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BIG TEST Never mind who’s got the biggest! | FLEET FOCUS Bigger, noisier toys | FEATURE From electric fences....to electric trucks
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D N I M EVER
E H T T O G S ’ O WH
The Official Magazine of the
ISSN 2703-6278
Issue 248
NEW SHOGUN WALKS THE
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LEADERS IN TRAILER MANUFACTURING Fruehauf is a name that has been associated with quality, craftsmanship and dedication to excellence since its establishment in the United States in the late 1800s. As a market leader in NZ Transport Manufacturing, Fruehauf NZ offers excellence in ongoing after Sales Customer Support within New Zealand Fruehauf NZ Ltd is extremely proud to support the New Zealand Transport Industry with Manufacturing, Servicing and Repairs of Truck and Trailer products for all NZ Transport businesses and will work to do so well into the Future.
During the past 12-year management of Fruehauf NZ Ltd by Phil Watchorn and Jeff Mear, Fruehauf NZ has become a New Zealand leader in the manufacture of road transport equipment for both truck trailers and truck bodies. With an innovative approach to the industry and by working closely with its Customers and the NZTA, Fruehauf NZ has continued to support the Transport Industry.Fruehauf NZ has introduced some highly successful products giving higher payload options and enabling transport companies’ greater revenue with ongoing sustainability in the marketplace. Keep on Trucking New Zealand, we are behind you all the way!
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CONTENTS Issue 248 – August 2021 4 Aeolus News
The latest in the world of transport, including….Hyundai preps for its first NZ hydrogen fuel cell trucks; $3.2m Government funding for electric trucks; new Mack Anthems here
20 Giti Tyres Big Test
Provocatively, Fuso NZ boss Kurtis Andrews reckons that the latest addition to the Shogun heavy-duty range is the first Japanese truck on the Kiwi market powered by “a true 500-horsepower” engine
37 Transport Forum
Latest news from the Road Transport Forum NZ, including…..the Government’s so-called NZ Upgrade Programme is really a downgrade; livestock operators are the meat in the sandwich in the effects of tighter regulatory enforcement around work hours
44 Teletrac Navman Fleet Focus
Alex McLellan spent years doing this and that before he found his true vocation – running his own trucking company. Happily, so far he’s had 32 years of living the dream: “It’s not just a job – it’s my life”
FEATURES
REGULARS
son Johnny, “he would make it happen – because he was fearless.” Sadly Fearless Fred died in June
80/ NZ Transport Imaging 81 Awards
65 Castrol Truck Driver Hero
Naturally, when Josh Hart got a new Western Star to drive, he was “stoked.” But he was even happier that it’s painted bright pink….and that the bodies on the truck and trailer tipper unit are covered with antibullying messages
75 Regal’s DIY design & build
Regal Haulage designs, builds and manufactures all of its own trailers, does its own truck setup…and buys just one make of truck. And only one model. It’s all about optimising its operation
Recognising NZ’s best-looking truck fleets….including a giant pullout poster of this month’s finalist
101 CrediFlex Recently Registered
New truck and trailer registrations for June
COLUMNS 97 National Road Carriers Association
Departing CEO David Aitken is concerned that when it comes to central and local government considering road freight in their decisionmaking, things are getting worse
81 A farming show…for truckies too
Fieldays is kind of like the truck show you’re having when you’re not having a truck show!
99 Road Transport Association NZ RTANZ played a key role during Canterbury’s recent weather crisis event
91 From electric fences….to electric trucks
Former farmer Ross Linton has gone from milking cows, to importing construction machinery….to now helping pioneer the introduction of electric trucks in NZ
62 Southpac Trucks Legends
When people told Wairarapa legend Fred Burling “nah, you can’t do that,” says
MANAGEMENT Publisher
Trevor Woolston 027 492 5600 trevor@trucker.co.nz
CONTRIBUTORS Gerald Shacklock Dave McLeod Rod Simmonds Olivia Beauchamp
Advertising
Trevor Woolston 027 492 5600 trevor@trucker.co.nz
ART DEPARTMENT Design & Production Luca Bempensante Helen Scott
Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz
EQUIPMENT GUIDE AUCKLAND, NORTHLAND, BOP, WAIKATO, CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Advertising Trudy Woolston 027 233 0090 trudy@trucker.co.nz
EDITORIAL Editor
Wayne Munro 021 955 099 waynemunro@xtra.co.nz
Editorial office Phone
PO Box 48 074 AUCKLAND 09 826 0494
Associate Editor
Brian Cowan
ADMINISTRATION Sue Woolston MANAGER accounts@trucker.co.nz
AUCKLAND, LOWER NORTH ISLAND, SOUTH ISLAND Advertising Hayden Woolston
027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz Dion Rout 027 491 1110 dion@trucker.co.nz
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Truck & Driver | 3
NEWS
Hyundai preps for Xcient The first of five Hyundai Xcient hydrogen fuel cell trucks are scheduled to be on the road before year’s end
HYUNDAI IS GEARING-UP FOR THE ARRIVAL OF ITS first Xcient fuel cell electric trucks in New Zealand – ordering a new transportable hydrogen refuelling station to keep them running. Hyundai NZ received $500,000 from the Government’s Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund early this year, towards the cost of purchasing and deploying an initial fleet of five Xcients, to be run in “real-world daily logistics operation trials.” With the first of the FCEV trucks scheduled to go on the road before the end of the year, it has ordered a containerised hydrogen refuelling station from Australian hydrogen fuelling specialist H2H Energy. Globally, the Korean automotive giant is pioneering hydrogen fuel cell heavyduty trucks – delivering the first of 1600 Xcients ordered by Swiss customers late last year and says it’s on track to have its annual manufacturing capability up to 2000 of the FCEV trucks by the end of this year. Hyundai NZ general manager Andy Sinclair says that the company is “really excited” about the impending arrival of NZ’s first Xcients. “However, as there won’t be nationwide infrastructure at that time, we’ve
chosen to modify our existing refueller to be capable of refuelling at 350-bar for the Xcient and 700-bar for the Nexo (Hyundai’s fuel cell car).” Adds Sinclair: “Hydrogen energy is the key to building a more sustainable society. It’s the ideal fuel source for the heavy transport industry to help reduce carbon emissions.” The containerised refuelling station can be transported around the country so fleets nationwide will be able to trial the Xcients, while larger refuelling infrastructure is built. In the future it will also act as backup unit for larger stations. Says Sinclair: “We look forward to the completion of the project and getting our FCEV truck on the road by the end of the year.” H2H Energy CEO Cranston Polson says the company is “proud to continue supporting Hyundai NZ in their hydrogen endeavours. “They are leading from the front, providing real, practical and manageable solutions, in alignment with the H2H philosophy.” H2H and Hyundai NZ have been working together evaluating hydrogen opportunities in NZ since 2016. T&D
Mack’s national Anthem tour MACK’S NEW ANTHEM IS LAUNCHED IN NEW ZEALAND this month, with two of the new models doing a nationwide roadshow. The Mack Evolution Tour starts in Invercargill, appropriately enough, since the first two Kiwi Anthems have been bought by the Southlandheadquartered HWR Group – a longtime Mack Trucks customer. The roadshow will take a month from the August 6 start date to work its way up the country to Whangarei (where it will wind up on September 7) – with 13 one-day stopovers at Truckstops branches along the way. Mack Trucks NZ national sales manager Stu Wynd says that “although the Anthem was originally released in the United States in September 2017, it has been re-engineered by the local team in Australia to suit the exact conditions experienced by NZ operators. “The Anthem boasts a fully integrated standup sleeper cab option as well as a full Bendix safety package, making it one of the most comfortable and safest conventional trucks on the market today. “The Mack Evolution Tour is about getting these new units out to our 4 | Truck & Driver
customers and staff so they can really see what these bold new trucks are all about.” T&D
The new Mack Anthem
NEWS The Etrucks battery-swap tractor unit gets its battery changed
Electric truck projects get $3.2m of funding A BATTERY SWAPPING STATION FOR A CHINESE-MADE heavy-duty electric truck is among the new low-emission commercial transport projects getting Government co-funding. The latest round of funding from the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund – announced by Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods last month – has a heavy emphasis on electric truck projects. Etrucks, the New Zealand distributor for XCMG Chinese trucks, has a heavy-duty electric tractor demo unit in the country with a swap-battery system – giving it an extended range. The batteries can be swapped in seven minutes or less – but need a gantry crane to carry out the changeover. Etrucks has been granted almost $500,000 to import a gantry style robotic battery-swapping station for the unique model and to demonstrate it. (Read our feature story on Etrucks and its XCMG electric trucks on Page 91). Minister Woods says: “This is exactly the kind of innovation the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund is here for – to address barriers that may be in the way of faster low-emissions transport uptake.” Battery-swapping stations, she adds, “will save valuable time for truckies. It will mean they’ll be able to quickly swap in a fully-charged battery to continue their journey, leaving the old battery for recharging later and at offpeak times, when electricity is cheaper.” In the latest round of grants from the Fund, of the 22 projects receiving $6.5million (with the recipients committing an additional $12.8m spend), seven are for electric trucks…with another for more than 100 electric courier vans. In all, the commercial road transport projects will receive almost $3.2m in funding. It’s believed that Etrucks’ battery-swap truck also features in a $500,000 grant to the Ghella Abergeldie Joint Venture, which is building the 14.7-kilometre Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel under Auckland. It’s grant is towards the cost of three battery-swap electric trucks (and their necessary charging infrastructure). They will cart at least 66,627 tonnes of spoil that will be excavated during the project – with a 306t reduction in CO2 emissions. Their use will be prioritised at sites with residential neighbours to
reduce noise disturbance. Auckland’s Reliance Transport receives a $500,000 grant for its Project SWITCH – which aims to make the business “the first fully-electrified carbon negative on-road freight solution in NZ.” The funding will help with the purchase of two heavy-duty electric Scanias. Fletchers Distribution receives $218,420 towards the cost of it testing an unspecified number of electric tippers to cart construction materials in metropolitan Auckland and Christchurch. While NZ Post gets $239,948 towards the cost of running a pilot project using a FUSO eCanter for short-haul deliveries in the Wellington region. The knowledge gained will be used in the rollout of low-carbon technology in its transport and delivery networks. Auckland operator Carr & Haslam receives $140,549 towards running a trial with an eCanter delivering single motor vehicles (including light EVs) within the central city. It will also show whether vehicle recovery is viable using electric trucks in Auckland’s proposed Zero Emissions Area. Two Christchurch City Council projects receive funding – $447,207 towards the costs for five civil construction and maintenance service suppliers to switch to using only zero emissions trucks and other vehicles in their work for the council. Another $419,026 is earmarked for the establishment of a zero emissions area for service companies delivering to commercial properties in the Papanui and Christchurch Airport shopping precincts. On-route truck charging infrastructure will be included. Kalista gets $482,000 in funding to establish a multi-station fast-charging network for a fleet of Green Gorilla EVs on a “high profile municipal food waste collection contract.” It will also promote/enable third party commercial operators to charge/trial and investigate EVs. Finally, Mercedes-Benz NZ is awarded $240,000 towards its partnership with NZ Post to run more than 100 eSprinter and eVito vans with ownerdriver couriers in a pilot programme to evaluate their effectiveness and cost benefits. T&D Truck & Driver | 5
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NEWS The eActros is Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ first heavy-duty electric truck to go into series production
eActros in production MERCEDES-BENZ TRUCKS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN production of its first series-produced battery electric heavy truck, the eActros. During the development of the vehicle, the company has particularly focused on the “customer co-creation” aspect, in which truck customers are closely involved in the model’s development. Accordingly, prototypes of the eActros went into intensive customer testing as long ago as 2018. This enabled the experts at Mercedes-Benz Trucks to take the customer feedback into account early on and directly incorporate it into the vehicle’s development. Since 2018, 10 eActros prototypes have formed an “Innovation Fleet” in which they have proven their worth in continuous operation with various customers around Europe. In two phases, almost 20 test customers used an eActros instead of a diesel-engined truck in their fleets. In both the 18t and 25t versions, the eActros worked in a variety of sectors. Among other things, it transported chilled goods in an electrically-powered refrigerated box body to supermarkets, served as a plant vehicle to supply
components for production, handled the replacement of waste containers, and used a tank body to carry fly ash for the production of concrete. The eActros was tested in Germany, as well as by customers in Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands – the prototypes clocking up more than half a million kilometres on public roads. The series-production eActros will be significantly superior to the prototypes in key areas including range, power and safety functions, says Mercedes-Benz Trucks. Before series production commences, the developers have subjected the eActros – like its diesel-engined counterparts – to endurance tests to confirm its safety, performance and durability. The cooling system for the cargo and also the airconditioning – both of which are electrically powered – have been operating reliably in both extreme heat and winter conditions. The engineers have also subjected the trucks to winter testing, with special attention paid to the behaviour of the batteries and the electrical powertrain under extreme weather conditions. T&D
Heavyweights to pioneer an electric truck charging network A CONSORTIUM OF TRUCKMAKER HEAV YWEIGHTS, comprising the Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and the Traton Group (formerly Volkswagen Truck & Bus) plans to pioneer a European high-performance charging network for heavy-duty electric trucks. The three have signed a non-binding agreement to install and operate a highperformance public charging network for battery electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The aim is to initiate and accelerate the development of charging infrastructure to enhance customer confidence and to support the EU’s legislated transformation to climate-neutral transportation. The agreement lays the foundation of a future joint venture, equally owned by the three parties, which is planned to start operations next year. The parties intend to invest 500million Euros between them to install and operate at least 1700 charging points close to highways, as well as at logistics hubs and destination points, within five years of the establishment of the JV. A recent report by ACEA, the European automobile manufacturers association, has called for up to 15,000 high-performance public and destination charging points no later than 2025, and up to 50,000 within five years after.
Therefore, the kick-start of the partners is a call for action to all other industry players, as well as governments and regulators, to work together for a rapid expansion of the necessary charging network. Though the three companies will own equal shares in the planned JV, they emphasise they will continue to be competitors in all other areas. T&D A trucking triumvirate. From left are: Daimler Truck head Martin Daum, Traton’s Matthias Grundler and Volvo head Martin Lundstedt
Truck & Driver | 7
NEWS
The updated N Series Isuzus come with a heavy emphasis on new safety features
Safety-focused Isuzu N Series ISUZU IS LAUNCHING A NEW N SERIES RANGE IN NEW Zealand – giving its light-duty model a higher spec and a suite of new safety features. The updated models will be available “from the third quarter this year,” Isuzu Trucks NZ advises. General manager Dave Ballantyne says N Series trucks have a reputation for offering an impressive combination of clean yet powerful, fuel efficient engines, along with intelligent design – thereby delivering a comprehensive package for operators. “They are renowned for all-round performance, driveability, comfort and reliability. Now, with the addition of an array of new safety features, the Isuzu N Series delivers on a range of ‘must have’ requirements demanded not only by corporate fleets but also smaller owner-operators.” Many of the new safety features were once the domain of cars and European
trucks, he says, but have found their way into light-duty trucks like the N Series – with its inclusions taking in electronic stability control, advanced emergency braking, distance and lane-departure warning, and hill start assist. The performance capability of the N Series has also been enhanced, with the new NMR model given a six-speed manual transmission and matching rear-axle ratio, improving gradeability and fuel consumption. Higher-rated tyres (205/85R16) provide extra front axle capacity of 210kg and additional rear axle capacity of 380kg. The enhancements are rounded out with updated headlights, including LED low-beam lights, which deliver a wider, brighter and deeper beam compared to halogen lights. Ballantyne says the new range builds on the model’s impressive heritage, with updates firmly focused on safety: “These enhancements stand the new model in good stead.” Drivers, he adds, will be thankful for them – “if and when required.” T&D
Government needs to get real – RTF THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS A clearer position on transport decarbonisation and to be more realistic about the societal impacts while reducing emissions, says the Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett. “While recognising the considerable work done by Ministry of Transport’s Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050, in its submission the RTF says the Government’s approach is confusing, creates uncertainty in 8 | Truck & Driver
the freight sector, and will increase transport costs, which they should be honest about. “On the one hand the Government tells us the market should respond to the immediate supply chain issues caused, in part, by its longterm border closure. “On the other, in this paper we see suggestions of government interventions in the supply chain that we can only describe as draconian. “The Government is in no position to dictate how and when individuals and businesses
choose to move their freight and household goods. Government officials do not have the expertise to examine payload efficiencies, nor should they be interfering in normal market forces that will inherently drive efficiencies. “We have commented in our submission that the Government’s approach to encouraging and supporting transport innovation that supports emissions reductions lacks tangible action and creates an environment of uncertainty in our sector,” he adds. T&D
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HAMMAR 130:
+ Versatile – handles two 20’ containers or one 40’ container via 3 cranes + Unique – middle crane folds into chassis to accommodate a single 40’ + Sliding – for maximum payload with a single 20’ option + Light – only 7.5 tonne tare + Strong – 16-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) + Stable – legs extend for firm base and transfer + Reach – long outreach cranes + Ease – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design + SDS – Hammar Soft-Drive System + Flex – Trailer or Truckmounted
Every freight delivery is different, so our three high-performance HAMMAR models are designed for your needs. Each HAMMAR is constructed from premium grade steel from Swedish and NZ components, to be stable, strong, fast and built to last. Designed for easy operation, service and maintenance in mind. You cannot buy a better sideloader. With more than 45 years experience in sideloaders and a reputation for quality of manufacturing and service, HAMMAR sets the standard.
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SCAN FOR MORE DETAILS!
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NEWS The new DAFs – (from left) the XG+, XG and XF models
New DAFs launched in Europe DAF IS GEARING-UP FOR FOURTH-QUARTER production of an entirely new lineup of models for the European market. The New Generation XF, XG and XG+ models promise a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency, a full suite of passive and active safety features and an enhanced level of luxury, says PACCAR’s Euro make. The new range will be the first to take advantage of revised European mass and dimensions regulations. As a result, the cab design picks up 160mm in front elongation to enable improved aerodynamics and safety. The XG and XG+ models also offer 330mm of extra cab length at the rear. The boost in fuel efficiency has been achieved by using computational fluid dynamics to create an aerodynamically tapered cab that features large radii, a curved windscreen, excellent sealing, digital cameras instead of mirrors and optimised engine and under-cab airflow.
The new cab design features a large windscreen and side windows with ultra-low belt lines for improved direct vision. As an option, a kerb view window is available which offers – in combination with the foldable passenger seat – an unobstructed view of pedestrians and cyclists next to the truck on the “blind” side. At 12.5cu m, interior volume of the XG+ is 14% greater than the current DAF XF Super Space Cab, which DAF says is the current benchmark. It says too that is has built on its heritage as the provider of some of the best bunks in the industry, with its new beds 2220mm long in all models….and 800mm wide over the complete length in the XG and XG+. Ride and handling have been enhanced by the new front-end design of the chassis, a new cab suspension and a newly-designed rear axle suspension. T&D
KiwiRail cautions truckies KIWIRAIL IS WARNING HEAVY vehicle drivers of the impact of bridge strikes after two recent incidents where trucks hit rail bridges in east and south Auckland, closing rail lines and disrupting the city’s train users. They were the latest in a series of incidents in which truck drivers have misjudged the clearance under rail bridges and struck them – causing damage and train cancellations. KiwiRail general manager, operations, for the Upper North Island, Reuben Araroa, says that five rail bridges have been struck in Auckland in the
past month alone. “Some disruptions can’t be planned for, such as the wild weather we experienced in June, but these types of incidents are entirely avoidable...yet we are seeing them happen at an alarming frequency. “Any strike in Auckland has the potential to disrupt thousands of members of the public who rely on the trains, along with our freight customers. It’s an extremely busy period for freight volumes and these strikes delay the movement of goods in and out of Auckland. “Every time a bridge is hit, a structures
inspector needs to check it out. Even if there is not substantial damage, we still have to close the line for a period while we make sure the bridge is safe for trains and people. “The recent incidents are another reminder that drivers of trucks and heavy vehicles should always check the height of their vehicle or load before passing under a rail bridge.” In the year to date, there have been 19 bridge strikes around the country involving overheight trucks. Last year 28 bridge strikes were recorded nationally. T&D Truck & Driver | 11
NEWS
Hyzon goes heavier, further HYZON, A LEADING PROPONENT of hydrogen fuel cell trucks, says it will build a hydrogen FCEV with a 154-tonne GCM. The United States-based company also says it has plans for heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) with a 1600-kilometre range….using liquid hydrogen rather than pressurised gas. Hyzon Motors, which has said that it will start supplying its hydrogen trucks before the end of this year, says the 154t truck has attracted sales in Europe and Australia. It expects it to be the heaviest zero-emissions truck in the world, with a peak power output of 480kW, equivalent to a 650-horsepower diesel engine. Hyzon says it has signed a memorandum of understanding to supply the HD hydrogen truck to an unnamed European heavy lift, transport and rigging group, which will employ it on construction projects. It also says it has an agreement to supply five of the heavy-duty models to Ark Energy Corporation – the Australian subsidiary of the
world’s largest zinc, lead, and silver producer, Korea Zinc. The trucks are expected to be fuelled by Ark Energy’s own refilling station, with hydrogen produced through a solar farm and an electrolyzer. By generating hydrogen from a renewable energy source, Ark Energy aims to create a green solution for both supply and utilisation, thereby becoming the first refinery to produce ‘green’ zinc. Meanwhile, Hyzon says it has also formed a partnership with Chart Industries, a leading manufacturer of liquid hydrogen equipment, to produce its proposed heavy-duty FCEV capable of running 1600kms between refuels. It concedes that the liquid hydrogen concept has challenges – not least of them the minus-250 degrees Celsius temperature of liquid hydrogen, while fuel cells require ambient-temperature gas. Advantages cited by the partners include reduced volume and weight compared with gaseous onboard storage, the elimination of the compression and refrigeration equipment
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NEWS
Aussie logistics company arrives in NZ FAMILY OWNED AND OPER ATED AUSTR ALIAN homeware retailer and logistics company, the Winning Group, has expanded into New Zealand – opening a large distribution centre in Auckland. Its Winning Services division is offering third party logistics for “big and bulky home products” via its just-opened 6300 square metre distribution centre in Waitemata Ports of Auckland. With Waitemata Ports being one of the main hubs for entry and dispatch of overseas goods, it says that the DC’s location ensures that it “can uniquely mitigate middle mile logistics costs and decrease supply chain lead times for third party customers.” The Winning Group – one of Australia’s leading retail and logistics companies, with 115 years of history – has other business entities including
Appliances Online, Winning Appliances and Home Clearance. In Australia, it offers third-party logistics services for retailers across furniture, bedding, fitness and appliance categories, and will be looking to expand this offering to NZ. NZ has always been on the Winning Group’s radar, says operations general manager Michael Bunt: “Our distribution centre’s ideal location in Waitemata Port provides cost and supply chain efficiencies for customers. For Auckland-based customers, goods are able to be destuffed, stored, dispatched and delivered straight from the Ports and for the rest of NZ, Winning Services can facilitate the dispatch of goods from location, ready for linehaul to other parts of the country – a first-of-its-kind offering for big and bulky home logistics and freight services.” T&D
Mike Jackson, OEM & Aftermarket Technical Sales M: 021 654 848
Shazad Ibnul, General Manager M: 021 628 170
Tama Tito, CTS Auckland Field Sales Representative M: 027 5501 120
TD31756
Introducing The Team Supporting Our Industry Leading Products
Auckland, 10 Echelon Place East Tamaki, 2013 | Christchurch, 129 Waterloo Road Hornby, 8042 | Dunedin, 86 Otaki Street, South Dunedin 9012
Ph: 0800 427 956 www.bpwte.co.nz Truck & Driver | 13
NEWS
Horse power to electric power ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, PIONEERING AUCKLAND carrying company Carr & Haslam bought its first truck – making the move from genuine horse power (as in, fuelled by grass and hay) to petrol-engined horsepower. Now it’s making another milestone move – adding the first fully-electric truck to its otherwise diesel-fuelled fleet. Intriguingly, in 1921 New Zealand was just coming out of a pandemic, as well as recovering from World War 1 and its huge human toll. A century on, we’re not yet out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Carr & Haslam is once again at the forefront in road transport – becoming one of the early adopters of battery electric power for its metro operation. Its electric truck is one of the first batch of FUSO eCanter light-duty electric trucks launched on the NZ market – Daimler Truck’s first seriesproduced zero emissions trucks.
The Carr & Haslam eCanter is being put to work with $140,549 of cofunding from the Government’s Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Agency (EECA). Carr & Haslam is a leading operator in the car transporter sector and Chris Carr points out that, while it is aware of Auckland City’s growth “and the desire of Auckland Transport to create a low emissions zone around the city centre” it also has to service motor industry customers in the city who operate “premium vehicle sales and service facilities in this area. “This project will allow us to operate a single unit FUSO eCanter in the area, and deliver a growing range of EVs….on an electric truck.” Carr says that the electric truck “is a first for us – but it will not be the last. Within 10 years the heavy vehicle fleet will change, and we want to learn early, so that we can deliver the most from the new technologies coming our way.” T&D
RTF worries about infrastructure, highway speeds WITHOUT GOOD ROADS FEW OF the infrastructure goals laid out by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission will be realised, says Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett. “The conundrum for us is commenting on future infrastructure while the Government downplays roading investment and cancels significant roading projects in favour of funding the Auckland cycle bridge, without any appropriate economic evaluation,” he says. “No matter what powers future heavy vehicles, we need to optimise the existing roading infrastructure and to ensure it continues to be 14 | Truck & Driver
fit for purpose. Roads will be critical to all other infrastructure builds. “Like similar types of government publications covering climate change, this one is largely silent on the household economic impacts. We think there needs to be both a realistic approach to costs and transparency around how the money will be generated. The Forum also opposes a rule change by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency which removes that agency’s duty to consult the freight sector when setting road speed limits, says Leggett: “With 93% of freight in NZ moved by trucks, and considering the significant contribution
that makes to the economy, we must have a say on what happens on the roads, which are the workplace for those we represent. We can’t be locked out of that because the Government doesn’t like what we say. “While the RTF recognises the objectives of having a formal speed-setting policy framework, a worrying trend that appears to be gathering momentum is the need to reduce speeds rather than carry out network and route upgrades. Speed setting is something of a coarse approach to safety management and is viewed as the low-cost option when measured against network improvements, or safety improvement investments.” T&D
NEWS The arrival of Carr & Haslam’s first truck 100 years ago, presented this photo opportunity – with the truck (a Brockway, Chris Carr believes) taking pride of place at the head of a lineup of the company’s horse and cart fleet
Genesis eCanter just the start PUTTING ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S remove the last of the petrol/diesel vehicles from first FUSO eCanters to work is a major our passenger fleet. step towards Genesis Energy increasing the “And our new Auckland headquarters has no proportion of electric or hybrid vehicles in its staff carparks, with the company encouraging all 110-strong truck fleet, the company says. staff to use shared transport, public transport and “Transport contributes approximately 21% of active transport wherever possible.” New Zealand’s gross domestic greenhouse gas Coincidentally, Daimler Trucks has launched emissions, but until now there have been very few its “eTruck Ready” free smartphone app for use options to reduce emissions from the heavy truck with the eCanter in key European markets. fleet,” says Cameron Jardine, Genesis GM of The app enables customers to determine LPG and small and medium business. “As this is one of the first seriesAt the handover of the FUSO eCanter produced fully electric trucks to are (from left): TR Group MD Andrew Carpenter, Fuso NZ’s Kurtis Andrews hit NZ roads we have a lot to learn and Genesis Energy’s Cameron Jardine about how to incorporate electric vehicles into our truck fleet, and what other adjustments we will have to make to get the best out of this new technology. “Genesis has been working with partners Fuso NZ, Keith Andrews Trucks, and TR Group to bring this new electric truck into service. “We’re excited by the challenge and the opportunity to apply our experience to help those business customers who may be considering moving to an electric fleet themselves.” The eCanter is just one part of Genesis’ actions to reduce its transport emissions, he adds: “Our partnership with Zilch, the electric car-sharing service, has allowed us to
which operating profiles and routes are suitable for the electric truck. It records the driving routes of a conventional vehicle, capturing speed, acceleration and altitude profile along the route. Parameters such as the payload and the outside temperature can be added afterwards by fleet managers. From this data, the programme generates the respective range and expected power consumption of the eCanter – creating a realistic usage profile for customers. T&D
Truck & Driver | 15
NEWS
Main picture: An overall view of the opening celebrations
Inset: The diverse lineup of trucks on show included this ‘96 Foden S106, carrying a rare 1925 Foden steam truck
Transport Repairs opens new Christchurch base OVER 280 GUESTS ATTENDED the recent opening of Transport Repairs latest facility, located on the outskirts of Christchurch, only minutes away from the transport hubs of Hornby, Islington and Harewood. The complex features three full-length pits capable of servicing the longest rigs, a CoF lane, truckwash, engine steam cleaner, dialup oil pumps, an engineering workshop and a
huge truck and trailer parking yard. It joins five existing Transport Repairs centres in a network extending from Invercargill to Blenheim. The opening was also a celebration of the new facility being appointed as a Southpac Trucks servicing agent for Canterbury to complement the existing agency with HDPS. Transport Repairs regional manager Mike Webster says the site has been years in the planning: “We have learnt about what the ideal
size for lanes should be, how workflows can be best managed and also futureproofed it for IT and laptops, which are now as common as a torque wrench.” The event held at the workshop featured some impressive trucks, including the latest from the Southpac range and even a few from the past like the original Peterbilt that Mike Webster serviced when he started out, and the fleet’s original Toyota Hilux ute. T&D
SafeT360 comes to NZ AN INNOVATIVE ROAD SAFET Y CAMPAIGN, developed by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and aimed at young road users, has been launched in New Zealand in partnership with the NZ Trucking Association (NTA). Launched in 2019, Safe T360 uses virtual reality and interactive messaging to teach young road users how to share the road safely with trucks, via a travelling road safety exhibition and a comprehensive digital campaign. Dave Boyce, NTA CEO, is excited about the initiative: “Like Australia, 16 to 25-year-old drivers in NZ are over-represented in road fatalities and serious injuries. With the phenomenal success of the SafeT360 programme we have plans to replicate this success in NZ.” ATA safety, health and wellbeing director Melissa Weller says the partnership comes after months of collaboration: “The team from the 16 | Truck & Driver
NTA have shown their commitment to the programme, having visited and experienced the exhibition in full swing at the recent Brisbane Truck Show. “Our one clear goal is to save lives, not just in Australia but globally. We are so excited to see this evidence-based programme expand internationally.” Boyce says the ATA and NTA share common goals and values around road safety: “It’s very exciting to be able to redesign the NZ Road Safety Truck to accommodate and install the Safe T360 programme, so we can deliver it to young drivers around NZ. “This collaboration shows a genuine willingness to save young lives on the road in both countries.” Weller says the success of Safe T360 and the partnership with the NTA would not have been possible without the ATA’s foundation sponsors and supporters, including Volvo, BP, National Transport Insurance and Australia Post. T&D
NEWS
Isuzu expands service network ISUZU TRUCKS IS STRENGTHENING ITS NEW Zealand service dealer network with the appointment of Southern Mechanical Services as a new Invercargill-based partner. Dave Ballantyne, general manager of Isuzu Trucks NZ, says of the move: “We recognise that having a strong dealer service network nationwide is crucial to maintaining high levels of support for Isuzu Truck customers and we are fortunate to have a very good network of service centre partners, as additional support for our master truck dealers. “We are thrilled the team at Southern Mechanical Services has now come on board with Isuzu Trucks in Invercargill, as it helps to further strengthen our nationwide network and provides additional peace of mind for owner/ operators in the southernmost part of the South Island. “It further contributes to the all-round value proposition attainable with
Isuzu Trucks and reinforces our position as the No. 1 brand of new trucks in the country.” Established in 2010, Southern Mechanical Services specialises in all heavy automotive repairs and runs the biggest privately-owned workshop in Invercargill. Lloyd Phillips, general manager of SMS owner, the Phillips Group, says it has grown steadily from small beginnings and now employs a team of almost 20 people: “We are very excited to be able to deliver a service to all new and existing Isuzu Truck customers and to play a large part in keeping the wheels rolling in and around the lower South Island for many years to come.” Across the country, Isuzu Trucks NZ is now represented by 11 master truck dealers offering full sales, parts and service facilities, and 18 authorised service centres. T&D
Teletrac Navman’s new president AN ACCOMPLISHED INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY leader with more than 20 years of experience in the field, has been appointed president of global telematics provider Teletrac Navman. Alain Samaha’s extensive technology and portfolio enhancement experience is well regarded in the business world, and will be a real asset to the company, says Mark Morelli – CEO of Vontier, Teletrac Navman’s parent company. “Alain’s leadership and background in hardware and software development in multiple industries and markets – including building commercial capabilities in smart cities, software as a service, big-data analysis, the internet of things, and enterprise asset management software
– will continue to advance our telematics growth and evolution strategy.” Samaha is also enthusiastic: “I am thrilled to be joining such a talented, innovative and hard-working team as we have here at Teletrac Navman. We are on the forefront of the digital transformation in the fleet and transportation industries, utilising the most advanced technology, from artificial intelligence to predictive analytics for real time decisions. Our future is bright.” Samaha holds an MBA from Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, a master’s degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. T&D Truck & Driver | 17
NEWS
Barry’s the new boss FORMER PARTS MANAGER BARRY WOODS HAS BEEN appointed IVECO New Zealand’s national dealer principal. The truckmaker’s Australia and NZ managing director, Michael May, says Woods has been part of the company’s business for four years and has contributed greatly in his role as parts manager by developing new business opportunities for the company – with customers and dealers. “With more than 10 years’ experience in the vehicle industry across various management roles, he is focused on developing the local team, consistently exceeding the expectations of our customers and strengthening our NZ business. “We are confident Barry will continue to grow IVECO NZ in his new role as dealer principal.” Woods says he is looking forward to the opportunities and challenges the new position brings: “IVECO is one of NZ’s fastest-growing commercial vehicle brands and I am committed to ensuring this upward growth trajectory. “It is now well represented here by a fantastic product range, and I am excited with the prospect of it becoming even more popular with our customer segment.” T&D
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NEWS
Scania adds service dealer SCANIA HAS AGAIN EXPANDED ITS SERVICE DEALER network – appointing East Coast Heavy Diesel and Machinery its authorised service dealer for Whakatane. The appointment follows the company’s confirmation as the truckmaker’s Gisborne service dealer earlier this year. Scania New Zealand service director Nick Allan says further developing Scania’s customer service and regional support was top of mind in the appointment: “We are very pleased to be able to extend our service offering by adding this key location to the network.”
Scania significantly expanded its footprint throughout NZ last year and has a stable of 24 nationwide service centres, of which 10 are Scania NZ branches….the balance being independent approved service centres. Allan says the brand anticipates further significant growth of its fleet around the country, and this requires a network that has the capacity and flexibility to manage that additional demand: “As a result we are continually looking for opportunities where the presence of a Scania NZ service dealer or independently owned service and parts dealer, such as East Coast Heavy Diesel and Machinery, can support our future needs,” he says. T&D
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The latest addition to the FUSO Shogun range and its unusual six-axle B-train are at 47 tonnes all-up, but the 510-horsepower Daimler Group engine/automated manual transmission combo makes the steep climb up the southern side of the Brynderwyn Hills a breeze
20 | Truck & Driver
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NZ Truck & Driver tester Hayden Woolston is at the wheel of the evaluation model Shogun as it starts the trip back to Auckland
USO NEW ZEALAND BOSS KURTIS ANDREWS RECKONS that the latest addition to the Shogun heavy-duty range is the first Japanese truck on the Kiwi market powered by “a true 500-horsepower” engine. It’s a provocative claim for the new 510hp/380kilowatt engine – one that’s bound to ruffle a few feathers. Especially those of a certain rival Japanese manufacturer. After all, wasn’t the Isuzu Giga the first Japanese truck to break the 500hp barrier on the NZ market – way back in 2015, with its top-ofthe-range Giga model….boasting 530hp? Well, yes it was. If you go by horsepower figures alone, that is. Another claim that Fuso NZ makes for its new Shogun, powered by the OM471/Detroit DD13 engine, is that it will be “the most powerful Euro 6 Japanese truck available in NZ.” Okay, we get that: Isuzu’s 530 is still at the Euro 5 emissions level here. Okay Kurtis – so how does this “true horsepower” business work then? Well, he and his team at Fuso NZ reckon their new Shogun – due to arrive on the NZ market within a few months – has got the wood on the Giga because it boasts 2500Nm of torque from its new 510hp engine..... Against the 15.7-litre Isuzu’s 2250Nm. Which Which is about the same twisting effort as produced by the 460hp/343kW, 10.7-litre OM470 powerplant that features in the Shogun 460 launched in 2019. You see where this is going, don’t you. Andrews explains his rationale – and his delight at having a 500hpplus contender: “The 460 has been really successful, especially for fleets looking for the safety and performance. And the 510 is going to appeal to some of (those) fleets too, but (also to) almost a different category of buyer – those who are after a true 500hp.” He cites the importance these days of being able to run at 50 tonnes – and of the old 10hp per tonne equation: “So I think we’re quite lucky to now have 510hp, because that category is quite big and there has been some recent players that have left – and halved their sales as a result. “And, secondly, we’ve got all that torque and some of the other Japanese competitors might have 500hp – but not 2500Nm (or 1850 lb ft in old-school terms).” Anyway, let’s not get bogged down in any who’s got the biggest rivalry: The Shogun 510 has got 500-horse…plus a lot more.
That includes the fact that it will go on sale here with an introductory price of $199,900. And, as Fuso NZ MD Andrews says: “I think it will turn a few heads when we’re talking about a 500hp, 2500Nm truck – with air suspension, LSD, all the safety features and a five-year/500,000km warranty…..for under $200,000. That’s pretty sharp.” Indeed….and bound to ruffle even more feathers. The 510 has been going through a trial and evaluation period here before the first customer trucks arrive later this year. They can’t come soon enough for Fuso NZ. The current Shogun range has been going gangbusters in the two years since it went on sale here, powered by a choice of two Detroitderived Euro 6 engines: Either the 10.7-litre OM470 in 400hp/298kW and 460hp/343kW options, or the eight-litre JP17 OM936 that puts out 354hp/264kW. A 520hp/387kW engine was flagged to Kiwi customers and media – including NZ Truck & Driver editor Wayne Munro – who visited Japan to experience the new Shogun range prior to its local release, though they were only able to experience the smaller OM470 on that trip. There was talk of the bigger unit appearing a year later, but COVID-19 and subsequent supply chain issues got in the way. Fast-forward to 2021 and here it is, with 510hp. But don’t let the matter of a few missing horses distract you. This baby is all torque. And it’s all the better for it. The 2500Nm peaks at just 900rpm and then continues at that level through to almost 1500rpm, which is right in the driving sweet spot for a big, heavily loaded truck that has to cope with the diverse NZ roading landscape. If you need to push the revs a little higher, there’s still 90% of peak torque available out to 1600 revs. Nice. We found that out when NZ T&D recently tested another truck with virtually the same DD13/OM471 engine and G330 12-speed automated manual transmission – the all-new Freightliner Cascadia. The introduction of the Shogun 510 means that all branches of the Daimler Trucks family in NZ now have a 500hp-plus option to offer customers. Interestingly, output figures from the Freightliner powertrain differ slightly to the engine and transmission setup in the new Shogun, with the Cascadia’s power peaking slightly lower (at 505hp/376kW) and torque maxing out slightly higher (at 2508Nm) Meanwhile, the OM471/ G330 matchup in the Mercedes-Benz Actros offers 530hp/395kW and Truck & Driver | 23
2600Nm respectively. The small variances in the figures themselves aren’t really important. It’s what you do with the power and torque on tap that makes the difference. And that’s what Fuso NZ and its counterparts in Australia have been concentrating on these past few months. Before any new line of FUSO trucks goes on sale in their respective markets they must undergo a 50,000-kilometre trial, says Ian Porter, product planning manager for Fuso NZ. “Normally we (Australia and NZ) would get a truck each, but with COVID restrictions and availability we combined the testing,” he says. “This truck has already been to Australia and done 40,000kms over there and it has come here to do the last 10,000kms.” The Aussies concentrated on heat testing and the durability of the engine and other hardware, such as the suspension and driveline, while “NZ is responsible for the transmission mapping for both markets – and we did a lot of work with the 460 model,” says Porter. “For the 510, we started with that basic mapping and we’ve finetuned it to match the higher-torque engine and let it lug down a bit more and make use of the higher torque that it’s got. “Typically, the Japanese like to keep the revs up a bit more, but we have our own terrain and it’s important to fine-tune it to suit.” Fuso entrusted that task to Mark (Skip) Golden, of Golden Contracting, based out of Silverdale, just north of Auckland. He’s got a history of doing this type of testing, having already helped Fuso to sort out the HD for our market in 2012 – so successfully that he got called on again to massage the transmission mapping in the Shogun 460 that replaced it. You may recall the camouflaged truck that featured on the cover of NZ T&D when we joined Golden towards the end of the 460 testing programme in early 2019. Skip liked that truck so much he bought it from Fuso NZ and – now in Golden’s appropriately golden colourscheme – it’s covered more than 250,000K hauling sand and aggregate around the Auckland and Northland regions. Based on his experience behind the wheel of the new 510, Skip has
24 | Truck & Driver
already put in an order for one of these too. And he reckons there’ll be plenty of other Kiwi truckers lining up for the model – just as they have with the 460. His evaluation work is a vital ingredient in getting the Shogun just right for the local market, Andrews says: “Skip does a really good job and it’s important to have someone like him do these tweaks to the trucks we sell in NZ, rather than just giving it out to fleets and saying ‘hey, have a trial.’ “He certainly knows his stuff. I remember sitting in the truck with him and as we were approaching a hill he says: ‘This transmission should change now’ – and it did. If it’d changed a second later, it was going to be a problem. “When trucks come to NZ they’re not quite used to the hills, so we’ve found it really important for our brand to do this. It’s not a cheap exercise – it costs us thousands of dollars – but when operators get into these trucks, they’ll know they are truly made for this country.” The new FUSO is being launched initially only in 6x4 format, and Andrews acknowledges that – with the 8x4 500hp-plus segment representing about 60% of the market – Fuso NZ will miss out on some sales until a 510 8x4 arrives…..early next year. But at its price point, Fuso dealers will have plenty of ammunition to back their 510 Shogun sales efforts meantime: “We are really going to attack the tipper/tractor segment with the 6x4 straight off the mark. There’s some good opportunities in the tipper and linehaul market,” says Andrews. “Some people might want 600hp still, but being able to offer 500hp with 50t is opening up a lot of new business for us.” With that bullish sentiment in mind, we set out to find out what Skip has actually done with the new Shogun 510 and, equally importantly, why he’s doing it. It’s not, he says, for personal glory, nor financial gain…nor even to get a discounted truck. In fact, he reckons, the testing programme has probably cost him money, not
“This is a great truck to go to the market.” to mention time away from productive work – even though Fuso is covering his costs. He is, he says, doing it for fellow FUSO buyers: “The whole thing was to get it right for the industry, because what we’re doing is mapping for worldwide, not just for NZ,” says Skip. “See, you’ve got to cater for Australia – with flat ground – and for India, where literally, you don’t get out of second and work like a goat. Places like that. Though NZ obviously comes first.” He also has a bit of a soft spot for FUSO – because the first truck he owned, 21 years ago, was a secondhand Mitsubishi…and it was the brand of choice when he purchased his first new one in 2004. These days you’ll also find a few other brands in the Golden mix, to suit the preferences of his drivers. And his own personal favourite, a 100-year anniversary, limited edition Mack Super-Liner CLX64T, boasting 685hp. But right now, Skip’s focus is squarely fixed on the new FUSO Shogun 510. And even though this test truck doesn’t have the upmarket NZ spec and the Fuso boffins in Japan have yet to upload the final changes from the evaluation programme into the transmission
computer, he is already a fan: “This is a great truck to go to the market.” The test truck doesn’t look anything special, given its bland all-white paint job. Since the current Shogun cab has been on our roads for a couple of years already, Fuso didn’t need to camouflage the 510 to keep its presence here secret. But there is still a surprise for the NZ T&D test team when we turn up at the Golden Contracting depot…and find that it’s not a 6x4 rigid sporting a tipping body, like most of Skip’s fleet. It’s a 6x4 tractor unit. Fortunately, so too is his Mack Super-Liner, which pulls a ‘specially made six-axle B-train tipping unit that goes nicely behind the FUSO test truck. So this is the combination that Skip has been driving around for the past few weeks. Before we head off, it’s time to have a quick look at the Euro 6 engine – Skip happy to tip the cab, using the electric/hydraulic pump. No need to exercise the muscles, he says happily. And there’s the straight-six, looking as neat-as-a pin in the sunshine.
Truck & Driver | 25
L
Top left & above right: Daimler OM471/Detroit DD13 12.8-litre six now features in the flagship FUSO, Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands here Above left: Mark (Skip) Golden has become the go-to guy for helping to fine-tune FUSOs for NZ
Remember when it took a V8 to produce the sort of horsepower and torque this engine is capable of? Some people think you still need a bent eight – not just for power, but to last a million kilometres or more. Daimler begs to differ. Although it is new to the FUSO Shogun, this engine’s history can be traced back to 2011 when the first-generation OM471 was introduced in Germany, ready for the intro of the Euro 6 emissions standard. The 12.8-litre six made its mark with a robust design and technical innovations to benefit customers. Key features included the twin overhead composite camshafts, singular common-rail injection system with X-Pulse pressure booster, asymmetric exhaust gas turbocharger, powerful engine brake and emission control employing a mix of SCR and EGR technologies, plus a particulate filter. Benefits included low fuel and oil consumption, long maintenance intervals, as well as the engine’s robustness and durability. By the way, Fuso NZ says oil drain intervals for the 510 are 60,000kms. Production numbers across the Daimler Trucks group have surpassed 250,000, making the OM471 – now in its second generation – one of the most popular heavy-duty diesel engines in the world. It also provided the basis for development of the 10.7-litre OM470. The Gen2 OM471, as used in the new FUSO, is said to deliver lower operating costs plus improved operability and robustness – achieved with improvements to the X-Pulse injection system, revised piston bowl geometry, an increased compression ratio and a reduced EGR rate. Together, says Fuso, these changes deliver improved efficiency across the entire engine performance map – which, in turn has lowered fuel consumption…courtesy of a new torque curve delivering more grunt at 26 | Truck & Driver
lower revs. When the Gen2 OM471 was introduced in the new Merc Actros, the ratings range expanded to five in Europe, including two versions above 500hp. For NZ, Merc got a 530hp/395kW rating – leaving FUSO with the 510/380kW….but we’re unsure why the Freightliner has a 505hp/376kW version. What we do know is the G330 12-speed AMT is pretty much identical across the main Daimler brands and now also benefits from the same software management programme – called ShiftPilot in the FUSO Shogun. And it works really well – as we already knew from the Shogun 460, the Cascadia and, of course, the Actros. The ability to share components between members of the Daimler Truck group is a real positive for brands like FUSO, which can benefit from the technical developments aimed at the sophisticated Euro and North American markets and adapt these for its Asia-Pacific customer base. The Daimler Group input doesn’t stop at the engine and transmission – extending as well to the steering system, for instance…and even down to the AdBlue tank (which we note has a Merc three-pointed star). In fact, the whole truck is very Euro-centric, with the cabover’s styling not too dissimilar to that of its German cousin – damn good for a cab design that’s been around for a while. And that extends to the interior layout, where the smart dashboard and controls could have been lifted straight out of an Actros. I’m pretty sure the steering wheel is Mercedes. There’s no real point going through the evaluation truck’s interior details: This is an “orphan” spec that won’t do for the NZ market. It’s
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“I’m like: ‘Nah, this is not my mapping. There’s something different.’ ” not unpleasant – but certainly isn’t as swish as the finish in NZ FUSO cabs. There are though some extras that you won’t find in your standard Kiwi Shogun cab – like a bunch of electronic instruments sitting on the day bunk and under the passenger seat, used by FUSO Japan engineers to monitor the drivetrain. There are extra instruments too, including an inclinometer, altimeter and gradient meter that feed information about the route being driven. Unfortunately for Skip, this evaluation truck is not equipped with a PTO – so no tipping off the load of aggregate in the trailers: “Being a prototype, they didn’t see any point spending $20,000 on a PTO,” he explains. So no paying load – but there is a payload: Since the whole point of the exercise is to gauge how the transmission is working with the engine under load, in order to determine the best gearshifting characteristics, the combination is at 47t all-up. So, for the best part of three weeks, Skip Golden and the B-train unit have been wandering all over the North Island: “I’ve done Auckland to Wellington, Auckland to Waipu, heaps to Maungatapere/Dargaville and back – all to get that mileage in,” he explains. Today we’re off to Waipu, but instead of returning via State Highway
1, we’ll turn off at Wellsford onto SH16 to take in some hilly and twisty road that will highlight the smoothness of the new engine and indicate how well Skip has mastered the mapping. This test has been more about fine-tuning the mapping, rather than making major changes, since much of the necessary work was done during the testing of the Shogun 460, in which Skip covered more than 40,000K. When he’d completed that task, in 2019, FUSO invited him to Japan to give his thoughts on the 510 – then still in the development stage. He went expecting that the mapping would be “real close” to the 460 – seeing as that provided the 510’s baseline. But when he got to drive a 510 at 63t in Japan, “I’m like: ‘Nah, this is not my mapping. There’s something different.’ ” Like an extra mode that comes with the heavier-duty, dual-plate G330 transmission in the higher-horsepower Shogun. It’s also got more robust D12 diffs, in place of the D10s in the 460 (except for its heavierduty applications). The 510’s G330 has Heavy (H), Automatic (A) and Economy (E) modes, where the 460 trans doesn’t have the Heavy mode. “Diff ratios make a big difference too,” Skip points out: “We’re on 4.2s in this and at 90km/h we’re at 1500rpm. The 460 has 4.6s – so
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Above left: Getting in and out is easy enough, with good grabhandles each side and good, grippy steps
Above right: The return trip from Waipu to Silverdale, via SH16, has plenty of hills – providing a good test of how well the Golden-tuned AMT and the 510hp engine work together
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Above, all pictures: The cab in the evaluation truck is more basic than the spec that will be seen in the NZ market production trucks, due to arrive here later this year Right: Much of this Shogun owes its heritage to Mercedes-Benz technology....even minor parts like this AdBlue tank cap
higher revs (about 10% higher) at that speed.” The gear ratios in the transmission are the same in both Shogun variants. Skip’s recommendations for the 510, garnered from his time on the Fuso test track in Japan, were duly lodged into the ShiftPilot brain and the amended shift pattern is largely what we’re experiencing at the moment – along with a few additional mods already made based on the current NZ testing phase. COVID travel restrictions have meant that Fuso engineers haven’t been able to personally supervise the NZ trial and make any necessary adjustments on the spot, so all communication is being done electronically. The gear onboard allows for live monitoring in Japan of how the truck is working when Skip is at the wheel. He gestures to a switch and says: “If I push that it will record for three minutes and Morimoto-san in Japan will see exactly what this truck is doing and he can see live my fuel usage, what gear I’m in…. everything. Apart from us – because there’s no camera, which is great.” The other day, for instance, he and Fuso NZ’s Porter took the trial truck on repeat drives over one loop route: “I did it in H, A, E, E-no-kickdown and manual shift so that he (Morimoto) could see the comparison of everything. It’s as simple as.” When Golden asks for a mod, Morimoto sends a new file to be loaded into the truck’s computer – “and I’ll go ‘perfect,’ or ‘you’ve given me 0.2% too much on my gradient, I want to take that back.’ Or ‘give me a bit more,’ or whatever.” Given all the work already done on the 460 transmission and Golden’s suggestions based on his test track drives in Japan, “I haven’t had to do as much mapping work in this one as we did with the 460. But, as he points out, there’s nothing that can replace actually running the truck on Kiwi roads to confirm that it all works. Even the addition of the H mode hasn’t required a lot of fine-tuning. It is, he says, “very snappy. I’d use it coming out of a bush block, maybe on a skid at 50t or 54t, because it’s going to hold the high revs 30 | Truck & Driver
– so you’re never going to bog down and it’s only going to take single shifts… “It’s also going to be very responsive to any gradient change. So you’ll never have to worry about stopping…ever. “So H is literally 1800 downshifting – it’s all or nothing. And that’s going to work for the guy that wants to put a transporter on the back and run to 60t, or the bush boys.” It’s going to be important, he stresses, that 510 drivers understand that the H mode is “really for going off the beaten track.” Or for extraheavy loads. If you have a driver leave it in H mode all the time out on the highway, “his boss will be going ‘your fuel figures are shit, mate!’ “For the other two modes, E is mainly for State Highway (driving). Like all the way to Kaitaia, you might use A on the Mangamukas, just because even in kickdown in E it doesn’t give me the exact A mapping….it’s still a few revs shy. “If you’re in a lot of steep, winding stuff you’re better to shift over to A.” To avoid the kind of downshifts that drivers grumble weren’t necessary, Skip has suggested “relaxing the top four gears in A mode. Because generally, in the top of the box, you’re at pace on a hill – 12th, 11th, 10th, ninth…. Let it lug down – let it do its thing. Once you start getting into your pulling gears that’s when you can start stacking them a bit better. You’re just helping it to get there.” Climbing one hill he shows off another benefit of the A mode: He shifts out of Economy into Automatic…the transmission now downshifting much more quickly. Here’s another good A scenario: “So it doesn’t matter whether you’ve got an I-Shift, ZF or an Opticruise, or this one – if you’re coming out of a valley, just flat ground and it’s a lot of windy stuff, you’ll come out of E and go to A or your power mode, because it will hold that gear all the way through the sweepers. “It’s not looking for top gear all the time….it’s not going to go 10th to th 12 or whatever. Because you’re on/off the engine brake all the time in
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Both pictures: Skip Golden has driven the 510 Shogun and its loaded B-train around much of the North Island – clocking-up 10,000 kilometres to make sure that the G330 AMT and the 510hp engine are optimised for NZ loads and roads a valley it’s either not having to take a gear down, or it’s only taking one gear down. Whereas in E it could be downshifting three or four gears every time you back off. “What I’m looking for when doing the mapping is trying to match the torque of the engine to whatever gear we’re running in. Say, for instance, you’re trying to make it so it doesn’t hunt gears on hills, which is where you can pull the gradient meter down in three gears. “Every move you make on a transmission change will….change the rev range of the engine and the torque band as well. And the speed of the clutches touching together – like the shift pattern and how fast you get that transmission to shift without the clutch plates slipping. “I have to test the active cruise control in this truck, even though I don’t use it much myself – because any changes I make with the programme, you then have to make sure that it works with that system. “For the 460 I had to do it for the autonomous braking, the radar assist and all of that. The first thing I do when I hop into this is the Lane Departure gets turned off and I get a baseline first and then test those other things out. “So there’s a myriad of things that you change with the remap. How long the truck hangs onto the gear for, how long the truck hangs onto the engine brake when you accelerate again. “Say, for instance, initially with this mapping on the 460, if you’re coming down a hill with the engine brake, in a lot of places you need to accelerate a little bit because you’re actually going too slow, but you don’t want it to upshift. “With the old mapping, if you touched the accelerator it would upshift, whereas we opened it up so that you can accelerate, back off – still in the same gear – and your engine brake will come back on again.” Skip has a message for drivers who may not have liked the AMT in the FUSO HD: “The HD was an intermediate truck and they did the best that they could with what they had. The problem was they had a FUSO brain running a German gearbox and they weren’t in tune – but 32 | Truck & Driver
that’s all they had. And good on them: They made it work to the best of their ability and they sold heaps of them in NZ and in Australia, and they worked OK. “In 2019 when the 460 came in you had a German brain running a German box and they married up well, but not completely. I came in and refined as much as I could and got it down to where the Japanese were like ‘F*** yeah – this is trucking cool!’ “I did things even in manual mode that they could see..….live. They could see my fuel burn, my peak torque curve, what I was achieving in manual mode…..because I’ve got eyes: I can see the hill, I can see the gradient shifting. “These are not an autonomous truck, they are never going to be perfect. But what they have now as a base platform is bloody unreal eh. “So the difference is this is a fully automated truck with a manual option, while the HD was a manual with an auto option. This is much easier to drive and you feel so much fresher at the end of the day. “And we save fuel too: Overall, I’m getting 1.76kms to the litre at 100% loaded 24/7 on the open highway – and that’s taking into account a bit of this Northland route, which is very, very hard on the truck. “If we were doing, say an easy stretch from Hunua to Silverdale – up and down the motorway – you could achieve 2.83km per litre. Mo (one of Skip’s drivers) is doing 1.8 in the 460, every day on this north run, but that’s at 50% empty.” Heading further north, the road surface is noticeably rougher, but the 510 takes it in its stride, riding on air suspension on the rear with a long taper leaf and double-acting dampers on the front. Skip feels even less of the road through the Daimler air-suspended driver’s seat. And he doesn’t appear to be putting much effort into steering either, seemingly easing the truck through corners with hardly any input. This is the same steering box fitted to the Actros, which provides light, yet very positive steering action across all driving conditions. Another advantage of the Euro connection.
We’re approaching the Brynderwyn Hills, which will provide a nice test for both the engine and the transmission on what is the steepest climb of this journey. So how does Skip attack it in the 510? “Just in E and go,” he says. As the incline becomes steeper, he continues: “We’re in 10th gear now because the meter is reading the pinch and see, it’s just gone down to 9th and it will hold 9th now. “I can go up in Economy and kickdown. There was no point being aggressive there because I was already doing 90km/h at the foot of the hill and if I’d been gun happy, it would have just gone up with the rev range in no-man’s-land and I would have been going slower at the peak. Because every shift you make you lose speed and drop your torque curve momentarily. “I’ve just pushed it up a gear here, because I can see that it’s going to be happy in 12th gear all the way around to the point here. So I’ve asked it to pull down as I’m in E mode. If I was in A it would react even quicker. Now I’m just backing off. “So at the moment this truck is doing its own thing, I’m just in Economy and it’s deciding when it’s best to change. In some instances, it might grab another gear right here (on a bend) on the camber but it’s actually holding it here. “So you have to remember that it’s not an autonomous truck – it doesn’t have eyes. It has all the other smarts, but you’ve still got to give it a helping hand as well. “I’m in 8th gear now and this truck has done nothing stupid and it’s held all the way up here. Just let’s itself slog up the hill. Stunning.” As easy as that, we’ve crested the Brynderwyns and the 510 is coasting down the other side to the flat plain where we’ll soon reach Waipu and turn around for the return journey to Silverdale. What has been remarkably demonstrated so far is that the double trailers and their load have barely tested the Shogun’s new 510hp engine. Skip mentions that even on the steepest hill he’s found during his test – Earthquake Gully, south of Taupo – the new engine has always had the power and torque to make it look easy. Thanks in part to the smart tranny. Speaking of those unusual trailers, Skip explains that they’re based
on a five-axle design that Matt Gillies at Transfleet produced a few years back. “Matt and I had discussions around a six-axle for the Super-Liner. So we went ahead. But then the VDAM rule was going to change so it wouldn’t be possible to make 22-metre length for the axle spacings. COVID came along and gave us a three-month extension to make our minds up. I thought, why not. The VDAM rule is now officially changed and you can no longer repeat this trailer. “With a fixed rigid and full five-axle trailer you can go to 58t no problem, because you can get your load on the front axles, whereas with a tractor unit it’s very hard to get your weight distribution. So I’ve got permits for 54 (for the Super-Liner). I can go to 56 but the loader driver would have to be very accurate….plus the RUC break works well for me. “So we got permits for this combination for over-length….and because this is only a 3.9 tractor unit wheelbase and I’m very short, they gave us a permit for 47t. And we’ve reapplied and we’re now waiting to hear if we can go to 52.5 on this.” Skip turns off SH1 towards Waipu and pulls to the side of the road to let Hayden Woolston take over for his drive in the 510. We haven’t tested out some of the fancy gizmos in this truck – the adaptive cruise control, for instance. But we sure know a helluva lot more about how the extra horsepower and the transmission mapping changes have improved a Shogun that’s already earned a good following on the NZ market. The future of this particular test truck is not clear. It will probably go back to Fuso NZ as a demonstrator once the mapping programme has been signed off. Skip will get a Shogun 510 – but he’s hanging on for a 6x4 rigid tipper with a 4.3m wheelbase, with rear air suspension, diff locks and a Bigfoot central tyre inflation system. It won’t arrive until the end of the year – the first customer truck after Fuso NZ gets the first seven production trucks as demos. At the price, Fuso NZ will undoubtedly have buyers lining up for the Shogun 510. But they can also thank Skip Golden for making it work so well on our roads. T&D Truck & Driver | 33
HT
Test
AYDEN REVOR
I
T’S NOT THE MOST INTERESTING TRUCK TO LOOK AT WITH ITS plain white cab…but it’s what’s underneath that matters – and why I’m here: To test the first 500-horsepower-plus FUSO on New Zealand roads. The Daimler Trucks OM471 engine is one that the Daimler Group has had so much success with – and it now has it here in its three main brands. My last experience with this engine was earlier this year when I tested the first Freightliner Cascadia on our roads – and was impressed with its performance as it powered a tractor unit and quad reefer north out of Dunedin, over the Kilmog. So it’ll be very interesting to see how the FUSO performs on a hilly route, heading south from Northland, to Auckland – with a sixaxle B-train, running at 47 tonnes all-up. It’s at Waipu where I get my turn behind the wheel of this preproduction evaluation model. To make the test as tough as possible for this new Shogun, we’ll turn off SH1 at Wellsford and take on the steep hills and corners of SH16. The cab is very similar to what’s on offer already in the Shogun. Cab entry is good with three well-spaced, deep steps and grabhandles on each side of the wide-opening door. Once inside, there’s a very comfortable Daimler air-suspended driver’s seat. The layout is also very similar to what you find in a Mercedes-Benz and a Freightliner Cascadia. Drive, Neutral and Reverse selectors are located on the left-hand steering column stalk – along with the control to manually order gearshifts and for the engine brake. The right-side stalk is for
34 | Truck & Driver
Hayden Woolston
indicators and windscreen wipers. The steering wheel has all the fingertip controls you need on it with digital dash display functions on the left and cruise control and hands-free phone functions on the right. The main dash display has your standard tacho and a digital section in the centre shows a range of information, which you can scroll through from the steering wheel. To the left of the steering wheel is the engine start button, as well as the ignition key, aircon controls and an infotainment screen. A bulky centre console provides plenty of storage space. Going around the block to get back onto SH1 gives me a chance to check how effective the mirrors are and how this B-train tracks through tight turns. The mirrors are great – big and clear, giving good rear vision and the Transfleet trailers handle very well. So much so that I’m swinging out unnecessarily wide. Once on the main road, it’s time to let the truck open up. I have it in Eco mode – one of the three available, at your fingertips.
• SPECIFICATIONS • At 47t we quickly get up to speed, with clean, crisp gear changes. We arrive at the foot of the Brynderwyns at 90km/h and, as per Skip Golden’s instructions, I leave the AMT in Economy mode – to see what the 510 will do in its most easygoing setting. It performs well, with no complaints from the engine and gearbox combination – the same as I experienced in the Cascadia: Even in Economy mode, you can’t make this truck stress itself. As we climb the hill the downshifts come at around 1100rpm. At one point a Kenworth K200 stock truck looks like it’s going to come past, but the driver decides against it. I don’t see him again. On the descent, the third stage of the engine brake handles things perfectly, requiring only occasional dabs on the service brakes. And again, the Transfleet B-train tracks like it’s on rails, so I barely have to worry about it – even through the tighter turns. On another steep climb before Wellsford, I put the AMT into Heavy mode – and the engine and transmission behave totally differently: The engine is allowed to rev higher and gearchanges are made at 1800rpm compared to 1500rpm in Eco mode. It’s like chalk and cheese. As we carry on to Wellsford, the ride in the Shogun is great, despite Northland’s poorlymaintained roads. Now it’s time to tackle SH16 and its tight
corners and one particularly very steep hill – up to the scenic lookout on the Kaipara Coast Highway. There are a couple of very steep pinches and, under Skip’s instruction, I manually downshift – each time shifting about 20 metres short of where the transmission would have if left to its own devices, according to Skip. Once over the top it’s a nice cruise all the way back to Silverdale, with general chit-chat easily managed with the low cab noise levels. The Shogun delivers a smooth ride, with a positive feel through the steering wheel. With no bug deflector, no bonnet and no drop visor, it’s an amazing view through the windscreen. It also makes positioning on the road feel easy. Back at Golden Contracting’s yard in Silverdale, our test of the 510 Shogun is done… and yet it seems like the truck has barely been tested: The OM471 engine and the Daimler Group AMT haven’t done a thing wrong all day. Obviously, Daimler knows how good this combo is, since they now have it in three different brands of truck on our market. When the 510 Shogun production trucks start arriving later this year, it’s going to give Fuso NZ a whole new market to sell to. T&D
FUSO SHOGUN EURO 6 FV2651 6x4 Engine: FUSO OM471 (Daimler Trucks OM471/Detroit DD13) Capacity: 12.8 litres Maximum power: 373kW (510hp) @ 1600rpm Maximum torque: 2500Nm/1850lb ft @ 1100rpm Fuel capacity: 400 litres Transmission: 12-speed Daimler Trucks G330 AMT, with FUSO ShiftPilot Ratios: 1st – 11.639 2nd – 9.020 3rd – 7.035 4th – 5.452 5th – 4.400 6th – 3.410 7th – 2.645 8th – 2.050 9th – 1.599 10th – 1.239 11th – 1.000 12th – 0.775 Front axle: FUSO F900T I-Beam, rated at 7100kg Rear axles: FUSO D12 hypoid tandem drive, with inter-axle diff lock, combined rating of 21,600kg
In its Kiwi trial, the pre-production Shogun has been driven over lots of hills and rough roads, through many roadworks sites...and lived with Auckland’s constant traffic
Auxiliary brakes: Jacobs engine brake Front suspension: Long taper-leaf springs, with shock absorbers Rear suspension: FUSO mechanical six-rod, with air suspension and diff locks GVW: 26,000kg GCM: 63,000kg
Truck & Driver | 35
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THE DRIVING FORCE OF NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING
Upgrade Programme a frustrating downgrade
The Auckland Harbour Bridge has reached its load-carrying capacity
I by Nick Leggett Chief Executive Road Transport Forum NZ
NCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED IS THE ONLY way to describe how I feel about the Government’s recent announcement on the fate of roading projects in the New Zealand Upgrade Programme. Firstly, the good news is that the 24 kilometre highway from Otaki to north of Levin, costing around $817million, will be built as planned. Wellington’s Melling Interchange will also go ahead at a higher cost – now estimated at $420m, having been costed at $258m just a year ago. The bad news from a road transport point of view is that the Mill Road project in Auckland will not go ahead – due to reprioritisation and concern over future transport emissions. This again proves the Government has little confidence in its ability to decarbonise the private vehicle fleet and has no real understanding of how suburban NZers live their lives. Like the rest of the country, I was also disappointed to see more than $700m tagged for a new walking and cycling bridge across Auckland Harbour. RTF believes such a huge spend should go towards a new harbour crossing, where buses, trains and trucks are prioritised, and that we should use lanes on the existing bridge for cycling and walking. Many cycling campaigners are also unconvinced about the merits of the new bridge, with one suggesting using the westernmost lane of the existing bridge for walking and cycling as a trial before any money is committed. This cycling bridge has resulted in a vigorous debate over what the Government is actually trying to achieve. Yes, climate change means we all need to change our behaviour and reduce our reliance
on single-occupancy vehicle use. However, driving a wedge between cyclists/walkers and motorists is not the way to do it. Our roads need to be improved so more efficient vehicles can transport greater volumes of goods in fewer movements, and more efficient transport routes need to be created, whether these involve road or rail, or a mix of both. The logistics sector needs longterm assurances and a real plan for freight movement in NZ into the future. NZ’s road network is in serious decline: Go to any region and people will tell you how bad the roads are and that maintenance has been ignored for years. As the cost of road maintenance continues to increase, so does the bill for investment in new and better roads. The way infrastructure policy making is treated in this country fundamentally needs to change. The Government needs to look long and hard at NZ’s roading network and properly understand its value to the economy and the everyday lives of NZers. Project cost blowouts seem to be the norm, and projects promised one year are shelved the next. It was particularly interesting to see many of National’s proposed roading projects promised funding prior to the last election – an election that saw a number of traditionally blue seats turn red. Many of those projects have, now that the election has come and gone, fallen by the wayside. The NZ Upgrade Progamme has fast become a frustrating downgrade. Staying on the subject of roads, I was horrified by recent dashcam footage of a car crashing into a turning milk tanker. The driver overtook a line of vehicles that had slowed to allow the tanker to turn, and in doing so, hit the truck cab at speed, sending Truck & Driver | 37
THE DRIVING FORCE OF NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING
Livestock operators the T
HE ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM IS CONCERNED at the impact that tighter regulatory enforcement around work hours is having on livestock transport, a sector already under increasing pressure due to the unique nature of its work. A targeted operation by Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency in the Manawatu led to RTF engaging with the relevant regulators on a range of issues and pressures felt by operators in this sector. “While the RTF remains committed to ensuring our industry is compliant, we are concerned that the approach of regulators could be too punitive – without a total picture of the chain of responsibility, and the expectations and conflicting rules of other customers and suppliers that cut across the work of livestock transporters,” says chief executive Nick Leggett. “Transporting livestock is one of the most difficult transport tasks because it deals with live animals – whose welfare must be paramount. It is fair to say that at the moment livestock operators feel as though they are the meat in the sandwich – getting squeezed from both sides.” The Transport Within NZ Code of Welfare sets minimum standards and recommends best practice for the care and management of animals. It states that there must be a contingency plan in place – allowing the needs of animals to be met in the event of any delays arising during the part of the journey for which the transport operator is responsible. “We only have to think back to when Auckland went into COVID-19 level 3 in February, when some livestock operators were caught in traffic jams at police checkpoints for up to six hours in summer heat….which was unacceptable in anyone’s view,” says Leggett. The welfare of animals during transportation often involves a chain of changing responsibility because different people may carry out different parts of the process. Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, both the owner and the person (or persons) in charge of animals have responsibilities for meeting the animals’ needs. At an operational level, those responsible for carrying out particular tasks in the transport process are likely to be considered the person(s) in charge for the purposes of the Animal Welfare Act and are responsible for ensuring that applicable minimum standards in the Code of Welfare are met. One Manawatu livestock operator said the biggest concern was looking after animal welfare. He said once livestock are on board a truck they have to be delivered – and cannot be left to the following day. “If stock are at the saleyards they also need to be shifted, as there aren’t
adequate facilities to hold them overnight. A day organised to meet delivery times and logbook requirements can quickly turn to custard because a farmer is not ready, or there’s a holdup at the meatworks. After that it’s hard to recover time, and there isn’t a surplus of trucks or drivers to cover the overrun.” The operator said the other things they have to contend with include poor facilities that result in trucks getting stuck; some stock taking longer to load than others; accidents on highways holding up traffic – and H-permitted trucks being unable to take detours after accidents. There’s also the extra time and distance they have to travel due to the permanent closure of the Manawatu Gorge. The Saddle Road, one of the two alternative routes to the Gorge, has also experienced a number of closures, and going via the Pahiatua Track takes a lot longer. RTF previously had success arguing that farmers – not truck drivers – should be ultimately responsible for the transportation of correctly-tagged animals under the NAIT regime. The industry has also made considerable progress in recent years working with the farming sector to minimise the risk of livestock being injured during transportation. Leggett says discussions have begun about the key pressures in the chain of responsibility: “Our view is that the industry cannot be held to unfair account for problems and pressures that begin elsewhere in the chain of responsibility. With animal welfare rightfully being of utmost importance, livestock transporters being able to lawfully operate with good crossregulator and customer understanding is paramount. “If a truck full of non-perishable freight gets stuck in traffic the delay may be frustrating, but for a stock truck loaded with cattle or sheep it becomes a huge problem.” Leggett says that RTF and livestock transport operators have met with Waka Kotahi, WorkSafe NZ and the Ministry of Primary Industries to help these agencies get a better understanding of the issues…. And to find a solution that will result in a better-functioning chain of responsibility that doesn’t put undue stress on transport when moving live animals around NZ. “At the end of the day, NZ’s reputation as a food exporter rests on our good treatment of both animals and people, so it is essential there are measures in place across the full chain of responsibility to ensure we meet that expectation,” he adds. T&D
Continued from page 37 both vehicles off the road. The scariest thing about that incident is just how unremarkable it is. Operators around the country tell me that their drivers put up with this kind of behaviour on an almost daily basis. The RTF and other parts of our industry are doing all we can to stand up for industry safety measures that maximise safety for all road users. However, the driving standards of other motorists continue to leave our drivers exposed – and there is little doubt that this plays a part in our industry’s ongoing workforce struggles. It is the industry’s desire to solve our workforce issues that have seen me appointed to a governance role on the new Manufacturing, Engineering, and Logistics Workforce Development Council. This has come about as industry 38 | Truck & Driver
training organisations (ITOs) and the polytechnic sector are rolled into one new organisation – Te Pūkenga, the NZ Institute of Skills and Technology – intended to provide greater nationwide consistency in vocational education. I am very keen to see how this new institute responds to the unique challenges of our industry, because RTF has expressed some serious reservations about the replacement of the ITOs in the past. The strength of the ITO model has been that it was industry-led, industry-governed and, therefore, responsive to the needs of the economy. I see it as my role on the new council to keep advocating for the needs of the transport sector and its businesses, making sure training remains responsive to the changing times and vocational education is closely-aligned to work and the needs of employers. T&D
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NZ Truck & Driver’s Trevor Woolston (left) presenting Rex Temm with the Castrol Truck Driver Hero Award at the 2019 RTF Conference
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HE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY IS OFTEN characterised by the vehicles that the public see out on the road, but the reality is that what makes this industry tick is the people. We all know companies and employees who go the extra mile to provide great service to their customers and who are the first to step up when others need help. “These companies are often the ones that never have to advertise for new staff because people are lining up to work there,” says Road Transport Forum chief executive Nick Leggett. “Different staff at different levels tend to lead by example and this means great results for the whole organisation. “Now is the time for these outstanding industry leaders to be recognised. The people who deserve the pat on the back and the handshake are often reluctant to put themselves forward for awards….so the rest of us need to step up and do it for them.
“This is where the 2021 NZ Road Transport Industry Awards come in,” Leggett says – adding: “The awards were set up a number of years ago to recognise best practice and achievement in the industry. They are a way of honouring individuals, organisations and companies that have gone above and beyond industry requirements in raising skills, safety practices, knowledge, training, industry awareness, innovation and expertise. “Now, more than ever, it is important that the road transport industry shows NZ just how professional we are. In recent years we have been the ones to keep the country going, connecting communities cut off because of earthquakes or weather events, and ensuring that – even in the middle of a pandemic – the public could still walk into a supermarket and find the shelves full. “We understand that truckies don’t like tooting their own horn, but it’s important to develop a culture where young drivers and staff have people they look up to.” Truck & Driver | 41
THE DRIVING FORCE OF NEW ZEALAND TRUCKING
The NZ Road Transport Industry Award categories are: VTNZ Supreme Contribution to NZ Road Transport; EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety; Teletrac Navman Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry; and the EROAD Young Driver of the Year (under 35). Go to the events section of the RTF website (www.rtf.nz), where the entry guidelines and the nomination form are available for download. Entries are now open so if you know someone who has made a real difference in their field, please nominate them now. In 2019 (there were no awards last year due to COVID-19) the awards celebrated diversity in the industry, with three of the awards going to women. Carla Seymour Mansell from Seymours Transport Services in Gisborne took out the EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety Award; Ayna Shamim, from Angel Transport in Auckland, received the first ever Teletrac Navman Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry Award; and Summer Ratima Thompson, from G J Sheldrake, in Tokoroa, was the EROAD Young Driver of the Year.
Jeff Mear, national sales director at Fruehauf New Zealand in Auckland, received the VTNZ Supreme Contribution to NZ Road Transport Award, while the Castrol Truck Driver Hero Award went to Rex Temm, from Riordan & West in Te Awamutu. Nominations are also open for the Castrol Truck Driver Hero Award. If you know someone who has through their actions helped others to safety or in distress while out on the road, go to the RTF or NZ Truck & Driver magazine websites to get your nomination in. This year, winners will be acknowledged and presented with a trophy at the gala dinner at The Road Ahead 2021 Transporting New Zealand Conference in Invercargill in September. If you make your conference booking by July 31 you can take advantage of the discounted early bird registration price of $675 for both days. From August 1 the cost will be $750. You can register and get more information about the conference on the dedicated website: https://www.rtfconference.co.nz T&D
Road Transport Forum was established in 1997 to represent the combined interests of all members as a single organisation at a national level. Members of Road Transport Forum’s regionally focused member associations are automatically affiliated to the Forum.
42 | Truck & Driver
Road Transport Association of NZ (RTANZ) National Office, PO Box 7392, Christchurch 8240 03 366 9854 admin@rtanz.co.nz www.rtanz.co.nz Simon Carson, Chief Operating Officer 027 556 6099 scarson@rtanz.co.nz Northland/Auckland/Waikato/ Thames-Coromandel/Bay of Plenty/North Taupo/King Country Contact RTANZ Christchurch head office for assistance 03 3669854 South Taupo/Turangi/Gisborne/Taranaki/ Manawatu/Horowhenua/Wellington Sandy Walker, Senior Industry Advisor 027 485 6038 swalker@rtanz.co.nz Northern West Coast/Nelson/Marlborough/ North Canterbury/West Coast John Bond, Senior Industry Advisor 027 444 8136 jbond@rtanz.co.nz Otago Southland, South Canterbury , Mid Canterbury Contact RTANZ Christchurch head office for assistance 03 3669854
NZ Trucking Association (NZTA) PO Box 16905, Hornby, Christchurch 8441 0800 338 338 03 349 0135 (Fax) info@nztruckingassn.co.nz www.nztruckingassn.co.nz David Boyce, Chief Executive 03 344 6257 021 754 137 dave.boyce@nztruckingassn.co.nz Carol McGeady, Executive Officer 03 349 8070 021 252 7252 carol.mcgeady@nztruckingassn.co.nz Women in Road Transport (WiRT) www.rtfnz.co.nz/womeninroadtransport wirtnz@gmail.com
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ALCLUTHA TRANSPORT OPERATOR ALEX McLellan reckons that starting his own trucking business helped uncover his true passion – after years spent doing this and that. Trying to find THE job. He started out as an apprentice diesel mechanic, doing a little bit of truck driving. Next, he moved on to operating a wheel loader….then he did another stint driving trucks. Spent a year off the road, operating a forklift. And then….back to driving trucks. To be clear, despite this to-ing and fro-ing, he reckons he had actually “known” from an early age that his future lay in trucking. “My father worked for the Clutha Carrying Company, which later morphed into Wilson Transport. We lived next door to the depot, so it was natural that I started working there part-time after school. “Later, when I left school, they were kind enough to take me on as an apprentice mechanic and taught me my trade. During that same period I picked up my heavy licence and did a certain amount of driving, though my time was primarily spent in the workshop.” The truck lineup at Clutha Carrying included Leyland Comets, Kew Dodges and the ubiquitous D-Series Fords, one of which Alex was assigned to drive during his apprenticeship. The D-Series made 125hp in standard form. Alex recalls uprating one: “I couldn’t believe it when I hung a turbocharger on it and got 140hp, I thought I’d cracked it! I had sunburnt nostrils from wandering around with my nose so high in the air!” “In my early 20s, after I finished my apprenticeship, I was put
into the office on dispatch, but found I was too young for the task, so I left to go and work for LW McKee at Clinton. “There I drove a Cleveland wheel digger during time I spent as a plant operator...though to be quite honest I was more of a plant driver than a true operator. “Oh, I can handle a digger or a motor scraper no trouble – but getting a surface fully finished and level calls for a higher level of skill than I have. I thought at the time it was what I wanted, but found out quite quickly that wasn’t the case, so it was back to Wilson Transport. I was there for several years, broken by a year when I drove a forklift with Rosebank Timber.” Then, in 1989, happenstance finally brought him to the realisation of what he’d really been meant to do all along: “I got the opportunity to start out on my own. There was a company in Balclutha called Vickers Gazelle Bus Lines, that also had a few trucks and operated a general freight service for the town. “However, its major activity was in operating bus tours, and following a significant downturn in tourist activity in 1988 the company went into liquidation. “I put in an offer for the freight business, but there was a condition – that I would need to employ the existing staff. That wasn’t an issue, as I needed staff anyway.” Thus he found his dream existence: “It’s not just a job – it’s my life. A vocation if you will. “If I was down on my hands and knees on the floor playing with toy trucks, people would wonder if there was something wrong with me! The ones I have are just bigger and noisier, but still something to play with. “I’m very comfortable that this is my life. I get out of bed each Truck & Driver | 47
Above: Just a few of the McLellan classics. From left are: A ‘73 Commer, a 1970-vintage Austin WFK, a 1980 International ACCO fire engine, a ‘65 Inter F1800D towtruck, a ‘51 Leyland Comet, a 1980 Kenworth W924SAR, a ‘64 Leyland Hippo and a ‘63 Leyland Super Comet Right: Isaiah McLellan, “living the dream” at the wheel of his Kenworth T904 Middle right: Older brother Travis spends more of his time behind a desk in his role as company operations manager Far right: The company has a busy freight operation servicing Balclutha and the South Otago region
morning looking forward to the day. I’ve met so many wonderful people in this industry (and a few scallywags as well, but you’ll always get some of those) and it’s continually rewarding.” Alex and wife Kim Unahi’s McLellan Freight isn’t your conventional rural carrier, looking after an agricultural client base. Instead, it has two relatively disparate areas of activity – on the one hand looking after the freight needs of Balclutha and the surrounding South Otago district…. On the other, servicing the meat processing industry over the southern part and east coast of the South Island, carting everything from frozen export through to the whole range of byproducts destined for further processing at various other locations. There’s a wide range of brands in the McLellan fleet, including 48 | Truck & Driver
Isuzu, FUSO, Kenworth, Western Star….and, remarkably, every now and again, also featuring the likes of a 31-year-old Kenworth W924 SAR… Maybe even a 1951 Leyland Comet. Or perhaps a 1973 Commer. Could be, in fact, any one of 15 classic trucks that are kept in full working order – rego-ed and with current CoFs. They’re part of a big McLellan collection of classics (Alex and Kim prefer to say only that it comprises a “significant” number of trucks), ranging from a 1980 ACCO International fire engine, to a treasured ’64 Leyland Hippo. Of course, they’re not really regarded as stand-ins for the modern trucks on the fulltime fleet (much as he loves the classics, Alex for instance generally drives an 8x4 Kenworth K200 tractor)…..
But those with the regos and CoFs are intermittently put to light work – sometimes to plug a temporary gap in the main roster….more often to give them a short run to keep them ticking over. Alex admits the classic trucks can’t match the modern stuff for comfort, but when they’re pressed into service the drivers quite enjoy them...albeit in small doses! The trucks run by Clutha Carrying were obviously a factor in his fascination in restoring classic trucks, he says – though he can’t pinpoint any single one that triggered the obsession: “Everyone needs a hobby. I’ve just got one that swallows a heap of money! “There is a large movement in New Zealand, with a lot of wonderful people in it, devoted to restoring old trucks. Some
have the ability to do only one, some four or five, and others quite a few more! “I’ve got a Leyland Hippo that is very special to me, but we’re also doing up a 1988 Mack Ultra-Liner, which made the company a lot of money in its time. It’s powered by a Mack 350 six cylinder, the first of the company’s four-valve engines. “We have a really good group of tradespeople in the town who help out with the projects. They all really enjoy being involved with the classic trucks.” Over the years the freight division has developed a close association with many of the major freight companies, including PBT, Mainfreight, Mainstream, Toll and TIL. McLellan Freight itself runs a five-days-a-week service between Dunedin and Balclutha that also services the company’s other Truck & Driver | 49
Main picture: McLellans has a range of trailers to cater to the variety of meat industry products it handles. Here, the company’s 2012 K200 is hitched to a tri-axle reefer semi Above: A fleet lineup from the 1990s, when freight was the primary activity depots in Milton and Mosgiel. But, in addition, it regularly carries freight for these other operators, and picks up and distributes on their behalf in Balclutha and the surrounding areas. To this end the company has several of what it calls “the midgets” – vans and 4x2 and 6x2 trucks that handle local deliveries and collections. The freight work and accounts is looked after by Alex’s wife Kim Unahi, supported by Karen Arthur and Rachel May. At work, Kim prefers to be known as Kim Unahi because, she explains, she’s known for herself – not who she’s married to. It also helps, she adds, in identifying the less-aware types one sometimes encounters: “When people walk in the door and don’t know I’m the other half, I get a better feel of them as a person because they’re not pre-judging. In this industry there are a lot
50 | Truck & Driver
of wives, daughters or nieces working in the background, making decisions on all manner of subjects within the business to keep things running smoothly. “They also usually have their hand on the chequebook, meaning that if you think you have a deal made because you talked to the husband, please think again!” Kim says she gets a little ruffled when people make a distinction about a driver’s gender: “We need to promote the industry overall. It’s nothing new that women are working in transport – they’ve been doing that for ages in all types of roles. But when all’s said and done, a professional driver is a professional driver.” In one way or another many of Kim’s family have been involved with the transport industry. In his younger days her father
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“The thing is when your family own trucks you end up doing what your family does, as it’s part of your everyday life when growing up.” worked for trucking firms in Dunedin and Bluff, before spending 14 years with DT Kings at Pukemaori. He then worked in the logging industry, before going back to driving a freight truck for Kim’s brother Craig till he retired. Of Kim’s five siblings, older sister Tania works for Open Country as a tanker driver, brother Stephen as a consultant with a forestry company, Jason is with Fonterra, Craig works for port logistics company NFA and youngest brother Dwayne has his own heavy haulage business. Kim and Alex’s boys Jade, Travis and Isaiah have always been involved in the business in one way or another, says Kim: “The thing is when your family own trucks you end up doing what your family does, as it’s part of your everyday life when growing up.
You all live and breathe it. The boys would go in the truck with Alex and they learnt the business. “Our oldest son Jade worked at McLellan Freight after school, driving vans and midget trucks, and after leaving school went into forestry – but he also went on to get his Class 5 truck licence, and helps out now and again when we need him to. “He and his wife Carolyn run their own farm, along with an agricultural business – which also requires him to now and again drive trucks.” Travis too worked after school at McLellan Freight and before he finished high school gained an apprenticeship in roading with local firm Andrew Haulage. By the time he was 21 he’d completed his apprenticeship and worked a few more years with them.
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Left: The old Inter towtruck has still been earning its keep, even recently, keeping trucks moving in the depths of winter Above: Alex McLellan reckons trucking is his life, says he gets out of bed each morning looking forward to the day ahead
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Top: The Kenworth T904 driven by Isaiah McLellan is specced to the max...and spotless
Above: A couple of decades in operation, and with the addition of the meat business, the fleet had grown considerably
When the time came to move on from Balclutha he found a job with Paul Smith Earthmoving in Timaru. Travis gained good experience there, before spending some time overseas. After his return, Alex and Kim were thinking of succession planning and jumped at the chance to offer him a job with the company as operations manager, a role he’s held now for five years. In Isaiah’s case, there were never any intermediate diversions. As his mother says, he was born ready to drive: “How else do you explain a kid, barely a toddler and not yet speaking, pushing a toy truck across the floor and going ‘Vroom, vroom?’ “By the time he was speaking he knew the name of every driver in the fleet. His car seat had to be placed in the middle at the back, so he could see the oncoming trucks. When he recognised them he’d call out the name of the driver. Because Alex often took him on classic truck runs he also got to know a
lot of the drivers from other companies, and their trucks. “When Isaiah reached secondary school age we enrolled him as a boarder at Otago Boys’ High. Before he started we had a ‘getting to meet you’ interview with the rector...who’d obviously not done his research. “He was talking with Isaiah – and Alex and I were sitting listening – when he asked Isaiah what he had in mind as a future career. Quick as a flash the answer came back: ‘A truck driver.’ Well, that’s all he’s ever wanted to do. “But the rector was quite flummoxed by that, and went on about all the famous sportsmen and community leaders the school had turned out over the years – not knowing, or ignoring, that Isaiah planned to work with McLellan Freight, the company owned by his parents and a company that had been always a backdrop to his life. He just didn’t get it.” Today Isaiah is, in his words “living the dream,” at the wheel of Truck & Driver | 55
E
Clockwise from top: Thirty years in business, the fleet had grown yet again....the then brand-spankers T904, with Southpac Trucks Salesman Steve Herring, an excited Isaiah and Alex posing in front....Alex and Isaiah, relaxing with some reading. We can’t fault Isaiah’s choice of reading material
a 2009 Kenworth T904, bought new by McLellans when the initial purchaser had to cancel the order. Powered by a CAT C-16 and fitted with a CAT BrakeSaver, there’s nothing better on the road, Isaiah reckons: “It’s been a dream truck of mine from day dot – ever since Dad got it.” The unit is rated for 54 tonnes in certain trailer combinations, but typically the maximum load is around 46t, often hauling meat in a B-train layout. The truck is immaculate, and won the top award in the truck show associated with the 2019 Alexandra Blossom Festival, Isaiah says proudly: “I go to places and people ask: ‘Is that a brand-new truck?’ And when I tell them it’s 12 years old you see their jaws drop. “There was never any doubt that driving was what I wanted to do. All my way through high school I wore a viz jacket and steelcapped boots. Everyone thought I would be the first one to leave school, after Year 11 – so they were quite surprised when I went right through to Year 13 and then on to university, where I was studying business management and marketing. “COVID-19 has got in the way though, because it meant we were short of drivers – so I’ve taken up driving fulltime. “Most people, when they leave the job at the end of the day, 56 | Truck & Driver
that’s it – they don’t think about it until the next morning. With me, I’m thinking about trucks all the time – even dreaming about them when I’m asleep!” The expansion from a local freight service into the meat industry came, quite unexpectedly and suddenly, in the late 1990s. As Alex explains, it was one of those “ill wind” situations: “When Samson Transport in Dunedin – who were servicing the meat industry – went broke, they simply made the decision to close their doors on the coming Friday night and never told anybody. “When I read the news in the paper that morning I thought to myself: ‘There’s a great heap of work going west!’ So, over the course of a couple of hours, I’d rung the receivers, leased the trucks and contacted the staff, so that on the Monday morning things were carrying on as before. “We took the opportunity and ran with it, but I couldn’t have done it without the support of our client companies in the meat industry. They have been absolutely fantastic all the way through. I couldn’t have asked for better backup and support. “It is a two-way street though. I have a theory that when a client rings me with a problem, by the time they put the phone
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Clockwise, from above: One of the McLellan Freight’s near-new Isuzu bulk units on the road. The Japanese brand is well represented in the fleet... Alex and one of his treasured oldies, a 1951 Leyland Comet 75..... Jade and younger brother Travis grew up in and around trucks
down they don’t have a problem anymore – because now it’s my problem. “I can’t speak highly enough of our clients who believe in us, and our staff who stick with us. A perfect example on the staff side is Karen Arthur, who came to work with us 28 years ago. She began part-time by doing a milk run we had at that time, then went on to driving a freight truck. “But then her back started to play up from a past injury at another job and she had to have surgery. She was out of action for several months and even when she got back to work, because of some lingering nerve damage, the only way she could get around was a sort of wobbly walk. “That’s where she got my nickname for her – ‘Wobbly.’
“But she got back to the driving, then some time ago we had an opening in the office, and now she works alongside Kim – looking after the freight side of the business.” In its work for the meat industry, McLellan Freight’s brief is wide: At various times, the trucks can be carting all manner of products, large and small, as the company services the majority of the meat processing plants in the lower South Island. As Alex explains, the product is handled according to strict criteria: “We have to be accredited with MPI and are audited twice a year to ensure compliance. It’s all about ensuring the client gets the best possible service.” Travis adds that the work is an ever-changeable process: “We do have scheduled runs, but because the output of the plants is Truck & Driver | 59
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Clockwise from top left: For several years the McLellan fleet had a predominantly white colour scheme, as seen on this Mack....the 2012 K200 tractor unit in a different configuration, here seen with a five-axle B-train loaded with tiedown bins for meat byproducts....Hino 700 tanker unit....beautifully restored 1972 Mercedes-Benz L1418 is another in the classic collection
quite seasonal the scheduling varies across the year. Everything we cart goes to further processing, so in many cases we’re shifting (product) between various plants, with variable demands from the destination companies because of their own production schedules. “The phone is never too far away from my ear, that’s for sure. And because you can never avoid plant breakdowns there is often the need for last-minute changes to plan – and this is where you have to be able to think on your feet. “Quite often clients will call us to work out their problems for them. We certainly don’t just shift their stuff from A to B.” Alex gives an example of the kind of on-the-fly thinking often dictated by outside circumstances: “Some time back the main road was cut by flooding at Maheno. We had a load destined for Oamaru that had to get through, so the driver turned back to Palmerston, then went way up through Central Otago, adding a huge distance to the trip. Because it would also run him over his hours, we drove another driver up to take over from him.” This can-do mentality also shows up in the relationship with other trucking operators, he adds: “We have great relationships with other transport companies all over NZ, way it works closely that have grown over many years in the industry.” Kim agrees: “If everybody in the transport industry worked together, imagine what a force we would be when it came to dealing with the government!” She says that McLellan Freight has always welcomed younger people to the industry: “Because we have small trucks and 60 | Truck & Driver
vans, we have been able to offer young people a job – even if all they have is a restricted car licence – and help them all the way through to a full Class 5. “Alex tried for years at the local schools’ career nights...but, the sad thing is, he would turn up at these and parents would direct their children away from the career – as in their minds they would see a truck driver, not the owner of a substantial business who had built it up after leaving school with few formal qualifications. “We are always on the lookout for young people to come through the ranks, and when we do find them we put them through their training and licences and hope that we have impressed on them to stay with us. It is never guaranteed but we keep persevering. “I see myself as the realist in our partnership. Alex is more a glass-half-full personality, and is always hopeful of people reaching their potential.” Alex agrees that it can be an uphill battle getting people to appreciate what the industry can offer, but sees the good side of having staff who’ve been trained in the company culture. In common with many operators who have trained people from scratch, only to have them leave, McLellans often finds that they’ll return after a time, he says: “Generally it’s because they find that elsewhere isn’t quite what they thought, and they prefer to be back here in familiar surroundings. And often they have picked up other skills – which works to our benefit in the long run.” T&D
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LEGENDS
S
TRAIGHT TALKING ‘FEARLESS’ Fred Burling was not only a pioneer in the trucking industry but his work ethic was deemed ‘salutable’ by those that knew (or knew of) him. With a massive 60year contribution to the freight and farming industry, not only from the Wairarapa area but throughout New Zealand, Fred really was a legend. To say Frederick Allan Burling ‘Fred’ came from ‘humble beginnings’ is an understatement of epic proportions. Born in Hastings in 1940, his early life was fraught with difficulties, essentially a combination of hard times for the family and of course World War II resulted in Fred and his five siblings being placed into the Methodist Children’s home orphanage in Masterton when he was just nine. Aside from being separated from his parents and segregated from the family, according to many, the home itself was a tempestuous place where the young children worked multiple chores. His sister Phyllis says, “that’s what shaped his life, we had nothing and were expected to work hard, very hard.” Fred ‘escaped’ the orphanage at the age of fourteen and as Phyllis recalls it, “I was given a suitcase with a few bits of clothing and a bible and told to ‘get on with it, make your own way’ and I assume Fred started out the same.” But ‘get on with it’ Fred did. His first job was at the wool scouring plant in Napier, and then returning to Masterton a few years later Fred took up tractor driving with Charlie Banister, plus he also nabbed a job at Aparama Station. During this time, Jack Moore and Davie Topp bought Fred a brand new Fordson Major Tractor, ‘for breaking in the country and doing a lot of cropping work’, Fred
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would work at the Station during the day and then drive the tractor for half the night as well, working nearly 24-hours a day. According to Phyllis, Fred went to a farm in Homewood and drove a D4 bulldozer, which he apparently not only worked with but slept under too. While Aparama Station also had a truck that Fred drove, he would load that truck up with wheat twice as much as anyone else. Fred evidently saved his money as in time he bought Bayleys Spreading in Masterton and went out by himself. Fred’s son Johnny says “He bought a trap door scraper and started doing that sort of thing and from there he went deer farming and then into trucks (doing farming and trucks at the same time). Firstly, doing some local fertilizer work and then later bought his first logging truck and ended up with about fifteen. He sold the loggers and then went into general freight.” Fred’s son Johnny says, “Fred had his own special way of doing things, his way or no-way, he was pretty renowned for being blunt. His nickname was fearless, but it wasn’t because he was fearless of people, his work ethic was fearless. A lot of jobs he did, people said ‘nah you can’t do that’ but he would make it happen because he was fearless. It was mainly when he was doing the bulldozing contracts, he went where the other guys wouldn’t go. And to this day they still call him fearless Fred.” The stories about Fred at that time were borderline folklore, for instance at one point Fred bought a ‘trucktor’ (half truck/ half tractor) but it ended up taking off downhill on its own and that was the end of that. Fred’s ‘special ways’ extended to ways of generating work too. If farmers needed a job done, they knew to go to the pub and
have a beer with Fred and the job would be booked in. You knew where you stood with Fred, he believed in honesty and always spoke his mind. It was said that as long as there was a Tui in his hand and his trucks were on the road he was happy. As son Johnny turned sixteen, he joined the business and worked with his father. Fred then sold his business but kept two trucks, (intending to stay small, just Johnny and himself) however, he had an alert business brain and plenty of foresight, buying land and growing the truck numbers, basically he just got bigger and bigger. Fred’s loyalty to his workers and his family was paramount and although the Burling business may have always been just Fred and Johnny, the Burling’s have employed a vast amount of drivers over the years too. One of which Eddie, (a longstanding driver) spoke at his funeral. “Looking around here today I’m pretty sure we all have a yarn or have experienced meeting or dealing with Fred whether good bad or funny but we didn’t book this venue for three days, so I’ll briefly bring a few up.” Eddie began by saying that Fred’s work ethics and organising was one of a kind and deserved praise. “He’d say ‘If shit needed doing get in don’t fuck around get it finished ‘cos I need that truck on another job’”
Apparently ‘getting things done’ was a common theme from Fred, drivers were always told ‘don’t muck around, go like hell, lean forward and don’t get a ticket’. Whether it be in wool, fertilizer, logs, or general freight, if you wanted a truck Fred would send one and then another couple just to make sure the job was done correctly. Eddie says “Another name I used to call Fred was google maps. If you didn’t know where you were going Fred would get his notepad out and proceed to draw a map. With the map in hand leaving his office you would walk out thinking ‘where the hell am I supposed to be going?’” With his vast experience and time spent doing the job, Fred’s memory of directions to the different farms and farmers’ names was unbelievable. But being old school he told Lindy (in the office) he didn’t know how to work her computer in the office ‘because there were no keys to start the bloody thing’ hence the maps. What’s more everything was written down manually in his big diary that sat on his desk, however, only Fred could understand what was written. Eddie’s stories of Fred continued, “He had a very creative aspect of life that I believed pioneered certain sectors of the transport and agricultural industry to be more productive. No open gate policy, drive into it. No 14-foot gateways drive into the strainer if too narrow. Effective braking on a loader, use the side of your truck. Conventional bales too heavy to lift? Cut the strings and make them repress the bales lighter.” It’s understood that drivers following Fred’s previous instructions lead to Burling Transport trucks being banned from many a farm, however, there was always a call a couple weeks later for the truck to go back.
Fred was a very hard worker and expected the drivers to follow his lead. A teary Eddie ended his speech with “lastly to be a good bastard you need to know a good bastard” And a good bastard he was, outside of the business as well as within. Fred was a family person, but the trucks and the yard came first ‘that’s just the way he was. Fred was an ardent East Coast rugby fan, (thanks to son Johnny playing there) and was one of the longest standing supporters of the club, plus he sponsored them too. He was also a strong supporter of the Westpac Helicopter. Fred’s other passion was car racing and cars in general, however, in true Fred style, he treated his cars like trucks, when he drove there was more rubbish in the cabins than on the back of the truck and so he would think nothing about putting an oil
drum in the back of a brand-new Holden Statesman. Fred’s health dwindled and he was hospitalised at the age of 81. His sister Phyllis says that when Fred was in there, she told him, “I really love you and I’m proud of what you’ve achieved in your life” but she says that Fred didn’t take this as a compliment and his reply to her was “well everyone was expected to work hard”. Wairarapa Road Transport Association chairman Graeme Reisima describes the loss of Burling ‘as a huge kauri falling in the transport industry’ and that pretty much sums it up. His daughter Joanne adds “he was a rough diamond that always had respect for anyone that worked hard.” Son Johnny has been working with Fred for over 30-years, before taking over the business last year. But even as he turned eighty Fred was still involved RIP ‘Fearless’ Fred Burling 26 Feb 1940 - 24 June 2021 T&D
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Josh Hart is “over the moon” to have a spectacular new Western Star truck and trailer emblazoned with antibullying messages
Josh and his pink truck deliver hope L
IKE MOST OTHER YOUNG TRUCKIES, JOSH HART IS RAPT WITH having been given a brand-new Western Star to drive. Unlike most other 24-year-olds though, he’s even more stoked that the FXC 4800 6x4 tipper is pretty in pink….and its bulk bin is emblazoned with anti-bullying and mental health messages. How come? Simple: Josh was bullied unmercifully throughout his school years – the torment pushing him to the edge of suicide at the age of 12… It wasn’t until he left school at 16 and started driving an old R-Model Mack, doing off-highway work for his Mum and Dad’s bulk tipper operation, that he truly found his happy place. It gave him a new-found confidence – and a desire to put his own awful experience to good use… helping to steer other bullying victims towards the help they need.
Two years ago, that campaign began spectacularly – when Debbie and Barry Hart got Josh’s old Western Star repainted pink (the universal colour of the anti-bullying movement), and had the bins on the truck and trailer unit signwritten with anti-bullying messages. New Zealand Truck & Driver wrote a story about the Harts’ eyecatching pink truck and Josh’s harrowing back-story….and he reckons that, in the 28 months since, the truck has been a conversation-starter with an untold number of people about bullying…as well as being a mobile anti-bullying billboard. Bold signwriting on the truck and trailer bins carries powerful messages: “Bullying Stops Here!... Together we can make a difference….. Kindness is one size fits all…. Speak up. Stand together. Stop bullying.” It has got him onto tv and into other magazines and newspapers,
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Josh poses with a group from GirlBoss NZ – an organisation created to empower young women “to lead and change the world.” He talked to them about standing strong and being a leader
talking about bullying. He’s been invited to truck shows and car shows, and he’s talked to kids at schools. And every working day, he says, it has triggered conversations – very often with other truckies: “My goal is always to help one or two people…and I do that most days. “I have people come up to me and say ‘oh you’re the guy with the pink truck – oh cool.’ And then they’ll just start talking – and it’s pretty special. I love it mate. “Sometimes all people need is to sit down and talk for a little bit – to help give themselves a little bit of perspective. And the fact that I can be a part of that…is pretty cool. “A lot of the time it’s truck drivers, or family of truck drivers. One of my favourite ones was out at the Z at the top of Bombays: I parked up there to grab a V – and I ended up sitting around for half an hour talking to the daughter of one of the truck drivers that had pulled in. “She was struggling with a few things – and she saw my truck and she came running over and started talking to me about, you know, different things that were going on. “I stood there talking to her and her old man – and it started that conversation, and they were stoked.” That’s the thing, Josh is keen to point out: He’s a conversation starter – not (except in a few situations) the person who can personally help each one of them. He listens, shares his experience…and advises them to turn to people around them for help. To talk to their families, their friends, counsellors, their workmates or whoever is closest. It’s heartfelt advice – that he learnt the truth of the hard way: “I
used to get beat up – a lot of physical and a huge amount of mental. I got to some dark places because of it. I kept everything away from my family to begin with. For whatever reason, I decided to try and fight through it myself. He would tell his disbelieving Mum and Dad that the bruises came from accidents: “I would say I walked into a wall, fell down stairs – I’d come up with any excuse to defend anyone else. “The way bullying is, you get to the stage where you think YOU’VE caused it…. you blame yourself before you blame anyone else for what they’re doing to you.” So then the mental damage adds to the physical bullying: “I thought ‘I’ve obviously done something wrong to this person to get them to do it.’ Initially, it starts with ‘what am I doing to cause it?’ And then after, when it becomes continual, you’re like ‘well clearly, breathing, or living, or talking is causing the problem!’ It very quickly becomes mental. It’s a tough bug to deal with.” But, says Josh: “It wasn’t until I was about eight or nine that I turned around to my parents and said that something wasn’t quite right. And that was when the whole family did what they could to help.” The Harts got him into Taekwon-Do when he was at primary school. They talked to his teachers…and his headmasters. They moved him to different schools – and even went to the police. Finally, leaving school was his catalyst for change – “when I started fulltime and getting into the trucking community, that was when it went from a little light, or a little torch….to literally the high beams of the truck. “I realised how communal everyone is in this industry: They get
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The Hart family with Josh’s old Bullying Stops Here! Western Star. Josh says his family – (from left) Josh, Mum Debbie, sister Jessie and Dad Barry – were always there for him….it just took him years to realise it
behind you to make sure you’re alright, whereas at school that was not the case.” And now, since Debbie and Barry surprised him with the brandnew Western Star in early June, the truck and its similarly messageladen five-axle Transfleet trailer are allowing Josh to ramp up his personal efforts to stop other kids being hurt, even destroyed, by bullying. The new truck and his old Western Star, which is still in the Hart Haulage fleet, are tools for this work: “Without the trucks, we wouldn’t be pulling the people in. Dad’s always said and I agree – ‘trucks are the moving billboards of the world.’ ” The brand-new unit bears the messages: “Spread Kindness…. Bullying Stops Here/Together We Can Make a Difference….” And “I Am Hope.” Says Josh: “To have what’s on the side of it and have it stand out the way it does….is just absolutely amazing. I’m still over the moon. I can’t look at it and not have a smile on my face.” And to anyone who thinks he’s already taking on a heavy load in using his own experience being bullied to help others, he says this: “I’m 24 and people say to me, ‘shit that’s a burden to take on.’ “But it’s not a burden. Definitely, I’m super-proud to be able to
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do what I do and have people share their stories. For me that’s absolutely amazing – to have people trust me enough to be able to open up. “Yeah it can definitely get quite emotional because you see and can hear and feel the pain in people’s voices and their stories. And to hear stories of loved ones who they’ve lost or things that they’ve struggled with over the last few years, it can be (and it often is) very, very emotional. “But it makes me really proud because they always finish it off by saying to me, you know, ‘I’ve been more open with family or friends after seeing you on tv, or reading about you in the magazine…’ “And they were then starting the conversation as well – they were opening up to their families and it was making a difference. It was helping people. That for me is where the emotion really hits. “I was lucky enough when you guys first contacted us: It was an opportunity to spread a message that effected a lot of people. To me it’s never been a burden because it was a thing I had to learn to fight against myself: Yes, I had a support network there – I just never learnt to rely on them. “And to have an opportunity to say to people: ‘It’s actually not that bad to turn around to your support network and rely on them’ –
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Above left: Proud as he is of his new Western Star, Josh is even more excited about its ability to attract more attention for the antibullying movement Above right: Over the past two years Josh has been in demand from truck and car show organisers, youth groups and schools to turn up and talk about his anti-bullying campaign. Here he’s talking to a group of students at an Auckland school
and have an opportunity for people to accept and believe that, to me was even better. “To have someone turn around and say ‘well, if he was able to get up in front of people…’ Or ‘if he was able to share it in a magazine or on tv or on radio or whatever – if this kid’s been able to stand up, then there’s no reason why I can’t talk to my family about it.’ “Like for me it’s not a burden – it’s humbling that people have enough trust in me that they’re able to come to me and I’m actually able to say to them: ‘Honestly, as much as I’d love to help you, your family, your friends, your support network are the ones that can actually and will actually help you. “Everyone knows that it’s not a small thing – it’s not something that’s gonna take just a couple of days to get away from….” He concedes that sometimes he does get emotionally involved, “to a degree: In that I still struggle with not only my own damage but there are some times where I guess I take other people’s onboard as well….which has always been my personality. “However, in saying that, I am a lot better with it. Like I know I need to compartmentalise it and not let it effect me as much.” And mostly it’s all about “being able to actually help push people in the right direction for them. Whether it’s to have that conversation with their families – who will always be a much better support network for them….. Or to push them towards speaking to a
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counsellor or a friend. “You know, I’ve been there for a few people. But I’m also learning to make sure I’m sending them to the right places as well. Because, as much as I want to, I can’t help everybody. But everybody who’s asking for help deserves help.” He remembers that in his case, “it was good to know that it was pretty normal for people to rally around you, especially if they know how bad you are. But you’ve got to share a bit to get the support.” For him, for instance, Josh stresses that there is no “one size fits all” solution. There have been and still are, he says, many people who have offered good advice and help throughout his journey: “There’s been many ladders to help get me out of my black hole.” He credits a couple of close friends who asked “what the hell are you doing?” And, of course, his family for the fact that “I no longer have the world on my shoulders. “And it takes time. A counsellor said: ‘You may not be ready now, but you will be at some stage – and when you are, you’ll find someone with an open door. “Not everyone gets through. I literally ran towards a friend on a bridge trying to talk to him, but…’ ” Similarly, tragically, “a mate of mine’s brother shared with me about his son who’d been bullied so long he could no longer take it anymore and took his own life. It was the most heartbreaking thing
The new Western Star is a standout billboard for promoting kindness, the utter unacceptability of bullying and understanding and support of people suffering mental health issues
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Josh is “humbled” that people – who recognise him “as the guy with the pink truck” – will come straight up to him and talk to him about their challenges. The response to him speaking up and making a stand with the truck has been overwhelmingly positive, he says
I’ve ever heard.” On the other hand, he hears of many, many more heartening stories: “So many stories that come through. And so many changes that people have made to their own lives – or have made to others…..because of the fact I was able to stand up and make a difference to them.” The new Western Star has added the name of the mental health campaign group, I Am Hope, to its signwriting – and Josh Hart says that he sees I Am Hope founder, comedian Mike King, as “very much fighting for the same thing. Bullying, for a lot of people, leads into the Black Dog – and down the darker path of life.” And like King, he’s been “pretty disappointed” at inadequate funding for mental health from the current Government: “I’m pretty gutted. I always struggled to get counselling when I needed it. There are other people out there who’ve gone through worse. Like, they definitely need help – but, unfortunately, it’s just not something that happens. It breaks my heart.” The people who come to talk to him about bullying are, he says, across the age spectrum: “I’ve had everyone, from kids who’d still be at primary, to adults of retirement age – or heading toward it. “Bullying happens to everybody. It’s not just at school – it happens at work. It’s disappointing…but I guess it’s just part of our culture at the moment.” Wonder aloud just how many people Josh may have helped because of the impact of his truck and its messages, and he says he has no idea: “Ummmm – honestly I tried to track it at one point, but
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after about two weeks I gave up on it! I couldn’t dream of putting a number on it.” The new truck and trailer unit signals a new push to get the Harts’ anti-bullying message spread even more widely…to more people. Josh explains: “So many people want us all over the country…..and we’re trying to do everything we can to get to as many as we can.” The number of people who want him to turn up in the anti-bullying Western Star is, he reckons, “gobsmacking.” So now Hart Haulage is working on piecing together enough work to get Josh and the pink truck and trailer unit on a regular nationwide run – so they can also meet the demand for them to deliver their “Spread Kindness” message. Looking back over the past two and a bit years at the wheel of the pink Western Stars, Josh says the reaction within the industry “has been very positive. Any negative comments are met with a wave of positives. “The funniest thing ever was a mate of mine jokingly called up on the CB and said ‘that truck’s a bit gay.’ I knew it was a joke…but the wave of nastiness towards him was just insane! ‘How dare you say that!’ “I can’t get through a day without guys calling up and saying ‘hey, good luck bro…. Well done mate.’ It’s so awesome. It’s not just the young guys either – it’s the old guys as well calling out their support for the truck. “The positivity that has come through all of it has more than made up for the negatives I went through….” T&D
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To help streamline its operation, Regal aims to buy just one make of truck...and only one model. A year ago it began to transition from Volvo FM500s, to FH700s, like this
Regal’s DIY TD31774
design & build EGAL HAULAGE DESIGNS, BUILDS AND MANUFACTURES all of its own trailers, does its own setup on all of the trucks it buys…and only buys just the one make of truck. And only one model of that make. It’s all about optimising its operation – an innovative and extremely thoughtful approach to running trucks that arguably makes the Hamilton-based company one of New Zealand’s most efficient transport operators. Regal’s inhouse team of design engineers, welder/fabricators and mechanics work together to build one truck and trailer every month – each unit designed to carry maximum payloads, build flexibility into trip planning, and keep drivers safe and comfortable. Regal’s 95-truck fleet is made up exclusively of Volvo trucks and the partnership between Volvo NZ distributor MTD and Regal Haulage is longstanding….and strong.
Even so, when Regal was formed in 1988 – with the amalgamation of Tauwhare Contractors and Sherson Construction and the purchase of Cronin Transport – the fleet, unsurprisingly, looked quite different, as current joint managing director Brett McHardie explains. “We had a lot of older gear in the fleet, of all makes and models. My father (Rob McHardie) was used to having engineering capability in the business, at Tauwhare Contractors, so we continued in that tradition – doing our own repairs and maintenance.” Around 2012, the Regal directors decided on a different business model – selecting one brand and model….with a single range of parts. Thus enabling the engineering and mechanical teams to develop specialist expertise. It was, in effect, streamling its business. When first sizing up the different truck brands, Regal’s Truck & Driver | 75
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Above left: At a recent Volvo/Regal event, are (from left) Volvo distributor MTD’s Todd Martin, Regal workshop manager Hayden Gare, Regal innovation manager Max Krotov, and Transpecs’ Neil Crawford
Above right: Brett McHardie (centre) chatting to Volvo national sales manager Paul France (with his back to the camera) and area account manager Todd Martin
An important goal for Regal is driver acceptance. main purchasing measures were tare weight, price, and driver acceptance – with driver recruitment issues already influencing management decisionmaking. Says Brett McHardie: “Volvo ticked all the boxes for drivers – safety, comfort, and driveability. We also knew the MTD aftersales and service network, so that was a big plus for us.” With the first three new FH day cab Volvos in the fleet, the business started to build up its engineering capability. A purposebuilt new workshop, complete with a gantry crane and improved store layout, was developed at Airport Rd in Hamilton, close to the mechanical workshop. This enabled the teams to better streamline processes, moving trucks straight out of manufacture into plumb and wire. “If you’ve got a fleet of trucks, you need to be able to sort out minor engineering repairs, turn trucks around quickly and get them back on the road,” McHardie explains. “From there, it’s not a huge step to start building. Repair turnaround is important. We can fix things within a week that could take a couple of months if we relied on third parties. This gives us a massive advantage. “With new gear we can design exactly what we need. Our process has evolved over many years, due to a lot of driver input. That means that our designs are based on practical, everyday realities. “We’ve had a lot of discussion around cover systems, steps, and ways of getting into the bin. We keep drivers on the ground these days rather than working at heights, so we’ve brought in remotes to cover and uncover bins. “We thoroughly analyse health and safety incident reports and use them, along with driver feedback, as a base to design better alternatives.” Innovation manager Max Krotov started as a graduate, working under Brett McHardie, four years ago and now heads up the engineering design team: “My job is to ensure that our designs result in some of the lightest trucks in NZ, so we can carry more for our customers. “Our designs also need to be safe to operate and driver-
centric, easy to manufacture, and require minimal modifications over and above the specifications we develop with Volvo Trucks. That saves a lot of time.” Regal designs, manufactures and certifies its trucks and trailers, Krotov points out: “Even before considering manufacturing, we calculate axle group loadings of the bin on the truck and trailer, so it ends up weighing-out perfectly. “This adds speed and efficiency to each run. Volvo supports us by providing accurate drawings and kerb weights that mean we can predict how the unit is going to weigh-out at the beginning of the design process.” Since August last year, all new Volvo trucks ordered by Regal Haulage have been FH700s, with the aim of gradually phasing out most of the FM500s in favour of a bigger cab, more comfortable driver space and a more powerful engine – the perfect combination, it believes, for attracting quality operators. Krotov says that MTD product engineer Jamie Bell has been the cornerstone of that process: “We were constantly in touch to make sure the same-type bodies would work on the new cabchassis, figuring out the placement of components to support all applications and comply with OEM requirements – and that the weighing-out would work.” Every new design holds the legacy knowledge from previous iterations, so Regal engineers are constantly improving cubic meterage, payload, and longevity of the gear, Max explains: “Because we run the fleet ourselves, I can go and look at a fiveyear-old trailer, analyse the damage and wear on each component or talk to the driver to get their perspective and feedback – and use that knowledge to improve the next design. “We can go heavy where it’s needed and light where it isn’t, which means we save weight without compromising on strength.” An important goal for Regal is driver acceptance. Its success in that regard is underlined by the fact that the company also sells-on Volvo trucks and trailers to owner-drivers – both newly built, straight out of the workshop…..and secondhand trucks and trailers with a few years on the road. To optimise the fully-loaded running time of its trucks, the Truck & Driver | 77
“Every time the wheels turn, the trucks are earning money” Regal sales team plays its part in optimising fleet deployment – by targeting clients as close as possible to established unloading points. The resulting planning, combined with unit modifications, results in less empty kilometres, the company says. “We design our bodies and trailers to be able to cart all loads, giving us maximum flexibility,” Krotov adds. “Most of the time our fleet can deliver that flexibility. If we can’t get a backload on a regular run, we look at how we can modify the unit.” Volvo national sales manager Paul France sees the results in action: “The Regal fleet is recognised and admired across the industry for its optimisation – with the fleet run, on average, 8085% loaded. It’s really impressive: Every time the wheels turn, the trucks are earning money.” As Regal’s workshop manager, Hayden Gare runs the parts department and the mechanical and engineering workshops: “Our job is to provide our drivers with safe, comfortable, wellmaintained units – helping to reduce fatigue. “We keep trucks on the road, minimising breakdowns and accessing support across the country from Truckstops when we
need it. Maximum uptime helps our planners to move product efficiently around the country.” Brett McHardie says that dealing with a trusted group of collaborative suppliers delivers benefits that go beyond pure monetary value. The Regal Haulage partnership with Volvo Trucks, MTD, and Truckstops – in combination with Transpecs and TWL – delivers a co-ordinated response to customer needs. Max Krotov and Hayden Gare both comment on the tight technical and service support, speed of response to queries, ability to schedule and supply parts on time and willingness to share information. A prime example is the way that Volvo Trucks and Transpecs co-align truck delivery with the flow of trailer kits
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The association between MTD and Regal (or the companies it was created from) goes back to the beginning of the company in 1988 – to the likes of the ‘84 Mack R-Model, standing alongside a Volvo FH700 that’s one of the recent additions to the fleet
to support Regal’s aim of offloading parts straight into new builds. “Throughout the life of the truck and trailer, if something goes wrong, it gets processed quickly,” says Krotov. “MTD is involved in the whole process – from the initial design to the disposal of the unit. The support we get through Volvo
driver training and Dynafleet keeps our drivers interested in the job, always competing to see who’s the best driver. “It’s really hard to get into the top five at the moment. Our drivers are continuously pushing to improve, because no-one wants to give up their ranking. It’s great for everyone. And once they drive a Volvo – they don’t want to drive anything else. T&D
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The new Actros. A truck ahead of its time. Setting the standard in long-distance and heavy-distribution haulage, the ground-breaking new Actros is more comfortable, economical and reliable than ever before1. Featuring innovations like the Multimedia Cockpit, MirrorCam, Active Brake Assist 5 and Predictive Powertrain Control – it’s designed to reduce fuel consumption, boost vehicle use and offer the driver all the support they need. To see the new Actros for yourself please contact your local dealer. 1
Compared to the previous model. Please note: changes may have been made to the product since this publication went to press (July 2021). The manufacturer reserves the right to make changes to the design, form, colour, and specification of the product. The images shown are to be considered examples only and do not necessarily reflect the actual state of the original vehicles. Please consult your authorised Mercedes-Benz Truck Dealer for further details. © Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific Pty Ltd (ACN 618 413 282). Printed in New Zealand.
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FEATURE
A farming show…for truckies too Story Dave McLeod & Wayne Munro Photos Dave McLeod & Fieldays
F
FOR SOME KIWI TRUCK DISTRIBUTORS, IT’S LIKE THAT old tv commercial from the 1980s for the alcohol-free Clayton’s – “the drink you have when you’re not having a drink.” Fieldays is kind of like their Clayton’s outing – “the truck show you have when you’re not having a truck show.” That’s because, of course, Fieldays is – first and foremost – an agricultural/rural/farming extravaganza. The biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere in fact, the organisers reckon.
But, nevertheless, five truck makes are represented at the 2021 Mystery Creek agricultural extravaganza – returning to an up-close-and-personal scenario after last year’s COVID-enforced “virtual” show, which was conducted completely online. And, adding to the taste of trucking for the crowds of cowcockeys, is a handful of other companies active in the transport industry (as well as the rural sector) – among them suppliers like the Porter Group, Teletrac Navman, TRS Tyre & Wheel and TransDiesel….
Fieldays is a monster event, sprawling over 114 hectares at Mystery Creek Truck & Driver | 81
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Above: Almost 133,000 showgoers attend Fieldays over four days
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Left: Hino, which skipped the last Transport & Heavy Equipment Expo at Mystery Creek, has a strong presence at Fieldays
And transport operators/suppliers including J. Swap, Fonterra, Waitomo Group, Waste Management and Bowers Bros Concrete – along with another organisation traversing both the trucking and rural sectors, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency. Interestingly, the truck makes here at the June event – reputedly the largest agricultural event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – include Japanese brands UD Trucks and Hino…. two of the stayaways from the last Transport & Heavy Equipment Expo, which was far and away NZ’s biggest dedicated truck show. Some exhibitors’ dissatisfaction with THE Expo’s perceived value for money – and showgoers’ disappointment with the exhibitor turnout – has so far meant there hasn’t been a repeat. So, why take trucks to an agri show? Isn’t that a scattergun approach – putting your product in front of a huge audience….but still only reaching a tiny percentage of likely buyers for a new UD Quon, an Iveco X-Way, a Hino 700 Series, a Hyundai Mighty or a
new, Chinese-built XCMG heavy-duty electric truck? Well, quite clearly, if its maximum visibility you’re after Fieldays is hard to beat: The Mystery Creek show is huge – pulling in a helluva lot more of the general population than “just” the farming community. So the sheer weight of numbers can add up to good brand visibility….at the very least. The last “real” (as opposed to virtual) Fieldays attracted almost 130,000 people – a record. And this one does even better: At the end of the four days, show organiser, NZ Fieldays Society, puts the rollup at 132,776. So, clearly, a huge increase on the “over 7000” the Society – which also organised the THE Expo – estimated turned up during the first two days of the last Mystery Creek truck show. Fieldays pulls in around 1000 exhibitors, their stands spread across 114 hectares of the site on the outskirts of Hamilton. And with extras to pull in the crowds, such as a tractor pull, fencing Truck & Driver | 83
competitions and excavator dig-offs. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was among the throng – saying that during the COVID-19 lockdowns, NZ’s food producers had played “such a critical role” in helping the country survive. “When the team of five million were predominantly staying at home, it was (our food producers) that were still trying to find ways to operate and…get their products to market. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude,” Ardern said, according to the NZ Herald. That’s a tangible link between the farming community and the trucking industry right there: That’s exactly the sort of thing they were saying about truckies at the time of the COVID lockdowns. But it goes much further than that, reckon the transport industry exhibitors and Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation, who points out: “All elements of the supply chain and logistics are also covered at Fieldays, and the trucking and heavy machinery industry is a huge component of this, so we’re glad we can cater towards this market. “Many of our visitors are involved in not only farming but also related industries like trucking, freight and earthmoving businesses. “It was great to have a wide range of iconic truck brands on display this year who reach a broad audience through Fieldays.” For Fieldays co-sponsor Hyundai its major presence (it’s there to greet you pretty much the moment you step inside through Gate One) is all about showcasing the new technology available across its range of cars, SUVs…and trucks. In the case of its trucks, says Hyundai Motors NZ general manager Andy Sinclair, the tech in them is way ahead of many other truck brands on the NZ market.
Also, he says: “When it comes to our truck side – a lot of customers and potential customers come through, including truck users, fleet owners and owner-drivers. “We’re new boys on the block so we’re here to improve brand presence and showcase our Mighty range (with an Allison gearbox, which has proven to be an attraction.” Hyundai is due to launch the medium-duty Pavise by the end of the year too, Sinclair says – the new model, it believes, has the potential to redefine the mid-range truck segment here. Another exciting piece of Hyundai technology will be here next January – in the form of its Xcient heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric truck. It’s at Fieldays – but only in the form of a promotional billboard. Sinclair says that although Hyundai is a relative newcomer to the NZ truck market, its presence is growing monthly…and, he says, it’s one of the few NZ-owned truck distributors. Iveco truck sales consultant Pieter Theron tells a similar story at the Italian brand’s stand, explaining: “We’re here to lift brand perception and promote Iveco.” Its stand is relatively simple and modest, but showcases a number of 4x4s and the new Iveco Daily large light-commercial van. There’s also a cab/chassis version “for the tradies.” Pride of place though is an 8x4 X-Way heavy-duty tractor unit, in Daily Freight livery and ready to go to work. There’s a similar approach too on the UD Trucks stand, where salesman Graeme McCulloch makes the point that Fieldays offers a much broader range of visitors than farmers only – and says that they do, for instance, include a fair number of earthmoving contractors.
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“We’re here to show off our range of products, but also to get sales and leads.” He goes on to say that UD’s Euro 6 Quon is “a solid truck” that is grabbing a lot of attention. A new bright red NZ Couriers eight-litre Quon CD 25 360 6x2 is the standout of its Fieldays presence – a truck that UD says is big on safety, and with a six-cylinder in-line engine that delivers 263kW/360 horsepower at 2200rpm and 1428Nm of peak torque at 1200rpm. An eco mode in its AMT is perfect for fuel saving – and the truck is a great package, it says, for metro or intercity applications. Hino’s general manager Darren Salt says that a lot of its customers come to Fieldays and for that reason it’s good to be here. It is, he adds, “a great place for brand promotion too. “It’s not just farmers (attending): We do really well out of tippers and sold several tippers here last time.” The Hino site shows off a variety of trucks from its medium-duty 500 Series and heavy-duty 700 Series ranges, including a new FY with a Euro 6 13-litre. NZ company ETrucks uses Fieldays to give a heavy-duty Chinese-built battery electric truck what it reckons is its worldwide public launch. The ETrucks E700 6x4 tractor unit – built by Chinese giant
truckmaker XCMG – offers metro applications viable range by way of its swappable battery. ETrucks director Ross Linton says that the E700’s large 281kWh battery can be replaced in just five minutes, using a gantry crane at an operator’s depot. The battery can be fully recharged in two hours. A fully-charged battery will power the truck for 110 kilometres, with a loaded trailer and running at up to 90km/h. ETrucks is targeting metro container cartage and similar work and says he has had interest from truck fleet owners on the stand. Given its wide range of Volvo construction equipment, TransDiesel attracts plenty of customer interest on its stand, marketing manager Mark Warr says. “We’ve got products like our loaders and EWR160E wheeled excavator to see and also some of our smaller Yanmar compactor range. We’ve got a demo area for hands-on interaction too.” After recently becoming agents for the brand, TransDiesel also has Shell Lubricants on display and it adds a careers area with the aim of getting students interested in the industry. Says Warr: “We want to get people educated on our range, generate industry awareness…and of course sell from our stand and get leads.”
Clockwise, from top left: Iveco aims to lift its brand perception..... Fieldays co-sponsor Hyundai shows off everything from cars to trucks.... TruckClaws reckons its cleats will even get a truck unstuck....the crowds roll up....the Porter Group stand aims to showcase its history and its possible future 86 | Truck & Driver
The Porter Group, on the other hand, has a completely different approach on its large stand. National sales manager Scott Turner explains that for it, Fieldays is about building relationships: “We have seen over the years a wider range of people (attending), including civil and forestry. And with no Expos running this is the best place for customers. “We’re not filled with new gear to sell. Our approach is about taking visitors on a journey – from inception to now. Showcasing our 75-year history and (taking) a sort of look 75 years into the future.” Reflecting Porter’s wide range of makes represented and businesses, Porter’s impressive stand ranges from one of its Eagle Spares Kenworth racetrucks, to the latest in Bomag compactors
and Hyundai FX and HX excavators. Teletrac Navman uses Fieldays to demonstrate its new artificial intelligence-enabled TN360 software platform, along with its electronic RUC management system. It says that its asset management, remote worker safety and electronic road user charges management system are all fleet and location-based technologies that improve operations in the agricultural industry – as they do for trucking. The stand features case studies on agricultural businesses that have used the Teletrac Navman system to manage operations, compliance, health and safety, customer communications, administration and more. The AI-powered TN360 delivers telematics functionalities in real time, using a scalable cloud ecosystem that connects data Truck & Driver | 87
Clockwise, from top left: TransDiesel’s stand includes a careers area to encourage new recruits to join the industry....UD Trucks’ Graeme McCulloch says its stand is visited by a much broader range of visitors than farmers only....Fieldays includes fun stuff like the tractor pull
from sensors, cameras, mobile and third-party applications and translates raw signals into context. It thus provides businesses with “simplified, smart, predictive and actionable insights.” TRS Tyre and Wheels adds some fun to its stand – showgoers invited to test their strength….alongside a display showing off the likes of its Trelleborg Pneutrac hybrid tyres. They combine, the maker says, the advantages of a radial agriculture tyre and a track for “unbeatable” traction. TruckClaws is an eyecatcher: It’s an “all-season emergency
88 | Truck & Driver
tyre traction aid, designed specifically to get your 4WD, ute, light commercial, truck, SUV, farm vehicle or RV unstuck and on your way in minutes – without calling for assistance.” TruckClaws (which are re-usable) feature a traction cleat (made of high-quality metal) that attaches to a drive tyre by way of a reinforced strap and heavy-duty ratchet. They will, says their marketer, help provide traction in sand, mud, snow or ice – “fast and safely.” So there it is: Fieldays – the farming show….for truckies too! T&D
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FEATURE
Etrucks’ battery-swap E700 electric tractor unit, built by Chinese truck and construction machinery manufacturer XCMG
From electric fences… to electric trucks Story Dave McLeod & Wayne Munro ORMER FARMER ROSS LINTON HAS GONE FROM milking cows, to importing construction machinery….to now pioneering the introduction of electric trucks in New Zealand. With little fanfare, Linton’s Etrucks operation has been importing battery-electric trucks from China for the past three years. And at Fieldays in June, the company gave a new XCMG heavy-duty electric 6x4 tractor unit, which uses a battery-swap system to extend its working range, its first public showing…anywhere in the world. (See Fieldays coverage on Page 81). Etrucks already has two heavy-duty battery electric trucks in operations here – an 8x4 water cart, which works at Eastland Port in Gisborne… And a 50-tonne TFT125 6x4 dumptruck, which has been working
for over a year at Blackhead Quarries’ steep Logan Point site in Dunedin. The dumptruck uses 201kW of power going up the 1.7km quarry road (with a 9% gradient) to the working face at the top of the quarry, at about 20km/h…. As it returns down the hill, loaded at around 30t, driving at 12km/h it regenerates 176kW of power. Linton says that the quarry truck uses just $8 of electricity a day – “and that compares to a diesel truck on the same run that uses $90 of fuel a day.” Light-duty battery-electric Etrucks are doing metro deliveries for the Warehouse Group. The E300 models are electric four-wheelers or six-wheelers with GVMs ranging from 6t to 10t, four-speed auto transmissions and a 200km range at 50% loading. Truck & Driver | 91
Clockwise, from top left: Ross Linton reckons Etrucks should have around 65 electric trucks on the road by the end of 2022.....Blackhead Quarries’ Etrucks dumptruck runs on $8 worth of electricity a day.....the Warehouse Group recently put some light-duty Etrucks on the road...XCMG’s 8x4 electric tipper is sold in China as a Hanvan G7....XCMG recently unveiled this hydrogen fuel cell tipper in its home market In addition, Linton says, Waste Management has so far been “probably our key customer….they’ve been with us virtually all the way through.” Etrucks supplies it with 10t battery electric trucks – “but we’re working on the next size up too.” XCMG also has a medium-duty electric truck in China – the E500 – but is not yet building RHD versions. Linton says of his truck business: “We’re still small – I think we’ll have 15 trucks on the road in NZ by Christmas, but I reckon another 50 by the end of next year.” The swappable-battery E700 6x4 tractor unit has a 50t GCM, with 360 kilowatts of peak power and up to 2800 Newton Metres of torque. It has a six-speed automated manual transmission. XCMG – the Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group – already has 2000 8x4 E700 tippers on the road in China (1200 of them in one fleet alone!), with 300 6x4 tractors using the swap system about to begin trials. The E700 has a theoretical range of around 140kms, running fullyloaded 50% of the time on the highway and up to 180kms in metro applications. Linton says that the battery-swap concept optimises the usage of the electric trucks and cuts costs – even with the additional expense of at least one extra battery, the charger and the gantry crane needed to swap the batteries (which takes “under seven minutes” to swap, using NZ’s semi-automated system…or less than five minutes using a fully robotised system employed in China). The battery can be fully recharged in two hours. Etrucks national sales manager Drew Lloyd sums it up: “It’s like a swappa gas bottle. Because you know you can swap a battery in a few minutes there’s no need to carry around another tonne of lithium as (you do) with a (plug-in-to-charge) 500kWh battery. “You have a smaller battery, only do around 100kms and swap it. That extra tonne of payload is worth more to you too. The other win is that your truck isn’t standing still being charged for a couple of hours – it’s still out there working. The battery can be swapped in about 10 minutes.” Linton says that Etrucks initially saw the E700’s major target market as carting shipping containers: “Off the wharf is a classic model because most of the containers only go 50kms or less. But there’s also a railhead or inland ports.” 92 | Truck & Driver
And potential applications for the tractor unit are growing: “We come up with ideas and then other companies come up with even more….and some of it’s pretty clever.” Linton adds: “We’ve got one customer looking at inter-city – Auckland to Hamilton. Fairly light stuff. But their model is one truck and three batteries – so a battery will be being charged at either end….” Plus the one installed on the truck. “The other thing is metro-heavy: There’s a lot of heavy trucks that roll past here that don’t have heavy containers on – on rocks and civil infrastructure projects. So we’re pushing hard for that. And in China, their biggest sales for EVs have been 8x4 metro tippers. “Plus, being NZ, we get interest from milktankers…. That’s a work in progress.” Linton reckons that he doesn’t see any applications as not “doable” – although range limitations currently count out linehaul and logging….but that hasn’t stopped operators inquiring. Electric loggers are being used to shuttle-run logs to skid-sites in Canada, he says – and the same opportunity does exist here, in similar settings to Blackhead Quarries’ operation in Dunedin: “If you’re coming down the hill full and going back up empty, it’s much easier, as it’s only the empty range that matters. “On full regen you’ll regen more power than you use. So if you’re bringing logs down off steep hills then, happy days!” He says the charger will cost $168,000 and Etrucks has had a quote of $150,000 for a gantry crane capable of swapping the batteries. Cost-wise, the electric tractor unit comes at a premium – the upfront cost is “a bit over $400,000.” But under consideration is having a company rent charged batteries to E700 operators, says Linton: “So instead of getting diesel, you go to this company for the battery. They own it, they take care of the depreciation of it, they put the power in it and swap it. Even without (taking account of free) RUCs, that will work out cheaper than running diesel.” Linton sold his Culverden, North Canterbury farm 20 years ago and then, in 2009, bought Landex, the NZ distributor for XCMG – the world’s third-biggest construction machinery manufacturer. Landex spent most of the years since selling what he terms XCMG’s “yellow gear – loaders, rollers, graders….that sort of stuff.” But he was also well aware that the Chinese manufacturer had
been building trucks for about 20 years – and that “the quality was going up in leaps and bounds. So we sold some diesel trucks to Fiji and places like that – but none to NZ.” None, that is, until he included an article in his monthly newsletter to customers – about XCMG building an eight-tonne, four-wheeler electric truck: “And the phone went nuts from various people….in the industry that were dead keen to find an OEM that was going to do EV trucks. Because at that stage all you could do was conversions.” There was enough interest to prompt him to fly to China to talk to XCMG execs. He secured an agreement to sell the electric trucks here and started Etrucks. Having E300 Etrucks here on show at EV World three years ago “just showed that we were serious – and some of the bigger players started taking notice of us.” So did Blackhead Quarries’ GM Tony Hunter – the result being that Linton and Hunter “jumped on a plane up to China and drove the truck….and then drove a couple of trucks around a goldmine. We went back to the factory and Tony said: ‘Let’s give it a go.’ ” Linton says that the XCMG trucks are well specced: “The braking and suspension is Wabco and ABS8, the cab is R29 rollover rated.” They have Fast tiptronic transmissions. “In comparison to the Chinese trucks you see on the road here – they’re about 30% cheaper than the XCMGs. So these are some of the top-end trucks in China.” A downside has been, he concedes, that they are heavy: “Our 8x4 water cart weighs 18t empty, with a 14t cab/chassis. But it doesn’t matter for that application as it’s on port.” When it needs to drive on
the road between facilities, it runs empty. XCMG has worked on reducing the weight, via air suspension, disc brakes and lighter chassis rails – “so our tractor now is 10,600 and our 8x4 is 12-tonne. Both are 1-1.5 tonnes heavier than they should be, but compared to other EVs that are carrying around 500kWh of lithium (batteries), we’re pretty good.” Linton says that in getting to this point with the XCMG, Etrucks has invested a lot of time and money – and made some mistakes…. “but we’re learning as we go.” The transmission in the first E300, for instance, wasn’t configured to cope with steep hills, so that needed adjustment. “I’ve been in machinery for a while and I know what a pump is…. but the learning curve has all been with the help of understanding customers.” The key to growing the market for the Chinese trucks is, he says, supporting Etrucks’ customers: “We’ll only have 15 of these in the country by the end of the year, so how do you support them? What we do right now is part source – we just buy another one, because we don’t know what’s going to break on them and there’s not much on them that you’re going to fix here. If it goes wrong, we get another one. I guess the world’s going that way anyway.” Lloyd adds: “From the drive motor back, you can go to a Pit Stop and get it serviced basically. But from there on – that’s where the electrical side is, so you need the diagnostic technicians that we have.” An onboard diagnostics plug on the trucks means that data can quickly be downloaded and sent to XCMG in China for analysis and
Truck & Driver | 93
Right & opposite page: In NZ, the battery on the Etrucks E700 can be swapped in under seven minutes, using a semi-automated system. A fully robotised system used in China does it in less than five minutes
advice. Etrucks’ presence at Fieldays was an exercise in educating people about the E700 – and worked well: “Because of the electric vehicle ‘freebate’ announcement we ended up with I think seven politicians on the site. They wanted a positive story and there we were with great big trucks,” Linton says. In terms of battery life, he says the expectation is around 3500 cycles – and at the end of that each lithium ferrous phosphate battery can be repurposed as storage for solar power systems on commercial buildings. In that setting, he adds, “there’s probably another 10-20 years in it.” Linton expects to soon have compliance signed-off for the one battery-swap E700 tractor unit so far in NZ and has another
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undergoing the compliance process in China. The next step will be to put a trailer behind the first unit and allow operators to drive it. Looking into the future, Linton believes “metro delivery is going to be EV all day long,” with fixed batteries. Heavy-duty metro tippers can turn to swap-battery electric and inter-city “is going to be a dollar each way. My guess is that hydrogen (fuel cell vehicles) will probably take the lead. “And as for linehaul – hydrogen all day long, at least until the battery technology gets better.” And, by the way, Linton doesn’t mind whether it’s a swapbattery or hydrogen fuel cell future: XCMG has both – having recently launched a hydrogen-fuelled heavy-duty 8x4 tipper. T&D
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Truck & Driver | 95
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National Road Carriers
Hello Government and councils – let’s talk By David Aitken, CEO of National Road Carriers Association
M
Y COLUMN IN MAY WA S AN “OPEN LETTER” TO Government and local government authorities to consider road freight in their decisionmaking. But I feel compelled to say it again because, if anything, the situation seems to be getting worse. The concerns of the road freight industry are not being heard – and we’ve noticed that if authorities don’t like what we say, doors are being closed. That’s bad news for New Zealand Inc. and our communities because when we’re not part of road and street planning the chances are goods delivery gets harder, and therefore more expensive. Two examples – one of how we can offer practical help, and one of doors being closed: NIGHT FREIGHT DELIVERIES COULD SOLVE TRAFFIC CONGESTION Auckland Transport’s Access for Everyone (A4E) proposed roading layout changes to Queen Street – including lane closures or restrictions and reduced delivery vehicle parking – will undoubtedly make freight and courier deliveries to downtown retail and office businesses more difficult. However, if businesses received their freight deliveries at night, it could help resolve the problem. The transport industry is keen to deliver outside normal business hours – when there’s less commuter traffic – because this makes delivery trips faster and less stressful for drivers. Retailers and distribution centres have not yet opened up to the idea of receiving night deliveries, but we are working with Auckland Deputy Mayor Bill Cashmore and Heart of the City to promote the idea that couriers and freight companies can be trusted to access buildings so they can make deliveries, without staff of the receiving company being on site. This is common practice in other places around the world. Faster night deliveries on less-congested roads would reduce freight costs – and those savings could potentially be passed on to consumers. Faster deliveries also use less fuel and thereby reduce carbon emissions.
David Aitken
If the freight industry is at the table for all discussions involving roads and transport, we can propose solutions to problems. Our industry is full of practical and innovative people who can suggest new ways of doing things that can be gamechangers. WAKA KOTAHI NZ TRANSPORT AGENCY REMOVES DUTY TO CONSULT FREIGHT SECTOR National Road Carriers is right behind the Road Transport Forum’s (RTF) opposition to a rule change by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency which removes the agency’s duty to consult the freight sector when setting road speed limits. With 93% of freight in NZ moved by trucks, the industry must have a say on what happens on the roads. We can’t be locked out because the Government doesn’t like what we say. RTF has submitted on this rule change that suggests an independent speed management committee take responsibility for speed setting, with no opportunity for direct submissions or specific freight industry consultation. We think that is inadequate and the current consultation process should remain. Speed setting is a coarse approach to safety management and is the low-cost option when measured against network improvements. The Government’s reluctance to invest in longterm roading infrastructure to improve and futureproof the network is a concern. We believe our industry has valuable input into discussions about roads in NZ and we do not want to be removed from those discussions. It seems blindingly obvious that the transport of goods should be factored into transport and infrastructure plans but, from our perspective in the road transport industry, whenever there has been talk about transport recently, there has been little consideration of freight. Our plea to transport authorities is to talk to the road freight industry. We are Kiwis who want to see NZ flourish. We operate at the coalface of transport and we are open-minded. T&D Truck & Driver | 97
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RTANZ’s priority during crisis events, including flooding, is to ensure the transport network is able to keep operating
A key player in keeping network open during a crisis By Simon Carson, RTANZ chief operating officer
T
HE SHORTEST DAY PASSED US BY, JUST BEFORE A SHORT period of wild weather hit parts of the South Island. Hundreds of North Canterbury residents were evacuated from their homes – and, further south, hundreds more Ashburton residents were on standby – as rivers raged across the region, fuelled by a one-in-100-year deluge. The priority for RTANZ during crisis events such as this one is to ensure that our transport network either remains open or is reopened after minimal downtime. Engagement with councils as well as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Civil Defence and other authorities is critical. Equally important is the timing of these discussions, which are often happening on behalf of members just as the crisis is starting to hit. Clear communication during an event such as this is essential – therefore the association becomes a key player in keeping New Zealand’s supply chains and networks functioning. The Ashburton river bridge reopened for heavy vehicles after a short period of closure, whereby trucks could use the bridge between 7pm and 7am. The reason for this was due to ongoing monitoring of the bridge by Waka Kotahi and contractors – where regular visual assessment of damage and potential risk was required during daylight. There are extra challenges with undertaking checks and measures during the hours of darkness, with the health and safety of workers playing a significant part of the process. The floods coincided with significant numbers of livestock being moved around the country on Gypsy Day – June 1. So named because of its travelling connotations, it sees thousands of farm managers, contract milkers and sharemilkers loading cows into stock trucks, or walking them to new farms nearby – and packing up their
equipment, families, and belongings. So while road users battled soaked and damaged roads, they also needed to remain vigilant due to extra stock trucks on the parts of our networks that remained open. Stock movements needed some extra planning between farmers and transport operators, to ensure things went without a hitch, and the flexibility of most farmers contributed to the continuity of transporting animals. Many stock operators said they experienced minimal downtime as they juggled their farm runs around stock availability, open roads and detours. Damaged infrastructure seems to have had little effect on this sector of industry. Moving stock between regions was another matter, with some operators reaching either side of Canterbury and having to park trucks up for a period. RTANZ, FMG, and Fedfarm worked to ensure that animals in transit were able to be temporarily re-homed until such time as it was deemed safe to continue with their journeys. On the whole, it was pleasing to see transport businesses quickly adapt to this crisis and carry on with their businesses. A total of 190 members attended RTANZ’s recent 31st annual NZI South Island Seminar in Twizel, South Canterbury. A key part of the day is the members’ forum, where the opportunity is presented to members to bring industry matters to the attention of the executive and authorities in attendance. The association takes its lead from our members – represented by individuals elected by members from the regions. If, as an RTANZ member, you feel you have something to say, or have value to add to your region and the industry, I strongly encourage you to put your hand up for inclusion on your executive committee or the RTANZ board. Please keep an eye out for regional AGM dates and locations. T&D Truck & Driver | 99
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The first Volvo in Total Log Haulage’s fleet, this new FH700 is now in work hauling logs in the central North Island. Driver Sid likes the I-Shift AMT in the 8x4, which has a 700-horsepower/2323 lb ft engine, and leaves it to do the shifting most of the time, except in “sticky” offroad situations.
Steady…not spectacular
EW ZEALAND’S HEAVY TRUCK SALES continued to be steady, but not spectacular, in June. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency statistics show that 467 trucks with a GVM over 4.5 tonnes were registered in the month – up from May’s 403 and a 16.1% improvement on the last “normal” (ie nonCOVID 19-affected) June – in 2019. On the other hand, it lagged 8.4% behind 2018’s alltime best June, when 510 sales were recorded. Similarly, this year’s first-half total sales of 2372 was 9.4% behind 2019’s benchmark 2620 registrations. The trailer market, with 136 June registrations, was up on 2019’s 107, but fell short of 2018’s 164 sales. The 660 total sales for the first half was just 5% behind 2019…but 16.7% down on 2018’s alltime best. In June 2021’s overall truck market, longtime No. 1 Isuzu shrugged off FUSO’s challenge to its lead in May – registering 126 trucks in June to FUSO’s 79. Thus it stretched its year-to-date lead on FUSO (which was down to just five trucks in May) back out to out 52 – 488 to 436. Interestingly however, FUSO increased its market share from 15.2% to 18.4% year on year, while Isuzu dropped from 23.6% to 20.6% Hino (340/67) was again third (for the month and the year) and Scania (177/50) and Iveco (149/26) stayed fourth and fifth respectively, while Mercedes-Benz (128/22) and Kenworth (125/20) both moved ahead of Volvo (124/11). UD (83/12) and DAF (73/12) both held their YTD places to round out the top 10. In the 3.5-4.5t GVM crossover segment, Fiat reached 216 YTD (way ahead of its 122 YTD at the same point last year), by adding 32 for the month, followed by Volkswagen (73/12) in a distant second and Mercedes-
Benz (33/8), third. In the 4.5-7.5t category, FUSO (215/32) held its lead (again well ahead of its 138 YTD at the same point last year), but second-placed Isuzu (185/44) had a good month and closed the gap a little. Hino (82/23) was third, ahead of Mercedes-Benz (75/12), Iveco (67/13), Hyundai (37/7), Foton (30/1), Fiat (17/1) and Volkswagen (11/3). Isuzu (197/55) blitzed the 7.5-15t segment, with Hino (107/12) holding second and FUSO (94/20) third. A long way behind were Foton (29/5), Iveco (24/6), UD (8/2), Hyundai (8/3) and DAF and Scania (both 1/0). In the 15-20.5t segment, Hino (47/12) led FUSO (33/8), UD (15/3), Iveco (11/4), Scania (10/2), Isuzu and Mercedes-Benz (both 7/1), MAN and DAF (both 3/1), and Freightliner (2/0). In the tiny 20.5-23t segment, Isuzu (11/5) took over the No. 1 spot from Hino (8/0) and FUSO (7/2). Volvo (2/2) made its debut in this division, joining Scania (2/1) in fourth-equal – both of them displacing Freightliner (1/0). In the 23t to maximum GVM premium division, Scania (164/47) increased its lead, while Kenworth (125/20) went ahead of Volvo (122/9) for second. Hino (96/20) retained fourth, while Isuzu (88/21) overtook FUSO (87/17) for the fifth spot. DAF (69/11), UD (60/7), Iveco (47/3) and Mercedes-Benz (41/9) all retained their places in the rest of the top 10. In the trailer market there was no change in the order of the top 10, with YTD leader Patchell (108/26), second-placed Fruehauf (76/19) and Domett (53/11), in third, consolidating their respective places. MTE (46/6) was fourth, ahead of Roadmaster (45/8), TMC (42/8), Transport Trailers (36/7), Freighter (32/9) and Transfleet (26/3). TES and CWS (both 20/3) again tied for 10th. T&D
Truck & Driver | 101
G Brazier Scaffolding, in business for almost 50 years, is now delivering scaffolding equipment around Otago with this new Hino 500 Series FM1A 6x4 flatdeck. It has an Allison 3000 automatic transmission, a 7500kg front axle and full lockup diffs
23,001kg-max GVM
4501kg-max GVM Brand ISUZU FUSO HINO SCANIA IVECO MERCEDES-BENZ KENWORTH VOLVO UD DAF FOTON HYUNDAI MAN FREIGHTLINER SINOTRUK FIAT INTERNATIONAL MACK VOLKSWAGEN WESTERN STAR SHACMAN Total
2021 Vol 488 436 340 177 149 128 125 124 83 73 59 45 33 26 19 17 14 13 11 9 3 2372
% 20.6 18.4 14.3 7.5 6.3 5.4 5.3 5.2 3.5 3.1 2.5 1.9 1.4 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.1 100.0
June Vol 126 79 67 50 26 22 20 11 12 12 6 10 4 8 1 1 2 5 3 2 0 467
% 27.0 16.9 14.3 10.7 5.6 4.7 4.3 2.4 2.6 2.6 1.3 2.1 0.9 1.7 0.2 0.2 0.4 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.0 100.0
3501-4500kg GVM Brand FIAT VOLKSWAGEN MERCEDES-BENZ FORD PEUGEOT RENAULT LDV ISUZU IVECO Total
2021 Vol 216 73 33 17 12 10 4 1 1 367
% 58.9 19.9 9.0 4.6 3.3 2.7 1.1 0.3 0.3 100.0
June Vol 32 12 8 6 0 2 1 0 0 61
% 52.5 19.7 13.1 9.8 0.0 3.3 1.6 0.0 0.0 100.0
4501-7500kg GVM Brand FUSO ISUZU HINO MERCEDES-BENZ IVECO HYUNDAI FOTON FIAT VOLKSWAGEN Total 102 | Truck & Driver
2021 Vol 215 185 82 75 67 37 30 17 11 719
% 29.9 25.7 11.4 10.4 9.3 5.1 4.2 2.4 1.5 100.0
June Vol 32 44 23 12 13 7 1 1 3 136
% 23.5 32.4 16.9 8.8 9.6 5.1 0.7 0.7 2.2 100.0
Longtime No. 1 Isuzu shrugged off FUSO’s challenge to its lead in May 7501-15,000kg GVM Brand ISUZU HINO FUSO FOTON IVECO UD HYUNDAI MERCEDES-BENZ DAF SCANIA Total
2021 Vol 197 107 94 29 24 8 8 5 1 1 474
% 41.6 22.6 19.8 6.1 5.1 1.7 1.7 0.0 0.2 0.2 100.0
% 53.4 11.7 19.4 4.9 5.8 1.9 2.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0
15,001-20,500kg GVM Brand HINO FUSO UD IVECO SCANIA ISUZU MERCEDES-BENZ MAN DAF FREIGHTLINER Total
2021 Vol 47 33 15 11 10 7 7 3 3 2 138
% 34.1 23.9 10.9 8.0 7.2 5.1 5.1 2.2 2.2 1.4 100.0
June Vol 12 8 3 4 2 1 1 1 1 0 33
% 36.4 24.2 9.1 12.1 6.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 0.0 100.0
20,501-23,000kg GVM Brand ISUZU HINO FUSO SCANIA VOLVO FREIGHTLINER Total
2021 Vol 11 8 7 2 2 1 31
% 35.5 25.8 22.6 6.5 6.5 3.2 100.0
June Vol 5 0 2 1 2 0 10
2021 Vol 164 125 122 96 88 87 69 60 47 41 30 23 19 14 13 9 3 1010
% 16.2 12.4 12.1 9.5 8.7 8.6 6.8 5.9 4.7 4.1 3.0 2.3 1.9 1.4 1.3 0.9 0.3 100.0
June Vol 47 20 9 20 21 17 11 7 3 9 3 8 1 2 5 2 0 185
% 25.4 10.8 4.9 10.8 11.4 9.2 5.9 3.8 1.6 4.9 1.6 4.3 0.5 1.1 2.7 1.1 0.0 100.0
Trailers
June Vol 55 12 20 5 6 2 3 0 0 0 103
Brand SCANIA KENWORTH VOLVO HINO ISUZU FUSO DAF UD IVECO MERCEDES-BENZ MAN FREIGHTLINER SINOTRUK INTERNATIONAL MACK WESTERN STAR SHACMAN Total
% 50.0 0.0 20.0 10.0 20.0 0.0 100.0
2021 Vol % Brand PATCHELL 108 16.4 FRUEHAUF 76 11.5 53 8.0 DOMETT MTE 46 7.0 ROADMASTER 45 6.8 TMC 42 6.4 TRANSPORT TRAILERS 36 5.5 FREIGHTER 32 4.8 26 3.9 TRANSFLEET TES 20 3.0 CWS 20 3.0 18 2.7 JACKSON MILLS-TUI 12 1.8 TIDD 12 1.8 MTC 11 1.7 EVANS 10 1.5 FAIRFAX 10 1.5 9 1.4 MAXICUBE HAMMAR 8 1.2 LUSK 7 1.1 KRAFT 7 1.1 LILLEY 6 0.9 MAKARANUI 6 0.9 SEC 5 0.8 SDC 4 0.6 MD 4 0.6 HTS 4 0.6 WARREN 4 0.6 TANKER 4 0.6 COWAN 3 0.5 WAIMEA 3 0.5 LOWES 3 0.5 ADAMS & CURRIE 3 0.5 PTE 3 0.5 OTHER 61 9.2 Total 660 100.0
June Vol 26 19 11 6 8 8 7 9 3 3 3 2 1 3 3 1 4 4 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 127
% 20.5 15.0 8.7 4.7 6.3 6.3 5.5 7.1 2.4 2.4 2.4 1.6 0.8 2.4 2.4 0.8 3.1 3.1 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.0 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.1 100.0
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Huntly’s Wykes Trucking now has this new Mack SuperLiner bulk tipper, nicknamed Sarge, working around the Waikato. The 8x4, with a 28-inch low-rise sleeper cab, has a 685hp Mack engine, an mDrive AMT, Meritor RT46-160 GP diffs and a Transport Trailers alloy body.
West Coast operator Ahaura Transport has put this new Kenworth K200 livestock unit to work. Anton Wynyard drives the 8x4, which has a 550-580hp Cummins X15 engine and an 18-speed Roadranger manual gearbox. Truck & Driver | 105
Hilton Haulage has added two new DAF Euro 6 530hp Space cab tractor units to its fleet. Mark Moore and Dean Roscoe drive the two 8x4s, both carting general freight throughout the South Island.
Fairlie-based High Country Earthworks has put this new Hino 700 Series FS1E tipper to work. It has V-Rod suspension and a ZF TraXon transmission, with a hydraulic retarder to deliver a combined 700hp of braking effect for descending Burkes Pass. Dunedin’s TL MacLean built the tipper body, along with toolboxes and an interchangeable (rotating) Ringfeder/ pintle hook setup.
106 | Truck & Driver
Demolition waste is carted in the Bay of Plenty region by this new Volvo FM500 hook-lift unit recently put to work by Rotorua’s Sherlock Contracting. The sleeper cab 8x4 has an I-Shift AMT, a factoryfitted, engine-driven clutchable pump and a Palfinger hook-lift fitted by Mills-Tui, which also built the bin.
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McKeown Group Ltd is proud to be the Caltex lubricant distributors for the South-Canterbury and Otago regions. For 55 years we have run our business from our Oamaru base, and we have oil shops here as well as in Dunedin. Our oil distributing network covers all areas from the Ashburton River all the way down to the Clutha River. Alongside our businesses of chemical distribution, delivering bulk fuel to farms and businesses throughout most of the South Island, and our 45 McKeown-branded 24/7 Card-Fuel sites, McKeown Group offer our customers a comprehensive range of services and quality products. We pride ourselves on having the expertise and resources to deliver quality Caltex product, service and technical support to meet our customers’ requirements throughout our region. For sales and technical support enquiries, call one of our expert Sales Managers: Michael McKeown - 021 221 8384 Dave Honeyfield - 027 432 2770 Allan Crawford - 021 396 639 Come visit us, or call one of our oil shops: McKeown Oil Shops OAMARU Waterfront Road Ph. 0800 800 908 or 03 433 1022
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McKeown Oil Shop SOUTH DUNEDIN 11 Broughton Street Ph. 03 455 4845
TD31793
For more information on McKeown Group and our sites, please go to www.mckeown.co.nz.
HOT DEALS Sampa Air Spring
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OWNED & OPERATED
SASP554157KP05
115
$
.00
EA
•
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4705 Q Plus 15"x7"comes with Hardware Kit
MDKN47001
FL4705QLS
21.00+
$
95.00+
$
EA
SAVE OVER 20%
SAVE OVER 40%
WIN! THIS KAB GSX
TRUCK/BUS SEAT
To go into the draw to win send us a photo of your seat that needs replacing via email or our Facebook page. Email: ingear@trt.co.nz or your local rep!
Facebook: @trtltd
One entry per person. Entries close at 11.59pm 30th September 2021. Winner will be drawn and contacted by 8th October 2021. The winner will be annouced on the TRT Facebook page. To enter this draw you must be aged 18 years or older and located in New Zealand. Prize includes shipping within New Zealand, adapter plates are not included. Prize can not be exchanged for cash or equivalent value in products or services. Tidd Ross Todd Limited reserves the right to publish winners first names and company online and in print media. See our website for full terms and conditions.
CALL US TODAY to talk with our parts team! Prices shown exclude GST and freight and are valid to 30th September 2021. *Contact us for terms and conditions.
Ham: 07 849 4839
Akl: 09 262 0683
Chch: 03 741 2261
•
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SAVE 50%!
Universal Slack Adjuster
5
www.trt.co.nz
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50mm Automatic Towing Coupling • Pneumatic or mechanical remote control option for driver safety and comfort • Coupling and jack-knife sensor option to secure your trailer and protect your equipment • In-cab warning display
The brand that saves time and money • • • •
Funnel easily replaced without removing the coupling from the truck No dust ingress due to sealed head unit D Value 285kN Rotatable pin – consistant wear
JOST New Zealand Ltd | www.jostnz.co.nz | Ph 0800 567 869 | sales@jostnz.co.nz
TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE
THE RIGHT PARTS…THE RIGHT PRICES…RIGHT HERE! DRIVELINE PARTS
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SUPPORTING ALL YOUR TRUCKING NEEDS
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EG31777
AVAILABLE AT OUR PENROSE & PAPAKURA LOCATIONS
Ph: 0800 501 133 www.tdm.co.nz
Specials valid while stocks last.
8 Prescott Street, Penrose, Auckland
Fax: 09 525 6161 l Email: ray@tdm.co.nz | john@tdm.co.nz
TRUCK & DRIVER
RON SMITH LTD & DIRECT TRANSPORT
This is the story of a gentlemen who purchased a small carrier’s business in Opotiki in 1940. With his leadership he built this up to be one of the major transport companies in New Zealand. His foresight and sincerity in dealing with people encouraged others to join him. Once Opotiki was established he shifted to Rotorua. With his very able accountant he formed Direct Transport (Holdings) Ltd. This was achieved by joining with Lightning Nelson Interests in 1966. He retired and continued his social work with church and service clubs. Ron Smith died in 1992. After Ron Smith shifted to Rotorua, the Opotiki operation was run by Des Lysaght and Gavin Abbot. Des retired in 1968 and I carried on as manager till I retired in 1985. This story mainly deals with Opotiki Depot and trucks until it closed when Dawes took over Direct.
LIMITED EDITION TD31544
E S
CLASSIFIED
For your copy contact: Postage: Gavin Abbot, 34 Elliott Street, Opotiki 3122 Or email: clamyhen@xtra.co.nz
N
RS
Truck & Driver | 111
CLASSIFIED TRUCK & DRIVER
the auto accessory specialists Manufacturers & Distributors of: Truck Accessories:
Ute, Car & 4x4: • SteelTop Canopies • Tonneau Covers • Nudge Bars • Side Steps • Headlight Covers • Bonnet Guards • Bed-Liners • Tailgate Assist - Prolift
• Top Air Deflectors • Sunvisors • Stoneguards • Headlight covers • Door Weathershields • Bonnet Guards
*TRUCK *CAR *4X4 Airplex Industries Ltd
WHEN YOU NEED A REPLACEMENT HOIST it pays to ring Hoist Hydraulics
Grabasub
TD30597
sales@hoisthydraulics.net
EG30643
0800 856 700 (09) 8186 287
21 Saleyards Road, Otahuhu, Auckland Phone +64 9 276 9826 Toll Free: NZ 0800AIRPLEX Fax +64 9 276 9836 Email: info@airplex.co.nz
www.airplex.co.nz
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mills-tui.co.nz
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