Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 447 i Deals On Wheels Australia

Prime movers remained the most-searched and enquired-upon truck type on Bauer Media’s truck and machinery classifieds websites in the period January 1–October 31 of this year – though livestock and water trucks experienced the largest growth in buyer interest, exclusive new data reveals. In the 10 months to end of October, prime movers accounted for 30.58 per cent of all searches, down from 31.36 per cent in the previous corresponding period; and almost 32 per cent of all enquiries, well off the 36.14 per cent in the same period of 2018. Similarly, interest in tippers was down in the latest period, comprising 21.33 per cent of total searches, compared with 23.24 per cent previously; and 17.52 per cent of enquiries versus 18.25 per cent in the same period last year.…

Irecently had a good friend tell me about a compliment she received at work. She was nicknamed Violin, and no it’s not because she’s better off locked away, it’s because her workmates think she sounds sweeter with age. It was with that story in mind I would dearly have loved to be able to name Bill Powers’ 1978 White Road Boss ‘Violin’. It's very sentimental to us At 41-years-old, this hard-working icon of Australian transportation is almost better than it ever was, and while it’s not singing its original notes, its current tune would go platinum in a heartbeat. Bill is the man in the big seat at Powers Transport. It’s actually more of a couch than a seat, as he shares it with his wife Pauline and their three…

Welcome everyone to my very first Mills & Boon love story. It’s not going to be one of those trashy Fifty Shades of Grey kind of stories, mainly because the object of affection is just one shade of grey, but also because that would just be a little too creepy for a trucking magazine. It is a love story but it’s also kind of a ‘true blue’ battler story. In fact, it’s more a battler story than a love story but I was trying to appeal to the broader audience with my opening line. Now in order to have a good battler-love story you need a hardened protagonist that’s been there and done that. A tough Aussie battler that’s weathered the weather, survived the tough times and seems to always…

The popular Tranzmile Truck of the Year award – brought to you by Deals on Wheels’ sister title Owner Driver – is back for its second year, bigger than ever and featuring some of the hottest trucks to come out of Australia! From a record-breaking V8 Mack, to a schmick International Eagle 9900i, right through to an iconic Kenworth Legend 900, this year’s seen more centrefold Truck of the Month variety than any truck publication in history! The Owner Driver team painstakingly sifted through dozens of the hottest truck features to narrow it down to 12 top-shelf finalists of 2019, but it’s up to you, the legends who make it all worthwhile by reading the magazine, to come up with a winner. And for your efforts, well we’ve put together…

New truck 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 decreases on 2018 (3,781) and 2017 (3,410). Year-to-date sales stand at 31,632, down 8.96 per cent on the comparable period of 2018 – an all-time record year, but ahead of the 29,722 in the same period of 2017. While the current trajectory may foreshadow a challenging outlook for 2020, individual wins can be found in the numbers, with Scania in particular lauding its year-to-date (YTD) performance, despite what it notes are “signs of a softening in global markets”. “We’re pretty confident that 2019 will…

It’s smack bang in the middle of truck show season that one of our most important convoys occurs. Thankfully, unlike 2018, on the October long weekend I wasn’t riding camels in Broome when the annual Lights On The Hill Memorial (LOTH) Convoy was run. entertainment there was galore This year I was lucky enough to be roadside to witness our industry come together to acknowledge the lives that have sadly been lost and to celebrate the drivers of the past. The LOTH convoy once again rolled into Gatton in south-east Queensland but this time from two new departure points. The eastern convoy assembled at Nolan’s brand-new state-of-the-art depot in Willawong, Brisbane; while the western convoy left from the United Fuels on the outskirts of Toowoomba. I bet those who offered…

Searches of trucks for sale on Bauer Media’s truck and machinery classifieds websites dipped 8.5 per cent in the period January 1-October 31 of this year, in line with the year-to-date decline in new truck sales (-8.96 per cent), exclusive new data reveals. The drop in search activity was despite inventory hitting an all-time record in October 2019 – 28,949 items, up 21.2 per cent on the previous October; and enquiries jumping 4.2 per cent in the month to hit their highest level since May 2019 (although year-to-date enquiries are down on the corresponding period of 2018). While Kenworth retained its title as the most-searched truck make, accounting for just under 35 per cent of all activity, searches for the brand were down 11 per cent in the period compared…

it was the racing truck of the era In 1978, three ‘Japanese Sumos’ climbed into a Mitsubishi Canter truck, before one declared that it was “Not so squeezy!” The ad soon aired across the nation on TV and its impact was immediate. Canter became a household name, along with the term “Not so squeezy”. “It made the brand,” says former Fuso Truck and Bus director, Richard Eyre. “It would have to be one of the top 10 all-time ads made in Australia. Everyone still talks about it to this day.” Interestingly, the so-called ‘Sumos’ were not even Japanese. The ad agency wasn’t about to cough up and fly Sumos in from Japan, so it sourced some rather chunky Maoris to fulfil the roles with the help of some make-up and…

There’s no better place to discover what’s going on in the industry The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo – of which Deals on Wheels and sister title Earthmovers & Excavators are Gold Media Sponsors – is a prime opportunity for equipment owners and operators to discover the latest technology, meet colleagues and make new friends The expo has also become Australia’s largest platform for earthmoving equipment manufacturers, distributors and service providers to introduce, show and demonstrate their innovations in one exciting and convenient location. Manufacturers from all over the world, including event 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…

According to Volvo, the D13TC is an entirely new ballgame in the use of turbo-compounding 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…