says. Upon enquiry, the company reveals the fleet will comprise Volvo FH16 8X4s – though further details were not available at the time of writing. “Bis is thrilled to welcome Water…

Julie Russell and Catherine Scott have been appointed to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) board, replacing outgoing deputy chair Peter Garske and board member Coral Taylor. Duncan Gay will continue on as NHVR board chair, as will board members Ken Lay and Robin Stewart-Crompton. “A staggered approach to board appointments was instituted last year to provide a smooth transition for new membership,” McCormack says. Assistant minister for road safety and freight transport Scott Buchholz says both Russell and Scott are highly respected within the heavy vehicle transport and logistics industry. Russell is director at family business Russell Transport, president of the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) and on the board of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA). “[Russell’s] commitment to road transport reform was recognised when she was appointed to the…

The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is Australia’s largest platform for earthmoving equipment manufacturers, distributors and service providers from all over the world to introduce, show and demonstrate their innovations in one exciting and convenient location. The Expo has also become a prime annual opportunity for equipment owners and operators to discover the latest technology, meet colleagues and make new friends. Major manufacturers like Gold Sponsor, Komatsu have chosen the 2020 National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo to release some of their latest equipment. If you want to be at the forefront of all the industry action, there’s no better place to be. To many owner-operators, working alone on job sites may often be isolating, without the opportunity to share experiences and to chat with like-minded people. The Expo…

In the age of Chain of Responsibility (COR), when you’re hauling 50 tonnes of high-consequence dangerous goods, everyone up and down the line needs proof that you’re doing it safely. With the rise of digital technologies and satellite connectivity, the ability to monitor trucks operating far from base is nothing new. Today’s challenge has shifted away from simply attaining vehicle monitoring, to choosing the right kind of monitoring, understanding all the data generated and then using it run make everyone’s life easier. This is the challenge high-profile dangerous goods haulier Rocky’s Own is tackling with three handpicked technologies: DriveCam from San Diego, California; Seeing Machines from Canberra; and SkyNet Satellite Communications from Brisbane. REAL TIME TRUCK OPS Rocky’s Own CEO Bryan Smith and national operations fleet manager Rod Carige have…

Eighty-year-old Page Transport has been carrying livestock from Tasmania since the late 1940s. The family-run business is led by fourth-generation brothers Geoff and Chris Page, who have embarked on a different journey nowadays – acquiring Sydney-based Allalong Tasmanian Searoads and opening up its own freight division, Page Tasmanian Freight. Freight is not foreign to this family business as 20 per cent of its operations used to be general freight up until 1996. As any business trying to bullet-proof its future, Page Transport has come to realise that putting all of its eggs in one basket is not viable. While the brothers are busy transporting livestock – Geoff is based in Launceston and Chris in Melbourne – they knew they needed to bring someone with expertise to develop and manage the…

The Iconic’s transformation from a start-up e-commerce online retailer in 2011 continues to disrupt and define the future of fashion and sports retail across Australia and New Zealand, through technology, innovation and brand partnerships while investing in its people, infrastructure and operational capabilities. With eight out of 10 Australians shopping online, online retail is responsible for nine per cent of all retail sales. At a time when consumer demands are rapidly changing, trends in supply chain are driving technology and automation in three different ways – labouring in warehousing, growth in online shopping and industrial land pricing and availability. The country’s 18 to 36 age demographic now represents 26 per cent of the total Australian population, who value flexibility, transparency and new technology. Fulfilling online orders comes with its challenges,…

Keen to highlight the Triton’s off-road capability, Mitsubishi recently held the launch for the 2020 version of its popular 4x4 ute at Warraweena Station in the spectacular Flinders Ranges of South Australia. If you like scrabbling up steep rocky inclines and forging through creek beds and deep gorges, then Warraweena is the place for you, with a number of drive loops graded from ‘easy’ to ‘hard’. No matter which you decide to tackle, you’ll need a 4x4 with high ground clearance to traverse most of the 4x4 tracks on Warraweena. So it was not surprising that Mitsubishi removed the sidesteps from the Tritons we sampled before to letting us loose in the demanding conditions. New features for MY20 Triton GLX and GLX+ models include the fitment of 245/70R16 Bridgestone Dueler…