PowerTorque Issue 55 Sample Mag

AUSTRALIA’S LEADING TRUCK TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

www.powertorque.com.au ISSUE 55 OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER 2013 RRP: $7.95 (NZ $8.95)

ARGOSY AIMS_FOR_B-TRIPLE_APPROVAL

FEATURE been a long time coming, but the opening of the Holbrook bypass in NSW seals the deal on two lanes of the Hume Highway connecting Melbourne to Sydney. It also seems to be the trigger point for both the NSW RMA and VIC Roads to seriously consider the approval of High Productivity Freight Vehicles or HPFVs. Get used to the acronym, as HPFV’s could be the way of the future.

A new strategy permitting longer heavy vehicles to use more of the road network to transport goods can reduce freight costs and lower the number of trucks on Victorian roads.

Back in April of this year the Victorian Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder, announced that allowing transport companies to use longer HPFVs would bring great productivity gains for the industry.

“Moving more freight with fewer vehicles is imperative because we know the amount of freight is set to double in the coming years,” Mr. Mulder said.

Research being undertaken for Austroads, based on crash data since 2005, has found that the increase in B-doubles and B-triples has resulted in a reduction in major crashes involving these vehicles. The same research showed that combinations that comply with the safety measures in the national PBS Scheme are up to three times safer than standard heavy vehicles.

Currently, 26-metre B-double trucks cannot carry two standard 40-foot shipping containers. A 30-metre long HPFV will be able to transport 2 x 40-foot containers. Instead of six B-doubles, only four HPFV’s are needed to carry the same amount of freight, reducing the growth in the number of heavy vehicles by one-third.

Under the HPFV policy, 30-metre HPFVs weighing a maximum of 68.5 tonnes will be allowed to operate on highquality sections of freeway and highway, such as the Monash Freeway, CityLink, EastLink, the Ring Road and the West Gate Freeway. These combinations will be ideal for moving

“The B-double is currently Victoria’s safest and most efficient mainstream freight vehicle

configuration. It has single-handedly accommodated a doubling of the freight task since its introduction in the early 1990s, but freight demand continues to rise. Truck configurations that can safely carry more freight than current B-doubles will lead to fewer trucks on the road,” Mr. Mulder added.

Just as the B-double offered a quantum leap in productivity over pre-existing single articulated configurations, an increase in productivity above current B-doubles needs to be significant, if there is to be a noticeable impact on road congestion, overall, in the years to come.

lightweight, bulky goods between the ports, rail terminals and key regional centres.

In regional Victoria, HPFV’s up to 36.5 metres in length, with a maximum weight of 77.5 tonnes, will be able to transport goods from the Port of Melbourne through the West Gate to Princes Highway West to Geelong, the Western Freeway to Ballarat, the Calder Freeway to Bendigo, the Hume Freeway to Wodonga, Princes Highway East to Traralgon, and the Westernport Highway to the Port of Hastings.

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T

TRIPLE TREAT Modular B-triple combinations will also be able to access the 225-kilometre stretch of the Newell highway between Narrabri and Goondiwindi from late August. The New South Wales Minister of Roads and Ports, Duncan Gay, outlined the plans that will allow transport operators to benefit from the ability to carry up to 90.5 tonnes under Higher Mass Limits (HML).

The next port of call was the Driver Education Centre of Australia to arrange to borrow a complete B-triple set of trailers that the training organisation had in operation at its Shepparton, Victoria, facility. For those of our readers with long memories, DECA Training purchased a complete B-triple set back in 2008, previewing the units at the Trucks in Action event that formed part of the East Gippsland Field Days.

Among the other safety measures to be rolled out as part of the new policy:

There was nothing lacking in the trailer specification, with these Vawdrey air-suspended T-Liners sporting BPW axles and disc brakes, Knorr-Bremse anti-lock braking systems and roll stability programmes (ABS and EBS), Jost low profile ball race turntable and landing legs, and incorporating an onboard tyre inflation system.

• GPS tracking of vehicles (through the Intelligent Access Program); • A controlled maximum speed limit of 90 km/h; • Compliance with the national Performance-Based Standards (PBS) Scheme; • Vehicle safety features including ABS on all axles; • Long Vehicle signs on the front and rear of combinations to identify HPFV vehicles; and • Stringent permit conditions.

With two Freightliner Argosy B-triple rated prime movers lined up with matching B-triple and B-double trailer combinations ready and waiting, all we needed was to find the perfect location for the demonstration for the benefit of TV media.

As the news of the approval of HPFVs became public, PowerTorque was instrumental in organising an information day for the national TV media to assist them to better

Once again, DECA Training stepped up to the plate, offering the use of the private test track at its new $16 million training facility at Barnawartha North, just south of the NSW/Victorian border.

understand the changes to the regulations and to experience at first hand the increase in size and weight that goes together with a raising of safety levels.

DECA Training is now a full division of Wodonga TAFE, which controls and co-ordinates the national training options provided by the group. The Barnawartha North facility is brand new and purpose built for the job, offering an enclosed two-kilometre-long test track capable of taking full B-triple and road train combinations. In addition to providing driver training for light, medium and heavy rigid licencing, plus multicombination upgrades, trainees can also undergo courses in earthmoving, accident investigation, industrial plant and equipment operation such as fork lifts and elevated work platforms, and other activities.

Our first port of call was to liaise with Freightliner Australia, as the company had already illustrated it was putting together a major awareness campaign to highlight the Argosy for its capability in hauling B-triple multi-combinations.

Rod West, senior manager of Freightliner Australia, was quick to provide the necessary support by way of making two Argosy prime movers available for the information day, and his enthusiasm soon contributed to the programme gaining momentum.

In a morning of brilliant sunshine, the PowerTorque team of editor Chris Mullett and road test editor Dave Whyte joined forces with Freightliner’s Rod West and Chris Loose, head of Freightliner engineering in this country, to put the B-triple combination through its paces, highlighting anti-lock braking and roll stability in action.

TREAT

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DRIVEN

road transport industry is a tough one to succeed in. The hours are long, the deadlines are tight and profit margins are small. These factors have led to many changes within the industry, and have brought about a change over the years that has seen trucking go from being a lifestyle to being strictly business.

In order to stay viable in today’s game, operators have to be smarter, and constantly on the lookout for new ways to make life easier and reduce running costs. In response to this, truck and engine manufacturers have come to the party, building lighter and more efficient trucks with more features to make a driver’s life easier.

The need to meet ever-decreasing emissions levels has meant that manufacturers of on-road diesel engines are finding it hard to maintain efficiency, and so truck manufacturers are looking at other ways to improve overall vehicle economy. For those manufacturers who produce their own engines and gearboxes, the ability to make changes throughout the entire package can add up to substantial savings for their customers over the life of a vehicle.

In the early 90s, Scania introduced Australia to their firstgeneration Streamline trucks. As the name suggested, these were given the aerodynamic treatment, with more rounded edges, an updated airfoil kit and enclosed steps below each door promising fuel savings for the savvy operator.

Twenty something years later, and here we are being reintroduced to the Streamline name, only this time most of the differences are beneath the skin. With a host of minor changes, each offering a small reduction in fuel consumption, Scania claim that the new-generation Streamline trucks will offer Australian operators a fuel saving of up to 4.0 percent over current Scania models (a long way from the 7.0-8.0 percent they are claiming in Europe, for obvious reasons).

Fuel savings aside, the new generation Scania trucks will offer some other interesting benefits, mostly based around a new telematics system.

The external improvements are very few, most notable being the front corners of the cab. Where the current models have a “vent” to direct air around and down the side of the cab, the Streamline has a solid panel with a small lip at the bottom to direct the airflow. The other noticeable exterior change relates to the sun visor, which is now more refined and fitted with smaller, more efficient driving lights. Also available in the visor are side and front LED clearance lights. In fact,

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LED lighting is used extensively throughout the Streamline models, offering longer life and lower power consumption (saving up to another 30 litres of fuel a year).

The majority of the claimed fuel savings come from one component – the gearbox. By enhancing the flow of oil around the gearbox, engineers were able to reduce the amount of oil needed, and so the drag is reduced. With improved flow and less aeration, cooling is made easier, and experience on the Continent shows a heat reduction of around 20 degrees Celsius. So not only is there a reduction in driveline resistance, but the temperature reduction should provide for longer oil drain intervals and increase component life.

The Opticruise AMT software has also had an update, and now offers four modes, each with differing shift patterns and characteristics.

Along with the standard mode, operators can now choose from Economy, Power and Off Road settings. Operators can select which of these modes are available to the driver, with Scania workshops able to activate and deactivate each individual program at any stage throughout the life of the vehicle.

Another advancement to incorporate the Opticruise AMT is the Ecocruise program.

Working in either the standard or economy shift settings, Ecocruise uses the cruise control more efficiently to reduce fuel consumption, even on undulating terrain.

Using engine speed, gearshifts and the hydraulic retarder, Ecocruise manages the speed of the vehicle going up and down hills, without operator intervention. By reducing acceleration on the uphill climb, and letting the truck roll down the other side up to the pre-set speed before activating the retarder to avoid over speed, the system takes cruise control to a whole new level.

When used to its full potential, Scania claim the Ecocruise function, combined with the reduction in resistance through the gearbox, will provide a 2.0 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

As you would expect, the interior of the cab has also had an upgrade. Though not noticeable on first glance, there have been a few things altered to make the driver environment a little more comfortable. The most important of these is the new seat, designed by Scania and built by Recaro.

STREAMLINING

Safety, performance and efficiency are the major features of the Streamline with upgraded interior and luxury trim levels.

This new seat has all the adjustments available on the previous ISRI seat, but also has a cooling fan fitted in the backrest for extra comfort. Another nifty feature is the in-built microphone for hands-free phone operation. Also available in the new model is the optional premium stereo, with a large head unit screen that incorporates satellite navigation and can also be wired up with a reversing camera. A new, more robust control unit for the air suspension and updated fabrics and colours complete the changes in what was already a very good driver environment.

For all of these changes, though, the most exciting aspect of the new Streamline range is the Scania C200 telematics unit. This brings a whole new level of communication between Scania and its clients, and allows for numerous areas of service and economy to be improved through remote monitoring.

Believe it or not, Scania is actually saying this system could result in reduced service costs and downtime, due to technicians having a complete picture of what is required

DAVE WHYTE TAKES A FIRST LOOK AT SCANIA'S LATEST DEVELOPMENTS PowerTorque ISSUE 55

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PROFILE

YOU 'VE got to love the rationale behind the movement of exceptional loads in this country. No matter how big the task, there’s a company that can move the problem from one place to another, efficiently, cleanly and above all, safely.

National Heavy Haulage delivers solutions to the mining and civil construction sectors and covers a wide area of operating

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requirements. If it’s large, National Heavy Haulage can shift it. National Heavy Haulage specialise in the relocation of all heavy earthmoving equipment including graders, dozers, excavators, off-road trucks and other specialised project work to name but a few. Based in Brisbane, the company was founded in 2011 and has depots at Welshpool (WA), Karatha (WA), Emerald (QLD) and Thornton (NSW).

PowerTorque caught up with National Operations Manager, Boyd Lester, at the Casino Truck Show where National

GETTING HEAVY Heavy Haulage was exhibiting some of the vehicles from its comprehensive fleet. It was also a time for celebration, with the company’s latest Kenworth taking the award for Rig of the Show.

“We operate at the really heavy end of the industry with our fleet, and operate specialised equipment such as Kenworth C509s, T909s and also K200S models,” said Boyd.

“The gross vehicle mass rating for this type of equipment concentrates in the region of 250 tonnes, and, in order to do so effectively, a typical specification would include items such as SISU heavy vehicle, hub-reduction axles.

“These are vehicles built for an exact purpose, and, for example, a typical vehicle specification would also include matching an Eaton 18-speed manual transmission with a four-speed or two-speed Joey ’box to give the required grade ability.

Boyd Lester, National Operations Manager.

“Although our head office is based in Brisbane, we operate throughout Australia, hauling our own purpose-built Drake trailers.

“The challenge we enjoy most is that of total project management,” said Boyd.

GETTING

Moving the heavyweight end of transport operations needs exceptional equipment. PowerTorque profiles National Heavy Haulage.

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FEATURE

HIGH AND Porthaul doubles its vehicle utilisation with clever thinking and hooks into the fish and chip market

With up to 110 trucks arriving at the terminal each day, the system for unloading the woodchip loads has to be both fast and efficient, prompting the terminal to introduce full vehicle tilt beds to ensure rapid discharge.

A fully laden B-double with walking floor trailers drives onto the loading ramp and is hydraulically tilted into the air to a maximum angle of 65 degrees. The truck is held in position by electro-hydraulic ramps behind the ‘B’ trailer as well as steel chocks in the floor that hold the wheels.

The walking floors and gravity enable the 140 cubic metres of wood chip to exit the trailers rapidly, before the ramp lowers and the truck departs. From weigh-in to weighout, the process can take as little as eight minutes all up, allowing the twin ramps to perform continuously over a 14-hour working day.

An average day sees around 6,000 tonnes delivered. Each ramp can cope with up to 80 tonnes of gross combination weight and a maximum length of a 33-metre pocket road train.

Western Victoria, is one of the key supply centres for the Melbourne fish markets. It’s one of the reducing number of coastal towns that can still manage to maintain a viable fishing fleet, and every late afternoon the harbour area welcomes home dozens of craft in time to transfer their catch of the day to refrigerated trucks for the five-hour run to Melbourne.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent port area, is the largest and most modern wood chip terminal in the country, which feeds bulk wood chips to China for the manufacture of paper products such as tissues and toilet paper. The terminal is the newest of its type in Australia and is operated by Australian Bluegum Plantations.

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Keeping the conveyor belts rolling are trucks operated

by Porthaul, a family-owned general transport company that has been in business since 1990, based within sight of the terminal.

Brian Williamson, a farmer and former publican, began the business when he heard the Portland branch of a transport company was to be shut. He seized the opportunity to take over their former customers and transport their freight, initially dry hiring some of the original operator’s equipment.

Today the company employs upwards of 60 full-time staff as well as many subcontractors and operates a large fleet of trucks, with the focus on exceptional efficiency.

“Utilisation rates are the key,” said Brian.

“It doesn’t matter how many trucks you have, just as it doesn’t matter if you are farming 80 square miles or 8 square miles.

It’s all about utilisation,” he added.

HIGH AND MIGHTY Porthaul is active in four separate sectors of the transport business, from civil construction, to refrigeration, wood chip and bulk transport. The company was involved with heavy haulage of oversized machinery for a while and is beginning to return to that sector to service the needs of wind farm builders.

“We cover anywhere within a radius of around 200 km from Portland for the wood chipping,” Brian says, although for general freight the company services all of Australia, with 30 loads of mining machinery on their way to Newman and Port Hedland in Western Australia, an 8,000 km round trip.

Brian’s son, James Williamson, who has spent the past six years working hands-on with his father, monitors the day-to-day, week-to-week performance of each vehicle assiduously. James’ brother, Edward, is also active in the business focusing on compliance, insurance, properties and the civil side of the business.

Brian decided a few years ago that it was time to hand over to the next generation.

“I told them (his three sons and a daughter) that they could take the business anywhere they wanted,” said Brian.

“I’m ramping down now. The guys have it in hand, but if they hit a hurdle, they come to me. They are pretty much running it,” he added.

“We have grown a lot in the past three years, we have been flat out,” agreed James. “Now we’ll be putting the brakes on growth to consolidate.”

Brian started out with a Scania farm truck several decades ago, but during Porthaul’s development he was committed to American bonneted trucks because that is what worked and what the drivers liked.

But, when Scania Account Manager New Trucks for Western Victoria, Giulio Mascioli, arrived and introduced himself and the concept of a demonstration R 620 V8 prime mover, Scania returned to front of mind.

“We now have two Scanias, an R 620 V8 and an R 560 V8,” James says.

“They work hard and they return good fuel economy.”

“We have had the R 620 on a non-stop schedule of B-double runs from down here to Dandenong twice daily.

The trucks only stop to refuel and change drivers.

“In fact, we have the trailers pre-loaded for the prime mover to hook up to when it comes into the yard, so there is no time lost reloading. Otherwise the trucks would be sitting for about three hours at each end loading and unloading.

“One of the things we liked about Scania, Dandenong, was that when the trucks needed servicing we could call in, drop our trailers and borrow a loan prime mover to take the trailers to unload, and, by the time we returned, our prime mover was ready to go.

“We have clocked up 230,000 km in just about one year with this truck and it has been serviced about once a fortnight,” James says.

“Warranty doesn’t mean anything to me, Brian says. “The truck company knows it has to look after you or you won’t buy again. The biggest problem is downtime when anything goes wrong. It’s the cost of not having the truck on the road. You can never earn that money back,” he says.

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PROFILE

BIG

BROTHER

EVERY

time Sydneysiders head for work or home during peak hour they are supported by a band of very well trained professionals that monitor their every move and then provide solutions when something goes wrong.

Of course, most of the commuters don’t know that help is just a radio call away, preferring to drive blindly onwards, ever wondering just why congestion varies and their journey time extends or contracts like Mr. Slinky.

The effective management of inbound and outbound traffic is firmly the responsibility of the Transport Management Centre (TMC). Based at Eveleigh, near the Sydney CBD, the TMC personnel work an incident response centre that would make the war-games room of the USS Nimitz look somewhat average by comparison.

Perhaps that analogy with a supercarrier of the United States Navy is a little over the top, but the upshot is that the people in the TMC get to work with banks of television screens linking

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them to over 1,200 remotely controlled cameras placed strategically throughout the city and its major arterial approach roads.

Zoom in, zoom out, identify the problem, source a solution and then get the situation remedied. It sounds easy enough in a oneline description, but, like all good solutions, a good result depends on the troops on the ground that can handle up to 22,000 incidents each year.

Terry McKay is the Manager of Driver Aid Services at the NSW RMS. Thanks to Terry and his team, the right level of assistance is provided to solve any degree of problem ranging from a stray animal on the road, to debris, vehicle breakdowns and the inevitable range of motor vehicle accidents that vary from minor damage to multi-vehicle fatalities.

“There is much more to working in driver aid services than just hitching up a tow strap and hauling a vehicle into the nearest parking bay,” said Terry.

“Our crews deal with everything and have qualifications to match almost every eventuality. Our expertise varies from the simple car breakdown to the requirements of heavy-vehicle towing and removal to a place of safety.

We run extensive instruction courses in the recovery of vehicles

BIG BROTHER of all sizes, and all our heavy recovery teams are holders of Multi-Combination Driver’s Licences.

“Our requirements also cover first aid certification, a knowledge of vehicle mechanics and of course how to implement vehicle recoveries and traffic management plans in total safety.

“Our job is not to handle the recovery of vehicles and then tow them to a repairer. Our only interest is to provide the necessary assistance to move a vehicle that is obstructing traffic flow and vehicle movement and to relocate it to a place of safety from where other assistance can be provided,” added Terry.

To make all this activity possible, Terry has a formidable team at his disposal. Four heavy recovery vehicles are stationed at major points such as on the M4/M7, Spit Road, the M1 (F3) Pacific Motorway and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

These units are supported by nine purpose-built tilt trays, and further assistance is provided by fourteen specially-equipped Mercedes Sprinter vans that provide rapid response to incidents involving smaller vehicles.

At major peak periods this collection of vehicles and equipment is further enhanced by the availability of local tow and tilt tray operators working under contract to the TMC. All of these are overseen by a further five sign and recovery gear equipped utes driven by area supervisors.

the latest addition to the fleet, an immaculate Freightliner Coronado. All are fitted with under-lift equipment, with the Peterbilt and the MAN also being fitted with full recovery winching equipment.

“Our total complement of staff is in the region of 120 personnel, and they work over a 24-hour, seven-day rotating shift roster,” said Terry. “We communicate through hand-held radios, but we are currently trialling a new GPS-based system that provides TMC with real-time vehicle location. We see this as a better way to immediately recognise the resources we have available closest to an incident,” he added.

“Our equipment and our expertise in heavy vehicle recovery enables us to provide assistance to commercial recovery organisations if circumstances dictate more equipment is required, but that is not our primary function.

Once the obstruction is cleared and the road made safe, our responsibility is effectively ended,” he added.

Terry McKay Manager of Driver Aid Services at the NSW RMS.

The heavy recovery vehicles on permanent standby include an MAN eight-wheeler twinsteer, a Scania R560, a Peterbilt, and,

WHO COMES TO THE RESCUE WHEN CONGESTION CALLS? IT'S ALL DOWN TO THE CREWS OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES ROADS AND MARITIME SERVICES

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TRUCK SHOW

YOU could be forgiven for thinking that Casino was named after a great gambler, but you’d be wrong. The town was named after the Casino Station and is among one of Australia’s largest beef cattle centres.

As the regional hub of the cattle industry, the town sits on the Richmond River at the junction of the Bruxner Highway and the Summerland Way, and every year in the last week of May its 10,500 residents play host to “Beef Week”.

Keeping the economy flowing into the town is a major concern for all rural areas, and, with an eye on increasing

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CASINO TRUCK SHOW

activity and aiding local business, the committee responsible for Beef Week decided to add another event to their agenda.

Their choice in 2012 was to hold their first Casino Truck Show, and it was such a success it was logical to follow through and turn it into an annual show.

This year’s event was held in late August and attracted over 100 entries with trucks coming from far and wide as well as from the local operators in the Casino, Grafton, Coffs Harbour and Kempsey areas.

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PROFILE

BUSINESS

BUILDING ONE of the great things about local truck shows, and Casino was no exception, is that it enables the PowerTorque team to catch up with local operators that don’t often take time off from their work. There is no easy way to manage trucks, and generally the time involved in keeping efficiency and operating standards up to scratch preclude pretty much everything else.

Want’s Transport is a family-owned business started

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by Matthew Want and his father John, nearly 20 years ago at Spring Grove, near Lismore.

“We started with one truck that I drove to move grain, macadamia nuts, fertiliser products, protein meals and cow hides,” said Matthew. “Now we have 13 trucks of our own comprising B-doubles, rigid and dog trailers, and interstate singles, plus a further seven subcontractors,” said Matthew.

BUSINESS BUILDING

Diversification is the key to running a strong business in a country area, and through the years the company has been able to grow through carrying different types of loads ranging from grain through to firewood. The trailers are all aluminium tippers supplied by either Graham Lusty or Tefco.

“The PBS system is an integral part of our productivity, enabling us to run truck and dog combinations at 57.5 tonnes.

Fuel economy is currently working out at 1.8 km/litre for the Cummins. The Detroit DD15s are returning 1.65-1.67 km/litre in a full B-double tipping application,” said Matthew Want.

“We were always a Cat operator, but in recent years we have moved to the Detroit Diesel DD15, and more recently we have standardised on Cummins ISX in our latest Western Star and Kenworth prime movers,” said Matthew.

While discussing the various ways of managing a business with Matthew and John Want, they outlined their views on the importance of being able to try better systems within the fleet to keep costs down. In recent months the fleet has been road speed limited to a maximum of 95 km/h, and it’s expected this will have a significant impact on overall fuel consumption.

“The latest two Kenworths are T609 models and run under PBS requirements to achieve a payload of 38 tonnes. These are running with Cummins ISX EGR engines at 525 hp, with 18-speed Eaton RTLO 20918 manual transmissions and final drive ratios of 4.10:1,” he added.

The Western Stars are supplied through Southside Truck Centre in Lismore, and Brown and Hurley of Kyogle supply the Kenworths in the fleet.

Steve Robinson of Southside Truck Centre told PowerTorque that the Western Stars in the fleet featured the DD15 15-litre engine rated at 560 hp with peak torque of 1,850 lb-ft.

“The typical local spec of these trucks includes an 18-speed Eaton 20918 transmission with Meritor axles with diff locks and 4.33:1 ratios. The inclusion of ABS and roll stability as standard has been a major benefit to raising safety levels for any fleet, and this is now a mandatory fitment to all vehicles in the Want’s Transport fleet,” said Steve.

“It’s not just the fuel economy aspect that forms the reason for cutting back maximum speed to 95 km/h,” said John Want.

“The road conditions in country areas are relatively rough, and by reducing the maximum speed we also reduce the wear on chassis and suspension components. There is obviously an initial reluctance on the part of the driver to acclimatise to running a truck at a lower maximum speed, but it’s easier to implement a 95 km/h ceiling than to take it back immediately to 90 km/h.

“It’s early days yet, but if we can gain a half a kilometre improvement per litre we will be very pleased. Eventually, we would actually like to see the limit brought down to 90 km/h, as we see the potential to save not only on fuel, but also wear rates on brakes, steer tyres, and the effects of vibration caused by bad roads” added John.

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PROFILE problems faced by suppliers of products such as concrete blocks, pavers and retaining walls have always centred on the fact that the products carried are heavy for the outbound trip and non-existent for the return. There are no economies of scale through being able to collect a backload.

of National Masonry, to develop higher efficiency vehicles, specifically to transport concrete blocks and pavers.

Dale Meredith, the founder of Meredith Transport, has a diverse transport operation that includes the day-to-day management of up to 60 prime movers and rigid trucks.

His customers are predominantly independent companies requiring a transport function that prefer to outsource their transport operation in order to concentrate on their own core businesses.

“We looked very closely at the type of building work carried on in the Brisbane area and found that site access was often restricted through available height clearance. The available space to manoeuvre an articulated vehicle for many city sites is also simply not available.

The transport alliance between Meredith Transport and National Masonry of Wacol, Brisbane, has resulted in Dale working with Simon Charrington, regional general manager

Innovative attitude is improving productivity and efficiency

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“One of the key things for us is to be able to integrate solutions into the transport task for added flexibility on behalf of our customers. The issue here is one of commitment by association,” said Dale.

“We had to look completely outside the square, and by working in conjunction with Graham Lusty Trailers we have developed a solution that has brought substantial gains in efficiency and productivity,” he added.

PAVING THE WAY Using an IVECO Stralis rigid with a 13-litre, 450 hp Cursor engine as a base unit, the chassis is a full 10x4 configuration with a lifting lazy axle addition ahead of the bogie-drive tandem.

The HLM lift axle is by Hendrickson and can be offers a full 150 mm wheel lift. The same company was selected for the suspension, which uses the PRIMAAX EX design with Hendrickson air-bag suspension on all three rear axles.

“PRIMAAX suspension is a well-proven design that we are very familiar with through having the same system on other vehicles in our fleet. The design and location of the lift axle prevents the onset of getting caught up on a high kerb and losing traction,” said Dale.

National Masonry’s Simon Charrington and Karen Muldoon with, “Aussie” and Dale Meredith of Meredith Transport (L-R).

“We operate our fleet under Mass Management and NHVR requirements. The IVECO has disc brakes on the front axles and drum brakes at the rear.

“As with all our vehicles, we specify ABS anti-lock brakes as a standard fitment together with roll stability or Electronic Stability Programmes for all trucks and trailers, including tippers and even road train dollies. We believe these features to have a major impact on vehicle and driver safety.

“The IVECO offers greater vehicle utilisation through less downtime. The oil drain intervals are at 150,000 km periods with oil sampling taking place at 35,000 km intervals. This is all backed by a five-year warranty, which gives us considerable peace of mind,” added Dale.

As with many trucks carrying concrete products, the vehicle has to accommodate a rear-mounted forklift, and, through working with the design team at Graham Lusty Trailers, the mounting and location for the forklift has been achieved by slotting the unit into the rear of the trailer. This replaces the more commonplace arrangement of adding a separate mounting frame to the rear of the truck chassis and provides more deck space for product.

The correct tyre fitment also benefits the aim to lower overall height,

and the IVECO runs with 275/80R22.5 low-profile tyres. These feature an off-road tread pattern design to provide maximum traction when accessing building sites.

“What we have achieved is a vehicle that can carry more product with full compliance to all overhang and weight distribution requirements,” said Dale.

“At the same time, the total height of the combination has been kept under 3.6 metres. This is an important benefit as it enables the IVECO to access underground car parks to unload products right where they are needed. This reduces transport time for a forklift and improves efficiency for all concerned.

“We have found this specification to be ideal when working on projects such as the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre Redevelopment and the Legacy Way Tunnel Project,” said Dale.

With a GVM of 34 tonnes, the new IVECO 10x4 is one of the few trucks on the market in Australia that can offer a payload of 18 tonnes. The 10x4 has a major advantage over a typical 8x4 alternative through its significant increase in payload by a factor of 2-3 tonnes on each trip, enabling more product to be carried on each delivery for the same number trips completed each day.

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FEATURE

Private vehicle collections don’t get much more interesting than this.

Words and images by Chris Mullett

we read of private art collections that consist of rare masterpieces protected for posterity. Kept in air-conditioned vaults, these paintings or sculptures are viewed privately by their owners, rarely loaned to museums for public display.

PowerTorque was privileged recently to view a rare collection of vehicles that chart the history of the motorcar, light commercial, and medium and heavy-duty truck development through a timeline that covers close to 100 years. Not only was PowerTorque the first magazine allowed to view the collection, which is privately owned, it was the first time many of these vehicles have been presented to the public.

The owner and collector of the vehicles has a long-held fascination with the development and technology of motor vehicles in general. The collection has been amassed over 50 years and is very broad based, including motor cycles, small and compact vehicles, luxury sedans and sports cars, vans, utes, light commercials plus medium and heavy-duty trucks, mainly with a British or European heritage.

There’s also an extensive collection of military vehicles, but not the typical Blitzes and Chevrolets and early Macks that are displayed at many of the military rallies around Australia.

The focus for many of the exhibits clad in Army green also includes the trucks from Eastern Europe, collected from Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Russia and Croatia.

The collection was started in 1957 with the purchase of a 1926 Packard, and it’s here we must make the distinction that it is a vehicle collection, not just a truck or car collection.

Exhibits like the 1905 Minerva are extremely rare, but so too would be a Russian truck-mounted rocket launcher, complete with rockets (albeit decommissioned and without any ordnance).

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The owner states that he has no interest in war, focusing instead on the way in which vehicles were designed or adapted for use when in army service. As a major component within the ranks of army vehicles you’ll also find the largest collection of amphibious vehicles established in Australia.

And it’s not just amphibious vehicles painted in drab green and pressed into service. Within this division of the collection you’ll find vehicles such as the Amphicar.

The Amphicar was manufactured in Berlin, Germany, from 1962 to 1967. Approximately 4,500 were produced, most went to the USA and it’s estimated that 500 remain today in regular

ALADDIN’S CAVE

use. Official records claim there are seven in the UK and the rest in Europe, but no mention is made of the couple of examples in this collection. In top condition, the Amphicar could achieve 120 km/hour on the highway and eight knots on water.

At the other end of the scale is the DUKW (better known colloquially as DUCK). This six-wheel-drive amphibious truck was designed under military supervision by Sparkman and Stephens and General Motors (GMC) during World War II for transporting troops and goods over land and water. Weighing in at six and a half tonnes, it is powered by a 4.4-litre, GMC straight six-cylinder engine and is 9.4 m long, 2.5 m wide and 2.178 m high.

How many Australians have heard of Robur? These East German military vehicles can still be found across the Eastern block countries, as well as in places like Laos. Built by VEB Robur Werke Zittau, the first model, a Robur LO 1800 was introduced in the early 1960’s in both 4x4 and 4x2 variants. The military versions were often fitted with a PTO winch and the ability to pressurise axles and the gearbox for deep water fording. Power comes from a four-cylinder, 70 hp, 3.3-litre petrol engine matched to a five-speed This private collection has been established by its owner as a gearbox with high and low ratio transfer box.

celebration of vehicles of particular interest, both technically and historically. PowerTorque was the first magazine permitted the privilege of viewing and photographing the collection on the proviso that details of the owner and its location remain anonymous.

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