Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 442 i Deals On Wheels Australia

Volvo’s FH model range includes some of the sturdiest and most dependable trucks for long haulage in the market today. Needless to say, the FH series is also one of the most successful truck ranges ever sold. Now a number of its 2014 and 2015 16-litre models are available for sale through Volvo Commercial Vehicle’s dealership network across Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. With 28,500 kg GVM and 150 tonne GCM these trucks are suitable for single- or multi-trailer configuration. Delivering 700hp of fuel-efficient power, the Volvo diesel engine ensures optimised fuel-efficiency and improved engine torque and response at low rpm. Coupled with Volvo’s I-Shift transmission system and cruise control, the vehicles offer the driver more control in demanding road conditions without compromising on safety and fuel economy. Suited…

the result is a breathtaking five-year restoration W hen you are addicted, you are addicted. Whether it’s a bad addiction like drugs, drinking or ‘doof’ music, or whether it’s a good addiction like washing, polishing or driving your truck, addiction is addiction. Restoring classic trucks seems to be an addiction that there is no 12-step program for as yet and it seems it’s an addiction easily picked up. It’s not restricted to drivers wanting to relive their glory days, or owners restoring a part of their history. Truck restoration can become an addiction for anyone for any reason. In the case of Melbourne’s Graeme Troutbeck, who started work as an apprentice mechanic at B&G Transport Repairs, his addiction began after mastering the art of fixing Volvos and so far he’s…

Expansion and public interaction was the key for this year’s highly-successful Brisbane Truck Show. Held in May and organised and operated by Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), the four-day event at the Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre (BCEC) was the focal point of Australian Heavy Industry Week, which commenced on May 13. This included a high productivity vehicle demonstration day at the Mt Cotton Training Centre in Brisbane’s south eastern extremities on May 14, and the NatRoad conference at the BCEC on May 14 and 15. Elsewhere, static truck displays were spread along the bar and dining areas of South Bank and across the river into Brisbane’s CBD. A week earlier, the HVIA had combined with the National Rugby League (NRL) for a joint promotion of the Brisbane Truck Show…

One of several outstanding features of the quad combination on the run to Darwin was the exceptional tracking of the trailers. “Leaves a conventional triple roadtrain for dead,” was Bill Manton’s blunt assessment. Accordingly, Manton insists much of the tracking quality was due to the arrangement of the trailers – a typical B-trailer behind the truck, pulling a dolly coupled to what is effectively a B-triple combination consisting of a pair of A-trailers and a B-trailer coupled by fifth wheels. As he remarked on several occasions, the closer the dolly is to the truck, the better the whole thing tracks. This was, however, no ordinary tandem-axle dolly and like the FH700 XXL Globetrotter, was making its maiden voyage just days after featuring on the MaxiTrans stand at the Brisbane Truck…

the focus on quality is one of Volvo's major strengths If there was ever a truck model that reflected the fortunes of its manufacturer, you would be hard pressed to think of a better match than the big cab-over FH series from Volvo. It is now in its fourth generation and this year will mark 25 years since its Australian introduction. In that time, the FH has gone from strength to strength, much like its designer and builder the now global Swedish company Volvo Trucks. The company has already celebrated the anniversary in Europe as it was released there, with great fanfare, in 1993. Not only has Volvo released limited-edition FHs and FH16s to mark the occasion, it has been counting the thousands of FHs that have been built all…

Vintage truck shows can provide a reminder of the great people, the great enjoyment and the great careers that can be experienced in the Australian trucking industry. Take Jan and Terry Newson, single truck owner-operators who made a good living for 45 years and now never miss a truck show in retirement. “I’ve met lots of really great people,” says Jan. “I respect them. They’re hard-working.” Those descriptions fit husband Terry of course. “You never stopped laughing,” he recalls. “We just had such a good time. We weren’t making massive money but we worked the long hours.” The Newsons are members of the Western Sydney Historical Truck Club, and were one of the many exhibitors who enjoyed the sunshine with many friends at the ninth annual Sydney Classic and Antique…

Once again, trailers took up as much space at the Brisbane Truck Show as the trucks themselves. More than 30 trailer exhibitors showcased their latest and greatest equipment at Australia’s largest truck event, striking the balance between low tare weight and durability. The constant push for lower tare-weight trailers that’ll also outlast most trucks continues to rage on and since the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Performance-Based Standards (PBS) scheme was introduced in 2007, the sheer variety of trailer and combination types is hard to keep up with. From deck wideners through to fridge trailers and even tankers, there was something for everybody across the trailer exhibits with a continued focus on high-productivity and safety. It’s rare, if not impossible, to find this many superstar trailer manufacturers in one place,…

Drop-decks were the most-searched trailer type on the Bauer Media Group truck and machinery classifieds network in the period January 1-June 16, 2019, exclusive new data reveals. Some 2,100 second-hand trailers – from A trailers to water tankers – are currently advertised for sale across the network comprising Fullyloaded.com.au, OwnerDriver.com.au, TradeTrucks.com.au, TradeEarthmovers.com.au, TradeFarmMachinery.com.au and TradePlantEquipment.com.au – reaching an average of almost 640,000 in-market buyers each and every month (Jan-May 2019). Drop decks, which account for just over 9 percent of trailers for sale, generated 13.25 percent of searches in the period, ahead of low loaders, which were responsible for almost 10.4 per cent of searches despite comprising a substantially less 4.8 per cent of stock. Not surprisingly, tippers – which comprise just under 8 per cent of stock – were…

It may be premature to credit May’s rebound in commercial vehicle sales on the election. But rebound they have, to 3,556 from the April total of 2,943 after March’s 3,296 and February’s 2,826, according to Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark figures. As we’ve come to expect, this May is below last year’s bumper May of 3,913 but there is reason to think this is cyclical, with April last year also down at 3,151. Compare this with May 2017’s 3,237 and April 2017’s 2,517 Year to date, the story is as it has been for other months compared with previous years, with 2018 the high-water mark and this year better than others – 14,817 compared with 15,739 last year and 12,912 in 2017. With a strong presence across weight categories, the…

I must admit it’s been a fairly tough task tracking down restored Volvos. Considering the presence the brand has had in Australia for almost 50 years they are few and far between. So you can imagine how stoked I was when I managed to get a lead on a beautiful G89 that frequented the Queensland historic truck shows. What came as a huge surprise though was not just the fact that this jolly green giant of a truck was still being worked, but it was still being worked by the same family that put it on the road, way back in 1975 – Tilly Farming Company. Glenn Tilly is the retired truckie who now owns the G89. It was his father, Hugh, who purchased it four decades ago. “This was…

It is, in every sense, an extremely long haul from the cloistered corridors of Volvo world headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, to a few random moments parked on one of those old World War II airstrips that run alongside the Stuart Highway on the outskirts of Darwin. In this case, however, it also marks a journey of remarkable resilience and unwavering determination by a group of Volvo realists advocating something special for a truly special market. Our market. Australia! Obviously enough, this is the story of the Volvo XXL Globetrotter cab and sure enough, it starts in Sweden. But not, perhaps, quite as routinely as you might think. As good fortune would have it, in the back half of 2012 I was one of only two Australian truck writers invited to…