Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 437 i Deals On Wheels Australia

In any discipline, any endeavour, any industry, anywhere, 30 years at the top of the tree in a fiercely competitive field is a big deal. Indeed, it doesn’t come much bigger! And there are perhaps few who understand the scale of the achievement better than Isuzu Australia director and chief executive officer Phil Taylor, who is set to step down from the post after a career spanning 28 years on February 28. Even so, he doesn’t spruik it. In fact, he doesn’t even mention Isuzu Australia’s latest milestone unless someone brings it up in conversation or it happens to suit the moment and the audience. As for expressions of personal pride or his role in the seemingly endless ascension of the brand, they’re well contained by a natural disdain for…

It’s 100 years since the first AC Macks were imported to Australia, and Mack enthusiasts plan to celebrate this milestone at Gatton, Queensland, on September 28 and 29, 2019. Planning for the 2019 Mega Mack Muster is in the early stages as Deals on Wheels goes to print. “There’s lots of balls in the air right now,” says Gary Richards, who is one of the organisers. “The main thing is to tell anyone interested to save the date, because something big is going to be happening in Gatton.” Gary has teamed up with fellow Mack-lovers Glen Beutel, Russell Simpson and Dennis Taylor to plan the Mack celebration in conjunction with the Historic Commercial Vehicle Association Queensland (HCVAQ). “It’s really the historic commercial vehicle’s annual rally with a Mack banner,” Gary…

Welcome to Walcha, New South Wales, a town of 1,800 people and nearly a million sheep and cattle. The town is small enough that everywhere is walking distance yet big enough that the local taxi still needs to fuel up at least once a week. Walcha has been home to several Wallabies (the rugby union type), a Melbourne Cup winner (the four legged horsey type) and a MotoGP champ (the two wheels testicularly-enhanced type). In 1950 it was also the home of an Australian first when a Tiger Moth was the first aircraft to spread superphosphate by air in Australia. None of these things are the reason I’m in Walcha though, although I was enjoying a damn fine breakfast there at Apsley Takeaways. My visit came about due to a…

It’s funny how something significant can develop from the most obscure, seemingly insignificant moments. Like, in the pre-dawn chill of a roadhouse in southwestern Queensland, two complete strangers strike up a conversation. On the face of it, the only common denominator is that they’re both drivers soon to be heading somewhere else. As usual, it kicks off with ‘G’day’ and ‘How ya going?’, and moves along from there. Easy! They don’t talk for long. Fifteen minutes, maybe. Whatever, they soon enough climb into trucks parked alongside each other, fire the engine, start a new page in the logbook, and with little thought and even less fuss, head down the road on their separate ways. Those 15 minutes, however, will reveal plenty. Particularly for me. For starters, the bloke on the…

This iconic Aussie ‘workhorse’ is widely credited for laying the strong foundations for Isuzu’s future growth in the Australian market, so it was only fitting the rebuild was completed in time for Isuzu’s 25 consecutive years’ Australian truck market leadership celebrations. At the time it entered the market, the Isuzu SBR was a relative newcomer, competing against products from several established North American and British brands. Offering simplicity, reliability and the ability to get the job done, it soon became the leading medium-duty truck on Australia’s roads. The restoration of the Isuzu SBR was a two-year project undertaken by Isuzu Australia’s Product Development Department in Port Melbourne. All mechanical and assembly work was performed in-house whilst key industry partners were engaged for specialised jobs such as the cab panel work…

Organisers of this year’s Brisbane Truck Show have announced that they are giving away a brand new Toyota HiLux Rugged X to one lucky attendee. The HiLux up for grabs is a top-of-the-line, ultimate 4x4 dual cab utility with all the extra kit, fantastic looks and heart that no other vehicle in its class has ever been able to come near. While it doesn’t have the towing capacity (or a fifth wheel) to pull any of the trailers that will be on display at the show, it will look mighty mean in anyone’s garage, and it does actually have more than enough grunt to pull a trailer, boat or caravan, especially for those thinking of retiring and joining the throng of grey nomads on the highway. Thanks to CMV Truck…

Scores of classic truck lovers are racing against time to have their vehicles ready for the popular classic truck run, Haulin’ the Hume, on the weekend of March 30 and 31. But truckie Trevor Ellwood from Penrith, New South Wales, is already organised. His Detroit-powered 1975 White 4000 is ready to roll. Trevor has taken part in every Haulin’ the Hume since the inaugural 2011 event. “It’s living history, and it’s great to talk to the old blokes that were on the highway at that time, way back when,” Trevor says. His father, Peter Ellwood, carted freight on the Hume back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. And now Trevor carts containers around Sydney. Trevor restored the White “because I just love old trucks”. He completed the three-year restoration…

On first impressions, Scott Wallace is a relaxed sort of bloke. A Deniliquin local for most of his life and a truck driver of 30 years’ experience who goes about his daily duties in an easy, quietly considered way. As he puts it, a truck is a tool to do a job. Nothing more. Nothing less. Sure, no one wants to drive an uncomfortable, unreliable or indeed, unsafe truck, and for those who care, pride and preference certainly come into the equation. Still, at the end of the day, a truck is just something a driver needs to do his or her job. Most of Scott’s five years at Deniliquin Freighters have been at the helm of Kenworths and Freightliner’s Argosy, and whilst he can easily appreciate why some drivers…

The dogged loyalty of Mack fanatics has left a lasting impression on Gary Richards, who joined the Mack team as national marketing manager in 1993 and retired as Volvo Group Australia national product manager 20 years later. As product manager, Gary saw himself as ‘the voice of the customer’. He sought input from dealers, customers and a reference group and conveyed their feedback to the company’s engineering department to ensure the trucks produced at Wacol met the needs of the Australian market. It was a career filled with highlights, including the release of Mack’s 2013 limited-edition Southern Cross series. There were challenges, too. Gary worked hard to maintain Mack customer loyalty throughout major model changes and the acquisition by Volvo. From his early days with the company, Gary was amazed…

The National Diesel Dirt &Turf Expo is not only Australia’s largest earthmoving equipment Expo, it’s also the place where everyone from the industry meets, networks and appreciates the great feeling of camaraderie generated by this annual event. It’s an industry that’s well known for people who are willing to help out industry colleagues, and nowhere is this better demonstrated than the tradition set by the Expo to raise money for worthy charities and causes. The inaugural Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo golf day in 2018 raised money for MIRAA House, a not-for-profit, learning and life skills centre that offers a post school program for women with an intellectual disability. These women are taught essential life skills to become more independent, develop their self-confidence, build and maintain relationships, and connect with…

There has never been a bigger year for truck sales than 2018 and specifically, never a better year for suppliers of heavy-duty trucks. In fact, the 2018 Australian truck market saw a staggering, if not bewildering, 14,344 new heavy-duty units delivered to operators around the country – everything from six-wheeler and eight-wheeler ‘round-town rigids to big bangers pulling roadtrains through the back of beyond. Most remarkable, though, the heavy-duty sector delivered notably more trucks than either the light or medium-duty categories which contributed 13,129 and 8,210 units respectively. All up, 35,683 trucks were delivered across all three categories. However, as end-of-year figures from the Truck Industry Council highlight, the overall number flies to 41,628 units if commercial vans are taken into the equation. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Isuzu was…

As far as European sleepers go, Mercedes-Benz can genuinely claim bragging rights over its continental competitors. That, however, is likely to change very soon. As this year’s Brisbane Truck Show (May 16 to 19) is almost certain to reveal, Volvo will finally unveil its significantly more roomy and upmarket XXL cab for the flagship FH model. The XXL has been a long time coming, with Sweden first ignoring the need for a spacious sleeper in the 2013 release of the current FH family before eventually acceding to Australia’s business case for a bigger bunk. However, Swedish powers have over the past year and more, wisely put the enlarged cab through intensive durability and safety tests prior to giving the go-ahead for the cab’s production in Sweden. This will not, of…