Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 481 i Deals On Wheels Australia

With a total of 3,777 units sold in May, new truck sales were up 3.8 per cent on the same month in 2021. This falls just short of the all-time May record of 3,931 units set in 2018 but the year to date (YTD) result of 15,900 is ahead of 2018’s YTD total of 15,739 – putting truck sales on track for a recordbreaking first half of the year. Heavy-duty The heavy-duty segment had a total of 1,274 units sold, up an impressive 224 on May 2021 and bringing the segment to a YTD total of 5,322. Kenworth managed a total of 260 units in May – a jump of 45 on April’s total and 79 ahead of May 2021. This brings it to a YTD total in triple figures…

It’s all about the attitude that’s why I stayed with Fleet Plant Hire With the Covid pandemic putting huge pressure on supply chains and the Australian government focusing on infrastructure funding to increase economic growth, the need for skilled drivers is now one of the key issues for the trucking and construction industries. Melbourne’s Fleet Plant Hire, which provides plant and truck hire and material solutions to Victorian construction businesses across the state, is now looking to build its database of truck drivers as more and more work becomes available. One local contractor who has been working with Fleet Plant Hire for 25 years is John Pollifrone, the truck manager of 10 tippers at NEMA Vic Pty Ltd. “I'm looking for drivers all the time. It seems to be an…

Daimler is referring to the new dealership as its most advanced in the Daimler truck and bus network. The dealership was constructed at a cost of more than $35 million and will sell Mercedes-Benz trucks as well as Freightliner and Fuso brands. The Velocity Vehicle Group’s new dealership is a 9,500 square metre facility located on the Ipswich Motorway near a critical transport hub in Brisbane’s south-west. The dealership features a 36-bay workshop with two 29m-long B-double pits, a shaker and roller tester, three wash bays, three express assessment bays and an external hardstand for 126 trucks. A separate service reception and customer lounge is also included on site with a sales customer lounge. The dealership forms the first all-new premises constructed by the Velocity Vehicle Group since it joined…

Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) helped to complete one of the biggest road movements in the state’s history, recently. In a video released on Facebook, TfNSW detailed how it aided the transport of a gas turbine from Port Kembla to Yallah overnight. “One of the biggest road movements in NSW has taken place,” TfNSW says. “We helped transport a 370-tonne gas turbine 18km from Port Kembla to the EnergyAustralia site in Yallah.” TfNSW says the huge effort helped an entire convoy that was more than 112 metres long get across the state’s roads to Yallah. Transport company Lampson handled the load. The combination had a total mass of more than 730 tonnes, with the load carried on two trailers, with two trucks pushing and two pulling it. The turbine,…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is making electronic work diaries (EWDs) available to more members of the transport industry. EWDs are now available on more devices as part of the NHVR approving the first device agnostic EWD in Hubfleet EWD, while the regulator also approved Step Global’s Smart eDriver diary for use on specific Apple devices. NHVR fatigue specialist Andreas Blahous says the approval of these two EWDs further expands the range of mobile devices that drivers can use with EWD software. Blahous says this has the potential to allow more drivers to use existing mobile devices as EWDs, opening the EWD process for more industry members. “We have approved the Hubfleet EWD software for use on any mobile electronic device, so long as that device meets a range…

New South Wales’ independent infrastructure body, Infrastructure NSW, says it plans to extend the Sydney Gateway road project to Port Botany to facilitate freight movements. Infrastructure NSW says the extension from Sydney Airport to Port Botany is an immediate priority and must be completed properly. The proposed $2.6 billion link has been criticised because it ends near the domestic terminal rather than continuing to the port, as it is currently located between the WestConnex St Peters interchange and the airport. The extension is planned to open at the end of 2024, but Infrastructure NSW has released a report on it, called Staying Ahead: State Infrastructure Strategy 2022-2042. The report says the first order priority for the project is to ensure the efficiency of the Sydney Airport to Port Botany international…

A very serious magazine named The Economist came up with The Big Mac Index in 1986 as a light-hearted measure of whether world currencies are at their ‘correct’ level. The concept of Burgernomics is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity (PPP), which says that long-term exchange rates should move towards a level that would equalise the prices of an identical basket of goods and services – or a hamburger – in any two countries. At the time of writing, according to the Big Mac Index, the Australian dollar was undervalued against the US dollar.* Burgernomics is a tangible way to communicate the impact of economics on our lives. We might not know one end of a J curve from another, but we’ve all sampled fast food – even if…

When Anthony Albanese took the stage after winning the federal election and confirmed he would become Australia’s next prime minister, many industries wondered how their relationship with federal politicians would change. The transport industry wasn’t excluded from this. There are many issues facing the sector, including a lack of AdBlue, fuel tax credits and skilled workers. For Australian Trucking Association (ATA) chair David Smith, the changing of the guard in Australia’s federal politics is cause for hope. “This change creates an opportunity to advance the transport industry and re-engage with new people to try and resolve recurring issues,” Smith says to ATN. “We tend to look forward and not back. It’s an opportunity to move forward and realign, refocus and re-engage.” Although Smith says he went into the election thinking…

Penske Australia says several local truck models are included in potential defect identified by US component manufacturer RH Sheppard. RH Sheppard says the manufacturing of steering gears between June 1, 2021 and February 10 this year means more than 100,000 Penske trucks, including Volvo, Daimler and Kenworth, have been recalled. Authorities are yet to examine the potential for 105,271 vehicles to be recalled, with Sheppard saying only a fraction of these trucks contain the said steering gear that would require the vehicle to be recalled. Sheppard told the US recall body in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that a small percentage of steering gears were assembled without the necessary amount of internal recirculating balls. If a steering gear doesn’t have enough internal recirculating balls then it may bind when…

The New South Wales government is ensuring more productive heavy vehicles will be able to drive along one of the state’s key freight routes on the Kamilaroi Highway. The government says transport operators could be saved an hour when travelling along the highway as it is now open to 30-metre performance-based standard (PBS) level 2B vehicles. NSW regional transport and roads minister Sam Farraway says this new allowance will allow for the transport industry to better connect to some of the state’s most productive agricultural land as well as key markets. “Up until now, two rail level crossings at Werris Creek and Curlewis prohibited access to 26 to 30-metrelong heavy vehicles along this route, adding 50 kilometres to the journey,” Farraway says. “These two rail level crossings were the only…

A Queensland scale-up group is calling for the national road toll to change from historic methods and now consider including the number of lives negatively impacted by conflicts on the road. Advanced Mobility Analytics Group (AMAG) wants the crash data that is relied upon to manage risks on the road to include more powerful and proactive methods enabled by modern technology. Currently the national road toll states the number of lives lost on roads each year, but AMAG says this number underestimates the lives negatively impacted from serious and moderate injuries that sometimes result in lifelong impairment. This information from crashes is usually used to inform engineering and investment decisions to reduce transport system crashes. “Waiting for crashes to occur as a means of identifying risky locations is critically flawed,…

The Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) has appointed two new directors onto its board of management. Penske’s Craig Lee and leading engineering consultant Robert Smedley will fill the vacancies on the board. HVIA president John Drake says the addition of Lee and Smedley will continue to strengthen the HVIA. “Craig and Robert are two very impressive leaders from different parts of our industry,” Drake says. “Both bring enormous experience to our board that will further enhance our strategic management and governance capabilities.” Drake says the appointments show the board wants to remain representative of its diverse membership while also making exciting plans for a national approach to heavy vehicle regulation. But he says they will have to adjust quickly to cope with the unique issues that the transport industry presents.…

A mobile solar-powered generator is the new secret weapon that’s cutting costs for taxpayers and reducing the environmental impact from work being carried out along the Newell Highway. Regional transport and roads minister Sam Farraway says the solar generator was being put to use for the first time by crews building new overtaking lanes on the $1.7 billion upgrade to the Newell Highway. “It will help offset emissions by saving about 615,000 kilograms of carbon and will save taxpayers more than $100,000 over the life of the project,” Farraway says. “In its first two weeks of operation on the Newell Highway project it saved more than 2,800kg of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of charging 44,000 smartphones.” Farraway says the NSW government is continuing to use this mobile solar-powered generator…

Western Roads Federation (WRF) is launching its Western Australian transport industry climate action working group and is seeking interest to develop constructive proposals to make the industry more sustainable. WRF says it wants interested parties to help develop action ideas that the group can then take to state and federal government as a way of moving its focus towards the transport industry. With transport being the second largest generator of emissions after the energy sector, the WRF says climate action presents opportunities and risks for the industry, meaning proactive leadership is needed to aid positive outcomes. Considerations listed in the WRF’s proposal as part of the climate action working group include: • Diesel and AdBlue security – reducing reliance on imported fuel and finding a solution for on-shore AdBlue manufacturing•…

Daimler Truck subsidiary Freightliner unveiled the new Freightliner eCascadia at California’s ACT Expo in May. The new battery electric truck provides customers with a zeroemission version of the Cascadia and debuts its new safety and connectivity features. Rigorous testing has led to the release of the new eCascadia that Freightliner says has a typical battery range of 230 miles (402km) and is ideal for short-haul routes. The new truck model is powered by the in-house Detroit ePowertrain, which purposely designed the transmission to fully integrate with the eCascadia for maximum power, increased driver dynamics and driver comfort with zero emissions. The Detroit ePowertrain offers three battery options for a range of sizes, with battery charging times ranging from one-and-a-half hours to six hours. An in-house Charger Management System (CMS) is…

Volvo is now introducing fossilfree steel in its trucks – the first manufacturer in the world to do so. The steel is produced by the Swedish steel company SSAB and the heavy-duty electric Volvo trucks will be the first to include it. The steel from SSAB is produced using a completely new technology, based on hydrogen. The result is a much lower climate impact than conventionally produced steel. Small scale introduction of the steel in Volvo’s heavy electric trucks will begin in the third quarter of 2022. “We will increase the use of fossilfree materials in all our trucks to make them net-zero not only in operation – but also when it comes to the materials they are built of,” says Jessica Sandström, senior vice president product management, Volvo Trucks.…

MAN’s TGS tipper was recently named the winner of the category ‘Tipper up to 32t’ at the ETM (Euro-TransportMedia) Awards, which took place at the Future Congress for Commercial Vehicles 2022 in Berlin on June 1. The MAN TGS range covers a range of options for medium and long-haul work, ranging from B-double and prime movers to fridge vans and service trucks. The company says its tipperspec TGS truck is a strong all-rounder for construction and quarry sites, both local and interstate, and has been designed for optimum payload, safety, versatility, performance and efficiency. Support is provided to the driver via systems such as Congestion Assistant, which in traffic jams brakes behind vehicles and automatically moves off again, and the Stop&Go function of the distance-controlled cruise control ACC. The innovative…

It’s only inflated our costs further It’s been a bleak few months for Phil Benger. The transport operator has been through soaring fuel prices before – he recalls maxing out credit cards at the turn of the century when prices last rose exponentially. It took him three years to recover his debts. Now, it all feels like déjà vu. “The same thing is happening now,” Benger says to Deals on Wheels. “All of my cards are maxed out again and my partner has had to dip into Super to pay for maintenance on my truck. “The trouble is I’m in my 60s now and I don’t have that much time to recover.” Benger, like many small operators across Australia currently, is stuck in between a rock and a hard place.…

When the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) was formed in 2013, it became a statutory authority to administer a single set of laws. Fatigue management was a key component behind this idea. Emerging was the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) that established a national, one-size-fits-all truck driver logbook system. It was designed to eliminate all prior issues and unite Australia’s states and territories. But two didn’t come to the party. Instead of conceding to the NHVR and signing on to be governed by the NHVR’s logbook system, Western Australia and the Northern Territory refused. They went with their own individual fatigue management framework. To this day, both WA and the NT operate individually, governing their truck drivers with a different system. But why? Western Roads Federation (WRF) is the primary…

In this issue we are looking at the latest innovations within the world of brakes and braking technology. Brakes may not be the first thing that springs to mind when a shiny new truck rolls by, but without them that rig isn’t going anywhere. Brakes and brake systems are integral to the safety of both trucks and those behind the wheel, where the highest quality is needed to keep a fleet compliant and running efficiently. Alongside the humble brake are the rapid advancements in technology to control brakes to prevent locking and automatically apply the brakes if obstacles are spotted. With these systems increasingly being applied as standard in new trucks, having a brake system that reacts quickly and lasts the distance is integral. Take a look overleaf to see…

Save your business time, labour and money When it comes to transport in small businesses, particularly in the trades, the classic conundrum is often ‘truck or ute?’ Both have their place, and you should tailor this important decision to your business as best as possible. Now, with new compliance laws coming to the forefront, making sure that your vehicle is the right for your business might be more important than ever. Going forward, businesses large and small can all expect to hear much more about the Chain of Responsibility (CoR). The road transport industry is placing a greater focus on the CoR and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is doubling down on efforts to prosecute breaches of the new legislation governing this. This poses a significant threat to many…

Kenworth unveiled its next-level cabover in the K220 recently in Brisbane in front of 500 dealers, customers and industry partners. The project to develop the K220 began in late 2018 as customer and driver input became critical to the development of Kenworth’s latest truck model. “The K220 celebrates Australian ingenuity to engineer a uniquely Australian product to optimise the capability of both owners and drivers to prosper in what is surely the world’s toughest but most productive transport industry,” Kenworth director of sales and marketing Brad May says. “It is a development path that has been forged by an amazing collaboration between Australian transport operators and a dedicated and determined local development team that has spanned more than five decades.” Kenworth says it considered its consultation and development phase to…

Penske Australia opened its doors to its new Lytton branch on June 6 – its second branch in Brisbane. The new Penske location will be located adjacent to the Port of Brisbane and Brisbane Airport operations and will represent Western Star Trucks, MAN, Dennis Eagles, Detroit and Allison Transmission brands. “Our growing customer base in southeast Queensland gave us an opportunity to explore locations for a second facility in addition to our current Wacol branch,” Penske eastern region general manager John Delany says. “It was quickly evident that Lytton was an ideal location to bookend Brisbane and extend our coverage of customers.” The new space contains a 2,650 square-metre workshop and a 250 square-metre warehouse across a 11,100 square-metre site. The large site includes 19 workshop bays, an overhead crane…

Australian truck and trailer dealership Brown and Hurley has opened a new regional branch in Bundaberg to provide servicing and parts from its Bundaberg East workshop. Brown and Hurley says the business services all of Queensland and northern New South Wales, with strong business meaning the dealers have had to open a Bundaberg branch. The retirement of the owners at Ken Landt Diesel means the left-over space at 104 Scotland Street was perfect for Brown and Hurley. “Brown and Hurley are excited to be in a position to now better service the Bundaberg region with a range of Paccar parts products, along with quality technicians and an experienced parts team,” Brown and Hurley CEO Paul Hurley says. “The team in Bundaberg will have training in the Paccar brands over the…

The New South Wales government says it’s including more than 2,700km of rumble strips on rural highways to combat driver fatigue and benefit driver safety. NSW regional transport and roads minister Sam Farraway says these new rumble strips will replace existing reflective markers on six state highways under a commitment to make regional roads safer. “Rumble strips are estimated to reduce fatalities and injuries by 15 to 25 per cent – particularly in crashes associated with fatigue or distraction,” Farraway says. “Through the saving lives accelerated program [SLAP] our government has committed $46 million over the next three years to install rumble strips and enhance line-marking on key regional routes. “It’s part of our $14.5 billion investment into regional roads and transport to improve everyday life for people living and…

Pacific National says the current freight and logistics industry is struggling to recover costs and maintain skilled workers in the sector. Speaking to the ABC’s Kathryn Robinson on The Business, PacNat chief executive Paul Scurrah said recent problems caused by the Covid pandemic and border closures are still having an impact on the freight industry. “Currently we’re seeing an enduring issue regarding worker shortages while we also lose workers to Covid or close contact rules, and it’s having a pretty big impact on industry,” Scurrah says. “With issues such as the lockdown in China seeing imports drop, there’ll be some tough times going forward. There’s a lot of cost pressures on our supply chain right now and it’s being felt by everybody.” To follow this cost-of-living squeeze, Scurrah says PacNat…

The Victorian government is boosting safety along a key south-west freight route in Cobden by providing a vital connection for freight and tourism in the area. Large section of Lavers Hill-Cobden Road will be rebuilt to better connect the region while also adding safety measures to the road. The government says crews have worked over the past few months to rebuild 3.7km of Lavers Hill-Cobden Road to make it one of the biggest maintenance upgrades in the south-west region. The new surface that sits between Cobden and Jancourt East has been resealed and had its line marking completed along with recently installed safety barriers that will prevent run-off-road crashes. The Victorian government says the $3.9 million pavement rehabilitation will benefit 1,000 daily motorists, particularly freight operators that make up 20…

The Victorian government is continuing to boost the rail freight network in Mildura – making it safer, easier and quicker for freight operators and farmers to transport their local produce to port. Minister for ports and freight Melissa Horne visited citrus exporter Mildura Fruit Company (MFC) and freight provider Seaway Intermodal – which plays a crucial role in moving fruit, wine, grain and peas and will benefit from works soon to be carried out to upgrade the rail freight corridor. The works will allow for heavier and more frequent trains to operate on freight rail between Mildura and the Port of Melbourne and will get underway in coming months. The works include siding extension works at Merbein near Mildura, to allow 1,200m-long trains to stable away from the main line…

Australian-based logistics and last mile delivery business Hubbed has secured a $12 million investment from the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) for 2022. The ABGF provides growth capital to Australian businesses, with Hubbed receiving the investment that incorporates a 30 per cent voting interest for the fund. The ABGF invested in Hubbed for its innovative pick-up drop-off (PUDO) model that allows further choice for carriers, retailers and consumers through an alternative delivery service. Hubbed says it allows consumers to choose when and where they receive parcels, giving them flexible options to pay for items and have them delivered or returned in an environmentally friendly manner. The model allows consumers the option to receive delivers from designated collection points across 2,150 locations nationally including outlets at 7-Eleven stores, BP service stations,…

Australia is considering enforcing a change in heavy vehicle engine emission regulation from Euro 5 to Euro 6 engines as the main standard. The current Australian heavy vehicle engine emission regulation adopts Euro 5 as the main standard and permits the approved equivalent standards from Japan or the USA to demonstrate compliance. The second revision of the relevant Australian Design Rule (ADR) that enforces new trucks to the more stringent Euro 6 is yet to be certified and remains under consideration. The federal department of infrastructure and transport recently liaised with the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) when preparing a brief for the incoming federal government on mandating Euro 6 for all new trucks. Members have given NatRoad feedback that the government should offer a rebate for purchasing a Euro…

Roads Australia (RA) has released the winner of its annual John Shaw Medal winner for 2022 as this year’s winner makes more transport industry history. The Northern Territory’s first infrastructure commissioner Louise McCormick is the winner of this year’s John Shaw Medal. McCormick becomes the second woman to win the award and is the first Northern Territory-based recipient of the medal. McCormick was announced as the winner at the 2022 John Shaw dinner, which recognised 70 years since the foundation of the RA’s forerunner the Australian Road Federation. “As the Northern Territory’s infrastructure commissioner, her leadership benefits the entire community and economy, making the area safer, more accessible and better able to do business.” McCormick has worked with industry and peak bodies including the Aboriginal Land Councils and Traditional Owners…

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA), in conjunction with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) and Roads Australia (RA), has combined for the Journey to Net Zero report that offers ways of removing carbon emissions from freight operators and the transport industry as a whole. KPMG and Arup authored and sponsored the report respectively, as it has 46 recommendations that will help accelerate decarbonising the industry while analysing examples of how to best implement these ideas. The recommendations include a national strategic approach to the transport and infrastructure sector, investment in initiatives for an efficient and sustainable system at both state and federal levels as well as embedding accountability in the planning and construction of these sustainable transport projects. Other key features handed down include enabling capacity building and education along with…

MAN is currently testing a new ANITA (Autonomous Innovation in Terminal Operations) project designed to automate container handling between truck and rail. The truck manufacturing company conducted a mid-term review on the MAN test track for the project. MAN put green test truck Bertha forward and observed how it worked as an autonomous truck designed to automate container handling processes. In difficult conditions, MAN says the automated truck’s sensors identified obstacles scattered along the route while also recognising and ignoring reflections on the wet road. The test went smoothly, with the safety driver in the cockpit not having to intervene and prevent the automated truck from encountering a collision. This first public drive of the autonomous truck formed part of MAN’s mid-term review of the ANITA automation project that MAN…

Scania is introducing a regional longhaul range of electric trucks as part of a new generation that will be available with R or S sleeper cabs and forms part of a complete solution that allows more customers to access the electrified transport sector. Scania has introduced 624kWh of battery to majorly change electric trucks and how they function and operate in regional long-haul operations. “This introduction represents a major milestone for us and our partners,” Scania CEO Christian Levin says. “We are now increasing our range in every dimension by offering new opportunities for a vast selection of customers and the whole transport ecosystem. These tracks are part of solutions that contain all the capabilities that a transport industry longing for electrification is asking for.” Scania says its new battery…

SafeAI and Siemens signed an agreement in May 2021 to jointly work on retrofitting off-road heavy vehicles for autonomy, zero emission and connected applications. SafeAI brings its scalable AI-powered retrofit autonomy to the collaboration, while Siemens provides its hardware and software capabilities in zero emission powertrains, and the necessary infrastructure to operate these vehicles. Earlier this year, a fleet of construction trucks, ranging from 45 to 65 tons (40.8 to 59 tonnes) and operated by Obayashi Corporation, was identified to be retrofitted for autonomy and zero emission. In May, the companies began retrofitting the first 45-ton vehicle, which is expected to be ready by the end of 2022. The collaboration will continue scaling across the entire fleet over a threeyear period. Unlike passenger cars, full electrification of heavy vehicles is…

The transport industry is currently reeling in the midst of a truck driver shortage. While there are solutions in the works, one operator is taking matters into his own hands. Of the many things that Mark Tobin had to worry about when Covid-19 first hit Australia, having enough truck drivers wasn’t one of them. But now the Followmont Transport CEO and director is struggling to manage the ever-increasing freight tasks piling on his warehouse with the waning number he now has at his disposal. “We just don’t have bums on truck seats,” Tobin told Deals on Wheels. “We’ve been trying to get truck drivers in the door, but we just don’t have enough.” Tobin says he first noticed he had a lack of trained truck drivers when Covid restrictions and…

The 2021 Brisbane Truck Show was an undoubted success despite Covid playing havoc within the general population, not to mention the threat of state border restrictions. But in what was a timely window of opportunity in May last year, show organisers Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) maintained their focus, determined that the show must go on. Looking ahead, a number of truck manufacturers who opted out for various reasons last year are now back on board for 2023, with Volvo Group Australia (VGA) leading the way. VGA had missed the opportunity to showcase its new models at Brisbane in 2021, but in response to questions from sister magazine OwnerDriver, VGA president and chief executive Martin Merrick says he is looking ahead to May 2023. “Hindsight is always 20/20. We had…

The wider availability and increasing affordability of non-contact infrared (IR) heat measurement technology is increasing workshop efficiency by helping technicians diagnose braking faults more quickly, and often without the need for brake teardowns. Most commercial units are calibrated and operate with a simple point-and-click temperature measurement. They have the capacity to measure in the range of 0–500°C, covering most automotive applications. The main consideration when using these heat guns is to keep a consistent distance from the gun to the component that’s being measured for comparative purposes. Depending on the heat gun manufacturer, this distance will vary slightly, but generally the ideal distance is between 15 and 20cm. Checking brakes on commercial vehicles IR heat technology is particularly useful in commercial vehicle workshops, given the number of axles that trucks…

Providing a product that can be relied on MTE Australia, based in the Brisbane suburb of Tingalpa, is the Australian subsidiary of New Zealand’s MTE, set up as an expansion of its parent company in 2009. MTE Australia, run by director Mike Ratcliffe, builds an extensive range of trailers for the Australian transport market, covering everything from tilt decks and semi tippers to flat tops, b-trains and linkwings. MTE is one of the largest suppliers of specialised transport trailers in Australasia, priding itself on building modern trailers that meet a diverse client base’s requirements. Modern Ejector “Our newest addition to our fleet is the Modern Ejector, which comes in a varied range,” says Ratcliffe. “These trailers are fitted with the latest push-off technology that allows for the load to be…

A South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) survey says a large portion of the transport industry won’t survive past the end of the year unless the fuel tax credit (FTC) is reinstated. The industry’s concerns were included in a letter from SARTA CEO Steve Shearer to former prime minister Scott Morrison. The survey was initiated as the industry pleads with the new government to help transport operators before it’s too late. Shearer has been the industry spokesperson on the fuel excise crisis, having been appointed by the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) national council to coordinate a political approach to fix the issue. This included issuing a survey to Australian transport businesses to observe the impact the removal of the FTC has had on operators across the country. In what Shearer…

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has fined eight truck drivers for failing to properly cover waste loads as part of a compliance push. The EPA established a joint operation with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to educate SA waste transporters about the need to restrain all loads to maintain the safety of the community and surrounding environment. EPA officers were carried out at the Integrated Waste Services (IWS) Dublin and Wingfield depots as officers worked with the NHVR’s safety and compliance enforcers to perform heavy vehicle on road compliance and enforcement activities under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). EPA investigations manager Stephen Barry says fines of $192 had been sent to eight operators out of the 10 that were checked. “The EPA licences waste transporters and while it…

In a display of Skyroad Logistics’ partnership with Kenworth and Cummins, the logistics group has issued its largest fleet order yet. The new commitment involves ordering 25 new Kenworth trucks comprised of 16 K200 models and the new K220, T610, T909 and T360 versions along with the option to deliver across both 2022 and into 2023. Skyroad Logistics is a business focused on wholesale transport and logistics operations for freight forwarders, airliners and air cargo charter operators, as its network now spans across all major capital city airports in Australia. It says its latest Kenworth order followed a review of data available from experience with the company’s current Kenworth Euro 6 fleet along with extended trials of a major European brand. Skyroad first chose to use the Kenworth K200 when…

The New South Wales government is permanently allowing the heavy vehicle farm gate access network so freight operators can move produce easily from farms to markets. NSW regional transport and roads minister Sam Farraway announced the trialled network would now become permanent. Farraway says the successful trial in six pilot areas of NSW means the network will become permanent to improve access to local roads for heavy vehicles, cutting red-tape by reducing the need to apply for access permits. “The trial of the farm gate access network has been a success for both industry and local government and it provides council better insight into freight movements on their roads,” Farraway says. “Modern heavy vehicles are fitted with telematics which provides both the operators and councils an accurate picture of their…

MAN Trucks & Bus recently released a new dealer location on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast under the Wideland dealership Group. The new dealership comprises a 1,125 square-metre facility located in Chavellum with four full-depth truck bays and two drive-through express service bays. MAN says the new facilities allow for improved access for customers, as the dealership is located just off the Bruce Highway on a 7,050 squaremetre site used by the group’s larger workshop and sales area. The upgrades mean there’s also an extensive warehouse added on that allows for greater inventory stock and a parts express delivery service that will commence in the second quarter of 2022. “The newly-opened Chevallum Industrial Park afforded us the opportunity to build a facility that has improved customer access as well as an enhanced…

Transport businesses in Victoria’s south-west region say the state government must act quickly to maintain busy freight corridors before worsening conditions make them unsafe for heavy vehicles. South-west transport operators that support Australia’s largest dairy production region say the slow speed of road maintenance is costing money while also inhibiting safety for drivers. In 2019 five councils in the area sent a submission to the Victorian government asking for $317.5 million per year over 10 years to upgrade roads in the region. “For a long time now there’s been a road we travel on daily which was having a massive impact on our truck suspension,” Webber and Chivell Fertilisers managing director Andrew Chivell says. “There were potholes, washaways, narrow shoulders, bumps a foot deep, humps and hollows.” This road is…

Western Australian transport industry members are calling for urgent action to help fix the current skills shortage in the trucking sector. Western Roads Federation (WRF) CEO Cam Dumesny says members estimate that the state is losing over $2 million a day, just across the resources bulk haulage sector, due to truck driver shortages. The WRF says similar shortages are being reported in other parts of WA’s transport industry, with some bulk haulage operators reporting a more than 15 per cent shortage in truck drivers. “The WRF is offering to constructively collaborate with the federal government on a simple three-point plan to urgently address these issues,” Dumesny says. The plan issued by WRF includes: • Ensuring truck driver shortages are identified on the National Skills Priority Migration Skills Occupation List as…

The New South Wales government has announced that around half a million road users will be eligible for rebates on their toll bills as the state grapples with its toll road costs. In the state government’s 2022–2023 budget, it has pledged to commit $520 million over the next two years for quarterly rebates for drivers who spend at least $375 a year on using toll roads in NSW. The new commitment is set to benefit motorists and operators using roads in Western Sydney the most, as the expansive toll network in the area should be slightly relieved by the ability for drivers to get up to $750 back. The state government says the new program will come into effect from July 1 as it replaces the current half-price registration scheme…

The Western Australian government is continuing its partnership with the Department of Justice to train released prisoners in truck driver courses for long-term jobs. The WA government says the current program with the private sector has seen former prisoners receive lasting jobs in the mining industry after completing training courses to operate heavy duty haul trucks. The government is currently partnered with mining company Alcoa and earth moving contractor Piacentini and Son to offer roles at Karnet Prison Farm that help prisoners successfully return to the community. In the existing nine years of the partnership, nine of the 11 released prisoners who have completed the training have been taken on by Piacentini and Son, with four still working at Alcoa’s Huntly bauxite mine near Jarrahdale. The course runs over six…

The federal and Northern Territory governments are delivering a major upgrade to various sections along the 138km Carpentaria Highway and have announced the contract recipient for the works. A design and construct tender has been awarded to Exact Contracting for $67 million for stage one upgrades. The $150 million program of work is jointly funded on an 80:20 basis and will be delivered in two separate stages over two years. Stage one will include the first 48km of the Carpentaria Highway and is expected to be completed by April 2023. Stage two will see upgrades from chainage 50km to chainage 140km. Upgrades will include creating a twolane sealed road with a raised formation to improve flood immunity and constructing culverts to improve cross drainage where required. The upgrades to the…

Mercedes-Benz trucks says it is partnering with ZF Services to equip its latest range of electric trucks with an eWorX electrified power take-off system. ZF says the eWorX all-in-one solution offers vehicle body manufacturers a mechanical interface to help drive work equipment. MB says the two companies are also collaborating with leading crane producer Palfinger to equip Mercedes-Benz eActros demonstration trucks with skip loaders to combine industries into its latest product range. ZF has also applied eWorX to eActros that include hook loaders from global tipping trailer leader Meiller. These demonstration vehicles were displayed at Munich’s IFAT 2022 global trade fair on May 30. ZF says its eWorX is a modular intelligent system combining all functions required for the electrification of on-board equipment in a single compact unit. The eWorX…

Volvo Trucks says it is placing bets on batteries, hydrogen fuel cells and combustion engines to be the future of a carbon-free transport industry. The popular truck manufacturer says it won’t invest in just one type of zero-emission technology as it prepares for an open-ended future. “We are going in parallel with three technologies,” Volvo chief technology officer Lars Stenqvist says. Although Stenqvist previously said battery electrics are the company’s choice for buses, excavators and reloaders, the market-leader in heavy all-electric trucks in Europe last year isn’t going down just one track for its heavy-vehicle fleets. Volvo says it will also build a charging network as part of its allelectric investment into batterypowered heavy-duty vehicles. Stenqvist says he’s not worried about the different dynamics in fuel cell technology, instead saying…

Iveco says its S-Way truck is currently successfully completing a range of tests focused on performance and sustainability. In 2021, the first S-Way models arrived in Australia to begin comprehensive local testing and validations that were overseen by Iveco engineering staff ahead of the model’s fourth quarter launch. The S-Way has already won several international industry awards for design, making it a highly anticipated release in Australia and New Zealand. The local validation program includes having the S-Way run in single and D-double trailer combinations as well as in rigid setup while covering several hundred thousand kilometres fully loaded and in real-world operating conditions like summer temperatures. Iveco also closely evaluated the collective load measurement of its S-Way model along with milage accumulation and full cooling system evaluations to ensure…

Allow me to set the scene a little here folks. Sometimes choosing which stories to write is as easy as deciding whether to have the T-bone steak or the petit pois (it involves green peas and poached eggs). Also, sometimes choosing can be as difficult as explaining the logbook rules to a local police officer. On other occasions I just need a little inspiration or guidance. The decision to write a story about the spectacular Star you see on these pages before you however came about through my sympathy for our North American counterparts. During my recent trip to the US I was able to experience firsthand the draconian laws that require their drivers to not only work fewer hours than us Australasian truckies, but they also have to survive…

you can’t get anything better than garbage trucks Supported by $1.18 million in funding from the federal government’s Australian 5G Innovation Initiative, the project that commenced in November 2021 will run until the end of September, analysing data from 900km of road within the Brimbank Council area. The project is equipping 13 garbage trucks operated by Melbourne council of Brimbank with high resolution stereo vision cameras and GPS sensors, with the data sent to a Cloud-based system for analysis to identify assets on the road or road signs that require maintenance. This helps the council create a map of jobs, such as fixing broken road signs, graffitied bus shelters or damaged roads in real-time. The Initiative provides businesses with funding to trial and test applications that demonstrate 5G’s capability and…

Waterjet cutters have been around for a long time, however, their size and cost can put them out of the reach of individuals or small business. The new Wazer desktop waterjet is designed to change that, using a high velocity jet and a combination of high-pressure water and abrasive particles to cut through both hard and soft materials. The Wazer small format waterjet can cut through sheets of almost any material, including metal, stone, ceramic, composites, plastic, rubber and foam. Users have been attracted by how easy it is to connect to standard electricity, water and drainage points. The unit’s compact size fits in any workspace and brings professional-grade fabrication into any workshop. It is ideal for on-demand cutting of custom parts and its in-house capabilities reduce the need for…