New Zealand Trucking August 2021

TRUCKING WITH HART AUGUST 2021

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An Upper Clutha Transport FH16 Volvo glides up to Raes Junction in Otago, a famous point in New Zealand’s trucking subculture.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 3

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CONTENTS

EDITOR

Dave McCoid

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers

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

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

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Pav Warren

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SUB EDITOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Tracey Strange Shannon Williams

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

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of New Zealand Trucking or Long Haul Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Strong Hart Overcomes All – Beacon for Hope

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46

DiamondTipped – Driving Fuso’s new 13-litre

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REST 8

Editorial

10 Road Noise – Industry news 56 Just Truckin’ Around 58 Top Truck of the Year – Get voting 60 Gallery – Dave McCoid 62 Brisbane Truck Show – The return 72 Rust in Peace 74 International Truck Stop – A mini convoy 78 Wanaka Memory 80 New Rigs 84 New Bodies and Trailers 86 Rhino Photo Comp

68

Southern Alps Monsta – Peak Delivery

88 Mini Big Rigs 90 Little Truckers’ Club 92 What’s On / Cartoon

96 Moving Metrics 100 Incoming Cargo – NZ’s hydrogen future 104 Industry Comment 106 Truckers’ Health 108 Health and Safety 109 NZ Trucking Association 110 Legal Lines 112 Road Transport Forum 114 The Last Mile

B R OUG HT T O YO U B Y

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

Millau Viaduct.

IN BIG LETTERS

I

n his many iconic publications, business author Jim Collins asks the questions: ‘who are you?’, ‘what is it you do?’ Often the answers are less clear than we might have thought, and clarity can result in a significant directional shift, even if that’s a thought/realisation thing, and not a drastic lurching of the business vessel from the viewpoint of staff or customers.

Industry representation here over the last stanza in history has been plentiful, replicated, parochial, fractious, hugely expensive, and less than successful. I say hugely expensive because I see a hell of a lot of replicated overhead for essentially the same function. That cost only comes from one place – the back pockets of a lowmargin industry. Often the numbers bandied about by representatives are gross macro-economic statistics and not related to their number, or even combined number, specifically. An exercise I did in lockdown last year, attempting to clarify once and for all what the associations represented in terms of national ‘who and what’, yielded a less than spectacular, incredibly confusing result. In fact,

the calls I made seeking clarification only served to muddy the picture.

One person who challenged my opinion on the current situation received the response: “The roads are poked, the fatigue laws are a joke, the average age of drivers is mid-50s, the reality of life around the Cook Strait ferries is appalling, no new road infrastructure accommodates the needs of truck drivers in any way, shape or form, the government has zero respect for us. I could go on and on, and except for one, none of these issues is yesterday’s breaking news.

These are all decades old, so the system is broken.

“The multiple-overhead, club flag model doesn’t work.

Strengths within each club aren’t recognised by the others, and weaknesses form the foundation of continuance, with unsurprising results.”

I’m a great believer in the adage ‘the windscreen is for looking forward’, and that’s why it’s 20 times the size of the rear view. Back to Jim and his books. If one association, and I really don’t care which, hung an enormous board in its foyer with an image taken from the viewpoint of a driver looking out through a

TRUCK & LIGHT COMMERCIAL adapted masthead.indd 1

BU

EDITORIAL

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

TRADER

windscreen at a road, with the words, ‘What does their world look like today?’ it would focus their purpose immeasurably.

Under the image, there should be a meter, with the left in red labelled ‘garbage’, the middle in orange labelled ‘improving’, and the right in green labelled ‘good and getting better’.

Then, of course, a needle for pointing at whichever one was aplicable. Every day, the sole purpose of the organisation is to move the meter further to the right. Having that as your ‘temple of clarification’ would positively impact your members, your industry, and with enough passion, your government. In fact, I’d argue, whoever took it on would be the dominant industry representative in about half a decade.

The late Bill Richardson was renowned for regularly jumping in the cab of one of his trucks and spending a few hours with the driver. I remember him explaining to me in 1996, while on a walk through the museum, the value that one thing had in his business. And look where he ended up.

Understand your purpose at the grassroots and the rest will take care of itself.

J

ust out of interest, as I write this editorial, the traffic on the Takaka Hill – SH60 – has stopped and has been for two hours.

They were stopped due to a slip among the roughly 4km of sporadic remediation work currently underway because of prior slips in the last big storm. It’s a project now four and half years old, with no real end in sight.

If the whole SH60 debacle weren’t a metaphor for so much that’s not working, dysfunctional, or that has lost direction in our fair nation, it would almost be funny … in a masochistic sort of way. Yes, there was a lot of remediation work to do there but it only took about four years to build the Millau Viaduct in France. I hark back to that project again, because so many government agencies and regulators love to cite European examples to fortify a decision when it suits them – even if it is often a false comparison.

That makes Millau a great project for exemplifying comparative strengths.

Simply put, they can build shit. We can’t.

Dave McCoid Editor

LT

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ROAD NOISE NEWS NEW MODELS

DAF moves the game on

F

east your eyes on the new generation of heavy-duty DAF trucks – the XF, XG and XG+. Beginning production in October, the entirely new line-up of trucks is said to offer “the highest quality, 10% improved fuel efficiency, a full suite of passive and active safety features and the next level of luxury in truck design”.

Quality The new trucks feature an angular design and the cab has a 160mm front elongation to boost aerodynamics and safety, while the cab rear has received 330mm of extra length, increasing space and comfort.

Lightweight, high-strength steel is used for the cab structure, and soft-touch materials and leather are used throughout the interior.

Energy-efficient LED lighting is used throughout the truck.

The new generation underwent more than 20 million kilometres of functional, durability, reliability and customer testing.

Efficiency DAF claims up to 10% better fuel efficiency and an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions with its new generation. The gains are down to the use of advanced

From left: XG+, XG and XF.

computational fluid dynamics to create an aerodynamically tapered cab that features large radii, a curved windscreen, excellent sealing, digital cameras instead of mirrors, and optimised engine and under-cab airflow.

Powering the new generation are the PACCAR MX-11 and MX-13 engines coupled with smart exhaust after-treatment systems and the TraXon automated transmission.

DAF’s new generation has been designed for the latest bio and renewable e-fuels, and the trucks are a ready platform for future zeroemissions powertrains.

DAF Connect fleet management provides for time-saving over the air software updates. Service intervals have increased to an industry-first 200,000km, or once a year.

Safety The big news with the new generation is the DAF digital camera system, replacing the main and wide-angle side mirrors. The DAF corner-view system offers maximum view on the area around the cab’s A-pillar on the co-driver side.

As an option, a kerb view window is available, which – in combination with the foldable co-driver seat – offers an unobstructed view of

pedestrians and cyclists next to the truck on the co-driver side.

DAF has placed all primary driving functions on the steering wheel and the steering column stalks.

Physical switches operate secondary driving functions, logically positioned on the dashboard, within easy reach of the driver.

Luxury and comfort The redesigned dashboard features a fully digital instrument panel that can be customised to the driver’s personal preferences. An optional second touchscreen display is available for operating the DAF navigation and infotainment system.

The interior volume of the cab is 12.5m3, and the DAF XG+ has 14% more volume than the current DAF XF Super Space Cab. The driver

and co-driver seats can be rotated to a comfortable position.

The new bed length is 2220mm in all models, with 800mm of width over the complete length in the XG and XG+ models. A mechanical or electrically adjustable DAF relax bed with a separate topper is available for optimal head, back and leg support while resting.

The cab environment is enhanced by ambient LED lighting that is adjustable in brightness and colour, while a fully integrated park aircon is available as an option on the XG+ for automatic cooling and heating of the cab, even when the engine is turned off.

DAF has paid special attention to how the new generation rides and handles, engineering a new front-end design of the chassis, new cab suspension, and a new rear-axle suspension design.

eActros makes world premiere

T

he eActros concept vehicle was first displayed at the 2016 IAA Commercia Vehicles show in Hanover. Since 2018, 10 prototypes have been through practical testing in cooperation with customers in Germany and other European countries.

Now, following an international premiere on 30 June, the first seriesproduction, heavy-duty distribution electric model from Mercedes-Benz Trucks has arrived. It will begin to hit the road in the European autumn.

Technology at heart The eActros drive unit uses a rigid electric axle with two integrated electric motors and a two-speed transmission.

Both liquid-cooled motors generate a continuous output of 330kW and a peak output of 400kW, which drive through a two-speed transmission.

Depending on the version, the eActros draws its energy from three or four battery packs – each with a capacity of about 105kWh. With a maximum capacity of 420kWh, Mercedes-Benz claims a “realistic” range of up to 400km.

Charging can be done at up to 160kW. When connected to a regular 400A DC charging station, the three battery packs need a little longer than one hour to charge from 20% to 80% Mercedes-Benz said that in full-load operations, drivers would enjoy a noise reduction of 10dB inside the cab, which

roughly corresponds to a halving of noise volume.

Full safety suite Like its conventional siblings, the eActros includes systems such as MirrorCam, Sideguard Assist S1R and the fifth generation of Active Brake Assist (ABA5) with pedestrian detection. Challenges associated with electric vehicles and their high-voltage systems have also been addressed.

Special crash elements with an aluminium profile protect the batteries in the event of a side-on crash, while sensors integrated into these can detect a crash scenario. In such a case, the HV battery would be automatically isolated from the rest of the vehicle. The driver has the option of actuating the HV shut-off at any time in the cab.

To ensure the vehicle is easier for road users such as pedestrians and cyclists to hear, the eActros uses an external Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS).

Keeping tabs The standard Multimedia Cockpit Interactive keeps the driver constantly up to date with the charge level of the batteries and the remaining range, as well as current and average energy consumption.

Mercedes-Benz’s Fleetboard portal of digital solutions offers fleet managers a range of tools, including an individually developed Charge Management System for

creating charging profiles, and a logbook containing detailed information on driving times, downtimes and charging breaks. A mapping tool shows the vehicle’s current location in real-time, its status and the battery charge.

With a high degree of digitisation and connectivity, Mercedes-Benz says it is possible to establish a highly realistic and meaningful usage profile for electric trucks using a customer’s existing route plans.

As part of the MercedesBenz Complete service contract, fully automatic telediagnosis monitors the status of several vehicle systems in the truck in realtime.

Step-by-step To assist haulage companies switch to electromobility, Mercedes-Benz Trucks has incorporated the eActros into a comprehensive system that includes consultant and service products for customers, and in turn, the best possible vehicle utilisation, optimisation of total costs and the setting-up of a charging infrastructure.

The service, called eConsulting, includes everything from the electrification of the depot, to questions concerning planning, applying for and implementing everything to do with the charging infrastructure, and connection to the electricity network.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 11

ROAD NOISE NEWS NEW MODELS

510hp for under $200k

T

he most powerful Japanese truck available in New Zealand will hit the road before the end of the year, as the Fuso Shogun 510 reaches the final stages of testing and transmission mapping on local roads.

With 380kW (510hp) and 2500Nm torque forming the 13-litre, Detroit Dieselderived OM471 engine, the Shogun 510 “will be the jewel in the crown of the Fuso range”, said Fuso New Zealand product planning manager Ian Porter.

“This is a truck we’ve wanted to introduce for some time, and we’re extremely pleased to now be in a position to do so,” said Fuso New Zealand managing director Kurtis Andrews.

“We know the 460hp Shogun is extremely capable; now operators wanting 10hp per tonne on a 50-tonne load will be seriously impressed with

what this new model has to offer.”

Said Porter: “After 10,000km of road testing, we are currently working with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation engineers to ensure that the mapping on the G330 12-speed automated transmission is as well-tuned as the 360hp, 400hp and 460hp units.”

Shogun 510 will initially be available in two 6x4 wheelbase options – a tractor (3900mm) and a rigid (4300mm) – both with 63-tonne GVM and air suspension, and will be suitable for A-train, B-train

and tipper configurations.

The Shogun 510 will go on sale in New Zealand with an introductory price of $199,900 +ORC +GST for the FV2651K tipper/tractor specification model.

“I think it will turn a few heads that we are offering a 500hp, 2500Nm truck with air suspension, LSD, all the safety features, plus five-year/500,000km warranty, all for under $200,000 – that’s pretty sharp,” said Andrews.

Turn to page 46 for an exclusive drive impression of the prototype model.

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TIL rebrands to Move Logistics Group

T

IL Logistics Group will now be known as Move Logistics Group as the company brings all its brands and businesses together under one banner.

The freight and logistics firm began as a regional transport company, moving goods around the country since 1869.

It has now evolved into one of the country’s largest freight and logistics providers, offering services across five divisions, including freight, logistics and warehousing, fuel, international and specialist lifting, and transport.

Moving forward, each of these divisions will operate under the Move brand, bringing together the company’s range of services under one integrated

end-to-end supply chain logistics solution.

Move Logistics Group chair Trevor Janes said the new name captured the essence of what the company offered.

“Our customers increasingly want an end-to-end supply chain solution, which we can provide with our nationwide network and range of services,” he said.

“It makes sense to bring our brands and businesses together under one banner. This unified approach and a more united brand presence will make it easier for us to be seen… and easier for our customers to identify the group as a whole, providing a connected range of transport and logistics solutions.”

Janes said besides the name change,

it was business as usual. “We are committed to creating a sustainable business that builds on the past 150 years and takes us into the future. Our people are fundamental to our business, and we are committed to creating great career pathways in an industry that is essential to New Zealand’s economy,” he said.

The company is also investigating alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, and is piloting an electric truck on its Auckland metro route. It is also investing in new trucks that use advanced diesel engine technologies to reduce emissions and in-cab technology to ensure the best possible driver behaviour.

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27/07/21 8:06 AM

ROAD NOISE NEWS

Genesis takes on first eCanter

E

lectricity and gas company Genesis has added a Fuso eCanter to its fleet, making it the first company in the southern hemisphere to do so.

The eCanter, based at the company’s East Tamaki site, joins the 10 hybrid vehicles already part of the company’s 110-strong truck fleet. “We have committed to removing at least 1.2 million tonnes of annual carbon emissions from our activities over the next five years, and transport-related initiatives will be part of that,” said Cameron Jardine, Genesis general manager of LPG and small and medium business.

Genesis worked with Fuso New Zealand, Keith Andrews Trucks, and TR Group to bring the eCanter into service, taking it on as part of a six-year lease agreement through TR Group. The eCanter features bodywork and an automated tail lift made to Genesis specification by Koromiko Engineering, the preferred

bodybuilder for Genesis.

New Zealand Trucking was one of two publications invited to view the eCanter on the same day trainers from Fuso New Zealand were on site to introduce driver Norm Vaili to his new charge.

“It’s awesome to drive; it’s really quick, like a big go-kart,” said Vaili, and added: “It’s a big step forward in the move away from carbon emissions, it’s the right way to go.”

Vaili will be intimately involved in feeding back information on how the eCanter performs, which will guide electric/hybrid decisions for Genesis over the next four years. At first, the eCanter will run on selected routes before going into wider Auckland. “We need to know how it works within our operation – the mileage we can get out of it and battery usage, ideal loads and so on. It’ll be interesting to see how it carries our bottles.”

With a GVM of 7490kg, the eCanter is considered a

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medium-sized truck in the Genesis fleet. However, it poses a payload penalty compared with an equivalent diesel-powered truck, which is one factor the company aims to understand to get things right in the future. Brad Phillips, Genesis heavy fleet manager, explained that there was a lot to be learnt.

“For example, some of the things we’ve been investigating include the optimum charging routine – will it be back to base every night or fast charges while the driver has their mandated breaks?” Genesis expects a range of 100km to 150km between charges in its operation.

Additional complications are posed by bringing an electric vehicle into operation where LPG gas is the primary product on site. “We have zonings and charging restrictions and other considerations we’ve never had to deal with in combination – that’s the complexity. Where do we put chargers on-site?

TR Group managing director, Andrew Carpenter; Fuso NZ managing director, Kurtis Andrews; and Genesis general manager of LPG and small and medium business, Cameron Jardine.

With all the hazard zones, it’s technically difficult; one truck is one thing, but if we have a fleet of 15 electric trucks, we must figure out where to park and charge them outside of these zones,” he explained.

However, Phillips added that Genesis was leaping in and figuring out the solutions instead of waiting for them to be delivered. “What does

From left: Norm Vaili, Genesis East Tamaki driver; Brad Phillips, Genesis heavy fleet manager; and Jane Sutton, Genesis regional manager, upper North Island. the range look like in real life operations, and how many cylinders can we deliver in that range? What are the best areas to deploy these? It’ll take

40T - 50T WEIGHBRIDGES.

a while to figure that all out.

We’ve gone into this knowing we don’t yet have all the answers.”

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40 Tonne weighing platforms are four metres long and 3.1M includes lifting hooks per platform and each platform weighs approximately 2000kgs.

50 Tonne weighing platforms are six metres long and 3.1M includes lifting hooks per platform and each platform weighs approximately 3000kgs.

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Edge to edge weighing, fully galvanised platforms, Rinstrum R420 indicator with business name, vehicle ID, date, time, sequence number, memory stick, or for a fully customised setup the Mettler indicator is what you require eg split weigh front and back axles.

21/06/21 9:52 AM

ROAD NOISE NEWS

Weighing-in on the move

N

eville Marsh Weighbridges Ltd has been manufacturing and supplying certified portable weighbridges throughout New Zealand for heavy-duty commercial operations for nearly 20 years.

The company offers weighbridges in 40-tonne (40T) or 50-tonne (50T) capacity.

The 40T platforms are 4m long with a centre ramp between each platform, giving an overall length of 10m, and can accommodate a five-axle trailer. The 50T platforms are 6m long for a total weighing area of 1m. Centre ramps are optional with the 50T. There are on/off aluminium ramps at either end, which are

chained onto the weighbridge frame. This allows movement between the ramps and the weighing platform.

The standard Rinstrum R420 indicator and a printer goes with the weighbridge in a specially made box, or there is another indicator available that can be customised for wifi, split weighing, etc. If a company already has a computer system in place, the two systems can be integrated. Two 12-volt batteries run the indicator and printer, although some clients have the system on solar panels or an inverter.

It takes 10 to 15 minutes to set up or relocate the weighbridges. Ron & Stew Kilburn from Accurate

Weighing Ltd, certify and calibrate each weighbridge.

All the weighbridges are made at the Marsh Engineering workshop and are galvanised. Wide floating platforms cover the entire weighing surface, allowing for wider tractor and trailer units. They include 10-tonne compression load cells at each corner and aluminium ramps.

“Neville Marsh Weighbridges are New Zealand-made for our conditions, which can be

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There are currently five 50T weighbridges at the Port of Auckland, while the weighbridges are also finding favour with agricultural and civil contractors.

“Some companies hire the weighbridges for seasonal work or we have two on longterm hire.”

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RTF calls out the government on transport decarbonisation

T

he Road Transport Forum says the government needs to “get real” on transport decarbonisation.

RTF chief executive Nick Leggett said the government needed a more apparent position on transport decarbonisation and had to be more realistic about the societal impacts while reducing emissions.

Leggett said the RTF recognised the work done by the Ministry of Transport, Te Manatu Waka on Hikina te Kohupara – Kia mauri ora ai te iwi Transport Emissions: Pathways to Net Zero by 2050. But, in its submission, it said the government’s approach was “confusing, creates uncertainty in the

freight sector, and will increase transport costs, which it should be honest about”.

“On one hand, government tells us the market should respond to the immediate supply-chain issues caused, in part, by its long-term border closure,” Leggett said.

“On the other hand, in this paper, we see suggestions of government interventions in the supply chain that we can only describe as draconian.”

Leggett said the government was “in no position” to dictate how and when businesses and individuals chose to move their freight and household goods.

“Government officials do not have the expertise to examine payload efficiencies, nor should they be interfering in normal market forces that will

inherently drive efficiencies,” he said.

The RTF said the government’s approach to encouraging and supporting transport innovation that supported emissions reductions lacked tangible action and created an environment of uncertainty in the sector.

“We believe the government should refocus its efforts and provide support to industrywide and sector-led initiatives, rather than its tendency to develop its own ideas or support niche products,” Leggett said.

“New Zealand is largely a technology-taker, and the vast majority of expertise on the feasibility and viability of transport innovation lies within

the market and transport sector leadership groups, not with the government.”

Leggett said government interventions to “advantage one transport mode over another” would create additional costs and lower overall economic prosperity.

“There are a number of approaches that could be implemented in the short term to reduce emissions.

“The industry has suggested these in numerous discussion papers, and we are getting increasingly frustrated that, rather than get after some tangible returns, the government appears to continue with some fundamentally flawed policy idealisms and search for an unobtainable nirvana.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Focus on South Island for Kiwi Truck Tyres

K

iwi Truck Tyres has big plans for the South Island and has welcomed a new team member to lead the charge. Hamish Campbell, South Island account manager, has been in the role since May, having worked in the tyre industry for the past 10 years. He is tasked with driving Kiwi Truck Tyres’ sales and business development from Farewell Split to Bluff.

Campbell himself is based in Rangiora, Christchurch, or “pretty much wherever I need to be”, he said. His main goal is to promote the product and build up certification and performance stats from operations within the South Island.

“The South Island is pretty much uncharted territory for Kiwi Truck Tyres at the moment. The product is known here through internal and external counterparts and word of mouth. The customers who are aware of the product love it – but there is still a lot of untapped growth potential,” he said.

Campbell said that one of the strengths of Kiwi Truck Tyres was the company’s ability to work with any provider. “Our products are not exclusive to anyone. If the end users want to use our product, they can continue business with whoever services their fleet. We have a good reputation with service providers in the South Island.”

One of the reasons Kiwi Truck Tyres enjoys a strong reputation with New Zealand truck operators is the fact that each tyre model is designed by the company in New Zealand for New Zealand operating conditions.

Campbell said: “Research and development is done by us locally. Having the ability to work with the end-users and get their feedback on the product – and adapt them – gives us a key advantage.”

The best examples include the newly introduced KIWI17 in 235/75 R17.5 for trailers and the KIWI20 super singles in 385/55 R22.5 and 385/65 R22.5 for steerers. With the 385/55 R22.5 specifically, Kiwi Truck Tyres boasts the only

Hamish Campbell. mixed-service super single currently on the market in this size.

“That’s what makes Kiwi Truck Tyres unique,” said Campbell. “No other tyre on the market has had the R&D phase of its development done in New Zealand. Kiwi Truck Tyres are designed for local conditions and for longevity of treadwear when operating on Kiwi chip-seal.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

NZ-made brake testers for UAE

L

ifting and testing equipment supplier MAHA has supplied its first two units to the United Arab Emirates. The MTL5250 mobile roller brake testers, built in New Zealand, will be used by UAE vehicle testing agencies for routine vehicle inspections.

Mick Lauster, managing director, MAHA Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands, said that the Australasianmade units employed MAHA’s standard, German-made brake and axle-play testers, but the overall package – including the frame, trailer and motor generator – was created Down Under.

“Our sister company in the Middle East, together with the MAHA local dealer in the UAE (Al Zarouni International),

asked us to build these units locally because of the way we design the trailer,” said Lauster. Four similar units have been in operation in Australia for more than seven years.

The New Zealand-made units feature custom-made wheel tracks that are wider than German standard units by about 300mm.

MAHA has long supplied equipment to the Pacific

Islands out of Australia, and currently has hundreds of units in operation throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Lauster said that in the past 12 months, the market had strongly turned towards German made equipment.

Chantal Abou Jaoude, managing director of MAHA Middle East, said that the local teams in Dubai – and their customers – were looking forward to the

arrival of the units. The commissioning and aftersales support would be carried out locally.

“There’s an appetite for good-quality gear,” he said.

“MAHA also trains its own specialist technicians, and our aftersales service is contributing to the uptake.

Through Covid, we’ve had continuity of supply and service to our customers.”

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Calls for safe rates following claims truck drivers falsifying logbooks

F

irst Union is calling for the New Zealand transport industry to implement a Safe Rates system that it says will end competitive tendering models that incentivise unsafe practices.

It comes after claims of falsified logbooks in the trucking industry as drivers are forced to cut corners on behalf of their employers.

“Safe Rates refers to the idea that road-transport employers, and not drivers, should be responsible for the actual costs of operating the supply chain, and expenses incurred in delivering a contract should be borne by the actual economic employer rather than squeezing them out of drivers’ wages and conditions,” said Jared Abbott, First Union secretary for transport, logistics and manufacturing.

“For years in New Zealand, major employers in the road-transport industry have been explicitly passing on significant

costs in the supply chain to workers, which means pay and conditions have been cut and unsafe practices have taken hold as the norm.”

Abbot said the falsified log book claims were just one example of how the contracting model penalised drivers and led to unsafe practices on the road.

“Meanwhile, economic employers have been able to pass on costs to their contractors and obscure the actual cost of doing business while simultaneously weakening the power of drivers to negotiate fair wages that reflect the work required to do the job,” he said.

“At the moment, road transport is, unfortunately, a sector built on a lie.”

The global Safe Rates campaign has been marked by victories for the Transport Workers Union at the state level in Australia, as well as the passage of Safe Rates legislation in South Korea, where minimum pay rates were established in 2018. Safe Rates or similar

systems also exist in the US, Canada and the Netherlands.

“It’s rare that employers and drivers are on exactly the same page, but everyone in the industry knows that current procurement practices are responsible for the mess we’re in,” said Abbott.

“And it’s not just the explicit roadtransport sector either – these issues apply equally in forestry and public transport, where unregulated competitive tendering is driving unsafe behaviour down the supply chain.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Iveco NZ appoints new dealer principal

B

arry Woods is the new dealer principal for Iveco New Zealand. Woods has been part of Iveco New Zealand for four years, previously as a parts manager.

“With more than 10 years’ experience in the vehicle industry across various management roles, he is focused on developing the local team, consistently exceeding the expectations of our customers and strengthening our New Zealand business,” said Iveco ANZ managing director Michael May. “We are confident Barry will continue to grow Iveco New Zealand in his new role as dealer principal.”

Said Woods: “Iveco is one

Isuzu Trucks service partner in Invercargill of New Zealand’s fastestgrowing commercial vehicle brands, and I am committed to ensuring this upward growth trajectory during my time as the dealer principal.

“This brand is now well represented in New Zealand by a fantastic selection of product range that we have on offer and I am excited to see this becoming more popular with our customer segment.”

I

suzu Trucks New Zealand has appointed Southern Mechanical Services as its new service centre partner in Invercargill.

“We are thrilled the team at Southern Mechanical Services has come on board with Isuzu Trucks in Invercargill, as it further helps to strengthen our nationwide network and provides additional peace of mind for owner/operators in the southernmost part of the South Island,” said Dave Ballantyne, general manager of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand.

Lloyd Phillips, general manager of Phillips Group Ltd, owner of SMS, said: “We are very excited to be able to deliver a service to all the new and existing Isuzu Truck customers and play a large part in keeping the wheels rolling in and around the lower South Island for many years to come.”

Isuzu Trucks is represented by 11 master truck dealers offering full sales, parts, and service facilities and 18 authorised service centres throughout the country.

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Scania NZ new Whakatane service dealer

E

ast Coast Heavy Diesel and Machinery is the new authorised service dealer for Scania in Whakatane.

The announcement follows East Coast Heavy Diesel and Machinery’s appointment as a Scania authorised service dealer in Gisborne earlier this year.

Scania New Zealand service director Nick Allan said further developing Scania’s customer service and regional support was top of mind when making the

appointment.

The director of East Coast Heavy Diesel and Machinery, Scott Hale, said the business was “delighted” to add another of its companies to the Scania stable.

Scania significantly expanded its footprint throughout New Zealand last year, with a current stable of 24 nationwide service centres, of which 10 are Scania New Zealand branches and 14 are independent approved service centres.

New GM of sales at CablePrice

J

ames Magill is the new general manager of sales for CablePrice (NZ). Magill steps into the position after holding the national equipment sales manager role.

Based at CablePrice’s head office in Gracefield, Petone, Magill will provide executive leadership, management, and strategic direction for all sales operations across multiple teams and locations. He is tasked with ensuring that sales are executed effectively and on time, in accordance with the customer’s and the company’s expectations.

“I’m excited to welcome this appointment, and I’m excited by the prospect of James leading the company’s sales teams,” said Aidan Mahony, CablePrice managing director. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role.”

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Navistar now fully merged with Traton Group

T

he Traton Group, which includes truck brands MAN and Scania, has completed the merger between itself and United States commercial vehicle manufacturer Navistar. The Traton Group now holds all Navistar common shares.

Navistar was delisted and deregistered with the SEC in July.

A strategic alliance has been in place between Traton and Navistar since 2017, with both partners benefiting from the considerable value generated by enhanced purchasing power and the integration of new technologies. As a new brand of the Traton Group, Navistar will be in a better position to meet the growing requirements of the market and to improve its customer offering further, especially

with respect to the transition to electric mobility and the establishment of autonomous driving.

“Today is a sensational day for the Traton Group and for our new colleagues at Navistar joining the global Traton family.

From this day on, we will be working side-by-side to bring sustainable transportation of the future one step closer. This is something the entire group is looking forward to,” said Traton CEO Matthias Gründler.

“The fact that this merger has been implemented so quickly and smoothly, despite the obstacles presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, is testament to the impressive teamwork on both sides of the Atlantic. I would like to thank each and every one involved,” he added.

Navistar president and CEO Persio Lisboa said: “Over the

past five years, Navistar and the Traton brands have worked very well together, and it is exciting to become now part of the global Traton Group.

“Our common understanding of the future of transportation and our joint heritage create a very solid basis for our common way forward. The transport industry is changing rapidly.

And, together, we will shape this change for the sake of our

customers. The Navistar team is ready for the next step of collaboration.”

Combining Traton’s leading position in the European and South American markets with Navistar’s strong presence in North America lays the foundation for a premier company with a global reach and complementary capabilities. The purchase price was approximately US$3.7 billion (NZ$5.3 billion).

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

Daimler Truck, Volvo and Traton charge up

D

aimler Truck, Volvo and Volkswagon AG’s heavy-truck business, the Traton Group, have agreed to develop a network of public charging stations throughout Europe for electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and buses.

The agreement marks the beginning of a future joint venture (JV) between the three parties. Together, the companies will invest €500 million (NZ$840.9 million) to install and operate 1700 highperformance, green-energy charging points close to highways, as well as at logistic and destination points within five years.

The future JV will act as a catalyst and enabler for realising the European Union’s Green Deal for carbon-neutral

freight transportation by 2050 – by providing the necessary infrastructure for green energy at the charging points.

The three parties will own equal shares in the JV but will continue to be competitors in all other areas.

“By creating a European charging network leader, we are laying the foundation for our customers to transition to electrification,” said Martin Lundstedt, president and chief executive at Volvo Group.

“We have powerful electromobility technologies, and now also an industrywide understanding and a political environment to make fundamental progress towards sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions.”

Martin Daum, chief executive at Daimler Truck,

said it was a joint aim of Europe’s truck manufacturers to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. “However, it is vital that building up the right infrastructure goes hand in hand with putting CO2-neutral trucks on the road,” he said.

Matthias Gründler, chief executive at Traton Group, said the future of transport was electric.

“This requires the rapid

development of publicly accessible charging points, especially for long-distance heavy-duty transport,” he said.

“This is the first step to accelerate the transition towards sustainable, fossilfree transport. The second step should be a strong engagement of the EU for the full scale-up of a charging network across Europe.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

METRO BRIEFS

LIGHT COMMERCIALS

Dan Toma, LEV driver in Taita, behind the wheel of Trucky McTruckface.

Waste Management is running a fleet of electric trucks under the new Hutt City Council kerbside waste and recycling contract until 2029. Bin Diesel, Truck Norris, Trucky McTruckface and Recyclosaurus Rex are already hard at work, with Bruce Springclean, Trash Gordon and Chitty Chitty Bin Bin to join the fleet shortly. Who says big councils have no sense of humour?

Vehicle sales rebounded this year with strong results to the end of June, totalling 110,664 new vehicles sold. Light commercials took the top three spots on New Zealand’s model table. The best-seller was Ford’s Ranger at 6058, followed by Toyota’s Hilux (5412) and Isuzu’s D-Max (3167).

Ford’s Transit Custom PHEV panel van will sell at under $80,000 from 1 August to qualify for the Clean Car Discount, a price cut of more than $20,000.

A PHEV is a hybrid with a bigger battery, which you can plug into the wall and charge for trips typically under 50km. Keep under that distance between trips to the socket, and you’ll never use a litre of petrol.

A Rivian ute and van have been seen at Auckland Airport, likely heading south for testing at the Cardrona proving grounds.

Rivian EVs are likely to land later this year, including in New Zealand.

Isuzu expands class 1 range

I

suzu is widening its line-up of N-Series models, which can be driven on a class-1 driver licence. As with vans and utes, many safety and comfort features have trickled down from cars, including advanced emergency braking and lane departure warnings.

The move reflects that a vehicle is part of the driver’s workplace, and that light trucks tend to operate in highrisk areas.

“Typically, light-duty truck drivers operate in urban environments where there is significantly more

stop-start traffic and all-round congestion,” said Isuzu Trucks NZ general manager Dave Ballantyne.

“The higher spec means they are well equipped to help reduce the risk of collisions occurring.”

In addition, a new six-speed transmission improves gradeability and fuel consumption, higherrated tyres boost capacity at the front and rear axles, and updated LED headlights deliver a wider, deeper, brighter beam.

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ICONIC CHOICE

Kenworth launched its T410 in March 2019. The T410 was a shift in market placement for the 400 series badge, aligning it more towards metro and regional distribution. It meant the model lost the big ‘oomph’ 15-litre option, available with PACCAR’s MX-13 powerplant only. Dunedin’s slick Icon Logistics recently commissioned a 6x4 and an 8x4 T410 pitched at that exact role. So, six months in, are K’Dub’s light-heavyweights warming the hearts of all those around them on those cold Otago winter days?

M

eteorologically speaking, few places do ‘bracing’ in June and July like good old Dunedin.

Sometimes, even using the adjective ‘bracing’ is akin to using ‘high’ to describe Mount Everest. Standing outside Icon Logistics on Parry Street at 7.30am, the gods were looking kindly upon us with not a hint of breeze. Although if diamonds are a girl’s best friend, the footpath, roads, signs, and trees would have garnered an excited gasp from Marilyn, no question. Yet we were frigidly happy because a sea of glistening winter diamonds meant the Edinburgh of the South would likely turn on a glorious blue-sky day.

And that it did – two, in fact.

Happy as we were, we bordered on elation with the familiar sound of a PACCAR MX-13, followed momentarily by one member of our journey’s quest rolling into view around the ice-encrusted corner. A bedazzling Icon Logistics Kenworth T410 6x4 tractor and three-axle

skeletal semi. We knew the Icon Kenworths would be ‘bedazzling’, and not just from the photos we’d seen. Like its parents, this is a company that uses trucks as both facilitators of a core function and as a key part of its marketing. In their distinctive two-tone blue, and orange livery, Icon’s trucks make a statement in all the right ways.

“Yeah, they look real smart, and have really given us a lift,” said general manager, container transport and dry fleet, Tony Gare, on the phone the evening before.

“They came with two new Euro-6 DAFs, and they look the part, too.

The drivers love them, and I had the chance to drive one of the 410s up from Edendale not long after they arrived. They’re bloody nice to drive.”

The T410 turned into the company’s container handling yard, also located on Parry Street, and out jumped Grant Keen.

“G’day, you’re the trucking guys?” he says, smiling. “I’ll stop on the

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 31

Top left: Grant leaves Port Chalmers with a full container. Top middle: Heading to Everitts. Top right: Neil loads a full box ex the Parry Street yard.

way out, and when I do, jump in. But wait until you hear the park brake come on. Otherwise, the alarm will deafen us all.” He then burst out laughing.

“You’re all good to take your photos in that safe zone. No problem.”

And so set the tone of helpfulness and co-operation that was the hallmark of our two days in the company’s keep. My introduction to the driver of the 8x4 T410, Neil Whalley, was more like a Chris Angel magic show, a lot more impromptu, mildly embarrassing, and moderately funny if you’re the sort who doesn’t get too overcome

32 New Zealand Trucking

with life’s complexities. But we’ll save that for a couple of paragraphs hence.

Here, there, and everywhere The Icon T410s will spend much of their life between Mosgiel’s southern boundary and the top of Pine Hill to the north of town. Besides container pick-up and dropoffs between the company’s transitional facilities, customer sites, and a myriad of other locations within the city proper, there’s also the constant flow of import and export traffic moving in and out of Port Chalmers, 13.5km down the harbour. It’s not all August 2021

downtown though, there are regular runs out into wider Otago, north to Timaru, and also into Southland. In fact, Grant had taken his 410 as far as Blenheim, delivering a Clean in Place (CPI) plant to a location for parent company Dynes Transport, and Neil has crossed the ditch once already and dealt with that trucking nirvana, Auckland.

“I loved the run up to Blenheim,” says Grant as we pull out of Parry Street and aim Fleet No29 Ventura Highway towards Fonterra Mosgiel. “The truck performed so well and really had a chance to stretch out and show me what it could do.”

Talking as we motored through the city, Grant was your classic slick operator in city bounds, chatting away happily, but his eyes were everywhere. It’s instinctive; he probably had no idea that in the past 10 seconds, he’d looked in each of the mirrors three times, the dash once, all the while positioning the truck impeccably in the snake-like lanes of Dunedin’s compact centre. What it also brought home is how much the AMT transmission has revolutionised city driving.

He’s fully able to look after his charge’s welfare, keeping it away from bollards and boneheads, not having to

Above: Neil rolls into Port Chalmers.

worry at all about the next cog. As Brian Aitchison in the UltraSHIFT-equipped MMM Cartage International ProStar says resolutely, “You’d never consider a manual in the city anymore.” (New Zealand Trucking, June 2019.)

Ready for the ball at last When we were at the launch of the T360 and T410s in 2019, we were smitten with the look of the little 360 with its shiny grille surround and bug you could still see from the helm, even with its incredibly steep bonnet rake. It was a proper pint-sized Kenworth. The 410 didn’t ‘polish our alloy’

quite as much. It had a T400 throwback colour-coded grille surround, and you couldn’t see the back of the bug from the driver’s seat. ‘Hmmmm, we thought.’

Now here we are a couple of years later, looking at an Icon T410 while a straddle plonked a box on its back at Fonterra’s Mosgiel stores.

Few would argue painting a truck blue is a safe bet in the quest to enhance looks, but it’s also incredible what a huge impact small things can have.

Tony Gare had bug deflectors made for the T410s at a local supplier of theirs called Siteweld, the impact of which lifts the value of the overall

aesthetics well beyond the outlay. You still can’t see the bug from the cab, but fixing that would take an anglegrinder and… yeah, na. Suffice to say, we were well pleased with the look of the trucks, and would gladly bounce out of the yurt each morning to helm one.

The nose? What nose?

Some of you might remember Blair Chambers in the Eden Haulage K200 story (New Zealand Trucking, October 2019), and Richard Seeley in the Moving Company MAN (New Zealand Trucking, April 2020). Both were experienced

furniture men, and both rated Dunedin as one of the toughest gigs in terms of accessing customer homes for placing or removing chattels.

The elephant in the room is, therefore, two bonneted US trucks working in a city not renowned for its excess real estate.

“Honestly,” says Grant. “I was worried at the start. I came out of a UD into this, and the nose was front of mind. But there’s nowhere I got the UD – and there are some shitty places – that I haven’t been able to put this.

Apart from the fact it’s there, you don’t know it’s there,” he laughed. “It’s got a great lock,

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 33

and yeah… It’s not been an issue at all.”

The T410 has a bumper-to-back-of-cab measure of 2850mm. In set-back front-axle trim, as we have here, its front-axle centre-to-bumper measure is 1240mm, which wouldn’t be much different in a forwardcontrol lorry, like the UD. Because GCM is determined by overall length and axle placement, Grant is not actually dealing with any more truck frontage per se, or in fact, a truck that’s much different in terms of where its feet are. The only thing that’s slightly altered is that in the UD, he was sitting in front of the lead axle, and in the Kenworth he’s behind it.

Catching up fast With the box on, we headed for Port Chalmers. The UltraShift PLUS picked its way through the gears, skipping away happily.

“They’re calibrated to lift off in third as a rule, and

34 New Zealand Trucking

The T410 is at home both in and out of town. they’ll do a maximum of fifth if in manual. I drive it in auto; there’s no reason not to.

We’ve just had some training on them, that was really great. If it’s greasy, we put the power-divider in – that’s recommended.”

August 2021

When PACCAR first put the MX-13 into the Kenworth product, it garnered the normal public bar ‘piffle’, but those days are gone, thank goodness. Pull the hood on K’Dubs and Petes Stateside and you’ll find the MX

everywhere.

We’ve always liked the 12.9-litre MX-13 motor – it’s as honest as the day is long, and given the right acoustics, it makes a lovely sound. The 410s were no exception, with a lovely throaty grumble

Side profile, the T410 has the T610’s large car style of look. coming from somewhere upfront.

The engine in the T410 is the Euro-5 variant with altered electrical architecture to accommodate 12 volts and, therefore, the Bendix Wingman safety suite.

Max power output is 381kW (510hp), and 2508Nm (1850 lb/ft) of torque. It’s always been a tenacious wee fella that likes the low life, with max torque from 1000rpm to 1400rpm, and power from 1500rpm up to 1900rpm. It is an engine that punches well above its weight in varied applications all over the country.

Behind MX is the Eaton

FO-20E318A-MXP UltraShift PLUS 18-speed AMT with ‘urge to move’ function.

Essentially it means that at lift-off, Eaton has programmed in a human’s clutch finesse.

Put the trans in gear, take your hoof off the brake, and the clutch will slowly close, allowing the lorry to begin creeping away on its own.

There’s no question that Eaton is closing the gap on the best Euro AMTs in terms of driveability. These 410s were, without doubt, the slickest we’ve encountered. Gone are the days of a million mindless downshifts as you approach a stop. Now, just as the truck glides to a stop, the gearbox slips into neutral at the right moment, and the instant Grant

touches the throttle, there’s a gear, slick as you like. I’m not saying with the UltraShift PLUS Eaton’s on the go-line alongside the likes of Volvo’s I-Shift, Scania’s Opticuise, Benz’s PowerShift, or ZF’s TraXon, but let’s say the US product has certainly stopped eating their dust.

Of course, there is the much-vaunted PACCAR 12-speed, present in the launch trucks and touted as one of the key reasons you’d write the cheque. The transmission is, of course, Eaton’s new purpose-built automated transmission, the Endurant, and it is a real bobby-dazzler. Its Achille’s heel for now, though, is a low GCM rating. It is fine if you’re

It may be a bonneted Kenworth in Dunedin, but getting around is proving no issue.

a US 80,000-pounder; not so good with real loads on down under.

Behind the box, Meritor GP46-160GP axles with power divider, and dual diff locks ride on Kenworth’s venerable AG400 airbag suspension.

Up-front, one MFS66-122 axle on taper springs and shock absorbers is enough to satisfy the 6x4, while two share the load – literally – on the 8x4, again on taper leaf springs and ‘shocks’.

It’s all very much an Antipodean spec that has stood the test of time for many operators. Pay-up, sleep well.

Port anyone?

Climbing Saddle Hill from the south, the MX-13 and

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2

4

3

1) Turning off King Edward Street into Percy Road is your classic ‘all in a day’s work’ for a metro skele or side-lifter operator. 2) The container tipper at Everitts is a cool gizmo to watch working if you’ve never seen one before. 3) Back under the container tipper, and ‘twisting the locks’. 4) Grant on his way.

UltraShift PLUS were a great tag team and complemented each other well. Grant’s good for 44 tonne, and we were on the dot at 43 plus change. The steepest pinch was cut out in 11th at 1500rpm and 28kph, while Lookout Point further in towards town required 10th and 24kph at the same rpm.

“I do love it,” says Grant.

“It’s great to drive. It’s spacious, comfortable, and the dash is fantastic with everything right there. And I love the big fuel tank, too.

That’s awesome. If I’m local, I only fill up once a week.

“I had a drive of a 909 the other week. That’s not me.

There’s just too much truck for in here [Dunedin]. They just don’t have the visibility. This is just perfect.”

It’s all go on the narrow, winding dual carriage road that links the port with its city.

There are road works and a cycle lane going in, something Grant is all for. “It’ll get the cyclists that do brave the

36 New Zealand Trucking

journey off the road.”

We were keen to sample both trucks over the course of our stay. The 6x4 was lovely to ride in, and the cab was sound with few extraneous noises.

It was also unbothered by its three-axle fixed tri-skele and 29-tonne box. There was no vying for who was in charge in terms of bullying from the rear.

The truck’s undercarriage was solid as a rock.

At the port, we jump out. “I won’t be long,” says Grant.

There is certainly an air of history at Port Chalmers, one of the birthplaces of commerce in this country.

The plaques and embossed letters on the walls of buildings convey a rich history, and you certainly get the sense that back in the day, it might have had a Peaky Blinders feel to it, with all manner of skulduggery going on amidst those earning an honest farthing.

After a wonder, some pics, and a chat to the locals, a blue T410 bonnet appears August 2021

through the gates and glides up to the stop grid. My keen eye, sharpened from some 40 years in and around trucks, fails to pick up this one had another steer axle and a fouraxle semi in tow. I walk up, open the door, and there, staring at me, is an entirely different human. “’Ello. Who are you?”

“Oh, shit. Who are you?”

“Neil.”

“G’day Neil, I’m Dave. I think we’re meeting later.”

And that was our

introduction to the captivating Mr Whalley (see sidebar, Right on cue).

When Grant comes back, he laughs like hell. “I saw Neil heading out, and I thought, ‘Oh hell, I bet I know what’s going to happen here.’”

Moving on. Our next mission was one that tested the T410s’ manoeuvrability when they first arrived. One of Icon’s regular calls is Everitt Scrap Metals on Wilkie Road.

You get in through the back gate via a turn into narrow

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1 & 2) The snug MX-13. Like all the ‘no bonnet’ bonneted trucks, there’s a pay-off to all that visibility. 3 & 4) The 2.1m cab dash and wrap are a superb place to effect a day’s trucking, and a beautiful insight in how to produce a bang up-to-date cab while retaining and honouring crucial elements of legacy.

Percy Street off an extremely busy King Edward Street.

Grant’s been here too many times to think about. He whipped the 410 into Percy Street, missing all the kerbs and cars in sublime fashion.

If you were a stranger to the fair city, it’s one of those places where you put the hazards on and go for a walk first.

Once in, you wriggle past the obstacles – the Everitt crew do their best to keep the truck lanes clear,

so big props to them. It’s a fascinating operation.

The containers are held and upended by a big contraption, and the grapple loader fills them up with scrap. Once loaded, the machine shuts the doors and then rights the box again, holding it in place while Grant backs under with inches on either side. It’s all pretty impressive and seemed over in a jiffy. Locks twisted, we were back at the Parry Street yard in no time.

The wizard of ‘Aus’ One of the big pluses at the launch of the T410 and its little sibling was the next deployment of Kenworth’s 2.1m cab. It’s a classic case of measure twice and cut once, meaning the years that went into it at both the propeller-head and talkingto-customers level has today given drivers a superb work shed. Obviously, it wasn’t all looks and utility; the 2.1 is safer than houses and had significant smarts built into it

with bang-up-to-date CANbus architecture making life among the electrons much easier to manage and remedy.

Back to us, though. It’s comfortable and airy, and the placement of those singlearm mirrors is still easily the yardstick for a bonneted US conventional.

The Icon trucks came with more of a fleet spec in terms of appointments with vinyl and plastic trim in charcoal and grey, along with Kenworth’s legendary easy-to-maintain and durable floor. However, the trucks don’t lose any of their appeal, nor do they feel bland. The proof is, both men love their workstation. Neil was even quoted as saying: “It’s fun to drive.”

There is ‘gobs’ of room in and around the driver with all the driving adjustment a ‘Sapien’ could possibly wish for. Access to – and through the cab, in the event you’re just passing – is a breeze, and if you can’t see the yellow grab handles, please don’t drive it.

From the driver’s seat, the view is faultless. The A-pillars on the 2.1m do have to be considered when clearing left and right, but those mirrors… they certainly don’t, at least not to the same degree mirrors on almost all other trucks do.

What Kenworth did do with the 2.1 is acknowledge what makes them … them.

Firstly, they’re not overly quiet… Actually, forget the pleasantries; they’re not quiet.

But they’re not noisy either. It’s a Kenworth; it wants to tell you how it is. A DAF tells you via a digital read-out, a Kenworth has a yarn. Grant thought the low 70s decibel was maybe a little too vocal, and Neil liked it just the way it was. “I love hearing the grunt as it pulls away from down low.”

There you have it. Personal preference.

Secondly, the binnacle has an eight-gauge cluster, and there are another seven on the wrap with room for five more if you want to go full 70s-80s

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August 2021 37

Tony Gare is part of Icon’s DNA and loves the industry that’s been his life.

ROLLING UP YOUR

SLEEVES

Access is as easy as it gets.

Yellow means ‘grab here’. throwback.

It’s 2021, so there is a telematics, trip, and driver performance display in the binnacle also, adjusted via the DAF-like knob on the lowerleft dash beside the steering column.

The smart wheel is basic and easy to operate, with audio stuff on the left and cruise control on the right.

The left column wand is Kenworth’s all-in-one indicator, wipers, and dip, and on the right, the new gear-change and auxiliary brake controller that came with the T360/410.

(Where it should be at last).

Being a green-field project, the 2.1’s binnacle and wrap are one injection-moulded item, regionalised by design language. It looks great. The wrap is home to additional gauging as we said, plus entertainment, atmospheric comfort, brake valves, and switchgear – which is big and logically placed. There is a trailer control in the line-up located close to the steering column on the left. It’s quirky in terms of shape – think Bulldog clip. On the right of

38 New Zealand Trucking

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hether it’s this job, age, and experience, or all three, you get a feel for stuff. Spend a bit of time in and around a company, and you soon determine if the troops are happy or dressing the window.

Waiting in the foyer to see Icon Logistics’ general manager container transport and dry fleet, Tony Gare, was an interesting insight into the company. Staff approaching his open door did so with ease. There was no hesitation or ‘air’ as they approached, and the tone of every exchange was easy and calm. Remember, this is a busy import/ export, warehousing, border clearance, and transport operation amid a pandemicinfused global supply chain behaving in a way no one can recall. The discussions appeared to be a mix of direction and confirmation; sought from someone with formidable experience in this industry subset and a lifetime of broader transport knowledge. It reinforced the lesson that the top office determines the calm or turmoil that exists beneath it, and we saw calm all the way to the steering wheels.

“Tony’s an awesome bloke,” says Grant Keen. “And you’ll likely hear that a lot over your time here.”

Any company will likely benefit immeasurably if the senior team is

August 2021

emotionally invested in the brand, and Tony is entwined in Icon’s DNA. Icon is your typical opportunity, action, and acquisition tale, not uncommon in a young country like ours. The biography of both Icon and Tony start in the same place – another of Dunedin’s icons, you might say – Maxwell Brothers. Tony’s dad John Gare drove for the famous brand, and as was the case in those days, a young Tony cut his teeth riding in the cab and hanging around the yard whenever he could.

“It was trucks from the beginning, really,” he chuckles. “There was a short stint farming to bridge the gap until I could get my heavy traffic licence, then I was away, working at Maxwells.”

Expansion and acquisition saw Maxwells enter both the linehaul freight business as well as container handling and distribution via an inland operation on turf owned by Port Otago.

“I eventually got onto the linehaul work and remember thinking, yep, this is a bit of me.”

For a young, sharp, and ambitious bloke, it was a fantastic time, with constant opportunity.

The closure of Maxwell’s freight arm by parent Fulton Hogan in 1995 triggered upheaval, with the Port of Otago taking the

container work in-house under the name South Freight. At the time, Tony was working in operations at Maxwell’s and he was soon seconded by his old boss, Wayne Muir, who had moved to the new entity.

South Freight’s transport arm was Harbour Transport, initially a one-man owner driver in the form of ex-Maxwell Brothers employee Keith McCann.

Harbour Transport grew quickly in terms of truck numbers and equity stakes, culminating in 2002 with the formation of Harbour Transport (2002). Ownership of that entity comprised McCann, Peter Dynes, and another old Otago trucking name, Wilson’s Transport, from Milton.

Tony was made operations manager.

Keith exited the business in 2003, followed soon after by a restructuring of South Freight’s transport operations which impacted the Harbour Transport (2002) business significantly.

“Peter Dynes and Les Wilson had to downsize, selling off a lot of older gear,” says Tony. “That rejig was also the genesis of Icon Logistics, which kicked off with three new Fusos in the two-tone blue and orange, operating from a tiny yard where the stadium [Forsyth Barr] is now.”

The Icon team rolled up its sleeves, got stuck in, and growth came quickly. With progressive expansion in the first halfdecade, the company moved depots to a larger site on Timaru Street.

Tony was offered and took a share in the company in 2009, and then in 2011, the next significant manoeuvre in the equity stakes occurred.

The Port company decided road transport wasn’t its core thing, shedding the stand-alone business, but retaining an element of control over its risk via a 50% stake in Icon Logistics.

Then came “The Beast”, as Tony referred to it in one conversation: the Parry Street facility (previously the Dunedin Woolstores); the location Icon now resides in.

And finally, to where we are today, with one last significant event – June 2020 saw Dynes HWR take full ownership of Icon Logistics. That, in itself, is a measure of trust a key customer has in the quality of service a mission-critical supplier undertakes for them. As one Ports of Otago lady said when she came out to see what all the blokes with cameras were doing on the streets of Port Chalmers, “Oh, Icon! We love Icon.”

“Once Peter took over, we shed some old gear pretty much immediately,” says Tony. “There were some UDs getting a bit past their use-by date. That’s what obviously led to the arrival of the 410s and the Euro-6 DAFs. It’s been great to see them arrive; they’ve given the place a boost.

“Peter’s bloody great. He leaves you alone to do your thing but is also a great mentor to bounce stuff off.”

Today it’s impossible to stand anywhere in Dunedin and not see a two-tone blue and orange Icon truck roll by within minutes. Although you’d think the fleet comprised a zillion trucks, there are, in fact, 26.

Theirs is a busy world. Although a

relatively easy transport task for a driver once the twist-locks are engaged, the coordination and timing of boxes for loading and unloading, storage and shipping mean Icon operates day in, day out, like a Swiss watch. Flighty, erratic types, either in the shed, on the Combilift, or behind the company steering wheels are not what you’re after. And don’t forget the complexities that come with imports.

It’s not just the goods but the unwanted passengers, the ones with many legs, wings, stingers, or slithery with no legs at all, attempting to gain entry; not to mention humanity’s ‘wayward’ set trying to conduct their various lines of ‘unbusiness’.

“As a transitional border facility, we see MPI and customs in here every day,” says Tony. “We have a great relationship with all of them and our team are well versed. We take zero risks; it’s that simple.” He walks over to the mezzanine window and looks out.

“We feed the beast [Parry Street warehouse] all through the night, so the de-vanners and packers can work largely uninterrupted during the day. It’s the system we’ve found works best. Being a one-way system through the shed, you can’t afford the skeles and swings to be stuck in a queue for the door, so we move boxes in and out of here through the night.

“I love it, always have. It’s who I am really. I love the challenge, problemsolving, making things work. I love working with a great team. I have the passion for a great industry with great people working in it.”

’s breaks

Grant Keen. Lovin’ T410 life.

WINGS, WHEELS… AND MORE WHEELS!

Width, glorious width.

the steering column is the headlight knob, a couple more switches, and the crank [ignition key].

There is an option for a 7” infotainment set-up if you’re techy.

Speaking from an operational standpoint, we do love the chunky feel of the 2.1m operations area. Big soft-grip tiller, big buttons, and the heater, telematics, and headlight controls are also big, uniform in shape and function, and sympathetic to less dexterous digits. It’s an easy truck to operate.

Again, it’s a day-cab bonneted truck, so you won’t get the kitchen or even the camper’s sink in it.

There’s a stow in the overhead left, storage in the door, and a godsend console between the seats sourced from Southpac’s parts. There are also oddments cubbies and cup-holders front and centre at the base of the wrap.

Obviously, being a 2.1m, Neil could get the snooker cue along behind the seats if he ever needed to. Don’t worry, that will be made clear soon.

Lastly, thank you Kenworth design team for making a cab that doesn’t need two-thirds of the controls mounted on the driver’s door sill.

40 New Zealand Trucking

“Absolutely wonderful,” is how Grant Keen describes working at the company he’s been with for the past seven years.

“You won’t hear me saying anything negative. The job’s great, and because it’s trucking, communication is the key to keeping the home life happy. When things are on, you do full days, but then when it’s quiet, it might be nines, or tens [hours].”

A son of the city, 53-year-old Grant is another of life’s happy blokes.

Work life for him kicked off with six and half years in the air force. “No, I wasn’t a flyer; I was in supply and logistics.” (Wow, how handy is that?)

Once that adventure was ticked off and he was again a civilian, he took up driving. “I had lots of different jobs. Parttime driving positions and casual. You know how it is when you’re younger; you’re a bit wayward,” he laughs.

A keen motorsport enthusiast, particularly Indy-cars and Formula Ford, he spent many years travelling the country, crewing for successful campaigner Munro Tall in Formula Ford and classic car racing events.

These days, he’s a settled bloke indeed, with he and partner Lisa raising a couple of young ones. “Yep, life’s great.”

Blooming heck!

Assignment No.3! (How much fun is this?) This time, we stretch the 8x4’s legs south with Neil Whalley.

The things that go on in this fair land, the enterprise we find in every corner, astound us August 2021

RIGHT ON CUE And now, a message from our sponsors.

‘If you’re a Dunedin company, don’t challenge Icon Logistics to an intercompany pool or snooker tournament. You’ll all go home penniless and with the shirt missing off your back.’

There’s no question; trucking people are the gift that just keeps on giving. With Neil Whalley, you’ll likely be in one or two states – amazed or laughing. Losing half a day in the cab of a truck listening to his life story, rich enough to fill a book, is easily done.

Just to qualify which Neil Whalley this is, in case there are more, it’s the one who’s our country’s No.3, and for a few weeks some years back, No.1 snooker player. It’s the one who’s the national snooker coach. And it’s the one who has driven trucks throughout the UK and into Europe. There’s only one who meets those credentials, we’d wager.

“I’m going through a sweet patch at the moment. I’ve won my last five ranking tournaments, so I’m back to No.3,” he smiles.

Grant Keen is a true son of Dunners, and Neil kicked things off almost at the city’s global meridian, in the Merseyside hamlet of Newton-le-Willows.

“Cue sports were my thing right from

constantly. The tulip season in Southland is a big thing, and we are off to Haakman New Zealand Bulbs in Edendale to unload a container of imported tulip bulbs and equipment.

We were lucky because it’s the tail end of the season,

and the two Icon DAFs we passed heading north had the last export boxes on, and we pretty much had the last import.

Drive through the sprawling fields southeast of Edendale and you’d never know that

the get-go. A local dentist tried to help me get into the pro circuits, but the practice time and costs just put it out of reach, really.”

“Have you ever got a 147 break?”

“146. Took a pink off the 14th red. I’ve had lots of 100-plus breaks, but 146 was the highest.”

If life’s path meant he wasn’t going to be a professional snooker player, Neil had to find something to earn a living, and that was truck driving.

“I started in the warehousing arm of a firm called Christian Salvesen. They delivered groceries to Marks & Spencer stores. From there, I progressed into driving working in both the tour bus and trucking industries, ending up with the French giant Dentressangle in 2005, a 9000-unit continental haulier which had 1200 wagons based in the UK. “I worked the channel relay. There were two on the truck, working week about.

One would unload and reload in and around Liverpool and Manchester and then take the truck to Leicester, where the other would jump in and take it over the channel via the Euro Tunnel to Calais.

The train takes 30 trucks at a time; two lots of 15 with plates (flat deck carriages) between. Trucks drive on and into the wagons via the plates, and then once on the other side, they continue on through and off. Once in Calais, you swap trailers

many are dedicated to what’s under the surface, not on top.

Each year, to synchronise Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasonality, there’s a vast trade in growing and finishing tulips. New Zealand even sends tulips to Holland!

and head straight back to Leicester.

“It was great work. You go hard all week, and then have a day and a half to do your washing and play a bit of snooker with the lads.”

In 2003, a mate who was out in the far-off Antipodes of New Zealand on work experience in Dunedin convinced Neil to come out for a holiday. He came for three weeks between February and March, and did it all again in 2004, 05, and 07; except in 07 he went home, sorted out his affairs, then landed here again in August of the same year, this time permanently.

Neil got a job at Northern Southland Transport Holdings, based out of Dunedin, moving to Toll in 2011 when it brought out the division. In 2012, he changed jobs, moving to Icon Logistics, where he’s been ever since.

“I love it; it’s great. I don’t know a lot about trucks; I’m not a truck buff. But I love to drive them, and I love looking after them. Me and a mate often spend a half-day in the yard at a weekend and just chat and spruce up the trucks.”

The passion for 15 red balls, seven coloured ones, and a cue is as strong as ever, and four years ago, Neil met Stephanie, a cue-sports-mad gal… A match made in heaven. Today, they both follow and play in the tournament circuit.

“I’ve got English Association of Snooker and Billiards qualification, and

Bulbs that are started in our fields are exported, replanted, and finished in theirs.

Neil’s T410 runs as an 8x4 and quad-skele configuration, good for 48-tonne GCM. It tows a slick Patchell Industries trailer.

Neil Whalley.

Making the most of life’s breaks when they come. my International Billiards and Snooker Federation qualification. I went to Qatar with the Seniors a few years back, and I’ve been to China with the Juniors twice.

I’m on the board of the New Zealand Snooker and Billiards Association, and I’d planned to go to the UK to gain my international coaches’ licence, but Covid’s dashed that for now. Never mind, you have to earn your pennies in the meantime, and what’s wrong with this, eh?”

What’s wrong indeed, Neil?

Because you’ve all been waiting, let’s end with a Just Truckin’ Around-style vexing question.

“Who’s the greatest of all time, Neil?

“Oh,” he laughs. “If you visit my place, you can’t partake of the hospitality until you’ve paid homage to the man himself – Mr O’Sullivan. Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan.”

“Yes, it’s definitely Patchell gear here,” says Tony Gare when asked about the trailer situation.

The 40’ container had us around 45 tonne, and the Kenworth left the city bounds rolling south past Waihola with

little effort.

The two trucks sport a good wad of safety features via the Bendix Wingman Fusion suite that includes active cruise braking with collision mitigation, and stationary vehicle alerts.

Neil backs onto the dock at Haakman NZ Bulbs in Southland.

“The active cruise is great and highlights how erratic and annoying people who drive on the pedal are,” says Neil. “You soon learn how to set it so you can drive along without catching them up and triggering your proximity warning. The lane departure you can turn off via a button on the dash.”

Like Grant, Neil says it isn’t all traffic lights and roundabouts, and trips like this out of town are regular enough.

“It’s all about seasons or jobs. When the tulips are on, then this is regular. Likewise, jobs come up and, suddenly, you might be off somewhere. We did a new chairlift to Coronet Peak a couple of years back.

There were 30-odd truck and trailer loads, so we were up there all the time.

It was incredible watching the engineers progressively piece it together.”

Traditionally, Icon ran a lot of gear handed down from the high-kilometre Dynes fleet, so the new arrivals have been

42 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

warmly received and, in terms of service life, it’s going to be a bit of ‘suck it and see’ according to Tony.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of an unknown. We have a 2015 DAF that’s been a brilliant truck.

It starts every morning and motors off, does its thing, comes home, and turns off. We’ve certainly seen the impact of the new gear on the R&M cost. We’ll just see how they go. Our kilometres aren’t big, but it’s not easy work; by the time these trucks are done, they’ll have a lot of stops and starts under their belts and changed a lot of gears.”

The nature of the work certainly makes the life-to-date fuel consumption impressive. In its 60,000 odd kilometres, Neil’s truck has achieved 1.95kpl (5.51mpg). Yes, it might be around the 50% load factor, but so much is ultrashort lead and stop/start at its worst; for example, no-option loaded hill starts at lights. For such a young truck, we

thought that fuel number was worthy of a chocolate fish.

The T410 rolled into Southland’s beautiful flowing country on a glorious day, the note of the MX-13 rising and falling, easily maintaining pace with the traffic around it. Like Grant, Neil just lets it do its thing gear change wise.

The vision out over the almost nonexistent bonnet is superb; you’ll lose nothing from your sightline in front of the bug … assuming it’s there (LOL). The combined exhaust/engine brake was well able to keep things rounded up on the descents, and because all the city work is low speed, it’s a perfectly adequate setup.

When comparing the trucks, there was no question that second axle in the 8x4 gave things a little kick-along; it certainly wasn’t the same ride as we’d experienced in the 6x4, and we think related to that, the 8x4 had a few more squeaks and creeks.

STATE OF THE NATION

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hat a great moment in time to grab a quick comment from Icon’s Tony Gare, someone with scads of experience, operating at supply chain’s import and export frontier as Covid-19 toys with its fragile homeostasis.

“The general public has no idea what’s going on, not a clue, and won’t do until their stuff doesn’t turn up at Christmas.

Then it’ll be in the media for a bit, and then it’ll die out and again.

“I’ve never known it like this before. The shipping times are all over the place, the ports are full, and containers can be hard to get. There’s huge cost being driven into business as producers relocate containers while they wait for ships. Some refrigerated containers are moving long distances just to get on a plug and wait. Customers with loaded containers are often having them rolled onto the next ship.

“Some of the big players have started chartering ships to get things going.

“In terms of imports, we’re seeing an increase in inventory holdings to buffer shipping delays.

“It’s all cost businesses hadn’t banked on having, and it will end up at the consumer at some point. We’re already noticing it with things like car parts and people may get a shock soon at how much things like a new TV go up in price.

“It’s difficult to see when it’s all going to calm down.”

Rolling home through Waihola.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 43

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

Kenworth T410 Configuration: 6x4 rigid Tare (Load cert): 8420kg

8x4 rigid 9500kg

GVM: 24,640kg

30,080kg

GCM: 70,000kg

70,000kg

Wheelbase: 4650mm

5285mm

Engine: PACCAR MX-13 Capacity: 12.9-litre Power: 381kW (510hp) Torque: 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) Emissions: Euro-5 Transmission: Eaton FO-20E318A-MXP UltraShift PLUS (urge to move) 18-speed AMT In terms of stability and surefootedness, however, it was exemplary and Kenworth to the T. “It’s not bad, is it?” says Neil. “I love it. I really do.”

We arrived at the Haakman facility on Matai Road East and backed onto the dock.

Manager Darren Cripps welcomed us and gave us free rein to get our snaps. Just like the crew at Rainbow Park in April, it appears flowers make people happy.

It has to be said Grant and Neil are both great Icon account managers, as well as drivers. Whether Grant at Fonterra, and the scrap yard, or Neil here at Haakman, they were both polite, engaging, and professional.

Summary With the end of the day a couple of hours up the road, Neil and the 410 headed away

from the setting sun.

We love having a look at trucks pitched exactly where the vendor intended, and in terms of the T410, this was perfect placement. It’s a mantra we’re well-known for voicing, but correct truck specification in 2021 is more critical than it’s ever been if optimal returns are to be met. The T410 is a regional/ metro haulier, and the validity of PACCAR Australia sales director Brad May’s comments at the launch in March 2019, about a recalibration of the range, are borne out in these machines. Power-to-weightwise, they’re bang on, fueleconomy wise they’re bang on, and in terms of being a delight to operate … they’re bang on. With the Icon 410s in the hands of two very convivial and sensible blokes, that should all equate to a balance sheet that’s … bang on.

Acknowledgement Once again, Kiwis can’t be beaten. Thanks so much to Tony Gare, Grant Keen, Neil Whalley, and the Icon Logistics team for accommodating us and being so obliging for two great days. Thanks also to Dynes HWR for allowing us to feature two perfectly placed T410s.

Thanks as always to Southpac – Steve Herring and Richard Smart – for your enthusiastic help and alwaysrapid replies.

And to whoever turned on two glorious days in Dunedin in winter? Thank you, too!

44 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

Clutch: Eaton Electronic Clutch Actuation (ECA) Driveline: Meritor RPL Front axle: Meritor MFS66-122 MFS66-122 (Dual) Front-axle rating: 6.6 tonne

13.2 tonne

Front suspension: Taper leaf (load share on 8x4) Rear axle: Meritor RT46-160GP, power divider and diff locks Rear-axle rating: 20,900kg Rear suspension: Kenworth AG400 alloy pedestal 9” ride height (18,100kg) Brakes: Disc. EBS/ABSS Auxiliary braking: Exhaust/engine brake – three-stage Additional safety: Active cruise braking (ACB) with collision mitigation and stationary vehicle alerts, driver alerts, lane departure and park brake warning, electronic stability programme (ESP), hill hold, trailer response module (TRM) Fuel: 630-litre DEF tank: 75-litre Wheels: Alcoa Dura-Bright Tyres: 275/70 R22.5 Electrical: 12V Cab exterior: Kenworth T410 2.1m aluminium day cab, heated electrically adjustable mirrors with kerb spotter Cab interior: ISRI 6860/870 PRO air ride driver’s seat, fixed passenger seat.

Kenworth Fleet spec black soft trim and charcoal dash panel interior, climate air conditioning, AM/FM tuner, CD player, with Bluetooth and USB inputs, storage caddy between seats Option/extras: Cab side-skirts, bug deflector, monsoon shields

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DIAMOND-TIPPED Fuso’s 13-litre heavy duty truck has the potential to significantly shake up the half-thousand horsepower segment. We’ve been waiting eagerly for it and recently managed to sneak a play in an evaluation unit…

Suffice to say, the pigeons are about to be scattered.

M

y original headline for this sneakiest of peeks at Fuso’s crowning jewel in the Shogun truck range was going to be ‘brace for impact’, referring of course, to the shake-up this machine is likely to invoke in New Zealand’s sub-superpower truck market.

Sadly, PC-ness even rattles the cage of old Gen-Xer’s like me at times, and I went for something more ‘huggy’.

Let’s be clear though, my first option was driven by excitement. If you’ve followed our coverage of Fuso’s Shogun from 2018, when we all went to Japan to see it in

Story by Dave McCoid

46 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

the gestation period, through to the launch of the 11-litre trucks here in mid-2019, you’ll know our thinking has been that the 13-litre 373kW (500hp)-plus gig will truly set the range off when it arrives.

The reason being, that truck will take the heat off the 11-litre needing to be all things to all people, as UD’s 11-litre Quon does. Fuso will have a genuine 13-litre 50MAX, 10-plus hp/tonne ‘bopper’ in its HDT armoury.

Initially, the 13-litre was touted for launch in 2020, but that turned out to be history’s gap year, as we all know, so 2021 is it. By the time you

read this, we’ll be on the cusp of the official launch – the order books will be open, the fountain pens of the sales staff loaded and poised.

The question is: should a couple of journos be let loose on a test/evaluation truck prelaunch? I mean, for reasons of attention avoidance, such machines are usually about as drab as a tax auditor’s diary, with technical bits sticking out of them for measuring, collecting, and analysing all manner of numerals. It’s a bit like picking up your ball date to find an absence of make-up and prevalence of acne.

But cast your mind back

P hotos and video by Dave McCoid and Carl Kirkbeck

to our launch coverage of the Shogun 11-litre in 2019. We started with praise for Fuso New Zealand CEO Kurtis Andrews, and his ultimate belief in his charges, letting us all loose in fully loaded trucks with him pointing eagerly at the hideous roads he’d selected especially.

Nothing’s really changed in the intervening 24 months. As far as Kurtis is concerned – acne or not – she’s the belle!

“Take it for a blat! It’s bloody awesome! Ignore the inside and all that, and the noise – the Kiwi spec sound deadening won’t be in it … it’s an evaluation unit. You’ll be impressed.”

Thank goodness for the 11-litre In the end, there’s an element of irony to the Shogun story.

Yes, we’ve extolled this machine as being the icing on the cake for Fuso. Yet, were it not for the trial and

development work done on the 11-litre, this truck’s arrival would have been a tad more tricky (thanks, Covid-19). There was 150,000km of local testing done on the 11-litre, with units at Golden Contracting and Carr & Haslam. Fuso’s HDT drive train engineer Morimoto-san came out and was in the cab for many thousands of those kilometres.

This time, thankfully, there wasn’t the need for such exhaustive tests with so much familiar ground – cab, chassis, steering geometry, axle spreads, trim, blah blah – having been already nailed with little brother. Obviously,

any thoughts of Morimotosan popping on down for a tabulation, technical tweak, and Lion Red with the boys are well and truly off the cards, sad as that is.

Therefore, the frontline for local testing are Fuso NZ’s product planning manager Ian Porter and Skip Golden, who is back behind the wheel.

Their findings are sent back to Fuso in Japan, which then examines, tweaks, and downloads updates to the driveline… What a world we live in.

“Skip did a great job for us on the 11-litre, and so he was an obvious selection for

the 13,” said Ian. “He has a knack of not understating or overstating the exact requirement, and he’s fiercely defensive of what Kiwi operators need; a great advocate for the driver. We had him in Japan in mid-2019 at the Fuso/Mitsubishi Motors test track in Tokachi on the northern island of Hokkaido – where initial work was done. The testing there was all done at the truck’s max GCM of 63 tonne. Now we’re combining everything from both programmes with another 10,000km-plus of testing here, all with a near-enough-to-spec load. Data is going back to

No, this isn’t the final look of the Kiwi truck, it’s going to be slicker and quieter. But it gives you the idea of the family feel. Just like the 11-litre.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 47

Japan where engineers are applying the final finessing.”

Round and round, up and down The test truck’s been doing a Northland circuit with the same control load the whole time. Repeating the same loop is ideal in terms of analysing and fine-tuning. But, on the day we got involved, it was on an Auckland-Wellington return lash. Such a deviation gives the chance to apply settings in a varied environment: a ‘does what works there, work here’, sort of caper.

It’s not an easy life being an evaluation machine, and this Fuso had already stacked up 40,000km in Australia before coming here. Interestingly, it’s the New Zealand work on transmission tunings that defines the final agreed setting for both countries; such is the nature of our topography.

We meet Skip and the Fuso at Wairakei, where he’s just pulled in to top her up.

Being a Euro-6 that didn’t take long. In tow is his own six-axle B-train, which he’s cunningly camouflaged with a layer of grime. That’s a great idea because any true truck ‘foamer’, who passed a white Fuso tractor with side underrun bars and no fruit, towing Skip’s train, and knowing Skip’s involvement evaluating prior models, might quickly become 13-litre suspicious.

Having said that, there hasn’t been too much in the way of stealth with this truck … we are driving it, after all.

“This is the real deal,” says Skip. “Shit, it goes, man. It’s real good, aye. Pull! It’s doing this easy.”

It’s not surprising. The motor beneath the Fuso’s floor is Daimler’s platform 13-litre engine, so that’s either the OM471 if you’re from Düsseldorf, or the DD13 if you’re from ‘Detroit’dorf’. If you’ve had encounters with the engine since its 2017 arrival in the Mercedes-Benz The big Fuso made short work of Earthquake Gully.

26/3253 product, you’ll know she’s more than an honest toiler.

On our trip to Japan in 2018, there was talk of Fuso’s 13-litre having power ratings north of 396kW (530hp) to claim the top power prize here for trucks from the Land of the Rising Sun. But, in reality, that was never going to happen given the three-pointed star’s power setting.

Numbers and badges aside however, the Fuso 13-litre will be Japan’s highest-performing truck in terms of on-road boogie when it’s unleashed.

Here’s why.

Peak power from the 12.8litre Euro-6 ‘combuster’ is 375kW (510hp – measured on the metric ps scale) at 1600rpm with the power line essentially flat from 1350rpm through to 1800. Torque tops out at 2500Nm (1844lb/ ft) at 1100rpm, and its line is even flatter, starting at a cellar-dwelling 800rpm, barely coming off-peak at 1350, and tailing away from there.

By comparison, take the big 15.5-litre in Isuzu’s flagship 530. When the peak 2200Nm (1623lb/ft) of torque tails off around 1300rpm, the engine’s making about 305kW (415hp (ps)) on a power curve you could ski down; the point being, propellor-head stuff

aside, if you’re a driver, it’s noticeable.

Go for a burn Following the collection of pics and video across the desert, I took the wheel at Waiouru and aimed the big Fuzz south. That leg would give me some good ups and downs and allow the Fuso to tell me all about itself.

The truck pottered down the lane, and out onto the nation’s first highway.

Kurtis made a point about the cab being non-spec, with more sound-deadening in the production units, yet I thought it was perfectly acceptable. She quietly picked up ground, and I was instantly reacquainted with what a lovely piece of kit the ShiftPilot G330 (MercedesBenz Power Shift-3) 12-speed AMT is. Load-wise, we were about 48 tonnes as the 50MAX paperwork hadn’t turned up (a bit of a thing of recent by all accounts), and the Fuso had no issue getting up to road speed, pulling strong through that critical 70 to 90kph bit.

The first assignment was the Taihape Divi and setting the unit up for the descent at the top meant two feathery taps on the brake en route to the first plateaux threequarters of the way down and

one more tap on the last bit.

Pulling the three-stage Jacobs engine brake into the rearmost slot tells the truck you’re serious about retardation and invokes downshifts until you let it know where you want it via the brake pedal. Hold back at full noise is line-ball with power output when the tach needle is at 2300rpm. It’s not a retarder, so sailing off the summit at 80kph loaded will result in severe brake fade by the bottom. However, descend with a fragment of concern for your fellow countryfolk, and the Jacobs is indeed a great tool.

Motoring along the flat county south of Taihape, the Fuso felt great with ecoroll cutting in regularly to help keep the motion lotion account as low as possible. It was lovely to steer, rock solid under brakes, and surefooted towing the big impeccably behaved Matt Gillies trollies on hook.

We said in the 11-litre launch that the transmission made the driveline. But this is a proper unified package, like the Whetton or Franks brothers, meaning both motor and trans get the best out of each other.

Back to the trans, there are four modes: A-economy, A-standard, A-power, and manual, of course. AMTs are all about knowing what they have to offer, throttle control, and timed intervention. If

you know your turf, leave it in A-economy and use the kick-down off the throttle and/ or paddle tapping to deal with the serious moments in your driving day. That’s what I did as I launched her at the Mangaweka Divi. To keep the road speed up, I used the throttle kick-down to induce the silky 0.6-second downshifts at 1600rpm rather than economy’s 1200rpm.

It worked a treat, and she eventually settled in ninth gear, 1250rpm, and 37kph, dipping on the last nip before the end of the cutting to 34kph. Believe me, this gig is ‘happy as’ in the bottom end and will just wander off with zero fuss from 1100rpm once the terrain allows.

Rear of the transmission, there’s air suspension with a beefier D12 LSD axle set also, so weight-bearing capability and traction are all enhanced.

What the Fuso won’t come with is that lazy half a tonne of tare the Euros tend to drag around so, at 50, and even 54 tonnes in the right settings, it’s going to entice a second or third look for any prospective bill payer or bill payer’s ‘beanie’.

Inside, it’s the ‘FucedesBenz’ interior, meaning very much a family feel in terms of dash, controls, and steering wheel. The abundance of cab space that would be available is, of course, consumed with that ‘wonderful’ sea of

A proper 13-litre in the half-thousand horsepower league for Fuso. plastic so loved by the truck’s homeland people.

The Fuso NZ mantra for the range is “Looking after our own”, and the company makes much of its ability to now engage in platform safety systems. Lane Departure, Electronic Stability Control, Active Emergency Brake Assist (ABAS-5 now too FYI), and Driver Assistance monitoring are all there, as is Side Guard assist in the new truck, effective over the entire 23m length which, according to Kurtis Andrews, is a first.

Other coolness includes a smaller, lighter SCR muffler and auto high/low beam.

In terms of what and when?

The 6x4s will be first off the rank pretty much now, and the 8x4 early in 2022. All models in the range will come with the 63-tonne GCM. And we have the bully on launch specials too. A truck of similar in spec to the beast we drove will come in a hair

under $200K with the five year, 500,000km conditional warranty. ‘Crikey!’

Thoughts?

We jump out for a bite of lunch with Skip and Ian in Hunterville, and hugely grateful for a blat that’s for sure. How yuck would it have been to be under impressed with a truck you’d been hanging out for.

Lucky then, the plain-Jane evaluation unit parked outside the window left us absolutely frothing for more. Fuso has a genuine 500hp 13-litre in camp with all the safety fruit, and an 8x4 on the way. We haven’t had an injection of spice like this in the market for a while, so bring it on.

We can hardly wait to get our hands on a real New Zealand one, all tarted up, with a slick inside. All that’s left to say is, until Hino and Isuzu play their next-generation cards, Fuso, it appears to be yours for the taking.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 49

TOP TRUCK

STRONG

HART L L A S E M O C OVER

Story and photos by Carl Kirkbeck

With both mum and dad heavily entrenched in transport, it was no surprise a young Josh Hart would become involved as he grew up. But no one could have anticipated how this young man’s life story would impact so many and be the beacon they needed to find hope on some of life’s darkest highways.

The Hart family trucks are like light houses in the storm.

A

rriving at the Mercer Service Centre on a grey winter’s morning, we could not miss the glowing paint on the latest addition to the Hart Haulage fleet – a second, bright-pink Western Star. Just as bright and glowing was the smile on Josh Hart’s face and his welcoming handshake.

Here is a young man who is truly pleased to make your acquaintance, and share a good laugh.

Sitting down with Josh and his mum and dad – Debbie and Barry Hart – over a coffee with the Western Star parked directly outside the window, it is hard to miss the messages ‘spread kindness, bullying stops here’ emblazoned across the sides of the alloy bins. Bold, strong, sincere, and straight to the point. This truck and the message it so proudly carries is the result of Josh Hart’s personal life experiences. He was seriously bullied throughout his schoolage years and came close to destruction. But with the love and assistance of family and friends, he has triumphed over those hurdles.

Listening to Josh, you quickly realise this ray of sunshine has had more than his share of cloudy days.

“It all started very early in school, text messages in the

middle of the night saying that I shouldn’t bother coming to school the next day and that I should harm myself were normal for me,” says Josh. “I have scars over my body from those days trying to do what people were saying to me, as well as trying to escape the situation I was in.”

Sitting chatting, we discussed how scars formed in those formative years can become deeply ingrained in someone’s subconscious and last a lifetime. This, in turn, impacts heavily on an individual’s self-confidence, holding them back from seeking out their own dreams and aspirations. The power of a few terse words is frightening.

Barry and Debbie could see that school was not the place for Josh and decided to involve him in their fledgling bulk-haulage company. The cab of Barry’s truck quickly became Josh’s happy space.

At about 16 years of age, Josh started off-highway, driving a 6x4 R-model Mack tipper. After his 18th birthday, he started the process of acquiring his class 4 and 5 licenses.

“I remember watching and listening in over the R/T when Josh was learning to reverse a trailer, and the other drivers would coach him, saying

things like ‘don’t worry mate, take your time, we all started somewhere’,” says Barry.

“It was amazing to see Josh enjoy the opposite of what he had been so used to.

Instead of the negativity of his school years, here he was being coached, praised, and accepted by those he aspired to be like. ‘Finally,’ I thought, ‘he has found his place’.”

Josh is quick to add: “It is trucks and the trucking industry that has saved my life. I laugh now when I think of some of the comments by some of my teachers back at school, saying to me that there is no money in looking out a window – and here I am now earning more than them looking out a window.”

The idea to paint a truck pink was mooted by Josh to Barry and Debbie about three years ago. Josh knew of the anti-bullying pink T-shirt movement, started in 2007 at a high school in Nova Scotia by two pupils, and felt that it would be a way to convey his own message of hope to one or two people that might need a little assistance to push through their own bullying battles. It was agreed and the Western Star was sent to the paint shop to have the old green removed and a fresh coat of bright pink applied in its place. Then, with the

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 51

Bold, strong, sincere, and straight to the point, the messages of hope Josh and his Western Star so proudly carry. Right: Generous and supportive suppliers helped pave the way to getting the message of hope out on the road. message applied to the alloy bins, it was straight back out on the road to work. The impact of the message was immediate.

“The phone started to ring straight away with people who had seen Josh in the pink Western Star with its message and were looking for guidance and assistance to places of help, but did not know where to start,” says

Barry.

“Some of the stories I have heard would make your hair curl; 40-year-old blokes suffering severe workplace bullying from their own bosses. Go figure? It is shocking. It’s just great that they have seen Josh and the truck and have taken a positive step to seek help for themselves, that’s what this is all about.”

Three years on, there was a need in the Hart Haulage fleet for a new addition, so Barry and Debbie hatched a plan to help Josh take his crusade to the next level.

A phone call to the team at Penske New Zealand was the first step to let them in on the idea and get the new addition secretly built behind the scenes without Josh knowing.

“It was a mission,” says

Barry. “But Penske was simply magic and truly went above and beyond what we could ever have wished for.”

Next, it was off to Transfleet Trailers, which was also immediately onboard with the scheme, and the result is perfection.

Haddock Spraypainters and Panelbeaters in Whakatane and Wrapped Auto Signs in Tauranga worked wonders to

The magic at work, Josh chatting to a couple of fellow drivers keen to hear his message at the Mercer Service Centre.

lped

BACK

TO THE

OTHERSIDE

Josh Hart, a man with a message on a mission.

bring the entire combination together, with its incredible appearance. BroLube also jumped onboard by outfitting the entire rig with an automated greasing system.

Barry and Debbie cannot believe the support that they have received to help make this happen. Both agree that support of this level from commercial suppliers

is 100% affirmation that the journey Josh has embarked on is greatly appreciated and essential.

The impact of the brightpink Western Star and Transfleet Trailers combination could not have been any more obvious on the day.

As we were taking a few photos, a couple of drivers stopped at the service centre,

QUICK SPECS

Western Star 4864 FXC Engine: Detroit Diesel DD15 15-litre Power/Torque: 418kW (560hp), 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) Transmission: Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B Manual 18-speed Front axle: Meritor MFS-14 143A FF1 Rear axle: Meritor RT46-160GP with front and rear diff lock Rear suspension: Airliner 46,000lb Features/Extras: Twin stacks, stainless-steel visor, bug guards, bonnet flashes, cab under-skirts, headlight surrounds.

Alloy air-cleaner barrels, intake extensions, ram intakes. Texas bumper. Polished alloy wheels.

Additional lighting.

Paint/Signage: Haddock Spraypainters and Panelbeaters – Whakatane. Wrapped Auto Signs - Tauranga Body/Trailer: Transfleet Trailers

wondered over, and started to chat with Josh. Right there, we witnessed the magic.

Josh used the opportunity to convey his story to these newfound friends, but most importantly, he listened to theirs.

Hearing Josh’s story regarding the bullying he was subjected to is gut-wrenching, and that’s putting it mildly.

It leaves you shaking your head in disbelief, especially when you consider how often the perpetrators are young themselves. Given the extent and severity of the bullying he was subjected to, it is a blessing Josh is standing here with us today. He is the first to admit that things could have easily turned out very differently.

It is here that the true measure of Josh’s tenacity is understood. By staying close to family and friends and learning how to openly discuss how he was feeling, and also seeking out and finding disciplines that would reinforce his mental state, a pathway forward was slowly and securely paved. There have been a few twists and turns along the way for Josh, but these speed bumps eventually strengthen our ability to adjust and adapt

The New Zealand summer of 2005 saw the release of Breaks Co-Op’s new single, The Otherside. It had a real Kiwi flavour and quickly became a summer roadie favourite. In an interview with Billboard in 2017, entertainer, rapper, and record producer Kid Rock explained how he literally stumbled across the song and thought, ‘Wow, these guys’ harmonies are as good as Crosby, Stills & Nash, or any other that I’ve heard.’ He then set about talking with the band, striking up a collaboration, where he used the basis of the original song with an overlay of his own rap lyrics that explore the tragedy of suicide and the fact that no matter how bad we might perceive a situation, there is always an alternative and positive way forward.

They are strong lyrics with an even stronger message, definitely worth a listen and adding to the playlist.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 53

“we all have the power to change, as well as support those that need help to change.”

and increase our depth of character.

Unfortunately, we do not have to look too far to find memories of bullying and its impact on either ourselves or those we hold near and dear. On the flip side, we might also have memories that we are not proud of where we have said or done things we should not have. But we all have the power to change, as well as support those that need help to change. It is a continuous journey, and travelling it together we are definitely stronger.

CONTACTS FOR AGENCIES I AM HOPE Text or call 1737 anytime 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trained counsellor, completely free of charge.

Youthline Call 0800 37 66 33 for free phone counselling 24/7.

Depression.org.nz Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 for free counselling 24/7.

Lifeline Aotearoa Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 for free confidential support 24/7.

At BroLube we supply and support our Hebonilube Automated Greasing Systems, for trucks, trailers and construction equipment. Our systems are built to deliver EP2 standard chassis grease in any application, available with standard 6mm heavy wall nylon grease-line or 8.5mm heavy duty grease-line for off-road work, such as log transport, fertiliser ground-spread or forestry roading.

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MATT BECKETT Alison Verran was at the Z Turangi Truck Stop when she saw Matt Beckett fuelling up the impressive Kenworth T909, kitted out with a 38-inch Aerodyne Sleeper that he drives for Richmond Heavy Haulage in Taupo.

Adding to this spectacular sight are the two rows of eight dolly, with four rows of eight low-loader trailer. The whole unit has a 28-tonne tare weight, with the truck rated to 130 tonnes.

The beast is powered by a Cummins X-15 engine, pumping out 459kW (615hp).

Matt carts oversize loads, mainly large machinery, and he and his pilot were moving a forestry crew in the Lake Taupo forest. They were heading to a forestry block off SH1 to pick up an 80-tonne log haulier and move it to a block closer to Taupo.

Based in Taupo, Matt carts anywhere in New Zealand. There are no other truckies in Matt’s family – he’s not following in

anyone’s footsteps. He just fancied driving trucks for a career. He said he gets a buzz out of being in control of the big gear!

In terms of industry concerns? Matt cited the lack of public knowledge of oversize vehicles and pilots.

“With so many flashing lights on work

vehicles these days, often the public tend to ignore them. Unfortunately, this has resulted in some incidents recently, as well as many near misses.”

Alison finished the conversation with the light-hearted, vexing question: Pavlova – theirs [Australia], or ours? Matt reckons “definitely ours”.

down the East Coast.

The lure of home saw Howie return in 2004 to Queenstown, where Northern Southland Transport had his services for a few years, followed by a 10-year stint at Allied Concrete, before joining the crew at Maungatua.

Howie loves the work and the region he lives in. Being a truck driver has shown him the beauty of this country.

He struggles for a downside but would

appreciate more younger people trying to get into the industry.

A special mention must go to Howie’s dad, Daniel Blackmore Te Hiakaiora Hawea. “He taught me everything I know today and was a good truck driver too,” Howie said. Sadly, he was killed in a truck accident in 2003.

“I am very fortunate to be here and thankful to everyone I’ve met along the way.”

HOWIE HAWEA Craig Andrews was chasing Maungatua Contracting Kenworths around the Wanaka area recently when he spotted the company’s T950 working at a subdivision.

Living the dream in the Central Otago hotspot of Wanaka was one Howie Hawea. Howie operates the company’s 2000 T950 Kenworth with around 1.4 million kilometres on the clock. It started life at Pacific Haulage in Gisborne as a logger. These days, the T950 is set up with a hydro-vac tank on the back, living a quieter life with Maungatua and Howie, locating services in numerous subdivisions around the Wanaka area.

Howie’s back story in trucking started in 1986 after he left school. Driving a TK Bedford for an insulation firm, he followed that up with a stint in the army on Unimogs for a few years. From there he drove International T and S Lines around the North Island before jumping the ditch to Australia in the late 90s, where he mostly carted freight up and

56 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

Just Truckin’

Around

www.trt.co.nz

JUST TRUCKIN’ AROUND – OVERSEAS Stephen McCormack and his father Niall McCormack, from Drumlish, County Longford in the Republic of Ireland, had just finished washing the Iveco S-Way 510 tractor unit that Stephen drives for Niall on domestic work within Ireland. The truck, which is only a few months old, features a 6x2 mid-lift twin-steer chassis, which is required to avoid overloading the drive axle when coupled to a walking floor trailer used to transport heavy loads of waste.

“Its sister truck is identical, but that one is a single drive 4x2 and always pulls a fridge trailer, as it’s never as heavily loaded on the drive axle,” Stephen said.

4x2 units are cheaper to buy and run, with the added advantage of carrying more fuel.

Niall bought the new Ivecos after good

service from a pair of Stralis he traded against them. He also operates a 6x2 Stralis along with a 4x2 Scania R560 Topline bought in 2016.

Niall’s father Tommy began hauling milk churns from their home base in Keenagh with a Bedford TK. His brother Aidan lives in the United States but has a collection of classic trucks at home here in Ireland, including a TK with milk churns, restored in memory of their father. Aidan’s son has just passed the exam for his US truck

licence, with the aim of hauling interstate, so it seems transport is written into the McCormack DNA. Stephen has been driving for his father since he was 18, beginning with a DAF XF 480. He is full of praise for the new Iveco, which is undeniably one of the best-looking trucks on the road right now.

Working long hours is his main dislike attached to the job, although the freedom it brings means there is no other job he would rather do.

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TOP TRUCK

TOP TRUCK OF THE YEAR 2020–2021

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

FEB 21

Top Truck

APR 21

Top Truck

Top Truck

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

NOVEMBER 2020

www.nztrucking.co.nz

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

FEBRUARY 2021

www.nztrucking.co.nz

APRIL 2021

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

www.nztrucking.co.nz

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

www.nztrucking.co.nz

JUNE 2021

400TH ISSUE

September 2020 | Mercedes-Benz 2645 | Trenchmate October 2020 | International 9870 | McNeill Distribution November 2020 | Kenworth C500 Brute | C&R Developments December 2020-January 2021 | Kenworth T909 | Tumeke Logging February 2021 | Hyundai Xcient L520 | Hornell Investments (Foodstuffs Livery) March 2021 | Kenworth T610 | Steve Martin Contracting April 2021 | Scania S620 | Hanes Transport May 2021 | Volvo FH16 | E&L Williams June 2021 | Mack Super Liner | Golden Contracting July 2021 | Iveco X-Way | Steve Murphy Ltd (SML) August 2021 | Western Star 4684 | Hart Haulage

58 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

DEC 20 / JAN 21

NOV 20

Top Truck

JUN 21

plaque.

Power Retreads’ support for the monthly Top Truck prize and the John Murphy Memorial Top Truck of the Year trophy is unwavering, and we cannot thank them enough. We understand the undercurrent of uncertainty marking these times and acknowledge the Power Retreads team for its commitment to the industry and its people.

Once again, Power Retreads has put up the major prize for the winning truck, a set of eight premium Vipal drive-axle retreads. This prize package is valued between $3500 and $4500.

Likewise, Little Truckers’ Club contributor and renowned truck artist Rochelle Thomas will again present the winner with a portrait of their truck.

Voting will be via public vote on the New Zealand Trucking website, nztrucking.co.nz.

Simply tick the box next to the truck you want to vote for.

Voting opens on Friday 13 August 2021 and runs until Sunday 12 September 2021. The winner will be announced in the October 2021 issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine.

Good luck to all those who have trucks in contention. Get online and get voting for your favourite truck.

OCTOBER 2020

www.nztrucking.co.nz

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

Top Truck DEC20 / JAN21

www.nztrucking.co.nz

MAR 21

A

ll monthly Top Truck winners from September 2020 until this issue are in the draw for the John Murphy Memorial Top Truck of the Year

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

Top Truck

Top Truck

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

www.nztrucking.co.nz

MAY 21

www.nztrucking.co.nz

Top Truck

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

www.nztrucking.co.nz

JUL 21

SEPTEMBER 2020

Top Truck

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

www.nztrucking.co.nz

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

www.nztrucking.co.nz

AUG 21

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

Top Truck

OCT 20

OUR QUALITY MAKES TYRES NEW AGAIN

SEPT 20

The team at New Zealand Trucking is delighted to bring you the John Murphy Memorial Top Truck 2020–2021.

adapted masthead.indd 1

MARCH 2021

MAY 2021

JULY 2021

Top Truck AUGUST 2021

THE NEW HINO 700 SERIES

STRENGTH WHERE IT COUNTS. Leading edge truck design meets world-class quality and reliability.

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BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT

AS WIDE-EYED AS EVER The Back Down the Road gallery is proving a popular spot in the magazine, and this month it comes in house to our very own editor, Dave McCoid. A native of the Thames area, the floor is all his.

“Should I, or shouldn’t I?” – that was the question.

I’ve been pondering it for a while, and then in a fit of spontaneity, I decided, “Meh! Why not.” That was also the moment I realised how hard this particular assignment was and what I’ve been putting old friends and colleagues through. Talk about agony. Trying to decide which pictures to use!

Here it goes then, from someone who’s as wide-eyed truck-crazy today as he was at the sight of his first NZCDC tanker arriving at the farm in the late 1960s.

THANK YOU Some scratchy old pics to start, taken with goodness knows what – probably a Kodak Instamatic – but tributes that simply have to be in here. Men who went out of their way to foster a passion.

1

Thames Freightlines Ltd and later Provincial Freightlines Ltd were a huge part of my working life, and again, eternal thanks to the Malanaphy family for taking a punt on a young fella. What image would epitomise that company more than an R-model Mack in ‘full Bulldog’?

Graeme ‘Gunner’ Wright proved to me when I was very young that wearing glasses was no barrier to becoming a truck driver (it did concern me that truck drivers never seemed to wear glasses). He proves to this day that dogged passion and dedication wins.

2

3

Probably my all-time favourite pic to this day. In my early years, it was the K-model Kenworth that epitomised the long-haul trucker. That had its roots in images out of the US, taken in the era before the conventional trucks dominated on the back of regulation changes.

Here’s a doozy: Long logs going on with a fork hoist at the Kopu railyard.

Many hours in the late teens were spent with the wonderful, late Brian Hunt.

60 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

In the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Mical brothers were inspirational for any young Thames Valley person wanting to get behind the wheel. Here, a young Dave Mical rolls out of Thames bound for Marton in the C-series ERF that Jeff Leonard contracted to R&L Main Ltd.

1) My dear late uncle Ted Wilson, who drove for Andy Smith Ltd in Morrinsville. Here, his brand new UD CW51 at the company depot on Lorne Street.

2 ) Richard Fisher, from Turua. Still truckin’ today. His B-series ERF stopped at the farm gate, picking me up for a trip to Southdown Freezing Works.

3 ) The one and only Neville ‘Yogi’ Chambers. Responsible for blooding so many into the industry. Still truckin’ today at 75. Here, the original Thames Sawmilling W-model he drove from brand-new. I stood by it all day at the gala this pic was taken at.

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BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW

The Legend SAR is the latest modern throwback from Bayswater.

THE

RETURN

OF THE

TRUCK Story and photos by Tim Giles

SHOW

It’s been two years since the last Brisbane Truck Show, which seems like an age. New Zealand Trucking returns to the Brisbane Convention Centre for the show after the stresses of a pandemic-affected 18 months.

T

his year’s Brisbane Truck Show was perfectly timed.

Everybody in the trucking industry has been busy since March last year and frustrated by the inability to travel, apart from behind the steering wheel. The event was an opportunity for everyone to celebrate the industry and catch up on all the latest juicy gossip.

The Heavy Vehicle Industry Association got lucky with

the timing of the mid-May event. Small outbreaks of Covid-19 in other Australian states looked like they might scupper hopes of the event being a genuinely national – and international – show, but the outbreaks in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland were all short-lived and under control weeks before. The truck show also took place a few weeks before another Covid-19 outbreak from South Australia into Victoria and

then on to Queensland, which would’ve caused problems for potential show-goers.

A few brave souls also made it across the ditch from New Zealand, and all had a good time. The truck show is not a show for stuffed shirts; those attending enjoy themselves and get to speak to others about new equipment and services. It’s not all beer and parties, but there is a bit of that going on as well.

The show’s future had been in doubt right up until a couple of weeks before as several major manufacturers decided not to attend or display their product.

Numbers one and two in the Australian truck market

Iveco-cabbed Acco.

Daimler was in full force.

– Isuzu and Hino – couldn’t make it, neither could the three members of the Volvo Group – Volvo, Mack and UD Trucks.

Although Isuzu decided not to attend, it retained its display space, giving it over to vintage-truck enthusiasts to display their collections. The area, positioned on the main thoroughfare, created plenty of room for people to hang around and chew the fat.

The far end of the exhibition space was dominated as usual by the Paccar stand.

This time, the global truckmaker did away with separate Kenworth and DAF sections, displaying trucks from both brands together. This is a first for Paccar and proved to be

New Actros on display.

Fuso’s latest heavy rigid, the Shogun 360.

effective.

Paccar also managed to obtain extra space for a philanthropic gesture. It supplied a DAF LF truck with a purpose-built body to be used as a flexible work, meeting, and media space with audio-visual capabilities for external presentations, all powered by a Cummins generator.

“This vehicle will service the industry in many ways through high-impact engagement initiatives at on-site events, industry activations, conferences, or at the roadside,” said David Smith, the Australian Trucking Association chair.

“Harnessing its multi-purpose utility, the vehicle will have

the capacity to deliver outdoor presentations, on-site health checks, host regional meetings, act as a media hub or serve as a support centre that responds to industry needs in times of crisis.”

The first organisation to use the new facility was Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds, working together with OzHelp’s driver-well-being programme, Health in Gear.

They will use the vehicle to deliver free ‘Truckie Tune Ups’, a comprehensive health check that measures general physical and mental health, cholesterol, blood pressure, height, weight, sleep, exercise, and diet, administered by a nurse and a trained support officer.

This new truck was parked next to the large display area for a model that turned out to be the star of the show, the Kenworth Legend SAR. The Kenworth combines the nostalgia for the good old days of Australian trucking with the technology necessary for a truck working on today’s roads. This model gives us an idea of how the Kenworth brand now approaches the truck-buying market. Models such as the T610 and T410 use the best technology and design to create a state-ofthe-art truck for a modern trucking operation. There is also a great deal of nostalgia for what many would regard as the golden age of the 1970s and 1980s.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 63

SEA electric debuted its first series of trucks based on Hino 300 and 500 cab chassis.

Of course, most trucks going down the production line in Bayswater will be the 21st-century ones, but now and again, something that looks like an old-timer, but can still handle the work in the modern environment, will also be assembled on that production line. This two-tiered approach to the trucking market has developed in recent years, with Kenworth periodically releasing nostalgic throwback models that have attracted a lot of attention and many potential buyers.

Across the aisle was the imposing Daimler stand, demonstrating a new selfconfidence from the global manufacturing giant. While Fuso has always been a strong player in Australasia, Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner have been through

Well, that’s different…

some low points in the past 20 years. The introduction of the new-gen Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks back in 2016 breathed new life into the iconic German brand. More recently, the launch of the Cascadia onto the Australian truck market has seen the Freightliner brand re-emerge as a genuine contender for many buyers.

The Fuso display shows the brand leading the way in integrating technology from throughout the Daimler family into its products. It has also gone further down the electric technology route than any of the other major truck brands in Australasia, releasing the eCanter and displaying it with a great deal of pizzazz at Brisbane. This is no longer a prototype but a truck for sale on the open market. Fuso also had its latest heavy rigid

model on display, the Shogun 360, which sees a Daimler Euro-6 driveline in a modern Japanese heavy becoming a mature design.

After showcasing versions of the prototype Cascadias at the last Brisbane Truck Show, Freightliner, this time, had the full range on show.

This selection of models has proved to be of great interest in Australasia, as they are the first to genuinely offer a full range of modern driveline and safety technologies, which are more commonly associated with European brands, in a North American truck. The Cascadias on display allowed the public to see the latest digital dashboard, which will be available on the Cascadia models expected in Australia and New Zealand later this year. The larger, fully digital display brings a standard

Meritor 14Xe electric axle – a development for Aussie trucks.

The position usually occupied by Isuzu was made available to enthusiasts to show off their pride and joy.

of sophistication to a North American truck cabin and takes conventional trucks to a new level.

On the Mercedes-Benz section of the Daimler stand, the emphasis was on rigid models. This follows the announcement that the 8x4 Arocs model can now be fitted with all of the latest high-tech safety equipment, available for some time in the prime-mover range and bound to be of interest to the New Zealand truck market.

These additional systems include sophisticated control features such as Predictive Powertrain Control, which is gradually becoming available throughout the Daimler offering. Alongside the active brake assist’s advanced emergency braking system, this sees the overall Daimler brand leading the way, with

highly sophisticated systems now included in all of its trucks across the board.

A major theme across many stands at the show was the subject of electric power, clearly flavour of the month (or decade?). Those manning the many displays reported serious interest in anything that included elements of the electric power train.

Daimler was the only major manufacturer displaying an electric truck, the Fuso eCanter. However, several displays emphasised the shift to electric power.

The largest single layout of electric trucks was on the SEA Electric stand. In what seems like a coincidence, the SEA electric trucks were on display in an area usually occupied by Hino. In fact, the SEA trucks are based on the Hino 300 and 500

ranges. These trucks arrive from Japan as gliders and are then powered with the SEA Electric driveline at the company’s Melbourne plant and badged as SEA. By further coincidence, the person presenting for the electric truck manufacturer to the media was Bill Gillespie, who is now the Asia-Pacific president of SEA, but up until a few months ago was working in a role at Hino Trucks headquarters.

Other brands of electric trucks on show included JAC Trucks, which has risen from the ashes of the previous JAC organisation in Australasia to become an electric vehicle supplier. Also on show were electric vans from EV Electric, based on a Chinese van design and planned for introduction this year.

There was also much

JAC has re-entered the Australian market as an EV supplier.

The new Hyundai Pavise is the brand’s new mediumduty contender.

Pandemic? Doesn’t seem like it.

Paccar displayed DAF and Kenworth models together this year.

1 2 3

1 & 2) The full range of new Cascadia models was on display. 3) Dana’s retrofit electric driveline.

electric driveline technology on display, from component suppliers to truck manufacturers. Meritor and ZF displayed e-axles, where electric motors are situated in the position normally reserved for the differential on a conventional driveline.

Available from Dana was a retrofit kit, which can be used on many different truck

models. This design sees a mid-mounted electric motor with a short driveshaft to the differential. This fits between the chassis members and leaves space at the front of the vehicle, where the engine is normally mounted, to become the location for the batteries required.

Another exhibitor at the show was new player, Janus,

which demonstrated a replaceable battery system in a Kenworth conventional.

The battery is in the original engine bay and the front radiator grille has been turned into a door that opens to allow a forklift to remove the depleted battery and replace it with a fully charged one.

The team at Janus claim that a battery can be changed in

The Fuso eCanter was the only electric truck from a major manufacturer.

66 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

about three minutes.

Elsewhere at the show, Hyundai trucks reported that it had much inquiry from show-goers wanting to talk about the hydrogen trucks, which the company is currently running in Switzerland, using fuel cells for power. The Hyundai display also included the Pavise medium-duty truck, which is being introduced onto the market this year.

The dependable Iveco Acco was also on display but under a new guise. This model has been with us in many forms over many years, but its latest iteration sees the Iveco range finally move away from the original International Harvester design from 1972 and introduce an adaptation of the Iveco X-Way model as a similarly specified replacement. The company was also debuting its new telematics system, which comes inbuilt and standard on new trucks in the market.

Needless to say, there were many more displays filling the entire Brisbane Convention Centre, all of which were kept busy for the duration of the event by the crowds moving through the various halls.

The overall impression was that the show had been a major success, despite the absence of a couple of the big players. In fact, anyone attending the show for the first time would assume that it was perfectly normal as all of the available space was filled in the main exhibition hall and smaller upstairs exhibition spaces.

Although the overall numbers did not break any records, attendance was comparable with previous shows. There was no indication the pandemic had affected the numbers of people wanting to see trucks and accessories in the metal and, of course, get together over a drink or two and talk about the world of trucks and trucking.

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SOUTHERN ALPS

MONSTA Italy is a highly mountainous country, with approximately one-third of its terrain home to large peaks.

The country contains part or all of Europe’s most notable summits, including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.

With this geography in mind, it is no wonder that Iveco has created a mountaineer that has found itself a home in New Zealand’s alpine south.

O

perating out of the Queenstown branch of Bidfood Foodservice, this 2018 Eurocargo ML150 4x4 was built with a specific task in mind, namely scale the alpine roads of the local ski fields and withstand the winter-road challenges of ice and snow.

The commission of this build was an investment in servicing these key winter accounts and provides customers with a level of certainty and consistency of

Story by Mike Byers

delivery that wasn’t possible within the existing fleet, while future-proofing available capacity.

While the truck is used primarily for regular Cardrona deliveries, it sometimes services The Remarkables, Treble Cone and Coronet Peak ski fields in tandem with a smaller Fuso Canter 4x4. Versatility in accessing multiple delivery points and unloading options was critical.

Overseeing the build and sourcing of the chassis fell to the late Dan Magrath,

who was Bidfood’s national fleet manager. Dan was an outstanding member of the Bidfood team, with a passion that is sorely missed. He was honoured with the moniker ‘Dan’s Legacy’ painted on the front of the truck.

The Iveco chassis was chosen at the end of March 2018, not through any rigorous analysis of options, but more due to its availability for what was a short window until the truck had to be ready for winter operations in June.

Automated Truck Body

Photos by Gavin Myers and as credited

Coronet Peak at the beginning of the ski season.

Colder inside than out? Maybe not.

A Monsta delivery for Coronet Peak.

Solutions in Tauranga was appointed to build and fit the 5.8m isothermal body. This presented Neil Callaghan and his team with some challenges, as the body would need rear and left-hand side door access and a tail lift, in keeping with the versatility theme. The fuel tank was moved to the right-hand side to accommodate the step up to the side door, and the air tanks were moved further under the chassis to allow the Dhollandia foldaway tail lift a nesting place.

With a re-rated GVM of 14,200kg and an operational capacity of 5660kg, a carrier Supra 550 refrigeration unit was fitted by Transcold Group. Shod with 11R 22.5 rubber, the overall ruggedness and inherently practical nature of the unit is softened nicely with exterior detailing by Write-On Signs. The project was delivered in time for the

southern ski season.

Upon arrival at the Queenstown depot, it was fitted with a set of ladder chains for front and rear wheels and was immediately given the moniker of ‘Monsta’ thanks to its size. It towers above the all-Fuso fleet in the yard.

The access road to Cardrona is unsealed, and during winter, it handles multiple cars, busses and trucks, which impacts its condition. Added to the challenge is the accumulation of ice and snow. Although the road has a manageable gradient, there are numerous steeper pinches, tight corners and exposure that means confidence in machinery and driver is needed. The Bidfood Queenstown branch only uses drivers who are appropriately skilled in alpine driving to pilot the Monsta. They are generally snow sports

From left: Von Valley views; Remarkables Ski Field delivery; Road to Cardrona – mid-winter. Photos: Bidfood.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 69

Drivers Philippe Gauthier and Athol Speden. enthusiasts themselves, having experience on the roads to the various fields.

It is not uncommon for the drivers to park up after a delivery and get a few sneaky runs in – which the branch strongly encourages.

Currently, the two men with this honour are Athol Speden and Philippe Gauthier. Athol joined the Bidfood Queenstown team from Big Chill in mid-2020, established himself quickly as a key team member and is training and mentoring the younger drivers. He’s a Kiwi with a great personality and outstanding work ethic.

Philippe has been with the company only

Windy, icy roads? No problem for the Monsta.

a couple of months, having decided he needed to return to his truck-driving roots after working as a butcher in Queenstown for the past two years. He grew up in the French Alps – his parents were involved in the meat industry, and he handled truck deliveries for them in his early years. He moved to New Zealand 14 years ago with his Kiwi wife and their two boys.

The Iveco, not the ideal build for the open road, comes into its own once off the seal. It is torqued to climb all day and would give renowned Italian mountaineer Walter Bonatti a run for his money, with the six-cylinder Tector F4A 5.9-litre diesel and six-speed manual gearbox solidly driving it upwards when fully laden. This Euro-5

unit puts out 208kW (279hp) and 950Nm (701lb/ft), more than sufficient for the task at hand. It may not be the most economical to run, but the consistency it delivers ensures ongoing business for the branch.

Carrying a mix of produce frozen, chilled, and dry goods, the Iveco has a 10-pallet capacity, which is more than adequate for a five-day-aweek delivery schedule.

Near the upper reaches of the access roads, conditions may dictate chains are needed. Generally, the field operator makes the call, but the driver will sometimes err on the side of caution and fit the chains, typically to the rears. However, it is not unusual to fully chain up to ensure maximum

manoeuvrability and safety.

Doing so takes about 30 minutes.

Although it is an expensive piece of equipment for five months of the year, it has been used during the summer for bespoke deliveries to out-of-the-way places such as Bluff’s South Port and Walter Peak via the back road through the Von Valley.

Over the past three years, the Iveco has been a regular sight around the region and proved itself a solid and reliable performer with no mechanical issues. It is a unique vehicle on some unique alpine roads, with Dan leaving a truly Monsta legacy. The Monsta was also immortalised as the July truck in the New Zealand Trucking 2020 calendar.

The Monsta has become synonymous with these peaks.

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Keith Tuffery 027 489 1761 Sales – Lower North Island

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*Report prepared by Information Tools Ltd for the Motor Industry Association based on registration data as supplied by Land Transport New Zealand. ˆInternational Truck of the Year 2016.

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RUST IN PEACE

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 million-miler. In this new series of pictorials, we’ll give these forgotten heroes one more moment in the limelight. And, where we can, share their stories.

GLEN MASSEY

BEDFORD KM AND KH Story and photo by Gavin Myers

T

he Waikato village of Glen Massey seems to offer little excitement as you drive through it unless you’re into New Zealand’s early mining history. (It, and its neighbouring settlements southwest of Huntly, were mining areas in the early half of the past century.)

But on the main road, through the village, is a well-maintained section, home to four old workhorses. These are a 1985 Mitsubishi Canter

72 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

motorhome, a nondescript ute that seems to be an old Mitsi too (let us know if you know), and two Bedfords – an eight-tonne KHMC75 from 1979, and a 1975 KM originally fitted with Detroit Diesel’s famous 6V71 two-stroke diesel.

The open-deck six-wheeler KM has to be the star of the show, and like its mate, the KH, it’s bearing the hallmarks of retirement in the open; nature is taking its toll, paint and liveries are fading, and in their place the lichen and rust have set in.

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WE GOT US A MINI

CONVOY A collection of three iconic American movie trucks is not what you’d expect to find ‘across the pond’ in England. That two have been recreated down to the finest detail possible, and the third is the actual star, makes them even more special to behold.

Story by Will Shiers

L

ike myself, George Matthews was brought up on a diet of American trucking movies. His VHS player would have chewed up numerous copies of Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit while he dreamed of one day being behind the wheel of Rubber Duck’s Mack or Snowman’s Kenworth. However, unlike me, he’s actually living the dream.

George, who lives on England’s south coast, was born into the fairground industry. His family have been showmen since the mid-18th century – a profession started by distant relative James ‘Chewbacca’ Matthews.

Given his family’s trade, George grew up around

Photos by tomlee.gallery

commercial vehicles. “There were always trucks and trailers around,” he remembers. “Dad had an Atkinson Borderer, and then a Ford D series and a Cargo.”

While his father (George Snr) quit the fairgrounds in the late 1980s, George carried on the family tradition, making a living from manufacturing and operating various rides. He estimates that he has owned and operated close to 30 different ERFs and Fodens.

The last was a Foden Alpha 6x4 with a Cat 450, which he reluctantly parted company with about six years ago.

“That was a lovely truck, and I regretted selling it,” he admits. “So, I decided that I needed to replace it with

something good.”

Fitting the “good” bill was a 1976 Kenworth. Although it was never officially imported into Britain, George found a decent example for sale locally and promptly purchased it.

“And then one night, Smokey and the Bandit came on TV, and I decided to make a replica,” he tells me. Eight months later, he was the proud owner of one of the world’s most instantly recognisable trucks.

Having finished the work, he now needed an excuse to drive it regularly – after all, he “couldn’t afford just to take them to shows every weekend”. Together with his wife and kids, he came up with the idea of manufacturing

mini petrol-powered movie trucks for children to ride on, which together with an inflatable course, could be moved around the country in the Kenworth. The first of four he built was, of course, the Smokey and the Bandit truck, followed by a scaleddown Convoy ‘Rubber Duck’ Mack, and then the Pork Chop Express Freightliner from Big Trouble in Little China.

“And then, when I’d built them all, I decided I needed another big one,” he says.

Choosing the right vehicle was a no-brainer – it had to be Rubber Duck’s truck from the 1978 classic movie Convoy.

“So, I started searching for a Mack,” he says.

While there are still plenty

of Mack RS600s in the States, the RS700, the model used in the film is considerably more elusive. But, after a year of looking, George finally tracked down a decent one in South Carolina. It was a 1978 daycab model, which had only recently been retired. Although initially built as a tractor unit, it had been used as a five-axle rigid dump truck for most of its working life. But when George found it, two axles had been removed, and the fifth wheel reinstated. “I knew it was the one, so I didn’t even go over to look at it,” he explains. “I just paid the money, shipped it back and started to work on it.”

To transform it into the Duck’s truck, George first needed to locate some hard-to-find parts, including the roof spoiler. Incredibly,

despite being slightly rarer than rocking-horse manure, he found someone selling one in the UK. But there was no such luck tracking down a sleeper pod, which would have been incredibly unusual back in the day. So instead of wasting any more time, he set about fabricating one himself. “The time-consuming bit was adding the rivets,” he explains. The bullbar also had to be made from scratch, which meant studying numerous movie stills to get the dimensions as precise as possible.

Convoy movie enthusiasts will know that four different trucks were used throughout the making of the film, all with subtle differences. Mack built two versions of the RS700, one for the East Coast and one for the West Coast, with

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both types appearing in the film. The most obvious differences between the two trucks are the hood depths, the height of the wheel arches, and the number of breather pipes. The truck that’s seen most in the movie has two pipes, whereas George’s has one. “So, mine isn’t the one that we all know and love, but it is pretty close to one of the others, which is sighted on several occasions in the film,” he says.

It’s more than ‘pretty close’ if you ask me, as the attention to detail is phenomenal.

An example of this is the collection of licence plates on the front bumper. The central one is its UK plate, whereas the two flanking it are exact replicas of the ones on the movie truck. Then there’s the livery. It’s a common

misconception that the ‘RD Trucking’ written on the doors was originally in white, but if you study the film closely, you’ll see that it’s in silver – as it is on George’s truck.

The same attention to detail continues inside the cab, where custom-built door cards have been fitted. The seats have been reupholstered too, complete with embroidered bulldogs. In the movie, you’ll notice a faded green box located on the dashboard, which really puzzled George.

“It took me ages to figure out what it was, and finally I discovered that it was a Johnson and Johnson first aid kit,” he says. “I managed to find a 1970s one on eBay, which cost me £50 ($100).

You wouldn’t want to use it, though, as everything inside has gone yellow.”

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3

1 & 2) Rubber Duck Mack’s interior refurbished with custom door cards and reupholstered seats. 3) George and George Snr (left). 4) “Looks like we got us a convoy.”

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August 2021 75

One thing he didn’t need to touch was the engine.

The truck had only covered 400,000 miles (640,000km), and the 350hp (261kW) Mack 300-series was in good working order. Although this is the same engine that all four of the movie trucks would have had under their hoods, curiously you only hear it in a few scenes (such as when they’re all lined up and ready to smash up the town and rescue Spider Mike). The rest of the time, what you’re listening to is the soundtrack of a Detroit Diesel.

“Personally, I prefer to have the engine that was actually in the duck, and not the sound-over,” reckons George.

“Besides, I’ve got the Detroit in the Kenworth.”

One of the biggest challenges George faced was getting his hands on a replica trailer. In the movie, they used an elderly asphalt tanker, but he couldn’t afford to buy and ship one of those from the States. So instead, he did the next best thing, opting to Americanise a British tanker.

Extensive work included cutting off the side underrun bars and replacing the old

tri-axle super-singles with a twin-wheel tandem-axle setup. The axles were moved further down the chassis to complete the American look.

Another example of just how detailed this replica is are the cables leading to the top trailer lights. These are twisted and kinked in the same way as they are in the movie. “It’s not the perfect shape of tank, but other than that, it’s pretty damn accurate,” he says.

George finally finished working on the Mack in 2019, but he wasn’t about to put his feet up. “My kids reckoned I should build a replica of the Pork Chop Express next, as they thought it was the bestlooking of the mini movie trucks, but I said ‘no’ initially,” he explains.

“And then I came across the original truck from the movie in Maine. I contacted the owner via Facebook and asked whether it was for sale, and it was!” It belonged to an 82-year-old who had just stopped driving. A deal was done, and the 1985 Freightliner was on its way to England.

“Big Trouble in Little China

is a crazy [movie] really, with lots of kung fu and Chinese magic. It was a bit of a flop in its day, but it has since become a 1980s cult classic,” he says. Something that sets it apart from Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit is that – unlike Kris Kristofferson and Jerry Reed – Big Trouble in Little China star Kurt Russell learned how to drive the truck, rather than relying on a stunt double to do the gearjamming for him. “I like this, as it adds a bit of authenticity to the truck,” reckons George.

So, what’s next? According to George, he won’t be buying and building anything else. Instead, he intends to show his current fleet, the two most recent of which have barely had any public outings, thanks to Covid-19 decimating the truck show calendar for more than a year.

And on the subject of mini movie trucks, I never did tell you what the fourth one is – it’s Optimus Prime.

And with that in mind, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a Peterbilt were to undergo a transformation in George’s hands in the not-too-distant future.

George’s dog, Bandit.

FAVOURITE

TRUCK Does George have a favourite movie truck? “Well, that depends on what you mean by a favourite,” he says.

“If you’re talking about a favourite to drive, then without a doubt, it’s the Pork Chop Express. It’s so comfortable, and thanks to the 450 Cat, it’s really powerful too.

“But the Smokey and the Bandit truck has taken the longest to build and cost me the most money. It’s also my wife’s favourite.

“But my favourite film is Convoy.”

From a different time.

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WHEELS AT WANAKA MEMORIES

We bring you a pictorial memory from this year’s phenomenal Wheels at Wanaka event, just to keep the embers well and truly lit on the run in to ‘23!

It could be a beautiful day in 1942, or heading for Wheels at Wanaka in 2021. Alistair and Jane Nicolson’s 1942 Ford Jailbar basks in the sun on the run in to the show. How cool is it when the trailer is refurbed too?

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With its seamlessly integrated Detroit powertrain, the revolutionary new Cascadia is the next generation of Freightliner fuel efficiency.

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NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

Volvo FH16 600 8x4 rigid XL Globetrotter

THE UNFORGIVEN OPERATOR: Stocklines Harvest 360 Ltd – Blenheim ENGINE: Volvo D16G 16-litre 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Volvo RTS2370A hypoid single

reduction REAR SUSPENSION: Volvo RADD-A8 BRAKES: Disc EBS/ABS SAFETY: Full safety suite BODY: Jackson Enterprises CRATES: Delta Stock Crates FEATURES/EXTRAS: King

GOOD TO GO ALL OVER AGAIN! OPERATOR: NZ Couriers – WJ & SA Good, Dunedin ENGINE: DC16 16-litre V8 463kW (620hp) Euro-5 TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise GRSO905 14-speed AMT

Bars bullbar. Off-set front rims.

Polished alloy wheels. Alloy toolboxes with stainless-steel doors. 465-litre D-shaped tank. Bi-Xenon headlights and additional marker lights.

Extendable bunk. Fridge (33-litre)

Scania R620 8x4 rigid Highline sleeper

REAR AXLES: Scania RB622 REAR SUSPENSION: Scania full air front and rear BRAKES: EBS/ABS SAFETY: Full safety suite BODY/TRAILER: TMC

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PAINT: Factory paint SIGNAGE: Tony Walton Custom Art, Fielding OPERATION: Stock cartage, nationwide DRIVER: Jonathan Kerr SALES: Scott Robinson

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit, stone guard, alloy wheels PAINT: Paint ex-factory OPERATION: Freight ex Dunedin, Christchurch, Invercargill SALES: Kere Menzies

SUNRISE ON A NEW VIKING OPERATOR: W & B Wilson – Gisborne ENGINE: Volvo D16G 522kW (700hp) Euro-5 TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Volvo RTS2370B single reduction – 21 tonne

Volvo FH16 700 6x4 rigid

REAR SUSPENSION: Volvo RADD-A8 air suspension BRAKES: Disc EBS/ABS SAFETY: Full safety suite BODY/TRAILER: Transport and General Transport Trailers FEATURES/EXTRAS: Cab side skirts,

stone guard, alloy wheels. In-cab fridge, TV PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Autostripes Whanganui OPERATION: Bulk cartage DRIVER: Kelvin SALES: Scott Robinson

HIGH COUNTRY HIGH Hino 500 FM 2635 MT AIR OPERATOR: R&R Hiab Services – Cromwell ENGINE: Hino 9-litre A09C-UR 261kW (350hp) TRANSMISSION: 9-speed manual synchromesh REAR AXLES: Hino THD17 hypoid with interaxle lock REAR SUSPENSION: Hendrickson HAS 400 air suspension BRAKES: Drum, ABS SAFETY: Vehicle Stability Control (VSR), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) BODY/TRAILER: DF Transales Engineering Mosgiel.

Palfinger PK19001SLD5 FEATURES/EXTRAS: Additional loading lights.

Alloy tool boxes with stainless-steel doors PAINT: Factory paint SIGNAGE: Custom Signs Dunedin OPERATION: Crane deliveries, Central Otago and Dunedin DRIVER: Andy Coup SALES: Tristan Duffell

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 81

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

Kenworth K200 8x4 rigid - 2.3m Aerodyne cab

WORTHY OF A FLASH NEW BRIDGE OPERATOR: Ahaura Transport – Ahaura ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 433kW (580hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor RT46-160 GP REAR SUSPENSION: Kenworth AG 460

BRAKES: EBS/ABS BODY/TRAILER: Truck: Guy Norris Eng. / Crates: Delta (tows existing trailer) FEATURES/EXTRAS: Roof-top lip spoiler, stainless-steel drop visor, stone guard, alloy bumper. Stainless guards, alloy toolboxes, Ram top air intakes

DOUBLE RUBBLE DAFS OPERATOR: Hurricane Haulage – Silverdale ENGINE: PACCAR MX-13 Euro-6 390kW (530hp) TRANSMISSION: ZF TraXon 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: DAF SR1360T single reduction REAR SUSPENSION: DAF 8-bag ECAS BRAKES: Disc EBS/ABS SAFETY: Full safety suite BODY/TRAILER: Transfleet Trailers – one unit alloy body, one

DAF CF530 Euro-6 6x4 rigid unit steel Roc-Tuff FEATURES/EXTRAS: Offset front rims. Polished alloy wheels.

Cab side-skirts. Stone guard PAINT: Factory paint SIGNAGE: Bogart Signs OPERATION: Aggregate cartage, greater Auckland SALES: Steve Willcocks

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z 82 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Timaru Signs OPERATION: Livestock cartage, West Coast DRIVER: Anton Wynard SALES: Mike Gillespie

SELF-SUFFICIENT

Scania R730 8x4 rigid

OPERATOR: Self Loader Logging Ltd – Taupo ENGINE: Scania DC16 16-litre 545kW (730hp) TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise GRSO925R 12-speed AMT with 4100D retarder REAR AXLES: Scania RBP735 REAR SUSPENSION: Scania spring rear suspension BRAKES: Disc EBS/ABS SAFETY: Full safety suite

BODY/TRAILER: Patchell log gear and refurbed four-axle Patchell trailer. Palfinger Epsilon Q170L crane FEATURES/EXTRAS: Cab side-skirts, stone guard PAINT: Factory paint OPERATION: Billet wood, ex-Kaingaroa DRIVER: Steve ‘Hinges’ Rasmussen SALES: Andrew Lane

NO8 PACKING DOWN International R8 9870 CT OPERATOR: Robert Monk Transport – Opotiki ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 396kW (530hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton UltraShift PLUS MXP 18-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Meritor RT46-160 GP REAR SUSPENSION: IROS (International Ride Optimised Suspension) BRAKES: EBS/ABS BODY/TRAILER: Fruehauf Body and 5-axle trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit. Stainlesssteel drop visor. Stone-guard and Ali-Arc alloy bumper.

Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels. Custom interior colour PAINT: Ex-factory OPERATION: General freight, North Island SALES: Jarrod Maclennan

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 83

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, and

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 technology and advanced design features are showing up almost every month.

When the words run out When you need to go truckin’, you go truckin’, and Huntly-based Dykes Trucking Ltd aims at doing just that… in a big way. Its elegant new Mack SuperLiner sports an equally refined body and trailer that could only be the progeny of Moo-Loo country’s finest, Transport & General Transport Trailers. The aluminium bins on both truck and 7.7m five-axle trailer were painted silver by Fleet Image and sport Edbro hoists, 8mm floors and tail doors, Peterson LED lights and a little bit of extra shine courtesy of Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels.

Features: (Trailer) ROR SL9 disc-brake axles and air suspension.

Transport & General Transport Trailers

Northern delights Semco Group has graced the roads with another high-cube, high-quality fleet addition in the form of a big ‘K-whopper’, dressed in trailing couture from the house of Fruehauf. Model designate for the body and trailer is RBC 7.5 – 11.5. The business end of things comprises steel C/10 decks, Tarpaulin Makers curtains with Quirk tensioners, lightweight mono-panel rear walls, and A-frame drawbar with undermounted pig-tail spring. The marketing department features alloy drop guards, alloy toolboxes with stainless-steel doors, stainless-steel rear light bar and centre in-fill with 10 roof track and bottom mount lights per side. Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels finish it all off.

Features: ROR CS9 19.5” drum brake axles and air suspension.

Knorr EBS braking system.

Fruehauf NZ

KIWI 16/17

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

0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz 84 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

KIWI 175

Features: SAF 19.5” disc-brake axles and air suspension.

TMC

Uphill and down dale

Saying this brand-new Iveco X-Way and TMC B-Train will see its share of ups and downs is no philosophical ponder – we’re for real!

Like the trucks that tow them, life for trailing gear in the Solly’s Freight 1978 Ltd fleet means hills – lots of hills. This swish new unit is built to cart a bounty from the deep, with

MPI-spec side drains, alloy catch tanks, as well as Thermo King temperature control.

Beautifully branded Structurflex curtains, alloy toolboxes with stainless-steel doors, and Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels set off a stunning looking inter-island line haulier.

Features: Hendrickson ZMD disc-brake axles and air suspension.

Roadmaster

They just keep coming

Whether it’s the trailer brand you’re talking about, or in this case, the customer, the headline is valid. APL Direct has added more visual clout to one of the country’s showpiece fleets with this built-for-purpose six-axle Glidemaster B-Train. APL Direct’s Jake Lambert sat down with Roadmaster’s design team and came up with the unit, built

to cart the company’s glass panels and glass trolleys. Able to be towed independently, the trailers are equipped with Hendrickson TIREMAAX inflation management to ensure things are always on a roll. Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels and stainless-steel guard in-fills add low-line-shine to the imposing curtains.

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New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 85

RHINO PHOTO OF THE MONTH COMPETITION

EVER GREEN

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n eight-axle stock truck butted up to a loading ramp in rural New Zealand – now there’s a cuppa and Griffin’s Milk Arrowroot ‘bickie’ scene. In other words, as Kiwi-as!

Yes, we’re back north this month with an image from Glen Quinn of Evergreen Landcare,

based in Papakura. Glen released the shutters while his Fuso was loading on one of the company farms at Ararimu near the base of the Bombay Hills and Hunua Ranges, south of Auckland.

There’s no arguing that the 2008 Fuso Shogun is an absolute credit to Glen and his employer.

Thanks, Glen, for entering.

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

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86 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

NZT 21

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MINI BIG RIGS

It’s starting to look like a tractor unit with its fifth wheel in place, the rolling chassis is ready to have its rear guards fitted and receive a cab.

By Carl Kirkbeck

CHASSIS PAINT AND ASSEMBLY This month, things start to take shape, with the completed chassis receiving a coat of paint, installation of the engine and transmission, and fitment of wheels.

At last, we begin to see a tractor unit form.

W

e’ve worked our way through the preliminary stages of steps 5 and 6 and prepared the chassis for paint by assembling and fitting the major components, simplifying the painting process. If you were to paint each piece first before

88 New Zealand Trucking

assembly, you would have to remove the paint from all the glue contact points for correct adhesion which, in turn, increases the risk of glue stains in the fresh paint.

Assembling as much of the chassis first is the tidiest and most efficient way forward and is generally the approach taken in actual truck assembly plants.

Before we paint the chassis, it is important to carefully apply masking tape to the areas we do not want the spray paint to cover, such as the axles, where the wheels are fitted. If these were coated in paint, you would find the wheels will most likely not slide on at assembly or rotate as they are supposed to, resulting in remedial paint removal.

Painting a chassis with a brush is very fiddly, timeconsuming, and compromises the potential finish, so spray paint is highly recommended.

With a piece of fine wire, hang the chassis at a good working August 2021

height in an open, wellventilated space, such as the branch of a tree in the back yard – don’t get overspray on Mum’s variegated monstera.

Tamiya TS-29 ‘semi-gloss black’ is the colour of choice for our project. Be sure to read all the precautions on the spray can and follow the safety instructions listed.

With the chassis attached to the fine wire, you can rotate it to ensure the coat of paint reaches all the inner details. With spray painting, generally use short sharp blasts of paint, keeping the can moving and continually rotating the model to not build up the paint in one area.

A gradual build-up of light dustings achieves the best result and ensures the detail is not buried. Once happy with the paint coverage, leave the model to dry thoroughly before handling.

Once dry, removing the masking tape reveals the bare plastic of the diesel tank ready to receive a coat of

Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminium for a realistic finish.

Looking at steps 5 and 6 again, we see the breakdown of the assembly and attachment procedures for both the rear-drive wheels and front steerers. Starting with the rear drives, we carefully slide the inner dual onto the axle, ensuring that the wheel freely rotates (some minor filing/sanding to the axle surface might be required here). The next step fits the retainer rings – 89A – and requires careful application of glue. First set 89A in place dry with no glue. Then, once happy with the fit, apply the minimum amount of glue to the front face of 89A and the axle where it protrudes through 89A. Allow this glue to dry thoroughly before fitting the outer wheel, as you may find that the glue makes contact and freezes the wheel in position. Once the glue on the retainer rings (89A) has set, apply the minimum amount of adhesive to the

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3

1) Careful application of masking tape to specific areas – for example, the axles – to exclude them from a coating of spray paint saves a lot of heartache at final assembly. 2) Using a piece of fine wire to suspend the chassis in the air achieves an ideal working height and provides great ventilation. Remember to follow all safety precautions listed on the spray can. 3) Careful application of minimal glue to the tip of the axle and surface of the retainer rings – 89A for drivers and 113A for steerers – is required to ensure that the wheels still rotate freely on the axle. Remember to allow this glue to dry thoroughly before fitting the outer wheels of the dual set. surface of the hub stem of the inner dual. While this glue is wet, slide into position the outer dual over the hub stem of the inner, this will create a bond between the two individual wheels, creating one solid unit while still allowing the wheel to rotate freely on the axle.

The fitment of the front steerers in step 6 is a little more straightforward. Apply the same methodology as the rear drives, with careful application of minimal glue to both hub retainers (113A), as well as the tips of the stub axles. Careful attention here will ensure the finished wheels can still rotate on their axles.

Next is the final installation of the completed engine and transmission assembly. This is a straightforward procedure.

There are two tabs at the front of the engine, one on each side of the engine block, which represent the engine mounts on the real truck. These slot onto a pair of matching locators on the inside of the chassis rails. On the underside of the transmission, there’s

a locating pin that marries to a location on the centre of the transmission cradle crossmember.

First, ensure that you have carefully removed the paint from these surfaces so that the glue can adhere correctly.

Now, apply a little glue to the three location points on

the engine and transmission assembly and the matching points on the chassis.

Next, slide the engine and transmission assembly into place while holding the front driveshaft – 89A. This will sit in place on the completed model without glue as it has two solid pins, one each end, representing the transmission and front differential splines on the real truck. To save fingers from being covered with a gluey mess, set 89A into the front of the diff as you slide the engine and transmission assembly into place on its pre-glued locations. This will also allow rotation of 89A as required to achieve correct drive-line geometry.

Now fit the fifth wheel onto its frame. This will easily sit on the two pivot point towers of the frame without glue. I would recommend not fixing this in place now as you may want to build a trailer later and need this pivoting movement to accommodate the kingpin.

Now, with a finished rolling chassis, we are well on the way to a completed tractor unit. Next, we will assemble and fit our rear guards over the drive wheels and begin the process of piecing together the interior for the cab.

DO YOU BUILD MODEL TRUCKS?

Our subject matter, Pilkington Automotive Glass Mercedes-Benz 2244, driven by Ken Kirk in 1992.

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

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 89

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

HI LITTLE TRUCKERS! I hope you all enjoyed your school holidays!

I have had some amazing entries for the July issue colouring competition sponsored by Southpac Trucks. If you haven’t sent in yours, please do so as soon as possible. The winner of a very cool prize pack from Southpac will be announced in the September issue.

Congratulations to nineyear-old Sophie Murray from Feilding who found our truck logo on page 56 of the July issue. The winner of our Fun Fact quiz is Conner Nutsford, 15, from Timaru.

Congratulations. Keep an eye on your mailboxes as something cool is coming to you.

Don’t forget, if you would

FIND A WORD In the 40 years between 1971 and 2011, there were 54 different Kenworth models introduced here in New Zealand and Australia. I have used 18 of these models in this month’s Find-A-Word puzzle. (Next month, I will cover the past 10 years 2011-2021.)

ONLY the model names are in the grid. All names can be found reading upwards, downwards, diagonally, across the grid and backwards. I have highlighted one for you. Be careful, some of the models are similar so it may be tricky…

Have fun, kids!

1971 K100CR 1975 W900SAR 1981 C500AR 1982 L700R 1986 K100E 1987 T600 1987 T650 1989 T400 1991 T900 1992 T950 1995 K300 1999 K104 2004 T404SAR 2008 K108 2008 T908 2011 K200 2011 T350 2011 T909

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

Have a fantastic month, kids!

T T K 1 0 8 K W 0 K 1 C E C W 0 0 2 K 0

9 W L W 4 K W 9 T C T 9 K 5 4 9 R S 1 L

0 6 K 5 0 T W 0 C L 9 7 9 0 7 0 K T 7 R

9 C K 1 4 C 4 0 K 3 0 0 0 0 A 0 C S 9 K

W 0 1 T K 0 L S K 4 8 L R A K 9 6 1 A 0

T 4 0 4 S A R A 1 5 W 6 C R W T 4 0 0 5

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.

6 L 4 C 0 1 0 R 0 6 R T S 0 C 5 L R L 3

K 6 T L 9 5 T 6 0 0 A 0 6 5 L 4 0 5 9 T

0 4 T 9 6 0 4 K E W A E 4 6 4 C A C 4 4

L 7 0 0 R 6 9 L 6 C 5 0 0 T R C 0 0 1 K

Joke of the month What did one tyre say to the other?

Wheel get through this!

90 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

Excerpts from Kenworth Defining Tomorrow.

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WHAT’S ON Mobil 1 NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame gala dinner

Bombay Truck Show

24 September

Bombay Rugby Club

Bill Richardson Transport World, Invercargill

Contact: bombaytruckshow@gmail.com

12 February 2022

Contact: Adam Reinsfield, 0800 151-252 (ext 5) events@ twevents.nz

Alexandra Blossom Festival ATL Haulage Trucks 39th Annual Truck Parade

Hootnanny Country Rock Festival with Truck and Car Show 25 to 27 February 2022 Thames Racecourse Contact: hootnanny.co.nz, info@hootnanny.co.nz

25 September Fulton Hogan Yard, Dunstan Road, Alexandra Website: blossom.co.nz

TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show 11 to 12 March 2022 Canterbury Agricultural Park

RTF Conference

Contact: truckingindustryshow.co.nz, or email info@ nztruckingassn.co.nz

25 to 26 September Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill Contact: forum@rtf.nz

Gisborne East Coast Truck Show 2021 27 November A&P Showgrounds, Gisborne Contact: Peter de Denne, 027 434 4727

92 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

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.

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96 Moving Metrics 100 Incoming Cargo – NZ’s hydrogen future 104 Industry Comment 106 Truckers’ Health 108 Health and Safety 109 NZ Trucking Association 110 Legal Lines 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.

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

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

The data used in this information reflects any amendments to the data previously reported.

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

A goods vehicle is a motor vehicle that: (a) i s 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.

Vehicle class

Description

NB

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

(mediumgoods vehicle)

NC (heavy-goods vehicle)

TD (heavy trailer)

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

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

96 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

First registration of NB and NC class vehicles for June by major manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers for June year on year by major manufacturer

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

First registration of NC class vehicles year to date 2018 – 2021 by major manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers year to date 2018 – 2021 by major manufacturer

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 97

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

ROAD USER CHARGES

RUC purchase for June 2021, all RUC types

Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2021 by purchase year

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

In June 2021 there were 46 different types of RUC purchased for a total distance of 1,415,489,880km at a value of $188,484,043.

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

15,421,400,378

$2,069,615,049

1 Jan 2021 – 30 June 2021

8,312,205,628

$966,271,037

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www.nzta. govt.nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/ road-user-charges/ruc-rates-andtransaction-fees/ Please note data June differ slightly from that reported for the same period previously due to adjustments being made to the base data.

RUC distance purchased for RUC type 1 vehicles

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 – 30 June 2021

5,949,501,019

991,583,503

RUC type 1 vehicles are powered vehicles with two axles (except type 2 or type 299 vehicles. Type 299 are mobile cranes). Cars, vans and light trucks that use fuel not taxed at source (i.e. diesel fuel) are generally in this RUC type.

RUC purchases all RUC types

98 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

The top eight RUC type purchases, other than type 1 in descending order RUC Type Description 2

Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle

6

Powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles)

43

Unpowered vehicles with four axles

14

Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 or type 499 vehicles)

951

Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles

H94

Towing vehicle that is part of an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a type 14 RUC vehicle towing a type 951 RUC vehicle with a permit weight of not more than 50,000kg

33

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

408

Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of a combination vehicle with a total of at least eight axles

Average monthly RUC purchases by year (all RUC types)

RUC distance purchased year to date for selected RUC types

RUC purchases June 2021 for selected types

The red dots represent the cost of RUC purchased for that RUC type for the year to date June 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.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 99

INCOMING CARGO Story by Dion Cowley

Images supplied

NEW ZEALAND’S

FUTURE

FLEET What will trucking in a future New Zealand look like?

The second of a three-part series by Hiringa Energy.

T

he future of transportation will be a combination of multiple technologies working in synergy. Battery electric (BEV), hydrogen fuel-cell electric (FCEV), and biofuel vehicles will each have an important role to play and need to be deployed where they work best.

For battery electric, it’s the metro and return-tobase tasks, where the vehicle weight, range and charge times aren’t going to encumber productivity and the electrical grid has capacity.

For hydrogen, it’s linehaul and HPMV operations, where uptime and payload are critical and where fleets are large (with high energy requirements).

For biofuels, it’s the existing legacy fleet of trucks, those that are being road-registered today and will still be on the road (albeit in a reduced capacity) in 2040.

Vehicle owners must be able to choose the option that best suits their needs. It’s too risky for New Zealand to rely on one technology, given the scale of the new fleet required and

Mercedes-Benz GenH2.

100 New Zealand Trucking

its variety of uses.

Committing to hydrogen, providing high impact Early collaboration with Waitomo Group and some of New Zealand’s largest truck owners and operators, such as TR Group and TIL Freight (now Move Logistics Group), helps to ensure that the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and vehicles are suitable locally.

This combined effort targets the highest impact segments of the freight market, such as line and bulk haul, with one of Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell.

August 2021

these trucks emitting as much CO2 as 150 average cars per year.

The carbon reduction impact of addressing this sector of the transport fleet is highly material. For example, the first 300 trucks planned to be introduced by Hiringa and its partners into the heavytransport fleet will have the equivalent emissions-reduction impact of more than 45,000 cars, at less than one-eighth the capital cost. Hydrogen fuel cells are best suited to electrify these heavy vehicles because of the payload, range, and refuelling advantages over battery-only solutions and

deliver the highest emissions impact per vehicle replaced.

As a result of New Zealand’s early investment and planning in hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, industry leaders have secured early access to leading hydrogen FCEV technologies. New Zealand is seen to provide a perfect testbed to establish the commercial rollout of hydrogen-electric heavyvehicle fleets.

Hyundai Motors New Zealand, with the support of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, will bring five zero-emission Xcient hydrogen FCEVs to New Zealand. The trucks are off the production run for Hyundai’s global programme, which will deploy 1600 units into Switzerland by 2025.

Hiringa has been working closely with Hyundai New Zealand to ensure its refuelling infrastructure is configured to fuel the vehicles and positioned to serve the target applications within heavy freight for the Xcient platform.

Hiringa has signed a framework agreement with Hyzon Motors to secure production capacity for up to 1500 hydrogen FCEVs for the New Zealand market between 2021 and 2026 as Hiringa builds upon its nationwide refuelling network. An initial tranche of 20 trucks is planned for 2022.

The Hyundai and Hyzon hydrogen FCEVs are designed for regional markets and New

Zealand compliance. They will boast ranges of up to 650km with GCMs of between 38 and 58 tonnes and refuel in 10 to 15 minutes. Hydrogen fuel-inclusive leases will be available to freight operators via Hiringa’s partnership with TR Group, lowering upfront capital barriers and ensuring fuel will be available when it’s needed.

Decarbonising legacy fleets New Zealand has a significant legacy road fleet – some of the oldest average vehicle lives in the OECD – locking in transport emissions for the next 20 to 30 years. There are roughly 150,000 heavy vehicles on New Zealand roads, and the industry brings in about 6000 to 6500 new vehicles per year. Even if we completely stopped procurement of internal combustion engine (ICE) heavy vehicles, it would take more than 25 years to have a zeroemission fleet. According to the Ministry of Transport, there are 255 registered heavy EVs in New Zealand as of June 2021, or roughly 0.2% of the fleet. Our legacy fleet will therefore be an enduring issue.

The introduction of a Sustainable Biofuels Mandate as proposed by the government is necessary to effect change, but we see the role of biofuels is to decarbonise our existing fleet, not to reduce emissions in new vehicles.

Kenworth T680E Battery Electric.

Hiringa’s future hydrogen refuelling network.

It is important to recognise that not all biofuels are created equal and that there are two types of biofuels relevant to trucks – biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Biodiesel (B100), as used across New Zealand today, is manufactured by a chemical process called transesterification. This process combines low-cost waste oils and fats with an alcohol to produce a ‘diesellike’ replacement fuel. The resulting biodiesel (B100) has different characteristics to conventional diesel and so can cause engine problems, particularly in newer engines.

Therefore, B100 biodiesel is blended down to 5% to

20% with regular diesel. The engine-friendly final product is called B5 or B20, depending on the dilution rate.

Renewable diesel (R100) is a biofuel mix of hydrocarbons produced by reacting fats and waste oils with hydrogen at high temperatures. Higher quality than ‘conventional’ B100 biodiesel, R100 renewable diesel can be used as a drop-in fuel and serves as a complete replacement for diesel without the need to blend. According to Neste, the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel, renewable diesel achieves emissions reductions by up to 90% on a lifecycle basis (dependent on feedstock CO2 absorption

Hyzon FCEV milk tanker.

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 101

and processing emissions).

Renewable diesel is often referred to as an ‘advanced’ drop-in biofuel.

Targeting electrification will to be key if we are to meet our zero-emission targets for new fleets. A biodiesel blend (B20) will provide some carbon reductions for our legacy truck fleet in the early years. Renewable diesel (R100) is the biofuel that will bring the greatest reduction in emissions, a complete drop-in replacement for diesel.

The high production cost and production scaling limitations of renewable diesel will restrict this technology’s application in new trucks and is one of the reasons the European Union focus has shifted to e-transport (hydrogen and battery electric).

Making low-emission renewable diesel for our legacy fleet is energy-intensive and costly when done in isolation. If renewable diesel is produced in an integrated way with renewable electricity generation and green hydrogen production, its commercialisation is likely to stack up better and attract investment.

However, sourcing enough feedstock to produce either biodiesel or renewable diesel remains a challenge. Scion’s NZ Biofuels Roadmap found that if all current waste and residual biomass feedstock for biofuels were aggregated, we would have enough to substitute about 8.2% of our liquid-fuel demand. According to the 2021 Sapere report, “tallow-based biodiesel (B100) currently sold in New Zealand is imported from Australia and small volumes of biodiesel are produced from domestically sourced used cooking oil”.

Currently, the Z biodiesel facility in Wiri can produce 20 million litres of B100 biodiesel per year, about 0.5% of New Zealand’s total diesel usage.

It’s worth the effort to ramp up New Zealand’s R100 renewable diesel capabilities

AWE Trai

to decarbonise our legacy fleets. But we need to push for decarbonisation from both ends and also start bringing more new zero-emission vehicles into our fleet.

What about converting existing diesel engines?

It is possible to convert or retrofit existing diesel engines to run on hydrogen, supplementing the options for long-life or legacy vehicles.

There are two commonly accepted practices. The first is to retrofit the existing diesel intake manifold to blend hydrogen directly into the combustion chamber.

The other option is to remove the diesel engine completely and replace it with an electric motor and a fuel cell. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Several commercial companies have developed onboard production, storage, and injection systems for the direct injection of hydrogen into the combustion chamber of a diesel engine. For onboard production, small blends are achievable with some overall fuel savings due to improved combustion efficiency. However, these solutions cannot achieve zero emissions because they rely on the diesel engine itself to produce the hydrogen that’s injected. For systems that have onboard storage, 100% hydrogen blends are possible.

However, due to higher flame temperatures, NOx emissions are increased. Typically, direct injection systems run blends of hydrogen to mitigate NOx emissions while also cutting a proportional amount of CO2 emissions due to reduced diesel consumption. While the capital cost of converting to direct hydrogen injection is less than a new fuel cell or battery-powered vehicle today, it does not realise the same efficiency and maintenance gains. A truck running on hydrogen combustion can consume 50% more hydrogen than an equivalent FCEV. Retrofitting a diesel engine with a fuel cell and electric powertrain is 100% zeroemission when using green hydrogen. This is ideally suited to applications where the vehicle has 15 to 20 years left in the existing chassis and there is sufficient operating life left to recoup the increased cost of repowering it as such.

While there are not many companies specialising in these conversions, New Zealand will likely build its own capability in this space. This would likely be seen in marine, rail, and bus applications.

RUC exemption for increased uptake New BEV and FCEVs are expensive and, to drive material uptake for transition, incentives must support early adopters of zero-emission technology. The Road User

Charge (RUC) exemption currently in place for battery electric trucks is a key enabler for the early adoption of these vehicles to undertake light-medium duty tasks.

This exemption needs to be extended to cover other low/ zero-emission fuels, such as green hydrogen and R100, which are suited to heavy-duty tasks, so they can effectively compete with diesel in the short term.

The current RUC exemption assumes that trucks are only available in rigid body configuration, providing no recognition that most of the heaviest trucks (the biggest emitters) tow trailers. Also exempting trailers pulled by a zero-emission vehicle would incentivise fleet operators to transition their highest emitting vehicles.

It is important to recognise that using a powerful mechanism, such as the RUC exception, to stimulate uptake of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles should only be a temporary measure, a way to incentivise the early adopters of the new technologies such that the rest of the industry can benefit from their willingness to innovate. As the uptake of zero-emission trucks rises, and the costs reduce, any government incentives should also diminish.

D p o

T L

Dion Cowley is project development and public sector lead at Hiringa Energy.

NZT 21

Mclellan Freight Trailer Manufacturer: MD Engineering Balclutha

AWE McNicol Trailer Manufacturer: Patchell Industries

Don’t let your payload weigh on your mind!

Tipping Units, Bulk Haulage, Logging and Weighbridges

RFH Trailer Manufacturer: Transfleet

TKO contracting Ltd Trailer Manufacturer: Transfleet

Steve Martin Contracting Trailer Manufacturer: HDPS engineering

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www.silodec.co.nz NZT 21042 SI Lodec FP NZT.indd 1

19/07/21 10:49 AM

INDUSTRY COMMENT

COMMON SENSE, MORE UNCOMMON THAN WE THINK Why we need legislation on device placement in vehicles.

By Chris L’Ecluse

I

n 2018, an elderly woman was struck and killed by a truck in Auckland.

A coroner’s verdict, announced in May 2021, suggested the placement of a computer tablet was a significant obstruction on the driver’s vision. In response to the finding, the Road Transport Forum said distraction was a big contributor to accidents on New Zealand roads.

Having worked as a police officer in the Western Australia Crash Investigations Unit, I was shocked to see the photo, which showed the device placed directly in the driver’s forward field of view. It’s incomprehensible from a safety perspective, and screens are becoming progressively problematic in vehicles as there’s no legislated standard on their placement. And without a legislated standard, authorities rely on common sense – which is increasingly uncommon.

Having a national or

104 New Zealand Trucking

international standard would largely eliminate confusion and enable compliance from companies and drivers to incidents such as this in the future. The way the laws are currently written is like telling drivers speeding is illegal but not providing speed limits as a guide.

Current laws only state (as far as the placement is concerned) that the screen cannot obstruct a driver’s view, but this is extremely subjective with so many different vehicle designs. It is due to the incredibly varied designs and sizes of vehicles – compact hatchbacks, large sedans, SUVs, small trucks, large trucks. Even within the same category, dash depth, windscreen rake (angle), dash height, viewing height, and similar, are all different.

So, finding a place that isn’t obstructive to a driver’s view differs greatly, and one size doesn’t fit all.

If legislated, this would give drivers specific guidelines on where they can legally August 2021

Photo: Ministry of Justice. place or mount a screen in their category and type of vehicle, providing compliance protection for employers and making prosecution for non-conformance easier for authorities.

As for how and when devices should be used, the answer is as little as possible. Other than for navigation, it should never be used when the vehicle is moving. All interaction with the screens should be done when stationary in a safe and legal position and the vehicle is in park or neutral with the parking brake on.

When the topic arises, it is common for policy-makers to revert to the auspice that current obstruction of vision laws cover it. The problem with that is it remains subjective – and, sadly, it’s not until someone places an

iPad-sized device directly in their line of sight resulting in a fatal crash, that the shortfall is identified. Road Transport Forum CEO Nick Leggett said: “We owe it to this woman’s family to address what is safe and what isn’t.”

The goal of any safetyrelated legislation is to minimise risk and harm, and I am confident that specific guidelines on device placement and use will increase driver safety and improve the safety of other road users and the wider community. Use of screens will only increase, so we must ensure – through legislation – that they are only used when they aid in driver safety and do not become a distraction.

Chris L’Ecluse is a solution, safety and compliance specialist at Teletrac Navman.

ROAD SAFETY TRUCK

“Road Safety Truck doing its bit to help keep everyone safe” August is Health & Safety Month. After meeting with our partners Safe Business Solutions, we decided to do a month-long campaign to raise awareness that good Health & Safety practices in a workplace will ensure people get home every day after work. It is so important to ensure that your staff’s health and wellbeing is included into your normal day to day activities. Recently the NTA Road Safety Truck visited Wilson Bulk Transport in Ashburton. It was great to see the team at Wilson Bulk organise free flu shots, blood pressure and diabetes checks in conjunction with the Road Safety Truck visit. The drivers and staff participated in the Healthy Truck Driver and Trucking Along program then the Work Safe “Transport and Logistics” video was played, followed by the truck drivers completing a work sheet which questioned their understanding of the video they just watched. A full holistic approach with all the parties collaborating to make this a worthwhile event was very successful. The Health and Wellbeing of staff is the lifeline to any business. Knowledge is power so by equipping everyone with knowledge is the first step. Every participant received the Health Truck Driver resource book which is full of information about common health issues that can affect their ability to drive safely. They also received a resistance band to help prevent neck, arm and back strains. Cody Hunter showed them how to use it in a video that was sponsored by Teletrac Navman. They can carry this in their truck and use it in their breaks. So, thanks Wilson Bulk Transport, WorkSafe, St John and the New Zealand Trucking Association team on board the Road Safety Truck this kind of collaboration will save lives. ‘LETS DO MORE” if you would like to have the Road Safety Truck visit to bolster your companies culture around Health and Safety of all staff contact us!

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

WWW.ROADSAFETYTRUCK.CO.NZ

New Zealand Trucking

August 2021 105

TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

6

WAYS TO GET YOUR MOTIVATION BACK Cold and wet weather means you’re more likely to want to spend time cosied up on the couch than head out for exercise. Here are six tips to help you stay motivated.

1

Sign up for an event or challenge Having a deadline or something to work towards is extremely motivating and helpful in getting your exercise ‘mojo’ back. It doesn’t have to be anything as outrageous as a 100km ultramarathon. It could be a 5km or 10km walk, a gym challenge or a block course for a gym class – anything that requires commitment, discipline and hard work for a set amount of time.

They say it takes 21 days to create a habit, so the idea is that you train for your event, you complete the event and then continue with the routine you put in place while preparing for your goal/event.

are many fitness apps, so it’s a good idea to ask around and see what friends and family are using.

I find MyFitnessPal good for improving knowledge on how much you are eating and the types of foods to include in your diet. If you’re into running, the ‘Couch to 5km’ or ‘Couch to 10km’ app can help you build up from being a ‘couch potato’ to comfortably running or walking 5km to 10km.

4

Join a group gym class or sports team I’ve found that having people rely on me to turn up has been effective in terms of accountability and encouragement. You know that they are counting on you to show up, which can be powerful. It’s one thing to let yourself down, but it is another to let down friends, family or workout buddies.

Tell friends and family This doesn’t mean you have to post daily updates on social media on every meal and workout (unless that helps you). It just means telling people you trust, who are in your close network, that you’re trying to work on your health and fitness.

Having the support of your nearest and dearest may be a crucial element in your success.

It can make your day to receive a message asking how your progress is going, feeling like people have a vested interest in your health and fitness.

Sometimes you can feel quite isolated and alone in your journey, so it’s nice to know you have support along the way.

3

5

2

Use a nutrition or training app If you have no idea where to start in terms of your health and fitness journey, sometimes installing and using a simple app on your phone can give you crucial guidance. There

106 New Zealand Trucking

e strategic with social B events It is lovely to enjoy food and beverages with friends and family, but if your entire social calendar revolves around fish and chips and getting on the beers, this can be detrimental

August 2021

to your progress. Of course, you need to enjoy life and find a happy balance – but you can also make adjustments in your favour.

For example, going to a restaurant rather than a fish and chip place can give you plenty more healthy options to choose from rather than being limited to a menu of deep-fried goodies.

Also, if your friends and family are aware of your health and fitness journey, I’m sure they will be flexible on where you catch up for meals and social events.

6

Use a planning calendar Find the biggest calendar you can, and then mark out the milestones you want to reach and when you would like to achieve them.

The calendar will serve as a powerful vision board with a map of your journey.

If you’ve signed up for an eight-week challenge, for example, mark it each day, week by week, with what you’ve done training-wise, how your weight loss is going (if that’s part of your goal), constantly focusing on the end date.

I’ve found in the past that seeing the end date of a challenge helps me to keep focused because I know it’s not a long time in the scheme of my entire life. As mentioned, a challenge is just a tiny kickstart, and the habits you create will hopefully continue as part of a routine.

W My fiancé Hayden and I after a community training event.

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

Supporting each other

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want to talk about a sensitive subject – mental wellbeing.

In the past few months, I am aware of five people who have committed suicide. These were people in their early 20s to mid-30s, just beginning their lives. I’m fortunate in that none of them were family or close friends. But they were all family and friends of people I know and care about, and I feel their devastation. One of the questions is always, “What could I have done…?”

It can be challenging identifying when a person is struggling to such an extent that they see the only way to stop the pain is to end their lives.

Sometimes, that person might say they are considering suicide.

If we do see or hear that, many of us don’t know what to do in case we make it worse. We believe we should leave it for the professionals but don’t know how to contact help.

The first step comes with noticing that someone isn’t themselves; they may have become isolated, moody, don’t appear to be coping, have weight gains or losses, or they may be using drugs or alcohol. Talk to the person, say that they don’t seem to be themselves lately, ask if you can talk with

them. Take them out of their environment to talk – a cup of coffee or a walk in the park.

The important thing is to let them know that you care and that there is help for them; let them know that they are valuable in your life and the lives of others. Helping the person feel less alone could support them in making better decisions.

If their lives are in immediate danger, you need to act quickly and call the police. They will manage the situation for you.

There is more information about the different ways that a person at risk may present, how you can support them and the help available to them. The Ministry of Health website has excellent resources on suicide prevention. 

It can be challenging identifying when a person is struggling to such an extent that they see the only way to stop the pain is to end their lives.

How can Safewise help?

Safewise works with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge – or more time – than they have in-house.

For more information, check the website, safewise.co.nz.

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About Tracey Murphy Tracey Murphy is the owner and director of Safewise, a health and safety consultancy. She has more than 12 years experience working with organisations from many different industries. Tracey holds a diploma in health and safety management and a graduate diploma in occupational safety and health. She is a professional member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and is on the HASANZ register.

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Danielle L. Beston

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Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: 64 9 379 7658 mobile: 021 326 642 danielle.beston@hobsonchambers.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

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NZ Trucking Mag page August H&S month.pdf 1 15/07/2021 11:55:29 AM

HEALTH AND SAFETY MONTH

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LEGAL LINES

The case of the sleepy driver (part one)

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avieti v Police [2021] NZCA 176 is an interesting case about a man charged with careless driving causing injury, which went all the way from the District Court to the High Court and finally the Court of Appeal. It is a great reminder that sometimes judges don’t always get it right the first time or maybe even the second time.

That is why we have a right of appeal in the New Zealand judicial system. It would have been easy for the driver in this case to give up, but he didn’t, and his determination paid off because his conviction was set aside.

In this issue, I’m going to share the facts of the case and provide a summary of the findings in the District Court and the High Court. Next month, I will talk about what must be proven to find someone guilty of careless driving and the Court of Appeal’s decision, which ultimately overturned Savieti’s conviction.

The facts

Savieti fell asleep while driving home from work. He crashed his car into another car, injuring both himself and a woman in the other vehicle. During his stay in hospital after the accident, he was diagnosed as suffering from a severe case of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which he did not know about until the diagnosis. OSA is a medical condition that causes poor quality sleep and can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.

The District Court

Savieti is a store supervisor at Auckland Hospital. Before the accident and the diagnosis, Savieti put his fatigue down to his physical work at the hospital. On the day of the accident, he worked a little longer than he usually did due to a staff shortage. He said he was always tired when he finished work, so he would probably have been tired on the day of the accident. To refresh himself, he wound down the windows and turned up his music.

He was asked whether he had been feeling drowsy, and he said he had not and if he had been, he would not have driven.

He confirmed he had never had any previous incidents of falling asleep without forewarning and that he knew when he was about to fall asleep because it was a gradual onset. He said that he usually had two to three hours of sleep at home after work and then just mucked around until he went to bed at about 11pm to midnight.

The defence called expert evidence from Dr Andrew Veale, a specialist respiratory and sleep physician trained in sleep disorders. Dr Veale had reviewed Savieti’s GP’s records, and there was no reference to tiredness or sleeping issues. He concluded that the car crash from falling asleep was Savieti’s first identifiable symptom of OSA, which is a very serious condition.

When asked how this disorder may have manifested itself in Savieti’s day-to-day life, Dr Veale said it could range from being completely asymptomatic to marked daytime sleepiness at times of low stimulation, right through to people who

110 New Zealand Trucking

nodded off repeatedly while driving or during conversation.

He said the transition from wakefulness to feeling sleepy was generally slow, but feeling sleepy to asleep could happen instantaneously. He also said he would expect someone in Savieti’s case to be able to fall asleep behind the wheel instantly.

He concluded that Savieti would have felt tired, but he was not certain that he would have known the consequences of that feeling, namely that he could fall asleep without forewarning.

Following a defended hearing in the Auckland District Court, Savieti was convicted after Judge Henwood found that even though he did not know he had OSA, Savieti was driving when he would normally be having an afternoon nap, and he should have had a nap before deciding to drive. In reaching this conclusion, the judge did not discuss Savieti’s evidence that he felt physically tired but not sleepy when he was driving home or what she made of Dr Veale’s evidence that a person with severe OSA may not recognise that they are sleepy and that the transition from sleepiness to asleep could be instantaneous.

The High Court

An appeal against conviction and sentence in the High Court was dismissed by Justice Lang. He concluded that Savieti’s OSA was a factor that contributed to his state of fatigue, which he must have been experiencing when he elected to drive home from work. He considered that the warning signs were there for Savieti if he had been prepared to recognise them. This was not a case of an unforeseen event rendering Savieti unconscious at the wheel of his vehicle but someone who ignored the signs that he was becoming sleepy and continued to drive when a prudent and reasonable motorist would have pulled off the road to rest.

The judge’s reasoning accepted that Savieti might not have recognised that he was tired, but he still considered that Savieti was careless because a reasonable and prudent person in his position would have recognised that he was tired. In reaching this conclusion, the judge did not discuss why he formed this view, despite Dr Veale’s evidence that it was not known whether Savieti would have been able to distinguish between physical tiredness from work and sleepiness. Nor did he discuss the significance of Dr Veale’s evidence that recognition depended on historical context and that, in Savieti’s case, the accident was the first recognisable symptom of OSA. 

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. Contact her on (09) 379 7658 or 021 326 642.

Danielle Beston

August 2021

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ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM

Freight sector cut out of speed-setting process

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he Road Transport Forum (RTF) strongly opposes a rule change announced by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency that removes its duty to consult the freight sector when setting road speed limits.

With 93% of freight in New Zealand moved by trucks, and considering the significant contribution that makes to the economy, we must have a say on what happens on the roads, which are the workplace for those we represent. We can’t be locked out of that because the government doesn’t like what we say.

We made submissions on this rule change, which suggests an independent speed management committee take on responsibility for speed setting, with no opportunity for direct submissions, or specific freight-industry consultation.

We think that is inadequate and that the current consultation process should remain.

The RTF has been a vocal critic of the government’s speedsetting agenda, which has been wrapped up in road safety and decarbonisation claims, and we view speed setting as a low-cost option when measured against network improvements or safety improvement investments.

The RTF recognises the objectives of having a formal speed-setting policy framework. But a worrying trend, which appears to be gathering momentum, is the need to reduce speeds rather than carry out network and route upgrades, especially when so many New Zealand roads have safety design deficits and functionality challenges.

The current lack of investment in roads for vehicles and the

subsequent lowering of speed limits to make roads ‘safe’, is a policy of death by a thousand cuts. It will result in higher costs due to increased trip times, which will eventually impact all consumer goods.

The reality is that the roading network has not been maintained to the standard New Zealanders deserve. Instead of investing money in bringing our roads up to scratch, the government prefers to throw it at vanity projects, such as the Auckland Harbour cycle bridge, and slap speed limits on roads that are only dangerous because of their condition.

We believe our industry has the expertise and could make a valuable input to discussions about roads in New Zealand, and we do not want to be removed from those discussions.

That doesn’t feel very democratic and is certainly not a robust process.

In our formal submission on the rule change, we acknowledge several changes that are positive and create an expectation of a more balanced speed-setting outcome. But the consultation framework with the industry and road users on proposed new speed limits is inadequate when compared with the 2017 process.

We will continue to seek RTF involvement in the consultation process codified in some way to provide confidence that road-user views are fairly represented. The wider freight industry is a significant contributor to the National Land Transport Fund. As we would expect with other vehicle related road-user groups, its views should be considered accordingly. 

RTF conference fast approaching

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reminder that The Road Ahead – 2021 Transporting New Zealand Conference is fast approaching.

Taking place on 25 and 26 September at Invercargill’s Ascot Park Hotel, the conference will include an interesting and diverse range of speakers, from Minister of Transport Michael Wood and Leader of the Opposition Judith Collins, to Supercars legend Greg Murphy and GirlBoss founder Alexia Hilbertidou. There will be social events to mix and mingle and a partners’ programme for those who don’t necessarily want to talk trucking all day.

The New Zealand Road Transport Industry Awards are also back. The awards were set up several years ago to recognise best practice and achievement in the industry. They are a way of honouring individuals, organisations and companies that have gone above and

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beyond industry requirements in raising skills, safety practices, knowledge, training, industry awareness, innovation and expertise.

As well as the VTNZ Supreme Contribution to the Road Transport Industry Award, there’s the EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety, the Teletrac Navman Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry and the EROAD Young Driver of the Year. The Castrol Truck Driver Hero Award will also be presented.

The awards rely on peer-to-peer recognition from within the industry, so please send in your nominations. Entry guidelines and the nomination form are available for download from the rtf.nz website.

Conference registration, the conference programme and accommodation options are available at rtfconference.co.nz.

Nick Leggett chief executive officer

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THE LAST MILE

Is there something in the water?

I

don’t know what it is – perhaps the council is putting something in the water? – but I am having great difficulty understanding much of what I read and see lately, let alone believe.

I recently went online to book an appointment to see my doctor. The first thing I saw was a message telling me that I should ring the Healthline 0800 number if I were unwell. This puzzled me because I couldn’t work out why I would want to see my doctor if I was feeling okay.

Just over 12 months ago, when Covid-19 made its presence known to us, questions were asked as to whether airline passengers should wear face masks. We were told there was no need for this because the air filters fitted to planes were as good as, if not better than, those used in hospital operating theatres.

Now wearing masks on planes is compulsory. What’s changed?

Did the airlines stop using high-grade filters?

Our health officials keep telling us they are confident there is no widespread Covid-19 in the community. If this is so, why is there still a need to wear face masks when travelling on public transport?

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114 New Zealand Trucking

August 2021

In February, it was reported that the cost blowout of 17 roads in New Zealand was at $1.1 billion, about 25% of the NZTA’s annual operating budget. The Green Party transport spokesperson, Julie-Anne Genter, said she was frustrated that NZTA had been overspending on state highways at the expense of cycleway improvements. If the state of our highways is the outcome of overspending, then I would hate to see what they would look like if the NZTA had not overspent on them. I wonder, too, if Genter can recall that up until November last year, she was associate minister of transport and well placed to keep an eye on where the NZTA was spending taxpayer’s money.

I also read about a car driver who had appeared in court charged with drink-driving. He had nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system and was also charged with dangerous driving, clocked by police at 103kph in a 50kph zone, a residential street. The driver pleaded guilty to the charges. His lawyer said that he, the driver, had a clean criminal record, had completed voluntary community service and a driving course, and had made some reparation to the owner of the car he damaged. He had previously accumulated demerit points for speeding. In the driver’s defence, his lawyer argued that as he, the driver, aspired to be a long-haul truck driver, a conviction for drink-driving and dangerous driving would prevent him from achieving his goal.

The driver was discharged without conviction, ordered to pay $1100 in repatriation and disqualified from driving for three months. When the industry is struggling to get drivers and promote itself as professional, we should question what sort of message this sends.

I read that the Wellington City Council is all but dysfunctional, and the mayor has initiated an independent review into how the council operates. He, the mayor, will set the terms of reference and he will appoint the reviewer. Some might argue this is the New Zealand version of democracy in action. Still, others might take the view of that notable bureaucrat from the Yes Minister TV series, Sir Humphrey Appleby, when he told the minister never to start a review of something unless you know beforehand what it will find.

Looking at the queues of vehicles lined up, some for hours, waiting to get into or leave Auckland because of the end-ofFebruary lockdown, I wondered if any of our anti-car and decidedly anti-truck brigade have calculated how many tonnes of carbon emissions this contributed to the atmosphere.

Perhaps there is something in the water after all?  The Accidental Trucker

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