Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 411 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

The situation has since improved but, at the end of November, South Australia was maintaining border restrictions to entry from Victoria, bar essential travellers such as truck drivers, with Victoria instituting Covid-19 testing of them coming the other way. The move came as SA struggled to get on top of an infection spike. As of going to press, the border restrictions were expected to be lifted completely on December 1. "We'll be establishing a freight testing facility just west of Nhill today, it will be operating tomorrow, and then we'll roll out similar facilities across the border communities in coming days," Victorian health minister Martin Foley announced on November 18. "That takes just a few minutes, between five and 10 minutes, it will be a slight disruption to the programs…

Scott’s Refrigerated Logistics’ (ScottsRL’s) post-AHG evolution rolls on with the appointment of Brett Lynch as its chief executive officer. Lynch joins from rail freight giant Pacific National, where he spent nearly nine years in a variety of roles spanning national operations, divisional management. Before joining Pacific National, he worked with stevedore Patrick and previously held a variety of roles with leadership responsibility for commercial, business improvement and financial outcomes. “Brett is an exceptional leader with a demonstrable track record of achieving industry leading safety results, driving change, and delivering sustainable business improvement,” ScottsRL chair Phil Cave, also the MD of private equity owner Anchorage, says. “We welcome Brett to the team and are excited to partner with him to improve and grow ScottsRL to be the leading provider of refrigerated…

Volvo Trucks Australia (VGA) has embarked on what it calls its biggest launch ever with a new range of FM, FMX, FH and FH16 models. VGA states that all new Volvo models will be built at its production facility in Wacol, Queensland. According to Volvo, the new range has been designed with the driver in mind, pointing to “unparalleled levels of comfort, driveability and safety”. “Long haul drivers don’t just drive our trucks; they often live in them. However, even in an urban distribution environment drivers also need a safe comfortable workplace,” VGA vice president of sales Tony O’Connell states. “For some it is the modern office with every convenience at hand, for others it is also a home. “We all know how hard it can be to attract drivers…

The long wheelbase SsangYong Musso XLV that launched in Australia midway through 2019 generated so much interest that we decided to take a look back at the SWB Musso, which has been with us a while longer. While the refined driveline, spacious cabin and great value for money are the key things that have impressed us with the Musso, the locally-developed optional suspension package is the icing on the cake, giving the Korean pick-up more ground clearance, better suspension control and improved off-road ability. Here, we have the short wheelbase Musso in base-spec EX manual trim. At just $30,490 driveaway, it’s a great value ute. IRONMAN SPRUNG This Musso has been fitted with the Ironman 4x4 springs to give it the needed 30 to 35mm of lift, but not the…

Where will the first commercial vehicles market year of the 2020s sit, given the decade previous? We will know for sure next month but there is a good chance it will be marvelled at as an exercise in resilience. Sales in the 11th calendar month are at 3,174 for a year-to-date (YTD) figure of 30,998, according to Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark figures. The market has been tracking somewhere between the mid-decade doldrums of 2016 and the roots of the later spike in 2017. So, with 2016 at 2,956 and 29,903 and 2017 at 3,630 and 33,352, the trend towards being near-equidistant is all but set in stone. The month-on-month (MOM) figure tells a story, too. That is, the recovery continues, though the acceleration eased somewhat last month; the MOM…

■ Hasn’t Joel Macdonald come a long way. A few years back he was simply a Demons player, getting profiled in ATN on becoming a tech-wiz, and now he has treasurer Josh Frydenberg, no less, barring his freight IT firm, GetSwift, from leaving the country until some legal matters are dealt with. Still, Frydenberg can be hard on Victorians unless he likes them – ask Dan Andrews. And he is a Carlton supporter… erm… so can’t be all bad, the Blues-supporting denizens of the kennel reckon. After all, Malcolm Fraser was one too and Sir Robert Menzies used to drive his Bentley in between the stands to watch home games. Can’t do that at Shark Park, eh Scotty? So much gets seen through the prism of footy down south, it…

A South Australian company and director are being prosecuted by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) over a fatal incident at Clements Gap, which occurred on February 6, 2019. The regulator has laid primary duties charges against both as a result of an investigation by specialist major crash and heavy vehicle investigation sections of the South Australia Police. The NHVR prosecution alleges that the defendant held a primary duty under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) as the operator of a heavy vehicle engaged in heavy vehicle towing. ATN understands the defendants are Birrell Heavy Tilt & Transport and Gregg Anthony Birrell. This alleged breach exposed an individual to a risk of death, NHVR executive director Ray Hassall says. "This is a tragic incident, where someone lost their life, and…

“This driver not only broke the law, he put other tunnel users’ safety at risk” Cancelling a Sydney truck driver’s dangerous goods licence after multiple rule breaches is a first for the state, according to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). In October 2019, the driver was caught driving a tanker transporting approximately 32,000 litres of petrol through Sydney’s Airport and M5 East tunnels, which is banned under legislation, the authority explains. EPA executive director regulatory policy Nancy Chang notes that it is an offence to transport a placard load of dangerous goods, such as petrol, through Sydney’s tunnels. "The EPA not only protects the natural environment, it plays a key role in keeping our community safe from irresponsible operators," Chang says. The driver was also cited for not displaying…

Some of Australia’s best minds in freight transport policy and research are tasked with delivering the final stage of Austroads’ National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework review and revision. Australia’s peak roads agency’s project is aimed at producing improvements for heavy vehicle driver training and licensing systems across Australia. The consortium will be led by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA), in collaboration with the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), the National Road Safety Partnerships Program and the National Truck Accident Research Centre. The project team will be led by CILTA national chair Kim Hassall and MUARC associate director of the systems safety team Sharon Newnham. National Transport Insurance (NTI) transport and logistics risk engineer Adam Gibson has also indicated his involvement. National Road Transport Association…

Targeted compliance strategies that draw from improved intelligence lead to better industry safety outcomes, some of the nation’s top transport inspectors argue at the Technical and Maintenance Conference (TMC). The panel session saw insights from some national and eastern state inspectors on how enforcement continues to evolve in those jurisdictions. In NSW, fatalities from heavy vehicle crashes are trending down 12 per cent on last year and compliance is up for the first time in four years across more than 300,000 inspections, Transport for NSW director compliance Roger Weeks notes. While Covid-19 and a forced reduction in mainly light-vehicle movement is seen as a contributor, Weeks outlines how targeted approaches are also seeing improved results. For example, the truck-and-dog sector, identified as an area of concern last year, became subject…

While it might seem electric trucks have had at least a decade to prove their worth in Australia, the reality is that the country is only starting a journey that will be decades in the making. Certainly, a few test vehicles found their way into a couple of the nation’s biggest fleets a decade ago or more. But that can be seen as only the conception becoming a reality – a move at the cutting edge globally, before hydrogen fuel cell technology became something politicians and mainstream pundits knew about. To gauge just how early we really are in the cycle, fast forward to 2020 and the reality is that there still is only one purveyor of commercial vehicle battery electric propulsion: SEA Electric. Some competition is promised for the…

The last show to feature heavy equipment and machinery was also the last show at the RNA Brisbane Showgrounds – back in 2009. The show’s hand was forced by the redevelopment of the Showgrounds, however the move to Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre has been well rewarded. Exhibitors have been able to really step it up with the quality of their displays in one of the world’s great venues. The Brisbane Truck Show is the only event that takes over the whole centre, with fantastic displays filling all three floors. The proximity to South Bank and the CBD has opened up new opportunities for truck displays, networking, dining and entertainment. If there was one, the only downside was that there was nowhere for the big yellow construction gear. Well, in…

Court documents were issued on a day when, separately, in a formerly rare occurrence, the NHVR publically revealed that it has issued a prohibition notice and names the companies involved. Lindsay informed the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) that the proceedings are issued in the Local Court of New South Wales against Lindsay Transport Pty Ltd and Lindsay Brothers Management Pty Ltd. "The offences are alleged to have occurred between 30 September 2018 and 14 November 2018 at Boambee, NSW, and relate to an accident and consequential fatality of a Lindsay employee at Loganlea Qld on 14 November 2018," Lindsay’s ASX statement says. "Relevant authorities including Queensland police inspected the accident site and company equipment. "The company has duly assisted and responded to all enquiries made by authorities but is not…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) recently grounded the fleets of two national fleet firms and a related entity. A first prohibition notice was placed on Melbourne-based Sidhu Investments (QLD) Pty Ltd (ACN 614 456 012), trading as Auswide Linehaul Services, following an investigation by the NHVR into safety standards. "NHVR officers entered the company’s premises in September as part of an ongoing safety standards investigation into a number of companies," the authority says. "The NHVR is in the advanced stages of investigations of other companies with similar safety concerns." "Our number one priority is safety – for drivers and for other road users – and getting these vehicles off the road is the only way to respond to this serious safety risk," NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says. The notice,…

The first Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) have been approved in Australia and were rolled out on December 1, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) reports. Australian heavy vehicle drivers will now have a choice in how they record their work and rest hours, with NHVR-approved electronic recording systems providing an alternative to written work diaries. "The work diary has been a requirement for fatigue-related heavy vehicles for more than half a century, and today more than 200,000 written work diaries are used by heavy vehicle drivers each year," federal transport minister Michael McCormack says. "This announcement will cut this red tape enabling drivers to record their work and rest hours by simply pressing a button, rather than spending time ruling lines and counting multiple time periods on multiple pieces of…

Japan Post’s (JP’s) half-year financial report shows subsidiary Toll looks to have stemmed some of its bleeding in the face of recent intense scrutiny – and a potential sale of its Global Express arm. While still operating at a loss in the six months ending September 30, the curve has plateaued somewhat on the back of a stronger second quarter, Toll managing director Thomas Knudsen explains in a video accompanying the results. JP is keen to emphasise Toll’s business – comprising the Global Logistics, Global Forwarding and Global Express divisions – combined for $5.1 billion revenue, an increase of $869 million on the prior corresponding period (pcp). This is still more than offset by operating expenses growing by a bigger margin – about $890 million to $5.18 billion. However, a…

“It’s no good promising a customer something if you know you can’t do it.” This simple philosophy comes from Sharon Middleton, a powerhouse individual within the road transport scene who requires several paragraphs to describe her achievements. In conversation, she will modestly brush them aside, but the breadth of her achievement is worthy of description. For starters, there is the Order of Australia medal for services to the road transport industry, then there are leading roles as president of the South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) and as a director of the national equivalent. She’s also a key industry spokesperson and advocate, the co-founder of a charity dedicated to mental health, has recorded several albums featuring her incredible singing voice and in her spare time doubles as team manager of…

It is a brutally long way from Uluru to Dandenong, especially via Chicago and the big Cat-house in Peoria. That, however, is the decade-long mental excursion that needs to be made to gain any sense of the circumstances leading to the recent announcement that International ProStar will soon join Cat trucks on the scrapheap of, arguably, the most poorly conceived and overtly cynical corporate attempt to become part of the Australian trucking landscape. It all starts at Uluru, in the ageless expanse of Central Australia, with the big budget debut of Cat Trucks in late 2010. As far as new truck introductions go in our part of the world, they don’t come much grander than this. And the blunt reality is that it needed to be something special. Very special!…

The following is an abridged version of a Steve Brooks feature story titled ‘Compounding the Interest’ published in November 2019. It may help to understand how turbo-compounding works and Volvo’s motives for resurrecting the technology despite the negligible success of earlier attempts. 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. After the presentations comes the Q&A session where the media mass breaks into small groups for a few minutes of question time with the leader of each brand as well as a face-to-face chat with the boss. These…