New Zealand Trucking October 2018

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CONTENTS EDITOR

Dave McCoid ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES NZ Trucking – North Island

Ph: 027 492 5601 Email: editor@nztrucking.co.nz

Matt Smith

Ph: 021 510 701 Email: matt@nztrucking.co.nz

Chris Merlini

Ph: 021 371 302 Email: chris@nztrucking.co.nz

Truck Trader Frank Willis

– North Island

58 The Trucker and the Trader

Ph: 027 498 9986 Email: frksyl@xtra.co.nz

Turning over a new leaf

NZ Trucking – South Island Truck Trader – South Island Heavyn Parsons Ph: 027 660 6608 Email: heavyn@nztrucking.co.nz SUB EDITOR

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Industry news

New Zealand Trucking magazine is published by Long Haul Publishing Ltd. The contents are copyright and may not be reproduced without the consent of the editor. Unsolicited editorial material may be submitted, but should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. While every care is taken, no responsibility is accepted for material submitted. Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of New Zealand Trucking or Long Haul Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

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October 2018

7

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EDITORIAL

You can’t skip without a rope

C

urrently we’re transitioning our economy away from one powered by the forces of re-establishment, back to one driven by earnings from the export and sale of goods and services to the world. The big challenge in doing that this time around is achieving a level of sustainability. ‘Sustainable’ 50 years ago meant having the resources to keep production going ad infinitum, whether it was timber, logs, dairy, fish, coal, whatever. Today, sustainability means ensuring someone is still here to do anything 150 years from now. It’s a tricky gig, especially when your first real customer able to buy anything is two thousand-odd kilometres away. Maybe we should be thinking about exporting fresh water to the Queensland wheat belt.

Sitting in a room in the swanky new Volvo Group Australia headquarters in Wacol a week or so back it was mildly frustrating to hear Martin Lundstedt, the Volvo Group president and Global CEO say, “When you have a transport system that is functioning, that is one of the key drivers for bringing prosperity to a society”. Yes, he did say moments before that transport moving forward had to be more sustainable, and no one would disagree. However, it appears our main thrust into this new world is going to be based on push-bikes, coastal shipping, commuter rail, and some cheap new – or old and ratty – trains and wagons. They could have been cheap new electric trains of course, but diesel was better.

The breadth of goods manufactured and lead-time requirements of both low inventory manufacturers and consumers mean the key pillars of future ‘sustainable’ transport infrastructures must be flexibility, versatility, minimal handling, fuel efficiency, and speed. When you look at how the bulk of the world’s freight moves, there’s only one solution that delivers all of those requirements – trucks.

Trucks run best – think fuel, think wear and tear, think sustainability – on a clean, smooth, surface. Freight stays on

adapted masthead.indd 1

8

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

8/02/2012 11:02:47 a.m.

trucks better on a clean, smooth surface. Truck drivers and the other road users who share the road network (including cyclists) are safer when the road is comprised of a clean, smooth, wide, surface. So why aren’t those in places of high power, wearing the moral armour that is ‘safety,’ not focusing on a regional highway network of clean, smooth, wide, surfaces. Paying lip service to the upkeep of regional state highways contradicts everything the current strategy purports to deliver. Lining the increasingly rough, deteriorating, and largely ignored network with tens of millions of dollars worth of aluminium guard railing is not a contribution to safety; it’s actually akin to ropes on a boxing ring.

Snaring the votes of those bathing in a jacuzzi of ignorant self-entitlement by sabotaging the very mechanism that will deliver the economic result you’re touting will undo you on a biblical scale. And the irony is the truck haters will likely be the first to scream when the goods aren’t on the shelves or the roof of the local school is leaking because there’s no money in the coffers.

For the immediate future rail’s place is with high volume, low value, primary products running point to point. Other than that our focus should be on a regional state highway network that delivers both performance and protection, and what’s powering the vehicles of the future that will deliver the results.

Dave McCoid Editor

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Regional fuel tax rebates

N

ational Road Carriers asked the Road Transport Forum to seek specific advice from the NZ Transport Authority on the eligibility for commercial vehicle users to claim a regional fuel tax rebate. Given the fact that many operators and commercial vehicle users operate nationally and sometimes in and out of the Auckland region, the information about RFT claims might have a wider audience.

After discussions with the NZTA, RTF have managed to bring together the following outline. The bulk of the information here is sourced from NZTA’s website.

Unfortunately, the chance of any commercial vehicle user being able to claim a RFT rebate in all probability is unlikely.

Advice on NZTA’s website at this link: https://www.nzta. govt.nz/vehicles/regional-fuel-tax/rft-rebate-claim/ makes it clear that commercial transport vehicles (trucks and vans etc.) cannot claim RFT rebates on diesel or petrol consumed by these vehicles.

RFT rebate eligibility is based on fuel excise duty (FED) allowances. FED is applied only to petrol, but RFT rebates include petrol, diesel and their bio-variants where applicable under the FED regulations. GST will be added to RFT rebates.

Fuel use in some RUC vehicles may be eligible for an RFT rebate – but only if that vehicle type and use is listed in the Schedule to the FED Regulations. To learn more about FED, please visit: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/ road-user-charges/ruc-rates-and-transaction-fees/excise-dutyrefunds/.

Vehicles with attached machinery designed for a specified purpose (and used off road) as well as agricultural machinery listed in the FED schedule including the following uses of fuel are eligible for a rebate: • use in the generation of electricity, or the manufacture of gas, for public use at any electric-power station or gas works: • use in the manufacture at a refinery of refined petroleum products; • use in any commercial ship within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994; • use in any vehicle that is designed to operate exclusively on rails.

• For specific rules refer to the Land Transport Management (Regional Fuel Tax) Regulations 2018

How to make a claim

If you are eligible you will be able to register and make an online claim from October 2018 on the NZTA website.

What you need to do

To claim a regional fuel tax rebate, claimants must keep a record of how much fuel is purchased in the Auckland RFT region. Rebate claimants also need to record how much of that fuel is used in the vehicles and machinery. To meet the rebate claim criteria, evidential records for all retail purchases, onsite refuelling and fuel purchased for bulk tanks must be kept.

Claims for rebates will be administered quarterly by default.

10

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

As administrator, the NZTA can discuss with business owners their individual circumstances for claiming outside the quarterly basis if that is needed.

Finally, rebate claims must be supported by receipts and tax invoices, as these will need to be provided for any claims.

If a claimant has a fuel storage tank(s), record how much fuel is left in the storage tank(s) on the last day of each quarter. The dates to remember are: 31 March 30 June 30 September 31 December.

Opportunity missed

T

he Road Transport Forum considers the Government’s 2018 – 2021 National Land Transport Programme a missed opportunity.

RTF chief executive Ken Shirley said while they welcomed the expansion of the overall investment in the transport system, the programme failed to progress a number of critical projects.

Shirley said a number of road user taxes were being diverted to “pet political projects of dubious economic merit”, while crucial roading projects were postponed indefinitely.

“The road transport industry is concerned that major highway projects such as an East-West Link alternative, Tauranga to Katikati and Otaki to Levin are not going ahead, saying these projects were important for the free flow of freight around the country and would significantly improve the safety of key routes.”

The RTF welcomed the Government’s increased focus on road safety and they would continue to support modal separation, median barriers and the development of other infrastructure to help improve road safety.

“It is particularly disappointing that the Tauranga to Katikati motorway has not progressed. The road is experiencing ever-increasing traffic volumes and is extremely dangerous. While the Government has earmarked some safety improvements the only real solution is a four-lane motorway with appropriately controlled access points and separation of opposing traffic,” said Shirley.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ A new millennium begins

2000

Y2K passes without widespread computer failures Olympic Games in Sydney Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Queen Mother dies

2001 2002

Bali bomb kills 203 people Brazil wins Soccer World Cup Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

2003

9/11 Twin Towers are hit by passenger planes Slobodan Milosevic arrested over war crimes Wikipedia goes online Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Population of New Zealand exceeds 4 million Saddam Hussein is captured

Boxing Day Tsunami causes widespread devastation First privately funded human spaceflight.

Janet Jackson suffers ‘wardrobe malfunction’ at Super Bowl

2004 2005

Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Five cent coins are dropped from circulation

2006

Space Shuttle Columbia destroyed during re-entry killing 7 astronauts Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles Pope John Paul II dies Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Italy wins Soccer World Cup Google purchase YouTube for $1.65m Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

2007

Apple introduces the iPhone Bomb kills former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto

Barack Obama elected first African American US President

2008

Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Global Financial Crisis Sir Edmund Hillary dies Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Willie Apiata receives the Victoria Cross, the first New Zealander since World War II

2009

Michael Jackson dies First New Zealand rocket launched into space

First Canterbury earthquake causes widespread damage Julian Assange, co-founder of WikiLeaks, is arrested Chilean mining accident, remarkably all 33 miners rescued

2010 2011

Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

U.S. troops kill Osama bin Laden All Blacks win Rugby World Cup

Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Summer Olympics open in London

Swine Flu declared a global pandemic

2012

Kate Middleton marries Prince William Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Mars Rover successfully lands on Mars Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

2013

Pope Francis first Latin American elected Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, gives birth to a baby boy

Malaysian airliner goes missing

2014

Nelson Mandela dies at age 95 Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

Russia is reportedly in control of Crimea ISIS take control of Mosul Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

2015

All Blacks win back-to-back Rugby World Cups Paris terrorist attack

Donald Trump elected US president

2016

Flowing liquid water found on Mars Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

NZ highest ever Olympic medal tally UK votes for Brexit Isuzu Trucks No.1 in NZ

2017

Team New Zealand win the America’s Cup Facebook hits 2 billion monthly users

ONE THING HASN’T CHANGED SINCE 2000.

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Jacinda Ardern becomes Prime Minister

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

On the doorstep of power and influence

T

he Safety MAN paid a visit to the Capital in August, visiting both Queens Wharf and the Beehive. The main purpose of the visit was two-fold. Firstly, to give the people of inner-city Wellington a chance to see the Safety MAN and understand that the road transport industry is proactive in education and the promotion of road safety and sharing the network. Secondly, showing key figures in Parliament the truck and the programme in order to raise their awareness and garner future support.

“We’ve taken 13,000 people to date through the Safety MAN and the feedback and buy-in at every level has been fantastic,” said Dave Boyce, CEO of the NZ Trucking Association. “There’s real evidence supporting the effectiveness of the Safety MAN message and we now have to increase the

Minister Jackson (left) is briefed on the Safety MAN programme by NZ Trucking Association executive

level of support it receives in order to increase the number of visits it makes, and the geographical range. What we’d like is the Safety MAN operating as a full-time industry and community support and interaction tool nationwide, delivering multiple programmes and initiatives. But that will take a new level of buy-in from key stakeholders and beneficiaries, both inside the industry and in government.”

Currently the Safety MAN delivers two programmes; Share the Road, and Healthy Driver. Where time and resources allow, St John attend the Healthy Driver sessions, running spot checks on attendees.

“We’ve had many requests for the truck in the North Island, places like Gisborne, but that will require an increased level of support and that’s what this week’s visit was all about, getting key people in front of what we’re doing,” said Carol McGeady, NZ Trucking Association executive officer.

The truck saw a steady procession of interested – and impressed – parties, including Willie Jackson, Minister for Employment and Associate Minister for Maori Development, a senior delegation from the police including the CVST’s top officer Kelly Ryan, representation from the Transport Minister’s office, and senior education officials, and several MPs. Dave said the exercise was highly successful and many key parties were engaged and were now aware of what the programme delivers, the success to date and the potential. “The key now is to keep the heat on.”

officer Carol McGeady and CEO Dave Boyce.

MAN – Adaptive Cruise now standard

P

enske New Zealand is now supplying all on-highway vehicles within the MAN TGS and TGX range with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) as standard as part of an update to MAN’s safety package.

Factory orders placed for MAN TGS and TGX trucks will now include ACC, which automatically regulates velocity and distance in relation to the vehicle in front when travelling over 25 km/h.

Increasing safety for all road users, the introduction of ACC will further

12

New Zealand Trucking

increase the already impressive safety features on offer.

“The TGS and TGX platforms already include key safety features such as electronic stability program which incorporates dynamic stability and rollover prevention,” said Dean Hoverd, national sales manager – trucks, Penske New Zealand.

Hoverd said there were many systems on the market that used radar only, however MAN’s market-leading ACC comprises both radar and camera to detect speed and distance, and adapts

October 2018

MAN TGX interior with camera and ACC switch highlighted.

the speed of the vehicle including braking if necessary.

“We are certain that drivers will find ACC very useful for both long haul travel and also heavily populated roads,” said Hoverd.

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A new class of truck for a new era in metro transport.

The new Actros Distribution. Both a milestone and a benchmark for the future. A whole new class of truck that has been specifically developed for distribution work from 18 t upwards. This is all thanks to practical, comfortable cabs, with responsive and dynamic powertrain configurations featuring fuel-saving, low-emission Euro VI engines, and standard Active Brake Assist 4 – the first ever autonomous emergency braking system with vehicle and pedestrian detection.

Visit mercedes-benz.co.nz for more information or contact your local authorised Mercedes-Benz Truck dealership today.

Trucks & Trailers Ltd | Auckland | Palmerston North | Wellington | 0800 327 777 Keith Andrews Trucks Ltd | Whangarei | 0800 637 282 Prestige Commercial Vehicles | Christchurch | 0800 37 98 99

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

It’s all Action at Fairfax

A

ction Manufacturing, which is part of the Tourism Holdings group of companies, has purchased refrigerated truck body and trailer manufacturer Fairfax Industries.

Spread across two manufacturing sites in Auckland and Hamilton, Action Manufacturing is a primary supplier of motorhomes to the New Zealand market, as well as specialist vehicles for the medical, emergency, tourism, and transport sectors.

Fairfax Industries has been operating for 40-plus years and has 60 employees in its manufacturing facility in Auckland.

Action Manufacturing managing director Grant Brady said that the acquisition of Fairfax Industries was part of a longterm growth strategy with the company moving into the large commercial sector where Fairfax has had significant market share, and in particular moving into the refrigerated transport industry.

“Action has been very strong in the light commercial sector, whereas Fairfax has been strong in the heavy commercial market,” said Brady.

“Action will contribute scale of manufacturing – we have an international supply chain, a great in-house design team as well as some new technology that we will be able to incorporate, such as our own composite panelling system, Omni Panel.

“Fairfax has a strong brand, with an incredible reputation for reliability and durability, which is a perfect fit alongside the

Refrigerated truck body and trailer manufacturer Fairfax Industries has been purchased by Action Manufacturing.

range Action already offered in the market.”

Brady said that as well as the acquisition of Fairfax Industries, there would be further growth for Action Manufacturing as it looked to meet increasing market demand for its wide range of products.

“We will also be making significant investment into both businesses in the form of new technology and equipment to boost production and enhance current capabilities.”

Fairfax Industries managing director Michael Carpenter will remain within the business during a transition phase.

“It was important for me personally to find the right fit for the Fairfax brand, and I believe that Action is a great match with similar beliefs and an equal passion for New Zealand manufacturing,” said Carpenter.

Action Manufacturing recently completed a project partnering with TNT to refine and understand final mile delivery systems that saw Action secure a two-year supply agreement and an initial order of 50 units, which are already showing up on the streets around Australia.

K200

96-98 Wiri Station Road, PO Box 76463 Manukau City, Auckland, NZ Phone (09) 262 3181 Fax (09) 278 5643 *Allrig assist 0508 22 55 77 | Email: info@spt.co.nz

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

The new Actros Distribution in Mainfreight livery.

Mercedes-Benz now a real option in distribution

M

ercedes-Benz launched their much-anticipated Actros Distribution range to customers and media representatives in mid-August at the Hampton Downs racetrack in the Waikato.

Attendees were not just witness to an unveiling of a brand new 2635 Actros Distribution resplendent in Mainfreight livery, they also experienced key safety and operational features in real trucks, allowing them to experience firsthand the features Mercedes-Benz claim will raise the bar in this segment.

The new range of low cab easy entry trucks have the company’s Active-Brake Assist-4 fitted as standard, an emergency braking system which detects not just unseen stationary vehicles, but also smaller objects including pedestrians. Other features available include Proximity Control, which automatically manages following distances, and Lane Keeping Assist.

The Actros Distribution comes in day and sleeper cab variants, 4x2, 6x2, and 6x4 configurations, rigid or tractor, with GVMs from 18 to 26 tonnes. The 6x2 has auto-drop on the

16

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

third axle when the second is overloaded.

Powering the new trucks are two engines, the OM936 at 7.7-litre displacement, and the OM470 at 10.7 litres. Power and torque across the range starts at 220kW (299hp), 1200Nm (885lb/ft) and runs through various options to 335kW (455hp), 2200Nm (1623lb/ft). Both engines are Euro 6, and the company says that means better fuel efficiency, better CO2 stats, a 40% reduction in DEF consumption, and 97% reduction in NOx over previous Euro 5 equivalents.

Like safety, whole of life cost was a huge emphasis and aside from the reduced DEF and claimed economy, 35,000km service intervals with 70,000km oil change requirement lend weight to the argument.

Pieter Theron, senior manager for Daimler Truck and Bus in New Zealand, told the attendees that the trucks appealed to both the young tech-savvy drivers and the older drivers looking for new levels of comfort and safety, and that total cost of ownership implicated fuel, uptime, servicing costs, and safety.

“It’s a cost of total ownership package that’s difficult to beat.”

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TOGETHER ON THE ROAD

NZ’S LOWEST TARE TRUCK ASSURES THE HIGHEST PRODUCTIVITY

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Freight and Logistics open gamut of opportunities

F

reight and Logistics’ presence at the Canvas Career Expo in Tauranga gave school groups and the public the opportunity to experience first-hand how it feels to sit in the cab of a big truck.

“It’s about giving them a tactile experience, especially for girls. Girls don’t naturally see themselves in the cab so where we can get a girl into the cab it changes things,” said Steve Divers, director of Career Pathways – Road Freight Transport.

Those who were identified as having a real interest in trucks were given a yellow band. This allowed them into the restricted area where they could jump into the cab of a truck and be

The Freight and Logistics stand at the Canvas Expo was a busy site. Is there an awakening about what a great industry we’re all in?

taken for a ride, and, under supervision, drive the truck.

Road Freight Transport is part of the Sector Workforce Engagement Programme (SWEP) and partially funded by National Road Carriers, Road Transport Association and NZ Trucking Association.

Gleaming new home for VGA

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hen Volvo Group Australia opened the company’s new $30 million Australian headquarters and Brisbane South dealership in August, it also announced it would upgrade its Queensland truck factory at Wacol, near Brisbane.

Volvo Group global president and CEO Martin Lundstedt said refurbishment of the Wacol truck plant would enable the group to further increase production, signalling the company’s strong outlook.

“Our increase in market share towards 27 percent over the past five years, in combination with a strong heavy-duty truck market, makes it necessary to further increase our production capacity,” he said.

“In the past five years alone, production at our Wacol factory has increased by 40 percent. Investing in the Wacol factory, not far from our new national headquarters, will help grow our 27 percent market share and give a boost to around 85 local component suppliers.”

Volvo Group Australia have been making trucks in Queensland since 1972. They employ more than 1500 people across the country and have produced more than

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60,000 trucks from the Wacol factory.

Welcoming the announcement, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Volvo Group was the only truck manufacturer to be awarded ‘Australian Made’ certification.

“Their commitment to the State is a vote of confidence in our future and testament to the State’s economic strength.”

The company’s new national headquarters accommodates modern offices, a large dealership (selling Volvo, Mack and UD Trucks) and contemporary workshop on a 33,000 square metre site at the Metroplex Westgate business park.

Volvo Group Australia president Peter Voorhoeve said the complex brought together about 200 staff under one roof.

“The main building’s seven-metre glass hangar door and 12.5-metre atrium were specially engineered to allow heavy vehicles inside, while the central staircase reflects a DNA helix shape linking each level.

“It’s a beautiful building, but more than that it’s a tangible demonstration of Volvo Group’s commitment to its future operations in Australia.”

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ The winning Scania of SJ Richards.

The John Murphy Memorial Top Truck 2017 – 2018 Winner

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Dayna Callender intends making a rig of this size her charge one day.

“It’s about a combined approach to recruitment training and trying to sort out the driver shortage issue; this is the first time ever that these three associations have got together for a common purpose of this magnitude,” said Divers.

“We have developed some tools and it is now for industry to pick these things up. Toi Ohomai [Institute of Technology] is a perfect example of that.”

New initiatives throughout the country include a new programme at Ara Institute of Canterbury in Timaru that is supported by a cluster group of operators, and a new programme at Manukau Institute of Technology.

“These initiatives need the support of the industry to be sustainable. It’s essential for industry to be involved in training.”

Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology has in place a drivers’ cadetship that gives young people with an interest in the industry a foot in the door.

Dayna Callender, who completed a 19-week course with Toi Ohomai, is now in the cadetship with Priority Logistics, driving a class 2 truck. She also spends one day a month working with Tranzliquid, who only own larger trucks, to get indoctrinated into the culture and help her get where she wants to be.

n the tightest voting for the annual top truck award we’ve ever had, the narrowest of margins saw the Scania R620 owned by SJ Richards in Christchurch take out the top prize. The truck featured as the March 2018 monthly Top Truck winner and works under Goodman Fielder branding.

Fewer than 30 votes separated the Richards Scania from the Central Machine Hire Mack, Top Truck in June 2018.

“It’s a great comp and the online voting keeps us well out of the game,” said Dave McCoid, editor of New Zealand Trucking magazine. “Steve’s been an incredibly popular winner in the initial feedback since the announcement. The fact the truck works so hard, is always immaculate, and Steve from all accounts is a genuinely humble bloke, was huge in the outcome.”

Congratulations to Steve and thanks everyone for another exciting annual competition.

Adrian Bowen, group manager at Logistics Training Centre at Toi Ohomai, said it was about companies working together to get her to where she wanted to go.

“They are learning on the job, they are taking what we have done in the block course and then they have to apply that.

We need to have evidence around that; they take photos, get verification and sign off. It is tracked all the way through.”

David Rogers, winner of the Young Driver of the Year category in the National Driver Competition 2017, was on hand to take Dayna for a spin in a Tranzliquid truck, all the while talking through how a class 5 truck handles, what to look out for on the road and how best to manoeuvre a truck of that size. 

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www.kerrick.co.nz New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

National Driver comp regionals wrap-up

Millimetres mattered.

HAMILTON RESULTS CLASS 5 TRUCK AND TRAILER Winner Terence Hobart Runner up Jason Saunders

Taylor Brothers Taylor Brothers

CLASS 5 SEMI Winner Runner up

David Rogers Christopher Carmichael

Tranzliquid Logistics NZL Group

CLASS 4 Winner

Daniel Curtis

NZL Group Ltd

CLASS 2 Winner

Greta Campbell

Waikato Fuels Ltd

David Rogers

Tranzliquid Logistics

UNDER 25 Winner

Sponsors: APL Direct, TR Group and Master Drive Services, Mainfreight, Coupland’s Bakeries, Adfence, Fulton Hogan, NZL Group.

Prize Sponsors: Gough TWL, CAL Isuzu, Keith Andrews Trucks, Waikato Regional Road Safety Group, New Zealand Trucking magazine.

Many thanks: Member associations RTA, NRC, and the RTF.

Winners of the Class 5 Semi. (From left) Third, Andrew Crandon; first, Brent Compton; second John Baillie.

AUCKLAND RESULTS CLASS 5 TRUCK AND TRAILER Winner John Baillie Runner up Stuart Howard

Baillie Transport Ltd TE Howard & Sons Ltd

CLASS 5 SEMI Winner Runner up

Brent Compton John Baillie

CV Compton Ltd Baillie Transport Ltd

CLASS 4 Winner Runner up

Andrew Crandon Sanjay Kumar

McFall Fuels VT Transport

UNDER 25 Winner

Brian Compton

CV Compton Ltd

WALK AROUND/THEORY Winner John Baillie

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October 2018

Baillie Transport Ltd

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Even the most regular of tasks take on a whole new look when there’s a man with a clipboard behind you. Great for realising you do know your profession well though.

The NorthTec Volvo was used for the competition again. The resting heart rates in the cab would have been well above normal.

WHANGAREI/NORTHLAND RESULTS OVERALL WINNER Simon Reid CLASS 5 TRUCK AND TRAILER Winner Brett Cassidy Runner up Steven Brown

SJ Reid Ltd Stokes Transport Ltd Brown Haulage Ltd

CLASS 5 SEMI Winner Runner up

Stephen Morris Gray Bruce McLeish

SJ Reid Ltd Stokes Transport Ltd

CLASS 4 Winner Runner up

Ashleigh Jade Sutherland Owen Henley

SJ Reid Ltd Brown Haulage Ltd

WALK AROUND/RIGID Winner Ashleigh Jade Sutherland

SJ Reid Ltd

WALK AROUND/COMBO Winner Steven Brown

Brown Haulage Ltd

THEORY Winner

Brown Haulage Ltd

Steven Brown

For Service & Supply See Your Local Battery Town Specialist

Sponsors: TR Group, SJ Reid, Commercial Diesel Ltd, Wrack Auto Electrical, Truck Stops, Intertruck, BNT, Repco, Bindons, New Zealand Trucking magazine.

Prize Sponsors: Northland Regional Council, Waikato Regional Council, New Zealand Trucking magazine Many thanks: North Tec, TR Group, SJ Reid Ltd – Simon Reid and his team, GC Stoke – Bruce McLeish, Northland Regional Road Safety Partners – Ian Crayton Brown, Waikato Regional Road Safety Group - Jenny Davis, RTF - Mark Ngatuere

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www.batterytown.co.nz New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

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MAIN TEST

Unlikely heroes Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and Video: Dave McCoid, Carl and Izaak Kirkbeck and Craig McCauley

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Building a trucking business on the back of State Highway 73 – Arthur’s Pass – is like deciding to start a mining business in J A Genter’s backyard. It’s going to be fraught with heartache and obstacles. But Greymouth-based Aratuna Freighters has done just that, and the weapon of choice for the past decade and a half has been that West Coast stalwart, IVECO.

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ew places conjure up the hard and tough images of New Zealand life like the South Island’s wild and windswept West Coast. It’s a holiday escape for many, but living and prospering here requires a different mettle to the norm. It’s a place that will test resilience, stamina, tenacity, resourcefulness, and community, repeatedly. Interestingly, it’s not always the region’s physical attributes that apply such pressures.

Governments capitulating to the whims of the deluded have time and time again pulled the rug out from underneath this hardworking but sparsely populated region, denying them the opportunity to build wealth and prosperity on the back of the hidden bounties contained therein. In amongst all of this the Havill family has succeeded in building Aratuna Freighters Ltd, a successful transport, storage, and freight agency business.

But before we move on to the story proper, there’s something interesting about trucking on the West Coast – IVECOs. Six of Europe’s big seven trade in the New Zealand market and of that six you’d have to say that it’s IVECO that more often than not struggles to retain a front of mind position around the capex tables of Kiwi trucking operations when considering a premium European truck – and the question we often ask is, why?

Interestingly, where that sentiment doesn’t hold true is on the South Island’s West Coast, one of the country’s toughest regions, where many carriers contend daily with what is arguably the nation’s most formidable sealed carriageway, Arthur’s Pass. You could argue the West Coast is an IVECO stronghold, and we all know that getting a Coaster to buy something they don’t want to is akin to trying to rent a Chevy to Henry Ford. Aratuna Freighters, T Croft, Birchfield Coal, Henry Adams Contracting Ltd, and Arnold Transport Ltd are all West Coast firms running IVECOS in their fleets. Second generation and current general manager at Aratuna Freighters Andrew Havill cites the support they get from NZ Trucks Ltd, and IVECO’s sales consultant Straun Syme as being key components of their own IVECO story.

“They’re not the best at anything, but they’re great at everything. They’re not the most powerful, lightest, or the most

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Most of ours have run to 1.2, 1.4 million kilometres with no issues beyond the norm – servicing and consumables, the odd turbo. Even the Cursor 10 460 has been an outstanding engine to us. The bottom end in them is really strong.”

That road – State Highway 73

When speaking of the Coast’s IVECO fraternity, it’s probably Aratuna Freighters and T Croft who aim their IVECOs at Arthur’s Pass the most. The three alpine passes – Lewis, Arthur’s, and Haast – form the main routes out of the Coast.

In the event Mother Nature’s shut the door on them, there’s north and east up the Wairau Valley, or even more of a detour, over the Hope Saddle and out through the Whangamoa

Saddle east of Nelson. Those last two pretty much comprise the ‘It must get through at any cost’ options.

Of the three passes Arthur’s is the gnarliest on account of the topography, climate, and elevation, with Lewis the most docile and Haast somewhere in-between, but leaning more toward gnarly than docile. Arthur’s is the most direct route to the Queen’s city from Greymouth and Hokitika, taking an hour less than the Rahu – Lewis option. It’s come a long way over the years. The viaduct ended the era of splitting B-trains to get through the zigzag, but it in itself is by no means a cakewalk. Even in New Zealand you won’t see too many places with a 16% gradient sign like the one on the summit at the top of Pegleg. The list of iconic and infamous sections along this tortuous route is endless, and places like the Cribb Wall, Waimak Bluffs, and Craigieburn cutting, join Pegleg and the viaduct as trucking landmarks on a quest to break those operators attempting to conquer them daily.

Troy Gaulter is the driver of Aratuna’s latest IVECO and is one such warrior taming Arthur’s Pass almost every working day. He’s a native of the Coast and has been with the company for nine years. His latest ride is a Stralis 8x4 AT with a Cursor 13 motor and IVECO EuroTronic AMT transmission. It tows a TMC Super-Quad refrigerated curtainsider semi. We learned a lot on our day with Troy, not least if you’re going to tame a beast with infinite might like the Arthur’s Pass, best not to attack it like a maniac with all guns blazing, rather glide through its patch without it knowing you’ve even been there.

That’s exactly how Troy treats the pass, and everyone on the test that day witnessed it, with comments like, “My God he was easy on that thing. What a superb display.”

The balance sheet of ascending and descending

When you think about it, the great mountaineers are never hulking brutes with bulging guns and thighs. Ed was tall, but he was a beanpole. Likewise, Aratuna chose the Cursor 13 as the right mix of power, weight, and economy for its daily run to Canterbury. With the 15.6m Super-Quad in tow on eight axles overall, the unit is HPMV rated for 48 tonne on SH1, and 46 on the pass. With a tare of 19 tonne Troy can drag 27 tonne backward and forward with a power-to-weight ratio of 10.9hp/tonne, so by anyone’s reckoning this is a well thought out, productive lorry.

“The Powerstar is a bit too heavy and thirsty for our application. The 500’s just right,” said Andrew Havill.

The turn onto the Bealey bridge. One of the spots Troy said can’t be taken lightly.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Clockwise from top: A clear binnacle and swish little wrap.

An easy place to live where everything falls nicely to hand.

A useful caddy with a thermal drawer. Great mirrors are essential on this work even though the TMC Super-Quad behaves impeccably. Plenty of steps and grab rails as well as a nice cascade at the top. The steering wheel is only needed for steering in this truck. Plenty of standing room.

Welcome to our place Climb into the IVECO and you’re entering a world individual to them. There’s no immediate “Oh yeah it’s a … in disguise”.

We jumped in on the side of the road in Hornby. Troy had just left his last pick-up and there was no time for mucking around, we were in and gone – that answers access. It’s a four-step entry and it’s not a high cab, we’re not talking flat floor here – so getting into it is super easy. There’s a full-length grab handle on the A pillar and another smaller one on the B. The steps cascade between two, three and the cab floor so it’s as safe as houses if safety gone mad has cost you your balance and agility.

Once inside you think “Oh yeah. This is cool.” It’s a cavernous cab with a ‘snug’ feel if that makes sense. Like we said it’s not a flat floor but still has a pull-out thermal drawer that’s sort of under the bunk and a caddy next to it for knickknacks – ideal for drink bottles. Troy thinks they should do the fridge and we’ll take his word. Who are we to argue when we don’t hammer it around every day. The thermal drawer is still cool though, and better than just another drawer or locker.

The floor hump with drawers means the bed is higher than normal – no problem there. Standing room is a given. Troy’s not a whopper by any stretch, but six-footers will be able to stand up and sort themselves out too.

Storage is everywhere, with two layers front and overhead, a row of lockers with doors on top, and netted trays underneath. There’s also stowage on the sleeper’s upper sidewalls and under the bunks, accessible from the outside.

Fit and finish-wise there’s not a squeak or creak to be heard and Troy said based on his experience with the brand, it’ll stay that way. There are darker toned plastics, hardwearing vinyls, rubber and the like in the lower flanks, with lighter tones above. Like most big Euros there’s a world of dampening between the driver’s chuff and the black-top. The cab’s on four feet with air suspension and dampers at rear. Don’t forget the other layer of air in the front suspension also, as well as springs, driver’s seat, etc.

Because of the wee hump in the floor, the drawers and caddy under the slightly elevated bunk, and the wrap in the dash, the driver’s berth has a real cockpit feel to it. But there is no issue space-wise when Troy needs to prepare for a session of fatigue management in the bunk, or should he find himself needing to exit via the left door. Attention Fuso, UD, and to a lesser degree Hino and Isuzu. This is how you build a not so high, slightly forward control premium cab. If we were an operator with a good feel for what the driver needed, and had our final list of contenders in front of us, this could be the clincher.

Back to the driving department. It’s a great position with a typical Euro binnacle, light on gauges, high on warning lights, with the vehicle and trip metrics screen centrally located. There are buttons either side of the binnacle and the small integrated wrap is within easy reach, with a large central block of buttons (mostly blanks); the buttons on the far left-hand end of the block are in silver and comprise the transmission control. Beneath them are more buttons and climate controls. The left wand is the all-in-one indicator, dip, windscreen washer, wiper control, and the right is the engine brake, cruise control, and manual gear change (pull for up a gear, push for down). There’s nothing that’s not ‘right there’.

There’s no entertainment, navigation, or data screen, and the radio is overhead which is bit ‘yesterday’ now; however no fear, that’s all been sorted on the Euro 6 model when it arrives.

There’s a big skylight in the roof for Vitamin D supply and plenty of man-made light when required.

The mirrors are large and plentiful with all modern safety extras, and visibility when clearing left and right is fine with a bit of double-checking.

With front under-run protection the Stralis is typical Euro in looks. If you like the others you’ll likely enjoy the Stralis’ face peering at you in the early morning as you walk toward it. If you’re an Argosy, K200, or 9870 boffin, there’ll be an adjustment period and some counselling involved.

All in all, a room with a view, fit for a King.

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This page: Wrestling in the teeth of the beast again. Troy on Candy’s Bend between Rock Shelter and Pegleg. Right: Conquered again.

The key to it is patience.

Two Aratuna Freighters trucks pass

Coast to Coast The Aratuna Freighters story starts in the early 80s when Andrew’s father Durham saw the deregulation of the transport industry as an opportunity to branch out and diversify from the family’s farming operations.

The name Aratuna came from combining the names of their two farms, Arahua and Awatuna.

“I think it was a good idea,” muses Andrew. “Some days I’m not so sure,” he laughs.

With a combination stock truck and tipper, they’d carted their own cattle to and from the farms, and so the early transport enterprise was mostly centred around rural and regional support. “Everyone’s local, you might say.”

As time went on freight volumes crept up and a regular profile would see timber or stock heading east from Hokitika and fert or freight coming home.

“We started getting traction on the freight with the likes of Burnetts and Mainfreight.”

A restructuring at BP provided the opportunity to be a regional distributor. The Havills had the land for the tank and felt they could do it with one less truck. It’s a contract they hold to this day, the longest standing private BP distributor in the country, with four trucks running under the Aratuna Fuels banner.

The early 90s saw an internal restructure, the company consolidating back to three trucks, a curtainsider unit, a fridge unit, and a tanker, the bulk of the freight arm going to TransWest Freighters.

From there a strategic path and organic growth has seen the company steadily grow to the point where today the fleet comprises 50 trucks, 30 of which sport the IVECO badge.

“We got our first IVECO in 2004. We’d had a mix up until then, European and Japanese, including Volvo, DAF, and Isuzu. The Japanese gear was good but what you gained in purchase price you lost in fuel consumption and parts,” said Andrew. “We didn’t have that good a run from anything really.

Straun [Syme – IVECO] had been calling for years and was keen to get one in here. We gave IVECO a go and haven’t looked back. The key’s been the support from NZ Trucks. There were a couple that had issues with the heads at one point, but they were on it straight away. They’re an often overlooked

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on SH73. A scene that repeats itself thousands of times a year, at all times of the day and night.

truck but I would have no trouble recommending them at all.

They’ve been great machines to us.”

There’s no question the West Coast is a place where opportunity can’t be passed up. Today the farms are gone, and Aratuna Freighters Ltd employs more than 70 staff. Services include general and refrigerated freight to pretty much anywhere you like, container sideloaders, and those stalwarts of the company, rural support and the fuel distribution for BP. They hold the local franchise for Mainfreight, the Fastway Couriers agency, and own and run a Ballance Fertiliser store. They are the current holder of the Mainfreight franchisee of the year award.

Forty-seven-year-old Andrew and wife Monique have two children; Lachlan who lives in Germany and works as a forensic accountant, and daughter Ashleigh who is nursing.

Company founder Durham Havill is still actively involved in the company, with Andrew in charge of the day-to-day business and Monique running the bulk fuel operation. Durham has served as Westland mayor, receiving an ONZM for services to local government in 2017.

The Havills are a family passionate about their region, and their company. Like nearly all Coasters they’re modest and humble when discussing their achievements.

“It’s a tough game, especially here, but we keep to our work and the others keep to theirs,” says Andrew. “We don’t all go getting silly about it. You can’t on the Coast. At some level we all have to work together.”

And that’s a lesson the rest of the country could well do to take on board.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Troy Gaulter just has a passion for trucks, simple as that really.

A passion for trucks

Under the cab is the well-known 12.9-litre Cursor 13 motor in Euro 5 trim via SCR. It’s an overhead cam unit with highpressure direct injection, four valves per cylinder, and a variable geometry turbocharger. IVECO says this is responsible for delivering high torque values over a wide engine range. Let’s see.

Peak power is 373kW (500hp) and that arrives at about 1550rpm, very handy! The top torque figure of 2300Nm (1696lb/ft) sets off at 1000rpm and shows no sign of departure until 1500rpm. So, both critical numbers handshake and wave goodbye to each other when they’re both almost at the top of their respective games. Power’s just a hair off its peak as torque departs. That should and certainly does result in a willing heart beneath the floorboards. It’s a typical contemporary European power/torque performance profile, very PACCAR MX-ish.

Behind the burner is the two-pedal IVECO EuroTronic

“I’ve done a lot of things but I’ve always had a passion for trucks and driving them,” was Troy Gaulter’s summation from the driver’s seat of fleet number 140.

Troy, 48, is a ‘Coaster’ from birth, his Dad Bill worked in the forestry and Mum Heather was a nurse.

“They’re both in Aussie now. Have been for twenty or so years. I probably would be too, but I want to be close to my two girls so I’m here for the foreseeable. I enjoy the Coast, surf-casting and that. It’s home. It’s quiet.”

In his time Troy’s worked extensively in the fishing industry in managerial roles both at Talley’s and Westfleet Seafoods on the Coast, but as we said above, there’s always a thing for trucks lurking in the background.

“I had a stint on line haul with STL. It was a good job, I got all over the country, but just too much time away from home.

I’ve been at Aratuna for nine years. They’re a bloody good company to work for. Jamie McGeady in operations is really good. If you do your job you pretty much never hear from them.”

And with that the Stralis just drifted along, making good time in difficult country with deceptive ease.

Heading back west the severity of the drop off Pegleg is plain to see.

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II 16AS630 TO AMT transmission (read ZF AS-Tronic).

Front axles comprise a pair of IVECO 5876 rated at 13 tonnes combined, sitting on IVECO load equalising four-airbag, parabolic spring and shock absorber combo. (You can have it all.)

Looking aft there’s Meritor RT46-160GP axles rated at 20.9 tonnes with driver-controlled diff locks. They’re sitting on Hendrickson PRIMAAX PAX 462 suspension. GVM and GCM are 31 and 75 tonnes respectively.

In the ancillary stopping department there’s IVECOs twostage engine brake, and brake-wise Knorr disc brakes furnish the front end, and at the back drum brakes with auto slacks.

There’s WABCO E 4-channel ABS/EBL (Electronic Brakeforce Limitation), and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation). The truck’s shod with 295/80R 22.5 tyres on polished Alcoa alloy rims.

So there you have it. A mountaineer, Aratuna style.

Over and back again. Heading east at the bottom of Porters Pass and (inset) on the top of the pass at the Crib Wall heading home.

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‘My, what big teeth you have’

Rolling west from Christchurch it’s about as docile as trucking can possibly get in New Zealand. Long straight roads cut through paddock after paddock of some of the country’s finest farming turf. From Rolleston we pick up State Highway 73 between West Milton and Kirwee. The Stralis is loaded with 24 tonne of product bound for the Westland Dairy facility in Hokitika. It’s both a regular pick-up and drop-off point for Troy. We’re three tonne under what the truck’s legally able to cart, but probably representative of a good average considering general freight trucks rarely run to max GCM one hundred percent of the time. It’s certainly enough to give the Cursor a workout.

The run up (literally) the Benmore straight to the foot of Porters Pass is a doddle, and the volume of the conversation in the cab wouldn’t raise the ire of even the most prudish of

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ librarians, the sound meter hovering in the upper mid-60 decibels. At 90km/h the Cursor is ticking along at 1450rpm.

Again, it’s very PACCAR MX with a lovely throaty note that, like the Dutchman, tricks you into thinking there’s something of greater displacement beneath the floorboards.

Talking interior, it’s nice to be sitting in a cab that doesn’t fall under one of the big identifiable platforms. This is IVECO’s way of doing things in high style, and Troy explained how we came to be riding in the high roof AT option.

“The original truck was a flat roof sleeper but it was affected by the bug boat thing in Auckland and ended up back in Australia. Andrew needed a truck ASAP and this was the only one they had. It’s fine by me,” he laughed.

It’s a handy asset too. Although Troy’s home most of the time, the Aratuna trucks can go further afield depending on customer requirements, even north of the ditch at times.

The grime squad Of course one of the scurges of the pass and everything it takes to maintain a status of ‘open’ is the constant battle to keep the Aratuna trucks looking their best. Sleet, snow, rain, dust, grit and CMA wage war on the company’s desire to maintain a sharp image, but Andrew said the recent purchase of a hand-operated truck and curtain wash machine from Transport Wash Systems has been a game changer. The walk behind full height washer keeps the day-to-day grime at bay in a busy week.

“It’s a great system; a 200L drum lasts 90 hours. Ash Scott’s been good to deal with. I’d recommend it,” said Andrew.

“The cement boats couldn’t get into Onehunga at one point so we were carting up there from Westport. You just never know. No, I’m certainly not complaining about having this sort of space.”

Before you knew it we were into Porters Pass. Unlike Deane Harris in the Hobbs and Banks Stralis a couple of years ago, Troy takes control of the transmission once the table top Canterbury Plains are a memory.

“It’s just easier on me and the truck on this road. There’s too many shitty bits that cause the engine to lose out you know? I know all the shift points and where it gets nasty. Coming over from the other side I just put it in the climbing gear at the bottom below the rockfall and let her go.”

Having said that, he’s adamant his days of stirring gear levers are hopefully gone, converted fully to the AMT. “Why would you? Look, you’re not busy swinging on gear levers and all that.

I can sit here and move the paddle in the right spot and the truck does the rest. It’s stress-free. No, I wouldn’t go back by choice. All right if that’s what you had to do, but no, not by choice.”

Up around the infamous Cribb Wall and the IVECO’s in 7th gear, 1650rpm and 23km/h. The Crib’s the steepest section westbound and there are no guesses for east. Troy said full weight on the Otira Viaduct and Pegleg the Stralis is down to 6th gear, 1800rpm and 17km/h.

With the Craigieburn cutting and the beautiful Lake Pearson behind us, Troy worked his way cautiously along the Waimak bluffs toward the Bealey Bridge.

“They bloody come around here on the wrong side of the road, it’s unbelievable. You’ve got to be able to just stop!” said Troy about the narrow Waimak bluffs.

A hard right-hander onto the postcard bridge and onward toward the pass.

“The road’s not what it was. They’re super cautious nowadays with safety and all that. If a cloud appears in the sky they close it,” he says and the cab fills with laughter. “The CMA and grit they put on does a great job. They get it on early now, and then re-treat it in the early hours before dawn and it makes a huge difference.”

Having said that, we rounded plenty of corners that hadn’t seen ‘big yellow’ for a few days. Any relaxing of the attention levels is not recommended.

Over the summit of the Arthur’s Pass, past the monument and down the infamous Pegleg, viaduct, rock shelter, down around and over the Yorky Point bridge. In the cab and revs are

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... up, the gear is low and Troy lets the engine brake – stage two – do most of the work, with an occasional feather on the left pedal to keep proceedings under control. There are plenty of axles and plenty of brakes in the modern truck, but this is not a place to mess with. Arthur is never your friend.

Troy said the two-stage engine brake on the truck, while adequate, certainly isn’t the truck’s strongest point and says it’s the one area that could be improved. It results in an extra cautious, old school approach to places like the viaduct, but that’s Troy’s approach to the whole road anyway. Standing on the outside of corners below the viaduct and rockfall, waiting for Troy to come down, the New Zealand Trucking team were astounded at the red hot brakes, stink, and sometimes even

smoke coming off campers and even car traffic as people roared by, utterly oblivious to the demands of the road and the vehicle’s marginal ability to compensate for their incompetence, ignorant in the bliss that the ‘modern safety features’ in their jalopy would see them right. Troy on the other hand, glided into view, the Stralis looking and sounding unbothered, and the only smell was the fresh air in their wake. In last month’s test on the WPBH Kenworths we talked about any mistakes made on the awful roads around Auckland’s rural fringe resulting in a potential paddock encounter. Get it wrong here though, be it car, camper, or truck, and the implications are in a different league entirely.

Burning around Christchurch it’s hard to appreciate where the Stralis will be three hours hence.

IVECO – What’s in a name?

What about a quick recap on the IVECO name? The Industrial Vehicle Company is based in Turin and was formed in 1975 as the result of a merger between Fiat (Italy), OM (Italy), Lancia Special Vehicles (Italy), Unic (France), and MagirusDeutz (Germany). Since its inception IVECO has continued its expansion, acquiring Ford Trucks UK, Astra (mid-80s), Seddon Atkinson UK (1991), and International Trucks Australia Ltd (1992). IVECO has been an innovator in many areas, including emissions and alternative fuels.

Today IVECO forms part of the colossal CNH Industrial Group and is generally accepted as one of Europe’s big seven truck manufacturers along with Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Scania, DAF, MAN, and Renault. IVECO has manufacturing plants in Europe, Russia, South America, Australia, Africa, and Asia, producing 150,000 vehicles annually.

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IVECO Trucks New Zealand was formed in 1992 following the purchase of International Trucks NZ (in receivership)

by International Trucks Australia Ltd. The entity traded as International Trucks New Zealand until 2000 when it was changed to IVECO Trucks New Zealand.

Today the Dandenong assembly plant in Melbourne builds the Powerstar, ACCO, and Stralis models and is home to a large product engineering department building and testing prototypes specifically for the local Australasian markets. IVECO Trucks New Zealand is able to reap the benefits of the parent company’s investment into its Australian manufacturing capabilities as well as being able to source products from other factories throughout the world to meet their market needs.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ How’s the serenity!

Another classic line from The Castle, but hugely applicable in this instance.

“There’s absolutely no point rushing on this road,” said Troy.

“It’ll get you nowhere. The broken jackshafts and collection of wreckage at places like the Crib and Pegleg says it all. They roar in and try and change down and ‘bang’, she’s all over. And look! It’s the most beautiful truck-driving job in the country.

Just get in the climbing gear early and enjoy the scenery.”

Of course, Troy’s on the money. The scenery is breathtaking and there’s a calmness outside on this blue sky winter jewel of a day that lures you into a false sense of ease and comfort.

Inside the cab you wouldn’t think for a moment Troy and the Stralis have only been partners for a little over a month. Good and bad drivers are like good and bad horsemen or stockmen.

Some thrash their charge into submission – and the vet bill is horrific. Some drive it well but hard – and the vet’s number is on the wall by the phone. Some seemingly encourage their steed to do what they want, achieving things in the same time as everyone else, and the vet is someone they met once but can’t remember his or her name. Troy’s a member of the last group, the Stralis seemingly rolling along with the contours of the land. This truck’s never going to ‘poke the bear’ so to speak, and entice the Arthur’s to bite back.

Once on the other side of the Yorky Point bridge is a classic ‘chase the river to the sea’, the blueprint for so many Aotearoa roads. Following the Taramakau River out to Kumara Junction it’s a different landscape entirely from the one on the other side of the alps, a wilderness less tampered with. The road follows the contours, it’s narrow in places, but after the preceding fifty or so kilometres, far less intense.

Troy at the wheel of the Stralis. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with them, they’re a beautiful truck.

If I was buying a truck I’d buy one.”

An interesting figure in the life of an Aratuna truck would be average speed. High-speed cornering is probably not going to be a standout feature, but like a truck on the East Cape, Northland, Coromandel, Catlins, or eastern Wairarapa, the amount of cornering will be right up there. Inside the cab the Stralis was firm and stable on its load-equalising airbag and spring front end setup, not in the least bit wallowy. There was no perceivable ‘encouragement’ from the trailer, so often a trait of the tractor–long semi union. Aside from driving style, having the surefootedness of an 8-wheeler up front is certainly implicated in the lessoning of the trailer’s influence, as does steering on the trailer itself.

Speaking of trailers, the TMC Super-Quad is also brand spanking new, with curtain graphics advertising the beauty and splendour of the West Coast. Aratuna has a second reefer

As challenging as it often is, this is surely one of the great truck corridors.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... unit in the promotional livery and T Croft in Greymouth and Westport’s Johnson Brothers have units painted too.

The trailer is set up on ROR CS9 disc-braked axles on air suspension and with polished alloy wheels, stainless toolboxes, and Hella LED lighting; it makes for a spectacular overall look.

Back to the front end and Troy affirmed the steering and directional control on the Stralis was unfaultable, as were the brakes. Gone are the days where a lack of steering lock was the trade-off for buying an 8x4. Like the Stephenson Isuzu we tested in March, the Stralis was as nimble as you like in and around industrial Rolleston and a joy on the road.

Only a month in and the pre-purchase number crunching appears to be paying off in consumption. Bear in mind the road, eight axles, a hellish climate at times with constant wind, and a work profile that never allows the Stralis any empty running, and 1.84kpl (5.18mpg) looks more than respectable.

Although like Toko and Len in X15s last month there’s a lot of credit to be laid at the driver’s feet in that figure, we shouldn’t forget the outstanding results modern diesel engines are able to deliver as a result of their own evolution and the clever people keeping them out in front as the preferred propulsion proposition at the heavy end…for now at least.

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Summary When you’re looking at the next purchase, everyone looks at who’s got what, where and why. As is so often the case the West Coast is overlooked by the rest of the country, left to do what they’ve always done, get on with things. It’s interesting that IVECO has such a presence on the Coast; in many ways they’re kindred spirits. We’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country and rarely do we hear a bad IVECO story.

As we’ve said on a number of occasions, the relevance of the 13-litre motor in diesel’s future is huge, and if you’re looking at getting into that sector the Cursor’s been around plenty long enough to calm any jitters. So, the Stralis has been looked at and again it’s come up trumps as a contemporary European high-flyer. The AT cab isn’t quite in the league of auditoriums like the Globetrotter, StreamSpace, or Topline, nor does it have all the accoutrements, but it certainly ticks every box in a community of people who suffer pretenders not one iota.

As always the last word is best left to the bloke who drives it.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with them, they’re a beautiful truck. If I was buying a truck I’d buy one.”

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ SPECIFICATIONS

IVECO STRALIS 8X4 – AT Tare:

9300kg (5.5m day cab, no spare or fuel – from spec sheet)

GVM:

31,000kg

GCM:

75,000kg

Engine:

IVECO Cursor 13

Capacity:

12.9 litre

Power:

373kW (500hp)

Torque

2300Nm (1696lb/ft)

Emissions:

Euro 5

Transmission:

IVECO Eurotronic II 16AS2630 TO

Front axle:

2 x IVECO 5876

Front axle rating:

15,000kg

Front suspension:

IVECO load equalising 4 airbag with two leaf parabolic springs and double acting shock absorbers

Rear axle:

Meritor RT46-160GP with differential locks

Rear axle rating:

20,900kg

Rear suspension:

Hendrickson PRIMAAX PAX 462

Brakes:

Front disc and rear drum with Wabco E 4-channel ABS/EBL and ASR

Auxiliary braking:

Compression brake

Fuel:

500 Litre

DEF tank:

55 Litre

Wheels:

Alcoa alloy

Tyres:

275/70 R 22.5

Electrical:

24 volt

Cab:

Active Time 2280mm allsteel cab with four-point cab mounting system with air suspension and dampers at rear

Fully adjustable ISRI selflevelling air suspension seat. Lower bunk mattress 2020mm x 620mm with privacy curtains. Electric mirrors. Radio/CD MP3 player with Bluetooth and steering wheel controls. Air conditioning with climate control.

Extra:

Roof deflector and side extenders

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A way of life

TMC at 70 years young Story by Faye Lougher•Photos as credited

TMC Trailers is one of the longest serving trailer manufacturers in New Zealand, and this year the company is celebrating 70 years in business – 70 years of manufacturing, servicing, and repairing truck trailers and truck decks for New Zealand transport operators.

T

MC Trailers – or as it was formerly called, Trailer Manufacturing Company Limited – was established in 1948 by Ian Currie, shortly after his return home from the Second World War. Ian had served as a mechanic with the New Zealand Scottish regiment in Guadalcanal and Bougainville, and his service had involved retrieving crashed American aircraft and stripping them of parts to keep the New Zealand planes flying. Ian’s American supplied tractor unit was hooked up to a transporter, the first most other New Zealanders had seen up close at that point. Ian’s experience during the war showed him the pulling

Company founder Ian Currie brought a wealth of experiences and ideas home from WWII.

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power of trailers and this knowledge would revolutionise the New Zealand trailer building industry.

The earliest trailers Ian built included some of the very first heavy transport trailers used on New Zealand roads.

In 1989 the Trailer Manufacturing Company Limited became TMC Trailers Ltd. From a one-man-band in the early days, to 2018 with more than 50 employees, TMC Trailers has continued to grow and prosper under the leadership of Ian’s son Paul, and grandson Richard.

“We’re a third-generation family owned business and TMC is committed to the consistent quality and innovation that has made us an industry leader,” says managing director Paul Currie. “We pride ourselves on delivering high quality, longlasting products to our customers. Our two-year unlimited kilometre warranty, along with TMC’s legendary service, backup and support, confirms our ongoing dedication to stand behind everything we manufacture.”

Today TMC Trailers is one of New Zealand’s largest heavy transport engineering companies. They provide the largest selection of trailers available in New Zealand, custom designed and built utilising high-strength lightweight steels and alloys.

TMC has recently completed their 4000th trailer, a 6-axle 36-pallet-capable HPMV curtainside B-train, fitted with TMC disc brake axles and air suspension, polished alloy wheels, set up for 50MAX and carting general freight.

“We fitted the B-train out with LED strip lighting that can change hue and pulse to music, 4000th trailer stainless logos on the rear trailer, with LED strip lighting behind and commemorative signage on the rear wall.”

Paul says once the B-train order was received, the 4000th serial number was aligned for the last build and the rear trailer.

This was the first new trailer they had built for first-time customer 4D Group.

TMC has experienced a lot of growth over the past three years, something Paul says was a necessity.

“We are in an expansion mode. We have expanded into Auckland with a workshop and put on extra salesmen, and we’ll be growing our sales team even more.

“We’ve previously been disadvantaged being a South Island manufacturer, but now with our Auckland workshop we’re well positioned to service and support customers nationwide.

“We are renowned for our specialised trailers that give our customers the edge. I suppose one reason for our success is that we’ve got a broad range of products we manufacture.”

TMC continues to be a success due to their flexibility and the fact they don’t focus on just one sector of the market.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

The 4000th trailer, built for Brian and Simon Bourke of 4D Group Ltd.

“We’ve had to do that in the past because our customers are very spread and we find that requires a broader manufacturing base. Say for instance the area is logging or temperature controlled or whatever, all those different areas have their ups and downs. Unfortunately what happens is that every seven or 10 years they have a downturn. We’ve had to ensure we have expertise in other areas, so if one area drops down, we can just move to another.”

Paul believes being a family owned business sets TMC apart from their competitors.

“Oh, it definitely does, because it’s that personal thing. It’s that association with the customers; we’ve known most of them for many years. The transport industry is different from most other areas – the people you meet, they are nice people. You really appreciate it when you get new owner-drivers and they put everything on the line for a unit, and everything has to run smoothly, everything’s got to be perfect for them, and if anything goes wrong they’ve got to have really good backup – which we provide. It’s their life, and it’s just great working with those guys, and in a year’s time you find they’ve increased the fleet.

“Like all manufacturers, you don’t get rich out of it; it’s a way of life. I was brought up with it and all I can remember is talking about trailers, and my son Richard, he’s the same. It’s just a way of life. Even with all these milestones, we just carry on.”

TMC Trailers’ head office and manufacturing facility is

L-R: Paul (Skippy) Goodman (sales manager Taupo South TMC), Simon and Brian Bourke, Paul Currie (managing director TMC).

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TMC Timeline 1947 After returning from WWII Ian Currie started building trailers in his parents’ garage in Bassett Street.

1948 Trailer Manufacturing Company Limited (commonly called TMC for short) was formed by Ian Currie and McMahan Motor Spares, with a 50/50 shareholding.

The premises were on the corner of Bassett Street and Parnell Road, Burwood, and had previously been run as a car service and repair workshop by Ian’s father.

1991 TMC build the semi curtainsider trailer for the Rugby World Cup. On the delivery day the driver drove under a low bridge and wrote the top of the trailer and contents off. TMC’s staff worked for three days and nights to rebuild it to carry on for its tour of New Zealand.

1992 TMC manufactured its 2000th trailer, for Otorohanga Transport.

1952 TMC moved to a larger building in Argyll Street, Sydenham. That year they also built the first telescopic for Owens Transport.

1995 TMC purchased the 56 Edmonton Road property across the road from the main plant to increase production capacity.

1954 TMC built the first single axle logging jinker for J Bowman, chassis no 140.

1996 TMC built the first panel trailer in New Zealand for Collins Carriers, chassis no 2373.

Collins had the contract for the cartage of panels for the Riccarton Mall, the first time tilt slab panels had been used for major construction. The roads had to be surveyed by engineers every few metres to ensure the trailer would not roll over.

1957 TMC move into a purpose-built building on the corner of Blenheim and Dalgety Street, Riccarton.

1964 TMC built its first car transporter for E H Boyce, chassis no 584.

1968 TMC built its first trombone semi-trailer for E H Boyce, chassis no 802.

1970 TMC built the first Ceschi caster steer semi-trailer for Mt Cook Ltd, chassis no 927.

1972 TMC manufactured its 1000th trailer, for TNL Freighting, a 2-axle pull trailer that cost $4085.

1975 The shareholders were paid out, and Ian and Paul Currie took over full ownership of TMC. 1977 TMC Trailers Ltd moved to a purpose-built building at 31 Lunns Road.

1983 TMC built its first curtainsider C-train NZR chassis no 1506.

A C-train is like a B-train except it has a pivot between the tandem set; the idea then was to reduce the stress on the bogie. The concept of C and B-trains originated in Canada; designed by John Currie (no relation).

1984 TMC built its first steering bogie semi-trailer for NZ Lumber, chassis no 1524. These trailers had a full steering bogie attached to the chassis by a ball race turntable.

The front axle intern was attached to the bogie by a ball race turntable with two steering arms connected to the main bogie.

These trailers were the ultimate in steering, although heavy. The transport authority outlawed them after numerous failures caused by inexperienced trailer manufacturers. The last straw was when one of these trailers’ steering arm broke and went through a shop front in Hamilton.

1986 TMC Trailers moved to another larger purpose-built building on the corner of Shands and Edmonton Roads, Hornby.

Official opening by RT Hon Jim Bolger 11 November 1986, coinciding with the delivery of New Zealand’s first 4x B-train.

1988 TMC build the first gull-wing truck and trailer unit in New Zealand for Apple and Pear Board, chassis no 1771.

1989 TMC won the best manufacturing award for its Euro Aro dynamics semi-trailer at Hamilton transport show.

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1997 TMC manufactured the first telescoping semi curtainsider to reduce the cost for ferry crossings on return trips.

1998 First trombone semi panel trailer manufactured for Collins Carriers. First panel carried was 6.2 x 12.8 27.7 tonne for The Warehouse, Ashburton. This was the biggest panel ever carried, chassis no 2507.

2002 The big snow July. TMC premises and CD Broadbridge log unit covered in snow.

2003 Sales team started with Paul (Skippy) Goodman as first full-time salesperson.

2004 TMC manufactured its 3000th trailer, for Linfox, which was a quad axle semi insulated curtainsider.

2005 TMC purchased the adjoining property 15 Calgary Place from Shands Road Sawmills Ltd to help with TMC’s expanding market.

2006 Richard Currie joined TMC. 2008 TMC built first 3 rows of 8 transporter, chassis no 3332.

2010 Manufactured first telescoping trailer for Hanham Transport, chassis no 3465 c/w with R8 load divider. This trailer telescopes from 14m to 39m and has Tridec allaxle steer system and radio remote steering option.

2013 TMC appointed New Zealand manufacturing and distribution partner for Steelbro.

2015 TMC starts mobile Auckland service.

2016 TMC opens Auckland premises located at 8 Oak Road, Wiri, headed by Stephen Millichamp. Ron Price appointed as sales engineer Taupo North area.

2017 TMC Christchurch service department adds chassis straightening plant.

2018 TMC is now 70 years old, the oldest trailer manufacturer in New Zealand. Christchurch staff group photo.

2018 TMC handed over its 4000th trailer, to Brian and Simon Bourke of 4D Group Ltd.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

1

3

4

2

Innovation, versatility, adaptability, and quality define

5

the TMC story to date.

1

Munt Cottrell & Co Ltd – 37’ self-steer semi-trailer – 1970.

2

Apple & Pear Board – the first New Zealand-built gull-wing truck and trailer unit.

3

A 3-axle folding goose-neck semi transporter.

4

A 3-axle concertina curtainside semi-trailer for space saving on ferry crossings.

5

A TMC manufactured Steelbro quad axle SB362 bridgeleg sidelifter – Denton Contracting Ltd.

situated in Christchurch. The plant currently produces an average of 100 trailers and 40 truck bodies a year. Every aspect of the manufacturing process, from design and build to abrasive blasting, painting and assembling, is carried out on this site.

They also have a large service centre across the road for all general repair work and sidelifter repairs and servicing.

In mid-2013, TMC Trailers was appointed as the sole New

Zealand manufacturing and distribution partner for Steelbro.

“Steelbro Sidelifters are a market leading product and have a very strong following in New Zealand and we’re very proud to be associated with such a great brand.”

TMC added an Auckland facility at Wiri in 2016, which is able to build and fit new truck bodies and undertake service, repair and refurbishment work on any makes of trailer. It also

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?...

Quad axle stepdeck container semi-trailer with

The same trailer showing

specialised flip-

loading capability – RAV

over beaver tail.

Haulage Ltd.

36-pallet-capable 6-axle curtainside B-train – CRG Linehaul Ltd.

TMC Christchurch staff photo June 2018.

has a specialist sidelifter technician on the team for all sidelifter and swinglift servicing.

TMC Trailers uses the latest 3D CAD software and FEA analysis when designing its latest trailers. TMC’s new range of lightweight options available are quad axle container flat decks with tare weights ranging from 6,500kg – 7,100kg, dependent on the final spec. Quad axle skeletals start from 5,200kg tare

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New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

weights. A 40’-only option is available at 4,600kg tare.

TMC Trailers has a wide network of service and repair providers all around New Zealand, so in the event service or repairs are required, they are usually not too far away.

All trailers that go on the road in 2018 will carry special 70th Year TMC logos, but other than that TMC will be keeping it low key due to working towards to their 75th Jubilee in 2023. 

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ CLEAR BACK OF CAB

PRODUCTIVITY NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD

IVECO’s award-winning Stralis 8 x 4. Available ex-factory in Clear Back of Cab (CBOC) specification, allowing bodies to be mounted closer to the cabin for improving weight distribution and for taking full advantage of the front axles’ legal weight limit. Plus with volumetric load now increased with up to 14 pallets, you’ll be scratching your head wondering what to do with all this extra productivity. Phone 0800 FOR IVECO (0800 367 48326) Iveco NZ – 21 Vogler Drive, Wiri, Auckland Brendan Taylor – 027 403 2036 – Auckland, Northland Erwin Stoltz – 027 290 8426 – Auckland, Waikato

Keith Tuffery – 027 489 1761 – Lower North Island Star Trucks Int – 03 544 9580 – Nelson Straun Syme – 027 434 0846 – South Island Advancequip – 0800 483 739 – Lower South Island

NZT916

www.iveco.co.nz

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WOMEN IN TRANSPORT

Pulling power Story by Mike Isle • Photos as credited

Christine Hoori has retired from driving – for now. When she made the break back in January she thought it was permanent; now she is not so sure. We meet a woman for whom the pulling power of driving may be too much to resist.

T

P HO T OS : C HR I S T IN E H OR RI

hat’s the pulling power of driving for those with a passion for it. A memory of it.

Christine came to driving late in life. She was 39 in 2005 when she started double-shifting for her husband, James, on the Auckland-Taupo run behind the wheel of the family owned Argosy under contract to Tranz Ottaway.

It was not an auspicious start to her driving career. Three months in on a brilliantly fine Saturday just outside of Taupo, Christine had just gone for a dip in the lake. She felt refreshed,

Christine in the cut and thrust of a job she loved, working at Fonterra.

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New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

alive, and happy to have the opportunity to share James’s passion for driving.

What she didn’t have, she admits, was James’s experience.

She entered the corner at speed – too much speed. From the rollover that followed, Christine suffered only superficial grazing. More long-term, it gave her a huge respect for what she was driving and, as a result, she says she became a better driver.

In 2006 the couple were drawn home to Northland and the prospect of jobs with Fonterra. James got a job immediately, but Christine’s relative inexperience worked against her. It took three attempts and 13 months before she succeeded in securing a driving job with the company.

Right through that process, however, Christine retained her optimism and pragmatism – attributes that she exhibits to this day.

“In those days it was really hard to get anything other than a temp job with Fonterra, particularly if you lacked experience.

But I believe what will be will be, and if it is meant to be it will be. I just believed I would eventually be given a job if I kept trying. I was so proud when Fonterra gave me my driving job.

James and I were working for the same company and earning the same money. It was great.”

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

These days Christine is one of the operators of Whangarei’s impressive opening bridge, Te P HOT O CRE DI T: ? ?

Matau a Pohe. She says it is a great job, but the former Fonterra driver hasn’t ruled out a return to trucking.

At the wheel of the Scania, “Loving the freedom of being out there.”

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

41

P HOT O: C HR I S T I NE HOR R I

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?...

Parked for a break in Kawakawa.

In 2012 the lure of even bigger money and James’s desire to work the road trains took the couple to Australia and a two-up driving stint as a team on the Brisbane to Perth run.

Christine says she learnt a lot on that route and driving a “full-on” B-double – and on occasion road trains – was, she says, quite an experience.

In August 2014, Christine and James returned to Northland: James straight back into a job with Fonterra, Christine taking a break, working in childcare.

That couldn’t last.

Driving was drawing Christine back and in early 2015 she reapplied for her old job at Fonterra, and got it.

Eventually, however, it was the night shift that got to her. In

January this year she left Fonterra to become a bridge operator at the Open Bridge entrance to Whangarei Marina, where she works today.

While it’s a good job, and Christine seems content, when the logging trucks and the Fonterra tankers roll across that bridge, she knows driving still has a hold on her, pulling her back in.

When asked if she’ll ever go back to it, her eyes glisten and she begins to tear up.

“I struggled with the decision to leave. Fonterra is like a family and I love the freedom of being out there on the road.

Will I go back to driving? I don’t know.

“I know I miss it, though, miss it a lot.” 

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GALLERY PLUS

Matawhero sales Story and photos by Mike Beesley

Matawhero saleyards’ impressive annual ewe sale occurs just outside Gisborne each year in the first quarter. This year 12,000 head of sheep passed under the auctioneer’s hammer, and each of them needed a ride to and from the event.

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New Zealand Trucking

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T

he Matawhero sales have a reputation for being productive and achieving respectable numbers.

Although they are not the largest sale of their kind, with 12,000 head of sheep passing over the loading ramps it made for an impressive sight nonetheless.

Work on the sale starts a good month before the event, organising the farmers/vendors who are selling stock, documenting classifications and the numbers that will be available.

This year’s sale had close to 30 vendors involved, with farms from Wairoa in the south to Tolaga Bay in the northeast, and local farms along SH2 heading back through to Opotiki.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Above: Kiwi Transport 2017 Ltd from

Top: It was a beautiful day as passengers waited in the

Frasertown just inland from Wairoa.

boarding lounges.

The Renault Lander wheels in

Above: Big gear from both sides of the Atlantic and iconic

amongst the action.

brands in New Zealand livestock cartage, (left) Central Transport Ltd and (right) Farmers Transport. Alan Lauder’s FH16 flicks up some dust.

Another large organisational task is ensuring the various trucking companies have enough stock units reserved for the days around the sale, to bring the sheep in and also transport them out to their new homes afterwards.

Stock begins to arrive around midday on the day before the sale and the sheep are kept in large holding paddocks overnight. In the early hours of sale day they are drafted into the various consignments and placed in numbered pens. The drafting process requires very good hand to eye coordination, no ‘baa’ codes available to scan on this job, excuse the pun.

PGG Wrightson was the major sales agent for this year’s sale, under the experienced leadership of regional manager

Jamie Hayward and his team of 10 sales agents, three yardmen, and two administrators, who kept the entire operation running smoothly.

After the dust settled the task of reloading the sheep was handed over to the drivers, who then transported them on to their destinations, whether that was a nice green paddock overlooking Poverty Bay, or a view of the bread over the aisle from the chilled meat section.

The total figure achieved for this year’s sale was an impressive $1,901,373.

More overleaf

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

45

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1

2

1

3

They came from far and wide.

Graeme Wright’s FH16 750

4

powered in for ewe know what.

2

What a toiler. This darling old Mitsi Twin Turbo with Cat powered mud flaps (look closely) lined up with the best of them. According to owner Rob Brothers of Matawai she’s been a near faultless 900,000 very tough kilometres.

3

It didn’t get any more local than Matawhero Transport.

Here a DAF CF85 rolls in.

4

The beautiful thing about

5

trucking in New Zealand. Go to the Matawhero sale and even there it’ll be the walk of truck nations. This beautiful Williams Transport Co DAF XF exemplifies it all.

5

Heikell Transport’s immaculate fleet were present. No 17 is a R730 with CTI – it obviously sees some interesting country.

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New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

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Just Truckin’

Around

www.trt.co.nz

John Rush John Rush was parked in the south service lane in Levin, waiting to collect mail and courier items from New Zealand Post when Faye Lougher spotted he was driving the latest truck to join MJ and TM Pickford’s fleet.

The 2018 DAF CF 85-510 was looking immaculate, just the way Michael Pickford likes his trucks to look.

John said he has been driving trucks for about 12 years, 10 of those with Pickfords. Currently he’s doing the Palmerston North to Levin return run, collecting from New Zealand Post and Courier Post depots in the region.

“I love it, it’s just the freedom cruising the highways and watching stupid people do things on the road,” he said.

John is working part-time for Pickfords at the moment and said the biggest problem he can see in the industry today is the ongoing issue of there not being enough skilled drivers.

“Everyone’s crying out for drivers,” he said.

John’s a Ford man through and through, owning a classic 1980 V8 Mark II Ford Escort that he races in the Historic Sports Sedans class at Manfeild. He’s also into classic motorbikes, and owns – among others – a 1977 Yamaha DT175.

Bernie Halford Craig Andrews bailed up HWR Group’s Bernie Halford near the end of his shift after refuelling in Milton. Bernie spends his days driving this 2014 500hp Mack Granite carting bulk cement anywhere south of Oamaru. The Granite has recently clocked up 1,000,000 kms and it’s a truck he is no hurry to see the end of. Carting cement for Bernie started back in 2000 and since then he has had six new Macks. clocking up nearly 2.5 million kilometres on this work.

Bernie started 42 years ago on an A5 Bedford working as a beekeeper. Since then he’s worked for FW McDowall on a Leyland Super Comet spreader, McDougall’s in Winton driving an F86 Volvo carting tractors, a stint with Jim Dynes on a TW51 Nissan carting logs, time in Rotorua with John Dynes at TD Haulage, four years as an owner-driver delivering milk for NZ Dairy, and from there to Williams and Wilshier. “I got my first new truck there. An 8-wheeler K100E Kenworth with a 425 Cat in it.”

From there Bernie found himself back down south at Peter McDowall’s, this time driving one of his lightweight Freightliners on bulk work, and from there it was to his current job in 2000.

“I enjoy the freedom and being in charge of your own day.

I learnt early on that if you do a good job then the boss will leave you alone. I can sit back and enjoy the scenery.”

Bernie didn’t have many gripes but did mention there could be more done to get young people into the industry, and that

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New Zealand Trucking

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road maintenance is struggling to keep up with the weight of the trucks.

“And too much health and safety. We did need some improvement but H & S has developed into its own industry with much of the so-called safety improvements now making it harder to operate safely. Having bollards fitted around worksites that make manoeuvring a truck, loader or forklift near on impossible sometimes as an example.”

Bernie spends his spare time appreciating classic cars and has two of his own, a Rover 90 and a Nissan 350Z. He also enjoys his trucks and travelling.

His vexing question was tea or coffee? “Both… Black, I’m not fussy.”

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Just Truckin’

Around the world

www.trt.co.nz

Just Truckin’ Around the world Brett Ellis Brett Ellis was checking some wheel nuts at Coolalinga on Darwin’s southern outskirts when Craig McCauley caught up with him. He has been driving trucks for 38 years, the past 18 of which have been behind the wheel of fuel tankers.

The prime mover on the triple road train he drives for Direct Haul is a Cummins powered Kenworth T909, and was loaded with diesel for delivery to Aboriginal communities and cattle stations around Lajamanu, approximately 900 kilometres southwest of Darwin.

He was looking forward to returning from this trip and having a couple of days off fishing with mates at Corroboree Billabong on the Mary River Wetlands, reported to be home to the largest concentration of saltwater crocodiles in the world!

Brett’s reply when questioned about the biggest issue facing

trucking in the Northern Territory was the overuse of modern technology and the loss of the old way of life as a truck driver.

Vexing question time rolled around and when asked was his footy preference NRL or Aussie Rules, he replied “both”, following Melbourne Storm in the NRL and Carlton in Aussie Rules. 

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TOP TRUCK … AND SOME

The manor house Story and photos by Faye Lougher

Bryan Menefy is well known for adding highly specced trucks to his Menefy Trucking Ltd fleet in Palmerston North, and the two latest additions are certainly impressive – a Mack Super Liner with a 60” sleeper cab, and the world’s first 8-wheeler Volvo 750 tractor unit.

B

ryan says as he got older he wanted a few more creature comforts and decided to look for a little more luxury in his next truck.

“I needed to retire my Ultra Liner. Lee’s [Bryan’s son] Super Liner was supposed to be mine; I built it and lost that because it had to go into the fleet. That went on the road in January 2014 and I figured I was never getting that back.”

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New Zealand Trucking

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A trip to the States last October coincided with the release of the Mack Anthem, which Bryan got to drive.

“That was a 72” sleeper and it was something else again. Me being me, I had it in my head and decided I was going to get one that’s smaller – the 72” just would not have worked.”

While chatting to MTD Trucks general manager Murray Sowerby about other planned projects, Bryan told him he wanted to do something different for his next truck.

“I didn’t think it was going to be a 60”, but it was interesting how that came about. Murray said he knew the location of one in Australia that had been built as a Mack demonstrator. Mack had dropped the truck off with one of their good customers for a week or so to have a look and see if they liked the new style sleepers. Everybody then forgot about it, and the person it was left with rang Mack up after three months and asked when they were coming to pick their truck up! How can somebody forget about a truck that size?

“It was brand spanking new and it was a good price too, although I didn’t care what it

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ was going to be. I got sent photos of it, it had a bulldog on the front so I was doomed from the start, wasn’t I!” The Super Liner is the first 60” USA-style Mack sleeper in the country, and is made from aluminium rather than fibreglass. It arrived in New Zealand in February and was modified at MTD Trucks to Bryan’s requirements.

“It had to get the chassis painted, and the wheelbase done on it – it was actually even longer than that again,” says Bryan.

“There were all sorts of things done to suit me. Australia’s are all on 11Rs, their diff ratios are all different over there, so before it came here it got a ratio change as well, to suit 275 tyres rather than the 11Rs. It’s got an MP10 engine obviously, and mDRIVE transmission. It’s huge!”

The truck was ready for Bryan at the beginning of May, and the trailer a week later.

“Gary Douglas in Palmerston North made the trailer – there’s just no need to go anywhere else. It’s a custom-built trailer for that truck – it’s only 14 metres long. All my other

trailers are 15.2 metres but to get a decent deck on it and compensate for the sheer size of the truck, something had to give, and it’s always the trailer. To gain a bit of deck length back I’ve put the truck onto an over-length permit, otherwise the trailer would have only been 13.5.”

Bryan says a special request had to go through the NZ Transport Agency because of the wheelbase of the tractor unit and there was a fair bit of banter back and forth between NZTA and Gary Douglas Engineering’s design engineer Dwayne Zander.

“They were asking who would be doing something like this and why. I’m not sure about word-for-word, but Dwayne told him, ‘our client does all these weird and wonderful things because he wants to and he can’ or something to that effect.”

Bryan says the size of the truck does mean it’s a bit of a different beast to drive compared with the rest of his fleet.

“It’s huge. Because of the long wheelbase [5.8m] it’s going to be a lot harder on tight corners, even the tractor unit in

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... general, by itself, even though the trailer is shorter. I drove Lee’s one for a year and then the 8-wheeler Super Liner that’s now based in Morrinsville for a wee while, so I already know how comfortable and easy to control they are.”

Bryan works long hours – “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I’m doing something that I like” – and the Super Liner is just reward for that. Apart from the mural painted on the back of the cab, the huge truck is very understated; just the way Bryan likes it.

“I haven’t a need – or a want – to advertise myself in that vehicle. I don’t need to, especially on my one. The reason I got that truck is the line that I’ve said forever: ‘because I can’.”

Tony Walton of Custom Art painted the Pink Floyd-themed mural on the rear of the cab, a nod to Bryan’s love of the band and its music.

The Mack has a different fleet number from the rest of the Menefy trucks.

“This is number 306, which was my original fleet number of my very first truck as an owner-driver with Owens Tankers. All the others are four-digit numbers that start with 1,” says Bryan.

…moving right along

Not content with persuading MTD Trucks in Palmerston North to build the world’s first 8-wheeler Mack Super Liner for him about two years ago, Bryan also talked them into building him the world’s first 8-wheeler FH16 Volvo 750 tractor unit.

“They weren’t keen on doing it, but I needed another 8-wheeler in the fleet, another 8-axle semi unit. It only needed to be a 540, but once again, it’s me you’re talking to, eh!”

Bryan says one day he’ll have to stop doing these “silly things”.

“Well, maybe not silly, but these out of the ordinary things.

Is it ridiculous to have a 750 when you can only go to 44 tonne? Of course it is, but that 750 is actually 100-odd kilos lighter than the 540. That truck is never even going to get a sweat up.”

Bryan says originally he planned to put the unit on a 48.8 tonne HPMV permit, but when he did the maths, it didn’t stack up.

“We might be on a unit rate not a tonne rate, so because we’re not heavy all the time, it doesn’t actually stack up. That extra four tonne is not worth it. So until it is worth it, it will stay at 44 tonne.”

The Volvo only had 8kms on the clock when it was handed over to driver Phillip Brown (commonly referred to as Dr Phil due to his likeness to the television doctor), who has been with Menefy’s for about two years.

“I knew there was a new one coming, but exactly what it was I didn’t know until it arrived,” says Dr Phil. “I was on the road with a new driver when Bryan sent me a couple of photos, with a smart comment about the badge being the wrong way, it should have been 570 not 750!”

Dr Phil was previously driving a 2012 Freightliner Argosy and says there is no comparison between the two trucks.

“The Volvo has so much comfort. It’s got a 12-speed auto, TV, fridge, Bluetooth and USB ports, heated seats – all the bits and pieces that help you keep dry and warm and comfortable.”

When you climb into the cab you’re confronted with more

The Menefy Pink Floyd theme continues

Up front it’s a familiar Mack look but turn around and

on in the latest acquisition.

it’s a whole new world. Even room to walk around.

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New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

The true size of the sleeper can be appreciated in this pic.

storage than most homes – there are pull-out trays on the centre console, a glovebox, shelves above the doors and along the back wall of the cab next to the bed, as well as overhead lockers.

The cab has all the mod cons such as an under-bunk fridge with freezer, fridge and chiller compartments, and a TV with remote. The bed is a decent size and the flat floor cab makes it easy to move around inside the truck. There are blackout curtains as well as a blackout cover for the sunroof. The sunroof also features an insect screen so it can be left open when sleeping. Outside there are two deep storage lockers on each side of the truck for tools and equipment.

Dr Phil says the Volvo has great visibility from the cab too, and that he can see what the trailer’s doing all the time. It’s also incredibly smooth on the road and has unbelievable pick-up.

Bryan Menefy thinks that one day he’ll have to stop doing these out of the ordinary projects he’s known for…

We’d like to hope not.

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

53

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If power’s your thing then the

Phillip Brown, a.k.a Dr Phil, drives the Menefy 750. “The

FH16 750 is pretty much where

power just makes everything so easy, you just glide along, built by local engineer Gary Douglas.

it’s at…globally.

and you’re not physically drained when you finish.”

“With 750 horsepower it just instantly responds. Once you get yourself up to a certain speed you set the cruise control and cruise along with it. The power on it just makes everything so easy, you just glide along, and you’re not physically drained when you finish. You do a full day’s work and you get out at the end of it and you’re so relaxed.”

Based in Palmerston North, Dr Phil goes wherever the load needs to go.

“That can be anywhere from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island and anywhere in between. The loads I’m carrying vary all the time. It can be concrete, steel, scrap steel, containers. On that trailer I did two jet boat motors that were about 19 tonne out of Christchurch to Auckland.

Today I’ve got a load of scrap cars heading for Te Puke.”

The Volvo has a new Gary Douglas flat deck trailer that went on the road in January, initially being towed behind the Freightliner to break it in.

Bryan Menefy had the semis for both trucks “There’s no need to go anywhere else.”

Dr Phil has been driving trucks for 21 years and says he has done a bit of produce work, and on transporters moving houses. He has also done a lot of trombone work, shifting long loads like crane gantries.

“I like that with this job every day is different – different roads, different loads, different challenges, no two days are ever the same. You go somewhere different and see different faces.”

Bryan says Dr Phil is an excellent operator.

“He is very clever when it comes to operating our specialised step-deck trombone trailer so he does lots of my oversize work.”

When the Volvo was purchased it did not have the Swedish flag painted on it.

“That’s me being different again, and putting different things on,” Bryan says. “I saw that blue one [with the same flag paint job] and I thought ‘man, that looks really striking’, and I thought ‘that’s what I want on mine’, so that’s where the idea came from.” 

2018 MACK CLX64T SUPER LINER GCM:

90,000 kg

Wheelbase:

5800mm

Engine:

MP10

Engine capacity:

16 litre

Maximum power:

685hp

2018 VOLVO FH16 GCM:

Maximum torque:

2300ft/lb

Transmission:

mDRIVE Mack TmD12A023

Rear axle:

Meritor RT50 160

Rear suspension:

Mack AP460 Air

Features/extras:

First Mack in New Zealand with 60” sleeper. Fridge, TV, CB radio, roof beacon, Dura-Bright rims, painted fuel tanks, double bunk.

GARY DOUGLAS ENGINEERING CUSTOM-BUILT TRAILER 14.0m type 2-quad flat deck BPW suspension and Wabco braking system This trailer is a non pro-forma and was designed and assessed for this truck as a dedicated unit. Capable of being used with Menefy’s other trucks if required The trailer is 1.2m shorter than his other units but the combination is 450mm longer Trailer toolboxes made by Roadrunner in Bulls

54

New Zealand Trucking

SPECIFICATIONS

October 2018

60,000 kg

Wheelbase:

4985mm

Engine:

D16G

Engine capacity:

16 litre

Maximum power:

750hp

Maximum torque:

3550nm/2620ftlb

Transmission:

ATO3512F – I-Shift

Rear axle:

Volvo RTS2370B single reduction

Rear suspension:

Volvo 8-bag air suspension

Features/extras:

First truck of this spec in the world; resting package, 33-litre under-bunk fridge, TV, CB radio, leather upholstery, roof beacon, roof bar, dual chrome air horns, rain sensing wipers, Dura-Bright rims, custom fuel tank, custom painting.

GARY DOUGLAS ENGINEERING TRAILER 15.2m type 2 quad flat deck BPW suspension and Wabco braking system 9.2m forward distance and 19m overall unit length High tensile chassis rail

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THE TRUCKS OF NEW ZEALAND POST

Cabover Colonial Commer The impact of the government directive of the mid 1920s that only motor vehicles sourced from Great Britain were to be purchased for government fleets was becoming noticeable by the end of the decade, with Bedford, Commer and Morris trucks dominating. There were a few Ford V8s, but these would have been sourced from Canada that documents of the time suggest was acceptable as it was part of the British Empire. 

Powered by a 4-cylinder 14hp engine with

Clearly new when this photograph was taken,

a payload of one ton (pre metric – 1.016

the dark colour suggests it was painted red

tonne), this 1936 Commer was likely one

to distinguish its use from the vehicles used

of the first examples of a forward control

to support the telegraph/telephone network.

(cabover) vehicle in the fleet until the

The tray was built by the Railways Workshops

introduction of TK Bedfords. The vulnerability

in Otahuhu. With their comprehensive

of the steering box and front suspension to

workshops the Railways fitted out many

damage most likely led to a lot of work for

trucks for the P&T and other government

the workshop mechanics at the time.

departments outside Wellington.

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COOL THINGS

The trucker and the Trader – turning over a new leaf Story and photos by Faye Lougher

The first time people see Jordan Richardson’s truck coming towards them they assume it’s a big truck that’s a long way away, so they often get a surprise when it gets closer and they realise it’s not quite as big as they first thought.

U

p close the 1988 Ford Trader F409 and matching trailer is a pretty cool little combo. It’s a tribute to the months of hard work and attention to detail the 26-year-old has put into it.

When Jordan left school in 2009 he went to work in Watson’s Garden Centre, an Otaki business owned by his grandfather, Don Watson senior. He works as a forklift operator, a sower on the plant seedling production line, and a truck driver delivering plants and trees.

Jordan uses the Ford Trader to deliver fruit trees that were too big for customers’ cars. He says it was an old workhorse, mostly used onsite to move plants between different parts of the business. Left outside in all weathers, when he began driving the truck in 2012 it certainly wasn’t the immaculate vehicle it is today.

“The restoration has been a gradual process. It had been sitting in the sun for years and the dash was crumbling,” he says. “I kept coating it in layer upon layer of polish and you wouldn’t recognise it now. The cab was painted in 2016 and there are still things to be done, like the upholstery.”

The Trader had 85,000kms on the clock when he started driving it, and now it’s done about 220,000-odd. He has it regularly serviced by Rockeater Truck Services in Otaki to ensure it’s kept in tip-top condition.

Jordan is very much a do-it-yourself kind of guy, making the exhaust stacks and spending countless hours drilling holes in the covers. Unable to find a new stone guard, he bought a secondhand one from a Ford Trader camper van and cut it down the middle to make it fit. He even added an air horn on the truck.

“I bought a 200psi air horn and compressor from the States.

No wonder heads turn!

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New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

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It is 150db and I have a little chain hooked up to a motorbike brake switch to activate the solenoid and to make the horn work.”

Jordan had fitted LED whips to the truck, and when they stopped working after a couple of years he decided to make his own rather than buying new ones.

“I drilled out both ends to get the LEDs out, and I bought 5-metre amber and red lights that cost me $14 for both. I cut them to the right length and soldered the wires and then stuck them back-to-back with a red and an amber, and pushed them back into the whips.”

Not a fan of the standard truck mirrors, when someone borrowed the truck and one of the mirrors got knocked off, Jordan figured it was a good time to replace them with West Coast mirrors.

In 2015 Watson’s started a plant delivery service between Raumati and Levin, with a trip to Upper Hutt every second week. The size of the Trader’s deck began limiting the number of plants Jordan could carry, so last year he started thinking about a trailer.

“I needed a bit more room for the Hutt deliveries, and I thought ‘why don’t we do something different?’ It may be a bit excessive, but I wanted it to be a mini truck, a tandem.”

WITHOUT ANY PLANS, Jordan and his uncle, Don Watson junior, set about designing a trailer to suit his needs.

“We got the steel from Fletcher and had it cut out. Then we went about building the trailer, copying the truck tray that O’Leary Engineering in Palmerston North built when we bought the truck, and Don taught me how to arc weld it together.”

Jordan worked on the trailer two nights a week and some

Left: The dash on the Trader gives the impression that back in the day, someone in the design department had a touch of the Jordan’s about trucks. Right: Yeah! It’s a must.

weekends, and completed it in November last year. He did most of the work himself, including the electrical wiring.

“I went to an auto electrician who said he was too old to do it but he taught me how to do the wiring.”

The lighting on the truck and trailer was a huge task and one that involved many hours of wiring for the relays. Ericson Auto Electrical in Levin supplied the marker lights.

“I had 12 to start with and now I’ve got about 70 to 80 on the truck,” says Jordan. “I haven’t counted how many are on the trailer but there has to be about $2500 worth of lights.”

The trailer is seven metres long – five for the deck and two for the drawbar. It is rated for 2.5 tonne and the truck for 3, but Jordan says plants are light and the unit doesn’t get anywhere near the maximum.

“We don’t need the depth either, it’s the width we need for carrying plants. I made the trailer 400 mm deep as the truck bed is a bit deep. I also made the trailer so you can split the side by dropping a pin, to allow easy access to the plants. I can

New Zealand Trucking

October 2018

59

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?...

Left: Jordan Richardson expressed his passion for all things trucking by restoring an old unloved Ford Trader and making it a fantastic advertisement for his employer.

Right: No matter how you look at it, the trailer is a work of art.

jack-knife the trailer too.”

The truck and trailer have a lot of personalised touches that make the unit stand out.

“Riverbank Engineering plasma-cut my name out of the metal backing plate on the dolly, and Rhino Guards in Rotorua made the eight mud guards out of propeller plate. Winiata and Anderson in Levin made the propeller plate bumper and drop visor to match the guards, and Canvasland made the truck and trailer covers.”

After getting sick of painting the fuel tank that continually sported stone chips, Jordan made a cover for it out of propeller plate.

To save having to climb under the trailer in the wet if he needs to change a tyre, Jordan bought two 4x4 spare truck tyre winches for $45 and fitted them underneath the deck of the trailer. It’s that kind of attention to detail that make this Ford Trader such a cool little unit.

Jordan says he has always loved trucks and enjoys building models of them, but he doesn’t have any plans to move up to a

larger truck. [The Ford Trader is fitted with a 5-speed manual and the truck and trailer can be driven on a car licence.]

“If I was to get my truck licence I would probably want to go and do some driving, but I’m happy where I am, I just love working here. Being out on the road doing deliveries is the best part of the day for me.”

Jordan has always waved at other truck drivers and says now the truck has its bling, he tends to gets a wave back.

“It’s funny, I get so many comments on the CB and I’ve got to know a lot of truck drivers. When it was just stock I used to wave and I’d keep waving even if they didn’t wave back. But now a lot of them wave back – they don’t have to give a big wave, just a flick of a finger off the wheel is fine.”

Jordan says he’d like to thank both Don senior and Don junior for allowing him to do what he loves and customise the truck.

“I’m the only driver and I’m a bit precious about it. I love my truck; it’s my pride and joy. I’m always polishing and cleaning it and it’s a good advertisement for the business.” 

Classic Truck & Vehicle Auction

900-1018

1075 State Highway 30, Awakeri, Bay of Plenty Saturday 20th October 2018 ~ 10.00am Well known Logging contractor and classic truck enthusiast Barry Caulfield has decided to sell part of his collection and along with entries from other vendors we will conduct an Auction well worth attending for those with an interest in classic vehicles.

Includes: Classic & Vintage Trucks, Tractors, Earthmoving equipment, Farm equipment, Tyres and much more. There also will be a number of outside entries.

For further enquiries contact Tony 027 293-6411 www.abauctions.co.nz

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No rehearsal!

Story by Faye Lougher• Photos Chris Hockley

Chris Hockley says he had the shortest career ever in the army – about 24 hours! He had hoped to become a driver, but between applying and being accepted he’d hurt his knee so they sent him packing.

B

ack home in Palmerston North Chris went on a 13-week government course where he was taught warehousing and got his truck licence in a D series Ford with a petrol V8, 5-speed transmission and a 2-speed diff.

After gaining his licence Chris worked for Daily Freight doing around town work, before getting a job with Pratt Contracting in Bunnythorpe.

“That was my first job driving big trucks, I had an NL Volvo 6-wheeler and a 6-wheeler trailer. I worked for them for two years then I started working for Elliot’s Transport in Palmerston North.”

After he’d been there a few months the owner, Ridley, asked

Kiwis all over the world doing what they do best – turning their hand to anything and looking for adventure. Chris Hockley loved the Argosy when he saw one … mentioned it to his boss, and what do you know!

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Chris if he wanted to buy the truck that he had been driving for him. He said no at the time, but a year later bought the Japanese Ford Trader that he used to take vegetables to the supermarkets in Feilding.

Chris changed trucks a couple of years later, then after another two years he headed to Southend On Sea in England.

“I just decided I’d go and do something different. I sold my truck and was cashed up, I had $20,000 in my pocket – that lasted a month!”

Chris says it took him about a month to get a UK truck driving licence and shortly after he was offered two jobs.

“One of them was an Eaton crash box, Road Rangery type of thing that I’d never driven before, and the other was a DAF, a synchro, and I got offered both. One was moving tractors and one was moving cardboard boxes. I took the cardboard boxes because it was within walking distance of where I was living, and I didn’t have a car.”

After seven months Chris went to stay with a cousin in Sussex and joined a driving agency, doing mainly aircraft freight between Gatwick and Heathrow. While working for the agency one of the jobs was for The Body Shop, leading to eight months of full-time work.

“The job was night shift – two drivers, swap bodies on wagon and drag (truck and trailer) and drive home. I found out the first night why I got the job. I had been seen reversing the

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Show wheels on the continent. Keeping the shows moving on tour means long hours and tight spaces.

truck and trailer, and when we got to the destination, the other driver was about to reverse the drag under the swap bodies and says to me, ‘ok, how do I do this?’ I said, ‘I don’t really know, it comes naturally to me’.”

When Chris’s time with The Body Shop was nearing its end, the fleet controller suggested he move on to a job with theatre transport company G. H. Lucking & Sons.

“I worked for them for two years, moving all sorts of theatre shows.”

Chris says most of the outs – when shows are packed up ready to be transported to the next location – were done on a Saturday night.

“Depending on how big the show is and when it’s on next, sometimes you have to move straight after the out, and if it was a big out, you’d be working all night and then driving all day. We’d be forever going bobtail or moving empty trailers the length of the UK getting them closer to where the shows were coming out of or going to next.”

Chris says the streets and roads are the same no matter where in the UK you are, it’s just in the bigger populated areas they are a lot busier which makes it more difficult to access some of the theatres.

“It’s all relative to how many people are watching you too. At Blackpool you drive up into a pedestrian street and then back ‘blind side’ around the building and in to the dock door. The building that you back around has the corner cut off it so you can make the manoeuvre. I got there at 5am once in the dark and did it in one, and got back with my second trailer about 9am in daylight when people were everywhere and it took me about 15 tries!”

Chris met his partner, Jill Barker [see last month’s issue for her story], when he was working at Luckings, and helped her gain her truck licence too.

“While I was at Crawley I met a Kiwi who played hockey for the Penguin Hockey Club in Worthing. I had weekends down there because when I started at The Body Shop I went down

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Jill Barker and Chris Hockley. Life with a ‘truckaholic’ has meant just going with it for Jill and seeing where the adventure heads next.

to Littlehampton, and he introduced me to Jill.”

Being in Littlehampton led to Chris working for Paul Mathew Transport, also theatre show movers. Some of the big shows Paul Mathew was involved with were Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.

“I think they were about 30-trailer moves, which moved every two or three months. We did a couple of the ones on ice too, and Cats was another big one.”

Jill says she has tried over the years to get Chris to move away from trucking so they would have more time together.

“One time I thought I was successful; we were sitting on the side of the road in France having a cup of coffee, and a Renault truck went past, and he went, ‘ooh, Maaaaaagnuuuuuuum!’

And I thought ‘you’re a truck man, it’s not going anywhere at all!’ I reckon if you cut him in half he’s got ‘trucker’ written right through the middle of him. I had a couple of tries but he went right back to it again. It’s his calling, isn’t it?”

Chris says his love of trucks dates back to his childhood, when his father worked for Marlborough Transport.

“Dad had left trucking but he had friends who were still driving, they used to move the sheep around, and so after school when I was eight or nine I suppose, I would go up to the stockyards and see if any of them were there and if so I’d go for rides with them.”

Most of the time Chris and Jill would be working separately, so as they wanted to spend more time together, Chris put an ad in a trucking paper in the UK. “It just said something like ‘two-up team wanting work’.

A guy rang and said he didn’t have any work for me, but he wanted to have a chat. A little while later he rang back and said he had some work for us.”

Chris says the business was called Lightning Trucks and they contracted to Stage Truck who moved music shows around. In between shifting shows they would move freight.

“The music was normally one driver and one truck. They’d send Jill into little tiny, hard to get to places, and send me somewhere that was really easy.

“They didn’t want couples working together and they wanted us to go on different tours and we said no. We only did the one full tour which went for a month, Canadian singer Beck,

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but we did bits and pieces all the time, going to festivals and things.”

Eventually Chris and Jill decided to take a six-month trip to see where they wanted to live.

“We landed in Perth, and then spent six months travelling around Australia, New Zealand, and the west coast of Canada.

Everywhere we went we said, ‘we like Perth’. I don’t know why, it just felt right.”

Jill says travelling with Chris – or as she christened him ‘Trucker Dundee’ – was all about trucks.

“Every town we arrived at we didn’t go straight to all the nice coffee shops downtown, we had to go to the industrial estates like some fricking stalker!”

At the end of the trip the couple returned to England and Chris went back to Paul Mathew Transport for about a year while they saved their money and sorted out visas for Australia.

“Before we left England I Googled transport companies in Perth and there was one called Sykes that did all sorts, and one called Goldstar,” says Chris. “Once I had my licence in my hand I rang Sykes, but it was a Saturday morning and there was no one there, so I rang Goldstar. The owner answered the phone and told me to come down for an interview right then.

We both went, and he said, ‘The important thing to me is you show up every day and do your day’s work and come back again tomorrow’. I started on the Monday, and that’s the only job I’ve had in Australia.”

Chris does long haul work for Goldstar, with a little around town work when long haul goes quiet.

“Our main work is moving the infrastructure and production equipment for engineering companies to the mine sites. We move a lot of dongers [accommodation huts] around, and we’ve moved a couple of whole camps between mine sites.”

While Goldstar move the bulk of the production equipment, Chris says they contract out all the really heavy haulage.

Chris says undertaking work in Australia’s outback requires drivers to be resilient.

“You’ve got to do little repairs and change your tyres because there’s nobody out there. If you break down, you’ve got a long wait. One of the jobs I did was to the Tanami Mine site, on the road between Alice Springs and Hall’s Creek. It’s a kind of a short cut but it’s all gravel road and it’s really crappy. So it took me 22 hours of driving time to do 500kms because of the corrugations in the road.”

Chris says he loves moving, so being a truck driver suits him perfectly.

“I think a Sagittarian thing is to be moving all the time.

It’s not just trucks – I could do a cycle tour or drive a car or a loader or something, I just like moving.”

As well as partner Jill, Chris has another love in his life.

“While on our six-month trip I saw a Freightliner Argosy pull up and when the driver opened the door the steps came out. That was 10 years ago. I’d never driven one, never looked in one, but I kept asking my boss [at Goldstar] when he was going to buy one. He said he was never going to buy one. It took about four years and then he said he’d get me a demo Argosy for two weeks while my Kenworth T904 was having its engine rebuilt.”

Chris says after the Kenworth came out of the workshop the Argosy remained and he continued driving it.

“I drove it for about four months, and he asked, ‘how is it?’

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Gives a whole new meaning to packing up and heading for home. Chris will unhook the trailer he’s just backed onto the semi, drive off and hook-up to the bottom trailer and head off.

and I said, ‘oh, it’s brilliant, it’s really good, but the roof is too low and the bed’s too big’. He didn’t say much then another one arrived, the high cab one, with the smaller two bunks and cupboards and a wardrobe and all sorts, and a 130 ton rating for doing the triple road trains, which was quite a surprise.”

His boss told him he’d bought it especially for him, and he was not allowed to leave until it was worn out. Goldstar is a family run operation and Chris says his boss, Sean Carren, is happy to look after his staff as long as they do the job required of them.

“I think in the second year I was there I got best-kept truck in the fleet and I’ve got that and the driver of the year award a couple of times. Sean said he pulled up to a traffic light and he looked to the side and there was a truck next to him that looked really nice, the wheels were polished and it looked really good. He thought to himself, ‘I wish one of my drivers would keep their truck like that’ and it was mine!

“And speaking of moving … as I’ve done the heat of the outback, maybe onward to driving trucks on the ice roads of Canada!” 

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Freightliner CL112-Low Trial Truck Story and photos by Howard Shanks

Safety enhancements are the driving force behind the design of Freightliner’s new CL112-Low [centre of gravity] agitator spec truck that promises no compromises on efficiency, productivity or reliability.

New Zealand Trucking magazine was given a private reveal of the latest Freightliner to hit the road.

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F

reightliner are certainly seasoned players when it comes to producing vehicles for the vocational sector. While their market share in Australia and New Zealand is considerable, over the past five years they’ve gone on to dominate the US market with innovative newly designed vehicles that are bringing greater productivity and safety solutions across a broad sector of vocational applications.

On our side of the globe, concrete delivery companies are exploring new means to enhance safety for their drivers and customers, along with minimising the inherent risk of concrete truck rollovers caused by the movement of the load in the revolving bowl.

Freightliner engineer Kevin Buschert heads up the Columbia CL112-Low agitator project here in Australia, and looks after the New Zealand market as well. He took time out of his busy schedule to demonstrate how Freightliner in Australia have drawn upon the resources and research in the US, and working with body builder Cesco, adapted these latest technological

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Freightliner engineer, Kevin Buschert is

The mirror arms have been narrowed

immensely proud of

to take advantage of the concrete

what the company has

bowl not being as wide as a normal

produced.

body. This improves working room when manoeuvring in tight spaces.

Left: Mounting both the DEF and fuel tanks on the left has allowed room for the pressured water tank on the right (right).

advances to fit with local specification, delivering a cement agitator that has lowered the centre of gravity by an impressive 140mm.

“We have gone to a 28 percent thicker and nine percent deeper chassis rail,” Kevin said. “Sure, the rails might sit a bit higher, but it is worth it for the increased torsional stiffness we’ve gained. Certainly, the thicker and larger rails add a small amount of weight but all of the other changes that have been added means we are still lighter than the standard model. Our tare on this new CL112-Low is class-leading,” he adds with a smile.

The reason behind larger size chassis rails that give the vehicle increased torsional strength is apparent when you look at how the Cesco bowl is mounted directly to what would typically be turntable angles strategically located along the chassis.

The absence of the traditional agitator bowl sub-frame has delivered approximately 100mm reduction in bowl height.

The CL112-Low is shod with low-profile 275/70 R22.5 tyres that replace the standard 11R22.5 ones. This lowers the vehicle a further 40mm and also saves 66kg off the tare due to the lower weight of the low profile tyres. Because there is less flex in the sidewalls of the low profile tyres, roll stability is enhanced.

Consequently, the rear axle ratio has changed when specced with the Allison MD3000 RDS transmission, from a 5.86:1 rear axle ratio to 5.29:1. This maintains performance with the lower profile tyres.

“We have retained the Freightliner Airliner 46K airbag suspension for drivability and comfort, as well as compatibility

with low cost weight scales for operating efficiency,” Kevin explained.

“Meanwhile, the batteries have been relocated from the side of the chassis to under the passenger’s seat to free up space along the chassis and save weight.

“You might notice on this CL112-Low that we have located the DEF and fuel tanks on the left-hand side of the chassis and kept the right-hand side of the chassis free for the body builder to mount the pressurised water tank.”

Kevin said other features that are unique to this agitator spec truck and make the driver’s daily operation safer include high grip steps. The external grab handles have additional ribs moulded into the outer circumference to ensure a driver has positive grip when entering or exiting the cabin.

“Because the agitator barrels are considerably narrower than a traditional van body, we have mounted the mirrors on narrow arms, which greatly reduces the overall width of the vehicle and enables the vehicle to be more easily manoeuvred into tight construction sites safely.”

Another area that helped shed weight is the use of Meritor STEELite brake drums on the front steer axles and CentriFuse drums on the rear axles. The inclusion of alloy air tanks also helped shed a few more kilos. Industry-leading ConMet PreSet Plus hubs with Timken bearings are fitted as standard.

On the safety side, an additional maxi-brake booster can also be optioned to run on the trailing steer axle to improve the park brake operation when a concrete truck is unloading on steep gradients.

Under the hood there is the latest generation 8.9-litre engine

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Left: Mounting the bowl directly to the meatier chassis reduces its height by 100mm.

Running a lower profile 275/70 R22.5 takes a further 40mm out.

Cummins ISLe5. In this vehicle the engine has the top power rating of 298kW (400hp), and 1700 Nm (1254lb/ft) of torque, and is married to an Allison 3000 RDS automatic transmission.

The high power-to-weight ratio of the combination makes this an ideal combination for urban concrete distribution in either the 8x4 or 10x4 configurations.

The standard Cummins compression brake delivers up to 335kW (250bhp), which means there is less wear on the vehicle’s service brakes. The rear engine Power Take Off (PTO) on the Cummins ISLe5 delivers ample power to drive the agitator’s hydraulic drive.

Up front there is a massive 1300 square inch (8387 sq cm) engine-mounted radiator that ensures close fan to shroud clearance for maximum cooling efficiency.

Nevertheless, the Freightliner CL112-Low can be optioned up with either Eaton’s 18-speed manual or UltraShift PLUS or the larger Allison 4500 RDS, which can bring the vehicle’s gross combination up to 40,000kg.

That’s good news for country operators who may prefer to option the Eaton FO-14E309ALL-VMS (VMS – Vocational Multipurpose Series) AMT, which has 11 forward gears and three reverse gears, as this transmission with its tall top cruising gear ratio of 0.73:1 will deliver improved fuel economy on longer leads that country operators traditionally experience. Meanwhile, the extra low ratios – 26.08:1 in first and 20.84:1 for reverse – in the VMS UltraShift PLUS make this transmission well suited to curb and channel work where the vehicle is required to crawl along while feeding the profile machine.

“The CL112-Low can be fine-tuned to perfectly fit whatever job our customers have and the platform is not just limited to agitator specced applications either,” says Kevin. “We can deliver it in 6x4, 8x4 and 10x4 configurations to suit a wide variety of construction and distribution applications.”

Other standard safety features include Roll Stability Control, traction control and Wabco ABS anti-lock brakes.

The cabin design really has put the driver first, with wide opening doors and clear vision over the steep sloping hood.

The dash layout is practical with all the gauges in clear view at a glance, and the switches are easily accessible in an intuitive layout for ease of operation. Given that the CL112-Low is traditionally specced as a day cab, the spacious interior means there is ample room for a driver to store his lunch box and paperwork.

This CL112-Low has been prepared for upcoming field trials in NSW. New Zealand Trucking magazine will report on the results of the trials when they have concluded. 

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INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

Mega truck extravaganza at Assen!

Story and photos by Paul O’Callaghan

Since 1981 Dutch magazine Truckstar has hosted the largest truck show in Europe, the annual Truckstar Festival. This year saw 2300 trucks turn up to what is a ‘bucket-list’ event for any Euro truck buff!

O

riginally the Truckstar Festival was held close to The Hague on the North Sea coast, but the TT Circuit Assen in the north of Holland has hosted the event since 1992. This year there were 2300 trucks present, about 500 in the paddock area and 1,700 lined up side by side around the 4.5km TT Circuit Assen. According to Bert Mateboer from Truckstar magazine, the event takes a year to organise.

The Dutch public really embrace this festival and it’s customary for families to congregate along the motorways close to the circuit, greeting the trucks as they arrive on Friday evening. While travelling north along the A50 we encountered a 70-truck heavy haulage convoy, which had been organised by

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trailer manufacturer Broshuis. The company laid on a BBQ at their premises on Friday evening where the trucks congregated before being escorted the final 9 km to Assen.

To call the Truckstar Festival the holy grail of European truck shows is no overstatement, borne out by the fact that truckers travel from Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Britain and Ireland. The furthest travelled was Paul Patounas of Greece who travelled 2500km in his Scania 141, which regularly entertained V8 nuts by billowing black smoke from either the side pipes or upright exhausts.

European cabovers were naturally the order of the day and loyalty to the home-grown DAF brand was evident. Volvo and Scania rounded out the top three brands, while Mercedes, Renault and an occasional IVECO and MAN were also sprinkled around. A line-up of about 10 American trucks was on show, which included Macks, Freightliners and a Peterbilt.

Lesser-known makes such as Dutch FTF, Kromhout, and the German Hanomag Henschel could be viewed in the classic truck section.

Walking around the track for your first time is an experience to behold, especially when you see first-hand how the Dutch do truck shows; lots will have their own bar area, everything from a few pallets stacked together or a full indoor tent, to a converted Scania Topline cab featuring beer taps in place of a

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Weeda Transport took the top prize for the show, the ‘Mooiste Truck van Nederlan’ – the most beautiful Dutch truck. There were 24 entrants who qualified for the final.

From left to right, the top three in the special trucks category; van Wijk 144L 530 live eel transporter, Van den Brink S450, and Patrick van den Hoeven Scania R520.

Schoones Transport took the top prize in the open trailer class with this impressive Volvo FH16 and Nooteboom trailer.

dashboard. While country music is all the rage at truck shows elsewhere, the Dutch favour their own brand of techno, often played by DJs set up in the back of a curtainside unit with proper sound systems, amusingly entertaining their colleagues who are dancing out on the track. When they need a break from partying, they can cool off in the DIY swimming pools, including everything from paddling pools and truck bodies lined with polythene, to cut down tankers and even wood-burning jacuzzis! In true Dutch fashion, the atmosphere is extremely laid back, and even with the enthusiastic alcoholic consumption, there was never any trouble.

Things are naturally a lot more civilised around the classic truck area, where the cobble block paddock area lends itself perfectly to the top class trucks, especially as night falls and the light shows takes place, adding an extra dimension to the atmosphere.

Aside from viewing the trucks there are plenty of events taking

Hoogendoorn are previous winners at Assen and always present a great fleet.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... place out on the main start finish straight, such as truck racing and the distinctly unique Truckstar tradition of towing caravans behind trucks, with the objective of inflicting as much damage as possible to the hapless two-wheeled homes.

There are various different prize categories to enter including refrigerated, curtainside, open trailer, sea container, tipper/walking floor, bulk tank, special trailers and tractor units.

The top three in each of these Actros 2663 owned by categories have already been chosen Auvinen came all the before the show but the final way from Finland and was winners are only announced once unlike anything else at the they drive out onto the track. After show. the trophies have been awarded, the trucks take part in a photo shoot by the media before doing a U-turn on the track, which had been sprayed with water to protect it from the heat. of grey Mammoth-Tree, or red Crimson-Pearl. They feature There is also a decibel contest for the loudest truck, an unique carpet, seats and door detailing. Customers have a overall best of show truck, but undoubtedly the most coveted choice of either the 13 or 16-litre engines and either the prize is the ‘Mooiste Truck van Nederlan’ i.e. the most standard Globetrotter or the Globetrotter XL cabs. All of the beautiful Dutch truck of the 24 entrants who qualified for the manufacturers were offering complimentary food and beverages final. (including beer of course!), with manufacturers such as IVECO Weeda Transport took the top prize and the celebrations keeping things Italian by offering pizza.

by Stephan Van Spronsen and the Weeda team really When the trucks begin to depart an even bigger crowd demonstrated how serious these guys take their passion. turns out to bid farewell. Along all motorway service areas and All of the major manufactures had impressive stands on overpasses, people gather to salute the truckers of Holland as display. Almost 1 million Volvo FHs have been sold worldwide they make their way home. Seeing this level of enthusiasm and and to celebrate a quarter of a century, Volvo have launched support from the general public for an often-maligned industry the FH 25-year special edition which is available in a choice is truly heart-warming. 

Unsurprisingly DAF had a major presence at the show. Here a gorgeous XF105 run by Pascal de Jong Transport. The sooner they get here…

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ROAD SAFETY TRUCK The Safety MAN Road Safety Truck is unique in the way it can transform to suit different programmes and events. In August the Safety MAN was used as a platform for careers, as the team visited a high school in Christchurch for the senior careers expo. More than 400 students and their parents attended the event and used it as an opportunity to decide their subject choices at school. The Safety MAN was there to inspire and that’s exactly what it did. We invited business to join the transport careers hub that was set up inside the Safety MAN and promote their career options to the next generation. The scene was set with each business given a company branded pod that they stocked with brochures, giveaways and business cards. A big thanks to Heavy Trucks, CablePrice, Toll Group, HWR Group/Allied Concrete, Hilton Haulage and TR Group for supporting the Safety MAN’s first careers expo.

It was clear to the team that while many of the students were interested in the industry, a lot of the parents were very closed-minded and unaware of the various career options. After walking through the Safety MAN and talking to the companies, parents’ perception of the transport industry had changed, and they quickly realised that it is not just about driving trucks. Parents have a huge influence on their teenagers’ decisions and they need to be educated about the industry just as much as the students do.

Showcasing the transport industry in this professional, inspirational way was a great start and we will strive to attend all the major career expos around the country next year. The average age of the industry’s workforce is around 53 years, so it is important that we do everything we can to bring the industry into a positive light and change perceptions, so it becomes a student’s first choice. The Safety MAN is a fantastic platform to promote careers and a new careers programme is currently in development. This will be presented at high schools, in conjunction with the new Young Drivers and Trucks programme. As an association we are going to do more in the careers space, such as developing a career pathways app.

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CYCLIST BLIND ZONES

A marked cycle lane is not safe if the driver can’t see you. If the truck is turning le�, don’t take a risk, let the truck go first.

Be aware of possible air turbulence as the truck passes Be aware that the truck driver may not know you are there Don’t try and beat the truck - it’s not a race!

HEALTHY TRUCK DRIVER TOP TIP Keep Alert! A 20 minute nap before driving can increase alertness, but be careful of napping for longer than 30 minutes, as this can increase the risk of falling into a deep sleep and making yourself more drowsy upon wakening. Do not rely on caffeine to keep you awake, as a guide, keep caffeine consumption to no more than 400mg per day – that’s 5.2 shots of espresso.

Safety MAN parked up at Toll’s depot, Christchurch If you would like to join the NZ Trucking Association and find out when we will be attending career events, contact us today - contact@roadsafetytruck.co.nz BANK

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SPECIAL REPORT

Manawatu transport industry JobFEST a success Story and photos by Faye Lougher

A Manawatu initiative linking transport industry employers with potential job seekers attracted students from about 20 schools to Feilding’s Manfeild Park in June. What’s the key to the success, and how do we spread the word?

T

he aim of JobFEST was to provide an easy way for businesses to get in front of employee prospects keen and willing to join the industry. TR Group and charitable trust Talent Central teamed together with the aim of creating a transport industry-specific expo that brought all sectors of the industry directly in front of employee prospects. Businesses were invited to attend the one-day expo and display their business to year 12 and 13 secondary students, as well as members of the public, interested in joining the transport industry.

Talent Central’s aim is to foster collaboration between the education and business communities to harness the growth needed for the Manawatu region to succeed in the 21st Century.

“We’re all about inspiring our talent about the employment opportunities available to them, and ensuring they are motivated to contribute to their own learning,” said chair Margaret Kouvelis.

Steve Divers, director – Careers Pathway, said the Sector Workforce Engagement Programme (SWEP) had been looking closely at Talent Central’s model.

“We did our pathway and our scoping exercise last year, and while we’ve been doing it a lot less time-wise than Talent Central – they’ve been doing this for the past five years – we both drew the same conclusions.”

Divers said the issues both organisations identified were to do with schools’ engagement and their perception of the transport industry, the industry promoting itself in schools, and the low numbers of students with car licences.

“We highlighted [the lack of licensing] last year and that has been picked up by government. And that frustrates our pipeline of class 2 drivers entering the industry because we know if we haven’t captured them by 18 or 19, we’re not going to pick them up until later on when people are looking for a career change.

“We like the Talent Central model; we believe that we

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need to support this. We had Margaret come along to our last SWEP group meeting to talk about her pathway with putting it all together. They fly under the radar, and we – being SWEP and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – have to talk about the Talent Central model in other regions.”

Talent Central works with Manfeild and the National Driver Training Centre to put students through the car licensing process, something Divers said is the right way to do it.

“Why are we sending kids out to get their licences independently when we could bring them in to a centralised location like this? The only thing we need is to bring in testing officers to support that. You could book two or three weeks and put a number through. You could also establish a more robust process to ensure you had competent drivers at the end of it and were not just setting somebody up to crash within two weeks of getting their licence.”

Divers said he was keen to look at this model and see how SWEP could further support it.

“How can we influence government from our perspective, to say, ‘these are probably the solutions you are looking for, you just didn’t know they were there’. There are other regions that can benefit from this. It’s all about upskilling school kids so they are prepared for work; that’s crucial.”

Divers said that was the kind of person the industry wants to employ – someone who is motivated, can get out of bed in the morning, and has a car licence.

While there are similar programmes in other regions, Divers felt Talent Central was much further ahead.

“So we congratulate them and we certainly will be working further with them and seeing how we can support their programme. It’s not about us trying to take something over, this is about saying, ‘you guys have got something that’s sustainable here, how can we help you achieve more through it?’”

As to why the programme is so successful in the Manawatu, Divers says it is down to the passion of everyone who is involved.

“Every single one of them is passionate. When we talk about our industry, the things that work are driven – excuse the pun – by passionate people. The framework for this could work anywhere, it’s just those partners who are part and parcel of it need to have that drive and passion.”

Several students at JobFEST said they were unaware the transport industry offered so many different options.

“People think of a stereotypical person in the driver’s seat,” said Divers, “but there are so many different aspects to the industry, from support roles all the way through. That’s why something like this works so well, it’s an opportunity to showcase a number of roles that are in the logistics field.”

Fruehauf Trailers was a perfect example, said Divers, as

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Fonterra had a milk tanker on display, the most visible face of their company.

they need engineers, fitters, turners, CAD operators, etc. He would be keen to see people working in those roles profiled so students could see the different pathways the industry offered.

“Margaret talked about this line of sight on a job or a career.

Kids these days have got to be able to see something and be able to contextualise it to their situation. So when we are showcasing things we’ve got to talk their language and we’ve got to talk directly to them. We need to show the pathways into these jobs. And if we can show these things in no more than a minute sound bites, on a vlog or something, that’s what pays dividends, because kids will switch off after a certain length of time.”

The level of engagement between the students and the employers was encouraging, said Divers.

“Every single student I’ve seen here has been truly engaged.

We haven’t seen the aimless wandering around, they’ve had activities to do, and that’s probably because we’ve got employers here; this isn’t a typical kind of careers day. This is about real employers who are actually talking their language and saying, ‘this is our job, this is our gear that we operate, and this is how you get into it’. And it’s really important that both girls and boys have got into the cab and can actually see themselves in that situation, they can then start saying, ‘well, I can do this’.”

Road Transport Association area executive Dave Cox said he felt Kouvelis was on the right path.

“She wants to be innovative, and she actually understands from an industry point of view how critical it is that we get people into our industry.”

Cox said nationally the transport industry employed more than 22,600 people and had a gross annual turnover of $6 billion a year, and the freight side was 70 percent land-based.

“Trucks are the only way to reach most factories, stores, restaurants, and homes, and only three to seven percent of the road freight task is actually contestable by rail.”

Cox also endorsed Talent Central’s model, saying the industry needed to get behind programmes like this and

promote the transport industry as a viable career option.

Cox said it may cost up to $10,000 to go through all the licence classes but this was a relatively small investment considering the subsequent earning potential.

“From a student’s point of view, three years down the track, a relatively short apprenticeship if you like, you could be fully qualified and you can be earning in the vicinity of $80,000 to $100,000.”

Kouvelis said she was very excited because Talent Central had mapped the logistics and transport and distribution pathway from school right through to becoming a manager in the industry.

“Once we found what was involved with this sector, we discovered there was not a lot of training being done, and yet here is the biggest skills shortage in one area that we need.”

Kouvelis said with construction of the replacement Manawatu Gorge route set to begin in 2020, a large number of transport industry roles would need to be filled.

“That brings me to the National Driver Training Centre’s role within the work-ready portfolio. We’re saying young people need to have a driver’s licence, just like they need to be literate and numerate. This is now becoming a fundamental necessity of a young person at school, and that’s what Manfeild has been doing in the past two or three years, to try and provide that opportunity.”

Kouvelis said Talent Central worked with Manfeild and the National Driver Training Centre to service schools across the wider Manawatu region.

“We are now seeking funding from the government to increase the centre’s offering to class 2 to 5 licensing. We’re looking for the complete package right through to class 5 and being able to offer that at Manfeild and develop the back track so we’ve got skid pans for trucks. We’re in the process of applying to the Provincial Growth Fund to ensure the programme is cost-effective for young people.

“Otherwise we won’t be able to put through the numbers.

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This region has the capacity to put through 6000 year 12s every year, and that’s what we’re aiming to do. And with that, they can then, within a very short time, two and a half years, they can get to their class 5 licence to drive these big rigs.”

Kouvelis said the transport industry was part of New Zealand’s lifeblood and would affect everyone if the driver shortage became worse.

Feedback from JobFEST was collated and sent to exhibitors.

Initial pre-registration data showed a strong preference for working in the logistics sector at 61% of jobseekers, while interest in working in the transport sector was low, at 12%.

There was a shift following the event to a higher interest in the transport sector – with up to 42% of attendees noting this as the sector they were most interested in. This held true when comparing the ‘at-exit’ results of those who had pre-registered for the event: 41% expressed most interest in the transport sector, with logistics dropping down to 30%.

As people left they were asked what area they would like to work in and to comment on what appealed to them about this area. Being a professional driver only came in fourth. Many attendees picked up from exhibitors that there is a shortage of skilled drivers and noted this on their feedback form: “the money you can earn” and “a lot of jobs available”. Many other comments were based around the love of engines, trucks or driving.

Surprisingly sales and marketing was the area that had the highest number of attendees seeking work, with comments noting the attraction of interaction and that it was not as

physically demanding.

Health and safety was a very close second, with most saying the appeal was in “helping people”. Pro+Med was the third most popular stand and their interaction with attendees may have elevated interest.

Third went to warehousing and distribution, with high interest in this sector indicated alongside other choices.

Common comments were: “there are plenty of jobs” and “more part-time work available than in other areas”.

The registration form also asked attendees what class of licence they held.

A large proportion either had no licence or were still on their learners or restricted class 1. This raised a side issue around the need for students leaving school to have their driver’s licence as part of their work readiness. Some jobseekers held licence classes that reflected their interest in the transport industry, such as class 2 and 4, forklift, and wheels, tracks and rollers.

Feedback surveys also went out to careers advisors and school staff who attended the event, as well as exhibitors. Organisers said they have heard of successes on both sides, including one exhibitor who received more than 150 CVs, and students being offered interviews. Transport work experience was also offered to students on the day, with others being followed up for potential apprenticeship positions, and several students have attended job interviews since the event.

The most popular stands on the day were Foodstuffs, Higgins and Pro+Med. Foodstuffs also got a vote “because there was a female”, which is an important consideration in

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The stands that attracted the most interest involved interactive activities, learning opportunities, staff engagement and good people rapport.

There was also feedback following JobFEST that the schools would like to see more information about the roles within a business being prominently visible along with employment opportunities. “Clear signage stating what jobs are on offer and how many jobs, if they will take entry level people, etc”, “posters which illustrate the jobs/career paths available” and “information about what an average day consists of ” as well as considering the audience and having “more jobs on offer that target this age group with no qualifications and no licence”.

Emmett’s was a good example of an all-round stand, along with Fruehauf because the overview charts they presented showed the roles within their businesses and current recruitment vacancies, something schools want to see more of.

“When you ask these young people ‘what do you want to do?’ maybe they want to become a mechanic, or a truck driver.

We need to find them the right position,” said Bruce Rei, general manager of Emmetts Truck Service in Palmerston North, The first JobFEST pilot created the framework and mapped the processes to pave the way for future events. Talent Central will continue to review the organisation of the event and identify areas for improvement to ensure future events continue to build upon the successes of JobFEST June 2018. 

Talent Central chair Margaret Kouvelis appears to have a recipe that is successfully prepping school leavers with the tools they need and then facilitating a connection with those in need of talent.

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Change, growth, new toys, new home, and safer Bulldogs This year’s Volvo Group Australia annual media conference was special on a number of counts.

F

irstly, the sod of dirt turned two and a half years ago now looks like a $30m pristine gleaming new HQ and Brisbane South service centre; secondly, there’s a Kiwi in charge of Volvo trucks in the region now, although sadly Clive Jones couldn’t be there on the day for family reasons (all the best to him); and lastly it’s the last annual media gig with Peter Voorhoeve at the helm of the Australasian business, before he took up his new role on 1 September as president Volvo Trucks North America. His replacement, Martin Merrick, was sitting in the wings. All of that was reason enough for Volvo Group Global president and CEO Martin Lundstedt to be present, ushering in the new look, and the new era down under.

Lundstedt was full of praise and most happy with the Australasian operation in terms of both market share (VGA currently number one at just under 30%) and customer satisfaction, citing a successful global strategy is contingent on regional success. He said Australia’s climate, distances, and as such the professionalism of its operators, put an OEM’s product and promise to the test.

“If you are going to be successful in a market like this, you have to be good for real.”

As for the wider group, earnings at AUS$50bn for Q2 2018, with a healthy operating margin, were excellent considering the investment currently in future pathways. All divisions of the company showed improved performance and market share, with the truck division growing in APEC/Oceania, and North American regions, and continued strong sales in Europe.

Lundstedt expected good market conditions to continue at least until year’s end.

He emphasised the group’s continued commitment to investment in Australia.

“When the requirement lifted that we didn’t have to manufacture here any more, we stayed for the simple reason that it’s commercially much better.”

From the continued investment perspective, the HQ was the obvious example on the day, but he also committed to expansion of the assembly capacity in the next three to four years, as well as significant spending in the dealer network.

Research and development, and local application IP were seen as the tangible benefits to local assembly, contributing significantly to the customers’ views on competency. The social margin from real investment in local communities is obviously

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not lost in the company’s broader strategy either.

Looking forward, Lundstedt said, “Well-known technologies have great potential for further refinement,” citing the company’s crawler gears, dual clutch, and dynamic steering, as well as fuel efficiency in general. Having said that, new horizons consumed most of this discussion point. He said the company’s foray into electric buses in 2007 was ahead of where the market was at the time, however the learnings from it were now proving invaluable.

Electromobility, connectivity, and autonomy will be the key pillars in tomorrow’s world, according to Volvo’s boss.

“Transport will increase but it must be considerably more sustainable,” he said. “When you have a transport system that is functioning, that is one of the key drivers for bringing prosperity to a society.”

He said electromobility will appear across all the group products, but targeting applications that make commercial and societal sense, saying there was a lot of work to be done understanding the differences electromobility brings in terms of operator and customer requirement, and their contribution to an infrastructure that’s part of a ‘system’ rather than tailored to a unit-by-unit approach.

Connectivity would play a huge role in transport’s future, with Volvo alone having 700,000 connected vehicles worldwide.

“The trick in the connectivity game is not the sensors and all of the information itself, it’s what you do with it,” said Lundstedt. To that end Volvo is using field data to target uptime, driver training, fuel efficiency, and of course, safety.

As for autonomy, the key word here was of course safety.

No surprises there. Lundstedt said there’s a lot of autonomy contributing to efficiency and making products safer now; it’s not just about Level 5 driverless vehicles. However, he said the march to reduced human involvement in the driving task will advance quicker than we realise and in certain closed environments e.g. mines, quarries, ports, etc. full autonomy exists now. He thought in vast, low population areas like the outback of Australia, technologies like platooning could soon be a real consideration.

Lundstedt saw one of the benefits with having the group products all on a platform basis was the ability for them all to take up such advancements as they come.

PETER VOORHOEVE on the view from Kosciuszko

The outgoing VGA president leaves with his stable in the number one market share position. He said market share means nothing to customers. “The customer gets something out of a machine that does the work and adds value for them.”

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Volvo Group Global president and CEO

VGA Australia president Peter Voorhoeve is on his way to

Martin Lundstedt addresses the media in

head Volvo Trucks North America. His final address to the

the new VGA head office.

Australasian crew had all the enthusiasm and passion of his first. He leaves with the business unit in great shape.

He said if the company concentrates on its core tenets of safety, customer centric investment, and customer satisfaction, the rest will take care of itself, a comment that harks straight back to the Voorhoeve ‘Service, service, service’ mantra of previous years. And it all appears to have been heeded, with incoming president Martin Merrick taking on a company in the top slot of the HD market. Quarter 2 2018 results see VGA at 27.3% market share in Kangaroo county, up from 22.7% just prior to Voorhoeve’s arrival in 2012. Year to date figures have the company settling back to 25.1% but that’s actually about production capacity not keeping pace with an increasing market size. Currently Wacol’s running above its technical capacity, and VGA is importing top-up product from Asia and the motherland until that’s addressed.

On the back of this question posed by an independent market research firm, ‘Based on your experience with this company, would you go back?’ customer satisfaction is up too, from 72% in 2012 to 86% now.

Voorhoeve believes the local HD annual market has grown and is no longer the 10,000 units it once was, saying in 2017 it was 12,000 and in 2018 it will be 14,000 (NZ 2000–2200).

He said given the Australian dollar’s position and growth in the economy at 2.5% there’s no reason the numbers shouldn’t remain there or thereabouts. The average age of the Australian HD fleet was 14 years and that was due to previous economic uncertainty causing wallets to stay shut. There’s a push now to replace older trucks.

“The more new, safe, and fuel efficient trucks we have on the road the better. We build machines for people and therefore safety is always our first design principle.” He felt the market knew that, and it was being reflected in the results.

What he called for was stability in the Australian Government. Ironically, about the time he was speaking, the current PM was being ousted.

Of course no Voorhoeve address would be complete without a mention of the worth of drivers to society, the skills and abilities needed to execute the task, and the adoption of a professional attitude within the ranks, all subjects he’s been a champion of, and is to be commended for promoting. To that

end he announced the opening of a female driver training facility with local tertiary educator TAFE Wodonga as part of the Volvo Group Australia Driver Training Academy.

(On this side of the Tassie the VG trucks hold 19.8% of the HD market, 2018 YTD.)

VOLVO Peter Voorhoeve; president Volvo Group Australia In Clive Jones’ absence the outgoing Australian group president spoke to the Volvo product. The key theme was a useful and practical one: ‘Innovation driven fuel efficiency’.

The physical manifestation of the concept is the Volvo Fuel Super Truck, a B-double that’s been two years in the making and combines local and Swedish expertise. The FH16 unit comprises all available tricks in the Volvo kit for improving fuel efficiency (mechanical and aero), a custom ‘slippery’ trailer from MaxiTRANS, and some serious driver instruction. “You can order this now,” said Voorhoeve, although obviously in this most extreme form applications will be limited. The point was, however, everything counts, and the Super Truck burns 20% less fuel over a standard FH16 B-double without the ‘fruit.’

Volvo has gone to lengths to prove this, basing the fuel save figure on weight of fuel.

It appears diesel’s making the task of usurping it as the long distance line haul fuel of choice an ever tougher ask for electricity.

SAFER BULLDOGS Deane Bestwick; VP Mack Trucks Australia At that point a man who looked a lot like Dean Bestwick got up and launched into safety and Bulldogs. It really is a whole new world. Of course, it was the Dean of Mack Trucks in this part of the world and he’s lost none of his enthusiasm for his kennel of antipodean pups.

Mack celebrates a hundred years in Australia next year and

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“We might not be the leaders in technology, particularly against the Europeans, but when you’re talking about the American brand you can count on, we are it, we are number one!” said Bestwick.

The inclusion of the Bendix Wingman Fusion into the Australian line-up 12 months ago was paying huge dividends in customer satisfaction, customers like Hanson and Boral who were putting pressure on Mack to step up to the safety mark.

Mack’s had a dominant presence in the vocational spec truck, particularly on large eastern and southern seaboard infrastructure projects, according to Bestwick. Concrete agitators and tippers form the backbone of that fleet, and the company’s low centre of gravity (COG) mixers have won multiple safety awards in a market segment that traditionally suffers the highest rollover percentage.

He said they now have customers specifying Mack Metro Liners with group drivelines, low COG set-ups, and side underrun protection (SUPS), blind spot detection, and lane departure warning, with no loss of efficiency, especially when fuel efficiency and social responsibility were considered in the equation.

“We have a 30% increase in volume in that market segment year on year, so we’re very excited.”

UD Mark Strambi: VP UD Trucks Australia

there’s been a significant uptake by customers new to the brand. Strambi said the interest was an indication that the safety features, unprecedented on any Japanese truck prior to the new QUON, have now put the truck on the radar of more potential buyers.

“This is the best Japanese truck on the market. We are the first Japanese brand to have a full suite of safety features, from disc brakes, through lane departure, through driver alert, through active cruise control, all those aspects have been built into this truck and it’s been so well accepted by the customers,” said Strambi.

He talked about the increased service intervals, 24-month new part warranties, and the exponential uptake of service contracts. On the one hand his comment that tapping into Volvo’s experience with service contracts has certainly had an influence, but there will likely be a security blanket aspect for many operators keen to tap into the safety but cautious about venturing into the higher-horsepower, sub-13-litre motor territory. The reality is though, that is the future.

Strambi pointed out that the march toward group technology is not new and has been around since the adoption of the 11-litre motor at the Brisbane Truck Show in 2013. He said 2019 and 2020 would see further expansion of the range into new markets, and affirmed UD’s commitment to the MD market with announcements that will be made in “due course”. 

Of course the headline topic in the UD camp was the uptake of the new QUON. According to Mark Strambi, the transition to the new model has been the smoothest he’s ever seen, and

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

In a single STROKE C Story by Faye Lougher

October 1 to 6 is Stroke Awareness week. Each year about 9000 people will suffer a stroke – that’s a rate of nearly one per hour. Craig Burbery counts himself as one of the lucky ones, as he successfully managed to get back behind the wheel of a truck.

raig was working as a truck driver when he had his first stroke about six years ago.

“I didn’t know what had happened,” he says.

“I used to drive line haul, anywhere between Invercargill and Auckland, and the night before I’d driven to Nelson from Christchurch. I came out of the motel unit and checked my truck over, and just felt like a brick wall had hit me. I managed to get back in my truck and sat there for about 20 minutes, and sort of come right. I didn’t realise what had happened, so I loaded the truck and drove back to Christchurch.”

It took Craig seven and a half hours to get back from Nelson, so the following day he went to see his doctor. Despite conducting various tests, nothing was found and he was told he

Craig Burbery has worked hard on his rehabilitation and is now back in full time employment. His current employer Coolpak Coolstores have been understanding and proactive in assisting Craig’s return

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to what he loves doing – driving.

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probably had picked up a bug.

About six weeks later Craig had another similar experience, but again doctors could not pinpoint the cause.

“I did spend a bit of time in hospital, and they put me through all these tests but no one could find anything,” says Craig. “They just couldn’t figure it out. It was pretty worrying.”

Several weeks later Craig suffered his third and most debilitating stroke.

“Bang, the last one hit and that was it,” says Craig. “With this one I was at home in bed when it happened. The scary part about it was it probably happened during the night and I didn’t realise. When I tried to get out of bed in the morning, I just hit the floor – everything was paralysed from the waist down.”

Thankfully Craig was not alone and his partner at the time called an ambulance to take him to hospital.

“I was in Christchurch Hospital for a good six weeks, and then they transferred me to Burwood. I spent about nine months there, learning how to walk again and how to feed myself.”

Within Burwood Hospital Craig was treated in the BIR [Brain Injury Rehabilitation] unit.

“They had staff there who put me through physio. I went from wheelchairs to walking frames and just worked my way up really. I saw a lot of people give up in there too.”

Craig was determined to get back to work, and says within a week of leaving Burwood he had a job driving a forklift for a transport company.

“I’ve fought for four years to get all my heavy trades back and I finally got clearance about a year ago. I spend 80% of my time in a Combilift, loading and unloading trucks, and then when needed I jump in the trucks. But it’s all metro Christchurch work and still part-time.”

Craig now works for Coolpak Coolstores and says his bosses have been very understanding about his medical background.

“They take the pressure off the driving side of it and helped put me in the Combi, which was my choice as well. But I still get out there and drive, when I can. I drive a 2016 DAF CF 510, fully auto, which helps.”

His current employer’s support is in stark contrast to the company he was working for when he suffered his first stroke.

As the doctors could not pinpoint the cause of his health problems, Craig had his driver’s licence taken off him.

“The company I was working for when I had my first one turned around and said, ‘because you haven’t got a licence, just resign’. There was no backup or anything. You’re basically left high and dry.

“So that was my whole world – gone. I’d been in the game for over 20 years, and to have my livelihood and everything taken away from me was hard. I had rent and all the bills to pay. It was hopeless. I ended up going on the dole. I had everything ripped away from me and it cost me the relationship I had at the time, because I couldn’t do anything.”

Craig first began driving trucks part-time in 1990 and had been driving them full time since 1999. He says he’d loved the

Craig’s work time is split between the DAF and Combilift.

lifestyle – “ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper” – and like many drivers he put in long hours.

“When I had my first stroke, I was doing 70-hour weeks.

You’re never home and that was part of the reason as well, just pushing yourself too hard. I hadn’t really had any symptoms; since the first one I’d just felt unwell.”

Craig is now a lot more aware of his health and does what he can to keep well.

“There is a chance I can have another stroke, but with the drugs and medication I’m on it reduces that risk to a minimum.

I have a permanent limp and my whole left-hand side is pretty well numb all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I can still pedal an 18-speed Road Ranger with the best of them.

“I get plenty of exercise where I work, and look after myself.

The only thing that does catch up with me is fatigue. But between my manager and I, we try and manage that, and that is part of the reason I’m on the combi and not doing the longer days. I still do eight to 10 hours a day, but that’s pretty normal for a truck driver!”

It may be hard for some people to change the habits of a lifetime, but Craig says the best advice he can give is to step back and take a look at the big picture.

“Make sure you rest up when your breaks are due, and don’t go out and have your truck driver’s feed and get stuck into the alcohol, it’s just not good. A truck driver’s lifestyle is a truck driver’s lifestyle, but my advice would be just to make sure you rest up, big time. My strokes were part hereditary, part lifestyle.

Keep an eye on your body; if it starts showing you symptoms,

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... get it sorted out. We’re not bulletproof – we’d like to think we are but we’re not. Everyone has a breaking point.”

Stroke Foundation CEO Mark Vivian says there is a misconception that stroke is an old person’s problem.

“The reality is people of working age are also at risk. That includes truckies, office staff, warehouse workers – in fact, people right across the transport industry.”

Mark says high blood pressure causes a lot of strokes, so the best defence is to get regular blood pressure checks – once a year if you’re over 45.

“Of course, if you’re driving line haul and away from home a lot that can be difficult. But it’s a really quick and painless process, and the fact is it could save your life, so make that appointment.”

He says whether sitting behind a steering wheel or a computer, it’s easy for people to skip exercise and eat foods they shouldn’t.

“It’s not rocket science, but trying to fit a good diet and lifestyle into a demanding occupation really helps lower your risk. And don’t smoke!”

Knowing the signs that someone is suffering a stroke are important, and Mark says everyone should know the FAST message – Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Take action – call 111.

“It teaches you to spot the main symptoms of a stroke, and to call 111 immediately. Don’t wait for the symptoms to pass, or to call a doctor. You wouldn’t do that for a heart attack – well, a stroke is a brain attack. So call an ambulance straight away. The life you save could be a family member, a colleague, a member of the public – or your own.” 

Stroke Foundation CEO Mark Vivian says there is a misconception that stroke is an old person’s problem.

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October 2018

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