Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 469 i Deals On Wheels Australia

Commercial vehicle observers viewing the bumper 2018 sales performance could have been excused for thinking that was a peak that would take a while to surmount. But, if the trend revealed in Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark statistics say anything, it is to confirm that record years are now perhaps only three years apart. June’s 4,741 units of all sizes make for a first half total of 19,920 and this compares with 2018’s 4,231 and 19,970. That year ultimately saw a total of 41,628 vehicles sold, with the second half accelerating to 21,658. If the impetus behind this June’s 510-unit lead over June 2018 holds firm, the record will be in peril. Of the top-sellers, Isuzu gained 1,085 sales in June for a year-to-date (YTD) of 4,768. While that compares…

Depending on whose study you reference, the average age of an Australian truck driver is somewhere around the 47-years-old mark. Based on this figure, it would suggest there are also a high percentage of truck drivers working within the transport industry well in excess of 50-years-old. On one hand, this is a positive in that the vast majority of the driver pool should, theoretically, have many years of driving experience and a, generally speaking, higher skill set that goes with it. It’s a good thing. On the negative side, however, these figures could also indicate that as the current workforce retires or moves into different vocations, there is not a significantly high enough number of younger recruits entering the industry to take their place. We have been seeing the effect…

Choosing the right Freightliner model was no straightforward task Forty years ago, a seismic shift occurred in the global trucking landscape. A shift o vast it would eventually lay the commercial and technological foundations for Europe’s ultimate ascension over Fortress America as the dominant force in world truck manufacturing. It was 1981 when the company formerly known as Daimler-Benz bought the struggling US truck maker Freightliner and, whether by confluence or coincidence, it was also the year Swedish brand Volvo acquired the financially-strapped White Trucks. As historical milestones, these acquisitions by two titans of global truck manufacturing were the starting point – the beachhead – of Europe’s assault and largely unchallenged annexation of the world’s biggest heavy-duty truck market. There would, of course, be much more to come, with no…

Scan with your Smartphone camera to check out this deal! 2015 Scania P440 440hp 12-speed AMT 524,000km $109,900 Macksville, NSW 02 6171 3494 Coming from the land of flatpack furniture, ABBA and long winters is this Scania P440 and, while it may be a long way from its Northern European birthplace, this Swede has built a reputation in Australia for durability, safety and economy. Riding on airbag suspension and enjoying 440hp (328kW) of turbocharged and intercooled thrust this particular rig comes with the 12-speed automated manual Opticruise transmission, says the owner. Other features that are sure to please include air-conditioning, UHF radio, in-built fridge, Alcoa alloy wheels, windscreen stone guard and a driver’s-side plastic weather shield. Behind the cab, the Scania is fitted with a Jost turntable, while twin fuel…

That’s what draws me to Freighter: they look after me Freighter’s customers are the driving force behind Freighter’s successful journey in Australia. One such business is South Australia-based Symons Clark Logistics, currently managed by brothers David and Ricky Clark. Speaking with David, the company’s logistics director, about what has made his company continue to commit to Freighter trailers 25 years after buying its first, he says: “Freighter has never given me any grief in 25 years. They have always accommodated in helping me achieve what I wish to achieve with my business needs. The quality of what Freighter makes and the durability of these trailers is very good.” Symons Clark is one of the oldest transport and logistics businesses in South Australia, with its roots dating all the way back…

At least half of our club are current or ex-truckies With poor mental and physical health of truck drivers one of the big issues facing the industry, small respite from the road can be found in the form of radio controlled trucks, and they aren’t just for kids anymore. The Brisbane Metro RC Truck and Construction Club is a collection of individuals who share the passion of building, modifying and creating in 1:14 scale. And it’s not just trucks either, with the club boasting a ‘mini city’ display at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show with trucks, cars, machinery and buildings all conforming to the scale with the usual transport-centred sprawl of depot, quarry and petrol station giving the display a life-like feel. There’s even a doughnut shop for the cops…

Scan with your Smartphone camera to check out this deal! 2011 Freightliner Coronado 122 $87,000 Maddington, WA 0408 547 875 Combining European technology and US durability the Freightliner marque is an appealing choice and this Coronado 122, rated at a massive 140 tonnes, is up to any job you can throw at it. The seller says this rig is in excellent condition with nothing to spend, just turn the key and put it to work with a Mt Data tracking 4G and satellite, and three-camera unit with hard drive, that can be transferred to the new owner. This truck is a well maintained and looked after vehicle according to the seller, with a new crate motor fitted 300km ago at a cost of $63k, new kingpins, bearings and shackle bushes,…

It’s no secret there’s a direct correlation between ensuring your trucks are in optimal condition and operational efficiencies that save you time and money. An important aspect of any maintenance strategy, and one that all fleet managers must consider at some point, is the value genuine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts offer – on a number of fronts. Isuzu Trucks is now making the decision to ‘go genuine’ even easier, with an updated, comprehensive selection of genuine, model-specific Isuzu filter and clutch kits readily available for purchase through its nationwide dealer network. Each pack contains all the necessary parts needed for a regular truck service, or a clutch replacement. Included in the Isuzu filter kits are oil filters, fuel filter(s), sump plug washers, sediment filters and PCV filters (where applicable).…

Let’s start this story with a bit of honesty. Up until April this year I really had no idea where Mannum was. In fact, I think when someone first mentioned the SA Truck and Ute Show to me I emailed my editor and was spelling it wrong for the majority of our opening emails. Those who often run the Melbourne to Adelaide track will no doubt have seen the signposts as they near Murray Bridge. However, I’m not a regular on that road, so I needed Google Maps’ assistance when it came to planning out my June long weekend expedition. Obviously, I never made it to last year’s show as, like nearly everything fun in 2020, the show became another Covid Catastrophe victim. This meant that 2021 was my first…

It must be in the blood a bit As farmers sow crops early in the season, they place their faith in the weather gods that sufficient rain will bring their plantings to a bountiful harvest later in the year. Mother Nature can be fickle and sometimes has other plans for the way she disperses the water rations. With the exception of the last grain harvest season, the Tamworth and Gunnedah region in New South Wales, like most of the country, suffered from a crippling drought for three years or more. The long dry spell and absence of any meaningful rain left water tanks empty and crops thirsty. Tamworth-based family-run Hollis Haulage, with its business model based heavily in contract harvesting, faced challenges of significant magnitude as the entire rural economy…