New Zealand Trucking April 2021

BIG SCANIA, BIG B-TRAIN, EXCELLENT ENGINEERING APRIL 2021

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CONTENTS

46

Town and Country – All-round Hero

62

History Family Ingenuity – A Shining Example

Official Sponsor

Convoy Culture – Reliving One of the Greats

MAGAZINE O IAL

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30

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

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

EDITOR

Dave McCoid

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers

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

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

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

Pav Warren

Ph: 027 201 4001 Email: pav@nztrucking.co.nz

SUB EDITORS

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Tracey Strange Faye Lougher

Georgi George

CONTRIBUTORS

Long Haul Publications Ltd

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

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PRODUCTION MANAGER

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52

Trucks and Trees – Setting the Logging Standard

ART DIRECTOR

John Berkley DIGITAL IMAGING

THE REST

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.

This magazine is subject to the New Zealand Press Council.

Complaints are to be first directed to: editor@nztrucking.co.nz with “Press Council Complaint” in the subject line.

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10 Editorial 12 Trucking Toward a Better Future 14 Road Noise – Industry news 60 Just Truckin’ Around 66 Aussie Angles – SAR in action

96 NZ Trucking Association Summit – Phil Parkes 98 Better Business – Rethinking waste tyres 100 IRTENZ – Drive axles

70 Light Commercial Test – Mitsubishi Express

102 TDDA

74 Gallery – Among the Puppies and Bugs

106 Health and Safety

76 New Rigs

110 NZ Trucking Association

80 New Bodies and Trailers 82 Rhino Photo Comp – Sun up on a high 84 Mini Big Rigs – Budget bonanza 86 Little Truckers’ Club 88 What’s On/Cartoon

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

92 Moving Metrics

104 Truckers’ Health 108 Legal Lines

112 Road Transport Forum 114 The Last Mile B R OUG HT T O YO U B Y

MORE VALUE. EVERY DRIVE.

SAFETY FIRST IT’S EVERYTHING YOU’D EXPECT FROM A EUROPEAN TRUCK, EXCEPT THE PRICE. Every drive in the new IVECO X-Way is safer, because X-Way features all the important safety equipment as standard. There’s an Electronic Braking System that simultaneously distributes braking forces between the wheel brakes, engine brakes and intarder (if selected), for smooth and superior braking performance. There’s also an Advanced Emergency Braking System, minimising the chance of a nose-to-tail collision if the driver becomes momentarily distracted. And then there’s the Adaptive Cruise Control which helps maintain a safe distance to the vehicle in front. Extra optional equipment including Lane Departure Warning is also available. With the new IVECO X-Way, we put your safety first.

Keith Tuffery 027 489 1761 Sales – Lower North Island

Straun Syme 027 434 0846 Sales – Canterbury

David Didsbury 027 403 2035 National Sales Manager

Pieter Theron 021 347 992 Truck Sales - Auckland

Waikato IVECO 07 850 4909 Hamilton

www.iveco.co.nz

Star Trucks lnternational 03 544 9580 Nelson

AdvanceQuip 03 203 9110 Gore

EDITORIAL

OF COURSE IT’S BETTER. IT ALWAYS IS

A

s you age, it dawns on you that your life can become a roller-coaster, affected by things out of your control. Too often, you hear phrases such as ‘Things have changed over time’ and ‘The march of progress’, and find yourself conforming to what some faceless, unidentifiable person decides on your behalf.

Like most animals and objects, humans are more malleable when they’re newer than when they’re older and that works wonderfully well for bureaucrats and PR spin doctors. History shows you that changing the herds’ direction with minimal challenge is far easier than the average person accepts.

It becomes even easier the more affluent and distracted society becomes.

With age, you have memories, admittedly sometimes guilt-edged, but memories none-the-less, of times that weren’t as bad as we’re led to believe, often by people who weren’t actually alive in the period in question. It makes you wonder if all progress is good and how much change happens for change’s sake – in other words, balance-sheet improvement, vote grabbing,

and political advance.

Before Covid-19, one of the government’s most significant problems was productivity. The virus is currently distracting us, but I assure you the focus will soon return to productivity as the leading cause of concern considering the debt mountain we’ve amassed. For that reason, we must keep an eye on compliance and any future incursions into our businesses. Those with little knowledge of the reality of SME life must be questioned and pushed against if required.

I will argue to the end that, in my life, one of the great compliance tragedies is the exclusion of the children from the workplace – in our case – trucks. We complied with the no-kids-in-trucks rule without question. The premise was apparently ‘safety’, a word that today has been stripped of its dignity like the people it purports to protect. The decision was made without thought of what nature’s educational processes achieves. And what did we do? We just went home and said, ‘Sorry kids, they said you can’t come anymore.

You’ll have to stay home, occupy yourself and not spend time with Dad or Mum

TRUCK & LIGHT COMMERCIAL adapted masthead.indd 1

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

TRADER

on the holidays or weekends’, even though Dad and Mum worked a 70-hour-a-week job.

From that moment children missed the chance to learn more about their parents, who they were, skills they had, and – worst of all – not learn about the mechanics of privileged existence.

Those who made the rules probably took their kids to soccer or rugby on a Saturday morning and ignored the truck driver delivering the goods to where they needed to be. In some instances, those drivers were hundreds of kilometres from home and about to begin a 24-hour rest in a town full of strangers.

Once, he or she may have had a son, daughter, nephew, or niece along for the night or weekend, and they might have explored a new town, talked, walked, spent time together. Having a burger with Dad or Mum on a Saturday when away with the truck – that’s where memories are made. Education has a positive effect on the worth and esteem of both the teacher and the pupil.

Truckers were stripped of that right. Yep, the king of all creatures decided nature’s school was below them.

Then the self-sanctification effect took off, and the

roller-coaster of the moral agenda accelerated in all directions. Yet we’re still falling over, slipping, tripping, speeding, losing control or conciseness, dying and scrambling to legalise recreational drugs so we can forget for a moment how expensive and complicated we have made our lives and societies.

But there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Case M in the recent South Auckland Covid-19 outbreak may have inadvertently done SMEs in this country a favour.

Having brought the country’s economy to its knees with his actions, he faced no official consequence. That surely is a precedent when it comes to rebuffing the onward march of paralysing, obstructive, and nonsense compliance? The trouble is that as a nation, we have shown in the past year just how compliant we are, and how easily we can be rolled and moulded, and not just by the government but any group with an agenda.

Until we overcome that trait, change for questionable reasons will form the foundation of the apathy that defines us.

Dave McCoid Editor

This is Japan’s most advanced truck.

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— Active Attention Assist

— Lane Departure Warning

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

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With Apple CarPlay and Android Audio compatibility. Enables hands-free talking and text to speech.

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

The FUSO Shogun is a game-changer designed to get you home safely, night after night. Check it out at fuso.co.nz/shogun

We look after our own

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

SEEING PROBLEMS AS OPPORTUNITIES

Want to enter the competition? Find all the details here.

Is creativity just a joke? We’re all more creative than we think.

Story by Lindsay Wood, founder of Resilienz Ltd

W

ho likes a good joke? Imagine sitting in a hall as the community grapples with a curly problem that demands an innovative solution. Say the water supply has failed and will take months to fix.

“Okay!” says the facilitator.

“Who likes a good joke?”

Wow. That wasn’t expected, but we like jokes and raise our hands.

“Wonderful,” she enthuses.

“Now, who’s creative?”

Uh oh. Creative? Me? Cringe. No hands go up.

“Great!” She’s even more enthusiastic. “Have I got news for you, and it’s all good. If you have a sense of humour, you’re creative. Simple as.”

Really? Why? Well, creativity and jokes both exploit unusual connections between things.

Think slapstick comedy: pie meets face. Think pun: two different meanings of one word, etc.

There’s a quirky expression for this: “AHAHAHA!” = “AHA!” (an idea), plus “HAHA!” (a joke).

And something funny will often spark creativity. Many people (myself included) laugh on first seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and for some it sparks creativity and more humour.

Cool eh?

(What are the “unusual connections”? Google ‘leaning tower of pisa ice cream cone’ to find out.)

So, let’s not cringe at the idea of being creative.

12 New Zealand Trucking

Serious fun: Needing creativity like never before Solving unfamiliar problems requires innovation to find new solutions, and the higher the stakes, the more we need to crank up those creative juices.

The climate crisis has both in spades: we’ve never tried to cool a planet before, and the stakes don’t get higher than ‘life as we know it’.

In 2018, NZ’s Productivity Commission identified innovation as “the nearest thing to a silver bullet” for tackling the climate crisis.

Add to that that fossil-fuelled transport equals dairy as New Zealand’s greatest emissions challenge, and that mainstream hydrogen and battery trucks are still a way off, and we need to take every chance to lower our emissions.

Enter “Trucking Toward a Better Future”. If you read the

introduction to the competition in the March issue or saw it on New Zealand Trucking’s social media or YouTube channels, you’ll know Dave McCoid and I are huge fans of people on the job, at the coal face, driving trucks. With 20,000 truckies on New Zealand’s road at any moment, you will have mountains of humour between you, mountains of insights, and mountains of creative ideas that deserve to see the light of day.

Feeling the fear and being creative anyway Ideas don’t need to be worldshaking or pointy-headed to be worthwhile. Every day, truckies witness zillions of problems, each awaiting a remedy. And remedies that might reduce emissions are potential entries in the competition. Whenever I mention the comp, someone

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

flags a related issue – such as trucks waiting on building sites keep their engines running just to keep the cab cool.

People are full of ideas waiting to happen, and a major obstacle is the fear of failure.

‘It might not work’, ‘someone smarter must have tried it’, etc. The great Kiwi Clobbering Machine is better at dumping on ideas than helping them flourish. But that’s another problem waiting to become an opportunity: let’s develop the habit of encouraging new ideas, and of not being too afraid to express our own.

Naturally, there’s always uncertainty over an innovative idea (otherwise, it wouldn’t be innovative), and so there’s a chance it won’t work. But imagine all the great ideas that might never have happened if they were canned before being tried. Imagine being on the design team of the fastest-ever airliner (2100kph Concorde), and being too scared to suggest dropping the nose so the pilots could see the runway as they landed.

Google understands this fear, and its innovation hub “X” celebrates failure. If you haven’t already, check out Astro Teller on the TED stage.

So, give it a go! You have a sense of humour, so you also have good ideas, and you see countless things the rest of us don’t know exist. There’s no such thing as a bad idea, but there are millions of good ones waiting to see the light of day.

Show us some.

April 2021

FRE10

THE ALL NEW CASCADIA

Through all conditions, it’s those who stay ahead of the game that reap the rewards and do well in the New Zealand trucking industry.

So, for those who want to be ready and equipped to seize new opportunities, the all new Freightliner Cascadia has arrived. Built and tested to unprecedented standards, with new levels of safety, comfort and fuel efficiency, the Cascadia is ready and capable for what lies ahead.

TO FIND OUT MORE PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER Authorised North Island Dealers

Authorised South Island Dealers

KEITH ANDREWS TRUCKS LTD Ph: 0800 487 825 www.keithandrews.co.nz

CABLEPRICE LTD Ph: 0800 555 456 www.cableprice.co.nz

FREIGHTLINER.CO.NZ Freightliner is a registered trademark of Daimler Trucks North America LLC. Published by Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific Pty Ltd ACN 86 618 413 282.

FRE10299_NZ Trucking_DPS_A4_V3_FA.indd 1

20/1/21 2:14 pm

ROAD NOISE NEWS

JOST NZ ADDS TRIDEC TO ITS PRODUCT PORTFOLIO JOST New Zealand has added the brand’s Tridec specialised steering and suspension systems to its product portfolio, with full sales distribution and warranty support for the complete Tridec range.

Tridec has been part of the JOST World since 2008 and employs around 200 people at its European locations in the Netherlands and Portugal.

It is a market leader in the engineering, design, and manufacture of mechanical, hydraulic and electronically controlled steering and suspension systems for trailers.

Currently more than 50,000 Tridec systems are on the roads of the world.

“JOST NZ takes over the responsibility for Tridec from BPW Transport Efficiency and will provide the highest level of service and support to all existing and future customers.

Our nationwide network and technical expertise will ensure a smooth transition for the customers currently utilising this technology in their equipment builds,” says Kate Bucknell, general manager of JOST New Zealand Ltd. “We’re looking forward to meeting all current users and trailer builders of the Tridec range over the coming months.

And of course we thank BPW Transport Efficiency for their efforts in promoting and supporting the Tridec brand in the past.”

GREEN LIGHT FOR NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST CASCADIA

A

lex ‘Tex’ McKillop, of McKillop Contracting, has taken delivery of the first Freightliner Cascadia to hit the road in New Zealand. McKillop’s truck landed in the country late last year before going through an extensive build up including liberal amounts of stainless steel and a dramatic green glow lighting package.

Purchased through Trevor McCallum at CablePrice in Christchurch, the 116 Cascadia is hauling refrigerated goods between McKillop Contracting’s home base in Dunedin and Christchurch and between Christchurch and Invercargill for TSI Logistics on a twodriver rotating shift.

It clocks up a total of 1200km each day in this operation and joins two Freightliner Argosys and two 114 Coronados at McKillop Contracting, a company that McKillop started 19 years ago. He says the Cascadia, which is the best-selling truck in the United States, made a very positive impression when he took it for its first run.

“It is a big step forward, a game changer.

The refinement, the driver comfort and the way the engine and gearbox work together is really impressive,” McKillop says.

The Cascadia features glowing Freightliner branding on the rear cab extenders. There is also a large amount of stainless steel, which adds additional presence, and plenty of yellow LED marker lights.

“I come up with all these crazy ideas and Phil at Fitzsimon Motor and Engineering Services in Christchurch makes it happen,” explains McKillop. “A lot of work has gone into it and the end result is brilliant,” he adds.

The McKillop Contracting Cascadia sports a 13-litre Detroit DD13 engine that generates 376kW (505hp) and 2505Nm (1850lb/ft) and is linked to a DT12 12-speed automated manual transmission.

It features the Detroit Connect safety package, with adaptive cruise control and Autonomous Emergency Braking, which can detect and brake for pedestrians. The Cascadia also features a driver airbag and lane departure warning system.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

PRIME MOVER, WARWICK JOHNSON’S MEMOIRS

P

rime Mover tells the story of Warwick Johnson, the man who moved more than 25,000 buildings in a career spanning more than 60 years. In his own words, Warwick (now 87) takes readers through his life story, focussing on his years as a Waikato-based building remover. Through his work, Warwick has had a significant influence on how building removals are performed today.

This beautifully presented 200-page publication includes more than 150 images from Warwick’s collection, illustrating his story from childhood to today. The book details how things were done in the days when one’s wits and smarts determined health and safety and best practice.

A likeable grass-roots character, witty and at times a law unto himself, he would get into situations others

wouldn’t dare.

Prime Mover is published by Long Haul Publications and is immediately available online at nztrucking.co.nz/primemover.

The book costs $49. A $9 postage and handling fee will be added during the checkout process.

Warwick is a huge supporter of St John and will donate part of the profits from the sale of Prime Mover to help fund a new ambulance.

SCAN TO GO TO CHECK OUT OR VISIT: NZTRUCKING.CO.NZ/ PRIMEMOVER

CH7:A

Don’t you hate it when churches cross the road when all you want to do is read the newspaper?

Geany’s house out of Rotorua, Ngongotaha, tandem-pulling Internationals. I got two 6m permits for two individual trucks and trailers which was legal… But for some reason, the house was still in one piece. By using two trailers, your weight stickers were absorbed. The traffic dept never complained.

ready to go. My team was small but they were all good men. They had to be. Given the age and size of the building, moving it would be a challenge, and the stakes were high.

Let’s record who they were: Malcolm Kay, Murray Grant, my son Grant Johnson, Ned Morgan and a Maori chap who simply wanted to be known as Whetu.

To keep costs down, we bunked in the church and built ourselves a small hut to house the basic facilities of a gas cooker, fridge and a kettle. That lasted about three weeks before the sand flies and mosquitos drove us to a local motel.

Mosquitos weren’t our only problem. A small but very vocal group of protestors had assembled on the site. They didn’t want the church moved, thinking it was unnecessary and believing, I guess, that God had ordained the original site and that is where it should stay. I remember one member of the protest group was Wendy Fowler. She was a lovely woman and unfailingly polite.

We reciprocated by providing the protestors with cups of tea and coffee. We even let Wendy wander around, taking photos with a camera

70

The Remarkable Life of Warwick Johnson

96-9896-Wi9r8i StWiartioStnaRoadtion Road PO BoxPO76463 Box 76463ManukauManukauCity, CiAucklty, Auckl and, aNZnd, NZ PHONEPHONE(09) 262(09)3181262 3181FAX (FAX09) 278(09)5643278 5643 *TRP*assiTRPsassit 0508st 050822 55227755 77 EMAIEMAI L: infoL@spt : info.@sptco.nz.co.nz

FINDFIOUTND OUTMOREMOREWWW.WWW.SPTS.CPTO..NCZO.NZ

Prime Mover 103

“There’s no substitute for experience” 12

The only time I played on Eden Park, shifting the old stand from number 1 to number 2.

building removal had begun.

I was 15 years old.

The tornado hit Dad financially, so he needed me to be part of his crew. To be fair, he paid me well at 2 pounds, 10 shillings a week, but my clothes were still hand-me-downs and often too large.

I mentioned that my grandfather, Pop Jack, was in the building removal business and considered one of its pioneers. I believe he made his first major move in the 1890s. Then, and for many years after, he crafted and honed a skill for innovation and make-do that has trickled down to me today.

One example I was told about was his moving huge (and heavy) milk vats in the new dairy factory in Hamilton.

His simple method was to use blocks of ice instead of wooden rollers to leapfrog over the ammonia pipes on the concrete floor.

Another example was the reuse of rusty wire ropes that were theoretically past their use-by days but were still serviceable when rewound by hand. I remember Pop’s hands were always torn and often festering after one of those splicing sessions. He also made his own wheels... from wood!

My father met my mother while he was working for Pop Jack – she was Pop Jack’s daughter. It was a real family business. As well as my dad, my mother’s three brothers – Fred, Victor and Gordon – all worked for him. In those days, all moves were by horse and cart; only later did they

The Remarkable Life of Warwick Johnson

A newspaper clipping from the New Zealand Herald, 27 August 1948.

Pop Jack

A Hamilton Borough Council image showing a roller towing a house in 1937. Notice the homemade wooden wheels on the trailer; kerosene tins filled with water were used to prevent wheels from catching on fire.

NORTHLAND NORTHLAND TARANAKI TARANAKI MitchelMiltcRedihellnRedigton gton 021 555021326555 326AdamAdamMcIntMcIoshntosh 027 6030271023603 1023 AUCKLAND AUCKLAND HAWKE’ HAWKE’ S BAY S BAY – MANAWATU – MANAWATU SteveStWievel cocksWil cocks 027 5250270015525FULL 0015 SAFETY WANGANUI– WELLI–STANDARD WELLI NGTONNGTON MitchelMiltcRedihellnRedigton gton 021 555021326555SYSTEMS 326WANGANUI ACROSS MarkMarO’HkarO’aHarTHE a RANGE 027 2466027 2466954 954 WAIKWAIATOKATO AdamAdamMcIntMcIoshntosh 027 6030271023603 1023SOUTHSOUTHISLANDISLAND AndreAndrw Haberew Haber field field 027 4798027 4798588 588MikeMiGikl espiGile spie 027 4322027 4322491 491 BAY BAYOF PLENTY OF PLENTY- GIS-BORNE GISBORNE ChrisChrGraisyGray 027 2816027 2816840 840 AndreAndrw Haberew Haber field field 027 4798027 4798588 588SteveStHereverinHerg ring 021 377021661377 661

NORTHLAND Mitchell Redington 96-98 Wiri Station 96-98 Road Wiri Station Road AUCKLAND

021 555 326

TARANAKI Adam McIntosh

027 603 1023

HAWKE’S BAY – MANAWATU PO Box 76463 Manukau PO City, Box Auckland,76463 NZ Manukau City, Auckland, NZ Steve Willcocks 027 525 0015 WANGANUI – WELLINGTON Mitchell Redington 555 326 5643 PHONE (09) 262PHONE 3181 FAX (09) 278 5643 (09) 262 3181 FAX (09) 021 278 Mark O’Hara 027 2466 954 WAIKATO Adam McIntosh 027 603 1023 SOUTH ISLAND *TRP assist 0508 *TRP 22 55 77 assist 0508 22 55 77 Andrew Haberfield 027 4798 588 EMAIL: info@spt.co.nz EMAIL: info@spt.co.nz Mike Gillespie 027 4322 491 Chris Gray 027 2816 840 BAY OF PLENTY - GISBORNE Steve Herring 021 377 661 Andrew Haberfield 027 4798 588

FIND OUT MORE FIND WWW.SPT.CO.NZ OUT MORE WWW.SPT.CO.NZ

ND

LT

BUI

NEW ZE A LA

aper clipping New Zealand 7 August 1948.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Kane Patena

NEW DIRECTOR OF LAND TRANSPORT TO STRENGTHEN REGULATORY OVERSIGHT The New Zealand Transport Agency has confirmed the appointment of Kane Patena as the new Director of Land Transport.

Patena’s appointment is for a period of 18 months and took effect on 1 April 2021.

“Kane has been an integral part of the journey we have been on over the past 18 months as we continue to lift our regulatory performance,” said board chair Sir Brian Roche.

“Over the next 18 months he will build on the foundation he and his team have built and shape how the functions of the Director will be delivered.”

Establishing the Director of Land Transport position is a legislative requirement under the Land Transport (NZTA) Legislation Amendment Act 2020. The Act provides the Director with certain functions, powers and duties in relation to regulatory matters. This includes monitoring how the land transport system complies with a variety of legislation.

The establishment of the Director of Land Transport is an important deliverable of the NZTA regulatory strategy Tu ake, tu maia, which was endorsed by the board in April 2020.

The strategy sets out the need to deliver strong governance and capability in order to lift the regulatory performance of NZTA.

FOOD TRANSPORTERS TO REGISTER THEIR BUSINESSES

I

f you grow, import, manufacture, store, transport, or sell food and beverage products, you must meet food safety requirements, including registration.

New Zealand Food Safety (a business unit of the Ministry for Primary Industries) urges owners/managers of all New Zealand businesses that trade in food to find out if they need to register a plan or programme.

This includes transportation businesses that move food between sites, such as refrigerated trucks and food delivery vehicles, as well as food service and food manufacturing businesses. Even if food is only a part of a business’s activity, registration may still be needed.

Businesses that transport, store or distribute food products must be registered under the Food Act 2014 or Animal Products Act 1999. Most small businesses or sole operators in the transport sector need to register under the Food Act. Companies transporting animal products may need a risk management programme under the Animal Products Act. New Zealand Food Safety’s director of food regulation, Paul Dansted, says registration helps to ensure the food being transported or distributed is safe and suitable for customer use and provides an important link in the chain to assist in tracing food products if a problem is identified.

“Food rules are more flexible than they once were when they used to focus on the place food was made and facilities provided,” Dansted says. “These days, there is a more common sense, risk-based approach to food safety – which puts food businesses in the

driver’s seat when it comes to managing any food hazards that might arise.”

New Zealand Food Safety has made it easier with a single registration that can cover multiple sites and provides greater value and flexibility.

“For instance, if you are transporting different types of food, like meat, fruit, and dairy, you may be covered by more than one piece of legislation, but you could have one plan to cover all activities,” Dansted says.

If a business is not registered, New Zealand Food Safety and local councils may take enforcement action (ranging from educational advice, warnings and instant fines through to harsher penalties, including preventing a business from operating and prosecution). Customers may also refuse to accept their goods or use their services if they don’t comply with food safety requirements.

Registration is easy to do. Go to foodsafety.govt.nz/myfoodrules and complete the online questionnaire to find out: • Which plan or programme you need to use.

• How to register your food business.

• Who can verify (check) your business.

“If you are already registered, you can use My Food Rules to check if you are on the right plan or programme for your business,” Dansted says. “For instance, if you operate a network of food trucks, it may be cheaper and easier for you to register a ‘My Food Plan’ Custom Food Control Plan. This tool will also help you if you’re already operating in the transport/distribution sector and would like to add a new food service to your business.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

SCANIA TOPS HEAVY TRUCK SALES IN NZ

S

cania New Zealand has achieved the number one position in market share for heavy trucks (over 16,000kg GVM), buses and engines in 2020.

This is the first time Scania New Zealand has secured this leading market position.

Managing director Mattias Lundholm is incredibly proud to achieve this after only two years of establishing an official Scania team presence in New Zealand.

“We want to thank and acknowledge all our Scania customers who made 2020 such a successful year for us. Capping off the year first in market share for heavy trucks, buses and engines is a fantastic result.

“We are incredibly grateful for every customer that chooses Scania, as well as for the consistently hard work our team constantly puts in from Scania NZ and South Pacific Diesel Systems Limited.”

Lundholm also highlighted other achievements for 2020 being the launching of Scania Finance New Zealand and the opening of eight Scania New Zealand workshops around the country.

“It’s been a phenomenal performance to get to where we are within such a short time frame, but now as the saying goes, the hard work really begins to maintain and improve our position for our team and customers into 2021 and beyond,” says Lundholm.

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Mattias Lundholm, Scania NZ managing director, flanked by (from left) Rob Covich, performance director; Deon Stephens, sales director; Mark Wright, retail director; and Nick Allen, service director.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

SCANIA ROTORUA OPEN FOR BUSINESS Scania New Zealand has opened its newest branch, located in Rotorua on 2 Allen Mills Road, Ngapuna.

The branch offers the full suite of Scania sales and workshop services, including new and used truck and bus sales; parts sales; driver training and coaching; towing and recovery; trailer servicing; inspections and washing.

The team offers customers the highest-quality advice, maintenance and parts when they are needed – utilising the global Scania logistics network ensures for rapid delivery.

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SKF TESTS AUTONOMOUS AND ELECTRICAL TRANSPORT OF GOODS

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lobal bearing manufacturer SKF is now testing an Einride self-driving electric truck to transport goods on a public road between the SKF factory and warehouse in Gothenburg.

“We have decided to reduce our CO2 impact by 40% from freight transport over a ten-year period until 2025. We therefore review our entire logistics flow from a CO2 perspective. This is an example of initiatives that give us new opportunities to create efficient, sustainable and autonomous logistics flows that contribute to our goals,” says Mattias Axelsson, global logistics manager at SKF. For SKF, autonomous vehicles are nothing new. The company uses selfdriving trucks, known as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), inside its factories and warehouses. There are also advanced plans to develop a solution for autonomous loading and unloading of

the autonomous truck, which can carry up to ten tonnes at a time. However, driving driverless vehicles on public roads requires a special permit from the Swedish Transport Agency, which the two companies plan to apply for together.

“With the partnership with SKF, we now have customers in all our priority customer segments: trade, consumer goods and industrial goods, which we are very proud of. Together with them, we will learn and grow quickly,” says Jonas Hernlund, commercial manager at Einride.

Einride is a Swedish transport tech company that develops and provides freight solutions using electric and autonomous vehicles. It was the first company in the world to drive electric, self-driving truck on public roads for commercial purposes in 2018. We published a full report on the company in the December 2020/January 2021 issue.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

DAIMLER AND CUMMINS COLLABORATE ON MEDIUM-DUTY ENGINES

D

aimler Truck AG and Cummins Inc. have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a global strategic partnership for medium-duty engine systems, with other opportunities for collaboration also being evaluated.

As part of the planned strategic partnership, Cummins will invest in the further development of medium-duty engine systems for Daimler Trucks and Buses and the global production and delivery of medium-duty engines by Cummins for Daimler Trucks and Buses

beginning in the second half of the decade.

Daimler anticipates the partnership with Cummins will enable it to increase and accelerate its development efforts on alternative and emerging technologies, including non-diesel engines.

In the future, Daimler Truck AG will focus on the further progression of zero-emission drive technologies as well as further development of commercial heavy-duty drivetrains.

Martin Daum, chairman of the board of management at Daimler Truck AG and

a member of the board of management at Daimler AG, said: “With the changeover to Euro 7, we would have to invest considerable resources in the further development of our medium-duty engines.

We are now freeing up these funds to focus them on the technologies that are crucial to our long-term corporate success in the transformation of our industry.”

With this strategic partnership, Daimler Truck AG and Cummins will help maintain employment at the Mannheim plant. Cummins will use its existing footprint

and strong production and supply chain networks in all other regions for use in other Daimler Trucks’ brands, including those of Daimler Trucks North America.

Cummins will establish an engine plant within the Mercedes-Benz Mannheim campus, efficiently utilising existing resources to produce medium-duty engines compliant with the Euro 7 emissions standard for Mercedes-Benz and ensuring continued joint success in the medium-duty vehicle segment.

Tom Linebarger, chairman

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and CEO, Cummins Inc., added: “Our partnership is a terrific opportunity for both companies to be more competitive, drive global innovation, expand offerings to customers and reduce emissions. We are looking forward to working with Daimler on this and exploring other potential opportunities to grow our respective companies. As the leading independent global power solutions provider, Cummins is committed to ensuring any customer anywhere has the right solution by offering them a broad range of power

solutions from advanced diesel, near-zero natural gas, fully electric, hydrogen and other technologies.”

The production of the current medium-duty engine generation (MDEG) by Daimler Truck AG will end with the start of production of the Cummins engines at Mannheim. In a next step,

the partners will evaluate a broader global strategic cooperation through identifying potential synergies in areas such as powertrain components and engine system components.

The Daimler heavy-duty engine platform (HDEP) for the heavy-duty vehicle segment of Daimler Trucks

and Buses will remain in the Daimler Truck AG portfolio.

The HDEP engine family will continue to be manufactured by the global production network in Mannheim and Detroit, Michigan, and fitted in heavy-duty trucks, touring coaches and third-party products worldwide.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

HYZON MOTORS HITS THE ROAD

T

he global supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel-cellpowered commercial vehicles, Hyzon Motors, recently held its virtual Hydrogen Now event, in which the MD of Hyzon Europe, Carl Holthausen, took viewers on a virtual ride along in one of the company’s zeroemission, hydrogen fuel-cell (HFC) powered trucks from its production-ready facility in Groningen, the Netherlands.

In partnership with New

Zealand’s Hiringa Energy, Hyzon will begin supplying the first 20 HFC heavy trucks to New Zealand this year, aiming to deliver 1500 HFC heavy trucks by 2026. The first Hyzon-branded heavyduty truck will hit the roads in Europe in the next few months.

Hyzon CEO and co-founder Craig Knight said: “All of us at Hyzon firmly believe the global hydrogen revolution for commercial vehicles is now – and is already

underway. Hydrogen as a fuel for commercial transport is a reality today, not a decade from now.”

Knight added that Hyzon’s fuel-cell technology had been developed and commercialised by the parent company for more than 17 years and had been deployed in more than 500 commercial vehicles, mainly in Asia.

“Our purpose is to help accelerate the energy transition. We take that role seriously, and we’re doing our

part by helping to eliminate emissions,” concluded Knight.

Scan here to watch the virtual Hydrogen Now event.

(Skip to 4:35 for the drive.) or visit: https://hyzonmotors. com/virtualdrive0321/

The World’s L

DAIMLER TRUCK AG AND THE VOLVO GROUP CREATE CELLCENTRIC

D

aimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group have completed the transaction to form their previously announced fuelcell joint venture. The Volvo Group has acquired 50% of the partnership interests in the existing Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG for approximately €0.6 billion (NZ$1 billion) on a cash and debt-free basis.

The ambition is to make

the new joint venture a leading global manufacturer of fuel-cells, and thus help the world take a major step towards climate-neutral and sustainable transportation by 2050. Daimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group have agreed to rename the company cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG. The joint venture will develop, produce and commercialise fuel-cell systems for use in heavy-duty

trucks as the primary focus, as well as other applications.

A key goal of Daimler Truck AG and the Volvo Group is to start with customer tests of trucks with fuel-cells in about three years’ time and to commence series production during the second half of this decade.

The Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG own equal interests in the joint venture, but continue to be

competitors in all other areas such as vehicle technology and fuel-cell integration in trucks.

In November 2020, the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG signed a binding agreement for the joint venture. A preliminary nonbinding agreement was already signed in April the same year.

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METRO BRIEFS

Watch the ANCAP YouTube clip here.

ROAD NOISE NEWS LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Mazda’s latest BT-50 carries the same front mask as the brand’s CX SUVs, with double-cab auto transmission variants only. The GSX, GTX and Limited versions will come in two- or four-wheel drive and use the same 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine and the same safety features as the Isuzu D-Max, which sells here with a different face and at a different price point.

Priced from $47,490 to $60,990.

Ford hopes to retain the Ranger’s market leadership by adding more variants to its range, including an XLT with 2.0-litre bi-turbo engine and 10-speed auto transmission, and again listing the Ranger Wildtrak X, this time with tweaks to the design and features to set it apart from its predecessor. The new Wildtrak X will tow 3500kg and has a 943kg payload.

LDV’s battery-electric eDeliver 3 van arrives this quarter at $49,990 plus GST, with two SWB models able to hold 4.8m3 of load for a 905kg payload. Range is up to 280km, with an optional battery pack ($5000 plus GST) able to add a further 120km on a single charge.

COV ID-19 IMPACT

The impact of Covid-19 made for a tough new-vehicle market in 2020, with overall new lightcommercial registrations down 22.7% on the previous year to 119,620 units overall. Ford took 9124 of those sales, followed by Toyota (8004), Mitsubishi (3842), Holden (2533) and Nissan (2376).

Ford’s Ranger was the top model in New Zealand overall, with 7986 sales.

CRASH TESTS REVEAL SAFER VANS With Covid-19 generating increased use of commercial vans thanks to the rise of home-delivery services, the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) has tested 15 commercial vans for the efficiency of their collision avoidance and driverassistance systems. The tests included auto emergency braking, lane-support systems, speed-assist systems, and occupant-detection systems.

Toyota’s HiAce and Ford’s Transit topped results and were the only

two to achieve a collision-avoidance ‘gold’ rating. The Hyundai iLoad, Mitsubishi Express, Renault Master, Renault Trafic and Iveco Daily were ‘not recommended’ due to their poor activesafety specification.

Given the long model life of commercial vans, some ratings predate this latest testing, and others remain untested. Light vans do not necessarily crash more often, but their design makes them ‘more aggressive’ when impacting other vehicles and road users.

CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN Need a ute that can access almost any terrain? Jeep says its Gladiator is the answer. The range now gets a more affordable entry-level with the arrival of the $79,990 Sport, using the same 3.6-litre, 209kW V6 motor as its pricier siblings, mated to an 8-speed auto and Selec-Trac Active On-Demand 4x4 system.

Off-road equipment includes heavy-duty Dana front and rear axles,

underbody skid plates, and an interior you can hose out thanks to removable carpet and drain plugs. There’s also a Selectable Tyre Fill Alert System.

Standard features include Forward Collision Warning Plus, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop, a Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross Path Detection and the likes of auto headlights, climate-control air-con and Apple CarPlay plus Android Auto.

METRO BRIEFS

Mercedes-Benz Vans is investing €350 million ($602 million) to develop an electric vehicle platform to underpin various body configurations across its range.

The platform optimises the cost of building all its model ranges with a battery-electric drivetrain, and broadening the body types available for eSprinter, which will come in anything from a panel van to a box body.

A COOL HYUNDAI ILOAD Hyundai New Zealand has expanded its van offering with a chilled vehicle solution – an iLoad freezer and chiller van. The vehicle is based on the usual iLoad 2.5 Diesel automatic.

The Hyundai iLoad freezer and chiller van will maintain a temperature of -20°C depending on the load. Features of the iLoad chiller van include: • 2.1m x 1.4m x 1.5m refrigeration box with 600kg payload • twin compressors for separate airconditioning and refrigerator operation

•5 0-70mm urethane insulation • an emergency button in the refrigeration unit for enhanced safety • tie-down hooks to secure cargo • lighting in the refrigeration unit for visibility.

The refrigerated van is available on special order through the Hyundai New Zealand dealer network. Transcold has been appointed as the service agent to provide the product with support and servicing.

2021 INTERNATIONAL VAN OF THE YEAR CROWN AWARDED TO GROUPE PSA ELECTRIC LCVS Groupe PSA’s lightcommercial vehicle (LCV) electro-mobility technological developments have been acknowledged in winning the International Van of the Year Award 2021 (IVOTY).

The highest honour in the LCV industry globally, which celebrates its 30th anniversary, was announced on 17 December 2020.

The French automotive company’s jointly developed Peugeot e-Expert, Citroën e-Dispatch/ë-Jumpy, and Opel/Vauxhall Vivaro-e, received the majority of first preference votes from the 24-member IVOTY jury with 131 points.

The two finalists from Mercedes-Benz, the eSprinter and the latest Vito, were

second and third respectively on 55 and 36 points. Ford, with its new Transit Active & Trail models, was fourth.

Commenting on PSA’s achievement (the second such award in three years) Jarlath Sweeney, IVOTY jury chairman, said: “Congratulations to Group PSA on its stringent research, development and investment on producing an excellent range of electric powered vans that exceed expectations and without compromise.”

The ‘PSA triplets’ were lauded for being the first electric vans to be sold across Europe with a range of more than 300km, offering total operating costs on the same level as their internal combustion engine

counterparts, their smooth and silent driveline and consistent DC quick charging, and offering variety to cater to different businesses.

Xavier Peugeot, senior vice-president of Groupe PSA’s LCV business unit said: “Groupe PSA is very proud and happy to receive this prestigious International

Van of the Year 2021 Award and I warmly thank the jury members for having selected our vehicles.

This award confirms the relevance of the electrification strategy we have designed for our LCV range — in which electrification means no compromises for our customers.”

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 29

COVER FEATURE

TOWN AND COUNTRY Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and video by Gavin Myers and Dave McCoid

Look at most fleets and you’ll find trucks pitched at specific roles. And then there are those jewels that can jump in to help out whoever’s under the pump.

Rainbow Park Nurseries has just added a new CF-410 Euro-6 6x2 DAF to its operation, and its intended destiny is to be that all-round hero. The questions are: has Rainbow Park gone out on a limb, and is there truly such a truck?

A

crisp sunny Sunday morning and we’re inside the gates of Rainbow Park Nurseries in the South Auckland semi-rural hamlet of Ramarama, at the base of the Bombay Hills.

The best way to describe the nursery is essentially 10 hectares of vibrant, happy,

30 New Zealand Trucking

green life. New Zealand Trucking encountered the owners and admin staff the week before, and our immediate impression was “happy people, happy place”.

Jenny in reception greeted us at the desk, and she was like a sunflower, and then we were introduced to founder Peter Tayler, who after enquiring April 2021

about what it was we wanted, then got really excited. He, in turn, pointed us at his son and general manager, Andrew Tayler, who was even more enthused. As it turns out, he’s in charge of the fleet because he has a closet enthusiasm for trucks and the fleet that distributes the nursery’s beautiful products.

Anyway, back to the present, and here we are in the dispatch building, and who’s loading greenery into the rear of the company’s brand-new Euro-6 DAF CF-410? None other than Rod Gunson.

Readers who have been with us for a few autumn prunings will remember the

A green truck in the green country. road test ‘Addo’ and Trev did in the February 1988 issue on Rod’s Hino FY 50.36, set up as a specialist unit to cart horses. And no, you read right, this is not the son or nephew of that Rod Gunson.

Some 33 years later, this is Rod himself at 75 years old (going on 35), still trucking strong, still with a pair of striped rugby socks pulled up to mid-shin.

“This is a bloody retirement holiday this job,” he laughs. Yet another happy ‘Rainbower’.

We’ll investigate the detail of the Gunson recipe for longevity later. But, for the

moment, our first impression as to why Rod believes driving for Rainbow Park Nurseries is a retirement holiday was the smell. This has to be the loveliestsmelling load of freight we’ve ever encountered.

What’s more, the lovely scent emanating from the load isn’t likely to be impinged upon by the belching behemoth beneath the floorboards of the truck delivering it.

Nestled between the rails under Rod is DAF’s 10.8-litre MX-11 motor in Euro-6 trim. A modest wee motor by today’s big-truck standards and

sporting a tail-pipe cleaner and more pristine than any human can boast.

The last truck in this league we sampled was the MAN TGS 26.440 driven by Richard Seeley for The Moving Company. It was a 10.5-litre and popped out a robust 324kW (440hp), running at weights of about 36 tonnes.

The MX-11 in the Rainbow DAF produces 308kW (410hp), but it’s available as a 330kW (450hp) if that’s your buzz. Gross weights in Rainbow’s case sit about the 33-tonne mark on a heavy day — suffice to say Rod’s running a shade lighter than

Richard, generally speaking.

If we take those numbers as a yardstick, Richard runs at about 9.0kW (12.1hp)/tonne, and Rod 9.3kW (12.5hp)/ tonne; if two of the happiest blokes in linehaul ever met on the Taihape Divi, she’d be game-on in the battle of beds and sofas vs begonias and snapdragons.

Plant it!

But the two trucks do diverge when it comes to the purchaser’s intent. The Moving Company’s Mark Pitcher bought his Büssing lion (MAN) for line haul, plain and simple, whereas Andrew

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 31

The DAF in a sea of life. Photo: Southpac Trucks.

Tayler hasn’t quite finished tending his truck garden yet.

The CF’s weekly agenda is a line-haul run to Otaki on a Sunday with product bound for the South Island.

There, Rod swaps loads with South Island growers at a shared depot. The load home is usually a mixture of plant material and the occasional bits and pieces of horticultural and rural freight for delivery on the way back up on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday are filled in with metro and regional deliveries around Auckland, Northland

Left: Approaching ‘The Wall’ on the desert road. Right: Rod Gunson in his office.

and the Waikato. On Thursday and Friday, he normally heads for the BOP and Taupo, with a dash over the hill to Napier and Hastings. There are six trucks in the Rainbow fleet, so it’s a dynamic schedule based on demand; he could just as easily end up in Taranaki if needed. (We didn’t ask if he’s taken flowers to Tikitiki on the far East Cape, where he got the ponies from in the mag all those years ago, although we suspect not.)

As you can see, it’s a mixture of town and country.

But shortly to arrive is the

The DAF heading south from Auckland over the Bombays. last piece of the puzzle — the line-haul specialist.

There’s a CF-530 Euro-6 in the wings that will take the bulk of the line-haul work. It will have the 13-litre Euro-6 at 390kW (530hp), is a 6x4, and sports a bigger house.

That’ll leave the 410 to assume the ‘I’ve got this!’ sweeper roll, or, I guess you could say ‘groundcover’ to use nursery vernacular.

13’s a lucky number if you’re 11 The greatest asset the 11-litre has is actually its big brother

— the 13-litre. What we mean by that is people like Southpac salesman Mitchell Redington can sell his client Andrew Tayler the 11-litre powered truck, pitching it right at jobs where it’s going to blossom, leaving the bigger jobs for its bigger brother.

Before you counter with arguments like Mack’s Maxi, Thermo, and Econodyne family of engines all coped on the big jobs at 11-odd litre displacement, don’t forget a loaded 5-axle HPMV trailer now weighs not a hell of a lot less than the entire

Rod wheels an NZPPI trolley on board. Snug as bugs in rugs.

unit did back in the day.

As we and many have said before, there’s something in displacement. A 13-litre feels and does things differently than an 11-litre, and the 15-16 litre big-boppers are their own thing again, even if on paper the power and torque numbers look similar-ish.

If you think about it, in the era of HPMV, the 13-litre today is the motor the 11 was 40 years ago.

Our belief is if you are going to poke 11 litres at today’s bigger weights, we reckon not signing a maintenance plan is

as risky as a cactus La-Z-Boy.

The Oxygen-liner Rod’s loading his new interim gig when we arrive. Many people would have a face like they’ve just smelled a fart in an aeroplane about working on Sunday, but not this trooper. We were intrigued to know how plants are transported, and as we approached, there certainly weren’t any chains, twitches or AusBinders lying around.

It turns out that plant people seriously have their act together. Essentially,

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 33

Fork hoist for the really big ones. Rod fixes the outside bars in place.

securing the load is similar to the old Foodstuffs trolley cages, although they have a full complement of wheels with no need for a wheeled ‘jigger’ to get the solid end moving. The trolleys have fully adjustable and relocatable shelving, so tiny, small, medium, big, and ‘Wow, that’s a doozy’-sized plants can be accommodated.

But wait, there’s more.

The back of the truck is a cross between a curtainsider and a reefer. There are double the number of poles to what you’d usually find in a standard curtain unit, and there are cross-bars that run across the deck from side to side as well as ones that link

the side poles. It all forms cute little pens that the cages sit in. Funny, no matter what the living thing is, in a truck, you put it in pens.

We’re still not done either.

The system is not proprietary to Rainbow Park; it’s a NZ Plant Producers Incorporated industry solution known as the NZPPI trolley system. It runs on the old one-for-one, meaning deliver five full ones, take away five empties.

They also collapse, so they take up a lot less room on the homeward journey.

What all this efficiency means is we were out of ‘Dodge’ at 9.00am, under an hour and a half after arriving, even though the staging lanes

The pole and bar set-up that keeps the plants in place.

34 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

with Rod’s load seemed to have a fair bit in them. That loading time included loading some pallets with plants too big for the cage system. They just get treated to a light plastic wrapping, which as we know is the truckie’s best friend.

Looking at the load on the deck before Rod pulled the curtains was inspiring — the Oxygen-liner you might say.

Out the gate and all roads lead south, and the powerto-weight was instantly apparent. The CF-410 rolled south with ease and looked fantastic. The Rainbow Park Nurseries livery is a classy, well-thought-out affair. Until recently, there was a lot more

white and lighter green, but the new edition gets a dark slate colour dominating the lower half and white the top, with green leaf motifs on the cab and body at the junction of the base colours.

Then there’s the ‘Enrich with Nature’ and ‘Rainbow Park Nurseries’ logos in the white sections. It all looks great and speaks to the relationship between earth, plants and sky.

“Andrew loves the trucks and he’s fastidious with them,” says Rod. Yep, that shows!

The Euro-6 DAF adds to the classy look, too, mind.

It’s a typical 2021 Euro sporting a dominating and

Transhipping the loads.

deep grille. With the big aero kit, it might be better off with a slightly chunkier bumper just to balance the top’s visual weight, but there’s no question the new DAFs are light years ahead of their

predecessors in looks.

Shhh… DAFs at work The above is a play on a sign we saw in a plant shop years ago, but the analogy is

accurate. The CF-410 Euro-6 is one of the quietest trucks we’ve ever encountered, whether inside or out. Parked in Waiouru, we all stood around on a ‘balmy’ 8°C autumn afternoon, drinking

coffee and looking at the idling truck. To be frank, you heard more from the random sparrows braving the windchill than you could through the grille. Somewhere in there was a little diesel burner barely making a sound as it ticked over. Inside, trundling along, it recorded a new low on the sound thingy at 63dB. The spec sheet says the cab is trimmed in a soundabsorbing inner lining… Yes, it is isn’t it?

“Yell out if it’s too noisy; I’ll turn it down,” said Rod in typical Gunson style. He then laughed out loud.

One thing DAF has retained in the new model is the sense of space. When we tested the Waitomo CF-85 back in November 2017, we commented on the brightness and airiness of the day cab, and that’s been carried over superbly. It’s an incredibly airy open cab for a low roof.

You seem to sit low with the

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 35

big screen affording fantastic visibility. Being a CF, the 410 has an engine tunnel protrusion at roughly seatsquab height. The fridge sits up in the middle, and the bed’s on top of that; mattress height is about halfway up the seat backs. Rod sleeps in the truck on Otaki nights by choice and says it’s more than comfortable.

The low roof means no standing room, but the 530, when it comes, will address that. Storage is limited, especially when line-haul duties call. There are no

36 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

lockers in the top of the sleeper back wall; maybe one down the feet end might be handy? Stow shelves with net restraints are front and overhead, there is a caddy and cup holder on the engine tunnel, and underbunk lockers, the left one accessible from the outside.

You’re always on a winner with left-hand outside locker openings. In Europe, you can say it’s right there and handy for the driver. In New Zealand, you can say it’s a safety thing and keeps the driver on the shoulder of the road if he

needs to stop in transit.

The trim and materials are fine, with a more fleet-spec feel than the Redington XF. However, they are still very classy in slate-coloured vinyls… oops sorry, ‘Dark Sand’ is the colour. The fascia front is grey and black plastic, and the floorcovering is in a durable vinyl compound.

The ride was as serene as you could make it. Funny, you think about how noisy, bumpy, crushed, and close air travel can be, and then you sit in here, and they argue flying’s glamorous? Give

The DAF’s an easy truck to operate from the cockpit. The fridge and bed in the snug low-roof sleeper.

me a break.

We like the DAF dash, the flow, the lines — all in tune with the curvy nature of the truck. It’s a far better indoor/ outdoor union of design than the previous model.

There’s a binnacle/wrap combo with the binnacle housing the odometer and tachometer gauges and above them temp and fuel.

DEF level is via a digital silo beside the fuel gauge.

There’s a readout related to speed controls under the odometer, and under the tachometer is gear selection stuff. Between the gauges is the trip, load, driver, truck, diagnostics, adjustable via a dash-mounted knob.

The smart wheel is furnished with phone and

volume on the left and velocity management on the right. The left wand is the indicator, wipers and dip, and the manual shifter and auxiliary brake are on the right. To the right of the binnacle are the lights and to the left, the park brake.

The wrap has a standard tuner – no-infotainment – with switchgear in configurable clusters, climate management, oddment caddy, and our old friend the famous DAF ‘turny dial’ direction controller. We love that dial. Simple is good, isn’t it?

Interior light switches and other bits and pieces are on the end of the central console, and the old ‘Charlie Baker’ sits overhead of the driver.

It’s a DAF CF-410, so even Monty Python’s Black Knight could access the cab without an issue via the three steps, and there are enough grab handles to perform an Olympic pommel-horse routine on the way in.

Don’t, stop me now “The trucks are 6x2, and that’s what we were advised originally, and we’ve always just stuck with that,” said Andrew Tayler. That’s great advice. Firstly you get more of your 308kW of power to play with because there’s only a single diff being fed.

There’s less tare weight, less bits that can break, and that all adds up to higher payload, less rolling resistance, and

hopefully, less fuel burned.

It’s all a no brainer. James Shaw and Julie Anne Genter couldn’t be anything but over the moon.

Of course, the Europeans have known all this for years and think we’re a

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April 2021 37

Access is superb, but it’s a low-cab Euro in 2021, so it’s always going to be really, isn’t it? The left side locker, is like the truck – cute and capable.

bunch of cave-dwelling loonies for our 6x4 obsession.

But the coming 530 is a 6x4.

What’s happened to induce a switch back to old and ‘out of date’ ways?

Two things, really. Pulltrailers and shit-house roads.

We could have added light payloads, but that hasn’t been an issue historically in this company, so we’re not including it at the moment. Up until now, when the Rainbow

trucks left port with a trolley in tow, it was an 8.5m simple trailer. Light payload or not, there was enough weight on the back of the truck from the trailer to allow the drive tyres to maintain speed and position. You might say the trailer was a helpmate to the truck. With the new truck came a ‘refurbished’ Fruehauf 10.5m pull-trailer to cope with the increasing volumes of work, and that’s changed the

game a tad. Now the trailer just hangs off the back like a freeloader, and all of a sudden the 7-tonne payload spread along the truck’s length may not always be enough to facilitate progress in the drive department given the disgrace that is the state of the national highway surfaces.

We were lucky enough to have a demonstration on the Mangaweka Deviation southbound, evidently the

third time it’s cropped up.

Following a relatively clear afternoon, a skiff of rain came through the big cutting and sat on the patch-repaired/ overly smooth, warm road surface. Five minutes later, Rod came round the mountain as the song goes, and shall we say, forward motion was but for a moment ‘impaired’.

“We’ve never had it before, but the pull trailer creates a different dynamic. Suffice to The DAF in full-on metro mode.

38 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

2

1 1) The warming kit underneath the left-hand side. 2) The rear blower can easily be seen up top.

say, the new truck will be a 6x4,” said Andrew.

Yep, we get that, but what stopped him wasn’t actually the truck or the trailer. The DAF was well up the climb when things went pearshaped. What really stopped him was the surface, and that’s not going to change anytime soon, so it’s a case of simple trailers, guaranteed weather, or two diffs.

Into Otaki for the load swap

with a Headford Propagators Isuzu that had come north.

“These insulated curtains are heavier than the singles,” said Rod. Hang on. Insulated curtains? I thought we were full of plants, not popsicles.

Yes, just like a flower, horticultural logistics is the gift that keeps on giving. The curtains are there more for heat than cooling, though.

Plants are living things, and

like us, they don’t like being too cold. When it does get a bit ‘brrrrr’, like us again, they want the heater on. Therefore, the DAF is fitted with a Webasto heater, a closed-loop water circuit and a couple of blowers, all to keep the occupants at their preferred 12°C, or above.

An overnight rest, and north we went. The DAF’s a lovely ride and very surefooted. It’s got all the DAF

ride characteristics of old that we liked — that EuroUS crossover thing, soft but slightly more communicative than some of the other Euro offerings. We didn’t quite get it in the Redington XFs; we thought they swung slightly more Euro than the previous XF did.

Rod said the big 385/55 R22.5 front feet improved the ride and handling over the CF-75 he drove previously

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April 2021 39

READY, SET,

GROW!

H

“

and rates the front-end set-up of the new truck highly.

The MX-11 is a such a likeable engine. Peak power of 300kW (410hp) occurs at 1600rpm and the torque peak of 2100Nm (1550lb/ ft) runs between 900 and 1125rpm. As is seen with smaller motors the peaks don’t quite meet, but when the lines cross torque is a hair under 1800Nm (1328lb/ ft). At the weights Rainbow Park runs, it’s tenacious, and harking back for giggles and comparison, the Mack Econodyne (298kW) 400hp in the day had a peak torque of 1980Nm (1460lb/ft). So at cross over in the new truck it’s still pretty handy numbers.

Rod also lets it do its thing in terms of the engine’s relationship with the ZF-TraXon 12-speed AMT. “No I just leave it in auto.

Clever people put it all together. It gets along good as gold.”

40 New Zealand Trucking

There’s little argument the TraXon is one of the leadingedge European auto-shifters, and in the 410 it was a silky and slick as ever.

Out back is a solitary DAF SR1344 differential with diff-lock, and behind that a DAF air-controlled trailing axle. Rear suspension is proprietary 8-bag ECAS and brakes are disc.

When it was launched Southpac’s general sales manager Richard Smart said there’d be no compromise to the safety package in the new range so spec’ing your CF without the accruements of personal and public preservation is not an option.

But that’s all good because Rod’s a hip and groovy 75-year-old and uses all that’s available, although he admits to being slighty unnerved the first time it stopped itself. (We all were mate, she’s all good.)

The only thing he doesn’t like as much in this machine is the engine/exhaust brake April 2021

ow many plants are here, Andrew?”

“Lots. I couldn’t tell you.” Yep, we’re happy with “lots”. I mean, the question probably should be, “How many ornamental plants, trees, and shrubs can you get in 10ha?” “Lots!”

It has to be seen to be believed in all honesty. Ten hectares at Ramarama with another shared depot facility at Otaki, more than 70 staff literally up to their knees in ‘life’, and a six-truck fleet.

How on earth did it all start?

A little over 45 years ago, Peter Tayler was working as a MAF advisor to the orchard industry in the Auckland area. One of his regular calls was a nursery business in Mt Wellington on Waipuna Road. When the owner decided enough was enough, Peter took on the company.

The new enterprise grew, but those who remember that far back will also recall real estate in that area was coming under increasing

combo, and he says the 75 had a retarder, and there wasn’t really any comparison.

Of course, that’s another area where the smaller engine won’t foot it and displacement counts. It’s one of those things you can throw tech at all you like, but physics is physics.

The first climb out of Waiouru northbound was tapped out at 1350rpm, in 10th gear, and 51kph. We had a mixed bag on from the South Island and were probably only 30-odd tonne all up. Further up the road, Hatepe was spat out the back at 1300rpm, ninth, and 42kph.

pressure with the march of industry outwards from Penrose and Otahuhu. As a result, in 1982 the decision was made to relocate to Ramarama under the faroff hills to the south. The rest, as they say, is history, and like a plant, with good stewardship, Rainbow Park Nurseries has steadily grown in the successive four or so decades to what we’ve described above.

Oh, and before you ask, the ornamental ‘handle’ refers to plants that make things pretty, rather than fruit and veggies. Don’t whatever you do think for a moment it means non-living.

The great thing about the business, the thing that always sets businesses like this apart, is you can still easily find Peter Tayler here at work each day, tending to his plant-based odyssey with as much enthusiasm as ever. You’ll also find his son and general manager Andrew who, as it happens, has

The original LF DAF that drove in the gate based on perception paved the way for those that followed, based on reputation.

more than a passing interest in trucks. How cool is that?

“We started doing a portion of our own trucking about 15 years ago,” says Andrew. “Our first truck was a 4x2 UD we bought off Crane & Cartage, primarily to cart the big trees around. It’s hard to get general carriers to do a 5m tree.

“The business of growing and transporting plants is a specialist thing; there’s the fragility, time and temperature to consider. We’d used a number of carriers over the years, but it became increasingly obvious that if we were going to achieve the outcomes we wanted for our clients, we’d have to

take on more and more of our own distribution as volumes dictated we could.”

Okay, more interesting plant stuff as a segue to the next subject… Each year, the Taylers attend an international plant-buyers fair in The Netherlands, where they select plants for the upcoming season.

Tissue Culture is then shipped home, packaged as little slivers in a nutritional gel.

The question then… ‘If you’re in Holland lots, what truck make do you see most?’ And there’s the answer to, ‘Why DAFs?’ “They’re everywhere over there,” said Andrew. “So, when

it came time to take on more of our own logistics, I knew you could get them here, so gave them a go. ‘They must be good trucks,’ I thought.

“We started with the LF in 2004, doing local, Hamilton, and Tauranga. It’s been a fantastic truck, and we still have it. Likewise, the CF-75 we bought in 2011, which has done 650,000km. We keep our trucks for a long time and they don’t do huge mileage as a rule. The line-haul trucks maybe do 140,000km a year.

“We deal with Mitch Redington at Southpac, and really it’s Southpac that keeps us coming back. We’re obviously not a big customer

in terms of truck numbers, but they seem to drop everything when there’s an issue. I just can’t fault them. I bought Volvo prior to the latest truck as I just felt the old CF model was getting long in the tooth.

“By the time we’d be ready to sell it on, the tech in it would be two generations out of date.

The Volvo’s been good, but the moment the new model DAF was available, it was straight back to Southpac without a moment’s hesitation. I can’t speak highly enough of them.”

Today’s Rainbow Park fleet comprises six curtain-side trucks, two trailers — one simple, one full — and a flat deck with a crane. Truck purchasing comes under Andrew’s brief, a role that suits him fine.

As we said, they’re not an annoying necessity to him.

He’s hugely enthused by the mechanical members of his distribution division.

In the wings, of course, is the new CF-530 Euro-6, a truck that will herald in another new era in terms of scale and capability. Based on what we saw and experienced at this wonderful botanical bonanza, growth on every conceivable front is a long way from over.

Self-pruning Four days later, we meet Rod in the DAF’s other guise, which is quite remarkable. On Sunday, it looked for all the world like a line-haul truck, and because of loading and clever spec, easily able to keep its place in the SH1 Sunday procession south.

Now, on Thursday, in the middle of Hamilton, it’s zipping to Mitre 10, Bunnings, and various garden centres, and you’d swear black and blue it was just another tailgate-adorned metro delivery wagon. Only the sleeper would really hint at Bruce Wayne really being Batman.

The 6x2 configuration and great lock means Rod can zip and zap, tailgate up and down, and trolleys rolled on and off.

“I like talking to people as I do the drops. Generally, they’re helpful and enjoy a bit of yarn,” said Rod. Community in commerce, whatever happened? Oh, that’s right … compliance.

The truck’s fitted with a ZEPRO tail lift and the trailer a Dhollandia, this mismatch on account the trolley was a going concern at the time of purchase. It’s a wonderful setup. Line-haul it, park it, back up to it, trans-ship it, deliver it. Done.

If you’re still on the fence about whether this crosspollination of purpose in a modest payload environment using an 11-litre displacement thing works, then let us fire one more at you. How about 3.69kpl (10.41mpg) life-todate average consumption?

If you don’t receive the brown ‘windowed’ envelopes early in the month (actually, does anyone get those anymore?), then you’ll just sneer and move on. If you do, we’d imagine you’re reaching for the calculator and asking the other half if they still dream of an Italian holiday.

42 New Zealand Trucking

SON OF A GUN!

J

ust before Christmas, we passed Brian Aitchison blasting along in his International Pro-Star that we tested in the June 2019 issue. We gave him the customary headlight flash and Christmas wave, and within seconds the phone rang.

“G’day, Dave. Merry Christmas, mate.”

He was as energised and enthused about life, work, and trucks as ever, and he’s going to be 69 this year.

If you weren’t into trucks, you might be forgiven for thinking there’s only one Brian Aitchison in the world.

But, no, the industry is full of them; people with many leap-years under their belt still enjoying the journey of life in machines they love to drive. Richard Seeley at The Moving Company, David Taylor at CR Taylor in

April 2021

Gisborne, we could name many. This month, we struck another. Thirty-three years after he and the magazine last crossed paths, here’s Rod Gunson.

If it’s true plants pick up positive vibes, then the plants in the back of Rod’s good Dutch wagon must arrive a foot taller than when they left. If laughing does them good, it’s a wonder they’re not poking out the pelmet of the truck’s body and dangling down the windscreen.

Born in 1946, Rod’s parents dairy-farmed in Rotorua. His dad died when he was only four, and in time, his mum re-married, and they relocated to a farm at Ngakuru for a short time before moving north to Flat Bush in Karaka, south Auckland. Rod attended school in Papakura and having finished with that

caper at age 15, gained employment on a dairy farm back in the Rotorua area.

“Dairy farming is one of those occupations where you either are or you aren’t. It’s like trucks, and I wasn’t really cut out for it,” he laughed.

He returned to Auckland and got a job at Carter Merchants in Papakura, where his stepdad worked.

“I was only there until I was old enough to get my licence.” As a tragic aside, he lost his stepdad also, in a work accident at the Carter Merchants site.

There’s no tougher mentor than life itself.

His first driving job was for King Brothers in Papakura, a firm that propagated many a driver over the years. “It was a great place to work.

Lyndon King was a great boss, and Joe Vickers ran the trucks. You were

Rod Gunson circa 1988 in his Hino test truck.

He may look all business but stop and have a chat to this bloke. He’ll have your ribs splitting in no time.

One of life’s true battlers. ingrained with pre-start checks — oil, water, tyres — and great all-round discipline.

I started on a 140hp Thames Trader doing the produce run into town [Auckland] and back.”

It was at this time that a measure of who this energetic young fellow really was presented itself. A broken femur put him off work for five months, but two months in, boredom was driving him mad. He couldn’t drive trucks on the road, so into the fields he went, driving them under harvesters using two good hands, one and a half legs, and a set of crutches to control proceedings.

But Rod wanted to work for himself, so he left after five years. Following a stint in the rural delivery game servicing the Ardmore and Clevedon area, he took the big plunge in 1974 at age 28 and bought Allport Transport in Waerenga,

east of Te Kauwhata.

“The firm consisted of a Mercedes-Benz 1418, a BMC diesel, and a stinking bloody V8 Perkins-powered ‘butter box’ Acco. What a bloody thing that was.”

Photos taken early on at the renamed Gunson Transport Ltd demonstrate the Rod Gunson traits of tidy and immaculate presentation, something his fleet would be recognised for in the succeeding 22 years of operation.

Growth came quick, and so did the need for replacement gear. His decision was to buy a brand new Hino, setting in place a longstanding supplier relationship. “It was a KR. The power was modest — it was probably too small when I bought it — but it was new and the chassis was built like the proverbial.

“When I bought it, somebody told me to chuck the Hino gearbox and put a Roadranger in. In time, they went the Roadranger way, but when that first truck had done a million kilometres, the transmission had never been touched.”

Many makes and models passed though the fleet, culminating in the two 270kW (360hp) FY 50.36 twin turbos; the one on horse cartage featured in New Zealand Trucking magazine, and another, bought secondhand as a going concern sporting a full set of Fairfax fibreglass crates.

“That was the Hino story all the way, really. They weren’t blessed with power, but you just couldn’t break them. I remember one of my drivers putting a hoist up on one truck, and one side of the culvert he was on gave way.

He got the hoist down and told me there was no damage.

I didn’t think much of it until I saw the photos. How it stayed upright, I have no idea. It was leaning over and bent as buggery. I thought, ‘Shit, there has to be something wrecked

on that thing?’ I went over it with a bloody magnifying glass. Nope, she was all good and just carried on. They were never fast but the reliability was unbelievable.”

The Gunson Transport era ended in 1995. Rod moved back to Papakura, and before long, opportunity knocked.

He’d always been heavily involved in rugby, in the school first XV, then in weightgrade grass-roots rugby, and now he was also refereeing.

The idea was a touring bus that was fully licenced and kitted out with seats, TV, a bar — the works. Based on an ex-Ritchies composite bus, the idea became a reality and was an instant hit.

“Our first trip was to the world Golden Oldies tournament in Christchurch in 1995. It wasn’t quite finished, but man, it was great.”

Further ventures servicing school-bus contracts transpired before a friend, Butch Glover, called. Glover Food Processing made product for McDonald’s, and Butch was looking to improve the transport supply to his business. Gunson Trucking emerged with reefers for temperature-controlled work and skeletals for container cartage, all with Hinos up front, of course.

Butch sold up about the turn of the century, and Rod’s focus went back on the ‘people trucks’ aka buses.

‘The Sports Connection’ ferried kids back and forth from Auckland to the Lakeview Lodge at Rangiriri, among other charter work.

It was another busy period in Rod’s life, as he took on the Thoroughbred Tavern in Takanini at the same time.

“I’ve always loved hospitality, so thought I’d give that a go. It was all good really, although getting drivers was always a problem.

That’s when Andrew [Tayler – Rainbow Park Nurseries] used to drive for me at the weekend as a young fella. ”

In total, the Papakura era lasted 22 years before Rod decided enough was enough, and he needed to back off a little. A small lifestyle block was purchased in Te Kauwhata, and thoughts of retirement were germinating.

And then the phone rang.

“Andrew phoned me and asked what I was doing.

‘I’m retired,’ I said. But, no, I wasn’t,” Rod laughs. “No, it’s worked out well for both of us. It’s a great job. I keep in touch with mates and friends in other parts of the country, and I get left alone to get the job done. Andrew knows I’ve been in business all my life, and he respects that.

“I really enjoy the people I meet; ninety-seven per cent are great. I enjoy having a bit of yarn. As long as there’s a beer at the end of the day, we’re all good.” A wink and a cheeky grin follow.

“We have a new driver Karen Philips (‘KP’), and she’s a bloody good operator and learning the line-haul run. KP will be able to give me regular weekends off — in fact, she already is. I can stay home and have a beer,” Rod says with a laugh.

Rod Gunson has lived an incredibly full life. We’ve touched on the highlights, but it’s not been any bed of roses.

There have been scoundrels and vagabonds and he’s the first to say: “Focus on the positive and what’s ahead.

You can’t dwell on the losses, only the wins.”

He has two children — Scott is a diesel mechanic in Motueka and Kelly works at Cal Isuzu.

Why is it that the people who work the hardest and weather the storms of life seem time and time again to be the happiest? “Don’t dwell on the losses; focus on the wins.” If you take nothing else from this issue of New Zealand Trucking, take that piece of Gunson gold. You might just get to 75 with a big grin on your face, too.

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April 2021 43

Specifications

Summary The DAF CF-410 Euro-6 at modest GCMs is a truck that’s equally as happy traversing the void between the main centres as it is in the guts of the CBD delivering and loading.

If you’re dealing with big payloads, it’s going to be close to impossible to do the town and country thing; you need bags of strength and oodles of thrust to meet ferries, booking times, and deal with our absurd driving hours law.

But specifying new trucks really becomes a headscratch when the weight on the back doesn’t ‘rock the boat’. One look at Rainbow Park Nurseries tells you there’s no shortage of business acumen and thought at the top.

It’s therefore no surprise that this DAF works. The engine has plenty of power for purpose, it’s miserly on fuel,

it’s as comfortable as a Club Med recliner, and you can poke it anywhere you like.

Yes, there have been some lessons learnt about trailers and traction, but we’ll argue to the end that if the pavement were fit for purpose, the 6x2 would probably be fine even with the pull-trailer, especially with such an old head up front who knows where weight should and shouldn’t be.

There’s no question the incoming 530 will swing the pendulum more toward the pure line-haul side in terms of fit, and although nothing will ever impede its progress, we can’t help but think that the little CF-410 will end its days as the truck that everyone loved. The truck that grew or self-pruned as required, got the job done, and cost a pittance to run.

That 530 — it’s going to have to be good!

DAF CF-410 EURO-6 FAS 6X2 RIGID Tare: 11,730kg (load cert) GVM: 26,300kg GCM: 44,000kg Wheelbase: 5300mm Engine: PACCAR MX-11 Capacity: 10.8 litre Power: 300kW (408hp) Torque: 2100Nm (1550lb/ft) Emissions: Euro-6 Transmission: ZF TraXon 12TX2620 12-speed AMT Chassis: 310mm deep x 7mm thick (full-length inner) Front axle: DAF 163N 100mm vertical offset Front-axle rating: 7.5t Front-suspension: Parabolic springs with shock absorbers and stabiliser bar Rear axle: DAF SR1344 with diff-lock DAF trailing axle Rear axle rating: 20,000kg Rear suspension: DAF 8-bag ECAS with lifting tag axle Brakes: Disc Auxiliary braking: MX engine/exhaust brake Additional safety: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Lane Departure (LD), Hill Start Aid Fuel: 430 litre DEF tank: 75 litre Wheels: Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy Tyres: Front: 385/55 R22.5 Rear: 275/70 R22.5 Electrical: 24V Cab exterior: 2.3m-wide sleeper cab with adjustable air-management kit.

Heated electrical adjustable mirrors with flat main and wide-angle view. Mechanical cab suspension.

Bi-reflector halogen headlights with LED day running lights.

Cab interior: Dark Sand interior and black leather steering wheel. Raised bunk with under-bunk storage. Curtains on windscreen. Roof hatch. Electric windows. Climate control and pollen filter. Surround sound, hands-free phone, Bluetooth.

44 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

w w w. f r u e h a u f . c o . n z

ith w d e t ssocia ries. a e b to er rse Proud owpark nu r new trail Rainb ns on you latio u t a r ong

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LEADERS IN TRAILER MANUFACTURING Innovative Road Transport Equipment, Repairs and Maintenance FRUEHAUF AUCKLAND BRANCH: 21 Hobill Ave, Manukau, Auckland | Phone +64 9 267 3679 MANUFACTURING PLANT: 10 Mahinui Street, Feilding, New Zealand | Phone +64 6 323 4299 HEAD OFFICE: 21 Hobill Avenue Wiri, Auckland, New Zealand | Phone +64 9 267 3679

TOP TRUCK

Story and photos by Gavin Myers

HISTORY FAMILY T INGENUITY Don’t let the grittiness of the Hanes Engineering yard at Horotiu in the Waikato fool you. This enterprise is a shiny example of strong family bonds, Kiwi can-do, and passion for the industry. It’s an example that is epitomised by the latest addition to the company’s fleet.

he Hanes family is to Horotiu like fish is to chips—they’re inextricably linked.

The family business has been on the same premises since it was started by Ivan Hanes in 1954, though it’s expanded somewhat into neighbouring sections over the years. And with Ivan having handed over to his son Chris, who’s now pretty much handed over

to his son Simon, it’s clear that family and history are very important here. Fourthgeneration Carter Hanes has just begun his heavy-diesel apprenticeship, too.

The importance of legacy becomes even clearer when you notice the photographic tribute to Ivan on the cab back of the latest Hanes addition, a Scania 620 S 6x4 with custom-built TRT 6-axle B-train. There sits Ivan proud

on his bike, the image taken in the 1940s when he used to ride from Gisborne to Hamilton to do his engineering apprenticeship.

Engineering remains important to the company today, but so does transport — Hanes has specialised in machinery, forklifts and access gear since the 1990s — and that’s where this 620 S/B-train combo comes in. It’s one of nine heavy line-haul trucks

currently in the fleet (there are numerous smaller service units), while its TRT B-train trailer is the second such unit in the fleet.

It is the company’s fourth unit from TRT, the remaining two being a five-axle transporter and a quad MTD low loader. The trailer really is the star of the show here, designed specifically for the Hanes operation with Simon guiding the direction. It’s

all about building the right trailers to carry the machines and making the job as easy as possible for the drivers; this trailer is essentially an evolution of the first B-train, delivered in September 2018.

“I have a wild imagination and come up with these designs, and TRT’s quite willing to work with me,” says Simon.

In practice, that design includes high-tensile chassis

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April 2021 47

beams with pressed cross members, 4mm Hardox 1450 decking, and 235 section tyres for longevity on the long haul. A low tare weight (11 tonnes), low deck height (980mm over the main deck), and shallow ramp angles were key requirements, as was the need to easily move machinery from B trailer to A trailer and onto the A trailer’s ‘upper deck’, which sits above the fifth wheel.

1

How it was achieved is a feat of smart engineering, as Glen Harnett, trailer sales engineer at TRT, explains.

At the rear are twin beavertail ramps powered by double-acting hydraulics operated by a 12V electrichydraulic power pack fitted under the A trailer. “TRT standardises double-acting hydraulics for safety reasons,” Glen points out. The ramps are 2.8m long to achieve

2

the desired 10° slope. Cold grip sits along the top of the beavertail and on various key areas of the trailer to aid traction for the machines as they’re driven on and off.

Moving to the middle of the B-train is where the really exciting stuff can be found. To meet Simon’s need to easily move machinery along the length of both trailers, Glen and the team had to think upside down. Connecting the

3

A trailer to the B trailer is an upside-down skid plate on the A trailer and an upsidedown fifth wheel on the B trailer. In the gooseneck of the B trailer is a JOST hydraulic slider. To bridge the 660mm gap between the trailers, the driver activates an air switch that unlocks a pin on the fifth-wheel slider. He locks the brakes on the rear axles of the B trailer, and then reverses up to it and locks the slider back

4 5

1) The Scania 620 S will run on 50, 54 and 58-tonne permits. 2) The custom stainless work is made in-house. An image of company founder Ivan Hanes alongside a tribute to Anzac veterans. 3) The ramps are 2.8m long with a shallow 10° slope. 4) Everything is designed to ease the loading and offloading of machinery. 5) Scania command centre still one of the best.

6) Hydraulic controls for double-acting ramps and decks mounted to the A trailer. 7) ASHBV8, that’s the 620 S with the Ashbys behind the wheel. 8) An upside-down skid plate and fifth wheel join the A and B trailers; a JOST hydraulic slider allows them to move together. 9) Triple chassis rails.

in — all from the comfort of the Scania’s cab.

Such a simple concept, such complicated engineering.

“There was quite a lot of designing done to get it to work that way. We’ve attempted similar things in the past, but the difficulty with this trailer was that it had to be very low to the ground, which means we had less space in the guts of the trailer to add things into,” Glen explains.

Another significant design requirement was getting the radius of the front of the B trailer and the back of the A trailer to turn in the turning circle.

The front trailer’s midtipping deck is hydraulically raised from the main deck on the A trailer, enabling loading onto the top deck over the fifth wheel. It’s a full-width

hydraulic deck with a lockout.

Chatting to Simon and Glen, it’s clear this relationship is one of absolute trust and understanding. “TRT has been good to deal with and accommodating to our needs, willing to build what we want. That’s the big thing with them, they’ll design and build something from scratch,” says Simon.

But there’s more to a TRT build than that, he continues.

“We want our trailers built for the long term. The original B-train has just clocked up 300,000km, and the first TRT unit (the quad) has clocked 2,000,000km since 2008.

They’ve only had routine maintenance, and not one crack in them.”

The trailer runs ROR axles and air suspension, Wabco EBS braking, Wabco

SmartBoard with axle load monitoring, and EROAD electronic RUC. The two B-trains are used mainly for the Auckland to South Island run, alternating Christchurch and Invercargill with each other each week, but also run all around the country. The 620 S runs on 50 and 54-tonne permits (with a 58-tonne permit still to be approved at the time of writing).

“The weights let us open it up to wherever we want to go,” says Simon.

The Scania, the first for

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Hanes, was purchased ex-stock though Andrew Lane, Scania New Zealand account manager for Hamilton, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne.

“He was good to deal with, and we’ve ordered a highspec 650 S from him too,” says Simon. The 620 S is “pretty stock”, says Simon, running the Euro 5 DC16 V8, producing 456kW (620hp) and 3000Nm. The transmission is the GRSO905R overdrive 12-speed with two crawler gears, and a rear-axle ratio of 3.07:1. The rear axles are fitted

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 49

Brothers Mikey (left) and Hamiora Ashby are the proud drivers of the 620 S B-train. Below: The Hanes Engineering operation has close ties with Horotiu.

with two-spring air and the fronts parabolic leaf springs.

Setting the truck unit apart is custom stainless work, made in-house, including the large stainless ‘V8’ behind the cab and marker light strips at the top of the cab and along the skirts.

Brothers Mikey and Hamiora Ashby are currently in charge of the 620 S, and when the 650 S joins the fleet, Mikey will take charge of that.

When that happens, an easy way to tell them apart will be by their regos — the 620 is ASHBV8, the 650 will be V8ASHB. The brothers both have a history with the company, working their way up through the ranks. While Hanes owns the new unit, the fact its drivers’ family name is on the plates speaks to the appreciation for family that runs in the business.

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50 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

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TRUCKS AND TREES Story by Alison Verran

Photos courtesy of the Doidge family collection

An afternoon chatting with the late Trevor Doidge’s wife Jocelyn and his son Jim is a privilege and an opportunity rarely afforded. During the 1960s, Trevor’s was the largest privately owned fleet of logging trucks in New Zealand.

He was one of the era’s great trucking men.

In terms of famous New Zealand fleet photos, the Trevor Doidge 1964 photo would easily vie for top honours. This photo alone has done much to carry Trevor’s legacy through the generations.

Jocelyn and Trevor Doidge, circa 1957.

T

revor Doidge had purchased 30 International trucks from Ross Todd Motors in Tokoroa by 1962. A great achievement for a man who started, as so many did, carting native logs with an ex-army GMC. Trevor grew up in Tauranga.

In 1945 at the age of 15 he was already driving a D2 Caterpillar bulldozer clearing scrub and breaking in farmland at Mangakino in the South Waikato.

Trevor went on to purchase his own bulldozer, and a Chev truck to tow it with. Day

after day he would be seen clearing land in the Kaimais with the obligatory roll-yourown cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

Like so many other modern-day pioneers, Trevor’s next advance came in the form of an ex-army machine carting native timber. It was 1949 and the truck was a 6x6 GMC that he bought from Alf Watchorn, and he used it to haul native logs from Soldiers Road in the Kaimais to Gamman’s Mill at Omokoroa. After a couple of years he moved to Tokoroa, eventually selling

The ex-army GMC that started Trevor’s log hauling empire.

the GMC and purchasing four seven-ton petrol-powered Commers for carting pine logs into Hutt Timber and Hardware in Tokoroa.

T. Doidge Ltd was formed in 1952, with Trevor carting native logs out of Mokai to the Maroa Mill (Taupo Totara Timber) and the Whakamaru Mill (Rotoiti Timber Co.).

Trevor met and married Jocelyn in 1957, proudly building their first home (a Beazley) in Tokoroa. Then along came their son, Jim, followed by daughter, Karen.

During the 1950s, the pressure was on for trucking

companies in New Zealand to have larger trucks that could haul more load per truck.

In 1958 Trevor borrowed £20,000 (NZ$650,000 today) to purchase six new International trucks. They were all 6x4 ACF174s, with 6-cylinder 308 cubic-inch Black Diamond petrol motors, towing Tidd pole trailers. As the company grew, these trucks were soon followed by four International S174 S-lines, 10 more ACF174s, and four BCF Internationals.

All were petrol-powered, with the BCFs sporting 345 cubicinch V8s.

In 1959, Trevor based an SF174 International in Taumarunui, carting to White Cliffs Sawmill in Manunui, following it in 1964 with a brand new International RF195, driven by Frank Talbot. When travelling over the ‘Ponga’ (Ponga Ponga Road) between Taumarunui and Turangi, these units required a little Kiwi ingenuity.

A water tank was placed behind the cab, with hoses down to the brake drums, cooling them down on this winding, steep, King Country road.

Trevor soon also had trucks working in the Central Plateau. One based at National Park, contracted to cart logs for Bolstad Contractors to local mills, and the other based in Turangi, hauling native timber

No chance of getting your piece-count wrong here. A native log carted by Trevor. A couple of impressed onlookers present.

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 53

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into the Fletcher’s Mill there.

There’s no question the ever-growing fleet of well presented Internationals was getting noticed beyond the forest boundaries too.

In 1960, the Doidge trucks featured in an advertisement in Time magazine, something few New Zealand transport operators can lay claim to.

In 1961, Trevor purchased his first International R190 with 450 cubic-inch petrol motor. It came with a price tag of £5000 (NZ$162,500 today). That year also saw the arrival of an International Mk1 ACCO 182 with a 6-cylinder petrol motor. At the time of purchase it was only the second one in the country, the first going to Dargaville. T. Doidge Ltd records show this truck cost £2615 (NZ$84,830 today), with repayments of

High demand called for higher productivity and Brutus and Colossus were built to answer that call. Both were legendary machines then — and still are — in the forest’s folklore. 1) Colossus looking pretty sharp, early in its life. 2) Brutus with a load of native timber. 3) Brutus in the snow.

£131 (NZ$4250 today) per month.

That all meant that over a period of four years up to 1962, Trevor had purchased 30 International trucks from local dealer Ross Todd Motors Ltd. Documentation of all of those trucks exist to this day. The company accountant kept records of every truck purchased: chassis number,

The June 1960 Time magazine and the ad within. (Got to love the map — Ed.)

engine number, purchase price, repayment amount, who it was sold to, or if it was written off.

“Most trucks in the fleet were paid off within two years,” recalls Jim Doidge.

As he browses through the records, he notes an International RF195 was purchased in 1964 for £7500 (NZ$243,488 today),

with monthly repayments of £258 (NZ$8371 today). Jim proudly states, “In 1964, Dad replaced many of his trucks, with all payments on them completed in 1966. By the time he sold the company to Ross Todd Motors, he had purchased a total of 60 trucks, with up to 42 on the road at any one time.”

Aside from the many Internationals, at it’s peak this legendary fleet included four Whites, one TK Bedford, and one Commer.

The early 1960s saw two iconic trucks join the fleet: custom-built International hybrids with the apt names Colossus and Brutus.

Colossus was an early 1950s 6x4 Mack and Brutus an ex-NZFP Sterling Transporter.

These were both remodelled

by Ross Todd Motors and Doidge mechanics, using the chassis, rear diffs, and suspension of the existing trucks and fitting International cabs, with new bonnets and mudguards fabricated to suit.

Powered with GM671

tha Four of the six ACF174s

t marked the first wave

diesel engines with twin-stick gearboxes, these mighty machines were absolute legends in their day. Colossus and Brutus carted into the log sorting area at the Murupara railhead. The logs were cut in half and loaded onto the rail wagons to go to Auckland as peeler grade.

As Jim peruses the T. Doidge Ltd files, he notes: “Fleet number 26 was the first diesel-powered R190 International. It was an ex-Europa tanker, bought

by Dad in 1961. Ross Todd Motors removed the petrol motor and repowered it with a GM671.

“At the end of its life in 1972, this truck had travelled more than one million miles …

of Internationals.

yes, miles!”

Eight of the T. Doidge Ltd fleet were repowered over the years. In 1965, Ross Todd Motors repowered two RF195 Internationals using 6V53 GMs with Allison MT41 automatic gearboxes and 4-speed auxiliaries. That year also saw employee Roger Clotworthy team up with Shaun Hurst from Gough Gough and Hamer in Rotorua to repower a White 2064 with the first Caterpillar engine in New Zealand. The 1673B 245hp engine required a 7” (18cm) chassis extension to accommodate its size (New Zealand Trucking magazine, October 2020, ‘Heart and Soul, Roger Clotworthy’).

Alan Southern worked as

No.46, a Mk 1 International Acco purchased in 1961.

(Top) No.45 and No.58 (below). Off-h ighway loads, the Internationals did it all. No.58 sported a 6V53 GM with an auto plus 4-speed auxiliary setup. Enough weight over the drive s probably wasn’t an issue here.

a mechanic for Trevor in the 1960s and 70s. He recalls Trevor being a good boss.

“Hard but fair. He called a spade a spade but he looked after you. When my wife and I got married, Trevor offered us cutlery and household items to help us out. He was a good bloke.”

Alan worked under the guidance of Roger Clotworthy.

“I enjoyed working in the Doidge workshop. Roger and I would design many things together. We would repower engines and improve bits to make them easier to maintain.

We worked six or seven days a week. We had spare gearboxes and diffs in our workshop. We would work on the trucks overnight, so they were ready to go the next day.

Just an epic photo – No.31 with the power on!

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 55

The vexing questions are: how much would you pay to have that deliver your concrete today? And would you order four truckloads more than you needed?

When out on a breakdown, we would dig a hole on the side of the road, to change a diff… Those were the good old days.”

Alan then recalls a story he was told. “I’m not sure if it’s fact or not, but the story goes that a Doidge truck was stopped by police, with scales set up, ready to check the

weight of the truck. The cop took off to chase a car, only to return to find his scales were gone.

“A short while later, Trevor had a great set of scales set up in the bush, to weigh the loggers.”

The mid-1960s saw Trevor diversify and have ex-loggers modified into concrete trucks.

These operated around Tokoroa for Grayburn Readymix.

“Trevor was proud of what he built up. His trucks were his toys. He was a stickler for a smart-looking fleet. When employing drivers, Trevor would drive past their house to see if it was kept tidy. If the house was tidy, then they

The changing face of unloading at the Mount as the forest and export industries blossomed.

I wonder how long the queue would be now if the good Ruston Bucyrus was eagerly whipping each load off? Roger Clotworthy is the bloke clambering down the load at the scaling shed in the third photo.

would keep their truck tidy,” Jocelyn recalls. “He was a fair boss, spoken highly of by his drivers.”

“His trucks were his pride and joy,” says Jim. “Every truck had its own toolbox, complete with spare sets of spark plugs and tools, as well as tins of polish. When Dad sold his business, everything was paid for.”

Jim then remembers a funny anecdote about Trevor. “In our house in Tokoroa, there was a patch of wallpaper that was well worn, where Dad rested his head for long periods talking on the phone about trucks.”

Jocelyn adds, “The Brylcreem wouldn’t have helped!”

Like many trucking families back in the 1960s, Sunday drives were often truckbased. “A Sunday family drive would head to Rotorua, the Mount and Tauranga, calling in to visit all of our drivers and he would often drop off parts to them,” says Jocelyn.

“We would finish the day having dinner with Nana Doidge. We would also check on the house in Murupara.

Trevor bought it for the drivers to stay in if they couldn’t make it home or just needed a place to stay.”

Listening to the two of them it was obvious Trevor had a good rapport with his drivers and would often socialise with them. “I remember sitting in Dad’s International ute, in the car park of The Timberlands Hotel in Tokoroa on a Saturday afternoon,” says Jim. “Dad would be having a few beers with the boys. Every now and then you would get a raspberry drink to shut you up. Dad looked after his men.

If they had to relocate to other towns he would set them up in a house.

“But he also made sure they knew the value of the trucks they were driving.

Dad would tell the drivers ‘Remember, you’re driving a farm’, in reference to the cost

No.26 was the first diesel powered truck in the fleet. and value of the truck.”

Trucks and drinking often went hand in hand back then.

“A few of the drivers would buy half a dozen bottles of Waikato beer at the Tirau or Putaruru pub at the beginning of their journey,” says Jim. “By the time they drove over the Kaimais heading to the port, those bottles would have been drunk. The publican would throw the bottles in through the open window and the driver would pay the bill at the end of the month.”

There was no question that the business benefited from its labours. Reinvesting in the business was continuous and staff could always see the fruits of their efforts in terms of constantly improving trucks and facilities. A new depot in 1965 reflected the class and professionalism of the Doidge enterprise.

In 1966, aged 36, Trevor decided to close the chapter

on T. Doidge Ltd, and sold out to Ross Todd Motors. He kept his beloved International ute, as well as his TK Bedford.

The Doidge family moved to Whangarei, buying a farm at Marua, Hikurangi.

Soon after, the transport licence of Oakleigh Transport was purchased, and carting stock with two Leyland 400-powered TK Bedfords and a sleeper-cab Mercedes LPS 1418 was added to the new portfolio. Next came a fishing boat based out of Mangonui in the Far North.

“He just fancied owning a fishing boat,” says Jocelyn.

Oakleigh Transport was sold in 1970, and with Trevor now 40 years of age, farming become the Doidge family lifestyle until Trevor and Jocelyn retired, moving back to the Tauranga area at Pyes Pa, where they lived until Trevor passed away in 1995, aged 65.

Following the move north, it wasn’t long before trucks became part of the new portfolio. The Mercedes-Benz and TK Bedford at Oakleigh Transport.

White 1964 2064, GM671 in original trim.

Below: Now restored and owned by Jim Doidge and Alan Southern.

Jim and Jocelyn enjoying a riminess through the family albums.

The last fleet photo ever taken, shortly after the sale to Ross Todd Motors in 1966.

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 57

RUST IN PEACE

5 T

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Reporoa

BEDFORD J6 New Zealand is littered with trucks that have long since had their glory day.

Some lay hidden in dusty back lots on the outskirts of town. Some stand in the middle of the nation’s paddocks, covered in moss, almost blending into the scenery. But each has a story to tell; each was once a valued partner on the road, someone’s first truck, someone’s millionmiler. In this new series, we’ll give these forgotten heroes one more moment in the limelight. And, where we can, share some of their stories.

58 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

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f you’ve ever turned off SH5 and taken Broadland’s Road towards Taupo, you’ll no doubt have noticed this Bedford J6 in the middle of a dairy farm paddock just outside Reporoa. It’s parked almost as though on display for passing motorists, tyres still pumped up firm but heavily weathered and patinaed.

“It’s been packed up for years and I want to restore it,” says current owner Calvin Thomas. First registered in 1966, it was powered by a 300 cubic-inch (4.9-litre) 6-cylinder petrol unit.

The Thomases bought it with a farm circa 1983. “It was an awesome truck to drive.

An awesome bulk truck.”

Story and photos by Gavin Myers

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Murray Ansell Alison Verran was at the Sulphur Point Caltex Truckstop in Tauranga when Murray Ansell pulled in to refuel.

Murray drives a Kenworth K200 logger for Trevor Masters Ltd, carting export logs from the Whangamata forests on the Coromandel Peninsula to Mount Maunganui.

Murray is unsure what enticed him into trucking. However after an impressive 34 years behind the wheel, he said he loves “being my own boss”.

Murray has no issues with the trucking industry these days. “It has been cleaned up a lot recently,” he said.

When presented with the vexing question ‘Mow the lawns or wash the house?’, Murray said he definitely enjoys mowing the lawns with his environmentally friendly lawnmower.

John Buckley When our Northland writer Mike Isle caught up with John Buckley, the truckie was taking a well-earned break in the forecourt of the Kaikohe sales yard.

The previous day, the Otorohanga-based owner-driver had made the 400km trek from his hometown to Kaikohe, and had spent the day picking up a mix of sheep and cattle from various farms in the Far North. Now he was waiting for a last load to be transferred from another truck before heading south to the abattoir in Auckland. Tomorrow he would be back in Otorohanga.

John drives a Mercedes Actros with a 448kW (600hp) engine and 12-speed AMT transmission. Driving is in his blood. His father was a transport operator and John has enthusiastically followed in his footsteps for the past 30 years.

He says what he loves about driving is the scenery and seeing different places. What he hates about driving is the driving of others.

“There are a lot of idiots out there,” he says.

“And they are getting worse.” Amen to that.

When invited to answer our vexing question, we asked John to nominate a superpower he would like to have.

“I reckon it would be X-ray vision, mate.”

Neither John nor Mike were prepared to elaborate on that.

60 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

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Just truckin’ around – overseas Jody O’Neill Jody O’Neill was loaded with horse feed destined for stud farms in Newmarket, England, when Paul O’Callaghan caught up with him at his home in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny in the southeast of Ireland. Moloney Transport, owned by cousins of Jody, operate a fleet of 13 Volvos and three Renaults in the agri-food sector, including this T-High 520 that Jody has driven from new.

The O’Neill name is synonymous with transport in the area, with both his father and uncle operating trucks on continental work in the past. Although he completed a degree in transport, Jody drove on long distance work for his uncle Liam O’Neill while in his twenties, loving the adventure as well as the temperature in the sunnier climes of Spain and Portugal.

Following this, he traded the steering

wheel for an office desk, working as a transport planner, although looking at trucks in far flung destinations on his computer screen made him pine for the open road once again.

A normal week involves farm deliveries in Ireland with a trip to the UK every fortnight. The 39-year-old says he enjoys meeting farming folk, as well as observing the different landscapes and farmers at work in the fields throughout the seasons. On the

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As Gaelic games are Ireland’s No.1 sport, it seemed apt to use this as our vexing question: Hurling or football?

Of the two codes, he says he prefers hurling – no coincidence, seeing as his native county has won more All Ireland competitions than anyone else.

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INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

CONVOY CULTURE W

as the dark of the moon on the sixth of June, in a Kenworth pullin’ logs. Well actually that’s not strictly accurate. Yes, it is dark as I pull out of Las Cruces, New Mexico, on an homage to the classic 1978 trucking movie Convoy, but it is late November, and instead of a 1970s K-Whopper, I am behind the wheel of a 2017 Peterbilt 389. I do, however, have CW McCall’s classic song, on which the film was based, blaring through the truck’s stereo at maximum volume.

Sam Peckinpah’s Convoy is in my view the greatest trucking movie ever made.

It proved popular with the general public too, grossing NZ$62 million in the States.

Not only did it do wonders for CB sales, it also proved to be a fantastic driver-recruitment tool. A whole generation of school kids, myself included, decided there and then that we wanted to be just like Rubber Duck. Somehow

62 New Zealand Trucking

it didn’t occur to me that moving baked beans between London and Birmingham in a Ford Cargo might not be as exhilarating as hauling explosives through America’s southwest behind a Mack!

Well, for two days only I am living the dream – as I go in search of some of the filming locations used in Convoy.

In the movie Martin ‘Rubber Duck’ Penwald drives a 1977 Mack RS712LST, but my steed is a modern American classic – a Peterbilt 389.

The truck is a 2017 model, and together with a stunning custom paint job, cost its owner well in excess of NZ$220,000. Driving a 389 (and the 379 it replaced) has been on my bucket list for a long time.

My first stop is the White Sands National Monument, 442sq km of beautiful white gypsum dunes, about two hours northeast of Las Cruces. This is where the movie’s opening scene was filmed, where Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson) first sees April 2021

Will Shiers heads to New Mexico in search of the filming locations used in the classic 1978 trucking film Convoy.

Melissa (Ali MacGraw) in her Jaguar E-Type. I can’t wait to drive down that same stretch of road in the Pete…

But unfortunately it is not to be. Not only am I told that I should have applied for a filming/photography permit, but the national park warden, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Sheriff ‘Dirty Lyle’ Wallace (Ernest Borgnine), tells me I’m a security risk too. Bizarrely he seems to think that me driving a truck through the desert is some sort of terrorist threat! So instead, much to the amusement of the surprised onlookers, I photograph a 1:50 scale model truck instead.

From here I head northwest for 430km to the town of Algodone, which is my next filming location. The journey takes me on Interstate 25, and the Peterbilt is more than happy to sit at a legal 129kph throughout.

“Pig Pen, this here’s the Rubber Duck, and I’m about to put the hammer down.”

The Pete has been specced with a 550hp Cummins ISX. Rubber Duck’s Mack probably had a Cummins under the hood too, but real American truck fans will tell you that in some of the scenes it sounds suspiciously like a Caterpillar or Detroit Diesel.

The address I’ve put into the sat nav is for Raphael’s Silver Cloud Roadhouse, which is where the famous fight scene took place. One of the criticisms of Convoy is that it doesn’t really know what genre of film it is. While director Peckinpah was apparently trying to make a serious modern-day western, with truck drivers fighting against crooked lawmen and unfair regulations, the barroom brawl looks like it should be a scene from Smokey and the Bandit or Cannonball Run instead.

The sat nav finally tells me I’ve reached my destination, but I’m surrounded by vacant plots. A sheriff from a nearby Native American reservation pulls over to find out why

FIVE FUN CONVOY FACTS

I’m parked-up at the side of the highway. I ask him about Raphael’s, and he tells me it was razed to the ground a couple of years back.

Having destroyed the cops’ cars, from here Rubber Duck, Pig Pen/Love Machine (Burt Young), Spider Mike (Franklin Ajaye) and a handful of other truckers make a run for it.

“Callin’ all trucks, this here’s the Duck. We about to go a-huntin’ bear.”

Everything’s going well until they reach the town of Bernalillo, which is where I’m heading to next. It’s here where Widow Woman (Madge Sinclair) overturns her Brockway while making a hard left on a four-way intersection.

“Goddamn piece of white junk, I knew I should have bought myself a black truck.”

Apparently this is a genuine accident, but looked so good on camera that it was written into the script.

Bernalillo has expanded in the past 40-plus years, and looks nothing like it did then, but with the help of an elderly local man I am able to locate the exact intersection.

Shortly after the crash, the convoy uses ‘an old back way into New Mexico’. In reality they’re already in New Mexico, as almost the entire movie is shot in the state.

This track was Waldo Canyon Road, and it’s just 30 minutes

Will wasn’t allowed to take the Pete out onto the White Sands National Monument and replicate the movie’s opening scene as the local sheriff felt it was a security threat … only in America. Not to be beaten, out came the 1/50th scale of the Rubber Duck! Take that Sheriff ‘Dirty Lyle’ Wallace.

from here. On the drive there I listen to Kris Kristofferson, who is, in my humble opinion, the greatest living country singer/song writer. The filming

of Convoy was actually halted for several weeks while he left the set for a concert tour.

Waldo Canyon Road is still a dirt track, and I gingerly

•T he duck on the hood of Rubber Duck’s Mack was later used in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof as the hood ornament on Stuntman Mike’s hot rod.

• Sam Peckinpah allowed actor James Coburn to work on the movie, and rumour has it that Coburn actually directed some scenes when Peckinpah was ‘unwell’.

• Both Steve McQueen and Burt Reynolds were offered the chance to play Rubber Duck, but both turned it down.

• The name of the company on the door of Burt Young’s truck is Paulie Hauling. Paulie is the name of Young’s popular character in the film Rocky.

• CW McCall, who reached number one on both Billboard pop and country charts with the song Convoy, was elected mayor of Ouray, Colorado, in November 1985.

Will thanks Rush Truck Centre, Las Cruces, New Mexico, for sourcing and loaning him such a fantastic truck.

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1&2) The bandstand and Plaza hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico (don’t confuse with Las Vegas, Nevada). 3) Waldo Canyon today. 4) Sight of the famous ‘But there’s a roadblock up on the cloverleaf’ roadblock. 5) The intersection in Bernalillo where Widow Woman overturned her Brockway. venture onto it, making sure I don’t chip the truck’s paintwork.

As the convoy supposedly headed south for the Mexican border (in actual fact it simply criss-crossed the state), the local residents lined the streets to show their support.

One of the most iconic of these locations is the historic town of Las Vegas, New Mexico (not to be confused with Sin City in Nevada), where the local brass band is playing. As the convoy circles the town square you can clearly see the Historic Plaza Hotel, and that’s where I’m staying tonight.

This Las Vegas might have a distinct lack of casinos and strip bars, but it’s a really cool

town nonetheless. Over the past century more than 100 films have been shot here, including Easy Rider, Red Dawn, and Wyatt Earp. In fact, as I check in I discover that this very hotel features in No Country for Old Men. Over a few beers I get chatting to a Vietnam vet, who is amazed that I would travel all the way here, and asks whether I’ve ended up in the wrong Las Vegas by mistake.

Apparently every year plenty of holidaymakers do just that, despite the two Vegas’s being about 1600km apart. When I tell him that I’m a fan of the movie Convoy, he casually announces that he was good friends with the late Donnie Fritts. Not only was legendary

musician Fritts the keyboard player in Kristofferson’s band for 40 years, but he actually also had a part in Convoy, playing the reverend in the ‘long-haired friends of Jesus’ bus. It’s a small world.

“Eleven long-haired friends a’ Jesus in a chartreuse micro-bus.”

As I check out the following morning it’s to discover that my hotel clerk also appeared in Convoy – or at least her pick-up truck did. She tells me that during the making of the movie, they were crying out for extras, so her and her older sister headed out of town to a location where they knew filming was taking place. It turned out to be the famous scene where the

police try to stop the convoy with a roadblock.

“But there’s a roadblock up on the cloverleaf, and them bears was wall-to-wall. Yeah, them smokies is thick as bugs on a bumper; they even had a bear in the air.”

Everything is going well until the moment when the Rubber Duck informs the “bear in the air” that he’s carrying explosives. Suddenly it’s a mad rush to get the cop cars off the road. “Although I don’t make it into the scene, you can see my old Chevy parked on the grass,” she tells me. I think I find the exact spot, but I can’t be sure.

From here I head west to Estancia, which is best described as looking a bit

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Will’s chariot for the Convoy pilgrimage, a new 389 Peterbilt. Sadly he didn’t find a hot chick in an E-Type Jag, get in a fight, and set the whole ball rolling again.

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tired. Apparently back in the 18th century this Spanish settlement was totally destroyed by Indians. In 1978 it was destroyed again, this time by 10 big rigs, which busted up the place in order to free Spider Mike from jail.

“You could tell by the smell it was truckers’ hell, and the devil was Dirty Lyle.”

Parts of the town look like they’ve never been rebuilt after either attack.

This scene is near the end of the film, and unfortunately

it’s almost the end of my trip too. While I’d love to take the Peterbilt over the bridge (which was supposed to take the trucks across the border into Mexico and safety) where the famous explosion scene was filmed, unfortunately it’s impossible. Not only was it filmed in Needles, California, some 1000km west of here, but shortly after Convoy was made it was also pulled down and replaced by a new bridge.

“They’d brought up some reinforcements from the Illinois National Guard. There’s armored cars, and tanks, and Jeeps, and rigs of ev’ry size.”

Ironically, the M42 40mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun that helps to destroy the Mack (which incidentally had to be pushed across the bridge by a bulldozer as it had just broken down) was used in the Vietnam War for truck convoy protection duty.

My final destination is the New Mexico State Fair Grounds in Albuquerque,

which is where the climatic funeral scene was filmed.

“You ever seen a duck that couldn’t swim? Quack, quack!”

Some 3000 extras joined the cast and crew for this one, but 30 years later and there’s nobody around, and nothing much to photograph either. It’s time to reluctantly hand back the Pete’s keys and head for the airport.

The year 1978 was a true classic in terms of cinematic history, and quite a few movies (including Dawn of the Dead, Lord of the Rings, and Superman) have since been remade. Personally I reckon it’s about time Convoy was remade too. And this time, instead of a Mack, I reckon Rubber Duck needs to be behind the wheel of a Peterbilt 389.

“We gonna roll this truckin’ convoy ‘cross the U-S-A. Convoy! Convoy! Convoy!

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AUSSIE ANGLES

SAR IN ACTION

Exceptional manoeuvrability, generous payload and unsurpassed economy are the key factors that drove Walters Contracting of

Tasmania to specify a Kenworth T410SAR for its truck and dog fleet.

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t’s fair to say that when a family company is in the hands of the third generation and has been trading for more than 50 years, business decisions are well planned. They’re choices driven by experiences often taught by life rather

than gleaned from textbooks; proficiencies passed down from generation to generation.

To a certain degree, it is the case at Walters Contracting in Deloraine, Tasmania.

Consequently, when Joseph Walters starts talking about truck specifications and what

works to deliver the best productivity and profitability based on the transport task, it’s well worth getting your notebook out and jotting down a few key points.

“It was a tall order, but we were searching for a truck that could perform dual roles,”

Joseph says. “We required a nimble, manoeuvrable body truck that could work out of our Devonport landscapesupply yard, where deliveries are mostly into tight building sites. At the same time, when we have large civil construction projects, we wanted it to slot into a bulk delivery role.”

The T410SAR is the 10th Kenworth in the Walters Contracting fleet. “Our other Kenworth trucks are bigger, heavier models, specified to endure the more rugged working conditions of civil construction tasks. The light tare of the Kenworth T410SAR, combined with the PACCAR MX-13 engine, certainly ticked a lot of boxes for us,” Joseph explains.

Like the bigger trucks, the T410SAR is spec’d with a traditional 18-speed manual

The T410SAR needed to fulfil dual roles – bulk delivery and delivery into tight building sites. transmission and Meritor RT46-160 rear axles. “From a fleet point of view, it’s terrific because it gives us parts commonality across the fleet,” says Joseph.

The T410SAR’s MX-13 engine is rated at 380kW (510hp) and produces 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) torque between 1000 and 1400rpm while still punching out 2170Nm (1600lb/ft) at 1650rpm. Meantime the MX-13 engine brake delivers up to 335kW (450hp), which is an excellent asset in Tasmania’s hilly terrain.

With PBS and pulling a three-axle dog trailer, the T410SAR is running a 32-tonne payload. With a bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) length of 2850mm there is nothing to stop Walters Contracting from coupling it up to a quad dog

Narrow roads easily dealt with.

in the future. “So far, we’re more than pleased with the economy and payload we’re getting,” Joseph continues.

According to Emily Shadbolt, the T410SAR’s driver, it’s luxurious to drive.

Before stepping behind the wheel, Emily drove Walters’ old W-Model.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she says. “That W-Model is a great truck, and it certainly gives you an immense appreciation of how far along technology has come.

“The visibility from the T410SAR’s cabin is exceptional,” Emily says.

“Since the mirrors on the T410SAR sit lower than traditional mirrors on other trucks, they enable a broader panoramic view because I can see over the top of the mirrors. However, I like the rearward vision, too,

The T410SAR bonnet is lighter in weight, making accessing the MX-13 a one-person job.

Emily’s right at home.

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 67

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S especially when I’m running gravel because they are so sturdily mounted there is no vibration.”

Emily finds that the dash layout is well thought out and the dash display menu also has some useful features, like the four trip meters, driver score and digital gauges.

“The trip meter is also handy for our job-costing because I can zero the trip meter at the start of the load, then get a snapshot of the fuel used, average speed, distance covered and idle time at the end of the journey,” she says.

She is also a fan of another feature: “The truck’s light check activation button on the key fob makes checking the lights easy during my prestart. I use it every day.”

Emily says the T410SAR is the first truck she’s driven where she’s been able to open the bonnet by herself.

“With the other trucks, I’d

have to get my dad to help me open the bonnets because they were that heavy. This T410SAR has an automatic lock on the left-hand bonnet strut that prevents the bonnet from accidentally closing. It’s an excellent safety feature, especially for us here in Tasmania where we often get strong winds that can blow a hood closed.”

According to Emily, the ride and handling of this T410SAR is terrific. “Even on the narrowest rough-country back roads, the steering is precise.

The truck goes exactly where I steer it. My partner even commented on how much happier and how much more energy I have when I get home in the evenings since I’ve started driving the T410SAR. That certainly reiterates how the improved ride and handling of this truck make my work so much more pleasurable.”

Kenworth T410SAR Tipper Wheelbase: 5000mm Cab to end of frame: 4640mm Engine make: PACCAR MX-13 Engine power: 380kW (510hp) Engine torque: 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) Alternator: 160A non-isolated Clutch: Eaton Advantage-3 (self-adjust) Transmission: RTLO20918B (18-speed) Front axle: Meritor MFS66 6.6t Front springs: 7.2t taper leaf Rear axles: Meritor RT46-160GP with dual DCDL Rear-axle ratio: 4.30:1 Rear suspension: Airglide 460 steel pedestal 10.5 ride height Brakes: Drum with ABS/EBS Driver’s seat: ISRI 6860/870 pro with armrests Passenger’s seat: Fixed rider’s seat UHF: Electrophone Fuel tanks: 470 litre RHS and 260/200 split fuel/oil LHS AdBlue tank: 75 litre

Driver Emily Shadbolt came off an old W-Model and into a whole new world.

NZT 192

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21/08/19 10:03 AM

LIGHT COMMERCIAL TEST

MITSI BACK

ON THE VAN MAP Mitsubishi dropped off the radar for van buyers when the L300 disappeared back in 2015 as it could no longer meet safety standards. But now, there’s a new three-diamond-badge light-commercial van, the Mitsubishi Express. A Frenchbuilt restyle of the Renault Trafic, it’s the result of pressure from New Zealand and Australian dealers, seeking a van option for fleets already driving the Triton ute.

Story and photos by Jacqui Madelin

Plenty of cabin storage in a range of sizes, including dash-top trays. Right: Spacious cabin fits three abreast, or two with fold-down laptop table.

Wide-opening sliding doors each side.

Insert: Mirror has three sections to improve the view behind when manoeuvring.

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Mitsubishi Express test vehicle became available just as we’d lined up a roomy wagon for two fully laden trips to the Bay of Islands. With the van okayed for the trip, that became a long-distance long weekend instead, parlaying the extra travel days into a preChristmas break.

The Express arrived as a short-wheelbase 2WD panel van with sliding doors on both sides, and side-opening rear doors which can open out to 160 degrees. There’s a twinturbo 1.6-litre diesel six-speed manual or a 2.0-litre single turbo with six-speed auto.

That’s what we received, and though the cabin ambience was a little more

Roomy secure under-seat storage.

basic than some of our recent offerings, it was just as easy for any car driver to hop up and quickly feel at home.

That’s helped by the standard steel bulkhead, which protects occupants from a shifting load and road noise while making temperature-control systems more efficient.

The single-turbo diesel uses a variable nozzle turbo with speed sensor, which we’re told is efficient at a range of engine speeds. It uses cooled low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation to cut NOx production and lower the cylinder temperature and is linked to a double-clutch auto, which calculates your likely next gear requirement and preps it for the change.

We found it worked very well

indeed, even climbing and descending hills or slowing into and pulling out of tighter corners. It was almost invariably in the right gear although one can always opt to self-change if needed.

Start-stop was unobtrusive and will prove valuable for those frequently tackling stopstart traffic.

Loading proved a doddle, with good access to the rear via the back and sliding side doors, and a standard-width New Zealand pallet or sheet of plasterboard will fit between the wheel arches. Since we were stacking smaller boxes that wasn’t our concern. But we did appreciate access steps and the fact that, with both sliding doors open as well as the rear, it was easy to

pack boxes and bags tightly and tie them securely in place via some of the 16 in-built cargo rings – three floormounted each side, and five side-mounted per side. If you need to carry anything lengthy, open the trap door 228mm high and 510mm wide from the bulkhead leading under the passenger seat to add 413mm in length.

With the trap door shut, lift the seat base to access a 46-litre compartment to hide valuables – handy given we had a few stops and were carrying laptops and the likes.

We found the suspension remarkable, efficiently smoothing the often bumpy rural roads we travelled, though it felt a smidge better with a load aboard.

Reversing camera shows up in rear-view mirror. It works okay, but the screen’s a bit small for detail.

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 71

Tall lights easily visible from afar, rear doors open out wide if needed. Right: Optional floor matting helps prevent goods sliding or scratching the floor, cargo area takes a full-sized sheet of plasterboard between the wheel arches.

As for the cabin, the layout is plain, buttons and dials large and easy to find and access, and there’s plenty of storage – 89 litres in all, says Mitsubishi, including three cup holders. The middle backrest folds down to reveal a workstation with pull-out clipboard and holder, laptop storage and one more cupholder, and there’s even a removable smartphone holder for the smaller phones.

Audio and phone controls are mounted around the steering wheel, and there’s an array of safety features, including an adjustable speed-limiter to help avoid tickets, and trailer sway mitigation. It would have been nice, given no side rear windows, to have the increasingly common blindspot warning – though we did appreciate the cornering function on the fog lights and the dusk-sensing headlights.

We did wonder what the Express would be like manoeuvring, especially as one delivery involved backing downhill at an acute angle from the road, then turning steeply downhill into a side driveway, using just the mirrors and the reversing camera with its small screen in the rear-view mirror. It helps that the large door mirrors are double aspherical

72 New Zealand Trucking

– divided into three sections – and the diesel’s excellent low-rev torque made short work of the slope, no doubt assisted by ‘extended grip’, which enhances traction performance at low speeds.

We found the all-round view adequate for the tricky all-but-blind turns but would have liked a slightly larger screen view.

We were curious about the van’s fuel economy. The claim is 7.3l/100km overall.

The van had travelled only 300km on pickup, and we traversed 652km of mainly rural highway, with some round town and hilly running, plus urban manoeuvring.

Economy improved as our test progressed and was still inching down when we returned the van, with 8.4l/100km showing on the info screen – we didn’t try eco-mode for long enough to know how much difference it would make.

Any reservations we might have had about fancy finish or a few extra feature flourishes were scotched by the van’s price. The 1.6-litre variant with its higher towing and payload capacity and lower thirst for fuel retails at $39,990, the 2.0-litre we tested at $44,990.

Yep, Mitsubishi is well and truly back on New Zealand’s van map.

April 2021

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

Mitsubishi Express 2.0DT SWB Engine: Twin-turbo 1997cc variablenozzle turbo diesel Fuel-tank capacity: 80 litres Power: 125kW at 3500rpm Torque: 380Nm at 1500rpm Claimed fuel economy: 7.3l/100km Transmission: Dual-clutch six-speed auto, 2WD Suspension: Pseudo McPherson-type with wishbone lower arm and anti-roll bar (front), Panhard-type (rear) Wheels/tyres: 16-inch steel wheels with 215/65 R16 tyres Brakes: ABS, EBD with emergency brake assist Stability/traction control: Yes Airbags: 5 Min turning radius:

11.8m

Max payload: 1080kg Kerb weight: 1905kg Gross vehicle weight: 2985kg Cargo length: 2537mm to bulkhead Cargo width: 1268mm between wheel arches Cargo height: 1387mm Cargo capacity: 5.2m3 Towing braked: 1715kg Length: 4999mm Wheelbase: 3098mm Width: 1956mm Height: 1971mm Seats: 3 Options fitted: Rubber mats, cargo mat, tow-bar rear step, rear corner protectors

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BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT

AMONG THE PUPPIES AND BUGS This month, we feature the work of Paul Livsey, one of life’s genuinely nice blokes. Humble to the extreme, he holds a senior position at TR Group, the perfect workplace for a man who’s passionate about all things trucks.

Here’s what Paul told us about his look back down the road.

“I was lucky enough to have time on my hands (but not a lot of money) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and It allowed me to spend a lot of time at my favourite North Island picture spots, with many nights sleeping in my car. It was the era of the Mack Cruise Liners, Super Liners, Ultra Liners, and the classic Kenworth trucks I took a shine to, leading to

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my focus over the past 30 years of keeping track of trucks as they passed through their various owners. It was also the era of independent carriers and the transition to the aerodynamic trucks we see today. Here are a few photographs that represent the day, and focussed my interest in this era in grassroots applications of loggers, flat-decks and livestock trucks.”

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1) A classic stock truck of the 1980s era – a 1980 Kenworth K144 waiting to load out of a Wairarapa farm before heading back to its home base in Levin.

2) On any Saturday in the 1980s, there was always a Mack at Senton Sawmills yard in Orini. This is their 1984 Mack Cruise Liner, photographed washed up, loaded and ready for another week. 3) The Catalog, a 1993 T900 Kenworth operated by Bayline Trucking from Napier, at the 60/8 on the Napier Taupo Road.

4) Murupara Weighbridge at the railhead was always a favourite spot, especially when the Hunter Brothers 1985 Mack Super Liner, ’Super-brat’, made an appearance. 5) Craig Dixon owned this 1984 Mack Cruise Liner and for a short time it was in Moore and Chapman’s colours. It’s pictured here unloaded at the Tomoana works in Hastings, ready to head home. 6) H.A. Frank’s 1990 Mack Ultra Liner in the Central Hawkes Bay. It was an impressive farm truck in the day.

74 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

A C fo

Do you transport, store or distribute food products?

You may need to register as a food business It’s easy. Go to foodsafety.govt.nz/myfoodrules to find out: • the plan or programme you need to use •where to register your business, and • who can verify your business.

FI

ZZ

Any questions about food rules?

Contact New Zealand Food Safety at: foodactinfo@mpi.govt.nz or phone 0800 00 83 33

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD 100 YEARS IN THE MAKING Mack Super Liner 100-Year Anniversary 6x4 tractor OPERATOR: Golden Contracting – Silverdale ENGINE: Mack MP10 511kW (685hp) TRANSMISSION: Mack mDRIVE 12-speed AMT FRONT AXLE: Mack 7.5 tonne REAR AXLES: Mack 2370B REAR SUSPENSION: Mack 8-bag BRAKES: Disc BODY/TRAILER: Set-up of fifthwheel and guards by Transfleet Equipment FEATURES/EXTRAS: 58” high-rise sleeper; custom 100-year anniversary King Bars Warrego Bull Bar, bonnet and grille, leather seats and interior trim; stone guard; 40-litre upright fridge; microwave; TV; LED lighting; icepack PAINT: Ex-factory and Bel Air Truck Spray Painting, Brisbane SIGNAGE/DETAIL: Cliff Mannington, Truck Signs, Mt Maunganui OPERATION: Bulk haulage DRIVER: Skip Golden SALES: Nick Kale

A NOT SO SECRET WEAPON Scania R620 8x4 rigid OPERATOR: Mainfreight – Weapon 1 Ltd, Graeme Clark – Dunedin ENGINE: Scania DC16 16.4-litre V8 463kW (620hp) TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise GRSO905 14-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Scania RB662 REAR SUSPENSION: Scania front and rear air BRAKES: Disc SAFETY: Full safety suite FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit, alloy wheels, Scania Predictive Cruise Control with route learning, fridge OPERATION: General freight ex-Dunedin SALES: Kere Menzies

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April 2021

QUON FOR THE ROAD UD QUON CG 32.460 AS 8x4 rigid OPERATOR: S Chand Transport – Auckland ENGINE: UD GH11TD 11-litre 338kW (460hp), 2200Nm (1623lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: UD ESCOT-VI 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: UD single reduction hypoid REAR SUSPENSION: UD 8-bag ECAS double-acting shock absorbers BRAKES: Disc, ABS, brake blending SAFETY: Traffic Eye cruise and braking, emergency braking system, lane departure, UD stability control BODY/TRAILER: Fruehauf OPERATION: General freight, upper North Island DRIVER: Samil Chand SALES: Marvin Fynn

International 9870 R8 LRS 8x4 rigid

THE KING OF COOL OPERATOR: DT Kings Transport – Pukemaori ENGINE: Cummins X-15 433kW (580hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger 20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: ECAS second steer and IROS drive bogie BODY/TRAILER: Modern Transport Trailers / Delta Crates

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit, Ali-Arc alloy bumper PAINT: Ex-factory in Kings Red OPERATION: Livestock haulage, lower South Island DRIVER: Steve Douglas SALES: Shaun Jury

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 77

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

NO FIRMER FOUNDATION OPERATOR: Golden Bay Cement – Auckland ENGINE: D16G 16-litre 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Volvo RTS 2370A hypoid single reduction tandem REAR SUSPENSION: Volvo RADD-G2 SAFETY: Volvo Active Safety System, dynamic bending headlights

RUAUMOKO!

Volvo FH16 600 8x4 tractor BODY/TRAILER: Feldbinder 4-axle semi FEATURES/EXTRAS: Leather interior, climate air condition OPERATION: Bulk cement deliveries, North Island DRIVER: Fred Te Kanawa SALES: Scott Penny

Western Star 4884 FXC 8x4 rigid

OPERATOR: Manuel Haulage – Tologa Bay ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B 18-speed manual FRONT AXLE: Meritor FG941 REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160GP REAR SUSPENSION: Airliner 46,000lb BODY/TRAILER: Patchell Industries truck, log gear

and five-axle EV04 trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: 7” stacks, stainless-steel drop visor, bug deflectors, headlight surrounds, stainless-steel light in-fills on door sill and air cleaners, air rams,. Texas bumper, alloy wheels OPERATION: Log haulage, East Coast DRIVER: Ray Feki SALES: Mark Ellington

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z 78 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

THE BELLE OF BALCLUTHA OPERATOR: Scott Transport – Balclutha ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 459kW (615hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor RT46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: KW Airglide 460 BODY/TRAILER: Kraft Engineering log-deck

Kenworth K200 2.3m Aerodyne sleeper 8x4 rigid FEATURES/EXTRAS: Bigfoot CTI, custom stainless-steel, additional marker lights, off-set front rims, TV PAINT: Timaru Signs OPERATION: Log and freight, Otago DRIVER: Karl Scott SALES: Chris Gray

SWANKY FROM SHAANXI Shacman X3000 6x4 OPERATOR: Happy Pug – Auckland ENGINE: Cummins ISM-11e5 328kW (440hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton AMT 10-speed REAR AXLES: HANDE HDZ425 REAR SUSPENSION: Parabolic spring BRAKES: Disc SAFETY: Lane departure warning, tyre pressure monitoring BODY: Hardox gravel/aggregate FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air suspended cab, central locking, reversing camera OPERATION: Tip work, Auckland DRIVER: Dabao Xie SALES: Wier Wang

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 79

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

New truck after Rotorua retreat ‘Rotovegas’ is renowned for its mystical earthbound healing and makeover properties, and it’s no different if you’re a truck. Musson Logistics in Rangiora sent up a Hino for a makeover at Mills-Tui, one of Rotorua’s oldest truck-and-trailer pamperers, and the result is fabulous.

The 700 Series was originally fitted with Evans equipment but now sports a new Mills-Tui shorts setup utilising existing tank and cab guards. Along with the new bolsters, a set of SI-Lodec scales have been installed to keep displacement where it should be.

In tow is a brand-new 5-axle high-tensile Mills-Tui trailer looking real sharp wearing its Mills-Tui alloy wheels and finished in PPG paint by Brokers United Rotorua paint shop.

Features: (Trailer) Hendrickson disc brake axles and air suspension, Hendrickson TIREMAAX, Knorr-Bremse EBS. Mills-Tui

Tip off the old rock We’ve seen the front, now let’s have a look at the back. The team at TMC Trailers in Christchurch took care of what’s behind the cab of Construction Contracting’s new Euro-6 DAF, and as you’d expect, it looks just as sharp as the front. Both the truck body and new 4-axle trailer are fitted with TMC Atlas bathtub bodies equipped with Power Tarp NZ covers. Polished Alux alloy wheels add the dazzle to it all.

Features: (Trailer) 19.5” FUWA drum brake axles and air suspension.

TMC

KIWI 16/17

KIWI 175

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

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

April 2021

Roman, italic, bold, bold italic

alic

To boldly go…

The resounding success of the Napier Port’s first HPMV 29m empty-container transfer B-train has resulted in it being lonely no more. Total Transport Engineers LP has built a second 29m unit for the port company, again capable of carrying four 20ft containers or two 40ft ones. Together, the two units

complete the same work once undertaken by four combinations.

Features: Hendrickson disc brake axles and air suspension, WABCO EBS, and Trackaxle steering modules.

Total Transport Engineers LP

Going places You can tell from the outset that Taupo-based KP Haulage’s Freightliner Argosy is going places. The traditional 6x4 and 4-axle trailer configuration mean it’s heading off the beaten track often, the CTI signalling ‘way off’ the beaten track at times. It’s imperative therefore that the body and trailer be up to the job, but seeing the Transport and General Transport Trailers insignia puts the mind at ease.

Fitted out with aluminium elliptical bodes, the truck sports a 5m body with 1800mm high sides, and the trailer is 7.25m with 1900mm high sides. The units have Edbro hoist gear, Hella LED tail lights, and Peterson LED sides.

Features: (Trailer) Hendrickson 19.5” disc brake axles and air suspension, WABCO braking system, Alcoa Level-1 wheels and Bridgestone R294 tyres.

Transport and General Transport Trailers

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Wide grooves will not hold stones Heavy duty case Excellent mileage performance 17mm extra deep tread

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

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

265/70R19.5

215/75R17.5 265/70R19.5

265/70R19.5

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 81

RHINO PHOTO OF THE MONTH COMPETITION

SUN UP ON A HIGH The North Island is on a comeback, all right. Nathan Spencer dropped this ruralcartage jaw-dropper in our inbox in the past month.

Like no other occupation,

rural trucking allows us to see sunrises like this from just about anywhere in the country.

On this occasion, Nathan was delivering fertiliser in

his Bulk Lines 4900 Series Western Star to a bin high on a hill in the Tauhei area of the Waikato.

We are so glad he took the opportunity to stand back

and capture the moment.

Well done, Nathan — you’re our Rhino Photo of the Month winner for April 2021.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Email pics to editor@nztrucking.co.nz

82 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

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MINI BIG RIGS

MODEL TRUCKING ON A

BUDGET L

When it comes to building model trucks, the smaller scales offer a costeffective solution for the beginner and a vast array of potential projects.

This month, we complete our Warehouse toy-tomodel makeover.

ast month, we refitted our $9 Scania 6x4 fire truck into an 8x4 hard side general freight unit. This month, we scratch-build a matching five-axle trailer to complete our typical Kiwi combination.

As mentioned last month, the key elements of scratch building are forward planning and keeping a

By Carl Kirkbeck 1) The ‘Evergreen’ polystyrene plastic stand at your hobby store is a great source for the various thicknesses of sheet plastic and mouldings for your scratch-built projects.

2, 3) Using our initial sketch, and the axle heights and widths of the Scania’s chassis for reference, cut out the shape and place the chassis rails and up-stands that house the axles to the underside of the trailer box body. Once the glue has dried, accurately measure the locations of the required grooves for the axles. Then using a fine file, cut these grooves into place.

4) Using our sketch and the chassis and axle heights from the rear of the trailer as a reference, construct a simple sub-chassis with up-stands for the two-axle dolly.

5) Take your time when filing the axle grooves in the up-stands and check your progress by setting up the model to see how it is sitting. Is it level or lop-sided?

Remember that slow and steady wins the race.

6) Mark out the dolly centre and drill a hole through it just

84 New Zealand Trucking

2

D E U N I CONT

close eye on proportions; referring back to the initial sketch we drew at the beginning of the planned combination, we can keep our progress in check.

If you would like any further information or a set of the high-resolution photographs we used to detail this build, please feel free to contact me at carl@nztrucking.co.nz.

1

3

4

5 6

April 2021

7

8 large enough to receive a piece of old scrap sprue. Sit the dolly in place against the trailer chassis and mark the centre onto the chassis. Drill a hole through the chassis, then cut a pin from old sprue and glue into the hole of the trailer chassis. Once dry, shape to fit.

7,8,9) Taking measurements from the initial sketch, calculate the length of the drawbar you require, mark it out onto sheet plastic and cut out. Using a fine drill bit, just bigger than the copper wire, drill a hole through the front of the dolly. Insert the copper wire (the same as used last month to make the tow hook) through the hole and carefully bend into shape. Using super glue, attach the cut-out plastic drawbar to the copper-wire frame. Finally, cut out and fit the mudguards to suit.

10, 11) Now the fun part — bringing the model to life with your chosen fleet colours. For the application of multiple colours, I use Tamiya modellers’ masking tape for the application of colours as it is available in many widths and is extremely fine and can block virtually all paint bleed.

12, 13) Final assembly involves cutting out small rectangles of plastic to cap over the up-stands to retain the axles in place.

Remember to lightly scratch away the paint from the surface to allow the glue to adhere directly to the plastic. Once the glue dries carefully, paint the bare plastic of the caps to match the chassis colour.

14) The completed combination alongside the original model toy.

She’s ready to swing into the freight shed for a load of express general, then hit the road.

9

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BRUCE HAINES – JEDI MASTER MODEL TRUCK BUILDER I was nine when I met the late Bruce Haines, a self-employed floor coverings installer and massive transport industry

11

enthusiast from Pukekohe.

At that time, Bruce, who was always whistling a tune and sporting an infectious smile, was a member of the then Auckland Model Truck Club and actively supported shows and events held by the club. Bruce

12

was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge of all things model truck building, and he taught me how to transform die-cast toys into a one-off scale model truck. The Scania project we have just completed is in every way Bruce’s style and extremely typical of a ‘Bruceeism’. As it did for me 40-plus years ago, I hope this lesson in how to go about a ‘Brucee’

13

inspires you to have a go, and

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please, if you do, send me a photograph of your project so that we can share it with other readers. Thank you, Bruce, for passing on your enthusiasm and passion to me. Keep on truckin’ and travel safe, mate. Wherever you are.

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

Tomorrow’s Operators

The fundamental math Hi, tomorrow’s operators!

Some of you are underway, so that’s great. For those just looking in for the first time, we’re helping you start your journey to being an operator of tomorrow.

Trucking’s a great industry, full of hard-working people keeping the economy and our communities functioning.

And many of you will end up the operators of tomorrow who own beautiful big machines.

Believe it or not, school is going to make future opportunities easier to grasp.

A good, basic education will always pay you back time and time again. We know it is sometimes tough to

understand where English, maths, science, and all the subjects fit in, so we are here to help.

New Zealand Trucking magazine is helping you start your journey to becoming tomorrow’s operators, and we plan to amaze you with just how much you already know.

Each month, we give

you an exercise related to trucking, and you can send in your answer. We will also highlight the school subject that helps you understand the task, so you get an idea of where it all fits in. There’ll be random prizes, and at the end of the year, someone will win a really cool prize.

Kilometres or hours, which to use?

There are two common ways a truck operator figures out how he or she is going to charge for their transport service: distance and/or time.

Distance is based on the kilometres from one place to another, and time is normally calculated in hours.

Exercise: 2

How do they know which one to use?

Great question. If there is a long way between the pickup and delivery, you would normally figure out your price based on kilometres, e.g. an Auckland to Wellington or Christchurch to Invercargill haul. If the distance between pick-up and delivery is short,

then you would more than likely use hours worked, e.g. the hours it takes to cart goods from one side of a building site to the other.

Sometimes operators use a combination of both. You might have a long-distance haul between two cities that

you price on kilometres, but the place where you are loading may have a reputation for holding trucks up. Because your truck costs you money even when it’s stopped, you may be able to charge a delay fee to the customer. That would be per

Kilometres and hours

I am going to cart a load from Auckland to Wellington for my customer Harriet’s Health Care. The distance is 650km, and I’ve decided to charge them $2500.

Question: 1 - How much money will I earn for each kilometre I travel?

SCHOOL SUBJECTS YOU’RE USING IN EXERCISE: 2 Maths – Add, subtract, divide, multiply… (Don’t forget, Dad, Mum, care-givers – they’re there and ready to help.)

English – You have to read the instructions and the question carefully.

86 New Zealand Trucking

Meanwhile, the phone has just rung, and Bob wants to use my tip truck. He wants a pile of dirt moved from one side of a paddock to use as fill on the other side of the same paddock. The truck will be there for two days, but the distance from the loading point to the tip-off point is only 300m so kilometres won’t work – it will have to be hours. Bob said he wants the truck for 12 hours each day, and I’ve decided to charge him $1500 per day.

Question: 2 – What will my truck earn per hour?

Guess what?

If you didn’t do Exercise: 1, in the February issue, it’s all good. There are no time limits on this one – you can start anytime in the year. So grab a February issue, find out what it was, and rip into it!

April 2021

Send your answers Email: dave@nztrucking.co.nz Subject: Tomorrow’s Operators: Exercise 2: Kilometres and hours.

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

Post: N ew Zealand Trucking magazine, P O Box 35, Thames 3540 Label your posted material with the following: your own name and contact details, Tomorrow’s Operators, Exercise 2: Kilometres and hours.

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

Puzzle answers: International, Western Star, Dodge, Bedford, Mitsubishi, Hyundai. Truck model: Argosy.

HI LITTLE TRUCKERS! Hi there to all you little truckers! Thank you for all your entries into our Mack colouring-in competition. The prize goes to nine-year-old Oakley Thompson. Congratulations, Oakley, you did an awesome job — I love all the extra detail. Keep an eye out for the postman; a prize is on its way.

Nine-year-old Manhar Sandeep found the Little Truckers Club logo on page 58 of the February issue. Congratulations, Manhar. A cool prize is on its way to you, too.

If you would like to see yourself here in the Little Truckers Club section, all you need to do is email your photos and/or drawings to me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz along with a wee paragraph telling us about them, your name and age — it’s easy. I do enjoy seeing them all.

Have a fantastic month, kids!

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FIND THE LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB LOGO The Little Truckers’ Club logo is hidden somewhere in this issue — find it and let me know where it is and you may win a prize. You can email me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz.

JOKE OF : THE MONTH

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PUZZLE

This puzzle contains six different truck names. Guess them and fill in the grid correctly to spell a truck model in the grey area reading from top to bottom.

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WHAT’S ON Brisbane Truck Show 13 to 16 May 2021 Brisbane Convention Centre Contact: 0061 7 3376 6266, or email admin@brisbanetruckshow.com.au

McDonough Contracting Gore Truckshow 2021 5 June 2021 Transport & Engineering Repairs, Falconer Road, Gore Contact: goretruckshow@gmail.com Facebook: Gore Truck Show

Alexandra Blossom Festival ATL Haulage Trucks 39th Annual Truck Parade 25 September 2021 Fulton Hogan Yard, Dunstan Road, Alexandra Contact: blossom.co.nz

RTF Conference 25 and 26 September 2021 Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill Contact: forum@rtf.nz

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

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

88 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

ROAD SAFETY TRUCK It has been over 3 years since first visiting Clearview School in Rolleston just south of Christchurch. Our first visit was in 2016 when we kicked off the Share the Road with Big Trucks Program using Gazebos and pull up banners. This time around we rolled up with the awesome MAN truck and Toll classroom trailer.

TR Group, Penske, Sicon and Pacific Fuel Haulage all brought trucks along for the 2 days. Over 700 students, teachers and caregivers attended the programs. All students could experience the blind zones for themselves by sitting in the cabs of the trucks. Sicon, the local contracting company, have a strong community presence and are involved with repairing the road network when a crash happens.

They enjoyed coming along to engage with the students and share road safety tips. Brian and Pete from TR Group attended, they showed the students the blind zones around the truck. Jess from Pacific Fuel managed to get some conversations going around careers to some of the senior students. Its always a surprise for students to find out that Jess actually drives the Fuel Truck as her job. An exhausting two days for the team but very rewarding. A hands on real life experience for the students that you just can’t beat!

HEALTHY TRUCK DRIVER TOP TIP

Become a supporter of the Road Safety Truck today - you can join the New Zealand Trucking Association, volunteer to help at an event, or make a donation.

Join us today! 0800 338 338 www.nztruckingassn.co.nz

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92 Moving Metrics 96 NZ Trucking Association Summit – Phil Parkes 98 Better Business – Rethinking waste tyres 100 IRTENZ – Drive axles 102 TDDA 104 Truckers’ Health 106 Health and Safety 108 Legal Lines 110 NZ Trucking Association 112 Road Transport Forum 114 The Last Mile B R OUG HT T O YO U B Y

MOVING METRICS

THE SALES NUMBERS New Zealand Trucking reveals how the economy is travelling via key metrics from the road transport industry. From time to time, we’ll be asking experts their opinion on what the numbers mean.

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers first registered in February 2021 This information is put together from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency statistical analysis team and through the Open Data Portal.

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

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

First registration of NB and NC class vehicles for February by manufacturer

92 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

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

Vehicle class

Description

NB (medium-goods vehicle)

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

NC (heavy-goods vehicle)

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

TD (heavy trailer)

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

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

First registration of NB, NC and TD class vehicles year-on-year to date

First registration of TD class heavy trailers for February year-on-year by manufacturer

First registration of NB, NC and TD class vehicles for February year-on-year

First registration of NC class vehicles yearto-date 2018—2021 by manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers year-to-date 2018—2021 by manufacturer

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 93

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

ROAD USER CHARGES Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 28 February 2021 by purchase year

RUC purchase for February 2021, all RUC types In February 2021 there were 47 different types of RUC purchased for a total distance of 1,288,708,203km at a value of $178,604,479.

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

Monthly average (km)

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1,311,379,872

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1,347,202,842

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

15,421,400,378

$2,069,615,049

1,285,116,698

1 Jan 2021 – 28 Feb 2021

2,594,498,873

$353,697,571

1,297,249,437

Rolling trend month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2020 – 2021

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www.nzta. govt.nz/vehicles/ licensing-rego/roaduser-charges/ruc-ratesand-transaction-fees/ Please note data may differ slightly from that reported for the same period previously due to adjustments being made to the base data.

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Average monthly distance (km)

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

11,502,905,782

958,575,482

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

10,952,303,565

912,691,964

1 Jan 2021 – 28 Feb 2021

1,869,498,330

934,749,165

RUC distance purchased year to date for selected RUC types

94 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

The red dots represent the cost of RUC purchased for that RUC type for the year to date February 2021 only, thus for RUC type 6 vehicles, powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles), the higher value results from the high cost of RUC for these type vehicles above 12 tonne.

RUC purchases February 2021 for selected RUC types

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NZTA INDUSTRY SUMMIT

‘100 PAGES ON A SHELF DOESN’T WORK IN THE FIELD’ The 2020 New Zealand Trucking Association Industry Summit took place on Saturday 21 November at Riccarton Racecourse, Christchurch.

A

ccording to Phil Parkes, chief executive of Worksafe, 73% of workplace fatalities involve a vehicle. In the year leading up to the summit, he said, the transport industry suffered five fatalities. There were 1440 minor injuries leading to absenteeism; 528 incidences of muscular stress from climbing in and out of vehicles and loading and unloading; 381 falls from height; and 165 cases of people being trapped between moving and stationary vehicles such as forklifts and trucks.

To reduce these figures,

96 New Zealand Trucking

Parkes was straightforward: “There’s no secret science.

We have to stop doing work in a way that puts people under pressure to cut corners.”

What did he mean by this? Some 95% of the time, explained Parkes, workers worked with workarounds.

“They do the work how it’s really done, not how head office thinks or what their health and safety policy says.

It’s the workers who do the work who know what it’s really like; they know how to get around procedures that slow them down 20%.

“So, the conversation April 2021

we have to have is how to set them up for success, give them the opportunity, skills and empowerment to do work efficiently and in a healthy and safe way. That’s about building capacity and resilience in the workplace, making sure the workers are given the freedom to do the job the way they think is best.

You can’t do that unless you talk to them. If you sit in head office or contract someone to write a health and safety manual, you’ve missed the opportunity. They won’t read it; 100 pages on a shelf doesn’t work in the field.”

Parkes suggested that the conversation needed to change if we were to impact workplace fatalities and injuries. “We have health and safety conversations, but realistically, 90 percent of Kiwis get turned off before you even get to the ‘and’.

Pretending otherwise is crazy.” He says there’s a way of having such conversations without talking about risk, hazards or “technical stuff that most people don’t care about”.

“Have a conversation about what a good day looks like.

You’ll find it looks like, ‘I’m excited to go to work. I have the right tools to do the job, know what I need to do and how to do it. I know when I’ve done a good job.’ As a result, you get to go home safely.

Then have a conversation about what a bad day looks like: ‘I’m not sure what I’m doing, haven’t got the right tools, under pressure and can’t get through everything.’

“That’s a risk-assessment conversation; you’ve identified things that could go wrong, the underlying causes of accident or injury. And then we talk about how to

make them better, change the way we do work – that conversation can be had without mentioning health and safety once.”

Parkes said that people were not the problem but the solution and must be allowed to be treated as such.

“We often think in health and safety that people are the problem; they didn’t follow the process or wear their gear or work the right way. People are the solution; if you get the workers to tell you how to do the job, they’ll know the most fast, efficient and safe way to do it because they do it every day. But they need to be given the opportunity to tell you. They won’t do that if they’re scared of you telling them off.

“In every single investigation we do, we find the worker either had a solution or knew they weren’t following procedure, but

they had to do it to meet their targets. We always find the workers knew what was happening and most of them say, ‘I tried to tell the bosses, but they don’t listen. They just want us to follow the procedure because they’re worried about liability.’

“It’s a changing mindset from thinking about people as the problem to be controlled to treating them as the solution. They’ll help you redesign the way you do your work. It’ll be more effective and efficient, and you won’t need to do it for health and safety’s sake,” he said.

Parkes said that advocating this approach didn’t mean Worksafe was going soft as a regulator. “We’ve seen what happens when regulators don’t do their core business of holding people to account.

If people aren’t meeting standards, undercutting and taking shortcuts, and

exploiting workers, we will hold them to account. It’s not about us not doing enforcement; it’s about saying enforcement alone is not going to fix this [problem].”

Regarding the transport sector, Parkes said Worksafe was focussed on two things.

The first was the Road to Zero campaign.

“We can’t differentiate working health and safety from road use; they happen at the same time. A truck is a workplace, but it also interacts with the public roading system, so this needs to be fixed,” he said.

The second focal point was moving up the supply chain. “We’ve spent the past six years focussing on individual businesses, finding out ‘what happened’. We have research that looks at underlying causes to do with supply chain pressures; we know those settings for work

— low margins, high pressure, low job control – are all contributing to people having to cut corners and work in a way that doesn’t work for them and causes injury.

“We have powers under our new legislation, around health and safety by design — how to design equipment and workplaces at the top of the supply chain to make sure they are safe.

“We’re also enabled to [investigate an incident] when we think the cause of is the contractual arrangement by suppliers or customers that pushed the risk down the supply chain,” said Parkes.

“So as part of that contribution to the road strategy, we’ll be thinking about the people who are getting injured, but also who is setting the parameters at work that stop people doing their best work. That lies in all sectors, not just in transport.”

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April 2021 97

BETTER BUSINESS

Story by Gavin Myers

TAKING WASTE TYRES TO THE

NEXT LEVEL

Waste tyres have always left a black mark on the recycling industry. Rubber itself never disappears; no matter what you do with it, it will always languish in a landfill at the end of its life. That’s unless you can keep using it, over and over, in the manufacture of new tyres.

R

EVYRE is a Kiwi start-up with huge ambition – and huge potential. The company was started three years ago by CEO Shaun Zukor, who recognised the need to do more around tyre recycling in New Zealand. Zukor knew that to make a true impact on the 90,000 tonnes of tyre waste generated each year in New Zealand, and to make it an economically sustainable endeavour, he’d have to look beyond traditional mechanical tyre shredding that produces an impure crumb rubber of little value.

Zukor’s research led him to a Canadian company called Tyromer that has developed a devulcanisation process that turns the tyre rubber back into its raw state (known as

Tire-Derived Polymer or TDP).

Zukor was so convinced by what he saw, he put down a deposit there and then for the licences to operate the technology in New Zealand, Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The extent of the problem Zukor explains that a tyre is made up of approximately 30% carbon black, 30% natural rubber, 30% synthetic rubber and other filler components. Natural rubber plays a large and important part in the construction of a tyre due to its good wear durability, flexiblilty and high tensile strength.

Tony Hannon, chairman of InfraCo Limited, the holding company of REVYRE, explains that globally, 2 billion tyres

(50 to 80 million tonnes) go to waste per year. “Tyres account for half of the total global rubber utilisation, which means that, of that 50 to 80 million tonnes of tyre waste, about 14 million tonnes of natural rubber is discarded per year. Natural rubber is a resource in high demand, and so the sustainability of one-third of tyre componentry globally is under threat.”

Currently, in New Zealand, the only legislation around waste tyres concerns the stockpiling of tyres in different regions. The tyres either get dumped illegally, are processed into shreds for incineration domestically, or are baled and sent offshore to be burnt in kilns. Things are changing, though, and soon waste tyres will need to be kept and processed locally.

“Tyres are a great resource if processed correctly,” says Zukor.

The legislative environment is changing around the world, too. Australia has banned the exportation of baled tyres to Asia, while India – one of the world’s largest markets for waste tyres – is in the process of banning their importation.

In Chile, 20% of tyres have to be recycled sustainably by 2025, and in Canada, all tyres are recycled.

“There needs to be a massive mindset change and mandatory regulation around the disposal and use of devulcanised material,” comments Hannon.

The detail is in devulcanisation When a tyre is sent to waste, only 20% of it has

been physically used and worn down. That means a typical truck tyre is 80-odd kilogrammes of percieved waste material when it is scrapped. “Multiply that by 22 to 32 tyres per truck … it’s insane,” says Hannon. This means there’s a lot of waste material to put back into the system.

Zukor explains that devulcanisation is a standalone topic compared to recycling and reclamation. “It takes rubber back to its raw state before it was vulcanised.

That’s always been the holy grail around any type of tyrerecycling operation.” While at its core, the process is about recycling – taking a waste product and reusing it – what it really means is that REVYRE is a polymer rubber producer. This is important because, while crumb rubber is still a vulcanised material with limited future use, TDP remains a high-quality highdemand material.

The process is surprisingly simple. The first stage is collecting the feedstock, for which the largest commercial tyres are preferred – anything from truck tyres to 63-inch, 5.7-tonne mining tyres.

Passenger tyres are not suitable for TDP production as they constitute a higher percentage of synthetics.

“We’re able to deal with a

segment of the market that historically has been very difficult to deal with. The larger tyres are extremely difficult to dispose of,” says Zukor.

Breaking down the tyres starts with cutting out the sidewall and then blasting the rubber with high-pressure water, leaving a clean steel carcass. Steel constitutes 25% of a tyre, is high-tensile, and gets sold on as grade1 steel. Meanwhile, the high-pressure water system (supplied by RubberJet) partially devulcanises the rubber (up to 66%) because of how the water strikes the polymer and breaks the crosslinks of sulphur.

The rubber then goes through a drying and classification process. At this stage, it’s a powder-type form, less than 4mm in size, which is then fed into a bulk hopper system which in turn feeds to a twin extruder. The rubber is pneumatically fed at rates of 1250kg per hour and put under high pressure, using inert CO2 (at 1kg per tonne) as a catalyst to break the sulphur bonds for the further devulcanisation of the material. It then comes out as TDP in any form the customer wants.

“Whatever you put into the process, you get out in TDP. The process does not

thermally degrade any of the polymers or chemistry in the rubber; the compound’s integrity stays intact. That’s the beauty of it,” says Zukor.

This is important because tier 1 and lower-tier tyre manufacturers are fastidious about what they put into their tyres. Zukor says Tyromer in Canada has been doing tests over the last five years with tier 1 producers and holds accreditations through some of them, while participating in ongoing testing with others.

“There has been no negative kickback from any of them around the use of TDP in their tyres,” he says.

Rolling forward Zukor says that while crumb powders can and do go back into the manufacturing of new tyres or retreads, it is only at 5-8% as a filler. Because of devulcanisation, TDP can be added into new tyres in quantities of more than 20%, creating a lesser need for raw materials. “All tyres should be mandated by regulations to have at least 10% of TDP in them. India for example mandates the blending of 20% agri-derived ethanol in petrol, slowing down the need for oil imports. There is no reason the tyre industry cannot follow suit,” Zukor suggests.

“The process is simple,

straightforward, proven and clean,” adds Hannon.

Currently, Tyromer has two plants operational in Canada and another commissioned. The business, through partners, also has one plant in China and another commissioned in The Netherlands. From REVYRE’s perspective, the company is advanced in its developmental process and has identified a site in New Zealand to set up local processing. In Australia, it has partnered with Energy Estate and identified the first site.

In the meantime, say Zukor and Hannon, truckies need to be aware of what happens to their waste tyres and ask questions about where they are going and whether they’re being disposed of responsibly. “They need to ask their suppliers those hard questions,” says Zukor.

“Trucking is front and centre for this in New Zealand; it is such an important part of our logistics chain. Every trucking company is a consumer of tyres, and their clients will want to know what they are doing sustainably in their logistics network. Our aim is to have our truckies understand the huge role they can play in telling the story of sustainability. They drive on 22+ tyres every day,” Hannon concludes.

A glimpse into the TDP extraction process. Photo: REVYRE

New Zealand Trucking

April 2021 99

INFORMI NG DECI SI ON-MAKI NG I N TH E ROAD TRANSPORT I NDUSTRY h t t p : // i r t e n z . o r g . n z /a b o u t - i r t e n z

GETTING THE DRIVE TO THE WHEELS

I

n the early days of motorised trucking, it was common for the power produced by the engine and transmission arrangement to be sent to the rear drive wheels by chain.

It did not take long, however, before this design was replaced by what we have now, a driveshaft connected to the output shaft of the gearbox and to a rear-mounted differential that turns the drive through 90° and transmits the power through the axle shafts to the wheels.

There are three common designs of axle shafts or half shafts, as they are sometimes called. Each is classified by the way they are mounted within the axle casing (housing) and the work they do.

Contribution for IRTENZ by Russell Walsh (Life Member IRTENZ) Images from Blogmech SEMI-FLOATING AXLE

Semi-floating axle In this design the outer end of the axle shaft passes through a bearing that is inside the axle housing. The weight of the vehicle is carried by the axle shaft through the bearing. A semi-floating axle must be strong enough to withstand the: • Torque produced by the engine and transmitted to the driving wheels

•R etarding forces from the wheels when the brakes are applied • Side thrust imposed during cornering.

The wheels are attached to a hub fitted to the outer end of the axle shaft. This hub is tapered and fitted with a keyway to prevent the axle spinning inside the hub.

THREE-QUARTER FLOATING AXLE

Three-quarter floating axle Similar in design to the semi-floating axle except the weight of the vehicle is carried through the bearing to the axle housing.

100 New Zealand Trucking

A three-quarter floating axle shaft does not carry any weight of the vehicle but must still be strong enough to withstand the:

orque produced by the •T engine • Braking forces • Side thrust imposed when the vehicle is cornering.

As shown in this diagram, the hub bearings used may be either single or double race.

April 2021

New Zealand Trucking

July 2020

35

FULLY FLOATING AXLE

Vehicles fitted with Carden shaft park brakes

Fully floating axles The most common axle design used on trucks.

In this design the entire weight of the vehicle, side thrust, and breaking forces are taken on the axle housing.

The only force that is carried by the axle shaft is the torque produced by the engine and

used to move the vehicle.

The axle shaft passes through the wheel hub and is flanged so it can be bolted to the outside of the hub.

An advantage of this design over semi- and threequarter-floating designs is that the axle shaft can be removed without lifting the vehicle off

the ground and removing the wheels and hub, allowing the wheels to effectively freewheel once the brakes are released.

This can help if the vehicle must be moved to avoid damaging the differential, driveshaft, or gearbox.

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If the vehicle has a Carden shaft parking brake fitted, removing one or more axle shafts will leave the vehicle without an effective parking brake. If the vehicle is stationary, and on a slope, when an axle is removed the vehicle can roll forward or backward so the wheels must be chocked first before the axle(s) are removed.

What happens if an axle shaft breaks? In a semi- or three-quarter floating design, if an axle shaft breaks, the wheel attached to it can fall off. This cannot happen in a fully floating design.

TDDA

The truth about oral fluid testing

T

here is a lot of misinformation about oral fluid testing. I’m going to talk about three court cases that could help trucking businesses understand what it is, and ensure they stay compliant, keep employees safe, and keep fleets rolling.

Oral fluid testing can replace urine testing (Endeavour Energy vs CEPU and Ors)

In this 2020 decision, the Australian Fair Work Commission (FWC) ruled that the detection of cannabis and other drugs could not be reliably addressed with only oral fluid testing.

It noted complete reliance on oral fluid testing could mean a person going undetected as a regular user of drugs, especially cannabis.

Oral fluid testing is better at testing for “P” (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union vs BM Alliance Coal)

BM Alliance won the right to use urine testing in the Supreme Court of Australia. It deemed oral fluid sampling inadequate to detect methamphetamine use. This is critical, considering the prevalence of “P” in New Zealand.

Depending on the drug taken, oral fluid testing also provides less accurate results and tests for fewer substances. It is poor at identifying cannabis, “P”, benzodiazepines, and synthetic substances. Urine testing reliably tests for all these and more.

Employees should choose their testing method, and businesses should focus on impairment (Arnott’s Biscuits Ltd vs United Voice) Arnott’s introduced a new drug and alcohol policy that relied on urinalysis and was served a lawsuit. The FWC ruled that choosing the testing method “is a reasonable exercise of an employer’s right to manage its business…” It further added that identifying chronic, regular drug use fits within the purview of an employer’s health and safety requirements.

When it comes to keeping people safe, businesses can choose the method of testing and more reliable testing measures – such as urine testing – and consider chronic drug use a health and safety issue.

Shifting drug testing to only oral fluid testing does not keep workplaces safe, and here’s the big takeaway for trucking companies – if you want to keep people safe, urinalysis or a blended testing programme are your only choices.  TDDA is a drug and alcohol workplace testing leader with more than 65 locations throughout Australasia. Visit tdda.com

Kirk Hardy, CEO, TDDA.

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alic

TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

Truckin’ easy ways to eat healthy out on the road

S

ometimes eating healthily can be a mission, especially when you work crazy and unpredictable hours, and spend a good part of your day behind the wheel of a truck. But never fear, I am here to help with a few tips and suggestions to create simple and healthy meals to take out on the road.

Breakfast

Depending on what time your day begins, your breakfast could be eaten scarily early, mid-morning, or just whenever you can stomach it. Whatever your breakfast time, here are options to line your tummy for the day.

thing to watch out for is to choose real fruit rather than dried or processed fruits because they are high in sugar. With the nuts, just keep it to a handful because they can cause a bit of a calorie blowout. An apple or a pear with a handful of cashews or Brazil nuts would be a great option.

Option 3

Corn thins/rice crackers. Let’s face it, corn thins and rice crackers are basically just edible plates. You can put an abundance of different toppings on them including tomato, cottage cheese, avocado, peanut butter, hummus, cheese, or tuna. They’re nice and light but a great source of carbohydrate because they shouldn’t leave you feeling overly full and lethargic like a pie or sausage roll might.

Option 1

Rolled oats/Weetbix, yoghurt, blueberries and banana (you could add your favourite nuts and seeds to the mix too). If you use protein powder, you could also mix a few spoonfuls of protein powder into your oats. If you don’t have time to enjoy a bowl of oats, you can simply pop the ingredients into a blender and have a delicious smoothie instead.

Option 2

Omelette/scrambled eggs. Depending on how much time you have, you can throw in your favourite veggies such as mushrooms, capsicum, onion, tomato and spinach, with two or three eggs. If you are really time-poor, you can simply microwave your eggs rather than cooking them in a frying pan.

They’re not quite as tasty, but it is a real time saver.

Lunch Option 1

Wrap or sandwich. Choose your favourite meat, or use leftover meat from dinner and add all the veggies you like – lettuce, tomato, cucumber – and add a small amount of your favourite spread like mayonnaise or aioli. There’s nothing wrong with using condiments as long as you keep the portion to a minimum (one or two teaspoons).

Option 2

Leftovers. Purposely cook a bit too much for dinner, it makes a great lunch for the next day and it’s ready to go.

Snacks

For all those times where you feel peckish but it’s too early for lunch or dinner. You need something small to tide you over and hopefully prevent you from pulling into that bakery for a pie or Chelsea bun.

Option 1

Boiled eggs. Boil up a few eggs in the morning or the night before. They’re an easy snack and high in protein, which will keep you full and tide you over to dinnertime.

Option 2

Nuts and fruit. Simple, easy, and wide in variety. The only

104 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

Dinner

Dinners don’t have to be overly complicated or gourmet.

Personally, I am home late three nights a week so my dinners are literally just filling a gap rather than being a wondrous taste explosion. The concept and structure of dinner is very straightforward – protein and vegetables and a small amount of carbohydrates if you desire. Here are a few examples and ideas for you.

Option 1

Chicken stir fry. Use 200g of chicken breast and a good selection of your favourite vegetables. If you’re extra hungry, you could add half a cup of rice. Make sure you use seasoning, spices and a wee bit of a condiment like sweet chilli sauce or soy sauce to add flavour to the meal. Again, condiments are totally fine as long as you manage the amount you’re using and don’t drown every single meal in mayonnaise.

Option 2

Steak and homemade chips. Again, 200g of good-quality steak, two potatoes cut into wedges and baked in the oven with a bit of seasoning and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Steak and chips is a classic trucker’s meal, but it can be made so much more healthily at home with your own ingredients and without a deep-fryer. I would add some greens, which can be some broccoli, beans or peas, or a delicious combo of them all. It always feels better when you include greens in your dinners.

Give some of these meal options and ideas a go and see how you can simplify the way you prepare and eat meals out on the road. It doesn’t have to be complicated or up to Gordon Ramsay’s standards to be healthy. 

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

Ethan Lewer

– Paengaroa Road Haulage (PRH) Ethan Lewer and his business partner Matt Spratt joined forces in 2016 to found Paengaroa Road Haulage (PRH) and the business has mushroomed since then.

PRH is based between Papamoa and Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty, and Ethan says they will cart “pretty much anything” all around the country.

The business has three divisions – containers, curtainsiders and bulk tip trucks. They are heavily involved in the kiwifruit industry, carting containers, kiwifruit pallets to the port and bin fruit to packhouses.

“I started a long time ago with one truck. Matt and I met about five years ago and started together with the one truck. Now we’re up to 23 trucks.

Favourite truck?

Kenworth through and through.

Favourite place to get a pie?

I’ve gone away from pies. For me, it’s the coffee van at the Otamarakau rest area. She’s there early in the morning and supports the truckers really well. She keeps all the boys fuelled up.

Favourite MyTrucking feature?

The reporting.

Favourite trucking route?

For me, the South Island is pretty cool. But probably the Napier-Taupo Road, there’s something about that road.

Anywhere there’s no traffic is good!

“I’d always liked trucks and started out driving, but I always wanted to own my own truck and have a crack on my own. I guess you could say I chased it, and Matt super-charged it (the business).”

With a complimentary skill set, Ethan and Matt make a formidable team. The pair are 50/50 owners of PRH and Ethan explains he brought the passion for trucking, while Matt’s skills and expertise in business helped them grow.

“I look after the bulk trucks and general things, making stuff happen more or less. I still get out and do a bit of driving from time to time.”

Ethan says the PRH point of difference is reliability, and quality gear. “We don’t let anyone down and run good gear - everything is up to scratch and looked after. Our drivers are a great bunch of guys and we can rely on them to get the job done. Without your team you’re had it, in my eyes.”

PRH has been using MyTrucking for about four years. “Since expanding and getting more trucks, we couldn’t do without MyTrucking. We couldn’t do paper, it just wouldn’t work. With 23 trucks doing 70-80 loads a day it would be damn near impossible to keep track of it all.”

Ethan’s favourite feature is the reporting section, being able to see how the trucks are performing, for example the kilometre rate per truck. He also likes that client details and job histories are captured, meaning drivers can liaise directly with farmers. “It simplifies things and saves me a whole lot of time.”

“Matt and I met about five years ago and started together with the one truck.

Now we’re up to 23 trucks.”

Favourite gearbox?

Standard manual 18-Speed Roadranger.

Favourite way to acknowledge a truckie?

Flick him a wave.

my trucking www.mytrucking.com

NZT 21021 MyTrucking - Ehtan Lewer V2.indd 1

24/03/21 8:09 AM

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Work under our control

I

was recently asked about the difference between an active volcano and a shark. The scenario was a person owns a holiday park near the sea. The holiday park has cabins and tent sites to rent. There is also some water activity equipment available for the use of the guests. The sea and its many attractions form a major part of the advertising and appeal of the holiday park. The question being, can the owner be held liable if a guest is attacked by a shark, and if this is the same as touring an active volcano with paying customers?

We are all aware, or should be, that the PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) who manages or controls a workplace has the responsibility for ensuring, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of people in or around the work of the business. Remember that the PCBU is normally the organisation, company, etc.

There is no doubt that the holiday park is a PCBU and must carry out the above duty. Section 30.2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 states that a person must comply to the extent to which the person has, or would reasonably be expected to have, the ability to influence and control the matter to which the risks relate.

This is the main difference between an active volcano and a shark. If the owner of the holiday park actively took guests out to sea, on guided kayak tours, for example, they would have a responsibility to manage the risks they could influence or control. This would include monitoring the weather, the condition of the sea – rough or smooth – being aware if there are sharks in the area, and providing life jackets.

The tour guide on the active volcano would be expected to know the risk of the volcano at the time of the tour. On the other hand, the shark’s behaviour is unpredictable and beyond the holiday park owner’s control.

Remember, if work is under the control of the PCBU, the responsibility for ensuring safety of people falls on the PCBU. 

About Tracey Murphy

How can Safewise help?

We work with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge, or more time, than they have in-house. For more information, check the website www.safewise.co.nz.

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Tracey is the owner and director of the health and safety consultancy, Safewise. She has more than 12 years’ experience working with organisations from many different industries and holds a diploma in health and safety management and a graduate diploma in occupational safety and health. She is a graduate member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and is on the HASANZ register.

3:12:58 PM

Danielle L. Beston Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: 64 9 379 7658 mobile: 021 326 642 danielle.beston@hobsonchambers.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

106 New Zealand Trucking

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0420-19

LEGAL LINES

Overtaking safely

L

ast month I set out the circumstances in which motorcyclists are permitted to lane split in the context of the overtaking rules as found in the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004. Following on from our discussion about when it’s safe to complete a passing manoeuvre, I wanted to share with you an interesting case that touches on this area of the law. In Mercer v Police [2019] NZHC 1957, Mercer successfully appealed against an infringement notice that was issued for driving a vehicle on a road at a speed exceeding the 100kph speed limit, while overtaking.

rendered it unnecessary for him to complete the overtaking manoeuvre. In the transcript of his evidence recorded in the District Court, Mercer said: “I had to make a snap decision so I’d rather take the safe option which results in no one dying than, yeah, having an accident.”

The police officer who issued the ticket was reluctant to speculate on Mercer’s suggestions as to the dangers of him braking hard instead of speeding up, but otherwise did not refute Mercer’s case. Mercer’s credibility was not challenged and the High Court accepted both witnesses’ evidence as being reliable and credible.

No dispute about speed

Analysis of rule

Mercer did not dispute that he had exceeded the applicable speed limit. His case was that he had no choice. He gave evidence that a car he was passing increased its speed towards the end of the passing area and he decided that the only safe course of action was to exceed the speed limit so as to complete his overtaking manoeuvre safely.

Exceptions for offences

The judge in the District Court acknowledged Mercer’s argument but he did not address it. He found that the offence had been proven but did not give reasons for rejecting Mercer’s argument. That was unfortunate, because although exceeding the speed limit is a strict liability offence, there are legal defences prescribed in the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004. One of the general exceptions set out at subsection 1 in Rule 1.8 is as follows: A person is not in breach of this rule if that person proves that: (a) the act or omission complained of took place in response to a situation on a road; and (b) the situation was not of the person’s own making; and (c) the act or omission was taken: (i) to avoid the death or injury of a person; or (ii) if the act or omissions did not create a risk of death or injury or greater damage to any property, to avoid damage to any property.

Miscarriage of justice

A judge has to justify their findings. How a decision is reached and what was taken into account and what was not, is of importance. If the analysis or reasons are deficient, the conclusion is flawed and unsubstantiated. In this case the High Court was unable to determine why the District Court judge found the speeding infringement proven and this resulted in a miscarriage of justice. The High Court then had to decide whether a conviction could stand in the absence of reasons by the first judge for his decision.

The evidence

Mercer gave an explanation for why he had exceeded the speed limit and denied that there was plenty of room to allow him to merge with the cars he was overtaking that would have

108 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

The High Court accepted that Mercer exceeded the speed limit to overtake a car that increased its speed. His actions were in response to a situation on a road, which is in accordance with Rule 1.8(1)(a). It was also accepted that the requirement in Rule 1.8(1)(b) was satisfied because the situation was not of Mercer’s making. It involved the unexpected increase in speed of the lead vehicle that Mercer was overtaking.

Justice Brewer noted that driving is a dynamic activity.

Conditions can change suddenly, and drivers have to react to them suddenly. Rule 1.8 recognises this and excuses exceeding the speed limit so long as the person charged proves the criteria in the sub-clauses. However, if a person’s driving during their response to the situation is unlawful and falls outside the scope of the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 then it cannot be excused by operation of Rule 1.8. In other words, Rule 1.8 cannot save a person from a charge of careless or dangerous driving. Alternatively, if the situation responded to was one of the person’s making, such as misjudging the speed necessary to complete an overtaking manoeuvre safely, then the excuse will not be available to them either.

Appeal granted

Mercer’s evidence was that he exceeded the speed limit to avoid death or injury. There was no evidence to the contrary. It was not necessary for Mercer to prove his act was objectively necessary to avoid death or injury, just that his act was taken to avoid death or injury. The District Court judge erred in not giving reasons as to why Mercer’s explanation did not amount to a defence to the infringement notice and this led to a miscarriage of justice. Accordingly, the appeal was allowed and the infringement notice was dismissed. 

Please note that this article is not a substitute for legal advice and if you have a particular matter that needs to be addressed, you should consult with a lawyer. Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law and she can be contacted on (09) 379 7658 or 021 326 642.

Danielle Beston

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alic

NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Covid-19 fatigue in the workplace

W

ith Covid-19 restrictions continuing to cause headaches for many businesses, it can be a struggle to keep up with the changes, meet regulations, and support your staff. It is a difficult time for employers, and many are having to step up and add another layer of support for their staff as Covid-19 fatigue kicks in. This pandemic is worse than any natural disaster because it just does not have an end date.

Over the past year we have all got used to the breaking news public announcements across endless media platforms and dread that the news announcement is yet another level change or lockdown. Everyone deals with the news differently; among your staff you will have the person who thinks it is not necessary and overkill to lock down the country.

In the same group, you will have someone who has multiple personal situations to deal with, such as kids to organise at home because the schools are shut. They may have elderly parents or high-risk family members to support and may be concerned about being separated from loved ones because of the locked borders, and are also concerned about contracting the virus themselves.

Employers need to make sure that the culture in their workplace is positive and supports and considers all employees and their different concerns. Be sympathetic and check in with each staff member to ask, ‘How are you coping with this?’

Limit any sceptical chats about different theories about the virus from so-called experts in your company, because this can be very distressing for some people. It is essential that you establish a Covid-19 policy for your business. Communicate it to your staff so that they can understand what will happen if someone at your business contracts the virus or is a close contact of a positive case. It is better to have that laid out clearly so everyone knows how the situation will be managed if it arises, and will avoid potential drama. It will save a lot of stress if it did happen, because you already have a plan of action and everyone knows what to do.

Establish a reliable source of Covid-19 information and news; do not rely on reporters who write their opinion in many publications. The key points are: • Be aware that different staff will deal with information in different ways – show empathy • Only use Covid-19 information from a reliable source • Check in with your staff and ask how they are coping • Establish your company policy about lockdowns and selfisolation, then clearly communicate it to your staff • Limit the negative chats about Covid-19 theories and scepticism – take it seriously.

Employers need to make sure that the culture in their workplace is positive and supports and considers all employees and their different concerns.

Essential workers who keep working throughout the different alert levels and lockdown periods have more challenges and will need more support.

Financially the Covid-19 pandemic can be destructive for a business but that is not the case for all businesses. Encourage your staff to buy local and support small towns. Put up a noticeboard for staff to share business and travel information about local activities and deals. If we all spend our money in a local town it will help businesses to survive.

This pandemic caught us all by surprise and no one had any training to prepare or had any idea that this thing would stay around for so long. It is part of our life now, so it must become business as usual within the new normal. If you look at the positives, more frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitiser has meant less spread of colds, bugs and the flu over the past year. Contact tracing is so important, so remind your staff to keep it up, scan wherever they go, and turn Bluetooth on in the Covid-19 tracer app.

New challenges will evolve as we continue to live with Covid-19. The vaccination programme will take time and there is still a lot to learn. In the meantime, company owners need to lead their team by example and have good policy systems in place. 

NZ Trucking Association can be contacted on 0800 338 338 or info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

110 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

By Carol McGeady, executive officer NZ Trucking Association

January Poster - Magazines.pdf 1 26/01/2021 9:58:46 AM

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FEBRUARY 20

Presented by

FRIDAY: TRADE DAY / CAREERS SHOWCASE SATURDAY: SHOW & SHINE / COMPETITIONS

alic

ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM

‘Trucking toward a better future’ a timely initiative

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want to start by congratulating Lindsay Wood and New Zealand Trucking editor Dave McCoid on the launch of ‘Trucking Toward a Better Future’, an initiative aimed at getting truck drivers and others in the road-freight industry thinking about what they can do to reduce CO2 emissions.

The initiative came about after Lindsay saw an article on Johnny Baxter from Temuka Transport, who in 2017 took out the Volvo Trucks Fuelwatch Challenge, a testament to driving skill that has a direct correlation with safety, fuel consumption, profitability, and carbon emissions.

Lindsay runs consultancy company Rezilienz, which specialises in practical ways organisations and their staff can address climate change. Impressed with Baxter’s performance, he contacted Climate Change Minister James Shaw. He didn’t receive a reply, so he got in touch with McCoid to see if something could be done to harness the brainpower of New Zealand’s truckers. He realised that what Baxter had achieved didn’t fit with mainstream driving practice, and felt if one person driving a truck in a particular way could make such a big difference to the industry’s environmental future, this could be applied to other areas.

The outcome was ‘Trucking Toward a Better Future’, with a prize pool of $2000 for the best ideas. The competition runs until the end of April and I hope it encourages everyone to think outside the box and come up with ways of improving efficiency and lowering emissions across the industry.

Judging the ideas will be business and environmental commentator Rod Oram, and Carr & Haslam director Chris Carr. Recognising that truck drivers are aware of the entire supply chain and have their eyes and ears open at all times, they will be looking for workable ideas that can be adopted at a practical level.

This initiative could not have come at a better time, following on the heels of the Climate Change Commission releasing its draft report. New Zealand’s government has committed to reaching net zero emissions of long-lived gases by 2050, and to reducing biogenic methane emissions by between 24% and 47% by 2050.

The commission acknowledges the vast majority of the freight task will remain on the road, but says switching some freight movements from road to rail and coastal shipping could reduce emissions. However, they concede that only a fraction of the freight task (about 4% of freight tonne-kilometres) can switch by 2030.

We regularly hear the call for more freight to be put on rail or sent by sea, but the reality is nothing equals the road transport industry for efficiency and the ability to reach all the destinations that our modern freight system demands. We’re in agreement with the commission that some freight is suitable for rail or shipping, but you can’t collect milk from farms or deliver goods door-to-door using anything other than a truck.

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Under the commission’s approach to meeting the 2050 targets, New Zealand would need to almost completely decarbonise land transport. This means changing how most vehicles are powered. The report does recognise that medium and heavy trucks will be slower to electrify than the light vehicle fleet because current battery technology does not provide the range needed for effective long-haul road transport.

The choice of alternative fuel (hydrogen/methanol/ electricity/biodiesel/synthetics) will be dependent on the availability and cost of those fuels in New Zealand as well as the vehicle technology to run them. The practicality of each alternative fuel depends on adequate electricity (or gas) supply and significant infrastructure to facilitate its manufacture and distribution. Any policies for decarbonising the road-freight industry must take into account these factors, as well as the investment impact of purchasing new equipment and the availability of technicians and resources to service the new equipment.

We can’t predict the future and say with certainty which of the alternative methods of powering heavy trucks will be right for New Zealand. Who knows, maybe an entrant in the ‘Trucking Toward a Better Future’ competition will come up with something none of us has thought of yet. I can’t wait to see what comes out it. 

New Zealand Road Transport Industry Awards are go!

With the Road Transport Forum Conference due to return in 2021, we are pleased to announce that the New Zealand Road Transport Industry Awards will also resume.

The awards were set up a number of years ago to recognise best practice and achievement in the industry. As well as the Supreme Contribution to the Road Transport Industry Award, there will also be awards for Health and Safety, Young Driver of the Year, and Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry.

Entry guidelines and the nomination form are available for download from the RTF website. Nominations are also open for the Castrol Truck Driver Hero Award.

The RTF Conference will take place on 24, 25 and 26 September.

Nick Leggett chief executive officer

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LAST MILE

Letter to the Minister of Transport Dear Minister Woods, I recently read the two briefing documents provided to you as incoming Minister of Transport by the Ministry of Transport, the BIMs, but had difficulty understanding them.

Perhaps my difficulty can be explained simply because I do not have a degree in public policy nor am I versed in current-style management speak, but I note there was little attention paid to the major issues facing the road transport industry, so I have decided to draw one of these to your attention.

The value of the country’s roads, and of those who use them, can be compared to the arteries, veins and blood in our bodies. Just as arteries, veins and blood are vital to maintain the health of a person, so roads are vital to maintain the health of our nation. We know what happens to a person’s health when arteries and veins get damaged or are not able to move blood around the body the way they are supposed to; the person suffers a medical misadventure that can be life-changing, and in the worst case the person may die.

Hopefully though, before damaged arteries and veins become life-changing, medical intervention will have taken place. Our roads are rapidly becoming damaged to the stage that urgent intervention is needed before the damage is irreversible, and the patient dies – in this case though, the patient is the welfare of the country.

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Minister, you need to look no further than the emerging trend to reduce the speed limits on some state highways because the authorities consider them unsafe to drive on at regular highway speeds. In itself, this is an indictment of past roading policies and funding priorities. It shows the need to prioritise funding into those areas that have the greatest impact on all of New Zealand, i.e. the fast and efficient movement of freight, the lifeblood of the country.

Page 11 of the Your Guide to the Transport System document discusses how you can deliver your transport priorities and gives examples of the key plans for your consideration. The plans cited include the New Zealand Rail Plan, the programme for road policing activities, the Rail Network Investment Plan, and the New Southern Sky plan to modernise New Zealand’s airspace and navigation system.

Attention to these plans may have good long-term benefits – delivery times of three to 10 years are mentioned – but the disgusting state of our roads is a fact today, and will not improve until the decision-makers stop theorising on what might be, put ideology to one side, and start applying good practical solutions to halt the insidious undermining of the lifesustaining network that is our roading system.

To this I would recommend that you instruct some of your senior transport officials to spend some quality time with those people for whom the road is their workplace, and who daily deliver the goods to almost every town throughout the country – not the industry representative associations, but the drivers themselves. Please never forget that regardless of the weather and natural disasters, road freight will find a way to get through.

The road transport industry pays for its use of the roading network through government-imposed charges and levies such as road user charges and vehicle registration. It does not mind doing this but expects the money it pays to be used for the purpose it was taken, i.e. construction and maintenance of the road network. To siphon some of this money off into feel-good projects for use by people who do not contribute to the cost is, in my opinion, bordering on immoral. It is akin to when the road-freight industry was regulated in 1936 to protect the railways.

The Your Guide to Opportunities and Challenges in the Transport System document outlines some of your responsibilities for the transport system in New Zealand.

However, it does not appear to mention that one of your responsibilities is to ensure a roading network that is safe for moving freight.

Former United States senator and congressman Byron Dorgan said: “You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility”. Minister, you are responsible for the state of the roads in New Zealand, you are responsible for fixing them, and you are responsible for ensuring they are, and remain, fit for purpose.

Yours sincerely, The Accidental Trucker

114 New Zealand Trucking

April 2021

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