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MUSSON IMPOSSIBLE – changing the status quo

60, 64, 68

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AL UCKINGDIGIT

PUKEKOHE, NELSON, GISBORNE – on show

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

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Dave McCoid ASSISTANT EDITOR

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OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

Faye Lougher

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BEST LAID PLANS – R&L Beale Log Transport

the rest

Craig Andrews Carl Kirkbeck Faye Lougher Craig McCauley Jacqui Madelin Niels Jansen (Europe) Howard Shanks (Australia) Will Shiers (UK) Paul O’Callaghan PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ricky Harris

6

Editorial

78

ART DIRECTOR

8

Road Noise – Industry news

Tech Topics – How to reverse

82

Willie Coyle

38

Freight Forward – Uncle Sam and us

Light Commercial test – Hiace ZX

50

86

New Rigs

Top Truck – Savage Star

88

New Bodies and Trailers

54

Just Truckin’ Around

90

Mini Big Rigs

56

Bill Chambers – Nordic Knight

92

Little Truckers’ Club

93

What’s on/Cartoon

74

International Truck Stop – Russia on the move

Moving metrics

100 Incoming Cargo – What’s coming 104 Health and Safety 106 The Drug Detection Agency 108 Truckers’ Health 110 Legal Lines

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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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the business of trucking 96

Georgi George

112 Special Report – IRTENZ 2019 114 RTF Conference 2019 116 NZ Trucking Association 118 Road Transport Forum

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EDITORIAL

Time for absolute action

W

elcome back from what always appears to be an ever-shorter time out from the self-induced mayhem that is the life our grandparents warned about.

I had an editorial prepped over Christmas but I’ve shelved that for the time being. I’d intended getting the year off to a mellower start, but this afternoon I had an experience that made me seethe. It came on the back of just over a week travelling in the South and North Islands, covering a good portion of the South in particular. On the trip I witnessed the general condition of our high volume carriageways to be in the poorest condition of my transport career.

Today is Auckland Anniversary Day, when thousands of holidaymakers return to Auckland from places like the Coromandel Peninsula. I was working in the Thames office, watching the traffic inching past outside most of the day.

I left to go home about 6.45pm, and travelling on the five-kilometre stretch between Thames and its small industrial satellite Kopu, I noticed a portion of the road was wet, extraordinarily wet considering the near-30-degree day we’d all just endured.

Then I thought ‘No, surely not?’ Sure enough, the road appeared to have been sprayed with water to cool it and there were huge chunks of the surface ripped

out and missing. Where the surface didn’t resemble a mirror, it looked like a grader had randomly dropped the rippers on it. With the exception of one 9-axle B-train I saw roll through at a snail’s pace, this road had seen nothing in the way of heavy truck traffic. It was in good condition on Friday, and wasn’t noticeably decayed that morning when I headed into work. In the course of one day with holiday traffic only, it was destroyed.

We have roads suffering this fate all over the country. We know they’ve caused accidents and deaths over the past two to three years and we’ve largely done nothing about it.

Ken Shirley warned us prior to the last election that if the Labour Government were to come to power they would have us for dinner, and they have. Shane Jones, as part of the coalition that resulted from the election, sat in his chair via a video link at last year’s RTF conference and laughed and mocked one of our most respected transport operators, utterly failing to answer his question.

Something absolutely has to happen.

Properly happen. Our drivers are being treated with increasingly dangerous disregard by this government and as an industry we must call for an immediate inquiry into the surface treatments and road construction policies currently in

place. When I was growing up I don’t recall seeing crews blasting the mirrorlike death-sheen off roads in order to give motorists some level of temporary adhesion.

Drivers and employers, you must petition associations for immediate and significant action, and if you’re not an association member, your MP. Association CEOs, you absolutely must act on the roading issue. This is an election year and this government must know that if re-elected, we’re not going to be the hapless wide-eyed walrus they’ve mercilessly and arrogantly clubbed for the first three years.

They need to be told that we want money allocated proportionate to the modality moving the freight, regardless of any long-term strategy to effect a demand-driven shift. That we want roads of a quality that provides the best possible safety provision for our staff…

And if you laugh Mr Jones, or disregard us Ms Genter, then brace yourself for 3% GDP for a few weeks.

Dave McCoid Editor

This is what our RUC buys us currently.

adapted masthead.indd 1

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New Zealand Trucking

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

February 2020

Readers will remember we featured the Mitsubishi FV315 owned by Ron Frew as the Long Lap picture in our November 2019 issue.

We were shocked and saddened to hear of Ron’s death in a farm accident in early January.

The team at New Zealand Trucking wishes to extend our sincerest sympathy to Ron’s family and friends, and express our sorrow for your loss.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS The new Freightliner Cascadia will be a key product for the new Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific operation.

A new dawn for Daimler in NZ

D

aimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific will start a new chapter in New Zealand from 1 April, working directly with dealerships to ensure local customers are able to receive optimum support.

Daimler has also moved to improve the dealership network for the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands on both islands as part of the new commitment, with details to follow closer to April.

Dedicated New Zealand market staff will be appointed and will share their time between New Zealand and Australia, working directly with each dealership.

The more agile New Zealand model will ensure customers and dealers have a more direct line to Daimler Truck AG (in Portland and Stuttgart) through the Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific operation, and will be able to better leverage

its comprehensive back office operational support systems.

“This is by far the best outcome for Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner customers in New Zealand,” says Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead.

“The change we are announcing will allow us to provide the highest level of support for our customers and comprehensive dealership network for the long term in New Zealand,” he says.

Whitehead adds that Daimler already has the leading cabover product in the market (the Mercedes-Benz Actros) and we will soon introduce ‘the most advanced conventional truck in the country’, the Freightliner Cascadia.

“This is the best product line-up we have ever had,” he says.

Turn to page 38 for our in-depth report on the new Cascadia – Ed.

Keith Andrews Trucks appoints new CEO

K

eith Andrews Trucks Limited is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Smith as group chief executive officer and executive director of Keith Andrews Trucks and associated business The Parts Hub. Smith has 31 years’ sales, operations, business management and technical experience in the transport and trucking, heavy machinery and petroleum industries.

He will join the company early April 2020.

Group director Kurtis Andrews said: “The board and I see Aaron as a highly skilled business leader, with directly applicable industry knowledge and experience to help a family-owned company such as ours succeed. We are very excited about his potential to move the business forward and help execute our goals.”

Keith Andrews Trucks has navigated a difficult period with the recent passing of its talismanic founder and Andrews says he looks forward to the clear and focused direction Smith will bring.

“The past 12 months have been

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New Zealand Trucking

challenging for the entire organisation and Aaron’s appointment is a large step towards normality and an even larger step towards realising Keith’s vision,” said Andrews.

“My role will revert back to CEO of Fuso New Zealand and oversight of the Keith Andrews Holdings sales and marketing functions.”

In his most recent role as general manager of Gough Group’s New Zealand transport businesses, Smith oversaw operations of truck and trailer parts specialists Gough

Aaron Smith joins the Keith Andrews Trucks team as group CEO in early April.

February 2020

TWL and Gough Transpecs. Combined, the companies comprise 19 branches, three distribution centres and a team of approximately 200.

He says the opportunity to lead New Zealand’s largest truck retailer was too good to look past.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Keith Andrews Trucks and Daimler family,” said Smith.

“Throughout the recruitment process, I was impressed with the openness and engagement of Kurtis and the board members, which gave me great insight into the business’ culture and vision.

“I have the utmost respect for the legacy that Keith Andrews and his team have created. As part of the collective Keith Andrews and Fuso NZ operation, I look forward to building on these solid foundations to create the next phase of evolution to support our team’s, our customers’ and our supplier partners’ goals and aspirations.”

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New Canter gets you home safely night after night.

The number one selling light-duty truck will now be in even greater demand. This year’s model boasts some significant safety improvements: Active Emergency Braking System Takes independent action to initiate full emergency braking to avoid accidents with vehicles or pedestrians.

Electronic Stability Control Improves vehicle stability and the risk of roll over by detecting skidding and applying brakes to individual wheels.

Lane Departure Warning System Warns the driver when vehicle moves out of it’s lane.

New 7” Touchscreen and Reversing Camera Featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for safe, hands-free communication and navigation via smartphone.

Passenger Airbag An additional airbag to enhance passenger safety.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

RTF says road users should fund roads, not rail

A

t the end of last year, the Government laid down the track to siphon money out of the state purse for building and fixing roads and into the bottomless money pit that is rail.

With the first reading in Parliament of the Land Transport (Rail) Legislation Bill, the Government is on its way to extending the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) to subsidise rail. That means the fuel tax and road user charges that people who use roads pay to help fund those roads will now be ‘competitive’ dollars, available to rail. It doesn’t matter if you don’t use rail, you’ll still be paying for it when you use the road. And given the fund is already not enough to pay for roads, you can expect to pay more for everything to add the dollars needed to prop up the Government’s pet project, rail.

While the legislation introduces track charges for rail service providers that will place revenue into the NLTF, there is little detail on this and it is unlikely this money will come close to funding the likely draw-downs for rail. And rail projects going through the NLTF will not have to go through the rigour roading projects do – they can just be signed off directly by the Minister of Transport.

Let’s be clear, KiwiRail is a state-owned enterprise that is supposed to make its own way by making a profit. We think the NLTF should be ring-fenced for roads, and other funding sources should be found for rail.

It is also clear there is a place for rail.

Rail is important in cities, where it is electric and it can provide public transport to ease road congestion and reduce emissions. As a user of commuter rail, I know it’s effective at removing vehicles off roads and, therefore, relieving congestion.

To continue to do that, public transport must be convenient, affordable and reliable.

Outside the cities, New Zealanders rely on roads because there is no public transport and the distances travelled are too great for most people to walk or cycle. They use roads, and they pay for them. The Government’s carless nirvana is a wee way off yet.

Rail’s place in the regions needs to be considered with economics and facts, and without all the romanticism and emotion that seems to be associated with it when it comes to the freight tasks.

In its rather breathless press release backing the Government’s Bill, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union said: “As the smoke from Australian bush fires stains New Zealand glaciers the colour of old blood, we are all forced to consider the burning urgency of confronting and defeating climate change.

“The only way to do that is through dramatic reduction in carbon emissions, and the only way to do that is by replacing dirty and inefficient modes of transport with cleaner and greener technology. Rail is the future we’ve been waiting for,

10

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

Nick Leggett, RTF CEO

and we don’t have any time to delay.”

Let’s not pretend this is a win for the environment. Outside the city boundaries rail is powered by diesel, the same as the trucks that are in fact the preferred freight movement option.

Trucks win every day because they deliver door-to-door, on time. Road carries 93 percent of New Zealand’s freight task.

Rail carries six percent.

To have any comparative environmental benefits, a rail journey needs to be long, like about 400km at least. And one of the things that rail is good for is heavy loads, like bringing coal out of the mines to end-users; not a task favoured by the environmentalists.

We are sick of the rhetoric, double standards, and of the Government demonising trucks. We are keen to look at better ways of funding both road and rail, but if it is to truly be a level playing field, rail needs to pay its way. Large parts of the rail network are very old and will need billions of dollars in new investment and we think that should come from government borrowing, rather than the NLTF. That’s of course, assuming the case for pouring those billions of taxpayer dollars into rail stacks up economically..

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Stop-go operators at risk from inconsiderate drivers

S

top/go operators are a common sight on the state highways over summer at emergency or planned road maintenance sites. They’re on the roadside all day, in all weather, in their hi vis gear, directing the flow of traffic with a stop/go sign, a walkie talkie and a smile.

NZ Transport Agency Central South Island system manager, Peter Connors, says it can be a dangerous job. “A few road cones and a stop/go sign are no protection from a speeding vehicle. We’re asking all motorists to please slow down and keep to temporary speed limits.�

Connors says the NZTA is always concerned whenever stop/ go operators report nearly being hit by vehicles passing too close or speeding through the work site. “This is unacceptable driving behaviour because it puts everyone at risk – not just the stop/go operator, but other crew members and road users as well. “Our workers are mothers, fathers, brother and sisters, just doing their job. They go to work each day expecting to be able to go home safely at the end of it. Safety is our highest priority, but we can’t keep our people safe if other people show no regard for their wellbeing.�

Connors says the point of a stop/go operation is to try to

keep traffic moving in both directions when the state highway is reduced to one lane. “We try to keep delays to a minimum but sometimes traffic builds up. We want to get people on their way again as quickly as possible.�

This summer the NZTA is under way with its biggest maintenance renewal programme for the past 10 years, to keep the state highways safe and resilient. “The summer months are our busiest time of year for road resurfacing and repairs, as we try to take advantage of the dry conditions and long sunny days. This work is essential for the safety and resilience of the state highway network, so we ask motorists to be patient and understanding,� says Connors. “If you are stopped by a stop/go operator, use the time to pause and relax, have a stretch or wind down the windows for some fresh air. You’ll soon be on your way again. “No one ever gets to their destination faster by abusing or shouting at a stop/go operator.�

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

New training to attract and keep good staff

T

wo new training programmes will contribute to upskilling truck drivers, and others who want careers in the road freight transport. The New Zealand Certificate in Commercial Road Transport Skills (Level 3) and the New Zealand Certificate in Commercial Road Transport (Heavy Vehicle Operator – Level 3), are available this year.

“Trucking is an industry where on the job training and assessment is particularly relevant,” says Nick Leggett, Road Transport Forum chief executive officer. “Getting a heavy transport licence is just the start of it; there are lots of other things to know to ensure a long, safe career in road freight transport.

“It is increasingly important to offer career pathways, via training and opportunities to upskill, and to encourage good employees to move across different parts of the industry if that is what will keep them. That’s the way we will attract new and diverse talent, and keep that talent.”

Leggett says the transport industry has an ageing workforce, with an average driver age of 54, and what worked 20 years ago

is no longer relevant to younger people in the job market.

“Our industry needs to be responsive and offer both training and career pathways if we want to make an impact on driver shortages. There are times where a 4000 shortfall in available drivers is estimated.

“Industry has worked with MITO on a targeted review of qualifications, with some RTF funding and input from businesses with specialist knowledge and experience in training.

We have ended up with recognised qualifications for the road transport sector that span natural career progression, from new entrants to managerial and senior qualifications, from level 2 to level 5.”

The RTF is working on a cadetship programme to be launched this year to incorporate and build on the existing qualification framework and to provide employers with another tool to attract and retain good staff.

There is more information on the new courses on the MITO website.

High-tech fire suppression for your truck

A

major international supplier to a wide-ranging variety of industries, JSG Industrial Systems offers specialist solutions to the on-road transport industry, including fire suppression systems.

“Fires are becoming more frequent in New Zealand society as we grow and expand, causing significant economic loss, as well as the risk to human, plant and animal life. The trucking industry is unfortunately not protected from these risks. This exposes trucking owners and operators to personal, financial and business risks,” says Brendon Ladewig, national manager (NZ) JSG Industrial New Zealand Ltd. JSG Industrial’s range of Muster Fire Suppression Systems is available for light, medium and heavy equipment. Depending on application, JSG Industrial offers a Foam-Based System designed for use with diesel engines, a Solid Aerosol Generator (SAG) for enclosed areas, an Impulse Powder System (IPS) that creates a powder particle blanket on the flame surface, and also various fire extinguishers and accessories.

14

New Zealand Trucking

The Muster Fire Suppression Systems combine the latest technologies with a simple design and wiring. The system is controlled using intelligent pressure sensors, ensuring that the discharge time meets the initial design criteria and effectively suppressing fires in the punishing environments where many machines operate.

The system is available with two firesensing modes: MusterWire Linear Heat Detection (LHD) wire sensing or Loss of Pressure (LOP) sensing. The full monitoring available on both of these system types allows the operator to view the overall integrity of the system at any time, knowing that it is at the correct pressure and that all the sensors are active.

This ensures the system is ready to actuate anytime a fire is detected.

A number of innovations in the Muster system provide intelligent performance and precise monitoring. These include MusterWire, the MusterCap, and the independently powered Muster Alarm Panel. The alarm raised by the Muster Fire Suppression system allows passengers and

February 2020

The Muster II system is scalable for light, medium and heavy vehicles.

drivers to safely leave the vehicle.

The system is durable too, being made with stainless steel components that ensure its performance in extreme temperatures and weather conditions. These innovations combine to deliver one of the lowest risk fire suppression systems on the market.

Muster is fully compliant with all 20 tests within AS 5062-2016 and AS4487-2013.

“Be part of the solution by being a good neighbour, educating yourself about fire prevention, and adopting a proactive approach by operating trucks and other on-road vehicles safely. JSG is ready to be your fire suppression partner and protect your hard-working trucks and our roads with the Muster Automatic Fire Suppression Systems. Save a truck, save a life, save your business,” Ladewig says.

0220-28

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

New Zealanders not happy with infrastructure

M

ore than half of New Zealanders (55%) feel not enough is being done to meet the country’s infrastructure needs despite most (76%) agreeing that investing in infrastructure is vital to New Zealand’s future economic growth.

The Ipsos Global Advisor Study regularly asks respondents from around the world, including New Zealand, for their views on different topics.

It recently conducted a study involving 29 countries that explored the perceptions of the current infrastructure. In New Zealand, 561 people aged 18 to 74 participated. It found that after housing, New Zealanders want transport-related infrastructure such as road and rail networks to be prioritised.

Key findings include: • Less than half of New Zealanders (46%) are satisfied with New Zealand’s national infrastructure.

• The majority (89%) are satisfied with the current quality of our airports, well above the global average of 67%.

• Only 29% of New Zealanders are satisfied with the new housing supply, below the global average of 43% and Australia at 52%.

• Just 28% are satisfied with solar energy infrastructure, behind the Australian result of 40%, but not dissimilar to

the global average of 33%.

• Of all infrastructure types, New Zealanders are most likely to want new housing supply to be the government’s top priority (55%), followed by major and local road networks (46% and 41%, respectively).

• Concerns around rising sea levels have increased over time, as 44% of New Zealanders believe that we are poorly equipped in terms of our defences against rising sea levels.

The study found that the majority of countries agree that investing in infrastructure is important, and perceptions are similar across New Zealand (76%) and Australia (77%).

New Zealander’s satisfaction with national infrastructure (46%) is very similar to that of Australia (47%) but above the global average of 37%. Our satisfaction levels were relatively high compared with the larger Western economies of Canada (39%), the United States (37%) and Great Britain (36%).

New Zealanders living outside the three main urban centres are less likely to feel that their local areas receive enough investment in infrastructure – just 19% agree their area gets enough compared with 27% of those in the bigger cities.

Though New Zealand appears amongst the top three countries in terms of satisfaction with the electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the current satisfaction levels indicate that globally much work is required in this area.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Kenworth/Dana collaboration

K

enworth and Dana are to collaborate on electric powertrain development for medium-duty Kenworth battery electric vehicles.

The zero-emissions Kenworth K270E cabover on exhibit at CES 2020 in Las Vegas was equipped with a Danadesigned e-Powertrain system that is fully integrated and upfitted to the Kenworth chassis. Configured as a direct drive system, the vehicle utilises a Spicer Electrified e-propulsion system, and a standard Dana drive axle and driveshaft. Dana also supplies an e-power system, which generates, stores, and manages the energy. It consists of electrified auxiliary systems, an on-board charger, and two battery packs. Dana-developed software and controls enable diagnostics and telemetry.

The electric powertrain will be available with range options between 160 to 320km. The state-of-the-art, high-energydensity battery packs can be recharged in about an hour using the vehicle’s DC fast-charging system, making both the Class 6 Kenworth K270E and Class 7 K370E cabovers ideal for local pickup and delivery, as well as short regional haul operations.

“This is an important next step in our evolution of an electric powertrain,” said Kevin Baney, Kenworth general manager and PACCAR vice president. “Dana is an industry leader in electrified modules and systems supported by in-house vehicle

The zero-emissions Kenworth

The Level 4 Autonomous

K270E.

Kenworth T680.

integration expertise. Kenworth plans to produce up to 100 medium-duty cabover electric trucks in 2020.”

Dana president of Commercial Vehicle Drive Technologies Mark Wallace said Kenworth’s commitment to providing advanced vehicle technologies, combined with Dana’s proficiency in delivering end-to-end turnkey electric systems, will result in high-efficiency solutions that greatly reduce the total cost of ownership for vehicle operators.

“As demand for clean, electric-powered vehicles continues to grow, we are pleased to provide the design, integration, and upfit of the complete e-powertrain for the K270E electric truck.”

Kenworth also exhibited a Level 4 autonomous T680. This proof-of-concept truck was conceived and constructed at the Paccar Innovation Centre. 

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Cybertruck taking orders

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esla is already taking orders for its all-electric ute, with a $200 deposit to get on the waiting list downunder.

Forget all the fuss about the broken window at the reveal – that was a prototype, after all. Buy one and you’ll get the most radical-looking ute on today’s roads, with 500mm of ground clearance, 35 degrees of approach and 28 degrees departure angle.

The tray measures 1.98 metres, and dirt warriors will be able to tap into the air suspension to inflate the tyres, or charge an electric-powered ATV loaded aboard via built-in ramps.

Tesla boasts a 6350kg tow rating and a payload of 1587kg for the top-spec Cybertruck, or 3.4 tonnes tow rating for the entry model.

Elon Musk took a sledgehammer to the panels over the steel monocoque chassis, saying this is a truck “you can take a hammer to, won’t scratch, and a 9mm bullet shot at the door skin is so strong it is basically bulletproof ”.

The line-up will start at $62,390 in rear drive and with 400km of range, with the top-spec version likely to reach 800km driven by all four wheels.

Vehicle sales see first fall in a decade

N

ew vehicle registrations in 2019 were down 4.3% (7007 units) year-on-year, the first time this figure has dropped since 2009.

In all, 154,763 new vehicles were sold.

Ford’s Ranger was New Zealand’s favourite model with 19% market share and 9485 units, followed by Toyota’s Hilux (7126 units) and Mitsubishi’s Triton (5319 units). To compare, our favourite passenger car was the Toyota Corolla (6804 units).

Top light commercials were the Ranger, Hilux, Triton, Holden Colorado and Nissan Navara, with Mazda BT-50, Toyota Hiace, Isuzu D-Max, and Ford Transit rounding out the top 10.

Our favourite type of vehicle was medium SUV, with 19% share, followed by 4WD utes on 15%. Toyota was our favourite light commercial brand, followed by Ford, Mitsubishi, Holden and Nissan.

Metro briefs Renault has introduced a hydrogenfuelled Kangoo and Master, which promise three times more range than standard EVs and a ‘recharge’ time of just five or 10 minutes.

The Master, for example, will go from 120km of the EV to 350km, and with its gas tanks under the body, there’s no compromise to load volume. The Kangoo hydrogen will get to 370km. By the time New Zealand gets a hydrogenfuelling infrastructure, any teething problems should be well ironed out.

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New Zealand Trucking

Late in 2019 Ford NZ recalled 519 vehicles powered by the 2.0-litre EcoBlue engine built between April and August that year, due to faulty fuel injectors. Vehicles affected included Ranger, Transit and Transit Custom vans.

This is not a safety recall, but if your

February 2020

dealer has not been in touch, call your dealer or phone 0800FORDNZ. Remember the old Morris J-Type van?

Morris Commercial plans to unveil a modern one – powered by electricity. A prototype is expected soon.

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ord NZ has announced the plug-in hybrid version of its Transit Custom and Transit Tourneo are joining its commercial line-up.

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Charge the battery by plugging in to an ordinary power source, and for up to the first 56km you use no petrol, and emit no petrol or diesel sound or

fumes. Once the battery runs down, Ford’s one-litre petrol engine fires up, acting as a range extender to deliver 500km of range overall, at a claimed 2.7l/100km fuel used.

The battery pack sits beneath the floor, with load volume remaining at six cubic metres, while payload is 1130kg.

The PHEV Tourneo will drive up to 53km on battery alone, and with the range extender at work will use petrol at a rate of 3.1l/100km.

Plug-in hybrid versions of Ford’s Transit Custom and Transit Tourneo are now available locally.

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MAIN TEST

MUSSON IMPOSSIBLE Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and video by Dave McCoid, Gavin Myers, and Carl Kirkbeck

Ricky Musson’s driven some innovative gear in his time, but in seeking out the ultimate selfloading log combination for his line of work, this thinking man’s trucker has reset the boundaries of what’s possible.

E

xperience is hard-earned, priceless, and often underappreciated, particularly when it comes with a formidable intellect and cloaked in a reserved demeanour. Starting at the age of 12, thirdgeneration Canterbury trucker Ricky Musson’s amassed a swag of experience in his 37 years in and around trucks of

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February 2020

all makes, models, shapes, sizes, and applications. But his career passion is self-loading log trucks. He’s driven them as a company driver, and for the past 12 years he’s successfully operated his own business under the Musson Logistics name.

Because Ricky’s Ricky, he’s never been satisfied with the status quo in terms of equipment, whether it’s his own gear or his employer’s, constantly looking at what he’s operating and reworking, tweaking, refining, and improving. And he’s tried some pretty out-of-it things in his time, like back in his McCarthy Wilshier Transport days, loading posts across the chassis rails between the two packets bound in the bolsters in order to extract more revenue and improve handling.

Even then he’d lobby and petition people to try ideas he’d scribbled on paper, ideas he knew would work.

Now he’s his own man, Ricky has ultimate charge of the R&D lab at Musson Logistics, and with HPMV thrown into the mix, a whole new world of opportunity has presented itself. That said, he’s acutely aware that high

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There were those who said it couldn’t be done. Yet here it is, and it rocks!

productivity is not just a carte blanche win-win, and like an increasing number of operators, he’s used it sensibly and not simply gone for a more is better mentality.

“In this game, with the road network we work on, it just doesn’t stack up in the higher weights at the moment. The truck’s capable of running at 58 tonne, but 50MAX works best at the moment.”

But Ricky’s suddenly jumped ahead of us. The ‘truck’ he speaks of is his latest creation, a combination that prompted one well-known log transport identity to pass the comment when it popped up on social media: ‘He’d have been working on that thing in his head and on paper for 10 years.’

Da daaa!

It’s a truck that immediately strikes the senses in every way possible: shape, set-up, colour, charisma. You know it’s a

machine that will write its own story in the annals of South Island trucking and be remembered for decades from one end of the country to the other. It’s one of those trucks that will have bosses going into operations’ and plant managers’ offices bellowing ‘Why haven’t we got this?’ It’s a truck that will spawn a new accepted norm.

So, what does an enquiring mind, a lifetime of never being satisfied, and lots of pencil lead and paper get you? At a high level ‘top deck’ view, Musson Logistics’ fleet No1 is an International 9870 8x4 kitted up as a self-loading billet/post unit. The truck has a 7.6m log deck (8.0m if you count the stanchion trough) with two bunks side by side and the ability to load down the deck also. The 5-axle multi-bolster log trailer it tows has three adjustable bunks.

But wait there’s more…the trailer can be lifted on the truck with the Palfinger crane hanging on the arse of the

Cubed out it makes for a stunning sight

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February 2020

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Oh, that crane on the back, a Palfinger Q170Z, hasn’t missed the Musson treatment either; it’s been plumbed up to optimise performance.

Interestingly, when it came to discussing the original body and trailer concept with potential suppliers, Ricky had experienced significant frustration – a phenomenon not foreign to him over the years. The exception was Dean Purves and his team at Mills-Tui. Dean had called in to see Ricky shortly after buying his business and the original high-level idea was talked about then. As things progressed a lot of time was spent with Dean and engineer manager Jeff Miller.

“I’ve known Ricky from back in my FleetPartners days,” said Dean. “I know how he thinks, and I knew to listen and take what he said seriously.”

It was a hugely communicative and collaborative effort throughout.

Front to back

Why a 9870? Well, that’s your classic trucking, two-pronged answer: the logical, pragmatic, bean counter’s answer, and the trucker’s answer.

Ricky’s had a long and successful relationship with the Hino product but for this ‘mangling of measurements’, the 700 series simply didn’t fit. The two key metrics on this build were axle spread and tare. In terms of axle spread there were three potential contenders: the International 9870, the K200 Kenworth, and funnily enough the FMX Volvo. (We only say funnily enough because not many people would instantly assume the Volvo a contender in the set-forward axle whanau.

Lesson learned, never assume, always measure.)

The Volvo missed out on lead time and tare, and although the Kenworth was a tad heavier, and pricier, there was one other factor, and that was all about trucking’s effect on the soul.

Trucking’s a vocation, not a job. Yes, the 9870 was a nose in front on all critical areas, but it reminded Ricky most of a truck that holds a special place in his heart, in fact the very truck parked in a shed over the way from the office, one that only comes out for shows, classic runs, and charity. It’s the Mack MH self-loading log truck he drove for McCarthy Wilshier Transport (MWT) back in the day, towing a trailer Ricky designed himself. A truck and driver combination that was known the length and breadth of the South Island, the truck he bonded with. We all had them.

“It sort of reminds me most of the MH, and it’s a proven truck with known, reliable running gear,” said Ricky. “It’s got some extras on it, stainless wrap on the diesel tank and that, but it’s certainly not a case of tick all the boxes.”

Under the cab is the venerable Cummins X15 15-litre 6-cylinder motor producing 459kW (615hp) and 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) of torque. Bolted to that is an Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B 18-speed transmission that won’t change gears all by itself; it needs a driver. Front axle set is Meritor MFS 143 rated at 13 tonne on taper leaf parabolic springs and shocks, and way in the distance out back are Meritor 46-160 axles at 4.3:1 with diff and cross locks, rated at 20,900kg and perched on Hendrickson PRIMAAX EX Gen 3 air suspension with heavyduty shocks. Brakes are drum with ABS-6, tyres 11 R22.5 on Accuride alloys and there’s Bigfoot central tyre inflation.

The Mills-Tui trailer in tow sports Hendrickson running

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

gear with disc brakes and ESC and is shod with 265/70 R19.5 Boto tyres on Jost alloys. Hendrickson TIREMAAX inflation management is also installed.

“We hummed and hawed about Tiremaax. It’s not cheap and it added weight,” said Ricky. “But man I’m glad we did it, it’s incredible. We chose Boto tyres because they saved 120kg over other brands. They’ve done 60,000km and have next to no wear; we reckon they’ll run to over 100,000km.”

Getting a 5-axle trailer onto a self-loader is no mean feat, and there were many doubters. Looking at the trailer’s profile, the most evident thing is the closeness of the tri-set at 2050mm spacing. This was done so the towing eye on the telescopic drawbar can clear the front tyre on the tri-set when the dolly’s spun underneath.

Length of the unit overall is 22.6m.

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Stakes and cranes

The unit’s configuration of a flat deck and multi bolster trailer allows for flexibility and speed of operation, especially when it comes to putting the trailer up.

“By the time you build wheel carriers there’s not much in it weight-wise, plus, having the deck allows you to carry more product and load front-to-back as well,” said Ricky.

He’s gone for two slick variants from ExTe’s catalogue of bolsters and stanchions. On the truck is the Quick Lock (QL) drop-in system using C90 stanchions or stakes, at 30kg each and 2.4m high (2.2m load effective plus 200mm in the slots).

“I saw them at the Trucking Show in Christchurch in 2018.

I had a go at lifting one and almost threw it over my shoulder.

I wasn’t expecting it to be that light.”

The stakes have taper ends with self-locking wedges and

drop into slots in the deck. There’s a tool the driver carries with a 90-degree bend and beak at one end. It’s laid on the deck with the beak aimed into the slot, and the driver simply stands on it and the beak releases the wedge. Too easy. The truck can be configured with one or two bays traditional, or there are slots in the rear of the deck to allow front-to-back loading. The stakes sit in a trough just in front of the crane.

The trailer has the ExTe D7 bolster system, the first deployment in New Zealand of this set-up, chosen for its weight. There are six of the 107kg units on the trailer, each one with telescopic stanchions that allow heights from two metres to three at full stretch. A cool upside is the extensions can be stopped anywhere in their length. The only downside is the release slot is up near the top of the outer skin, so the driver needs to get up to poke the release bar in and drop the

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Beyond the now

(Top) Note the tool under Stu’s foot for releasing the stanchion. (Bottom) Dropping the extension.

extension. Bear in mind this is only a ‘downside’ on account of questionable aspects of our workplace compliance. No one seems to have told those in the clipboard corridors that we’re primates and climbing is actually a ‘thing’ for us. Ironically, if we stop doing it, we’ll simply fall off more shit.

The crane on the back is the Palfinger Q170Z. It’s fair that Ricky’s chased tare everywhere else because ‘Big P’ adds 2955kg to the arse of the International. Ricky said the crane’s about two sizes bigger than needed, but it was chosen on the grounds of performance and longevity. Cranes don’t last the life of the truck, and so the thinking is a big crane doing it easier will have a longer life.

In terms of performance he’s upped the ante also. Being a Z crane, it folds up nicely at the rear of the truck – again, improving potential utility – and it also means it’s a powerdown machine as well as a power-up one. Being a power-down normally reduces speed slightly, so Ricky’s plumbed in 2” return lines, increasing the speed of the down phase. Giving the under-pressure oil a big fat escape route also obviates the need for an oil cooler. The crane will lift 1670kg at 9.0m, although most of the action happens between 4.0m and 7.0m, where it will hoist 3950kg and 2210kg respectively. In close at 3.0m it will lift 5250kg, so has no problemo putting the 5660kg Mills-Tui on its back.

The benefits of the decision to go with the International were more than those apparent upon signing on the dotted line. Because the truck was built a mere 74km away from Mills-Tui, Intertruck’s flexibility when working with local body builders on complex installations reflected in financial savings and turnaround.

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February 2020

Forty-nine-year-old Ricky Musson is the third-generation Musson to glean a living from the Canterbury roads, and son Jarrod at 20 has just crossed the ‘go’ line also, so generation four is under way.

Ricky’s grandfather Eric ‘Mack’ Musson worked for Transport North Canterbury and the Waimakariri Council, and father Denis spent 27 years at Transport North Canterbury (TNC) before it was embroiled in the Transpac saga in the late 80s. When the dust settled on that slice of New Zealand road transport history, Denis took a position helping Owen Frew build the Frews’ North Canterbury business. That entity evolved into a substantial operation that encompassed rural transport operations, logs, as well as work for McAlpines Timber, ENZA, and CHH Forest. It eventually saw the fleet operate South Island-wide.

Ricky’s career started as a youngster in the Transport North Canterbury yards.

“I pretty much started working from the age of 12 as a runner on freight trucks, working a lot with Stu Boyce, brother of the NZ Trucking Association’s Dave Boyce. You learned docket writing, delivering and loading. It was a really good grounding.”

From there Ricky progressed to being a hay paddock truck driver in the summer season.

Post-school he started work in the Transpac Hornby freight terminal, driving fork hoists loading and unloading trucks, and eventually got onto the town and around truck.

“I remember our despatcher at the time, Adelle Chandler, one of the best truck schedulers ever. The bosses were great; it was a great place to work.”

It was when he was doing a freight run to Rangiora that the opportunity came up to work on bigger gear at Frews North Canterbury. “I hadn’t planned on driving bigger gear at that stage to be honest.”

The job was driving a 270hp Isuzu SPZ 6x4 tipper with a demountable crane, towing a 4-axle trailer. “It could do everything and cart nothing,” recalls Ricky. “It was only good for 20 tonne. TNC were ahead of their time. The drop-in bolsters worked in much the same way as the ExTe’s on the International do, but the metal technology just wasn’t there.”

That was 1989 and Ricky stayed on the truck until around 1993. At that time Owen was buying up 5036 V8 Hinos and Ricky got an ex Aratuna Freighters truck that had done 550,000km, a truck he says was in mint condition. “Owen rebadged it a Hino so it was the same as the others. When I came off it, it had 990,000km on it.”

By now Ricky was about 24 and unofficially running the four trucks in the log division.

Ricky acknowledges Barry Bennett in the log fleet for teaching him much of his foundation knowledge on operating a self-loading log truck. “Barry taught me to load small wood and big wood, and much of the skills I use and pass on today stem from his teachings back then.”

A change in local workflow saw an opportunity open up carting into CHH Forest’s mill in Rangiora (the Daiken NZ site now) and Owen jumped in. “He offered me a new

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Ricky Musson’s spent his life pushing the boundaries in self-loading log trucking, often against the weight of opinion. His legacy to the industry will be multifaceted and seen everywhere in the decades ahead.

FY380 Hino, or 420 FH Volvo. He said there’d be nothing in it as the way the power was calculated meant they’d be the same.

Looking back now I’m not sure,” he smiles. “The Hino had a 13-speed Roadranger and the exhaust brake wasn’t much. I told the Hino guys they need an 18-speed and a Jacobs. That model got both those things eventually.”

The truck was a typical Frew – “Swiss Army knife” as Ricky puts it – with flat decks, twist locks, and long and short log frames. The truck towed one of two trailers depending on the work to be done. Interestingly, Owen wanted a set-up that allowed the load cells to stay with the truck so Ricky designed a system where the deck twist-locked into a heavy plate mounted on the cells. It’s essentially the same system he used on the 9870, except it’s bolted, not twist-locked.

“Coming up with ideas and drawing them and pissing around with them is a bit of a hobby of mine, and I think that’s where it all started,” chuckled Ricky.

Fifty-six-thousand kilometres into the Hino’s life, the tragic death of a close workmate in a truck accident, among other things, brought the Frew years to a close. Weeks earlier when delivering to the Timaru port a mate suggested he ring Warwick Wilshier. He plucked up the courage, made the call, and in April 1996 secured a position driving an 11-year-old International T-Line self-loader for McCarthy Wishier Transport (MWT).

“The culture shock was huge. Warwick had been a mechanic himself and it was all about preventative maintenance. If it was broken or needed replacing, it got done. The pay was better too.

“One day there was a meeting of the big bosses and Mark McCarthy was down. He saw me walking across the yard and came over and shook my hand and said ‘G’day Ricky, I’m Mark. Welcome aboard, we have plans for you’. I was gobsmacked.”

In time a new truck was on the cards but the 1997 export slump scuppered it. “Warwick apologised but said the T-Line would get new gear and a new crane and be completely rebuilt from the back of the cab. The motor was done too.”

MWT was a great place according to Ricky, and he had great mentors there, guys like Harry Rutledge, Maurice

McNally, Steve Frew, and Dennis Anderson. It was while Ricky was there that a young Stu McKenzie turned up.

“They tried to put him off, saying come back when you have this, that, and the other. So he did what they asked and came back, and they took him on. I guess I helped teach Stu crane operation in a way.”

Ricky was always impressed with Mark’s innovation and trialling of new ideas. “He would always listen to what you had to say.”

At the time the wine industry in Marlborough was booming with load after load heading up from Canterbury. Ricky was experimenting with loading options and found two packets across the chassis between the bolstered packets made a noticeable difference to payload and how the rig travelled.

“It was all at the time back then when they were trying to get load heights down. I told Mark about an idea I’d had about putting six bolsters on one of their in-house Highway Hound drop chassis trailers. He said ‘draw it up and let’s have a look’.”

Ricky’s mate and mentor Graeme Dempsey encouraged him to press on, and following some back and forth tweaks and fine-tuning, Mark commissioned the build.

“Other trailers in the fleet were retrofitted with extra bolsters, and although there were plans to build more, mine was the only Highway Hound to ever be done. It worked really well.”

Next came the MH Mack that would secure Ricky a formidable reputation in the industry. They were a much respected duo. Ricky spent almost 10 years at MWT in his first stint, before driving at Steve Murphy’s SML for just on 18 months. Following that, he returned to MWT for about a year and a half. In the latter part of his fleet driving career he’d had a hankering for an owner-driver position, but then 12 years ago the opportunity came to go it alone and with a leap of faith he took the plunge.

Today the Musson Logistic fleet totals eight (plus the MH) with Ricky running operations and partner Joanne the administration. The fleet has four self-loaders and the rest are ‘runners’ as Ricky calls them (a log truck with no crane). “I’m a crane man through and through. They’re just more interesting and they have more varied work.”

He still has a good dialogue and cooperation with McCarthy Transport. “I probably drive John Patterson at McCarthy Engineering mad with my ideas,” he laughs.

“Actually I do want to say something. I owe a lot to my staff and want to thank them for their efforts in making Musson Logistics a success. I appreciate all their hard work.”

Ricky Musson. As we said, the thinking man’s trucker. An hour spent in his company can turn into three without you even knowing it’s passed. Anecdotes and the origins of ideas make for fascinating listening. He’s a guy who’s never been afraid to try something new to advance the craft, and although he appears impervious to the slings and arrows of opinion, we’ve learned that’s not entirely the case. Being an innovator can be tough, but his achievements will long be remembered among those who matter; the rest is simply noise.

For the last word on this humble, quiet, clever man we’ll turn to Joanne.

“Ricky’s been a thinker and hugely intelligent right back to when he was a kid at school. With what he’s been able to achieve and seeing the new truck work so well, I just couldn’t be prouder.”

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McKenzie country Forty-one-year-old Stu McKenzie is not the latest generation in a trucking bloodline; he’s a first-generation trucker. Growing up in Woodend just north of Christchurch, his father was a freezing worker but Stu had uncles and cousins who drove trucks on the West Coast and a mate’s dad drove a log truck, so he got trucking time that way.

Much like Ricky did, post-school Stu also got a job working in a freight terminal loading and unloading trucks and doing deliveries. His venue was Mainfreight however, which has gone on to enjoy a modicum more success than Transpac.

Following the company model, Stu was eventually offered the opportunity to buy a Ford Transit van.

The van was fine, but Stu had aspirations to drive the bigger gear, particularly something in the rural or primary sector. He considered logging as the elite but it was hard to get into. As a spritely 21-year-old with limited experience, he went and saw John Fitzsimmons at McCarthy Wilshier Transport (MWT) and registered an interest.

“He sort of fobbed me off and said ‘Oh well, you’ll need your general requirements qualification, your loader module,’ and he rattled off a couple of other things. So, I went and got it all.”

The irrepressible McKenzie made a list of what he needed and started ticking it off. He went to Keith Ewers, a driver trainer in Nelson, and secured the loader module. The general requirements required some study in Christchurch, but he eventually turned up back at MWT and said, ‘Okay, I’ve got this now’. “He [Fitzsimmons] said he normally wouldn’t have hired anyone without a tonne of experience, but that set me apart.”

Stu started out riding shotgun with the guys for a couple of months.

“The first load of logs on my own was out of the Eyrewell Forest to the Daiken mill on a Saturday morning. It was in an old Volvo F12 that MWT had acquired with the purchase of Blyth Valley Transport, and things just progressed from there.

“I remember the truck wasn’t in that good a nick, and they didn’t intend to hang on to it. On that first load the loader driver part-loaded me at the first skid and he sent me around to another skid for the rest. When he arrived behind me he jumped out and said, ‘is this yours?’ He had the jack-shaft in his hand,” laughs Stu. “I had the power divider in and it had just kept driving.”

Stu progressed quickly to a truck that the company had owned, sold, and bought back. It was a Mercedes-Benz 3235 V8 with a 15-speed overdrive Roadranger (New Zealand Trucking magazine April 1991 Top Truck). The truck had been a self-loader but when they bought the cab chassis back it was refigured to a convertible ‘runner’ (straight log unit, no crane).

The first crane truck was a K100E 8x4 with the set-back front axles. It was the post truck, and according to Stu no one wanted to do posts.

“The operator was in his 50s and wanted to come off it, so I jumped on. My first load was to load 1.8m in the dark and rain and it took about two hours. That was character building I can tell you.”

At the age of 24, having done three years at MWT, he moved on as a result of promptings from a mate. He went to work for TNL on a swing-lift, a job he didn’t enjoy. From there

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Stu McKenzie has followed his dream of making trucking a career from a standing start, and done a great job. A thoroughly good bloke.

he got a drive on a Sterling and new 5-axle B-train floating nationwide.

“It was good to say you’ve been there, done that,” said Stu. After just over 12 months there he wanted to go back to logs so rang Steve Murphy (SML) to see if there was anything going. There was no log or crane work but there was a position on a chip liner.

“I knew that wouldn’t last long, and sure enough within three months I was on a crane truck. I was there for 12 years, first on a Foden Alpha and then a late model Mack Quantum that came with the SML purchase of MWT. I put 650,000km on that and then got the K200, which I put 500-odd thousand on.”

Just under three years ago Stu went to work for Ricky driving a Hino 700 self-loader.

“I’ve known Ricky since I started at MWT and we’ve always worked well together. Even when we’re not working for the same company, we work in to make life easier.

“I really enjoy driving the crane trucks. You’re very much your own man and you don’t have to rely on other people.

And it’s a bit more than just truck driving. There’s the truck driving side of it yes, but you’re a machine operator as well, and you have the responsibility for maintaining the crane.

I reckon it takes three months to get the hang of it. If you haven’t got it by then, maybe it’s not for you.

“Dad died when I was 21. He was a bit down on the trucking thing in the early days, but I’d love to take him in this.

He did get to come with me before he died and you could see he got it, but he’d have been into this. You can make a great career from it.”

Outside of work, Stu’s wife Janine works in the local daycare centre and the couple have two kids, Lucy (9) and Alex (12).

Although Alex helps Stu clean the truck on the weekends, he’ll make his own life according to Dad. “It’s not in his blood I’d say, and he’ll do whatever it is he wants. I just want him be a kid as long as he can.” At the moment that largely involves chasing the junior motocross scene around the country.

And what a great mentor his Dad is for that plan! Stu’s the living embodiment of the realisation that you don’t have to come from a long line of truckers to make it. It’s all about attitude, and a willingness to learn when it counts early on.

That’s simply a case of intelligence, and like his boss, he’s certainly not short on that. It’s probably why they get on.

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‘What’s the thing about getting chains over being hard on the bod? I feel great.’

“I reckon a hundred hours of labour at our end were saved because the team at Intertruck was able to prep the truck for the crane in-house,” said Dean Purves. “We sent all the measurements, hole placements, mountings, and flitching requirements, etc. that we wanted, and when it arrived nothing needed to be done or disassembled before we could mount the crane and deck.”

That prep work included a full inner C channel and two extra 7-piece cross members.

Blurred lines

It’s all well and good building such a machine but Ricky’s days are often spent running the fleet and doing boss stuff, so who’s going to drive it and get the productivity? In this instance that was no issue at all. Get some blokes who know the Canterbury log truck scene gathered around a few beers and table the conversion point ‘self-loading crane operators’. Two names

pop up in the contemporary era, Musson and McKenzie, and it takes a good few rounds of ale before no real conclusion is arrived at. “It goes well beyond that,” says Ricky. “‘Boud’ (Boudewyn Eichholtz) has worked for me for 10 years and there’s none better than him, and he’s just a great bloke with it.

I’ve got a great crew really.”

So, you no doubt guessed from that comment that both Stu and ‘Boud’ work for Ricky. However Ricky, in a typical take-astep-back Ricky sort of way said Stu’s got the edge on account of more hours at the controls nowadays. Damn, that bloody paperwork!

We met Stu powering up under the rock shelter and watershed on the Arthur’s Pass. The combination is instantly impactful, both in configuration and presentation. The deck, the trailer, the crane, the green and white, the grille, the alloy bumper, stainless air rams; it’s a truck that will always garner a second look whether you’re a propeller head or a show and

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At the rock shelter and water-shed on the Arthur’s.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Stu’s view of the world. This could be fun with a bit of practice.

Below: And then the magic. Just like that it’s up on the back. The only one like it currently in the country.

shiner. Following him back through the Craigieburn rolling country between the Waimak Bluffs and Porters Pass, the smoothness of the trailer’s track was clearly evident. There’s often a 3-axle trailer bobbling along after a self-loader, done to keep weight down, and at best a four. Not any more.

Stu had product on for Southbrook near Woodend, and the 9870 made short work of the run across the plains to its destination. Once there the magic really started.

Stu’s going to be the crane display man at the TMC Trucking Industry Show in Christchurch again next month, and we’d suggest you get along. Where the machine ends, and man begins is debateable. The 9870 rumbles away comfortably at 1000rpm and the smoothness of the operation is phenomenal. Everything is picked and placed; nothing is dropped or dragged. One grab, one release.

Once empty it was a quick load of short post product for reprocessing locally. The truck was loaded front-to-back and the stakes were right up on the trailer. It made for a super impressive load. “This stuff ’s light as,” said Stu. “We’d be lucky if the trailer had 12 tonne on it.”

The following morning we met Stu at the same location just in time to watch him unload and put the trolley up. That’s an epic watch also. Before we get to that though, we saw one clear advantage in having the deck. Clearing dust and bark off a log truck is an arse of a job and there’s always the one piece of bark you can’t see sitting somewhere that falls off in front of Sheriff Sloane. Stu swept the deck off clean with his broom in 10 seconds flat.

So, back to the trailer. Stu unhooks and pulls the drawbar back to its empty slot and pins it (he can’t quite get to the Duomatic, leads, and coupling with the crane…but he’s working on it – LOL).

Back in the hot seat, he grabs the dolly spinner poking up from the turntable and whips the dolly under the trailer, then drags it up so the dolly wheels are in place on the deck inside the combing rails and the rear of the trailer is laying off at an angle, back wheels still on the ground. In this phase the left chassis rail of the trailer acts as a brake, resting on the outside rear left tyre of the dolly. Stu then grabs the back end and swings it up into place. The legs on the crane are then tucked away. Crane folded up. Have fun waiting at the gantry chaps, I’m outta here!

Motoring

Trailer up and we’re heading for a private woodlot job in Canterbury’s far north for export back to the port at Lyttelton.

It’s a gnarly wee track into the hills, void of metal in any form, just pumice dust.

“They’ve had a couple of goes at this one,” said Stu. “Rain’s shut it down, but we’re getting a good run at it now.”

The 9870 bored its way in easily. One impressive trait is its lock. You’d forgive an 8x4 with a 6.8m wheelbase for not being able to out-turn a grader, but not so in the International. Stu said it’s better left-hand down than right, but it has the edge on the Hino he came off previously. Go figure.

Stu backed into place and unloaded the trailer so it sat at

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... right angles to the truck. He does this because the less the crane has to reach, the more it can lift. The entire process from arrival to departure takes about 30-odd minutes.

The pull off the skid was around a corner and into a steep climb that had the truck rim-deep in what can only be described as powder. Stu got a skidder to give him a help away and the International hoed into its work. He said there’s no issue with traction and we spent some time discussing the revolution that CTI was back in the day, signalling the end of on-highway tri-drives.

The Bigfoot was set on ‘maximum claw’, and out he came.

There were some drop-turn-climb gullies on the way out, providing classic Jake-in and power-out scenarios. In this country the big engines come into their own: on the climb out the X15 would bog down to an engine note that would have stopped its forerunners, but then it would just pick-up and pull away.

Out on the road exit it was a quick check of the LT tensioners, a neat system where opposing pawls are tightened via a tensioning bar in a twitch-like action. Stu said they rarely need a tweak.

‘The nominees for the best in-cab sound from a big bore 6-cylinder on a highway diesel are: Cummins for its X15, and MAN for its D3876LF09. And the winner is…whichever you like, we can’t decide.’ Yes, the X15 is one of our favourite engine notes and it fills the cab with its richness at around 69 to 70dB, slightly more than a K200 and less than a T610 and ProStar.

Stu’s an interesting commentator on our last two big US-style cabovers, having driven them both.

“The K200 is a bit more refined. Drop sills on the doors, some of the materials, and locations of things like the heater and air vents. I mean if you like the retro straight sills on doors then this is your machine. The International wins on steering, clutch action – it’s as light as the one in my Hino – and gear shifting. This thing’s easy,” he said tapping the gear lever.

“They’re both the style of truck I like to drive. There’s not much in it.”

Do we like the 9870 cab? Yep, we sure do. Climb in via the classic rear-of-the-wheel entry and the space is the initial impact believe it or not. This is a US-style cabover day cab yet the extra cab depth and lack of an engine tunnel transform the environment. You have to take a moment and think back to the MH Mack in particular and ask why wasn’t it a flat floor; it

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Room with a view.

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had cavernous space under the tunnel?

The dash is classic US retro with its signature International 2-piece design. There’s the 3-plane binnacle right in front of the driver with its 15-gauge set, and the separate wrap climbing away to the left with switchgear, brake valves, entertainment, and climate control. The steering wheel steers, nothing else – yay for that – and there are wands on the left and right of the steering column: left for dip and indication and right for hand control. The gear shifter is tunnel-mounted and visually it looks well forward although it’s easy and comfortable in use.

The finish around the dash and highlights is classic woodgrain and there’s hardwearing grey plastic panelling where there isn’t deep buttoned vinyl, and there’s plenty of that. The engine ‘bump’ is carpeted.

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There’s a storage caddy on the tunnel in matching trim, with a couple of cup holders built in to boot. There’s space under the passenger seat and a couple of cubbies with net fronts in the overhead. There are additional cup holders on the wrap section of the dash and a document holder on the dash console under the wrap facing the back wall. It is a truck you’d have no trouble staying away in for a couple of nights on account of the floor space. You’d easily get a big overnight bag in the space between the cubby and the dash assembly.

Fit-up-wise the 9870 is still sound after 80,000km of logging. Yes, there were a couple of minor squeaks but it’s a log truck and they all protest their lot to some degree. There’s something about the 9870, something intangible. It’s a proud thing to build a motor vehicle of this standard in your wee island nation. No one else on Greta’s globe does it. Looking around you just get the sense the team members at Intertruck and its associated suppliers pour their hearts into these things.

That they care, and care a lot.

Loaded to just under our 50 tonne, Stu powered on down the island. Ride-wise the 9870 was surprisingly good. There was a time when the thought of sitting up in the top right corner of a day-cab American box with two steering axles beneath you was somewhat depressing, but not today. The 9870 was very well behaved and only on Julie Anne’s really bad Third World surfaces did we feel a wee kick. Obviously, the wheelbase probably helped.

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There’s not much in the way of climbing between the foot of the Hundalee Hills and Christchurch; the Greta Canyon North of Waipara was monstered in 14th (sixth high) at 1400rpm and 40kph. Stu said the rock shelter, water-shed, and Peg Leg on the Arthur’s is tackled in third high (low if it’s raining) at 1200rpm and just over 20kph. The fact is a 16% grade will sweat even the heartiest asset.

One thing stood out on our journey; these machines (truck, trailer, and crane) are going to last a long time in this man’s care. The finesse and smoothness required to operate a crane certainly carries through into the cab.

Into the port and you have to shake your head and smile.

The only place Stu can possibly be held up is the talley base, everywhere else he just goes and does his own thing. And watching him, you see why the ExTe bolsters and stanchions were a no-brainer. Your traditional Kiwi-built bolster was never designed to hold logs in, they were built to withstand errant Wagners and the like, trying to ensure trucks didn’t leave the port or mill with stanchions that looked like someone’s first lesson at macramé night school. Thankfully the new, modern front-end type wheel loaders have improved the situation out of sight but, like we said, with Stu, everything is picked up, and placed. He could have stanchions made of knitting needles and they’d be fine.

Unloaded and the trailer up, it was a reluctant farewell.

What a bloke. What a machine.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Summary

One of the cooler things about this amazing machine is its incredible success, which is in some way a metaphor for the three all-Kiwi entities whose flags it flies. Comer Board and his courage in the face of every imaginable obstacle, deciding all those years ago to build the truck he thought New Zealand operators deserved, over 40% of which is today sourced from the hands of local suppliers. Dean Purves, who took a punt two years ago and bought a legendary New Zealand trailer building name, and with the drive, communication, people, and belief he’s brought to the business, Mills-Tui’s future looks as bright as any time in its history. But most of all, Ricky Musson.

For starters, a guy who goes the extra mile as an employed driver to enhance the payload on his boss’s truck surely has integrity overflowing out his ears and tear ducts. A thinker and innovator in an industry that can be very glass half-empty and lonely until success is assured. Another stunning example of the tenacious Kiwi battler. Humble, reserved, understated, yet immensely capable.

The ultimate answer to the project’s success is what will they do different on build two? Whether it’s Ricky, Stu, or Dean, they all think for a moment and say, “Bugger all actually”. 

Our very own What better time to share a recent communication from the team at Intertruck.

“International has relaxed its brand guidelines, allowing Intertruck to reach out with local brand identification. The striking new logo symbolises our heritage and patriotism as a New Zealand brand for over 100 years. The Silver Fern magnificently unites our nation to what all Kiwis relate to, being a powerful symbol as world leaders in highquality brands.

“As a premier New Zealand truck builder, Intertruck is proudly 100% Kiwi owned and operated. Intertruck is humbled to be associated with a wide range of patriotic customers who support ‘built in New Zealand’ products.”

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SPECIFICATIONS

International 9870 R8HD DAY CAB Tare:

16,060kg (ready to work)

Auxiliary braking:

Jacobs

GVM:

33,000kg

Fuel:

1 x 435 litre

GCM:

72,000kg

DEF tank:

90 litre

Wheelbase

6800mm

Wheels:

Engine:

Cummins X15

Truck: Accuride Alloy Trailer: Jost Alloy

Capacity:

15 litre

Tyres:

Truck: 11 R22.5 Trailer: 265/70 R19.5

Power:

459kW (615hp)

Electrical:

12 volt

Torque:

2779Nm (2050lb/ft)

Chassis:

Emissions:

Euro 5 (SCR)

Custom frame with full additional C channel and two extra cross-members for crane support

Transmission:

Eaton RTLO20918B 18-speed manual

Additional spec:

Clutch:

Air-assisted hydraulic

Exhaust raised and protected, fuel/DEF tanks raised 50mm for additional ground clearance.

Meritor MFS 143 Widetrack

Cab exterior:

Front axle: Front axle rating:

13,000kg (pair)

All-steel cab with air bag and shock absorbers mounted at rear and rubber front mount. Two-piece screen with peep window. Heated and motorised mirrors.

Cab interior:

Day-cab, buttoned vinyl interior, woodgrain dash, centre console, power outlets with USB, seat belt tensioners, air ride driver’s seat.

Extras:

Alloy bumper, dual air intakes with stainless rams, stainless kick-plates in and surrounding door insteps, tinted windows, LED headlights.

Front suspension:

Parabolic leaf springs and shock absorbers

Rear axle:

Meritor 46.160 at 4.3:1 (diff locks and cross locks on both axles)

Rear axle rating:

20,900kg

Rear suspension:

Hendrickson PRIMAAX-EX Gen3 Air suspension

Brakes:

Drum ABS-6 (additional spring brake on second steer – safety)

Acknowledgements New Zealand Trucking magazine would like to acknowledge and thank Ricky, Joanne, and Stu for their willingness and time in putting this story together.

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FREIGHT

forward

By Dave McCoid

The launch of the Freightliner Cascadia in this part of the world took place in Sydney just prior to Christmas, bringing with it the highest-powered gathering of Daimler Truck and Bus top brass seen down under in almost two decades.

I

f you ever wanted confirmation of just how seriously Daimler is taking Cascadia’s arrival in the antipodes, then sitting at a press conference in a sectioned off area of the Sydney Opera House promenade with Daimler’s Martin Daum and Rodger Nielsen looking back at you should do it.

For those who aren’t on the page, Daum’s the chairman of the board of management at Daimler Trucks AG, that’s the top

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of all things truck and bus in the Daimler world, and Nielsen is president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America (‘DTNA’ if you’re groovy). You might say they’re tectonic plates when it comes to global trucking foundations. When they make a move, everything else is affected and responds.

Accompanying the two most senior men was an entourage of North American executives, and in terms of flying the local flag, there was Daniel Whitehead, president and CEO Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific; Stephen Downes, director Freightliner Australia Pacific; and Greg Lovrich, director aftersales and network operations, Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific. Where were our flag bearers? If you read the news section recently, you’ll know the answer to that; if you haven’t, New Zealand will be run from Australia as of 1 April, so no real need beyond who was there.

The wait is over and ‘our’ Cascadia is here. The only thing left is to drive it, and that’s happening soon we understand, but as far as speccing and ordering goes, the flag has fallen, fill your boots…unless it’s an 8-wheeler you want, but more on that on page 40.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Back brief

To revise: Argosy was axed because we’re now part of Daimler Trucks North America, and that’s great because we’re no longer a special project tucked away at the bottom of the world, scrapping for the crumbs of R&D. We’re now part of the colossal development programme for one of the most successful trucks ever made. There’s no disputing that; just drive around the States and about 37% of all Class 8 trucks you’ll see will be a Cascadia. This is a truck that still has a mandated five percent improvement in total cost of ownership built into each two- to three-year development cycle (that timeframe appears mildly flexible), and we’re now part of that party.

You could say though that we are not the US and we break trucks that have never been broken before. If our trans-Tasman brothers don’t cook or shake them to death, we’ll twist and rack them to death. Point taken, but if you read either of our recent articles following our trip to the States to observe the Cascadia’s preparation (New Zealand Trucking magazine September and October 19), you’ll know the Americans now understand all that and a Cascadia built to survive in crocodile or katipo country will be equivalent to a heavy-spec vocational model back home. In addition, there’ll be strategic trucks working in customer sites here beaming back information to Swan Island (DTNA headquarters in Oregon) all the time.

It’s going to be a fascinating decade because there’s no way DTNA wants its golden carriage embarrassed on a couple of overgrown South Pacific atolls. That’s particularly true in the case of Nielsen. He’s no corporate chessboard hopper: he’s Mr Freightliner, having been with the company for 33 years and seen almost three million of the three and half million Freightys ever made roll off the production lines. He loves his truck and when some of the shortcomings in the brand’s recent history down this way were tabled at the press conference, it grated.

“Today I promise you the best of Freightliner comes to Australia and New Zealand,” he said at the evening launch.

Interestingly, Daum acknowledged that if they could have changed one thing in the past it would have been to develop the original Cascadia in right-hand drive from the get-go (that would certainly have helped expedite platforming the global offering also).

Why spend $100m Aussie smackers on us?

It was a swanky affair. Stephen Downes, director Freightliner Australia Pacific, has a big couple of years ahead.

It’s the largest investment Daimler Trucks North America has made outside the US. In terms of bringing Cascadia to Australasia, Daum acknowledged that right now, the market’s importance in terms of straight sales numbers was disproportionate to the investment and energy committed, but he said it’s also likely to see significant growth, and bringing this region under the wing of DTNA will have obvious developmental and cost benefits over time.

“We lead with the long game, not quarter to quarter. A country has to be wealthy enough with growth potential to sustain long-term high technology trucks. This is a given in Australia. We want to do it right this time.”

Then there was that weird Australasian thing that’s so great for us ‘ockers’ and ‘bros’ in terms of the truck variance we see.

He said it’s a market that every major brand is in, a market that pits the best man can build against one another in one of the

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globe’s most varied and harshest places. “Daimler has earned its right to be here,” Daum said resolutely.

So what do we get?

The model range will comprise the 116 and 126 models (the number designates BBC measurement) with the 13-litre DD13 rated from 336kW (450hp)/2237Nm (1650lb/ft), up to 377kW (505hp)/2508Nm (1850lb/ft); and the DD16 available in the 126 only rated from 373kW (500hp)/2508Nm (1850lb/ft), up to 448kW (600hp)/2050Nm (2050lb/ft). Both engines do better than Euro 6 emissions, meeting the US GHG 17 protocol instead.

Daum volunteered and put to bed the age-old conjecture over OM versus DD engine also.

“Is the Detroit engine in a Cascadia a Mercedes-Benz engine branded Detroit, or is the Mercedes-Benz engine in the Actros a Detroit engine branded Mercedes-Benz? The truth is it’s a global engine, where the best engineers from Detroit and Germany pooled expertise from those countries.”

Transmission-wise there’s the DT12 AMT (essentially the Mercedes-Benz PowerTorque-3), or an 18-speed Eaton manual. Obviously the DT12 is where they want the sales to come from because it’s a key component to so much of the total cost of ownership and safety proposition. It comes

Cooling off on Cascadia 8x4 There was a definite cooling of the enthusiasm when it came to predicting the arrival of the 8x4 Cascadia in one of the world’s more annoying little markets…the one that has the population of a half-decent city but likes on-highway 8x4 trucks in both cabover and bonneted guise. Here’s what Daniel Whitehead, president and CEO of Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific said: “I think the interesting thing with Cascadia is you imagine its operation based on what we know from the operation of a conventional truck today, and it is a conventional truck, but it’s not a conventional truck like we have today. With all the different configurations, it gets into operations that traditionally we haven’t viewed that way, especially when you look at it in terms of PBS. What we thought was needed in order to operate in an environment is now actually not required. For example a tipper and dog at 48 tonne, you have to give up 250kg to leave the axle where it is. It’s a no-brainer when you get everything that comes with it.

“We have to get bums-on-seats. It’s such a different product from what they’re getting out of. Whether it’s our

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product or another manufacturer’s product there’s such a step forward that there’s a bit of suck it and see what’s possible with the factory configurations, and I think we’ll continue to stretch that portfolio across a lot of operations.”

Paraphrase that. If you hold your breath waiting for it, you’ll die. Especially in light of what Daum said next. Answering a question on the state of the nation at Freightliner’s stablemate Western Star, he said that platforming the Western Star and giving it a ‘birthday’ was “All part of the project.

“The 8x4 is part of the Western Star. Before Daniel [Whitehead i.e. Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific] gets an 8x4 Cascadia, what you might see in your country is an 8x4 Western Star.”

So, a platform Western Star, that’s where the weird and wonderful are likely to lie. And who can blame them?

Why make two mutants when one’s plenty. We’re actually realising ourselves that nine axles aren’t the utopic solution to all things; just look at the proliferation of 6x4s and 5-axle trailers in the past couple of years.

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with creep-mode, coast function, Intelligent Powertrain Management (IPM) – which uses topography and map information to optimise performance, and descending functions. Its uptake in the US is now at 70% for reasons of efficiency, safety, and ease of driver placement. Daum recalled a lovely anecdote we’d normally never get to hear from a conversation he’d had years earlier with a senior Eaton executive at the time Daimler announced the DT12 programme. “He said to me ‘why are you going after it, it’s only 9% of the market?’ I said, ‘I’m not going after your UltraShift, I’m going after your manuals’.”

Meritor and Detroit comprise the front axle options, and Meritor RT40 and RT46 and Hendrickson HLM2 lift axles

the rear. Heftier options than the Meritor RT46 will be on the way soon. Rear suspension is currently the Airliner 40K and 46K, with Neway to follow.

The slippery Cascadia cab meets ECE29 crash test standards with 36”, 48”, 60”, and 60” raised roof sleeper variants.

But the real story is…

Safety, connectivity and, Freightliner would say, fuel efficiency.

“Cascadia will be the undisputed fuel economy leader,” said Stephen Downes confidently at the launch. The technology and aerodynamics would all indicate that might be the case, as may official trials, but in a workaday sense as we all know it all still hinges on the ‘tiger’ at the tiller. Where the Cascadia

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... will set itself aside is the first two, safety and connection.

The Cascadia is a true Level 2 autonomous truck sporting the US version of the Daimler safety platform under the moniker Detroit Assurance 5.0. That’s Active Brake Assist – 5 (pedestrian and stationary object aware and reactive), Adaptive Cruise to 0kmph and restart (including moving pedestrians), Lane Departure Warning, Lane Change and Turn Assist, Side Guard Assist on the left side with the right coming soon (optional), Trailer Sweep Assist, plus anti-skid brakes, ESP, auto headlights and wipers, and all that stuff.

There’s also a side impact airbag that is optional in the cab spec.

The test trucks we drove back in Madras also had Active Steering, which Daimler here hasn’t taken at this stage while our governments opt for highway surfaces modelled on Uganda rather than Utah.

In terms of connectivity this truck talks to whoever wants to listen, both in terms of where it is and how it’s feeling. The architecture is also open for third party hosting. Operations, fleet maintenance, customers, and DTNA can all have a yarn with it. In DTNA’s case that also means you might knock off on Monday night and not be in the latest model, but when you turn the key on Tuesday morning you are!

Cascadia is the most advanced bonneted US truck we’ve ever seen; that’s just another fact. It’s at least on a par with, and in

many cases a nose hair ahead of, Europe’s latest and greatest.

“The regulatory and chain of responsibility requirements are only going to escalate,” said Downes.

Safety and connectivity may not spin the tyres of the dyed in the wool chrome stack lifestylers, but it should do precisely that at the desks of accountants, fleet purchasers, risk managers, and insurance companies.

“Liability and safety risks are a substantial part of the costs and New Cascadia has already set a new highwater mark in terms of safety for our customers,” said Nielsen of the US experience.

In terms of connectivity this truck talks to whoever wants to listen, both in terms of where it is and how it’s feeling.

Meth, cannabis, cocaine, oxycodone tramadol, alprazolam

THAT COST THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY LOTS OF

Pitch perfect

The launch was festooned with romantic images of Cascadias in an Australian red dust heartland, and like a picture of a new truck taken on the banks of Lake Tekapo, it looks fantastic but its relevance to the bulk of everyday freight trudging is almost nought. If Freightliner down in this part of the world can remember where the marque’s roots lay, being a man who simply wanted to move more freight more efficiently than anyone else, then the 1500 unit sales a year target they aspire to resides in the big fleet freight lanes between Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, and probably line haul freight and bulk tipping in New Zealand. That’s really Cascadia’s home. Just ask 37% of the US market. 

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Best-laid plans Story and photos by Gavin Myers

Logging is big business in the Hawke’s Bay, but this sector has had its ups and downs in recent years. One company, R&L Beale Log Transport Limited, has weathered the storm against all odds and has proved to be one of the most respected log transporters in the area.

“A

lot of people – before logging got really busy – didn’t like newbies on the scene. A lot of them said we wouldn’t make it, we were idiots for doing it. But we’re still doing it and doing it better. When people tell you that you can’t do something, it

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makes you dig your toes in,” says Ray Beale, as he explains his journey in setting up his company. It’s a statement that speaks to the grit and determination with which he and wife Louise have approached logging in the Hawke’s Bay. Having grown up around trucking, driving with dad Trevor as a youngster before getting into the cab for numerous operators over 15-odd years, Ray started the company four years ago. That wasn’t always the plan, though.

“The plan was always to own a truck,” Ray smiles as he puts the emphasis on the word ‘a’. He simply wanted to jump in his truck in the morning, do some logging and then head back home in the evening. “We’ve now ended up running 20 of them,” he continues. Eight of these belong to the company itself, three of them to Trevor (who, the Beales mention, has been unwavering in his support of them and the business), with the rest belonging to owner-drivers.

Louise adds that they weren’t prepared for such rapid growth. “But we had to roll with it,” she says, explaining that it wasn’t her plan to work for a trucking company either, let alone own and run one.

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“I always said, you either have to have one truck or 10 trucks – if we stuck with just a few, we’d lose contracts to bigger companies. So it came to a point that we really had to grow,” Ray continues.

The owner-drivers themselves have been crucial to the rapid success of the company. “We’ve only really taken on people who have been good to us; it works both ways,” says Ray. Louise adds: “We’ve had to help each of them to get into the role, though nobody helped us into it when we started. All we expect in return – from everyone in the company – is loyalty, honesty and hard work. Ninety percent of the time we’ve gotten that.”

One driver (who’s quickly moving his way up the company ranks) who can attest to the Beale’s way of doing things is Ryan Newsome. Born and raised in Napier, Ryan began working for the company three years ago. “Ray’s not afraid to take risks; he does everything with thought. Smart business management. Everything has a motive behind it and the company has evolved enormously,” he tells me as we head out of the company’s Napier depot in the latest addition to

the R&L Beale fleet – 01KW – and head for a skid outside Dannevirke, around 120km away.

While the fleet is a mix of Americana at the moment, Ray is currently working on standardising it, and both he and Ryan agree that you can’t beat a Kenworth. 01KW is a Kenworth K200 8x4 fitted with the usual X15 and Roadranger combo, with logging gear by Kraft Engineering. Ryan’s been driving it for about three months now and says it laps up the short but hard ks typical of their operation. “It’s not easy running,” he says.

“The brand sells itself,” Ray says. “Mark O’Hara at Southpac has made things easy for us. We love dealing with him and we don’t even want to try anything else. Easton Truck and Marine are the Southpac agents here that service our trucks.”

Eagle-eyed readers might notice that one of the Beale trucks pictured is not quite like the others… One of Ray’s favourite trucks has always been the ex-Lingman Logging Smooth Criminal K200 and when the opportunity to buy it came up, he just couldn’t ignore it. Changing the livery to match the rest of the fleet wasn’t even an option. “Smooth Criminal is

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February 2020

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“The plan was always to own a truck,” he smiles as he puts the emphasis on the word ‘a’.

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New Zealand Trucking

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Trailer made by Kraft Engineering.

Central reflective flap made by Ray.

so iconic that we couldn’t change it,” he says. Well, other than adding the R&L Beale name to the doors!

Part of the reason Beales is standardising its fleet is to portray a streamlined, professional company image. The other part is to attract and retain good drivers.

“Our first truck cost $50,000, but that strategy wasn’t working because we weren’t attracting quality drivers. Good drivers don’t drive shit; they control where they go. The industry doesn’t have a supply of drivers at the moment, so to attract the good guys you need brand new gear – the truck sets the standard,” says Ray, commenting on how drivers’ expectations have changed.

“I started on an old 350 Foden. That’s where you started back then. But again, nice gear attracts the type of driver who cares about it.”

That goes for young and old, experienced and inexperienced alike. Ray’s approach is to train up the younger guys. That’s exactly what he did with Ryan – who he helped get into the game with but a green class 5 to his name – and a few others to date.

Louise explains that the company is very ‘anti-negativity’ and that they took the decision recently to introduce company values (loyalty, honesty, respect and pride), which, she says, went down surprisingly well with the drivers. To its credit, the company has had a very low turnover of staff in its first few years.

“We’re determined to make it work, we’ve sacrificed so much and still do,” Ray says. He reckons there’s been a bit of luck on their side, but Louise thinks it’s a little more profound than that, mentioning Ray’s work ethic and good support from the team, including the health and safety and insurance companies they deal with. “We want to be that company everyone likes, down to the loader drivers. Ray has a way of keeping good relationships and we have to have a good attitude.”

She’s especially thankful for the help of Jessica Brown, the company’s admin manager, who has been with the company for the past two years. “Jess is the backbone of the day-to-day running of R&L Beale. We couldn’t do it without her,” says Louise.

One of the systems the company has implemented to better its operations was fitting IVCS DriveCam cameras to the trucks along with EROAD. “When we installed them, the

Pretty soon the Beale fleet will be a sea of blue K200s – except for the ex-Lingman Logging Smooth Criminal, which Ray admits was a purely emotional purchase.

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Above: The latest addition to the

Right: Ray and Louise Beale with the

R&L Beale fleet is a far cry from

2019 Mitre 10 Mega Ride in a Truck

the company’s first $50,000 unit.

Day people’s choice winner, 01KW.

drivers had an education session; knowing we only see footage if it’s triggered by bad driving made them feel at ease with the decision,” Louise says.

While he reckons cameras are a must-have, Ray says that installing EROAD in the trucks was a turning point in the business. “EROAD is a boon, the best system. It helps us with tracking services, RUCs, driver hours, location, overspeed reports, and more. And their support is brilliant. One of our drivers, Aaron Boswell, is one of the top EROAD drivers in the country,” he says proudly.

Having built up its customer base to more than 20, it’s clear R&L Beale is a major local player. Going forward, Ray would like to get the company-owned fleet up to 10 trucks (“definitely!”) and he has the ambition of expanding to versatile units such as log decks and timber decks. For now though, the company is concentrating on updating its fleet. “New tech entices good drivers and requires a lot less maintenance,” he reiterates.

Like the parents of a high-achieving child (they have two of their own, Sophie (13) and Kaiden (9)), it’s clear the Beales are proud of what their business has been able to achieve in such a short space of time. In fact, something they’re most proud of was 01KW winning the people’s choice award at the 2019 Hastings Mitre 10 Mega Ride in a Truck Day. On that point, Ray adds: “We don’t stop the drivers from taking their kids for a ride; they do big hours and it also encourages the kids to get interested in trucking. It’s a shame how a lot of companies won’t let kids go for rides with their dads.”

So, things might not have gone according to the original plan, but Ray and Louise say they wouldn’t dream of changing it. “We’ve met some great people and made good relationships,” says Louise. “This is the path we chose and we are using it to better our future and our kids’.”

“Failure’s not an option,” adds Ray. 

The blue Beale loggers cut a distinctive figure in the green forests.

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TOP TRUCK

Savage

STAR Story and photos by Craig Andrews

Living in Central Otago is a privilege in any case, but for one operator at McNulty’s Transport, it’s just that little bit better.

O

perating the most recent acquisition in the McNulty’s Transport fleet from Cromwell is Brendon Savage. Brendon came to Central Otago about five years ago from Wilsons Bulk Transport Ltd in Ashburton to start work at Central Machine Hire in Wanaka. He started on an RB Mack, and at 27 he was a year older than the truck he drove, so that was character building.

A move to Cromwell saw him take up a role driving a Freightliner Columbia for McNulty’s Transport on the demanding run from their Amisfield Quarry near Cromwell, to Frankton on the outskirts of Queenstown, carting aggregates for the Firth concrete plant there. On the day Brendon turned 32, managing director Brian McNulty told him they had ordered a new Western Star 4864FXC to replace the Freightliner Columbia he was currently on.

“They want to carry more weight without going to an 8-wheeler with a 5-axle trailer. They saw the Star and it got the nod,” said Brendon. “It was also a tipper spec unit.”

A great deal from the Penske team included painting the unit in McNulty’s colours.

“The short 5-axle trailer is ideal,” Brendon said. “The concrete plants are tight, so a short 5-axle trailer was perfect.

The Star has a payload of 36 tonnes, five more than the previous Freightliner.”

Aptly named Savage Star, the truck creates a real presence on the road, helped by its operator, who keeps it pristine. Brendon gets on the road about 4am most mornings and has been known to be in polishing the truck at 2am. That’s dedication right there. And it’s something not lost on Brian McNulty, who is full of praise for the way the truck is looked after and operated.

Savage Star was painted white in Christchurch and came down to be set up with its new trailer and bins by Stephen

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Above: Transport Engineering Southland (TES) is Brian McNulty’s preferred supplier when it comes to trailing gear and bodies.

Left: The Western Star’s clean lines and uncomplicated livery come together well, resulting in a striking machine – the old less is more lesson again.

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Keast and his team at Transport Engineering Southland (TES).

Stephen is another person Brian has high praise for, the firm doing all of McNulty’s gear.

Hilton Signs in Cromwell did the graphics; understated but very effective.

Five loads of aggregate per day head through to Frankton from the Amisfield Quarry, keeping the Queenstown building industry on its toes. That’s 10 times a day that Brendon navigates the Kawarau Gorge Road and no two trips are the same, due mainly to the nature of the other road users frequenting one of the country’s most popular tourist spots.

McNulty’s has added a dash camera to the truck just in case the worst happens.

The Frankton run is what the Star does most, but once a month it gets a run to Oamaru and Dunedin just to show Brendon there’s more to the region than the beautiful scenery he sees on a daily basis.

The Western Star runs the DD15 rated at 418kW (560hp) and producing 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) of torque. Transmission is an Eaton Roadranger RTLO-20918B and the rear end Meritor RT46-160GP at 4.3:1 and 20,900kg capacity. The million-kilometre warranty with this powerplant also helped seal the deal.

The Star is the first of its kind in a mostly Freightliner and Isuzu fleet, with a couple of Hinos in the mix as well. The company’s work includes servicing the construction industry with aggregate trucks, crane trucks, cement tankers, and agitator trucks.

Brian McNulty and transport manager Brett ‘Spike’ Tomkies

From left: Brendon Savage (driver) Brian McNulty (managing director), and Brett ‘Spike’ Tomkies (transport manager).

are impressed with the unit, which has clocked up 80,000km since it arrived in September last year.

McNulty’s has been in the transport game for just over 140 years. Brian’s great-grandfather started the business in 1878; suffice to say prudent decision making is in the bloodline. The choice of Brendon Savage and a Western Star 4864FXC with its TES gear are just two of the latest. 

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Just Truckin’

Around

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Nathan Childs Nathan Childs was waiting for a load of material from the demolition of St Mary’s Church in Levin when Faye Lougher stopped to say hi.

Driving a 2012 Western Star 4864FXC with an 18-speed Roadranger, Nathan would be heading for a local quarry once the trailer was loaded.

He has been driving trucks about seven years and has worked for Central Demolition for about two years.

“I used to work for an engineers that moved small stuff in a little truck so I had my class 2 licence,” Nathan says.

“The job sort of evolved from there.”

Central Demolition is based in Feilding and Nathan had started there that morning.

“Every day is different. It’s an obstacle course out there – it’s a challenge.”

Nathan likes to leave the problems of the industry to others, saying he just does his own thing and doesn’t worry about anyone else.

He picked the parachuting or scuba diving question.

“Parachuting! Because it’s like a freedom thing, like a motorbike.”

and he was happy to step out of the cab for a chat. When asked how he got into truck driving, Sila said he got tired of being a labourer.

“I thought ‘what do I want to do?’

I enjoy driving and have been driving trucks for about 10 years now.”

While he says the best part of the job has to be the driving, Sila also loves the variety.

“I enjoy meeting different types of

people and going to different places.

There are some nice views in the Wellington hills.”

Sila admitted there were a few problems in the industry, but didn’t want to go too deep into that.

“It’s a demanding job, especially when it comes to operating the equipment. It’s definitely a skilled job.”

The old whether your curry should be hot or mild question saw Sila go for mild.

Sila Elia Faye Lougher had been hoping to do a Just Truckin’ Around on one of Higgins’ smart cement tankers for some time and it was her lucky day because Sila Elia was stopped in Shannon when she was passing through.

Sila had come from Wellington that morning and was heading to Palmerston North with a load of dry cement.

His 2015 Mack Granite with a 12-speed auto was looking immaculate

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Around

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JUST TRUCKIN’ AROUND – Overseas Jason O’Connor Jason O’Connor is from the Waikato but left his native land in the 90s in search of adventure in ‘the big country’, and has not returned since. “I keep meaning to go back, but it just never happened,” he said.

Jason and Paul O’Callaghan had just loaded 132 fat cows each at Fossil Downs Station in the town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia when the Irishman persuaded the Kiwi to pose for a photograph.

Jason’s 2002 Kenworth T904 has a history that is as impressive as its appearance.

“My first job was driving a Scania T143 for John Backman in Perth, after which I went to Broome to work for Lawson Clopper in 2004. The deal was that I was going to buy a T950 from him to pull his trailers. But when I landed in Broome, he casually told me that I would now be buying his T904 instead!”

Jason worked the CAT-powered Kenworth hard for four years, at which point he bought a new T908 with an Eaton UltraShift transmission, pulling triples for Saddlers/Nexus up to Darwin.

At one stage he was running four trucks, but scaled back when his wife became terminally ill. Ten years after he sold his original T904, he spotted it for sale and immediately did a deal to buy the old girl. “It was in a pretty bad way when I bought it – the turbo was lying on the bunk.”

Having tidied the truck up, Jason began pulling crates for Mitchell’s Livestock Transport of Waroona, but it has recently been based out of Broome, pulling for Road Trains of Australia.

When questioned as to whether he’d sell the Kenworth for a second time, the answer was a resounding, “No, I’ll never sell it now”. And who could blame him? The 18-year-old truck has dated well and it’s difficult to distinguish it from a new T909 model. 

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The Volvo N12 sporting its famous bug deflector blazoned with the ‘Nordic Knight’, making no secret of its heritage.

Bill Chambers NORDIC KNIGHT Story by Carl Kirkbeck • Photographs as credited

Fifty years in trucking is good reason to celebrate; however 50 years trucking for the one organisation is a completely different milestone celebration.

T

alking with Bill Chambers with regard to his professional driving career you quickly learn how unique his employment history is. Bill proudly presents the one and only employment reference letter he received from BP Fuels in 1968. With a laugh Bill said, “they don’t give those away any more, it’s all verbal references over the phone nowadays”.

Bill’s family roots are from farming stock near Piopio in the King Country. Upon leaving secondary school in Upper Hutt Bill found a full-time position working with the local Electric

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Power Board. This job provided the opportunity to gain his H/T licence, as he quickly found himself sitting under a load of power poles behind the steering wheel of the jinker on delivery duties.

In 1966 a chance meeting and conversation with a manager from BP Fuels brought about change. “The chap said to me, ‘you’ve got your H/T, you should be driving for us’,” Bill said.

Bill made the transition across to BP Fuels and was based out of the Palmerston North depot. Bill drove a mix of TK Bedfords as well as a petrol-powered International articulated unit on all manner of local and farm deliveries. The Palmerston North depot was also where the jet fuel for Ohakea Air Force base was railed to, so there was a continual delivery run from the railhead to the base, keeping it supplied and operational.

The need for a change of scenery and adventure had Bill crossing the ditch in 1968 to explore Australia. After 12 months of driving a furniture removal unit in and around Melbourne, Bill decided to head home. The move back to New Zealand found Bill in Auckland looking for employment. With

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by Bill, and this saw him at the helm of a 6-wheeler Austin lube truck travelling the upper North Island. After the Austin Bill enjoyed a mix of D series Fords and Leyland Mastiffs.

“The work has always been interesting,” said Bill. “I have found myself on all manner of fuel deliveries, the likes of Devonport Naval Base and the Auckland Ports, at a time when the unions had a real stranglehold on proceedings.”

Bill described how he would arrive onsite to deliver, and the moment he started up the pump motor all the wharfies in the immediate area would down tools and head off to the smoko room for a ‘hot cup of chatter water’ as they could not possibly wear hearing protection and continue working, heavens no!

Another incident from Bill’s time based at Wynyard Quarter was being on duty the night the Rainbow Warrior was bombed.

“I distinctly remember hearing and feeling the explosion and thinking that did not sound good at all.”

In 1984 Shell opened the door to owner-driver positions.

There was an opportunity to deliver bulk LPG pulling a company trailer, and Bill accepted the task and enjoyed this run for 16 years. “I looked at many options for my first truck, including an R model Mack but found the cab far too small for me. Looking over the new N12 Volvo the numbers were where

PH O T O : BI L L CH A M BE RS CO L L E CT I O N

his previous BP Fuels experience Bill figured the best place to start searching would be with similar fuel companies. Armed with his BP Fuels reference letter Bill fronted up to the Shell Oils depot on Wynyard Quarter in Auckland and asked for a job. The very next day he was in a Shell uniform and behind the wheel, the beginning of a now 50-year journey in the company’s colours.

The City of Sails at the dawn of the 1970s certainly was an interesting place. With National in government and Sir Keith Holyoake at the top, his right-hand man Rob Muldoon, then Minister of Finance, was at his side. New Zealand was in the midst of embracing an explosion of industrial independence and an ever-increasing appetite for energy. The North Island natural gas network was very close to commissioning with the newly completed Kapuni gas treatment plant about to come online, so diesel boiler use in home heating, hospitality and industry was still immensely in vogue. The constant thirst for diesel oil kept Bill extremely busy on deliveries behind the wheel of a Thames Trader, as well as TK Bedfords.

The opportunity to escape the Auckland isthmus and venture beyond the ends of the Northern and Southern motorways distributing lubricant oils to the motor industry was embraced

Based out of the Napier depot for Pacific Fuel Haul, Bill is now called upon as a

P HOT O : M I KE BE E S L EY

P HOT O: B I LL C HA M B ER S C OL LE C T I ON

regular relief driver.

The Austin lubricants delivery truck that saw Bill leave

Wynyard Wharf circa 1984, before becoming a craft

the confines of the Auckland CBD to travel the upper

beer and vaping precinct for trendy Millennials, is

North Island.

where Bill ventured into the realm of owner-driving for Shell Oils with his first new truck, a Volvo N12.

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57

The demise of bulk LPG deliveries to Auckland by rail required Bill to collect the LPG himself from the Taranaki, proving a step too far for the FL10 and instigating the purchase of a new FH12.

I wanted to be and promised to be a good fit for the job, and it certainly was that. In 560,000km the ‘Nordic Knight’, as it was affectionately known, only ever required two clutches, the oil cooler fell off it once, and I had to fit a new water pump to it. Resale was good as well; I paid $140,000 for the truck and in the end sold it for $50,000, so a great truck all-round,” said Bill. This trouble-free run in the N12 led to it being replaced with a new FL10 Volvo (refer New Zealand Trucking October 1993, main test), again, another good truck. It was the demise of the LPG being delivered in bulk to Auckland via rail that forced Bill’s hand to replace the FL10 with a bigger FH12. “It was asking a bit much of the FL10 to drag a full load out of Taranaki back to Auckland every day,” said Bill.

In 2000 the contract to distribute Shell products throughout the North Island was granted to Provincial Freightlines of Kopu, bringing about the end of the owner-driver positions.

The timing was a good catalyst for change as Bill and his wife had decided they wanted to be closer to family and grandchildren who were living in the Hawke’s Bay, so Bill requested and received a transfer to the Napier depot.

Bill’s time operating out of Napier has seen many changes, again driving many different and varied rigs. A Scania rigid 8-wheeler and 4-axle trailer with Provincial Freightlines to start with, then not long after Linfox acquired the business.

From there Hooker Pacific gained the contract (now Pacific Fuel Haul) and with this MANs and Western Stars became the marques of choice.

A few years back Bill earned himself a Beaurepaires Highway Heroes award through his cool-headed approach when faced with an adverse situation. While refuelling the Tamatea Shell, a bunch of yobbos raced past in a car and lobbed a lit Molotov cocktail onto the forecourt. Bill’s instincts kicked in and he immediately reacted by grabbing one of the buckets filled with windscreen washing water and dousing the flames before the very real risk of disaster could unfold. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Bill, the panicked Shell station attendant had run inside to call the fire brigade. When they arrived the situation had already been well and truly addressed by Bill, who to their astonishment they found casually going about the final stages of his delivery to the site, not fazed at all by the possibilities of what could have transpired.

On reflection Bill describes how he has truly enjoyed his career choice and that along the way has met and made many friends. “I must admit that there are some health and safety

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stories that we probably cannot print as WorkSafe would raise an eyebrow or two, not to mention the greenies, but in the day a lot of it was common work practice and no one batted an eyelid. Now we have the polar opposite, with all manner of health and safety rules to abide by, including full overalls on a hot summer’s day – that would have been dreamed up by someone sitting in an air-conditioned office for sure. At least one plus is we no longer have to climb up on top of the tanks as everything is at ground level now,” said Bill.

Throughout his journey Bill has seen many advances in technology. One to note was being present with the ‘Nordic Knight’ at the official opening of Shell Oil’s first Transerv 24-hour electronic diesel refuelling point in July 1985. The Sylvia Park Road site (still active today) was the first of its kind in New Zealand, developed on the back of the recent introduction of eftpos. We take this convenience for granted in this day and age, but back in the day it was revolutionary. New Zealand was an early adopter of the eftpos system, and it was companies like Production Engineering Ltd of Marton that put their thinking caps on and produced the hardware used at the Sylvia Park Road site.

A personal accolade Bill has achieved throughout his 50-year career as a professional driver is the ability to have remained accident-free, and considering the kilometres he has clocked, that in itself is a colossal triumph. “I have always maintained that we are generally the slower vehicles out on the road, so pull over and let the faster traffic through, and keep an eye on your mirrors; it is common sense really,” Bill said, and we could not agree more.

Moving into the retirement phase of life is where Bill is focusing his energies now, having taken up lawn bowls and planning a trip to the UK next year. However, it sounds like it will be a slowly does it approach to full-time retirement. Pacific Fuel Haul now has Bill’s number on speed dial as a relief driver, and in fact Bill had four days of work already booked for the following week. You cannot blame Pacific Fuel Haul really; you never want to lose conscientious operators who achieve the daily deliveries with the minimum of fuss, taking care of the rig, and most important of all, acting as an ambassador for the company on the road in front of the motoring public.

From us all here at New Zealand Trucking we wish you well Bill with your future travels and enjoying some quality time with family and friends. 

PH OT O : C A RL K IR K B E CK

P HOT O: B I L L C HA M B E R S C OL L E C T I ON

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Bill’s personalised plate ‘HI YAWL’ that his trucks sported when he was an owner-driver, now finds a new home on the Camry.

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TURNER’S TRUCK AND MACHINERY SHOW 2019

From racy trucks to racing trucks Story by Gavin Myers Photos by Gavin Myers and Carl Kirkbeck

Held on 8 December 2019, the Turners Truck & Machinery Show was the last industry show of the year – and boy did we go out with a bang!

T

here were numerous highlights at the 2019 Turners Truck & Machinery Show, undoubtedly spearheaded by the presence of Robbie Shefford as show MC and special guests Sludge and Yogi from Outback Truckers (thanks to EasyMoves Ltd for helping to bring them out). The trucking celebrities were a huge hit with visitors and exhibitors alike – with handshakes, hugs and camera phones flashing away throughout the day.

Another special appearance was made by Josh Hart, with the Western Star Pink Truck he’s created to make a statement against bullying. He was happy to talk to people and share his own story of being bullied.

A new layout saw most activities taking place on the outside of the track at Pukekohe Park Raceway south of Auckland, leaving the track itself open for hot laps with the NZ Super Trucks and truck rides with some of the show participants.

With burnouts and high-boost blasts round the track by Dave West and Steve Walling in their Freightliner and Mack racing trucks, some of the grown-up members of the crowd were lucky enough to get their adrenalin pumping with these legends. The kids were also given the opportunity to jump in the cabs of numerous trucks and go for rides around the track throughout the day. Proceeds from donations given

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went to the Pukekohe Volunteer Fire Brigade.

For those wanting to show off their skills as well as their trucks, the organisers held a truck reversing competition (sponsored by TR Group), a wheel changing competition (thanks to Tartan Tyres), and an excavator competition (sponsored by Mimico).

Karen Black, promoter/event manager of the Turners Truck & Machinery Show, says that the new layout worked well, keeping everything more accessible. “Feedback from the exhibitors has been positive.”

In all, 168 trucks and utes attended the show (mainly trucks, of course), which represented another good turnout from exhibitors and visitors alike. 

One menacing International T-Line!

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Some of the many clean classic examples from days gone by.

Mainfreight was well represented; Heera Transport’s Freightliner Coronado among the most imposing – and shiny – on display!

Terence Howard & Sons Ltd was a deserving winner of Best Fleet.

There was an abundant mix of classic and modern.

Left: Brodie Murray’s J Swap Kenworth T900 was voted ‘Best Visual Impact’.

N & J Wood Earthworks fleet.

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SHOW RESULTS Mimico Excavator Competition 1st 2nd 3rd

Murray Nash Daniel Smith Michael White

Murray Nash Excavations DK Smith Excavations Michael White Contracting

TR Group Truck Reversing Competition The team from HydroVac taking to the track.

1st 2nd 3rd

Dean Wallbank Hayden Poutai Edward Watford

Tartan Tyres Wheel Changing Competition 1st 2nd 3rd

Dean Wallbank Edward Watford Jodie Leitch

UDC Show & Shine Best Fleet (sponsored by MARSH) Terence Howard & Sons Ltd People’s Choice (sponsored by Gough Transport Wholesale) Hart Haulage – Josh Hart, Western Star Overall Best Presented New Truck (or truck and trailer) (sponsored by Cobra Cote) Northchill – Neil Powell, Kenworth

Spot the former Top Truck.

Best Visual Impact (sponsored by Homesafe) J Swap Contractors – Brodie Murray, Kenworth Best Classic (sponsored by Multispares) LW Bonney – Mike Vesley, Kenworth Best Tractor Unit (no trailer attached) (sponsored by Truckers Pride) Northchill – Neil Powell, Kenworth Best Curtainsider/Flat-Deck (sponsored by Tauranga Canvas) Waharoa Transport – Dylan Clothier, DAF

Trucks and machinery – what the show was all about.

Best Hiab/Crane/Sideloader (sponsored by Cognet Ltd) RPC Logistics – Jodie Leitch, Hino Best Tipper (sponsored by Transport & General Engineering Ltd) Rudsits Transport – Josh Rudsits, Scania Best Livestock & Logger (sponsored by Motor Truck Distributors Ltd) Kane Holdings Ltd – Les Comer, Mercedes-Benz Best Heavy Haulage/Tow (sponsored by Motor Truck Distributors) Tranzcarr – Hayden Poutai, Kenworth Best Specialised/Miscellaneous (machinery, tankers, etc) (sponsored by Multispares) HydroVac – Gabriel, Volvo Best Company Ute/Pickup/SUV (sponsored by Fortune Manning Lawyers Ltd) EasyMoves

Great to see more of the Hyundai Xcient.

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NELSON TRUCK SHOW

Come rain or shine

Story and photos by Craig McCauley

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on the side of the Nelson Truck Show organisers. However, local truckers and the public turned out in support of Stoke School’s annual fundraiser.

U

nseasonal spring weather in mid-November saw a minor decrease in both entrants and visitors to the show.

A fundraiser for the Stoke School PTA, the event attracted about 1100 people who enjoyed a display of 54 trucks from around the district, along with a number of trade stands and the very popular market.

Mel Roberts, on behalf of the PTA, said just over $5000 was raised. She wished to convey great thanks to the companies and drivers who put in a huge effort to be part of the show and supported the fundraiser despite the windy, wet weather.

Prizewinners in both the Drivers’ and People’s Choice categories were Kevin Smith’s Peterbilt 379 and Brendan Ward’s Kenworth W900L. Both trucks began their lives on the US interstate before coming to New Zealand.

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A number of factors come into the running of a successful truck show, including sponsorship. The Stoke School PTA wishes to express its appreciation to: Southpac Trucks, CVC Nelson, Patchell Group, Don Laurie (CrediFlex, Nelson), Wadsco Trucks, Ramcar and the Speight’s Ale House for providing prizes, as well as to TMC Trailers and the Patchell Group for sponsoring trophies. 

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Above: Borlase Transport’s contingent of four DAF CF85s, a Western Star 4884FXC, and a Volvo FH16-700.

Right: Willie Simpson’s Tasman Towing Mack Super Liner won second place in the People’s Choice category.

Below: Waimea Heavy Haulage assembled an attention-grabbing ‘stack’ of Kenworth low loaders. It won the Drivers’ Choice award.

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February 2020

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Above: A quartet of Internationals with models spanning over two decades was popular with many visitors.

Right: Stuart Drummond Transport’s well-presented Freightliner Argosy leaving the Richmond Park Showgrounds under gloomy skies.

Below: Hailing from nearby Brightwater was show regular AC Palmer & Sons with this DAF CF85-510, driven by Allan Frew.

RESULTS People’s Choice 1st 2nd 3rd

Reuben Anderson Willie Simpson Kevin Smith

Brendan Ward/Destination Trucking Tasman Towing K&M Trucking/TNL Freighting

Kenworth W900L Mack Super Liner Peterbilt 379

Drivers’ Choice 1st Joint 2nd

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Waimea Heavy Haulage Kenworth low-loaders Destination Trucking Kenworth W900L and K&M Trucking/TNL Freighting Peterbilt 379

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

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GISBORNE TRUCK SHOW

Return from the East

Story and photos by Craig McCauley

There was no shortage of people or trucks at the first truck show to be held in Gisborne for over a decade.

P

ut together by local truckers Peter De Denne, Kani Waititi and Gerry Storey, the event received an outstanding level of support from local transport operators, industry suppliers and members of both the Northern Classic Commercials and the NZ Military Vehicle clubs.

On a cloudless East Coast day late in 2019, 140 trucks lined up around the perimeter of Farmers Air Showgrounds Park, while the infield played host to a number of transport-related stalls, food vendors and live music.

More than 1000 people attended the event and the show winners were chosen by way of public vote. Barry Caulfield’s ‘Memphis Mafia’ Mack Super Liner won first place honours, while McIndoe Logging’s Kenworth T909 was runner-up.

Thanks to the generosity of those who attended, $6000 was raised for Gizzy School Lunches (GSL), a charitable

A trio of Europeans from the Matawhero Transport fleet.

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trust providing subsidised lunches for children attending local schools.

Cherith Evans, manager of GSL, wished to express the organisation’s heartfelt thanks.

“For the huge effort in putting the show together by the organisers and sponsors and to our amazing community for coming out to support it.

“The truck drivers/owners and businesses who brought their trucks along and the pride they have in their industry was definitely on show. GSL was incredibly humbled.” 

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The Gisborne show received an outstanding amount of support from local operators, with 140 trucks turning out.

Winner of the public vote went to ‘Memphis Mafia’,

Public vote runner-up, McIndoe Logging

Barry Caulfield’s Mack Super Liner.

Limited’s T909 Kenworth.

Eastland Machinery Movers’ fleet of transporters.

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Faces of the Gisborne Truck Show

Truck shows aren’t just about the trucks, they’re also about the faces of trucking.

Gaine and Danielle Carrington, Farmers Transport.

Chris ‘Picket’ Black, Pacific Haulage.

Justin Martin, Gisborne Hiabs.

Errol Tuhi, McIndoe Logging.

The Kiwi Tyres stand is flanked by a couple of local heavyweights.

Cherith Evans of Gisborne School Lunches and one of the show organisers, Peter De Denne, at the end of a successful day.

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‘The next generation’ Kahn, Maea and Massey Henderson, Maskhamae Trucking, Williams & Wilshier.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

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Eru Wharehinga, McKay Cartage.

Kieran McCarthy, BBL Contracting.

Gisborne Hiabs showed a variety of Volvos set up with truck mounted cranes and recovery equipment.

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COMTRANS 2019

Story by Niels Jansen Photos by Vladimir Chekhuta

The Comtrans commercial vehicle show is held biennially in Moscow.

Russia’s truck market is wide and varied – with a multitude of local manufacturers little known to the rest of the world. These are some of the latest and greatest from this unique market.

T

he Comtrans show is Russia’s premier commercial vehicle trade fair and is held biennially in the capital Moscow.

In 2019 more than 265 companies from 13 countries showed their newest products. All the well-known European manufacturers were present, plus a selection from Asian countries, as well as most commercial vehicle makers from Russia.

Interestingly, Comtrans was also chosen by some manufacturers to celebrate a jubilee: the giant Kamaz plant founded 50 years ago in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny; the Belarusian truck manufacturer MAZ celebrated its 75th

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birthday, and last but not least, Renault Trucks had been in business for 125 years.

These festivities could not hide the fact the current situation in the Russian truck market is not very promising. In the first half of 2019 only 38,844 new medium and heavy trucks were registered. That is 6.4% less than the year before. The main factors in declining sales were the worldwide recession, reduction and closures of enterprises, and the West-instigated sanctions on doing business with Russia.

Kamaz is still Russia’s main truck manufacturer, with a market share of more than 33%, followed by the GAZ Group, with locally assembled Volvo Trucks third. Mercedes-Benz is number one in the imported market. Daimler-Benz is also responsible for the step forward that Kamaz has made in recent years when it comes to heavy trucks for long-distance work.

The all-new Kamaz 54901 tractor is equipped with a modified Mercedes Actros MP4 sleeper cab. It is not only a good-looking model, but also sports a modern interior with a flat floor and offers good comfort and safety features. Power comes from a 12-litre 6-cylinder Kamaz P6 Euro 5 or Euro 6 diesel engine of 335kW (450hp). But engines with either less or more horsepower (up to 410kW/550hp) are also offered.

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With its articulated frame and huge balloon tyres, the

The new Kamaz 54901 is available with Euro 5

Kamaz 6355 ‘Arctic’ can master the toughest of muddy

and Euro 6 diesel engines up to 550hp.

or snowy conditions.

Interestingly, the new Kamaz P6 diesel engine was developed together with engineers from Liebherr in Germany. The transmission fitted is a 12-speed automated ZF TraXon. Series production started at the end of 2019 and a standard Kamaz 54901 tractor will cost around €90,000 (NZ$151,672). This price includes a mandatory three-year service contract.

Also new from Kamaz is the ‘Arctic’, an 8x8 off-road truck that is developed for operation in the far north of Siberia where temperatures can go down to -50°C. Its 335kW (450hp) 12-litre Euro 5 diesel is matched to a 6-speed Allison 4500 hydrostatic transmission. It does not have a normal chassis, but bends in the middle like an articulated off-road dumper.

Special extra-wide tyres guarantee a very low footprint in snow or marshy conditions. A third Kamaz exhibit was a Model 5490 tractor that had a Chinese Weichai Power Euro 5 LNG engine of 298kW (400hp) and 16-speed ZF transmission under the modified Mercedes Axor cab.

Belarus truck maker MAZ also showed a tractor fitted with the Weichai WP12NG liquefied gas diesel engine and ZF

The modern and well-equipped cab of the Kamaz 54901 is based on the Mercedes Actros MP4 structure.

A real attention grabber was this 12-metre-long Kamaz 6355 ‘Arctic’ with 8x8 drive for off-road operation in Siberia.

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COMTRANS 2019

The new GAZon NEXT 10-tonner with LNG/CNG engine is specially built for long-haul express New Kamaz 5490 tractor with LNG engine for long-distance work.

16-speed box. With a combined tank capacity of 700 litres, it can drive approximately 500km before refuelling.

The GAZ Group exhibited its new truck range at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover last year, and in Moscow displayed a new addition in the form of a 10-tonne GAZon NEXT model that can run on LNG/CNG gas. This truck was primarily designed for fast long-distance work in the medium-weight sector. With its 126kW (170hp) 6-cylinder Euro 5 diesel engine and 9-speed transmission, it can easily top 105kph.

UraLAZ unveiled yet another update of its longstanding forward-control truck with old Iveco TurboStar cab. It is amazing how much a basic cab can still be transformed into something much more up to date in looks. For many years Chinese truck manufacturers have been real masters in this respect. The Ural C26.328R 6x4 dump truck at the show definitely looked utilitarian. It is equipped with a 244kW (328hp) YAMZ Euro 5 diesel engine with a 9-speed ZF gearbox behind. The drive axles are a Chinese product.

goods haulage.

Iveco is a major player in Russia thanks to a long standing joint venture with AMT. They showed a 6x6 heavy-duty Trakker for a train weight of 97 tonnes. It was powered by a 13-litre Cursor diesel engine developing 335kW (450hp), and behind it a ZF 16-speed transmission. As well as a FH460 with a liquefied natural gas engine, Volvo showed the autonomous Vera concept vehicle in Moscow.

A fully new entrant on the market is the Almatruck made by the Saktagan Company in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The 6x4 truck is a joint project with China’s C&C Trucks and uses a 6-cylinder Yuchai Euro 5 engine matched to a 12-speed Fast transmission. Thanks to the modern cab that was designed by Torino in Italy, the newcomer attracted a lot of attention.

Although not yet as familiar as in the West, the show proved that the Russians are definitely encouraging the use of alternative fuels for commercial vehicles. New LNG and CNG vehicles dominated at Comtrans 2019 and this clearly demonstrated that such trucks and buses also have a future on this continent. 

This Ural C26.328 6x4 dump truck is fitted with a

The MAZ 54A02 tractor is powered by

Iveco-AMT showed this heavy-duty 6x6 Trakker

cleverly disguised 1980’s Iveco TurboStar cab.

a Chinese Weichai LNG engine.

chassis with a gross weight of 97 tonnes.

The Romanian ATP Trucks Automobile presented its first truck under the name TRUSTON. The cab is based on a Chinese Shaanxi X3000 structure. Engine is a Weichai Power WP12 Euro 6 diesel of 320kW (430hp).

Transmission is a Fast 16-speed box. Using Chinese components, the Romanians can offer this 8x4 chassis for €85,000 (NZ$143,246), the lowest price for a dump truck on the European market.

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TECH TOPICS

Advice: How to reverse a B-double Story, photos and illustrations by Howard Shanks

If you have absolutely no idea how to reverse a semi-trailer or B-double, relax. Reversing a heavy vehicle combination is actually a fairly straightforward task.

I

t just comes down to having a plan, understanding your surroundings, and remaining calm about the task from start to finish.

Ironically, it’s rumoured that a significant proportion of B-double drivers cannot reverse their combination.

In this technical feature, we explain some of the basic principles on reversing and provide a few tips on how to do so.

Keep in mind that the following tips involve having prime movers with the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the vehicle. Generally speaking, it is a lot easier to reverse in from the driver’s side and that’s how it is explained in this article.

Driving any type of commercial vehicle for a living, from a rigid to a heavy vehicle combination, you’ll certainly have the ‘opportunity’ to back into some extremely tight spots.

Some places we’re expected to deliver to or pick up from often won’t even appear large enough to get a trailer in.

Nevertheless, over the years I’ve had a lot of people ask me how to reverse a semi-trailer and, in more recent times, how to back-up a B-double, followed with a request for any tips to make it easier.

On the other hand, reversing is something we get to practice over and over, often several times a day. It’s not an option; it’s part of the job.

object, such as a water bottle, on the ground to use as a marker to back the trailer up to if required. You can place your marker on the ground when you do your first walk around and collect it once you have completed the manoeuvre.

Remember too, it’s easier to stop, get and out check at any time during your reversing manoeuvre if you are unsure.

This allows you to make any corrections required before you do any damage to the vehicle or its surroundings.

Which way to turn the wheel?

Many drivers who struggle with reversing a semi-trailer or B-double don’t actually know which way to turn the steering wheel. So, if you’re a learner driver or one of the many drivers who struggle to back a combination vehicle, here is one of Shanksie’s handy hints: watch the bottom of the steering wheel.

It really is that simple. When backing up a single semi-trailer, the semi-trailer turns in the same direction as the direction the bottom of the steering wheel is turned. However, for

GOAL

Is an acronym for ‘Get Out and Look’.

This is the first step in the reversing process. It is vitally important to inspect the area into which you wish to reverse to ensure there is enough clearance on either side and above for the trailer to fit. Don’t be afraid to place a small

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a B-double, it’s a little different because of the additional articulation point. The rear trailer in a B-double combination will turn in the opposite direction from the direction of the bottom of the steering wheel.

Always try and begin your reversing manoeuvre with the rear of the trailer lined up to where you are trying to back into and with the combination as straight as possible. Keep an eye on the trailer in your mirrors when you begin your slow reversal, all the while moving your steering wheel slightly in the direction required to keep the rear of the trailer heading the direction you require.

Bear in mind that it is a lot easier to add more steering input than it is to fix too much steering.

Single trailer (Tip 1)

Keep looking into your mirrors as you’re reversing in a straight line. Make sure you’re doing this as slowly and gingerly as humanly possible! More of your trailer should begin to appear in one of your mirrors, so begin moving the bottom of the steering wheel towards the opposite mirror. Your trailer is going to begin moving in the other direction.

Remember that you only need small steering gestures from side to side to continue to keep the trailer going in a straight direction.

If the trailer does end up getting too

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When reversing, patience is the name of the game.

far out of line, just pull it forward to straighten it up then commence the reversing process again. Importantly, don’t blame yourself if the trailer does wander off course and you’ve followed the procedure. There are several factors that can make a trailer wander off course when reversing, such as the camber in the road, right through to potholes.

B-double combination (Tip 2) Backing a B-double in a straight line is straightforward in the same way as a single trailer is, albeit with a few slight variances. The biggest difference is on a single trailer you move the bottom of the steering wheel in the same direction you want the rear trailer to go in, but with a B-double you move the bottom of the steering wheel in

the opposite direction from where you want the rear trailer to go.

The trick to getting a B-double to reverse in a straight line (Tip 3/4) is to make the prime mover and lead trailer work as a single unit. So basically, the

two act in the same way as the prime mover did when you were reversing a single trailer and you can control the direction of the rear trailer just as you did before.

Again, use your mirrors to keep the edge of the prime mover in line with the edge of the lead trailer. If you need to make any adjustments only make very slight adjustments; it’s even more important to make gentle movements with a B-double. Because you’re making only slight adjustments to the steering wheel, these will be long corrections and you will need some patience to wait for the trailer to react.

To get the rear trailer to move towards the right, turn the steering wheel in a clockwise direction. To get the rear trailer to towards the left, turn the steering wheel in an anticlockwise direction.

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Finger docks (Tip 5)

To reverse a B-double into a finger dock, drive the combination right over to the dock and then past the dock you are attempting to reverse into until the first axle on the rear trailer lines up with the left-hand edge of the dock. Now turn the truck hard left; if there is enough room, keep going till the rear trailer is as straight as you can get it in front of the dock then swing hard right to straighten up the lead trailer. Now the combination is straight in line with the dock, simply reverse it straight back into the dock.

Sadly, it’s not always a perfect world and there is not always enough room to pull the B-double straight in front of the dock. Follow the same procedure as above, but when you turn hard right,

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keep going hard right till the lead trailer and your prime mover are in line. This way you can easily steer the rear trailer back into the dock using the lead trailer and prime mover as a single unit as we

February 2020

described earlier. Once you have the rear trailer in the dock, straighten up the lead trailer. If necessary you may need to pull the combination forward slightly to straighten up.

Don’t become obsessed with reversing, and don’t drive beyond your ability.

If you’re not comfortable reversing a B-double into finger docks, simply split the combination (Tip 6) and back each trailer in singly. Time-wise, it only takes approximately seven minutes longer to split a combination compared with reversing a B-double into a dock, so if you’re not comfortable reversing then splitting up the combination is a good option that greatly reduces the risks of having an incident.

The main takeaway is to remember to only make small changes to the steering wheel and take your time. 

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LIGHT COMMERCIAL TEST Assertive bonnet brings engine forward of cabin and front wheels – more space for driver, and safer, too.

Safety

is an office on wheels Story and photos by Jacqui Madelin

With a five-star crash test rating and the sort of safety tech normally associated with pricier passenger cars, Toyota’s latest Hiace is good not only for those who use it, but also for those wanting to keep staff safe out on the road.

W

ith Toyota’s new Hiace van tilted at a seemingly precarious angle on the steep road camber, pointed sharply downhill towards a disconcertingly deep culvert hidden in tree shadow, I wondered at the wisdom of testing a new van by taking in a cross-section of New Zealand conditions not met during the necessarily limited launch event.

A steep, narrow, gravel lane in thick bush won’t be every van driver’s daily grind, but it’s not that unusual for New Zealand, certainly for courier drivers say, delivering to the outskirts of Auckland, Wellington or even Nelson.

These things aren’t compact; how well would it cope?

Surprisingly well is the answer. Toyota didn’t get where it is

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Our test van was the ZX Hiace, with the higher roof and greater headroom. It’s available as both a panel and a glass van, and we opted for the latter, with its improved visibility for the driver.

Mind you, even drivers of the panel van have it relatively good these days, thanks to modern tech. This Hiace includes a blind spot monitor, which uses radar sensors to detect vehicles on the road cruising in positions likely to be invisible via the outer mirrors, as well as rear cross traffic alert – again using radar sensors to detect oncoming traffic when reversing – and the reversing camera, two front and four rear parking assist sensors. Given the mirrors are also excellent, and deliver a generous field of view, there’s not much excuse for parking bungles.

Certainly this array was a godsend during the opening scenario. Our test took place on a steeply sloping gravel lane in the Waitakere hills, with limited parking due to the lane’s narrow width, and equally limited opportunities to turn around. It’s the bane of the local courier’s life, not to mention intermittent visits from power or phone service crews, and most van drivers sighted there exhibit the bulging eyes and tightened lips of a driver pushed to the limit of their experience.

Manoeuvring a 5.9-metre-long vehicle in these conditions is not just a good test of the driver, but also of how well designed their vehicle is. This rear-drive van with its torquey engine starts out with an advantage on the uphill entry. But it was the array of rear-view cameras, mirrors and parking detection warnings that really came into their own. Having nosed into a narrow driveway with overhanging branches brushing the 2.28-metre-high roof, we’d reversed back around, carefully, keeping an eye on the deep ditch on the other side, before being forced to pull into a parking bay hacked out of the bush

to let an oncoming vehicle past. Given the length of the bay, the trees that fringed it, and the slope, there was very little room for error if one was not to scrape a tree, or drop a wheel into a drain.

At all times the driver was aware of where every corner and panel was in relation to the Hiace’s surroundings, with trees skimmed past by millimetres, that brief moment when individual wheels seemed to leave the ground and the view ahead was of a panel-bashing drop, before the nose came faultlessly around and the whole plot was back on the road and merging with the tarmac descent.

Not long ago, such a manoeuvre would have sent a van driver’s hair white – but not today, in this ZX. Sure, few folk will encounter this stuff every day, but it only takes once to end up at the panel beater’s, whether it’s a bush courier delivery doing the damage, or an awkward approach past loaded pallets and containers. Top marks.

The pronounced bonnet of this generation Hiace let its designers put the wheels and engine ahead of the cabin, making for more space up front. It’s quite a climb to get into – assisted by a grab handle and step – but the driver’s possie is good, and the experience quieter through the engine’s greater isolation from the cabin. That isolation also improved the safety rating – it gets five stars, thanks in part to all the safety tech fitted, including auto emergency braking, which uses a radar sensor and a camera to predict whether a collision with a pedestrian, cyclist or vehicle is imminent, issues an audible and visible warning, prepares the brakes for action, and even applies them if you don’t, to reduce the impact force.

Add to that a warning if you drift out of lane, headlights which automatically switch from low to high to low beam as appropriate, road sign assist which uses a camera to monitor speed signs and alert you to them, that blind spot monitor,

Left: Rear step and tow bar a cost option; those wanting rear barn doors will go for the panel van version.

Top right: Standard glass van delivers enormous load space; liner as pictured is standard.

Below right: Very wide side door opens on pavement side.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

83

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

SPECIFICATIONS

Toyota Buffer,Hiace Helping ZX Sma

Medium Business Ca Engine:

2.8-litre 4-cylinder in-line turbo diesel

Fuel tank capacity:

70 litres

Power:

130kW (174hp) at 3400rpm

Torque: 450Nm at 1600-2400rpm For many small to medium business owners, cash flow issues “After the earthquakes, I fa Claimed fuel economy: 8.4l/100km are a fact of life. businesses, as did many of Transmission:

6-speed auto

Businesses just needed so Xero’s recent Small Business Suspension: Insights survey showed that strut front with MacPherson stabiliser bar, leaf spring ridged axle rear between invoice payments in the year to June 2018, just half of New Zealand small Wheels/tyres: 16” steel wheels, 215/70 disruption R16 front, 215/70 R16 had hit th businesses were cash flow positive in any given month. which Cabin layout otherwise very similar to modern cars, rear tyres On average, New Zealand small businesses were paid 8.3 Traditional invoice factorin complete with many of their infotainment advantages.

Brakes: 296mm vented disc front, 320mm vented disc days late in June 2018, according to Xero. rear didn’t suit many of these b

Stability/Traction control: Y to bridge the gap so they c Cash flow issues can bring business to its knees. With the Airbags: 7 airbags New Zealand small business sector making up 97 per cent waited for their invoices to Min turning radius: 13m (tyre), 13.8m (body) of our workforce and a strong economic driver, the potential Max When payload:small business 1170kg repercussions are far-reaching. weight: 2305kg-2330kg productivity slows, the wholeKerb economy does too.

Gross vehicle weight:

3500kg

Nick O’Connor knows how stressful it can be for3395mm Cargo length: businesses to try to maintain working capital between Cargo width: 1775mm (above wheel arches) invoice payments. The Kiwi entrepreneur, who has owned Cargo height: 1610mm and run several ventures himself, first identified the need Cargo capacity: 9300 litres for an alternative form of invoice finance while based in postTowing braked/unbraked: 1500/400kg earthquake Christchurch.

Length:

5915mm

Wheelbase:

3860mm

Width:

1950mm

“

Above: Spacious cabin delivers a wide, shallow tray

2280mm “Buffer is all about helping small to

between seats for

medium businesses continue growing,

small packages, laptops or clipboards.

Right: Sharp, angular lines define

Height: Seats:

take over all your invoicing or lock you into

Nick started working with

a minimum period with a monthly fee.

issue by buying their unpa

We simply allow you access to cash when

needed cash advance – an

the new Hiace’s extended bonnet.

2

Towbar kit with rear step, removable tongue – by maintaining cashflow until invoices arewiring and tow ball, $2084 fitted.

1500kg with A cargo-barrier is available for the ZX, RRP paid. Unlike invoice factoring, weincluding don’tfitting is $850 including GST. Options fitted:

once their customer had p you need it, fordoors a one-off each should optfee for the paneltime” van instead. trailer sway control, and there’s even a secondary collision brake Our test vehicle included the step rear and the towbar – system – so if you can’t apply the brakes after an impact, the was the precursor to sadly we had no opportunity to take a trailer, butThis can confirm ZX will do so for you. the step eased getting up and down into the loadallows space, though That’s on top of the expected airbags, ABS brakes, stability businesses to stay c it wasn’t always handy when one simply wished to reach intoadvance only w control and the like, and before considering creature comforts, call on an the back. It did, however, prevent anyone from banging their like the 7” touchscreen audio with Bluetooth and voice shins on the tow O’Connor bar… recognition plus satnav.

Nick With a growing number of Admittedly while empty, this Hiace felt masterful on the The one safety intervention we could do without is the Managing Director twisty, hilly climb to our test scenario, and for annationwide empty van, now using Buff helpful voice that intrudes whenever your speed rises a whisker hears most often is how m quite quiet during open-road cruising. above the legal limit, to tell you to ‘please obey all road Overall the latest-gen Hiace is an impressive piece of kit. hassle-free an instructions’. I mean, it’s nice to know that downhill resulted in confidential, Easy to drive, surprisingly easy to manoeuvre despite its size, 52kph in a 50 zone, but I think I’d just prefer a beep. able to carry anything that will fit in the back, right down to As for the cargo area, in this ZX it’s big, accessed via a single tiny items a courier driver, or similar, can put in the wide tray sliding door on the passenger side, or a rear lift-up door. Our between the front seats. It’ll also keep HR managers happy as standard load requiring a forklift to manage – it’s a 500kg IRB its safety rating ensures it’s a safe place from which to work.  – we had to go without. Those who need side-opening rear

”

84

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Here’s a new year’s all resolution to you might ashflow actually keep.

aced cash flow issues in my

f my friends contacts.

It’s and 2020 already. Chances are you’re sitting at a

invoices, give you a cash advance against them,

ome extratruck help to staytaking afloat your break, or have a quick gap stop

and then direct debit the amount back once your

s, given the massive unforeseen in your busy schedule to pick up this magazine

he local economy,” says. and catchheup on industry news. Buffer can’t help

ng services provided via banks justdriving hours or the day-toyou managing your

business owners, who just needed day operations of your transport business, but we

could keep operating while theybusiness cash flow niggles. can take away your

o be paid.

How about making a new resolution for 2020, right here in the fine surroundings of your cab (or office…)? This one’s dead easy to keep: get your business cash flow positive. How does Buffer help you with that? Easy. We buy your unpaid

customers pay you.

We’re not loan sharks and we’re not doing bank-led invoice factoring. We’re disrupting the traditional bank model. How? By offering you a real alternative – one that eliminates the stress of maintaining working capital between invoice payments.

It doesn’t take long to figure out that traditional invoice finance services don’t work for many smaller business owners. Our clients just need to bridge the gap every now and then so they can keep operating while they’re waiting for their customers to pay them. We don’t take over all your invoicing, or lock you into a minimum period with monthly charges. We simply give you the flexibility to call up a bit of help when you need it, for a one-off fee each time.

Buffer’s low-hassle, fast and friendly service is about keeping businesses like yours on the

several businesses to address this

growth track. And it’s all on the down low. Your

aid invoices – providing a much-

customers won’t even know you’re using Buffer,

nd then debiting the amount back

as they’ll still pay your invoices to you. Once

paid.

you’re on board with us, we’ll get your cash into

Buffer, a low-hassle service which

cash positive and the flexibility to

when it’s needed.

your account pronto so you can carry on with growing your business, stress-free.

So, back to those resolutions: how about making 2020 the year you take control of your business

f businesses in various sectors

cash flow? Give us a call, get a working capital

ffer, Nick says the feedback he

advance, and kiss goodbye to unpaid invoices.

much his clients appreciate the

nd fast service.

0220-22

0800 692 833 buffernz.com

That way you can make sure this year for your business is the best yet.

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

New Rigs New ON THE ROAD ON THE ROAD

The TheSky’s Sky’sthe theLimit Limit Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander and 460.32 8x4 Primed ready!

Twin TwinTippers Tippers Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Landertough!

460.32 8x4 Classy

FuelHauling HaulingFH FH Fuel

ShootingStar Star Shooting

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

RenaultLander Lander460.32 460.328x4 8x4 Renault

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui International 9870 R8 Sky Roof 8x4 Rigid Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Operator: Prime Haulage – Tuakau Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission Optidriver Engine: Cummins X15 448kW (600hp) Transmission Optidriver Rear axles Renault P2191 hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Transmission: Eatonwith Roadranger 18-speed AMT Truck body deck with frontRT46-160 mounted PK12000 Truck body Rear axles: FlatFlat deck with front mounted PK12000 Meritor Palfinger crane Extras: Palfinger crane White marble interior, Aero kit Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features Operation: Disc brakes, Bluetooth, General upper North Island and Auckland Dura-Bright alloy wheels Driver: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Ngataru Rau ‘Tman’ Operation Carting roofing material around Operation Carting roofing material around the Bay of Plenty area

the Bay of Plenty area

‘Gee whiz!”

Operator Roadex Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp MAN TGS0Xi11, 26.480 6x4 tractor Engine 460hp Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Transmission Operator: SD Transport Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Engine: MAN D2676 358kW (480hp) Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 ZF 12 TX Transmission: Palfinger crane Palfinger crane Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features: Disc with adaptive cruise and lane Features brakes,Specified Bluetooth,

Dura-Bright alloy wheels guard Dura-Bright alloy wheels Operation Carting roofing material around Trailer: Hammar container Operation Carting roofing material around side-lifter Operation:thethe Bay of Plenty area Metro area container work Christchurch Bay of Plenty

Driver:

Gee Dhillon

November 2015

86 New Zealand Trucking February 2020 10 10 NZNZ TRUCKING TRUCKING November 2015

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Scania P410 XT Richards 4x4 Rigid Driver Frank Driver Frank Richards Engine 460hp Operator: 0Xi11, Kapuka Transport Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission Optidriver Engine: Transmission OptidriverDC13 306kW (410hp) Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Transmission: Scania GRS905 and GT800 transfer box Truck body deck with front mounted Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Rear axle: Flat Scania RP835 hubPK12000 reduction Palfinger crane Rear suspension: Palfinger crane 3-leaf parabolic Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Body: McMaster Engineering alloy wheels Operation: Dura-Bright Dura-Bright alloy wheels Sowing lower Southland Operation Carting roofing material around Operation Carting roofing material around Driver: Kelly Rowley the Bay of Plenty area

the Bay of Plenty area

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 460hp Volvo FMX0Xi11, 6x4 rigid Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Transmission Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Operator: Fultonwith Hogan – Christchurch Rear axles Renault P2191 hub Ltd reduction Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Engine: 13-litre 343kW (460hp) Truck body Flat deck Volvo with front mounted PK12000 Transmission: Palfinger crane Palfinger crane Volvo I-Shift Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features brakes, Bluetooth, Rear axles: Disc Volvo RTH 2610B hub-reduction Rear suspension: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Dura-Bright alloyG2 wheels Volvo High clearance air-suspension Operation Carting roofing material around Operation roofing material around in Christchurch Operation: Carting Aggregate deliveries

the Bay of Plenty area the Bay of Plenty area

FMX’ellent

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

NPC – Northland Pride Carried Mellow Miles Kenworth K200 8x4 Rigid& Michelin Men

‘Kiwi green’ Carperton DAF CF85 FAT 6x4Argosy

Renault Lander 460.32Semco 8x4 Group Operator:

Renault Lander 460.32PRH 8x4 Bay of Plenty Operator:

Engine: Cummins 433kW (580hp) Operator Roadex logistics Ltd,X15 Mount Maunganui Transmission: Eaton Roadranger 18-speed manual Driver Frank Richards Rear axles: 0Xi11, 460hp Meritor RT46-160 Engine Rear suspension: Transmission OptidriverAG460 Body/trailers: New Fruehauf and refurbished trailer Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub body reduction Features: fridge, gold gauge bezels.

Truck body Flat deck Premium with front seat, mounted PK12000 Makers Tauranga curtains Palfinger Tarpaulin crane featuring Northland’s men’s and women’s Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Dura-Bright alloy wheels NPC rugby teams Operation material Operation: Carting roofing General Northaround Island the Bay ofHayden Plenty area Driver: Baker

Engine: MX13 381kW (510hp) Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Transmission: Eaton Roadranger 20918B manual Driver Frank Richards Rear axles: 0Xi11, 460hp Meritor 46-160 Engine Rear suspension: Transmission Optidriver AG460 Body/trailer: Transport and reduction General Transport Trailers Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub Features: Factory 385/65 R22.5 super singles Truck body Flat deck with frontfitted mounted PK12000 and factory rated front axle, Alcoa Alloy Palfinger crane wheels Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Dura-Bright wheels Extras: Alialloy Arc front bumper Operation around Auto Signs Paint /prep:Carting roofing Fleet material Image/Wrapped Plenty area Operation: the Bay ofBulk operations BOP.

Superb Super Liner

Paw’fect’ Kenworth T909 6x4 Dew’s Jewel

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

Operator:Lander 460.32 Paws Renault 8x4Trucking

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission Optidriver B 8x4 HZ with hub reduction RearScania axles R620 Renault P2191 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted Operator: e-Freight Logging PK12000 Engine: Palfinger crane Scania 463kW (620hp) Euro 5 Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Transmission: GRSO905 14-speed manual Dura-Bright alloy wheels Rear axles: Scania RP735 Operation Carting roofing material around Log gear/trailer: Evans Engineering the Bay of Plenty area

Operator logistics Ltd, MountRTLO20918B Maunganui manual Transmission: RoadexEaton Roadranger Driver Rear axles: Frank Richards Meritor RT46-160 Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Rear suspension: AG 460 Transmission Optidriver Features: 36” sleeper, sandstone interior Rear axles RenaultStainless P2191 with Extras: by hub Chrisreduction Stanley and Damian from Truck body Flat deck with frontchromed mounted alloy PK12000 Southpac, wheels, Kentweld Palfinger crane bumper, hidden rear guard mounts, custom Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, chassis and toolbox covers, flush indicators, Dura-Bright alloy wheels wood and gold steering wheel Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: freightarea Wellington to Auckland the BayDG of Plenty

Red arrow

Operation:

Log cartage central and northern North Island

Engine:

Cummins X15 459kW (615hp)

Driver:

Rod ‘Paws’ Worsnop

Making heavy vehicle fleet management easy for you www.trgroup.co.nz

0800 50 40 50

New Zealand Trucking February 2020 87 11 November 2015 NZ TRUCKING

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ RUNNING ON SCR?... new kiwi bodies & trailers New Zealand Trucking brings you New Kiwi Bodies & Trailers. Bodies and trailers are expected to last twice as long as trucks. What’s more, there’s new technology and advanced design features showing up almost every month.

New Zealand has a rich heritage of body and

trailer building and we’re proud to showcase some recent examples of Kiwi craftsmanship every month. If you want a body or trailer included on these pages, send a photo, features and the manufacturer’s name to trailers@nztrucking.co.nz

Less is so much more This stunning 4-axle quad sliding skeletal semi-trailer has recently enhanced the fleet at Paengaroa Road Haulage. With polished alloy wheels, stainless light bar, fullwidth rear mud flaps, its finish is a credit to the team at Domett and the new owner.

Features: SAF Intradisc axles, Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy rims, and underslung generator set.

Domett

Never fear – Mills-Tui is here!

Mills-Tui has won a share of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) work, producing water tankers based on Hino chassis. The aim for FENZ is not only an upgrading of the fleet, but also standardisation of apparatus and systems on the tankers.

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

Features: Medium water tank with 5800 litres capacity, rear-mounted portable pump, dry and wet lockers, internal hose storage.

Mills-Tui

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Ready for anything For the firm that demands ultimate durability and utility, Mills-Tui has built this bathtub body and set it up on a new Isuzu chassis with trailer preparation also for Aardvark Excavators in Auckland.

Features: 5.0m steel bathtub made from G450 wear plate, removable tail door, internal tiedowns, body lock and trailer gear.

Mills-Tui

The lowdown on heavy TMC has built this slicklooking and extremely practical 3-axle transporter for Hacquoil Contracting in Oamaru. The trailer has a 2800mm wide extra-low deck with ramps up onto the top deck. It features wider 1800mm axle spacing to enhance loading under standard VDAM. Features: FUWA axles, drum brakes and air suspension, 17.5” Speedline alloy wheels.

TMC

Spec your trailer on KIWIs – the new tyre of choice for KIWIs KIWI 16

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

Wide grooves will not hold stones

The KIWI 16’s tougher twin

Multi use tread pattern

Heavy duty case

Super heavy duty case

Urban/highway/off road

Excellent mileage performance

Puncture resistant

Puncture resistant

17mm extra deep tread

17mm extra deep tread

17.5mm extra deep tread

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

89

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MINI BIG RIGS

First step is to identify and cut from the sprue all parts required for stage one.

Chassis build under way Story and photos by Carl Kirkbeck

Our project – the Mercedes-Benz – is out of the box and the lid is off the glue canister; it’s time to get this project under way.

L

ooking at the detail quality as well as the precision of the extrusions, we are again reminded of why we enjoy building Italeri kitsets so much.

The first step after making ourselves familiar with the build sequence detailed on the instruction sheet is to identify and cut from the sprue all parts required for stage one of the build.

When cutting the individual parts from the sprue I find it best to use a pair of fine-bladed electrical side cutters. The side cutters do not stress the parts as you are cutting in free space, rather than the opposite if you were to use a hobby knife. When cutting with a hobby knife there is risk of the part being damaged, as excessive force is required to push the blade through the plastic sprue while resting the sprue against a solid surface – an accident waiting to happen.

Once you have accumulated all the required parts for stage one, lay them out as shown in the instructions to confirm their location.

You will find certain parts require pre-assembly before the

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

main assembly of the stage can occur. For example, in our kit there are three cross members for the chassis that are made up of three individual parts each. Take your time and ensure that the correct parts are identified. Study them by dry test-fitting first before using any glue. Once confident with the placement, it is time to apply the glue.

Today’s glues for plastic kitset building are more of a liquid solvent that is applied via a very thin tube on a small bottle, and in some cases a small brush attached to the underside of the lid. The liquid solvents are very effective and very little is required, as when it is applied between two parts it is drawn in by capillary action, effectively welding the pieces together.

Now that the pre-assemblies are bonded together it is time to bring the chassis together. Everyone has their own approach, but I tend to start a chassis assembly by laying one of the rails on the bench on its side. Then starting from the rear of the rail, fit the cross members into place one at a time, gluing them as you go. This way you are not juggling a gluey mess, instead using gravity to hold everything in place for you.

Now apply a little glue to the locating tabs on the opposite rail where the cross members will meet to soften the plastic in readiness. Bring the opposite rail into place, locating all the cross members to the pre-glued locations, and gently apply pressure to sandwich the assembled chassis together. Apply more glue as required to all points where the cross members

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Our subject matter, Pilkington Automotive Glass Ken Kirk circa 1992.

Above: To prevent mistakes, lay the pre-assembled cross members out in placement order before starting assembly.

meet the chassis rails; not too much, but enough to form a good bond, as this is the backbone to your project.

At this time while the glue is fresh and has not set, it is very important to ensure the chassis is straight and true. To do this lay the chassis flat on its back on a flat surface; this way you can eyeball it and see any twists or bends. If there are, this is the time to correct them by reshaping with a touch of friendly manipulation. Once you’re happy it is aligned, carefully set it down on a flat, stable surface where it can dry and set.

Today’s solvent-based glues are quick-acting and you could in some instances continue with the build within a few hours. I tend to give the chassis a good 24 hours or so to set rock solid; as I previously mentioned, this is the structural backbone that the entire build relies on.

And there we have it, an assembled chassis. Next time we start fitting the running gear. 

Below: Once glued and checked for straight and true, place the completed chassis on a flat surface to set; a good 24 hours for optimum strength.

Do you build model trucks? Would you like to share your stories and model builds with our readers? Then please feel free to contact us – carl@nztrucking.co.nz. These pages are dedicated to supporting the hobby, and we would like to hear from you.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

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LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

H

ello Little Truckers and happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are now settling back into school and ready for another fantastic year.

What adventures did you all get up to over the holidays? I would love to hear all about them! Did you go to work with Mum or Dad, ride in a truck, or maybe go to a show? If you would like to share a story or photo with us, please email them

to me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz.

This month Auto Art by Rochelle is giving away an activity pack! To be in to win all you need to do is colour in the Kenworth. Either scan or take a photo of your work and send it to me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz. Entries need to be in by 15 March and one lucky winner and their artwork will be printed right here in the April Little Truckers’ Club!

Colouring in competition You can either copy the painting completed by Auto Art by Rochelle or create your own masterpiece, it’s entirely up to you!

92

New Zealand Trucking

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ WHAT’S ON Wellsford Roaring Lions Truck Show 16 February 2020 Centennial Park, Wellsford – gold coin entry Contact: Bruce Wilson 027 493-2751 wellsfordtruckshow@hotmail.com

Wellington Truck and Transport Show 23 February 2020 Trentham Memorial Park, Upper Hutt Contact: Greg Fouhy wgtntruckshow@gmail.com

TMC Trailers Ltd Trucking Industry Show 20 and 21 March 2020 Canterbury Agricultural Park Christchurch Contact: Rebecca Dinmore 0800 338 338 rebecca.dinmore@nztruckingassn.co.nz www.truckingindustryshow.co.nz

Tui Truck Stop Show & Shine 29 March 2020 Tui Brewery, State Highway 2, Mangatainoka Contact: Rosie Rogers 027 420 8383 www.tuihq.co.nz

All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc. It is suggested you check the websites above before setting out.

Show organisers – please send your event details at least eight weeks in advance to editor@nztrucking.co.nz for a free listing on this page.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

93

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CUBE

DIESEL TRANSFER EQUIPMENT 40L/ MIN

200L & 400L DIESELPOWER UNITS • 12V DieselPower Self-priming pump • Strong double walled lockable pump cover (padlock incl.) protects the pump and tank breather from unwanted access) • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • Suction foot screen filter on internal suction line • 4m wiring harness with alligator clips • 4m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings • 30 min duty cycle, 30 min on/off • Baffled tank (400L) • Low profile design

OPEN FLOW

40L/ MIN OPEN FLOW

SQDN400-7

300 LITRE DIESELPOWER • 4m wiring harness with alligator clips • 12V DieselPower self-priming pump • 4m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • 30 min duty cycle, 30 min on/off

40L/ MIN OPEN FLOW

SQD300-7

LOCKABLE FILLING CAP

650

400 LITRE

1,300

$

STRONG LOCKABLE COVER

• 12V 40L/min open flow pump • 4m ¾” delivery hose with manual nozzle

$

SQDN200-7

4M OF ¾” DELIVERY HOSE

100 LITRE DIESEL UNIT

SQDN100-P1

200 LITRE

1,000

$

1,250

BAFFLED TANK

$

BAFFLED TANK

BAFFLED TANK

200L AND 400L DIESELPRO TRANSFER UNITS • 12V PIUSI self-priming pump • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • 5m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings • 45L/Min open flow • Lockable filling cap with 2 keys • 4m wiring harness with alligator clips • Suction foot screen AUTO filter on internal suction line • 30 min duty cycle, 30 min on/off SHUT OFF TRIGGER • Baffled tank (400L only)

200 LITRE

1,400

$

SQDN200L-Z1 400 LITRE

1,700

$

SQDN400L-Z1

600L DIESELPRO TRANSFER UNIT • 12V PIUSI self-priming pump • High quality auto shut-off nozzle • 5m of ¾” delivery hose with swivel and crimped fittings • Tank bottom 8mm brass inserts for bolt down mounting to a tray, skid or platform

SQDN600L-X1

2,000

$

45L/ MIN

TWIN BAFFLED TANK

OPEN FLOW

BAFFLED TANK

STRONG LOCKABLE COVER

BAFFLED TANK

BAFFLED TANK

BAFFLED TANK

1100 & 2200L DIESELPAK TRANSFER UNITS Large capacity diesel storage for farm and construction equipment.

• 5m hose & auto shut-off gun • Foot design allows bolt down mounting

800L DIESELPAK ITALIAN PUMP

INDENT ORDER ONLY

BAFFLED TANK 1100L ONLY 1100 LITRE

2,300

$

SQD1000-X1

ALSO AVAILABLE: 2200L UNIT FITTED WITH 85L/MIN HIGH FLOW PUMP AND 4M HOSE

2200 LITRE

3,760

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USINESS

Trucking

Contents 96 100 104 106 108 110 112 114 116 118 120

Market Stats Incoming Health and Safety Drug Detection Truckers’ Health Legal IRTENZ conference RTF conference NZTA RTF Last Mile

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Moving metrics New Zealand Trucking shows you how the economy is travelling via key metrics from the road transport industry. From time to time we’ll be asking experts their opinion on what the numbers mean. In this first report we look back at the 2019 numbers.

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers purchased in 2019 A goods vehicle is a motor vehicle that: (a) is constructed primarily for the carriage of goods; and (b) either: (i) has at least four wheels; or (ii) has three wheels and a gross vehicle mass exceeding one tonne.

This information is put together from data retrieved from the NZ Transport Agency’s Open Data portal https://opendata-nzta.opendata.arcgis.com/

Vehicle type This summary includes data for three heavy truck and trailer classes.

Vehicle class

Description

NB (medium goods vehicle)

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes.

NC (heavy goods vehicle)

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 12 tonnes.

TD (heavy trailer)

A trailer that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 10 tonnes.

A table of all vehicle classes can be found in Table A of the Land Transport Rule Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2016, Rule 41001/2016 (https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/rules/ docs/vehicle-dimensions-and-mass-2016-as-at-1june-2019.pdf ).

Note: vehicle classes are not the same as RUC vehicle types or driver licence classes.

egistration in New Zealand of NB, NC and TD classes

Number of heavy vehicles first registered in New Zealand for year 5000

4552 4605 4577

4000

3163

3340 3414

3000 1529 1680 1497

2000 1000 0

NB

NC

TD

Heavy vehicle class 2017

2018

2019

First registration in New Zealand of NB, NC and TD classes 96

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

First

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ registration of selected vehicle classes for 2018 and 2019 by quarter

Heavy vehicles first registered in New Zealand by quarter for selected classes 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

2018

2019

2018

NB

2019

2018

2019

NC Jan-Mar

Apr-Jun

TD

Jul-Sept

Oct-Dec

First registration of selected vehicle classes for 2018 and 2019 by quarter

Road user charges purchased during 2019 This information is put together from data provided by the NZ Transport Agency. New Zealand Trucking magazine acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA for providing this information.

RUC purchase for 2019, all RUC types A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www. nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/road-user-charges/rucrates-and-transaction-fees/ Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019 by purchase year

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

1 January 2018 – 31 December 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1 January 2019 – 31 December 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

Month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2019

The greatest RUC purchases made during 2019 were for type 1 vehicles, powered vehicles with two axles (except type 2 or type 299 vehicles). Vehicles in this type include vans, light trucks, SUVs and utes, and light cranes. Type 1 purchases were: 11,503,966,413 kilometres that cost $812,973,322.

RUC purchases for the top eight RUC types

The top eight RUC type purchases, other than type 1, for 2019 in descending order were:

Continued on page 98

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

97

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The top eight RUC type purchases, other than type 1, for 2019 in descending order were:

RUC type 2

Description Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle 6 Powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles) 43 Unpowered vehicles with four axles 14 Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 or type 499 vehicles) 951 Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles RUC type Description H94 Towing vehicle that is part of an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a 2 Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle type 14 RUC vehicle towing a type 951 RUC vehicle with a permit weight of not 6 Powered vehicles with three axles (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles) more than 50,000kg.

43 Unpowered vehicles with four axles 33 Unpowered vehicles with three twin-tyred, or single large-tyred, close axles 14 Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 or type 499 vehicles) (except vehicle type 939) 951 Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles 408 Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of a combination vehicle with a total <HEADLINE> H94 Towing is part of an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a type 14 RUC vehicle towing a of vehicle at leastthat 8 axles Road user charges purchased during 2019 type 951 RUC vehicle with a permit weight of not more than 50,000kg.

33

Unpowered vehicles with three twin-tyred, or single large-tyred, close axles (except vehicle type 939)

(NOTE:JOHNB – This nextwith sentence and put in a small coloured 408 Towing vehicles four axles thatlink are can part you of a combination vehicle with a box) total of at least 8 axles

This information is put together from information provided by the New Zealand Transport Agency. New Zealand Trucking magazine acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA for providing this information to us.

Total RUC purchases 2019 for selected RUC types

RUC purchase for 2019, all RUC types 1,400,000,000

$300,000,000

The red dots

Distance purchased (Km)

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/roadrepresent the cost of 1,200,000,000 user-charges/ruc-rates-and-transaction-fees/ $250,000,000 the RUC purchased $200,000,000

Purchase value ($)

for that RUC type for all of 2019 only, thus for RUC type Total value800,000,000 and distance of road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019 $150,000,000 6 vehicles, powered by purchase year 600,000,000 vehicles with three $100,000,000 axles (except type 400,000,000 Purchase period Distance purchased Value of purchases 308, 309, 311, 399 (km) $50,000,000 200,000,000 or 413 vehicles), the higher cost results 1 January 2018 – 310December 15,736,558,458 $1,875,364,397 $0 from the high cost 2018 2 6 43 14 951 H94 33 408 of RUC for these RUC type type vehicles above 1 January 2019 – 31 December 16,166,434,103 $2,041,939,272 12 tonne.

2019 Total RUC distance (Km) Total RUC Value ($) 1,000,000,000

Month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2019 The red dots represent the cost of the RUC purchased for that RUC type for all of 2019 only, thus for RUC type 6 vehicles, powered vehicles with three axles, type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles), the RUC purchases 2019(except all RUC types higher1,450,000,000 cost results from the high cost of RUC for these type vehicles above 12 tonne. $190,000,000 $185,000,000 $180,000,000 $175,000,000

1,350,000,000

$170,000,000 1,300,000,000

$165,000,000 $160,000,000

1,250,000,000

$155,000,000 $150,000,000

1,200,000,000

$145,000,000 1,150,000,000

Ja n19 Fe b19 M ar -1 9 Ap r-1 9 M ay -1 9 Ju n19 Ju l-1 9 Au g19 Se p19 Oc t-1 9 No v19 De c19

$140,000,000

RUC Distance Purchased (km)

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

RUC Value ($)

Purchase value ($)

Distance purchased (Km)

1,400,000,000

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INCOMING CARGO

Europe’s biggest blockbuster?

Report by New Zealand Trucking Media

Nikola Motors’ self-made billionaire founder and CEO, Trevor Milton, doesn’t mince his words, as we discovered at the launch of the zero-emission Tre.

L

ast December Nikola Motor and Iveco unveiled the zeroemission Tre tractor unit, the product of a joint venture between the two companies.

Manufactured by Iveco, the truck is based on the S-Way, and uses a choice of two Nikola zero-emission drivelines. First deliveries of the battery-electric Tre will commence in Europe in 2021, with a hydrogen fuel cell version following two years later.

In our opinion this partnership is a lifeline for Iveco, which is Europe’s smallest OEM. In return for an investment of US$250m (NZ$380m), Iveco’s parent company CNH Industrial gets between seven and eight percent of Nikola Motor stock. But, more importantly, it gives Iveco access to Nikola’s zero-emission drivelines. This is vital if the truck maker is to hit the EU targets of 15% less CO2 by 2025 and 30% less by 2030 – and avoid hefty fines.

The benefits to Nikola of partnering with an established European truck maker are also blindingly obvious – and according to Milton have accelerated its truck-building programme by up to five years and saved it US$500m (NZ$760m). But with all the major players apparently keen to

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get into bed with Nikola, why did Milton choose Iveco?

“As we met with the other OEMs their arrogance really made me mad,” explained Milton, when we caught up with him in Turin, Italy, at the Tre launch. “I’m an anti-arrogant kind of guy. I truly believe that in this world a rising tide raises all ships, and all they wanted to do was tear us down. All they did was talk about how good they are, how big they are, how they are number one or number two or whatever. It made me cringe. I hated everything about it.”

He goes on to compare their attitude with that of Blockbuster, which was apparently once offered the chance to buy Netflix for US$50m (NZ$76m). “But instead they laughed them out of the room,” says Milton. “And you know what Blockbuster’s words were – ‘we’re the biggest, we’re the best, we’re number one. Why do we need you?’ They lost a couple of hundred billion dollars over that mistake. And that is the same treatment I got with these OEMs. I couldn’t believe it. I hated everything about it.”

Milton reckons Iveco came to the table with a totally different attitude and, most importantly, lacked arrogance.

“Iveco said, ‘we’re struggling, we need help. We are really good at building trucks, but we are not any good at anything you guys are doing’,” recalls Milton. “They looked at our whole portfolio and they said, ‘we want to do all this and we need your help’. They said, ‘what do you guys struggle with?’ and I said, ‘here’s all the things that we suck at’.”

According to Milton, one of the key areas where Nikola “sucks” is with manufacturing. He admits to me that windscreens crack, and bits of trim drop off its prototype vehicles.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Left: Based on the Iveco S-Way, the Nikola Tre will be the company’s first offering in the European market.

Right: Founder and CEO of Nikola Motors, Trevor Milton, is bullish about the brand’s

Above: Futuristic, high-tech

prospects

working quarters…

against

Left: The tie-up between CNH

Europe’s

Industrial and Nikola will result in

leading OEMs.

Iveco focusing on development of hydrogen fuel cells to power future models.

“It takes decades to learn this stuff,” he says. “And I didn’t want to learn it. I didn’t want to take the path of our competitors, like Tesla. Some of their biggest problems stem from them trying to do it all themselves and not working with anybody. I didn’t want to repeat those mistakes. He [Elon Musk from Tesla] has done incredible things for the world over there, but I didn’t want to repeat his mistakes. So, for us I said I want to work with an OEM that knows truck manufacturing, has a parts supply, a supplier base and purchasing power – but I wanted someone humble enough for us to work with and make a difference with. And Iveco won hands down. It wasn’t even close.”

With the first zero-emission Nikola Tres coming to European Iveco dealers next year, we ask Milton how many years ahead of the established competition he believes his company is. We’re expecting him to say several years, and are a bit taken aback when he answers, “they’re right behind us”. He then goes on to state that the established truck makers lied to European legislators when they said it was impossible to meet the next round of emissions standards.

“That is total bullshit,” he claims. “They just wanted to sit there and reap billions of dollars of rewards off their diesel programmes, and I’m tired of it. It’s over. Screw them all. I’ll show those guys what’s up. And now that we have done it, they now actually have to change. They have the tech, they always have had, and they are going to be putting it into the vehicles.

They won’t let us sit here and kick them I promise you. They are not going to be like Blockbuster. They aren’t going to let us take them down completely. They will react, they’ll move fast, but the best news is that Nikola will always be known as the company that changed the world of trucking. Nobody else will ever get that title.”

Milton is looking for market leadership in Europe, with anticipated sales of 35,000 trucks per annum. In fact, he expects demand to outstrip supply for at least the next 20 years.

But, with the likes of Daimler, Volvo Group and TRATON hot on its heels, this begs the question of how Nikola will be able to become market leader and, more importantly, maintain

that position. We ask the outspoken CEO what his company will be able to offer that the competition won’t.

“They’ll never be Trevor. They’ll never be me. That’s the difference!” he says. “What you need to realise is my entire life I have been able to see things five to seven years ahead of anyone I have ever met. Let’s put it this way. When I sat down with them [established OEMs], one of the questions they asked was, ‘we’re the biggest, we’re the best, why can’t we just squash you, why do we even need you?’ That is offensive, and in my head I was like, ‘what a bunch of crap!’ Everything about it is just despicable. So, it really made me mad when they said it. But I looked them in the eye, and I said, ‘you know what, I’m five to seven years ahead of what you’re doing right now. I’ve already got it figured out, and every move you make is normally a move I want you to make. So, for the next five to seven years, every move you make, you’re going to wonder whether it was a move Trevor wanted you to make, or it was a move you made on your own. You will never know.’”

Milton added that his company’s ability to act quickly will also help in its quest for market dominance, claiming that he can make decisions in one day that other truck makers will take a year over. He also cited a far smaller product line-up as a major string to Nikola’s bow. “I don’t have 80 divisions and 400 vehicle platforms that I have to deal with,” he says. “You’re dealing with 400 fires right now, laying off tens of thousands of people, and I’m only focused on one thing: that truck.

“So, why are we going to stay ahead of them? Because we are not them. We are Nikola!

“We just kicked their asses up and down, and I love it because of the arrogance they have. I promise you that because of last night [the Tre launch] they’re all in their boardrooms talking about what to do now. This is the Netflix moment and we’re kicking their asses.”

Nikola’s arrival in Europe is definitely going to shake things up.  Will Shiers is editor at Commercial Motor and UK jury member for the International Truck of the Year association.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2020

101

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INCOMING CARGO

Humble fighters Gerrit Marx, CNH Industrial president of commercial and speciality vehicles, gives his perspective on what the tie-up with Nikola means for Europe’s smallest truck manufacturer.

I

n 2025 European truck makers will have to slash new truck CO2 emissions by 15% or face hefty fines, but Marx isn’t daunted. In fact, following the announcement of CNH Industrial’s US$250m (NZ$380m) investment in Nikola Motor Company, he’s embracing the challenge.

“We are among the first to have realised that something is happening in 2025 that will completely turn around this industry,” he tells us. “There is no point lobbying Brussels to make legislation easier to achieve, as that won’t work following ‘diesel-gate’. These are tough targets, but they will be enforced and will need to be complied with.”

According to Marx, truck makers have two options – electrification, or “the Iveco way”.

Explaining option one, Marx says truck makers will need to electrify roughly 10% of the vehicles they sell. “We will start to see 800kWh or 1gWh batteries in trucks. They will have to charge €250,000 (NZ$382,000) but how many would they sell?

Not many! But they need to sell them or else they will be sued €200m (NZ$305m) a year by Brussels.”

The Iveco way is hydrogen fuel cells, possible thanks to its tie-up with Nikola. Marx warns that we may well see some Iveco long-haul trucks with large 800kWh batteries in the near future, but stresses that these will purely be a way of testing electric powertrains ahead of range extending with fuel cells.

“Batteries are chemical nightmares,” he declares, “and we are convinced that for long haul, batteries need to be as small as possible, maybe 125kWh, and fuel cells as large as possible.”

Industry sources suggest Nikola had the pick of all the major truck makers, so why did it choose Iveco? “Because we are the perfect partner,” answers Marx.

“Firstly, we are the pioneers of LNG,” he declares proudly.

“We have launched a new powertrain technology with a new refuelling network. Although hydrogen is very different from gas, we have proved that we can revolutionise a segment.”

Reason number two is Iveco’s absence from Nikola’s home market. Marx explains: “Trevor [Milton, CEO and founder of Nikola] said, ‘You are not in the US, so I can fully trust you not to try to make me fail at home. You want me to be successful in the US because you will enter the US with me. If we partner with someone who already has a big US operation, they will never love us.’ But we are a problem-free partner.”

Marx’s third reason is Iveco’s size. “We are the smallest heavy-duty truck maker in Europe,” he says. “We are, and have proven to be, the most resourceful. We know how to fight in difficult positions, how to operate with small market shares, and how to work around the challenges that this brings. You could call us the humble fighters.”

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Marx says that truck makers have two options for the future – electrification, or ‘the Iveco way’.

Marx believes the time is right for hydrogen, not only due to European legislation, but also because of a change in attitude towards fossil fuels. “There is an entire new generation of young people who don’t accept that we should be consuming natural resources,” he explains. “Iveco will still invest in diesel engines, don’t get me wrong, but the generation connected via Facebook and multimedia are globally aligned in their feelings.

This wasn’t there five years ago.”

In early December Iveco and Nikola held a joint press conference in Turin, in which they set out more details of their partnership and unveiled the Nikola Tre. The company’s European offering, the Nikola Tre, will be based on the S-Way, and is likely to be built at one of Iveco’s existing factories.

Marx confirms that the first examples will appear on our roads in 2023 and “look kick-ass!”

The Nikola Tre will be available in 2- and 3-axle rigid versions, with GVW ranging from 18 to 26 tonnes for urban distribution. The vehicle will feature a modular battery system with a total capacity of up to 720kWh, which can be tailored to match different customers’ operations. The electric driveline will deliver 480kW continuous power output with 1800Nm peak torque. The 4x2 version displayed will have a range of up to 400km and dynamic performance equal to or better than a diesel equivalent model, Iveco says.

At the press conference, Trevor Milton, Nikola Motors CEO, said: “We needed the right partner to help us enter the European market and CNH Industrial is the right commercial partner. While other OEMs are laying off tens of thousands of employees, Nikola is creating thousands of jobs and forcing the trucking industry to react and go zero emission. Look at what we have accomplished in three months; now imagine what we will accomplish in three years with CNH Industrial as our partner.”

But, despite the enthusiasm, Marx is the first to acknowledge that there will be some challenges on the road to hydrogen fuel cells. “Will it be a huge breakthrough in 2023? Off course not!

Will we have a few hundred trucks on the road? Of course.

Will a few of them break down? Of course!”

But he is convinced that Iveco is on the right road, one that gives his company a serious advantage over the competition.

“Everyone can put together a truck with batteries that drives around emission-free like a Tesla,” he says. “Anybody with money can do that. Iveco can’t outspend the competition, but we can outpace and outsmart them.”  WS

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

It can be a

risky time of year

C

on them. Are they working in the manner you would hristmas has come and gone but the days are still expect, following safety rules? hot and long. Many of us have been on holiday, • Be prepared to stop work and send workers home others are about to go. We are more relaxed, to recover. It may save a life. It will also improve catching up with friends and family, and enjoying productivity as there will be less work to be redone. our outdoor life. What can go wrong?

A few years ago, during a particularly Let’s talk about holiday brain. Just hot and dry summer, we assisted before we go on holiday and when we several clients with serious incidents. return to work our minds can be more on How can Safewise The number and seriousness of the our break than on work. This distraction help? incidents was exceptional. In every has the potential to be very dangerous.

We work with organisations case, workers reported ‘feeling the When combined with the heat of that need more health heat’ and wishing they were still summer, we may be distracted and and safety knowledge, on holiday or thinking about their dehydrated, leading us to make poor or more time, than they upcoming weekend at the beach. One decisions, often with serious or even fatal have in house. For more instance was a fatality when the person, outcomes. information, check the presumably, fell asleep while driving Some of the things you can do to help website and crossed the centre line. combat this are: www.safewise.co.nz Recovering from a serious incident, • Ensure workers drink plenty of or worse, takes a very long time for water or other hydrating fluids such everyone involved, particularly the as coffee and energy drinks. Water injured party or parties and their families. Work together to may need to be provided in adequate quantities for have a safe year.  workers away from the main site.

• Provide a water cooler or keep water in the fridge.

Consider freezing some of the water to be taken off Tracey Murphy is the owner and director of Safewise Limited, a health and safety site. This will thaw gradually and provide cold water consultancy. She has more than 10 years’ throughout the day. experience working with organisations from • Ensure outdoor workers take regular breaks in sheltered many different industries. Tracey holds a areas.

Diploma in Health and Safety Management • Have a safety start-up at the beginning of the new work and a Graduate Diploma year and a quick catch up at the beginning of the day. in Occupational Safety and This will help focus workers and give you the chance to Health. She is a graduate chat with your workers. Look for those who are fatigued member of New Zealand or not functioning quite as well as normal.

Institute of Safety Management • Monitor workers and their work throughout the day and is the Waikato branch – you don’t need to micromanage, but keep an eye manager.

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DRUG-FREE WORKPLACES

The top five ways to identify drugs in your workforce

T

he upcoming vote on legalising recreational cannabis and plans for random roadside testing have made identifying drug issues a priority for many transport and logistics operators. We’ve heard from many companies concerned about the effects these public policies will have on their staff – and they all want to know the same thing.

How do I spot a high-risk employee abusing drugs and alcohol before it becomes a problem? TDDA teaches managers to recognise and deal with drugs in the workplace. We teach people to recognise the signs of abuse, what drug paraphernalia looks like, and how to deal with someone under the influence.

Here are five things to look out for:

Changes in attendance

People with drug and alcohol issues miss more days of work per year than their sober counterparts. Users often have punctuality issues too. Look for regular, and longer than average, breaks or trips out of the office or truck cab. These may indicate usage during work. Scan for patterns; if they’re always late after payday there’s a good chance they are topping up drug supplies and in a high usage period.

Performance issues

If an employee’s performance drops off or fluctuates, you may have a drug issue. For example, a drug user may fill in logbooks well at the beginning of the week but poorly on Thursday and Friday as they get closer to the weekend. People can be groggy, slower, forgetful, and won’t operate at the same level as a sober colleague.

If your fleet has vehicle monitoring, look for poor driving, braking, or swerving behaviours on your telematics software.

Check for reccurring minor incidents. We recommend drug and alcohol tests in cases where there is an incident or a near miss.

Visual clues

Someone abusing drugs and alcohol may leave drug paraphernalia like pipes, baggies, and prescription blister packs in plain view. There are also symptoms to recognise. Notice if a worker has had rapid weight loss. Take note if their pupils are very constricted or very dilated; both are signs of drug use. If they are visibly shaky or have a loss of balance, testing for drug use is recommended.

In 2019, TDDA detected increasing use of opioids in the transport and logistics industry. This includes illegal drugs such as heroin, opium and fentanyl, and prescription medications such as morphine, oxycodone, codeine and tramadol.

Drowsiness, confusion, a lack of concentration, and nausea may indicate opiate use. Whether doctor-prescribed or illegally obtained, people should not operate vehicles or equipment while using opiates.

Professional training

Find an accredited drug-testing organisation like TDDA and get certified in a verified drug identification programme. Select a programme that provides techniques to help transport and logistics supervisors make informed decisions – and builds their confidence. It should identify behaviours that indicate recent drug and alcohol use and keep pace with drug market trends.

The programme should train a manager to appropriately address a suspected drug-related situation safely. A poorly handled situation can escalate into a personal grievance.

Transport managers need the skills and confidence to deal with potentially delicate and volatile situations that arise when confronting an employee showing signs of drug and alcohol abuse. A trained manager will help keep your fleet on the road, your company compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and keep you out of legal proceedings. 

Erratic behaviour and overreactions

Look for emotional sensitivity, angry outbursts, and being defensive to constructive or mild criticism. Also notice mood swings and rapid changes in attitude. Drugs are linked with anger, anxiety, and depression, amongst other symptoms. Pay particular attention to drivers who are reported frequently by road users for poor driving or outbursts.

Many managers are inadequately trained or prepared to deal with employees presenting these symptoms, particularly symptoms involving aggression. Aggressive behaviours are challenging to deal with and can quickly spiral out of control.

Have a plan to manage a suspected drug-related incident.

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By Kirk Hardy, CEO TDDA (The Drug Detection Agency) TDDA has a Comprehensive Substance Identification (CSi) programme, it helps managers apply a seven-step process and assess an employee’s likeliness of drug influence. Visit www.tdda.com for more information.

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

2020

vision

T

here is one day of the year where your hopes and aspirations are flying at full mast, you are filled to the eyeballs with trifle and Christmas ham, and possibly feeling the aftermath of a well-celebrated New Year’s Eve. 1 January. Relaxed, excited, and ready to take on the year.

But who really knows what this year will bring – we don’t have 2020 vision. First dad joke out of the way.

After the amazing time spent with family and friends we can start re-evaluating where we are at and what we would like to achieve in the coming year. I’m about to utter those three words that everyone gets sick of hearing – New Year’s resolutions. What I have come to find with the old New Year’s ressos is that they are often wildly ambitious and extremely unachievable: ‘will climb Everest in 2020’. However, as I have learned over the years, the more measurable and specific your goals are, the more likely you are to achieve them and also the more likely you will be to continue setting goals for yourself in the future.

What often works really well for my clients is setting a ‘personal’ goal, a ‘fitness’ goal, and a ‘nutrition’ goal. This moves away from the weight-based goal (‘I want to be 60kg

by March’). I find if people base their health goals solely on the number that appears between their feet, they often feel disheartened or upset if they don’t reach said goal and tend to go backwards or self-sabotage.

Whereas, if you base your goal on something a bit deeper and more valuable, such as ‘I will run 5km without stopping’, your goal is measurable, achievable and will indicate that your fitness level has improved. Your weight dropping on the scales doesn’t always accurately indicate any improvements in your strength or fitness levels, which is what is really important.

I have absolutely nothing against setting massive goals for yourself – in fact, I encourage it. They can be motivating, encouraging, and aspirational. However, I do think it’s important to set yourself stepping-stone goals in the meantime.

For example: • Big goal – I will run a half marathon in August.

• Stepping-stone goals – I will run 2km in February, 5km in March, 8km in April, 11km in May, 14km in June, 17km in July and 21km in August.

In terms of nutrition goals, it’s important to be honest with yourself and look at where you could most improve your eating.

Whether it be reducing your portion sizes at dinner (buying yourself smaller plates) or eating less chocolate because you’ve got a massive sweet tooth (two choccy bars a week instead of five). You would be surprised how much these small steps add up over time and create massive changes in your health.

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Personal goals are just that – personal to you. My clients often struggle with setting personal goals as it is so broad – the world is your oyster. Many want to spend more time with friends and family, come home earlier from work, finish that book that they’ve had for years, or start doing yoga/meditation.

Whatever it may be, it has to be important to you and realistic.

If it’s something that someone else wants for you and not something you want for yourself, you are unlikely to achieve it.

Without the passion and desire to achieve something, you will really struggle to get over the line.

There is an abundance of ways that you can improve your health. You don’t have to jump on the latest bandwagon or fitness craze, do fitness classes that make you feel uncomfortable, or do something just because your friends are doing it. I am a firm believer that absolutely everyone can find a type/style of exercise they enjoy; whether it be walking, swimming, biking, gym classes, gym workouts, hiking, or team sports. Once you figure out what your cup of tea is, you’re more likely to stick with it than if you’re trying to force yourself to do something that you don’t enjoy just for the sake of it.

The same applies with eating healthily. What your friends and family do and enjoy may not be right for you. But there’s not just one way to eat healthily – explore different options, do some research, and find healthy foods that you enjoy and are likely to keep including in your meals. There’s no use blocking your nose and trying to down Brussels sprouts, because let’s face it – that will last a week at max.

So get the ball rolling, set yourself a fitness, nutrition and personal goal for 2020. Think big, but set yourself steppingstone goals that are measurable, doable, realistic and personal to you – and you can’t go wrong. 

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

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LEGAL LINES

The basics of TORO D id you know that the police must seize and impound your vehicle for 28 days in certain circumstances?

To give you an example, this can happen if you have lost your licence and should not be driving due to disqualification, revocation or suspension. Accordingly, vehicle owners have an obligation to ensure that only licensed drivers use their vehicles. This is particularly essential for employers who need to be able to check that their employees hold a valid driver’s licence.

That is where the Transport Operator Register Online (TORO) comes in handy. This is a free, independent, internetbased resource available to transport service licence holders that enables them to check that only licensed drivers are driving company vehicles.

What is TORO?

that you complete a driver enquiry at the same time, so that you can see the status of the licence. If you fail to do so and the driver is currently disqualified or suspended from driving, then you will not receive a notification about their disqualification or suspension because their driver licence status has not changed since you added them.

When will I be notified of a change in licence status?

TORO can only notify companies when a change happens in the Driver Licence Register. A report is run each morning with the changes that occurred the previous day and overnight in the Driver Licence register. It is important to note that it can take a couple of days from when the driver is served with a demerit point suspension notice to when the change happens in the Licence Register.

With the exception of 5pm to midnight every Saturday (when system maintenance is underway) the system will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During the maintenance time period, the system may be available, but service will not be guaranteed during this time. If for any reason the system is down or unavailable, and you wish to make an enquiry, you may phone the Transport Registry Centre (06) 953 7027 during standard business hours. 

This is a free, independent, internetbased resource available to transport service licence holders that enables them to check that only licensed drivers are driving company vehicles.

Driver Check allows employers and others to register drivers for a small fee and then to receive notification should the status of those drivers’ licences change. By contrast, TORO is a secure system that requires users to enter into an agreement with the NZ Transport Agency and obtain their drivers’ consent to register them on the system.

Transport operators who are currently using Driver Check can transfer to TORO but will need to agree to the new terms and conditions, as well as obtaining the prior consent of the drivers who they intend to register.

What information does TORO provide?

Once registered on the system, employers will be able to receive email notification of: • driver licence status changes such as disqualification or suspension; • accumulation of 50 demerit points; • accumulation of 100 demerit points (at which time suspension proceedings will have commenced); • warning of the expiry of a passenger endorsement; • alerts that medical conditions may apply.

Next month I will outline the benefits that come with joining TORO, what steps to take to register with TORO, and whether there is a legal requirement for drivers to sign up for TORO.

Please note that this article is not

The standard enquiries about which licence classes and endorsements a driver holds can also be obtained and transport operators will have the ability to maintain and view their own company list of drivers, adding new drivers and removing any drivers who are no longer associated with the business.

When adding a driver to the company’s register, you will not be advised what the status is at that time, so it is recommended

a substitute for legal advice and if you have a particular matter that needs to be addressed, you should consult with a lawyer. Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law and she can be contacted on (09) 377 1080 or 021 326 642.

Danielle Beston

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CONFERENCE 2019

Sharing the

log task with rail

Reporting by New Zealand Trucking Media

Andrew Locke, general manager commercial at CentrePort, was invited to the 2019 IRTENZ conference to discuss the topic ‘Moving Logs Intermodally’, and how the integration of transport hubs can increase the efficiency of the logging industry.

Andrew Locke, general manager commercial at CentrePort.

T

he debate between road and rail is one that seems to continually rage. And it’s not an issue unique to New Zealand, either. However, there can be no doubt that there is always the need to find the most efficient ways to move cargo, whether that means by road, rail, or a combination of the two.

Locke, who’s lived a career in freight and has a self-confessed passion for the forestry industry, reckons that intermodal hubs could be the answer to meeting the increasing domestic and international freight demands of the logging industry, which has grown tremendously over the past 15 years.

“In 2004 log exports were about 5 million tonnes, mostly to Japan and Korea. At the moment New Zealand is exporting around 22 million tonnes of logs,” Locke says.

This represents an overall growth of 379%, but while the export industry presents massive growth and opportunity for the country, there’s little doubt it would have to become more efficient to keep up with the appetite for logs from countries such as China, which currently imports more than 16 million tonnes of logs. In 2004 that number was around 1 million – a 1914% increase.

“We’re dealing with a macro [environment] that New Zealanders have no comprehension of. The Port of Shanghai will do about 56 million tonnes in containers this year; the whole container freight task in New Zealand is about 3.1 million. We have to be an efficient country to get the trade that we need. The world doesn’t need us,” he warns.

Locke says that “the forest industry is quite a critical part of

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New Zealand’s future” but there are massive issues to focus on to move logs – especially by road. “The nature of what we face is that the road network can’t cope,” he says.

Citing the ports of Napier, Wellington and Tauranga, Locke says that Napier has had tremendous growth of log freight in the past five years of a million tonnes (it now sits at two million). Wellington is close at around 1.7 million tonnes, having grown from under a million five years ago.

“We’re starting to see constrained assets. Wellington and Napier will probably top out at three million tonnes,” says Locke. “Tauranga has started to level out.” The port currently sits at just over 6.5 million tonnes, up from 6 million five years ago.

And the demand on ports is set to grow says Locke, which means that the demands on the transport industry – and the road network – will grow too. Locke says that KiwiRail is already taking on some of the burden. In 2018 KiwiRail moved 3.6 million tonnes of logs into ports around the country, taking the equivalent of 120,000 truckloads off the road network and accounting for 21% of the country’s log exports.

“KiwiRail log volumes have grown 40% over the past seven

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ years. If KiwiRail hadn’t stepped up, this country would have been in all sorts of trouble.”

Creating a hub network with KiwiRail is, therefore, understandably on the agenda. “Ports are traditionally short on land, most are land constrained and looking to develop offport intermodal hubs for efficient ways to move cargo. Hubs provide access to rail networks for the forest operator; they’re integration points for road, rail, and port.”

And there are more numbers to back up the move. “The great thing about hubs is that they allow trucks to go to and from a forest seven to nine times a day, instead of making just two or three runs to the port.” So while the spread of hubs might result in fewer vehicles on the road, the utilisation of those assets already in operation would be much higher.

Locke gives the example of the hub in Masterton, called Waingawa, as a log hub model that’s one of the best.

“We think of such a model when we want to move 600,000 tonnes of logs through it in the future. This hub is currently doing about 380,000 tonnes.” Other hubs being looked into include developing one in Marton and one in Feilding.

However, while the evidence points to the investment in hubs as being a good, and necessary, thing, there’s a bit of catching up to do on the part of KiwiRail, the forestry industry, and road transport.

“KiwiRail has been hugely supportive of this development and we’d like to do more business with it, but it does not

have the capacity at the moment. Ninety-six percent of all log wagons in the KiwiRail fleet are 35 years old. That’s a legacy issue; we haven’t invested in infrastructure,” Locke says. “A billion dollars will be invested in rail over the coming two years; that’s very exciting. However, let’s just temper ourselves a little bit…we’re really addressing the things we should have addressed over the long term.”

On the logging industry, Locke says a major constraint is people. “There are fantastic things going in in the forestry industry – innovation and technology with robotic machines to reduce the number of people in the operation and increase productivity.”

Finally, on the road transport industry, he questions why it takes so long for innovations to be given the go-ahead. “It takes so bloody long to do anything in New Zealand! McCarthy Transport with their 58-tonners… Ian Emmerson, who’s spent two years going through the process to get heavier trucks on the road… Pan Pac’s new trucks that can take double the load and have taken half the number of their trucks off the road…

It took absolute tenacity to get that; why does it take so long?

Why is it so hard?” he questions.

“As a New Zealander I want to see us have the most efficient freight network we can have in the country. We think the freight task is going to double between now and 2040. How are we going to do it?”  GM

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CONFERENCE 2019

Adapt or die?

Reporting by New Zealand Trucking Media

What can the industry do to safeguard its future, ensure a steady supply of drivers, and keep the wheels turning?

T

he title of Talent Central CEO Margaret Kouvelis’ presentation at the RTF conference last September was ‘Young people don’t need to change, businesses do’.

Kouvelis said everyone knew the numbers, that the amount of freight carried on our roads has increased 60% since 2000, but the number of drivers with class 5 licences has only increased 10%.

“We know that up to 2042 there’ll be very little change in modal share, and that over 90% of freight tonnage will still travel by trucks. And we know we’re going to need 2800 truck drivers every year for the next 10 years.”

The current methods of attracting and recruiting have not been successful, said Kouvelis, and even when a young person does get qualified, they often can’t get a job because they haven’t got enough experience.

“That yawning gap in recruiting drivers is an economic risk for a country that’s reliant on exports to move its products around the regions and beyond.”

The industry has been relying on tertiary providers and regional groups to supply the drivers, but Kouvelis said this has been problematic.

“Courses aren’t always what the industry wants or where they want them. And they can be discontinued if the numbers don’t stack up, regardless of the time and effort or impact that it has on the industry. Plus, these groups are often segregated and regionalised, which means there’s no national consistency.”

Kouvelis said with freight volumes rising and the lag in training industry-ready drivers, there needed to be a unified industry effort. Talent Central has made the logistics and distribution sector a priority in building pathways from school to employment.

“One in seven people in Palmerston North and the Manawatu is employed in the transport and logistics sector, and I want to ensure that we can attract and retain the right people sustainably. Talent Central collaborates with education and industry to provide work-ready youth and youth-ready employers. We foster a culture of innovation and growth leadership skills within the region, and our energy goes into creating pathways for learners.”

Last year 700 students attended the transport industry JobFEST organised by Talent Central at Manfeild Park.

“If we really want work-ready young people, it’s not good enough just to connect the odd school leaver with a potential job in a warehouse or transport firm. That’s only going to be good for that student and that company in that particular year.

What we need is a scalable and sustainable pipeline of talent

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that’s been made aware of the skills required in the sector, and is responsive to the demands locally, regionally and nationally.”

Kouvelis said the right preparation and training needs to be comprehensive, and that having a driver’s licence was fundamental to employability, not just in the transport industry.

In 2018 the government provided $2.8 million of funding for the Manfeild Park Trust to develop its National Driver Training Centre, which will teach classes one through five.

In addition to helping Manfeild develop the centre, Talent Central has been working with SWEP, the Ministry of Social Development, and NZTA in establishing a skills hub to be situated alongside the NDTC to provide training and skills for the workforce needed for big regional projects such as the replacement route for the Manawatu Gorge.

“The training that can be accessed through the National Driver Training Centre will enable the hub to place people in positions where the skill shortage is greatest. Such a facility ensures a steady pipeline of talent for all kinds of projects.”

To manage the supply in the long term, Kouvelis said the secret is in implementing these pathways at school, where students can gain an understanding of logistics and distribution through a number of hands-on experiences. She said successful implementation is also about collaboration: schools, industries, the ministries, agencies, all working together.

“The Manawatu is a key logistics hub with an inland port,

“Here’s a challenge: when you look at your team, who’s not there, and what might be wrong with your firm that they’re not there, and what might you want to do to put this right?” huge warehouse sector, and significant truck fleet, so it’s well positioned to offer a national training programme focusing on supporting the sector. We need a clear training pathway designed and approved by people in the industry, which would need to undergo a rigorous review by a representative group of transport operators to ensure it’s fit for purpose.”

Admitting she is not a truck driver, Kouvelis refers to herself as a cheerleader for trucks, and said everyone needed to work together to change the perception of the transport industry.

“The agriculture industry is very similar to your industry with the problems of perception and attracting young people.

Kids are being told in school, ‘if you’re not up to much, then you can always drive a truck or milk a cow’. We do moan a lot about the shortages, but we need to think outside the box; we need to collaborate and find a solution. We don’t like it when

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ The Road Transport Forum held its annual conference for 2019 in Wairakei during September. The theme was ‘central focus’ and the conference attracted 13 highprofile speakers who presented on a range of topics pertinent to business, the economy, and the industry itself.

Margaret Kouvelis says that it’s not up to young people to change to fit into the workplace, the workplace needs to change to attract them.

we train somebody up as an apprentice and they bugger off to another company that pays them more. But it’s not just about losing that person from your firm – another firm has gained them, so we have to think collaboratively about the whole sector and about the whole of the supply chain.”

The driver shortage is a longstanding issue, yet Kouvelis said no industry-wide plan has emerged and there has been no real national move to recruit new drivers.

“When you see it only as a man’s job, a temporary collar behind the wheel and not more expansive opportunities being part of a valuable supply chain, we diminish the opportunities that it can create for young people to be attracted to the industry.”

Kouvelis said an RTF survey about five years ago found that 85% of 150 transport firms nationwide lacked drivers.

Auckland, often the hardest hit, estimated a shortage of 500 drivers in the region alone at the time.

“There are a lot of young people out there who’d love to learn to drive a truck. There are lots of young women out there

who would make fabulous drivers. One of the biggest barriers to getting women into the trucking industry is the stereotype that it’s only a man’s job, and you don’t have to be that bright.

How ridiculous. Where is the message that the trucks today are highly technical, that the way of driving them is much more skilful with all the systems on board, and that you do need to be smarter for the kind of jobs that are involved?

“Given our labour crisis, what are we doing to attract girls into the industry? Currently, only 3% of the truck drivers in New Zealand are women. The fact that the majority of truck runs in New Zealand take less than a day and have set schedules with predictable home times gives New Zealand trucking companies the ability to offer younger women a career in trucking.

“Here’s a challenge: when you look at your team, who’s not there, and what might be wrong with your firm that they’re not there, and what might you want to do to put this right?”

Kouvelis said one of the unique challenges we have in New Zealand is that 85% of the 4500 trucking companies are small businesses, with fewer than five trucks.

“Young people don’t need to change, but we do. They’re wired for change. They know how to adjust quickly to new things, new ways of behaving. And they respond to a culture that cares. They’re quick to spot exploitation mind you, and bullying, and sexual harassment. They want a top-flight training, to feel confident, and to know what’s expected of them. And a buddy system can often be a great way to settle them into a job.

“So, are we up for it? Are we prepared to change our thinking and our ways, to invite young people to consider a future in our industry? Are we willing to commit to find a unified approach to making them work ready through a properly resourced, nationally recognised training pathway?

Then, rather than focusing on our yesterdays and how we’ve always done things, we will know we’ve succeeded if the young people of tomorrow can say that we cared about their futures today. If that happens, I believe we’ll be well on the way to having created a long-term sustainable pipeline of talent.”  FL

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NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Who is New Zealand’s best truck driver?

C

ould it be you? The New Zealand Trucking Association and TR Group have come up with a competition to rival all other attempts to find the New Zealand Truck Driver of the Year. The TR Group Truck Driving Championship is being held for the first time at the TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show on 20 and 21 March.

Based on overseas truck driving competitions, the new format and course will be a spectacle for supporters and a reasonable challenge for truck drivers. A number of entries have been received so far but there is still space. You might never have thought you were good enough to enter or you might be worried that you might make a mistake, but just give it a go! The competition has been set up to make it fun for competitors. Your ability needs to be celebrated as you have trained hard to become a professional truck driver and your skills may have taken years to achieve.

It’s a very short competition, so after competing you can enjoy the biggest truck show in New Zealand.

There is a multiple-choice theory component, and you can request a reader if you need one. You need to arrive 10 minutes before your booking, and then you will complete the pre-vehicle check and theory, followed by the 10-minute manoeuvring challenge.

We will have two class 2 courses running at the same time and one course each for tractor, semi, and truck and trailer.

There will be seating and a commentary so everyone knows what is happening.

If you get into the finals, on the final round you will do a road test drive with a TR Master Drive instructor.

You can choose which category to enter: Class 2, Truck and Trailer, or Tractor Semi. Entry is open to all New Zealand truck drivers with the appropriate licences. For each category the winners receive a trophy, $2500 and a trip for two to the Brisbane Truck Show (including airfares and accommodation for three nights), plus a prize pack of goodies.

The overall winner of the TR Group New Zealand Truck Driver Championship 2020 will be celebrated and presented with a shield and prize pack at the Teletrac Navman industry dinner at the end of the show.

There will be special recognition awards for the VTNZ

Woman Driver of the Year and TR Group Young Driver of the Year.

We are inviting transport companies to get behind the competition and support it by nominating their best driver and sponsoring their costs to Christchurch to compete. It’s a showcase for the company and a positive initiative to use to support your business culture. It’s something the younger drivers can get involved in.

If you are a transport operator, get your staff together and send a team down. If you are a truck driver and want to have a go, just do it! The show is going to be awesome; every new truck brand is on show and there will be more than 400 Show & Shine trucks.

There are other national competitions too, and you can register and have a go at those.

Mimico Excavator, Liebherr Crane, Hyundai Forklift, and Tyre Technician all have great prizes and courses that are going to be a lot of fun.

The awards for all the competitions will take place at the completion of the show at the Riding for the Disabled Arena. Tickets for the industry dinner are $65 per person and will sell out, so buy your ticket now at www.truckingindustryshow. co.nz.

A new attraction is the Classic Truck area. A larger area is being set up to host classic trucks from all over New Zealand.

Some that have registered are on show for the first time.

A display of restored classic trucks is important for future generations to showcase a part of history and celebrate the owners who lovingly restore these vehicles.

Start planning now to be in Christchurch for what is the ultimate trucking weekend. 

We are inviting transport companies to get behind the competition and support it by nominating their best driver and sponsoring their costs to Christchurch to compete.

It’s a showcase for the company and a positive initiative to use to support your business culture.

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NZ Trucking Association, 23 Islington Avenue, Waterloo Business Park, Christchurch 0800 338 338 www.nztruckingassn.co.nz

By Carol McGeady, executive officer NZ Trucking Association

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ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM

RTF supports Government on drug-testing drivers

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he Road Transport Forum is strongly supportive of the Government’s announcement that the police will begin roadside drug testing of drivers from 2021. Drugged driving is a major problem in New Zealand, evidenced by the fact that in 2018 95 people were killed in accidents where the driver was found to have drugs in their system.

RTF has been lobbying for adequate roadside drug testing for many years. Saliva testing followed by impairment and blood testing has proven effective in a number of jurisdictions overseas, so we are pleased to see the Government finally commit to instituting it here.

Under the Government’s plan, drivers who test positive for drug impairment will be fined, immediately suspended from driving for a minimum of 12 hours, and could face criminal charges equivalent to those who are caught drink driving.

With the Government holding a referendum on the legalisation of cannabis, it is critical that protections are put in place to ensure the safety of people in their workplace or out on our public roads. For this reason, we are also pleased to see stiffer penalties for distracted drivers and are looking forward to the rollout of median barriers and other infrastructure improvements that will enhance safety.

While we will always be concerned about road safety, the RTF does not support the blanket speed limit cuts that the Government plans to roll out in the coming months. There are specific stretches of road that do require reconsideration of speed limits, but wholesale speed limit reductions slow down the delivery of goods and will consequently have a negative effect on New Zealand businesses and consumers. Instead, we think roads should be properly invested in and ‘engineered up’ to be safe enough for traffic to travel on at a reasonable speed.

Prior to Christmas, the Government also released the Draft New Zealand Rail Plan, a document high on pro-rail and antiroad rhetoric, yet low on details.

The plan makes no bones about the fact that this Government is determined to shift as much freight as possible from the road to rail. On the surface of it this could be perceived to be a threat to our industry, but the reality is that it won’t be. Unless the Government decides to get really heavyhanded about it, the vast majority of freight, which is time and location sensitive, will remain on the road. That’s an economic reality that this Government can fight against if it wants, but they’ll be banging their heads against a brick wall. At the end of the day, the customer choses how they want their goods moved.

There is a myriad of examples from countries with rail networks much more comprehensive than ours that show that

regardless of the quality of the rail infrastructure, a similarly low proportion of freight travels by train. The Government’s latest plan won’t change that. However, it does mean that precious land transport funding will be wasted on uneconomic rail projects rather than invested in new and upgraded roads.

What is also concerning about the plan is the further channelling of funds derived from road users to pay for rail projects. This reallocation of fuel excise and RUCs destroys the integrity of the National Land Transport Fund and will cause resentment amongst road users and freight operators already paying high fuel and operating costs.

I am somewhat encouraged that the Government has proposed to institute ‘track user charges’ so that KiwiRail and other track users will contribute to the National Land Transport Fund.

Unfortunately, there is no detail as yet as to how these charges will be set and what rates they will be set at. I suspect that the track charges will come nowhere near to paying for the spending so far planned for rail.

It is also positive that the Government is following through on its intention to upgrade commuter rail in Auckland and Wellington. To free up the traffic congestion that is clogging these cities we must use all the tools at our disposal. An extensive, reliable and frequent commuter rail service will significantly enhance our urban public transport system, free up our key freight routes, and is vital for the ongoing economic growth and productivity of both Auckland and Wellington.

Finally, I want to give a brief plug for the TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show coming up on 20 and 21 March. This is a biennial event superbly organised by the New Zealand Trucking Association and is a great opportunity for the industry to come together and celebrate not only the quality of machinery on display, but also the skill and professionalism of New Zealand’s transport professionals. (For more details on the show, turn to page 116 – Ed.) 

While we will always be concerned about road safety, the RTF does not support the blanket speed limit cuts that the Government plans to roll out in the coming months.

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Nick Leggett Chief executive officer

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LAST MILE

Let’s hear the full story

O

n 18 December 2019 NZ Post issued a press release stating that in the previous week they had typically delivered 300,000 parcels each day but expected Thursday 19 December would be their busiest, with more than 350,000 parcels expected to be delivered. While NZ Post may have the overall largest market share of the parcel delivery business, it has to be expected that other companies were also busy coping with the surge in preChristmas deliveries. Good on all these businesses; they are providing a service that the customer wants.

No doubt some of these deliveries were made to people who are very anti-truck but who gave little or no thought as to how the parcel got to their front door or wherever it was delivered to. One thing I am sure about though is that very few, if any, of the journeys of each of these parcels would have included a ride on a train. Surely then this announcement would have been a golden opportunity for our industry

associations and representatives to come out and remind all those who had parcels and other such things delivered in the build up to Christmas that what they got was brought to them partially or entirely by truck. Unfortunately there appears to have been a deathly silence from these groups.

It is not as though the pre-Christmas demand on road transport has not happened before so why no industry comment/reminder? Maybe the silence is a just another example of how our industry associations appear to be out of touch with the real world their members operate in. Perhaps ‘deathly’ is not misplaced.

Also, just before Christmas, the Land Transport (Rail) Legislation Bill was introduced to Parliament.

In a nutshell, this bill seeks to bring planning and funding of the rail network under the land transport planning and funding regime set up in the Land Transport Management Act. This act currently deals with the planning and funding of public transport, state highways, road policing, and local roads only. Effectively, it will legitimise stealing money from road users to subsidise an inefficient rail network to the point that perhaps the bill should be renamed The Highway Robbery (Dick Turpin) Bill.

As a side but related issue, the Ministry of Transport announced that there were now 18,000 electric vehicles in New Zealand. What they did not say was that there were now 18,000 vehicles operating on our roads that do not pay road user charges yet still contribute towards traffic congestion, resulting in more fuel been consumed and adding to our carbon emissions. Couple this with the bill introduced and you should be able to visualise where all this is heading.

Also in December, the Ministry of Transport released the Action Plan 2020 to 2022 of the Government’s Road to Zero document. Nobody can argue against the general idea of this document, zero road deaths, but suggesting that cycling and walking are viable ways to reduce road trauma is still hard to fathom. Tucked away in the Action Plan, in Focus Area 3, Work-related road safety, is an action to ‘Strengthen commercial road transport regulation’. This action includes a review of work time and logbooks, including exploring nonregulatory ways to increase the uptake of electronic logbooks, an examination of the use of telematics for monitoring compliance, and reviewing the roles and powers of regulators.

Finally, and also in December, the Associate Minister of Transport, Julie-Anne Genter, announced a scheme whereby public sector workers will be offered a discount on the purchase of e-bikes. The announced discounts are substantial, between 10 and 50%, which raises a couple of questions: are non-public servants subsidising the purchase of these bikes? Should the Commerce Commission undertake a review of e-bike pricing?

Will government departments and agencies be providing taxpayer-funded onsite parking and perhaps charging facilities for these bikes to be stored during working hours?

2020 is going to be an interesting year! 

Effectively, it will legitimise stealing money from road users to subsidise an inefficient rail network to the point that perhaps the bill should be renamed The Highway Robbery (Dick Turpin) Bill.

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The accidental trucker

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