New Zealand Trucking February 2021

C O O L R U N N I N G S – B I G H Y U N D A I , N O S W E AT

FEBRUARY 2021

TRUCKING

NEW ZEALAND

FEBRUARY 2021

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PROWLS 9 413000 047578 Long Haul Publications

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Official magazine of the

1ST IN MARKET SHARE 2020

HEAVY TRUCK

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ENGINE

Thanks to all of our amazing customers, 2020 was a big year for us.

We’re stoked to have rounded off the year with 1st in market share for heavy trucks, buses and engines.

We’re incredibly grateful for every single person that chooses Scania and appreciate all the hard work our team at Scania NZ and South Pacific Diesel Systems Limited constantly puts in. *Heavy Truck Registration GVM over 16,000kg *Bus Registration GVM over 15,000kg

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CONTENTS

26

Gap Analysis – Handshakes Over Headbutts…

Lucky Stars – The Mercs of Flat Point Station

Official Sponsor

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66

Cats & Dogs – A Titan of WA

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WATCH T HE V IDEO IN T HE DIG ITAL EDIT ION

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

EDITOR

Dave McCoid

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers

Ph: 027 492 5601 Email: editor@nztrucking.co.nz Ph: 027 660 6608 Email: gavin@nztrucking.com

For all advertising enquiries for New Zealand Trucking magazine and Truck Trader contact: Matt Smith

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

Pav Warren

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SUB EDITOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Tracey Strange

Georgi George

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

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

Long Haul Publications Ltd

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ricky Harris

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Panther on the Prowl – Raj is Driven to Succeed

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John Berkley

THE REST

DIGITAL IMAGING

Willie Coyle DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

Louise Stowell

08 Editorial

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.

This magazine is subject to the New Zealand Press Council.

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10 Road Noise – Industry news 50 Top Truck – Hornell Hyundai, cool runner 54 From high-flyer to milk flyer 56 Gallery – On the range 58 Just Truckin’ Around 70 ITS – Of Scanias and Rolls-Royces

94 Moving Metrics 96 NZ Trucking Association Summit – Kane Patena 98 Incoming Cargo – Europe’s future 100 IRTENZ – Hydrogen vehicles 102 Business Profile – Patchell Stainless

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82 Rhino Photo Comp – The 112 Road Transport *Special is for existing Prices exclude gst, are for standard TMC build specs and valid until 31st July 2020 or until existing stock is sold.

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86 Mini Big Rigs – Modelling on a budget 88 Little Truckers’ Club – Introducing tomorrow’s operators

ABC Audited circulation 7092 as at September 2017 Nielsen audited readership 95,000 as at 01–2016

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BU

EDITORIAL

WE’RE ON THE ROAD TO

SOMEWHERE W

elcome back, and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. As I said in the EDM a couple of weeks ago, entry into the New Year for many was a mix of relief on the one hand and apprehension on the other.

There’s no question the overarching Covid-19 crisis is far from over, but neither are several other more localised problems.

Some of you will have read an editorial I wrote a while back where I contemplated the purchase of a radar detector to protect myself against the rate of increase and variance in gazetted speed limits. You won’t be surprised to hear I received the expected ‘tut-tut’ communication from WakaKotahi NZTA. The writer was pleasant, and I learned that having a kaleidoscope of speed limits was the answer, that surfaces were not ideal but resurfacing is expensive and the focus is on improving ‘safety’ via the addition of extra road furniture and ‘safer’ speeds. I also learned that apps and speed-indicating navigation devices would be more worthwhile than a

detector, which doesn’t tell the driver what the limit is.

Putting the initial points aside for later, I can absolutely attest that the apps and navigation devices currently available cannot keep up with the rate of change in speed limits.

Over the Christmas period, I racked up some serious kilometres. One of the roadies I was looking forward to – in a pseudo-masochistic sort of way – was the Spring Creek-to-Nelson trip on SH6, with its plethora of new speed limits in the 60 to 90kph range. I concluded from the experience that if the highway from the Wairau River bridge to Rai Valley is now 90kph, then the agenda, without doubt, is a national drop to 90kph in open-road speed limits on all carriageways not gazetted motorway or expressway. If that stretch warrants such a speed, then SH5 Napier to Taupo and SH3 Hamilton to New Plymouth must be just around the corner. What we on the outside are not getting through our heads with this wholesale unopposed lowering of speed limits is that we will never get back everyone we lose. Once it’s

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done, it’s done. And neither am I opposed to reducing speed limits where it’s logical to do so. Speaking about the same stretch of road (SH6), the open-road speed limit along Queen Elizabeth Drive that existed for years was absurd. It should have been 80kph half a decade ago.

The irritation for me is we never gave the old speed limits a chance because they were never enforced. You can’t say 100kph was too fast when vast numbers of the populous weren’t doing it in the first place. I guarantee that we will hear reports of accidents in the new ‘safer’ speed zone being caused by speed. Let’s say it’s a stretch of road that’s been dropped from 100kph to 80kph. Before the rebranding, ‘speed’ represented something over 100kph, now it might mean anything over 80kph.

A motorist who was doing 90kph and considered ‘safe’ last Friday when the speed limit was 100kph, is now a lunatic on Monday after the new 80kph sign went up over the weekend?

While the root of the issue lay in broader secular education, I argue the dayto-day problem with the old

speed limit was the utter failure to enforce it. I do my best to always travel at the posted speed limit, and I’m continuously being caught by traffic. It’s relentless. I’ve said before on any number of occasions that the irony in all this is enforcing speed is easily done with the government’s ubiquitous elixir to everything – tech. The problem is that the safety mantra begins to lose its appeal when votes are at risk.

Government departments love tech, and tech can fix this. We’re an affluent welfare state, so it’s logical we’re not going to be overly great at social obedience. Why aren’t new drivers ringfenced with zero speeding infringements for the first two years? Why aren’t double-cabbed 4x4 utes, the 21st century’s answer to the primal hunting spear, speed-limited to 104kph?

The truth from my roadies is this: On the run into Nelson, I was just a menace to a Kiwi driving public utterly contemptuous of the rules that govern their right to personal mobility, and until we get on top of that, ‘safer speed zones’ are simply another form of tax.

Dave McCoid Editor

LT

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ROAD NOISE NEWS NEW MODELS

New 36” integrated stand-up sleeper cab features 1.8m of headroom in the cockpit and 2.1m of headroom in the sleeper compartment.

AUSSIE-BUILT MACK ANTHEM ARRIVES

10 New Zealand Trucking

and torque of 2243–2603Nm (1655–1920lb/ft).

The mDrive automated manual transmission gets some extra-low gearing with the arrival of the 13-speed mDrive HD and 14-speed mDrive XHD transmissions.

By providing options of deep reduction gearing, these transmissions offer safer heavy hauling at high gross weights with excellent start ability/gradeability, eliminating the need for auxiliary transmissions, said the company.

Both transmissions are available behind the 13-litre MP8 and 16-litre MP10 engines in the Anthem, Trident and Super Liner models.

February 2021

Design The Anthem has quite a different look to Mack’s other Australian offerings.

Aerodynamic gains have been aided by closing gaps between panels and minimising seams. Even the tow hooks in the three-piece bumper have been covered to assist with airflow. A singlepoint bonnet latch makes daily checks safer and easier, reducing the effort needed to tilt the bonnet.

All exterior lighting is now handled by LEDs, boosting headlight output by 66% over previous incandescent bulbs.

New sleeper A 36” integrated standup sleeper cab is now an option for Anthem, Trident and Super Liner models.

The new cab features 1.8m of headroom in the cockpit and 2.1m of headroom in the sleeper compartment. The extra overhead space allows for storage in the driver’s compartment, with overhead storage cupboards in the bunk above the standard inner-spring mattress.

LED courtesy lighting, 12V outlets and USB charging ports are also featured in the new sleeper cab.

There’s also the option of a slide-out under-bunk fridge.

Exterior locker boxes can also be accessed from the inside of the truck by lifting the bed.

A new interior design offers large, easy-to-read analogue gauges. A 5” colour digital Co-Pilot display lets drivers navigate various digital menus and functions while on the move.

Safety and connectivity An integrated Bendix Wingman Fusion active safety system is standard in the new Mack Anthem, providing adaptive cruise control, blind-spot alerts, autonomous braking and roll stability. Much of the system’s functionality can be accessed via the Co-Pilot display.

A new electrical architecture across the range means Mack’s new generation of trucks is smarter and more connected. Optional predictive cruise control allows the truck to record topographic data to optimise engine and transmission performance and, consequently, save fuel.

New Zealand sales start at the same time as Australia, early February 2021.

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ack Trucks Australia has revealed a revamped model line-up that centres on the Mack Anthem, originally launched in North America during 2018. The new righthand drive model is built and engineered in Australia. The all-new model line-up offers a new stand-up sleeper cab, redesigned interior and new transmission options.

The Mack Anthem will be available as a sleeper or day cab and will be offered in 6x4 and 8x4 rigid guise or as a 6x4 prime mover. Powering the Anthem is the proven 13-litre Euro 5 MP8 engine with power ratings ranging from 324–400kW (435–535hp)

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

SWANSON TRANSPORT REACHES FOR THE SKY

T

he bright white and orange trucks of Swanson Transport Ltd (STL) have been a familiar sight on Auckland’s roads for generations. With more than 60 available to offer services from metro deliveries to oversized loads and truckmounted cranes, the chances of coming across one in the City of Sails is quite high.

12 New Zealand Trucking

Now, you’d be able to spot STL’s latest fleet addition from the proverbial mile away – as it’s fitted with the biggest Palfinger crane in Auckland.

The massive PK 200002L SH crane is mounted to a Scania R620B 10x4 *6NB. The special mobile crane chassis of the Scania had to be specifically built to handle the 43-tonne tare weight. (With the unit February 2021

weighing 43 tonnes, drivers must be Bridge Engineering Self-Supervision (BESS) certified and the vehicle has to operate on overweight permits/routes.)

The unit is a mobile knuckleboom crane and cannot carry any payload. But its primary benefit is to provide longer-reach capabilities to those offered by existing

knuckleboom cranes in the Auckland region. It has a maximum outreach of 50m and will lift 350kg at full extension and 17,600kg at 7m.

This specialist set-up has a winch, workman basket and a third manual jib to get right up and into hard-to-reach places.

STL general manager Nick Longuet-Higgins says this knuckleboom crane will provide the company’s customers with the versatility of a truck-mounted crane and the reach capabilities of a large mobile crane. “One of the standout features of the unit is its ability to lift 500kg at 45m, as well as its ability to function as an elevated work platform with a 45m reach,” he says.

STL worked closely with Palfinger and Scania New Zealand throughout the 12-month order and build process.

“Duncan Phillips (Palfinger New Zealand’s national manager) and Jared Keenan (Scania New Zealand Auckland/Northland account manager) were involved from day one and were fantastic in all our dealings with them,” says Longuet-Higgins.

“These are world-class products and Scania was able to provide the purpose-built mobile crane chassis to the Palfinger Competency Centre in Austria for the factory to complete the build of the mobile knuckleboom crane.”

The unit was then shipped to Auckland and arrived late in 2020.

You may be wondering why we said it was the biggest Palfinger crane in Auckland?

That’s because this unit is the second one in New Zealand.

The first one in the country – and the Southern Hemisphere – is operated by Ross McFaul from Meister Solutions and Engineering, who manages it under his hire company, Frankton Hire.

“Ross assisted us greatly in working through everything that was required,” notes Longuet-Higgins.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

SOUTHPAC TRUCKS NEW PLYMOUTH NOW OPEN Southpac Trucks has extended its reach and opened a TRP Parts branch in Bell Block, Taranaki, bringing its nationwide coverage to six branches.

Southpac Trucks New Plymouth opened on Monday 11 January.

Greg Carter, parts manager; Matt Fowler, parts representative; and Richard Craig, parts interpreter, all have a wealth of knowledge in the parts industry.

Southpac Trucks is 100% New Zealand owned and operated with more than 26 years’ experience under the Southpac name with the PACCAR, DAF, and Kenworth brands.

“Southpac Trucks places a huge emphasis on parts, service, and support – pillars of an integrated strategy that sees truck sales as only part of the equation.

We see the biggest focus of Southpac not on the initial selling of a truck, but on a lifetime support of the product,” says the company.

14 New Zealand Trucking

LOWERING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS “

T

his government has talked a big game on the climate change front, but on paper, its ‘accomplishments’, or lack thereof, put them in danger of being seen internationally as just blowing hot air,” says Nick Leggett, CEO, Road Transport Forum.

“An article published in January in Stuff, noted: ‘New Zealand is one of the few countries in the OECD to have increased gross emissions since 1990, doing so at a rate higher than all nations except Turkey, Iceland, and Australia.’

“When it comes to the climate change issue, the road freight transport industry has a lot of fingers pointed at it. But the hands connected to those fingers are ill-informed. We are open to, and actively following, technology advances that will enable freight to be moved in volume, via the road, using affordable fossil fuel alternatives.

“We are not interested in green-washing and run a watching brief on the progress on electricity, green hydrogen and biofuels to power heavy vehicles. To date, there have been issues regarding electricity and green hydrogen and we want to be sure diesel isn’t being replaced, just for the sake of it, by another energy source that causes harm to the planet or people.

The issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with

February 2021

cobalt mining for lithium-ion batteries have been well documented.”

Leggett says that, with the appointment of a new transport minister after the 2020 general election, the RTF sent his office briefing notes regarding road freight and the environment.

“New Zealand does not manufacture heavy trucks, and therefore, we are reliant on the global manufacturers to produce trucks that use alternative fuels that are affordable, can run in the New Zealand terrain, and would be supported by a re-fuelling infrastructure here.

“This is actually a good thing because most countries where trucks are manufactured are demanding high environmental standards.

The international trucking industry has committed to reducing fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions through technological innovation and energy-efficient driving.”

Leggett says the RTF believes the government should give serious consideration this term to incentivising the purchase of lower-emission or alternativeenergy trucks, as they have done with electric cars. This will assist in signalling to the market that change is expected and supported.

“It will also allow for innovation. We won’t know what’s best until we try. There

needs to be open minds and avoidance of rigid overregulation to get change that meets the brief (zero net emissions by 2050).”

Leggett warns that significant capital investment will be required if the country is to effectively transition to new fuels. He adds that the last thing New Zealand can afford to do is reduce productivity and add time and cost to transport via rail and ship in the belief that will take us there.

“In road freight transport, we are sick of the illusional argument that a higher proportion of the freight task should be undertaken by coastal shipping and rail because of lower carbon footprints. This is tired thinking, lacking in imagination, inspiration, or a fact base.

“Rail and coastal shipping cannot contest the current road freight task, that is, 93% of the goods moved around New Zealand. Road is faster, more efficient, more resilient, and door-to-door. There is a place for both, but investment should be in the future, which is some form of road, not rail.

“We have shown our commitment to the government’s approach to reduce emissions from road freight in New Zealand. We have put suggestions on the table, and look forward to the delivery beginning,” he says.

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Mills-Tu

SHACMAN ENTERS NEW ZEALAND

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hacman is a new name on the trucking scene in Aotearoa but, as a brand of Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group Co, the company’s history stretches back to 1968. The brand employs more than 32,000 personnel and is sold in more than 90 markets worldwide; including Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Oceania, Central and South America,

and the Eastern Europe CIS. Shacman New Zealand is the sole distributor of Shacman trucks for the country. The Shacman range includes tractor units, readyto-work tippers, cement mixers and curtain-siders from 12 tonnes upwards.

The headline model in the range is the new X3000 series (pictured above).

Underpinning Shacman trucks are some of the most

trusted names in the industry.

For example, the 12-tonne models come with Allision transmissions (with retarder), while larger units come with Cummins engines and Eaton automated manual transmissions.

A high standard of safety equipment is offered on New Zealand models. This includes lane guard alert, adaptive cruise control, driver monitor camera and tyre pressure

sensors. Other features include VOSS connectors, ZF steering and single skin chassis.

All Shacman trucks are sold with a three-year/250,000km chassis and driveline warranty.

The company offers a full after-sales and service solution through a network of 10 dealers and authorised workshops. Shacman Financial offers finance and insurance options.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

VOLVO FL ELECTRIC ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIA

V

olvo Trucks Australia has announced the arrival of the first Volvo FL Electric on Australian shores. This first unit will be fitted with an eight-pallet body and tailgate lift and is destined for trials and evaluation with Linfox, undertaking metropolitan deliveries within BevChain, its leading beverage logistics business, starting in April 2021.

Linfox is a member of the Electric Vehicle Council, the national body representing Australia’s electric vehicle industry.

In late 2020, Volvo Trucks announced its intention for all Volvo Trucks to be

fossil-fuel-free by 2040. It also announced that pre-sales for the European market of a complete range of electric heavy-duty truck models would begin in 2021, with production starting in 2022.

The 4x2 Volvo FL Electric is powered by 600V, 200kWh battery packs, which power a 200kW/425Nm motor. Power gets to the drive wheels via a two-speed I-Shift automated transmission.

“This is a very exciting time to be a part of Volvo Trucks Australia. The path to a cleaner, safer and ultimately more enjoyable cityscape is being paved as we speak. I look forward to seeing this truck plying the streets of

an Australian capital city in the very near future,” says vice-president, Volvo Trucks Australia, Tony O’Connell.

The road map to a fossilfree future for Volvo Trucks also includes developing

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hydrogen fuel-cell technology for long-haul applications to complement the more urbancentric electric drivelines and the gradual phasing out of the traditional diesel engine.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

PURE HYDROGEN SIGNS MoU WITH HYZON MOTORS

R

eal Energy Corporation’s 100%owned hydrogen division, Pure Hydrogen Corporation, and Hyzon Motors Australia Pty, a wholly owned subsidiary of United States-based Hyzon Motors Inc, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of a network of hydrogen refuelling points in Australia and the integration of a ‘wet hire’ of Hyzon’s vehicles to customers.

Hyzon is a global supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel-cell-powered commercial vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks, buses and coaches.

This MoU is the framework for how the Hyzon and Pure Hydrogen businesses agree to collaboratively work together to provide hydrogen solutions to end-users, which will likely be fleet customers.

This may include referring potential customers and collaboratively working to develop a network of hydrogen refuelling points.

Pure Hydrogen and Hyzon have also agreed under the MoU to work on a ‘wet hire’ option where potential customers will secure Hyzon’s vehicles as part of a package that includes the vehicle’s cost, scheduled services and hydrogen fuel as part of one monthly payment.

Pure Hydrogen’s Scott Brown commented: “This MoU with such an established and respected hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle company like Hyzon is an outstanding development and excellent validation of our plans to develop a

hydrogen-focussed energy business in Australia.”

Hyzon Motors Australia director John Feenan said: “We see Australia as a key market for the integration of hydrogen power technology into hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy transportation.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

EP1 propulsion-assisted electric pallet allowed FedEx Express to move 25% more packages per day.

GM LAUNCHES BRIGHTDROP

I

n January, General Motors announced it was launching a new business, BrightDrop, which will offer an ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software and services to empower delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently.

GM says these BrightDrop

solutions are designed to help businesses lower costs, maximise productivity, improve employee safety and freight security, and support overall sustainability efforts.

According to the World Economic Forum, demand for urban last-mile delivery, fuelled by e-commerce, is expected to grow by 78%

by 2030, leading to a 36% increase in delivery vehicles in the world’s top 100 cities. At the same time, this increase in demand is expected to cause delivery-related carbon emissions to rise by nearly one-third. The BrightDrop ecosystem aims to help meet this surge in demand.

First-to-last-mile products BrightDrop’s first product to market, the EP1, will be a propulsion-assisted electric pallet developed to easily move goods over short distances – for example, from the delivery vehicle to the customer’s front door.

Available in early 2021, the

The World’s L

EP1 can help reduce package touchpoints, costs and physical strain on delivery drivers.

An EP1 pilot programme has already been completed in partnership with FedEx Express. FedEx Express couriers effectively and safely handled 25% more packages per day with the EP1s.

BrightDrop EV600 BrightDrop’s second product will be the EV600, an electric light-commercial vehicle purpose-built to deliver goods and services over long ranges. It will combine zero-emissions driving with a range of advanced safety and convenience features more common in consumer electric vehicles.

The EV600 is targeted to have an estimated range of up to 320km on a full charge, a gross vehicle weight of

FedEx Express is the first customer signed up for the Brightdrop EV600. less than 4500kg and more than 17m3 of cargo area.

The cargo area is fitted with motion sensors to keep cargo secure.

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ustomers in 24 European markets and selected non-EU left-hand drive markets can now order a more back-to-basics Actros. The new Actros F is an entry route to the world of Mercedes-Benz trucks and is particularly aimed at those customers looking for a functional truck who do not necessarily need every innovation offered by the latest Actros generation.

The Actros F is ideal for operation in classic and regional haulage, particularly as a swap-body vehicle, dump truck or silo transporter, says Mercedes-Benz, adding it will offer an “attractive price-performance ratio and the authentic Mercedes-Benz

Trucks DNA”. Production of the Actros F starts in April.

The Actros F is available in 17 different models. With the Actros F, Mercedes-Benz is also introducing new cab variants. The newly designed cab in the StreamSpace or BigSpace variants, with its 2.5m width and 120mm engine tunnel height, offers excellent spaciousness for its class and also provides the driver with a low entry and exit using only three steps.

The new Actros F comes with a Classic Cockpit as well as conventional glass side mirrors as standard.

In combination with the navigation system, climate control and several choices of optional equipment, there’s also the addition of the new,

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combination with a precisely tuned shifting strategy.

The new Actros F is equipped Europe-wide, where legally required, with fifthgeneration Active Brake Assist (ABA 5) and Lane Keeping Assist. If desired, the new Actros F can also be ordered with Sideguard Assist.

Actros F takes a step back – to basics – from the tech-fest that is the current Actros.

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November 2020

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COVER FEATURE

GAP ANALYSIS Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and video by Gavin Myers and Dave McCoid

Does the convergence of traditional and contemporary always need to be like a headbutt, or can they be more like a handshake?

Kiwitrans’ owner Dave Malanaphy will undoubtedly lobby for the latter, and a thriving company with three new FH16 Volvo 9-axle combinations harbouring the odd hidden surprise make his case a compelling one.

S E E THE GA LLE RY I N THE DI GITA L E DI TON S E E THE V I DEO I N THE DI GITA L E DI TON

W

e last visited Kiwitrans more than three years ago (New Zealand Trucking magazine September 17, Ticks all the boxes). The young company had just purchased a brand-new Western Star 4884 8x4 stratosphere sleeper with Detroit Diesel Series-60 power. Not housing the latest DD15 tech, it was one of an inventory of such trucks available at the time, an ideal vehicle for a young company seeking to build on its image at an affordable price.

Since then, lots has happened. The fleet has grown from seven to 10, soon to be 11. It’s established a new depot facility in the industrial hamlet of Kopu, near Thames, with more space and, best of all, a modest office that’s far easier to find – complete with a sign out front.

Kiwitrans is a company growing the old way – when patience was a virtue.

With transport margins where they are, overheads are the industry nemesis, and money here is earned and then invested, rather than spent. It’s a ‘walking, canter, run’ philosophy.

As it turns out, 2020 was a big year for Kiwitrans – for more reasons than ‘you know what’. Three new Volvo FH16 8x4 rigids sporting Domett bodies and 5-axle trailers in tipping curtain-side configuration drove into the yard, enough to put a canter in anyone’s step.

The new combinations replace some loyal old Freightliner Argosys that have left their heart and soul on New Zealand roads, but it’s fair to say they well and truly needed replacing.

That entity would evolve to become Provincial Freightlines Ltd (PFL), owned

by Dave and long-time business partner Peter Coote after the sale of Neil’s shares in the original company to the pair in 1985. Provincial was one of the country’s larger privately owned transport and logistics entities at the time of its sale to Linfox Logistics in 2007 (New Zealand Trucking magazine Nov 2018, Hall of Fame inductees). A key philosophy underpinning Provinicial’s success was fleet utility. As Dave will attest today, it was never an easy job getting anything overly specialist past the boss’ desk come cap-ex time.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge in the past 13 years though. Take population alone. The country has put 600,000 odd people on the ground since Provincial left the market, and generally speaking, the more people you have, the better it is for specialist kit. However, most of those people have located north of Taupo so that bodes well for high-utility trucks venturing farther afield. Of course, there are also road-user charges, which undoubtedly favour max utility, offering no ability to relocate empty vehicles at true weight. Yes, the regulator will tell you there’s an empty-running factor built into the charge but… yeah, na… nothing to see here, move along everyone.

“For us, it’s a matter of making the best of both worlds,” says Dave. “We have our own work and customers, and where it makes sense we utilise the big brokerages/consolidators. That way, we can make it work for everyone.”

Favourite recipe – just add anything

Pros and cons

We’ll come back to the Volvos later; it’s the Domett bodies and trailer gear we’re interested in and where the inner story lurks. The reason is they speak to a transport philosophy entrenched in the Kiwitrans DNA. David Malanaphy was born into trucking. His father, Dave Snr, and uncle Neil Malanaphy founded Thames Freightlines Ltd in the early 70s after moving north from the Manawatu.

Without taking things to the extreme, curtain-side tipping combinations represent the zenith of practical utility.

With the day-to-day exceptions of bulk liquid and logs, they can cart pretty much anything, and there’s enough of them on the road still to clearly signal they have a place. And for the record, bulk liquid and logs have been implicated into tipping curtain builds with varying success.

There is a tare weight disadvantage

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 27

Dave Malanaphy – Kiwitrans.

The Volvo crests the Kaihere hills on SH27.

to being a jack of all trades and Kiwitrans’ fleet No2, the truck we tracked for a couple of days, tipped the scales at 23,000kg (13,680kg / 9320kg split), leaving room for 27,000kg of the good customer’s product running at 50MAX. Of course, access for 54-tonners in the fleet’s North Island playground is extensive, but as many have discovered, high productivity is not a one-size-fits-all concept.

“Yep, with some products, we could get more on at the higher weights but the economies just aren’t consistently there for us the way the system’s set up,” says Dave. “A lot of our product doesn’t run into weight issues at all, and for the amount of high-density material we do cart, it doesn’t stack up to be roaring around at 54-tonne RUC all the time.” It’s a comment New Zealand Trucking hears often.

Early morning shine.

28 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

How ironic that the exact philosophy RUC attempts to advantage is in some ways disadvantaged by it.

Aside from payload penalty, the other ‘con’ with the combination is time. Each unit has 84 buckles and 24 poles on a combined 17.6m of deck. Obviously, not all the poles are deployed all the time, the full quiver only needed to keep width in check and prevent the curtains bulging when bulk

product is on-board. As such, both truck and trailer have pole-keepers at the rear of the body for poles not in use.

But even so, after a couple of drops and pick-ups, you know you’ve ‘smashed the mahi’, so to speak.

The other option, of course, is a bi- or tri-fold set-up but its Achilles heel has always been cost, mechanical fragility, and a reliable and effective system that allows covering from the ground.

Kaimais summited without a sweat.

“The curtains also offered larger rear openings, which improves discharge when tipping,” said Dave Malanaphy. “What we try to do is keep these trucks on longer leads, so the guys aren’t spending all day opening and closing curtains.”

Why the long boats and who’s rowing them?

At the time of New Zealand Trucking’s 2017 visit, the

Kiwitrans fleet was made up of the original Freightliners on the tipping-curtain work, the two Western Stars (one pre-owned one brand new) and some new MANs. So why introduce another brand?

“The MANs have been good trucks. There were some inlet manifold and turbo issues early on, but they’ve settled down,” says Dave. “We tested the market, and Volvo ticked every box we had in terms of spec and price. We’ve known

MTD’s Carl Capstick for as far back as I care to remember and he’s great to deal with.

A genuine bloke, and brandloyal.”

Given the decision to restrict max loading to 50 tonnes, the spec on the Volvos is interesting. David has gone for FH16s with the D16G 16-litre engine set at 448kW (600hp) and 2800Nm (2065lb/ft) of torque. Running at 50MAX, FHs with the DC13 13-litre engines at 403kW

(540hp) and 2600Nm (1920lb/ ft) would have got him well in the 10hp/tonne club and saved a chunk of tare weight.

“I was looking for trucks that would do the job effortlessly – improving longevity – and be easy to operate; big engines working easily, so to speak. Like I said, out and out weight is not often an issue with much of our work. It also future-proofs us. If we ever wanted to run in a higher weight bracket,

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 29

A glorious Matata Pohutukawa drive.

The unit was spec’d for years of work without tiring.

The ability to tip provides ultimate utility.

A public display of patriotism.

30 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

it’s not an issue. We’ll always have an acceptable power to weight. And of course, drivers. If you buy the best and safest gear it’s easier to retain good drivers.”

As for who is rowing the big Viking long boats? That’s another interesting one. You’d think tipping curtain side work was a young man’s game, but it’s about pros and cons like everything in life. Stroll around the Kiwitrans depot and there are several older heads interspersed with some newer industry talent, and the three men driving the new Volvos – Garry Smith, Des Makiha, and John Lemon – have about 75 years’ experience between them.

“Mate, they’re gold. We’ve all known each other for a long time, and they know the work through and through. I

The FH16 gets us to Kawerau with time to spare for our on-cart.

don’t hear from them or the customers,” says Dave. “You just give them their work and let them go to it. You know the truck will turn up back in the yard just the way it left, and you know they won’t have ruffled feathers in the course of their day. Neither will there be silly stuff like over-speed issues.

“It’s a very different world now. Once there was a day’s work that had to be got through, now there’s more forward planning – so the guys move around the country ticking off the list.

They get as far as they can legally, camp for the night, and then carry on the next day. There are more hold-ups nowadays – that’s just how it is with more traffic and onsite processes to adhere to.

You wouldn’t even consider

stepping out of line today; if the enforcement didn’t get you, your insurance premiums would.

“And it’s a credit to these older guys how they’ve adapted to the new world.

They still work bloody hard, but they’re not out to prove anything, and that’s reflected in every aspect of their work.”

‘Do anything’ – business-class

Great Kiwi, awesome Kiwi, and what do you know, fantastic Kiwi! The trifecta.

We met No2 and driver Garry Smith at the NZ Panels Group Kopine particleboard mill near Thames. The unit was loaded with board for Auckland, to be followed with a load of product for construction projects in the Bay of Plenty. From there it was into CHH Kawerau for a load of Netlogix timber, then to Patumahoe near

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 31

Pukekohe, before reloading for Thames ex-Tuakau again.

One and a half days’ work over 776km at a load factor of 88%. That’s well above the national average, supposedly somewhere in the mid 60s.

The Volvo glided down the mill drive and drifted off along SH26 toward Kopu, and then on to Auckland.

Again, it’s difficult to convey how easily the modern truck moves product. Back in the day, an 8V92 Detroit Diesel or Econodyne Mack leaving the mill site would have woken the surrounding area as it told the world just how hard it was working getting 27 tonnes moving, but the Volvo just ambled off with the rising sun sparkling on the Dura-Bright wheels. We reckon the ‘z’s coming from the bedroom windows of the nearby houses were noisier.

The truck made good time, and Garry took only about two-and-a-half hours unloading and reloading in the mayhem of pre-Christmas Auckland. The Opotiki drop on the east-bound load was needed urgently, so as soon as we were legally able, we were off.

Experience is a wonderful thing and as urgent as one part of the load may have been, rushing achieves nothing. Garry’s a master at making complicated things look easy, and more time is always made up working the truck during loading and unloading than is ever gained attempting to jump one place in the queue out on the road.

It is a trap; these biggerpowered units often entice with their ability to perform, and it’s choosing when to let them do their thing that’s the art.

The Volvo was easily able to hold its place in the traffic.

The load was not an issue in terms of weight, and so Garry chose the Hauraki PlainsKaimais-Bay of Plenty route out to the Eastern Bay.

32 New Zealand Trucking

No end to the light Choosing to tag along with Garry Smith in No2 was not a case of grabbing the first of the three units available; there’s something a bit special about No2, but you won’t pick it up until either your pre-start check or when hooking up the trolley for the first time.

“Agh, where’s the light plug?”

Answer. There isn’t one. It’s Bluetooth, courtesy of those Kiwi-born ‘world of wonderful wiring’ maestros, PTEK (see sidebar). PTEK has forged a reputation over the past 17 years for innovative truck and trailer wiring solutions with ease of use and robustness its mantra.

“We’ve been working on wireless for some time,” says founder and managing director Gene Petersen. “We have a great relationship with Pete and Andy at Domett, and I’ve known Dave for a hell of a long time, so the opportunity was there to start putting something in the field. Lights are the easiest place to start because there’s no standard beyond the requirement for them to pass a COF. It’s simple, robust, a no-brainer really. And the applications are endless. We’ve spent years adding plugs to trucks, and now we’ve got rid of one, and it’s just the start.”

It’s an uber-snazzy system with real cool features.

February 2021

(Top) Everything but the light plug.

(Above) Garry Smith is the perfect driver for such a combination.

Imagine leaving the trailer in a layby at night and shooting off to do a drop or pick-up somewhere. Coming back into hook-up, the truck lights are on, and when the truck’s about 100m away, all the trailer lights come on too. You could do a quick indicator check, tap the brakes, and then back into a lit trailer. It’s the little things really isn’t it?

Only the truck needed to go to Opotiki, so Garry dropped the magic trailer at Awakere.

We wondered if the wireless tech might also actually be a handy security feature.

Disregarding the fact that it’s a Kiwitrans trailer and so not easily hidden if ‘acquired’, there would be the issue of lack of illumination and the unwanted attention that

would bring. Okay, so trailerjacking isn’t a huge problem in New Zealand, but we’ve learned in recent years we’re not immune from anything.

While we’re on the subject of asset tracking, we came across a snazzy little device EROAD launched last year called the ‘Where Tag’. You simply hide it somewhere on your asset and every time it passes or is in the vicinity of any Ehubo2 device or mobile phone running EROAD’s Where app, it registers its location back to you using the EROAD network. Sort of like all the EROAD devices being their brother’s keepers, and allowing all the owners to stay abreast of where their bits and pieces are. They can be stuck on absolutely anything

Unloading at GJ Weck & Son.

– portaloo to a pull-trailer.

Once back, it was into Kawerau, load, and then a roll down the beautiful Matata coast for an overnight in Mount Maunganui.

Sad roads and silky systems The next morning and we’re away at 5.30am from a waking Mount Maunganui.

“I like to get out of here before the traffic starts,” says Garry. “It can really choke up in the Mount now if you’re not out early enough.” The I-Shift flicks through the gears and the big 16-litre rumbles away

happily as the truck gathers pace past the Ballance fertiliser works and out over the harbour bridge.

Last night’s load put us right on weight at about 49,700kg so the FH16 gets the chance to strut its stuff.

This morning’s path is through Katikati, Waihi, Paeroa, out across the Hauraki Plains again, up the Bombays and through Pukekohe to Patumahoe and our destination, GJ Weck & Sons.

State Highway 2 northwest of Mount Maunganui is going through an agonisingly

slow transformation from a rough, narrow, lethal arterial, to a less rough, wide, lethal arterial. The road is being widened, some corners eased, and there are lots of new guard rails. There’s not much in terms of increased lanes for passing and none of the narrow bridges, such as the hideous one outside the Claymark mill in Katikati or the one at the northern end of the Athenree Gorge, appear to be up for replacement, meaning traffic will soon approach pinch points at a faster terminal speed. Still, a wider lane, in general, is probably

something to be thankful for.

The Volvo takes the uneven surface in its stride, insulating the occupants from the reality without making them immune to its needs. Like the Scania last month, being a rigid truck, the FH16 was happier than the Reddington XF DAF (New Zealand Trucking magazine, Sep 20) in terms of a fidgety cab. However, as we said at the time, in the DAF’s defence SH3 through the Waikato, King County, and the ‘Naki’ is absolute bollocks, probably second only to the Napier-Taupo when it comes to North Island economically critical roads that are essentially wrecked.

“It’s not a hard place to work in is it?” says Garry as the Volvo lopes across the Hauraki Plains. “I’m still getting my head around it.

In the Argosy, you had to work at it, but in this you just don’t get the impression it is working. It’s just doing it so easy. That adaptive cruise is excellent.”

The FH interior is a familiar place for us all now. It’s easy to access even with the big fourstep entry, and its

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 33

There’s not much that can’t be put in the back of a tipping curtain-side unit.

signature austere and modern dash is easy to use, super functional, but personal in terms of aesthetic appeal.

You either dig it, or you don’t.

We’ll see the new version at some point in the near future; Q2 this year at the time of the model’s global launch early last year. We checked in with Paul France, national sales manager for Volvo Truck & Bus at Motor Truck Distributors, and he said lead time on the new model as at time of writing was 26 weeks.

The general rule of thumb for the Kiwitrans operation is home for the weekends but the weekdays are a moving target. For that reason,

Kiwitrans trucks have the single person rest spec, in Skylark/Raven trim. Both seats are air-suspended and heated, there’s a 33 litre fridge, 154 litres of upper cab storage, with 815mm bunks with premium overlay.

With the overdrive 12-speed I-Shift AMT, 90kph comes up at 1350rpm registering 67dB inside. Kiwitrans trucks all have Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), forward collision warning and emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane change support, and driver-alert sensing.

“It’s a no brainer,” says Dave Malanaphy. “Anything that makes the driver’s day

The sleeper cabin provides a more than ample home away from home.

34 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

easier and safer, we’re into.”

At just under 50,000km clocked so far, the FH16 has recorded between 1.8 to 2.1kpl, which is perfectly acceptable given the load factor and lack of aerodynamics associated with externally poled curtain side units.

Present and correct Born in Northland, 58-year-old Garry’s a family-oriented man.

He and wife Jan live in Ngata, and you know exactly where his life priorities are when hearing him speak about his children and grandchildren.

“I still love Northland – it’s

home. But the family are here, so that’s where we are.”

He’s an ex-Navy man having served his country for a decade, moving from there to the corrections service.

Since then he’s split his work life between farming and truck driving.

There’s a lot of truck and trailer to look after but as you’d expect of a man with Garry’s background, No2 is in pristine condition. “It’s not a show pony, but I do like to keep my truck clean. It takes a good five hours to really give it a spruce up.”

Garry poked the Volvo at the Bombay Hills’ southern end and the slowest we saw

(Clockwise from left) Because of the doors, the truck cover has a two-piece handle. The long pole clipped to the lefthand door connects to the top section stowed in clips above the doors; The trailer system is your more orthodox setup; Poles not in use stow in keepers on the unit. progression was a brief stint in 8th gear, 1700rpm, and 45kph. Keeping in context that not so long ago 600hp was the stuff of dreams, the D16G at this setting is a beautiful modern allround fleet engine. As Dave Malanaphy says, it won’t get tripped up regardless of assignment. Peak torque is flat from 1000 to 1500rpm and the power peak hits its straps at 1500rpm through to 1900rpm.

Volvo’s VEB+ engine/ exhaust brake combination is an effective tool on the descent side of the equation.

It’s a truck that’ll maintain a more than acceptable average

speed in fleet operations.

We pulled into Wecks just before 8am and it gave us a chance for a closer look at the bodies. Kiwitrans fits Trident Equipment curtains, a supply relationship that again goes back decades, and Domett has built the company several new pieces of trailing gear.

“Malcolm [Bangs] and Neil Knudsen at Domett have been great, and the product gives us no issues,” says David.

The bodies feature roundtop covers and rear doors, as such the cover handle on the back of the truck is a two-piece unit. Hydraulics on the trailer come in the form of single ram front of

body, which David says saves weight and increases stability.

Running gear on the trailers is SAF INTRADISC 19.5” with WABCO SmartBoard, and they’re finished in Alcoa DuraBright wheels, with stainlesssteel toolboxes and alloy dunnage bins Aside from his years at the wheel, there are other reasons Garry Smith is the ideal guy for a unit like this.

Firstly he’s a fit and spritely sort of bloke, no doubt aided in part by the unit itself. But secondly, being ex-service, he’s used to systems and processes and an ‘order of things’. If you’re a bit of a hippy, then poles, buckles,

and curtains flailing around, dunnage, straps, chains and rachets could all end up a bit shambolic with a lot of wasted walking. Garry’s a pragmatic ‘this, then this, then this, then this’, sort of

Volvo’s dash works really well but is an aquired taste aesthetically.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 35

Specifications Volvo FH16 600 HA 8x4 rigid Tare: 13,680kg (Load certificate) GVM: 34,000kg GCM: 60,000kg Wheelbase: 5300mm Engine: D16G Euro-5 Capacity: 16 Litre The D16G: a more than capable fleet motor. bloke. He had it all undone in a jiffy.

There’s certainly more meat in the double-skin curtains, and they take more pulling and manmanagement than a standard freight set. Tethered poles were undoubtedly the second greatest invention of modern times after LED lights. Gone are the days of motoring off and having one or two poles waving goodbye to you from the customer’s yard, never to be seen again.

Rest assured, the hoists do go up and down. Our two days were void of a tipping requirement, but we rendezvoused with Garry a few days later when he was in Auckland tipping off a load of waste tyres.

Ain’t’ versatility grand?

Power: 448kW (600hp) Torque: 2800Nm (2065lb/ft) Emissions: Euro-5 Transmission: Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT (Overdrive) Clutch: Single plate Chassis: 8mm frame section thickness Front axle: Volvo FA A20 Front axle rating: 13 tonnes (pair) Front suspension: 2-leaf parabolic springs, shocks, stabiliser bar Rear axle: RTS2370A hypoid single reduction 3.40:1 Rear axle rating: 23 tonnes Rear suspension: Volvo RADD-G2 Brakes: Disc EBS/ABS

Summary

Auxiliary braking: VEB+ (Volvo Engine Brake)

Brand spanking new with a long life ahead of them, the three Kiwitrans FH16s will be trucks to watch.

Mechanically they’re on the nail. A modern fleet spec, trucks with power once thought absurd now fall into the ‘significantly competent with caution’ bracket.

There’s nothing you can throw at a D16G that’s going to worry it. They’re trucks brought with the driver in mind whether it be power, comfort, or safety, and that’s a great thing because manning trucks is still the biggest issue the industry faces. In the end, it comes down to culture, and many of the Kiwitrans staff have been with the company since it started operations in 2015. We guess that leaves us with the conclusion that, in the right hands, what worked yesterday still works today.

Additional safety: Adaptive Cruise Control, collision warning, and emergency braking, Launch Control, ESC, Lane Departure, Lane Change Support, Driver Alert.

Fuel:

1 x 465

DEF tank: 90 litres Wheels: Alcoa Dura-Bright Tyres: 275/70 R22.5 Electrical: 24V Cab exterior: Sleeper cab, aero-kit, sun visor, V-shaped day running lights, stone guard, monsoon shield, electric and heated mirrors, integrated driving lights, electric cab tilt, cab locker, 7-litre water tank.

Can interior: Driver and passenger heated and airsuspended seats, fridge, roof hatch, infotainment, fridge.

A BIG THANKS

There’s no question Kiwitrans trucks command a presence wherever they go.

Thanks to Dave Malanaphy and Garry Smith from Kiwitrans for allowing us to put this story together, and for time and energy they gave in process of collating the material. Thanks also to Gene and Angela Petersen for sharing their amazing tale of tenacity.

PATIENCE, TENACITY, ENERGY, KIWI – PTEK

O

kay, so we took a liberty with that acronym, PTEK actually stands for Petersen Technologies, but as far as we’re concerned, ‘If the cap fits…’. And boy oh boy, does it fit. A New Zealandbased tech company born from Hauraki Plains soil in the rural Waikato. Can you think of anything more unlikely?

The fact is, if you’re serious about chasing your dreams, and you need an inspirational moment, look no further than the irrepressible Gene and Angela Petersen.

Gene is the son of

well-known Thames Valley log-truck operator and industry character, the late Clarrie Petersen. He was a truck-mad kid from the getgo and carted his fair share of logs and timber product around the central North Island, but deep down it was volts and amps rather than power and torque that did it for him.

“It actually started with my train-set controller when I was eight,” says Gene in the deep, dry, laconic, drawl he inherited from his dad. “The batteries went flat too often, so I cut the socket end off

an extension lead, stripped the end wires, wound them into the controller, plugged it into the wall socket, and flicked the switch. I tell you, I nearly ‘electrofied’ my arse, and Mum hit the roof when I told her.

“From there, it all just fascinated me, what you could do. I found a limitswitch and someone told me what it was and how it worked. So I wired up my bedroom door so that when my sisters opened it, alarms went off. My bike had sirens and lights; it just never stopped. Mum and Dad kept

buying me stuff, and I just kept going.”

“I was driving for Trevor Masters in 2000, heading for Auckland with a load of timber. I was rounding a local corner that has an infamous reputation. I remember thinking, ‘Could you rig up a Mercury switch and accelerometer in the trailer that gave you lateral force and warned you when things were about to get hairy?’ This was all before ESP, SRT, and all that.

“I found a tech company in Hamilton for the components and got in touch with John

Gene and Ange Petersen have done the hardest of yards to build a successful Kiwi tech company.

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February 2021 37

De Pont and Peter Baas at TERNZ. They’re bloody great guys. We fitted a rudimentary set-up on one of the old man’s trailers and collected some data. It was pretty dirty, and it couldn’t tell us much, but that was really the start of PTEK, I guess.”

The original Mercury switch experiment demonstrated the inadequacy of trailer wiring in terms of robustness and ability to support additional functionalities and therein lay opportunity. Gene went about reinventing the loom and introduced the 15-pin plug and seven core wire on his creations.

Suddenly, trailers could be ‘talked’ to, and just as importantly, they could talk back. “‘It’s overkill,’ I was told,” he says with a laugh.

The loom and plug allowed Gene to make immediate improvements to the trucker’s

38 New Zealand Trucking

daily life, a life he knew well.

“The looms were tougher and more resistant to moisture. Things like the check button on the rear of the trailer ran all the lights, indicators, and brakes through a check sequence making the prestart check as simple as.”

In 2004, Gene pitched the looms to Fonterra in Hamilton and was subsequently sent to its Clandeboye site in South Canterbury for further evaluation. If you’re a disciple of fate and synchronicity, then what happened next is completely unsurprising.

While on-site, Gene met Paul Domett, who liked what he saw.

“Domett is still our biggest customer today. Paul and Andy have been fantastic the whole way. The PTEK looms impacted their warranty work almost from the get-go.”

Following the chance

February 2021

Clandeboye meeting and what followed, Gene and Angela decided that was the ‘go’ moment and incorporated PTEK. That was 2004. The family home, a rental property, anything that wasn’t nailed down was sold to support the fledgeling enterprise.

“Bloody hell,” says Gene.

“Within two months, the seed money was spent on kit and development. The first looms were made in a shed with a dirt floor on a table in a rented house in Paeroa.”

Sitting chatting with them both now, looking at their faces, you can see yet again how diamonds are the result of immense pressure. Their memory of that pressure is still front of mind as the stories are recounted.

Then eldest daughter Morgan laughs and says, “I remember us all on the floor searching for a single grommet that had fallen off

the table. It had to be found.”

The original fit-outs were to the rear lightbars only, but as the reliability proved itself, the looms grew to include sidelights and other functions.

“Man it was tough going,” says Gene. “I took work despatching log trucks; then I bought a truck with myself and an employed driver on it.

That didn’t work, but it was always about putting food on the table and keeping PTEK ticking over. Those first looms weren’t worth that much; cashflow was hopeless.”

“I remember the first month we cracked $2000 from PTEK sales,” said Angela. “That’s when we thought that it might have legs.”

The business was at last making headway and things ticked along nicely for a few years, with the product’s reputation for reliability in arduous conditions serving as a self-fulling sales strategy.

Then came the obligatory SME learning experience.

“We got too far ahead of ourselves in terms of value-add, R&D, and new functionality, and produced a line of looms that were compromised, especially in terms of moisture resilience, one of our core competencies. That was a $50,000 lesson in terms of servicing warranties, and it put us back almost to square one,” said Gene. “It was character-building stuff. But man, we really did become the water-proofing masters as a result. We introduced new military-grade plugs, wound back the sophistication a notch or three, and introduced robust, no-compromise manufacturing and installation protocols.”

That was about nine years ago, and the rest, they say, is history. Those post-crisis looms and protocols form the

basis of PTEK’s manufacture and installation today.

Operating from a site in the small Hauraki Plains village of Kerepehi, PTEK employs a team of nine. The company builds, supplies and installs wiring looms, telematics systems, refurbishes load cells and runs a drive-in electrical service bay.

The customer base is also impressive and encompasses not just trailer builders, but civil engineering suppliers and GPS/telematics companies.

“There have been so many good people help and believe in us along the way. Paul and Andy at Domett; John and Pete Baas at TERNZ, I could go on and on,” says Gene.

“It’s never been about money – ever. Money’s like oxygen, you’re buggered without it. It’s about making your hobby your job. My dream is just to be the guy in the white coat in the

backroom inventing new stuff, blowing up shit!” he says with a laugh. “Product development is my passion.”

And that brings us too….

Wireless trailers Well, the wireless idea has actually been around a long time. There are just too many plugs in trailers. All we’ve done is add, and add.

Nowadays you can have five plugs, the air ‘trio’, hydraulics, lights, EBS, scales – six if you’re central greasing! Over the next couple of decades, most if not all will go.

Knowing Kiwitrans’ David Malanaphy well, Gene decided the time was right to connect something wirelessly.

“Wireless is way more accepted in mainstream now, and there’s plenty of good kit available. It’s not the culture shock it would have been even a couple of years ago.

“Lights are the easiest to

start with. There’s no ADR standard for lighting plugs.

Yes, there are accepted rules around wire colours, but the only requirement as such is that the lights work as required. If you could make them function with a three-pin house plug, you could use one.”

Having said that, PTEK configures the wireless box to European ISO standards, future-proofing it now in preparation for deployment deeper into the trailer functions, things like EBS control.

“It’s that acceptance thing; the capability is easily there already.”

The boxes are located at the rear of the truck and on the trailer dolly. The first evolution of the prototype will be moving the trailer box to the rear, eliminating the need to run seven-core wire to the rear of the trailer. “We’ll One day they may all be gone and all you’ll be doing is coupling up.

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February 2021 39

Kiwitrans unit, pairing still takes two people, so a simple software upgrade will fix it.

The plan is now to retrofit the other two units with wireless lights connection.”

So where does it all end?

Could Kiwitrans fleet No2 be the truck that pioneered a paradigm shift in the way we connect truck to trailer? just need two-core from the box to the lights. Much less expensive.

“The boxes can talk for 100m in clear line of sight, and 50m with obstructions so there’s no issue there.”

Because the system software is configurable and doesn’t rely purely on resistance as the communication medium,

40 New Zealand Trucking

dealing with the minute current draw associated with LED lights is no issue, and the driver knows the moment an LED is not working on the trailer. In the MkII, they’ll know where on the trailer it is.

The trailer box sources its power from the trailer’s charge board. PTEK also uses this source to run an automated night light. Fitted

February 2021

with a lux-sensor, the light will illuminate on a stand-alone trailer for nine nights before losing power.

“It’s a great system. We did a bit of fine-tuning at the start, but it has run without issue for the first 42,000km. Our next step is ‘one-man’ pairing, meaning one person can pair the truck with whatever trailer it’s hooking up to. On the first

“It won’t,” says Gene. “The next big change in trailers will likely be the elimination of the air-based systems for electric – things like electric solenoid-operated brakes. It’s a no-brainer, really. They’re infinitely more reliable and in terms of the environment, it also ‘bins’ the compressor; essentially a little engine attached to a big one. The electrification of the prime-mover also, be it EV or hydrogen, will speed all that up. There’s no need to produce compressed air at all.

“Given the above, that’s the air ‘trio’ gone. Then, with the electric-powered trailer-axle technology looming, the sky’s the limit, isn’t it? If the trailer generates its own power, you can do absolutely anything; EBS, ESP, hydraulics potentially. In the end, there might only be a coupler. We’ll have to wait and see.”

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LUCKY

STARS Story and photos by Dave McCoid

Remote Flat Point Station on the North Island’s rugged Wairarapa coast has been home to the McGuinness family for just over four decades. It’s a special place.

The hills are alive with sheep and cattle, crops wave in the wind, and millions of stars adorn the night sky. But if you’re into trucks, other stars may also attract your attention.

W

orldwide, MercedesBenz truck and bus plants churn out truck after truck.

Each one inches through the factory assembly lines, coming together piece by piece, oblivious to where it will end up, and who it will serve. Some will be worker bees, a GL code in the ledger of an enormous logistic giant.

But now and then one truck’s destiny will be something more, and it will carry far more than solely the payload on its back. Its working life will be woven into that of the family who signs the sales and purchase agreement. It will play a vital part in building a legacy. And to cap it off, it will go to a place precious few of its forbearers ever called home – a place like Flat Point Station.

There’s a further cherry on the cake when it comes to the

latest three-pointed star to arrive at Flat Point. The 3258 Arocs that drove through the gate in the middle of last year is the farm’s first brand-new Mercedes-Benz, taking its place alongside an existing 2009 ex-Bushetts Transport 3254 Actros.

“We weren’t necessarily thinking new at the outset, but there was just nothing around in the reasonably late-model under-half-millionkilometre bracket,” says Jay McGuinness. “They’d all done a million kilometresplus. That’s when John O’Sullivan at Trucks and Trailers suggested we look at a new one they had in stock.

It had been in the country since 2018. We crunched the numbers, and it all looked good. So, yep, we took it.”

Sunrise at Flat Point Flat Point Station is a

3000-hectare sheep, beef, and cropping station 50 minutes east of Masterton on the Wairarapa coast and it’s home to the McGuinnesses.

There’s Jay and Bev McGuinness and their four children Alice (13), Sam (12), Brodie (10), and Fergus (8).

About half a kilometre up the road are Jay’s parents, John and Mary, who purchased the property in 1980. While still very much a part of station life, they’ve also developed a small lifestyle subdivision on the station, and run luxury chalets for those wanting to shed themselves of life’s burdens for a spell.

Jay has two brothers, Ben, a neuro-radiologist, and Charles, who has a house on the farm and operates machinery as well as driving the farm’s 4x2 Renault Premium tip truck.

In terms of staff, there’s livestock manager/

Heading out from Flat Point Station to the Masterton depot.

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February 2021 43

Almost at the top of the hill with the station visible way below in the background. sharefarmer John Hitchcock, shepherd Alex McGregor, machine operator/truck driver John Marr, and truck driver Brent Plaisted who was off at the time of writing with a badly misbehaving knee.

Before moving to Flat Point, John and Mary had a farming and agricultural contracting business in Te Awamutu in the Waikato. John was 34 back then with a young family, and life was frantic, to say the least.

“Dad was just never home,” says Jay. “He was working himself ragged. Then one day, he went to look at this station in the Wairarapa that was for sale. I was only six at the time. Long story short, they bought it and we uppedsticks and moved down.

Flat Point allowed him to run his business with his family, rather than away from them.”

In painting the early picture, there are many clues that tell you about the personalities and life on the farm today.

“The Te Awamutu days are where I get my love of

tractors and trucks from. I was hooked from the start,” says Jay, backed 100% by wife Bev. “Jay is a farmer obsessed with machinery,” says Bev succinctly. What we find out later, however, is that although a science teacher by trade, Bev’s a Gisborne lass raised in the remote Hungaroa River Valley and her grandfather was an arial topdressing pioneer. Suffice to say, remote farm life and mechanical marvels are in her blood also, so little wonder Brodie and Fergus in particular already have diesel pouring from their tear ducts!

Back to Jay. “Dad ran machinery and trucks.

There was an S Bedford early on, and then he had an International Acco ‘Butterbox’. It was 180hp and had two semis with hydraulic landing legs. He’d load them separately and then hook up a dolly to make an A-train.

He used to go to Napier in that thing. I remember sitting on the engine tunnel to keep

warm. Tractors and trucks – they’re my passion really.”

Once at Flat Point, John worked the only way he knew how – tirelessly – growing both the farming and contracting businesses. Not long after the move, the Acco made way for a 240hp Isuzu 4x2 tractor unit. In time Jay began to earn his stripes, and at age 17, he sat and passed his heavy truck and trailer licence under the old dispensation system. “The day after I got my licence, I was in the Isuzu with a single semi heading for Wellington with a load of wheat,” he says, with a laugh. “That’s the deep end.”

A star is born Besides the contracting, the station looked after the bulk of its own cartage needs whether it were stock, crops, fertiliser, or general stores and supplies. That suited young Jay to the ground as it meant no end to the machinery and truck action happening around him.

The Arocs on Flat Point Station road.

44 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

(Top/Middle) The ‘butter box’ Acco loaded with wool and in A-train trim on Flat Point. (Bottom) The ex-Warren Fowler 2632 was big gear when it turned up.

“When I was about 18, Dad had to have a hernia operation, and so I had to become the farmer too. That was a watershed moment in my involvement in the broader operation.”

By 1996, hard yakka paid off and Flat Point doubled in size to 2000 hectares with the purchase of Arawhata Station to the south. It was also the year an ex-Warren Fowler 6x4 Mercedes-Benz V10 2632 arrived on the farm. “That was a big truck,” says Jay, “320 horsepower! It had been their heavy transporter, and it had the two drive-shafts from the gearbox, one to each diff.”

It was the beginning of the Mercedes-Benz dynasty on Flat Point that remains to this day.

“The only other brand I’d consider would be a Scania, but it’ll always be MercedesBenz first. I do 99% of the mechanical and engineering

McGuinness family, generations two and three.

(From left) Jay, Sam, Brodie, Alice, Fregus, and Bev.

work on all the farm plant, so with the Benz thing, it’s a case of knowing the product inside out.“ Over the years, a steady procession of the German brand’s kit has found its home at Flat Point and, speaking to the subject of R&M, Jay’s not exaggerating when he says he’s done pretty much anything and everything you can imagine. There are engine and transmission rebuilds, replacements and conversions; deck mods, tipping gear installations, and stock-crate alterations. It’s an impressive list of Kiwi can-do, an enviable cultural stereotype that Jay epitomises in every way.

Smitten When Tom Twist’s 3254 Actros appeared in Truck and Driver magazine in the mid2000s, Jay was smitten.

“I said to Bev, ‘I’m going to own that truck one day’ and always kept an eye on where it was, waiting for the moment it was in my price bracket.”

That moment occurred in 2012, and the big ex-Twist Benz arrived on the station.

But let’s back up for moment; there were a couple of significant events that happened in the intervening eight years that were integral to the arrival of bigger and better trucks.

The great thing about life is you can’t see beyond the horizon, and in 2006, just before the GFC, the McGuinnesses brought the 1000-hectare Caledonia station located to the north of Flat Point. The truth is, if you’re a glass-half-full, hardworking family, things like that just end up an anecdote in a long, rich history. At that point, Flat Point reached the 3000 hectares it is today.

You don’t need to engage with sheep and beef farmers for too long before you hear them lament the sheep part of that famous farming duo.

As a diversified operation, Flat Point always has multiple eggs in its basket across the agricultural sector, and a

Jay is an absolute whiz when it comes to loading and unloading bales.

John McGuniness (Centre) with Jay to the left and Charles on the right.

significant new egg turned up simply by chance in 2008.

The farm grew lucerne baleage for its own needs.

A hardy, super-high protein crop, lucerne is used as part of a managed-feed programme in many farming types. With both sheep and beef in a bit of slump at the time, Jay had spare stocks of the feed so advertised it in the paper. A dairy goat farm in Taranaki snapped it up. The rest as they say… .

“It’s just grown steadily since, and now we supply dairy goat operations in a number of areas, including that original customer in the ‘Naki’, and others in the Waikato,” says Jay. “We grow it here on the farm, but also lease a bit of land in the Wairarapa, and do some contract growing also. We just work it into the wider contracting operation.”

Demand-driven A bigger farm, a growing feed-supply business, and a busy contracting operation;

aside from the fact the boss was a truck and tractor buff, you can see how a fleetreplacement programme was essential.

An ex-Barret Taura 3238, purchased some years earlier, was sold on the Twist Actros, which joined an ex-Hilton Haulage 3246 V6 Actros at the time of its arrival.

“I replaced the V6 engine in that truck with a V8 after it dropped the harmonic balancer and died. It’s a testament to the product that it did a full return trip north before dying. The bearing had scoured out the block, but the crank remained intact.

“It’s a bit of a bugger there’s no more V8s. We put straight pipes on them,” says Jay. “Love that growl.”

“I always knew when he was coming home because I could hear it coming up the other side of the hill,” says Bev. “Now, with the new one, I can’t hear a thing.”

In 2017, the V6-turned-V8 was pensioned off for an 8x4 ex-Bushetts Transport 3254

Whipping a load off in the Waikato.

If it has wheels, Jay can drive it!

V8. Another straight-pipe V8 was in the McGuinness family.

“They really looked the part together and sounded the part also,” says Jay with a grin.

In the three years that they formed the front line, the two Actros brothers got through a power of work in eight-axle combination, as flat decks or set up with crates. Because the ex-Bushetts machine was fitted with hydraulics, it could also run as a drop sider, towing a 3-axle tipping trailer reserved for such duties. That capability meant it was the long-sought-after Twist truck that had to toot ‘bye bye’ at the top of the hill for the last time a few months ago when the decision to buy the Arocs had been made.

“It’s the first truck we’ve sold that everyone was sad to see leave. It was a bit sombre for a while, but you have to move on, and the new machine is bloody nice. Still miss the sound though.”

A day out with Jay As all but the most entrenched city-dweller will know, farming is a seasonal occupation. That means

46 New Zealand Trucking

catching the Flat Point trucks in all their various guises would take pretty much a year. For New Zealand Trucking, it was summer, and that means baleage. Although there’s always something on the go, it’s definitely one of those pressure moments in the year’s calendar. The contracting arm was in full swing with bales on the ground in the Wairarapa to be uplifted, and plenty more grass and lucerne awaiting the baler’s pick-up tynes.

“It’s a real toss-up this time of year. I have feed customers to service, but there’s baling to be done, so everyone’s spread pretty thin for a few weeks.”

With the Arocs also came a trailer upgrade. Jay and Bev bought an ex-CourierPost 11.1m 5-axle curtain inside trailer, and Jay chopped the body off, making it a flatdeck. The plan is to tidy it up once the season is over and fit a brand-new headboard that matches the truck’s.

“I needed the deck space and tare weight so it won’t be set up for crates,” says Jay. “It has the 4-axle stock trailer, and that’s fine. D A McGovern February 2021

Engineering in Masterton built the deck on the truck, and it’s all fitted with effluent tanks, so it’s just a case of putting the crate on the truck and swapping trailers. I can put 32 tonne on this at 50MAX. I may put it on 54 HPMV, but we’ll wait and see.”

Again, it’s a careful calculation because so much of the rural work is scuppered by pesky bridges that aren’t up to scratch.

We met Jay at the beautiful Flat Point Station where he was loading lucerne bales to go to their yard on the outskirts of Masterton.

“The Arocs actually spends most of its time operating ex-Masterton to all points.

The Actros comes in and out most of the time. Being a tipper, it’s more versatile on the inward leg.”

The trucks have a low-key classy look in their two-tone iridescent grey and black.

The Flat Point mountains and sea logo on the door adds subtle colour that catches the eye. “Supreme Automotive in Masterton paints them.

It also does Martinborough Transport, so that says it all really.”

The road from the station itself is steep and gnarly gravel, and let’s just say that the big tractors have come in handy over the years.

Although it’s called Flat Point Road, it’s a council road, and there is an infrequent but regular flow of tourists, bach owners, and commercial fishing operators potentially coming toward you when dragging a full load out.

The new truck powered up and out without issue. “I flick it into manual, no question.

It’s just too unpredictable. You have to finesse the throttle; left in auto, you can find yourself going nowhere in a second. It’ll just walk out in third or fourth.

“The engine brake is real good on this. I never buy second-hand trucks with retarders – they’re just too expensive when they’re old.

I didn’t even consider it on this. It’s all steep and windy, so there’s nothing to be gained really. Coming down the Kourarau hill, if you’re in the right gear, it’ll only need a couple of dabs on the brakes, and that’s pretty bloody good.”

Like all the Wairapapa

The Arocs dash and living quarters.

John Marr is full-time machine and truck driver on the station.

The 3254s moved a heap of product and stock in their day and made all the right noises doing it. This pic taken at the summit of the Saddle Road in the Manawatu.

Coastal destinations, coming out of Flat Point is like journeying from a tranquil world into some chaotic parallel universe that seems totally at odds from what you left an hour and a half earlier.

Even if you’re not from there, resisting the urge to turn and get back as quickly as you can takes some doing. In an instant, you completely understand the decision John McGuinness made in 1980.

Beyond the farm gates, it’s up, down, around, twist; gravel turns to bitumen, turns to gravel again. Then a dart to the left to avoid the lunatic in the Holden SUV driving in at psychotic speed on the most rural of gravel carriageways.

A shake of the head, onward and out we go.

With 40,000km on the clock since delivery, the Arocs has performed faultlessly.

“Obviously, this one is getting service work at the agent. It was a Trucks and Trailers purchase but now falls under the Keith Andrews business. They’re getting sorted in Palmy, and we have no complaints. Having done all the servicing and maintenance on the other

trucks myself, I’ve always just gone to Startech, the Mercedes-Benz parts people in Auckland. They’re bloody great for sourcing parts.

Once this is out of warranty, I’ll just pick up the servicing.

It has long-service intervals – 60,000km. That’s way too long in this country, and she’ll be getting a lookover more often than that.”

The infamous Kourarau hill Jay mentioned looms large in front of the truck. It’s either a steep pull heading out or a steep descent heading in.

Ironically, once around the hideous 25kph corner at the foot, it’s a largely straight pull (think slightly steeper than Ngauranga Gorge).

“It’s caught a few out in its time,” says Jay. Having no run into it means you round the bottom corner and then simply slog. The Arocs motored up without fuss in 7th gear, and 25 to 30kph.

“Only I’ve driven this since it arrived. I can’t get out of it,” he says with a grin. “I reckon it’ll do about 80,000km to 100,000km per year. That’s not bad for a farm truck is it?”

The subject of fuel consumption gives an

indication of just how hard the country is. “So far it’s doing 1.8kpl, and that’s about half a kilometre a litre better than V8s. They sat around 1.3 to 1.4kpl. The fuel and the lack of maintenance spend is pretty much covering the repayment difference on this.”

Once unloaded, both Flat Point trucks headed to a contract cut near Martinborough for another load back to the yard.

“See, I never go anywhere unannounced,” says truck driver John Marr as he passes by in the V8 Actros.

The Arocs will never want for variation and will spend many an hour accessing narrow farm gates and races in the act of pulling baleage off a property, delivering it onto another, or moving store cattle on and off station.

“We work in with local carriers. Martinborough Transport takes works sheep and cattle off the farm. Other stock cartage we handle ourself unless there’s too much happening on the baleage front, it takes priority.

We also use Burlings [Burling Transport] for taking feed north, especially this time of

year when I’m better off on the baler. I help with loads back down when I’m able.

We’re a farm and cropping operation, and that’s where our focus is, so often I just have to get back ASAP. At the end of the day it’s all just the community of local businesses working in together.”

Family before brand What could be more glorious than watching an ace roam around a huge paddock loading 84 wrapped bales on two trucks and trailers in a flash? Jay was raised in such a remote and hands-on place, and to say he is a craftsman of the driving and machinery operating artform is an understatement. What takes him a couple of hours would take the average person double that, and some their entire life.

We next saw Jay two days later delivering a load of lucerne to a dairy goat operation under the Kaimai ranges near Te Poi in the Waikato.

“G’day,” he appears around the corner of the

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 47

A picturesque sight on Wairarapa farmlands. truck. “I loaded this yesterday afternoon, and she’s straight home now. There’s a lot on.

I’ll be baling tomorrow.”

The trucks more often than not carry their trailers home and he points out that there’s an air tank to move on the new trailer’s dolly to get that to happen. “I’ll do that in the tidy-up once things have settled down.” Then the discussion turns to selfloading the flat-deck trailers, and we compare notes on what we’ve individually

thought of. I think at some point a self-load flat-deck trailer is inevitable. Jay McGuinness is ‘that’ guy. He clarifies in your head why it was that a Kiwi was the first to climb to the top of a hill in Nepal in 1953.

The signwriting on the Arocs door says ‘Flat Point Station, Wairarapa Coast’, and there’s that neat little graphic of the sea and mountains. Be it location or machine, most people will look and see a brand. But

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For those with a farming bent, Jay’s preferred animal in terms of tractor is John Deere, using a 6175R for baling and cultivation, a 6155R for mowing and cultivation, a 6125M for raking, and a 6830 Premium for general farm chores and post ramming.

those who have been to Flat Point understand that this man and his family are writing their generation’s chapter in a broader story of both an amazing location and legacy;

and that this brand-new machine is way more than merely a cost centre, it’ll be remembered as part of that story. It proves some stars are indeed lucky ones.

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Rear axle: Mercedes-Benz RT300P and R300P planetary hub-reduction Rear axle rating: 13,000kg (each) Rear suspension: Mercedes-Benz 8-bag air suspension with shock absorbers and stabiliser bar Brakes: Disc Auxiliary braking: Three stage compression brake Fuel: 600 litres DEF: 70 litres

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TOP TRUCK

HORNELL HYUNDAI O L RU N N E R A CO

Story by Carl Kirkbeck Photos by Carl Kirkbeck / Hornell collection

For Bruce and Linda Hornell, six years of patient waiting for their new Hyundai Xcient has been well worth it as the big Korean ‘Xceeds Xpectations’ on its daily Foodstuffs roster.

A

rriving at the Foodstuffs DC in Wiri on a sunny Sunday morning, New Zealand Trucking is confronted with a gleaming yellow Hyundai Xcient tractor unit and quad-axle MaxiTrans refrigerated trailer combination. The truck is owned and operated by husband and wife team Bruce and Linda Hornell of Otaua, south-west of Pukekohe.

As we meet Bruce, he comments, “It stands out like a set of dog’s nuts in the yellow aye?” Then adds “a set of Rottweiler’s, not a Chihuahua’s”, with a laugh.

We could not agree more; the big Hyundai certainly has a striking presence as it

stands proud among the usual European and North American iron in front in Foodstuffs’ DC. Bruce’s start in trucking began in the passenger’s seat of the trucks his dad drove.

“We would spend our holidays in the cab with Dad who worked for Beck & Davis. But the privilege came with a price to pay, which was having to help him out with his furniture removal work. We certainly earned our keep that’s for sure,” says Bruce.

Leading up to his 18th birthday, Bruce called on local transport companies in the Auckland area looking for a job, and it was AG Walters that said, “Get your licence and give us a call.” On turning 18, Bruce sat and passed his

It doesn’t matter where they turn up, Xcients deliver not just freight, but a striking presence for any company whose banner they carry.

HT licence test and, following a quick interview with AG Walters, it was, “Good man, you start Monday.”

Bruce’s first mount was a petrol-powered flat-deck 4x2 D-series Ford. “We used to hand-unload rolled oats from railway wagons at the Tamaki rail depot and then transport them to Foodstuffs at Roma Road. Who would have thought back then that we

The Hyundai interior takes its lead from Europe in terms of look and feel, with superb materials, fit and finish. A virtually-flat walk-through floor with no plastic cup holder and brake valve to trip over here.

50 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

would be standing here now?

Just awesome,” says Bruce.

As time went by, Bruce added his trailer licence.

While working off the wharf, an opportunity to move across to BJ Services presented itself at the helm of a 1974 cabover Kenworth towing a 40ft selfsteer semi-trailer contracted to New Zealand Lumber Co. “What an experience day one was,” says Bruce. “I remember

coming up to a roundabout and not knowing the habits of early Kenworth steering, I found myself mounting all the curbs and gutters. It sure took a bit of getting used to.”

A stint with Cool Freight on a Scammel S26-35 running Butch Petfood was next, then a good mate working at Trans Otway introduced Bruce to Neil Otway, and that was the start of a fantastic working

Six years of patience waiting for the Hyundai has paid off for Bruce Hornell and he could not be more impressed with the package.

New Zealand Trucking February 51

relationship with the Otway family. After nearly seven years with the company, Bruce decided a change was needed so he could be home more often. He spent a couple of years with XP Couriers on Turangi swaps, and 10 years with AVD, transporting cars throughout the North Island.

In about 2006, Bruce heard through the grapevine that Neil Otway was looking for ownerdrivers. He called Neil that evening to find out more about the opportunity, “Next thing, I am signing up for a new six-wheeler Fuso FP350 from Brian Gill, and it is all go,” he says. “Working with Neil was fantastic, he really looked after us, and later was front and centre when it came to us getting a position with Foodstuffs.”

Bruce also speaks highly of his business relationship with William Gill & Sons and how the company has been there every step of the way. “The Fuso has 630,000 kilometres on the clock now, and Gills have looked after it since new.

It was on a service visit to the Gills workshop about six years ago where I saw a giant poster on the wall of the new Hyundai Xcient and thought, ‘I want one of those’,” Bruce says. “I needed a new tractor unit and enquired but at that time, the Xcient was still too far away, so I settled on a Renault.”

The Xcient was displayed for the first time in New Zealand at the 2017 Mystery Creek expo. Bruce attempted to view the truck at the show, but it was so popular he couldn’t get anywhere near it.

“Finally, last year it was time to replace the Renault, so I popped into Gills and caught

up with Scott Pollard (Brian Gill’s grandson) and asked if it were at all possible to have a test-drive of an Xcient.

Scott was able to arrange this for me, and next thing you know we are sitting at his desk running through the specs and placing the order.

The entire purchase process was brilliant, and both Scott and Grant Doull from Hyundai New Zealand were incredibly helpful every step of the way, including sorting the custom yellow paint job.

“We could not be happier with the Hyundai,” says Bruce.

“I have to fight now for a turn at the wheel as our drivers, Scott Campbell and Jerram Murray, are really enjoying the new charge. I never get tired of seeing the reactions on faces as the combination goes down the road and it is always cool seeing mums pointing out the colourful Pams ice-block signage on the side of the MaxiTrans semi to their kids when we arrive to deliver to a store.”

The Xcient runs the company’s 12.4-litre inline six-cylinder rated at 382kW (520hp) and 2500Nm (1844lb/ ft) of torque. It’s then back to the ZF AS-Tronic 12-speed automated transmission with reverse crawler mode and 4-stage retarder, and behind that Hyundai’s own drive and rear air suspension set.

The big Hyundai Xcient makes a bold statement in its bright yellow colour, and for being the first of the new marque bestowed with the New Zealand Trucking magazine monthly Top Truck award. Congratulations to both Bruce and Linda.

(Top) The first few days on the 1974 K model had Bruce quickly learning the attributes of early Kenworth steering, or slight lack of. (Middle) A nearnew Scammell S26-35 for Cool Freight was entrusted to Bruce, tasked with delivering Butch Petfood products. (Bottom) A couple of haircuts ago, Bruce standing alongside the at-the-time new Ford Louie for TransOtway.

NO, YOU’RE NOT SEEING DOUBLE

Thank you Bruce would like to pass on his thanks to all who have assisted on this journey: Scott Pollard and the team at Gills, Grant Doull from Hyundai NZ, Neil Otway for all his assistance throughout the years, Foodstuffs for its continued support and, most of all, his wife Linda – the backbone of the family business.

52 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

-noCrops

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Top Truck DEC20 / JAN21

IN

S NEW AGA

ES TYRE

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OUR QUA

king.co.nz

There are two posters this month’s issue. The guillotine go a bit power crazy last month and nipped the poster off at the top, so there’s a replacement Dec 20 / Jan 21 poster in this issue…. Tumeke!

Scan the QR code to watch the Rotary Lift Flex in action.

FROM HIGH-FLYER TO

MILK FLYER Rachael Croad has done everything from hairdressing to being a flight attendant, but her first passion has always been transport. Now, she’s well into her career as a truckie.

R

achael Croad was born in Marlborough but grew up in Levin.

As a schoolgirl, she was attracted to the idea of a life in trucking, especially after attending a careers seminar at Waiopehu College. She didn’t immediately jump in boots and all so to speak, but first tried various other occupations, including having her own hairdressing business before working as a flight attendant, flying domestically with Ansett New Zealand for three years, ex-Wellington. She was one

Story by Ken Bell Rachael at the modern OCD plant at Awarua near Invercargill.

of 1100 people displaced when the company went into receivership.

She then worked for six years in a management position for McDonald’s in Invercargill. In 2015 she decided to follow her curiosity in trucking and enrolled at the Southland Institute of Technology to do a course in road transport.

The practical side of trucking took off for Rachael when she worked as a recruitment officer for a reliefdriver company and then as a

Photos Ken Bell / Rachael Croad

driver for Heenans Transport at Woodlands in Southland, mainly involved with silage harvests. Three years ago, she became a part of the driver team at Southern Milk Transport, based at the Open Country Dairy (OCD) plant near Invercargill.

Both Rachael and Brett Hamilton, director and manager of this operation, see many parallels between the aviation and the milkrelocation industries. These include communication systems and safety structures 1 & 2) Smiles confirm her contentment in her career choice as Rachael makes the connection between farm and factory; 3) Opening the meter cabinet on the OCD tanker and stowing carry-on baggage in the overhead luggage compartment are about the closest tasks Rachael has to perform in her current career compared with previous roles; 4) “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We will be serving tea and coffee soon” – Rachael addressing the passengers aboard an Ansett flight; 5) About to greet passengers; 6) Rachael with Brett Hamilton, OCD director and manager.

1 that align with aviation standards to keep the operators as safe as possible.

Rachael says that Ansett looked after its people from the top down. The Open Country Dairy tanker team has grown from 18 to 85 since 2014, and about 20% of the drivers are women.

“Brett respects his people and fits their shift patterns to suit their various lifestyles,” she says.

Scania is the sole brand of choice for the OCD fleet and reflects the company’s commitment to high-tech developments and safety standards. Rachael drives a 2019 G500 model from the Swedish manufacturer.

One of 21 women in a maledominated environment, she finds the men all pretty good to work with. At first, the entire

2 industry was “overwhelmingly mind-boggling” with so much more to learn than tanker operations. As well as learning about normal heavycommercial operations, she quickly had to understand aspects specific to OCD, such as cleaning systems, milkquality controls, milk sampling and pumping, unloading procedure, and regional geography. Training for the milk side of the profession was done in-house to meet OCD and MPI regulations and requirements.

“There are good work structures and everyone respects the gear they are assigned to.” She says she loves it out there because she represents OCD’s brand.

And likes the independence as her “own boss in the cab”.

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 55

GALLERY - BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT A Mike Lambert K-model Kenworth logger, Cummins-powered, coming down what is now known as Swaps Corner.

A New Zealand Lumber Company Mercedes Benz 2620 with A-train nearing the summit with a load of milk powder.

Connolly Transport from Tokoroa, a Cummins-powered International RF 195 about to get passed by a Trailways K-model Kenworth with a higher-powered Cummins engine.

THE

MOUNTAIN KING

I

f you were to compile the definitive ‘Icons of New Zealand Truck Photography’ list, without a doubt Mike Beesley’s name would appear somewhere at the top. This humble, unassuming, nice guy has dedicated his life to New Zealand transport not only behind the wheel but also patiently recording a pictorial history with a strong emphasis on moving truck photography.

Much of his work is in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, and central North Island, and it would be fair to say a Mike Beesley image often has a signature look, immediately recognisable as being his.

He is also a passionate fan

of North American trucking and has made many trips to the United States and British Columbia, compiling an amazing collection of images and making many friends in the process.

One of Mike’s favourite locations in New Zealand is SH29 over the Kaimai Ranges and some of us joke that he was standing there with his camera, waiting for them to build the road.

Knowing Mike is a guy who shuns the limelight, we thank him sincerely for treating us to this sample of his work, taken on the ranges in 1972 and 1973.

A couple of New Zealand Forest Products loggers, a Cummins-powered LW Kenworth, followed by a Detroit diesel-powered International RF 195.

Tidd’s Inland Tanker Service, Bedford cabbed custombuilt truck, with GM 8V53 and 16-speed Spicer.

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Just Truckin’

Around

Bubbles Lewis

Bubbles Lewis was enjoying a rare day off at his Foxton Beach home when Faye Lougher dropped in for a chat.

Outside was the immaculate 2014 Kenworth K200 with an 18-speed manual Roadranger that he drives for Halls Intermodal. Bubbles was heading off at 4.30am the following morning for a trip to Taranaki and then Mount Maunganui.

Like many drivers, Bubbles grew up going for rides with his truck-driving father, which inspired him to follow in the same footsteps. He’s saddened that today’s rules and regulations mean kids going for rides in trucks with their parents is a rarity.

His job with Halls has him travelling countrywide for Fonterra, dealing in DTL (Dairy Transport Logistics).

www.trt.co.nz

Bubbles has been driving trucks for about 36 years and says he loves everything about the job.

“I love all of it. I like being out there on the road driving and meeting different people and learning every day.”

The main issue with the industry today is one New Zealand Trucking hears often – not enough young drivers, and the fact they are unable to learn from more experienced drivers.

“Health and safety rules mean most drivers aren’t allowed to take passengers, so the young ones lose out.”

A choice of Captain Kirk or Mr Spock was instantly decided: “Captain Kirk.”

Hare Reneti

Hare Reneti was fuelling up at the Caltex Truckstop at Sulphur Point in Tauranga when Alison Verran spotted him with his Kenworth K108, powered by a Cummins ISX EGR. The truck and trailer are set up as a flatdeck logger and Hare carts logs, timber and general freight for Watchorns Transport based out of Awakeri, near Whakatane. On the day Alison caught up with him, Hare was about to unload export logs at the Port of Tauranga that he had picked up from the Maramarua Forest, south of Auckland.

Hare’s chosen career came from riding around in trucks as a kid. Aged eight or nine years old, he enjoyed many rides in a truck with mentor Wayne Butler, learning all about the industry. Hare has been driving trucks himself now for more than seven years.

He enjoys the freedom of being on the road. “You can crank up the tunes, and away you go.”

He has one issue with the industry: “There are a lot of cowboys out there now,” he says.

When Alison asked the vexing question League or Union? Hare’s response was, “Union all day.”

58 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

Roman, italic, bold, bold italic

alic

Just Truckin’

Around

www.trt.co.nz

Just truckin’ around – overseas Tex Halliday

Howard Shanks caught up with Tex Halliday, the mobile plant trainer for GEMCO (Groote Eylandt Mining Company Operation). Tex trains all operators on all mobile plant from two-tonne trucks through to 120-tonne Cat dump trucks and D11 bulldozers. Tex came to Groote Eylandt six years ago.

Both he and his wife have worked and lived in the bush all their lives. But why did he choose to work on the island?

“At the time, my wife and I had been married for 25 years,” Tex recalled. “In that time, I think we shifted once a year. As one job finished, we’d move on to the next. So, it was time to stay put for a while.

“The lifestyle’s great, but this January we had our first grandchild in Darwin and living on the island makes it a little hard to be with our family. We’ve always been a close family and, yeah, spending a little more time with the family would be nice.”

The island does offer some advantages, however. Tex and his wife get to enjoy pleasures rarely

Just in case you were wondering too ... this is Groote Eylandt island.

experienced by mainlanders. There’s one in particular that Tex is very fond of – he’s an avid fisherman, and the waters surrounding the island are abundant with a large variety of fish species. Over the years, Tex has developed some personal rigs that guarantee a big catch. A favourite at Tex’s barbeques is freshly caught Red Emperor, washed down with a cold cleansing ale or two. 

DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

PANTHER

ON THE PROWL On the New Zealand Trucking Facebook page last September, we shared some of the first images and footage of Black Panther. It was one of the most popular posts we’ve had. But the young owner of this menacing Scania also had a story to tell. So we climbed aboard the S730’s cab and hit the road.

Story and photos by Gavin Myers

Raj named his company MGR Transport. “If you translate it into Punjabi it stands for ‘My God is saviour’. I just like to do no harm.”

I

t’s an overcast Auckland day, and I’m glad Black Panther is living up to its name. In the New Zealand Trucking office, photographing a white truck against a grey sky is the stuff of nightmares.

But the grey day does create an opportunity to get a taste of Black Panther’s famous lighting fit-out.

Owner-driver Raj Sandhu, though, is loving every minute of telling me about his pride and joy – and its biggest talking point, its lights.

“How many? Ah, heaps…”

Raj says with a laugh. “And there are heaps more I want to

put on, we ran out of lights.”

Between John Blackburn and the team at Roadmaster Trailers, and 24/7 Auto Electrical Ltd, the Scania was wired up for lights and sound (to the tune of 40 different air horn melodies) before Raj hit the road with it in September 2020.

Sharp-eyed readers may also have noticed the dropped visor and stone guard modelled on Greg ‘Camo’ Camenzind’s 2019-2020 Top Truck-winning S650. As clean and shiny as Raj can keep it, this Scania certainly gets its fair share of attention.

Raj ordered the truck in August 2019 when he joined the TAA team. “I’m a big fan of Scania trucks, but TAA was all about American trucks. So, I asked Andrew [Faire, manging director of TAA] if I can put a Scania into the fleet and he said, ‘Sure, no problem with a Scania’.”

As we pull out of TAA’s depot in Wiri, Raj quickly settles into a relaxed driving style, the big Scania’s V8 lazily burbling away beneath us, and he gets into his story. At 27 years old, Raj has had a fair bit of experience within the industry.

He began trucking seven years ago and joined TAA in August 2019. Before that, he worked at Big Chill for almost three years doing runs to most of the company’s depots before moving into dispatch.

“I’d get bored on a set run so they’d changed me around as much as they could. Then, because I’d done all the runs to all the depots, they asked me to work in the office. The Big Chill dispatch is totally different, so it’s easier for them to move their drivers into supervisor roles,” he explains.

Raj says this gave him a good perspective on

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 61

1

Photo: Raj Sandhu

2

1 & 8) It may be all-black, but there’s no missing Black Panther after dark; 2, 4 & 5) Everything you’d need for life on the road.; 3) Scania’s NTG wrap never fails to impress; 6) Subwoofers discreetly hidden, until you hear them… 7) Entryway gets a subtle red glow. both sides of the transport business, but he began to miss the open road. When his manager left Big Chill, Raj decided to do so too. “He’s a friend of Andrew’s, and he said TAA was on the hunt for drivers and would help put me in my own truck, which I’d always told him was my dream,” Raj says.

Driving through Mangere, we pass a parked-up Foodstuffs Scania R500.

“That’s my old truck, from my stint at Foodstuffs before I joined Big Chill.

“I came to New Zealand

3

as a student for a bit of independence. I started working at a farm in Glenbrook, where I stayed for about six months while I got my licence sorted. VTNZ said I could go for a class 5 off my Indian licence, and my first driving job was driving a class 4 truck for an owner-driver.

I worked for him two days a week and went to college the other three days in Auckland.”

Raj studied for a business diploma, which he finished in December 2015. However, his career was always going to be in trucks. It’s an interest that

4

62 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

was sparked the good oldfashioned way – following in family footsteps.

“My dad is a farmer back in India, and I used to help him on the farm, but my big brother used to lease passenger buses, and my uncle drives a Mercedes truck in Germany. He’s the only Indian fella at his company,” Raj says with a laugh. “I’d talk to them, hear their stories, and I decided I wanted to become a truck driver. In India, it’s not a good thing to be a driver. Truckers struggle there; there are not enough facilities,

Photo: Raj Sandhu

8 7

trucks can only go 60kph max, the journeys are long.”

Since he also had family in North America, Raj decided New Zealand was the best place to go for true independence and a life on the road. And to his credit, he’s done well here on his own.

“My family are very proud.

They were very happy when I sent them the photos of the truck,” he says.

We’re told Black Panther is the highest-spec Scania in the country and Raj is grateful to Scania New Zealand account manager Blair Stapleton

for guiding him through the buying process, and to TAA for helping him get the finance. At his disposal, Raj has double fridges, a microwave, a coffee machine, TV, an extendable bed, fold-out table and a sound system with subwoofers discreetly mounted in the rear lockers. Among a range of other features, there’s also adjustable air suspension underneath and a full complement of airbags inside.

“It has everything except lane-departure warning. I didn’t want that, even though it’s a safety feature, because

it doesn’t work well on New Zealand’s roads.” That’s a comment we’ve heard before.

The current mileage on Black Panther is 54,000km, so Raj is still breaking it in. He prefers a ‘manual loaded, auto empty’ approach. “Empty in manual, it’ll spin the wheels,” he says, adding that at 50t, he can maintain 42kph up the Taihape deviation.

Raj says he’s driven most brands of trucks (with the notable exception of a Peterbilt) and Scanias are still his favourite. “Scanias feel more stable, and you can

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New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 63

Raj Sandhu’s attitude is one of hard work in a relaxed style.

Photo: Raj Sandhu

No wasted opportunity for some lighting…

drive this truck the whole day and still be fresh. That’s good when you spend more time in the truck than at home,” he says.

On that point, this young Aucklander prefers to take his 24-hour breaks outside of Auckland if he can, in the cab instead of motels. “It’s easy with a fridge, microwave and coffee machine on board, as well as a TV with Netflix. I always try to park by the sea when I am out of town,” he says.

If he is home in the big smoke over a Sunday, Raj serves food at the Sikh Temple in Papatoetoe. He also enjoys doing his bit for the younger generation. “Where I live, there’s a young family with young children. Their dad drives trucks too, but since Covid-19, they don’t go out

with him. On the weekends we let them hop in the truck; they enjoy that, who knows they could be our future drivers.”

Raj describes his journey over the past seven years as “interesting”, starting with short haul from Hamilton to Auckland and then Hamilton to Tauranga and back, then moving onto metro deliveries with Foodstuffs, before line haul at Big Chill and now TAA. “All my mates say I’ve done a good job putting this truck on the road, and sometimes I don’t even know the people that approach me about it,” he says.

“I’m in trucking for the passion. Growing up, I never thought about where I’d be in the future. If I get an opportunity, I take it – but once a driver, always a driver,” he says.

1020-30

Raj gives his rig a once-over.

Congratulations to MGR Transport on their new addition.

"Black Panther!"

w w w. r o a d m a s t e r. c o . n z

1020-30

CONTACT

0800

THE

BULL

AUSSIE ANGLES

CATS &

DOGS Story and photos by Howard Shanks

When Howard Shanks was asked if he’d like to pilot this old Mack for a fortnight around the Pilbara, he couldn’t pack his bags quick enough.

I

n 2005, this Mack Titan was one of the giant brutes in the road train market.

Spec’d with a Caterpillar C16, triple countershaft Mack 18-speed and big RT52-185G Meritor axles, it was destined for hard work.

Since leaving Mack’s Brisbane HQ a decade and a half ago, the Mack has called the Pilbara region of Western Australia home. Its life on the hot arid WA desert tracks has certainly not been a leisurely cruise; rarely did it spend time on paved bitumen roads.

It was a little after midday when we touched down in Port Hedland; I took my phone off flight mode as the plane taxied towards the terminal and it pinged as I’d expected,

signalling a waiting message.

“Meet you in the car park,” it read.

Half an hour later, I was in a dust-covered 4x4, driven by my mate Richo, heading towards the port. “I’ll drop you off at the port office so you can get your port pass, then if we’re lucky, you’ll make the afternoon mine-induction session,” Richo said.

“I’ve got you a room on-site in one of the dongas,” he added.

Thankfully, I’d made the afternoon induction, which meant the sun was slowly slipping down over the Indian Ocean by the time we arrived at the yard in Wedgefield.

“I’ll show you to your room,” Richo said as he grabbed my

137-tonne combination? No sweat for a C16.

suitcase from the back of the ute. “Get yourself settled then we’ll go and find some trailers for you.”

The old Titan was parked down the back of the yard, covered in a thick layer of red Pilbara dust. “No one’s been in it for over a month,” Richo said as we emptied the contents of both toolboxes.

“Probably pay to make yourself your own breakdown box. See Rob in the workshop – he’ll help you with whatever you need.”

An hour later, I’d managed to put together a comprehensive breakdown box, which consisted of a few spare air fittings, cable ties, hose clamps and other knickknacks that might be handy out in the bush. Rob wandered up with a wide-load sign and new set of triangles. I’d even managed to score a working jack to replace the ageing one that had discharged that much oil in the toolbox it resembled the slick left by the Exxon Valdez. The restocking of the locker box was coming together nicely when Richo arrived back. “That will do for tonight,” he said. “We’ll get an early start in the morning.”

Early the next day, after a thorough pre-start, I greased the turntable and headed to the trailer park to find a set of side tippers. Up here in the Pilbara, spare trucks like the

old Mack Titan see little TLC; the entire combination needed a decent scrub.

It was one of those thoughts that seemed like a good idea at the time, but three hours into the wash, the novelty of a clean truck was wearing thin.

Nevertheless, by late afternoon the old Titan and its trailers looked a hell of a lot cleaner.

I pulled the Titan around to the fuel bowser and started filling the two front tanks. The run to the mine site at Iron Valley takes roughly 12 hours, and the truck will consume approximately 650 litres of diesel, needless to say, 1000 litres in the two front tanks would be ample for this shift.

With the truck all set to go to work again, it was time to get out of the wet clothes and have an early night.

Over the past few months, the price of iron ore has steadily risen to a nine-year high — US$137 (NZ$190) per tonne (at the time of writing) — which means miners are keen to shift more tonnes of ore per month. Consequently, transport companies are dragging older units such as this Mack Titan out of retirement to help fill the quota and it is driving the price higher.

At 2am, the alarm on my phone broke the silence. Half an hour later, I turned the key, and the big yellow Caterpillar

under the hood leapt into life.

While the air pressure built up, I wandered around the road train, tapping the tyres and checking the lights. Back in the cabin, with the paperwork completed, it was finally time to get rolling.

When it comes to performance, big-bore C16 engines are in a class of their own. They deliver raw power that a driver can feel through the seat of his pants. However, they do enjoy more than their fair share of diesel, especially if you’re heavy on the throttle.

It certainly felt good, squeezing down on the throttle and listening to the 16-litre bark as it hauled the empty triple southbound towards the mine site. The mine site has imposed a 90kph speed limit.

So, once out of the city limits, I set the cruise control to 90kph and slipped the first CD of an eight-CD audiobook into the player.

The Mack T2000 transmission is a constant mesh triple-countershaft box.

The shift pattern is similar to an 18-speed Roadranger.

However, it requires a slightly

slower shift movement between gears if you want to make slick, clean changes.

Inside the cabin, the ride is considerably smooth for a truck of this age, although considering that it has travelled more than 1.5 million kilometres, it was relatively quiet, with the odd rattle and squeak every now and then.

The sun was scarcely peering over the horizon as I pulled up at the mine site.

Thankfully there were only two trucks ahead of me, so I wouldn’t be waiting too long.

The night before, Richo handed me a piece of paper with the weights to

call the loader operator and measurements of where to stop on the weighbridge for each axle group. I’d borrowed a whiteboard marker from the office and wrote them on the windscreen. That would make the job a little simpler at the mine site.

The Hardlite trailers and dollies are from local West Australian bodybuilder Roadwest Transport. A light tare weight, the ability to tip cleanly and spare parts’ availability are a few of the major reasons why these trailers are popular in the Pilbara region for bulkcommodities applications such

as iron-ore haulage.

Back in the heyday of trucking, when Caterpillar engines were kings of the highway, there was nothing better than commanding a C16 hauling a big load.

You could let them lug right down low in the revs then shift back a full gear, rather than short shift with split gear shifts. When these bigbore Caterpillar engines were working hard, you could all but hear their heartbeat as if they were alive.

As I was leaving the mine site haul road at the dustdown area, the C16 bit down hard on the long grade up

The interior has stood up well.

Howard gets down and dirty with the Titan.

Just another day in the Outback.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 67

BUYING USED

to the first railway crossing.

I kept a watchful eye on the pyrometer because, on a long gradual pull, this tenacious Caterpillar engine’s appetite for hard work can drive the pyro temperature up into the red zone in a flash.

Surprising, there is no vibration from the driveline; it all runs very smoothly for a truck of this age, which is

testament to the maintenance schedule adopted by Rob and his team in the workshop.

Although the driving style is more relaxed when handling a truck like this, it is still vital to remain very alert at all times.

There is no getting away from the fact that with three trailers and a gross combination mass of 137 tonnes, travelling at highway speed is a constant

2005 MACK TITAN SPECS Model:

Titan CLR 6x4

Engine:

Caterpillar C16

Power:

447kW (600hp) at 1800rpm

Torque:

2516Nm (1850lb/ft) at 1200-1400rpm

Torque Rise: 32% Transmission:

Mack T2000-18 18-speed

Front Axle:

Mack FAW18

Front Suspension: Multi-Leaf 1753mm Rear Axle:

Meritor RT52/185G with X-locks

Rear Axle Ratio: 4.89:1 Rear Suspension:

Rockwell AC6T 6-Rod

Wheels:

Cast 6-Spoke Spider

Rating:

140,000kg GCM

Bumper:

King Bar

Exhaust:

Twin 5-inch

Fifth Wheel:

90mm Fuwa K Hitch KH

Sleeper:

42” mid-rise

Wheelbase: 6147mm Fuel Tanks:

4 x 500 litre

Cabin:

Prestige Plus Crimson

Seat:

KAB554 air-ride

Extras:

Icepack PTO – side-tipper

68 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

risk – driver vigilance is paramount.

It was about midday when I guided the Titan around Finucane Island to tip my 92 tonnes of iron ore into the hopper. Half an hour later, I pulled it up next to the fuel bowser. Surprisingly, I’d only used 596 litres of diesel on my first run.

Richo wandered over and enquired how I’d gone. “You remembered the way then,” he smiled. “Next week you can do a few runs in that 6900 with a quad if you want to test another truck.”

You can expect to pay between AU$60,000 and AU$120,000 (NZ$64,000 to NZ$128,000) for a 2005 Mack Titan, but be aware it will have well over one million kilometres on the clock.

While you might spot a bargain for as little as AU$55,000 (NZ$59,000, including GST), remember that it’s probably had a hard life and will require a considerable investment to make it roadworthy and reliable once more.

As we’ve said before with used equipment, check the condition of the driver’s seat, especially the suspension mechanism. When a truck has a million kilometres on it, chances are the driver’s seat will need replacing.

A new ISRI 6860/870 driver’s seat retails for approximately AU$4000 (NZ$4200).

Also, check the condition of the steering wheel because they’re another item that often needs replacing. A genuine wheel retails for about AU$500 (NZ$530).

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

HAULIN’ TO 2 MIL Will Shiers catches up with British haulier Steve Nixon, who treats his 2-million-kilometre Scania 18-tonner like it’s a Rolls-Royce.

Story by Will Shiers

A

Rolls-Royce doesn’t break down; it fails to proceed.

And according to Steve Nixon, owner of Nixon’s Transport in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, the same should apply to a Scania. After all, in his opinion, the Swedish manufacturer is the RollsRoyce of the trucking world.

And he should know – he owns several examples of both marques.

Photos by Tomlee.gallery Of all the cars and trucks in his fleet, his favourite is without a doubt a 1992 Scania P93M 18-tonner. Incredibly, despite having covered more than 2 million kilometres on the same driveline, it has only ever failed to proceed once.

“The only time I can recall it needing any assistance was with a starter motor failure, and the driver had to get a bump-start to get home,” he recalls. “It turned out to be a

broken wire and fixed within the hour.”

The truck was purchased new by Steve’s father, Terence. Having run numerous marques over the years, he had settled on Scania after a positive experience with a Super 80. It was the second Scania Nixon’s had purchased from new, and much effort was made to ensure that the specification was exactly right for this general haulier’s needs.

“We went for the heavy-duty 7500kg front axle, as not only did it give us a better tolerance with axle weight distribution, but it also made it possible to increase the plated weight from 17,000kg to 18,000kg when legislation changed,” explains Steve, thumbing through the original sales literature.

Nixon’s Transport also specified the optional GS771 10-speed gearbox, instead of the standard 5-speed version.

“It was over-the-top for a rigid really,” admits Steve, “but it

paid for itself in the long-run.”

According to the original bill of sale, £420 ($800) was spent on an optional speed limiter and another £155 ($295) on a radio cassette player.

This took the grand total to £30,762 ($58,000). Next, the truck was treated to some mild customisation, including the fitting of a stainless-steel bumper, air horns, sun visor, a hand-painted livery and, of course, a ‘Haulin’ Ass’ chrome badge for the grille. Now it was ready to work for a living.

During the next 29 years, J964 BAU was used on general haulage duties throughout Britain, covering a distance equivalent of 2.5 return trips to the moon. (At this point, Steve announces that not only has it done it on the same driveline, but on the same clutch too!)

Have you ever seen an interview with someone celebrating a triple-digit birthday? You can guarantee that the reporter will ask,

Just about the only aftermarket piece on the truck is the bumper. The interior’s as though it’s out of a unit with a quarter the mileage. Scania’s been at it for a while…

“What’s the secret to a long and healthy life?” At this point, I desperately want to hear Reginald/Edna say, “A bacon roll for breakfast, 40 cigs a day, and several pints of strong beer every evening.”

Unfortunately, that’s never the case. And when I ask Steve what the Scania’s secret is, the answer is equally as predictable. “We change the oil frequently, we do our own maintenance, and we always use genuine parts,” he says.

Of course, it helps that the truck clearly rolled off the production line on a Friday afternoon.

“The oil is changed every 10,000km to 12,000km, and never more than 15,000km,” he explains. “And we never use cheap oil in any of our trucks. With oil, you get what you pay for, and expensive oil isn’t as expensive as metal.

You can’t maintain something to a budget; you have to maintain it to a standard.”

This same philosophy is also applied to parts. “As a general rule, we use genuine parts on all our trucks,” explains Steve, admitting that one of the few exceptions are aftermarket bumpers. “But we would never fit aftermarket filters.”

But the same level of pampering hasn’t been applied to the paintwork which, judging by the numerous battle scars it has accumulated over the years, has been completely ignored. The only lick of paint it has ever received was last May, when the load bed received a tidyup for a very special occasion – but more about that later.

“People ask me why I don’t paint it,” says Steve. “My answer is that restoring is great, but a truck can only be original once. It was made to work, and that’s what it has been doing since. It could

be a show truck, but then it wouldn’t be a work truck.”

Although it’s been taxed and tested continually since new, J964 BAU has been used more sparingly in the past couple of years. “It went out three days last week, but it might not be used for a fortnight now,” confirms Steve.

Nixon’s Transport doesn’t have any drivers of its own, relying solely on a select group of agency staff. Steve is well aware that a 29-year-old truck with no seatbelts isn’t everyone’s idea of a perfect work tool, and just two regular drivers are assigned to it.

Part of the Nixon’s fleet.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 71

COMPANY HISTORY Steve Nixon.

72 New Zealand Trucking

with many years of life left in them, are being pensioned off because of legislation.

It suits some companies to change trucks at five years old, but there is potentially still a lot of work left in them.

They’re exported, the AdBlue systems are removed, and the pollution takes place in a different part of the world. It seems like such a waste of good working vehicles.”

At the start of this story, I said that Steve compares a Scania with a Rolls-Royce in terms of build quality.

Well, last year, this particular Scania took the comparison one step further when it genuinely stepped into the role of a Roller.

Sadly Terence Nixon died last May. And in a fitting tribute to this well-respected haulier, he made his last-ever journey on the back of the Scania.

Top insert: Steve’s dad, Terence with Terence’s sister, Elaine, and a Vulcan.

Bottom insert: The first Scania in the Nixon’s fleet.

• 2 • 1

February 2021 0220-08

“I wouldn’t send a complete stranger out in it as it wouldn’t be fair on the driver or the truck,” he says. “It’s not uncomfortable, and you don’t need three arms to drive it. It’s just not the same as a modern truck.”

It’s not quite as quick either and by Steve’s own admission, it loses some speed on the hills. “The old girl does slow down a bit, but you’d have to go a long distance before you lost any real time.”

Another difference between this and a modern truck is the manual gearbox, the operation of which is becoming alien to some younger drivers.

Steve recently had an agency driver arrive in the yard who announced that he couldn’t drive a manual. “He said he had only driven one manual and had almost had an accident. I said, ‘If that’s the case, it’s not fair for me, you or other road users to send you out in one’.”

So, the big question is, how much life is left in J964 BAU? Could it be good for another million kilometres?

Probably not, according to Steve, but that’s through no fault of either him or the truck. “Legislation [emissions regulations] will eventually take it off the road,” he says. “We live in a throwaway society, and good working trucks,

Steve Nixon was born into transport; his father Terence Nixon having started the family firm in 1953. “I was going out with my dad before I even started in school,” recalls Steve. “I always knew this was what I was going to do. It’s in my blood.”

Steve can clearly remember the eclectic mix of British and American trucks that his

father built his business on, and he has photos of most of the vehicles that had gone before he was born.

“He started with a pair of unroadworthy 28hp ex-Army Bedfords,” says Steve. “And then made one good truck out of them.” Other trucks of note include a Reo Speedwagon, a Leyland Octopus, a Commer two-stroke and numerous ERFs, Seddons, Albions and Dodges. Steve remembers Terence having an AEC Mercury in the 1970s, which Terence considered to be an excellent truck – that is until he purchased his first Scania.

From that point onwards there has always been at least one Scania on the Nixon’s Transport feet.

Today’s fleet consists of seven rigids, a mix of two 18-tonners and five 26-tonners. There are four Scania 4-series, a Volvo FM, a Mercedes-Benz Axor and a MAN TGX. Trucks are generally purchased used, always bought outright, and generally kept until they’re about 15 years old, during which they will have typically clocked-up well over a million kilometres.

“The longer you can make a truck last, the better off you are,” reckons Steve. “If you get 15 years of service out of one, you have more chance of making it pay than renting one for five years.”

Although J964 BAU is the oldest working truck on the fleet, it isn’t the oldest in Steve’s collection. He’s also the proud owner of a beautiful 1949 Bedford recovery truck (above).

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LIGHT COMMERCIAL TEST

Expert looks typically modern Peugeot.

EXPERT BY NAME EXPERT BY NATURE Story and photos by Jacqui Madelin

Peugeot is a big brand in the European commercial van segment, and locally it hopes its Expert will throw shade at New Zealand’s traditional big players.

1

C

ovid-19 might be playing merry hell with industry and markets worldwide, but there’s always a place for delivery or service vehicles and the light van market here in New Zealand. The under-2500kg GVM van segment grew 1.5% to the end of October last year over the same period in 2019, while vans over 2500kg

2

GVM fell 22.7%, and utes almost as much. No matter the economy, vans are still needed to cart stuff about.

This Peugeot Expert van is a new kid on the block here, but the French marque is the best-selling van brand in Europe, and Peugeot New Zealand hopes Kiwis will get the message.

Our tester was the medium wheelbase version – there’s

an LWB too – which, pricewise, pitches against the Renault Trafic (which also underpins Mitsubishi’s Express), Ford’s Transit Custom, and the VW Transporter.

This is another example of a van that brings many comfort and safety features designed and sold initially on passenger cars into the light commercial arena.

3

1 & 3) Dashboard minimalist in design; note gear selector dial. 2) Lift the passenger seat to access the nifty through-loading portal in the bulkhead.

Rear doors split 50/50.

Yet it’s not just the safety tech this van steals from the passenger car range: it’s fitted with 8-speed auto transmission, linked to a 2.0litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel.

That many cogs – a first in our van arena – makes for close ratios and the ability to quickly shift to whichever is the most efficient for the speed and load you’re fielding. The result is a claimed fuel consumption of 6.3l/100km (combined) or 7.2 (urban). We logged 7.7l/100km showing after 524km, much of it semi-rural hill driving in the Waitakeres, west of Auckland, with a full day spent running between

Twin side doors aid practicality.

Auckland’s Ponsonby and Albany suburbs.

Up front, its three-person seating proved ample, with a 1.9-metre, medium-build man, a pregnant woman, and this average-sized female driver comfortably aboard. The same trip confirmed, for those who find visualising images easier than numbers, that it’s certainly practical. The sliding doors both sides and dual glazed rear doors that open out to 180o eased loading and tying down the load, and the three-Euro-pallet cargo space held a king-single bed with headboard very comfortably, then an entire house-load of used carpet and underlay,

with space to spare.

Expert’s fixed glazed bulkhead not only keeps front occupants safe from cargo in an emergency stop, it also keeps the cab as quiet as any large diesel car, an absolute boon for anyone spending long hours at the wheel; we found conversation as effortless as in a passenger car, unlike many vans. That bulkhead also means the heater or air-con is more efficient, as there’s less volume to work on.

However, the bulkhead doesn’t help the already compromised rear visibility from a box van. It’s helpfully offset by parking sensors front

and rear, plus an excellent 180o reversing camera, which works extremely well when reversing from a parking space to alert you of approaching traffic. However, exits from awkwardly angled side roads can be tricky, with the view 45o over one’s left shoulder particularly restricted.

We were, however, impressed with the Expert’s ride, especially when unladen.

It’s far more compliant and less prone to waywardness over bumps than expected in this bracket, and the tight turning circle and light steering all help this van seem very wieldy.

The motor seemed responsive too, with power and torque peaking just where required. You can keep an eye on economy and other functions via the multifunction onboard trip with its temperature display while comfortably ensconced in the driver’s seat. The seat also includes height and lumbar adjust, plus a height and reach adjust steering wheel armed with controls to many of the van’s functions, though as it also has voice recognition, you’ll often use that instead.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included in the specification, as well as amenities like dashboard cup holders and three 12-volt sockets.

These days it’s becoming a given that any van will be loaded with a suite of auto safety aids which, until recently, might have been reserved for high-end passenger cars.

Autonomous emergency braking is standard, along with a forward-collision warning system, an efficient (and in a van, extremely valuable) blind-spot monitoring system, adaptive cruise control and speed limiter, a basic drive attention alert for those using the van for long distances, plus other goodies like electrically

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 75

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

Peugeot Expert MWB Engine: 2.0-litre HDi 4-cylinder turbo diesel Fuel tank capacity: 69 litres Power: 110kW at 4000rpm Torque: 370Nm at 2000rpm Claimed fuel economy:

.3l/100km combined, 7.2 6 urban, 5.8 extra-urban

Transmission: 8-speed auto, front-wheel drive Suspension: Front: Independent MacPherson type struts with anti-roll bar Rear: Independent trailing arm wishbone suspension Wheels/tyres: 215/65 R16C tyres, full-size spare

180° opening doors, padded floor and bulkhead that somewhat affects rear visibility. adjustable, heated and folding wing mirrors, an autodimming rear-view mirror, and auto wipers.

The MWB Expert costs $54,990 standard, but our test example came with cost options that included the Moduwork and Look packs.

The latter includes body-colour front and rear bumpers, side rubbing strips and exterior door handles, plus LED daytime running lights and 17” alloy wheels with Agilis tyres for a total of $2800. But it’s the former that helps you make the most of your Expert. Moduwork comes with a dual passenger bench seat with fold-up outer seat, a load-through flap under the outer passenger seat to extend the load length for longer, slim items – think a pipe bundle, for example – a fold-down writing table in the central seat back, and

1

Brakes: ABS with video auto emergency braking Stability/traction control: Yes Airbags: 4 Min turning radius: 12.4m Max payload: 1300kg Easy access to the nifty throughloading portal in the bulkhead.

Kerb weight: 1654kg

under-squab storage for the central passenger seat. The storage is not only useful for keeping loose clutter tucked away but also for hiding the driver’s valuables while they’re diving in and out of the unlocked van.

We often comment that vans increasingly resemble passenger cars up front, a bonus in safety and comfort terms, but also making them easier for a wider range of driver sizes and experience to use. That vans like this Peugeot Expert manage that without apparent compromises in load-hauling terms is impressive indeed.

Cargo length: 3674mm with Modulength fitted (2512mm without)

Gross vehicle weight: 2735kg

Cargo width: 1628 Cargo height:

1397

Cargo capacity: 5.8m3 with Modulength fitted (5.3m3 without) Towing braked/unbraked: 2165kg/750kg Length: 4959mm Wheelbase: 3275mm Width: 2010mm (mirrors folded) Height: 1930mm Seats: Three Options fitted: Moduwork: $900

Look pack: $2800

Black metallic paint: $550

2

1) Reversing camera a boon for manoeuvrability. 2 & 3) Plenty of storage spaces dotted around the cabin.

3

New Rigs New ON THE ROAD ON THE ROAD

The magnificent seven The the Limit TheSky’s Sky’s the Limit Scania R620 6x4 rigid (ChCh pair of seven nationwide)

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Operator:

T&M Paitai Transport – Air Liquide Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Christchurch Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Richards Engine: Scania DC16 16.4 litre V8 463kW (620hp) Driver Frank Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission:

Scania Opticruise GRSO905R 14-speed Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission Transmission Optidriver Rear axles: Optidriver Scania RB662 Rear axles Renault Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear suspension: P2191 Scaniawith air hub reduction Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Features/Extras: 4100D retarder, fridge Palfinger crane

Palfinger crane Safety: LD (Lane Departure), ACC (Adaptive Cruise Features brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Control), AEBS (Advanced Emergency Dura-Bright alloy wheels

Dura-Bright alloy wheels Braking System) Operation Carting roofing material around Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: distribution, South Island thethe Bay of Plenty area Bay ofGas Plenty area

Sales:

Simon Leary

It’s not a-Lone, it’s a Pro! Twin Tippers Twin Tippers International ProStar 6x4 rigid

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Operator: N J Wood – Bombay Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Engine: Frank Cummins X-15 460kW (615hp) Driver Richards Driver Frank Richards Transmission: 460hp Eaton 18-speed Roadranger manual Engine 0Xi11, Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Rear axles: Meritor 46-160 Transmission Optidriver Transmission Optidriver Rear suspension: P2191 IROS with hub reduction Rear axles Renault Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Body/Trailer: Transfleet Equipment Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Features/Extras: Dual exhaust, Ali Arc bumper, Alcoa DuraPalfinger crane

Palfinger crane Bright alloy wheels, custom interior Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Operation:

Bulk tip work, Auckland and beyond Dura-Bright alloy wheels

Dura-Bright alloy wheels Driver: Adammaterial Moore around Operation Carting roofing Operation Carting roofing material around the Bay ofHugh PlentyGreen area Sales: the Bay of Plenty area

A new string Shooting Star to the bow Shooting Star

FuelHauling HaulingFH FH Fuel Tidy Kiwi express Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

RenaultLander Lander460.32 460.328x4 8x4 Renault

IVECO 310 Roadex Acco 6x4 rigid Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator logistics Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Operator:

Low Cost Bins - Wellington Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine:

Iveco Cursor-9 Euro-6 Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Transmission Transmission: Renault P2191 with hub reduction Allisonwith 6-speed automatic Rear axles Rear axles Renault P2191 hub reduction Rear axles: FlatFlat deck with front mounted PK12000 MT12-150/D Truck body Truck body deck Meritor with front mounted PK12000 Rear suspension: IVECO

Palfinger crane Palfinger crane 8-bag ECAS Body/Trailer: Bucher Gen6 Side Loader 22m3 Features Disc Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features brakes, Bluetooth,

Dura-Bright alloy wheels Features/Extras: Dual steering Dura-Bright alloy wheelscontrol Operation Carting Carting roofing material around Operation: Wastematerial collection, greater Wellington Operation roofing around

Sales: thethe Bay of Plenty area Bay ofAdrian PlentyThompson area

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics North Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Driver Engine: Frank Richards PACCAR MX-13 Euro-6 396kW (530hp) Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission:

ZF TraXon 12-speed AMT Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Transmission Rear axles: DAF SR1360T with diff and cross locks Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear suspension: DAF ECAS Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 MJ Custom Engineering Ltd Palmerston Body/Trailer: Palfinger crane Palfinger crane North Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Flywheel driven PTO Features/Extras: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Dura-Bright alloy wheels Safety: Full safety suite Operation Carting roofing material around Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: the the Bay of Plenty area work, Manawatu Bay ofTip Plenty area

November 2015

78 New Zealand Trucking February 2021 10 10 NZNZ TRUCKING TRUCKING November 2015

DAF CF530 Euro-6 6x4 rigid Operator:

Stringfellow Contractors Ltd - Palmerston

Driver: Sales:

Dave Bourke Mark O’Hara

Nothing to smell but daisies DAF CF410 Euro-6 6x2 rigid Mellow Miles & Michelin Men

In the garden wearing a bonnet Carperton Argosy

Operator:

Rainbow Park Nurseries - Ramarama Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

Kenworth T410 SAR 8x4 Aero-sleeper 6x4 tractor Renault Lander 460.32

Engine: PACCAR MX-11 Euro-6 306kW (410hp) Operator logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Transmission:Roadex

ZF TraXon 12-speed AMT Driver Rear axles: Frank Richards DAF SR1344 with diff lock, DAF rear Engine 0Xi11, 460hp trailing axle Transmission Optidriver Rear suspension: DAF 8-bag ECAS with lifting tag axle Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Body/Trailer: Fruehauf body and 4-axle trailer Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Features/Extras: Fridge, additional marker lights Palfinger crane Safety: LD (Lane Departure), Forward Collision Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Warning, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), Dura-Bright alloy wheels Hill Start Aid, disc brakes Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: the Bay of Fresh flowers Plenty area and plants North Island Driver: Rod Gunson Sales: Mitch Redington

Operator: Roadex logistics Eden Haulage - Invercargill Operator Ltd, Mount Maunganui Engine: PACCAR MX-13 Euro-5 381kW (510hp) Driver Frank Richards Transmission:0Xi11,

Eaton Roadranger 18918B 18-speed manual Engine 460hp Rear axles: Optidriver Meritor 46-160 diff locks and cross locks Transmission Rearaxles suspension: P2191 Kenworth Rear Renault withAG460 hub reduction Truck body Flat deckFit-out with front mounted PK12000 Body/Trailer: Southpac Auckland

Palfinger600mm crane aero-sleeper, SLS drop visor, leather Features/Extras: Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, seats, fridge, PACCAR touch screen GPS Dura-Bright alloy wheels Paint/Signage: Caufield Signs Operation material around Operation: Carting roofing General cartage lower South Island the Bay of Plenty area Driver: Aaron Calendar Sales:

Adam McIntosh

Superb Super Liner Traffords and Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 traffic

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Kenworth T610 Aero-sleeper 6x4 tractor

Mack Super Roadex Liner 6x4 rigid Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator logistics Driver Frank Richards Operator: Eastgate Enterprises - Gisborne Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine: Mack MP-10 511kW (685hp) Transmission Optidriver Transmission:

Mack Rear axles Renault P2191mDRIVE with hub12-speed reductionAMT Rear axles: Meritor 46-160 Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Rear suspension: Hendrickson PRIMAAX air suspension Palfinger crane Body/Trailer: Disc brakes, Mills-Tui bin and 5-axle trailer Features Bluetooth, Features/Extras: Green strip lighting Dura-Bright alloy wheels Operation: Carting Bulk tipping, Gisborne Operation roofing material around and Auckland Driver: the BayCassino of Plenty‘Dino’ area Smith

Operator Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator: Roadex logistics Steve Martin Contracting Ltd, Dunedin Driver Frank Richards Engine: Cummins X-15 460kW (615hp) Engine 460hp Transmission:0Xi11,

Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B manual Transmission Optidriver Rear axles: Meritor RT46-160 Rear Renault withAG hub460 reduction Rearaxles suspension: P2191 Kenworth Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Body/Trailer: Convair 6-axle B-train Palfinger crane Features/Extras: Lighting, fit-out, and custom engineering Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth,

by HDPS Timaru. Kentweld bumper, Dura-Bright alloy wheels Superchrome Operation Carting roofing material wheels around Paint: Timaru the Bay of Plentysigns area

Sales:

Glen Keane

Dew’s Jewel Ultra-fast fibre

Operation: Drivers: Sales:

Flour and grain distribution, South Island Reece Martin, Matt Brown Chris Gray

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New Zealand Trucking February 2021 79 11 November 2015 NZ TRUCKING

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

Daily Domett deliverer If you’re intent on a classy look for your freight deliveries, look no further. This brand new Domett body and trailer was built for Chavani Construction to service its contract with Daily Freightways.

The 14-pallet truck body is mezzaninefloor-ready and fitted with an alloy toolbox and LED lights. The 22-pallet trailer has split mezzanine floors, three alloy toolboxes, an east/west bearer rack, twin Quirk tensioners, and LED lights.

The complete unit gleams with polished guards and Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels.

Features (trailer): Hendrickson ZMD axles and suspension, WABCO brakes and SmartBoard.

Domett

A new Marshall in town A new, big blue Marshall has just rolled into Timaru, and he’s packing six axles. Seriously though,

Marshall Transport has just taken delivery of this beautiful new TMC 6-axle curtain side B-train.

The dark blue tones of the curtains and guards are lifted and balanced perfectly by the right amount of stainless-steel highlights and Alux alloy wheels.

Features: TMC disc brakes axles and air suspension.

TMC

KIWI 16/17

Contact John O’Donnell 027 226 9995, Jim Doidge 021 190 1002 or Hayden Jones 0800 549 489 | sales@kiwityres.co.nz |

0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz 80 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

KIWI 175

The lead on feed Owner/operator Pat Reardon has just given the marketing arm of Reardon Transport some real ammunition when it comes to conveying the professional image as he delivers feed in the ‘Naki’. This stunning new unit is fitted out with kit from Warren Auger Bins in Matamata, and as always, demonstrates the pride that resides at the Waihou Street builder’s premises.

The Hino sports a 20’ open-top auger bin, and it tows a 25’ 4-axle monocoque trailer with an open-top auger bin. A Deutz diesel power-pack runs the trailer hydraulics.

muffler cover, lights around the top perimeter of the bins, and Alcoa alloy wheels ice the cake beautifully.

Features: SAF INTRADISC, WABCO braking.

Warren Auger Bins (NZ)

Stainless inserts in the Rhino guards, stainless-steel

Bring on … anything really JD Hickman has added this slick-looking TMC lightweight flat-deck quad-axle container semi to the fleet, adorned in the unmistakable orange hue that can only belong to one of Taranaki’s finest.

Lightweight it may be, but it still packs everything an operator needs to get through a varied day with east/west bearer box, DG and over-width placards, deck pegs, ferry hooks, and a shiny stainlesssteel toolbox. Presentation builds great businesses, and so alloy guards, stainless-steel tail-light bar, and Alux alloy wheels set off the whole show.

Features: ROR widetrack disc brake axles and air suspension.

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 Heavy duty case Excellent mileage performance 17mm extra deep tread

The KIWI 16’s tougher twin Super heavy duty case Puncture resistant 17mm extra deep tread

Multi use tread pattern Urban/highway/off road Puncture resistant 17.5mm extra deep tread

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265/70R19.5

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 81

RHINO PHOTO OF THE MONTH COMPETITION

THE RYAL TREATMENT! W

hat a great response we’ve had from the rural transport community to the Rhino Photo of the Month competition.

Andrew Muir sent us this awesome

truck-to-trailer-to-silo picture as he delivered precious feed to a farm at Riversdale in the deep South. The new Euro-6 DAF he drives looks superb in one of the nation’s most recognised liveries (as do the grounds and surrounds of the

farm he’s at, we have to say).

We think the extra time Ryal Bush Transport took to set up the truck with amazing murals depicting a rich history still being written was more than worth the cost, both in terms of community

messaging and company marketing.

It’s only right that we reward all those things as well as the cool-as real-life photo by making Andrew Muir our Rhino winner this month.

GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN $800 TO SPEND AT RHINO NZ

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Each month we will select the best photo from readers and publish it in NZ Trucking magazine plus social media.

The industry leader in mudguards (aluminium, stainless steel, plastic), chassis poles, saddle and clamp mountings, toolboxes and a large range of accessories.

Visit www.rhinogroup.co.nz to see the full range.

Entrants agree to their name and photo being used by NZ Trucking and Rhino for marketing purposes.

Photos must be Hi Res 3MB+ showing Trucks working in our great NZ environment.

Email pics to editor@nztrucking.co.nz

82 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

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Trucks centre stage at Wheels at Wanaka 2019.

Vic with his 1975 International Paystar 5000.

Vic Draper and Robert Duncan, onsite at Wheels at Wanaka 2019.

84 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

MEETING THE

HEROES

A

vehicle show is, as the title suggests, all about the vehicles.

But spend more than a few minutes at an event and quickly come to realise the characters behind the vehicles are just as intriguing. Wheels at Wanaka, New Zealand’s biggest all-moving, all-action vehicle show returns this Easter, 2 to 4 April, to the picturesque Central Otago town. And one of the characters making his way to the event for the second time is Vic Draper, from Drapers Earthmoving in Wellington.

Vic was a key contributor at the Wheels at Wanaka 2019 Terra Cat Earthmoving Extravaganza. He took his brother and a couple of his mates from Australia on a tour from Wellington to Wanaka via the Danseys Pass in his 1991 Mack V8 Super Liner, 1981 Mack R Series and 2000 Mack CH. All were loaded with vintage earthmoving machines including the restored, very rare, only one in New Zealand and in working order, 1950s Vickers Vikon Bulldozer.

The lads then spent the weekend moving some serious dirt around the demo pit with earthmoving legends Robert Duncan, Kevin Capell, Paul Clarke and a team of about

30 operators to the delight of the 12,000 spectators who passed through the gates that weekend. They then made their way back via the West Coast doing a bit of machine shopping on the way.

Vic is no stranger to the contracting industry, starting his career as an apprentice mechanic with Gough Cat, then moving on to the Twizel Power Scheme for three years before re-joining the family business established in the 1930s by his dad Tom Draper. Vic still uses his dad’s 1974 D7 and now his 1975 International Paystar 5000. Vic took over the business in the early 1980s and has been on a mission to make Wellington flat ever since.

Vic is keen to bring his mates back to Wheels at Wanaka 2021, and he tells us that we’re up for a few restoration surprises for the Terra Cat Earthmoving Pit and more.

If you aspire to be as legendary as Vic, the first step is to register your vehicles (cars, trucks, motorbikes or earthmovers – if it has wheels, it’s welcome) in Wheels at Wanaka.

Register and learn more about New Zealand’s biggest all-vehicle show at www.wheelsatwanaka.co.nz.

Vic’s rare Vickers Vikon bulldozer in action at Wheels at Wanaka 2019.

New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 85

MINI BIG RIGS 1

By Carl Kirkbeck

MODEL TRUCKING ON A

BUDGET

Model trucking is not always about super-detailed 1:25th and 1:24th scale. There are many cost-effective model truck options for young – and older – roadtransport enthusiasts.

2

M

3

1) The heavily expanded and modified sleeper cab, as fitted to the real ‘Blue Thunder’. 2) A solid coat of primer to seal all the surfaces in readiness for the topcoat. 3) 1:50th scale ‘Blue Thunder’ now just awaiting its striping, signage and finishing touches

The NTFS Highway Replica model as it arrived.

1

y passion for trucks and everything to do with the trucking industry goes back beyond my memory.

My mother tells me that even at two or three years of age, all I wanted to do was sit behind the steering wheel of the D-series Fords parked at my dad’s service workshop. At nine, I started a paper round that paid $3 a week. With this fortune, I began to surround myself with Australian Truckin’ Life and American Overdrive magazines, as well as maintaining a continual lay-by arrangement with Mr Brokenshire, the owner of the local toy store, which sold the latest Matchbox Super Kings and ERTL diecast model trucks.

During these early years of fascination with model trucks, well before I was introduced to the larger plastic kitset trucks, I already had the desire to build my own fleet of model trucks that reflected my likes as well as represented the style of trucks and trailers I saw on New Zealand roads. Armed with plasticine, cardboard, sellotape and wire twisty ties, I built my dream fleet; ‘BTL’ (Bulk Transit Ltd) in 1:64th and 1:50th scale.

These early attempts at scratch-building

2

with household materials taught me skills I still use today with all manner of modeltruck building, regardless of scale.

So, this month, we will break away from the Mercedes-Benz project for just a moment so that I can answer those who have been asking me for advice on an easier, more cost-effective way to start model-truck building.

Being mostly aimed at the toy market means the likes of Matchbox and ERTL diecasts are readily available. However, your local second-hand store is also a great resource, and even ask family and friends if they have any used models they would be willing to part with. Also, worth noting here is that some of the modern plastic toys are well-proportioned and detailed. I recently purchased a couple of 4-Series Scanias from the Warehouse for under $10 that will make great donor models for a typical New Zealand 9-axle unit.

To demonstrate a little of what is possible, here are a few photos of a current project now in the final stages of assembly. It is based on the NTFS (Northern Territory Freight Service) Mack Superliner from Highway Replicas. The

3

1) The air tank having its chassis mounting straps fitted. 2) Toolbox and air tank installed into position, ready for a coat of NTFS blue. 3) The painted chassis, wheels fitted and nearing completion.

86 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

NZT 20

In pursuit of ‘Blue Thunder’ – 1/50th scale. This is the real machine in her heyday. Photo Credit: Truckin’ Life magazine. model, as it arrived, was representative of a simple company-owned unit, the trouble is when it comes to NTFS history, for me, there is one Superliner that stands out above all others. It was the V8 known as ‘Blue Thunder’, which was owned and operated through Australia’s red centre by expat-Kiwi Neville Dobbs. Looking at these photos, you will see that to replicate Dobbsy’s ‘Blue Thunder’ from the standard model, I have added an air tank,

toolbox, and full alloy guards over the rear wheels. I’ve also modified the size and structure of the sleeper cab and air intakes as well as lifting the front end of the rig to match the original.

A scratch-built bull bar was also added, as welll as other finer details. But when working at this scale, sometimes less is more – you truly do not need to add screeds of detail, it is more about correct proportions.

The simplicity of working in this scale also reduces construction time; you will be pleasantly surprised how quickly you can complete one of these projects and enjoy the rewards.

Next month, I will take you through a basic build to help demonstrate this and, fingers-crossed, inspire a few of you who have been watching from the sidelines to pick up the glue container and some plastic and have a go.

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30/11/20 11:21 AM

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

Tomorrow’s Operators

start today

Hi everyone You may not know it, but you are the operators of tomorrow. Opportunities will open up in front of your eyes, and even though it’s hard to believe, many of you will one day see your name on the side of a big, beautiful machine, or maybe many big, beautiful machines. Somewhere among you are the Dynes, Booths, Sollys, Emmersons, Murphys, Blairs, and Knowles of tomorrow’s transport scene.

That’s why school is so important. Getting a good, basic education will always pay you back time and time again. We know it is sometimes tough to understand where English, maths, science, and all the subjects fit in, so we are here to help!

New Zealand Trucking will help you start your journey to becoming tomorrow’s operators and amaze you with just how much you already know. Each month, we will give you an exercise related to trucking, and you can send in your answer. We will also highlight which school subject is helping you, so you can get an idea of where it all fits in. There’ll be random prizes, and at the end of the year, someone will win a really cool prize.

Let’s get going!

Exercise 1 Give your company a name and design a logo Every company needs a name and a cool logo. Yours is no different; so let’s see them. Something that catches the eye and makes people say, “Wow! I want my product on their truck!”

There are lots of cool and famous logos in New Zealand’s road transport industry. At the top of this page are some great examples.

School subjects you’re using in Exercise 1 English: Make sure you spell your company name correctly!

Art: Make it ‘pop’. In other words stand out and catch the eye.

In for the long haul Guess what?

We’re going to put your name on a spreadsheet and tick off those who do the exercises each month.

That will be a special club to be in, won’t it? You just never know what might happen.

88 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

design a logo

Send your company name and logo Email: dave@nztrucking.co.nz Subject: Tomorrow’s Operators: Exercise 1: Company name and logo.

Make sure you also tell us your own name and contact details.

Post: N ew Zealand Trucking magazine, P O Box 35, Thames 3540 Label your posted material with the following: your own name and contact details, Tomorrow’s Operators, Exercise 1, company name and logo.

Guess what? Your journey to being an operator of tomorrow has just begun. How cool is that?

Don’t forget to draw your own load on the trailer. Have fun kids!

HAPPY NEW YEAR LITTLE TRUCKERS!

KEEP ON TRUCKING!!

Congratulations to Ryan Kahika (11) from Te Puke, who found the “Find the Truck” logo on page 98 of the December/ January issue. Keep an eye on your mailbox, Ryan, a prize is on its way to you.

JOKE OFNTH: THE MO

ll a What do youbucall? sleeping A bull-dozer!

FIND THE LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB LOGO The Little Truckers’ Club logo is hidden somewhere in this issue – find it and let me know where it is and you may just win a prize!

You can email me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz.

I hope you’ve had a fantastic start to 2021 and are looking forward to going back to school to see your friends and teachers. Did you all have fun during your school holidays?

What did you get up to? If any of you would like to share your adventures with us, please email me your stories and/or photos with a caption and they could be printed right here in Little Truckers Club. Kids, how cool would that be?

We have a colouring-in competition to start our year. Grab your felt pens, crayons, paints or pencils and get creative. Draw your own load on the trailer. Scan or take a photo of your artwork and send it to me and you could win a New Zealand Trucking magazine prize pack.

Also, a wee reminder to collect all the magazines from last year that you can and see if you can answer our end-of-year Fun Fact quiz in the December/January issue.

Answer all the questions correctly and send me your answers to go in the draw to win an awesome prize pack. Email me at rochelle@ nztrucking.co.nz. Entries close 11 February 2021, and the winner will be announced in our March issue.

alic

WHAT’S ON Toki Truck Show

Wheels at Wanaka

28 March 2021 Tui Brewery, State Highway 2, Mangatainoka, Wairarapa Contact: www.tuihq.co.nz

3 and 4 April 2021

Three Parks, Ballantyne Road, Wanaka Contact: Colleen Nisbet, 021 780 674 www.wheelsatwanaka.co.nz

NZ Model Truck National Show

Brisbane Truck Show

3 and 4 April 2021 Barber Hall, Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North Contact: Nick Zwart, 021 267 2118, nic_135@hotmail.com Jamie Larn, 027 442 8006, jamie_larn@hotmail.com Facebook: NZMTA

90 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

13 to 16 May 2021 Brisbane Convention Centre Contact: 0061 7 3376 6266, or email admin@brisbanetruckshow.com.au 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.

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94 Moving Metrics 96 NZ Trucking Association Summit – Kane Patena 98 Incoming Cargo – Europe’s future 100 IRTENZ – Hydrogen vehicles 102 Business Profile – Patchell Stainless 104 Truckers’ Health 106 Health and Safety 108 Legal Lines 110 NZ Trucking Association 112 Road Transport Forum 114 The Last Mile B R OUG HT T O YO U B Y

MOVING METRICS

THE SALES NUMBERS 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.

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers registered in 2020

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

This information is put together from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency statistical analysis team and through the Open Data Portal.

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

Vehicle type This summary includes data from two heavy truck classes and one heavy trailer class.

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.

Total registered NC class vehicles for 2020 by manufacturer

700

Total registered NC class vehicles for 597 2020 by manufacturer

600 700 500 600 400 500 300 400 200 300 100 200

0 100 0

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/vehicledimensions-and-mass-2016-as-at-1-june-2019.pdf

5000

597

230 156 230

282 229 282 229

380

357 306

266

380

357 306

102100 266

179166

164 109 63

164

156

DAF

Fuso

DAF

Fuso

Hino

Isuzu

Hino

Isuzu

102100 Iveco

296

288 239

109 63 MAN

Kenworth

Iveco Kenworth 2019 2019

288 239

179166

228

215 135296 228

215

291

135

Mercedes Scania Benz

MAN 2020 Mercedes Scania Benz

UD Trucks

UD Trucks

Volvo

Volvo

582 483

483

400 500 400 300

100 0 0

126 104

104108

126 104

Domett

Fruehauf

Domett

Fruehauf

135 135

90

90

M.T.E. M.T.E.

171 130 171 130

105 97

60 46

105 97

60 46 Patchell Roadmaster TES Patchell Roadmaster

2019 2019

TES

2020

105 105

71

88

71 88

63

63

Transport TMC Trailers Transport TMC Trailers

2020

Others Others

February 2021

1680 1497 1680 1497

NB

NC

NB

1192 1192

TD

Vehicle class

NC

Vehicle 2018 class 2019

TD

2020

2019

2020

First registration of NB, NC and TD class vehicles for 2018, 2019 2020 byTD quarter First registration of NB,&NC and class vehicles

1400 1200 1400 1000 1200 800 1000 600 800 400 600 200 400 0 200 0

for 2018, 2019 & 2020 by quarter

2018 2018

2019 NB 2019

2020 2020

NB Jan-Mar Jan-Mar

94 New Zealand Trucking

2390 2390

2333

Others

582

104108

3340 3414

2018

500 600

200 100

2333

0

Others

3340 3414

4605 4577

2020

600 700

300 200

174

174

Total registered TD class vehicles for 2020 by manufacturer Total registered TD class vehicles for 2020 by manufacturer

700

291

4000 5000 3000 4000 2000 3000 1000 2000 0 1000

First registration of NB, NC and TD classes year on year to date First registration of NB, NC and TD classes year 4605 4577 on year to date

2018 2018

Apr-Jun Apr-Jun

2019 NC 2019

2020

2018

2019

2020

2020

2018

TD 2019

2020

Jul-Sept NC Jul-Sept

Oct-Dec Oct-Dec

TD

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

ROAD USER CHARGES

RUC purchase for 2020, all RUC types While the total distance purchased has dropped compared to 2019, the value of the RUC purchases has increased, no doubt due to the price increase mid-year.

Total value and distance of all road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 31 October 2020 Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Oct 2020

15,422,159,810

$2,069,699,419

Rolling trend month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2019 – 2020

RUC purchases all RUC types 2,000,000,000

$250,000,000

1,600,000,000 1,400,000,000 1,200,000,000

$150,000,000

1,000,000,000 800,000,000

$100,000,000

600,000,000 400,000,000

Purchase value ($)

$200,000,000

$50,000,000

200,000,000 0

$0

Ja n20 Fe b2 M 0 ar -2 0 Ap r-2 M 0 ay -2 0 Ju n20 Ju l-2 0 Au g20 Se p20 Oc t-2 No 0 v20 De c20

Distance purchased (Km)

1,800,000,000

RUC Distance Purchased (km)

RUC Value ($) New Zealand Trucking

February 2021 95

NZTA INDUSTRY SUMMIT

A NEW ROAD FOR

NZTA The 2020 New Zealand Trucking Association Industry summit took place on Saturday 21 November at Riccarton Racecourse, Christchurch.

T

his was the second time Kane Patena, general manager, regulatory services, New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), presented at the New Zealand Trucking Association Industry Summit.

The first was in 2019 when he was just a couple of weeks into the job. At the time, the agency was in the middle of a period of independent reviews into its regulatory failures – one carried out by Kristy McDonald QC and the second by Martin Jenkins for the Ministry of Transport. Both reviews pointed to a systemic failure within the agency.

Patena’s presentation,

96 New Zealand Trucking

therefore, focussed on what had happened at the agency in the roughly 18 months since the reviews. A “wicked journey”, as he described it.

Step one was to clear the backlog of cases facing the agency – which was done – before delivering on a “back to basics” plan. “There are instances where we just haven’t been regulating at all. So, our focus was to say, ‘Look, we know there are gaps in the system. We need to start plugging those.’

“We’ve had to be pretty careful picking the areas that we are going to focus on and improve. My summation is that I think we’re in the right direction. I think we’ve made progress.”

Patena spent the rest of his presentation talking about the NZTA’s subsequent regulatory strategy, signed off by the board in April 2020. The strategy focussed on how the agency delivers on its role and a) improves safety across the

network, and b) ensures there is equity for equal access and use of the land transport system.

“We called our strategy Tu Ake, Tu Maia. What it does is set out our regulatory purpose.

It’s grounded in statute and legislation, and it puts that beyond any doubt. The agency had lost its way; we were almost ashamed of the fact we were a land transport regulator,” Patena said.

“It also sets out what kind of regulator we want to be. We do want to be best practice and we do need to look at how others do it, whether that’s in other areas within New Zealand or overseas, and benchmark ourselves against their performance. Equally, we know we need to continue to improve and invest in certain areas we know will be critical to our success.”

Patena said the most significant investment involved the agency’s people. “You can have the best information

and systems in the world, but ultimately you’re relying on relationships and people exercising good judgement and discretion, assuming they have the right information.

“Fundamentally, our strategy is about how we go from failure to best practice. We know it’s going to take time to get there, it’ll take a sustained effort.”

How should regulatory best practice look? Four underpinning pillars in the strategy suggest the agency is: 1. A systems leader with oversight of all users.

2. R isk-based and focused on harm prevention.

3. R esponsive and forwardthinking.

4. I nformed by evidence and intelligence.

Patena described how these pillars have already come into practice. “One of the really important things reflected in our strategy is we recognise that even though we have a

L

February 2021

Hella NZ

role to play as the regulator, we don’t control the system.

If we want to improve safety across the system, we cannot do it alone; it needs to be a collaborative effort.” He commented that evidence of this could be seen through and after the lockdown period. Then, complicated issues – such as WoFs, CoFs, licencing and movement in and out of Auckland – needed to be worked through with the transport industry and the Ministry of Transport.

“Was it perfect? Maybe, maybe not. But at least we were able to solve it,” he said. “I know that had a profound impact on our people – that we don’t need to do this on our own, but work collaboratively with others to solve areas of common interest. That’s exactly what a regulator should be doing.”

Finally, Patena discussed the five key capability shift areas upon which the agency must focus for continued

improvement.

1. Strong governance and accountability.

2. Trusted and valued relationships.

3. Robust and consistent decision-making.

4. Thriving regulatory culture and courageous people.

5. Innovative technology and intelligence.

These shifts provide a “flavour of where we’ll be directing our efforts to improve our regulatory performance over the next five years”, he said.

“They bring a focus to good regulatory practice so that we can target our effort for the greatest impact. They are all interconnected and cover the full scope of our regulatory role.”

Again, Patena made a few comments, starting with governance and accountability.

“It’s a positive move that the board is actively engaging in our regulatory performance.

This follows recommendations

from the 2019 reviews.” Here Patena also spoke about the re-establishment of the role of director of land transport that came out of the legislative change. “Before we [the NZTA] were established, there used to be a director of land transport, effectively a chief regulator. That’s what’s in place for Maritime New Zealand, for civil aviation, so we’ve put it back in place for land transport. The appointment takes effect from 1 April 2021 and the director will have independent statutory responsibilities to regulate. The board or minister can’t interfere, which helps protect the objective, integrity and independence of the regulatory function.”

Patena also highlighted capability shift area No2 – trusted and valued relationships – reiterating the need to work across various sectors. “Expect a shift in the way we view and engage with stakeholders, in how

we continue to improve the system as a whole,” he said.

“I think NZTA and the director of land transport have a really important advocacy role to play. We are the delivery agency, not the policy agency, but what we can do is use data evidence and insights about the performance of the system in conjunction with the ministry and the sector. If there are issues of safety that we think might require a shift in policy, there’s a genuine role we have to play in helping to shape some of that policy in the future.

“That’s really important because we know the way the land transport system operates today will be different in a few years’ time. There is a lot coming down the pipeline that could disrupt the way the land transport system operates that will require us having good policy. I don’t see NZTA as the one just delivering the regulatory services,” he concluded.

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ABOUT MARTIN DAUM

Martin Daum at the launch of the eActros in 2018.

DAUM LEADS EUROPE

THROUGH 2021

Daimler Truck AG CEO Martin Daum has been appointed chair of the Commercial Vehicle Board of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). A significant move?

Incredibly…

I

n the face of a rapidly changing legislative and operational environment, on top of and driven by the race to abate the use of fossil fuels, there’s been a no more important time to get stuff done than right now.

Martin Daum has a track record of getting stuff done.

Proactive and engaged with the transport sector (he even has his own podcast), Daum has led Daimler through some of its most successful and innovative years.

98 New Zealand Trucking

His appointment within the ACEA comes as the development and release of commercial vehicles powered by alternative fuels gathers pace – with numerous electric and hydrogen-powered models hitting the road during 2020 – and the industry edges ever closer to the goal of having a fully CO2-neutral road freight transport sector by 2050.

Based in Brussels, the ACEA brings together the CEOs of 16 of Europe’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and vans and is an advocacy body for the automobile industry on the continent. Through its member companies, ACEA taps into a wealth of technical, regulatory and practical expertise to tackle priority concerns across the automotive industry.

Among these are transport policy, environment and sustainability, connected and automated driving, and research and innovation.

(The ACEA commercial vehicle members are DAF February 2021

Trucks, Daimler Trucks, Ford Trucks, Iveco, MAN Truck & Bus, Scania and Volvo Group.)

A new chairman of the ACEA Commercial Vehicle Board is elected annually.

Daum takes the reins from Henrik Henriksson, CEO of Scania, who held the position in 2020. Daum’s term will continue, and doubtlessly ramp up, the industry’s crusade against climate change.

“Climate change is at the top of the agenda of the commercial-vehicle industry as the most fundamental challenge for humanity and the global economy,” stated Daum. “Our No1 priority this year is to work with policymakers to pave the way for carbon-neutral road transport.”

However, there is an underlying urgency to widespread adoption of these vehicles. “This process has to pick up further pace as it takes about 10 years for our customers to renew their fleets completely,” Daum

•M artin Daum holds a master’s degree in economic studies from the University of Mannheim.

• His career with Daimler began in 1987. After several management positions in sales, marketing and controlling – in Germany and the United States – he became a member of the executive committee of Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Europe in 2002.

• In 2009, Daum was appointed president and CEO of Daimler Trucks North America and its affiliated companies.

• Since March 2017, Daum has headed Daimler Trucks & Buses and is a member of the board of management of Daimler AG. • In November 2019, he became the chairman of the board of management of Daimler Truck AG.

added. “The transformation of our sector to carbon neutrality will be unprecedented, both in speed and scale.

“We stand ready to work together with all stakeholders to implement a clear roadmap, which includes the deployment of truck-suitable charging and hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, and a policy framework that makes zero-emission technologies the best option for our customers.”

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GETTING POWER FROM

HYDROGEN

“I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen which constitute it, used singly or together, will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light, of an intensity of which coal is not capable.” – Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island, 1874.

Contribution for IRTENZ by Russell Walsh (Life Member IRTENZ)

I

n this article, we explain what hydrogen is and the principles behind using it to power vehicles.

Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles (Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles or FCEVs) use electrical energy to drive motors, moving the vehicle in a similar way to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The major difference between the two is that FCEVs get their required electrical energy from a chemical process that takes place in a fuel cell fitted to the vehicle, while a BEV uses only an onboard battery as its electricity source. BEVs need regular recharging from an external source, often this is done overnight. FCEVs need no external charging.

In an FCEV, hydrogen is not burnt in the engine to release its energy in the same way as petrol and diesel.

Instead, hydrogen is part of a

controlled chemical reaction that releases its energy as electricity.

What is hydrogen?

Hydrogen, chemical symbol H, is the most plentiful element on earth; No1 in the Periodic Table of Elements. Hydrogen has the highest energy content of any common fuel by weight – and it’s this energy we unlock when we use hydrogen in a vehicle. Hydrogen is everywhere, but we cannot

see it. Two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen combined make a compound – water – which we can see. For hydrogen to be useful, it must first be extracted from the compound it is part of.

Hydrogen is an inflammable gas and must be treated accordingly. It is lighter than petrol vapour, and when released into the atmosphere, it rises and disperses quickly.

The extraction process Put simply, electricity is passed through water, which breaks it down into its constituent components – hydrogen, and oxygen. This process is called electrolysis.

The hydrogen is captured and stored in tanks as a gas.

The source of the electricity for the process is critical. In countries that rely heavily on burning fossil-based fuel to produce their electricity, the environmental benefits of using hydrogen to supply the energy source for vehicles is marginal when these are offset against the emissions emitted to produce the electricity. In New Zealand, where more than 80% of our electricity requirements are generated from renewable resources, the environmental benefits of hydrogen stack up well.

Getting hydrogen to the vehicle Because hydrogen is a gas, it can be compressed and

The Hyundai Xcient FCEV is the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen electric heavy truck.

New Zealand Trucking

July 2020

35

I

E lo T E a lo T N a N S S

Introducing… the Straitline Tensioner transported in road tankers similar to those used to transport bulk LPG. Storage pressures are high, but it can be stored safely at refuelling stations and is dispensed in a similar way to LPG. Refuelling an FCEV is fast.

A European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) report, Comparison of Hydrogen and Battery Electric Trucks, Campaigning for Cleaner Transport in Europe | Transport & Environment, suggests that refuelling a European style long-haul truck for a range of approximately 600 to 800km should take no longer than 20 minutes.

Refuelling time is dependent on the flow rate of the hydrogen dispenser and the volume of gas remaining in the vehicle’s tanks.

The fuel cell In a fuel cell, a reverse process similar to that which separated the hydrogen takes place – reverse electrolysis. In this

TM

reverse process, the hydrogen from one or more tanks on the vehicle reacts with oxygen in the fuel cell. The oxygen comes from the outside air.

The results of this reaction are electrical energy, heat, and water, which is emitted through the exhaust as water vapor.

The electrical energy is used

to charge a battery, much smaller than those fitted to a BEV, and to drive electric motors connected to the vehicle’s drive wheels and to provide power to the fitted accessories, such as lights and air-conditioning.

BEV or FCEV? Overseas experience with

BEVs and FCEVs suggest they will complement each in the freight market. BEVs are more suitable for local/urban running where there is ready access to charging stations. FCEVs will be more suitable for intercity/ line-haul operations because of the distance they can travel on a single top-up of hydrogen.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

Custom-build is the name of the game at Patchell Stainless.

Not just pretty things Since 2005, Patchell Stainless has built a reputation as a one-stop-shop for highquality, custom-built tankers. It’s the very reason why its customers keep coming back.

A

household name in Kiwi trucking circles since 1972, the Patchell Group needs no introduction. Over the years, Patchell has grown to include four individual but interlinked entities (Patchell Industries, Patchell Stainless, Patchell Repairs & Maintenance, and Swinglift). Together, these companies allow the group to meet the needs of its logging, tanker and container transport clients.

The Patchell Stainless division was added in 2005 when the group bought Simmons Engineering. “We’re pretty much a custom-build shop, not a production line; we build anything that comes in, to spec,” explains Stainless manager Wayne Gardner.

The division currently accounts for about 10% of the 200-odd units Patchell puts on the road annually.

Wine, milk, molasses, oil, juice, DG (in conjunction with Tanker Solutions), water, demountables… all are built to

102 New Zealand Trucking

the highest level of quality control with 304L or 316-grade stainless steel.

“We have one supplier of stainless steel in Auckland; we don’t buy from all over the place. That means we can keep control and that’s a big advantage to us.

If anything is wrong, we can go back to that supplier and figure it out. We have a strict quality regime on how we build – everything’s documented,” Gardner says.

Added to this are in-house paint shops, electrical and brake specialists, and finishing bays – complications are reduced, and efficiency increased.

The process starts off with finding out what the customer wants to cart and what truck/tractor unit they’ll use, before the CAD boffins at Patchell Industries work out the spec of the build. Patchell Industries then gets to work designing and building the chassis while Patchell Stainless works on the tanks. Chassis and other smaller components such as drawbar assemblies

are welded by Patchell Industries’ six plasma welding robots.

Stainless has one robot to do the tank seams. This has reduced a 2.5-hour job (per seam) to just four minutes, at the same time freeing up one of the two people needed to do the job, making less noise and requiring fewer consumables.

When it comes to innovation, the aspect that’s changed the most over the years is the tank volumes – but Patchell prefers not to reinvent the wheel, instead playing to its strengths and giving customers what they want. “A lot of our innovation has come from customers, who help us understand what makes the job easier for the driver. When something works, it gets passed onto other designs,” says Glenn Heybourn, sales and marketing manager.

“There are people doing tanks with no chassis under them; that’s not something we believe we should do. Others are trying to innovate with less tare weight, but when you cut tare weight, it creates the opportunity for cracking and other problems. We’re lucky that our tankers are based on logging gear trialled and proven in the bush. We’re not the lightest tanker on the road – pretty close – but we also have strength and durability,” Gardner says. 

February 2021

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

New year, new me?

104 New Zealand Trucking

vicious cycle and am instead focussing on a charity event.

On 27 March 2021, I will be completing six Waikato summits back-to-back in the name of the Mental Health Foundation. This is my way of reaching out to people who are struggling with many different individual battles and saying, “it’s okay not to be okay”. After the year we’ve had, I want to raise awareness of the importance of looking after your own mental health and supporting the wellness of your friends and family.

This goal obviously means that I have to be in good shape and have an excellent fitness level. It will drive me to train hard and eat well, so my body is well fuelled for training. There is absolutely no requirement in terms of what I must weigh and the foods that I must not eat – there is a much bigger picture.

So I encourage you all to do the same; obviously not to do six summits backto-back for mental health, but to create

a positive and healthy goal for yourselves that will pull you away from negative body image and revolving your life around weigh-ins and dieting.

I would be so interested in hearing about all of the positive goals and challenges you set yourselves. I also encourage you to choose a summit and come along to my mental health charity event and walk a summit with me. Here is the link to my Facebook event page, which has everything you need to know about the event: https://f b.me/e/cXHZnY9Nv

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

February 2021 1220-17

I

f I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase “new year, new me”, I could comfortably cruise into early retirement.

The beginning of a new year signals a fresh start, a clean slate and a good time to turn over a new leaf and create a healthy lifestyle. Although you have the best of intentions, you often set goals and expectations so high you are bound to fail, feel disheartened and sometimes come out worse off than when you started.

I propose we throw the whole “new year, new me” in the recycling and instead follow the mantra of “new year, new challenge”. Yes, I know, it doesn’t have the same ring to it, but that’s not important. What is important is how you construct your goal or challenge so that it is: 1) attainable and 2) positive.

What I mean by that is often we kick off a new challenge with a list of things we cannot and should not do or eat.

Whereas, if we have a list of things we want to do more of and include more in our diets, then already we have a positive mindset from the get-go.

This could include replacing the goal of no chocolate and no takeaways with one that focusses on more vegetables and more fruit. In nutrition, it’s described as “crowding out”. You’re encouraged to focus not on excluding foods, but including more nutritious foods to crowd out the less nutritious foods and hopefully you will want and need less of those, such as takeaways.

The same thing applies to your fitness goals. If your goal is always focussed on the number on the scale or something negative you don’t like about yourself, you set off on the wrong foot, already feeling negative, even if it is subconsciously.

I don’t know about you, but I would rather focus on finding a sport that I enjoy, or joining a group exercise class than saying, “I need to lose 10kg and my love handles.”

For many years, I focussed on how much I weighed and how little junk food I could eat and would feel disheartened if I put on weight or ate something “naughty”. This year I have stopped that

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

What do you do in a serious road accident?

T

owards the end of last year, Safewise was asked to support an organisation that had recently experienced every truck driver’s worst nightmare. A car had gone under a trailer, and the vehicle’s driver had died. Luckily, no one else was in the car.

The transport organisation involved has excellent emergency systems, including good communication procedures. Staff acted quickly, checking up on each other, managing the traffic, rushing to the car driver’s aid and calling the emergency services.

No one anticipates a serious accident; such an event will take us by surprise, so it’s essential to be prepared. Any accident involving multiple vehicles or large numbers of victims such as a bus or a lost load, for example, is serious.

Organisations also need to prepare for events they aren’t part of but are involved with in the aftermath. Because they haven’t anticipated these events, they often don’t have the procedures to manage them. And when there are plans, they are often not discussed or reviewed.

What are some of the actions that should be taken when the unexpected happens? The basic steps are: • Stop in a safe place.

• Make sure that you are safe before exiting your vehicle.

• Make sure the scene is safe – traffic control, etc.

• Check the other people are okay – provide first aid.

• Call the emergency services.

These steps are a good start, but it is sensible to widen the scope. For example, you might include a plan to manage dangerous goods, or how to clean up a spilt load and how vehicles are going to be retrieved.

A robust health and safety plan will consider all potential emergencies and how to manage them. The next step is to inform your staff about the plan and practice it. When it is practised – this can be a desktop/discussion – review it and 23031 identify DANI1 TRUCKING AD.pdf 27/5/10 work 3:12:58 anything that doesn’t as itPMshould. Update the

plan, inform the staff and practice it again. This is a continual cycle and will ensure your emergency plans are fit for purpose.

Review the plan after a real-life situation; it is the best test. This means including the staff involved in the event, identifying the problems, amending the plan accordingly, re-informing the staff and practising, practising, and practising. 

How can Safewise help?

We work with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge, or more time, than they have in-house. For more information, check the website www.safewise.co.nz.

About Tracey Murphy Tracey is the owner and director of the health and safety consultancy, Safewise. She has more than 12 years’ experience working with organisations from many different industries and holds a diploma in health and safety management and a graduate diploma in occupational safety and health. She is a graduate member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and is on the HASANZ register.

Danielle L. Beston Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: 64 9 379 7658 mobile: 021 326 642 danielle.beston@hobsonchambers.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

106 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

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LEGAL LINES

Privacy Act 2020 changes

T

he Privacy Act 2020 aims to keep people’s personal information safe and secure and applies to all organisations and business types, including sole traders, freelancers and contractors. If you collect, store or use personal information about employees or customers, it’s important to be familiar with the revamped act. The legislative amendments reflect the changes in the wider economy and society and ensure it is fit for the technological world we now live in.

include what information the company or organisation needs to release, the processes they need to follow and the date by which they must take those steps. If a business or organisation disagrees with an access direction, it can appeal to the Human Rights Review Tribunal. An appeal must be lodged within 20 working days of receiving the notice.

Privacy breaches

Business are already required to: • only gather personal information needed for business reasons; • tell people what you collect, including if you use cookies on your website; • store personal information safely and securely; • only keep information while you need it or are legally allowed to keep it; • respond to someone’s request for personal information within 20 working days; • update or correct personal information as required, such as a new phone number or address.

A privacy breach is where there has been unauthorised or accidental access to personal information, or disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction of personal information. It can also include a situation where a business or organisation is stopped from accessing information, either temporarily or permanently.

Discuss with your staff what to do if there’s a serious privacy breach by talking through potential scenarios so that they know what steps to take. In particular, you must report serious violations to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) by phone, email or using the OPC’s online tool, NotifyUs. If a business or organisation has a privacy breach that has caused serious harm, or is likely to do so, the OPC must be notified as soon as possible, and the business or organisation should also notify the affected people.

What’s new

Criminal offences

Existing privacy requirements

From 1 December 2020, changes to the act mean that businesses must: • not destroy personal information to avoid answering a request made if someone asks for information held about them; • report serious privacy breaches; • check that any personal information shared with overseas companies is subject to privacy safeguards similar to those in New Zealand. If not, then the individual must be fully informed and expressly authorise the disclosure.

Businesses and organisations must demonstrate that they have undertaken necessary due diligence before making a crossborder disclosure. The exception to this is in certain urgent circumstances when it is necessary to maintain public health or safety, prevent a serious threat to someone’s life or health, or maintain the law.

Overseas businesses operating in New Zealand must meet privacy requirements, including multi-nationals offering cloud software or social media services.

The privacy commissioner

The privacy commissioner frequently investigates complaints about businesses or organisations who fail to give people access to their personal information. The commissioner now has greater powers to ensure that companies and organisations comply with their obligations. These include making decisions on complaints relating to access to information, ordering a business to give a person their personal information in the form of an access direction, which is a written notice issued to a company or organisation, and issuing a compliance notice if a business fails to comply with the act.

All access directions will outline the steps or conditions the business or organisation needs to take to comply. This will

108 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

It will now be an offence, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 to: • fail to notify the OPC of a notifiable privacy breach; • refuse to comply with a compliance notice issued by the privacy commissioner; • mislead a business or organisation by impersonating someone, or pretending to act with that person’s authority, to gain access to their personal information or to have it altered or destroyed; • destroy documents containing personal information, knowing that a request has been made for that information.

Privacy officer

Consider appointing a privacy officer within your organisation to be responsible for compliance with the act. This role would involve acquiring a general understanding of how the act applies to the business, and checking personal information is collected responsibly and stored safely.

The role would also include making sure any issues or requests for personal information can be responded to within the time limit and handling privacy complaints made to your business, including working with the OPC on any escalated matters.

Danielle Beston

Please note that this article is not 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) 379 7658 or 021 326 642.

Bronwyn Slater – Slater 2010 Ltd Bronwyn Slater has a real passion for the trucking industry, and enjoys her job and work.

While she does have her truck license, Bronwyn admits she wouldn’t call herself a truck driver, and as the sole owner and managing director of Slater 2010 Ltd, she’s got plenty on her plate to keep her busy.

The key aspect of the business is carting coal to the dairy factories and to Genesis Energy’s power station. Slater 2010 Ltd also does a lot of farm work, including raceways, ponds and dams, and undertakes civil work too.

With a long history in the industry, Bronwyn got into the trucking game in 1983, taking over sole ownership of Slater 2010 Ltd in 2010.

“I think our strength is we mainly work locally in our area, that reputation. People know the company and the operators, it’s mostly return clientele, and it’s about recognising those people who have been good to us.”

Bronwyn BronwynSlater Slater

Her daily role involves dispatching trucks and machines, maintaining service reports on the machines and doing the accounts.

– –Slater Slater2010 2010Ltd Ltd

Based in Huntly, in the Waikato, the majority of the company’s Bronwyn Bronwyn has a real a areal passion passion work is local andSlater the Slater businesshas has built up strong core groupfor of for thethe trucking trucking industry, industry, and and enjoys enjoys herher repeat clients.

jobjob and and work. work.

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Bronwyn’s two sons have followed in her footsteps over the years.

The The key key aspect aspect of the of business the business is carting is carting coalcoal to the to dairy the dairy “Our businesses are totallyEnergy’s independent ofstation. each other, though we factories factories and and to Genesis to Genesis Energy’s power power station.

Slater Slater 2010 2010 Ltdwork Ltd alsoalso doesof does athe lotasame oflotfarm of yard. farm work, work, including including raceways, raceways, and and do out They are successful in ponds theirponds own dams, dams, and and undertakes undertakes civil civil workwork too.too. right.”

WithWith a long a long history history in the in industry, the industry, Bronwyn Bronwyn got into got into the trucking the trucking game game in 1983, in 1983, taking taking overover solesole ownership ownership of Slater of Slater 2010 2010 Ltd Ltd in in The move to MyTrucking came four years ago and has created 2010.

2010.

Favourite truck?

huge in her business.

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IHer would have toinvolves sayinvolves Mitsubishi, we’ve gotand good runs outmaintaining of maintaining Her dailydaily role role dispatching dispatching trucks trucks and machines, machines, service service reports reports on the on machines the and and doing doing the accounts. the accounts. the Mitsubishis we’ve got.machines

“It came at return a time whenand weand wereabout a recognising lot of work with manual mostly mostly return clientele, clientele, it’s it’sdoing about recognising those those people people whowho havehave beenbeen goodgood to us.” to us.” spreadsheets and reconciling with the customers. When we saw Bronwyn’s Bronwyn’s two two sonssons havehave followed followed in her in footsteps her footsteps overover the years. the years. the MyTrucking software andindependent itsindependent options,ofit each was exactly whatthough wewe we “Our“Our businesses businesses are totally are totally of each other, other, though do work do work of outthe of same the same yard.yard.

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Based Based in Huntly, in Huntly, in the in Waikato, the Waikato, the majority the majority of the of company’s the company’s workwork is local is local and and the business the business has has builtbuilt up aup strong a strong corecore group group of of repeat repeat clients. clients.

Favourite place to get a pie?

The local bakeries.

right.” right.”

Favourite MyTrucking Favourite Favourite truck? truck? feature?

I would I would havehave say to say Mitsubishi, we’ve got good got good runsruns out of The option totopre-load aMitsubishi, whole we’ve month of dates work in. Iout canof the Mitsubishis the Mitsubishis we’ve we’ve got.got. hold the control key and select every day in the month I want Favourite Favourite place place to to getget a pie? a pie? aThe repetitious job done.

The locallocal bakeries. bakeries.

Favourite Favourite MyTrucking MyTrucking feature? feature?

Favourite gearbox?

The The option option to pre-load to pre-load a whole a whole month month of dates of dates workwork in. I in. canI can holdhold the control thelike control keyRoadrangers, key and and select select every day in -the in month thelike month I want The drivers the notevery autosday they toI want drive a repetitious a repetitious job done. job done. a truck.

Favourite Favourite gearbox? gearbox?

reputation. reputation.

People People know know the company the company and and the operators, the operators, it’s it’s

“It’s been awesome for thecame business because a The The move move to MyTrucking to MyTrucking came fourfour years years ago we ago andcan and hasgenerate has created created hugehuge efficiencies efficiencies in her in business. her business. report very quickly, and it’s an extensive report for the customer.

“It came “It came at a at time a time when when we were we were doing doing a lotaoflotwork of work withwith manual manual The software isandvery user-friendly.

We use quite a few subspreadsheets spreadsheets and reconciling reconciling withwith the customers. the customers.

When When we saw we saw the MyTrucking the MyTrucking and its options, its options, it to was itthem was exactly exactly what what we we contractors, so tosoftware besoftware ableand to send a report quickly and wanted, wanted, to take to take that that potential potential revenue revenue leakage leakage out of outit.of it. efficiently on a regular basis is great.”

“It’s “It’s beenbeen awesome awesome for the for business the business because because we can we can generate generate a a report report veryvery quickly, quickly, and and it’s an it’sextensive an extensive report report for the for customer. the customer.

As asoftware MyTrucking customer, Bronwyn isuse pleased toa few see that some The The software is very is very user-friendly. user-friendly.

We We use quitequite a few sub-subcontractors, contractors, so tosobetohave able be able to send totaken send a report to them to quickly quickly and and of their suggestions been ona report board andthem implemented efficiently efficiently on aon regular a regular basisbasis is great.” is great.”

BronwynmymySltrucking atrucking ter

The The drivers drivers like like the Roadrangers, the Roadrangers, not autos not autos - they - they to drive to drive Favourite way to acknowledge alike like a truck. a truck.

Favourite Favourite way way to to acknowledge acknowledge a a truckie?

in the product, too. “They are listening so they keep developing As aAs MyTrucking a MyTrucking customer, customer, Bronwyn Bronwyn is pleased is pleased to see to see that that some some something people really of their of their suggestions suggestions havewant.” have beenbeen taken taken on board on board and and implemented implemented in the in product, the product, too.too.

“They “They are listening are listening so they so they keepkeep developing developing something something people people reallyreally want.” want.”

my trucking – Slater 2010 Ltd

truckie? truckie?

The old hand over the steering wheel, big wave.

The The old hand old hand overover the steering the steering wheel, wheel, big wave. big wave.

Favourite Favourite saying saying or or catchphrase? catchphrase?

Favourite saying or catchphrase?

Every Every job is joba is good a good job. job.

Every job is a good job.

www.mytrucking.com www.mytrucking.com

www.mytrucking.com

alic

NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Whose fault is it?

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onsider this: only 4% of truck drivers are women, a fact pointed out at a recent industry event by RTF CEO Nick Leggett when explaining the new Road to Success Traineeship programme.

It’s time to stop wondering why that figure is so low and start actioning simple things to improve it, such as: • clean restrooms; • uniforms that are designed for women, so they are comfortable; • split shifts to accommodate childcare hours; • job-sharing options; • gender-neutral job advertisements.

These are just a few things that could help to attract more women into the industry. Evidence of bias is everywhere. At a recent event attended by operators, stakeholders, truck drivers and suppliers, a speaker welcomed the gentlemen in the room and referred solely to male truck drivers throughout his presentation.

In the audience were women truck drivers and women who own companies and work in the industry.

It is hard to believe that in 2021 this attitude still exists.

One young woman approached the man after his presentation. She politely mentioned that there are also women drivers in the audience and maybe in future he should not just acknowledge men. His reply was, “Okay, next time, I will say men and 4%.” It may have been a joke but his attitude is unacceptable, and I applaud the young woman who dared to let him know that.

You could describe the comment as flippant. But it devalues the women who have worked hard to achieve the skills and licenses to drive a truck or those who work in the industry.

The point that is often missed is, who is the decisionmaker? If you are a supplier and sell products and services to the industry, do not overlook the women working in your organisation if you want to be successful. It would be good to do research to see which gender makes the most decisions in a company, or who has the most influence. I am pretty sure that the difference would be smaller than people think.

Many women run transport companies. We need to break down the barriers, and that means showing some respect. Not

acknowledging women at an event and then referring to them as a percentage is something that will not – nor should – be well received. Although much has been done in recent years, we are not even close to accessing the huge workforce of women who could be truck drivers – and we want to be more encouraging, not off-putting.

The issue was highlighted at a recent school visit with the Road Safety Truck. One of the volunteers was a young woman truck driver who came with her tractor unit. When the students got into the cab, she told them it was her truck.

A seven-year-old asked her if she was a boy. She said, “No, I am a girl, and girls can drive trucks.” The students were then interested to know more.

The Road Safety Truck allows us to inspire the next generation. Having more young truck drivers along as volunteers is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase them. It’s quite a powerful conversation when a female driver says they drive the truck they are sitting in.

I believe New Zealand could lead the world by having the highest number of women drivers. But it means getting rid of the bias and outdated boys’ club mentality. Just because something has been done one way for 50 years does not mean it should continue.

Think about your branding and your public image. Is it good enough? Do you have a good safety record? Do you have clean and well-maintained trucks? Make some subtle changes to look more appealing to women and showcase your company as a great place in which to work.

Get involved in your local community. Be seen. Please send your stories to the NZ Trucking Association about how you successfully employ women and what you have done to make them feel like one of the team. 

I believe New Zealand could lead the world by having the highest number of women drivers. But it means getting rid of the bias and outdated boys’ club mentality. Just because something has been done one way for 50 years does not mean it should continue.

NZ Trucking Association can be contacted on 0800 338 338 or info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

110 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

By Carol McGeady, executive officer NZ Trucking Association

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alic

ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM

Progress on new roads but plenty more to do

I

recently toured the new Transmission Gully motorway project with RTF board member and local freight operator Deborah O’Brien.

As New Zealand Trucking readers will know, the project hasn’t been without its problems, and I have been pretty critical of the time it has taken to complete. However, driving it gave me an appreciation of its immense scope and the significant engineering challenges that have been overcome. More than 10,000,000m³ of earth has been moved, and there’s a pretty impressive incline to the 253m Wainui Saddle. The project also includes 27km of stream remediation and planting 2.5 million native trees and plants.

I was impressed with some of the road’s safety features, including a 250m-long ‘arrestor bed’ on the long northbound descent from the Wainui Saddle. This is a gravel-filled ramp adjacent to the road that can be used to stop a runaway vehicle.

It has been designed to bring heavy vehicles to a halt in an emergency, such as a brake or gearbox failure.

Lower North Island freight operators are equally excited about the Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatu Tararua Highway project that is finally taking shape, with the prime minister turning the first sod before Christmas.

The new route, situated just north of the old Manawatu Gorge route that was permanently closed after the massive slip in April 2017, will be 11.5km long with two lanes each way.

It will have a drive time of about 13 minutes for light vehicles and 18 minutes for freight and provide a high-quality link over the Ruahines between Ashurst and Woodville.

Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatu Tararua Highway will be a critical freight connection between the eastern and western sides of the lower North Island and is due for completion in 2024. RTF will keep a close eye on progress.

While things are looking up for road users in the lower North Island, there are still some serious roading and congestion issues to sort out in central Wellington, which unfortunately is still locked in a political deadlock.

Auckland, on the other hand, is a primary focus for government transport planners. Although a considerable

Above: The new route has presented some significant engineering challenges.

Right: Nick Leggett and RTF board member Deborah O’Brien inspect progress on Transmission Gully.

112 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

amount of money has been invested in transport in the city, several important roading initiatives that would alleviate congestion for the road transport industry, including the EastWest Link, have not seen much progress at all.

While improving metro rail services is important and will certainly improve commuter mobility in and around the central city, a significant deficit remains in roading infrastructure. This continues to make life difficult for upper North Island road transport operators and is a considerable drag on the New Zealand economy.

To illustrate the size of the task ahead in Auckland, a recent report by the NZTA has estimated that by 2046, 27,000 trucks will need to cross Auckland Harbour every day. The report, which looks at a second harbour crossing, has estimated that to develop the future infrastructure required for that project alone will cost somewhere between $6 billion and $18 billion, depending on the project’s scale, and would primarily have to be paid for by the central government. It’s eye-watering stuff.

Sticking with road building, I was astonished to read over the Christmas period that Refining New Zealand is to stop bitumen production at its Marsden Point refinery at the end of January 2021. The decision seems at odds with the record amount of money currently being spent on transport infrastructure, including road building and maintenance. But according to reports, there is now an oversupply of bitumen in the Asia Pacific region, so it just wasn’t economical anymore.

Still, with some of the challenges we have seen this year with the international supply chain, it does make me nervous that we will now rely 100% on imported bitumen for our Nick Leggett roading. The NZTA assures us that relying Chief executive on imports will not impact future projects, officer and already work is underway to ensure the quality of the bitumen we import and to develop additional storage capacity. Here’s hoping the organisation is right.

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alic

WE L L I NGT ON C OU NC I L M E DI A DE P T

THE LAST MILE

Wakey wakey

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n 2017, a significant slip occurred on one of Wellington’s major commuter routes, the Ngaio Gorge Road. Temporary repairs were made, including placing several shipping containers and concrete blocks at road level to prevent more of the hill slipping onto the road. It is estimated at least 10,000 vehicles use this road each day, including trucks servicing the residential areas at the top of the hill. The road also provides an alternative road route out of Wellington.

On 5 October 2020, Stuff reported that work was about to start to fix the problem. This is expected to take two years, during which time the road will be down to a single lane. It is

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estimated the work will cost $11 million but undoubtedly this will blow out over time as ‘unexpected’ problems are found.

One of the reasons stated for the delay in starting the work is the need to wait until the hibernating lizards that live in the area wake up and can be caught and relocated to a nearby park.

There has been some discussion, though, that waiting until the lizards awake is actually a story dreamt up to cover the fact that the delay was caused while we waited for the bureaucrats involved to wake up and stop playing pass-the-parcel. Or perhaps they have temporarily run out of ideas on which roads to reduce speed limits or create more cycleways next?

At the same time the announcement was made that this work would start, it was also reported that a hole had been found in the preditor exclusion fence around the Zealandia wildlife sanctuary, which is not that far away from the Ngaio Gorge. Fences such as those around Zealandia not only keep predators out but can also keep those inside in. So I have another theory. The sanctuary’s chief executive is reported as saying that the hole looks as though it was deliberately cut using a power tool. If this is so, then in my mind this tends to rule out actions by the birds and other regular inhabitants of the sanctuary – except perhaps one, the species bureaucrat.

Not that I am suggesting that this species is endangered in any way – there seems to be increasing numbers of them every day. But perhaps one or two managed to find their way into Zealandia and settled there to make sure they were safe from potential threats to their existence? Those threats could include the application of common sense; common sense applied to what they do instead of endless rules dreamt up by them to ensure the species’ survival above all else.

Perhaps one or two of those bureaucrats who had made Zealandia their home had a change of heart and wanted to join the real world again? And to do this, they had to produce something that looks as if they are doing something to justify their salary, hence the plan to repair the gorge.

Perhaps the bureaucrats who escaped from Zealandia have been studying some of the work of Greek philosopher Socrates (470–399 BC), who is reported as saying, “Let him that would move the world, first move himself.”  The Accidental Trucker

114 New Zealand Trucking

February 2021

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