NZ Trucking Magazine, December 2022

WESTERN SOUTHLAND INTER – IT ALL GOES! DEC 2022 / JAN 2023

TRUCKING NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Trucking

HENRY LINGMAN out 80 not

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DO BIG THINGS technicians & APPRENTICES WANTED.

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CRAIG’S TRUCKIN’ SNAPSHOT This month, Out and About merges with Craig’s Truckin’ Snapshot to celebrate a special truck – the 100th International 9870 produced in New Zealand by Intertruck NZ, owned by Waipawa’s Stephenson Transport. Photo: Craig McCauley.

ADVE RTORI AL

SCANIA INVESTS IN CUSTOMERS’ FUTURE Scania New Zealand is undertaking a program of strategic investments across its national and regional networks – ensuring its renowned customer service maintains pace with the brand’s everexpanding presence in the country.

S

cania has significantly expanded its footprint throughout New Zealand over the last years and now enjoys a stable of

4

New Zealand Trucking

25 nation-wide service centres - 10 of which are Scania New Zealand branches and 15 are independent approved service centres. Most recent additions

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

to the Scania network this year includes Hastings, Hautapu and Hokitika.

This phenomenal growth comes on the back of the business also achieving #1 market share (for the last two years) in the premiere and very competitive Heavy Trucks segment (GVM over 16,000kg).

Scania was also among the country’s top five brands for total volume of new trucks sold across 2021 and 2022.

Scania New Zealand managing director Rafael Alvarenga says the company is proud to be continuing its program of investments despite the pressure of costs and logistical challenges faced by the industry.

“Our focus remains delivering the very best service to our valued customers. That’s the driving force behind our significant investment and

capital expansion right around Aotearoa.

“Our service dealer network, our after-sales and spare parts service and the up-skilling of our technicians have all been at the forefront of targeted investments because all those areas of the business have a direct correlation to providing the very best customer service.”

Alvarenga recognises that 2023 will be a particularly challenging year because of the on-going stress in supply chains - both globally and locally.

Despite these expected headwinds, Scania already has expansion projects locked in for 2023 and the immediate future including: • Fully operational and new modern workshop facility for the Waikato region; • expanding the capacity and capability of services offered across the network of centres so they become ‘one-stop shops’ for our customers in future; • with the above in mind, the existing Scania service centres at Whangarei, Palmerston

North, Christchurch and Rotorua will undergo extensive facilities improvements to better service our customers; • the expansion of driver services/skills to improve vehicles performance and customer profitability; • From 2024, brand new facilities will be opened to further expand service capacity in key locations. First up will be Invercargill.

Streamlining of services Scania’s further streamlining of its after-sales parts and service operations got underway last year with the decision for the new Wiri headquarters service centre, Scania Auckland, to focus on all the major truck repairs and servicing in what is the brand’s busiest region. The large workshop is also situated right alongside Scania’s new National Parts Warehouse, so the location offers a full suite of parts supply on demand.

This decision freed up resources in the nearby Drury Service Centre to have a greater focus on new trucks by facilitating all Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) work to ensure all vehicles and units are delivered right on schedule across the country.

Resourcing and enabling the ‘order to delivery’ process is an

absolute priority for Scania in 2023.

Upskilling for customers The recently opened National Training Development Centre in Christchurch is all about developing the next generation of Scania technicians and ensuring they keep pace with the latest technology so that best-practice, productivity and efficiency is maximised when servicing customers’ vehicles.

Services Director Raúl Rodríguez Almaguer says the facility is an extremely valuable resource for the business with the programme emanating from Scania headquarters in Sweden and is therefore at a global standard of excellence “It is also a valuable tool to help us overcome the shortage of technicians being experienced right across the industry. We are not just looking for ready trained technicians, but we are able to train tomorrow’s technicians, and the opportunities within Scania means they have the ability to progress very quickly.”

Helping rubber hit the road New and existing Scania customers have also been given a hand to finance more than 300 trucks and trailers onto New

Zealand roads since the launch of Scania Finance in 2020.

“This volume of vehicles represents a significant percentage of Scania customers who have taken advantage of this service in just the last two years,” says Wayne Thomason, Scania Finance Director for Australia and New Zealand.

“We are on track to finance far more than this number within the next 12 months. It is about providing total solutions to customers, helping to unlock their business’ potential and being a trusted adviser.”

One of Scania Finance’s key points of difference is providing customers with the confidence that the approved financing will still be in place when the vehicle is actually ready for delivery; a major consideration given the current industry-wide requirement for long lead-in ordering times and supply-chain and logistic challenges.

Planning sustainably Scania is not only investing and planning with its customers ‘top of mind’, it is also prioritising the planet we live on!

That’s why it launched the new Business Transformation Team earlier this year to help the business plan and act sustainably alongside its day-to-day operations.

Business Transformation comprises four teams focusing on: • Performance - driver services, fleet care and connected service.

• Driving the Shift – developing new vehicle platforms/ technologies for introduction into the NZ market • Digitalisation – ongoing development of technology platforms and data to helping customers maximise their own business.

• Network Development – introducing new technologies to Scania’s network necessary for providing a customer experience that is second to none.

Scania’s commitment to sustainability will be further evident with next year’s new Scania Super vehicle – the Euro 6 compliant 6-cylinder engine delivering up to 8% better fuel economy and even greater reliability.

Rafa Alvarenga says Scania NZ is at an incredibly exciting stage on its continued trajectory.

“We aim to be the industry’s preferred solution provider, delivering premium products and services in a sustainable way with a strong dealer network. That is our commitment to customers and the ongoing focus of our fantastic team.”

T

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CONTENTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

12 Road Noise – Industry news

EDITOR

Gavin Myers Ph: 027 660 6608 Email: gavin@nztrucking.com

64 Fuso’s Happy Place – eCanter in the making 68 Top Truck – DT Kings’ talented Inter

FIELD EDITOR

Carl Kirkbeck Ph: 021 760 766 Email: carl@nztrucking.co.nz

70 Top Truck of the Year – AJ takes it

For all advertising enquiries: Matt Smith Ph: 021 510 701 Email: matt@nztrucking.co.nz Pav Warren Ph: 027 201 4001 Email: pav@nztrucking.co.nz PRODUCTION MANAGER

Tracey Strange

Ricky Harris

CONTRIBUTORS

ART DIRECTOR

Craig Andrews Marty Crooks Faye Lougher Craig McCauley Jacqui Madelin Alison Verran Mike Verran Shannon Williams

John Berkley

Niels Jansen (Europe) Paul O’Callaghan

PUBLISHER

(Europe)

Howard Shanks (Australia)

Will Shiers (UK) VIDEO PRODUCTION

74 Just Trucking Around 76 Liveries gone but not Forgotten 78 Unsung Heroes

40

80 Where’s that Road?

SHINING LIKE A DIAMOND

82 New Rigs

Still Trucking After 60 Years!

88 New Bodies and Trailers 90 Million Mile Club 92 Wanaka Memory

DIGITAL IMAGING

Willie Coyle

94 Mini Big Rigs – Crossing the line

DIGITAL MANAGER

Louise Stowell OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

100 Little Truckers’ Club

Georgi George

104 What’s On/Cartoon

Long Haul Publications Ltd 511 Queen Street, Thames 3500 PO Box 35, Thames 3500

Jonathan Locke Izaak Kirkbeck Milly McCauley Howard Shanks

New Zealand Trucking magazine is published

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

Complaints are to be first directed to: editor@ nztrucking.co.nz with “Press Council Complaint” in the subject line. If unsatisfied, the complaint may be referred to the Press Council, PO Box 10 879, The Terrace, Wellington 6143 or by email at info@ presscouncil.org.nz

50

ODE TO MACK

57

BACK AND BIG-AS!

MTD’s Big Celebration

2022 TMC Trucking Industry Show

Further details and online complaints at www.presscouncil.org.nz

SUBSCRIPTIONS / RATES:

6 months (6 issues) $52 One year (11 issues) $99 Two years (22 issues) $175 1 Year Australia (11 issues) $198

REST 10 Editorial

Dave McCoid Ph: 027 492 5601 Email: dave@nztrucking.com

SUB EDITOR

THE

ABC Audited circulation 7092 as at September 2017 Nielsen audited readership 74,000 average per issue, Q4 2021 – Q3 2022

www.nztrucking.co.nz/shop/ Post: NZ Trucking Subscriptions PO Box 12028, Hamilton 3248

Ph: 0800 truckmag (878256)

108 Moving Metrics 116 Product Update – HEB chooses Tieman 118 Business Update – Auckland Truck Alignment 120 Product Profile – NAPA 124 Road Ahead Conference 126 IRTENZ Conference 130 Vipal’s Knowing your Tyres 132 Carriers’ Corner 134 Truckers’ Health 136 Health & Safety 138 Legal Lines 140 TDDA 142 NZ Trucking Association 144 Transporting New Zealand 146 The Last Mile BROUG HT TO Y OU BY

112

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND Thor’s Big Hammer

WESTERN SOUTHLAND INTER – IT ALL GOES!

80 not

including Truck Trader

BIG DAY

BREAKING BARRIERS

24 BEYOND THE NOISE Ambition, Innovation, Perseverance

$10.90

Includes

MAGAZINE O IAL

HE FT

New Zealand Trucking

HENRY LINGMAN out THE BULLDOG’S

DEC 2022 / JAN 2023

OFF IC

DEC 2022 / JAN 2023

TRUCKING NEW ZEALAND

WATC H T HE VID EO ON YOUT UBE

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

gst

ALL ON AT TRUCKING INDUSTRY SHOW Official magazine of the

9 413000 047578 Long Haul Publications

Tania Buschl climbs away from the skid at Dovedale.

Associate Member

Official Sponsor

EDITORIAL

WHAT A YEAR

A

nother year has gone, and for me, it was significant as it was my first in the hot seat of New Zealand Trucking magazine. It’s been exciting for sure, and I must extend sincere thanks to everyone who’s played a part in making the magazine a success over the year. As the reader, the Kiwi trucking enthusiast we serve each month, I hope you enjoyed the mix of content. As they say, there’s plenty more where that came from…

You will have noticed that this year the magazine was 120 pages or more each month. Every team member behind New Zealand Trucking magazine is incredibly proud to have maintained a high standard throughout, given the increased demand presented by adding just a few extra pages. It’s a direct result of the infectious passion within this industry and the high regard in which it’s held by suppliers and supporting industries – for that, we’re incredibly grateful because, without either, we wouldn’t be in the fortunate position of doing what we do each month. It also goes to prove our belief that print is most certainly not dead!

While New Zealand Trucking magazine has reaffirmed that this year, so has its sister magazine Little Trucker Down Under. The reception in its first year of publication has humbled the team at Long Haul Publications. We continue to receive heart-warming feedback from the schools that receive sponsored copies and from the parents who buy the magazine for their truck-crazed kids.

The number of sponsors grows with each issue, meaning more copies reach more kids, helping to nurture the passion within the next generation of truckies.

This year was also significant for us with the launch of Trucking Radio 24/7. This time last year, Dave McCoid wrote that we were on the cusp of launching our new monthly podcast series. The Keep on Moving podcast got off to an enthusiastic start, with Dave joined by broadcasting supremo Murray Lindsay to deliver an entertaining couple of hours of listening. But it didn’t take long for the realisation to dawn that there was a lot more scope in the concept – and so, New Zealand’s only radio station dedicated to the trucking industry was born.

From the off, the response to Trucking Radio 24/7 has truly exceeded expectations. Thank you to its loyal listeners and supporters. You have reaffirmed there’s merit in the idea and a definite need for another trucking-related medium that can be consumed ‘on the go’. The station will continue to evolve throughout 2023, so stay tuned.

As we head into the new year, we thank you again for your continued support and enthusiasm for what we produce. We don’t know what 2023 will hold – people far cleverer than I suggest it’ll be more challenging – but no matter what transpires, we’ll continue to bring you the best of trucking from New Zealand and abroad.

Happy holidays and everything of the best for 2023!

Gavin Myers Editor

TRUCK & LIGHT COMMERCIAL adapted masthead.indd 1

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

TRADER

10 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

I

t’s the conclusion of a year that for many of us was a blur. Economies run on confidence and for all the doom the soothsayers may predict, there’s been no let-up as yet in the frenzy that is the business world of today. The continued upward ratcheting of interest rates will at some point have a significant impact, as will the reinstating of non-subsidised operating and living costs. The latter will be the one to watch in terms of its instant effect. If it doesn’t happen, maybe you have the looming 2023 general election to thank.

It’s a frighteningly delicate juggling act.

Never has there been a generation so comfortable with debt. Some will sadly learn what a candy house that is.

But here we are at Christmas and all that economy stuff can wait for another day. I concur with everything Gavin said in his comments. We are nothing without our readers, viewers, listeners, customers and sponsors.

Likewise, without our incredible staff, Margaret, Matt and I would have no business.

Thanks also to all our freelance contributors both here and overseas. Their regional knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for the trucking industry is critical to giving our content its true essence.

The energy and belief the staff and contributors infuse into the brand radiates to all who enjoy it. I find it impossible to convey the level of thanks I have for their combined contribution.

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate Gavin on his first year as editor. He’s done a superb job. For someone new to New Zealand just over three years ago, the speed with which he’s picked up the scene here, and the enthusiasm he shows every day is inspiring. A better editor, and more importantly a better person, you will not find.

We all wish every one of you a safe, happy, and restful Christmas and New Year.

Dave McCoid Editorial Director

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Photo: Western Hills Quarry, Horahora, Whangarei

ROAD NOISE NEWS

NEW NATIONAL SALES MANAGER FOR VOLVO TRUCKS NZ Scott Robinson is the new national sales manager for Volvo Trucks in New Zealand.

Associated with the Volvo truck brand in New Zealand for more than 12 years, Robinson previously held the roles of Volvo account manager for the lower North Island and national fleet sales manager.

“Scott is a key part of the Volvo Trucks team,” says Rob Woods, general manager at MTD. “We are delighted to see him continue to grow and develop his career.”

Robinson grew up in a trucking family and has been around trucks and machinery since he was five years old. He gained his HT licence at 18 and became a tanker driver before progressing to a driver-trainer role. Over the past 12 years, he has also been involved in product training for Mack and Volvo brands across the country.

12 New Zealand Trucking

NEW-GENERATION MAN ARRIVES IN NEW ZEALAND

P

enske New Zealand has welcomed the all-new MAN truck generation to the New Zealand market.

The introduction of the new TGL, TGM, TGS, and TGX truck ranges to New Zealand are the first MAN trucks designed from the ground up in 20 years.

“We are thrilled to welcome the all-new MAN truck generation to the New Zealand market and introduce our customers to this superior portfolio,” said Brent Warner, general manager of Penske New Zealand.

“We are offering eight different cabin configurations from the crew cab that seats up to seven to the super spacious GX cab, and the D08, D15, D26, and D38 engines are all Euro-6, delivering power that is reliable and highly efficient,” he said.

Awaiting drivers inside the cab is an intuitive dash layout, multi-function steering wheel, advanced infotainment system, and SmartSelect navigator. MAN’s driver assistance features include adaptive cruise control, steering wheel airbag, cabin safety cell, emergency brake assist, and lane departure warning. The rest and sleep area is fully furnished with storage, a fridge, and air conditioning.

MAN offers a range of engines including the 164kW (220hp) D08 engine powering the

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

TGL, and the 477kW (640hp) D38 engine powering the TGX. Utilising software to determine the optimum moving off and gearshift strategy, the Tipmatic gearbox has load and inclination detection, ‘SmartShifting’ and ‘idle speed driving’ functionalities.

Efficiency is further improved with the most powerful engine brake on the New Zealand market at 626kW (840hp) on the D38 engine.

“Close attention has been paid to ensuring the specifications are ideally suited to our New Zealand conditions, including tyre and diff ratio selections to optimise performance and economy for our unique terrain.

“We’re excited to be offering for the first time a down-line factory 8x4 model specifically for New Zealand too,” Warner added.

These advanced features within the cabin and powertrain are complemented by highly reliable and fully integrated technology that delivers optimised uptime. Extended oil drain intervals and low tare weights yielding higher payload availability increase productivity and profits for customers.

“We look forward to hearing the thoughts of our existing MAN customers and our new customers as they step into this truck generation and experience it for themselves.”

Technology working for your profitability

Up to 750 hp and massive torque available on your command. And yet, gentle and agile, even when heavily loaded in demanding conditions. With refined power, the Volvo FH16 powertrains will help you get as much out of your fuel as possible. Thanks to the I-Shift transmission, all gear changes are perfectly timed – automatically.

That’s technology working for your profitability.

GLOBAL INNOVATION. NEW ZEALAND SOLUTIONS.

volvotrucks.co.nz | 0800 683 683

ROAD NOISE NEWS

DELIVERY: GETTING THE JOB DONE

T

ransport owner and operator Blake Noble has launched a new advisory and execution offering specifically for the transport sector called Delivery.

Noble, who purchased Transcon Warkworth in 2015, also became a director of Halls Group in 2022. Looking for the next step, he landed on the concept of Delivery.

“I decided there might be more value to add by working with a few businesses at a time and leveraging the areas that I have the most to offer – which is around improving system processes, technology, financial reporting and metrics, customer interaction and engagement, and team culture,” Noble says.

Noble says Delivery is ideal for

transport operators wanting to grow their operations, reduce their reliance on day-to-day operations, or work on a succession plan.

“I think that for a lot of people it is very difficult to get out of the business, whether that’s just stepping away to focus on other things or to exit it, because they’re such a critical part of the business,” he says.

“It can also be difficult to get out on a day-to-day basis because they’re such an integral part of the workings of the business.

“This seems particularly prevalent in transport – where you have an owner that may still be driving the trucks or dispatching. But some of these businesses are not small operations. I genuinely believe in the scope and ability to transform these operations with a little external perspective, a dose of technology, and the assistance of someone to help execute the plan.

“I’m there to take a snapshot of the current state of a plan, to help develop a plan that enables people to have some flexibility in how the business works for them, whatever shape that may take, rather than them being bound to it.

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“Realising that many operators aren’t comfortable with forgoing any of their equity position, I see this as a way of having a ‘virtual business partner’ who’s there to work alongside them in a similar capacity as that of another shareholder or director, but with some agreed performance milestones or outcomes put in place to evolve the business,” he says.

“It’s more than just throwing a report at them and saying, ‘good luck’. I want to engage with them actively and help them get the job done in the short to medium term.”

Find out more about Delivery at getdelivery.nz

ISUZU TRUCKS EXPANDS NATIONWIDE SERVICE CENTRE NETWORK

I

suzu Trucks New Zealand has appointed Transport Repairs in Cromwell and All Things Automotive in Hawera as service agents.

Introducing the two new service providers takes the total coverage to 30 sites throughout the country, consisting of 12 full sales, parts and service dealers, and 18 authorised service centres.

“Key to the success and popularity of Isuzu Trucks is dependability and reliability, as well as nationwide aftersales support and service,”

says Dave Ballantyne, general manager of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand.

“We are committed to supporting our customers and the provision of a truly nationwide after-sales and service network is pivotal to achieving this,” he says.

“These developments help ensure our customers have extra support close to hand in the Central Otago and Taranaki regions.”

Another important consideration relating to nationwide coverage is that of

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warranty-related requirements.

“We recently introduced an increased five-year warranty as standard with selected models in the new range of N Series, F Series and Giga Series trucks, and a condition of this is that servicing is performed at an Isuzu Dealer or authorised service centre,” says Ballantyne.

“The addition of new centres to the network means it’s easier for our customers to fulfil these requirements.”

ROAD NOISE NEWS

SCANIA BEVS HIT THE ROAD

A

uckland-based Reliance Transport has taken delivery of the country’s first two batterypowered Scania 25P trucks.

Since their launch in June, the trucks have undergone livery and road readiness prep for use by Reliance Transport. The vehicles are suited to short- to mediumhaul journeys with a 29-tonne GCW and a range of up to 180km. They are used exclusively for transporting last-mile freight in the Auckland metropolitan area, carting containers and steel products around Auckland’s port and freight networks.

“That long-term view and focus was certainly the main motivation for purchasing the

BEVs. I’ve made a few trips to Europe, China and the USA investigating alternative fuel and sustainable transport options and the Scania BEVs suited our needs the best.

We intend adding more to the fleet as resources permit,” says Mark Darrah, Reliance Transport director.

The BEVs were co-funded by the government’s Low Emission Transport Fund.

Their purchase represents the third stage of Reliance Transports’ Project Switch – a five-stage, multi-year, business-wide journey to carbon-zero and sustainable practices.

“This current third stage is a multi-phase programme that will see our diesel-powered

heavy-truck and fork-hoist fleet replaced with zeroemission battery electric vehicles,” says Darrah.

The Scania 25Ps have the option of either five or nine batteries – totalling 165kWh or 300kWh installed capacity, respectively. The new electric motor delivers a continuous power of 230kW (310hp).

The motor has two gears to provide high power over a wider speed span, and the vehicles also include

an optional emission-free operation for both hydraulics and refrigeration units.

“Acquiring an electric truck is not just an investment in a customer’s fleet but also in their brand and market.

An electric truck enables the customer to stay ahead of the competition, learn about infrastructural challenges and start adapting for the future,” says Scania New Zealand managing director Rafael Alvarenga.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

IRTENZ HONOURS PROMINENT MEMBERS the MOT to be involved with a small group developing a code of practice under the auspices of the TTMF. It was developed into the NZSS5446, with Bill representing IPENZ in developing the standard. In 1990, the MOT invited Bill to be on a standards committee for the design and use of light trailers. The committee’s work resulted in NZSS5467.

The MOT later asked him to chair a committee to review NZSS5444.

John du Pont was presented with an award for outstanding industry service.

He joined IRTE in 1988 and has been on the council since 2014. John has been involved in transport research and consultancy for the past 35 years, initially with DSIR and Industrial Research, and for the past 25 years as a

director of TERNZ. He has been involved with developing the SRT Calculator, the New Zealand PBS systems and the HPMV proforma designs.

John has also been actively involved in the International Forum for Road Transport Technology and has served on the executive in various roles.

“Bill is one of those handson engineers that’s always been around, ready to work and engage the industry getting the technical approvals

it needs,” IRTENZ president Chris Carr says. “John has put an amazing amount of hidden horsepower behind the road transport industry in New Zealand, coming up with technical and mechanical innovation, designs and ideas that have advanced the industry.

“Both John and Bill have supported IRTENZ for many years, and we’re all the better for having them with us,” Carr says.

THE ALL Left: Bill Cassidy accepts his life membership from Kate Bucknell and Chris Carr.

Right: John de Pont accepts his award from Chris Carr.

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wo New Zealand roadtransport engineeringfraternity stalwarts were honoured at the 17th IRTENZ conference in November.

William (Bill) Cassidy was honoured with life membership. Bill has been a member of Engineering New Zealand since 1967, a member of IRTENZ since 1982 and a council member since 1992.

He still serves at 80 years old.

Bill is the director/owner of Bill Cassidy & Associates. He joined the Ministry of Transport in January 1962 as an engineering cadet, graduating in 1965. He qualified as a registered engineer in 1969.

He was on the committee that developed the NZTTMF Heavy Vehicle Towing Connection Code of Practice from 1979 to 1981.

In 1979, Bill was asked by

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

SUPER TRUCK ACTION AT MANFEILD

T

he first round of the 2022/2023 NZ Super Truck Racing Championship took place at Manfeild racing circuit in Feilding on Labour Weekend, 22/23 October, and by all accounts, it was a great start to the season.

After the weekend’s qualifying session and three races, Alex Little, Brent Collins and Shane Gray were the top three finishers with 57, 52 and 49 total points.

In all, 10 trucks entered this round. “One of the EziMoves trucks had some engine issues, and they’re working on that to be ready for Timaru in January,” says Dave West,

president of NZ Super Truck Racing.

“But, overall, it was good racing, good clean racing.

There was a bit of argy-bargy but nothing silly. At the end of the day, people who come to watch racing don’t come to watch a train go around a track…” he adds.

Australian driver Steve Zammit finished the weekend in eighth place, on 28 points.

“I think he was a little bit surprised how the New Zealand trucks have come forward in the eight or nine years since he was last here,” comments West. “That shows how the competitive nature of truck racing in New Zealand

has moved it forward. If you’re not going forward, you’re going backwards in the pack.”

The event was run alongside Motor Truck Distributors’ 50-year celebration. “It was a real good crowd, and we had some good spectator numbers on both days,” West says. “All in all, it was a good weekend. I talked with the guys from Manfeild on the Sunday night, and they were happy with the way the meeting went, too.”

The next round in the championship will take place at Timaru on 28/29 January 2023, followed by Invercargill

on 18/19 March. West is excited to add that a final round at Pukekohe has been added on 25/26 March. This will be the final round of the season and the final round at the track.

“That’s where it all started, and it’ll be really good for us, the sponsors and spectators to get back there for a last go,” Says West. “I’ve talked with the likes of Calvin Bonney, Colin Hooper and a few of the old boys whose trucks have been around from days gone by to try to get them out there as well.

Hopefully, a few of the South Island trucks will come up too for a nice, full field.”

STRENGTHENING NZ FUEL MARKET

T

he government has unveiled a suite of new initiatives to strengthen New Zealand’s fuel sector.

It has agreed to a package of actions to ensure sufficient fuel stocks are held onshore to improve fuel supply resilience and economic security further. Fuel importers and wholesalers with bulk storage facilities will be required to hold minimum levels of onshore stocks of petrol, jet fuel, and diesel. Minimum fuel stockholding levels for them will equate to approximately 28-, 24- and 21-days of

20 New Zealand Trucking

petrol, jet fuel and diesel, respectively.

The government will also procure additional onshore storage of reserve diesel stocks of at least 70 million litres of diesel, providing approximately seven days’ cover.

The start date for the Sustainable Biofuels Obligation for fuel wholesalers to deploy biofuels into their fuel supply will be pushed to 1 April 2024 instead of next year. This will allow the sector more time to get the necessary infrastructure in place and to source high-quality

feedstocks. Fuel wholesalers must meet emissions intensity reduction targets of 2.4% for 2024 and 3.5% for 2025.

Provisional targets will be set for 2026 and beyond.

The government has also agreed to give the Commerce Commission the power to step in and set fair prices if needed to encourage more competitive wholesale pricing. The Commerce Commission recommended the regulatory backstop measure in 2019 as part of its fuel markets study.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

X-SERIES WESTERN STAR ARRIVES IN OZ

P

enske Australia has unveiled the new Western Star Trucks X-Series for the Australian market. The X-Series was designed from the ground up and comprises the 47X, 49X, and Australian-exclusive 48X. The 47X has a short, sloping bonnet and a setback front axle. Power comes from the Cummins L9 or Detroit DD13 Gen 5, coupled to either the Detroit DT12, Allison fully automatic, or Eaton Fuller manual transmission. Various sleeper options are available.

Designed specifically for Australia, the 48X is powered by the Detroit DD13 Gen 5 offering 335 to 391kW (450hp to 525hp), or the DD16,

offering 372 to 447kW (500hp to 600hp). It features a setforward front axle and has a bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) measurement of 2883mm, yielding a flexible solution.

In the 49X, power comes by the DD16, and up to 200tonne GCM capability is on offer. The 49X offers multiple cabin options, including the largest cab on the Australian market – the 1829mm (72inch) Stratosphere sleeper with a 65-litre fridge, microwave prep, and either a pulldown bed with a foldaway dinette/worktable or a double bunk option.

The X-Series offers an advanced safety package and high levels of comfort without losing sight of the durability

customers expect from the brand. Safety includes Active Brake Assist 5, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, side guard assist, tailgate warning, brake hold

mode, an improved visibility package, and a RollTek driver’s seat with rollover restraint and a seat-mounted airbag.

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COVER FEATURE

BEYOND NOISE THE

Whether physical, mental, emotional, or behavioural, barriers are there to be conquered. Walled in by physical barriers, the locals of the Tasman region have had to apply themselves to innovation, invention, and redefining the norm to keep pace in a young country that scurried to catch up with the rest of the world. As accessible and connected as we might be in 2022, that regional DNA still flourishes, finding solutions where others might see obstacles. This month we visit a company that exemplifies it all.

Story by Dave McCoid Photos and video by Craig McCauley and Dave McCoid

I

t’s one of those classic trucking sounds – the crunch-crunch of a pair of work boots walking across a gravel yard towards a truck patiently awaiting the arrival of its master in command. It’s normally followed by the sound of a key in a lock and the opening of the driver’s door. In this case, the release of bonnet clips comes next, then the tell-tale whine as the bonnet arcs open, almost like a good heading dog yawning at the start of a new day.

Waimea Contract Carriers fleet No.426 is a Kenworth T659 8x4 and five-axle in-house/Waimea Engineering log trailer. An aspirational log truck by anyone’s definition. A pinnacle machine designed and built for logging, the ‘five-nine’s’ success in that field is best evidenced by the number of its breed roaming the

forest tracks of Aotearoa.

But like its fleet brethren in this glorious and unique part of Godzone, No.426 breaks the national mould for trucks of its make, model, and genre.

Firstly, let’s look at who is wearing those ‘gravel crunching’ boots. Tania Buschl is a 20-year veteran of the road, with eight of those years served right here at Waimea. Incidentally, she now also owns the accolade of being the first woman in charge of a cover-story machine in New Zealand Trucking magazine’s 37 years. We could do the PC thing and say that’s remiss, but it wouldn’t be right or fair on us. It’s just been the fall of the dice. But, my gosh, talk about worth the wait!

Tania is a clear sign that maybe the challenges of historical isolation help influence a redefining of normal.

When hands are few, all hands are

Self-loading with the John Deere at Dovedale.

equal. There’s nothing overly special about women driving big gear in the Tasman/Golden Bay area. Waimea Contract Carriers, Stuart Drummond Transport, Sollys Contractors, Austin Transport Services, Borlase Transport and Harte Transport, just to scratch the surface, all have women on the driving roster. As company executive director - operations at Waimea Contract Carriers, Jenny McIntyre says: “It’s got nothing to do with who you are, it’s only about being able to do the job.”

Second, take a walk around this rig and you’ll soon start asking yourself the odd question, like ‘What’s that air tank do?’ ‘What the hell are

they on the truck stanchions?’

‘Crikey, that’s low!’, and ‘Air winches! Cool!’

There’s so much here your head hurts.

From whence it came The challenges that pepper the log transport industry are relentless. Aside from the inherent risks involved in uplifting ungainly product from often awe-inspiring yet difficult-to-access locations, there’s that old Kiwi alchemy of applying first world practices and standards to a product we chose to sell in its cheapest form. Making it all happen in a way that pleases customers, compliance, and

the credit side of the balance sheet is hair-pulling stuff.

What’s required is lateral thinking, innovation, collaboration, and courage.

Waimea Contract Carriers was founded by the late Simon McIntyre just over 40 years ago, and he was a bloke who possessed all of the above – in buckets. As daughter Jenny says: “Dad was an incredibly intelligent and innovative man.” That’s something the company deputies of today who worked with him would second without even thinking.

Building their own trailer gear, developing log B-trains that conformed with the contours of the South Island’s mountain highways, building

Getting modern five-axle log trailers on the back of the likes of the 659 is an act of maths, science and engineering.

screens and crushers; they were all the brainchild and work of Simon, as was a sharp commercial mind. It’s been 12 years since he passed, and daughter Jenny and son Peter today hold the executive directorships of the firm their dad founded.

Jenny heads operations and the commercial stuff, recently winning the Teletrac Navman Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry award at the Transporting New Zealand awards evening in Invercargill.

“The award was interesting,” says Jenny. “It’s only about competence here, that’s it. Having said that, I have certainly felt a subtle bias

Looking picturesque on Haven Road, Nelson.

of opinion at times when conducting business post Dad’s passing. There are still perceptions out there.”

Peter is an engineer and his business card reads ‘executive director – engineering’. That in itself piques the interest for sure, and meeting him, you’re instantly exposed to analytical eyes and an inquisitive mind.

First, you need the pennies Addressing the questions posed in the walk around of No.426 reveals one thing, Waimea Contract Carriers in 2022 has a tangible continuous improvement programme for the fleet, and they’re not afraid of the

concept ‘try, fail, and try again’. That means there’s a real enthusiasm around projects. As you’ll read in the company sidebar, this business has been through the refiner’s fire in the past decade, resulting in a clarity of intent and direction that includes defining compliance in a way that fits with practical-thinking folk.

Take safety, for instance.

It was one of the pillars they focused on when times were tough. As training and compliance manager Craig Sim says: “Yes, of course it’s always about getting everyone home safely, but nowadays it has real bottomline advantages too.” And he’s

right. In 2022, getting everyone home safely means that truck will have a driver tomorrow, without him or her, it may not.

You can only run the business you desire with the money you have. Downtime is the ultimate killer of any road transport entity, so from a commercial-welfare standpoint, keeping the drivers safe reduces downtime, not to mention allowing them to maintain the personal income stream they need/desire. It is after all the fundamental reason drivers turn up each morning.

“Plus, when something does go wrong, there’s a lot of time spent buried in paperwork and investigations.

That has an opportunity cost.”

When you’re a forward-facing company that must be a pain.

What then are some of the innovation paths that have us all here staring at fleet numbers 426 and T426?

Bear in mind, not all of this is necessarily new – it’s the personal application and philosophy behind what might at times be a broader industry trend or innovation. On that note, let’s start with stanchions and trailer chassis height.

At Waimea, this issue dates back to Simon’s era and a desire to eliminate extension pins, one of the most arduous and damageprone accoutrements on a log truck. A great move, but then

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 27

Tania backs the Kenworth under the trailer at the smart Port of Nelson gantry facility.

the issue became retaining a productive stanchion height.

To win that over, the initial enquiry concerned seating the empty trailer lower on the truck, followed by tinkering with trailer chassis heights.

How timely was that?

This was the mid- to late1990s, and at the time, the nation’s log-truck industry had earned itself an almost pariah-like social reputation as the result of a horrific series of rollovers, particularly in the central North Island.

Following an ‘if you don’t fix it, we will’ message from the law-makers, the Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC) was formed. As part of a broader suite of engineering initiatives and behavioural corrections, that body lobbied both industry and regulators for the accelerated development of lower and eventually longer trailers. Innovation in the industry was rife.

Things had settled by the end of the century’s first decade, and the LTSC had earned itself the reputation it retains to this day as one of the most effective industry

28 New Zealand Trucking

representations ever.

Then along came HPMV. All of a sudden, and within the bounds of stringent design and safety criteria, the trailer’s capacity to carry increased substantially. Stanchions were needed that were now higher than ever, on trailers that pushed the boundaries of low chassis heights.

And now here we are in front of 2022’s manifestation of all that. The trailer on the back of Tania’s T659 is a masterpiece of the in-house/ Trinder & Waimea Engineering collaborative think-tank and engineering team. Headed by Peter McIntyre and Phil Kirk from the respective camps, every part of the drop-frame trailer is built and fabricated right here at the Edens Road workshops. Running gear is ROR CS9 low-mount airsuspended integrated disc brake axles with Koni shock absorbers and PSI inflation management all supplied by T.A.T.E.S. (NZ). That running gear is a considered selection also.

“I don’t want trailers with chassis that protrude over the Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

tyre height,” says Peter.

With front tandem ride height of 250mm, and rear group of 180mm, the CS9 low-mount has one of largest SRT ratings for a dual-wheel suspension/axle system in the industry. The PSI inflation management system has the air reservoir mounted in the axle housing, which has an added benefit of being able to fit a Thermalert system if desired (ROR axles only).

Say a stone gets caught in a brake caliper causing drag and heat build-up in the hub and bearing. Once it gets to 146°C, the Thermalert plug melts, draining the air reservoir and setting off a warning alarm and light in the cab.

Double-layover bolsters on both truck and trailer take care of the height when the trailer is up on the back. But the real engineering art today is accommodating a fiveaxle trailer on a big bonneted brute that is still able to cart three bays of 5.9m wood and comply when it’s being piggybacked. “It’s tight,” says Peter, “but it fits.”

Frame height on the

goose-neck is 1100mm, and on the lower frame 850mm with bolster bed heights of 1350mm and 1100mm respectively. In terms of advancing the discipline, the trailer can be loaded 7.8% higher than predecessors without impacting stability.

‘Advancing the discipline’.

That’s the perfect segue to our next subject – keeping the load in place, and to this end, this long-standing collaborative think-tank duo may have cracked a big one.

But first some numbers “Some time back we had a staff member lose sight in one eye after he was caught with a twitch-bar, a horrible incident that no one ever wants to see happen,” says Jenny.

“Securing loads in this manner was not something we wanted to continue doing.

“We moved to manual winches, with no long rack bars as the tensioning device on all new gear, and retrofitting to existing gear. But it only moved the problem.”

Move the problem indeed,

and what was happening in the Tasman forests was being replicated throughout the country, meaning soft tissue injuries in the shoulder and back caused by excessive chain throwing.

Log cuts have changed as has compliance on load securing. It’s nothing for a load nowadays to require nine chassis-mounted chains, thrown over HPMV payloads.

In an area like Tasman where the leads are generally short, four loads a day is quite doable. Let’s do some quick but fair maths.

If Tania does three loads, each with six to nine chains – let’s say 7.5 average for the math – and the chain coil weighs 6kg in the hand, she will throw 135kg of chain per day. Multiply that out over a conservative 224-day working year – 12 stats, holidays, all weekends off, and five randoms for sickness/funerals etc – and she’s chucking 30,240kg of chain every year.

No wonder the orthopaedic surgeons in the country’s forested areas holiday in the Maldives!

Apples and trees “The Safety Council started running competitions to solve the problem,” says Jenny.

“One of our guys came up with the ‘Gooby’ claw as we call it, a steel hook on a rope that could take three chain leaders. It was a great simple solution but not quite what the industry was after.

“So, back in 2015, Pete got to thinking and within a week he had a working ‘agricultural’ prototype of what he was mulling over, and by the end of that year it was working in the field.”

What Pete conjured up is ingenious. An air-operated rack and pinion arrangement with the output shaft from the pinion connected to a long arm with a claw that accepts a chain leader. With the leader hooked on and the chain coil laid out on the ground, a driver operates an air-release valve

that charges the ram driving the rack and spinning the pinion. The output shaft on the pinion propels the arm through an arc and launches the chain.

Peter and Phil took the feasibility prototype and ‘finessed’ the concept with Trinder’s design team into an Alpha prototype. They rigged it up in the backyard at Waimea Contract Carriers, and set it going.

As it turns out, humans aren’t that strong, because their initial pressure settings launched the chain almost into space.

“The guys would come in and sit in the the designated smoking container out the back and watch it going, critiquing each launch,” laughs Jenny. “They’d say, ‘Yep, that’s better than I could do’, or, ‘No, that’s shit’. In the end we got it to one-in-50 being a fail.”

Initially, a couple of trucks and one trailer were retrofitted with the thrower mounted outside the bolster, but No.426 and a couple of other trucks have full beta prototype, mounted integral in the stanchion. This means only the pinion drive pokes through, with the arm snug against the stanchion.

At the time we put the story together, Peter and Phil were

Tania stands the bolster up with the purchase bar.

Tania is just as comfortable loading with tracks under her as she is with wheels.

Left: Out of the way, safe, and easy on the shoulders. Right: How quickly something so familiar can look completely archaic. working on the first new trailer fitted with chain throwers, and by the time you read this, you will likely have all seen the grand reveal at the TMC Trucking Industry show in Christchurch.

“We have to acknowledge the outstanding support the project has had from both ACC, and FGR (Forest Growers Research),” says Jenny. “They have both been an integral part of getting it to where we are today.”

To the woods!

There isn’t much that beats a strop into the woods in a log truck. Our time with Tania would see us track her on four loads, and visit two skid sights to watch her load; one at Dovedale Summit at the head of the Pigeon Valley, and

30 New Zealand Trucking

the other in the Eighty Eight Valley that runs inland South from Wakefield.

As we all know, there are regional quirks to culture whether societal or occupational. Speaking to the South Island logging scene, drivers loading out in the ‘stupid o’clock’ time slots have always loaded themselves.

Although it means another whole layer to the skillsets required, it does increase loadout flexibility immeasurably.

Nowadays, things have evolved, and the self-loading drivers form a portion of the regional workpool, with some choosing not to take on the extra responsibility, and others progressing their training and unit standards to the point where they will join ranks of those that can. Like all

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

industries in 2022, it’s about cooperation, accommodation, and aspiration. The days of ‘do it or there’s the door’ are long gone.

Tania’s background includes farming, truck driving and machine operating. The skills from those occupations meant she was a coveted resource once she decided to give log trucking a crack almost a decade ago.

We last saw Tania as she entered the Eve’s Valley Sawmill far below with a load we’d brought in from Hira, at the foot of the Whangamoa Ranges northeast of Nelson.

With many workplaces being somewhat of an enigma in 2022, we weren’t able to see that load come off, so shot ahead to where we were now, high on a hill

at the intersection where Pigeon Valley Road becomes Dovedale Road, crossed at that point by the forest road from Eve’s Valley as it transitions to Stanley Brook Road.

The tell-tale plume of dust in the distance told us a log truck was approaching and the bark of the Jacob’s shortened the odds that this would be Tania. Chaperoned by cadet Sam Phillips from Waimea Contract Carriers, we follow her into Nigel Bryant’s Logging operation.

The loading apparatus was a John Deere 624K MkII. You can’t argue Tania cuts a diminutive figure on a log skid, but her execution of the required skills is sublime.

She moves about confidently, without haste, every task done

Left: Tania sets the chain and (right) the air winch does the rest.

Tania Buschl comfortable and relaxed in her office. Right: The tally base at Ports of Nelson. in a systematic fashion. Erratic is not in this lady’s vocabulary.

“I just do my thing how I like to do it.”

The trailer off, hooked to the truck and placed, Tania has a neat bar that slots into the bolster bed, allowing amplified purchase and making the task of standing the bolsters up a piece of cake.

Back in the John Deere, she sets the bed layer before sculpting a perfectly crowned load on the truck, followed by the two bays on the trailer.

There’s no revving, she just glides around, and picks, places, checks, taps-flush, and compresses the load. The SI-Lodec scales read out to her tablet, so she has no need to get out and check weights.

Once happy and out of the loader, she beckons us over.

Now for the real show. Tania loves the chain throwers, and freely admits manual chain throwing is the hardest part for her.

“Sometimes I take a couple of goes. I can hardly wait to have a trailer with them.”

Jenny says general acceptance of the technology has been great, and even the squinty-eyed cynics now buy in totally.

Tania pulls the chains off the carry hooks, and lets them drop on the ground.

She unclips the rubber lock that secures the arm to the stanchion when travelling, and hooks the chain leader in the claw.

Often when something new comes along, there’s a value-add you either never really thought about

at concept, or just evolved as the discovery process continued. The throwers are operated from a valve under the passenger seat, ensuring the driver is nowhere near the flailing arms. Better than that though, a camera showing the right-hand side of the truck outputs to a screen mounted in the same place, meaning Tania can see the entire righthand side of the truck prior to releasing the thrower on the left-hand side. This is workplace safety – platinum!

“Count me down,” she laughs.

“Three, two, one, go!”

There’s a hiss and the arm arcs over the load, releasing the chain.

“Wow! How cool is that?”

“Oh shit!” she says. “Bugger it! It’s not gone right over. It

The in-house Trinder and Waimea air winch prototype. Right: Phil Kirk, always seeking to make ‘great’ better.

hardly ever does this!”

“Hell no, that’s epic!” All that had happened was the chain had slipped off the crown, a daily log thing, and she could still easily grab the leader from the right-hand side and give it the ‘logger’s’ flick’. All good.

She’s a ripper.

The back chain flew over and landed perfecto!

“There! That’s it. That’s how they go,” she says.

You know an invention has it nailed when the old way instantly looks archaic.

And that is exactly what we felt watching Tania throw the chains for the trailer.

Something utterly familiar three minutes prior… yet it looked a cumbersome historic act.

When calm prevails Loaded, Tania hooks the dog

of the chain-tensioner onto the load chain. She flicks the switch and the tensioner spits its rhythmic squirts of air and the chain comes tight. “Easy, eh? And they keep tightening as I’m travelling if the logs settle a bit. You can hear them ticking.”

Incidentally and unsurprisingly, Peter and Phil, the dynamic engineering duo, saw potential in building the tensioners, and have an in-house unit on trial on one of the other trucks, capable of bigger chains and increased tensions. In time, the final safety product offering constant tension will be integrated into the auto-tensioner. However, as it stands, it has a loadmonitoring system able to be retrofitted via a D-shackle, alerting the driver in-cab if a chain comes loose.

Tania sets the Big Foot central tyre inflation to the required traction setting and pulls off the skid. The big X-15 gives a snarl as she pokes it at the gnarly little climb up to the ridgeline. Second highsplit is the chosen cog, giving the motor plenty of wiggle room as she winds away from the skid. A seasoned operator, there’s no confusing the truck’s ambition with its

abilities, meaning no hastily grabbed gears on account of a gradient that’s got your measure. Only as the big motor starts to sound its ‘knocked the bugger off’ howl do we hear Tania summon the next few sprockets to duty as the combination disappears into the dust.

In the cab, she’s completely at home, with the left foot idle most of the time as gears are picked off on the way up, or gathered back in on the way down.

“This is my second 659. The last one I got off the previous driver, but this one’s new. I really like them, they’re a great truck.”

We know this drive-line better than our own children by now. In the Waimea Contract Carriers deployment, power in the Euro-5 X-15 sits at 410kW (550hp) and torque 2508Nm (1850lb/ft). It’s perfectly pitched at the short lead, high stop-start nature of the work. There really is nothing to be gained in this region by ‘tapping-it-out’, either in output or the way you drive it. Backing off the output stresses may well engender improved service life also.

Behind the big red motor is the venerable Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B

18-speed manual transmission, and sitting out back are Meritor RT46-160GP rears at 4.30:1, with dual diff-locks and cross-locks on both axles. Up front Meritor dual MFS66 at 13.2 tonne combined capacity sit on taper-leaf suspension without load-share, and holding up the after-guard is Kenworth Airglide 460 eight-bag air suspension at 20.9 tonne capacity. Brakes are drum.

Now if that’s not a spec you’d bet your Shane van Gisbergen memorabilia collection on, what would be?

Interestingly, those who’ve been around a while will remember Waimea as a Scania stronghold for many years, with Freightliners entering the fray in the early part of the last decade. In recent history, Kenworths have arrived en masse. Today Waimea is most definitely a Kenworth stronghold.

“The Scania’s are a good truck, we’ve got one of the new generation in the fleet,” says Peter McIntyre. “It’s 18 months old and hasn’t put a foot wrong. The cabs are second to none in the way they’re constructed, and the drivers loved driving them. The problem was the availability of parts and the proprietary

Left: A proven classic. Right: Funnily enough, a big truck with easy access for all sizes.

32 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

nature of individual machines.

We found too much variance in third-party systems on the trucks – things like fuel and injection systems. You might have 10 trucks, all identical models, but under the skin there were differences. Plus, being proprietary drivelines, there were no options where parts were sourced from. About 10 years ago, we were taken to Aussie to look at the Kenworth option. Big basic trucks, third-party componentry in the driveline meaning parts from multiple suppliers. We were also shown a timeline for the current power train, so knew everything wasn’t going to change tomorrow.

And Southpac’s support is fantastic. Their agent here, Commercial Vehicle Centre, are just fantastic. It’s been a great decision, and worked well for us.”

The port in Nelson is on the northern side of town, with SH6, Whakatu Drive, and Rocks and Haven Roads the heavy-truck route in from the south and west. It really is one of the more horrid port accesses for trucks in the country, with no real bypass options, short of spending half of Elon Musk’s net worth and enraging every

environmentalist this side of the equator. As it stands, you pass through industrial Richmond along the motorway deviation, past the airport, then a chain of commercial and residential zones broken

by Tahunanui Beach, no less.

It’s people, cars, mayhem, families and cyclists, with at least half of it dual carriageway only. Once you arrive, the port feels like a sanctuary, relatively speaking. For Tania and the hundreds of truckers in the region, it’s home sweet home.

To us outsiders, it’s ‘Crikey! that’s a pain in the arse’.

The normal port-side process of tagging, unchaining and unloading takes place, and then it’s around to the gantry for trailer-up. Nelson has a great setup. The weighbridge and gantry are right alongside each other, both on concrete or bitumen, and the gateway in and out of C3 is just over the road.

It’s really fast and compact, almost making up for the trauma of getting there.

Our next rendezvous with

Rolling away from Rakau Logging.

this uber-cool log-truck lady is the following day up the Eighty Eight Valley to Raku Logging’s operation. A lovely drive out through Hope, Brightwater and then into Wakefield to the southwest of Nelson, where we turn left and head up the valley. About 15km in, we turn into a farm gate and drive up the race to the forest access road. It’s a windy old trot up the gully but the Kenworth and pilot are completely unfazed.

The access to the log skids generally appears first rate, considering the mountainous and hilly terrain of the region. Likewise, the load-out pads on the skids were all user-friendly. This was no coincidence. The forest companies, harvest crews and carriers have established an effective working tripartite in Tasman. Whenever a new road and skid is coming on stream, representatives from each visit the access roads and load-out site to discuss potential pitfalls. In Waimea’s case, Craig Sim and health and safety manager Margaret

Klink comprise the company’s representatives.

“The forest companies are fantastic,” says Craig. “If we want a corner opened out, a bit more turnaround space on a landing, or hard material on the load-out, it’s never a problem.”

This level of dialogue and cooperation has its roots in the nature of the work here, with the self-loading drivers in the wee-small hours. “It’s no use having someone stuck on skid and having to send a ute up at 2am to get them.”

The communication extends far beyond the gnarly bits.

Local community needs concerning noise and traffic flows, school bus runs, even forest exits where the sightlines to the first corner are a bit tight, are all taken into account. “We can install flashing lights on roads that the drivers activate via their RTs to warn traffic approaching that a log truck might be pulling out just around the corner. It grabs their attention far more than

just a sign. All we’re trying to do is ensure that by the time the trucks arrive at a new location, no one’s set up for failure.”

High on a foggy old hill in the Eighty Eight, Tania spins the rig around and lines it up with the exit ramp.

This time, there’s a Volvo EC300DL tracked grapple loader for the payloaddeploying honours. Thirtytonne is certainly at the higher end for log-truck load-out duties and it takes up a fair old footprint. The Kenworth’s ego must be feeling slightly dinted as it can’t lay claim to dominating the picture on this occasion.

Tania climbs up and soon that familiar hum, the digger’s key life sign, fills the air. Like a huge pet insect, she wakes it from its slumber, gently lifts the trailer off the Kenworth’s back and sets the rig up for loading.

Like the motion of the machine itself, erratic moves in the cab as you try to keep tabs on exactly where

everything is are always a hint of nervousness. But Tania’s silhouette sat comfortably in the seat, her head largely motionless but for the occasional glance at the log stack or truck in the act of building her load. The grapple was always doing exactly what she wanted – close and press, or the gentle end tap to keep all passengers vertically aligned.

Job done! Chain demo No.2, and this time a 100% strike rate.

The pull away from the skid was easy up onto the ridge and then a long winding descent all the way to the road. The Jacobs did what they’ve done for 61 years and kept proceedings in check as Tania guided her charge out of the woods.

The 659’s cab is a snug office, small by today’s standards and looking more and more full with the addition of so many of today’s essentials, things like job tablets, Seeing Machine, bush radios, EROAD screens, etc.

It’s your classic Kenworth setup – wood grain and gauges, big buttons, lots of hardy scrubbable surfaces, and crimson buttoned upholstery. There’s no real commentary to be had – fans are fans, those who aren’t, aren’t. In terms of somewhere to execute your task when things get busy in the act of dragging wood from the bowels of a gully, or off the top of a ridge, there are few places that are its equal, hence its prevalence.

As high as it is, there’s plenty of steps and grab handles so Tania has no problem ascending to one of the world’s more famous vehicle cockpits.

“Driver acceptance of the Kenworths has been great,” says Peter. “Initially, there were a number of people who were ‘Scania hard’. Most have been surprised by the Kenworths, and a couple who were offered the chance to go back, have

34 New Zealand Trucking

chosen to stay with their trucks.”

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

Kenworth T659 8x4 rigid

Giants come in all sizes

Tare: 11,840kg (Load Certificate)

We stop for a yarn with Tania out on the access track to the Valley road. It’s all in a day’s work, for this lady of the land turned machine operator and log truck driver. She’s at the top of her game. You can tell by the way she carries herself and how the other drivers interact with her. The respect is mutual. As slight as she might be, she’s not intimidated by anything, or anyone, and like the best, she’s humble and friendly. It’s the old chestnut, the good ones never regale you with how good they are.

She’s a fantastic role model.

The truck? We know the truck inside out. This machine’s proved itself beyond the need for critiquing and finding pedantic nuances that speak to not much. Yes, there are better trucks nowadays in terms of visibility, space, comfort, safety tech, and power. Like I’ve always said, the most effective safety feature on a truck still sits in the driver’s seat and to this end, fleet 426 is as safe as houses.

If you are a log-truck operator and signing the sale and purchase for something that will be the family breadwinner, the 659 would have to be on the shortest of shortlists.

Waimea Contract Carriers – an epic family story where ambition meets innovation, meets perseverance, meets identity. Hailing from a region whose historical isolation has proved to be its greatest gift.

The business’ challenging journey of late has instilled a clarity, ethos, and value proposition not often seen in the second generation. Their collaborative success with suppliers, customers, and staff is redefining the relationship between safety, productivity, and prosperity. Long may it all continue.

GCM: 97,000kg

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

GVM: 34,000kg Wheelbase: 5850mm Engine: Cummins X-15 Capacity: 15-litre Power: 410kW (550hp) Torque: 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) Emissions: Euro-5 Transmission: Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B 18-speed manual Clutch: Eaton Ezy-pedal Advantage 3 Chassis: 273mm x 89mm x 9.5mm Front axle: Dual Meritor MFS66 Non-load share Front axle rating: 13,200kg (pair) Front-suspension: Taper leaf springs and shock absorbers Rear axle: Meritor RT46-160GP 4.30:1 Rear-axle rating: 20.9 tonne Rear suspension: Kenworth Airglide 460 8-bag air suspension Brakes: Drum. ABS, EBSS Auxiliary braking: Jacobs engine brake Fuel: 450 litres DEF tank: 100 litres Wheels: Alcoa polished alloy wheels Tyres: 295/80 R22.5 Electrical: 12V Cab interior: ISRI6960/870 pro air-suspension driver’s seat. Fixed passenger. Kenworth SmartWheel. RedDot air conditioning.

Gold bezels Cab exterior: Huckbolted steel and aluminium frame, with steel, aluminium and fibreglass cab construction. Continuous piano-type door hinges

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

Waimea Contract Carriers / Trinders - Waimea Engineering Five-axle log trailer Chassis: Drop frame Axles brake: ROR CS9 integrated disc-braked axle and suspension system. Meritor Elsa195 twin piston callipers. ROR combi airbag system (air bag separates from the suspension arm when lifted – airbags do not stretch out and crumble when placed on the back of the truck or back on the ground).

Koni shock absorbers with long-life pivot thrust washer as standard Axle ride height: Front tandem – 250mm Rear group – 150mm Features: PSI tire inflation system with Thermalert (Ref article)

Peter and Jenny McIntyre are the current stewards of the business their father founded.

A CHALLENGE OR AN OPPORTUNITY – YOU DECIDE

B

orn in Invercargill, Simon McIntyre grew up in Brightwater just to the southwest of Nelson. After qualifying as a mechanic in 1969, he drove log trucks for three years – his introduction to one of two industries that would form the cornerstones of his life’s work.

From there he worked in engineering support to the region’s hop and tobacco industries, a period daughter Jenny’s earliest recollections date back to.

“He bought an old Spot cigarette vendor van and set it up as a mobile workshop.

I remember us looking for ‘ciggies’ that had fallen down in the sides and between the seats,” she says with a laugh.

Jenny also recalls the rural mail run he took on, all aimed at accruing enough money to buy a proper business. That came in the form of L A Brooks gravel screening business, an operation that worked out of the Waimea River. Processing aggregate would be his other great commercial interest.

“He just loved shaking gravel.”

Two KB Hinos were purchased as well as a Case & David Brown industrial tractor.

One of the Hinos is still in the workshop today.

In 1982, a coal round was added and the first crusher purchased to service local New Zealand Electricity Department and Forest Service roading contracts.

Building a solid reputation, Waimea Contract Carriers (the later equipment building side was Wai Con) was involved in the sealing of the last part of the Shenandoah section of SH65, and was soon supplying all crushing for the Marlborough district.

This included substantial yet difficult work in the vast roading network of the Marlborough Sounds.

Following a downturn in the coal industry in the mid-1980s, a Mercedes-Benz 2624, bought for coal cartage from the West Coast to Nelson, was redeployed to the cartage of peeler logs into IPL’s mill

in Greymouth. It backloaded beech logs for chipping in Nelson. In time, the Benz was joined by a company S-Line that had been deployed on the road work in the Marlborough Sounds.

The first dedicated logger was a Volvo N12 with a TMC shorts setup. In the later part of the 1980s, the company won significant work with the Forest Service carting export logs to Nelson and peelers at night. Two ex-PanPac W-model Kenworths were secured to assist with this.

By the turn of the decade, the business comprised two crushers, the screening operation and their five log trucks, including the first brand-new truck, an F12 Volvo. The F12 was a significant unit in the company’s history for more than just that, though. Simon had taken on engineer Gary Hunt to work in the business and the Volvo had the first in-house log-gear and trailer build.

The demise of native logging

on the West Coast in the early 1990s impacted commerce in the region significantly. The government provided support packages and, together with other businesses in the area, Waimea Contract Carriers formed a taskforce to seek opportunities and lodge applications for assistance.

Enter the scene – CFO today, Phil Harris.

“I’d met Simon a couple of years earlier and he asked if I would assist in the taskforce’s work. It was an interesting project working with a group of unlikely allies. I got to know the McIntyres well. Our representation was successful and a couple of years later, Simon asked if I would come on board… and here I am still. It was a really sad time when Simon passed away but it’s been a fantastic journey, in what is a very difficult and challenging industry that doesn’t get any easier, I might add.”

The work the company picked up included the carriage of logs from the

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 35

Simon McIntyre’s pioneering, courageous and can-do nature still underpins the Waimea business, 12 years after his passing.

West Coast to Canterbury via Arthur’s Pass, as well as selected rimu veneer wood from the South Island’s remotest west and southwestern parts.

Back then, carting over Arthur’s Pass meant the infamous zig-zags. B-trains had to be split and taken over one half at a time. The Waimea ones also had to be fouraxle rather than five in order to reduce cut-in on many of the touch-and-go corners they would encounter in the backblocks.

Simon had followed a B-train down the road and was horrified at the racking and torsional loads on the trailer. He instantly knew they could do better, and the result was a B-train that included 30 rubber torque rod bushes that ensured steel never touched

36 New Zealand Trucking

steel, even isolating the fifthwheel mount from the chassis.

The result of his and Gary Hunt’s efforts was tracking and smoothness in a B-train set unseen prior to their commissioning.

The engineering arm (Wai Con) built trailing gear not just for Waimea, but outside customers as well. Simon’s philosophy was you build the learnings from operating gear in your own region into each new build. They were even building their own brand of crushing plants. However, as the company grew and expanded the external work reduced.

In 2007, Waimea purchased TNL logging with eight trucks and staff joining the ranks and in 2009, it built a new engineering and maintenance facility on-site at its Edens

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Road home.

Simon’s wife Marlene had been active in the business, and children Jenny and Peter were around the business their whole life. “Sweeping floors, whatever... we were always around it,” says Jenny. “I worked there off and on, both part and full time growing up, using the money to support my passion of eventing horses, as well as a spell studying.” Around the turn of the century, Jenny came back in full time.

A qualified engineer in his own right, Peter was in boots and all also.

In an article written by Bryce Biard in the November 1994 issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine, Simon McIntyre attributed the success of his business to the people he had around him. Jenny remembers

her dad as a great delegator of responsibility, with integrity in his relationships and dealings with all people.

At the end of the century’s first decade a series of events began that would test whether those characteristics were passed on in their entirety.

Simon became ill in 2010 and died in May 2011.

“So much IP was in Dad’s head, we had to piece what we didn’t know together as best we could,” said Jenny.

“He was a creative innovator, typical of the era, never say ‘no’, then figure out ‘the how’ when you hang up the phone.

“Initially the plan was to maintain our way of doing business. It had worked for Dad and so must be a solid model. We also brought Phil [Harris] onto the general manager position, Dad’s

righthand man.”

But things were changing rapidly. Ever-increasing compliance drove costs into the business. The company had also taken on both a health and safety officer and driver trainer prior to Simon’s passing, essential in any business of its size in the markets it targeted.

“At the time Dad died, we did 60% Nelson Forests’ (now One Forty One) work, and 100% of Hancocks’ (now Nelson Pine Forest Ltd). We’d also made an acquisition in Marlborough and the equipment wasn’t where it should have been and so we’d poured money into that. In addition, weather and forest fires were hampering operations.

“In the end, we realised we were in a bit of strife. So, in 2015, sought professional advice, called for help, resulting in voluntary administration. We were worried for the business and the people who depended on us.

“It was the best thing we could have done. From the moment they arrived, the administrators could see the firm had great integrity, great bones, no shortage of work.

We just needed to recoup a level of revenue that reflected the effort we made, and the service we gave. It was recommended an independent director be appointed – a role taken up by Neil Reid.

“We focused on vehicle utilisation and safety, and we all rolled up our sleeves.

“The exercise itself cost us a lot of money but the learnings, tools, relationships, processes, and systems we’ve gained actually make it an incredibly worthwhile ‘investment’ in hindsight. Yes it was stressful, really stressful, but also incredibly educational. We’re so much the better for it now.”

In November 2018, Stuff ran an article, celebrating the Waimea team’s achievements with all creditors paid in full, and the administrators lauding what can be achieved when

Phil Harris (left) and Craig Sim are two of Waimea Contract Carriers’ long-serving core team. Phil is CFO and Craig is resource and training manager. the flags are raised early and the team willing. It says a lot about a company and its people when they not only identify an issue that might be beyond them, but are humble enough to call for help.

Simon McIntyre’s belief in the human asset proved itself in the most testing of times – in the boardroom, the workshop and behind the wheel.

“We have a way we want to run the business, and it’s not necessarily a cheap way.

It’s not with shortcuts – that’s not our ethos. It is doing things right and that needs to be supported, and in a way rewarded. That wasn’t happening.”

Today, a memory it might be, but the takeaways will live on forever.

“We sold the crushing and screening business,” says Jenny. “It was taking 80% of the effort for 20% of the revenue. We now also lease the engineering workshop to Waimea Engineering, who build trailer product to our specification with Peter, rather than do the whole thing ourselves.

“Today there are 57 trucks in the fleet and 75 staff. We focus on corporate log work, and heavy haulage to both the forestry and civil sectors. The latter was Peter’s brainchild in 2015, and has proven to be a fantastic business with four transporters in the division

working each and every day. It’s also a great place to blood new recruits in the lower licence classes into the log business via the piloting function, where they learn radio calls, forest etiquette, and our companion culture etc.”

What the past decade hasn’t done, however, is impact the company’s relentless desire to challenge the accepted and ‘annoy’ a problem with collaborative partners until they have it cracked. There was always a chance that the inherent desire to innovate, experiment, diversify and look beyond, may have been dinted in the fallout as the inclination to protect the balance sheet became paramount. But overconservatism is not in the DNA of this region and certainly not this family, and at the end of the day, innovation is the key to success in 2022.

Risk is the mother of reward, after all, hence the fantastic work being undertaken in the areas of load height, stability, and restraint. Then there’s the innovative way the company views that innovation in the context of safety outcomes.

Waimea Contract Carriers is a fascinating place to spend a couple of days as a visitor. The way Jenny and Peter both move through the company and speak to the crew resembles that of a founder rather than generation two. Walk through a company

with a founder and they often speak differently, especially to the people who were with them when there was no money.

When they said ‘yes’, but had no idea how. When they all hoped loyal old trucks would keep going so they could fight to live another day, and a great Friday night was two fish each and $40 chips eaten from newspaper on the workshop floor with a couple of quarts each, and the wireless going.

Normally, it’s the old chestnut of your kids don’t lead your life.

But that doesn’t play out here. Observing the generation two McIntyres wander through, you’d think it was a brother sister start-up. There’s a chat with everyone. They know everyone. They listen. There’s an ease, an appreciation that’s only there when all parties interacting have a commonality to their journeys.

Something they will always share that whoever comes next will hopefully never have to. Having looked into the abyss and come away, they actually know what it must have been like to support a family with only a bunch of tools and an old cigarette vendor’s van.

“Peter and I can’t thank enough the people who have stuck with us throughout.

Both staff and customers. It is only about the people at the end of the day. That’s all it’s about.”

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 37

Al

Tania Buschl, a fantastic ambassador for both trucking and self-belief.

I CAN DO THAT TOO

38 New Zealand Trucking

happen, signing up at a local polytechnic where she gained her Class 2 licence, plus wheels, tracks, and rollers.

From there, Tania cut out into the real world. Twentyodd years ago, starting at the bottom was still the only path.

“My first truck was an old, crappy Isuzu. It was absolutely buggered, but it was a start.”

For the next two decades, Tania expanded her skill sets and experience across all manner of trucks and machinery, never deterred and never put off. In that time, she has driven tip trucks for Fulton Hogan and Downers, and worked on major local roading projects such as the SH60 Ruby Bay bypass, the huge deviation linking Appleby near Richmond to the Tasman settlement at the southern end of the Moutere Inlet. “The only thing I haven’t driven is a grader,” she says with a grin.

There’s an obvious pride in the journey, and where she’s worked her way to.

Log trucks and Tasman go together like instant pudding and ice cream and eight years ago Tania decided to try her hand, starting work with Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Richmond-based Waimea Contract Carriers. In this part of the country, log truck drivers on the early and late rounds load themselves, so her machine experience positioned her perfectly.

Almost a decade on, still at Waimea, a little over a month ago she came off the T659 Kenworth she was driving and was given the keys to a brand ‘newy’, fleet No.426.

“Jenny and Peter [McIntyre] are great people to work for.

SPECIAL THANKS

What a way to end the year – talk about going out on a high note. Thanks to Jenny and Peter McIntyre for your time, enthusiasm and access to your business. Thanks also to Craig Sim and Phil Harris for taking time out of your day. There’s a special welcoming air at Waimea, for sure.

Thanks to Nigel Bryant Logging and Rakau Logging for allowing us to film loading.

Thanks, as always, to Mike Gillespie at Southpac – a great bunch who always provide information so quickly and enthusiastically. Thanks also to Aaron Burson at T.A.T.E.S. for answering the call.

And Tania Buschl... A role model for anyone wanting to operate heavy equipment regardless of who they are.

Just an awesome person and a fantastic couple of days.

Thanks for your patience and willingness to help.

T1222-10

T

ania Buschl must have been off school the day they studied obstacles and excelled the day tenacity and self-belief were headings on the blackboard.

This slightly built, humble, personable, giant of a woman shuns the thought of attention, yet she is one of the country’s beacons for any aspiring lass who seeks to acquit herself with distinction at the top of the driving industry.

A native of the Tasman region, 43-year-old Tania grew up on a dairy farm in Brightwater, attending school locally.

“I’m a farm girl at heart,” she says with a smile. “I had a thing about farms and farm machinery right from the start.

I like the challenge of driving new things.”

Post-school, she took work pumping petrol at a local service station while, as she puts it “I figured out what it was I wanted to do. I noticed the trucks coming in and fuelling up and thought, ‘that’s what I want to do. I want to drive a big truck.’”

With the decision made, she set about making it all

If you give them a fair day’s work, they really look after you. I do enjoy working for them. It’s also great having a female boss. There’s no question it helps when you’re a female in the industry yourself.”

Of course, don’t think for a moment the farming ceased through all of this. In terms of work ethic, this woman’s blood needs bottling, and until recently, she was also partowner in her own farm. That’s now been sold and she’s back home on the family farm in Brightwater and helping her 74-year-old dad on the significant land holding on which she grew up.

“I love it. Love the farming, love the driving. Sometimes I think I should slow down a bit, but I enjoy weekends on the farm helping Dad, and I love my job driving my log truck.”

Tania Buschl is the living embodiment of so much. She easily ticks all the goal-setting, stay focused, work hard, ask, learn, listen, boxes of any life manual. Even, ‘size is no barrier, if your heart and soul are there in abundance’, and she certainly proves that. But probably her greatest gift will be that of inspiration, maybe to a young lady she may never meet, someone who reads her story in a publication like this and decides, ‘Yes, I can do that too!’

Also fitted with, PSI tyre pressure adjustment, Hyva hoists and valves, Haldex EBS system and Alex A Shine alloy wheels.

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY NZ DISTRIBUTORS

THAT INCLUDES:

SL9 AIR SUSPENSION TRUCK AND AND DISC BRAKED TRAILER HOIST, TRAILER AXLES HYFIX BODY LOCK

E55 SERIES 50mm COUPLING

DISC BRAKE ACTUATORS

FORGED ALLOY WHEELS WITH CERAMIC COATING

P&I Pasco are long standing loyal supporters of T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD Theirs (and other customers) continued patronage is never taken for granted.

Thank you Peter and Ian. From the Management and staff at T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD

Total Trailer Solutions from Trailer running gear supplied T.A.T.E.S

by T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD

T1222-10

Drop-sider truck body and 5 axle Trailer, manufactured MDlow Engineering Balclutha Lilburn Transport Ltd Engineering 5by axle height Logging trailerfor manufactured

by Waimea ROR axles,.fitted with, PSI tyre pressure adjustment, for Waimea Contract Carriers Ltd, Fitted with ROR CS9 Low mount 19.5” Haldex EBS system, Alex A Shine alloy wheels and disc braked axles incorporating Timken cartridge hub bearings, Meritor V Orlandi coupling on the truck.

Elsa 195 caliper, ROR logging combi airbag system And PSI tire inflation system with Thermalert

ROR axles

PSI tyre inflation system

Haldex EBS

Alex A shine alloy wheels

V Orlandi coupling on the truck

aroa with his Henry in the Kaing : Elliott Lingman. oto current truck. Ph

Henry with his W 924, his first new truck, called ‘The Fonz ’.

SHINING LIKE A

DIAMOND Story by Alison Verran

Henry as a child with his grandparents outside their tent in Rotorua.

Young Henry.

Photos Lingman collection/as credited

Industry notable Henry Lingman recently celebrated an amazing milestone – 60 years full-time behind the wheel… and he’s still going strong.

W

e had the pleasure of joining Henry and his family, along with more than 100 others, at a celebratory evening in Rotorua. Legendary faces with stories to tell, alongside current workmates and fellow drivers, who have all been a part of Henry’s trucking journey. The surprise event was organised by two of Henry’s sons, Henry Jnr and Elliott, along with Ryan Teddy, Shamos Hunter and Pumba Bryant.

Henry took it all in his stride. “It’s nothing really – it’s just another 10-year

40 New Zealand Trucking

anniversary. In my speech, I was going to say, ‘I’ll see you guys back here for my 70 years!’”

The early years Henry was born in Kawakawa in 1943 to Peggy Tapsell and raised on a farm 20km down the road at Ohaeawai. The family farm also housed a Maori Battalion training camp where Henry’s father, also named Henry, lived. Henry’s paternal grandfather, Knut Ljungman, emigrated from Sweden to New Zealand on a whaling ship in 1909. It was a difficult name to pronounce, so Knut

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

changed his name to Charlie Lingman, and the surname has continued through the generations.

At about five, Henry moved with his maternal grandparents to Rotorua, living in a large tent, until his grandfather built them a family home. Henry often spent his weekends on Mokoia Island, in the middle of Lake Rotorua. His grandfather, Kiharoa (Joe) Tapsell, was caretaker of the island.

As he grew up, Henry also lived in Maketu, Kaikohe and Auckland.

Enjoying life as a teenager in Rotorua, Henry scored himself a part-time job working at a sideshow on the Rotorua lakefront. He oversaw the ferris wheel rides. “My girlfriend, Mary Whakaue (now my wife) had brothers who didn’t like me.

They were all big solid fellas. One day they decided to throw light bulbs at me from the ghost train. I took off and jumped in my Ford V8 twin-spinner. As I drove away, I looked in my mirror and realised the ferris wheel was going round and round, with everyone still on it! No one else knew how

Merc 1418 6x2 with NZL in Taupo, which he drove before the ERF.

NZL ERF at the Waipa Mil in the late 1960s.

l loading woodchip

to stop it. It probably stopped when it ran out of petrol. I went back the next day to collect my pay and was told to clear off!”

The beginning of an amazing career After leaving school, Henry’s first full-time job was on the Auckland Wharf, starting with temporary work ‘sea gulling’ (loading ships), followed by a more permanent job stacking steel for Steel Construction in Central Auckland.

Henry recalls: “It was 1962, and I was 19 years old. Phil Bryant was driving an S Model Bedford, carting steel. He didn’t want to work any overtime, so I did his job from 5pm to 9pm after working all day stacking the steel. All I had to do was back into the bays, filling them up for the boilermakers (engineers). After a while, the bosses said I really needed to get my truck licence, so one day, I decided it was time I did. The truck I went in was an Austin Artic.

The examiner got me to drive up Wellesley Street, past the Civic Theatre, and then I had to back the Austin into a side street.

The examiner said to me, ‘You’ve done this

W924 Henry drove for Graham Manson in the 1970s, with polystyrene trailers, a new design engineered by Neil Peterken. before’ and I told him, ‘I’ve been doing it for a few months.’ He said, ‘I’ll give you your licence if you give me £2.’ I didn’t have £2 on me, so they had to send the bill to the company.

“Back then, an Artic licence meant you could drive any combination. Once I had that licence, I delivered steel to all the jobs around Auckland. There were a few interesting places, including the steel to build the No.1 stand at Eden Park, all the freezing works around the place, the Devonport Naval Base and many of the high-rise buildings in Auckland. Every day was different.

“One day in 1964, I was carting steel in the middle of Auckland. Crowds of people were around. I was standing on the truck deck while the steel was being unloaded, and the crane driver tooted and pointed. I looked over and The Beatles were leaving the hotel next door! No wonder there were so many people.

“One time, I had to cart steel down to Rangiuru (Bay of Plenty) to build the freezing works there. It wouldn’t fit on a train wagon, so it was my job to take it

Kenworth W924 ‘The Fonz’, as a logger for Don Gordon contrac

ting to Fletcher Timber Co.

by road. Back then, if it couldn’t go by train, we had to have a special permit (an exemption) to take it that far by road, along with a police escort.

“I was down in Rotorua one weekend, and I scored a job with W.L. Richards, carting stock. I drove an S Model Bedford towing a semi. Back then (prederegulation), we could only cart to the rail yard. On a Wednesday, there were stock trucks everywhere’ and some of those fellas couldn’t back a truck and trailer because that combination was just new then.

“They were hard-case trailers back then – there were no locking pins on the dolly.

We would do two or three loads of stock to the train. Then, when the train was full, we were allowed to take a load up to Auckland by road. There was no motorway, so the trip up and back took a bit longer than these days. There were no logbooks either, so we could just drive all night.

“I used to catch the bus to and from work. The others on the bus would smell me, stinking of stock, so I used to catch the 6pm bus with all the drunks. It was

Manson in original Graham Kenworth LW923 s pipeline.

Marsden Point ga

colours at

1

2

3

4

1) Hunter’s Pacific outside home, with the two sons who have followed in Dad’s footsteps, Henry Jnr (left) and Elliott. 2) Henry and Henry Jnr with Graham Manson’s White. 3) Elliott (left) and Rawiri Lingman with the first T904 tri-drive in New Zealand, which Henry got new at RFH. 4) Henry Jnr sitting on Graham Manson’s White, Henry’s first brand-new truck. six o’clock closing time at the pubs. Those guys didn’t care that I smelled bad!”

Livestock cartage was certainly different back in the 1960s. “When we were loading stock, the cow-cockies would make us put sawdust on the truck decks to protect the animal’s feet. At the end of each day, we would wash out by the stream that fed into the lake. All the stock trucks did it! They would all back up and wash out the sawdust and shit, straight into the creek. You wouldn’t get away with that these days!”

A family man Henry’s life moved on to a new chapter on 1 April 1966 when he married Mary. Together they had seven children over the following 26 years (Wylie, Lexi, Roger, Catherine, Henry Jnr, Gloria and Elliott).

That year also brought a new work chapter for Henry – a move to NZ Lumber, then owned by Bert Godfrey, carting

42 New Zealand Trucking

wood chip from the Waipa Mill in Rotorua to Kawerau.

Henry drove a Leyland Hippo truck and trailer, a 1418 6x2 Mercedes-Benz with a lazy axle, followed by an ERF and a Fiat. “I worked there for a few years. Bert was a great boss.”

The American dream The early 1970s ushered in another change for Henry.

“One day I heard about this guy, Graham Manson, who had a passion for American trucks. Graham was starting a new contract, carting export wood chip, so I got in touch.

He said, ‘Wait until we get the new polystyrene trailers and I’ll give you a job.’ The polystyrene trailers were a new design engineered by Neil Peterken. I got the job and was given a Kenworth W924, with a 380hp Caterpillar 3406A.” Henry shares Graham’s passion and has always loved to show off the impressive Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

American machines. It was the 1970s when Kenworths were an imposing feature on Kiwi roads. “On a trip through Hamilton in Graham’s W924, I decided to drive through the main street to check out the car yards with all the flash American cars. Next thing, a cop on a motorbike stopped me and I thought, ‘Oh shit, I’m in trouble.’ He approached and said, ‘I want to have a look at your truck!’ Everyone always wanted to check it out – they were so impressed by that truck.”

Graham went on to buy a new White 4000 with a Cummins NTC 350hp engine.

Henry proudly comments: “That was my first brand-new truck. Graham designed a mesh gate on the back of one of the trailers towed behind the White. The mesh helped with wind resistance when the trailer was empty, and the mesh was fine enough to contain the wood chip when loaded.”

Antics & capers Over the years, Henry has instigated and enjoyed plenty of high jinks with fellow drivers. While working at Graham Manson, Henry drove alongside Alan ‘Ash’ Ashby, Paul ‘Butch’ Hopcroft and Calvin Paddon. “Sometimes we would go for a ride with each other if there wasn’t much work on. I had always wondered what a cow or sheep felt like when they were riding up in the top deck, at the back of the trailers. We had the polystyrene trailers on, carting wood chip from Tangiwai to Mount Maunganui.

I said to the boys, ‘Why don’t we have a go riding in the back of the trailer?’ The wood chip was about 3ft below the sides of the trailer, so we could easily sit in the corner.

“On my first ride, Calvin Paddon was driving. I told him I would flash the torch when I had had enough. That didn’t have to happen because it was such a great feeling, riding

across the Desert Road on a moonlit night. As we went through Te Puke, I could hear ‘whhht, whhht, whhht’ above me… it was the powerlines going overhead!” (By all accounts, if Henry hadn’t kept his head down, it could have been disastrous.)

“One time when I was driving, Ash had a go riding up in the back of a 40ft semi.

I didn’t see him flashing his torch, so I just kept driving, thinking he was okay. It started snowing, so I thought I had better stop and check how he was going. He came running up beside the truck and yelled, ‘You f**ken ba***ard, didn’t you see my bloody light flashing?’

He was frozen!” Henry recalls.

Ash, Calvin and Butch all went to school together and have been friends with Henry since they were 17 years old.

Ash remembers his ride in the trailer very well. “Christ, I don’t know how many times I flashed that torch! My hands were going purple. I’m busy flashing, and the next thing I hear another gear change and Lingman keeps on going. I don’t think Henry realised you have to actually look in your mirror if you want to see a torch flashing. I’ll tell you what, though, people pay big money up at Rainbow’s End to get a ride like that!”

Ash recalls Henry’s Kiwi ingenuity. “Henry and I were at Tangiwai one day, loading wood chip. There was a conveyor belt, loading the chip into our bins. We would pull forward until it was all loaded.

The feeder onto the conveyor belt was quite small, so Henry decided it would be a great idea to open the front service hatch above the feeder to get the chip out faster. The weight of the extra chip broke the belt, and no one got loaded!

Henry was full of good ideas like that!”

Butch has great memories of working with Henry. “Henry was an absolute pleasure to work with. Such a steady influence on us young fellas.

We were all in our early 20s,

and we looked up to him. He was always cool, calm and collected. Nothing ever phased him. Despite often working in the mud, shit and grime, Henry was always immaculately presented. We aspired to be like him.”

Butch recollects it was Henry who told the others they had to ride in the back of the trailers. “Henry told us Graham wanted us to ride in the back over the Desert Road to see how much the trailer leans.

He said that us young ones needed to know this, to be able to learn about driving with high loads. It wasn’t Graham’s idea at all – it was Henry having us on!

“We regularly carted out of the Tongariro Sawmill at National Park. There were often prisoners escaping from the prison nearby. Henry didn’t smoke, but if he knew there had been a prison break, when he arrived at the mill on nightshift, he would light a smoke and hold it up high with his torch, while singing a song.

He reckoned if there were a prisoner in there, he would see the smoke and think Henry was 8ft tall!”

The stories keep rolling from Butch. “Back when we were carting out of Tanners Mill at Tairua, on the Coromandel Peninsula, there was a myth that there was a hairy man living in the area (The Hairy Man of Moehau). The local radio station used to go on about it a lot. Henry reckons he saw the hairy man. In fact, he said one time he stole his lunch. He said the hairy man was so tall, he just reached up and grabbed it out of the truck.

Another time, the boss at Tanners rang Graham Manson and asked who had left the compressor going all night at the mill. Turns out, it was Henry. He didn’t want to go all the way back into the mill to turn it off in case the hairy man was there!”

Henry’s anecdotes continue.

“One time, I was driving near Turangi. A couple of prisoners had escaped from a nearby

1

2

3

4 1)‘The Fonz’ was cut down from truck to tractor unit when Henry rejoined Trailways. Here, taking advantage of a cheeky photo op, lined up with some Lamberts tankers. 2) During pipeline work for Trailways at Ruakaka.

3) The LW923 doing pipeline work. Unfortunately Henry had to sell ‘The Fonz’ to get the LW for the job. 4) The LW923 now in Trailways colours.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 43

The F12 Volvo Henry owned and drove while at Trailways. He owned the first tautliner at Trailways, too.

The Hunter’s P510 originally set up as a longs unit at Mt Maunganui tally base.

New Western Star 4864 at Hunters, which he moved onto after the Pacific.

The Peterbilt 362 that tempted Henry to have a stint with Ivor Gainsford.

44 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

prison. The police routinely stopped me. I think a lot of them had never seen a Kenworth, so they stopped me to check it out. They just had a look around and then told me I could go. I got a couple of kilometres up the road, and they came flying up with their lights and sirens. I pulled over and they pulled up in front of me. When I was stopped the first time, a cop had climbed up into my trailer to have a look for the prisoners. Neither the cops nor I knew he had climbed in, so when they told me to go, I had taken off with a cop in my trailer! He was so furious, he wanted to pull me out of the truck and deal to me. His mates were rolling around laughing!”

Graham Manson reckons Henry is “a very agreeable guy. He was always there to lend a hand with any jobs that needed doing. He had no hesitation in helping, even after a 12-hour shift. He’s the sort of guy I would always employ, if he ever came back for a job.” Graham had no idea the boys were riding in the back of trailers back in the day.

However, he did find out a few years later and can now laugh about it.

During the 1970s, Graham sold his business to TD Haulage at Mt Maunganui.

Eddie O’Neil and Henry had an agreement to stay in Rotorua doing the same work, the only difference being they were behind the wheels of two brand-new Kenworth K124s powered by 350hp Cummins engines.

After three years with TD Haulage, Henry felt the need for another change. “Don Gordon from Paeroa used to come into TDs to wash his truck. One day I said to him that I wouldn’t mind having a go on logs. He happily gave me a job. I drove a Kenworth W924 with a 350hp Cummins, towing a three-axle pole trailer.

I was running export, Taupo to the Mount.”

Ultimate acquisition “While working for Don, contracting to Fletchers (Fletcher Timber Company), I was called into the office one day. I thought, ‘Oh no, what have I done?’ They said they wanted me to be their first owner-driver. I told them I didn’t have any money for a truck, and they said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll give you a letter to sort that.’ I went into the Kenworth dealership and said I wanted to buy a Kenworth.

The salesman thought I must have wanted to buy a small model truck and he said, ‘Sorry, we only give those out when you buy a truck.’

I handed him the letter from Fletchers, and he said, ‘Geez, we’ve never seen this before.’

I bought myself a Kenworth W924 – the last American imported Kenworth before they were built in Australia.

I spec’d it with twin stacks, twin air-intakes, leather bucket seats, a gull-wing bumper, and extra grill bars. The stacks were facing to the rear, and I didn’t like that, so I got them to turn them to face out to the side. It gave them the look of two thumbs up, so I called the truck ‘The Fonz’ (from the American sitcom Happy Days). Because of that, people started calling me ‘Fonz’!

Henry’s entertaining trucking stories are endless. “One day I had to pick up ‘Santa’ and take him to a kid’s Christmas function. It was a really hot day. As we were travelling to the function, Santa pulls out a bottle of Waikato and takes a swig! When we arrived at the venue, Santa scoffed and said, ‘Now I have to say ho ho ho to these little buggers.’ He grabbed his sack of presents and started heading in. All the kids came running … straight past Santa and over to my truck! An adult yelled out to the kids ‘there’s Santa’, but they weren’t interested in him – they just wanted to see my truck!

I heard one little kid say, ‘F**k Santa!’”

Back to the serious stuff The 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens (Washington State, USA) ended a lot of the export timber from New Zealand. This terminated Henry’s contract with Fletchers after nearly three years.

In 1981, Henry cut down his truck to a tractor unit and started a contract with Trailways, carting pipes for the Marsden Point Refinery pipeline. “I ended up selling the W924 and replaced it with a Kenworth LW923 that I bought from Graham Manson.

The rough conditions on the pipeline were hard on the gear, and I had to keep having it towed out all the time. The bulldozers would make tracks for us to drive on. The terrain was steep hills and mostly clay.

We had to make a tailgate for the rear of the trailer, to stop the pipes sliding off the back. I didn’t really enjoy that job, but it was good money. I continued with Trailways for nine years, carting all sorts of general freight, during which time I bought a 375hp F12 Volvo with a 14-speed gearbox.”

Henry owned Trailways’ first Tautliner. “I had a great run where I would cart concrete blocks from Rotorua to Taupo, load up with parts of kiwifruit boxes and take them to the place in Edgecumbe where they made them up into boxes.

I would pick up the finished boxes in Edgecumbe and take them to the Mount, then pick up Firth pavers for the trip back to Rotorua. The Tautliner saved me so much time instead of having to strap or cover all the loads.”

By 1990, Henry had had enough of staying away with some of his runs at Trailways.

“I sold up my unit and made the move to Hunters in Rotorua, just helping with driving at first. I drove a Pacific P510 with a 400hp CAT engine, towing a threeaxle pole trailer. I was carting logs around the Bay of Plenty.

I filled in while Barry Hunter went off around the world driving his stock car. He used to go to the UK and race; he was a great stock car driver.”

The company changed the configuration of the Pacific from a longs unit to a shorts unit. “After that, Barry didn’t want to drive it, so I ended up staying with Hunters and driving it full-time.” A couple of months later, the company made another change to the unit, making it interchangeable – to be able to cart either shorts or longs.

Henry drove for Hunters for seven years. After a few years on the Pacific, he moved on to a Western Star 4864 with a 430hp Detroit engine. “That Western Star was a really nice truck. The Detroit has a different sound. Hunters ended up buying two of those Western Stars and my son, Henry Jnr, drove the other one.

“When I was carting to Mount Maunganui, I would often see Colin Sargison at the tally base. He would say to me, “What are you doing driving for that fella? Come and drive for me boy.’” After being asked the same thing several times, Henry decided to move to RFH where Colin rewarded him with a Western Star 4864 with a Detroit engine, towing a multi B-train, still carting logs. “After about three years with Colin, I jumped ship to Ivor Gainsford. I was tempted there by his Peterbilt 362 with a Cummins N14 Plus pumping out 525hp. It was a six-wheeler interchangeable four-axle trailer, and I was again carting logs.”

Ivor remembers Henry’s reaction to the Peterbilt. “When I bought the new Peterbilt from the States, it came in with twin stacks. Much to Henry’s disgust, I had one of them removed.

“Henry loved noise. At NZ Lumber, his ERF had a fibreglass muffler. The engine brake blew the deadening out of the muffler, effectively

Henry’s Western Star Constellation, the first of this model in the country, at the RFH yard in Rotorua.

Before the first T904, Henry drove this Pacific P510, his first off-highway truck. Photo at Kaingaroa.

Henry’s second off-highway truck at RFH, the 6900 Western Star could go anywhere with dual drive and CTI.

Onto the third new T904, taken at Kawerau

The C508 with a full set of chrome wheels and another load of stems at Kawerau

making it a straight pipe. You’d hear him coming through the Hemo Gorge. You could hear his Jacobs all over Rotorua.

It would often wake me up.

You’d hear every gear change.

Henry loved it! With a naturally aspirated engine, you could hear every piston going up and down.

“A little bit about Henry... he was always punctual and always immaculately dressed. He’s very proud of the name ‘Fonz’. I don’t think I would know anyone who has travelled the amount of kilometres Henry has travelled.

“One thing though, Henry bred mischievous sons! One day I was doing an acid clean of the truck chassis. Ian Graham, Henry Jnr and Elliott were all there. I was spraying some onto the bolsters and a bit of it got in my eye. I yelled to Elliott to put the hose on me. He grabbed the opportunity to do exactly that and held the hose on me. I was drenched!” Ivor recalls.

Elliott remembers that day well. “I had a choice of picking up the garden hose or the high-pressure hose… guess which one I chose? It blasted Ivor so hard, he had to hang on to the bolster!”

The attraction of Ivor’s Peterbilt was short-lived.

Henry was ready to move on again. “I enjoyed a couple of months on the Peterbilt, but I was missing working for RFH. I rang up Colin to see if I could get my old job back. I left him a message. When I got home, there was a message on my answerphone from Colin. ‘You f**kn black bastard, I told you not to leave the first time!

When can you start, boy?’”

On his return to RFH, Henry was behind the wheel of an International S-Line 3600 B-train shorts unit. “I travelled all around the countryside.

The furthest I went was when I took a load of redwood from Napier to Kerikeri.” Henry then had an opportunity to move on to the first Western Star Constellation in New Zealand.

Under the hood was a 470hp

46 New Zealand Trucking

Henry at work recently in the Kaingaroa forest, doing what he loves in a place he loves. Credit: Elliott Lingman.

Detroit Series 60 engine. “It was a comfortable truck, nice and wide, plenty of cab space.

I had checkerplate put on the back, over the chassis rails and I added extra lights. It looked great!”

Switching highways With the new millennium approaching, Henry decided it was time for his biggest change yet. “I’d had enough of driving on the roads, so I asked to go off-highway in the Kaingaroa Forest. I was sick of the cops; they just wouldn’t leave us alone.” Henry’s son, Elliott, chips in and says: “Mum was happy with him going off-highway. Dad couldn’t stop at all the bakeries anymore! He loved his pasties from the Matamata bakery.”

Henry’s first truck in the Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

forest was a Pacific P510 stems unit, a tri-drive with a 400hp 3406 CAT engine. This was followed by a Western Star 6900, 6x4, powered by a 500hp Detroit engine. “You’d be amazed at where that double drive would go. It had an extendable front bolster to enable off-highway stem loads.

I could slide the bolster back in, hook up the four-axle shorts unit trailer and go back on the highway.”

The unit also had CTI. “You let the air out of them, and they’ll go anywhere… in the mud, everywhere. Some places where we would go to pick up the loads, they’re just dirt roads. In the Kaingaroa Forest, it’s often ash on the roads from the Tarawera eruption. It’s as hard as rock when it’s dry but awfully sloshy

when it rains.

“One day up in the Kaingaroa Forest, three logs needed a spray-paint marking, up on top of the load. A skiddie worker decided to climb up and mark the logs while I was chaining up. When I had finished, I was given the all-clear from another skiddie to head off. Unbeknown to me, the first skiddie hadn’t been able to climb back down, so he had decided to walk back down the stems to get off. He hadn’t quite made it to the bottom when I was given the all-clear. He got the experience of a lifetime until the other skiddies waved and yelled at me to stop! The riding skiddie reckoned he had a bit of a surf on the logs as I drove along.”

In 2001, Colin asked Henry if he would consider carting

stems out of the Matahina and Tarawera Forests into Kawerau.

“I took the Western Star with me. They reckon anyone who drives down Matahina, if you can drive in there, you can drive anywhere! It’s more exciting driving in there. It used to be a joke on one steep hill, new drivers would say, ‘What do I need?’ I would say, ‘Toilet paper, 9/16 spanner and a prayer book?’ It’s just so steep and with the thick fog, heading down those steep hills, you just can’t see.

“When we carted into Kawerau, there were no limits on load weights, because the loaders at Kawerau would take the load off in three or four bites. In Kaingaroa, we’re limited to 65 to 70 tonnes, because the Wagner loader is limited to how much it can

unload.

“Back then, in a 12-hour day, we were doing 550km, carting 400 tonnes.”

After a couple of years on the Western Star, Henry was offered another new opportunity. This time working the nightshift, with Charlie Hayward covering the dayshift.

Together they drove the first Kenworth T904 with CAT C15 power and tri-drive in New Zealand. Personal circumstances saw Charlie finish on stems and Henry moved to dayshift. “That truck was the best combination, with it being CAT-powered with a brake saver, especially for that terrain at Matahina.”

A flow of new Kenworths followed, with two more new T904s, equipped with the same combination, the first

Kenworth C508 for RFH, and a Kenworth C509. “With the hard work involved and the double-shifting, I always got the new gear. I had four brandnew Kenworths in a row. With the C508, I asked for alloy wheels on the front and Colin said, ‘I can do better than that.’

I ended up with a full set of chrome.

“I loved working at Matahina.

There’s no boss down there – the boss just knew I would get it done. They were all good fellas to work with. Back in the day, when I was carting logs, I never thought I’d see the day that I would be carting a full tree!”

(Search “Stem Truck Matahina (Henry Lingman)” on YouTube, and you can see Henry driving his Kenworth C509, carting stems – Ed.) “Two years ago, we lost the contract for Kawerau, so I’m back in the Kaingaroa Forest.

It’s a lot easier running, quicker turnarounds, straighter roads, and no hills.

“My day starts at 9am, when I leave my home in Rotorua.

It’s a 40-minute drive in my ute to the Webb (at Kaingaroa) where they process the stems.

All the trucks are parked up there. We’ve got a workshop there, wash bays, everything. I jump in the truck and head up to a skid site to get my load.

About 60% of the roads are tar-sealed up into the forest.

Once we turn off onto the side roads, though, they are gravel.

It’s then dirt roads into the skid sites, usually only a few kilometres. The skid sites are moving all the time, so there’s no point in them putting gravel on those roads. Occasionally they’ll gravel them if it gets too boggy.

“Most days, I would do about four or five trips up to a skid site. There are about seven or eight skid sites operating at any one time.

We use logbooks just like the highway drivers, and we still have to have our half-hour breaks. There’s still plenty of regulations in the forest – probably more so than on

the highway. They are big on health and safety and have security officers who often stop you for random checks.

They make sure you have a fire extinguisher, a shovel (to shovel dirt onto a fire or to help dig you out if you’re stuck) and a first-aid kit. I even have all those things in my ute as well because I drive onto forestry land to go to work.

“A lot of the boys work four days a week. I was offered that, but I said, ‘No way! Who wants to only work four days a week?!”

It’s not over yet Henry has no intention of retiring from driving. However, as he contemplates the future, he says: “Have you seen that movie, Forrest Gump? He just stops on that highway in Monument Valley… well, that will be me. One day, I’ll just stop on the Kaingaroa Plains and hitch-hike home on the next passing truck!”

Mary has been listening in to the conversation. When asked her thoughts on Henry’s 60-year driving career, she says, laughing: “I didn’t think he would last this long!”

Would you like him to give up driving?... “No!”

Like father, like son Both Henry Jnr and Elliott have followed Henry into the trucking industry.

Henry Jnr has been riding in trucks since he could walk. Following in his father’s footsteps, he now also drives off-highway, carting stems for RFH. “I was brought up around trucks, so there was no question that I would end up driving. My driver-trainer was my dad. When I was a kid, I would go to sleep with my pyjamas on over my clothes, so in the morning, all I had to do was take my PJs off, put my boots on, and I was ready to go.

“When I was about 14, I went for a ride in the F12 Volvo with Dad. He was taking a 20ft refrigerated container to

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 47

1 1) A few miles have been driven among this crowd. Photos: Alison Verran. 2) Commemorative framed pic from the family to celebrate 60 years of driving. Credit: Lingman collection. 3) Elliott presenting Henry with his commemorative framed pictures, with RFH driver David ‘Pumba’ Bryant.

4) Henry-Rae, Henry Jr’s son, presents his grandad with his commemorative cake.

5) Celebrating 60 years of driving.

3 2

Wellington with a deadline for arrival. Dad had been driving for days and was so tired but knew he didn’t have time to stop. At Bulls, he looked over at me and asked if I thought I could drive while he had a quick sleep for five or 10 minutes. He gave me a quick run-down on things to remember… two hands on the wheel, don’t go over 80…

“Dad jumped in the back and before I knew it, he was snoring, and my five minutes was already half an hour! I had driven before, but Dad was always awake and telling me when to slow down and which corner to watch out for. This time it was just me. I knew I couldn’t be an idiot and I just had to do everything he had taught me over the years. Dad was having a good sleep and I was enjoying driving. Before I knew it, an hour or more had passed and then Wellington was approaching. I knew the Ngauranga Gorge was coming up, and I wondered if I should wake Dad. Everything he taught me was going through my head. I chopped it down a couple of gears, then another couple. I

48 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

can remember looking in my mirror and I thought, ‘Whoa, I’m doing it!’ I pulled into the Caltex just before the wharf and thought I had better wake Dad. As Dad woke, he looked like he’d just seen a ghost! With the truck stopped, he thought something had happened. I said, ‘we’re here’ and he said ‘where?’. I told him we were in Wellington!

At that point, I looked at the load and thought to myself, ‘Yeah, boy, I brought that down.’

“Dad taught me everything I know about driving. I owe it all to him. He’s just my dad, but he’s a legend in the game.”

Elliott’s trucking childhood was almost identical to Henry Jnr, just some 17 years later. Elliott reckons, “If my dad hadn’t introduced me to trucking, I would have been an NRL star for St George Illawarra Dragons! I was lucky to have both Dad and Henry Jnr to teach me all that I know.”

Henry Lingman lives and breathes driving trucks. At nearly 80 years old (and looking no more than 60!) he can only be described as a humble distinguished legend.

4

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2018 CLXT Super-Liner, Floyd Trans, Palmerston North. Photo: Craig McCauley.

1998 N8MHR613RST Ultra-Liner, Cranleigh Haulage, Kaitangata. Photo: Craig McCauley.

2019 CLXT Super-Liner, Gadsby Haulage, New Plymouth. Photo: Craig McCauley.

1982 FR797RS, Protranz Earthmoving, Christchurch. Photo: Craig McCauley.

Story by Faye Laugher

Photos as credited

ODE TO MACK Motor Truck Distributors celebrated 50 years of Mack trucks in New Zealand this year. The celebrations culminated in a massive gathering of Mack trucks from around the country at Manfeild in October.

M

ore than 130 Mack trucks joined a convoy that travelled from Motor Truck Distributors in Palmerston North to Manfeild Racetrack in Feilding. The show was held in conjunction with the Manawatu Car Club OctoberFAST event and Mack fans from all over New Zealand gathered in Manawatu to celebrate the brand.

In all, 172 Macks through the ages were on display. The oldest was Graham Manson’s 1940 Mack ED pick-up truck.

50 New Zealand Trucking

The line-up also included the first Mack assembled in New Zealand (originally owned by Manson) and a 2022 Mack Super-Liner 50-Years.

The day ended with a Mack-only lap of the racetrack, with about 125 trucks taking part.

Ron Carpenter established Palmerston North Motors (which became Motor Truck Distributors) in 1968 and, until 1972, the business traded solely in used heavy vehicles.

He brought the Mack brand to New Zealand when the government removed import Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

licensing in 1972. That year, a franchise agreement with Mack Trucks Inc. USA was obtained, and production started in Palmerston North with the first Mack FR to be assembled in New Zealand.

Regulations required final vehicle assembly to be done in New Zealand, so Ron elected to operate CKD (completely knocked down).

This meant only parts were imported and the full first manufacture took place in New Zealand, allowing trucks to be custom-built.

In 1987, the 1000th

Mack truck was assembled and delivered, and Ron was awarded International Distributor of the Year.

“Did I ever think I’d sell 1000 Macks? If you think those things, they won’t happen because all you’re doing is dreaming,” says Ron. “If your only measure of success is dollars and profit, you’ll never achieve half the success you would have if you’d had more downto-earth, day-to-day goals.

Things happen by getting your head down and your arse up and concentrating.”

uley.

1991 GT260RT Midliner, restored by Protranz. BW & SM Wilton’s original Coca-Cola truck. Photo: Craig McCauley.

2005 QH7888RS Qantum, IK & SM Newey Transport, Ruakaka. Photo: Craig McCauley.

1989 RB686RST, Tuapeka Transport livery, recently restored by the Kane family. Photo: Craig McCauley.

2018 CMMR 8x4 Granite, Kui Griffin & Co, Raetihi. Photo: Craig McCauley.

2020 CLXT 6x4 Super-Liner, Brittons Housemovers, Wellington.

Photo: Craig McCauley.

1985 WR722RST Cruise-Liner, McNeill Distribution. Photo: Craig McCauley.

1997 CL622RST, Goodman Contractors. Photo: Craig McCauley.

1995 CH613RST, Grun Group, Christchurch. Photo: Craig McCauley.

1978 FR786RST, Murray Bruning, Transport Nelson livery. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1996 CLR822RSX Titan, Gerard Daldry. Photo: Carl Kirkbeck.

2022 CLXT Super-Liner 6x4, Easy Movers. Photo: Faye Laugher.

2013 Trident, Clive Taylor Haulage. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1990 R722RST Super-Liner, Menefy Trucking, Palmerston North. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1977 R770 8V92, Scott Young, originally Ross Douglas’s. Photo: Faye Laugher.

He says Mack owners have a lot to do with how the brand is revered today.

“I remember standing on this same stage 35 years ago for the Mack 1000 celebrations and seeing many of the same faces. I haven’t seen that same sense of great passion among owner groups of any other brand.”

Ron says when he began selling Mack trucks they cost one and a half times the cost

52 New Zealand Trucking

of a house.

“And that was their living, so if a customer needed a part that wasn’t in stock, we’d take it off a truck on the assembly line because nothing was more important than keeping a truck on the road.”

Business was always conducted face-to-face in those days and he says lasting relationships were built with staff and customers.

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

“I’d like to thank those from the early days of MTD, and Graham Manson, who got truck number one. You are all part of the story.”

Former MTD general manager Murray Sowerby says that when Ron interviewed him for a job in 1981, he had no idea how iconic the brand was.

“I told him I had no sales experience, and he said that was better because I wouldn’t

have any bad habits.”

Murray says it soon became apparent how passionate the people he worked with were about Mack trucks, and when he looks back at the business, the people are what made it so special. “If you don’t have the right people with the right passion, you don’t have anything. I hadn’t just taken on a job; I was made part of the family.

“After an absolutely

1994 M

er.

1994 MHS622RS Ultra-Liner, Jones Contracting, Queenstown. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1992 N8MHS622RST Ultra-Liner, JF Dixon Transport, Rotorua. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1998 CL722, Glen Allingham – Best in Show. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1975 A8FR785RST, Les Hayden, Dominion Breweries livery. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1974 R685RST, J.N. Scally, Rotorua. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1973 R685RST, MTD. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1972 FR785RST, MTD. Where it all began. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1994 N8MHR622RST Ultra-Liner, Pokuru Farms, Taupo. Photo: Faye Laugher.

MOTOR TRUCK DISTRIBUTORS HISTORY 1968 MTD New Zealand was founded under the name Palmerston North Motors and, until 1972, traded solely in used heavy vehicles.

1981 R747RS Super-Liner, Kaitaia Timber, owned by the Tanner family. Photo: Faye Laugher.

2002 CH688RST, HWR – Allied Petroleum.

Photo: Faye Laugher.

1981 N8MCE612RS, Road Metals, Christchurch.

Photo: Faye Laugher.

2007 Super-Liner SL4, Menefy Trucking, Palmerston North.

Photo: Faye Laugher.

1987 Super-Liner, ProTranz Earthmoving.

The 1000th MTD Mack. Photo: Faye Laugher.

1984 R686RST, Regal Haulage, Hamilton.

Photo: Faye Laugher.

2020 Super-Liner CLXT 6x4, Golden Contracting, Silverdale. Photo: Faye Laugher.

2007 CX Vision, Sharp As General Carriers, Wanganui.

Photo: Faye Laugher.

1972 A franchise agreement with Mack Trucks USA was obtained, and that year production started in Palmerston North, with the first Mack FR model truck to be assembled in New Zealand.

1973 A move was made from Matipo Street to the current site on Malden Street to accommodate a CKD product facility and the growing demand for the Mack product.

1984 A nationwide service network (Truck Stops NZ) was set up to provide parts and service for many trucks working throughout the country.

1986 MTD was purchased by Corporate Investments to form part of the Truck Investments group, and that year, MTD took over the Renault franchise for New Zealand.

2000 MTD closed its Palmerston North CKD facility and began importing fully built-up Mack product from what was then Mack Trucks Australia (now Volvo Group Australia). The Truck Investments group was purchased by Cycle & Carriage.

2004 The Truck Investments group was sold to Sime Darby Berhad.

2009 MTD won the rights to represent Volvo Truck and Bus product in New Zealand. Today, MTD Trucks is a fully owned subsidiary company of Sime Darby Motors New Zealand.

54 New Zealand Trucking

fantastic day and that line-up of absolutely fantastically restored Mack trucks, I look back at the almost four decades I worked for the company and I’m humbled.”

Murray says Mack was an industry leader, and the 24/7 service offered was something no other company could match.

“It didn’t matter where you were working, if something needed fixing, any time of the day or night, they would drive or fly to it.

Trucks would be repaired on the side of the road – you couldn’t do that today – the traffic management would be prohibitive.”

Murray says MTD has always had a very low staff turnover. “Employee No.5, Carl Capstick, lived with Ron and Jenny

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

(Carpenter), and he is still with the business today. Brent ‘Cookie’ Cooksley has been working there for 47 years. It starts and finishes with the people.”

Mack Trucks national sales manager Stu Wynd says the event couldn’t have gone any better. “The weather gods were smiling for us, and it was great to see such an amazing display of trucks on show. The trucks are a real credit to the people who spent hours, weeks, months preparing them for the day.”

According to Stu, the Manfeild staff said it was the biggest event they had had in nearly 20 years, with about 5000 people through the gate.

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TRUCKING INDUSTRY SHOW 2022

1

BACK AND BIG-AS! Story by Gavin Myers

Photos by Gavin Myers, Dave McCoid and as credited

Fantastic energy filled the Canterbury Agricultural Park on 25 and 26 November as trucks and families filed in for the 2022 TMC Trucking Industry Show.

I

t’s fair to say New Zealand Trucking Association organisers were overjoyed with the response to this year’s TMC Trucking Industry Show, especially given the postponement of the original 2020 date thanks to Covid19. You cannot help but be impressed by the numbers.

More than 100 exhibitors representing all corners of the road transport industry were ready to talk trucks with

the 5000 visitors who walked through the gates on Friday (the trade day). But the real action was to be had on the Saturday (the public day), when an impressive 478 trucks filled the UDC Show and Shine lawns, and the park was abuzz with more than 35,000 visitors.

Most of the trucks were parked up with their trailers – some with loads – which added even more credit to the spectacle. Every vehicle

2

displayed the utmost pride and attention to detail in bringing out the shine, which made the judges’ job that much more challenging, and some very worthy vehicles received welldeserved awards.

Equally important as the trucks were the skills demonstrated by the operators who entered the three competitions, which had their finals on the Saturday. Drivers in the TR Group New Zealand

3

Truck Driving Championships showed outstanding finesse and accuracy behind the wheel. In the Class-5 Truck & Trailer category, Corey Pettifer from Graeme Wright General Carriers took home the winning honours, while runner-up went to Karl Thompson from HWR. The Class-5 Tractor-Semi category was won by Adam Goddard, followed by runner-up Jarrod Hepi. The Class-2 category saw Simeon East beat out Neil Matheson for the win.

The Woman Driver of the Year Award went to Samantha Fraser of NZ Express, and Braydon McMillan-Phillips

4

1) Truck of the Show, Brenics K200. 2-4) Competitors showed off their skill in various industry disciplines.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 57

OEM H HIGHLIG

58 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

TS

SHOW AND SHINE WINNERS Category

Truck No.

Name

Company

Truck

0 – 50,000 146 Ecoblue 50,000 – 500,000 119 Mikey Ashby Hanes 500,000 – 1,000,000 229 Craig Heywood Talleys 1,000,000+ 359 Northside Furthest Travelled to Show 452 Pollock Rhys Haulage Highest Kilometres Travelled 295 Kerry Inns K&T Trucking Best International 128 Jesse Blue Diamond Best Isuzu 275 Brett Flower Tyre General Best Fuso 110 Steve Murphy Best Volvo 101 CBL Contracting Best Mack 348 Daniel Warnock Best Hino 315 Nathan Sayer Road Metals Best UD 176 Adam Protanz Best Mercedes-Benz 278 Jarrod Musson C.P.T Best Iveco 109 Willy Steve Murphy Best Freightliner 387 Dion McIvor Hog Haulage Best DAF 125 DGS Bulk Best Scania 238 Shiny Sollys Contractors Best MAN 269 Hayden R&H Transport Best Western Star 188 Steve Martin Contracting Best Kenworth 111 Steve James Steve Murphy Best Flat Deck 219 Christian Cox HTS Best Working Truck 187 Matt Steve Martin Contracting Best Stock 238 Shiny Sollys Best Mounted Crane 222 HTS Best Transporter 182 Skud BR Satherley Best Combination 225 Lott Contracting Best Tanker 283 Zade Fahey McEwan Best Container 375 Dean Fraser NZ Express Best Under 10-ton 275 Brett Flower Tyre General 217 Chris HTS Best Graphics bp Classic Truck Award 100 Phil Cassidy Regans Best Logging 115 Graeme Dempsy Steve Murphy Best Curtainsider 246 Mason James Sharp As Linehaul Best Chrome 275 Brett Flower Tyre General Best Tipping 170 Protranz Best Small Fleet (1-4 Trucks) HTS Best Fleet (5+ Trucks) Steve Murphy Best Polish 185 Kerry Inns K&T Trucking NTA People’s Choice 401 Burlings NTA Driver’s Choice 325 Hilton Haulage Owner-Driver Best Truck 389 RT Southern Linehaul Women In Trucking Award Jazz McEwan Truck of the Show 287 Logan Mitchell Brenics

Mercedes-Benz Scania Freightliner Peterbilt Kenworth K104 Kenworth

Trident

Mack Super-Liner Kenworth Scania Volvo Kenworth Scania Kenworth Freightliner Super-Liner Mack Super-Liner Kenworth Iveco Kenworth Isuzu Mack Granite Kenworth Peterbilt DAF Kenworth T610 Kenworth K200 Kenworth

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from Graeme Wright General Carriers took out Young Driver of the Year.

A huge congratulations to the winners, and well done to everyone who participated in the regional competitions throughout the year.

Likewise, skill demonstrated in the Palfinger New Zealand Crane Championships, Liebherr Crane Operator Competition, and NZ Forklift competition had spectators mesmerised. The first place in the Palfinger New Zealand Crane Championships went to Lyndon Hills of Peak Contracting, followed by Regan Dowdall of Crane & Cartage in runner-up. Chris Borrows of Smith Cranes won

187 401

T610 Kenworth Peterbuilt

DOU2U K2ETA

the Liebherr Crane Operator Competition, with Kevin Calder Stewart in second.

Finally, Keith Sollitt from McAlpines took out the forklift competition, followed by Stuart Howard from Terence Howard & Sons.

There was so much more to see, and praise must be made for the emphasis placed on engaging the kids who visited the show. New Zealand Trucking Association’s Carol McGeady highlights some of these activities in this issue, so flick to page 142 once you’ve poured over the pictures on these pages.

Plans are well underway for the 2024 show, with dates still to be confirmed. However, the

association has indicated it should take place sometime in March of that year. Make plans to be in Christchurch – you won’t be disappointed.

OEM HIGHLIGHTS Fuso The Fuso brand was represented by one of each model, from Canter to Enduro and Shogun. It’s fair to say the two bookends of the range were the stars – with the new Shogun 510 and eCanter vying for public attention.

Hyundai Previewed on the Hyundai

stand was the brand’s new Mighty electric truck, in New Zealand for testing in local conditions and applications ahead of series production early next year.

It offers a range of up to 240km, and power comes from a 120kW, 1007Nm motor, and 502V battery system.

Of 4x2 configuration with a 3300mm wheelbase, the Mighty electric will weigh in at 5995kg or 7200kg GVM, with 1845kg to 3500kg payloads.

Alongside the Mighty electric was the recently launched Pavise 4x2, a truck we’ll be interested to learn more about in the future.

Iveco Iveco displayed its full range, from Daily to X-Way, with excitement brewing for the immenent arrival of the new S-Way.

International The star of the International stand was a new RH for Container Waste, Christchurch.

This five-axle unit has the ECAS second-steer axle and a Hendrickson weight-sensitive lift axle, sitting on Armour chrome rims. It is the first RH in the South Island and fitted with the venerable X-15 at 615hp and 18-speed Road Ranger.

Alongside it was the last Prostar off Intertruck’s line – Musson Logistics’ new bin wood truck.

Hiringa Energy Alongside the Hiringa Energy stand was its Multi-Element Gas Container (MEGC), a 20ft container housing nine Type-4 glass-fibre composite hydrogen tanks (or vessels).

The MECG holds the hydrogen at 350 bar and is used for storing hydrogen at fuel stations and transporting hydrogen to and between stations. The 20ft MECG holds 367kg of hydrogen, while the 40ft versions will hold double that. The first stage of refuelling stations, currently being built, will have one MECG each, plus the display

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 59

FIGLHELIGEHTTS

H

unit, which will be used for the likes of deliveries and remote refuelling.

Isuzu The new Giga dominated the Isuzu stand, with working models of the EXY, CYJ and CYZ 530 in various

60 New Zealand Trucking

configurations. The Reuben Earthmoving CYZ 530 tipper with Adams & Currie bin represented the best-selling configuration of the model.

Penske The new MAN Truck Generation – one of the few Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

new products on show this year – took pride of place on the Penske stand.

Two models attracted lots of visitor interest – the TGX 640 6x4 tractor unit and TGS 26.510 6x4 tipper unit with Mills-Tui bin on a highclearance subframe.

Representing Western Star was a new Detroit-powered 4884 with Mills-Tui log gear.

SEA Electric SEA Electric showed its OEMbuilt SEA 300-85 EV demo unit for the New Zealand market.

This 4x2 unit features up to

LTS CIGOHLO IGH

H

125kW and 1500Nm, with up to 300km range and 8.5-tonne GVM.

Sime Darby Motors NZ The Sime Darby stand covered all the bases when it comes to the company’s involvement

in road transport, including Transpecs and TWL. Really catching the visitors’ attention from the Mack brand was MTD’s own 50th-anniversary Super-Liner, alongside a new Anthem 8x4 chassis cab.

Volvo was covered by a trio of Series 5 units – an FM 540

8x4 for New Zealand Couriers, an FM 500 6x4 for Big Chill, and an FH16 600 for Allied Petroleum.

Star of the Hino stand was the new 700 in 3036 cab chassis form, but flanking it was a little 300 916 Hybrid – a truck sure to find some favour

with metro operators who are looking for a cleaner option but not yet ready to jump to full electric.

Scania Starring on the Scania stand were two G-series models fitted with the latest Super

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 61

C I S S A L C IGHTS

HIGHL

generation of 13-litre engines.

The range of all Euro-6 engines is up in power, with 412kW (560hp) over the 540 of old, with 2800Nm pulling power.

While these units were eyecatching with optional ‘Scania Vabis’ stickers, the new 770S ‘Grey Ghost’ for Protranz took a menacing centre-stage spot.

Southpac It was Kenworths and DAFs galore on the Southpac stand, with no less than seven and 10 trucks respectively,

representing each brand. Star of the Americans was a new T909 with Kraft log gear for Scott Transport, while the complete range of Euro-6 DAFs on display was headlined by the stunning CF 530 6x4 bulk unit of DGS.

UD Over on the UD stand, local agents CVC had a line-up of Croner and Quon models, headlined by the Quon CG 32 460 8x4s for Wasteco and Thornycroft Farm.

Scan here or visit the events page on the New Zealand Trucking website to see a full show gallery

62 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Scan for more details!

Congratulations to all leading fleets adopting FUSO eCanter electric trucks for clean, quiet freight and service delivery with advanced safety. Together, we’re working hard to reduce our carbon footprint and evolving for a more sustainable future today. Why not come and join us?

Join us today - fuso.co.nz/ecanter

FUSO’S Y PL ACE HAPP

For most of us, a commercial vehicle assembly plant in Europe conjures up images of huge buildings in big cities and robots – lots of robots. That might be the case in some instances, but it’s as far from reality as you can imagine when you’re talking about the Fuso plant in Tramagal, Portugal.

I

n the event you’re smiling a little more than normal when you take delivery of your Fuso eCanter, finding it a ‘happy’ place in which to work over the months and years that follow, thank the truck.

Karma, feng shui, the influence of ethereal things; if that’s your buzz then, rest assured, every eCanter comes with three payloads worth of the good stuff.

You might well assume your little truck was spat out of a windowless behemoth

in a grey industrial hinterland somewhere in the world. Not so. When the itinerary on our recent visit to Europe said ‘visit to Fuso Europe plant, Tramagal’, I certainly assumed many wrong things.

A beautiful countryside location, windy country roads, streams, picture-postcard villages, incredibly friendly people… and vineyards.

They are the stuff of your little eCanter’s European birthplace, in gloriously sunny Tramagal, 140km north of Portugal’s

capital city, Lisbon.

In fact, the location is so unique, you could have been excused for thinking our good bus driver was lost, and for a short time after leaving the motorway, he was. Thankfully some friendly locals outside a village fire station soon had him meandering with purpose again.

The positive indications as we got close began to increase with vehicle transporters coming towards us loaded with gleaming new

Canters, plus the occasional ‘FUSO’ pointer buried among the sign trees in villages.

Then, we turned up a lane, rounded a tree-lined curve, and there, high on a sign, were three big diamonds with FUSO written beneath.

Driving into the parking area, and stepping out, there’s a picture of every staff member on the side of the main assembly building, such is the sense of community in this place. Finding multigenerational family members in the workforce is not hard by all accounts.

Of course, the question is, how did a Fuso plant end up here? “People often say it’s in the middle of nowhere,” says plant CEO Arne Barden. “It’s not really.”

The plant was established in 1964 by the Duarte Ferreira family from Tramagal for the production of Berliet military vehicles. That continued for 10 years, after which it assembled for other marques until 1980, when production for Mitsubishi Fuso commenced.

Ownership transitioned to Mitsubishi Motors Portugal

Story and Photos by Dave McCoid

The road to Fuso Tramagal is not as you’d expect.

(Left) Arne Barden, CEO of the Tramagal plant. (Right) Rui Correia, head of operations, has been at the plant for more than three decades. in 1990 and on through the various Mitsubishi and Daimler manoeuvrings to where it is today, part of Daimler’s Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation.

Arne has been there since March this year. A key Daimler man, the 51-year-old has been with the company since 2001, working in its Europe, India, and Singapore operations.

“It was an easy choice to come to Tramagal. In a previous role, I had been part of the supply team to this plant, so I knew it, its processes, and many of the people.

“Although in Portugal, we are part of Fuso in Japan, which at times my German colleagues can find a little frustrating,” he says with a well-meaning grin.

Covering 158,546m2 with 40,696m2 undercover, the plant employs 600 staff producing Fuso’s Canter product in both ICE and BEV forms. Markets include Europe and North Africa for the ICE product, reaching much farther afield

for eCanter, including littleold-us.

Annual output is around 12,000 units, at the rate of 56 per day, and to date, the plant has built more than 300 eCanters.

The pride in their history with the Canter model is clearly evident among the folk there, especially so with eCanter, where there’s a definite sense of contribution to a better tomorrow.

Tramagal’s history with the e-product goes all the way back to the Canter E-Cell prototype in 2014, through eCanter Series 1, and beginning next year, production of the Series 2 will commence.

The Series 1 truck is produced on a boxed production line, meaning the batteries, high voltage components, and EV ecosystem are installed adjacent to the main line for a portion of the chassis journey through the factory. Series 2 will be assembled in the main line with the ICE trucks, which

is aligned to Daimler’s wider BEV assembly strategy.

“We’re in the midst of working out the processes to make that happen,” says head of operations and 30-plusyear veteran of the plant, Rui Correia. “Currently an ICE truck takes six hours from frame rails to finished, and an eCanter about two to three hours longer. Much of the time will be saved in preassembly processes.”

Woah to go!

A compact factory by global standards, both Arne and Rui confirmed there is room for expansion.

Engines and transmissions for the ICE trucks – and battery packs, EV subassemblies, eDMs, and transmissions for the BEVs – all arrive as components.

Front axles come in SKD (semi knocked down) from Japan, and cab panels arrive pre-stamped. All other components arrive CKD (completely knocked down) in part batches rather than

the vehicle batch system commonly seen in car assembly. By their nature, trucks are not a one-size-fitsmany product, as a car is, so batch by part allows a much higher level of individuality.

With the rails sourced locally, Tramagal assembles the frame, riveting it all together with a powdercoated finish chosen for environmental reasons. Rear axles are fully assembled on a line designed and built by the Tramagal team. Something they are rightly proud of.

Cabs are spot-welded together using between 1600 and 2000 spot welds, depending on the model.

Once assembled, the cab is prepared for coatings, primed, and painted. This is one of three areas you will find autonomous robotics – for reasons of uniformity of application and increased respiratory safety.

Like all series production lines, it’s a symphony of coordination with preassemblies of cabs,

(Left) Rear axles are assembled from scratch, (middle) front axles come in SKD from Japan, and (right) cab panels arrive stamped.

1

2

3

4

5 1) Cab formation. 2) Just add colour. 3) Chassis comes down the line.

4) eCanter box-assembly line. Series 2 will be on the main line. 5) The beautiful union of cab and chassis at last. Here for final trim before the long list of checks.

66 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

dashboards etc, all occurring in different parts of the factory enroute to a rendezvous with the chassis.

Key to that all working is the warehousing function.

Orders are triggered via sensors as components near run-out on the line.

Replenishment occurs via small autonomous and semiautonomous robots, as well as manually for specific parts.

Kitting, meaning the picking of multiple items to make up preassembly components – dashboards, light assemblies etc – happens via pick-to-light.

All Canters – certainly every eCanter – have a home to go to; there are no stock units built. That, of course, adds significant pressure to the accuracy of assembly line replenishment.

With its high-voltage components, the eCanter brings with it specific training considerations, resulting in a qualification requirement from CEO to the line workers that even implicates plant accessibility in certain areas.

The plant is light and airy, and a friendly wave and smile from the team as we walk through is never far away.

Arne tells us that Tramagal’s location can make it less appealing for the young and ambitious. However, once they’ve had a family and are in search of a lovely place to raise children, it comes to the fore. That has benefits at all levels of the business.

Rui shows us the on-site gym, a well-equipped, immaculately presented space that he says is extremely popular. “It was a staff initiative, and everyone has access.”

At the end comes the beautiful marriage between cab and chassis, and at last, a brand-new truck is born. Well almost. It’s at this point that the ECU has life breathed into it via a data drop and the new Canter instantly knows who and what it is.

Quality assurance is something that happens all through the build process, with random checks undertaken online, and remotely via components and subassemblies removed for more intense scrutiny. A thorough final inspection and test drive take place post-production, and once everything is signed off, the Canter is ready to go to its new home… by road.

Although there’s an adjacent railway line, road and sea are the logistical modalities of choice. “We talk to rail providers each year, but they are unable to provide the flexibility or pricing that works for us,” said Arne.

Although eCanter Series 2 will enter production in 2023, the current model will remain available as long as there is sufficient demand from the customer base. Initially, Series 2 production will include both wide and narrow cabs, and multiple wheelbases in the 4.2 to nine-tonne GCM range.

Double cabs will come later.

A little robot on its way to the stores to get a rack replenished. No, they won’t run over your toes, they’re well trained.

Family feel for sure.

Fuso, Tramagal. The overwhelming impression was a clean, modern factory in a fabulous location staffed by happy, friendly people of all ages. Surely that has to be an environmental winner on every level.

Worthy of its charge Marta Nalha is an environmental engineer working at Fuso Tramagal, driving the business’ environmental targets. A decade after commencing their crusade to make the plant worthy of the historymaking truck produced, in 2022 Fuso Tramagal will reach carbon neutrality, with net-zero emissions in their sights by 2030, and carbon positive a decade after that.

No stone is being left unturned in their pursuit, with the broader strategies divided into manageable projects. “We still have to put forward a solid business case to secure the funding for each project,” says Marta, “but there’s certainly an appetite for environmental objectives at the senior levels.”

Improving component performance in the plant, eg new paint lines, more efficient pumps, compressors, and mastic ovens, run concurrently with improvements in support systems such as the photovoltaic plant, green electricity, intensive recycling, and the elimination of paper. In the next half decade there will be a move to using natural gas through the plant also. One of the next focus points will be the shift to EVs for all of the

plant’s internal and warehouse operations.

Interestingly, there’s no government subsidy or incentive for businesses seeking CO2 neutrality in Portugal. However, before you roll your eyes too far, there’s an element of ‘we’ve done our bit’, in there. Portugal was one of the first countries in Europe to ditch coal-fired power stations, with one such ghost of the country’s past visible on the way to Tramagal.

To the question of using suppliers whose environmental house and emissions are in order? Arne Barden says, “Yes, we are pushing into that space, but you can’t ask others to clean up their backyard until yours is where you want it.”

And you thought you knew Portugal!

Located in Europe’s southwestern corner, Portugal enjoys fabulous weather, great wine, and fantastic food. Roughly onethird the size of New Zealand with twice the people – in terms of friendly folk, we may have met our match.

Life expectancy is 81.5 years (see, red wine is good for you) and the country enjoys high rates of education, currently earning a name as a rising IT hub in Europe. Daimler itself has a start-up subsidiary in Lisbon called tb.lx, a business unit working in the area of connectivity.

But for a peak time in the annual calendar, Portugal is energy selfsufficient with 60% renewables in the form of solar, water, and wind. Imported energy comes from the USA and Nigeria, so Putin’s shameful display is not having the effect it is elsewhere in Europe.

Next month – eCanter Series 2 in detail, and our eActros drive at IAA Hanover 2022.

A brand-new Series 2 eCanter. The model will go into series production at Tramagal in 2023.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 67

GOOD THINGS WORTH WAITING FOR Story by Gavin Myers

Photos by Gavin Myers and Dave McCoid

The truly good things in life are often down to earth and unassuming – as it was for AJ Sing and his Daily Freight Iveco Stralis X-Way 570, the 2021-2022 New Zealand Trucking John Murphy Memorial Top Truck of the Year.

From left: Rochelle Thomas, AJ Singh, Dave Leicester and Gavin Myers.

T

he last entry in the 2021-2022 competition, AJ’s X-Way, was up against some stiff competition and we expected close voting.

However, a clear frontrunner soon emerged and held the lead as the votes streamed in between 12 August and 18 September. Undoubtedly, the win went to an exceptionally deserving, committed operator – one of the industry’s good guys.

It was a rainy mid-November day when we headed down to AJ’s hometown of Palmerston North for the award handover at Mainfreight’s Tremaine Avenue depot.

Incredibly, as we rolled into town, the weather gods dried up the Manawatu skies. This year, the New Zealand Trucking team was accompanied for the first time by Rochelle Thomas, the talented artist behind Auto Art by Rochelle, who coordinates the Little Truckers’ Club section in the magazine. As usual, Rochelle created a custom painting of the winning poster. She was overjoyed to present it to AJ in person.

Likewise, Dave Leicester, director of Power Retreads, was in attendance once again and presented our winner with a set of Vipal DV-RT4 retreaded tyres. These tyres are designed for high mileage due to their wider contact area with the road, uniform wear, excellent grip and abrasionresistant compound. They’re Vipal’s go-to longhaul highway tread pattern – ideal for AJ’s daily Wellington-Palmerston

North-Auckland freight run.

“It’s been a fantastic journey, from buying the Iveco to being awarded the Top Truck prize. Who wouldn’t want that?” AJ says with a smile.

The winning truck has now clocked up around 180,000km and, in September, AJ added a second to his fleet, which is already well on its way to covering more than 40,000km.

“The X-Way has been great so far and is just right for the application. But I can’t say enough about the team at Iveco. From their dedicated sales team to their aftersales team, which is always willing to do what’s needed to keep downtime to a minimum, they have been great partners through it all,” says AJ. “Thank you to the team behind the Top Truck of the Year award, and to everyone who voted for the X-Way. Maybe next year I’ll enter the new S-Way!” AJ says with a laugh, hinting at future things to come.

Indeed, the team from New Zealand Trucking magazine thanks all 11 participants in this year’s competition, each of you can be proud of the spectacular machines you’ve worked so hard to put on the road. And, of course, a huge thank-you to everyone who voted.

More than 6000 individual votes were cast this year, some of the highest numbers we’ve seen. Undoubtedly, the calibre of the 2022-2023 contenders will have the voters clamouring for more come August 2023!

A very proud truckie.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 69

TOP TRUCK

KING COUNTRY AND

FOR

Story and photos by Craig McCauley

The red and white livery of DT King has been serving the rural folk of western Southland for almost a century, with the International product a stalwart in the company’s success.

Shady Lady 2 is the latest in a long line of big Inters.

T

he name DT King is a roadtransport institution in the south, its ancestry able to be traced back to the late

1920s.

Company founder, the late David Thomas King (DT), operated a flax mill near the site of the current depot at Pukemaori, 70km west of Invercargill.

He acquired a solid-tyred International truck in 1928, initially used to haul bundled flax from his mill to the nearby Orawia railhead. Word spread among the community, and an enterprising King began carrying fuel in four-gallon tins for the emerging forestry industry.

His flax and trucking operations ran in tandem for several years until stocks of flax began to dwindle, and the milling operation was wound up.

King focused his attention on the transport business, and on 8 July 1938, the company of DT King & Company was registered.

International trucks have featured strongly among the company’s asset register throughout the decades.

K Series trucks were the predominant movers in the early years, superseded

by Loadstar, Fleetstar and various models of ACCO. International 3070s joined the fleet

70 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

in the late 1970s, and these gave way to several S and T Lines throughout the 1980s.

The last International S Lines disappeared during the early 2000s, and in the ensuing decade, a mix of primarily UD, Mack and Volvo trucks were purchased.

Fleet No.149 is one of a pair of International 9870 R8s put to work by Kings in 2022, with the competitive tare weight offered a prime consideration.

Propulsion is provided by a triedand-true drive train of American origin; a Cummins X-15 E5 engine, producing 432kW (580hp) and 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) of torque. Behind that, a manual-shift Eaton Fuller RTLO20918B transmission puts the power on the pavement via a pair of Meritor RT 46-160GP rear axles, which ride on International’s IROS air suspension.

Front axles are Meritor MFS143 wide track sitting on three-leaf parabolic springs with International’s ECAS air suspension on the second steer.

Intertruck supplied the 9870, painted ex-factory in King’s livery, and an Ali Arc bumper and tidy stainlesssteel DEF tank covers were among

Left: Driver Wayne Todd is the third generation of his family to drive for DT King. the custom additions added at the Mt Manganui assembly plant.

Upon arrival in Southland, Modern Transport Trailers (MTT) in Invercargill set to work, crafting a 7.2m-long deck for the truck and 9.8m five-axle trailer, both of which feature removable 1200mm-high aluminium sides, allowing for plenty of

cubic capacity when hauling bulkier products.

Modern Transport’s liftoutside equipment has become popular in the south, with operators remarking on how easy it is to operate.

Handles attached to the sides make repositioning them simple, and double-swinging tailgates are among the features designed to make the

operator’s life straightforward.

In the interests of versatility, an existing logging setup (bolsters and headboard) was modified to fit the International’s chassis.

A simple system made up of U-shaped saddles mounted on four corners of the truck chassis accept steel pins on the underside of the respective bodywork and are

held in place by locking pins.

This setup allows for quick changeover from the deck to logging frame. In logging mode, the 9870 tows a fouraxle MTT multi-bolster trailer.

Longstanding names don’t just apply to truck brands at DT King – the company has an impressive lineage, with multiple generations of members from the same

1 1 & 2) A clever setup allows the truck deck to be quickly changed over to a logging frame. 3) The original Shady Lady, a TF2670. Photo: Dean Jackson via Big Rig Fotos.

family working for it. Wayne Todd drives the 9870. He has clocked up 23 years with Kings and follows on from father Mervyn and grandfather Stan, who both spent time behind the wheel of Internationals in their long careers with the company.

To acknowledge DT King’s long lineage with the International brand, the 9870 is named Shady Lady 2. The original Shady Lady was a TF2670, which carted livestock during the 1980s, when the International brand ruled the fleet.

The latest in a long history with the International brand, and operated by a driver from a family with a similar length of time in the company, makes Shady Lady 2 a first-rate choice as the New Zealand Trucking magazine Top Truck for December 2022/ January 2023.

72 New Zealand Trucking

2

•

•

• Photo: Wayne Todd

3

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

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h to4u7se0d L t i w g 840k ample pho

Tare 8

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Driver

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JUST TRUCKING AROUND www.trt.co.nz

Amarveer Singh Alison Verran chatted with Amarveer Singh at the Tauriko BP Truckstop while he was having his half-hour break and waiting to unload nearby.

Amarveer has been driving for K&S Freighters for a year and a half. He loves being behind the wheel of the 2022 Scania G500. “Scanias are the most comfortable trucks. I can drive any truck, but I love the Scanias the most.”

Amarveer is based in Auckland, carting containers. “I do metro runs around Auckland, as well as a run to Tauranga three or four times a week.

“I used to drive trucks in India. When I came to New Zealand, I was first working on a kiwifruit orchard in Rotorua. I’ve been driving trucks here for more than two years now. I really enjoy being a truck driver – there’s no stress, you just do your own thing. No one bothers you.

“It’s a shame there aren’t enough truck drivers available these days. It’s not good for the industry. Companies are struggling to get good drivers. They are having to

hire from overseas.”

Amarveer’s chosen vexing question was to name his favourite food. “Red meat, especially lamb and goat. I love

JUST TRUCKING AROUND

curries made with goat. There are plenty of shops in Auckland where you can purchase good goat meat.”

OVERSEAS

www.trt.co.nz

Garry Byrne Garry Byrne, better known as ‘Gazza’, is an owner driver from Saggart, County Dublin, on the outskirts of Ireland’s capital. Gazza’s daily driver is a MAN 8x4 with a crane, which pulls a drawbar trailer for the delivery of concrete blocks to sites mainly in the Dublin area on contract for Roadstone, Ireland’s largest supplier of construction and building materials. He has worked in the industry for most of his life and followed in his father’s footsteps, who still has his own MAN truck, working

74 New Zealand Trucking

out of the same location.

It’s fair to say that MAN trucks are in Gazza’s blood, as along with his work vehicle, he also owns three classic MAN tractor units; a 1987-registered 16.291, a 1987 19.362 and the Roadhaus 19.464 pictured. The high-roof Roadhaus model was an underrated truck that offered excellent living space but sold in low numbers in Ireland. Gazza’s truck originally began its life as a rigid-bodied truck doing concert movements for

Stardes Transport from England. Gazza bought the truck for a very reasonable price, then had the chassis shortened, converting it to a tractor unit with a lifting tag axle.

The tee-totalling Dub was on his way home from the Kelsall Steam Rally in Chester, England, with Paul O’Callaghan along for the ride when another round of photographs was suggested. Gazza is a shining example of an upbeat driver who loves to share a laugh.

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

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UNSUNG HEROES

“It does a run between Gisborne and Auckland every second week,” says Ralph Scott of his 1991 Hino FF1418. “I use it to take dead cars and trucks to the wreckers up there,” Ralph adds about his company, Professional Fleet Maintenance.

Ralph was fuelling up in Matamata when we spotted the Hino as a perfect candidate for Unsung Heroes.

“She’s a nice old girl, does what it’s supposed to. She’s not fast on the hills but will cruise at 90kph just fine – doesn’t owe me a lot, and still gets a COF. It’s a good old girl,” says Ralph.

I

t can’t all be 7in twin shooters, Texas bumpers, ram intakes, Kelsa bars, polished stainless steel, and Dura-Brights. Millions of tonnes of freight are moved every day in trucks that only the true enthusiast ever looks at twice. Yet owners and drivers alike often regard these old Trojans

In his care, the Hino has covered about 200,000km. “We did the motor about two years ago. It had done 500,000km by then,” Ralph adds.

He bought the Hino from a chap in Te Anau and promptly drove it back home to Gisborne. “It was a transporter for a spraying company, had a Unimog on the back,” he says. “Before that, it was a waste management truck.”

Ralph’s probably onto something with old Hinos. “I have an eight-wheeler from the same year,” he says. with fondness – like the holey jumper you put on when it’s cold. This monthly section, opposite Rust in Peace, is aimed at those trucks. They may be near to God, but they’re also dear to our hearts.

IS THIS YOU? Do you own, drive, or know of an old truck that fits the Unsung Hero mould? Send us a good-quality pic and a little info about her, and she might just have her moment in the sun as the headlights start to dim.

Don’t forget, if it’s not yours, make sure whoever owns it is happy for you to submit the truck. Send your pic to: editor@nztrucking.co.nz

78 New Zealand Trucking

S T

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

NZT 22

DPS Haulage Ltd Trailer manufacturer: Patchell Industries Ltd

Southern Transport Trailer manufacturer: TES Invercargill

Heagney Bro Ltd Trailer manufacturer: Mills-Tui

Don’t let your payload weigh on your mind!

Tipping Units, Bulk Haulage, Logging and Weighbridges

Steve Martin Contracting Trailer manufacturer: Convair Engineering Pty Ltd

Wokatu Holdings Ltd Trailer manufacturer: Trout River Holdings NZ

Rotorua and Christchurch Phone: 07 349 4700

www.silodec.co.nz NZT 22055 SI Lodec FP November NZT 2.indd 1

21/11/22 1:40 PM

WHERE’S THAT ROAD? Look to the right, eagle-eyed truckers, and see if you know where this stretch of bitumen is.

We are being really easy on you because this is the season of goodwill to all.

A flood of early entries told us our cunning plan to choose an angle that might just trip the odd person up, didn’t work for the October 2022 Where’s that Road? quiz. It was, of course, the entry to the Pan Pac mill in Whirinaki, proving the point that you can’t really disguise one of the busiest gateways in trucking.

The winner of the competition was Keri Taitoko from Stratford. Well done, Keri. We’ll have a rummage in the prize bin and see what’s there for you.

TO ENTER

Few gateways in New Zealand have seen more truck traffic than Pan Pac, Whirinaki.

Flick us an email at editor@nztrucking.co.nz Subject line: Where’s that road? DEC22/JAN23.

Tell us your answer, and let us know your postal address.

Note: You must include the subject line, otherwise it might get lost in the pile. We’ll pick a winner at random from the correct entries, and see what’s in the prize basket. The competition closes at midnight on 31 January 2023.

LED Technology with Vision

LUMINATOR 3.0 LED High Beam Driving Lamp

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Available in Cool Chrome or Satin Black

0800 4 HELLA (0800 443 552) for your nearest HELLA stockist Hella NZT Luminator 210X144 2020 .indd 1

www.hella.co.nz 12-Aug-20 12:36:37 PM

36:37 PM

Drawbar finder

Available as a Retrofit Kit The intelligent solution for coupling your truck and trailer The Drawbar Finder provides users with easy-to-use support for coupling processes, which is a particular advantage when using fixed drawbar trailers.

• Available for commonly used remote controls • Visual guidance in two directions allows precise coupling • Damage to tractors and trailers is prevented • Compatible with many OEM displays • Customisable configurations

JOST New Zealand Ltd | www.jostnz.co.nz | Ph 0800 567 869 | sales@jostnz.co.nz Member of JOST World

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

A NEW KID IN TOWN OPERATOR: Allied Bulk, Auckland ENGINE: Scania DC16 16-litre Euro-5 462kW (620hp) 3000NM (2213lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise GRSO905 14-speed AMT with manual over-ride and 4100D retarder REAR AXLES: Scania RP735 hub reduction

Scania R620 8x4 rigid – sleeper REAR SUSPENSION: Scania full air suspension BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: ACC, AEB, LDW, SD, HH, DS BODY/TRAILER: TES (Transport Engineering Southland) FEATURES/EXTRAS: Factory onboard scales. Alcoa alloy wheels. Extendable

LAYING DOWN THE LOAD OPERATOR: South Roads, Invercargill and Balclutha ENGINE: PACCAR MX-13 13-litre Euro-6 390kW (530hp) 2600Nm (1920lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: ZF TraXon

16TX2620 16-speed AMT REAR AXLES: DAF SR1360T with full lock-up REAR SUSPENSION: Paccar 8-bag air suspension BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS

DAF CF530 Euro-6 6x4 tractor SAFETY: ACC, FCW, AEBS, LDW, VSC, AB BODY/TRAILER: Rigged by TES Invercargill FEATURES/EXTRAS: 7.5-tonne straight front axle

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Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

bed PAINT: Bob Christie Autopainter, Invercargill SIGNAGE: Vital Signs, Invercargill OPERATION: Bulk cartage, North Island SALES: Kere Menzies

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Sign Solutions, Invercargill OPERATION: Road aggregate, Southland SALES: Chris Gray

Scania R730 B8x4NA rigid – Highline sleeper

KAITOA HARD OPERATOR: Kaitoa Logging, Rotorua ENGINE: Scania DC16 16-litre Euro 6 545kW (730hp) 3500Nm (2581lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise GRSO926R 12-speed AMT with 4100D retarder

REAR AXLES: Scania RB735 hub reduction SUSPENSION: Scania springfront suspension and air rear BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS. SAFETY: EBS, ACC, AEB. BODY/TRAILER: Evans Engineering log gear and new five-axle trailer

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Stainless-steel bullbar, drop visor, Bragan LED light bar. Off-set front wheels, scales, CTI, Alcoa DuraBright alloy wheels. Scania V8 leather seats, overnight air conditioning, fridge, microwave

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Caulfield Signs & Graphics, Rotorua OPERATION: Log cartage, Central North Island and King Country DRIVER: Steve ‘Shag’ Miles SALES: Callan Short

HEFTY 610 IN THE WILD WEST Kenworth T610 6x4 tractor – 760mm mid-roof sleeper OPERATOR: Avery Brothers, Westport ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre Euro-5 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor MT23-168GP REAR SUSPENSION: Kenworth Airglide 460 BRAKES: Disc brakes. ABS, EBS BODY/TRAILER: Customer-rigged FEATURES/EXTRAS: GCM 105 tonnes, twin stacks, Kentweld bumper, stainless-steel Paccar 15” air cleaners, drop visor and stainless-steel sheath on DEF tank. Chromed mirrors PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Jared Avery OPERATION: Tanker, tip work and heavy haulage DRIVER: Jared Avery SALES: Chris Gray

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

83

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

GREY GHOST – THE DESERT IS MY HUME OPERATOR: GT Freighters Hamilton ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15 litre 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton UltraShift MXP 18-speed AMT

REAR AXLES: Meritor RT46160GP REAR SUSPENSION: IROS (International Ride Optimised Suspension) BRAKES: Drum. ABS, EBS BODY/TRAILER: Fruehauf

curtain body and 5-axle trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Ali Arc bumper, additional lights.

Fridge freezer, stereo upgrade package PAINT: Ex-factory OPERATION: General freight –

READY TO ROCK IN RECORD TIME IVECO X-Way 570 6x4 tractor – High-roof sleeper OPERATOR: Mainfreight, Aulakh Transport, Auckland ENGINE: IVECO Cursor 13 13-litre Euro 425kW (570hp) 2500Nm (1850lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: IVECO Hi-TRONIX 12TX2420 TD 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Meritor RT23-150/D hypoid with diff locks REAR SUSPENSION: IVECO 8-bag ECAS BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: AEBS, ACC, LDW, HH, RM, DAS FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air-management kit, Bi-Xenon lights, full leather ISRI seats, fridge and cool box PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Royans Truck and Accident Repairs, Auckland OPERATION: General freight, North Island SALES: Pieter Theron

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z 84 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

International 9870 R8 8x4 rigid – Sky Roof sleeper North Island SALES: Jarod Maclennan DRIVER: Cam

Paint lines on the new truck have recreated the Seminole lines on the first W-model Kenworth owned by Blair’s grandfather, Mike Uhlenberg.

Photo: Uhlenberg collection.

NO HIGHWAY FORGOTTEN OPERATOR: Uhlenberg Haulage, Eltham ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO 22918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor MT21-

Kenworth T909 6x4 tractor

165GP dual diff lock 4.3:1 REAR SUSPENSION: Hendrickson PRIMAAX PAX462 BRAKES: Drum. ABS, EBSS BODY/TRAILER: Rigged by Southpac. JOST sliding fifth wheel and guards.

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Paccar

15” stainless-steel air cleaners.

Five traditional bullet lights.

Twin exhausts. Red Dot roofmounted air conditioning. ISRI 6860/870 driver’s seat PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: The Sign Shop, New Plymouth OPERATION: Tip work and

heavy haulage, Taranaki.

Gas North Island-wide when required DRIVER: Blair Uhlenberg SALES: Adam McIntosh

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

85

NEW RI GS O N THE ROAD SAFETY KEY – ACRONYM BY ALPHA AB – Air Bag ABS – Antilock Braking System ACC – Adaptive Cruise Control ABA – Active Brake Assist AEB – Autonomous/Active Emergency Braking AEBS – Advanced Emergency Braking System ALA – Active Lane Assist ASR – Anti Slip Regulation / Auto Slip Regulation ATC – Automatic Traction Control BAS – Brake Assistant System

BB – Brake Blending CAB – Curtain Air Bag DA – Driver Alert DAS – Driver Assistant Support DM – Driver Monitoring DS – Driver Support DTC – Drag Torque Control EBA - Emergency Brake Assist EBS – Electronic Braking System EBSS – Electronic Braking Safety System ESC – Electronic Stability Control ESP – Electronically Stability

Programme FCA – Forward Collision Avoidance FCW – Forward Collision Warning FUPS – Front Under-run Protection System HH – Hill hold HSA – Hill Start Assist LCS – Lane Change Support LDW – Lane Departure Warning LG – Lane Guard LKA – Lane Keep Assist PCS – Pre Collision System PD – Pedestrian Detection

RB – Reversing Buzzer RM – Rocking Mode RW – Reverse Warning SAB – Side Air Bag SC – Speed Control SD – Side Detection SGA – Side Guard Assist TEBS – Traffic Eye Braking System TECC – Traffic Eye Cruise Control TPM – Tyre Pressure Monitoring VSC – Vehicle Stability Control

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z

PREMIUM

MAHA New Zealand Toll Free: 0800 624 269 Email - Admin@Maha.co.nz BDM: Bruce Hundley Mob: 021 344 351 MD: Mick Lauster Mob: +61 419 587 210

NZT172-1

WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

www.maha.co.nz

0800 683 683

This new kid has been around the block MTD Trucks, Hino Distributors and UD Truck Distributors have joined forces to create Used Trucks NZ combining years of experience to bring you a complete, nationwide used truck and trailer offering.

The reach and expertise of our sales team delivers high quality, mechanically sound, second tier units across New Zealand, and we’ve got the scale and scope to quickly connect buyers and sellers.

Whether you’re looking to buy or sell - or you want us to look for something you can’t find - our experienced, nationwide team is here to help.

Check out our new web site usedtrucks.nz

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,

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

included on these pages, send a photo, features, and the

and we’re proud to showcase some recent examples of Kiwi craftsmanship every month. If you want a body or trailer manufacturer’s name to trailers@nztrucking.co.nz

The metal is moving in Mot! There’ll be no shortage of aggregate in the Marlborough Tasman region with this bad boy just on the road for CJ Industries out of Motueka.

Another classy act from Mills-Tui in Rotorua, the Scania G540 has a Hardox tipping body, two-way tailgate, scales, Bigfoot CTI, and auto-grain locks. A pull-out step adds a touch of pragmatic safety.

Out back is a Mills-Tui F135 five-axle low-rider, again with a Hardox tipping body, two-way tailgate, auto grain locks, and Hendrickson TIREMAAX to ensure the rubber is the best it can be in the conditions encountered.

Haddock Spray Painters 2003 in Whakatane provided

Feature: Hendrickson AANT230 disc brake ZMD. Knorr Bremse brakes. Mills-Tui

the signature CJ’s blue hue, which looks so good against the shiny alloy wheels, stainless-steel mudflap hangers and DEF tank sheath. Peterson lights do what they do best, ensuring the work can keep going when the sun doesn’t.

Coast to coast to coast…

There’s no question the Far North’s scenery has been enhanced immeasurably with the addition of this spectacular piece of kit, commissioned by Billy Beazley Transport based out of Kaitaia.

Total Transport Engineers LP in Mt Maunganui built the body and five-axle trailer, while neighbours Nationwide Stockcrates, sorted the twodeck/four-deck critter carriers.

The truck deck is stainless steel sheathed, with alloy coaming rails, pneumatically

controlled Ringfeder coupling and effluent tanks. The big five-axle trolley is monocoque construction with a stainlesssteel deck.

With its shiny Alcoa polished alloy wheels, stunning paint scheme, and enough lights to illuminate a small town, this superb example of Kiwi craftsmanship will be seen at the extremities of all four compass points.

Features: 17.5” IMT axles and SAF suspension assemblies. WABCO EBS. Total Transport Engineers LP/ Nationwide Stockcrates

KIWI 16/17

Contact Jim Doidge 021 190 1002, Hayden Jones 0800 549 489, Danial Vincent 021 222 4144 | sales@kiwityres.co.nz |

0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz 88 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

KIWI 175

A new classic Is there anything better than a classic livery on new gear? The ETL brand is as iconic to Hawke’s Bay as a Gimblett Gravels wine.

If you are talking stalwart brands in the trailer-building industry, you won’t really do any better than Rotoruabased Roadmaster.

This latest build for Tokoroa’s Lionel and Karen Hemming brings both brands together on the couple’s new Scania.

The 7.5m truck body and 11.5m trailer come

ready for action with alloy toolboxes and east/ west dunnage rack, both sporting stainless-steel doors. Curtain tiebacks, ferry hooks, stainlesssteel stencilled rear infill,

and Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels complete a spectacular look.

Tyre Pilot inflation management ensures the rubber stays with the road for as long as possible.

Features: SAF INTRADISC disc-brake rear axles.

Roadmaster

Red Star in the northeast Long-standing Marlborough-based firm Heagney Bros is commissioning this Western Star and Mills-Tui log setup for work in the South Island.

Looking rather spectacular in red with white bolsters, the double layover log setup on the truck features a sliding front bolster and ExTe auto tensioners.

Bringing up the rear is a super slick five-axle Mills-Tui F175 multi-bolster step-deck trailer. It also features peace-of-mind double layover bolsters and ExTe auto tensioners, as well as SI Lodec scales.

Polished alloy wheels make the Haddock Spray Painters 2003 paint job pop in the daylight, while Hella

keeps the whole show visible once big yellow has knocked off for the day.

Features: Hendrickson AANT230 disc-brake ZMD. Knorr Bremse Mills-Tui brakes.

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

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

265/70R19.5

215/75R17.5 235/75R17.5 265/70R19.5

265/70R19.5

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

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

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

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 89

MOODY (NOT SO) BLUES

M

ark Moody first appeared in New Zealand Trucking magazine in June 2007 when Fay Laugher (in her first story for the magazine) wrote about his original Mack MH. That truck has since been sold, but it was inevitable Mark, who has been in the industry for 40 years, wouldn’t be long without another.

He admits to being a bit of a Mack fanatic and “has always had at least one in his fleet”.

Two now, in fact… both of which have crossed the magic 1,600,000km figure and feature this month as inductees into

the Bridgestone New Zealand Trucking Million Mile Club.

First in line is ‘Blue Mood’s’ (BLUMDS), the 1999 MH Ultra-Liner that recently clocked over 2,300,000km. Mark bought BLUMDS from Clinton Waipahi Holdings with about 1,200,000km on it.

The main line of business for Mark Moody Transport, based in Koputaroa, north of Levin, is stock transport in the lower half of the North Island. Mark also carts a bit of wool and fertiliser. BLUMDS is fitted with two-deck/three-deck stock crates – the crate being the original

fitted to the truck from its days based in Southland, although Mark fitted a new dropsider deck in 2018.

About eight years ago, the truck was repowered with a later 470hp engine.

“The original motor’s sitting in a shed knackered. We repowered it about eight years ago, and it’s probably done about 500,000km on the crate motor,” says Mark. BLUMDS sends power through a Mack 18-speed gearbox to Mack diffs on Hendrickson airbag suspension. “There are no automatics in this yard!” Mark quips.

CALLING ALL TRUCKS ON OR OVER 1 MILLION MILES (1.6M KILOMETRES)

90 New Zealand Trucking Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

BIG MOOOV-ER

O

riginally part of the fleet of Fulton Hogan Central, Alexandra, ‘Mooov’ (MOODS5) is another 1999 MH Ultra-Liner and has covered 1,650,000km.

It retains its original 460 Etech engine while the rest of its spec is like that underpinning BLUMDS – Mack 18-speed gearbox, Mack diffs and Hendrickson airbag rear suspension. Its passengers ride in a set of two-deck/four-deck stock

crates. The deck is original, built for it brand new, but Mark added the crates it has now.

While he drives both trucks, Mark spends most of his time behind the wheel of MOODS and has a part-time driver on BLUMDS. Rural transport has long been a feature in Mark’s life.

He grew up on a farm at Koputaroa and got his love of trucks driving with his late father. At 19, Mark got

a job transporting potatoes for a local market gardener who leased a truck from Koputaroa Transport. Mark ended up doing more and more work for the transport company, and when owner Don Carl decided to retire and split the company into two halves, Mark bought the half that contained a house and the depot and has been there ever since.

Why the love for Macks?

It’s simple, explains Mark: “I

just like them – it’s a bit of a hard question to answer why – I can’t really put it into words. I like driving them; they are nice to drive, reasonably reliable and not too expensive to repair. That’s my biased opinion; other guys will tell you something different.”

What other reason would you need?

Photos: Faye Laugher.

Bridgestone and N ew Zealand Trucking Media want to recognise trucks that have achieved this milestone in the act of carrying the nation on their backs. Each month, up to eight trucks will be selected, and will feature in the magazine, as well as on our social media.

Those selected will get a Million Mile Club cap and badge for the truck.

Terms • Only owners can submit • NZ trucks only • Supply chain may affect the timing of cap and badge arrival

TO JOIN, EMAIL: editor@nztrucking.co.nz • Quality image of the truck • Name of owner and driver • Basic spec (model, engine, trans, rear end) • Contact details

New Zealand Trucking Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

91

WHEELS AT WANAKA MEMORIES

We’re here! 2023. Yes, we’re on the serious countdown to the big Easter weekend in April, but here’s another 2021 pic to get you fired up.

Wakefield’s Steve and Kaye Hill had this fabulous restoration of a Radiata Transport Kenworth LW924 at the show. Blue Mule packs a 335hp Cummins with a “non-original” 15-speed overdrive Roadranger hanging off the rear. “I’ve got a 13 to go into it,” says Steve. “That’ll take it to original again.”

Sublime from another time!

LEADERS IN QUALITY CUSTOM BUILT STOCK CRATES SETTING THE STANDARD FOR 45 YEARS

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Contact Jim Doidge 021 190 1002 Danial Vincent 021 222 4144 or Hamish Campbell 0212225877 sales@kiwityres.co.nz | 0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz

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MINI BIG RIGS

Finally, a complete model replica of our subject matter – Ken Kirk’s Pilkington Automotive Glass Mercedes-Benz, circa 1992.

By Carl Kirkbeck

MAIDEN VOYAGE We have made it to the end of our Ken Kirk/Pilkington Automotive Glass Mercedes-Benz build. With just paint and a few finishing touches to add to the trailer, we can load up, tarp up and hit the road.

F

ollowing our scratchbuilding efforts on the flat deck last month, the trailer is ready for paint and final assembly.

Let’s start with the main trailer chassis assembly. The first step is to paint the largest area first – the underside, including chassis, suspension and axle sets. Completely mask off the top side of the deck, the headache rack and the coaming rails. Doing this will make life a lot easier when painting the top side, as you will retain the fresh, clean,

white plastic surfaces and not have to paint over any overspray.

Following the balance of step 2 in the instructions, we now assemble the wheel sets.

The first part of this process is to detail-paint the inner hubs and outer rims, matching the black and white combination on the tractor unit. Allow the paint to dry completely, and then fit the tyres. Remember to run the tyre tread over coarse sandpaper for a scuffed finish that replicates the natural wear and tear of

the tread surface. setting it in place. So, a Once the underside is dry, steady hand and easy-doesremove the masking tape it is the way forward here. I from the top side and begin suggest only fitting the wheels assembly. The likes of our to one side at a time, allowing scratch-built underbelly tool them to dry thoroughly before locker can be fitted now, flipping over and fitting out then move on to fitting the the opposite side. This will wheels as per the instruction also help ensure you do not sheet. The one critical piece glue the wheels in place. of advice here is to be very Finally, apply the detail careful with applying the paint to the likes of the glue to the ends of the axles. headache rack, coaming rails Using too much glue runs and taillights. Modern acrylic the risk of it making its way hobby paints are much more 1/50 KW Drake 2x8 & 5x8forgiving, Low Loaderand you can add a in between theC509 axle&and “Centurion” at $649.50 Special Combo Deal! the wheel and permanently drop or two of clean water to

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1

thin the paint a fraction. This will assist the application and flow of the paint off the brush.

A flat brown like Tamiya XF-68 ‘Nato Brown’ will provide a good result when painting the deck of the trailer to resemble plate steel. The best way to apply this is using a wide bristle brush – this way, you can flick the brush and achieve a slightly mottled finish to help replicate the uneven colour of rust-stained steel plate.

The final finishing touch is fitting a set of white mudflaps to the rear guards of the trailer. To do this, use the same technique we applied to the tractor unit, measuring and cutting 0.3mm Evergreen sheet plastic to the correct size. Using a file, round off the corners at the bottom edge of the mudflaps. Once happy with their shape and fit, glue them into place.

Now we have a completed trailer, it is time to back the mighty Mercedes-Benz under the kingpin, connecting the two as a completed unit for the first time. Stand back now and pat yourself on the back because there you have it – your first 1:24th scale model truck and trailer build completed and ready for display.

Next, grab your wallet and head back to the local hobby shop to select your next project. Keep on mini big riggin’!

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1) The chassis and suspension are the detailed areas of the trailer to paint. By masking off the combing rails, headache rack and deck area, we can easily apply the black spray paint to the underside in an even and controlled manner. 2) Be sure to mask off the stub axles, ensuring the wheels go on with ease and assisting with glue adhesion for the retaining hubs (part 6a). 3) Painting the trailer wheels to match the tractor unit starts by applying the black paint to the centre hubs and then the white to the rims before fitting the tyres. 4) Once the wheels are assembled, fit them as per the instructions to the hubs. When applying the glue, use care to ensure that only the very end of the hub receives a modest amount, this way allowing the wheel to spin freely on the hub. 5) Robbing the parts bin to add the finishing touches… Our good mate Marty Crooks provided us with a pair of wheels to sit in the spare wheel rack, just as Ken had on the real truck – in an era before waiting two hours on the side of the road for the tyre man was typical. 6) The smaller areas can be painted now – the likes of coaming rails can be either sprayed or hand-painted.

Today’s acrylics can be applied easily either way. 7) Using Tamiya ‘Nato Brown’ XF-68 with a wide bristle brush, we can apply the paint to the trailer deck to represent the mottled finish of a bare rust-stained steel deck. 8) When applying detail paint to the taillights, start with a white base coat to make the red and orange more vibrant. 9) The final finishing touch – making a set of mudflaps to hang from the rear guards of the trailer. As we did for the tractor unit, measure and cut to fit Evergreen 0.3mm sheet plastic, round the bottom corners with a file and glue into place.

Job done!

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 95

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LOADING THE SEMI 1) The big Mercedes-Benz delivered automotive glass to car-assembly factories throughout New Zealand. The loads were often a uniform shape because of the racking systems used to transport the glass windscreens safely. These loads were then covered with a tarpaulin to help protect the product. A simple way to form the basic rectangular shape seen in our guiding photos of the Mercedes-Benz at work is to cut an old shoe box down to size. 2) Once the box is cut down to the required shape and size, use masking tape to retain that shape securely. 3) Next, apply standard PVA glue liberally to the top and sides of the modified cardboard box. Once the box is covered in glue, start applying standard kitchen paper towels to the glued surfaces. Remember to fold your corners and ends as if you were sheeting a load with a full-size tarp. Have a bowl of water nearby so you can dab water to assist with adhesion as you apply the paper towels to the glued surface of the box. This process is messy and sticky and is a task for outside. 4) Once you are happy with your tarp job, it is time to allow it to dry thoroughly. This process can be aided by sitting the box in the hot water cupboard for 24 hours or so. Just be careful not to get the dripping sticky white goop on Mum’s clean towels! 5) Now that the PVA glue is fully dry, we can trim the excess paper from the bottom edge of the cardboard box and test fit our load on the trailer. 6) Applying a coat of Tamiya ‘Deep Green’ XF-26 will give our tarpaulin a realistic canvas look and effect. 7) Loaded and ready for its maiden voyage, our Ken Kirk Pilkington Automotive Glass Mercedes-Benz and matching semi with load is complete.

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Delivering Delivering a reliable, a reliable, durable durable approach approach for for maintaining maintaining proper proper tyretyre inflation inflation the system the system monitors monitors pressure pressure in allintyres all tyres and and directs directs air flow air flow to one to one or more or more tyrestyres when when theythey dip below dip below the pre-set the pre-set level. level. ® ® ™ ™ and and ZMDZMD Available Available withwith all Hendrickson all Hendrickson INTRAAX INTRAAX suspension suspension systems. systems.

Tel: Tel: +64+64 9 570 9 570 47214721 www.hendrickson.com.au www.hendrickson.com.au ActualActual product product performance performance may vary maydepending vary depending upon vehicle upon vehicle configuration, configuration, operation, operation, serviceservice and other and factors. other factors. ©2022©2022 Hendrickson Hendrickson USA, L.L.C. USA, L.L.C. All Rights All Rights Reserved.

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by Hendrickson

by Hendrickson USA, L.L.C., USA, L.L.C., or oneorofone its affiliates, of its affiliates, in oneinorone more or countries. more countries.

 Its been a big year for the Patchell Group celebrating 50 years in business along with our founder Ian Patchell being inducted into the NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame We would like to thank our valued customers for their ongoing support and business and wish all a safe and enjoyable holiday season

N

years A

ND

1972 - 2022

N SL MA EAD IN G T R AIL E R

UF

A

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LA

CT

UR

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C

B R A TI

G

E EL

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GROUP OF COMPANIES

NE

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PATCH HE ELLLL PATC

JOIN OUR TEAM Positions available: Steel Welders & Fabricators Part time truck driver CAD design - Road Transport Part time workshop cleaners Spray painters Labourers Stainless Welders & Fabricators Engineers Robot operators Apprentices Enquiries to hr@patchell.co.nz

NEW ZEALANDS' LEADING TRAILER MANUFACTURER Contact us for further information ALL ENQUIRIES: Peter Rickard 021 490 353 | peterrickard@patchell.co.nz Glenn Heybourn 021 301 274 | glennheybourn@patchell.co.nz Paul Bristol 021 328 619 | paulbristol@patchell.co.nz HEAD OFFICE: 150 View Road, ROTORUA 07 348 7746 enquiries@patchell.co.nz

PATCH HE ELLLL PATC GROUP OF COMPANIES

www.patchell.co.nz

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

Amelia Murray

Riley-Ray Herbert

Jack Peachey Oakley

Sebastian

Nathan Brodie

Team Jannik and Julia

Jordy Tristan

Zavier

CREATIVITY ABOUNDS

98 New Zealand Trucking

pages. Our story on Craig’s model truck building abilities – creating model trucks out of household items and waste – was the very inspiration for this competition.

We also say a big thank you to the team at Italeri truck kitsets for coming on board as our sponsor and providing the major prizes.

Italeri truck kitsets are an absolute pleasure to build, with accurately fitting parts and immense detail, so we are sure that our class winners will enjoy every minute of building their well-deserved prizes.

Without further ado, we bring you the contestants and winners of the inaugural 2022 ‘Create a Truck’ competition.

All we can say is bring on next year – we cannot wait to see what you dream up and build next time around.

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Khalid

Walter Clive

Blake

Campbell Guest judge – Craig Christensen

19-1222-T

O

ur inaugural ‘Create a Truck’ competition has blown our expectations out of the water – you guys and gals have really got stuck into this. The level of imagination has been off the scale. Well done to everyone.

We have seen it all – from Kiwifruit slices as wheels right through to working LED headlights and disconnecting trailers complete with landing legs – and the list goes on. So as you can imagine, the judging was going to be difficult. But we had an ace up our sleeve – with good mate Craig Christensen stepping up to the plate as our guest judge. Thank you, Craig. Some of you will recognise Craig from the August 2022 issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine, where he featured on our Mini Big Rig

WOW WHAT A YEAR!

The team at Kraft would like to thank all our customers and suppliers for your support this year. We really appreciate it!

All the best for 2023 and have a fantastic Christmas and New Year.

Kraft Engineering Limited 5 Wikaraka Street, Ngongotaha, Rotorua | Phone: +64 77 357 4597

19-1222-T

Colin King: Ph: 027 539 0075 | E: colin@kraftgroup.co.nz James Worsnop: Ph: 027 572 2642 | E: james@kraftgroup.co.nz

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB Jack Peachey (10) did an amazing job to win the Scania competition.

HI, LITTLE TRUCKERS! We have a bunch of prizes to be awarded this issue – so here goes!

Thank you everyone who entered our Mack colouring-in competition in the October issue. We had an overwhelming number of entries – and it was so hard to choose just one. Congratulations to nine-year-old Mauriora Tuna from Gisborne. You have won the Mack Truck toy from Mack Trucks!

Well done to Alex Roberts (5), who found the Little Truckers Club logo on page 16 of the November issue. Keep an eye on your mailbox, Alex, a prize is on its way to you.

Ten-year-old Jack Peachey from Temuka has won the Scania colouring pack with his awesome artwork, congratulations!

Well, little truckers, that’s all for 2022! What a fantastic year it has been.

Have a fantastic break and enjoy the sunshine.

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas, and I will see you all again in the February 2023 issue.

If you would like to see yourself here in Little Truckers’ Club, just email your stories, jokes, 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. We love seeing them all.

100 New Zealand Trucking

th Joke of thepicmkeond up a

A truck driver Mayo…. horse called -neighs yo Ma Sometimes

Bronson Henricksen (4).

Charlie Campbell (7).

Blake MacMillian (7).

Mauriora Tuna (9) with his winning Mack artwork.

GET YOUR COPY NOW!

Jacob Colhoun.

Koen Neville (6).

Harper Campbell (6).

Don’t forget, the summer 2022 issue of Little Trucker Down Under magazine is on the shelves.

Grab yourself a copy for more awesome trucking content for little truckers!

There are loads of stories, activities and competitions – so get your copies now or visit nztrucking.co.nz/shop to subscribe.

James Paddison (5).

Liam McKay (8).

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. Email me with your NAME and AGE at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

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RON

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ABOUT

Ron is the owner of Salters Cartage, New Zealand's largest waste oil recycler servicing all of NZ. Ron is a founding member of the New Zealand Truck Racing Association and he began his racing career in his 1986 Mack ultraliner which is currently still driven daily. Ron then progressed into a race spec R-model Mack followed by his Volvo Aero White which was imported from the European truck racing series.

The opportunity arose for Ron to purchase the Scania previously raced by Denny Hulme which has been restored and rebuilt into the truck Ron is racing today.

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TRANSFLEET TRAILERS / ALLIED PETROLEUM BOMBAY TRUCK SHOW 21 January 2023, 10:00am Bombay Rugby Club, 30 Paparata Road, Bombay Contact: Facebook – bombaytruckshow

NZ SUPER TRUCK RACING 28/29 January 2023 – Timaru 18/19 March 2023 – Invercargill 25/26 March – Pukekohe Contact: Facebook – NZ Super Truck Racing All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc.

Please check the websites before setting out.

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

104 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

KAMO TOUCH A TRUCK SHOW 29 January 2023 Hurupaki School, Dip Road, Kamo Contact: Facebook – Kamo Touch A Truck

WHEELS AT WAIRARAPA 4 to 6 February 2023 Clareville Showgrounds Contact: wheelsatwairarapa@waiaps.org. nz, wheelsatwairarapa.co.nz

WHEELS AT WANAKA 8 and 9 April 2023 Three Parks, Wanaka Contact: wheelsatwanaka.co.nz

BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW 18 to 21 May 2023 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Contact: brisbanetruckshow.com.au

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108 Moving Metrics 116 Product Update – HEB chooses Tieman 118 Business Update – Auckland Truck Alignment 120 Product Profile – NAPA 124 Road Ahead Conference 126 IRTENZ Conference 130 Vipal’s Knowing your Tyres 132 Carriers’ Corner 134 Truckers’ Health 136 Health & Safety 138 Legal Lines 140 TDDA 142 NZ Trucking Association 144 Transporting New Zealand 146 The Last Mile BROUG HT TO YOU BY

MOVING METRICS

THE SALES

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

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers first registered in October 2022.

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

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 is in Table A of the Land Transport Rule Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2016 Rule 41001/2016 https://www.nzta.govt.nz/ assets/resources/rules/docs/vehicle-dimensionsand-mass-2016-as-at-1-October-2019.pdf Note: Vehicle classes are not the same as RUC vehicle types or driver licence classes.

108 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

First registration of NB and NC class vehicles for October, by major manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers for October, 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 on year to date, by major manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers year on year to date, by major manufacturer

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 109

This information is put together from metrics provided by the NZ Transport Agency.

New Zealand Trucking acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA in providing the data.

ROAD USER CHARGES Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 01 January 2018 and 31 October 2022 by purchase year

RUC purchase for October 2022, all RUC types In October 2022 there were 49 different types of RUC purchased for a total distance of 1,291,630,044km at a value of $112,664,131.

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

15,421,400,378

$2,069,615,049

1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2021

16,204,803,262

$2,249,341,814

1 Jan 2022 – 31 Oct 2022

14,797,362,175

$1,457,597,647

RUC distance purchased for RUC type 1 vehicles

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www.nzta.govt. nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/road-usercharges/ruc-rates-and-transactionfees/ Please note data may differ slightly from that reported for the same period previously due to adjustments being made to the base data.

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Average monthly distance (km)

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

11,502,905,782

958,575,482

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

10,952,303,565

912,691,964

1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2021

11,427,917,860

952,326,488

1 Jan 2022 – 31 Oct 2022

10,701,870,682

1,070,187,068

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

110 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

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 October 2022 for selected types

By comparing distance purchased year to date with the same period for previous years, trends in changes to activity by RUC type vehicles will become clear.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 111

INCOMING CARGO

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR

MANKIND Back in 2018, I referred to Fuso’s eCanter as ‘Thor’s little hammer’. In October this year I was in Munich for a first drive of MAN’s eTruck. I may have just encountered his big hammer!

I

’ve always said, ‘nothing will take you further in life than trucks’, but sometimes you do have to pinch yourself all the same. I had no idea at age eight that waving to trucks passing the farm gate

By Dave McCoid

and following their pied piper call would one day lead me to places like Munich, Germany.

Yet here I was on an autumnal Bavarian day at MAN’s Munich test facility, poised on the go line in the driver’s seat of the

company’s near-production prototype eTruck 4x2 tractor and three-axle semi.

“It is loaded isn’t it?” I said, utilising one of modern education’s more comforting tenets, that being there are no

Pictures and video by Dave McCoid and as supplied

MAN eTruck, due for series production in 2024.

Visually impactful and deftly smooth and powerful. dumb questions.

“Yes, 42-tonne GCM,” replied Alexander Stöckel, one of two chaperones on my drive of the eTruck. He was with his colleague, Hermann Mair, both from MAN Truck Engineering.

They were jovial chaps, and there was certainly a sense of excitement among the wider MAN crew gathered. At last they had the chance to let customers and media loose on all their hard work to see what they thought.

“Put your boot down.” With no further encouragement needed, I enacted Herman’s sage advice to the absolute letter.

“This is not how the production version will go is it? It’ll be slightly tamer?”

I asked, wondering if I was pushing the limits of the dumb question thing.

“Yes, yes,” replied Herman with a grin. “This is how the series production truck will run. This is a near-production prototype so there’s not much left to do. The power train is done, there is only some finessing of the in-cab environment and minor undercarriage tuning.”

My mind was instantly back in Kawasaki, Japan, four years

ago, remembering how my view of the e-world changed when I buried the boot in the Fuso eCanter. History was repeating, this time with five axles and 42-tonne GCM. “Bloody Nora!” I said – which required some momentary intercontinental interpretation.

What I wrote four years ago was coming to fruition all around me. I said that young drivers of the future won’t necessarily see promotion from last-mile and regional BEV/FCEVs to a linehaul diesel vehicle as a promotion.

They’ll be going from clean and quiet with blistering performance to slow and noisy, and refuelled via a grubby invasive liquid. I said then that OEMs were going to have to get their linehaul acts together, and quickly.

All of Europe’s big seven (MAN, Scania, MercedesBenz, Volvo, DAF, Iveco and Renault) will at some point in the next half decade drop their linehaul ‘strong silent types’ into the market, and here was MAN’s first heavy hitter.

The eTruck produces 300–350kW and 3000Nm of torque. Any comparative imperial conversion in the output stats of the alternative

powertrains is senseless, such is the change in how output is delivered over an ICE. “You can put your foot down harder,” says Herman.

“Oh right, okay.” Once you’re over the excitement of your host’s offer, and drive the eTruck in a manner befitting someone who is paying the bills and looking to eke out every inch of useable range, you find the delivery of power is still incredibly smooth and impressive. A whisper-quiet, relentless pursuit of forward motion.

Of course, the performance is due to the absence of performance bands. A completely flat torque curve from the get-go results in an entirely different creature. This unit would give a lethargic ute driver a wake-up call off the line.

“Watch when you pull on the retarder to stage two,” said Alexander. “You will really feel it.”

Germans are prone to understatement. Single-pedal driving is a reality in this machine, even at 42 tonnes.

There were two eTruck tractors and a couple of buses available on the day, as well as a BEV TGM 6x2 rear steer from the

company’s 2018 metro/ regional range. The TGM was there to demonstrate clear progression in the BEV product development.

One of the eTrucks was set up in normal chassis height configuration, and the other low. The latter certainly looked cool and handled like it was on rails. It was fabulous to drive.

Both units had the four-speed transmission option (there’s a two speed available also depending on application), and ran a hypoid differential rather than an eAxle.

“We will have an eAxle in later models,” said Herman.

“There is a lot to consider.

They are a heavy item and that has implications for balance and rear suspension set up in terms of dynamics and accommodating that mass so far back.”

We were asked to limit the exposure of the interior in our reporting as this is one area that’s still being completed.

What you see is not necessarily what you’ll get.

“Approximately 1400 engineers in Munich and Nuremberg worked on the eTruck,” said Jens Hartmann, VP eTruck. “More

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 113

114 New Zealand Trucking

Top left: Jens Hartman – eTruck is his baby. Top right: Two great blokes excited about what they’ve been a part of: Alexander Stöckel (left), and Hermann Mair. Right: ‘Don’t scratch it, don’t scratch it, don’t scratch it…’

eTruck as being between 600 and 800km. That’s contingent on a top-up aligned to the European rest break requirement of 45 minutes and the difference between the 600 and 800 is largely down to whether you’re on a megawatt charger or CCS (combined charging system).

Getting to 1000km without a trailer implicated is certainly within their sights also. The eTruck will come able to accommodate both charging systems and it is designed to take a serious dose over a short time – beyond 700kW. By the middle of the decade (yes, this decade) MAN says a BEV will be more economical to run than a conventional diesel and by 2030 half of their vehicles sold in the EU will be zero emissions. It also says the annual European demand for electrons by 2030 will be 37 terawatt hours (1 terawatt hour = 1 trillion watt-hours).

Key to battery life expectancy and efficiency is temperature and much of the eTruck’s high-tech support

FUEL AVIATION

systems are about keeping WASTE OIL the power sources at their homeostatic optimum of 10°C MOLASSES to 30°C. MAN’s Nuremberg battery plant will come on stream in 2025, TALLOW outputting 100,000 battery modules per year with a hugeBITUMEN emphasis on recycling and repatriation of the components with a target CHEMICAL of 97% reusability. More on that project in the next issue.

MILK The MAN eTruck – it’s still over a calendar year away from Europe, soWINE we’re not likely to see one in our parts until late in the second half WATER of the decade at the earliest.

The reality is, however, with such well-defined linehaul DRY BULK

routes, we could take the MAN eTruck and make it work now. A couple of megawatt chargers in the right locations and we’re in Christchurch from Auckland in the legal hours. No, the configuration is not optimal for the bulk of our applications, but rest assured, we’re going to have to take a long hard look at that, too.

This is not a period in history when global OEMs have the money or time to make quirky configurations for bespoke low-volume markets.

Rationalisation may well be coming to global transport on a number of fronts.

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

1122-03

if you consider production, purchase, sales etc.” It is another stark example of the level of investment the global OEM giants are pouring into research and development.

In the case of MAN, the task is extra daunting, such is the reach of applications their products have. The eTruck is timed for series production in 2024, to be built on the same line in Munich as the ICE trucks. “Every 8.5 minutes, either an eTruck or an ICE truck will roll off the line,” says Achim Demattio, project manager sales – eTruck. “Once we start we will be providing a complete range, both tractor and rigid, in 4x2, 6x2 configuration.

Obviously not all applications require maximum range.

The rigid chassis options can accommodate three to six battery modules and the tractors four to six battery modules. MAN has been working with body builders for some time on chassis presentation and set-ups for ancillary equipment, things like fridge motors etc.”

Obviously, the more batteries the less the payload.

However, there’s already a European concession to 42-tonnes GCM to allow the magic 25-tonne payload.

The deeper we get into the e-mobility story the more complex the issue of range becomes, complex in terms of understanding its relevance as a one-off OEM statistic.

At the moment an immature marketplace is placing a high level of importance on it and OEMs sense the need to respond. The true journey here will be one of market education against a frustrating backdrop of lagging legislators and regulators around the world.

As charging infrastructures mature and eTrailers form a symbiosis with the truck in terms of propulsive effort, the range equation begins to blur.

MAN cites the range on the

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PRODUCT UPDATE

A STEP AHEAD Infrastructure company HEB Construction recently took delivery of its first unit from Tieman Tankers.

The quad-axle stainless bitumen tanker has been paired with an existing Mack Granite, itself having had a front-to-back refurb, to make for one of Canterbury’s most eye-catching combinations.

T

ieman tankers have become increasingly common on New Zealand’s roads in recent years. Supported in New Zealand by Total Transport Engineers (TTE), the family-owned tankertrailer builder from Victoria has found favour across the ditch due to innovative design and build techniques, quality products and personal support.

The last time New Zealand Trucking featured one was in March 2020, when Road Science put its new B-train bitumen tanker into operation.

According to TTE’s Craig Gordon, about 15 Tieman bitumen tankers and one fuel tanker are in operation in New Zealand – the latest of which is this 31,350-litre, quad-axle unit for HEB Construction.

The tanker was commissioned to service the Selwyn District Council reseal contract, which had changed methodology from hot cutback to emulsion. This district is one of the three largest networks in New Zealand, with 4500km of road (about 1500km sealed), meaning the unit’s 28,700-litre safe-loading limit was a key requirement.

“Emulsion binders

116 New Zealand Trucking

contain upwards of 30% water. By the time we’re spraying the road, we’re losing 30% to evaporation.

That’s why the volumetric increase was critical to our ability to achieve the productivity targets,” explains Tim Clark, South Island surfacing manager at HEB Construction.

Grant Moffat, national plant manager, explains that HEB Construction has stringent environmental targets to achieve. “Our target is a carbon reduction of 40% by 2030. We need to consider things like heating, heat loss reduction, reduction in fuel burn… this all applies.”

Clark continues: “Thermal efficiency on a unit like this is a critical and an integral part of the design. Emulsion runs at about 85°C to 90°C. We burn a lot of energy keeping it hot, so we need to be able to retain the heat and reduce our carbon burn on the generators and burners.

The reduction in energy burn thanks to the tanker’s thermal efficiency is a big environmental tick.”

Impressive spec The tanker is fitted with two 7kW ‘Hotco’ heating elements and one

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

U-shaped burner tube fitted to the tank barrel and coupled to a one-stage, single-phase Riello diesel burner. Powering it all is a single-phase Yamaha 4.1KVA generator. The system is controlled by a New Zealand-made ElectriServ electrical PLC control box.

Colin Tieman, director of Tieman Tankers, notes that using local suppliers where possible ensures good aftersales service.

Brendon Partridge, sealing supervisor, adds that even the generator has been incorporated with forethought.

“It’s a really good unit and integrated so it’s easy to slide out for regular maintenance.

They’ve made it easy for mechanics to access it.”

Nathan Wingate, technical support (plant) at HEB, adds: “There’s a thought process behind it all. For example, the safety shower system, or the trailer brakes interlock so it can’t be moved with the hoses connected.”

At the centre of it all is Tieman’s ringed stainlesssteel tanker construction, an innovation led by the company in 2001. As a unique design of the barrel construction, the ‘Hat’ section structural stainless steel rings are fully welded to the barrel.

This offers numerous benefits,

among which is a reduced barrel thickness from 4mm to 3mm because of increased strength, resulting in lower tare weight and higher payloads.

The rollover coaming, barrel mounts to chassis, and the chimney are also stainless steel. The barrel mounts are huck-bolted to the suspension subframe, which reduces the risk of cracking due to the high temperatures required for the product, compared with welding.

The tank benefits from an additional automatic pneumatic vent designed

by Tieman Tankers, which means climbing on top of the tanker to open the top hatch when discharging is no longer required. Extra maintenance hatches have been fitted so future internal cleaning can be done safely in confined spaces, and an added bottom cleaning port has allows easy removal of decoking residue.

An air-purge system fitted to the rear discharge line allows the operator to check for any blockages before pumping out.

In the case of emergency, E Stops to shut down the hydraulics are included.

Should there be a failure in a product hose when pumping, the driver can run to a safe area at the front of the tankers, away from the outlets, to shut down the pumping. Finally, the 45-litre pressurised shower, with shower heads located on both sides of tanker, is in place should an emergency burn accident require immediate and easy water treatment.

“Tieman’s solution means there are no future maintenance costs to barrels or loss of revenue through downtime of assets,” comments Colin Tieman.

“While capital cost on stainless-steel ringed tankers is higher, the design has proven over 20 years that it offers the lowest lifetime operational costs, which quickly pay back the investment.”

For New Zealand TTE’s Craig Gordon says the fact Tiemans works to New Zealand regulations means getting the unit onto the road is as quick and simple as possible. “The EBS brake kit is sourced in Australia but set up to be New Zealand-compliant, the same with the electrics and DG spec. The paperwork is sent to a certifying engineer in Auckland, and when we

Tieman pioneered stainless-steel barrel construction more than 20 years ago. A high level of safety equipment is built into the unit. get it here, it’s inspected for any remedial work or signed off. Then it’s just a case of taking it for a COF, RUCs, compliance, and grooming it for handover.”

The Mack Granite at the head of the combination came out of the HEB heavyhaulage fleet – not that you’d know by looking at it now.

“We stripped it all down, gave it a full sandblast and repaint, straightened the bumpers, polished the wheels, fitted a new Holland Kompensator fifth wheel, and cleaned up the upholstery inside,” Gordon says.

The truck is fully DG-compliant and runs the likes of Eroad and Guardian Seeing Machine.

“Refurbishing it to a new standard makes an impact on the driver. The drivers really own them, are proud and take

care of them,” says Moffat.

Behind the wheel is Steve Young, who’s been working with HEB’s surfacing operation team for about eight years.

“He’s very passionate about it. We have the right guy in the right bit of kit, which is awesome. It is quite a big barrel, so he plans his routes carefully. But he says the rear steering axle helps heaps, and he doesn’t really notice the size, saying it tows great and it sits behind the truck nicely,” Partridge says.

Collaboration and partnership From the ground up, the build has been a collaborative effort to create what the team wanted. Daryl Holden, now retired, kicked off the groundwork and build process. “He was integral High levels of forethought and innovation characterise this build.

from the start – his initial phone call with me about where we were going, what we were doing and what was needed. He got all the technical things right to make sure it could get down the road legally and with as much capacity as possible,” Clark says.

“Darryl saw there would be a need for something of superior quality than what we’ve seen in the business before,” comments Wingate.

Moffat adds that the collaboration includes the team at Tiemans and TTE. “We can’t overstate the impact they had opening our eyes to other opportunities.”

Partridge adds: “You start with a vision in mind, and it was good to have Tiemans show us what they had to offer and what they’d done with Road Science. They have some cool, cool stuff.

It’s simple, but for safety, it’s huge.”

Clark concludes: “As a family business, Tieman’s ethics and values align with our own. Collaboration and honesty are all part of that – to make sure we get to where we need to be. That made the whole relationship easy.”

BUSINESS PROFILE

INVESTED ALIGNMENT Significant investment by the team at Auckland Truck Alignment in new state-of-the-art heavyvehicle wheel alignment and balancing technology from the respected American brand Hunter is now paying dividends for clients in reduced tyre wear and operational savings.

A

guided tour with general manager Grant Ranger of new equipment recently purchased and installed by Auckland Truck Alignment in its Papatoetoe workshop is proof service has been stepped up a notch.

“We already prided ourselves on an accurate approach to the services we offered and the results we achieved for our customers,” says Grant. “But this combination of new equipment takes our workshop to a level not really seen here in New Zealand, not only regarding accuracy but also speed, agility and the ability to turn the vehicle around faster and have it back on the road, working again as soon as possible for the client.

Time is money.”

The new Hunter four-post lift bay has a full Hunter WinAlign wheel-alignment system, as does the heavy-duty pit installation alongside. Both installations are dynamic leaps ahead in technology.

Based around multiple wireless wheelmounted sensors, they are incredibly fast

to set up and communicate live back to the controller via proprietary software.

This allows the technician to see at a glance the state of the entire vehicle’s footprint and where issues with its alignment lie.

The speed and ease of operation of both these installations are impressive; the likes of a 6x4 tractor unit or an 8x4 rigid pose no challenge at all and set the bar for heavy-truck alignments Auckland-wide.

The new Hunter HD Elite wheel balancer is the other technological advancement within the workshop.

Working alongside a new Hunter TCX635HD heavy-duty tyre changer, the HD Elite wheel balancer removes all the guesswork. Older wheel balancers generally used cones to centre the wheel onto the spindle, a method that worked but not that accurately. The new HD Elite machine utilises backing plates with the correct stud pattern, guaranteeing the rim sits square and true on the machine while the wheel is spun and analysed.

A new VT Transport 8x4 Hino receives its PD laser alignment before hitting the road courtesy of the new Hunter WinAlign system.

118 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

An example of the HD Elite machine’s smarts is when balancing a set of four steer tyres off a twin steer, you can load into the machine the exact locations where the tyres are currently located on the truck. One by one, the complete wheels are then loaded onto the machine, which analyses the rim and the tyre separately (although combined) using a load roller and a patented laser-vision system.

Once the assessment has been carried out, it provides two reference location points – one for the rim and one for the tyre. Using the reference points, the mark on the tyre is aligned with the mark on the rim to achieve the optimum match between the two pieces.

This greatly reduces the need for wheel weights – possibly none in some cases, especially where good tyres are used.

After analysing and remedying all four steerers, it’s time for the HD Elite’s party trick. Within its summary, the HD Elite provides recommendations as to the exact placement locations on the rig to achieve the smoothest ride and best wear characteristics.

The bottom line? Tyres are a science, and as we were taught in school, successful science is all about accurate measurements, something that the Auckland Truck Alignment team are dedicated to, focused on and, with this level of investment, most definitely

Central control for the Hunter WinAlign system. Its job is to remove all assumptions and replace them with accurate measurements.

The new HD Elite wheel balancer is staggeringly intelligent, with many party tricks.

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PRODUCT PROFILE

TACKLING FILTH AND GRIME Workshops can be messy – vehicles leak oil, engines are full of liquids, and filth and road grime can build up. Whether you’re cleaning up after a spill or about to tackle something deep down inside an engine, starting with a clean slate is a good idea.

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quality degreaser is an essential part of a busy workshop or garage. Cleaners and degreasers can remove stubborn oil and dirt on engines, gearboxes, diffs, transfer cases and engine bays.

NAPA aerosols are a new, highquality range of workshop consumables developed to meet the demands of trade and industrial sectors. This innovative range will help get the job done.

NAPA’s Cleaner & Degreaser is a noncorrosive formula that removes grease

and oil from automotive surfaces without causing damage. Its heavy-duty formula simply allows you to spray and wash off.

NAPA’s Brake & Parts Cleaner removes dust, grease, dirt and fluids.

It is chlorine-free, heavy-duty and can be applied without the disassembly of brakes. It evaporates with no residue.

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Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

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ROAD SAFETY TRUCK After 5 years and over 40,000 participants through the NTA Road Safety Truck, it is now going through a major transformation inside and out. The team are working on upgrades and to all the programmes as well as a launch of the SafeT360 virtual reality programme. All will be revealed very soon - watch this space.

SHOWCASED AT THE TMC TRUCKING INDUSTRY SHOW, THE NEWLY RENOVATED ROAD SAFETY TRUCK The new vibrant design inside and out was a show stopper at the show. Its very clear from the new design that the industry is doing everything it can to make the roads safer. Truck seats have been supplied by Penske and have been installed so that the SafeT360 virtual reality program can run. 3M wrap is amazing. Our friends at SignsNZ worked so hard to get it finished in time.

If you would like to become a sponsor or supporter, please contact us

inspiration is key, that’s why Transport Careers will be showcased and Take-home resources will be available.

Join NTA today!

Thanks to all our Partners & Sponsors

Source: Ministry of Transport

WWW.ROADSAFETYTRUCK.CO.NZ Safety MAN magazine Mar 22.indd 1

28/11/2022 2:06:34 pm

The team at Roadmaster would like to take the opportunity to thank our valued clients for their patience and understanding in what has been a very challenging time.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

! s

6:34 pm

king

a legend in the ma

Roadmaster – A brand leader in Heavy Transport Equipment WWW.ROADMASTER.CO.NZ

The Road Ahead Conference 2022 Transporting New Zealand’s The Road Ahead conference looked at what is next for New Zealand’s transport operators as the world continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The conference focused on a changing workforce, sustainability and environmental requirements, future fuel sources, supply chain issues, and disruptors such as the digital revolution.

This month, we hear from Nicole Rosie, chief executive at Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, Neil Walker, national manager, maintenance and operations at Waka Kotahi, and a panel discussion featuring Waka Kotahi’s Dylan Hunt, WorkSafe’s James Law, and CVST’s Mike Brooklands.

Nicole Rosie

NLTP

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Rosie said the events of the last few years would help the transport sector prepare for future disruptions.

“We have lots of things that are changing in our world, and we’ve been very, very disrupted,” she said.

“The events of the last few years have taught us a few lessons about the nature of change, the nature of resilience, and these lessons I think will come in handy as we prepare and respond to the major issues taking place, many of which are actually bigger than Covid, such as climate change management, funding challenges, refinements to our regulatory processes, and various other things that have the potential to affect the way each of us organises and operates within the land transport system.”

Rosie said Waka Kotahi was required to achieve multiple outcomes, many of which were competing outcomes.

“It’s a complex environment that we have to develop over long periods of time.

Instead of looking at a 10-year horizon, we now have to look 30 years ahead in transport planning,” she said.

“It requires us to think very hard about multiple outcomes, not just for this generation but future generations to come.”

124 New Zealand Trucking

The National Land Transport Programme is Waka Kotahi’s blueprint for the next three years of activities across New Zealand’s land transport system and network.

“Every region in New Zealand comes up with a 10- and 20-year regional transport plan that prioritises projects for the region, and this goes into a prioritisation process where Waka Kotahi determines where funding is allocated, based on the highest return to those communities in New Zealand,” Rosie said.

“As you well know, the picture for the network is one of increasing demand in the face of limited funding. We’re being upfront about our funding issues, our funding model, which is based on fuel and road travel. Support from central government for big projects has worked well for some time, but now it doesn’t.”

The government provided Waka Kotahi with an extra $2 billion in debt financing through the NLTP and was currently reviewing the agency’s funding arrangements.

“It is an opportunity to rethink how we pay for our land transport system into the future,” Rosie said. “Nothing is off the table, including road pricing, a regulated asset model, increasing fuel, excise and road-user charges and flat vehiclekilometre charging.

“There are lots of options being discussed. It’s important that those who use the system and contribute to the wear and tear of their network pay for it.”

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Neil Walker

National manager, maintenance and operations at Waka Kotahi Climate change will have a huge impact on how Waka Kotahi delivers its work, according to Walker.

He said a greater level of investment and attention on both resilience and maintenance of the road network was needed.

“We definitely have had limited funding for maintaining our network over the last 10 years, which is now starting to show through,” he said.

Walker said repairing some of New Zealand’s roads had been a major challenge for the agency.

“We are going through a bit of a phase.

We would repair them, and then we are having to go back in a couple of years’ time and repair them again.

“There’s some work going on around a 30-year plan. The environment has changed quite a lot over the last decade, particularly around how we’re going to respond to the longer-term impacts of climate change.”

Walker said resilience was a bit of a hot topic. “We’ve had a number of weather events, and the challenge for us is that a lot of the recovery work that we used to do, we used to be able to handle under just our normal business as usual.

“What we’re finding out now is the extent of the damage that’s been done because of the intensity of the rainfall in some of these events is bigger than what we can actually do with our normal maintenance contractors. So, we’re having a really good think about how to actually go and build something, so we’re not going to be there in another year’s time trying to recover it.

“We’re going to start thinking about resilience. The traditional way that we fix these roads is basically to get them back to what they looked like before. That’s not going to work,” he said.

From left: Dom Kalasih, Transporting NZ; Dylan Hunt, Waka Kotahi; James Law, WorkSafe; Mike Brooklands, NZ Police, CVST. “We’re going to have to start thinking broader around how we invest in those networks, around how we do more work to make sure that the whole network is more resilient.

“It’s critical that we start thinking about resilience and how we maintain the network differently from how we’ve been doing it in the past.”

Freight growth Walker said that while the state highways were only about 10% of the roading network in New Zealand, they carried 70% of freight.

He said there had been a huge amount of additional demand on the network.

Between 2009 and 2016, there was a 32% growth in freight “That was much stronger growth than we expected on the network. And predictions are that freight will continue to grow. We estimate that over the next 30 years, there’ll be another 40% of growth.

“It’s impossible to ignore freight movements on the network. [Freight] roughly makes up about 10% of the traffic, but the impact of a truck on the pavements and so forth is a thousand times that of a private car.

“So [freight] is constantly on our mind, and the importance of the role that it plays, particularly when we have road closures and so forth.”

Regulatory session panel discussion “As the lead regulator for land transport in New Zealand, our purpose is to ensure that the land transport system is safe, effective, efficient, and functions well for everyone,” said Dylan Hunt, senior manager for safer commercial transport at Waka Kotahi.

“We know that this is not something we can do on our own. We need everyone to be part of this. We need not just police,

not just WorkSafe – we need all of you industry leaders to be part of this.”

Hunt said to achieve the outcomes in the Road to Zero strategy, Waka Kotahi had to change the way it regulated.

“We need to be able to influence further up the supply chain and work with industry to achieve safety outcomes for all,” he said.

According to Hunt, Waka Kotahi wants to shift from a reactive operating model to one where it can proactively target risk. “We want to shift from reacting to compliance issues after they’ve already happened, to understanding and helping to prevent harm before it happens.”

He says the operating model is based on four prongs: • Monitoring – “This is where we monitor industry, and go and visit operators to gain a better understanding of compliance levels across the industry.”

• Proactive – “The proactive work we undertake to help prevent death and serious injuries.”

• Reactive – “Reacting to compliance issues reported to us.”

• Portfolio – “The portfolio prong is about working with industry and other stakeholders, including government agencies, to influence higher up in the supply chain.”

WorkSafe New Zealand’s James Law says the past two and a half years of Covid-19 and its impacts had presented health and safety challenges that no one would have ever imagined.

“Health and safety is not easy, but it is something that’s genuinely important, something that I am passionate about.

“Seventy-three per cent of workplace fatalities in New Zealand involve the vehicle. This stuff is really high-risk where you guys work, and where people work around your vehicles. It’s really dangerous.

“We as an organisation are keen to engage with you. We want to talk to you and understand those risks and how you

see the best way to manage. We do need you in that conversation,” he said.

Law said New Zealanders were four times more likely to die from work than someone in Britain and two times more likely to die from work than in Australia.

“As a country, we can do better in health and safety.”

Mike Brooklands, national manager, commercial vehicle safety team at NZ Police, says there are future challenges and opportunities in enforcement in the transport industry.

“We need to make some change in what we do to actually deliver for you and to keep you safe on the road,” he said.

“We’ve signed an agreement with the Road to Zero, 40% reduction of death and serious injuries on the road. But how do we do that, and how do we commit to delivering on that for the New Zealand public?

“We have a strategic plan that looks at what we’re trying to achieve there in our specialised role.

“We’ve got to look at opportunities, because if we keep doing what we’ve done, we’ll keep getting what we’ve got, which is not what we need to do.

“We need to make sure that we are deploying our resources at the right place, at the right time, at the right activity. Police need to work alongside all of our partners, so we are deploying where the biggest risk is at the time.”

Brooklands said the CVST was targeting operators that were not performing to the desired expectations of the industry and police.

“We might be stopping you once again, but we actually don’t want to be holding you up,” he said. “We want to be targeting the person that’s pushing fatigue, the vehicles not maintained, not paying their RUC, scamming the system and giving the industry a bad name.

“That’s where we need to be. That’s where you want us to be.”

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 125

Conference 2022 Under the banner of Evolution to Revolution, the 17th IRTENZ conference focused on the current and future movements concerning zero-emission vehicles; infrastructure and energy plans and solutions; legislation, compliance and dealing with productivity loss; and operator knowledge gained from the decarbonisation journey so far. We’ll cover off these topics over the following two issues.

I

n opening the conference, IRTENZ president Chris Carr said the industry has dealt with revolution before, moving from horse-drawn wagons to the internal combustion engine. Back then the move was driven by technical innovation, but today’s driving forces were quite different, and the industry had no option but to adapt.

“The diesel engine is hugely refined and a fantastic tool that has carried us through our lives, but now that evolution is going to stop,” said Carr. “Operators need to be willing to accept the change and cannot stand back and be reactionary. The choice has already been made, and we need to be positive about what’s coming.”

Carr reiterated the need for government and council support. “Things like truck tare weights are going to get heavier. If we can’t increase our gross loads, there will be a resulting productivity loss. We are not going to get the configurations we need [in New Zealand] because that kind of engineering isn’t going to be available to us in the early stages because production will be centred around mass markets – and we aren’t one. So, there will be a lot of compromise.”

OEMs: Current and longterm options The first panel discussion featured presentations by seven OEM and industry representatives, who each discussed their respective activities, plans and experience in the face of ‘revolution’.

Giving the keynote address and representing Daimler Truck Australia Pacific was Romesh Rodrigo, senior manager, VPC, homologation and regulatory affairs.

126 New Zealand Trucking

“The transition ahead is significant.

We need to turn around 100 years of technological development. It’s not something one OEM can deliver. It will be collaborative – that’s important to meet the expectations our customers have placed on us,” he began.

Rodrigo said that converting today’s activities to zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) technology couldn’t just be done.

“Governments are signing up to lofty aspirations, but we need to have a plan. Some of these vehicles don’t even exist.

It might be an intermodal solution; we must look at it on an overall basis. It’s also important to understand we’re Romesh Rodrigo not talking about absolute zero – net zero means there will be a trade-off.”

In developing ZEV technologies, Rodrigo said it was important for new and legacy OEMs to support each other.

“There can’t be any sort of catastrophic accident. A loss could set this transition back immensely.”

Whether battery electric (BEV) or hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV), Rodrigo suggested operators start looking now at how these vehicles could fit into their businesses, what infrastructure was required and how these vehicles could be supported. “Selling it is one part, but the industry runs on serviceability. All that must be considered.”

While Daimler Truck is well advanced with BEVs such as the eCanter and eActros coming to market, Rodrigo said

November Dec 2022 /2022 Jan 2023

the company was also pursuing FCEVs. “Hydrogen is not new to us in transport. If this tech wasn’t safe, we would not put it into buses, which carry the most valuable commodity – people.

“Hydrogen gas has its place, but we’re looking to develop liquid hydrogen for transport – it will be key to move energy around in bulk. It takes a lot of time to develop the vehicles and the support around them. We know linehaul vehicles need to recover quickly, refuelling in 10 minutes is important. We need to know how to practically apply the tech to deliver the outcome customers are expecting.”

Rodrigo said a discussion on infrastructure was important. “Green energy is key here to reduce the whole cycle to zero-emission. This part of the world is well-placed to support that.

There is huge potential in this part of the world if we can start generating the renewables. As a region, how can we start supplying this fuel to the world?

Exporting can help justify the investment in infrastructure. Energy security is such a key consideration.”

Rodrigo was joined by Kevin Smith, general manager, Fuso NZ. Smith said Daimler Truck had committed to offering a strong ZEV portfolio across all market segments by 2027.

“Europe will see a crossover from internal combustion in 2030, but it’ll be sometime after that for us. New Zealand has to wait its turn in the cycle,” said Smith.

With 30% ZEV sales in New Zealand required by 2030, Smith cited the Fuso eCanter as an example of the transition taking place. “We’re down the path – more trucks are coming in the near future,” he said.

Maarten Durent, managing director of Southpac Trucks, said that sight shouldn’t be lost of the huge emissions reductions achieved as diesel moved to Euro-6 technology. However, he said the industry was now working towards the ‘iPhone’ of trucks.

“All OEMs can see the perfect ‘iPhone’ product in a truck, but legislation is going to bring it on. The industry isn’t going to plunge down that track until forced. High volume is needed to get the costs down,”

he said, adding that this was only likely to happen after 2030, once significant change had occurred in Europe.

Durent suggested New Zealand had a more progressive Maarten Durent view. “New Zealand is ahead of the game but doesn’t move the needle…

We have a willing transport industry that wants to move forward faster than the rest of the world.”

He said internal combustion running on hydrogen could be a good interim measure as vehicles and supporting infrastructure were developed. “What’s useful about that platform is that all the bolt-on ancillaries currently driven off the engine still work.” He suggested HCEVs would be the perfect truck long term.

“Transmissions will go, we’ll see weight savings and service issues disappear.

Technology such as fully integrated eAxles will also come in and roll over to trailers,” said Durent, adding that the most affordable solutions would be OEM-built.

Alfons Reitsma, senior product engineer at Scania New Zealand, said Scania had a relatively simple vision of transport – to be as energy-efficient as possible no matter the fuel. He also said that the industry was missing immediate gains to be made with internal combustion in the interim.

“Any solution will take time, but we can bend the curve of CO2 if we start with current alternatives – we need biofuels, drop in diesel – there’s little to change other than what’s in the tank. They can all give reductions in emissions today, but we’ve skipped them.”

Reitsma said Scania’s perspective was that electricity was the most efficient form of transport. “We’re not anti-hydrogen, but BEV at the moment is the most efficient to get most of the energy to the ground with minimal losses, compared with FCEV technology.”

In introducing BEVs to the market and Alfons Reitsma citing the first

two electric Scanias on the road in New Zealand with Reliance Transport, Reitsma said that spec’ing trucks in the future would need to be done more precisely, especially regarding axles.

“All areas need to be configured from an energy perspective now, not a pavement perspective. Europe allocates a two-tonne offset. It doesn’t matter the axle group or combination, and there are no problems or no payload losses. In New Zealand, that would create all sorts of issues. VDAM needs to be reviewed not only to save the pavement but also energy. That’s critical in the transitional period and we all need to be on the same page delivering that message to the New Zealand government.”

Like Durent, Reitsma suggested getting started on electric trailer axles now to take advantage of their efficiency gains.

Grant Doull, national manager, hydrogen and eco commercial vehicles at Hyundai Truck and Bus New Zealand, echoed Durent’s sentiment that volume was key.

“Being one of the biggest manufacturers in the world opened up volume for Hyundai. Hyundai is hugely invested in achieving New Zealand’s CO2 reduction goals and said he believed both BEV and FCEV would play roles. “Hyundai is moving fast and has invested billions into the hydrogen economy.”

With New Zealand the second global market to receive the Hyundai Xcient FCEV, Doull said that local engineering would have a place in the future. “Hyundai wasn’t planning on right-hand drive vehicles until 2025.

We said, ‘Leave that to us.’ It blew my mind what our local engineers could do with the challenge.

The best place for us Grant Doull to start learning was to just get into it.

“We’ll be faced with creating solutions for New Zealand based on product developed for volume markets. We need to work out how to maximise our productivity based on wherever those products’ mass markets are coming from,” Doull added.

Echoing Reitsma, he said: “Government says they’re willing participants, but we’re still to see evidence of them addressing VDAM. That needs to be addressed

before this all comes in long term.”

Doull warned that there was a 10-year road ahead “before we’re really in the thick of it”, and now was the time to get on board. “We need industry collaboration, trucks on the roads, demand investment to get volume and prices down, and make the transition in a sensible manner.”

Practical local experience Brendan King, general manager at TR Group, said the drive to decarbonisation was on and gaining momentum.

Referencing TR Group’s own trials of 50 BEVs currently in operation, King said the industry needed to work together and learn the limitations and advancements of the technology.

“They do work, and they come with numerous advantages. They’re reliable and cheap to run, and reliable from a repair point of view.

However, there are limitations…

“The high capital costs are not offset by low operational costs, and we still need to see how long they will last for total operating cost. Diesel trucks are currently still Brendan King cheaper.”

King added charging was a huge issue. “The infrastructure is limited – which is the biggest limitation to EV adoption. Upgrades to electricity infrastructure comes at a huge cost – government needs to sort that out,” King said.

Again, King added his voice to the need for the government to address axle weights.

He said TR Group had 23 FCEVs on order, which would offer a 500km range and refuel in the same time as diesel. “We have confidence they’ll go well,” he said.

As for the future, King suggested BEVs and FCEVs would complement each other.

“The technology exists; none of it is new.

The current focus needs to be on getting onto mass production and getting costs and TCO down. It’s a big job for OEMs and takes time and money.”

Finally, King suggested moving to Euro-6 trucks offered a 95% increase in efficiency over Euro-3. “That’s significant. Operators can also focus on their drivers’ fuel efficiency to save fuel and emissions – one litre of diesel equals 2.68kg of CO2 saved.”

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023 127

IRTENZ would like to thank the sponsors of this year’s conference: Fruehauf Fruehauf NZ is dedicated to delivering innovation and outstanding service for the road transport industry. Through our solutions in customised design and manufacture, modification, second-hand sales, repairs and maintenance, we help customers to improve the productivity and profitability of their transport operations. On the road, the distinctive Fruehauf brand complements our customers’ drive to deliver safely, and to the highest standard. Our solutions encompass customised design and manufacture; repairs, rebuilds, and refurbishment; maintenance and parts service; advice on regulatory compliance; and engineeringled innovation. With 35 models, we offer New Zealand’s widest range of new trailers and truck bodies and are continuously innovating to expand this range.

Hendrickson Hendrickson is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of medium and heavy-duty mechanical, elastomeric, and air suspensions; integrated and non-integrated axle and brake systems; tire pressure control systems; auxiliary lift axle systems; parabolic and multileaf springs; stabilisers; bumpers; and components to the global commercial transportation industry.

Intertruck With more than 100 years of experience, Intertruck recognises the vast differences within global markets, and New Zealand is no exception. As an active member of the Truck Trailer Manufacturer Association and Motor Industry Association, Intertruck understands NZ regulations. Our design team model our range of trucks to every application and to suit our topography and HPMV regulations. Importantly, we care about tare weight.

Under the guidance of Navistar and over a decade of building trucks, Intertruck has earned the reputation

128 New Zealand Trucking

for producing the lowest tare weights resulting in the biggest earner in payload. Local assembly provides custom chassis variations to suit tipping bodies, hydraulic blowers, steer axle air suspensions and axle spreads to increase HPMV tables. Our products are backed by comprehensive and competitive warranties through our network of nationwide dealers and service providers.

Jost JOST New Zealand offers a comprehensive range of advanced technology transport components that are superbly engineered, high quality and suitable for a wide carrier of transport applications. Our team is continuously monitoring the heavy transport industry for new developments, ensuring JOST remains at the forefront of New Zealand transport technology and our products and services are unsurpassed by our competitors.

manufacturers and truck-body builders.

This is backed up by a nationwide service network providing spare parts and support to all major national and regional transport operators.

TR Group At TR, we’re focused on keeping trucks and trailers on the road with as little hassle as possible.

Why? Because we know that our clients want to focus on their people, their customers and their business rather than running their fleet.

We’re dedicated to ensuring that you get quality performance from your heavy commercial fleet – maximising uptime, efficiency, safety, and compliance. We like to think that working with us will improve the performance of your fleet and, consequently, your company’s bottom line.

TRT

Tohora Enterprises offers an advisory service to companies and organisations looking to maximise their value in the heavy transport field by ensuring they are fully compliant at all times at the lowest possible cost. Tohora Enterprises offers a fleet management system development and implementation service to enable transport operators to meet their compliance requirements, improve their ORS and protect their TSL in the simplest and most cost-effective way possible.

Tidd Ross Todd (TRT) is a privately owned, family business, specialising in the design, manufacture, sales and delivery of products and services within New Zealand and Australia’s road transport and construction industries.

Our key areas of business include manufacturing, design and engineering, truck and trailer parts, truck and trailer mechanical service and repair, crane sales and service, trailer sales and heavy transport and equipment design and manufacture. Most recently, TRT has become the NZ distributor for Hiab equipment and services and KOBELCO crawler cranes.

Transpecs

Volvo

Transpecs has supported the New Zealand transport industry since 1953.

We are the country’s leading supplier of OEM truck and trailer components and offer a one-stop-shop service to fleets, trailer manufacturers and the new truck sales industry. We specialise in supplying world-class branded products directly to trailer

The first Volvo truck was born in 1928. Since then, we’ve grown to become the largest producer of heavy trucks in Europe. Our reliability is renowned. And it’s underpinned by our three core values – quality, safety and environmental care.

We bring each one to life in everything we do.

Tohora Enterprises

November Dec 2022 /2022 Jan 2023

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KNOWING YOUR RETREADS

TREAD WEAR AND DAMAGE Vipal Rubber presents valuable information to help you get the most from your tyres. This month – tread wear and damage.

D

etermining the causes of tyres placed out of service is vital to transport companies because of the substantial investment that tyres represent. To protect your investment, it helps to be aware of the factors that can lead to a tyre’s demise.

Chipping/flaking tread Appearance: Rough, severely chipped tread surface with numerous small flakes or chunks of treads missing.

Probable causes: Operation of the tyres with highway tread rubber compound on coarse gravel surfaces – wrong tread design and compound selected for the application.

Aggravated by high torque and overinflation.

Tyre: Tyres with major chipping/flaking need to be removed from service. Consult your tyre dealer/retreader for the possibility of retreading the tyre with a mixed service or off-road compound tread.

Actions: Review the tread selection with your tyre dealer/retreader for the correct compound.

Heel/toe wear Appearance: Each lug around the tyre worn high to low from front to back edge of lug.

Probable causes: Most often, mismatched inflation pressures or tyre diameters in a dual assembly.

Tyre: Consult your tyre dealer/ retreader to retread casing.

Actions: Rotate tyres, review tyre maintenance practice and tread design selection. If the wear is severe, maintain the tyres at the current position to run the tread out.

Radial tyre rupture Appearance: Cracking is evident at the base of the tread lugs in the shoulder area.

Probable causes: The wrong tread design was used for the operation – combination of high drive-axle torque, underinflation and heat.

Tyre: Consult your tyre dealer/ retreader to retread casing.

Actions: Change tread design to suit application.

130 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Appearance: A vertical break through the crown and sidewall between two body ply cables that does not break the cables.

Probable causes: Severe impact fracture. This situation can occur in overinflated and/or overloaded conditions.

Tyre: Scrap tyre.

Actions: Review tyre inflationpressure maintenance programme. Review driver training.

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CARRIERS’ CORNER

MUSINGS OF A FLEET OPERATOR Whoop, whoop! At least one person reads this column (potentially)!

A

fter my rant last month about the state of a crucial Armco barrier on an already-delicate two-way bridge on SH1 just north of Auckland, I’m pleased to advise that one of two things has happened…

Either there’s been a magical stroke of luck within the local roading authority, or I have real-life proof that at least one person has picked up the magazine and read my article.

Either way, within 24 hours of the magazine hitting the shelves, I’d seen first-hand a robust and (New Zealand) permanent solution to help me sleep a little easier at night; a row of eight orange cones.

Using the above to segue into bureaucracy and the powers that be, I’m sure I’m not alone in awaiting our finance minister’s next update concerning the ongoing application of the fuel tax/ RUC temporary reductions, scheduled for review and update in mid-January.

Current industry intel would suggest that we’ll see a resumption to ‘normal’ levels on both fronts from January (albeit with the three-month or so lag of applying the RUC levels we saw at the ‘front end’). This reality leaves me completely perplexed, considering the Prime Minister’s more recent acknowledgement that we are indeed operating within a cost-of-living crisis.

What dumbfounds me in all this is the ongoing disconnect between reducing costs at the source versus redistributing at the other end. The reality is that those fuel cost increases (or return to normal, depending on your take on it all) will hit all and sundry, coming under the core cost-of-living banner and adding further insult to the current inflation injury.

Sticking with the topic of fuel, and in a bid to reel in my current rant, I’ve spent a fair bit of time thinking about the ever-increasing emission-reductions dialogue and the role that alternative

132 New Zealand Trucking

fuel sources will play in our future world.

This was reinforced for me at a recent awards event for the Blake Trust (as in Sir Peter Blake, not yours truly) and the changing reality that’s all around us. I should probably add that I’m far from an eco-warrior or greenie. Yet, I certainly am interested in the future shape and form of our planet for myself and my children and the overall economic and commercial environment in which we’ll be transacting.

If I were to gauge how imminent the need for change is, the minimal number of alternative-fuel heavy vehicles currently within the national fleet is probably not

the gauge I’d use. Current vehicle supply, cost, and the general ‘fit for purpose’ of the existing offerings all make it very challenging for their mass uptake any time soon. Yet, the reality is, like it or not, within the next 10 years, our industry will face immense change on the fuels and energy front, and we won’t be able to hide from it. While legislation will drive strong elements of it, I suspect that customer behaviour will be the ultimate driver of certain types of cartage and, to a small extent, is already appearing within some customer contracts.

Here’s a topical example. Given the

‘carbon-producing’ heat our farming friends are taking, there’ll be increased pressure on their whole supply chain, into and out of the farm, of which the road transport sector plays a pivotal role. Once farmers have focused on their internal operations, guess where they’ll be looking next to reduce their footprint?

Remarkable things are happening at the same time, however. The amazing human quality known as innovation has sprung into action, be it a myriad of new fuel types or the likes of that going on in our very own backyard, with prominent operator HWR outlining its intentions to adapt a portion of its existing dieselpowered fleet across to a hydrogen hybrid arrangement of sorts.

I don’t scribe any of this emissionsrelated hoopla to be a scaremonger. I do it to vent about what is going through my mind as a fleet operator and what I sense are genuine decisions and conversations all of us are very close to having in one form or another. Whether we like it or not, there needs to be a collective acceptance that change is afoot – global change – and that the rules of the sandpit we currently play in are in the process of being rewritten.

Do you agree with Blake or want to engage with his comment? He’d love to hear from you.

Contact Blake at: blake@transcon.co.nz.

Blake Noble is managing director of Transcon, a 15-truck general freight operation based in Warkworth, north of Auckland.

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

WHAT’S THE PLAN? Some people have more to deal with in their 24-hour day than others, making it challenging to maintain a health and fitness regime – it boils down to whether training and eating healthy is a priority to you or not. We make time for the things important to us – so exercise and looking after yourself need to become one of those priorities.

P

eople often ask me how I get the motivation to train as often as I do (sometimes 15 times a week). My answer is always the same: where motivation ends, discipline begins. Don’t think for one minute that I bound out of bed every morning excited to work out.

Exercise is just part of my daily routine.

I feel flat or out of sorts if I haven’t done anything active. It doesn’t mean doing a strenuous activity 365 days a year. There will always be an excuse why you can’t work out. It’s about pushing through those excuses and knowing that you’ll feel a million bucks and glad you got it done in an hour or so when the workout is done and dusted.

At this stage of the year, it’s easy to write it off and think, ‘I’ll start in the new year’ or ‘I’ll make a new year’s resolution’.

We still have a good chunk of this year left – far too much time to let the year just trickle away beneath us. Here are some ideas to help keep you on track:

Plan your training for the week Every Sunday afternoon, I sit down and quickly jot down what training I need to do each day. I find this gets my head in the game for the coming week, and I know that when I wake up on Monday morning, it’s straight into my first day of training. I find that if I wing it and wake up each day and do random stuff or skip workouts because I don’t know what I’m doing or can’t be bothered that day – I don’t achieve as much as when I have carefully planned out my week.

Stock up the fridge and pantry I like to ensure I have all the food I need for the week. If you like doing meal plans,

134 New Zealand Trucking

write out what you’d like for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the coming work week. Otherwise, just make sure you have a broad range of fruits, vegetables and healthy foods so you can grab and go through the week knowing that you can make good food choices. Often, if there are no healthy options, you gravitate towards unhealthy bought options at the bakery, or takeaways when you get home from work. Stock up the cupboards and avoid convenient temptations.

Know what you have on during the week As well as having a game plan for your training, it helps to know exactly what you have on through the week and when you have to tackle it. If you work irregular hours, plan your meals around your shifts.

If you have a busy calendar outside of work hours, it’s important to know what you have on so you can plan your training around any hobbies or events popping up throughout the week. I use a diary system, so I know exactly when and where I will be through the week and adjust my training times accordingly.

until bedtime, it can take time for your body to relax and fall asleep.

Book in your classes or workout buddies If you are going to group training classes, ensure you have booked all your sessions for the week on a Sunday. That way, you are organised and have committed to showing up at designated classes throughout the week. If you have a workout buddy, ensure you organise all your sessions together before the week starts. Otherwise, the week can snowball, and you both get too busy or forget to organise exercise.

Enjoy downtime It’s important to make relaxing a priority throughout your week and not just on the weekend – even if you just grab 30 minutes to yourself each day to relax in the way you enjoy. Ideally, when you relax, it would be without a screen or device, but I understand that many people enjoy watching telly after a long day and before getting ready for bed. If it makes you feel relaxed, go for it.

As the cliché goes, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. Being organised is so important in maintaining a health and fitness routine – and in anything in life.

It doesn’t matter what method you use if you find it helpful, and it keeps you focused and on track.

et to bed at a reasonable G hour This is heavily dependent upon your schedule and work hours, but it is important to go to bed at a decent hour and get a good night’s sleep – otherwise, training and healthy eating will be a struggle. There’s nothing worse than waking up feeling flat and tired and trying to push through a mediocre workout at the gym. For example, I get up at 5am most days for training, so getting to bed at about 9pm is a big priority. I try to ensure I’m sitting and in a relaxed mode from 8pm so I can wind down from the day. If you are tearing around the house

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

Laura Hulley Personal trainer

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

GAP ANALYSIS AND ANNUAL REVIEWS Over the past few months, we have undertaken gap analysis audits – comparing a company’s actual performance with its potential or desired one – for several clients.

T

he type of client ranges from small enterprises with fewer than five employees to corporate organisations with more than 500 employees, with work extending from construction to disability and from agriculture to event management.

What they all had in common was they weren’t clear if their health and safety system was robust enough for the size and complexity of their organisation and for the work it undertakes. In some cases, they knew the system had shortfalls and didn’t know how to improve it.

Safewise’s gap analysis/audit is both the same and different for each organisation. We look at the system, at evidence that the system is being used and talk to managers and staff. And in the same way that we tailor each health and safety system, we tailor the gap analysis/audit.

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However we approach it, the team at Safewise has the knowledge and experience to identify the things being done well and the areas for improvement.

This isn’t intended to be a sales pitch, but these are essential considerations when looking at your health and safety system.

The process should be transparent and impartial and offer constructive recommendations for improvement. It can be completed by a member of your team if they have the mentioned attributes.

We recommend that all organisations undertake an annual review to ensure they maintain their health and safety systems in line with their needs. In times of economic challenges, having a robust, compliant health and safety system will keep staff safe and assist with securing more work.

Tracey Murphy is the owner and director of Safewise Ltd, 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.

How can Safewise help?

We work with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge or more time to address these issues than they have in-house. We also have free Covid-19 resources available.

For more information, check the website, safewise.co.nz

3:12:58 PM

Danielle L. Beston Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: (09) 985 5609 mobile: 021 326 642 danielle.beston@trafficlawyerauckland.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

136 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

“Are you done with that crazy looking thing?”

LEGAL LINES

ARE FPAS JUST ABOUT PAY? Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs) are a new part of New Zealand’s employment law. The system is designed to bring together employers and unions within a sector to bargain for minimum standards for all employees in that industry or occupation.

The FPA system will commence on 1 December 2022 and includes support for bargaining parties to help them navigate the bargaining process and reach an outcome, as well as processes to ensure compliance.

What will it cover?

The rationale behind FPAs is that they will be a way of deciding a fair way to treat working people in a particular industry in terms of pay, hours, health and safety, leave, training and development. For example, that means that following negotiations between unions and employers in that industry, nobody in that industry can be paid less than the rate agreed. By doing so, it is hoped that FPAs will help lift pay and conditions in low-paying industries. Employers and employees will get to vote on issues, but if the sides can’t agree, a third party will step in and set the new rules.

FPAs are different from employment agreements, which are negotiated separately with each employee.

FPAs provide minimum standards of employment for everyone within a particular industry. Individual employment contracts must be as good or better than what is agreed upon in your industry’s FPA. Fair Pay Agreements will apply to all employees, whether casual, fixed term or permanent. At this stage, they do not apply to contractors.

The five-step bargaining process Initiation To start the process for an FPA, a union needs the agreement of either 1000 employees in a sector or 10% of all employees (whichever is lower).

Alternatively, a union must demonstrate that there is significant public interest in the initiation of the FPA. Once an FPA initiation is approved, the process must result in an FPA.

138 New Zealand Trucking

Representation All the employers in the sector will be informed that an FPA has started. Those employers will ask all their employees to agree to share contact information with the union that started the FPA process.

For those employees who agree, the union will contact them and seek their views on what they want to see in an FPA. Unions will also invite employees to meetings to discuss the FPA. Bargaining All employers will come together to form a bargaining side. Eligible employer associations can bargain on behalf of employers. All employees, through their union, will come together to form the other bargaining side. The law requires both sides to show how they are considering the interests of Maori. The sides will negotiate what should be in the FPA. Some topics will be mandatory to agree upon, and others are only mandatory to discuss. Which of the two categories a topic falls into has yet to be determined.

Ratification Once the bargaining sides have reached an agreement, everyone in the sector will vote on it, including employees who

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

opted out of providing their contact details to a union. To pass, the FPA must get more than 50% support from employees and employers. For employees, it is one vote per person.

Employers’ votes are determined by the number of people they employ in a sector. If both sides pass the FPA, the agreement can be made into law provided it is assessed and approved by the Employment Relations Authority.

If either side does not pass the FPA, renegotiation takes place, and a second vote is taken.

Determination If an FPA doesn’t pass a second time, then it becomes the responsibility of the Employment Relations Authority to decide what should be in the FPA.

Good faith The parties must act in good faith towards each other, and specified breaches of the duty of good faith can result in a penalty being applied by the Employment Relations Authority. The obligations that apply between bargaining parties on the different bargaining sides are based on the requirements that apply when bargaining for a collective agreement. These include: • using their best efforts to set out a process to bargain effectively and efficiently; • using their best efforts to agree to the terms of the proposed agreement; and • providing information requested to substantiate claims or responses to claims made during bargaining.

Your rights If you find you aren’t getting what is in the FPA, you can refer the matter to a labour inspector. It can also be raised through mediation, the Employment Relations Authority or the Employment Court.

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 a lawyer.

Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law.

Contact her on (09) 379 7658 or 021 326 642

Safety alert: Safety Safety alert: alert: Safety alert: Cardan shaft park brakes

Cardan Cardanshaft shaftpark parkbrakes brakes Cardan shaft park brakes Waka Kotahi has issued a safety alert because there have been several Waka WakaKotahi Kotahihas hasissued issueda asafety safetyalert alertbecause becausethere therehave havebeen beenseveral several Waka Kotahi hasthe issued a safety there have several incidents where Cardan shaftalert parkbecause brake has failed andbeen the vehicle incidents incidentswhere wherethe theCardan Cardanshaft shaftpark parkbrake brakehas hasfailed failedand andthe thevehicle vehicle incidents has rolledwhere away. the Cardan shaft park brake has failed and the vehicle has hasrolled rolledaway. away. has rolled away.

The key points of the alert are: The Thekey keypoints pointsofofthe thealert alertare: are: The key points of the alert are: • Users need to understand the brake • •Users Usersneed needtotounderstand understandthe thebrake brake • Users need to understand the brake mechanism and its limitations. mechanism mechanismand anditsitslimitations. limitations. mechanism and its limitations.

• Avoid parking on slopes. Due to the • •Avoid Avoidparking parkingononslopes. slopes.Due Duetotothe the • Avoid on slopes.

Due tomay the designparking of the brake, the vehicle design designofofthe thebrake, brake,the thevehicle vehiclemay may design of when the brake, theon vehicle may roll away parked a slope, roll rollaway awaywhen whenparked parkedonona aslope, slope, roll away when a slope,and/ especially if theparked load is on changing especially especiallyififthe theload loadisischanging changingand/ and/ especially if the is changing and/ or the vehicle is load parked on an unstable ororthe thevehicle vehicleisisparked parkedononananunstable unstable or the vehicle is parked on an unstable surface. surface. surface. surface.

• Use wheel chocks when parked on a • •Use Usewheel wheelchocks chockswhen whenparked parkedonona a • Use chocks parked on a slopewheel and when thewhen vehicle is jacked. slope slopeand andwhen whenthe thevehicle vehicleisisjacked. jacked. slope and when are theresponsible vehicle is jacked.

• Vehicle owners for • •Vehicle Vehicleowners ownersare areresponsible responsiblefor for • Vehicle are is responsible for ensuringowners the brake serviced regularly ensuring ensuringthe thebrake brakeisisserviced servicedregularly regularly ensuring theperformance. brake is serviced regularly to maintain totomaintain maintainperformance. performance. to maintain performance.

Cardan shaft park Cardan Cardan shaft shaft park park brake assembly Cardan shaft park brake brake assembly assembly brake assembly

Cardan shaft park brakes (also known as Cardan Cardanshaft shaftpark parkbrakes brakes(also (alsoknown knownasas driveshaft park brakes) are fitted to many Cardan shaft park brakes (also known as driveshaft driveshaftpark parkbrakes) brakes)are arefitted fittedtotomany many small to medium trucks and a small number driveshaft park brakes) are fitted to many of small smalltotomedium mediumtrucks trucksand anda asmall smallnumber numberofof passenger servicetrucks vehicles. arenumber designed small to medium andThey a small ofto passenger passengerservice servicevehicles. vehicles.They Theyare aredesigned designedtoto hold the vehicle and its loadThey but have limitations passenger service vehicles. are designed to hold holdthe thevehicle vehicleand anditsitsload loadbut buthave havelimitations limitations which can lead to the vehicle rolling away. hold the vehicle and its load but have limitations which whichcan canlead leadtotothe thevehicle vehiclerolling rollingaway. away. which can lead to the vehicle rolling away.

Read our safety alert: nzta.govt.nz/safety-alert-cardan-shaftRead Readour oursafety safetyalert: alert:nzta.govt.nz/safety-alert-cardan-shaftnzta.govt.nz/safety-alert-cardan-shaftRead our safety alert: nzta.govt.nz/safety-alert-cardan-shaftpark-brake-failures park-brake-failures park-brake-failures park-brake-failures Read more information about Cardan shaft park brakes at: Read Readmore moreinformation informationabout aboutCardan Cardanshaft shaftpark parkbrakes brakesat: at: Read more information about Cardan shaft park brakes at: nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes

TDDA

WORKER WELLNESS AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

T

he recent pandemic, disruptions in the supply chain, global instability, inflation and the whole year of 2022 have hit workers hard, including drivers and those in the logistics industry. TDDA’s experience tells us two things: people will need to release some pressure over the holidays and that some may deal with these stresses in unhealthy ways.

Prior to Christmas is the perfect time to remind your people, whether they work in the yard or sit behind a wheel, that the company’s substance policy still applies. Also, if they use any inappropriate substance while away, they are putting themselves and the safety of others at risk.

Rules are rules Experts predict increased substance use as people struggle to cope with challenging times, and research shows that substance use and abuse increase during extended periods away from normal work routines. Ensure you have

a return-to-work plan that utilises drug testing.

Managers must clearly outline their standards and expectations on substance use and testing. Do this before your team goes on leave. It’s critical to reiterate the importance of a drug-free workplace for health and safety. This makes it clear that the company is committed to managing drugs and alcohol in the workplace and that employees are aware of their obligations.

Return-to-work testing Implement return-to-work testing for truckies coming back from holiday breaks. Return-to-work testing is the most effective way to ensure your people are fit for work and won’t compromise road safety or your reputation.

Protect your employees by contacting an accredited tester and discussing how they can help your company with education programmes, testing regimes and policy design. Comprehensive testing

and an accredited testing partner will ensure your people are HSWA2015compliant and give you peace of mind over the holidays.

Have a safe and merry Christmas holiday season from everyone at TDDA.

By Kirk Hardy, CEO, The Drug Detection Agency

The TDDA has ISO15189:2012 accreditation for workplace drug testing (see NATA and IANZ websites for further detail). It is a drug and alcohol testing leader, with more than 64 locations throughout Australasia. Visit tdda.com

That’s why we go anywhere!

Drugs and alcohol affect trucking everywhere.

Whether you need workplace drug testing, pre-employment testing, drug education and training classes, or substance policy design services, TDDA goes where you need us, when you need us.

Visit tdda.com or call 0508 3784 8378 to learn more.

Accredited to AS/NZS 4308:2008 and compliant to AS/NZS 4760:2019 Industry Standard.

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NZ Trucking Association can be Carol McGeady contacted on 0800 338 338 or general manager info@nztruckingassn.co.nz NZ Trucking Association

TRAN

THIS IS THE WAY TO GO!

T

he way to inspire the next generation of truckers is to invite them to the biggest, best truck show. This year’s TMC Trucking Industry Show, held at the end of November 2022, was a spectacle; everything we promised, we delivered.

Think of it as Disneyland for truckers and future truckers. Even those not besotted with trucks enjoyed the day. Thankfully, the sun was shining, meaning families came out and stayed for the day.

More than 45,000 people filled the beautiful Canterbury Agricultural Park. The trucking-themed NZ Trucking Association Kids Zone was swamped with kids all day. They could dig for treasure in the Road Metals Giant Sandpits, play mini golf in the Transport Golf Village, climb over the 23m-long inflatable truck, run on the Carters Tyre Run, or chill in the

Colour Tent. Kids will remember these free activities for many years.

For the lucky ones, there was a large range of remote toy trucks. RC Haulers attracted a lot of attention, driving its custom-made scale trucks and diggers.

Valvoline set up a Road Safety Scooter Track, another popular attraction. It was a lot of fun trying to keep the kids following the arrows on the one-way track.

Trucking celebrity Glenn “Yogi” Kendal, who features in Outback Truckers, attended the show, and the kids and adults loved the opportunity to grab him for a quick photo.

This was transport’s day to shine – and it did in a grand way. More than 450 working trucks parked up on Saturday morning for the Show and Shine. The truck drivers spent the day at the show feeling proud of their highly skilled

industry. It was a way for them to connect with other drivers and check out the trade stands. Some competed in the TR Group New Zealand Driving Championships, Palfinger Crane Competition and the Forklift Associations Forklift Competition.

The newly renovated Road Safety Truck was a showstopper. More than 1000 people experienced the newly installed SafeT360 virtual-reality programme.

The next show will be in 2024 – with a date announced soon. It is likely to be in March, which was the original date for this year’s show and a much better time of year for the industry. It is sure to attract another large crowd.

A show of this magnitude has a team of hard-working individuals behind it, so I must give a shout-out to them. The industry stepped up and has now created a way forwards to inspire.

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Transporting New Zealand can be contacted on (04) 472 3877 Nick Leggett chief executive officer or info@transporting.nz

RESHAPING STREETS MORE FORCED BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE

I

t is pretty disturbing to go along to events with senior bureaucrats who, when asked about the key objective of their role, respond with a statement such as “influencing behavioural change”.

In my mind, there is nothing scarier than public officials motivated by behaviour change because it is an admission that rather than working for what the public wants, they are working against it in many respects.

The Reshaping Streets proposal from Waka Kotahi is a classic case of policy driven by a desire to change how people live their lives. In this instance, it is to re-design urban streets and communities based on an ideologically motivated vision for the future.

Broadly, Reshaping Streets is about giving local authorities (RCAs) power to make street changes that support greater use of public transport, active travel and place-making. Place-making being “the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play and learn in. For example, creating streetscapes with public seating, trees, and art can make urban spaces nicer to be in and help to develop a shared sense of place.”

Never mind that roads are the lifeblood of New Zealand’s economy, with 93% of freight and most private travel being carried out on them. Proposals such as Reshaping Streets that work to impede vehicle traffic and prioritise alternative transport rarely consider the needs of trucks and their operators and never actually look to improve freight connections.

As freight operators know, the first and last kilometres are the most important and often the most difficult. Reducing the ability for freight operators to access urban streets and deliver to businesses, retailers and consumers is nonsensical when it comes to creating attractive, vibrant streets and communities.

Disappointingly, trucking operators aren’t even identified as key stakeholders

144 New Zealand Trucking

in the proposal, which says something about the lack of understanding of the role of road transport in our economy and to our communities. It’s like Waka Kotahi forgot freight movement on roads even exists.

Transporting New Zealand’s submission on the proposal also expresses concern at the agency’s plan to use two-year pilots as a form of consultation. This is a cynical ploy to side-step proper community consultation because public opposition to these kinds of proposals (that very few people want) has often stopped this kind of forced behavioural

A two-year pilot like that proposed is effectively a semi-permanent roading change that railroads community opposition without providing adequate accountability. change from proceeding. In contrast, pilots enable RCAs to proceed with unpopular, experimental and technocratic proposals, knowing that communities are likely to become numb to any negative impacts during the pilot period.

A two-year pilot like that proposed is effectively a semi-permanent roading change that railroads community opposition without providing adequate accountability. There will inevitably also be significant costs to reverting a street to its pre-pilot use, making it more likely that communities will be stuck with unpopular changes.

Considering the obsession that government has with reducing emissions, it seems strange that Reshaping Streets

Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

pilots will include vehicle restrictions, traffic calming (how patronising is that term?) and ‘modal filters’. These will all contribute to traffic congestion, increased idling, less fuel-efficient driving and increased vehicle emissions.

The impact on local community businesses must also be considered.

Removing parking, introducing modal filters and restricting private and commercial vehicles could force local businesses to close, severely impact freight mobility and impede accessibility for those who cannot access alternative modes of transport. It is also unfair to expect community members to effectively weigh the functionality of the original road use against two years of piloted change.

Sanctioning New Zealand’s 78 local councils to introduce a patchwork of experimental long-term pilots that unduly impede vehicle traffic is not a coherent way to develop a sustainable roading network. Instead of focusing on lower speed limits and social engineering initiatives to change our behaviour, perhaps Waka Kotahi and RCAs should focus on the basics of their job? That is, repair our roads, fix the potholes and invest in new infrastructure that is safer and more efficient for all transport users.

Finally, let me wish all New Zealand Trucking readers a great Christmas and New Year. It has been another incredibly difficult year for our industry, and there may still be some pretty tough times ahead. Throughout this year, I have constantly been impressed by the resilience shown by transport-sector businesses. If the pandemic had one silver lining, it was that at least now there is a wee bit more public appreciation for just how important the transport sector is.

Next year’s challenges will be significant as rising costs really begin to bite, but I know that the men and women at the heart of this industry will continue to lead the way and keep the country’s freight moving.

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THE LAST MILE

BS AND JELLYBEANS

I

n the early 1970s, Tim Shadbolt, political activist and later long-time mayor of Invercargill, wrote a book entitled Bullshit and Jellybeans. The title is a good description of what we witness almost every day in this country. We are consistently fed a line of spin (bullshit) to the point it is increasingly hard to separate fact from fiction. I suppose this must be expected given the large increase in spin doctors in central and local government and their agencies.

The Minister of Health, Andrew (Do)Little, refuses to acknowledge the health system is in crisis. Tell that to the thousands of people who have had elective surgery deferred or even cancelled or must spend hours waiting in A&E. Also explain that to the families of patients who have died because they could not get timely treatment. Of course, it is not the government’s fault, says the minister; Labour inherited a broken system from the previous National government.

Our education system is on the verge of collapse, with many teenagers leaving school with little understanding of basic reading, writing and arithmetic. The government says it inherited a broken education system and that its planned reforms will fix the issues in a few years. But the problems are today’s problems not the future’s, and they require action today.

The government also tells us that under its stewardship, New Zealand is heading in the right direction and cites record low unemployment as an example. It also tells us 100,000 people are ‘work-ready’, but cannot explain why there are labour shortages in most industries, instead offering explanations such

as many of those who are work-ready are complex cases or even extremely complex and need further assistance. Surely, if these people need extra help, they are not work-ready… or is this too simplistic?

We read that the government’s clean-car initiative rebate is not achieving the goals intended – but it is certainly helping those who wish to buy Teslas. The transport minister, however, appears to be very proud of the results, saying more environmentally friendly cars are entering New Zealand now than in 2017, but adds the government is looking to “reset” the qualification rules for the rebate.

We see more and more people speaking on behalf of the government who, when asked a simple question that can be answered by a yes/no, launch into a diatribe about the subject but rarely provide an answer.

We must, however, give credit to the government and its bureaucrats as many responses to questions and inquiries often include the words “under consideration” or even “under active consideration”. This gives the impression something is happening but without saying what. One episode of the Yes Minister television series of the 1980s defined “under consideration” as “we have lost the file” and “under active consideration” as “we are looking for it”.

As for the jellybeans, there is plenty of government help and assistance available, including financial assistance for special interest groups with a pet project in line with the administration’s ideological thinking. You need look no further than the state of our roads to see this. There is plenty of money around for cycle and walkways but little to make meaningful and long-lasting repairs to our roads. It would be interesting to know if any operators have had WorkSafe NZ tell them to fix potholes etc in their yard because WorkSafe considers them a workplace hazard – and, if so, why don’t they take the same approach to our roads?

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It was disconcerting to read recently of one of our industry representative organisations taking a potshot at the other over driver shortages. One organisation wrote a joint letter with other organisations that rely on drivers to the minister of transport, telling him the industry was short of 9000 drivers. The other organisation says this is “alarmist, inaccurate and unhelpful”, claiming the shortage is more like 2400. I question whether the number is relevant – either there is a shortage or not. If there is, what is the industry doing to fix the problem? It is incredible to think both these organisations were, until recently, part of one national organisation representing the industry with the same overall objectives.

Finally, as 2022 rolls towards its end and 2023 looms, a big thank-you for the part each and every one of you has played in keeping the country fed and moving. As we look towards 2023 and an election year, we can be sure of one thing – there will be plenty more bullshit and jellybeans coming our way.

My best wishes for 2023.

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