New Zealand Trucking November 2019

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TRUCKING NOVEMBER 2019

INCLUDING

TOP TRUCK 2018 – 2019

FAMOUS FIVE HoF 2019

ROBERT SCOTT hard-earned

SCALE Official magazine of the

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CONTENTS

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NZ

Video ZTR

AL UCKINGDIGIT

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34 No grey areas ‘Reeding’ it right

50 Doing it all to survive Work will set you free

also…

06 08 26

Editorial

80

Road Noise

On Duel’s trail

Industry news

Hall of Fame 2019

84

Inductees

60

Person of Interest

64

Just Truckin’ Around

66

Top Truck

88

Incoming cargo

What’s coming

90 92

Truck ‘em up

Good on ya mate

Opening doors

76

Light Commercial Test

I’ll be your friend

Gaye’s moving career

70

International Truck Stop

Aussie Angles

Seeing is ‘p’lieving

Special Report

IRTENZ 2019

RTF Conference 2019

Industry Awards

94

RTF Conference 2019

Central Focus

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Official Sponsor

Associate Member New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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CONTENTS EDITOR

Dave McCoid ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers

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

56 Sweet child, sweet triumph

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

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

Pav Warren

Ph: 027 2014001 Email: pav@nztrucking.co.nz

SUB EDITOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

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

Ricky Harris

Georgi George

Long Haul Publications Ltd OFFICE

Long Haul Publications Ltd PO Box 35 Thames 3500 C/O Purnell Lawyers 611 Mackay St, Thames 3500

72 An absolute ripper

ART DIRECTOR

John Berkley

Ashburton 2019

DIGITAL IMAGING

Willie Coyle

DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

Louise Stowell

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

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

98

Road Transport Forum

100 Share the Road Stocking up

102 Health and Safety

112 New Rigs 114 New Bodies and Trailers 116 Mini Big Rigs

104 Legal Lines

118 Little Truckers’ Club

106 NZ Trucking Association

120 What’s on/ Cartoon

108 Truckers’ Health

122 The Last Mile

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All for one

A

t the Hall of Fame function this year, HWR director Scott O’Donnell used his welcome address to fire a broadside at industry representation. I’d have thought when someone of his influence feels strongly enough about something to take such a stand on such an occasion, it’s worth serious contemplation. For those who weren’t there, this is what he said. These aren’t my words, they’re his. That’s why there are quote marks around them.

“It’s also important we have an industry group that’s really strong and very well thought of in Wellington, and across the wider regions. It’s been a personal concern to me that there’s a fair bit of trench warfare going on in the associations under the RTF. I think that’s a very, very bad thing for the industry. It’s important we have this one voice in Wellington, but also that we work together as a team when it comes to these things. We know we go and compete Monday to Sunday, but how we deal with the industry needs to be very much better concealed.

“So, whether you take it as a shot across the bow or whatever you want to call it, it’s very important that the supposed trench warfare that’s going on amongst the associations stops. Because if it doesn’t stop, you’ll find the customers will start making the big calls around how they spend their money and that will remove the need to have those associations. Let’s go and deal with it directly.

“So, a warning to the CEOs and committees, let’s get that sorted.”

Some on the night felt that wasn’t the time or the place.

I disagree. The reason I disagree is bolstered by what Phil Twyford, Transport Minister, said at the RTF conference a few days earlier. Here are a couple of choice morsels from him.

The first. “The industry is not without its challenges.

Competitive pressures are driving down drivers’ incomes. The big customers wield enormous market power. Firms are forced to cut margins to win contracts. This puts pressures on drivers to drive longer, not to take breaks, and meet more and more demanding schedules. Markets are competitive of course, but when these pressures undermine safety and drive down pay packets, then it’s a problem for all of us.”

Second. “We have to ask ourselves what kind of industry do we want to have in 10 years? In 30? Will it be one that you recommend to your kids? That’s an important question given the average age in the industry is 54.”

So even Phil’s telling us that the industry is tending towards being a basket case. An industry with representation coming out its yin-yang. He’s even offered a helping hand to sort it out. This is KiwiBuild Phil, offering us help. Is that embarrassing? Yep, I’d have thought so. I do hope Phil’s had an epiphany of late. He himself said road moves 91% of freight and is looking like being 28,000 drivers short over the next 10 years. I hope he’s got those two gems to home base in JulieAnne’s reality sphere.

adapted masthead.indd 1

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

If you’re going to sit down and write on a piece of paper how many groups represent the interests of the road transport industry, you’ll need a pallet of parchment. And yet we have buggered roads in desperate need of repair (National’s fault according to Phil), almost zero facilities on new road infrastructure for truck drivers, we’re treated like a plaything in terms of compliance, new roads are built with about as much future-proofing as paper undies, drivers’ hours are still regulated on nothing to do with being tired, there’s still a rubbish situation in regard to work hours on the ferries, and it’s not hard to find crappy pay rates and conditions with even a fleeting look. And none of that touches on the potential pendulum effect and impact that could have on us in the wake of the certification debacle at NZTA. I’ve always thought the industry would be better represented via activity-based bodies communicating to the RTF. The overlapping umbrella model we have now where the associations try to be all things to all people is just too political, ungainly, and competitive. It has to be by nature of the way they’re set up. When you look at what the Log Transport Safety Council has achieved for its sector, you have to ask if we’d be better served by specialist groups with high IP and passion in a specific skillset, communicating to an umbrella RTF whose board was evenly made up of representatives from the specific groups. That way the RTF would be representative of the industry to the government.

The situation of the past couple or three decades won’t wash going forward. Change on a scale we can’t comprehend is just around the corner, and it will threaten our own relevance in the supply chain. Look at it: trucking around the world has generally made an appalling job of its lot. Historically our reason for being, our supply chain competency, has been load consolidation and drivers. The first one’s almost history now in the face of sophisticated software and connectivity, and the second’s been the unsolvable solvable problem for nigh-on 30 years.

Scott’s on the money from where I stand.

Dave McCoid Editor

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This is Japan’s most advanced truck.

It’s part of a new commitment from FUSO to use innovative technologies to save lives and save money by avoiding or reducing the cost of accidents.

These advanced safety features, based on world-class Daimler technology, really set Shogun apart.

— Active Attention Assist

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This monitors a number of different inputs, including an infrared camera which monitors the driver’s face and eye closure.

A camera detects lane markings and warns the driver when the vehicle moves out of its lane.

— Active Emergency Braking

— New 7” Touchscreen & Reversing Camera

Avoids or mitigates collisions with pedestrians and other vehicles by using a radar to monitor the road ahead.

With Apple CarPlay and Android Audio. Gives handsfree talking and text to speech.

— Adaptive Cruise Control Automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle in front.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Debris from the slip that occurred in the Manawatu Gorge on 23 July 2017.

Yay – two lanes each way!

T

he new Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatu Tararua Highway will be two lanes each way for the majority of the new road, including the plateau across the Ruahine Ranges.

NZ Transport Agency owner interface manager Lonnie Dalzell said the decision to have slow vehicle lanes running continuously along the majority of the route was reached after further design work, which included input from road user groups.

“We are delighted that our work with key stakeholders such as the Automobile Association, Heavy Haulage and the Road Transport Association has achieved this positive outcome.”

The updated concept design for the new road replaces the preliminary concept design, which would have seen one lane each way with wider shoulders for about three kilometres on top of the Ruahine Ranges.

Together with other project updates and the latest information, the updated concept design will be presented to the public at a round of open days in the region in early December 2019.

Enabling works for the new project are expected to get under way this summer construction season, with project completion scheduled for 2024.

An update on SH1 The NZ Transport Agency has committed to undertake the next steps in the long-term planning for a new transport corridor between Otaki and north of Levin.

This includes undertaking the detailed business case and designation, as well as ensuring safety is improved on the existing SH1 in the short term.

Ahead of longer term solutions, safety upgrades will be made along 23.4km of the existing state highway, running along SH1 from the end of the PP2O to Taylors Road, and along SH57 from the intersection with SH1 to the previously completed safety improvements.

The safety improvements are expected to include the installation of new median barriers, roadside barriers

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New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

and wide centrelines, along with consideration of a new roundabout at the SH57/Queen Street intersection in Levin and new turnaround facilities at SH1/SH57.

NZTA director of regional relationships Emma Speight said a review of speed limits on SH1 from Otaki to Levin would also begin. The NZTA is continuing to investigate funding for further safety improvements on the existing SH1 to the north of Levin, and safety improvements on two level crossings in the region were due to begin.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

New chief executive at NZ Transport Agency

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he NZ Transport Agency has appointed a new chief executive, Nicole Rosie, who will assume the role from mid-February 2020.

NZTA board chair Sir Brian Roche said he was looking forward to working with Rosie.

“Nicole has more than two decades of executive experience across the public and private sectors and in a range of industries and functions. For the past three years she has led WorkSafe. She has significant executive leadership experience in transport and commercial

firms including Toll and Fonterra.”

Roche said Rosie’s appointment was important for the organisation as the NZTA continued to revitalise to deliver a safe, connected and integrated transport system.

Interim chief executive Mark Ratcliffe will remain in the role to enable a thorough handover and support for the half-year reporting process.

Roche acknowledged Ratcliffe’s strong leadership since taking on the role in January 2019.

Nicole Rosie brings more than two decades of executive experience across the public and private sectors to the NZ Transport Agency.

Trucks & Trailers gets Prestige

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rucks & Trailers Ltd, a family-owned heavy and light commercial vehicle sales, service and parts business, has purchased another Kiwi firm, Prestige Commercial Vehicles Limited (PCV) in the South Island, giving them nationwide reach and the ability to support customers across New Zealand.

Now with more than 200 employees across eight sites, Trucks & Trailers directors Mark and Shannon Wright say that the opportunity to purchase PCV fulfils an important objective in their ambition to be a leading heavy and light commercial vehicle supplier across New Zealand. This passion is shared by their team, who know first-hand their ‘people first’ business philosophy has set them up well for this exciting transition.

“Our business is built on long-term, personal relationships, and acquiring PCV is about looking to the future and doing the right thing for our customers, staff, and suppliers. By bringing PCV into the Trucks & Trailers family, we aim to provide more opportunities for our dedicated team, and at the same time lift the bar in commercial vehicle service and support on a national level, creating greater efficiencies and reduced downtime for our customers,” say the Wrights.

The directors of Prestige Commercial Vehicles say they are extremely happy passing on the baton to another New Zealand-owned business, saying they believe the move cements a positive and bright future for their loyal team and customers alike.

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The only Daimler Elite Support Certified Dealership in New Zealand, Trucks & Trailers currently offers authorised sales, service and parts support for Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Vans, X-Class ute, and Freightliner Trucks. With existing sites in Auckland, Palmerston North and Wellington, the acquisition of PCV adds sites in Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, Invercargill and Greymouth.

Trucks & Trailers has a rich history with the Daimler brands, as not long after the business was founded by Don Wright in 1987 – servicing and repairing trucks from the back of a ute – the first Trucks & Trailers branch was opened in 1991, and just three years later became an authorised agent for Mercedes-Benz heavy vehicles.

“We see a very bright future with the excellent range of product that we have to offer, not just now but also in the future. Early in 2020 we will see the arrival of two brand new trucks from the Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz stables, which will further consolidate our unique position where we can offer state-of-the-art product from a twowheel drive ute to a 250t heavy-haul truck and everything in between.

“We have the ability to bring to the table product that is setting new benchmarks in safety, sustainability, connectivity and productivity.”

Prestige Commercial Vehicles had developed a strong following from its launch in 2009 in the South Island, providing sales, service and parts support for Daimler Trucks brands Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Fuso.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Fuso enhances the Enduro

The Fuso Enduro range has been overhauled in both looks and spec.

F

uso New Zealand has overhauled its Enduro line-up with an eyecatching facelift, extra features and three new models.

New arrivals include the FJ1628 – a 4x2 16 tonne model fitted with diff lock, well suited for medium-sized tipper applications – and an 8x4 FO3128 31 tonne tipper with 19m³ factory body.

A new 4x2 FA1017 with a 10,400kg GVM replaces the FA917, with increased payload and a new, heavyduty 6-speed manual transmission for improved performance.

A key addition to all 6x4 and 8x4 models is engine live drive PTO, which, along with their solid chassis construction and cross locks rear axles, makes these trucks particularly suited for concrete applications.

Visibility in FJ, FO and FZ models – from within and outside the cab – has been improved thanks to new dual chamber daytime-running headlights.

There is a seat belt reminder, and cruise control eases driver stress and fatigue.

On the FA1017, a solar windshield protects against excess heat and light from the sun to improve driver comfort,

along with a new fabric seat cover, additional roof storage, and LED lamps for brighter cab illumination (standard across the range).

To complete the 2019 model year upgrade package, refined contouring lends a modern appearance across the range.

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Mirrors? What mirrors?

MirrorCam Actros debuts in New Zealand

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he new-generation MercedesBenz Actros featuring MirrorCam has made its debut in New Zealand.

Mercedes-Benz also confirmed it will begin a comprehensive New Zealand validation programme for the truck with a select group of customers who will evaluate the trucks in both the North and South Islands.

The new Actros is expected to go on sale in New Zealand in the second quarter of 2020.

While the innovative MirrorCam is the headline act, the new Actros also features a new multimedia interface system with two high-resolution tabletstyle screens that can be customised for driver preference.

The new generation truck also features GPS-assisted Predictive Powertrain Control for increased fuel efficiency, enhanced connectivity, and the latest generation of advanced safety technology that delivers further improvements.

MirrorCam can help deliver a

How much getting used to will this take? Experience suggest not that much, actually‌

fuel efficiency saving, thanks to the reduced drag of the small camera pods that replace the regular mirrors. The increased range of vision that can be displayed on the two screens in the

cabin, and the lack of a physical mirror blocking some of the view, is also set to deliver a big improvement for drivers and deliver greater safety.

New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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TRUSTED

BY ANDREW.

“The majority of our vehicles are IVECO Stralis. We’ve got about 30 with a range of specs and they’re reliable all-rounders.

Anybody can jump in and drive them comfortably and easily. When I find something I’m happy with – like the IVECO Stralis – I like to stick with it and the IVECO Stralis is a great, reliable fleet truck.”

Andrew Havill, General Manager – Aratuna Freighters

Quiet, comfortable, efficient and tough, these are all qualities of the IVECO Stralis - General Manager of Aratuna Freighters, Andrew Havill, wouldn’t have 30 of them if they didn’t deliver for his business. Available in a range of configurations including 6x4 and 8x4 prime movers and rigids and with GCMs of between 36 to 90 tonnes, the Stralis is well suited to many heavy duty applications. Add to this powerful yet fuel efficient Cursor engines with up to 560 horsepower, easyto-drive 12 and 16-speed Automated Manual Transmissions and one of the most comfortable cabins available, and you can see why the Stralis is according to Andrew, “a great, reliable fleet truck.”

For more information visit your local IVECO dealer or phone 0800 FOR IVECO (0800 367 48326).

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Adrian Bunyan

Andrew Hodgkinson

Garry Leitch

Scania NZ welcomes new team members

S

cania is building its team in New Zealand with the addition of Adrian Bunyan, Andrew Hodgkinson, and Garry Leitch.

Bunyan comes with an extensive background in automotive business and retail development. He is one of three dealer development managers who support the Scania dealer network and workshops.

Hodgkinson started his career in customer and managerial roles within the UK’s automotive industry.

Moving to New Zealand some 13 years ago, he joined CablePrice NZ and has worked as branch operations

manager in Christchurch for the past three years.

Hodgkinson’s role in Scania New Zealand is to work closely with the service and parts network across the South Island.

Leitch joins Scania New Zealand after experience in the heavy transport industry and running businesses on the Kapiti Coast.

Prior to joining Scania New Zealand, he had various management sales roles with CablePrice NZ. He brings more than 17 years’ experience in the trucking industry, holding managerial roles within the aftersales parts and services sector.

Swinglift goes international

T

he Patchell Group has sold the international rights to the Swinglift brand to French company, Boxloader SARL. Chief executive Brent Whibley said there will be no change to the New Zealand market and the sale will not affect local customers. The Patchell Group will continue to be responsible for the manufacture, sale and distribution of the Swinglift product for the New Zealand market.

“The relationship with Boxloader will allow us access to the BXL product range and therefore expand what we can offer you into New Zealand.

“Boxloader and Swinglift each have a significant market

position: Swinglift with its proven light tare inline LegOver design and Boxloader with its single stage or two stage telescoping dagger leg model, giving safe heavy lift capabilities.”

Whibley said Swinglift would keep manufacturing as efficiently as it has always done, alongside Boxloader sharing its know-how to continue to improve the products as much as possible when needed. The Patchell Group would continue to market Swinglift products around New Zealand, while Boxloader is responsible, along with partners such as the Drake Group in Australia, for the rest of the world.

New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ EROAD shares its knowledge

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ROAD was invited by the International Road Federation (IRF) to present at a regional transport connectivity forum in Podgorica, Montenegro.

This forum gave government ministers and transport authorities from across Eastern Europe an opportunity to learn about international best practice in transport investments that support regional connectivity and economic development.

Nina Elter, EROAD’s senior vice president of global market development, presented the evolution of EROAD’s easy to use system. Around 46% of heavy vehicle road user charges in New Zealand are now collected through EROAD, using technology specifically created to deliver reliably accurate

transport information.

Elter showed how the company’s single source platform has simplified and reduced administration costs of regulatory services, and provided alternative options for infrastructure funding, simultaneously delivering commercial benefits to transport operators.

The EROAD system has been engineered to provide solutions for both regulatory and commercial operators in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Fuel tax revenues have traditionally been the foundation of government funding for transport infrastructure, however these are declining as vehicles transition to environmentally sustainable alternatives.

Around 46% of heavy vehicle road user charges in New Zealand are now collected through EROAD, says Nina Elter.

Automated vehicles will affect other funding sources like licensing and parking fees, creating funding gaps at a time when supply chain logistics is increasing distances travelled.

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THE ENGINE TO DEFY CONVENTION.

THE UNCONVENTIONAL CONVENTIONAL. The Mack MP10 engine is New Zealand’s most powerful conventional engine.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Exploring New Zealand’s fleets

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anaging staff is fundamental to a fleet manager’s role, says the 2019 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report. Conducted by Teletrac Navman, the annual report examines best practices, trends and current issues influencing fleet management.

With New Zealand’s unemployment rate sitting at the 3.9% mark, businesses need to remain focused on attracting and retaining the best drivers. While there has been a marked jump in driver monitoring, safe drivers are not necessarily being rewarded. On top of reduced risk of incidents and injuries, the wider benefits of improving driver behaviour include the reductions in fuel use, vehicle wear and tear, and compliance risk.

Around a third (32%) of respondents said finding,

retaining, and developing talent is one of their top investments for 2019, and around two out of five businesses (44%) are experiencing driver shortages, as 56% of businesses plan to increase fleet size. Businesses with fleets expect it will take 11.4 years until autonomous driving will affect their business.

Popular retention methods include increasing pay (35%), driver appreciation programmes (23%), and upgrading equipment (20%). Driver monitoring has increased year-onyear. A majority of companies are monitoring driving (68%), rising 38% since 2018. Three in 10 (32%) businesses reward safe drivers.

Hyundai and Cummins team up

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yundai Motor Company and Cummins have entered into a memorandum of understanding to jointly evaluate opportunities to develop and commercialise electric and fuel cell powertrains.

These new powertrains are expected to be developed by combining Hyundai’s fuel cell systems with Cummins’ electric powertrain, battery, and control technologies. The initial development will be focused on the North American commercial vehicle market, including working with North American OEMs on the integration of these systems into their vehicles. The companies will also explore ways they can work

together to develop next generation fuel cell systems, and have each committed to assign a team of individuals to investigate and pursue other areas of collaboration.

This partnership provides a springboard for Hyundai Motor Company to increase its presence in the North American commercial vehicle market, and Cummins to enhance its electrified power product portfolio by adding Hyundai’s advanced fuel cell technologies.

The new collaboration may extend beyond the commercial vehicle market, as the companies will also evaluate the development of fuel cell power generators.

New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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ROAD NOISE NEWS Light Commercials

New entry-level Hilux workhorse

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oyota NZ has a new entry-level Hilux on sale. The 2WD WorkMate replaces the S model, and comes in single cab chassis and double cab wellside variants, with a low body height to ease loading equipment.

Being powered by a 2.7-litre 122kW 245Nm petrol engine driving the rear wheels via a 6-speed auto gearbox, it attracts no RUC, and servicing and registration cost less than an equivalent diesel.

The ute comes with a full suite of electronic safety aids – with Toyota Safety Sense now standard in the Hilux – a five-star crash test rating and a reversing camera, at a retail price of $28,990 (not including tray) for the cab chassis, and $29,990 for the double cab.

Any accessories already on sale for the 2WD diesel Hilux will fit the WorkMate, and two cab chassis trays are available from Toyota; the alloy variant using galvanised steel bearers and mounts, while the T Custom is constructed of heavy-duty galvanised steel with a plywood deck.

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New Zealand Trucking

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It’s electrifying

The day when all your commercial vehicle applications will be covered by battery power just came a step closer with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz EQV. The concept first showed at Geneva in March 2019, and now it’s real. The high-voltage battery slots beneath the floor to deliver a 405km range, with rapid charging taking fewer than 45 minutes to reach 80% battery capacity.

Unlike its eSprinter cousin, this EQV is likely to appeal to private as well as commercial buyers, as either wheelbase variant launches with seats, and it will initially sell as a shuttle.

The EQV is poised for production at Mercedes-Benz’s Vitoria plant in Spain, which also constructs the Vito.

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In the wellside news snippets

Holden’s Z71 Colorado ute gets an update from November arrivals, with a soft-drop tailgate, DuraGuard spray-on tub liner, underbody protection, a black grille, and wheel arch fender flares included at the same price as before.

Most-searched vehicle on TradeMe? Toyota Hilux ute, with more than 228,000 searches in September alone. Ford’s Ranger was the next ute in fourth overall, with 98,000.

New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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ROAD NOISE NEWS Light Commercials

In the wellside news snippets continued

Ford New Zealand has announced the arrival of a Ford Ranger FX4 with a 10-speed auto and bi-turbo engine, for the first time on a 2WD model. Expect this Limited Edition variant to land in December.

An electric truck has joined Waikato lines company WEL Networks. It’s the first elevated work platform electric truck in New Zealand, and was converted from diesel to a 132kWh battery. Used for line maintenance, it can lift a platform and has a 200km range.

A ute launched in Thailand under the historic MG badge, is in fact an LDV T60. The MG Extender will sell only in Thailand, where it is assembled.

Yet another US start-up company plans to launch an electric ute. The Bollinger pick-up is aimed at farms and workplaces. It has a 320km range from dual electric motors, will boast a 2359kg payload, tow 3401kg, and can reach 160kph. Bollinger Motors say 30,000 buyers have lined up, with production to start next year – but first more money is needed, as well as a manufacturing partner.

Bollinger is likely to be beaten to the market by a Rivian electric ute powered by four near-wheel motors. Investment in the company has hit US$2 billion. Two Rivian R1T electric utes have been spotted undergoing rigorous testing in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, but Tesla could still beat it to the punch, with its ute due to be unveiled as we went to press.

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Meanwhile, Amazon has announced it will buy 100,000 Rivian electric delivery vans, built in a former Mitsubishi plant in Illinois, for use from 2021.

A zero-emissions city centre for Auckland from 2030 is under discussion, with only zero-emissions buses to be allowed from 2025. Any company delivering within the zero zone has 10 years to find zero-emissions transport to suit.

Cummins has bought a major shareholding in Canadian hydrogen fuel cell developer Hydrogenics Corporation, in a bid to strengthen its own fuel cell projects.

The Global Hydrogen Council estimates the gas will power 15 to 20 million trucks, five million buses and more than 400 million cars by 2050, with hydrogen playing an especially strong hand in heavy and long-range segments.

Meanwhile, Auckland Transport will trial hydrogen fuel cell buses in partnership with Ports of Auckland and bus operators, the first bus to be built in Christchurch.

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2019 ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY Hall of Fame

2019 Mobil Delvac 1 NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame – Inductees Story by Faye Lougher. Photos supplied.

The eighth annual Mobil Delvac 1 NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame was held at Bill Richardson Transport World in Invercargill on Friday 27 September. This year Gavin Abbot, Paul Currie, Bill Hargreaves, Murray Sowerby and Mark McCarthy were inducted into the Hall of Fame, which recognises excellence in the New Zealand road transport industry.

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M

ore than 500 people from the transport industry were on hand for the prestigious, black-tie gala awards dinner. The event is the brainchild of HW Richardson Group directors Jocelyn and Scott O’Donnell. Jocelyn says the event aims to honour the outstanding contributions of individuals to the New Zealand road transport industry.

“This is a great opportunity to celebrate those within our industry who have contributed a significant amount of time, care and enthusiasm to forging the way for the future of road transport in New Zealand,” she says.

“In doing so, everybody in attendance is also contributing towards making New Zealand’s roads a safer place to be, particularly for our young people. The support of our attendees makes a huge difference in giving young New Zealanders the skills they need to be safe on our roads, so that they can go on and contribute meaningfully to the passions that drive them.”

All proceeds from the event, including a charity auction, are donated to the ProActive Drive Youth Driver Education Trust.

This year the event raised more than $17,000 for the trust. Since the event began in 2012, it has donated more than $100,000 to the trust.

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Scott O’Donnell presented the award to the family of the late Bill Hargreaves, who accepted it on his behalf

Another gala Hall of fame event at Bill Richardson Transport World. The industry at its ‘glammed-up’ best.

Bill Hargreaves

Bill Hargreaves was born in Dannevirke in 1927, with ‘diesel in his blood’ as they say. His father had a trucking company providing transport services to farmers and local businesses. As an only child, it was assumed Bill would take over the business, but he wanted to be a teacher and went to Canterbury to study for a BA. During his last two years at university, he worked for the licensing section of the Transport Department.

In 1951 he returned home to Dannevirke. The family business had now grown to four trucks and a service station and his father needed him. While working for his father, Bill purchased his first truck and started his own lime-spreading business.

Due to his father’s ill health, Bill took over the family business and further developed the company by buying more trucks and businesses. He purchased Lindsay Drummond’s company and then Dannevirke Transport.

In 1965, Bill bought Transport Wairarapa in Masterton.

With his wife, Bernice, and young son, they moved to Masterton, which then became the head office for the growing company.

He continued to expand the business by acquiring more companies, including Keith Shackelton, R. Robinson, Eketahuna Carrying Company, Manawatu Transport Assets, and P and O Roadways Petone.

The business provided services for stock, freight, school and mail runs, fertiliser spreading, wool cartage and fuel tankers as an agent for Atlantic Oil. In 1989 a new company, Fuel Line Distributors, was formed to distribute fuel to farms and some commercial resellers.

At its peak, Transport Wairarapa owned more than 300 road vehicles and employed 150 staff, making it one of the largest privately owned transport companies in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. Depots were based in Masterton, Eketahuna, Dannevirke, Feilding, Napier and Petone, as well as a truck parts business in Palmerston North.

With the continuing changes to the rural transport industry, the group of companies had to be flexible as the work was never the same from one year to another. Being very innovative, Bill was always looking for ways to do things faster and smarter. This included incorporating computers into the business, being one of the first in the country to do so.

The inductee was an executive of the No. 10 district of the National Roads Board, a member of the Wairarapa RTA, and served on The Wairarapa Regional Development Council.

Bill also represented the NZRTA on the national advisory committee on meat hygiene. He was chairman of the NZRTA’s industrial committee and was involved in many award negotiations, being well respected on both sides of the table.

In addition, he was a Rotarian with Masterton Rotary club, including time spent as president, and a Mason of the Rawhiti Lodge in Dannevirke.

Bernice played a large role in the business as company director, and when she died in 1987 it was a huge loss to both the business and the family. In 1990 Bill retired and a manager was appointed to run the company.

Unfortunately, the business could not weather cashflow issues and was put into receivership in 1993. The company was able to repay all debt after selling off the rolling assets and traded out of receivership, retaining the properties in Masterton and Dannevirke. Today it is a property investment company run by Bill’s daughter, supported by her siblings.

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In retirement Bill served a term on the Masterton District Council, was the inaugural president of a local Probus Club, travelled extensively and enjoyed his grandchildren.

Unfortunately he became ill with cancer and died in 2004.

While in business, his prime focus was his staff and the service the company gave to its clients, large or small. Bill knew exactly what was happening in every aspect of the business, arriving at work at 6am to spend the first hour of his day in dispatch talking to clients and drivers. Remembering the names of all his staff, their wives and their children, he touched the lives of many people.

Gavin Abot (left) receives his award from Scott O’Donnell.

Gavin Abbot

From milking house cows and rearing calves to working in the family grocery business delivering groceries on his bicycle, a young Gavin’s love of trucks was there from an early age.

His drawings of trucks in his childhood prayer book are a testimony to this.

Gavin completed his education in Opotiki. In 1945 at the age of 15, he heard Horne’s Garage was looking for an apprentice motor mechanic. Gavin applied, got the job, and was told to report at 8am the next day. He purchased a pair of overalls and never went back to school.

During this time, he became friends with a man working for Ron Smith Limited, a local carrier. On weekends Gavin worked in their yard doing odd jobs, going on the cream runs and carting slack coal (shovelled on, of course).

Gavin spent five years with Horne’s, sitting his trade examinations and obtaining his trade certificate. His 10,000hour apprenticeship ended in August 1950 and he left the garage for full-time employment as a driver with Ron Smith Limited. (He left that same truck yard in 1985, 35 years after he began.)

In 1951, Gavin purchased shares in Ron Smith Limited from Ron’s wife, becoming the third shareholder along with Ron Smith and Des Lysaght.

The years of truck driving were the best years of his life, he always said. However, married and with a young child, he finished driving in 1956 to move his skills into the workshop.

In 1960, Ron Smith Ltd purchased the Murupara operations of Ray Carter and formed Radiata Transport Ltd to operate

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November 2019

the logging activities. In 1962, Radiata Transport extended its log cartage operations and began carting logs from the forest to Mt Maunganui for export to Japan. The need arose for one of the fleet of Leyland Beavers to be set up as a logging truck.

The deck was removed, a swivel bolster fitted and the spare wheel was mounted on the front bumper to help with frontaxle loading. Gavin designed New Zealand’s first self-steering spaced 2-axle trailer with extended pole sliding in a box section on the front axle turntable section. This became the forerunner of today’s spaced axle trailers. Gavin was always thinking of better ways of advancing methods in trucking.

Gavin’s company shareholding increased with the formation of Direct Transport (Holdings) Ltd in 1963, and he continued his employment with Direct Transport after Ron Smith Limited changed its name in 1969. In 1964 he became the East Coast area manager, a title he held until his retirement at 55 in 1985.

Gavin planned his retirement to continue his love of everything to do with trucks. He purchased a 1947 Diamond T and lovingly restored it to its former glory. Thirty more trucks received the same loving care and were also restored, with Gavin doing everything apart from the upholstery. Parts of each truck were found in his shed of parts, items picked up or purchased during years of attending truck swap meets. Some of these trucks are classics in New Zealand, like the White 3000, Guy Invincible, Foden FE4/8 and S21 Foden Mickey Mouse, White WB20 and Mack EH. From 1948, Gavin always had a camera at hand. He has two rooms in his home totally dedicated to his collection of truck photos, manuals, leaflets and books. In 2003 Gavin printed the book The Direct Transport Story in collaboration with Graeme Carter, a Wanganui-based bookseller. This is the story of Gavin Abbot, Ron Smith Ltd, and Direct Transport.

Gavin’s extensive photo collection and interest in trucking history prompted him to self-publish Urewera Trucks and Truckers in 2014. This book was so well received that seven more books have been published, capturing trucking history in the Central North Island including Thames Valley, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. He has also had several articles published in New Zealand Trucking and Truck & Driver magazines.

Gavin is nationally recognised as the go-to person for New Zealand’s trucking history. In 2015, Mack truck distributors referred the producers of a documentary being filmed on the 1963 Brynderwyn bus crash to him. Gavin supplied photos and information and even loaned them his original brochure of the Mack bus model involved in the accident.

Gavin’s photos, books and truck memorabilia combine a lifetime’s extensive collection of trucking history in New Zealand. He is a member of vintage truck associations in the UK, USA and Australia, and a 35-year member of the American Truck Historical Society.

Mark McCarthy

Mark McCarthy well remembers the long days sitting at Raetihi School with thoughts firmly focused on his father’s and uncle’s log trucks deep in the Waimarino native forests.

Little did he realise that, with the formation of his father and uncle’s partnership in 1948 carting sawn timber from Trunk Sawmill to the railhead at Erua and the expansion into log cartage in 1959, they were laying the groundwork for his family business today.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ he is proud to have the third family generation involved. He epitomises the company’s values of ‘Proud People Loyal Service’.

Murray Sowerby

Mark McCarthy (left) receives his award from Scott O’Donnell.

The years 1971 to 1976 saw the death of his uncle, his father buying out all shares, downsizing from four trucks to one, the start of ‘subbies’ use and the beginning of the first sustainable circuit loading for the company.

The period from 1978 to 1988 began with the very first load of logs delivered into Winstone Samsung’s Pulp Mill in Karioi and is continuing to this day. The untimely passing of Mark’s parents in 1997 left a huge void, and determination for him to achieve the vision he and his father shared over a beer.

Mark went into partnership with McAlpine Mill and Warwick Wilshier, taking over Transport North Canterbury’s logging fleet and forming a new company, MWT, of which he took sole control in January 1988. In 1997 the Log Transport Safety Council was formed and Mark was a founding member.

Mark was the first operator to design and build a drop chassis trailer and, to his pleasure, these have evolved to be one of the safest trailers on our roads. This innovation has continued throughout his career. He is a true engineering pioneer and is always thinking of ideas to create efficiencies for all stakeholders.

In 1989 a considerable volume of cartage was tendered moving pine products from Karioi Forest to Carter Holt Harvey Tokoroa and Tasman Pulp & Paper at Kawerau. In 1994, Paragon Haulage was started at the request of the NZ Forestry Corporation. That business grew, and in 1996 Mark purchased another business in Northland. Rural Haulage in Winton was part of the group, meaning he had New Zealand covered.

Mark then grew MWT and set up in Nelson working beside Duncan Borlase to cart for CHH Forests, servicing the local mills and port. MWT was sold to Steve Murphy in 2003, and in 2004 Fearon Logging from Masterton was purchased.

Like many, Mark has made poor investments, with a sawmill almost sending him broke. However, through grit and determination he pulled through, and being a true gentleman he made sure all accounts were paid.

Mark has helped out other transport operators over the years. Dave Carr, a silent partner in Tranzcarr, remembers over a quiet beer he needed some help to invest in specialised equipment for the Taharoa Iron Sands Project. The next day Mark called to say he would like to help, so a trip with Dave to Mexico to purchase the trailers took place and a hands-on approach to moving the iron sand plant was a highlight for Mark in specialised heavy haul.

Mark now oversees a group of companies that employs more than 240 staff moving around 2.2 million tonnes of logs, and

Born in 1954, Murray Sowerby left school at 15 and started working on the family farm outside Feilding in the Manawatu.

He soon realised that farming was not for him and started working for a local cropping farmer where he gained experience driving tractors and harvesters, before moving on to get his HT licence at 17. He carted grain, straw and livestock for the farm in a Thames Trader and TS 3 Commer.

In 1972 Murray left the cropping farm and headed into Feilding where he landed a job driving for TJ Cook Ltd, transporting livestock and general goods. His first truck was a 1966 International ACCO V8 Petrol 4x2.

It was in 1972 that Murray met his wife-to-be Jenni and in 1975 he took a slight deviation from trucking and they started a local dairy in Feilding. This venture lasted 18 months, during which time they were married.

In 1976 the call of the road was strong, and within a year Murray was back behind the wheel driving for Doughty Contractors, a bulk fertiliser cartage and spreading firm in Feilding.

During a chance meeting in early 1981 with the local Mack Trucks sales manager, they had a discussion regarding an opening to become a truck salesman, and soon after this chapter of his life began.

Having always been passionate about trucking but at that time wanting to spend more time with his young family, Murray was keen to find something within the industry. The time felt right for Murray to move into truck sales and he accepted a role at Motor Truck Distributors (MTD) in their used truck yard. Murray quickly got the buzz for building a relationship with customers, with many returning over the years to purchase subsequent trucks. This in turn saw Murray overseeing new Mack sales for the Manawatu/Wellington regions before becoming national sales manager for Mack Trucks.

In 1992 Murray took the role of general manager for MTD, which included running the Mack CKD assembly operations in Palmerston North – a role he held until his retirement in

Murray Sowerby (left) receives his award from Scott O’Donnell.

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June this year. During this time at MTD, Murray went on to oversee the build of the first Tri-Drive heavy-duty, off-highway log truck in New Zealand for that market, be responsible for the development and build of the Mack Quantum 8x4 product for the local market, and he also had a big part in the development of the Mack Super-Liner 685hp 8x4 being the highest horsepower conventional highway truck available in the world.

Murray’s passion and involvement in this industry has been shown through his drive and passion for the aftermarket support of the Mack and Volvo products, something he has become known for, and his support and attendance for RTA, RTF and HHA industry events and conferences. In 2018 Murray was awarded an honorary membership of the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association, in recognition of his long-term support.

Paul Currie

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Paul Currie’s early years were spent in Charteris Bay at the family’s bach, where he developed a love for yachting. He got a P class for his fifth birthday and continued racing for many years in Lyttelton Harbour.

In 1965 aged 15 he left St Andrew’s College and started an apprenticeship as a tool and die maker with Alec Farrar Ltd in Christchurch. Paul’s ambition was to earn five shillings an hour – this was the top rate for any trade in those days.

It’s safe to say he has now achieved this.

On completion of his apprenticeship in 1969, Paul took a year off and went hunting. He spent time culling for DOC as well as hunting for meat and trophy shooting. He completed a taxidermy diploma course and started mounting animals and trophy heads that were then on-sold. He still enjoys a good hunt today.

Completing his time professional hunting saw him take a role at Sinclair Melbourne, a Lyttelton marine engineering company, where he worked as a marine engineer.

Jet boat racing had by now replaced the competitive yachting days, and over the next 17 years this became a recreational passion. The love of sailing never waned, and Paul obtained his boatmasters certificate, allowing him to captain many yachting holidays overseas.

In 1973 Paul started working for the Trailer Manufacturing Company Ltd (TMC) founded by his father, Ian Currie. He started on the factory floor building trailers, gradually working DANI1 TRUCKING his way up theAD.pdf chain. 27/5/10 3:12:58 PM

Paul Currie (left) receives his award from Scott O’Donnell.

In 1975 TMC had a shareholding change, paying out the remaining shareholders and leaving Ian and Paul to become sole owners in a 50/50 split.

With continued growth, 1977 saw the new TMC Trailers Ltd move from Blenheim Road to a purpose-built facility in Lunns Road. Here, Paul ran the workshop during the day and designed trailers using the old drawing machine at home in the weekends. A far cry from the AutoCAD and FEA stress analysis they now use.

Sales relied on their strong reputation for calling on customers and fostering that customer/supplier relationship.

Over the years Paul has seen many industry leading milestones achieved, including: in 1972 TMC manufactured its 1000th trailer for Transport Nelson Limited, a 2-axle pull trailer; in 1986 moving into larger premises in Shands Road, Hornby, Christchurch, the site of its head office; in 1988 TMC built the first gull-wing truck and trailer unit in New Zealand for the Apple and Pear Board; in 1989 TMC won the best manufacturing award for its Euro Aro dynamics semi-trailer at the Hamilton transport show; in 2013 TMC gained the rights for sales, manufacturing and service for Steelbro sidelifters for New Zealand and South Pacific; and in 2015 TMC expanded into Auckland, with a workshop in Wiri.

In 2017 Paul was awarded a honorary lifetime membership to the TTMF, and in 2018 the company reached its 70th year, making it the oldest trailer manufacturer in New Zealand. It also manufactured its 4000th trailer. 

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

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areas Ben and Leisa Reed are big Volvo fans.

A year ago their FH13 540 got some company in the form of a mountaincrushing FH16 750 bush special. Now, from experience with the two, they’ve ordered what they think is the perfect truck for their line of work.

The Reed machines haul into the Brynderwyn Hills on the southern side.

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“T

he reason they’re grey is because that’s the colour of my Hilux,” said Ruakaka-based log transport operator Ben Reed. It was an entirely voluntary insight. The universe certainly acts in mysterious ways. Although the colour choice has its roots in typical Reed practicality, it is an utterly appropriate hue in which to present this immaculate wee fleet to the world. Why? Well, in photographic circles the grey scale is a determiner of clarity, the result of the intensity and weighting of light. That’s exactly what Ben and Leisa Reed have done in their pursuit of clarity on the subject of log carting perfection. They’ve used intensity and weighting to determine what the next truck in their fleet will look like. A truck they consider will be bang on point.

No place for the hasty hearted

Reed Enterprises 2006 Ltd isn’t your normal log truck operation fronting up every morning amidst a plethora of other trucks working in the corporate plantation cycles. Ben’s his own man. A woodlot man. Reed trucks travel anywhere and everywhere north of the coathanger (Auckland Harbour Bridge) to retrieve wood from private stands of every size, shape, and location you can imagine, delivering it for export or to local mills. Ben’s brigade rarely has a ‘sweet’ skid site, and even the more innocuous looking load-out locations often harbour a trick or two for the unwary. His trucks are set up for their line of work, and the drivers masters in the art of patience. What that means is make a plan on what you intend to achieve for the day, but if it turns to custard on some remote farm skid site or track, then abort plan ‘A’ in preference of stopping, thinking, and acting methodically. In this game stuff gets bent and people get hurt if haste appears anywhere in problem solving.

If you want it big, it’ll need to be really big

“That’s a bloody good truck,” said Ben pointing to the FH13 sitting happily in the yard after 343,000 gruelling Northland kilometres. “Don’t get me wrong, but I thought I could make it better for our work. I’d always wanted one of those,” he said, gesturing at the FH16, “and man, it took some getting.”

So, what needed tweaking on the first truck to make it better suited to the Reed operation?

“Well, firstly the I-Shift. Low gear isn’t anywhere near low enough for us and it’s not uncommon for the clutch heat

The average possum dreams of catching a break like this! Clearance plus!

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November 2019

warning light to come on. I wanted the crawlers,” said Ben. “Second, clearance. I needed more ground clearance so I wanted straight-beam front axles.”

So that’s what the 750 was specced with, but it certainly did take some getting. Ben said Motor Truck Distributors were cautious about a 750 working in log cartage in Northland, and he credits his salesman Carl Capstick for the work he did getting the truck across the line.

“There’s always a way, and I really wanted one. Carl was great and in the end it came down to me agreeing on hub reduction diffs. They cost me 325kg, but it’s all good.”

Overall the FH16 comes with a 700kg penalty over the 540, made up of the big diffs, a bigger engine, crawler gear transmission, and spring suspension.

But the truck wasn’t all about bucket lists; there’s certainly

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

The FH16 (above) stands head and shoulders above the FH13 540.

commercial sense to the 750. When the wood’s running, so are the trucks. Pete Hardie takes the wheel of the big fella by day, and then in the twilight Ben jumps in and heads to the Far North and does a load from one of the customers he services up there. Runs with a much longer lead that would otherwise tie the truck up all day.

“It loves that night work and really comes into its own. The roads are clear of traffic so there are no hold-ups on the hills.

We never work under pressure; it’s how we are, and with this I just trundle up and trundle back. It’s working out perfectly for the distance work and hey, it’s still good for over thirty-one tonne.”

When one and one make three

However, and there’s always a however, everything in life is a

compromise. Ben’s learned that his monster from the north of the planet is not the machine for everyone. Aside from a tare penalty, the sheer power and torque means, as the owner, your stewardship over who’s behind the wheel at any one time has to be exemplary.

“Shit, you have to be careful. You couldn’t just put anyone in it. We’re lucky with the team we have at the moment but it’s an owner’s truck, and the drivers I select personally.”

So now number three is on the way, a truck Ben reckons ticks every box for the owner who may not always be the one behind the wheel, and a truck that will bring all the benefits of the 16 yet put a smile on the face of the company bean counter.

A truck that’s a hybrid of the two.

Due sometime next year is an FH13 540 with straight-beam front axles and crawler gears. Obviously, having the more

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November 2019

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“If you’re a worker you’ll make it work.”

It doesn’t matter where we go or which way we turn, at the coalface of this industry all we find are glass-halffull Kiwis, and 48-year-old Ben Reed is certainly no exception. A living manifestation of every quality it takes to keep New Zealand’s economy moving.

Ben grew up only a stone’s throw from Auckland in one of the country’s more remote locations. Sounds like a contradiction? Well, that’s what happens when you plonk one of the world’s largest harbours between you and the big smoke. Roughly a third of the way down the northern arm of the 947sqkm Kaipara Harbour on the infamous road to the Pouto Forest lies the wee hamlet of Te Kopuru, and it was there that Ben grew up with his sister on their parents’ farm.

“The folks grew kumara and greens.

It was a great place; no one went hungry. The pay rate for the workers may not have been huge, but no one was ever hungry.”

As soon as he was 18 Ben uprooted and headed on up the line. His first job was driving diggers for Waipapa-based Northland Transport. “I’d always liked diggers as a kid but I soon realised I liked driving trucks more than diggers.

There was too much precision stuff,” laughs Ben. “Septic tanks, and drains and all that. I just wanted to get in and dig shit!”

So he moved off the mechanical spade, and went to the mechanical wheelbarrow instead. His first real truck was an N Series Ford 5036 drop-sider.

“The opportunity came up to get into logs and I’d always wanted to drive a logging truck so I said ‘Yep I’ll do it’.”

Although the N Series had a set of bolt-on bolsters, it was replaced by a 5032 tractor towing a Mills-Tui Bailey bridge semi.

“That was all good, we were carting for Carter Holt out of Pipiwai and then after changes in the market the work started to dry up. They asked us if we wanted to go to Napier and work there. I didn’t even know where the hell Napier was, I’d never been south of Hamilton.” Again, the cab fills with laughter.

So, to the Hawke’s Bay it was with the 5032. During the 13 months he spent in the Bay, that truck was replaced by a Hino FY 5036, essentially the same truck

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as the big ‘Henry’ he’d started out on. “I loved it down there. I got to know many of the old legends.” The sale of Carter Holt Harvey changed the landscape of log transport in the region and ended the work in the Hawke’s Bay. It was back to Northland carting out of Waipoua and Pouto.

In total Ben had spent four years at Northland Transport and he moved on from there to United Carriers where he drove an International T-Line drop-sider for a couple of years.

“It was a truck I’d seen go past school in Te Kopuru and I remember thinking it was a real cool truck. Now I was driving it! I did mainly fert and metal, but in the season we’d take mandarins to Auckland. I hated that because when you were empty you did freight pick-ups. I had no idea where the hell anything was. I just came home with what I had managed to get done,” said Ben. After United came a spell with Roading and Asphalts in Whangarei before starting with Stokes Transport on an EC ERF self-loading log truck.

“That was great, I really enjoyed that. It’s such a neat job. You have to have half a brain to do that work. It’s challenging at times.”

Two years at Stokes and it was time to move on again, this time a six-year spell working at Paragon Log Haulage on both regular and floating work, “Anywhere and everywhere.” It was at Paragon that Ben’s preference for Patchell log gear began. “Once you’ve worked with the best gear you wouldn’t have anything else, and Patchells have been bloody good to me, they really have.” Paragon also happened to be the inspiration for the blue chassis colour on the Reed machines.

While living in Kerikeri and on the promise of a potential owner-driver position, Ben went to work for Dan Carter driving a Freightliner Argosy bulk unit. The self-employment opportunity didn’t eventuate, but spurred on by the leap of faith required to do his own thing, Ben bought a Hino 700 Series log truck in 2006. “Nothing like a challenge,” said Ben. “If you’re a worker, you’ll make it work.”

The Hino was a great truck to Ben, giving him 10 years and a million largely trouble-free kilometres carting

November 2019

Ben Reed loves what he does and his demeanour shows it. He loves setting up efficient and safe log trucks specific to his line of work.

out of the worst Northland could throw at it.

The first four years were spent in the RFH system, followed by a couple of years with Steve Bachelor’s Aotearoa Haulage before cutting out completely and doing his own thing.

“I replaced the Hino with the first Volvo and soon after the first 5-axle trailer. When the new truck arrives, the original Volvo will get the Hino’s 4-axle trailer and we’ll run like that for a while.”

Interestingly the Reeds’ life is all about forestry and trees. Ben’s wife Leisa is a resource forester for Hancock Forest Management, and understands the finer details of all aspects of the forest industry. It’s a job that takes her all over the upper North Island.

The couple live in Ruakaka, working just as hard outside of work to develop their 4-hectare block into a yard and house complex every bit the quality of the immaculate Volvos that live just down from the house. They have five kids between them, with Charlie (8) looking like the one with the most diesel in the veins and Conor (10) the one with the business sense.

Oh, and Ollie the miniature foxy is responsible for security and pest control…mustn’t forget him.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ diminutive burner up front means it doesn’t require the hub reduction rear end so almost the entire 700kg lost in the 16’s overall spec is back, hence the happy bean counter.

“I went to the launch of the double-clutch, and that’s an amazing feature but you can’t get it with crawler gears yet, so that rules it out for us at the moment.”

The high and the mighty

It was time to reacquaint ourselves with Volvo’s big bopper and in terms of presence the Reed truck is bigger than most.

The straight-beam axles under the front lift it by 70mm and although that may not sound much, it transforms the look, not to mention some of the more daily dimensions. It sits head and shoulders above its 540 workmate and when you open the door the flat floor is even further from terra firma than it is on a big Benz. It’s a four-step entry that in most situations is more than ample, but in this case, it just makes the grade. None of us had any problem but if you’re someone who could happily have a face-to-face with Danny DeVito, getting in the Reed 16 might be a scramble.

“We’ve got a load to grab from Puhoi. It looks a simple skid just off the road but it’s a bloody steep climb out,” said Ben.

“I’m glad it’s on steel suspension and not air. It’s got more articulation in the axles. If this thing was on air that traction control would be busy as!”

Leaving the yard, the FH16 was oblivious to the fact it weighed 18,500kg empty, and simply took off like a car. It didn’t matter where it was, moving away from a green traffic light, or road works that had it stopped aiming upward, the truck was merely playing.

An hour and half or so down the road we glided slowly through historic Puhoi. Ben is extra-cautious as the locals are fragile and easily annoyed, evidently oblivious to the fact the trucks are actually in the act of collecting export product our fair country sells in order to earn money. The huge grey and blue giant snuck through town with only the occasional rattle of a pin in a bolster, and then headed on up the winding gravel Ahuroa Road to the skid. Ben reversed down off the road to the precarious skid crowbarred into the bank, and loaded the truck to 50 tonne GCM. “We run at 50MAX. It’s just not economical trying to go any more. Councils won’t let us run any heavier off the state highways.”

Like most other occupations, logging has certainly benefited

Pulling off the Puhoi into a steep climb out.

The power and the crawler gears means the FH16 can launch and get enough speed on to blast out.

Below: Winding out toward the Puhoi from the skid on Ahuroa Road.

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Above: The middle chock is on a pivot, so all trailers are accommodated. Right: Ben demonstrates the step system that allows clear, safe access to all critical tasks when securing the trailer to the truck.

Wood for the trees folded-down bolster being a hindrance to climb around, it’s If you’re a manufacturer of high-vis vests or orange cones acts like a safety cage. I just thought about all the things on you’re probably not reading this, you’ll be busy in your a log truck I hated,” said Ben. Increasing the efficiency of helicopter or yacht. That’s a shame, because real safety, movement further, Ben put the chains that hold the trailer on applied safety, comes from the minds of those who right where the gantry hook steps are located also. “That way understand their workplace implicitly. Ben Reed comes the driver doesn’t have to go anywhere else.” In fact, they across as an easy-going funny bloke, and he certainly can unhook the gantry, chain on the trailer, apply the trailer is that on account of loving what he does. But he’s also brakes, dump the airbags on the trailer, and hook up the uncompromising when it comes to setting up the safest, most lights, all from one position. efficient log trucks he can for himself and his staff.

The middle wheel chocks on the trailer cradles are also A walk around the Reed trucks will reveal many clever on a pivot so the 4- and 5-axle trailers are carried with equal things. Starting at the front with the King Bars two-post bull bar safety. There’s even a set of extension pin handles on both fitted after the truck’s assembly in Brisbane. sides of the trailer so they don’t have to take the one handle “They’re built to hit shit,” said Ben. “I was coming out of back to its holder from the other side of a nasty load-out site in the 540 a few the rig, and it means there’s always a months back and there was a greasy spare in the event one is lost or broken. gateway, with a strainer post of course.

But, as they say, the best we’ll leave The truck slid sideways into the post and to last. “I hate holding the drawbar the bull bar just snapped it off. There’s just when hooking up,“ said Ben. “I wanted a tiny smudge mark on the end of the some kind of mechanism that holds bar, it’s not bent or anything. The truck the empty trailer’s drawbar straight was untouched. There you go, it paid for when the loader’s attaching it to the itself right then. The amount of ’meat’ in truck’s Ringfeder instead of the bloody them is huge. It might cost a bit of weight The ‘Elphick pin’ designed to hold a drawbar flapping around. I wanted the but saves you thousands in this work. person swinging the drawbar to be able “You can also tow with them no trouble drawbar straight when hooking up, but not inhibit the dolly’s ability to work if it’s to stand clear. They’re the most at-risk at all. The tow pin is located behind the left in the ‘lock’ position. Ingenious! person on the skid. I asked Pete Elphick number plate, which is neat. at Patchell’s to come up with something, “Lights are a big thing for us. Lighting and that’s just what he did. It’s bloody awesome.” on woodlot skids is usually not the best, they’re just smaller Essentially, a spring-loaded pin on the front of the operations. I wanted to be able to see everything like broad gooseneck locates into a shallow saucer-like recess on the daylight.” dolly, holding the drawbar dead straight. Once the trailer is LED floodlights on the cab guard, rear of the truck, and located you simply release the pin. Because the pin is springmounted on both sides the trailer chassis just behind the dolly loaded and the recess it locates into is shallow and saucercertainly achieve what Ben wanted. Night becomes day. like, should the driver forget to release it, the pin will simply Ben designed the step system on the trucks used when slide in and out of the recess as the truck trundles along. If detaching gantry hooks. “I hate climbing up the outside there were a national award for safety, efficiency, and risk of wheels and bolsters, stepping over and reaching up for mitigation in industry, the ‘Elphick pin’ would surely be a prime the hook. All we do is duck under the dropped bolster, then contender. there are two steps and you’re right there. Instead of the

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from the tech revolution. Ben can stand well clear and monitor the load going on via a tablet using a Wi-Fi connection to the SI Lodec weigh scales. “These are great, especially when you’re loading yourself. You can get it bang on.

“This skid is a classic case of what sets the 750 apart. With the crawlers it can get into third gear pretty much in its own length, and has enough pace on up the climb to get through

the soft bits. The 540 can’t do that,” said Ben. As is often the case though, the best laid plans… Morning rain had compromised the incline and Ben needed a little nudge from the digger at the halfway point.

He crawled down the gravel road into town, inching around the corners. It’s a case of the guy driving the 50-tonne truck accommodating the absent-mindedness of the car drivers not

A word of warning The FH16 750’s in-cab experience is in some ways a bit of a Hansel and Gretel story. You have no concept you’re sitting in a 50 tonne truck and trailer combination. Life inside occurs at a library-like 67-odd decibels, the I-Shift’s changes are barely detectable, it’s running on I-Roll a lot of the time, and neither is there a startling awakening when the engine brake ‘lights up’. Add to this the fact that unlike most big bore motors, the

D16G has little in the way of a deep, menacing engine note.

It sounds like the family S60. It’s a tranquil experience…as you arrive at the 65kph bend and realise in a frantic moment the truck may be doing 90kph. We’re an animal who works on stimulus. The Volvo provides serenity.

It’s interesting that Volvo took some convincing when Ben registered his interest in buying the truck, and required him to meet some mechanical specification requirements in order to protect the driveline.

One of the reasons Ben chose the business model he did was to avoid the high-paced life of the plantation scene. We know in our heart of hearts that this truck will have an extremely happy and safe life with its fastidious Ruakaka owners. It’s been bought for a specific outcome by a skilled, considered business. As you read above, Ben’s well aware ‘this ain’t anyone’s’ wagon.

We’d say that specifying an FH16 750 without all the safety and stopping fruit should be an absolute no-no…just in case.

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Left: Volvo’s dash, a dash like no other. Hugely efficient, and its appeal is entirely down to personal taste. Beautifully built and high quality.

considering what might be around the bend.

Once out on SH1 again and heading north, the difference between the in-cab experience of the journey south compared with the northbound journey 31-plus tonne heavier was negligible.

“It’s not really truck driving, is it?’ Ben smiled. “It’s just effortless.” ‘Effortless’ is becoming a bit of a clichéd word in and around the modern truck, but the FH16 750 does actually define it.

The truck rolled in at the bottom of Schedways Hill in amongst the traffic and easily kept up with the flow in 8th gear at 40kph and 1450rpm. Around the 35kph bend Ben peeled another 4kph off in line with the cars ahead, and when everyone else accelerated away, so did he, the truck picking up gears easily, then just before the top the traffic balked again for no visible reason.

“I’ll leave it in this one [10th] and let it pull back,” said Ben. The Volvo got down to 1000rpm with not so much as a single uncomfortable note to the engine, just a mild silky rumble, and then it accelerated smoothly away again with the traffic. The car in front maybe put 100m on us for a moment. “If I’d let it make the downshift it would have been faster,” said Ben. We were glad the hub reduction diffs were out back absorbing all that effort.

Rolling on the truck was more than a surprise to the occasional motorist who thought the log truck would hold them up on the hills.

The ride in the 750 was firmer compared with the Baillie machine we tested in March, and we liked it a lot. It’s still a magic carpet and the chiropractor certainly won’t be upgrading Chrissy holiday plans on the back of it. Obviously being an 8x4 with heftier undercarriage capabilities transpires up top into a ride of a slightly more purposeful feel. It was great, and it goes without saying that steering was fingertip accurate, and cornering dynamics sublime.

‘To A or not to A?’ as William Shakespeare would have put it. Ben leaves the I-Shift in auto unless the going is really gnarly in the off-road bits where gradient and underfoot conditions conspire to foil the big Viking’s talents. “There’s no need. It knows what it’s doing.” Not a truer word spoken when you’re talking the output figures the Volvo’s 16-litre motor produces. Power and torque maketh the AMT is certainly a valid mantra. On that note…

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Cool light inserts for the mirrors by SLS from Rutherford in New South Wales. Plenty of storage at hand.

Motion master

Under the floor is the D16G 16-litre Euro 5 engine producing a power figure of 560kW (750hp) at 1600rpm and 3550Nm (2618lb/ft) of torque from 1050 to 1400rpm. Yes, there is a wee void between the two peak outputs, but the numbers are so absurd that it doesn’t matter. When torque starts to slip away, power is sitting at about 534kW (715hp), and when power peaks torque is still about 3300Nm (2434lb/ft).

Behind the engine is the venerable I-Shift 12-speed transmission with crawler gears. Axle-wise up front is a pair of FA-XHIGH straight jobbies rated at 13 tonne for the pair, sitting on two-leaf parabolic springs and shocks. Rearward RTH2610F hub reduction axles with diff and cross-locks rated at 26 tonne sit on RADD-BR parabolic spring suspension at 26 tonne rating also.

The whole unit runs disc brakes with EBS/ABS, traction and ESC, and of course the automated wizardry in the transmission allows helpmates like launch control.

“Drivers today love power,” said Ben. “But it comes at a cost in terms of purchase price, fuel burn, and weight, because it usually means a bigger engine. It’s all very well having it, but it has to be used properly. I use the I-Roll constantly; it’s in and out of it all the time, but all you need to do is have someone not lifting that right pedal and you miss all the benefit. If you give this thing the berries it’ll drink, don’t you worry about that.”

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The height of the Volvo floor is clearly evident. Ben with company VP for security and pest control, Ollie Reed.

In its 12 months and 140,000km the 750 has returned a life to date average of about 1.72km/l. On the particular run we were on the truck was achieving 1.85kpl, and by comparison the 540’s life to date is 1.89kpl. They’re not figures that would have some cartwheeling for joy, but they’re a testament to the life that logging in Northland delivers to a truck. From our observations, Ben’s style was as docile and relaxed as we’ve ever seen, and my goodness in a truck like this it has to be.

Arrival at the Dome Valley saw the inevitable mad scrambling as we crested the steepest part of the climb on the south side at 38kph in 8th and 1400rpm. The descent on the northern flanks was executed at 75kph with the Volvo Engine Brake (VEB+) keeping proceedings orderly.

The VEB+ is an effective tool, combining both an exhaust and compression brake in one via some additional lobing on the cam. At 2200rpm it’ll deliver 425kW (570hp) of hold-back and either operates automatically, blending with the I-Shift and service brakes, or via three-stage manual operation. Ben’s got some great views on auxiliary braking.

“There is the option of the retarder, and they are great, I’ve had them before in trucks I’ve driven, but they cost a lot to buy and fix and it’s just more weight. In the life of a truck the brakes shouldn’t cost you what a replacement retarder will.

Especially not now with discs, they’re just so good. And they’re meant to be used. I don’t buy into the ‘I never touch the brakes’ thing. They’re the guys who have trouble come CoF time because they don’t get used.”

We met Pete Hardie in the 540 at Te Hana. He’d been loading at the skid on SH16 south of Wellsford. Standing on the side of the road near the summit of the Brynderwyn Hills 10 minutes later, it was a stark comparison as the two trucks rolled by just how easy life is for the 750 even compared with the 540, a truck that would have been considered a monster itself 30 years ago.

Emissions update Given the march toward Euro 6 of its European competitor OEMs in this part of the world, we asked Clive Jones, general manager Motor Truck Distributors NZ Ltd, what the plan was for Volvo.

“We are able to obtain some Euro 6 models now for customers who require them, but for the most part we have little demand. Because the majority of our trucks are assembled in Australia, which remains a Euro 5 market, we will continue to be able to offer Euro 5 until either, or both, markets legislate otherwise. Of course, some other European manufacturers don’t have the luxury of that choice, but we do for the foreseeable future; I guess a benefit of local manufacturing, specific for market.

“The Aussies build a very good Volvo truck for our market needs, and we

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are able to adapt for New Zealand far easier than if we had to build in Europe, given the peculiarities of our legislation and the wishes of our customers.

“The mandated intro date is still unknown so our intention is to build Euro 5 for the most part, and then to accommodate customers looking to adopt Euro 6 early where we can, subject to demand.

“With customer appetite very limited currently, as well as likely higher cost, more tare, challenging chassis packaging etc, I guess operators are not seeing a tangible benefit in the current environment. The reality is we appear to be taking some business from those who have no option any longer, particularly in the high horsepower segments.”

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Housing pressure

Not in the sense of availability, in the sense of quality. If you drive an FH Volvo for a living then there’s a good chance the ambience of home might be somewhat of a comedown. Like the Kenworth last month, we won’t go bonkers on the cab explanations; the FH house is a well-known place of refuge from the world, a phrase chosen wisely we might add, because that’s exactly what it is, a refuge.

There are not many places that offer the quality of work environment the FH does. There’s space, storage, comfort, and amenities. Things once thought impossible are now musts. “I’ll

never own another truck that doesn’t have a fridge,” said Ben resolutely.

In exactly the same vein as the Kenworth last month, it’s pointless trying to show preference for this over that. They are the North and South Pole in terms of approach, completely opposite. If you love one, you’ll likely not consider the other.

Inside the Volvo there are grey and taupe sort of tones. The quality of assembly is as you’d expect from a Volvo, and the vinyl, rubber, and plastic that lines the cavity is high on quality, serviceability, and ease of cleaning.

The dash is a modern tech fest in appearance with a long

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Volvo FH13 540 HA 8x4 Air

thin binnacle overlapping/blending with a wrap in an all-inone continuation sort of thing – pictures people, look at the pictures.

There’s one consolatory round gauge that’s a speedo and tachometer in one, the rest are bar style gauges with warning lights top and bottom, as well as telemetry data.

Switchgear, navigation/coms/Dynafleet data screen, and climate management call the wrap section home, as does the park brake valve. ‘It’s the thing that looks like an oddments holder on the left! Right there! No…there!’ And then the smart wheel; it accommodates the phone, cruise, and menu controls for the diagnostics interface.

The wands take care of indicators, dip, wipers, I-Roll and engine brake, and the moveable I-Shift mount sits politely at Ben’s side like Ollie the family foxy.

There are suspension seats for both driver and conductor and the mirrors are well placed, although that heavily bevelled top line has a familiarisation phase to it as we’ve said previously.

On the subject of mirrors, Ben’s had some snazzy-as stainless light assemblies fitted, sourced from SLS in Rutherford, New South Wales. They’re made for Volvos and just fit neatly on the inside of the mirror housing.

“They provide extra marker lights without hacking into the mirrors. We don’t do the indicator flick thing when passing other trucks at night, we flash these instead.”

There’s a pull-out drawer and fridge under the bunk, as well as flip-out bottle holders. As we said in the Baillie test, you could run a storage business sideline in the FH cab. If it looks like it could possibly open and hold something, then it will.

They’re like a castle full of hidden corridors. And the birdbath moveable dash-top tray…it’s the cutest thing in trucking by far.

External ‘lockering’ is abundant and there’s that integral hand-washer bottle too. What a boon that is. Someone at Volvo drove a truck once, no doubt about that.

Access is ‘fine’ but don’t fall; you’ll have time to think on the way down.

Said and done

Our second load was north of Whangarei out toward the Pacific coast on Whananaki North Road.

The skid site was right on the road’s edge; it had been

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Tare:

11,600kg (ready to load)

GVM:

34,000kg

GCM:

60 tonnes

Wheelbase:

5500mm

Engine:

DC13

Capacity:

13 litre

Power:

403kW (540hp)

Torque:

2600Nm (1920lb/ft)

Emissions:

Euro 5 (SCR)

Transmission:

Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT

Clutch:

Single plate

Chassis:

Frame section 8mm thick

Front axle:

Volvo FAA20

Front axle rating:

13 tonnes (pair)

Front suspension:

2-leaf parabolic springs and shock absorbers

Rear axle:

RTS2370A hypoid single reduction at 3.09:1

Rear axle rating:

23 tonnes

Rear suspension:

Volvo RADD-G2

Brakes

Disc EBS/ABS

Auxiliary braking:

VEB+

Fuel:

415 litre

DEF tank:

90 litre

Wheels:

Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy rims

Tyres:

11 R22.5

Electrical:

24V

Additional safety:

Launch control, ESC

Electronics:

Dynafleet telematics and fleet management gateway

Cab exterior:

Heated electrically adjustable mirrors, stone guard, V-shaped day running lights, integrated fog and driving lights, King Bars bull bar, SLS mirror light inserts.

Cab interior:

Heated air suspended seats, sun visor, tinted glass roof hatch, infotainment, fridge.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ SPECIFICATIONS ➤ COMING SOON:

Volvo FH16 750 HA 8x4 Spring

Volvo FH13 540 HA 8x4 Air Extra High

Tare:

12,300kg (ready to load)

Tare:

11,600kg (ready to load)

GVM:

34,000kg

GVM:

34,000kg

GCM:

65 tonnes (Higher rating on application approval)

GCM:

60 tonnes

Wheelbase:

5500mm

Wheelbase:

5500mm

Engine:

DC16

Engine:

DC13

Capacity:

16 litre

Capacity:

13 litre

Power:

560kW (750hp)

Power:

403kW (540hp)

Torque:

3550Nm (2618lb/ft)

Torque:

2600Nm (1920lb/ft)

Emissions:

Euro 5

Emissions:

Euro 5 (SCR)

Transmission:

Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT with crawler gears

Transmission:

Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT with crawler gears

Clutch:

Single plate

Clutch:

Single plate

Chassis:

Frame section 8mm thick

Chassis:

CHH-XHIGH extra high – frame section 8mm thick

Front axle:

FA-XHIGH straight

Front axle:

FA-XHIGH straight

Front axles rating:

13 tonne (pair)

Front axle rating:

13 tonnes (pair)

Front suspension:

2-leaf parabolic springs and shock absorbers

Front suspension:

3-leaf parabolic springs and shock absorbers

Rear axle:

RTH2610F at 3.61:1

Rear axle:

RTS2370A hypoid single reduction at 3.09:1

Rear axle rating:

26 tonnes

Rear axle rating:

23 tonnes

Rear suspension:

RADD-BR parabolic spring suspension

Rear suspension:

Volvo RADD-G2

Brakes

Disc EBS/ABS

Brakes

Disc EBS/ABS

Auxiliary braking:

VEB+

Auxiliary braking:

VEB+

Fuel:

415 litre

Fuel:

415 litre

DEF tank:

90 litre

DEF tank:

90 litre

Wheels:

Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy rims

Wheels:

Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy rims

Tyres:

11 R22.5

Tyres:

Electrical:

24V

Front: 295/80 R22.5 Rear: 11 R22.5

Additional safety:

Launch control, ESC

Electrical:

24V

Electronics:

Dynafleet telematics and fleet management gateway

Cab exterior:

Cab interior:

Heated electrically adjustable mirrors, stone guard, V-shaped day running lights, integrated fog and driving lights, King Bars bull bar, SLS mirror light inserts.

Heated air suspended seats, sun visor, tinted glass roof hatch, infotainment, fridge.

Additional safety:

Launch control, ESC

Electronics:

Dynafleet telematics and fleet management gateway

Cab exterior:

Heated electrically adjustable mirrors, stone guard, V-shaped day running lights, integrated fog and driving lights, King Bars bull bar, SLS mirror light inserts.

Cab interior:

Heated air suspended seats, sun visor, tinted glass roof hatch, infotainment, fridge.

Volvo’s power trip Here’s a brief snapshot of some big Volvo Vikings through modern times to demonstrate how much easier it’s become to get the commodities from A to B. Looking at the table, the grunt of the FH16 750 is hugely evident. At 50 tonne GCM it is the most powerful/torquey Volvo ever, eclipsing – just – the golden era the FH16 660 enjoyed in the 44 tonne days. Even at 62 tonne it’s got more thrust than the FH16 520 did at 44 tonne, and almost twice that of the legendary G88 back in the day at 39 tonne. Suffice to say, it’s a beast with probably just one OEM competitor that could square off against it in the market today.

Model

Power

Torque

Era (GCM)

Hp/tonne

lb/ft/tonne

G88

190kW (260hp)

940Nm (716lb/ft)

39 tonne

6.7

18.4

F12F

283kW (380hp)

1600Nm (1180lb/ft)

39 tonne

9.7

30.3

F12 Int

315kW (428hp)

1850Nm (1367lb/ft)

44 tonne

9.7

42.0

F16

364kW (488hp)

2090Nm (1540lb/ft)

44 tonne

11.1

35.0

FH16 520

382kW (520hp)

2400Nm (1770lb/ft)

44 tonne

11.8

40.2

FH16 610

449kW (610hp)

2800Nm (2065lb/ft)

44 tonne

13.9

46.9

FH16 660

492kW (660hp)

3100Nm (2286lb/ft)

44 tonne

15.0

52.0

FH16 700

515kW (700hp)

3150Nm (2323lb/ft)

50 tonne

14.0

46.5

FH16 750

560kW (750hp)

3550Nm (2618lb/ft)

50 tonne

15.0

52.4

(54 tonne

13.9

48.5)

(58 tonne

12.9

45.1)

(62 tonne

12.1

42.2)

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1119-33

further away but the gang had worked its way forward. “Even this one’s been a bugger on occasions. It’s all about the surface, and how much it’s been disturbed by trucks and machines,” said Ben. Albie the digger driver was a maestro too, one of those guys who sets the machine at a comfortable rev and gets productivity from smoothness. A dead giveaway is always how much grapple clunking and bolster rattling you hear during loading; suffice to say the morning bird chorus was clearly audible over the noise of Albie working. It seems the woodlot fraternity all operate on the same basis.

Chained and loaded, Ben meandered along the rural road leading back toward SH1 just north of Hikurangi.

A thin black ribbon of bitumen with no fog lines, painted with a white centreline that divided it into two completely

inadequate lanes. The road dipped and rose with the valleys and found its way through a narrow gorge section. Again, we couldn’t help but admire Ben’s control of the situation; a truck of gargantuan capability simply trundling along, and we shuddered at the thought of how long its life would be on this work in the hands of a muppet.

Ben’s a Volvo man, you won’t change that, and he and wife Leisa consider their purchases carefully. Following the FH13 540, the FH16 was certainly a combination of the truck his work requires, with just a pinch of the truck he ‘wanted’ thrown in. Its normal work profile certainly lends itself to optimising its huge appetite for graft. But the next truck, the one we’ll make a point of catching up with in a couple of years, that will deliver the perfect compromise between capability, capacity, and constraint. 

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Doing it all to survive Story and photos by Faye Lougher

Living and working on the West Coast is not easy by any means. Stock transporter Robert P Scott Transport is proving it has what it takes, though.

W

hen you ask a West Coast local what they do for a living, it’s not uncommon for them to reel off several different jobs. It’s a harsh region, and diversifying is just something everyone does to ensure their survival.

When Robert Scott’s parents stepped back from the farm they owned at Karangarua and he and his brother David took it over, both needed additional incomes. David and wife Carol own motels just south of the family farm, at Jacobs River, while Robert and wife Krissy manage a farm in Fox Glacier as well as owning Robert P Scott Transport.

“Somehow I ended up with a truck, which was a 112 Scania tractor unit, and we did gravel and rock,” says Robert. “And then I got a 40ft semi off Mayfield Transport.”

Robert may have come from a farming rather than a transport background, however Krissy’s family owned Mitchell Brothers in Lyttelton. She met Robert in Fox Glacier when she was 17 after her parents suggested she get a job for the holidays.

She initially worked as the retail and accounts manager for Fox Glacier Guiding [which also owns Mt Cook Glacier Guiding], but left in 2011 when she and Robert bought Café Neve in Fox Glacier.

“Robert would quite often get up, do truck work, go to the farm, do farm work, then come and do dishes all night. He was the best dishwasher we ever had!” says Krissy. “That was a bit of a balancing act through the year, having a farm with his brother, a restaurant, and the trucks.”

In 2014 when a stock transport business in the region was sold to a company in Greymouth, Robert expanded his

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business to two trucks in order to service the local customers.

“People told us to step up to the plate, so that’s what we did. It was boom time for us, and we were carting to Kokiri in Greymouth, so we could do three loads a day out of Fox, and on the other days you’d do one to Greymouth and then come back to Whataroa and then do one into Hokitika,” says Robert.

The trucks are both Scanias, one a 2008 R580 and the other a 2009 R620. They are 2-deck/3-deck and 4-axle – 24ft truck crate and 29ft trailers. The trailers are from Jackson Enterprises and the units ex Heikell Transport from Whakatane.

“Heikells were great,” says Robert. “We had a 380 Hino from Andrews Transport and when it was time to upgrade that we tried the secondhand truck dealers and had no joy, so one day Krissy started contacting companies around the North Island.”

Krissy says she searched ‘livestock’ online and emailed every single company she could think of, trying to source good secondhand gear for the business “Dave Benner emailed back and said ‘you better come up’.

And Heikells were wonderful; we’ve bought three trucks off them now and they definitely lead the way for how you should sell secondhand trucks. We get there and the tyre man’s been, they’re full of gas; they are way better than a dealer.”

Robert says when they arrived to look at the first truck Dave asked what their fleet colour was.

“We didn’t have one! So we went over to his paint man, Goose [Haddock, see New Zealand Trucking April 2019], and we had to make up our paint scheme in a real hurry! The second truck we got off him, when we went up it was painted and sign-written; it was amazing.”

After the couple sold the restaurant in 2015, Krissy had a

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Nasty West Coast weather and “never-ending road maintenance” separates the men from the boys.

“The biggest thing to contend with on the West Coast is the remoteness.”

few months off before the CEO she had worked for previously offered her a job as his executive assistant, a role she still holds today.

“When I looked at going back to work full time, I explained to him that the trucking business had grown and that quite often there would be times that I needed to answer the phone if it was someone ringing to try and book some cattle in or when Robert or Gavin [Morgan, the other driver] needed me on the other end of the phone, and he was more than happy with that. I’m very lucky that he, and everyone in the office, has learnt a little bit about stock trucks and cattle movement and the fun of it mostly, as well as the complete heartache sometimes when things don’t go right.”

In addition to being responsible for the all the paperwork for the business, Krissy is often the first point of contact for customers.

“If Robert’s farming, there’s no cell phone coverage. We’ve put in a little satellite and you can get about 50 metres around the hay shed at the farm, but if he’s further away than that, I can’t get him. So I take bookings for any works cattle, and as both trucks are on EROAD, I keep an eye on Robert and Gavin so I can keep track of them, and if they’re running extremely early or extremely late I can flick texts to farmers and say they are close or far away.”

The weather can throw some nasty curve balls to West Coasters. The collapse of the Waiho River Bridge at Franz Josef following hours of severe rain in March 2019 led to huge detours for Robert’s trucks.

“The bridge at Franz being shut half killed us, because we missed out on all our local Franz/Whataroa/Hari Hari work,”

says Robert. “We had contract cattle to get through, and on the alternative road there are six restricted bridges between here and Makarora. Once we got over to the East Coast we then had to compete with H plate trucks for loads home.”

The bridge was closed for 18 days and the time of year didn’t help either. Because they are working with beef cattle, for safety reasons they only loaded during daylight hours.

“And the weather was so atrocious, that if the cattle were going to be on the truck for any length of time, they loaded later than what we normally would for local loads,” says Krissy.

“You’d leave them on the paddock in the morning because the day was so long and they go up alpine passes in between.

“It was all contracted ALEPH cattle to ANZCO in Ashburton. It was all out of Fox, through the Haast Pass, we’d pop out in Otago/Luggate, and then wind our way up through McKenzie country, over the Lindis Pass, then up through Twizel, Tekapo, Geraldine, Fairlie, and then finally trundle into Ashburton. It was often about 8 o’clock at night when they were getting there.”

Krissy says the bridge being out wasn’t the only weatherrelated event they’ve had to deal with.

“There was a big slip at Diana Falls up the Haast Pass. I’m not sure how long that went on for, it was months and months and months, and it was shut at nights.”

Krissy says they’d open the road at 10am and it would be shut by 3pm.

“One day we got caught; Gavin had been over to Canterbury to drop a load off at Ashburton and stayed at Omarama, and then he had to go to Omakau to pick up a load of calves to bring back. He got loaded and made it as far as just out of

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“What we’ve been noticing in the industry lately, especially the past two years, is the squeeze on small companies like ours.”

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Wanaka and they shut the Haast Pass and he was marooned with a truck and trailer full of calves.”

The Scotts have a good relationship with Upper Clutha Transport and say the company took care of the calves for the night.

“We work in with all the guys, because they might have one bull that could be coming from anywhere that has to get to Fox and it’s uneconomical for them to do it, so a lot of them will meet us at Kokiri,” says Robert. “We can ring anyone for help, and that’s the beauty of it I guess, because we’re always there for them, to bring the bits and pieces down the coast for them. In the herd shifts we’ll go and help TWF or Aratuna, depending on who’s stuck.”

Krissy says there are many factors that make things tricky for them to get help if they are far from home.

“When the bridge isn’t out, on a normal day they’d go from here, over Arthurs Pass, and then to Ashburton. They’d stay the night in Tinwald, and then we’d be provided with a load back to ANZCO Kokiri. Before the M. bovis outbreak, we would be able to pull into yards, unload, rejig, the boys would be able to reload again, and head off. And once M. bovis started appearing, we were unable to do that, and pretty much just as soon as they were on our truck, they were our problem.

“When leaving Ashburton we have to try and put pressure on agents to get us into places early, as once we have unloaded at Kokiri we are still 215km from home. The drivers need to have their adequate break time so they can get up and go in the morning. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t work.”

The gear has to be up to the task, because if one of the trucks breaks down, CablePrice is three hours away and Robert says it’s

Robert and wife Krissy have done it all – from farming and restaurant ownership to transport.

not cheap if he has to get them to come down to Fox Glacier.

“Tyres, mechanical work, auto electricians, the whole lot is in Greymouth, which makes it tricky. If we drop a truck off there, it can be a three-day thing. You can’t sit around kicking stones, so I’ve got to come home and do something.”

Krissy says while the weather is something they have learned to live with, it’s the never-ending road maintenance that causes more problems.

“We’ve had a really great summer, apart from a couple of events such as the bridge being washed away.”

Graham Berry, owner of Perivale Farm, with driver Gavin Morgan.

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d

C N o re p

N b in a fo e

yet – we can’t replace it with two more, so we’ve got to get rid Krissy says they used to send diggers and trucks, clear it and of one and decide what we’re doing. Because we’re doing the be done, but now there is a fight between councils as to whose long distances now, the gear has to be up to the task, and our responsibility it is. workshop service is in Greymouth.”

“So it’s easier to say ‘stop, we’ll just close it for the night While the locals have been supportive of their business, until we figure it out’. So that is a change of mindset really.

Krissy says the meat companies are often the ones making The local contractors, like Michael Sullivan, will call and let us decisions on which transport know if there is a slip or anything company to use. that may affect Robert’s travel “What we’ve been noticing plans.” in the industry lately, especially Until two years ago Robert says the past two years, is the squeeze they didn’t leave the coast, but now on small companies like ours. they have regular runs to Ashburton They make it virtually impossible for the meat company, and out to to exist, through regulations.

Tarras and Hawea Flat for dairy There’s a lot of talk of the bigger grazing, which makes for long days companies getting bigger and the for him and Gavin. smaller companies dropping off “It’s a whole day trip for them, the end, and yeah, that’s a real risk it’s about 430km,” says Krissy. for us, a real risk.

“If they’re doing a prime load to “That’s the main thing Robert Ashburton, then it would be a 7am RPS, well known on the West Coast. and I really struggle with at the load, they’d be out of here by 8am, moment, that we feel like we do and then they’d touch down at 4pm a really great job – and so we should because we’re here and to unload, at Seafield. That’s if they had a clean run – quite because they need us – but we need to survive and have work often there are car accidents, road works, road closures – so to keep going, essentially.” that’s if they have a perfect day. And quite often they don’t.”

Robert says the biggest thing they have to contend with on Robert says the company that had moved out of the stock the West Coast is the remoteness. transport business several years ago has now got back into it, “We’re not having a moan about everything, it’s just the which is having an impact on his business. reality. There’s one road in, one road out, and if you take a Recently Robert put one of his trucks up for sale and he says load out, there’s nothing to come in because that’s just the the locals have noticed this. way it is.”  “You know, ‘is he going to stick around?’ We don’t know

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days late in June 2018, according to Xero.

Cash flow issues can bring business to its knees. With the New Zealand small business sector making up 97 per cent of our workforce and a strong economic driver, the potential epercussions are far-reaching. When small business productivity slows, the whole economy does too.

didn’t suit many of these business owners, who just needed to bridge the gap so they could keep operating while they waited for their invoices to be paid.

Buffer, Helping Small to Medium Business Cashflow

Nick O’Connor knows how stressful it can be for businesses to try to maintain working capital between nvoice payments. The Kiwi entrepreneur, who has owned and run several ventures himself, first identified the need For manyform small of to medium cash flow issues or an alternative invoice business finance owners, while based in postare a fact of life. earthquake Christchurch.

Xero’s recent Small Business Insights survey showed that in the year to June 2018, just half of New Zealand small businesses were cash flow positive in any given month.

On average, New Zealand small businesses were paid 8.3 days late in June 2018, according to Xero.

“

“Buffer is all about helping small to Cash flow issues can bring business to its knees. With the New Zealand small business sector making up 97 per cent medium businesses continue growing, of our workforce and a strong economic driver, the potential

“After the earthquakes, I faced cash flow issues in my businesses, as did many of my friends and contacts.

Businesses just needed some extra help to stay afloat between invoice payments, given the massive unforeseen disruption which had hit the local economy,” he says.

Traditional invoice factoring services provided via banks just didn’t suit many of these business owners, who just needed to bridge the gap so they could keep operating while they waited for their invoices to be paid.

repercussions are far-reaching. When small business by maintaining cashflow until invoices are productivity slows, the whole economy does too.

paid.Nick Unlike invoice factoring, don’t O’Connor knows how stressful it canwe be for businesses to try to maintain working capital between

take over all your The invoicing or lock you into invoice payments.

Kiwi entrepreneur, who has owned

Nick started working with several businesses to address this

and run several ventures himself, first identified the need

issue by buying their unpaid invoices – providing a much-

earthquake Christchurch.

needed cash advance – and then debiting the amount back

a minimum period with a finance monthly fee. in postfor an alternative form of invoice while based We simply allow you access to cash when

“

you need it, for a one-off fee each time” medium businesses continue growing, by maintaining cashflow until invoices are paid. Unlike invoice factoring, we don’t take over all your invoicing or lock you into a minimum period with a monthly fee.

Nick O’Connor We simply allow you access to cash when you need it, for aManaging one-off fee Director each time”

”

This was the precursor to Buffer, a low-hassle service which allows businesses to stay cash positive and the flexibility to call on an advance only when it’s needed.

Nick started working with several businesses to address this issue by buying their unpaid invoices – providing a muchneeded advance – and of then debiting theinamount With a cash growing number businesses variousback sectors once their customer had paid.

nationwide now using Buffer, Nick says the feedback he

This was the precursor to Buffer, a low-hassle service which

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allows businesses to stay cash positive and the flexibility to call on an advance only whenand it’s needed. confidential, hassle-free fast service.

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TOP TRUCK OF THE YEAR 2018-19

Sweet child sweet triumph Story and photos by Gavin Myers

It was a clear victory for Matty Barraclough’s flat roof K200 Kenworth in the 2018-19 Top Truck of the Year voting, and a very deserving one at that.

H

aving first featured in the September 2018 issue of New Zealand Trucking as that issue’s Top Truck, the M&D Barraclough K200 – affectionately dubbed ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ – featured on a rough and rugged skid, being loaded up to its maximum logging capacity.

Those who know Matt and his K200 will know that it was uncharacteristically dirty in that shot – but on the October day of our Top Truck of the Year presentation, things were back on form.

She arrived at the Power Retreads Hastings facility after Matt and his team – wife Daphne and kids Reese and Blake – had spent the morning polishing her up to a flawless shine.

“It’s not every weekend she gets a wash; it’s pretty hard to keep her in a clean condition, but we do our best to look after her as much as we can,” beamed Matt.

Being voted Top Truck of the Year 2018-19 wasn’t just a triumph for Matt. Daphne, Reese and Blake were just as chuffed with the love shown for their beloved K200. Indeed,

with Daphne counting the beans and the kids helping to keep the rig presentable, the Barraclough clan consider ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ another member of the family.

They walked away with a full set of Vipal drive tyres for ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’, sponsored by Power Retreads.

“Power Retreads and Vipal Rubber are proud to be the sponsors for the New Zealand Trucking Top Truck of the Year award. We were excited to hear that a local Hawke’s Bay truck was this year’s winner of this well contested competition,” says Dave Leicester, director of Power Retreads.

“This is a well-deserved win for Matt, Daphne and their family, who have a dedicated and focused approach to the family business. The presentation of the truck was immaculate, with a lot of effort undertaken to have this Kenworth looking sharp for the day. Congratulations to the Barraclough family – another successful competition highlighting a great truck,” Leicester added.

Matt and family also received the John Murphy Memorial winner’s plaque for 2018-19 and a one-off rendition of ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ painted by the talented Rochelle Thomas.

“While voting numbers are kept confidential I can say that ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ was the clearest winner we’ve ever had, and we received many, many calls telling us it couldn’t have gone to nicer people. It’s been another fantastic competition,” said Dave McCoid, editor of New Zealand Trucking.

It’s hard to believe that Matt’s K200 is over two years old now. He says she’s been an awesome truck so far.

Left: The Barraclough clan is congratulated

by Dave Leicester and Brent Jellyman of Power Retreads.

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Receiving their prize from Dave McCoid, editor of New Zealand Trucking, are (from left): Blake, Reese, Daphne and Matt Barraclough.

To recap the standout features of ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’, she runs a 485kW (615hp) Cummins X15 mated to a Roadranger 18-speed manual and Meritor 46-160 diffs.

Underpinning the chassis is Kenworth’s 8-bag air suspension system. Logging equipment from Kraft Trailers completes the setup.

Helping to keep the X15 humming are the dual

roof-mounted 7” air intakes with their mushroom tops.

Impossible to miss, they combine with the striking paint scheme, perfect pinstriping by Darren Caulfield and bespoke stainless steel accents to impart one helluva hat-tip to the classic and the old school of which Matt is so fond.

With such obvious passion behind her, it’s little wonder ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ was such a clear winner this year. 

Top-quality detailing on this beautiful child.

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November 2019

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PIC OF THE MONTH

Nathan Peacock took this great shot on the Auckland wharf of the Kenworth T409 he drives for Slater Cartage Ltd based out of Huntly. Who said cityscapes can’t be cool?

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PERSON OF INTEREST

Maxi career at Minishifts Story by Gavin Myers Photos by Gavin Myers and Minishifts

Gaye Walford is currently celebrating two decades of driving for Auckland-based transporter Minishifts Ltd. While that’s an achievement in its own right, her story holds more detail and intrigue than you’d expect of a humble, loyal truckie.

G

aye, interestingly, is not a career truckie. Sure, trucks – and many other types of vehicles designed to be put to work – have featured as a common thread throughout her roadmap of a career, but it is one punctuated with a few exciting detours.

She says the start of it all goes right back to her formative years, growing up on the farm at which her dad worked. “I’ve always been an outdoor person; you’d never find me inside. On the farm I learnt to drive tractors at about age eight or nine,” she begins. Interestingly, she also developed a flair for sheep shearing, and became quite a successful competitor.

This love for the outdoors, sense of adventure and attraction to large machinery led Gaye to enrol in the army during 1978 – in the transport company. While there, she acquired licences to operate six different types of vehicles, which would bring her tally to an impressive eight, including motorbikes, forklifts and the biggest rigs she could get her hands on.

It was natural then that Gaye would gravitate to a driving job upon leaving active service 10 years later, so she set course

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for Auckland and knocked on a few doors. “I always got a ‘no’,” she says, “mainly because of the small size of me,” she laughs.

Giving up on the idea of carting loads cross-country, Gaye enlisted with ARA, driving council buses around Auckland from the Wiri depot.

“It was an ‘all right’ period. I got to know Auckland but after 10 years I’d had enough. There was not a lot of action,” she says.

Did she then try knocking down the doors of Auckland’s transport companies once more? No, she went for something completely different. “I moved to a hard-labour job, working on a barge building and repairing wharfs. I enjoyed that job; it was tough.”

The attraction to heavy vehicles and the call of the open road were too much for Gaye to ignore though, and so in 2000 her quest to re-enter the industry lead her to Minishifts.

“I kept ringing and didn’t get an answer, so I walked in to try my chances and owner Steve [Speir] was sitting here [the break room we’re currently in, which used to be the main office].

He stood up and I realised he was about twice the size of me!

But we spoke and he said he said he didn’t have any positions going. I thought ‘there’s another no’, but the next day I got a phone call to come in!” she recalls.

Colleague Ben [Steve’s brother] was going on holiday and so Gaye was drafted in for three weeks’ relief duty. Needless to say, she quickly became an integral part of the team. “The company’s main customer back then was Crown Forklifts. Crown had one truck dedicated to it, so I ended up helping every day.”

The timing was perfect too, as soon the company’s newest addition to the fleet, a forklift trailer designed by Steve and built by Modern Transport Engineers out of Hamilton, arrived.

Incidentally, we’ve been told this unit was the first of its kind and was unique in its operation. Its hydraulic suspension allows

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Sixty years young and a career that has its fair share of stories to tell, but Gaye has no ambition of hanging up her keys just yet.

the deck to be lowered right to the ground, making it easy to load those ground-hugging electric forklifts.

And so off Gaye went, trailer hitched to an old Isuzu 280 bought for the purpose. “She was a bone-rattler,” Gaye says.

“Pretty basic but never broke down, I always got home. I dunno how many kilometres I did in her but it was a fair few – I drove it for about six years.”

From there Gaye moved on to a 320hp Volvo FL10 that Steve had brought in from the UK. “I thought I was in heaven,” Gaye says fondly. “It was a beautiful truck to drive; very comfy and reliable. I loved driving it, but after 10 or 11 years it ended up having issues.”

Today Gaye hitches Steve’s trusty trailer to a 435hp Mitsubishi Shogun fitted with an 18-speed Roadranger

(purchased November 2012 ex Trans Otway), still carting everything from forklifts and diggers to rollers and tracks. “I’ve done about 380,000km in it in four or five years, but it’s been around the clock in a previous application.”

That’s pretty impressive, considering the Minishifts team has traditionally done all its own vehicle maintenance [although, more recently, independent on-site mechanics have taken care of this]. “When I started here, we used to do all the maintenance ourselves on the weekends, me and Steve [who drives, too]. I loved doing that. Steve’s a welder and Ben’s an engineer,” Gaye says. It’s clear that she’s quite fond of her employers and passionate about the business…

“I have a good boss. I love Minishifts and I would do anything for the company. Some guys come to work just to

Left to right: Gaye’s pretty comfy in the cab of her current Mitsi.

Plugging away at the controls of the company’s custom-designed forklift trailer – still going strong after 20 years.

Truckie and servicewoman: a prior career in the army had Gaye stationed in Antarctica for a few months, which included a visit to the South Pole.

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work. I think it’s an age thing; the younger guys don’t have the same passion. Younger people today are different from when I was that age,” she says.

On the subject, I ask Gaye what’s changed in the 20 years she’s been at Minishifts. “Traffic has multiplied and there’s a huge focus on health and safety. A lot of the old school stuff wouldn’t fly today. You can tell an old hand from a newbie,” she says.

Gaye draws from her years of experience to give some advice to the industry’s newbies: “It’s a good job if you’re willing to learn the job. It’s not easy when you first start and you’ve got to have your wits about you because things can go wrong, just like that. It did for me once or twice. One time I fell off a truck and broke my hip and smashed my wrists; that put me out of action for a year. They said that could be it for me and driving, but I said, ‘I’ll be back’. Can’t tell me what I can’t do!”

Evidently, this has always been Gaye’s approach to life – a life that, according to her, is always commented on as being ‘really interesting’. “It’s just always been about doing stuff I wanted to do,” she counters, “from competitive sheep shearing to spending four months in Antarctica with the army as a cargo handler.”

Antarctica? “The highlight of my life,” she beams. “Just the fact of being there was amazing. Total sun, no darkness. We walked around the South Pole, which was a three-hour flight from our station.

“There were about 1200 people staying there. It’s pretty extreme, your eyelashes freeze and breathing gets hard. I did a survival course there. It was awesome; I loved being there.

From the barracks I’d look down to the water and see the whales.”

Always up for a challenge, it’s one of the things that has endeared the trucking industry to Gaye over the years. “I could never do anything that bores me. In trucking, every day is different. Once you get your job for the day and leave the gate you’re on your own; you have to make the choices and do what you must to get the machines to their destination,” she says.

She may not be a career truckie in the strictest sense, but Gaye’s story is one any truckie would be proud to tell. At 60 she certainly is proud of her career, so why should she stop now? Well, she won’t… “I love the job and I plan to stay here till the end,” she says with a smile. 

Gaye’s first vehicle at Minishifts was an

Gaye drove this trusty Volvo FL10 for around 10 years.

Isuzu 280, “a bone-rattler”.

“I thought I was in heaven,” she says about her first go behind the wheel.

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ WHY REGROOVE YOUR MICHELIN TRUCK TYRES? PUTTING AN END TO MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT REGROOVING!

MYTH REGROOVING IS NOT COST EFFECTIVE

FACT REGROOVING SAVES YOU MONEY Regrooving can offer 25% more mileage from your tyre.

Lower rolling resistance translates to better fuel consumption and can lead to fuel savings of up to 2 litres every 100 km.

For every 4 tyres regrooved, 1 new tyre is saved.

MYTH REGROOVING IS UNSAFE

FACT REGROOVED TYRES ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH SAFETY Regrooving does not affect the structural integrity of the casing.

A tyre with 4mm remaining tread, once regrooved, is refitted with 7-8mm remaining tread which improves lateral grip and drive by 10%.

DID YOU KNOW? REGROOVING HELPS PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT! A truck with regrooved tyres consumes less fuel and gives off 1.6 tonne less CO2 per year.

Reduces raw material usage by up to 70kg per tyre.

Please note: It is critical that regrooving is carried out by a tyre professional using a regrooving manual. Tyres designed for regrooving will have the word “REGROOVABLE” on the sidewall.

MYTH ONCE REGROOVED, MY TYRE CANNOT BE RETREADED

FACT MICHELIN TRUCK TYRES ARE DESIGNED TO BE REGROOVED AND RETREADED Regrooving utilises extra tread rubber built into the tyre for this purpose.

Professional tyre management is the essential factor in acceptance for retreading for both regrooved and nonregrooved tyres.

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Just Truckin’

Around

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Ryan Arnold TA Arnold Transport operate a trio of well-presented Ivecos based near the Glacier Country in South Westland.

Craig McCauley caught up with Ryan Arnold at the company’s Hari Hari depot, Ryan having just finished washing his Iveco Stralis in preparation for the coming week.

The 500hp Stralis and 5-axle TES drop-sider operate primarily between Canterbury and the West Coast, carrying almost anything required by the local rural community from timber and stock feed to fertiliser and farm machinery.

The ever-increasing health and safety rules cropped up during the conversation. The reluctance of some sites to accept drop-side tippers collecting bulk products, combined with the introduction of so-called safe zones, where drivers are unable to see how the load is being placed on their trucks – despite being responsible for the condition and placement of it – rated among the issues raised by Ryan.

The Iveco carries fleet number 3, so asking our vexing question of the same number seemed pertinent. When it came to mobile phones, did he prefer an Apple or Samsung? Ryan confirmed the device in his pocket originates from none other than California in the good old USA.

Hanes Villaverde Heading back from the Road Transport Forum conference in Taupo, Faye Lougher stopped to chat to Hanes Villaverde, who was behind the wheel of a 2004 Hino FS with a snowplough attachment.

Originally from the Philippines, Hanes works for Downer monitoring the Desert Road north of Waiouru. In winter his truck is used to clear snow, while in summer it’s used as a construction truck.

Hanes began his working life as a machine operator, but says if there isn’t much machine work on, he hops in the truck and does a shift.

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He’s been in New Zealand for about six and a half years, originally working for Higgins, but says he found Downer offered better opportunities.

“I love the variety – some days I am clearing snow, some days I am applying grit, and some days spreading metal. Today I’ve got the snow attachment on.”

Hanes is pretty happy in his work and says he can’t really think of any issues in the industry.

Not surprisingly, when Hanes got the ‘should your curry be mild or hot’ question, he smiled and said “hot!”

1119-32

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JUST TRUCKIN’ AROUND – Overseas Tony Clarke Stepping down from the cab of his 2018 Kenworth C509, Tony Clarke, better known as ‘Aggro’, did not fit the stereotype of a Toll driver. Devoid of PPE, the bearded Townsville man prefers the comfort of short sleeves, shorts and thongs while he’s behind the wheel.

After introducing himself at the IOR fuel depot in Cloncurry, North West Queensland, Paul O’Callaghan threw an inquisitive glance towards the tough Kenworth, which, like its driver, looked a bit different from your average Toll item.

“That’s because I’ve changed a few things” came the reply.

Personal modifications include chrome air breather stacks, 6” exhaust pipes, and marker lights in the air conditioning pod.

Aggro’s C509 is an impressive truck featuring an integrated sleeper, the new type dash, and in contrast with many 509s, air bag suspension on the rear axles.

Having spent 30 years driving trucks, Aggro has been right around Australia, hauling everything from fridge vans to general freight. Nowadays, he is content on the regular run carting bulk cement from Townsville to the mine at Mount Isa. “It’s a cruisy run, just drop and pick up the tanks, with no night work involved. Our division of Toll is pretty good to work for.”

Following in the spirit of his tough truck, Tony spends his free time playing with his similarly tough toys. “I’ve got two Harleys and two Toyota Landcruisers at home in Townsville,” he adds, before firing up the E5 Cummins for the final push to Mount Isa.

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TOP TRUCK

The Big Kahuna Story and photos by Carl Kirkbeck

If you watched the TV show Movin’ On back in the 80s, then you will most likely remember ‘Truck-Um Up Posters’. This month’s Top Truck poster pays homage to that great era of trucking.

S

itting in the Pukekohe office of Northchill Ltd and chatting to Graham Redington, we sense the passion in the man immediately that harks back to a childhood in the 80s, the golden era of trucking. A time where Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit were showing at the local cinema and Truck-Um Up Posters were pinned up on bedroom walls.

Graham and Michelle Redington own transport company Northchill Ltd of Pukekohe and their immaculate fleet is instantly recognisable throughout the country. None more so than fleet number 65, ‘The Big Kahuna’, a two-year-old limited edition T900 Kenworth.

A touch over three years ago Graham was looking to embark on the rebuild of a Mack Super-Liner as a working truck, something that oozed trucking nostalgia and was fun to drive.

It was at this time that Kenworth in Bayswater, Australia, was about to open the order books for 24 hours on the limited run re-release of the Classic T900. Graham caught wind of this opportunity, and chatting with Michelle they decided that a brand new classic rather than a rebuilt retro was the way forward for their business, so the Super-Liner was sold on to Allan Dippie of Wanaka, then it was a call to good mate Steve Herring of Southpac Trucks in Christchurch and the order was placed.

The next call was to Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, to the custom Kenworth workshops of Justin and Turk Klos.

Graham’s connection and friendship with the Klos brothers is longstanding, having visited the lads and purchased items over the years for existing Kenworth products already operating within the Northchill fleet. A plan was put in place for the new #65 to be delivered from the Bayswater assembly plant as soon as it rolled off the line directly to the Klos facility.

Graham had a clear vision of how the new addition to the fleet would look. “The trouble with being on opposite sides of the Tasman with a project like this is there are many decisions

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to be discussed and made, so I put together a book that described every detail I was looking for in the build. It blew the Klos boys away as no one had ever done that for them before,” said Graham. The book detailed everything from mirror arms through to paint detail and everything in between.

Once the bare tractor unit had arrived from Bayswater in its base colour of silver, it was stripped down in readiness for the application of the classic Kenworth Seminole paint scheme.

The iconic Seminole paint scheme was first seen on early W900A models in the 70s and has been adopted by many other makes and models over the years. Adam Bennett and the TFI team at Laverton North, Victoria, were the magicians here, ensuring the scene was set for the pin-striping by both Justin Klos as well as New Zealand’s own award-winning Cliff Mannington of Truck Signs in Tauranga, who flew in to Geelong especially for the project.

Once paint and pin-striping was complete it was time for reassembly of the T900 and also to apply the many customfabricated items listed on the pages of ‘Graham’s Build Guide’.

Probably the most visual accessory is the custom Bar Up Bullbars flat Texan front bumper. A classic Kenworth bug and details have been CNC etched into each end of the bar. Other

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The closer you look the more detail you find.

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November 2019

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The idea for Graham was to have the bulk of the custom fabrication work completed in Australia, with a minimum of effort required here in New Zealand when the rig arrived, virtually ready to hit the road. Upon arrival in New Zealand, Aaron Headington and his team at Southpac Trucks set up the turntable and got the legals sorted, while Northchill team member Shayne Downey took care of the in-cab fit-out. Many individuals had a hand in the project, however with Graham’s clear vision of how the end product would look, everyone has played their part to perfection.

This is one of those builds where the closer you look the more detail you find. It is the subtle touches added by Graham that define the era ‘The Big Kahuna’ tips its hat to; for example the single row of retro styled amber marker lamps that are fitted the length of the diesel tank steps, reminiscent of the classic American trucks we drooled over in the 80s, the likes of Bob Wilson’s W900A ‘Ironsides’ and Steve Blunt’s stretched K100 Aerodyne ‘Firebird’ to name a couple. In the day poster trucks like those were the inspiration of many of our successful operators today, and looking over Graham and Michelle’s pride of the fleet it is pleasing to see the passion and inspiration being transferred on to our next generation of young gear jammers, 10-4. 

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Open door legends!

One of the standout moments, gestures, attractions, whatever you want to call it, at this year’s Ashburton Truck Show was Stuart Tartbotton Contracting opening the door of their Kenworth T909 with a sign for any passing kid to jump in, sit in the seat, look down the bonnet, and think “How cool is this? This is me!”

That was an incredibly generous and wonderful thing to do, and just what needs to happen.

Careers advice will never achieve what a set of stacks, chrome, stone guards, Kelsa bars, bonnets, and encouragement will. Well done and Good On Ya, team! 

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An absolute ripper –

Ashburton 2019 Story and photos by Dean Middleton

Beautiful sun, a fantastic charity, families, and 180 trucks. What else could it be but Ashburton!

The immaculately refurbed Mack Ultra Liner from Oxford Ag won the best 750,000 –1,000,000km category.

S

aturday 7 September 2019 and the day of the Ashburton Truck Show dawned with bright sunshine and blue skies. This was in stark contrast to the days leading up to the event that saw wet and stormy conditions. It did leave conditions a little slippery underfoot, however surprisingly few trucks got stuck arriving and leaving the show. For those who did find themselves in a little grief, the PTS boys were on hand with a farm tractor – conveniently part of a load – to lend a helping hand.

The biennial show was held at the Ashburton A&P Show­ grounds again this year and head organiser Rick Harkness was extremely pleased with the turnout of more than 180 trucks.

One of the nice touches of the show is an award called the Andy Harkness Memorial Award, which is dedicated to Rick Harkness’s late father. All truck entries are eligible for this award and what makes it even more special is that Rick’s mother Yvonne is the person who chooses the recipient. This year the honours went to John Webster and his black W Model Kenworth.

Another nice touch was a handwritten note left on the step of Stuart Tarbotton Contracting’s T909 Kenworth which read “Kids jump in, put ya bum on the seat (this may be the job for you)”, and with that the driver’s door was left wide open for any kid who wanted to take up the offer – and plenty did.

The entire event was very well organised and there was a pleasant, almost family feel to it. Proceeds from the show are

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donated to charity and the Child Cancer Foundation was chosen as the beneficiary for 2019. At the time of writing more than $13,000 had been raised.

Based on the 2019 efforts, there is no doubt that everyone will be looking forward to the next Ashburton Truck Show in 2021. 

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

Above: Methven Trucking’s imposing International 9870 bulk tipper.

Left: The Andy Harkness Memorial award is in memory of head organiser Rick Harkness’s father. Any truck at the show qualifies, and as a nice touch Rick’s mother Yvonne chooses the award winner. This year John Webster took the honours in his W Model Kenworth.

Left: Burnell and Son Transport’s line-up of Freightliners took away the Fleet of the Show award.

Right: Rossco Bobcats’ gleaming nearnew UD Quon tipper.

New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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Gerald Daldry’s superb full-scale restoration of a Burnett Motors International Acco livestock unit.

Top: Classic trucks had a large presence at the show again this year. Middle: PTS provided a farm tractor to tow several trucks in and out of the show that had traction issues. Bottom: Hilton Haulage are ever-present supporters of Canterbury-based truck shows.

Best in the 500,000 –750,000 category was Jaden Pearson in his Western Star.

RESULTS Ashburton Truck Show 2019 Andy Harkness Memorial People’s Choice 0 – 50,000km 50,000 – 250,000km 250,000 – 500,000km 500,000 – 750,000km 750,000 – 1,000,000km 1,000,000 + Best Classic Best Fleet Furthest Travelled

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New Zealand Trucking

Kenworth Isuzu Mercedes-Benz Scania Volvo Western Star Mack Kenworth Foden Burnell Transport Krone Rolfe

November 2019

John Webster Firth Readymix Mason Murphy Chris Casey Paton Jaden Pearson Jason Caldwell Krone Rolfe Neville Little Titus Transport

CPT Martinborough Transport Pye Group Oxford Ag Titus Transport

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AUSSIE ANGLES

Pumping hot P-Series Story and photos by Howard Shanks

ScreedPro’s new Scania NTG P380 is pumping more than just tiling screed to building and construction sites around the country. This unique custombuilt pump truck is eliminating deadly silica dust and greatly reducing production costs and time while enhancing safety in the workplace.

W

est Australian headquartered ScreedPro, a wholly Australian-owned company, has been supplying commercial-grade tiling screed to Australia’s leading floor contractors and builders for more than two decades. Over the years the company has refined its technology and systems to become the preferred supplier to virtually all major construction projects in Western Australia, and is rapidly growing on the East Coast.

The introduction of ScreedPro’s first new Scania P380 and custom-built trailer a few months ago radically transformed the floor screeding industry overnight. The success of this first unit cemented the future for a total of six new Scania P380 and trailer units, scheduled to be on the road before Christmas, with a similar rollout schedule planned for 2020.

Before the arrival of the ScreedPro Scania P380 and trailer pumping unit, floor screed was traditionally mixed by hand, then wheelbarrowed into the building.

“There was a lot of manual handling with this process,” NSW general manager Les Stockdale explains. “To compound the problem, at high-rise job sites we were always relying on materials hoists and other site infrastructure to get to these upper levels. It was extremely time-consuming and labour intensive. Then there was the problem of storing sand and pallets of cement on-site and the risk of inconsistent mixing and quality control with hand-mixed screed. But ultimately, there were health issues for site workers, with silica dust being the biggest problem when opening bags of cement.

“Roughly 24 months ago we commenced working with a team of Australian and international engineers, along with technology suppliers, to develop a fully self-contained automatic screed mixing and pumping system,” Les says. “One of the many challenges was making the unit fit Australian ADR regulations. That’s where Scania came to the party and became an integral partner in the development process.

“These new trailer pumps are fully self-contained, sealed systems for automatic mixing and pumping of large volumes of 15 to 50 MPA screed up to 180 metres horizontally and 30 floors vertically.”

Les says tilers and safety officers alike have noticed the advantages of the new unit. “Tilers can save time, cost and the effort of sourcing raw materials and manually mixing and barrowing of screed. The safety officers love our machines and process because we have eliminated high-risk manual handling and fully eliminated silica dust generation in the mixing of screed.”

A Groeneveld auto grease canister is probably the first sign of some special Innovative mixing and pumping system means worksites are now cleaner, healthier and safer.

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running gear.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ

By mid-2020 ScreedPro aims to have depots in all major capital cities. Currently, the company has depots in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

“We also service regional projects,” Les says. “That’s the beauty of our system being truck-mounted, we can go virtually anywhere. In fact, on Sunday last week we sent one Scania P380 1000km from Sydney for a 13m³ engineered screed job on Monday. That unit arrived back in Sydney ready for an apartment project by 7am Tuesday morning. That’s the beauty of the Scania P380’s performance and reliability.”

When selecting a truck supplier, ScreedPro looked for much more than the cheapest truck quote and wanted a transport partner who would be deeply involved in the entire technology development process and fleet rollout.

How did this get in ‘ere?

Les comments that the Scania team and the P380 prime movers play a significant role in the initial and ongoing success of their operation. “All through the development process Scania has provided great assistance and not just delivered us a truck, but also a transport solution that integrated with and enhanced our pump trailer technology.

“They not only look after the service and maintenance of our Scania trucks, but they also carry out all the service and maintenance of our trailers’ road running components and they work hand-in-hand with our specially trained team of engineers who provide the technical support for our trailermounted mixing and pumping units,” he says.

“Scania suggested the P-Series model to us because of its low weight cabin with exceptional visibility. It had all the comfort

Oh, that’s how…!

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The NTG’s interior is simple, elegant, and easy to operate in the best Scania tradition.

ScreedPro’s Les Stockdale is chuffed with his new rigs.

and safety features we wanted to provide our drivers with, like easy cabin access for urban work, with a quiet working environment and enough storage space for the odd long-haul trek. Because of the high degree of technology and automation in our system, we had a number of technology requirements which Scania were proactive about incorporating into our build-up.”

The NTG P380 certainly ticks all the boxes when it comes to urban driving, which often involves many stops and starts with repeated climbing in and out of the cabin. Because the cabin entrance is low, with convenient grab handles, this operation is both easy and safer for the driver.

Manoeuvring around tight construction sites requires exceptional concentration and visibility and this is another area where the P380 shines. Because the driver sits high in the cabin they have an outstanding vista forward through the broad curved windscreen and rearward via the wide mirror system. The motorised mirrors can be conveniently rotated to follow the trailer by use of the multifunction mirror switch conveniently located on the driver’s side door armrest.

“There is no question the Scania P380 really is a premium workhorse,” Les says. “When you consider the ease of cabin access, incredible storage options and sleeper area, along with the optimised dashboard and on-board entertainment, life on the road for our drivers is extremely comfortable.”

These ScreedPro P380 trucks are powered by the Scania D13 380hp (283kW) engine coupled to a 14-speed overdrive transmission with Opticruise shift.

Manoeuvring in and around tight city construction sites is right up the Scania P380’s alley, but manoeuvring a standardlength tri-axle trailer in and around the same construction sites is a different story altogether. However, that’s another area the ScreedPro team worked tirelessly on. To ensure its new trailers would match the manoeuvrability of the Scania P380, they had them custom-built to exact specifications.

The addition of the Groeneveld auto grease canister fitted to the right-hand leg is probably the first sign an onlooker gets that there is some special running gear in this trailer that

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requires regular lubrication, and that’s what prompts a further look underneath.

A quick glance at the skid plate on the trailer reveals the telltale signs of Jost’s TRIDEC hydraulic steerable suspension.

The system utilises a hydraulic linkage between the fifth wheel coupling plate and axle assemblies, employing hydraulic cylinders. Besides, additional manoeuvrability can be achieved with the use of the wireless remote manual override system to get the trailer in and out of the tightest sites.

BPW ECO Plus 2 axles with a pivoting hub on either end of the axle are coupled to the TRIDEC steering suspension. The use of wide 385/65 R22.5 super-single tyres on the TRIDEC suspension give the trailer a greater steering angle than if the traditional dual tyres were fitted. The trailer’s smart braking system is a BPW-Wabco combination commonly found on many Australian-built trailers, which means parts commonality and maintenance is simplified.

This innovative Scania P380 and its state-of-the-art trailer are certainly pioneering a new approach to productivity, cost reduction, quality enhancement and workplace safety in not just the building industry, but transport as well. 

Fifth-wheel coupling plate allows the Jost TRIDEC system to rotate the trailer axles.

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INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

MANN versus MACHINE PART 1

Story by Will Shiers • Photos by Will Shiers or as credited

Last year Will Shiers went to New Mexico in search of the Convoy filming locations. In this two-part series, he now heads to Southern California to discover where Steven Spielberg’s Duel was shot.

“All I did was pass this stupid rig a couple of times and he goes flying off the deep end. He has to be crazy.”

I M A GE : U NI V E R SA L P IC T U RE S

I’m sitting at the level crossing in Acton, California, waiting for two miles of freight train to slowly trundle past, when I notice a Ram pickup truck in my rearview mirror. It’s massive, menacing, and it’s creeping ever closer. But what’s really alarming me is that I’ve spotted the same truck several times today already. Is it following me? What do I do?

The hot desert sun is reflecting in the truck’s windshield, completely obscuring the driver’s identity. I contemplate getting out of the car and tackling the driver, but decide it’s probably best to stay put. I’m sweating profusely now, and my knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel for dear life. There’s no sign of an end to this train, and the truck is edging closer. Its

aggressive black grille is filling my entire mirror now, and even with my windows closed I can hear the 6.7-litre Cummins Turbo Diesel engine growling. The driver blips the accelerator, presumably trying to intimidate me, and it’s working too.

He does it again, for longer this time, and the engine’s growl becomes a fierce roar. Am I about to be pushed under the passing train? The fear of the unknown is unbearable...

Truth be told, there isn’t actually anything to worry about.

I’m in Southern California searching for the filming locations used in Steven Spielberg’s classic trucking movie Duel, and the Ram is just a prop for the video I’m making. Having failed to get hold of a Peterbilt, I called a friend in the Fiat Chrysler press office and asked if I could borrow the fiercest looking pickup truck on the press fleet – and he certainly delivered.

The Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 Long Box is one aggressive-looking vehicle. They might as well have designed the grille to look like a clenched fist!

My day starts at 10414 Bloomfield Street, Los Angeles, a residential street that’s just a spitting distance from the famous Hollywood sign and many of the film studios. This is the house that the film’s main character David Mann (played by Dennis Weaver) lived in, and you see him backing out of the garage in the opening scene of the movie. Armed with a screen grab and the truck’s sat nav, I assume locating the house will be easy. But what I don’t count on is the fact that it has recently been levelled, and replaced with an entirely new house. I finally recognise it from the tree on the sidewalk.

All that’s recognisable from our hero’s house in 2019 is the tree on the pavement.

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Shoulda replaced that radiator hose…

I M A G E : UN I V E RS A L P I C T U R E S

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David’s 1970 Plymouth Valiant Custom then heads through downtown Los Angeles and onto Route 14. I follow his exact journey. The road has barely changed, but the traffic has. It’s far heavier than it was 47 years ago, and most of the Chevrolets, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs have been replaced by anonymous Japanese hybrids.

By the time the credits have finished David is in the desert, well on his way to an early morning meeting. What could possibly go wrong?

This was Steven Spielberg’s first-ever film, and the cinematography is wonderful. He purposely chose a red car so that it would contrast with the barren desert scenery, which it

Today the famous gas station is a bank.

does beautifully. My Ram stands out too, dwarfing just about everything else on the road.

“Come on you miserable fat-head, get that fat-ass truck outta my way.”

This is the point where we meet the true star of the show – the 1950’s Peterbilt 281. Like the Ram, the Pete had a Cummins under the hood (although experts will tell you that it’s a Caterpillar you can hear in the movie). Apparently Spielberg was given a choice of five trucks, and opted for the bonneted Pete because he thought it had a human face.

The Ram looms large…

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Most of the movie is shot in and around Santa Clarita and Acton, which are just a 30-minute drive from Los Angeles.

While the towns have grown in 47 years, the scenery between them is exactly the same. It’s hard to believe that this rugged canyon landscape exists just 20 miles from Los Angeles.

Spielberg wanted the identity of the psychopathic truck driver (played by Carey Loftin) to remain a mystery throughout, because he rightly believed it would add to the suspense. But, if you pause the movie at exactly 7:43 you’ll get a rare, albeit very brief, glimpse of him in an overtaking scene.

“Yeah, where have I heard that before...I’ll get one later.”

My next stop is 3620 Smith Avenue, Acton, the gas station/ laundromat where David stops to fill up. By now the game of cat and mouse is well under way, and he’s unnerved when the tanker pulls in. The driver gets out, but all we see of him are his boots, kicking the truck’s tyres. The pump attendant opens the Plymouth’s hood and reports back that the car needs a new radiator hose. But David doesn’t believe him, saying he’ll buy one at a later date. It would turn out to be a big mistake.

The gas station is long gone, having been replaced by a bank. It’s a shame, because the Ram could do with some diesel.

Although it’s averaging an impressive 25mpg (10.6kpl), I’ve done more than 500 miles (800km) since picking it up in San Francisco, and it’s running low now.

As I film on the sidewalk outside the bank, a teller comes out and demands to know what I’m doing. I explain that I’m searching for Duel filming locations, but she just looks blank.

She’s never heard of the movie, and tells me I need permission to film. As she goes back in to report me to the bank manager, I quickly do my piece to camera. Luckily I don’t fluff my lines, and I’m speeding away by the time the manager comes out. While Spielberg wasn’t quite as quick as me, he certainly didn’t hang around either. The entire movie was shot in just 12 days…  Next month, Will finds out how David Mann made it out alive in the film’s dramatic climax.

The car

I discovered this wonderful 1955 Peterbilt parked up in a bus and coach graveyard in Williams, California.

Although this rare beast has clearly seen better days, it was still driving when it entered the yard 15 years ago. The owner has plans to give it a full restoration one day.

The truck is incredibly similar to the star of Duel, and even has the same dashboardmounted fan.

The truck

Model:

1970 Plymouth Valiant Custom

Engine:

318ci V8

Power:

230hp

Transmission:

Abandoned Peterbilt

3-speed automatic

The pickup

Model:

1955 Peterbilt 281

Engine:

Cummins NHBS Supercharged 6-cylinder diesel

Power:

275hp

Transmission:

13-speed manual

Top speed:

116mph (185kph)

Top speed:

90mph (144kph)

Price when new:

US$ 2800

Price when new:

US$ 8500

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Model:

Ram 3500 Laramie Crewcab 4x4 Long Box

Engine:

6.7-litre Cummins Turbo Diesel

Power:

385hp

Transmission:

6-speed automatic

Top speed:

106mph (170kph) (limited)

Price when new:

US$ 74,435

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LIGHT COMMERCIAL TEST

Ageless performance Story and photos by Jacqui Madelin

Long model cycles between redesigns don’t work in the fashion-fickle passenger market.

But commercial vans put fads aside to focus on function – iLoad proves it’s just as relevant today as it was when it first arrived.

R

egular readers will recall that we tested Hyundai’s iLoad van back in February 2017 and may wonder, given how infrequently these workhorses get an update, why they’re seeing it again.

Partly of course it’s a reminder that while Toyota has launched a brand new Hiace, its competition still sells steadily: a Toyota may be our top-selling light commercial van, with 1471 Hiace sold in the year to September 30, followed by Ford’s Transit (last tested July 2018) on 906 over the same period, but the iLoad sits third on 727, ahead of the MercedesBenz Sprinter and Fiat Ducato. Not bad for a vehicle that’s getting on a bit, now: the second-generation H1 launched internationally in 2007.

However, it did get a mild update last year, with a new front grille and headlight design, a new fabric pattern for the seats and door cards, auto on-off headlights, and an updated stereo unit with an ‘improved’ interface – Hyundai-speak for different graphics. It still delivers the same functions, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Last time, we trialled the 6-speed manual version with 100kW and 343Nm on tap. This time it’s the auto, with 25

additional kilowatts and 98Nm more torque, likely to be most appreciated with a full load on board. And back then we filled the cargo bay with around 200kg of load spread between a number of large cardboard boxes, each just able to be lifted manually on board. Ideally this time around we would have taken our standard load, an IRB carrying 500kg. Sadly that requires a forklift to manage – and the swing-up rear door stretches too far rearward, and too low to work well with the forklift at our disposal. You can order an iLoad with barn doors, by adding $1000 (incl GST) to the purchase price, useful for those loading the likes of a standard 24x12 building sheet.

For those loading by hand, of course, that swing-up door alongside the side sliding ones works very well to access the spacious cargo bay, with its standard load hooks and window bars. We like the door catch too; hook your fingers behind when sliding the door forward, and in front when sliding it backwards – believe us, it’s much easier to manage these doors on a hill than it is on those vans where the catch/handle is not this flexible about the direction it latches in.

Like last time, what initially stood out about the iLoad is how useful it is inside, while still fitting in a standard car parking space and manoeuvring capably among other traffic.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking this is a small van. Its design certainly downplays its dimensions, until you open the door and realise that for the average woman, like this writer, it’s still quite a clamber up onto the driver’s seat. iLoad’s cabin was realistically built with seating for two.

However, in theory it will seat three; the central pew doing without a head restraint, and instead folding flat to reveal two cup holders and a tray for whatever paperwork or small packages the driver needs to have to hand. It can of course seat a passenger, but with only a lap belt, as it’s meant just for that unexpected emergency.

Relatively compact footprint and well-drawn lines minimise body size until you get up close.

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There are also two gloveboxes, as well as a slot next to the AUX/USB sockets to hold your device, a flip-up below it revealing two 12V chargers, and a flip-out double cup holder below that. There’s no excuse for rubbish floating around your cab – or for being uncomfortable; our tester being on the short side especially appreciated the height-adjustable seatbelts.

Otherwise the dash and controls will feel familiar to anyone used to a recent-model mass-market car, complete with steering wheel controls for many functions, and that central

Centre back folds down for a desk and cup holders, lifts for an emergency seat.

Rubber floor cover is standard, as are 10 tiedown loops. Cargo barriers are a cost option.

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SPECIFICATIONS

Hyundai iLoad 2.5 DIESEL AUTO 3-SEATER Engine:

2.5-litre 4-cylinder common-rail directinjection turbo diesel

Power:

125kW at 3600rpm

Torque:

441Nm at 2000 to 2250rpm

Claimed fuel economy:

8.8l/100km

Fuel tank capacity:

75 litres

Transmission:

5-speed auto

Suspension:

MacPherson strut front with coil springs and gas-filled shocks, leaf-spring rear with gasfilled shocks

Wheels/tyres:

16” steel wheels with 215/70 R16 tyres

Brakes:

ABS

Stability/Traction control:

Yes

Airbags:

4

Min turning radius:

5.6m

Max payload:

1098kg

Window bars standard: visibility out is excellent, even at awkward junctions.

Kerb weight:

2062kg

Gross vehicle weight:

3160kg

Cargo length:

2500mm

Cargo width:

1620mm

Cargo height:

1340mm

Cargo capacity:

4426 litres

Towing braked/unbraked:

1500/750kg

Length:

5150mm

Wheelbase:

3200kg

Width:

1920mm

Height:

1935mm

Seats:

3 (two with head restraints, central one – without head restraint – folds down)

Options fitted:

Carpet mats – $120

Auto headlights – dark clouds triggered the lights the day we took this pic.

Rear door lifts high, but can complicate loading with a forklift – barn doors are a cost option.

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infotainment screen, which also allows you to monitor progress when making or taking hands-free phone calls.

Sadly accessing a phone via voice is only compatible with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Car-like levels of safety tech are a must these days, and the iLoad includes traction and stability control, plus ABS brakes, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, and front and side airbags for driver and front passenger.

There’s also a locking diff, which made even this two-wheel drive van predictable on the steep gravel driveways near our tester’s home.

One aspect we particularly like about this van is its on-road handling and feel. Yes, it didn’t have extra weight aboard – but then again, many load-haulers actually feel better full than unladen, as they’re designed to carry stuff. The iLoad felt more sure-footed on winter-slick country roads than some massmarket cars; the engine never stressed at legal speeds, and the steering is light, yet still has some road feel, to keep the driver connected with what’s going on beneath the wheels.

The iLoad we took out was bog standard, bar the front mats – the window bars and cargo area rubber floor lining are standard fit.

As you’d expect, Hyundai stocks an array of own-brand accessories, from a bulkhead at $1800 to a rear bull bar step and tow bar package ($1550; a tow bar alone is $1200), or 3-bar roof racks ($1500), down to headlight covers ($190), window visors ($300) and dash mats ($120). Yes, you can get fitted shelves too – these are just examples.

All in all, iLoad may not be the new kid on the block, but at $50,990, it still holds its own in the New Zealand market. 

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INCOMING CARGO

Hyundai goes heavy-duty with hydrogen Story by Gavin Myers • Photos supplied

In the rapidly changing world of commercial vehicles, we’re keeping abreast of what could potentially head over the horizon. This month, Hyundai has taken the first step in entering the European market for ecofriendly, heavy-duty vehicles and has previewed its H2 Xcient fuel cell electric truck.

G

reen mobility and increasingly strict regulations are the order of the day in most major European cities, which is driving the rapid development of alternative fuel vehicles. But it’s not only European vehicle manufacturers that are sitting up and taking note – Hyundai has shown its intent to be a leading supplier of

clean mobility commercial vehicles in Europe, aiming to bring 1600 fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks to market by 2025.

To do so, earlier this year it teamed up with Swiss hydrogen giant H2 Energy to form the joint venture Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM). HHM has now forged a partnership with Hydrospider (a joint venture between H2 Energy, Swiss energy services provider and electricity producer Alpiq, and gas and engineering company Linde), which produces 100% green hydrogen and delivers it to hydrogen refuelling stations. The venture will offer the H2 Xcient in a specially designed green ecosystem to the members of the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association, as well as to other transport and logistics companies promoting hydrogen mobility in Switzerland.

According to Mark Freymueller, CEO of HHM, the aim is to have 50 H2 Xcient vehicles in customer operation around Switzerland during 2020. The vehicles will be made available on a pay-per-use model, with the cost covering the operation of the truck, maintenance, fuel cell system and battery replacements, and hydrogen supply.

Naturally, HHM intends to expand its presence into other European countries, with solutions and partner networks being established in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Norway.

“We believe that our strong business case demonstrates

From left: Rolf Huber, chairman of the Swiss start-up H2Energy; Jihan Ryu, chief engineer for trucks at Hyundai; Edward Lee, member of the board, responsible for commercial vehicles at Hyundai; Mark Freymueller, CEO Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility; Jens Waldeck, Linde; Amédée Murisier, responsible for hydro power at Alpiq.

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The Hyundai H2 Xcient fuel cell electric truck: same, but different.

both the economic and ecologic viability of fuel cell truck mobility,” says Edward Lee, executive vice president and head of commercial vehicle division, Hyundai Motor.

Developed according to European regulations, the H2 Xcient seems to be quite the eco-friendly piece of kit. Sure, the basics are all there: a 4x2 chassis cab with a low deck and day cab, but that’s about where the similarities with a conventional, dieselpowered vehicle end.

Powering the H2 is a new 190kW hydrogen fuel cell system made up of two 95kW fuel cell stacks connected in parallel.

These provide the 661V, 73.2kWh Akasol battery with power for the H2’s 350kW, 3400Nm Siemens electric motor. A 6-speed Allison S4500 automatic transmission sends drive to a 4.875:1 rear axle.

Fed by seven large hydrogen tanks with a storage capacity of almost 35kg, the H2 Xcient offers a range of approximately 400km on a single hydrogen fuelling. The maximum gross vehicle weight is 19,000kg and the maximum gross combination weight measures in at 34,000kg.

The whole unit sits on 2-bag front and 4-bag rear air suspension, while braking is by discs all round with a 4-speed retarder and resistor. Vehicle safety is well taken care of with standard fitment of front collision avoidance assist, smart cruise control, EBS and vehicle dynamic control, and lane departure warning.

The driver’s job is made a little bit easier with the likes of an air-suspended, heated and cooled seat, heated side mirrors, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Mirror Link connectivity,

and Hyundai’s Connected Car Service smartphone app. This allows the driver to check up on various aspects of the vehicle including conducting status checks and remote diagnosis on the truck and refrigeration unit, as well as allowing them to find HRD locations and truck operation info. A smart tachograph is fitted, as is a web-based vehicle monitoring system.

Jihan Ryu, chief engineer for trucks at Hyundai, explains that fuel cell electric vehicles form the basis of Hyundai’s eco-friendly commercial vehicle development strategy for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, as these are more suited to high-capacity (16 to 40 tonnes), mid- to long-distance (up to 500km a day) operations. Conversely, the company will offer battery electric vehicles to serve light- and medium-duty vehicle operations, where low-capacity (four to 16 tonnes), short-distance (less than 300km a day) running is the order of the day.

The development of these vehicles has been based on customer usage, while there is standardisation and common use of major components across the various models – and even with Hyundai’s passenger cars – says Ryu. Of course, Hyundai is no stranger to eco-friendly commercial vehicles, having initiated fuel cell development in 1998. In 2006 it developed fuel cell electric buses for the FIFA Word Cup in Germany, with its latest fuel cell electric city bus launching in 2019. Now, the reveal of the H2 Xcient represents the move to a new paradigm in heavy-duty transport for Hyundai, says Ryu. 

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CONFERENCE 2019

The machines are coming… or are they?

T

here’s an underlying pessimism among the global trucking fraternity that the rise of vehicle automation will lead to the redundancy of the driver. And rightly so; as automated vehicle technology becomes ever more pervasive, the core skill sets of the truck driver will need to evolve with each successive model generation – to the point where the driver’s job will be far removed from how it’s seen today.

However, John Woodrooffe, principal of Woodrooffe Dynamics (a consultancy focused on commercial vehicle policy, safety, productivity, energy use and emissions) doesn’t think we’ll see fully autonomous vehicles on the roads any time soon.

While there’s great enthusiasm for driverless vehicles – with levels one and two achieved and implemented in many modern vehicles – there are significant challenges facing them too, he says.

When it comes to levels three and four, where the driver isn’t completely involved and the vehicle controls all aspects of the driving task under certain conditions, Woodrooffe suggests that there is a higher risk of high-speed crashes should the driver need to resume control. “We’ve seen some significant crashes with automated vehicles simply because the driver tends to disassociate himself with the vehicle state.”

Level five – full automation where the vehicle wouldn’t even need a steering wheel – may be unobtainable in the foreseeable future, says Woodrooffe. “Imagining how this will happen is really hard for me.”

This is because for vehicle automation to be truly effective, says Woodrooffe, it will need to surpass our own rate of crash John Woodrooffe. avoidance. “Since most crashes are the result of human error, we think automated vehicles should solve that issue. But crashes are rare events – as clumsy, awkward and messy as a human is, we are pretty successful at avoiding them.

The chance of a human controlled vehicle being fatality-free during a given year is 99.99 percent.

“For any machine system to have that sort of reliability is a tall ask. One of the greatest challenges for high-level selfdriving vehicles will be to achieve the current levels of human crash avoidance performance, to the same level of success.”

So what’s stopping the artificial machine from beating the organic being? The first issue is a question of nuance.

“Artificial intelligence [which forms the basis of self-driving tech] is the acquisition of information and rules to reach approximate or defined conclusions with the capability of self-correction. It’s more predictable, robotic in nature and behaviour,” explains Woodrooffe. “It handles well in terms of the normal and predictable but the surprises, the unintended, are challenging for it to decipher.

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The Institute of Ro ad Transport Engin eers of New Zealand held its biennial confe rence in Rotorua in August.

The theme this ye ar was Technology and Infrastructure, arg ua bly the two most pertinen t topics of the da y. As a result, we’ll featur e extended cove rage of the conference ov er the next few mo nths in order to bring to you commentar y on these important subjects from leading acad em ics and industry mind s.

“When thinking of human intelligence, it’s the intellectual prowess of humans that’s marked by complex cognitive feats and high levels of motivation and selfawareness; well-defined nuanced behaviour.”

This brings into question the machine’s ability to operate unaffected in everyday conditions marred by erratic road users of all kinds, unpredictable weather conditions, and changing road conditions (Woodrooffe references New Zealand’s complex geography and tight roads). The vehicle, itself, will also age over time and sit at the mercy of humans adhering to (potentially expensive) maintenance schedules. “We may be faced with dialling back our expectations,” he says.

“We’ve seen the demonstration of fully autonomous vehicles under ideal conditions and limited mileage. We’ve also seen partially autonomous vehicles introduced in larger numbers and being involved in crashes. Our present automated vehicles have relatively poor intelligence based primarily on sensor input and software situation analysis,” Woodrooffe says.

He suggests that with engineering comes a certain arrogance and says this was demonstrated by the recent Boeing 737 MAX disasters.

“When we unpack those disasters, flawed artificial intelligence was a contributing factor and that’s a window to the challenge we have to bring to the automotive side. There was a lack of human intelligence applied during the system design and since AI is the simulation of human intelligence, we have much to be concerned about.”

So, for now, the human element – the driver – is safe.

And Woodrooffe says that, over time, there will be a greater appreciation for what humans can do when it comes to controlling vehicles.

“I think we’ll also develop a strategy where, instead of replacing drivers, this technology will fortify them.” That is to say, when the vehicle experiences critical conditions that lead to crashes it can then intervene for the human – instead of it being the other way around.

“We want to see vehicles that refuse to crash and we’d love to see this development now put an emphasis on driver support.

As that technology matures and as it shows that it can handle the extraordinary events, then we will be at a point to move to full autonomy.”

Good news, then, for the world’s truck drivers. 

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RTF AWARDS

Award winners show the changing face of road transport Photos supplied by RTF

Celebrating diversity was the key to the New Zealand Road Transport Industry Awards at a gala dinner at Wairakei Resort during September, with three of the five awards going to women.

“W

ith an ageing workforce, and the average age of our truck drivers being mid-50s, it’s important the industry is inclusive and promotes diversity,” RTF chief executive

Nick Leggett said.

“While we have appropriately awarded those who have been in the industry a long time, we added two awards this year to recognise women and young drivers. In fact, of the five awards, three have gone to women.”

Carla Seymour Mansell from Seymours Transport Services in Gisborne took out the EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety Award; Ayna Shamim, from Angel

Transport in Auckland received the first-ever Teletrac Navman Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry Award; and Summer Ratima Thompson from G J Sheldrake in Tokoroa was EROAD Young Driver of the Year.

Word in the industry is that as health and safety manager, Carla Seymour Mansell is the toughest and strictest around.

Female, Maori, and demanding that the health and safety standard is lifted across the industry, it’s fair to say that her road hasn’t been easy.

Ayna Shamim studied nursing, but elected to start Angel Transport with her father in 2005, when she was just 19. She employs three female drivers and is seen as a role model for other women wanting to enter the road transport industry.

Summer Ratima Thompson was a barista at Robert Harris in Tokoroa when she talked her now employer, Graham Sheldrake, into employing her to drive log trucks. At 27 years old, she has achieved what take many others years to achieve and is an inspiration to other young people who want to be part of the road transport industry.

Jeff Mear, from Fruehauf New Zealand in Auckland, received the VTNZ Supreme Contribution to NZ Road Transport Award. He started in the industry as a boy with a

EROAD Young Driver of the Year line-up, from left: Nick Leggett, RTF chief executive; Summer Ratima Thompson (winner); John Collins from EROAD; Toni Tawhara (runner-up); and Neil Reid, RTF chair.

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EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety Award winner Carla Seymour Mansell.

Teletrac Navman Outstanding

VTNZ Supreme Contribution to NZ

Castrol Truck Driver Hero Rex Temm,

Contribution by a Woman in the

Road Transport Award winner Jeff

right, with Trevor Woolston from

Road Transport Industry Award

Mear, left, with Vehicle Testing New

NZ Truck & Driver magazine.

winner Ayna Shamim.

Zealand country manager Greg O’Connor.

broom on the factory floor under the watchful eye of his late father, Pat Mear, one of the founders of Roadmaster Trailers. Now national sales director at Fruehauf, Jeff is a passionate advocate for the transport industry and works hard encouraging young drivers to be their best.

The Castrol Truck Driver Hero award went to Rex Temm, from Riordan & West in Te Awamutu, who saved a young toddler he saw wandering along the side of the road on the very busy SH1 near Tokoroa. But for his quick thinking and action, the wee boy could have been killed and a major traumatic accident could have occurred.

Rex pulled off an extraordinary driving feat to protect the

child from a heavily laden log truck bearing down on him.

“We are thrilled that these awards show some different faces, and tell some different stories, to what people might expect to see in the trucking industry,” Leggett said.

“There are some outstanding women and young people who make their careers in our industry and they are contributing fresh ideas and new ways of thinking to the companies they work for.

“And they will continue to be guided by the likes of Jeff Mear and Rex Temm who are still as passionate about the industry as they were when they entered.” 

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CONFERENCE 2019 The Road Transport Forum held its annual conference at Wairakei in September. The theme this year was ‘central focus’ and the conference attracted 13 high-profile speakers who presented on a range of topics pertinent to business, the economy, and the industry itself. Over the next couple of issues we’ll discuss some of the most noteworthy.

Keynote address – Craig Membrey As a Beyond Blue ambassador, Australian transport operator Craig Membrey hopes to prevent anyone going through what he experienced eight years ago.

After an argument with his son Rowan in July 2010, Craig didn’t hear from him for about eight months. He tried contacting him, but Rowan kept pushing him away.

“Rowan rang me on the 12th of March 2011 and told me he was in trouble. I still remember the call word for word. I spoke to him for about an hour and a half. He said, ‘Dad, I’ve really stuffed my life up’. He’d been doing drugs, and then he’d been heavily drinking and hanging around with the wrong people and he’d got into trouble with the police.”

Craig says his son wasn’t proud, and couldn’t believe his father wasn’t yelling at him. He told Rowan he missed him and they made plans to catch up the following week.

Unfortunately that never happened.

In the early hours of 18 March, police arrived to tell Craig his son had committed suicide by jumping in front of a train just before midnight.

“It wasn’t a good thing, and my life changed from that day. I’m a pretty strong person – I have to be, I employ truck drivers and deal with a transport business. You’ve got to be strong, but I don’t think it hit me at that stage.”

Craig expected about 800 people to attend Rowan’s funeral, but more than 2200 turned up.

“We were absolutely blown away.

How loved was that kid. To see who turned up not just to support Rowan and say goodbye, but to support our family. I was just gobsmacked.”

Craig was due to attend the

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Mid-America Truck Show with friends, but after Rowan’s death the plans were put on hold.

“We weren’t going to go and then I decided I had to get my head sorted out, so a few of the boys and I took off the day after the funeral. At the show we saw these trucks done up in memory of the owner’s father or grandfather.”

This struck a chord with Craig. Two days before Rowan died, Craig had bought a 904 Kenworth as a project, and when he got home he decided to turn the truck into a moving – in more ways than one – tribute to his son.

Rowan was the first of at least 10 boys who took their own lives within a short space of time. All knew each other.

Craig thought the truck could be used to raise awareness of depression, so he approached Beyond Blue, an Australian organisation working to address issues associated with depression, suicide, anxiety and other related mental disorders.

The truck features an airbrushed mural of Rowan, and the Beyond Blue logos, with the words ‘Proudly supporting Beyond Blue, the national depression initiative’.

The truck was launched at the Castlemaine Truck Show on 25 November 2011 – the day before what would have been Rowan’s 18th birthday.

Craig says the impact of the truck was amazing, and he had people tell him the truck had saved their life.

“You’ve just got to get across that line.

What I share with people is suicide is 100 percent preventable – if you ask for help. We get one life, we’re all on this bus and there’s no return ticket, and we don’t know when our stop is.”

The police had given Craig Rowan’s phone following his death and on it he found evidence of the issues his son had been experiencing. As well, hundreds of

November 2019

text messages were still coming through from his friends.

“His friends thought there was 3G in heaven and they were texting Rowan.

This is how people deal with their problems nowadays, they don’t want to face people, they don’t want to face their problems, they just want to text message.”

Craig said it was not easy for him to stand up in front of people and talk about his son’s suicide.

“I’m no hero, but I love trucks and it’s my life and I never thought this Rowan truck would ever turn into a tool that can help people out. It’s been an amazing journey; it’s been eight and a half years, and it feels like it was yesterday.”

The year to June 2019 suicide rates for New Zealand were the highest since provisional statistics were first recorded for the 2007/08 year.

“We need to stop this, and we need people to speak up. It just shouldn’t happen. Road accidents can happen, but suicide is 100 percent preventable – 100 percent preventable. You just have to ask and speak up and know there’s help out there.”

Craig himself suffered severe depression about 18 months ago.

“I thought I was superman and I think I am sometimes, you have to be to be in our industry to get anywhere in life, but the black dog got me. I knew I wasn’t myself and my family was concerned about me, my friends were concerned about me, because I really went quiet, and for me to go quiet…”

Craig’s wife encouraged him to seek professional help, but he said that it still took months before he could even smile again.

“I just want to share with people that when you are down, make sure you’ve got good family around you. Hopefully we leave here today and share this story and stop this happening because it’s not just them taking their life, it’s the pain they leave behind. I get concerned when I hear people say ‘well, that’s an exit in life’. That’s not an exit in life, life is beautiful, and you have to look after yourselves.”

To see the truck Craig Membrey created in memory of his son, Rowan, go to the RTF column on pages 98 and 99.

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Phil Twyford, Minister of Transport

Phil Twyford set off with an acknowledgement of the passion with which the forum represents the industry and commended the value of robust debate on transport policy even though both parties didn’t always see eye to eye.

Recognising keynote speaker Craig Membrey and his journey, Twyford used the opportunity to table the government’s $1 billion spend on mental health initiatives, and voiced his concern for the health and wellbeing of people in the road transport industry.

Safety: He underlined safety as a top priority and tabled the contribution of truck implicated accidents in the road toll stats, with additional numbers from Otago University highlighting occupational driving and work-related commuting in the annual toll.

“This makes road crashes by far the single largest cause of work-related deaths,” he said. “That’s why the Road to Zero draft road-safety strategy released

by Minister Genter has the theme ‘vehicles as a workplace’ as a key part.”

Relevant actions from the strategy included fatigue management, increasing regulatory oversight, and greater coordination and collaboration between government agencies.

Other points of note were supporting private-sector initiatives to establish best practice road safety standards in the supply chain, and strengthening the regulatory regime by implementing the outcomes of the NZTA regulatory functions review and reviewing logbook and work-time requirements.

NZTA: “It’s no good having good regulations if they’re not being enforced,” he said, acknowledging the agency had not been performing its regulatory function to an acceptable standard. He said the focus had moved too much toward education and away from enforcement, and attributed that shift to the loss of staff from the heavyvehicle compliance team.

“NZTA was failing in its duty to properly check the companies that certify vehicles as safe for the road.

When problems with these companies were identified, there was often no follow-up.” He reiterated the need for public safety as being paramount and laid the blame for it all at the feet of

Freight and drivers: “Your industry

“What kind of industry do we want to have in 10 years? Will it be one that you recommend to your kids?” asked Twyford.

the previous government, saying the regulatory issues were systemic.

Twyford said he hoped to release the Ministry of Transport’s review into NZTA in the coming weeks. The review makes for sobering reading.

“It’s going to take time to rebuild the agency’s regulatory role.” He noted the disruption caused by the situation and said his expectation was that the ministry and industry should work collaboratively. He said progress was being made resourcing the regulatory role at NZTA. Key appointments include Sir Brian Roche as chair, and Ken Rintoul, who brings firsthand experience as a freight haulage contractor.

Roads: Twyford noted the roads needed to be brought up to scratch also and cited a $1.4 billion spend on median and side barriers, and wider shoulders across 3300km of state highways over the next three years as being the solution.

“I know that some people don’t think much of these targeted upgrades, but the research shows they save lives. For example, flexible road safety barriers can give a 70 to 80% reduction in road deaths. Shoulder widening can reduce crashes by up to 35%. Wider centrelines can do the same by 20%.”

Twyford said the highways needed to be properly maintained and acknowledged the NRC’s pothole campaign before again blaming the previous government for the state of the network.

“We’re now getting on with addressing the maintenance backlog.

We’re spending around $2 billion to operate, maintain and renew over 80,000 kilometres of local roads, on top of the over $2 billion we’re spending maintaining our state highways.”

is vital to our economy. Road freight accounts for 91% of all freight moved in New Zealand. Freight movements are projected to increase by more than 50% in the next 25 years, and freight volume is predicted to grow by more than 30% over the next decade.”

The industry would need 2800 drivers a year for the next decade to meet the forecasted growth and currently it was attracting a little under two-thirds that requirement. He said the ministry was progressing work on an update of the heavy-vehicle driver licensing system and improved training.

Green: Discussions had begun with the forum on the future shape of New Zealand’s heavy vehicle fleet. In 2015, Twyford said, road freight accounted for 24% of all transport emissions despite accounting for just 7% of kilometres driven.

“I’ve asked the ministry to investigate ways we can support change in the road transport industry towards a clean, green future. They are currently reviewing the viability of electricity, hydrogen and biofuels for heavy vehicles. Each option needs nationwide infrastructure.”

Road pricing: Twyford said as New Zealand moves towards electrifying more of its vehicle fleet, the government couldn’t rely on petrol excise and RUC to fund vital transport services and infrastructure. “Other countries are increasingly looking to a GPS-based transport pricing system, where people pay for how much they actually use the road by time and space, rather than how much petrol they use.” He said officials were investigating a GPS-based transport pricing system here that would include congestion pricing.

Long term: “We have to ask ourselves what kind of industry we want to have in 10 years? In 30? Will it be one that you recommend to your kids? That’s an important question given the average age in the industry is 54. We collectively need to look at issues like improving pay and conditions.”

He questioned the sustainability of the current practice of importing cheap offshore labour rather than firms delivering secure livelihoods for drivers as well as higher safety standards, which all contribute to attracting the next

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CONFERENCE 2019 generation of drivers. He offered the opportunity of a collaborative accord between government and industry along the lines of the one with the construction sector.

He finished with a commitment from the government to the industry, tackling the long-term issues together, saying neither could solve them alone.

Cameron Bagrie, MD and chief economist, Bagrie Economics

The hand basin, the bathtub or the toilet: three possible scenarios for the future of the New Zealand economy over the next three years. Which will prevail? According to Cameron Bagrie, that all depends on the steps government takes.

However, first a global perspective.

“Economic fortunes around the globe are not looking that great. At the moment there has not been not too much of an impact on New Zealand – by and large the county’s exports are holding together okay.”

While the local economy has not been affected too much so far, Bagrie said the New Zealand economy has slowed for other reasons. Government policy uncertainty is one (“they haven’t got their act together,” said Bagrie); ‘short-termism’ across industry sectors (maximising profits in the near term at the expense of customers and staff in the long term) is another.

He also iterated that a slowdown is not a downturn. “The economy is still growing, just not quickly. Three years ago growth was around 4%; it’s now down to 2.1%. That’s a little like driving along the open motorway at 70kph – we are still moving from A to B but the journey is a little frustrating.”

For more broad-based evidence that things are slowing, Bagrie pointed to a simple economic indicator: the number of cars and trucks being bought. The good news, he said, is New Zealanders are buying vehicles. “The bad news is it’s at a slow rate. The number of tractors coming into the country is falling, too,” he added.

Employment and investment indicators from business are negative, though...

“Domestic price inflation is moving up, growth has been slowing. That’s putting pressure on margins, which means firms make less money and invest

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less. When margins and profitability are under pressure and companies are nervous about government policy, they hold back.”

What about the transport sector? The glass half full view is that it’s not as bad as 97/98 or 07/08. “Glass half empty, margins are coming under pressure.

Normally a turn in the transport side is a pretty good harbinger to what’s going on across the broader economy,” Bagrie said, reiterating that 2.1% is still not too bad.

The fact remains, though, that the New Zealand economy has partied pretty hard and is now stuck with the hangover. “What normally turns New Zealand’s economic sidewall is the Reserve Bank getting heavy handed – lower interest rates is a good news story for ensuring the economic party can continue.”

Bagrie said the Reserve Bank governor, Adrian Orr, is trying to get people to spend rather than save. The Reserve Bank might be cutting interest rates, but credit is tougher to get.

“For a long time we’ve been used to talking about the price of money as opposed to its availability – the new normal is the other way round,” he said.

Regarding government spending, Bagrie said the good news is that the government’s been spending a lot of money, which it has needed to do to address massive social and infrastructure issues. However, he warns there’s been some ‘accounting fudging’ going on.

“The government is borrowing through crown entities like the NZ Transport Association and Housing New Zealand, shifting it off the balance sheet to say they still have the magical 20% debt target. We’re going to hurt from pushing the borrowing through alternative means. We need to think about what New Zealand needs – we need more infrastructure for which we should borrow because it’s a long-term asset.”

It’s a game of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, Bagrie said. “Technically, national land transport funding is up, $2.5 billion. But this is being pillaged.

A lot of the projects that were in the pipeline are either no longer there or being scaled down. The IMF crapped over New Zealand because of our low productivity growth – one of the big things in productivity growth is the efficiency of the roading network. At

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Where is New Zealand’s economy at the moment? In the bathtub, says economist Bagrie.

the moment pet projects are receiving money at the expense of economically enhancing projects.”

Naturally, rail entered the debate.

“In rail – your competitor – there is a $2.3 billion package to deal with rail links, rolling stock, deposits on ferries, and working capital … I think heavy rail needs around $400 million from the government. I wonder whether the money for the ferries will come out of the National Land Transport Fund?”

Given the economics behind rail, Bagrie reckons subsidising it for a commuter section, some bulk container transport, and for the golden triangle, can be justified – but not much more.

So, where does all this leave New Zealand? In the shallow hand basin, in the deeper bathtub, or down the toilet?

“We’re in the bathtub. The bathtub personifies a niggly environment where we’re getting growth but of the grumpy variety – sub par and underperforming.

But it’s not a downturn, there is a plug in the bath. Growth should sit at around 1.5 to 2.5 percent for the next three or so years,” he suggested.

“But, we need to be open about the challenges we are going to face. You cannot change the DNA of an economy and expect it to grow at a continuous rate overnight.

“We know money has been ripped out of the National Land Transport Fund (with regard to roads) to fund debt projects – but it doesn’t matter how much government spends; if we don’t have a clear plan we’re wasting our time,” Bagrie concluded.

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We must address the suicide epidemic

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suggest most New Zealanders missed it, but back in August the chief coroner announced that 685 of us committed suicide in the year to June.

That’s nearly two people every day of the year – 685 people who leave grieving families and friends behind; 685 people full of skill and talent that our country has lost. The 2018 road toll, while still shockingly high at 377, barely even compares to the waste of life we suffer through suicide.

Per capita, we have one of the highest suicide rates in the world and the highest youth suicide rate in the developed world. This is New Zealand we are talking about. We’re used to referring to our country as God’s Own. Unfortunately, this was not the case for those 685 people last year.

I guarantee there would be very few people reading this who would not have been touched by suicide. We have all experienced the tragedy and suffering caused by it in one way or another and we know just how difficult it is to deal with. We also know that suicide, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues exist right across our community and within the industry.

It is an issue we, as an industry and as a country, must confront head on. For our industry, who better to pass on the message than Australian trucking company owner and suicide prevention advocate Craig Membrey, who was a presenter at the recent RTF conference.

Craig is a true-blue, fair-dinkum Aussie, born into a Melbourne trucking family, who owns and runs a successful heavy haulage and crane hire business. However, what has made Craig well known across Australasia is a story steeped in tragedy. Craig sadly lost his son Rowan to suicide in 2011.

Overcome with grief and blaming himself, Craig threw himself

into suicide prevention advocacy work and, with the help of former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett, became an ambassador for Beyond Blue, a not-for-profit organisation that helps people with depression and anxiety.

“Suicide is 100 percent preventable,” was Craig’s heartfelt message to our conference delegates. It sounds obvious, but it is a truism that is so often overlooked, especially when we confront the sheer number of people who do take their own lives. Suicide is not cancer, it is not inevitable; it is preventable, so let’s treat it as such.

So, how do we go about preventing it then? Craig’s view was that we must seek help for those who are suffering and make sure they are surrounded by good family, friends, and work colleagues.

Now, an important request: RTF has again commissioned the University of Waikato’s NZ Institute for Business Research to carry out the Road Transport Operator Cost Comparison Survey. The survey is absolutely critical to the continuation of RTF’s quarterly Road Transport Cost Index.

The survey relies on the participation of operators to make it work. Without good participation numbers in the survey, the credibility of the cost index becomes questionable. If there are insufficient responses to the survey, the reality is that we will be forced to discontinue the index.

The aim is to get at least 200 viable responses and we would particularly encourage the participation of those

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operators who regularly use and benefit from the index.

The index is a critical tool for the industry to determine and justify minimum freight rates. This is evidenced by the number of companies that use it.

Transport operators can register for the online survey at www.management.ac.nz/register/rtfnz.

All information supplied is on a strictly confidential basis to a professional independent survey team.

Participating operators will receive their individual reports on an exclusive basis, with the more widely available sector and regional reports containing only aggregated data, which is useful for benchmarking purposes.

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Craig Membrey and Jeff Kennett with the truck Craig built in memory of

Craig was also adamant that if you are having problems you must address them rather than trying to bury them – share them with people you trust and seek help.

I found it to be incredibly genuine to hear Craig discuss how upset he gets when he hears of another person taking their own life. Now Craig’s a red-blooded type of a bloke – but to hear him explain that it’s okay to cry and have these feelings, and that he still does all the time, is a message that I hope resonated with our conference delegates.

Craig’s parting words are still ringing in my ears: “Make it happen, seek help, share your dream, because life is beautiful.”

How true. 

his son, Rowan.

Turn to page 94 to read about Craig’s presentation at the RTF Conference.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact one of the following organisations: Need to Talk? – Call or text 1737 Lifeline – 0800 543 354 Youthline – 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat Samaritans – 0800 726 666 Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Nick Leggett Chief executive officer

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SHARE THE ROAD

What’s that cyclist doing in a stock truck?

Story by Richard Barter

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y transport modes to Graeme Wright Transport in Puriri, Waikato, began with the letter ‘e’. The first leg was on an e-bicycle to get to Thrifty Car Rental at Auckland Airport where I picked up an e-car. There is a slightly disconcerting feeling when getting an e-car in motion; it’s a bit like the handbrake letting go when parked on a hill. Once under way the only real difference seems to be what is on the dash: conspicuous is the indication of the number of kilometres you can drive before a recharge is needed.

I noticed 3km were added to the total while coasting down the Waikato side of the Bombay Hills as the regenerative charging was taking place.

The reason for the journey was to spend time as a passenger

Driver Bryan Lang, stock truck driver extraordinaire.

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in one of Graeme ‘Gunner’ Wright’s stock trucks. The clean Kenworth K108 powered by a 620hp Cummins ISX motor was very impressive in its trademark green livery. Driver for the day was Bryan Lang, who readily agreed to ‘the cyclist’ being his passenger; always a good sign for someone who has been driving trucks for 27 years.

The first thing I noticed was the passenger seat was hard up against the door, positioning you over the left-hand steer wheel. This meant that once under way on the very narrow roads, you feel like you are hanging outside the white line. Fine when there is a shoulder, interesting when on the coast road north of Thames where there is nothing outside the white line but fresh air dropping down to the sea. The left front tyre kept to within an inch of that fog line with unswerving accuracy as we wound our way up the ‘easy side’ of the road. The return journey of course was on the ‘hard side’ with the bank so close it could graze an unsuspecting elbow resting on the window ledge.

Precision driving was the order of the day on roads Bryan has been traversing since he was a boy growing up in Coromandel, in his dad’s FR700 Mack. Taking over the family trucking business was inevitable, involving him in everything from changing tyres to developing lasting relationships with the farmers whose stock he carries today.

While keeping in his lane, Bryan was always mindful of the townies coming the other way, ‘forgetting’ that the boat they were towing was well over the centre line on the tight turns.

Making the right decisions to manage poor driving behaviour of others is a daily occurrence on this road. We did see one cyclist looking more like a snail with a large pack and assorted belongings on his back. More problematic are the riders using the coast road training for the K2 Race [which happened on 2 November]. Even those who are considerate struggle to find any room to let him pass.

Bryan knew all the spots at the foot and brows of hills where he could pull aside and enable following traffic to get safely past his 21m rig before climbing or descending smoothly using the 18-speed Roadranger gearbox to restrain or propel

WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ us at exactly the right revs. Not keen on autos, he doesn’t like a truck telling him how to drive. In places mirrors warning of oncoming cars provided the only way to know if he can pull out to get around the tight left-handers. The truck drivers on the road stayed in regular CB contact so they passed us where there was room.

Relationships with the CVST are good. The local officer, who knows Graeme Wright Transport does the right thing by the rules, is a regular visitor to the office. Bryan gets a headsup when the out-of-towners are around looking for trouble, as he can see their cars parked up at the roadside hotels.

Rules around carrying animals can be a challenge at times.

The small NAIT tags are hard to see buried in a large hairy bull’s ear as it is charging up the ramp with his buddies. Years of practice allows Bryan to see any issues the animals might present before they become his problem when they are spotted by the inspector at the other end. I am sure he will support the appeal by the Road Transport Forum to the regulators, challenging the rules that place the onus on the drivers instead of the farmers for ensuring only healthy, tagged animals are allowed on the truck.

Having not seen stock being loaded before, I was impressed at Bryan’s agility, leaping around the inside of the crate while encouraging his passengers to move into their pen, then slamming the gates closed and ramps back in place. While he has been injury-free, there seemed to be plenty of opportunity to slip up – or down as is most likely to happen. Intriguing was

how he could remember where the successive loads of animals were. Relocation was needed at times to aid traction on steep hills. The tight farm roads with insufficient turning space required the trailer to be parked up occasionally.

All too quickly the journey was over. The e-car being charged over dinner in Thames was ready for the trip back to Auckland.

Thanks to Eddie the dispatcher for organising the ride and to Graeme for enabling it to happen, and for providing trucks for Share the Road cyclists’ Blindzone Workshops.  For more information about the Share the Road campaign, contact manager Richard Barter on 021 277 1213 or richard@can.org.nz.

Richard Barter, manager of the Cycling Action Network’s Share the Road campaign

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Keeping workers safe off site

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can access, and the no-go zones. Many sites have specific rules ost organisations or PCBUs (persons conducting for loading and unloading – places where drivers must stand, a business or undertaking) are aware of their who can operate forklifts and who must secure the load, for obligations in keeping their workers safe at example. work. Transport organisations consider vehicles, The worker must still be aware of the journeys, work hours, and so on. hazards and controls when no induction They also need to consider the How can Safewise help? is provided. The PCBU must still environment a worker is moving into, We work with organisations that provide information and education to often the client’s site. What hazards are need more health and safety the worker. Part of this will be providing present on these sites that can affect knowledge, or more time, than support to the worker so that they are workers? Some sites will have operating they have in house. For more comfortable in managing health and machinery, dust or noise. Obviously, information, check the website safety; essential when they are on site different types of business will have www.safewise.co.nz and must make immediate decisions.  different hazards. It is the PCBU’s responsibility to keep workers safe.

This includes the employer and the client. There needs to be Tracey Murphy is the owner and director of communication between both PCBUs so that the hazards the Safewise Limited, a health and safety consultancy. worker brings into the site do not harm others, and so that the She has more than 10 years’ experience working worker is protected from the client’s hazards. with organisations from many different industries.

A simple way to manage this is to induct the worker before Tracey holds a Diploma in Health and they enter the site. Induction should include the required Safety Management and a Graduate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as hearing Diploma in Occupational Safety and protection and dust masks. Workers will then be prepared. The Health. She is a graduate member client PCBU should also have spare PPE available in case the of New Zealand Institute of Safety worker doesn’t have suitable equipment.

Management and is the Waikato Induction should also inform the worker of the places they branch manager.

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LEGAL LINES

Work-related road safety

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mployers must ensure, so far is as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees while they are at work. This includes when they are in, or operating, a vehicle for work purposes.

Following on from my discussion last month about employers’ obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, I would urge all businesses to put a safe driving policy in place. Not only will a safe driving policy help employers to meet their health and safety responsibilities, but it will also reduce injuries among workers, save money, and increase productivity.

Furthermore, the policy is potentially an opportunity to enhance a company’s reputation by implementing driving initiatives that will put the business on a preferred supplier list for organisations that will only contract companies with safe driving polices.

What is a safe driving policy?

It is creating systems and policies that mean that the company: • buys or hires vehicles with a high safety rating; • provides driver education to any employee who drives a vehicle for work; • reduces the potential for driver fatigue and distraction – even among employees who use a vehicle to commute to and from work; • reduces the number of infringement notices received; • reduces the risk of serious injuries if the worst happens, by promoting the use of safety belts, providing incentives to ensure safe driving, and having processes in place to manage poor driving among workers.

The goal of a safe driving policy is to protect drivers because it’s common sense that injuries and replacing damaged vehicles is expensive. Once the policy has been put in place, it is essential that all employees are familiar with it, particularly those who drive as part of their jobs. A company that is serious about road safety could make the policy part of its code of conduct.

How will a safe driving policy save money?

If a safe driving policy is put in place, the savings could include: • lower insurance premiums; • lower crash repair bills; • lower maintenance costs (e.g. in tyre wear); • reduction in lost productivity, fewer sales missed because of fewer interruptions to service; • less sick leave and lower temporary staff costs; • reduced payments to third parties who might be involved in a crash.

• Identify the types of vehicles you use and some of their features. Are they leased or do you own them?

• Identify how your drivers use vehicles. For example, do they carry loads and what are their driving hours?

• Identify the level of driver licensing and training. Are your drivers licensed for and trained to drive these vehicles?

• Add up how much you spend on fuel, because aiming to lower fuel cost also improves driver safety.

• Where and at what time of day have crashes, vehicle accidents, damage, personal injuries, near-hit incidents and traffic offences occurred?

What were the causes and who was at fault?

• Did bad driver behaviour cause the crashes? Was there any drink-driving, speeding, fatigue, not wearing safety belts, failing to give way?

• Did driving manoeuvres cause the crashes, and if so, could extra driver training have helped?

• How much have accidents and infringements cost the business? Include traffic fines, insurance excesses and premiums, repairs, replacements and vehicle maintenance, lost sales and productivity, sick leave, and payments to third parties.

Remind employees who drive of their responsibilities. These are to:

• comply with the New Zealand Road Code and all traffic laws, rules and regulations; • comply with the safe driving policy; • attend driver training; • avoid aggressive road behaviour; • advise their managers of speeding tickets, crashes and breaches of traffic regulations; • report all injury crashes to police within 24 hours; • hold current driver licences for the correct classes of vehicle, and ensure that endorsements are valid; • drive in a way that conserves fuel and not make unnecessary trips; • notify of any near misses.  Next month, I’ll talk about what to include in a safe driving policy. Some policies will be optional but there are aspects which are considered vital to having a robust, effective and efficient driving policy that will keep workers safe, while at the same time saving businesses a lot of stress and money.

Please note that this article is not a substitute for legal advice and if you have a particular matter that needs to

Preparing to write your policy

The following is a checklist of matters that should be considered before writing a safe driving policy. If you don’t already know the answers to these questions, start collecting this information over the next six to 12 months:

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be addressed, you should consult with a lawyer. Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law and she can be contacted on (09) 377 1080 or

Danielle Beston

021 326 642.

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1119-02

• Battery & Auto Electrical Specialists • Nationwide Battery Warranty • Over 90 Stores Nationwide

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NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Are you starting out in trucking?

D

o you really understand what running a trucking business involves? Trucking is a tough and competitive industry; margins can be slim.

Running your own trucking business requires a whole different level of skills and knowledge.

Getting good quality advice from people who are experienced in the trucking industry is the first decision you need to make. The team at the NZ Trucking Association should be your first point of contact. The team has more than 40 years of experience in the trucking industry and specialises in providing advice to new entrants to the trucking industry.

Our experience is earned the hard way, by running our own trucking businesses. Without good advice your chances of success are greatly reduced.

We will help you to understand what is required to get started: transport service licence, delivery rates, contractual agreements, capital equipment, finance, insurances, regulations, obtaining supplier credit agreements, servicing, fuel, tyres, road user charges (RUCs), GST, income tax, and ACC levies to name a few.

If you intend to operate a vehicle that has a gross laden weight exceeding 6000kg, you will need a transport service licence (TSL). To obtain a TSL, you must first apply through NZTA, where you will be required to pay a fee and pass a knowledge-based test. You will also need to meet the ‘Fit and Proper Person’ criteria. To pass these criteria, NZTA will consider any criminal history, fraud, dishonesty, evasion of RUC, bankruptcy, driving offences, and other considerations. It is illegal to operate a transport service using another person’s or business’s TSL. We will help you to understand all the costs involved in running the business. Sometimes the difference of a few cents on a kilometre rate can be the difference between success and failure. Does the business that you are going to contract to have a good history of prompt payment? If you have to wait 90 days – or sometimes more – for payment, it won’t matter how good the rates are if you can’t afford to make the payments on the truck or fuel account. Our members have free access to our industry respected cost modelling service, where we can very quickly work out if your business venture is going to be profitable and sustainable.

We can provide advice on contracts. Many contracts appear to be for long terms but are in effect only 30-day contracts because of the termination clauses they contain. Contracts can contain restraint of trade clauses that will restrict your ability to earn an income if you decide to leave.

Using our experience, we can advise you on the capital equipment needed for your business. As a new business, money will be tight until you get established. So concentrate on

getting what you actually need for the job, rather than what you would like. Do you really need that flash new truck with all the extras, or can you make do with something more modest, or even secondhand?

Getting the right finance structure for your business is important. We can help you with this. Have you got any equity of your own? If so, it certainly helps to reduce your monthly commitments. Many finance institutions will loan you 100% of the purchase costs, but you will be paying a higher interest rate for this privilege. The danger with this option is that if after a few months you realise that the business is not going as well as you had hoped, and you decide to sell up, it is likely that with the depreciation of your assets that you will still owe considerably more than the equipment is worth, leaving you financially worse off than before you started. With the right advice your monthly payments can be structured to suit your budget.

Insurance is a major consideration. Motor vehicle insurance, carriers’ liability and public liability are necessities. Worth considering is a loss of use extension on your motor vehicle policy that provides cover for a rental vehicle if yours is off the road due to an accident. Accident and illness or income protection insurance will help cover the cost of your commitments if you are unable to work for an extended period due to health issues. As a member of the NZ Trucking Association, our key insurance partner gives you access to insurance specific to the transport industry at very competitive rates.

NZ Trucking Association members enjoy substantial discounts on fuel, tyres, insurance, oil, finance, and a range of business support services. This gives your business a competitive advantage.

Setting up your back office correctly is important. You will probably be working long hours when you start out. Do you have a partner who can help with key tasks such as paying invoices, GST, wages, PAYE, budgeting the finances and arranging the servicing, among other things. If not, then you will need the services of a good accountant or bookkeeper who understands the trucking industry. You can’t afford to get this wrong, as your business success depends on it. We can point you in the right direction for the best advice.

Running your own trucking business can be profitable if you get the right advice at the start.

More than 80% of the trucking businesses in the country are owner-operators, who got their start with a single vehicle – with some having become the largest and most successful trucking businesses in New Zealand. 

NZ Trucking Association can be contacted on 0800 338 338 or info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

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by Dave Boyce, NZTA chief executive officer

1119-37

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

Seven simple strategies to slim in summer

By Laura Peacock

Following these seven simple steps will help you manage what and when you eat so that you can maintain a healthier, balanced diet.

1. Reduce portion sizes

This is something we hear time and time again, and for good reason. It is a well-known fact that the plates at our grandparents’ place are much smaller than our share plattersized plates in the cupboard at home.

Subconsciously, we aim to fill our plate so that we feel like we are getting a decent-sized meal. By simply using smaller plates you can easily reduce your portion sizes and still feel as though you are filling the plate and your belly (providing you aren’t going back for seconds, of course).

2. Be prepared

Let’s face it, we are all extremely busy in our demanding lives and we often struggle to find the time to prepare a nutritious lunch for work every day.

However, I have found with my clients that if they are prepared and organised with their food, they are less likely to run to the bakery for a sausage roll or custard square at smoko time.

Lunches don’t have to be gourmet quinoa kale salads, but simply prepping them the night before or in the morning (whatever works best for you) will ensure you make better food choices throughout your busy day.

Saying that a potato chip will never touch your lips again is a daunting and unrealistic goal for people who are partial to a potato chip – or an entire bag of them. Let’s say you have one bag every day. Instead make a goal to have a bag every second day and go from there. As time passes you may wean back to every third day, and so on.

I have had many clients swear off a certain food or even food group and one week in they have a massive binge on said food/food group.

It’s important to satisfy your cravings, but in a balanced and controlled way wherever possible.

6. Watch that alcohol intake

This may sound obvious, but if you don’t have treats in the house, you can’t eat them. If you know you have a massive sweet tooth you can still eat chocolate, for example, but buy bars instead of blocks so there is less temptation to polish off an entire block. A bar is enough to get a taste and satisfy your cravings.

The same goes with packets of chips, biscuits, or buying your go-to treat in bulk: keep the treat sizes small and you can still enjoy your indulgence without going overboard. For me, I buy 70g bags of Brazil nuts instead of the 1kg bags because I can’t trust myself to ration them out.

4. Keep a food diary

If you are serious about losing weight or reaching your specific health goals, a food diary is a great way to keep track of exactly

New Zealand Trucking

5. Set realistic goals

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

3. Avoid temptation

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what is going in your mouth from dusk till dawn. Sometimes you don’t realise just how much or how little you are eating and drinking. The other helpful aspect of food diaries is recognising your eating patterns and where things may be falling flat.

It also highlights what I like to call the ‘danger zone’. It’s the time of day where you are most prone to snacking or indulging in some not-so-good foods. For me it’s after dinner, from 8pm to 9pm, where I feel like I need a little something to finish me off for the day. I make sure I keep busy during this time or have a cup of tea to feel like I am still having something.

November 2019

Drinking is often how people unwind or socialise, which is totally fine. However, looking at what you’re drinking and how much of it you’re drinking is important. If you’re trying to lose weight, drinking will greatly inhibit your progress if you are a moderate to heavy drinker.

When one drinks, the body must first process the alcohol before it returns to burning fat, thus slowing the weight-loss process. This doesn’t mean that you must be Sober Steve all your life, it just means limiting your drinking to a balanced level.

7. Track your calories

If you are serious about losing, gaining or maintaining your weight, then tracking your calories is a great way to make sure that you achieve your goal. You will enter in your age, weight, activity level and your goal and will be given a calorie target to reach each day. I guarantee you will be surprised by how many and how few calories some foods have.

My calorie target for each day is 1600 calories. Before I started tracking my calories, I would easily eat four small 70g bags of chopped peanuts on a lazy Sunday arvo watching Netflix. Little did I know, each bag was worth 200 calories, meaning I’d eaten half of my daily quota purely in nuts. Knowing your calorie intake is crucial to achieving your goals. 

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IMAGES FROM THE LONG LAP 2018 Ron Frew of Ohakune has owned the 1983 Mitsubishi FV315 for five years.

The truck is powered by a Mitsubishi V8 engine coupled to a 15-speed overdrive transmission.

The truck runs between farms carrying metal, baleage, and so on. Ron has taken the Mitsubishi on three classic truck runs and also organises truck runs around the central North Island for the Northern Classic Commercials club.

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Geemac Trading (NZ) Limited.

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November 2019

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ONLINE FIVE WAYS TO INTERACT WITH US INTERACT WITH US ONLINE https://nztrucking.co.nz/

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New Rigs New ON THE ROAD ON THE ROAD

Rock ‘n’ Roll!

The Sky’s the The Sky’s theLimit Limit

Mills Mack dynasty continues Twin Tippers Twin Tippers

International 9870 6x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 rigid low roof sleeper Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Operator: Counties Haulage Operator logistics Ltd,Bulk Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Engine: Cummins X15 459kW (615hp) Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission: Eaton 20E318b-MXP 18-speed UltraShift Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission AMT Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Rear axles P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles: Renault Meritor RT46-160 Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Body: Transfleet Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Palfinger crane Transfleet 5-axle Trailer: Palfinger crane Features brakes, Features: Disc Ali Bluetooth, Arc bumper, disc brakes, super singles Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Dura-Bright

Dura-Bright alloy wheels onalloy frontwheels axle Operation roofing Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: Carting Bulk material product around North Island-wide the Bay of Plenty area

the Bay of Plenty area

MackLander Super-Liner Renault 460.328x4 8x4rigid Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Operator: Nick Operator Roadex logisticsMills Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Engine: MP10 448kW (600hp) Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission: Roadranger RTLO22918B 18-speed Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission Transmission Optidriver Optidrivermanual Rear axles P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles: Renault Meritor 46-160 Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Truck Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Logbody gear/trailer: Koromiko Engineering Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 crane Disc brakes, Bigfoot CTI, SI Lodec scales, Features: Palfinger Palfinger crane Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, custom leather seats Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, alloy wheels Sign writing:Dura-Bright Dura-Bright alloy wheels Marty’s Signs Operation roofing material around Operation Carting roofing material around Operation: Carting Log transport Coromandel/BOP the Bay of Plenty area

the Bay of Plenty area

FuelHauling HaulingFH FH Fuel Head for the trees!

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4 Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

ShootingStar Star Shooting Nothing like RenaultLander Lander460.32 460.328x4 8x4a ‘Spready’ Renault

Operator Roadex Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Driver Richards Operator: Frank Raymond and Kristy Bradshaw Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 460hp Engine: 0Xi11, Cummins X15 448kW (600hp) Transmission OptidriverRoadranger RTL22918 18-speed Transmission Optidriver Transmission: Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction manual Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Truck body Flat deck with front 46-160 mounted PK12000 Rear Meritor

Palfinger crane Palfinger crane Log gear/trailer: Patchell Industries Features Disc Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features brakes, Bluetooth, Bigfoot CTI Features: Dura-Bright Dura-Bright alloy wheels alloy wheels Operation: Contracted to AZTEC Forestry Transport Operation Carting Carting roofing material around Operation roofing material around log operations in the upper and central

thethe Bay of Plenty area Bay of Plenty area

Mercedes-Benz Atego 1630 rigid Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator Roadex logistics Ltd,4x2 Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Driver Frank Richards Operator: Ellesmere Transport Ltd Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine: Mercedes-Benz 8-litre Euro 6 Transmission Optidriver Optidriver Transmission Transmission: 9-speed manual Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles: Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Mercedes-Benz 11 tonne with diff-lock Truck body Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Parabolic spring with stabiliser bar and Rear suspension: Palfinger crane Palfinger crane shock absorbers Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, ERL spreader Body: Dura-Bright alloy wheels Dura-Bright alloy wheels body Operation: Carting Spreading in the Canterbury region Operation Carting roofing material around Operation roofing material around

the Bay of Plenty area the Bay of Plenty area

Kenworth T659 8x4 rigid

Driver:

North Island Rhys Douglas

November 2015

112 New Zealand Trucking November 2019 10 10 NZNZ TRUCKING TRUCKING November 2015

Driver:

Harley Mills

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Mellow Miles & Michelin Men Dressed in ‘Camo’

Carperton Argosy Framed beautifully

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator: Frank Richards Camo Transport Driver Engine: Scania 16-litre V8 485kW (650hp) Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission: Transmission Optidriver Scania Opticruise 14-speed Rear axles:Renault P2191 Scania R662 Rear axles with hub reduction Trailers: 6-axle B-train Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Features: Palfinger crane Highline cab, visor, black badging/ horns Features Disc brakes, Bluetooth, Operation: Dura-Bright General around the North Island alloy wheels Operation Carting roofing Drivers: Gregmaterial around the Bay of Plenty area

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Operator: Frank Richards APL Direct Ltd Driver Engine: Scania DC13 336kW (450hp) Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Transmission: Transmission Optidriver Scania 14-speed Opticruise AMT Rear axles: Renault P2191 Scania R780 Rear axles with hub reduction Body: Roadmaster Truck body Flat deck with front mounted PK12000 Features: Palfinger crane Highline cab, visor, stone guard, fridge Operation: Disc brakes, APLBluetooth, product and general freight in the Features North Dura-Bright alloyIsland wheels Operation Carting roofing material around the Bay of Plenty area

Superb Super Liner Fine furniture Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

Dew’s Jewel

Scania S650 Highline 6x4 tractor

DAF CF85Roadex 4x2 tractor Operator logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Operator: Efficient Moving and Storage Engine 0Xi11, 460hp Engine: PACCAR PX9 269kW (360hp) Transmission Optidriver Transmission: ZF AS-Tronic 12-speed AMT Rear axles Renault P2191 with hub reduction Rear axles:Flat deck with DAFfront SR1364 Truck body mounted PK12000 Rear suspension: DAF Palfinger crane ECAS air suspension Features: Disc brakes, Nudge bar, stainless skirts, woodgrain Features Bluetooth, Dura-Brightdash, alloy fridge wheels Operation: Carting roofing Furniture nationwide Operation material around Driver: the Bay of Nick PlentyTodd area Photo HBT Photography

Scania G450 Highline 6x2 Rigid

Renault Lander 460.32 8x4

‘Twooooo Marsh!’

Operator Roadex logistics Ltd, Mount Maunganui Driver Frank Richards Engine 0Xi11, Scania R620 6x4460hp tractors Transmission Optidriver Operator: Brettwith Marsh Rear axles Renault P2191 hubTransport reduction Engine: Scania 463kW (620hp) Truck body Flat deck with frontDC16 mounted PK12000 Transmission: Scania 14-speed Opticruise AMT Palfinger crane Features Bluetooth, Rear axles:Disc brakes, Scania R662 alloy wheels Features: Dura-BrightHighline cab, stone guard, full leather Operation Carting roofing material interior, fridgearound Plenty area Operation: the Bay of Chilled and frozen freight nationwide

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

0800 50 40 50

New Zealand Trucking November November 113 11 2015 2019 NZ TRUCKING

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

New Zealand has a rich heritage of body and

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

Top Shelf for CMT CMT 2016 Ltd of Napier has just received fresh from the team at Patchell Industries this new build on the back of CMT’s standout Kenworth K200. The combination features Patchell’s 5-axle billet trailer with EVO4 I-beam chassis.

Features: Hendrickson INTRAAX air suspension with disc brakes, Alcoa Dura-Bright polished alloy wheels, air bag weigh system gauges to bolster, bolt-on push pad to rear of chassis, rifle bolt push-up remote extension pins to bolsters, load restraint winches, AdBlue tank protector, 5mm alloy checker plate chassis covers, Hella LED lights, stainless steel fuel tank wrap, CTI. Patchell Industries Ltd

Otairi Argosy by TTE Otairi Livestock Ltd has taken delivery of its new 9-axle stock unit based on a Freightliner Argosy.

The team at Total Transport Engineers workshops completed the crisp build with many stainless steel features.

Features: Truck is set up with a 7.60m stock deck complete with stainless steel deck skin, dog box and twin tool boxes. The 5-axle stock trailer has a 10.36m stainless steel deck with Hendrickson disc brake axle suspension assemblies, Alcoa alloy wheels, Bridgestone tyres and Wabco EBS brake system.

Total Transport Engineers LP

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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Rage - STL Combined Effort This trailer symbolises the first instalment of a large order for STL and is a joint venture with Rage Engineering Ltd. In a unique and beneficial approach, Rage Engineering is commissioned to complete the full build of all trailer components and then supplies them to STL in a bare metal finish. STL then utilise its in-house team along with TATP support to outfit the trailers for compliance. The trailers are all on general earthworks duties throughout the greater Auckland area.

Features: Full Hardox 24m³ body, THS Delta 77TT tipping cylinder, FUWA K-Hitch disc brake axles and air suspension assemblies, Knorr-Bremse EBS braking, alloy wheels, full Hella LED lighting package, fabricated I-beam drawbar, Kiwi-Tarp covers.

Rage Engineering Ltd

Satherley Stunner A new build straight out of the Patchell workshops is this stunning 9-axle unit for Satherley Logging (2006) Ltd of Napier. The Kenworth K200 and 5-axle flat chassis billet trailer features many of the options that Patchell Industries has become renowned for.

Features: EVO4 I-beam chassis, 5mm medium-strength full-length fuel and AdBlue tank protector, certified trailer park brake release to cab guard, load restraint winches to bolsters complete with handle and holder, Hendrickson INTRAAX drum brake axles, Wabco EBS, bolt-on push pad to rear of chassis, rifle bolt push-up remote extension pins to bolsters, fuel tank painted chassis yellow, SI Lodec dual channel weigh system, air bag weigh system gauges to bolster, Peterson LED side lamps to each bolster, Hella LED lighting package.

Patchell Industries Ltd

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

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

Wide grooves will not hold stones

The KIWI 16’s tougher twin

Multi use tread pattern

Heavy duty case

Super heavy duty case

Urban/highway/off road

Excellent mileage performance

Puncture resistant

Puncture resistant

17mm extra deep tread

17mm extra deep tread

17.5mm extra deep tread

New Zealand Trucking

November 2019

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MINI BIG RIGS

First place 1/35th scale – Easter 2019 National Competition.

Creative construction Story by Faye Lougher, photos by Roy Sutherland

When thinking outside the square you can embrace concepts away from the mainstream. This month Roy Sutherland of Levin shows his approach to enjoying his passion for scratch-building model trucks.

A

lthough Roy Sutherland’s father owned Upper Hutt trucking company Sutherland and Russell when Roy was a boy, it wasn’t until many years later that he started building truck models. “Years ago I found a bucket of wheels in a shop. I grabbed a handful and thought, ‘one day if I have a son I will make him a truck’,” he said.

Roy went on to have three sons, Martin, Warren and Grant, and made them a wooden truck out of bits and pieces, along with a petrol station that has since been refurbished for his grandchildren.

Over the years Roy has made about 40 trucks for many different companies and has plenty of orders for more. “I’ve made a Fonterra tanker, a Holden Racing Team transporter, I also did a Modern Freighters 1973 Mercedes and then they wanted the trailer, then a truck and trailer. Then I made a log

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truck. I sold that at a swap meet then made a Linfox one and five Booths’ trucks. I’ve also made one for a couple who work for Farmers Transport in Hawke’s Bay.” Roy also made one of his father’s first trucks for his brother, Lewis, who took over Sutherland and Russell.

The models are all scratch-built, made mostly from MDF and wood, but Roy has refined the process over the years, making the trailers lighter by using Seratone. He paints the models himself and gets tiny decals made by Brushstrokes in Palmerston North. “I use sequins for the LED lights. For hoists I use telescopic wands from the $2 shops.” He says his models usually take between six and eight weeks to build.

When Roy ran out of his original handful of wheels, he went back to the shop looking for more. “The guy in the shop didn’t

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Emmerson Transport ready for another run out to Whirinaki.

Holden Racing Team Argosy and B-double heading to Bathurst.

know anything about them so I rang the original owner to see where he got them from. He said they were from Lincoln Toys, they were all ‘Boy oh Boy! A Lincoln Toy!’ wheels. Next time I was in the shop I had another look and came across the original bucket with the rest of the wheels in it so I said ‘I’ll give you $10 for the lot’.” The bucket contained 450 duals and 100 singles and they’ve lasted Roy a number of years, but now his stock is getting low and he is looking for reasonably priced alternatives. He’s tried resin wheels and also had some made for him with a 3D printer, but says they work out too expensive when he factors in how many he needs for each truck.

In addition to making models, Roy’s also an avid collector of limited edition diecast models and many of those bring back memories for him.

“I’ve bought quite a few Micro Models over the years, my very first model was a Micro Models one. I got 10 bob for my birthday – this was back in the mid-fifties – and there was this Commer artic truck with a green back and orange cab in the shop. It was 11 shillings and sixpence and I was nearly in tears thinking I couldn’t

have it, but mum took it up to the counter and the shopkeeper looked at it upside down and said ‘that will be 9 shillings and 11 pence’. I was very conflicted as I am not a dishonest person, but I really wanted that truck so I kept my mouth shut!”

Roy says he enjoys the satisfaction of getting to the end of making each model. “Sometimes I think I will never get to the end of it, but the more fiddly it is, the more I want to make it right. It becomes a bit inventive, and I’ve got better and better with every one I make.”

At the New Zealand Model Truck Association National Competition in Napier at Easter 2019, Roy took out the Limited category for a Volvo FH B-train he restored and the Smaller than 1/35th for a Farmers Transport Kenworth K200.

“The show was just brilliant,” says Roy. “The standard was unbelievable – the models were so life-like.”

As Roy has shown us here, all manner of household materials with a dash of inspiration and creativity can be morphed into a model truck. The key ingredient is passion; with this the enjoyment level and sense of achievement is off the scale. 

The Booths Transport fleet is well represented.

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LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB HI LITTLE TRUCKERS! Firstly I would like to thank you all for your entries in our Fonterra colouring competition. There are some talented wee artists out there, that’s for sure!

If you haven’t already sent in your entry it’s not too late, please send them in now.

Also, if you would like to share any photos of trucks out and about, or drawings, please send them to me at rochelle@nztrucking. co.nz. The winner of our Fonterra colouring competition will be announced next month.

This month we are sharing some of the truck art that I have already received. I am blown away by how many little truck enthusiasts are out there and amazed at the standard of your drawings!

With the end of the year nearly upon us, school holidays coming up and Christmas just around the corner, I’m planning a special treat for next month’s Little Truckers’ Club. Be sure to keep an eye out, you don’t want to miss it!

Harley

Emma

Jai

Harley

Jarrod William

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Jet

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WHAT’S ON Stoke School Market and Truck Show 2019

Thames Wings and Wheels

9 November 10am to 3pm A&P Showgrounds, Richmond, Nelson Contact: www.facebook.com/ stokeschoolpta

Gisborne Truck Show

23 November 2019 Gisborne A&P Showgrounds Contact: www.facebook.com/ Gisborne-East-Coast-Truck-Show

Turners Truck and Machinery Show

8 December 2019 Pukekohe Park Raceway Contact: Karen Black 021 837 233 www.truckshow.co.nz

The Mount Truck Show

18 January 2020 Tauranga Aerodrome, Jean Batten Drive, Tauranga Contact: www.facebook.com/ events/tauranga-airport/themount-truck-show

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25 January 2020 Thames Airfield, SH25 Ngati Maru Highway, Thames Contact: www. wingsandwheelsthames.com

Wellington Truck and Transport Show

23 February 2020 Trentham Memorial Park, Upper Hutt Contact: Greg Fouhy wgtntruckshow@gmail.com

TMC Trailers Ltd Trucking Industry Show

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

November 2019

All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc.

It is suggested you check the relevant websites 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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Industry Trade Day Careers Transport 2020 TR Group NZ Truck Driving Championships

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THE LAST MILE

Notice is served ‘I gnorantia juris non excusat’ – ignorance of the law excuses not – is a long established legal precedent.

A story in the August edition of RTANZ News, ‘Transport operators to come under spotlight’, should serve as yet another warning that life in the future is not going to be easy. This story relates to obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and the areas WorkSafe has been focusing on for the past few years, namely those industries that were higher risk, such as agriculture and forestry. Transport and warehousing are now also to be targeted due to statistically high accident rates. Concerns cited include fatigue, fleet management issues, and the continuing high risk of accidents at loading sites.

This focus by WorkSafe should not come as a surprise to any of us, although I can hear some operators complaining now that this is the last thing the industry needs on top of the renewed focus on compliance by the NZ Transport Agency.

The problem I see within our industry is that its people have become increasingly blasé about their obligations to provide a safe and compliant workplace. Remember, vehicles are a workplace. The ‘I am all right, everybody else is at fault’

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The problem I see within our industry is that its people have become increasingly blasé about their obligations to provide a safe and compliant workplace.

attitude does not cut it. In one way or another, we are all at fault.

WorkSafe or NZTA would be failing in their duties if they did not take action to stop what is fast becoming a significant industry issue.

We cannot look at the roles of WorkSafe and NZTA in isolation; they are linked by requirements in two major pieces of legislation, the Land Transport Act and the Health and Safety at Work Act. Part 2 of the Land Transport Act sets out the primary responsibilities of those who hold a land transport document. A transport service licence is such a document, so is a permit such as an HPMV permit. Clause 79T of the Act sets out the chain of responsibilities for certain specific tasks in the industry. In addition, a number of Land Transport Rules, such as the Heavy Vehicle Rule, place distinct responsibilities on operators of vehicles.

If you are not sure, the definition of ‘operate a vehicle’ in the Land Transport Act is broad and says: ‘Operate, in relation to a vehicle, means to drive or use the vehicle on a road, or to cause or permit the vehicle to be on a road or to be driven on a road, whether or not the person is present with the vehicle; and operator has a corresponding meaning.’

Relate this back to the definition of a person conducting a business or undertaking (or PCBU in the Health and Safety at Work Act) and you will see they are all interconnected.

Then, on top of these, look at the fit and proper person assessment criteria for a person to get and continue to hold a transport service licence, clause 30c of the Land Transport Act. Along with putting responsibilities on operators, many Land Transport Rules also list responsibilities for vehicle repairers and those who modify vehicles.

It is not acceptable to blame others for what the industry is going through at the moment, nor is it acceptable to blame others for the public perception of the industry. We are all in this together and only by working together will we turn things around.

Private Fraser in Dad’s Army had a catchphrase – “We’re doomed”. This may well apply to our industry if we don’t get our collective act together and take our responsibilities seriously.  The accidental trucker

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