Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 470 i Deals On Wheels Australia

Commercial vehicle sales continue to defy turbulent times in Australia and threaten historical records, Truck Industry Council (TIC) T-Mark figures reveal. In an Olympic month it’s hard to avoid sporting idioms, with July’s 3,296 monthly and 23,216 year-to-date (YTD) sales neck and neck with the pace set in 2018 (3,344/23,314) and ahead of 2019 levels (3,194/22,083). Individually, perennial gold medallist Isuzu recorded 756/5,524 sales, slightly less than 838/5,557 in 2018, while Hino maintains its strong market share – 464/3,667 compared with 2018’s 465/3,125. Fuso, third overall with 398/2,577, drops slightly in the same period (421/2,449). HEAVY-DUTY Another four-figure month for heavy vehicles (1,021/6,811) is impressive but not quite enough to make up ground on 2018 (1,088/7,908). Kenworth tightens its grip here, well above Volvo: 211/1,414 against 162/880. While neither quite…

Indigenous provider Aboriginal United Services (AUS) Logistics has seen Linfox tap it for last-mile deliveries to mine sites across the Pilbara region. In addition to the general freight service from Perth to the Pilbara, partnering with major mining companies in the Western Australia supply chain, Linfox has now added an express, door-to-door service to ensure urgent freight is delivered overnight. AUS Logistics will be tasked with carrying time-critical deliveries from Linfox customers’ Perth and interstate suppliers direct. Items on board can range from small O-rings to large plant material, required on-site at short notice, Linfox explained. “Every night of the year, the services depart Linfox’s Hazelmere facility in Perth on a 1,200 to 1,600-kilometre overnight journey to Newman and Port Hedland,” Linfox president resources and industrial Scott Nicholls said. “AUS…

Two South Australian operators were fined after the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) charged them with illegal engine remapping offences. An investigation conducted by South Australia Police (SAPol) Heavy Vehicle Enforcement Unit (HVEU) found that a South Australian produce company had ‘remapped’ the engines of four heavy vehicles to disable the vehicles’ emission limits, the NHVR reported. The operator pleaded guilty to four charges of tampering with an emission control system fitted to a heavy vehicle and was fined $3,000. There was also a requirement to spend more than $32,000 to fix the compliance issues. A further SAPol HVEU investigation found software and electronic equipment associated with speed limiter tampering at a South Australian transport company’s office. The operator pleaded guilty to possessing a device designed or adapted to enable…

Exasperated at the collateral damage to industry caused by Australia’s pandemic response, its road transport associations have penned an open letter to governments seeking a re-think on the approach to interstate trucking regulation. Endorsed by the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad), Northern Territory Road Transport Association (NTRTA), Tasmanian Transport Association (TTA), Victorian Transport Association (VTA), Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) and Western Roads Federation (WRF), the letter centres around the most recent testing regime fluctuations in response to the Delta variant outbreaks. “As the uncertainty of control of the spread of the virus amongst our community continues, it is incumbent upon the interstate heavy vehicle sector to meet its responsibilities as it regularly moves throughout the community and not spread the virus. “Current testing regimes for Covid-19 for all interstate heavy…

A NSW fleet-owning construction services firm has been convicted and fined $375,000 over the death of a mechanic killed while repairing a truck. Reece Marchello, 27, died in October 2017 when a Hino owned by Termeil-based South Coast Under Road Borers (SCURB) Pty Ltd rolled and crushed him on a slope near a dam on the company premises. SCURB, a provider of underground directional drilling, vacuum extraction and trenching services, hired Marchello three weeks before the incident as an in-house mechanic. The NSW District Court heard that Marchello’s role, despite being a qualified light-vehicle mechanic, “was to include developing and maintaining all policies and procedures for the maintenance and servicing of the offender’s light and heavy vehicles”. The Hino rigid, one of the company’s fleet of 10, was fitted with…

Sapphire Freighters was fined $21,500 in a Federal Court case in which the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) gave evidence of a troubling road freight industry record, particularly in Victoria. The case, over a failure to comply with an FWO compliance notice, followed a February court finding that Sapphire owed a truck driver $6,000. The FWO had alleged Sapphire had paid a rate of pay per kilometre that was less than required under the Road Transport (Long Distance Operations) Award 2010, failed to pay an allowance to compensate the employee for taking rest breaks away from home, and breached the Fair Work Act by failing to pay out accrued annual leave on termination of the driver’s employment. Sapphire had refused to be involved in mediation, ignored an FWO compliance notice and,…

They have been very good to us One of the things that KS Easter managing director Ken Easter believes in is having a quality fleet to run his transport business. Easter’s fleet of roughly 240 trailers runs across most of the Australian east coast, South Australia and Melbourne, delivering time-sensitive freight. Easter started his work life as an owner-driver around 44 years ago in Newcastle, before moving base to Brisbane in 1988. “It is a family-run business. My older son Kenny Easter is the general manager, and his wife Karlie Easter is the compliance manager, while my younger son Mathew Easter is the paymaster,” said Easter. “We have roughly 240 trailers and a considerable number of those are Freighter. Our oldest Freighter trailer is around 20 years old. This year,…

The new 6x4 AS Highway B-Double is available in both low and high roof variants and shares some underpinnings with the latest X-Way and ACCO ranges, said to boast similar benefits in terms of advanced safety features, driver aids, low emission performance and productivity. “Iveco is excited to be adding the new Highway B-Double model to our heavy duty product line, filling a gap in our model range which, until now, has been without a Euro 6-rated, B-double-capable prime mover,” Iveco Trucks Australia MD Michael May said. “The new Highway B-Double model features extremely high specification levels as standard, ensuring buyers enjoy the added safety, comfort, convenience and productivity that is so important for the intra and interstate applications the vehicle is targeted towards. “The combination of powerful 550hp Euro…

It’s just a lot to visually drink in When it comes to spruiking what Iveco’s refreshed large van, named the Daily E6, can do, the Italian brand is not ignoring the elephant in the room. In fact, Iveco has embraced the animal, going so far as to wrap the image of one on the van lent to us for testing, stressing that the Daily E6 offers a surprising payload. Although you might struggle to find an adult elephant that could fit in the back of any van, the model’s sixth-generation facelift – which includes more safety tech, a new face and a fresh interior – still offers plenty of body sizes. Before we drill into them, though, the first thing to consider is where the 50C model sits within the…

It’s early July and the half-yearly sales figures for 2021 have just been issued. In the heavy-duty class, Kenworth is king by a country mile. Again! Still! Yet, in many ways, and despite the seemingly unrelenting interruptions and difficulties of a bludgeoning pandemic, Kenworth’s latest figures are just another notch in a year of notable notches. A year, for instance, celebrating 50 years of manufacturing Kenworth trucks – more than 70,000 of them – at Paccar Australia’s Bayswater (Vic) headquarters. In another part of Melbourne, though, July 2021 is a sad and solemn time for one particular family. Sure, the sadness and solemnity are soothed somewhat by feelings of immense gratitude and pride, but it’s a month that nonetheless marks the passing five years earlier – on July 16 –…

Let’s start with a bit of an admission here. I’ve been really excited about doing this story. I first spotted this awesome-looking F600 at the Gatton Mack Muster back in the day. For those unaware, there used to be a time when we were able to have things called ‘truck shows’ – glorious events where people would bring their pride and joy to display. Fans from far and wide would come to appreciate some exquisite machinery. Sharing laughs, taking photos, spilling half the sauce from their dagwood dogs down the front of their Kenworth shirts. It was a simpler time. A happy pre-Covid time.. One of these long-forgotten ‘truck show’ events was a Mack Muster up in Queensland. For a bulldog fan like me, it was heaven. From all around…

Welcome to our new home. You will notice that it is significantly different to our last place. But, once you are inside, so much of it is so very familiar. Certainly, we have lost some space but we are more focused on what it says on the tin – on industry news. The previous column warned change is always with us, even if we are left alone for a while, and the challenge was to roll with it and display resilience and fortitude in the face of it. This is what has happened. Was it a shock? Absolutely. Is anything missing that is more than cosmetic? Not really. Subscribers who like their news more immediately in daily doses will still get it through the website, fullyloaded.com.au and through the ATN…

Silk Logistics Holdings Limited is the newest transport and logistics entity to list on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Its initial public offering (IPO) reached a market capitalisation of $151 million at the time of listing. Silk described itself as providing three distinct services across two primary divisions: • Port Logistics Division, which provides wharf cartage services• Contract Logistics Division, which offers warehousing and distribution services. It’s noted Silk’s long-standing blue-chip customer base spans several key industries, including fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), light industrial, food, specialised retail and containerised agriculture. With revenue of $258.4 million in FY20, Silk expects to achieve its prospectus pro forma forecast earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of $17.8 million in FY21. Silk’s FY22 prospectus EBIT forecast is $20.9 million. The company expects to deliver…

A South Australian was found guilty of gaining more than $3.8 million of taxpayer money by creating fake transport businesses and lodging false fuel rebate claims. Reginald Roberts was charged with obtaining a financial advantage by deception at the District Court of South Australia, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) reported. A sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment was in addition to an existing drug offence, with jail time for the combined offences being 20 years and six months, including a non-parole period of 14 years. Between 2002 and 2006, Roberts, who already operated trucking businesses in South Australia, created three additional companies – Double R Logistics, Inter Link Freight Services and Phillip Williams Pty Ltd, the ATO explained. He used false identities and lodged 75 fraudulent claims for more than 20…

Peak body Road Freight NSW (RFNSW) has warned of the growing financial and mental pressure that Sydney transport operators and their drivers are suffering. The increasing extra load threatens company viability and comes as they continue to work through the Covid pandemic, complying with regular surveillance testing and other heavy vehicle regulations, the state industry body emphasised. According to the latest RFNSW member feedback, the additional costs of masks and hand sanitiser, workplace cleaning services, construction shutdown, updated IT systems and the time truckies, forklift drivers and other warehouse support workers are off for mandatory Covid testing, is reducing productivity and the existing tight margins for freight operators, many of them small- to medium-sized family businesses. “Our members are telling us that they’re certainly feeling the pinch,” RFNSW chief executive…

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) says proposed StarTrack and FedEx agreements undermine job security, despite bumper profits at wealthy retailers like Amazon and Apple whose parcels they transport. On August 6, transport workers filed applications with the FWC to hold a vote at each company to go on strike. If the ballots are successful and agreements have still not been met with the companies, workers could begin industrial action in the coming months in a move that would cause major disruption to parcel deliveries. The TWU says a crucial sticking point that has caused negotiations to break down across all three major transport companies has been their refusal to pay outside hire workers the same rates as direct employees for doing the same job. This causes workers to lose critical…

Freightliner Australia Pacific has appointed Rhett Beere as its national sales and operations manager. Beere’s ascension comes after joining Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific three years ago as the Freightliner marketing manager, where he was “instrumental” in the design and execution of strategic Cascadia launch events as well as setting a new benchmark for Freightliner marketing activities, the company notes. Beere has worked in the automotive industry for more than 18 years in a range of sales, marketing and commercial operations roles at Holden Special Vehicles, Siemens, The Meher Group and Holden Racing Team. “Rhett’s energy and drive, along with his passion for the Freightliner brand, will be instrumental in the execution of Freightliner’s ambitious sales growth strategy,” Freightliner Truck and Bus Australia Pacific director Stephen Downes said.…

Trucking plays a crucial role in the lives of everyone in Australia. This has been particularly evident in the last 18 months as we have all responded to Covid-19. Trucks supply every community and are connected to every industry from construction to retail and agriculture. As the saying goes: without trucks, Australia stops. But more importantly, without hardworking individuals and businesses, there are no trucks. To recognise the outstanding businesses and individuals who inspire others and make a positive impact, each year the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) proudly delivers the National Trucking Industry Awards. Established in 1994, these awards have a long and rich history and have celebrated some of trucking’s greats. from inaugural ATA chair Peter Rocke and industry stalwart Phyllis Jones OAM, though to exceptional organisations like Brown…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), like any large organisation, has a leader who is its public face. That is CEO Sal Petroccitto and his industry profile is high. Also, like any large organisation, the work it does is divided into functions and these divisions have their own leaders who are less conspicuous, though by no means invisible. In this three-part series, to gauge their outlook for the organisation and the issues they have responsibility for, ATN speaks to the three other senior staff crucial to the trucking industry – chief regulatory policy and standards officer Don Hogben, chief operations officer Paul Salvati and executive director, statutory compliance Ray Hassall. New role Hogben is the inaugural NHVR chief regulatory policy and standards officer and will chalk up his second year…

In the first, Hyzon has signed a heads of agreement targeting delivery of five hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks to Ark Energy, the Australian subsidiary of zinc, lead, and silver producer Korea Zinc. Subject to execution of a definitive vehicle supply agreement, Hyzon expects to deliver five 154-tonne units to be used in road-train configurations by Ark Energy sister company Townsville Logistics. This marks the second announced order for Hyzon’s ultra-heavy-duty class trucks, after the first memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a European customer. “When we scoured the world for fuel cell trucks, we found that Hyzon Motors was the only hydrogen mobility company that could manufacture fuel cells stacks with a sufficient power density to meet our requirements including the ultra-heavy payload and built to Australian Design Rules,” Ark Energy…

In addition to TrueGreen’s e-bus building plans, it’s also been reported that a vehicle platform suitable for carrying freight, the DLX, is also in the mix. The development comes two years after Nexport and Macquarie Group’s Corporate and Asset Finance (CAF) linked with Chinese electric commercial vehicle and lithium-ion battery manufacturer BYD in a deal bringing its battery electric light-duty vehicles to Australia and New Zealand. Hong Kong-based Tor Investment Management, a private alternative asset manager focused on Asia-Pacific markets with more than US$2 billion (A$3 billion) in assets under management, provided the new funding line, TrueGreen Impact Group confirmed to ATN sister publication ABC. TrueGreen will use the funds as growth capital for the Nexport Group, which is currently leading the clean mobility-tech evolution across Australia, it states. This…

More than one in three truck-driver fatalities are linked to fatigue.1 Any fatality on our roads is one too many, and by targeting fatigue we can help ensure everyone makes it home safely. At the same time, there is a clear demand from the heavy vehicle industry for fatigue reform to improve safety outcomes. In fact, fatigue was the most common reported issue we received through the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line, making up 25 per cent of all calls. I understand that options to manage fatigue safety are almost as dynamic as the freight industry itself. A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t suit each situation – fatigue is unique to the individual. Currently, under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), industry is required to adhere to complex fatigue protocols,…

That was my first injection of diesel “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” I love this quote; it’s a great way to wind up teachers, right after pointing out all the holidays they get. It’s also a pretty good way to break the ice on this month’s victim of my camera and questions – Jason Kemp, who runs his self-titled Advanced Driver Training business. But, does the quote hold up at all when sitting down with him? Nope, not in the slightest! There’s very little Kemp can’t do but I still wanted to wind him up with a little dig. Kemp had the last laugh, though, as I learnt he’s a mechanic, an auto-electrician, an experienced driver in everything from tow trucks to road trains and a highly…

Ahhh, so what do fashion houses know about haulage? And how much fun can an extra ‘s’ provide? We are sure the people at Eastern Iron’s potential new partner, Pentarch Logistics, will put them on the right track and not too much confusion will have arisen. Why should they? Well, according to the miner’s stock exchange announcement, Princess Highway will be used to get ore from Gippsland to Port of Eden. “Sure,” smirked the wife of our mining haulage snout, “colourful floral prints on all those truck-and-dogs.” We were non-plussed until she explained that Princess Highway does dresses from trendy inner-city Abbotsford in Melbourne. Still, perhaps Eastern Iron is on to something. Princess Highway offers “free shipping for aus/nz orders over $99AUD”. Pentarch may want to take the issue seriously.…

Encouraging the take-up of safer, more-productive vehicles in the Australian heavy vehicle fleet, (NHVR) CEO Sal Petroccitto said the recent Infrastructure Transport Ministers’ Meeting (ITMM) supported reforming the PBS scheme to enable a new standardised tyre approach using a set of tyre properties and data for PBS assessments. “This decision will allow us to streamline the current approach, which requires vehicles in the PBS scheme to have their on-road performance assessed using specific tyre types and brands,” he said. “Industry has told us this approach is complicated, creates unnecessary costs, has operational limitations and discourages participation in the PBS scheme. “Under the new approach, any brand of tyre can be used on a PBS vehicle, as long as an assessment shows the design passes the relevant PBS standards. “This will…

The American cold storage giant announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Brisbane-based business, which operates three temperature-controlled storage facilities within Brisbane Port. This acquisition will add the three strategically-located assets, adjacent to one of Americold’s Brisbane facilities, to its Australian footprint, which will now occupy more than 1.6 million cubic metres. One facility is owned and the other two facilities are leased, with all comprising about 30,000 pallet spaces. Lago serves approximately 60 customers. “We are pleased to announce our agreement to acquire Lago Cold Stores, which expands our presence in the Brisbane, Australia market,” Americold president and CEO Fred Boehler said. “Once completed, this acquisition will add three strategically located assets to our portfolio, growing our footprint in Brisbane and increasing our presence in…

An industry association alliance has requested national cabinet recognise road freight as an essential service during a state of emergency and modify asymptomatic Covid-19 testing requirements as a matter of urgency. With the impasse around invasive testing requirements, fatigue impacts and border chaos persisting, another open letter has been penned by the alliance comprising the National Road Transport Association, Tasmanian Transport Association, Victorian Transport Association, Northern Territory Road Transport Association, Queensland Trucking Association and Western Roads Federation. The letter defends the industry’s safety and hygiene record throughout the pandemic and asks for concessions to stringent requirements in place. “The State of Emergency that has maintained the control of decision-making processes within states and territories throughout the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ensure that the Australian population abides by disciplines intended to…

The Queensland government has put freight and distribution centre (DC) workers on the Covid-19 priority list in the face of the Delta strain’s spread nationally. As the state looks to ease lockdown restrictions in some regions, the recognition of transport and logistics as a sector deserving of vaccination focus was welcomed by the Queensland Tucking Association (QTA). “The chief health officer [Dr Jeannette Young] has also added FIFO [fly-in-fly-out], freight and distribution centre workers to the high-risk priority group,” premier Anastacia Palaszczuk announced. “These changes, coupled with the remarkable work of Queenslanders during this lockdown will bolster our efforts to get on top of the latest outbreak.” The QTA viewed the announcement as an acknowledgement of the essential role freight and logistics workers continue to play on the pandemic’s front…

The union said it will sue Toll for almost $52 million in the New South Wales Supreme Court for breaching its contracted payment terms with owner-drivers on more than 5,000 occasions during the pandemic Christmas period. The union announcement comes as 7,000 Toll employees begin voting on whether to go on strike over Toll’s proposed enterprise agreement, which would destroy decent jobs at the transport operator. Toll rejected the union’s position outright. “This is the latest example of the TWU trying to distract Toll and gain leverage during the current EBA negotiations,” a company spokeswoman said. “Their claim is completely spurious and without merit and we will defend it vigorously in court.” The TWU said Toll aimed to bring in new workers and outside hire on up to 30% less…

An Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) alert said notice was given at a general meeting of company officers on July 20 that the company would be wound up, with advisory firm Tarquin Koch overseeing the liquidation. Tarquin Koch confirmed all Railroad staff – about 100 – have been made redundant and will be owed more than $2 million, with reports suggesting the business made slight losses on annual revenues of around $35 million in the past couple of financial years. Railroad’s web and social media presence has since ceased. The Railroad brand in its most recent iteration was formed in 1990, though the company’s roots date back to 1957, with links to the McMahon family and AFL Hall of Famer Bob Hammond. The development is seen as a shock…

There is some good news for truckies, with upgrades planned for rest stops in Queensland and regional Western Australia, while a new facility has been opened in NSW. In Queensland, federal and state governments are making headway in upgrading driver rest areas on major road corridors. The jointly funded Rest Area Upgrade Program aims to help improve road safety for drivers, encouraging them to take regular breaks. Underlining the need for improved facilities for motorists, particularly heavy vehicle drivers, the partnership has seen upgrade works carried out across South East Queensland, including rest areas at Warrill View on Cunningham Highway and Palen Creek on Mount Lindesay Highway. Assistant road safety and freight transport minister Scott Buchholz said the government had allocated $12.66 million towards the Rest Area Upgrade Program. “The…

Over the last decade, heavy vehicle fatal crashes for both rigid and articulated trucks have trended downwards. The uptake of Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles has also grown significantly, adding to national safety outcomes. The continued uptake of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS), Trucksafe, ISO 39001 at the margin, and a renewed focus on Chain of Responsibility (COR) have all been claimed to have added further improvements to our heavy vehicle safety outcomes. Since 2014, three heavy vehicle truck accident reports have been commissioned that focused on the behaviour of the Australian High Productivity Vehicles (HPVs) that become operational after being assessed and certified through the PBS processes. The time period spanned by these PBS safety reports was from 2009 to 2019 inclusive. In each case, the benefits…

MaxiTrans is to become two firms – MaxiParts and Australian Trailer Solutions Group (ATSG) – with the former remaining listed and the other private. Shareholder approval for the move is sought by the end of August. The Trailers arm’s Australian and New Zealand assets, including the Ballarat, Hallam, Carole Park (NZ) and Trout River facilities and all brands, are to be sold to ATSG for $30.3 million. The move also includes Trailers dealerships, service centres and rental operations in Craigieburn, Dandenong, Smeaton Grange, Derrimut, Adelaide and Christchurch, along with MaxiTrans’ share of the Trailer Sales Queensland business. Derrimut and Hallam sites are expected to be sold for $18.05 million to a third party, conditional on the completion of the Trailers sale, MaxiTrans stated in an ASX announcement. For a minimum…

Australian trailermaker Kennedy Trailers has signed a new tyre distribution deal with New Zealand-based Bigfoot Equipment. With this new deal, Bigfoot is expanding its presence in the Australian market after 25 years of supply of its popular central tyre inflation (CTI) system here. The agreement presents growth opportunity for both companies, while also offering Australia’s forestry, mining, heavy haulage, agriculture and bulk tipping industries better access and support to CTI’s latest technology. Bigfoot’s CTI systems are manufactured and assembled in-house by a team of technicians before being shipped around the world. It gives truck drivers the ability to adjust tyre pressures from their cab to suit the speed and weight of their vehicle. Lowering the air pressure creates a larger area of contact between the tyre and the ground and…

Founded in 1978, Gilders Transport and Logistics has developed into a premium service provider offering complete transport, distribution and warehousing services (palletised freight) nationally. It also manages specialised logistics including time-sensitive freight, project logistics and oversized consignments. The family business began as a single-truck operation in Kurnell, New South Wales, and today services customers nationally across a range of industries. Gilders, according to managing director Brad Gilder, was founded with a single vision: “To keep the customer at the centre of everything we do”, and it remains a guiding ethos and vision for the team. “Gilders are committed to providing unparalleled service and value to our clients,” Gilder said. “No matter the size or type of freight, our purpose-built vehicles, interstate branches, and cutting-edge technology offer quality services and the…

The aim was to get it right Let me gladly introduce you to ‘Buckboard’ – the unofficial name given to Mike Reimann’s custom Kenworth. For those unfamiliar with the term ‘buckboard’, it harks back to the horse-drawn cart days but is more relevant as a Australian slang term used to describe the old cars that had their back ends cut off and trays mounted. Just imagine the birth of the Aussie ute, that was a buckboard. It is also the tongue-in-cheek name affectionately used when referencing this amazing feat of scaled-down Kenworth engineering that you see before you. I can’t tell you the exact make or model of this particular Kenworth, though I guess in some ways you could call it an S2 W-model. Just don’t go to Brown &…