NZ Trucking Magazine, September 2022

BULK LINES CONTINUES VOLVO LEGACY

Official magazine of the

Long Haul Publications

gst

9 413000 047578

including Truck Trader

RISKS

NORMANS’ GOLD JOURNEY A MODEL OCCASION

Includes

New Zealand Trucking

CALCULATED

SEPTEMBER 2022

$10.90

SEPTEMBER 2022

TRUCKING NEW ZEALAND

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FLEET Futureproof your fleet with electrification

No matter what type of operation you run – we will help you electrify your transports. Read more about our new electric range at scania.com/electrification

A Fulton Hogan Mack Super-Liner heads eastbound out of Queenstown, just about to drop into the Kawarau Gorge.

TOGETHER STRONGER.

Our uniquely Kiwi story is about family – and you are at the heart of it.

Piha, New Zealand, 2022

For 50 years, Kiwis and FUSO of Japan have worked together to test, refine and deliver world-class trucks that perform exceptionally in New Zealand and throughout the world.

Together, we have worked to maximise productivity and lead the cause of uncompromising safety and wellbeing for our people, environment and communities.

On FUSO’s anniversary of 50 years in New Zealand, we thank those generations who, to this very day, keep industry moving through our spirit of collaboration, innovation and sheer hard work, always striving to be the best we can be.

Our uniquely Kiwi story is about family and you are at the heart of it.

MITSUBISHI FUSO Authorised Distributor Fuso New Zealand Ltd www.fuso.co.nz

CONTENTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

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

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

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

ART DIRECTOR

Tracey Strange

John Berkley

CONTRIBUTORS

DIGITAL IMAGING

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

Willie Coyle

Niels Jansen (Europe) Paul O’Callaghan (Europe) Howard Shanks (Australia) Will Shiers (UK) VIDEO PRODUCTION

Jonathan Locke Izaak Kirkbeck Milly McCauley Howard Shanks

DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

Louise Stowell OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Georgi George PUBLISHER

Long Haul Publications Ltd 511 Queen Street, Thames 3500

24

PO Box 35, Thames 3500

RAPID ADVANCEMENT Doing it Right

40

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ricky Harris 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.

WHAT IT TAKES Normans Transport Turns 50

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

WORTH THE WAIT

SUBSCRIPTIONS / RATES:

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

52 TRUCKING NEW ZEALAND

SEPTEMBER 2022

www.nztrucking.co.nz/shop/

Official magazine of the

gst

Includes

NORMANS’ GOLD JOURNEY A MODEL OCCASION

Long Haul Publications

RISKS

$10.90

CALCULATED

John climbs the Kaimais en route to Mt Maunganui.

9 413000 047578

including Truck Trader

Ph: 0800 truckmag (878256)

New Zealand Trucking

Post: NZ Trucking Subscriptions PO Box 12028, Hamilton 3248

Kiwi Replicas Launched

BULK LINES CONTINUES VOLVO LEGACY SEPTEMBER 2022

6 months (6 issues) $45 One year (11 issues) $89 Two years (22 issues) $151 1 Year Australia (11 issues) $187

Official Sponsor

THE

REST 8 Editorial 10 Road Noise – Industry News 54 Just Trucking Around 60

Classic Clip

66 Rust in Peace 68 Aussie Angles – Rod spreads the message 72 International Truck Stop – Road Transport Expo 76 Craig’s Truckin’ Snapshot 78 New Rigs 84 New Bodies and Trailers 86 Million Mile Club 88 Wanaka Memory 90 Mini Big Rigs – Birthday build 92 Little Truckers’ Club 94 Little Trucker Down Under – Summer 22 96 What’s On/Cartoon

WATC H TH E V I D EO O N YO UTUB E

56 100 Moving Metrics

LATEST IN A LONG LINE

104 Person of Interest – Niko Verstockt

Bulk Lines Series 5 Stunner

106 Product Profile – NAPA 108 EROAD Fleet Day 110 Trucking Industry Summit 116 Carriers’ Corner 118 Truckers’ Health 120 Health & Safety 122 Legal Lines

CLASSICS LOCKER Satherley Super-Liner

124 Business Together

62

126 NZ Trucking Association 128 Transporting New Zealand

HE FT

OFF IC

130 The Last Mile MAGAZINE O IAL

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

BROU GHT T O Y OU B Y

EDITORIAL

KICKING AND SCREENING

T

he other day, I had a startling realisation.

The events of the day were like any other. My phone alarm woke me up, and once I was fully back in the land of the living, I checked overnight notifications, emails, and all the usual stuff.

After my morning routine of an hour or so – which included a fair bit of phone use – I sat down at my desk, with two screens staring back at me, where I stayed for the rest of the day (with the odd break, of course). Later, a YouTube video was set to play on my phone while I cooked tea.

After dinner, I kicked back on the couch to see what was on television.

The realisation came a couple of hours later when I physically couldn’t get my eyes to look at a screen any longer. In short, most of my waking hours are experienced staring at a screen.

I thought back to days as a kid in front of the TV or family computer. “That’s enough – you’ll get square-eyed.” I heard that more than a few times, but a couple of decades later, I’d really experienced it.

While some, perhaps of a

younger generation than mine, would relish the opportunity to live in a fully digital world (don’t get me started on the Metaverse), I suddenly quite liked the idea of having a job like truck driving. With driving, you can look out at the real world all day and stare into screens far less frequently than perhaps most working people do. Interestingly, I had that experience not long after we’d spent a couple of days in the field with the team at MC Fale Transport, getting to grips with the company’s latest Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3258, fitted with the brand’s MirrorCam system and MultiMedia Cockpit. (Turn to page 24 to read the full story.)

Love or hate it, interaction with the modern vehicle – any vehicle – through screens is increasing. Talking trucks, infotainment systems buried in the dashboard are being joined by full digital instrumentation – and in the case of the Mercedes and MirrorCam (as an example, because it’s currently the only brand offering the technology in New Zealand), the screen count doubles. Add in the likes of EROAD, company tablets and cell phones, and the number

TRUCK & LIGHT COMMERCIAL adapted masthead.indd 1

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

TRADER

of screens facing the modernday truckie is astronomical compared with the single one that their forebears would’ve used to prevent the outside elements from rushing in.

And it’s only going to increase. Accounts vary, but in the next decade, the market value for automotive display systems will likely double. Yes, systems such as MirrorCam have their merits (which we deliberated in our April 2020 issue) and, honestly, the more I interact with the technology, the more I’m convinced by it. But I still can’t help but wonder, how much is too much? Might all the screens shining back at the driver eventually affect their eyes? And is there a benefit in looking at physical instruments and buttons, and real reflections in a mirror, as opposed to digital representations of them projected by screens? Surely, it’s possible for ‘screen fatigue’ to set in? I’d love to read a study on this.

Finally, there’s the question of distraction. This is the big one: the more functions and information hidden in a system’s pages, menus and sub-menus, the more

the driver will likely spend time with their eyes off the road trying to access them.

Numerous studies of car drivers over the past decade have proved this. They have concluded that the systems can impair reaction times more than alcohol and cannabis and have measured drivers’ eyes completely off the road for up to 40 seconds.

As behaviour neuroscientist Dr Lucia Kelleher said at the 2019 Road Transport Conference, humans today are already suffering from Busy Brain Syndrome – we’re over stimulated and our digital world is severely compromising brain processing.

So, while there’s nothing wrong with de-cluttering the driver’s workplace, going too far in the opposite direction is counterproductive.

Yes, the truck driver’s view of the world is changing.

The key is making sure you don’t get square-eyed and distracted.

Gavin Myers Editor

UNBEATABLE PACKAGE!

NZ’S BESTSELLING TIPPER IS IN STOCK AND READY TO GO! FROM

$44,900 OR FROM

*

+ GST + ORC

$29.50 / DAY*

IN STOCK NOW! Call your local FUSO dealer today!

*

SCAN FOR MORE DETAILS!

MITSUBISHI FUSO Authorised Distributor Fuso New Zealand Ltd www.fuso.co.nz/unbeatable

ROAD NOISE NEWS

NEW OWNERS FOR FRUEHAUF Jeff and Yvette Mear are the new owners of Fruehauf, effective 18 August.

They take 100% ownership of the transport company after purchasing the remaining Fruehauf shares from Phil and Karen Watchorn.

Both Phil and Karen depart the company to pursue other personal interests and the company thanks them for all their past contributions and wishes them the very best for their future.

“We purchased the remaining shares in Fruehauf because we believe it is a great company and capable of becoming an even better company,” said new managing director Jeff Mear.

“We have fantastic employees who are highly skilled and experienced, we have excellent and loyal customers who appreciate the quality of our products, and we have great strategic supply partners who want us to be successful by leading a mutually beneficial pathway of further growth.”

SCANIA OPENS HOKITIKA BRANCH Scania New Zealand has chosen Service Diesel as its new partner for the West Coast.

Based in Hokitika, Service Diesel is a general cartage and freighting company that has serviced the West Coast and Canterbury regions for almost 20 years.

The appointment of Service Diesel will see the closure of Scania Greymouth.

The new service dealer means customers will benefit from a larger site than previously, which means more capacity while also increasing the size of the Scania team on the coast to eight.

10 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

UD Trucks upgrades Quon

U

D Trucks has introduced a range of upgrades to the Quon heavyduty model range, focusing on better fuel efficiency and environmental performance while delivering reliability and improved cost of ownership.

The Quon’s Euro-6 11-litre engine offers improved outputs. The 290kW (390hp) version is up to 298kW (400hp) and the 313kW (420hp) variant upgraded to 320kW (430hp). The 343kW (460hp) variant remains. Torque is up across the range, 2250Nm for the 460, and 2000Nm for the 400 and 430hp variants.

The engines now also benefit from the option of extended oil drain intervals, by up to 35%, says UD Trucks. Overall efficiency is enhanced by improved piston and cylinder design, a new turbocharger, and lower offset, and low-drag hypoid drive axles.

The upgraded Quon’s ESCOTVI 12-speed automated manual transmission provides improved gear shifting to enhance fuel economy. The UD Quon is available in 4x2, 6x2, 6x4 and 8x4 configurations across a wide

range of wheelbases to suit rigid and prime mover applications.

New, advanced safety features introduced on the Quon include the improved traffic eye cruise control with new ‘stop & driver initiate go’ function, which makes the vehicle safer and easier to drive by automatically controlling speed and reducing driver stress and fatigue.

The upgraded Quon is also equipped with more active safety technologies, such as the traffic eye brake system, lane-departure warning system, and UD stability control that automatically detects and adjusts engine output and braking to retain truck stability.

All Quon models will now also hit the road equipped with UD’s blind spot information system (BSIS). This utilises a radar to monitor the left-hand side of the truck and can detect pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. A two-stage warning system moves from a visual A-pillar warning light to an audible alarm and an alert on the instrument panel.

1972-2022

50 GOLDEN YEARS OF KIWI TRUCKING.

Join our anniversary celebrations Pre-Match Fri 21st Oct Meet & greet, drinks & nibbles. Anytime 7pm – 11pm. The Cobb, Palmerston North.

Everybody welcome, no entry fee.

Game Day Sat 22nd Oct Mack 50 Year Anniversary Truck Show. Anytime 9am – 4pm. Manfeild Park, Feilding.

Open to public, entry fee applies.

After Match Sat 22nd Oct Drinks & platters, raffles & speeches. 7pm – 1am. Awapuni Racecourse, PN. $40 inc GST admission - food and 2 x drinks (non registered people).

Recovery Session Sun 23rd Oct Breakfast BBQ sponsored by Truckstops. Anytime from 8:30am - 11:30am. 29 Malden St, PN. More info here: 50years.macktrucks.co.nz

ROAD NOISE NEWS

Lindsay Wood.

Dave McCoid.

Trucking Toward A Better Future 2022 – Not this time

A

fter careful deliberation, organisers and judges have decided not to award prizes for the Trucking Toward a Better Future 2022 competition.

“Once again, entry numbers were modest. But last year, the winning entry not only defined the issue but also offered a solution. This year, the entries merely stated or restated an issue, with little in the way of suggested resolution and how that should be executed,” says Dave McCoid, editorial director at New Zealand Trucking Media.

“There’s certainly an element of frustration on my part. I know the reasoning and intellect that exists out there. I’ve been around it all my working life, and as I’ve said many times, most of my mentors are or were, at one stage, truck drivers. But we’re an industry rarely willing to pop our head above the parapet.

“Truck drivers throughout the country are as worried as anyone else about the future, but I know many are cynical about the hypocrisy they see.

Then comes their perception of the value a society, ever more demanding of their service, awards them. Getting

12 New Zealand Trucking

them to rise above that and have their say for me is really important.

“Like our industry associations always seeking numbers to bolster their effectiveness and voice, this competition is a stage from which drivers and industry participants can speak, and the value of what they have to say is truly appreciated.

“The prize pool this year was certainly worth an entry, but required the winning entry to be worthy of its value. It had to be of a standard that either reveals a new idea or builds on an existing one.”

“Nothing in this has diminished my belief in a huge reservoir of great ideas in the minds of individuals in the trucking sector,” says competition co-organiser Lindsay Wood, director of climate strategy company Resilienz Ltd. “Maybe Dave and I need to open up new channels to reach those ideas; maybe the sector just needs a little longer to warm to the notion of sharing them. But I never forget that truckies see into almost every corner of the country – and a devil of a lot in between – in a way that nobody else in the universe

September 2022

does. Whichever way, I’d guarantee if I were a fly on the wall of any smoko room in any yard in the country, it wouldn’t be long before I’d hear some genius of a concept. It might start with ‘Jeez mate, if only they’d…’ or ‘Don’t they ever think that…?’ but, sure as hell, round the next corner in the conversation would be a cracker of an insight.”

The competition is queued to go again in the new year, and McCoid and Wood are undeterred and as positive and enthusiastic as ever. They are adamant that those at the execution end of the transport industry must be heard.

“Oh, absolutely,” says McCoid. “You’ll never stop me advocating for the value and quality of people in the cabs of our trucks, nor will I stop petitioning them over the value of the knowledge they hold and the imbalance it creates in real-world outcomes if they’re not heard. Like I said two years ago, this process is like getting a bear out of a cage with a stick.”

“And it kind of fits, doesn’t it?” Wood adds, with a wry grin, “that to win over the long-haul sector, we need to be in it for the long haul too.

Roll on, 2023!”

Roadmaster 5 Axle high cube Glidemaster built for Fenco 8400 Truck, 10500 Trailer 36 Pallet Unit , 16 Pallet Truck 20 Pallet Trailer

FEATURES:

• Stainless guards’ all round • Alloy tool boxes with stainless doors x 4 • Wabco Smart board • BPW Axles • Continetal tyres all around • Split mezzanine floor with removable headboard • Straitline canavas and buckles

king

a legend in the ma

Roadmaster – A brand leader in Heavy Transport Equipment WWW.ROADMASTER.CO.NZ

ROAD NOISE NEWS

eActros heads down under

F

our eActros trucks will get to work in Australia and one unit will hit the road in New Zealand, with additional units to follow.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks Australia Pacific director, Andrew Assimo, says he is excited to start the local evaluation program for eActros as part of a drive towards CO2neutral goods transport.

“We are excited to conduct this extensive testing program on the roads of Australia and New Zealand for the advanced and innovative all-electric eActros, a truck that represents an exciting new chapter for sustainable road transport in our region,” he said.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks always makes sure the advanced technology we

introduce locally is tailored for our unique conditions and meets the specific requirements of our customers with extensive local evaluation and it is no different with zeroemission electric technology.”

The focus of the eActros is for heavy-duty short radius distribution and development trucks have been working away in select fleets in Europe since 2018.

“Our key customers are very

alloy or

Steel

passionate about advanced electric heavy vehicles and we are thrilled to begin the evaluation program that will ensure our electric Actros will succeed in our market,” Assimo said.

INNOVATIVE

BUILT TO LAST MAXIMISE Your

BOTTOM LINE

mills-tui.co.nz

Our Low Rider chassis has been refined over many years with safety and stability in mind. With your load lower to the road, you can be assured your drivers are safer and loading is easier. Mills-Tui’s industry-leading, 5 years/1,000,000 km chassis warranty finishes the job off nicely. If you want a trailer that is innovative and built to last, call 0800 MILLS-TUI

Mills-Tui Limited | 0800 MILLS -TUI (645 578)

Mills-Tui A5 Trailer Advert 2021-09.indd 1

22/09/21 8:57 AM

LT

NEW ZE A LA

ND

BUI

IN

. Tauranga Intertruck’s Premier new Dealership, located at 40 Kaweroa Drive,

The last

Series – Built for

The all NEW

E

T

r

en ty ad ed is 5 ty nt lt

8:57 AM

121-0922

E

ROAD NOISE NEWS

JAC ELECTRIC TRUCKS ARRIVE Specialist vehicle importer and distributor BLK Auto NZ will distribute the JAC range of battery-electric trucks ahead of trials with major logistics companies.

Two JACN55EV trucks are currently in Auckland, with a further 10 trucks en route for distribution and sale – expected to arrive in New Zealand in the coming months.

To incentivise sales, BLK has put together a $40,000 bonus package for every truck sold, including a box body worth $25,000 and a 20kW 3-phase 32amp CCS2 charger worth $15,000.

The JACN55EV truck boasts a 90-minute 0%-to100% charge time, a GVM of 5500kg and a driving range of 185 to 200km on a single charge.

Globally, there are more than 10,000 JACN55EV trucks in use, with major fleet companies such as PepsiCo, DHL and Electrolux seeking to incorporate them into fleets.

More JAC vehicles will be brought to the Australian and New Zealand markets in coming years, including the 4x4 dual cab pick-up.

Jason Pecotic, managing director of BLK Auto, says BLK Auto NZ is in the final throes of appointing a national dealer network to support the JAC EV range in New Zealand.

16 New Zealand Trucking

Zero-emission electric trucks get to work in Christchurch

N

ine battery-electric Fuso eCanter trucks are being leased by nine companies who signed on to participate in two projects launched by Christchurch City Council to help it achieve its goal of halving greenhouse-gas emissions for the district by 2030.

More than $3 million is being invested in the two projects, with funding coming from the nine companies leasing the trucks, the Low Emission Transport Fund (administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) and EROAD. The trucks are leased through TR Group.

Mercury NZ is also supplying some funding towards on-route truck charging infrastructure as part of the Shopping District Delivery Services Project.

The first project – the Civil Construction and Maintenance Services Project – involves five civil construction and maintenance services companies (Citycare Property, Fulton Hogan, HEB Construction, Higgins Contractors, and Isaac Construction) that work for the council. They will use specialist battery electric

September 2022

trucks to perform their contracted services.

The second project – the Shopping District Battery Electric Truck Delivery Services Project – involves commercial property owners investigating the opportunity of having zero-exhaust emission areas for delivery vehicles. Four transport companies – Bidfood, Hall’s, PBT Transport and Toll New Zealand – will be using battery electric trucks to deliver goods to the Papanui shopping district, with Northlands and Northlink Shopping Centres involved, and to the Christchurch Airport shopping district.

“The projects aim to show what’s possible with the electrification of commercial trucks. With transport making up most of our district’s emissions, it’s critical that we find a path towards zero-exhaustemission trucks, in addition to battery electric passenger cars,” says Christchurch City Council resource efficiency manager Kevin Crutchley.

“We’re gathering practical learnings from the projects so that truck operators can see how to best use battery electric truck technology for their operations.”

TIM BENNETT WILL HELP CARRY THE LOAD. When it comes to keeping your business on track and running smoothly, you don’t have to do it alone. Tim and the team are ready and waiting with hassle-free finance that will help keep you and your business moving.

Give Tim a call today.

Tim Bennett Commercial Manager - Taranaki 027 289 8270

IT’S EVERYTHING YOU’D EXP

Every drive in the new IVECO X-Way is safer, because X simultaneously distributes braking forces between the whe

CLEANER ENGINES SMARTER TRANSMISSIONS ADVANCED SAFETY

MORE VALUE. EVERY DRIVE.

Keith Tuffery 027 1761 Keith489 Tuffery Keith489 Tuffery Sales – Lower 027 1761 027 489 1761 Sales –Island Lower North Sales –Island Lower North North Island

Straun Syme 027 434Syme 0846 Straun Sales – Syme South Straun 027 434 0846 027 434 0846 Island Sales – Canterbury

Sales – Canterbury

David Didsbury 027David 403 2035 Didsbury National Sales David Didsbury 027 403 2035 027 403 Sales 2035 Manager National National Sales Manager Manager

Elliot Barnard Pieter Theron Robbie Greenhalgh Trevor Wills 021Pieter 347 869 021 347 992 022 1234 626 021 347 118 AdvanceQuip Theron Waikato IVECO Star Trucks lnternational Pieter Theron AdvanceQuip Sales-Lower Truck Sales –850 4909 Sales - Waikato Sales Consultant03 021 347 992 203 9110 Waikato IVECO Star544 Trucks 07 03 9580lnternational 021 347 992 03Vehicles 203 9110Auckland, Northland Truck Sales - Auckland Gore 07 850 4909 03 544 9580 Light Commercial North Island Auckland Hamilton and Bay of Plenty Nelson Truck Sales - Auckland

Hamilton

Nelson

Gore

www.iveco.co.nz www.iveco.co.nz

OU’D EXPECT FROM A EUROPEAN TRUCK, EXCEPT THE PRICE.

safer, because X-Way features all the important safety equipment as standard. There’s an Electronic Braking System that between the wheel brakes, engine brakes and intarder (if selected), for smooth and superior braking performance. There’s also

ROAD NOISE NEWS

NEW GM FOR MOTOR TRUCK DISTRIBUTORS Rob Woods has been appointed the new general manager for Motor Truck Distributors (MTD).

“Rob’s heavy transport expertise and leadership credentials quickly put him at the front of a strong field of internal and external candidates,” says Michael Doeg, general manager, retail sales at Sime Darby Motors NZ. “We’re delighted to welcome him as the new general manager for MTD.” Rob began his career with Imperial, one of South Africa’s largest automotive groups, currently responsible for one in three of all car rental transactions, 40% of the market in passenger vehicles, and about 7500 heavy trucks. He was appointed dealer principal for Mitsubishi Cars in his mid-20s, then became Mitsubishi brand manager before moving into heavy transport. By the time he emigrated to New Zealand in 2017, Rob had held franchise director roles at Freightliner and Hino and gained almost 20 years’ experience in the industry.

Once in New Zealand, Woods worked with Iveco and Isuzu before joining MTD’s parent company, Sime Darby Motors NZ, in mid2021.

“I’m excited and proud to be working with two premium, topquality brands like Mack Trucks and Volvo Truck and Bus,” says Woods.

“We have a very strong team of people at MTD with great technical credentials and well-established relationships throughout the transport industry.”

18 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

Greg Cox is one of the operators concerned that transport operators understand their rights and ensure they remain compliant when HPMV combinations are towed from the scene of a breakdown.

Towies concerned over transport operator rights

I

f having your HPMV breakdown on the road isn’t a big enough headache, summoning the wrong equipment to rescue you, or worse, having the wrong salvage equipment summoned for you can make it a whole lot worse. That’s the sentiment expressed by Cox Heavy Salvage managing director Greg Cox. “The breakdown is the workplace of the vehicle owner, and as such, they control who tows the stricken vehicle or vehicle combination. That’s critically important to know in respect to the salvage of HPMV vehicles.”

There’s no doubting what HPMV vehicles brought to the table in terms of productivity, but at the time of their genesis, little consideration was given to what happens when things go wrong and they need rescuing.

After years of intense lobbying by a group of concerned tow and salvage operators, that issue has finally been resolved.

“If you have a stricken vehicle, you must get a compliant HPMV combination salvage operator to retrieve it,” says Cox. “Not doing so risks all manner of comeback in terms of potential gear

failure, compliance issues, and health and safety. As the owner of the vehicle to be towed, you – not the police or the roading authority – determine who retrieves the vehicle or combination. If they do it without your approval, it’s all on them.”

Cox says the country has full coverage of compliant operators able to tow an HPMV combination to a depot or repair facility, nominated by the owner of the breakdown, up to a maximum distance of 250km radius from the breakdown location.

“Yes, there is full coverage. Currently it’s Ace Towing & Heavy Salvage in Auckland covering Waikato and Northland; Rowe Motors in Tauranga and Rotorua; Taupo Towing for the Bay Plenty, far east and Taupo region; Cox Heavy Salvage in Palmerston North and Wellington for Taranaki, National Park, Manawatu, Wairarapa, and the lower North Island; Nelson Tow & Salvage covering Tasman, Marlborough and Buller; Parks Towing in Christchurch, covering Canterbury; and Reilly’s Heavy Salvage in Dunedin for Otago and Southland. For the West Coast it’s a matter of who is closest and able from the South Island three.”

with new features

Innovation that puts people first.

With innovation that puts people first, our newest generation Quon features superior design enhancements. Our latest features, like bigger payloads, better safety, smarter fuel efficiency, and better driver comfort, redefine the Japanese truck market and ultimately keep you on the road longer.

To find out more, contact your nearest UD Trucks dealer: Northland/Auckland/Waikato 09 250 1800 | Rotorua/Thames/Coromandel/BOP 0274 912 793 | Manawatu/ Horowhenua/Wanganui/Taranaki/Hawkes Bay 027 446 6374 | Wellington/Hutt Valley/Kapiti Coast/Wairarapa 021 284 7788 | Nelson 027 589 5552 | Blenheim/Canterbury/Timaru 03 349 0044 | Southland 03 215 8250

Going the Extra Mile

ROAD NOISE NEWS

TRUCKSTOPS GAINS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

T

ruckstops has been awarded the 2021 Parts Department of the Year Excellence Award

by Hino Motors Japan, placing the Hino-authorised New Zealand aftersales support partner in the top tier of distributors worldwide.

The award criteria evaluate various categories from unit sales and supply rates to market share and process improvements.

“It is great that the team has been recognised for their hard work and focus on our Hino customers,” says Phillip Wilson, business development manager for Truckstops.

“Our Hino aftersales service has been built up over years of continued focus and innovation, putting customers at the centre of everything we do.”

TR Group launches fatigue management course

T

R Group has launched an online course to help drivers, machine operators, supervisors and managers tackle fatigue and sleepiness.

With at least 10% of road fatalities attributed to drowsy driving, motorists must be vigilant and educate themselves on the dangers. Fleet managers and operators should also be aware of their health and safety obligations to manage fatigue.

“We’ve all seen the catastrophic consequences of crashes where a driver has fallen asleep at the wheel, and it’s a sign of our times that more and more

people are pushing the envelope and driving while sleepy or fatigued,” says Neil Bretherton, general manager at TR Driver Training.

“If we can help drivers of all vehicles with reducing fatigue, we can reduce the risk for all road users.”

The course details the differences between fatigue and sleepiness, how people can improve their sleep, what illnesses and conditions cause fatigue, the role of medication, drugs and diet, and how managers and supervisors can create policies and plans to minimise fatigue risk in the workplace.

An average of three

people a month lose their lives on the road because of fatigue, which drivers may be aware of but don’t know how to address.

“We shouldn’t underestimate the role fatigue plays in a person’s reaction time, visual acuity and the person’s mental state; driving fatigued can be as bad as driving drunk,” says Dr Simon Dean, a contributor to the course.

“This material is in plain English, making it easy for anyone to apply its recommendations, whether driving or managing drivers.”

DON’T DON’T GET GET HOOKED HOOKED DON’T DON’T GET GET HOOKED DON’T GET HOOKED HOOKED ON ON THE THE WRONG WRONG THING THING ON ON THE THE WRONG WRONG THING ON THE WRONG THING THING Truckand andTrailer Trailerininone onetow tow ✔✔Truck Truck Truckand andTrailer Trailerininone onetow tow ✔ ✔ ✔✔ Full Full loaded loaded upto upto62 62 ton ton tow Truck and Trailer in one ✔ ✔ ✔ Full Fullloaded loadedupto upto62 62ton ton ✔✔ Upto Upto 35m 35mlong long including including TowTruck Truck Full loaded upto 62 ton Tow ✔✔ ✔Upto Upto35m 35mlong longincluding including Tow TowTruck Truck Fully Fully Compliant Compliant ✔✔ ✔ Upto 35m long including Tow Truck FullyCompliant Compliant ✔✔Fully New New generation generation super super heavy heavy tow tow trucks trucks ✔✔ Fully Compliant Newgeneration generationsuper superheavy heavytow towtrucks trucks ✔✔ ✔New ✔ New generation super heavy tow trucks Ace AceTowing Towing&&Heavy HeavyHaulage Haulage Ace Ace Towing Towing & & Heavy Heavy Haulage (09) (09) 377 377 2986 2986& Heavy Haulage Ace Towing Haulage (09) (09) 377 3772986 2986 Northland, Northland, Auckland, Auckland, Waikato Waikato (09) 377 2986 Northland, Northland, Auckland, Auckland,Waikato Waikato Northland, Auckland, Waikato Rowe RoweMotors, Motors,Rotorua RotoruaTowing Towing Rowe Motors, RotoruaTowing Towing Rowe Motors, Rotorua Taupo Taupo Towing Towing Rowe Motors, Rotorua Towing Taupo Towing Taupo Towing 0800 0800 777 777 875 875 Taupo Towing 0800 777875 875 0800 777 Tauranga, Tauranga, Rotorua, Rotorua,Taupo Taupo 0800 777 875 Tauranga,Rotorua, Rotorua,Taupo Taupo Tauranga, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo Cox CoxHeavy HeavySalvage Salvage Cox Cox Heavy Heavy Salvage Salvage 021 021 243 243 9003 9003 Cox Heavy Salvage 021 021 243 243 9003 9003 National National Park, Park, Palmerston PalmerstonNth, Nth, 021 243Park, 9003 National National Park,Palmerston PalmerstonNth, Nth, Wellington Wellington National Park, Palmerston Nth, Wellington Wellington Wellington Nelson NelsonTow Tow&&Salvage Salvage Nelson Tow & Nelson Tow & Salvage 027 027 367 3672686 2686& Salvage Nelson Tow Salvage 027 367 2686 027 367 2686 Top Top of of the the South South Island Island 027of367 2686 Top ofthe the SouthIsland Island Top South Top of the South Island Parks ParksTowing Towing Parks Towing Parks Towing 0800 0800 400 400 111 111 Parks Towing 0800 400 111North 0800 400 111 Christchurch Christchurch Northand andSouth South 0800 400 111North Christchurch Northand andSouth South Christchurch Christchurch North and South Reilly’s Reilly’sHeavy HeavySalvage Salvage Reilly’s Heavy Salvage Reilly’s Heavy Salvage 03 03 477 4775787 5787 Reilly’s Heavy Salvage 03 477 5787 03 477 5787 Dunedin Dunedin North Northand andSouth South 03 477 5787 Dunedin Northand andSouth South Dunedin North Dunedin North and South

PARTNERING PARTNERINGTHE THETRANSPORT TRANSPORTINDUSTRY INDUSTRY PARTNERING PARTNERING THE THE TRANSPORT TRANSPORT INDUSTRY INDUSTRY WITH WITHSUPER SUPERHEAVY HEAVYTOWING TOWINGSOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS PARTNERING THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY WITH WITHSUPER SUPERHEAVY HEAVYTOWING TOWINGSOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS WITH SUPER HEAVY TOWING SOLUTIONS

ROAD NOISE NEWS

Safety alert issued for cardan shaft parking brakes

W

aka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency has issued a safety alert for owners and drivers of vehicles fitted with cardan shaft parking brakes.

The safety alert aims to raise awareness of the limitations of the brake mechanism, including the potential risks of parking on slopes.

Cardan shaft parking brakes (also known as driveshaft park brakes) are fitted to many small to medium trucks and a small number of passenger service vehicles. They differ from ‘normal’ parking brake systems by preventing the vehicle’s driveshaft from turning rather than directly preventing the rear wheels turning.

Four incidents involving cardan shaft brakes in New Zealand have resulted in fatalities over the past decade, including brakes fitted to road vehicles as well as off-road equipment.

A previous technical bulletin issued by WorkSafe in 2018 provided information for vehicle operators on the safe use of these brake systems and how they can fail. The Waka Kotahi safety alert provides further detail to advise owners and operators on how the brakes are designed, and what precautions to take when using them.

“Owners and drivers of vehicles with cardan shaft park brakes need to understand

the brake’s designs and their limitations,” says acting director of land transport, Neil Cook.

The brake’s design means the vehicle may roll away when parked on a slope, especially if the load is changing or if the vehicle is parked on an unstable surface. Cook said drivers should avoid parking on slopes or use wheel chocks when parked on a slope and when the vehicle is jacked.

“In addition, drivers should be aware that the parkbrake lever may require more force than they are used to, especially if they don’t drive a vehicle with this type of park brake regularly. More force may also be required when the vehicle is fully laden.”

The brakes need to be serviced regularly to maintain performance.

“Owners also need to make sure that any person driving their vehicle knows it is fitted with a cardan shaft park brake and what the limitations of the brakes are.”

A more rigorous in-service check of the brakes’ performance using a roller brake machine test during sixmonthly certificate of fitness (CoF) inspections is expected to be introduced for most classes of vehicles with cardan shaft parking brakes from 1 October 2022.

SUPPORTING THOSE WHO KEEP TARANAKI MOVING. We've been supporting local businesses just like M.C. Fale Transport for over 85 years, by providing finance to help them grow. So, whether you’re an owner driver or the owner of an entire fleet, we’re here to help carry the load. We’ve got flexible finance options and expert advice to help keep your business humming for years to come.

Tim Bennett Commercial Manager - Taranaki

Apply here

027 289 8270

TALK TO YOUR LOCAL TEAM MEMBER TODAY

Visit udc.co.nz/localteam

UDC Finance Limited

Safeguard the road ahead.

Discover our advanced safety systems.

Our latest generation of trucks come with an impressive range of technologies that operate behind the scenes to monitor traffic situations, perform pre-emptive measures, and help reduce the risk of a collision. From the Electronic Stability Program to Active Brake Assist 5, these innovative safety features often go unnoticed; acting as invisible guardians that help keep the driver, their load, and other road users safe. Trucks that are safer are also more efficient, as they help relieve the driver’s workload and limit unnecessary vehicle downtime. and Mercedes-Benz are trademarks of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

Watch our invisible guardians in action.

COVER FEATURE

RAPID ADVANCEMENT

Being in the right place at the right time, having the right attitude and being prepared to take the right risks can lead to considerable growth for a transport business. Keeping everything on track during that time comes with challenges, but Mike Fale’s journey shows just how this can be done.

Story photos and video by Carl Kirkbeck and Gavin Myers Archive photos: Fale collection

PART I

BEDFORD STREET BEGINNINGS

S

itting around the lunchroom table with Mike Fale of MC Fale Transport, we ask how it all started.

Mike explains with a beaming smile and a glint in the eye.

“Well, that would be my brother and myself on a Sunday afternoon growing up on Bedford Street in Patea in the late 1970s… I would have been about eight years old. I don’t know how we came to do it, but we used to sit out the front of the house and listen to the stock trucks heading to and from the Patea Freezing Works (the glory days before its unfortunate closure – Ed).

“We used to take turns covering our eyes, then guess what make of truck was coming up the hill. I think back quite fondly to those days now. As kids, it was trucks, school, athletics and amateur boxing. The world was far simpler in those days.

You wouldn’t see a hi-vis vest back then!” laughs Mike.

Diesel in the DNA “It is funny; I sort of always felt I had diesel in the veins – like I was born to do it. My grandfather Ward Fale had a

small trucking company as he was a distributor of Chevron Fuels at Moses Creek, situated in central Washington state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He had between three and five trucks, a couple of bigger ones as well, delivering to the growers in the area.”

Unfortunately, Mike never got the opportunity to see his grandad’s fleet. His uncles Pat and Glen both did stints driving for Ward. “It’s funny, out of all my cousins and siblings, I was the one who had the diesel in the veins, no one else.”

Mike started working parttime while in his teens at Eric Darrah’s yard in Stratford, helping in the workshop and “mucking around driving the spreaders”.

“Stan Davidson was a senior driver at the time. Stan would arrive back in the yard and get me to back his Kenworth into the bins so I could learn how to reverse. It was great grounding,” Mike recalls.

When Mike turned 18, Eric was kind enough to let him use the company’s International Paystar to do his truck and trailer HT test. “I did it all in one go. The cop was

a real good bugger. He asked me if I could back up the truck and trailer, and I was straight up and said, ‘Sort of. It is still a work in progress.’

“He said, ‘You’re a good honest young man. I tell you what; I will do you a bit of a favour. We will pop around and use the entrance into the racecourse. It has a nice big apron and will make it a bit easier for you.’ As we drove there, I remember telling him that it was a real pig of a trailer to reverse and that the big steering wheel made it a bit harder, trying to make all the excuses under the sun.

Anyway, we backed it in first go. He signed me off and wished me good luck with my career. Job done.”

Gentle kickoff In about 2001, Mike was driving a tanker for Kiwi Dairies on farm collections. “It’s funny.

I always seem to have had something to do with dairy farms and the rural sector, whether picking up milk, doing hay bales or contracting.

I’ve always liked trucks and machinery as well as being outdoors, so they go hand in hand, really.”

Meeting Sonia, his wife

and partner, solidified that connection. Sonia has strong ties to the Central Taranaki farming community, herself being raised on the family farm on the outskirts of Stratford.

“When we got together, we eventually went to live on and manage Sonia’s family farm.

We progressed from there to 25%, 50/50 sharemilking and then a lease agreement, which we still do. But I could not do it without at least some diesel in my life. So, I purchased a mower for the tractor and did as much as I could on the farm.

“Operating machinery of any kind was always of interest to me. The tractor work allowed me to make up for what I lost with the trucks – fair to say, farm life was not going to work for me without some diesel in among it somewhere.”

As external contracting increased, the need for a transporter eventually arose.

Mike stumbled across an ex-Halls ‘gumboot’ Scania T142 for sale. It was perfect for his needs. A small low loader was teamed up with the Scania, and Mike was trucking again. He did his fair share of milking in the cowshed with some contracting on the side,

Mike Fale’s passion for diesel has driven him to take some big steps. Right: The ‘gumboot’ Scania in original Halls livery with Sonia’s encouraging grandfather, Jim Swindlehurst, along for the ride.

The ‘gumboot’ later as Mike had it on low-loader duty. “I absolutely loved that truck,” says Mike.

but life in the shed was not for him, and left him feeling as though he was being held back from his passion.

About five years ago a decision was made to purchase an older 400hp Isuzu tipper for the farm. It was ideal for spreading metal on the races as well as collecting palm kernel but most important of all, it gave Mike time behind the wheel again.

“All that was good, but what I had not considered was other farmers in our community had seen what I could do and began to call me to collect and deliver product for them. MC Fale Transport really started with that one old Isuzu.”

Broadened horizons One day, Mike was asked if he could do a few loads for Nutrinza Animal Nutrients.

26 New Zealand Trucking

“Well, I did one and then two and then four and then eight and then 16… It was fast reaching the point where it was taking up most of my day, so Sonia and I made a plan to employ extra help on the farm, freeing me up to run the truck,” Mike explains.

“This extra work was the catalyst that led us to the first new truck – a Freightliner Coronado bought through Trevor McCallum of Prestige Commercial Vehicles in Christchurch (now CablePrice).

Trevor truly went above and beyond with that purchase and helped us immensely. I ran that for a while, and all was going well. Then I got a call from Nutrinza managing director Warren Morritt, who asked if we would take on extra workload. I said no, as I would not be able to keep up with demand, and he said,

September 2022

‘Well, best you get some more [trucks] then.’

“It was a big step for us.

We had the two units running for a long time, looking after our own clients as well as the bulk store transfers, so things were already busy. On top of this, Nutrinza was growing its business output and gaining more market share. This meant the two trucks were now struggling to keep up with demand.”

As time went by, looking to take that next step, Mike contacted Ballance Agri Nutrients to secure some extra work. At that time, the Ballance transport model was structured to only deal with larger operators, so it recommended Mike subcontract to a larger firm. “That was not on the cards for us. If you have to rely on someone else to delegate the work to

you regularly, you must have a guaranteed formula that works for both parties, or you really are just grabbing the leftovers.

And at that level, you might as well not be doing the job at all as there is no money in that type of work from where we are based in Stratford.

“At the end of the day, you have to make a profit.

Some jobs might be a bit of a favour, but it cannot be like that across the board because you are just not going to be successful. I mean, it’s hard enough to operate a small business in New Zealand as it is,” Mike says.

Evolving opportunities Contracts with Ballance Agri Nutrients come up for review every three years, so in 2020, Mike had another go.

“Man, those contracts are

John pulls into the Broadway HQ.

Left: Mike with the International Paystar that got him his HT licence. Right: A stint behind the wheel for Glen Oroua before moving onto the farm.

extensive. I thought I needed a degree or something to decipher it all. I got some outside help to assist me,” Mike says with a laugh.

“It was well worth the effort as we were given a few stores – not a great deal of work, but certainly enough to take our business to that next level and link us up with other cartage options around the North Island and get us going without swamping us.

Ballance Agri has been very supportive of this, and it’s very much a work-in-progress relationship, which we appreciate greatly.”

Mike explains that the new curtainsider Arocs was “a calculated risk”. “I believed that the work was there and that the tipping curtainsider combination was the unit for the task. So we put it on the road with the right man

behind the wheel and it is now proving its worth, so much so that we are fielding calls from other organisations with possible backloads for us. The word is getting around.”

All this growth in just five years was certainly a bit of a whirlwind for Mike. “It’s been a bit dangerous as well, the level of investment that’s been required, but that’s where good working relationships come in. Tim Bennett and Mathew Richards at UDC have been a massive help to us. You do have to be careful as growth can hurt you. It must be done right, and you need the right advice around you.”

Mike leans heavily on technology to help the dayto-day. “I have been using MyTrucking for five years now and working with Ballance

we have now integrated M2X, its chosen platform/booking system. With MyTrucking linking up to EROAD, I can look at the big picture and make on-the-spot decisions.

We are operating at a fairly high level now. The extra effort spent training yourself, learning how to utilise the systems correctly, really does allow you to manage your business more effectively.

“We’re getting to that size of about five trucks now where we can manipulate it.

But that’s the hard bit.”

The path forward The growth also meant Mike had to broaden his skillset and move from being a driver to being a dispatcher and manager. It’s just him in the office, with a support channel to call on if needed. “I can now see why drivers jump out

The MC Fale team (from left): John Langlands, Iain Parker, Mike Fale and Scott Rowland.

of the cab to go and step into the despatch office, then two weeks later they are running out the door, jumping back into the cab again. I sure could have done that a few times myself. But you learn some hard lessons and you learn some good lessons.”

While Mike has sometimes done relief driving, he’s found it’s not good for the business.

He’ll manage the pallets in the warehouse and if he gets a chance, deliver them with the company’s Hino 500 curtainsider.

“I feel staff are everything in a business. They are an investment, and I’ve concentrated on that,” he says. “We have had to find what works for everyone and have a good mix of local and out-of-town work, so plenty of variety. The drivers naturally want to be home

with family, so we try to keep it a Monday-to-Friday operation and try our best to get them finished early on Friday. But they know we’re running a business, and in Stratford, we sit between two main centres, so we have quite hard competition.

Sometimes things must be done, but generally, we leave the guys alone on the weekends,” he says.

“The guys like fact that I’ve been a driver and shifted into despatch and ownership. I have an idea of how long things take to do and I know what hold-ups are about. Understanding the coalface, the pressures of driving and the state of the roads in this country – we’ve got stress no question, but 60 hours in five days, that’s enough.

We’re finding that sweet spot.”

On that note, Mike acknowledges his drivers who have stuck with him.

“We wouldn’t be operating at this level without them.

They’re extremely good with the farmers and client relationships, and the local farmers in Taranaki support us very well. There’s always been a rule that if our guys are invited onto a client’s site that we are sub-contracted into, there is no trying to pinch their work from underneath them. I don’t believe in that style of business. You can’t be everyone’s friend in business, but you’ve got to have other like-minded businesses in the same game also,” says Mike.

“I’m pretty confident we’re doing it right. The speed bumps along the way are normal and are characterbuilding, but it’s all about how you react, who’s backing you, and who is in it for the long haul.”

John Langlands: truckie, family man and all-round affable bloke.

GIVING IT A GO

A

s you might imagine, we love getting into the cab of a truck, and the man behind the wheel says: “I’ve been collecting New Zealand Trucking since I was about 12 years old.” It was no surprise then that 35-year-old John Langlands always had a desire to get behind the wheel and go truckin’.

“I had an obsession with trucks since I was little – anything with an engine, actually. I did other things, but as the years went by, I wanted to drive trucks more and more,” he begins.

Born in Hawera and raised in Bell Block, John started his working life at 17-and-a-half on a dairy farm near Okaiawa.

“Maybe that’s where the diesel influence came in, I was on the little Fergie 35 around the age of 12. Lucky for me, that was still the tail end of the era before things turned soft.

Kids could get out and make stuff and climb trees and do things without the government coming out with its measuring stick,” he quips.

On the farm, John did everything down to artificially inseminating the cows, which is probably enough to nudge anyone with diesel in their veins to get into the driver’s seat more permanently. So off he went contracting and driving tractors for a while before finding an ‘in’ with

Taranaki’s Jackson Transport.

“A good friend suggested I apply for a yarding position at Jacksons and start there, washing and loading the trucks, that sort of thing. I gave it a go and I did almost three years with them. They put me through my classes to full truck and trailer. To be honest, I dragged my heels with the trailer licence, but once I got it I thought, ‘Shit, I should’ve gone for it sooner.’

“So I went from a yarding contract to a driving contract, and I thank Jacksons for giving me a start and a chance. I probably started by being thrown into the deepend for someone with little driving experience.”

With three young boys at home – Tyson (8), Brax (6) and Felix (18 months) – there was a clear need for a better work/life balance and the opportunity to join MC Fale Transport provided just that.

“I actually missed out the first time Mike advertised for a driver. I put my CV in too late.

The second time, my wife gave me a boot up the arse and sent in my CV for me,” John says with a laugh.

“When I went for the interview, Mike didn’t try to paint a pretty picture. We go hard Monday to Friday, sure. But he tries to set up Fridays so we’re back in the yard reasonably early to give

the trucks a wash. And that’s it. Weekends are really only needed if it’s a necessity to keep everything rolling for the next week. In the year I’ve worked with Mike, I think I’ve worked just four weekends.

“So, with a young family, the balance works mint,” he says.

Adding to that balance is that John is one of the few truck-driving fathers fortunate enough to be able to take his kids out in the truck with him.

“Tyson is on the low end of the autism spectrum. He’s really intelligent and onto shit.

He’s truck-mad and has been with me a few times. Brax came for his first ride about six months ago, and he absolutely loved it. Any chance they get to go for a ride, they love it.

They’ve got the wave going on. They know other truckies are saying ‘hello’ when they flash their lights. Felix, haha, he was up at 4.30 this morning, at my knee with the biggest grin on, ready to go to work with me,” John says with a laugh.

“They’re full throttle, real boys, three of them… Oh, mate, they love anything with wheels. They’ll sit on the roadside and watch the trucks.

“Tyson goes to bed with my New Zaeland Trucking magazines and has a read.

He’s real into it.”

Like father like son(s)… We love it!

PART 2

A TRUCK FOR THE FUTURE

I

t’s been a fair while since New Zealand Trucking jumped aboard the latest generation of products with the three-pointed star in the grille. Yes, in April this year, we featured six of them, but that was entirely an exercise to explore Daimler Truck’s MirrorCam technology as thoroughly and fairly as possible. In fact, the last time we featured one in-depth was in the July 2019 issue, when we hopped aboard Carr & Haslam’s Arocs 3246 10-car transporter.

That was less than six months before the latest iteration of the Actros (MP5) and heavy-duty Arocs models were shown to New Zealand and almost a full Covid-delayed year before they officially hit the road.

And with it all came the introduction of MirrorCam, the MultiMedia Cockpit, and a suite of advanced electronic safety systems. We’d have a lot to get to grips with during our time with the MC Fale team and with one mirrored Arocs 3258, and one mirrorless Arocs 3258 in the fleet

lined up to run a similar route, there could be no better opportunity…

But that’s all to come. What about the Daimler group of trucks suits Mike’s business? Except for a DAF CF530, the MC Fale fleet has embraced Freightliner, Fuso and Mercedes-Benz.

“There are a few reasons for that,” Mike begins, explaining the model lineage. “We had a Freightliner Coronado, which was a bit limited capacity-wise. We do a lot of ‘light’ bulky stuff, such as DDGs [Dried

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 29

Distiller Grains], and we weren’t getting the loads in.

So that was replaced with the first Arocs, which has run great. We also had an older Mitsubishi Shogun FV430, which we replaced with a 2019 Fuso HD470. That was one of the last before the latest generation Shogun came out, and it’s done 300,000km now.”

Naturally, as Mike developed his plan for the new curtainsider tipper, the new Arocs was an obvious candidate as the base. But he still had an Americansized itch that needed to be scratched, which he did just a few weeks before we arrived. “Ah, the Coronado 122 out front – that’s a good, tough truck. It’ll run parttime filling in the gaps,” Mike says. Those who notice it on the road may place it as the ex-Bill Hammond unit we featured on the cover of our October 2017 issue.

“Look, the first thing I considered when buying the new trucks was bringing things together. I thought the integration between all Daimler’s models was not a bad concept. German engineering, a bit of American muscle, and Japanese technology – it works for me that we’re not too much one way or the other, and it can also ease the transition between the trucks for the drivers.

“But, we will probably get to the stage where we’re just running Mercs.”

Older, but not old Mike had a good run lined up for us to see the new unit in action. We had a quick preview the day before as we followed the trucks out to Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Kapuni, where they loaded up with urea before parking up overnight. An early morning start would see drivers John Langlands, Iain Parker and

30 New Zealand Trucking

Scott Rowland in the Fuso all head north, with Iain and Scott running together up to Te Awamutu, from where John continued to Cambridge, then onto SH1 before heading in the direction of the Kaimais for Ballance Mount Maunganui. This gave us the fortunate opportunity to experience the two Arocs in succession, so we hopped aboard with Iain first to reacquaint ourselves with the more ‘old-school’ of the two.

At first glance, there’s not much old-school about Iain’s truck. It’s all of three years old, and with 207,000km under its wheels, it’s only just getting into its stride.

The furthest Iain goes in the general southerly direction is Manawatu or Te Awamutu to the north. “Mike seems to find slots that suit horses for courses,” Iain comments.

“And I’m more than happy with that.”

Iain’s bathtubs were loaded with 34.5 tonnes of urea.

“We try to keep it under our 54-tonne permit, leave a bit of leeway for variations between weighbridges,” he comments.

Our only experience of Iain’s 3258 under load would be the southern side of Mt Messenger. As he wound the Arocs up the dark road, it pulled steadily, dropping down to 20kph at 1600rpm in sixth at the tightest pinch.

The PowerShift transmission held seventh most of the way, moving up to ninth as Iain got his speed up to about 40kph approaching the summit.

“I do flick the transmission into power mode for climbing the hills,” he remarks, “and then drop it into manual for the downhill. Auto can let the revs operate too high for me.”

You might be hard-pressed to pick Iain’s Arocs as a previous-generation model.

The instrument binnacle houses four crisp gauges in two pods that flank an LCD information screen, all September 2022

The big Arocs waits patiently in the Ballance Mount shed while John susses out the tipping situation.

classily backlit in white and blue. The dash wrap houses a touchscreen infotainment system that’s perhaps a bit smaller than one might expect in a modern truck.

Below are easy-to-fathom climate controls and a bank of accessory and auxiliary switches. The profile of the A-pillars viewed straight ahead is narrow, and there’s a fair gap to the side before the mirror housing. But these

are big, solid mirror units, and they do seem to cast quite the blind spot.

“You have to take an extra bit more time pulling out from a junction to make sure there’s no car you’ve missed blocked by the mirror housing,” Iain says.

Versatility in action Our first opportunity to jump aboard the new Arocs with John was for his tip

at Ballance Mt Maunganui.

The day after our run, Mike received the truck’s 54-tonne HPMV permit, but up to that point, John was running at 50Max. His load of urea for the Mount weighed in at 27.2 tonne, split 12 on the truck and 15.2 on the trailer.

The bump in payload was a no-brainer for Mike to get full use from the unit, as it has a relatively heavy tare of 22.7 tonne, the truck coming in at

13.48 tonnes and the trailer at 9.3. By comparison, Iain’s unit weighs in at 19 tonne, split 12.7 tonne and 6.3 tonne.

Placing a set of hydraulic rams under a flat-deck curtainsider will always come with a bit of compromise, deck length compared with a conventional bathtub tipper chief among them. At full tip of 51°, the 10.5m-long trailer body will reach 10.77m into the air, the 7.4m-long

truck body 8.2m, so exactly where the unit is deployed to tip needs to be taken into consideration. The Ballance shed is sizeable, to say the least, so John has no issues here tipping the trailer. He then pulls forward, uncouples the trailer and backs up the truck to the designated bin.

It’s a tight fit side to side, and there’s not much room to manoeuvre the truck into position. Getting it in requires

a fair amount of steering wheel twirling and transmission wand flicking – and ultimate reliance on the MirrorCams.

It’s here the distance markers on the screens come into their own – with the rear end of the truck clearly marked by the bottom blue line. It’s a case of ‘easy does it’ and ‘get out and double check’, but before long, John has the bin in the air for the tip.

Before we depart, there’s

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 31

one more quirk of a tipping bulk curtainsider to be addressed, sweeping out the bits of bulk caught by the inner flaps of curtain. On the way out, John eases the big Arocs down a narrow ramp alongside an unnervingly close steel upright. Although he’s got his eyes fixed on the MirrorCam display watching the trailer, John again takes the opportunity to get out and check his clearance.

“We’ve probably got half a foot, but I don’t mind. It’s easier taking a minute instead

of guessing and tearing your curtains. It would’ve been alright if I’d been in here before, but anything new I will get out and check,” he says, explaining that’s not a comment on the picture portrayed by the MirrorCam’s 15-inch screens. In fact, it matches the ambient lighting levels within the shed and remains sharp throughout.

From Ballance, John heads up the road to Contract Packaging and Storage. There, we have a demonstration of the unit

John waits his turn behind Iain at the Ballance Kapuni hopper.

in curtainsider mode. The Straitline Canvas curtains are unlatched and loosened on their ratchets and the poles are unclipped via simple thumb catches and slid to the side, before it’s all opened up to accept 26 tonnes of palleted product. The load is split 10 tonnes on the truck and 16 on trailer, bringing us in at 49 tonnes all up for the trip home.

“This unit really is awesome for versatility. We’ve done timber, bags of fert, bulk… as far out as Whangarei. It’s

doing what it was designed to do, and I’m happy using it. The concept is good, the overall build is good,” John says.

Bells and whistles In the year John has been a part of Mike’s team, he piloted the DAF for six months, the Arocs Iain’s in now for four, and by the time we’d caught up with him, he’d been in the MirrorCam Arocs for two months and 12,200km.

If the cab appointments of the older Arocs might

not initially come across as ‘previous-gen’, taking a seat in the latest iteration might be a shock to the system.

Pared-back and minimalist is probably the best description of Mercedes-Benz’s MultiMedia Cockpit concept.

Gone are the classy gauges and conventional switchgear we spoke of earlier, and in their place are two 12-inch customisable screens that, according to Mercedes-Benz, “present information in supercrisp detail, giving the driver more control and information

in a clear and stylish manner”.

The driver’s ‘instrument’ screen presents speed and revs in two simple round gauges, with central numerical readout of speed in the speedo and gear selection in the rev counter. At the bottom of each gauge sit the fuel and DEF levels. Sharing the right-hand wheel spoke with the cruise control buttons is a touchpad with which the driver can select the information displayed in the area between the gauges.

Similarly, the left-hand

wheel spoke houses audio and telephone buttons as well as a touchpad for controlling the centre touchscreen without having to lift a hand off the wheel. MercedesBenz has fitted hard buttons for temperature and volume adjustment, and shortcut buttons to call up climate control, navigation, phone and audio, as well as truck settings, information and auxiliaries such as the PTO. “Yeah, I acclimatised pretty quickly,” says John.

“But touchscreen systems

1

2 1) Looking back, the MirrorCam works pretty well. 2) A handy check button at the bottom of the key fob allows for quick and easy prestarts.

L-Cab Arocs means the cab is both 2.3m wide and deep, with more than enough comfort for the odd night away from home. A scent-filled T-Rex finds a home on the Arocs’ dash, like Daffy Duck did in the DAF. John wanted Barney the Dinosaur along for the ride, but at least Rex’s teeth match the Arocs grille.

Mike whips the pallets into the warehouse during the early hours. in general… I’d rather have the buttons. It can be a little tedious to find some functions, and you sort of have to commit to memory how to do certain things. You get used to it, it’s OK – and I haven’t been on the old one for a while, so I don’t know how I’d feel going back to it – but nothing beats oldfashioned buttons or dials where everything’s just there.”

One feature of the system John really likes is the truckspecific navigation. “You set the dimensions and weights of the unit, and it’ll give you a truer estimate of your times than normal GPS. I use it to keep track of my progress because it’s bang on. At

most, something like mobile traffic lights could throw it out by around 10 minutes,” he says.

Right, so what about the big one – how does John get along with MirrorCam? “They’re awesome,” he answers almost before I can finish asking. “I was a bit hesitant, like most people would be, but I wouldn’t go back. Not when they’re so good on the motorway in peak Auckland traffic; you can see all the lanes around you, and the wide angle is great. You flick between the two [standard and wide-angle views], and you get a big picture of what’s around you.

In Auckland driving especially,

I’d have these over standard mirrors.”

One criticism of the system commonly noted in our April article was MirrorCam’s ability to adapt to rapidly changing light conditions.

With the second generation now available in Europe, Mercedes-Benz is said to have addressed this. “Backing into a change of light is a bit of a problem, but at night you can’t fault them. They absorb all the light around, and the picture is a lot clearer than normal mirrors,” John says.

“They generally stay clean, if you get a tailwind it can blow rain on them, but you’re only wiping off a tiny lens, not a full mirror. I love the cams.”

The notable difference in forward vision between Iain’s and John’s trucks is the absence of the physical mirror housing. The additional width at the A-pillar due to the placement of the screens truly is negligible once you realise how much the view is opened up with the deletion of conventional mirrors.

“I’ve come out of Inter 9800s and K200 Kenworths – the flashest thing they’ve got is a Bluetooth stereo,” John says with a laugh. “And you get out of this at the end of a 14-hour day, and you feel like you can do it again easily.

One of those, and you’ll rather start again tomorrow.”

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

Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3258 8x4 Tare: 9250kg chassis cab GVM: 32,000kg GCM: 80,000kg Wheelbase: 5815mm Engine: Mercedes-Benz OM473 MirrorCam balances light well and gives a sharp picture in the shed.

Comfort and performance A comfortable truck is something of an asset these days. SH3, especially, is currently in a less-thansmooth condition. John doesn’t mince his words on the topic: “You know when you get back to Taranaki. The road is bad, piss poor. But in saying that, there’s been a shitload of rain this year.”

The Arocs was spec’d with the 2.3m-wide ClassicSpace Large Cab, which is mounted on steel spring suspension.

The rear suspension is a Mercedes-Benz eight-bag air system, and John gets to perch on an air-suspended driver’s seat. Suffice to say,

the ride’s perhaps not quite as plush as some Euro rivals, but it ain’t bad either.

Being a ClassicSpace L-Cab means a floor-toceiling height of 1590mm and 2.3m of cab depth, allowing for a 750mm-wide bed. “The truck is awesome overnight, the bunk is comfy-as,” John comments.

The meaty bits comprise of the Mercedes-Benz OM473, a 15.6-litre Euro-6 powerplant that puts out 431kW (580hp) at 1600rpm and 2800Nm (2065lb/ft) at 1100rpm. Drive goes through the OEM’s G330 12-speed PowerShift AMT with economy, standard, power and manual modes.

While the mileage covered

Capacity: 15.8 litre Power: 431kW (580hp) at 1600rpm Torque: 2800Nm (2065lb/ft) at 1100rpm Emissions: Euro-6 Transmission: Mercedes-Benz G330 12-seed AMT Clutch: Double Disc Clutch Chassis: Steel 7.53mm x 71mm x 850mm, 760mm width, heavy-duty crossmembers Front axle: Mercedes-Benz Front axle rating: 7500kg x 2 Front-suspension: Mercedes-Benz dual parabolic springs Rear axle: Mercedes-Benz hypoid 440 crown wheel, 3.583:1 Rear-axle rating: 20,000kg Rear suspension: Mercedes-Benz eight-bag air suspension Brakes: Disc brakes front and rear Auxiliary braking: Three-stage Jacobs engine brake, 480kW Additional safety: Driver’s airbag, smoke detector in cab, bi-xenon headlights, led daytime running lights, cornering lights, headlamp cleaning system, stability assist control, reverse warning beeper with hazard lights, seat belt monitor, active brake assist 5 Additional productivity:

Electronic park brake, automatic park brake engagement with engine switch off, door open and 0kph

Fuel: 510 litre DEF tank: 60 litre Wheels: Alcoa Durabrite alloy wheels Tyres: 275/70 R22.5 Electrical: 24V Cab exterior: Bumper with steel corners, chrome hub caps, nut covers & floormats, stoneguard and sunvisor, monsoons, air horn mounted on roof.

One delivery of 15.2 tonnes of urea.

Cab interior: ClassicSpace L-Cab 2.3m wide, comfort steel spring-cab suspension, adjustable steering column, multimedia cockpit, electric windows, air conditioning.

Standard, multi-function steering wheel, comfort air suspension driver’s seat, hydraulic electric cab tilt, light and rain sensors, roof hatch, extended central locking with key, door extension, mirror cam, fridge.

Options: Illuminated Mercedes-Benz star

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 35

thus far could probably be considered negligible, the Arocs gets on well with a staunch bellow emanating from below the cab under load.

John had her sitting at 29kph in sixth at 1650rpm, climbing the Kaimais on our way into the Mount. On our way back to Stratford, the climb out of Te Kuiti was tackled at 31kph in seventh at 1750rpm, and the northern side of Mt Messenger at 35kph in eighth at 1450rpm. With a 3.583:1 rear end, the OM473 settles around 1300rpm at a steady 90kph.

Currently, the Arocs is averaging 1.9km/l, which will no doubt improve as the mileage clocks up.

John comments that he’ll flick the transmission into eco mode on motorways, utilise the extra revs afforded by the power mode when climbing hills, and occasionally run it in manual if “it dicks around trying to find a gear”.

Probably just the system learning…

For descending hills, the Arocs is equipped with a three-stage Jacobs engine brake that offers up 480kW of holdback. John comments that it’ll run right to 2300rpm, and he’s found it can be a touch aggressive in stage three, grabbing gears. A neat touch with the digital tacho, though, is the appearance of an orange band in the optimum part of the rev range when the Jake is activated.

The Arocs is equipped with the full suite of Daimler Truck safety equipment.

That’s the safety pack inclusive of stability control assist, proximity control assist, active brake assist 5, lane keeping assist and attention assist.

John says the systems can be a little oversensitive, sometimes picking up railings and marker pegs.

TURNING UP THE HEAT

W

ith a history steeped in product development and innovation, Russell Hotter and his Eltham-based business Hotter Engineering are no strangers to working at the sharp end of the industry. So, when the opportunity came across Russell’s desk to build a 22.88m, 80-tonne GCM tipping curtainsider nine-axle truck and trailer unit for Mike Fale, it was game on.

Hotter, a well-established general engineering company with a worldwide reputation for exporting rotary milking systems, was looking to diversify into transport engineering. It was a true opportunity to showcase its already well-honed, digitally driven production skills.

A new basket “Transport engineering is quite new for us,” explains Russell Hotter, managing director.

“We made the jump into the sector in 2018. Our game was rotary milking sheds. We were manufacturing them here in Eltham and sending them worldwide. It was Covid that screwed us – we lost our export market overnight; 90%

of what we made all went overseas. We were sending a 40ft container out once a week. At one stage, we were the largest user of steel in Taranaki. When Covid hit, we had 27 platform projects on order. However, with all the global lockdowns, we only ever completed two out of 27.

“We realised before the pandemic that we had all our eggs in one basket, so we were already looking at diversifying. The opportunity to move into transport engineering arose because Bruce Nickel of Nickel Engineering just down the road in Normanby, was looking to move away from transport. Taranaki is a small place, especially South Taranaki, and I always had this unwritten rule that you do not stand on each other’s toes. Bruce was doing transport, so we didn’t go there – and vice versa, we did cowsheds, so Bruce stayed away from those. There was mutual respect; it worked really well.

“I went to see Bruce and said, ‘If you are not doing this anymore, do you mind if we do?’ and he said, ‘No, not at

all – fill your boots. Good luck, it’s not as easy as it looks.’

And I have to agree with him now – currently, the margins just aren’t there, but it gave us a new direction and that was motivating.”

Pushing boundaries On Mike’s project, Hotter Engineering worked alongside Chris Ward from TransTech Dynamics out of Dunedin.

Chris was asked to jump on board and provide a design.

“We had worked with Chris before on other projects. He has an extensive knowledge of the industry and is extremely innovative with his ideas, pushing the boundaries to look for solutions,” Russell says of Chris. “I find our thinking is very similar – always looking to push the envelope in search of improvements and efficiencies.”

Russell continues: “All the years manufacturing rotary cowsheds, we were heavily involved in design and innovation, always seeking to perfect the products that we were exporting overseas by implementing

The remote for unlocking and tipping bins complements the manual controls, which are mounted behind the cab as a backup. Receiver for remote mounted behind the cab.

new technologies and procedures. Our history with the production of rotary cowsheds meant working with CAD, and 3D digital modelling was commonplace.

“What was interesting was when the 3D digital model was sent through to us from Chris, our more recently employed transport engineering staff had never really worked off a 3D digital model. They had mostly worked with basic drawings or drawings from a certifier, and that is a completely different world to a 3D model from a designer.”

At first, Russell printed off about 40 different views of the model for the fabricators to envisage exactly what they were building. But eventually, they would instead go straight to Russell to bring up the model on screen. “The ability to hide different layers of the build so that you could see how various parts interfaced with each other made it so easy to understand.

The ease of point-to-point measurements removed the

guesswork. The boys were just blown away by how simple it was to use.”

Efficient accuracy Every part of Chris’ design (except the likes of bushes, etc) is formed from flat hightensile Bisalloy steel, which is laser-cut and folded, with all the parts designed to tab into each other. This greatly speeds up the fabrication time. “In effect, you could build the entire chassis of the trailer without a tape measure – that is the magic of integrated design, where all the parts come together and, by design, perfectly align and lock into one another,” Russell comments.

This meticulous approach to fabrication also plays into the hands of another area of advanced engineering. “It was back in 2000 when we invested in our first robot welder. We learnt early on that self-jigging by design was the best way forward. The robot was our best quality-control guy on the factory floor; if it welded in the wrong place,

Sleek lockers mounted in pairs on each side of the trailer.

it wasn’t the robot that was wrong, it was the material that was incorrectly located.

So, getting our interlocking and self-jigging designs of items that needed welding spot on was critical. This way, the part could never be fitted incorrectly and meant perfect placement and connection every time.”

The ability to use the tools and technology at hand allows the team to design and configure rapid and 3D prototyping, which quickly presents accurate answers, says Russell. “Accurate answers are where you find efficiencies.”

Russell is proud that the whole build for MC Fale Transport, including fabrication, blast and paint, assembly, hydraulics and electrics was completed in house. The build is a true example of using technology and automation within transport engineering to take accuracy, fit and finish to the next level. The trailer and body for Mike’s build are a complex design. However,

using technology the way the team at Hotter Engineering has, made it extremely easy to put together.

“It literally clicked into place,” says Russell.

“When the wheel-alignment contractor scanned his lasers over the unit, the most extreme misalignment on any of the axles was only 0.4°. His tolerance is 2°.”

You couldn’t ask for much more than that in a build, and it’s fair to say that the Hotter Engineering team’s fresh thinking and technologybased approach to transport engineering will definitely turn the thermostat up a notch within the industry.

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 37

Doing it right Mike Fale and his team at MC Fale Transport illustrate how a rapidly growing fledgling business can be done right.

It proves the worth in being connected to the industry they serve, understanding their clients’ needs and respecting where they’re coming from. Mike’s respect for his team and approach to managing operations show, too, that limits don’t need to be pushed to get the job done and make a success of it. And finally, his journey shows the value in having the right tool for the job – and not being afraid to take a calculated risk to create that tool, partnering with the right minds to put it on the road.

“I am from a family that did not have a lot of money.

I have had to work myself up to where we are now from pretty much a standstill start,” says Mike. “There certainly have been hiccups where I’ve

John rolls into Otorohanga.

wondered what I’m doing. I’ll never say it’s easy, but you need to take on the pressure and look at things with an open mind.

“It gets real busy, and it can be a real headache, but there have been plenty of days also where it’s been quite a blast to achieve all the tasks; when everything’s gone right, you’ve ticked all the boxes, your clients have paid their bills, and you can have a beer on a Friday!” Mike says with a laugh.

Doing it right? We’d say so.

Taranaki’s Mt Messenger, soon to be consigned to trucking lore.

Special Thanks Thanks to Mike and Sonia Fale, John Langlands, Iain Parker and Scott Rowland for having us along, telling us your stories, and sharing our enthusiasm for everything we needed to do to get the story.

Thanks to Russell Hotter for the insightful factory tour and your candid explanation of the trailer and body build process. You’re surely onto something!

Last but not least, thanks to Trevor McCallum at CablePrice Christchurch for your support and supplying the technical detail on the truck.

YOUR HAMMAR. YOUR WAY

HAMMAR 195:

+ Versatile – PrecisionLeg™ for optimal stabilising + Light – low tare + Strong – 36-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) or 40-tonne option + Stable – legs extend for firm base and transfer + Weighing – by each crane or total + High lift – ideal for stacking option + Reach – long outreach cranes + Ease – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design + Safety+™ – computer monitored handling as std + SDS – Hammar Soft-Drive System + Flex – Trailer or Truckmounted

HAMMAR 110: + Fast + Narrow + Light + Safe + Reach + Weighing + Strong + Stable + High lift + Ease + Safety+™ + SDS + Flex

– new SledgeLeg™ technology, 50% faster – SledgeLeg™ use for confined spaces – from 8.4-tonne tare – optimal crane geometry – long outreach cranes – by each crane or total – 36-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) – legs extend for firm base and transfer – ideal for stacking option – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design – computer monitored handling as std – Hammar Soft-Drive System – Trailer or Truckmounted

HAMMAR 130:

+ Versatile – handles two 20’ containers or one 40’ container via 3 cranes + Unique – middle crane folds into chassis to accommodate a single 40’ + Sliding – for maximum payload with a single 20’ option + Light – only 7.5 tonne tare + Strong – 16-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) + Stable – legs extend for firm base and transfer + Reach – long outreach cranes + Ease – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design + SDS – Hammar Soft-Drive System + Flex – Trailer or Truckmounted

Every freight delivery is different, so our three high-performance HAMMAR models are designed for your needs. Each HAMMAR is constructed from premium grade steel from Swedish and NZ components, to be stable, strong, fast and built to last. Designed for easy operation, service and maintenance in mind. You cannot buy a better sideloader.

With more than 45 years experience in sideloaders and a reputation for quality of manufacturing and service, HAMMAR sets the standard.

Now sold in 117 countries

HAMMAR Sideloaders are Made in New Zealand from local and Swedish components to suit YOUR transport needs.

Hammar New Zealand Ltd, 16 Marphona Cres, Takanini, Auckland. 0800 2 HAMMAR sales.nz@hammarlift.com www hammarlift.com

TD32769

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND

WHAT IT TAKES Saying ‘it’s all about the journey’ in reference to a half a century in trucking seems a little too synchronous as a metaphor, yet it epitomises what it takes to succeed in one of commerce’s toughest gigs. It’s 50 years this year since Charlie and Marie Norman began their transport journey and, looking at Morrinsville-based Normans Transport and Storage today, it’s obvious they chose to learn from all their journey had to teach.

C

harlie is one of those characters you can tell has you pegged when you’re still 50 metres away.

The searching eyes, the shake from a hand you know instantly has closed a few crate doors, twitched up a few chains, strapped and covered its share of loads.

There’s a natural cynicism cloaking an obvious eye for opportunity. It’s a safeguard when you’ve seen and experienced all he has.

He’s dealt with them all. It’s unnerving. You’re unsure if he sees you as value or a

Photos by Norman family collection and as credited

waste of time.

“I’m not much for putting us out there, but they tell me we should mark the occasion.”

That’s the humility always present in those of his ilk.

Ironically, it’s his breed the rest of us most want to listen to. Business success always starts and ends with the doers, and Charlie and Marie have ‘done’ a hell of a lot.

The Normans Transport story for me has been an observational one. A semilocal carrier you watch – you know them, but you don’t ‘know’ them. A couple of

chance meetings over the years, once while riding around with other local carriers, and then years later, driving a truck yourself. I remember them, of course – he’s Charlie Norman.

Understandably, he doesn’t.

It’s one of life’s truisms that you’re often unaware just how much your own life’s effort moulds the lives of people you may never meet or know. Actions speak louder than words, and dogged tenacity looks like a role model a lot of the time.

Then there are the trucks, one in particular you

remember made a young boffin sit up and take notice – a Scania LB141 8x4, but a single steer and rear tri with a lazy. John Robinson Carriers from Hikutaia had one; so did Normans at Tahuna. The Normans’ one had ‘North Island Livestock Transport’ on the front of the truck crate, and, of course, to a young, truck-hungry soul, ‘North Island’ inferred distance, and distance was cool… way cool.

You watch a company grow, and grow! Admiration without connection… until now.

Photo: Grant Schofield

Story by Dave McCoid and the Norman family

Photo: Grant Schofield

“Not for the fainthearted” That’s Charlie’s recollection of the formative years. Again, like their peers of the era, the ‘gods’ tested his and Marie’s resolve relentlessly early on to ensure they had what it took, hammering home some of life’s valuable lessons.

But let’s start at the actual ‘go-line’ first. When Charlie came along, parents Doug and Alice owned and farmed Slipper Island, a 2.8km2 isle roughly 8km southeast of the eastern Coromandel town of Pauanui. They later sold the island for £16,000, and talking to Charlie, you realise the entrepreneurial streak alive in him and brother John was certainly a direct generationto-generation hand-me-down.

Charlie spent his first four years on the island before, as only he could put it, “We emigrated to Whangamata.

“School was a five-mile horse ride or walk away, and wasn’t an outstanding success, to be honest. Later at Waihi College my brother John and I were asked to leave and not return. John was 15, I was 13.”

In 1965, that left correspondence as the only option that turned out to be equally unsuccessful.

“By going to Paeroa and signing onto the dole, you had a job cutting scrub by 7am the next day for about $16-$20 equivalent per week.

From there, I got a job with Alf Watchorn driving a bulldozer in the native bush locally, which naturally led to driving the log truck. I didn’t have a licence, so someone who had a licence but couldn’t really drive that well would sometimes come with me.”

Eventually, destiny prevailed and employment gave way to ambition. Two things are usually required to get started in business – an alarm clock and debt. The latter is normally unavoidable to the average person, and due to

its close association with sleeplessness, quite effective at negating the need for the clock.

Charlie Norman doesn’t strike you as the type who ever needs an alarm clock, but he did need debt. In 1972, he borrowed $2500, $600 of which came via the trade of his parents’ farm truck on a 1966 Commer TS3 sporting a 117hp two-stroke ‘knocker’ diesel. Its name was ‘Black Pete’.

The truck was converted to a log unit with the maiden load of export logs to Mt Maunganui from Tairua’s Pepe Valley carted for the late Don Goodrick.

The track up the Eastern flank of the Coromandel to the Mount was torturous.

“I could only do one load a day, and I loaded myself sometimes at the Tairua end with a dragline equipped with a scissor attachment.

“On one trip through the Athenree Gorge, the truck broke down. Not knowing how to fix it, I started walking to Katikati. I walked into the

Dear old ‘Black Pete’, Charlie’s first truck, bought to haul logs out of the Pepe Valley near Tairua on the Coromandel. Photographed here on a young Kopu-Hikuia Road.

The ex-Keveys ERF MW.

The truck that signalled a new era: ‘Whispering Breeze’, the LB141 V8 Scania bought brand-new, photographed at the Tauranga Race Course Truck Show in 1982.

1

2

3 1) Tahuna Depot 1990. Whispering Breeze was back, converted to a tractor unit. Far left is an F16, a truck Charlie said had plenty of go, but suffered reliability issues at times. 2) The first F Series Volvo, an F12 Intercooler, used on cattle, packaging, and New Zealand Dairy Board work. Charlie and Marie have been great supporters of Scandinavia’s big two truck brands. 3) Scania 113m waits at the Picton warf in 1999. Photo: Craig McCauley. local carrier, Jeffcoat and Howse – my first meeting with Trevor Jeffcoat. He told me to get in the car and we set off to fix the truck. When we got there, Trevor said, ‘go find a small tea tree stick’. He jammed it in the two-speed diff and told me to come see him when I had enough money for a replacement spring.”

After a year, the Commer

42 New Zealand Trucking

was traded in on a Dodge. A truck that still wakes Charlie up at night in a cold sweat. “It was a shocking thing. Let’s not talk about that.”

As soon as he could, he traded the Dodge on a 2624 Mercedes-Benz, and it was about this time that Charlie met Marie while carting logs off her parent’s farm at Coroglen.

September 2022

Two years in, the log export market dried up. Logs not already on the Mt Maunganui wharf were left to rot, and because truck payments waited for no man, the need to find work – and quickly – was imperative.

Charlie and his brother John headed for Nelson, where they’d got wind of loads of beach logs as part of a selective logging operation near Reefton.

“We were unable to rent a car because we were too young. A friend of a friend who had some influence sorted that for us.

“We picked up a job at Radiata Transport on behalf of TNL and were due to start a week later. We headed for home to get the trucks organised and make our way back. There was no time to spare.”

The work carting to the chip mill in Nelson was good and paid well. Marie and Charlie wed after eight months, at

which point they bought a 24’ caravan.

For Marie, things were a little tougher at the top of the South than it was for Charlie.

‘Outsiders’ found it difficult to get work in the local area, and the only thing available was general labouring in orchards.

The contract wound to a conclusion after 16 months.

“When the contract ended it was a blow,” said Charlie, “but you get used to things coming to an end over time.”

The pair left the Richmond Motorcamp after selling the Mercedes-Benz truck, packing their Chrysler Valiant and caravan with their belongings and headed back north to the farm Doug and Alice now had in Opoutere, north of Whangamata.

The funds from the sale of the 2624 were invested into a venture with Doug and John in the Far North settlement of Okaihau. Unfortunately, after three years, that proved unsuccessful, leaving the

pair with nothing but their car and caravan. They sold both to fund the purchase, as Charlie puts it, “of a worn-out, ex-Keveys MW ERF and 20’ trailer.”

“Craig Engineering in Kaikohe and I added ten-foot in the middle of the trailer, plus a third axle. This took two long nights of hard work.”

In the 1970s, road transport was heavily regulated and the railways were protected. In the cartage of general goods, road transport could not compete with rail beyond a radius of 40 miles (64km) from the road carrier’s depot. In the wake of the failed Okaihau opportunity and influenced by local carriers, the courts in the north deemed Charlie and Marie unfit to hold another Goods Service Licence in the area, and all company licences were dissolved.

“It was a stressful time. At one stage, Marie and our firstborn Sandy were living under a tarpaulin alongside a creek, while I was driving a bulldozer in the back of Whitianga crushing scrub.”

From there, Marie and Sandy moved between both sets of grandparents, while Charlie lived in the truck, looking for anything that would turn a dollar.

“I joined a couple of real characters, one being Errol Sheehan, a truck driving

semi-professional wrestler, a.k.a Dr Death, who many reading this will remember.

We were carting hay from around the Waikato and Auckland regions to a feedlot south of Masterton, backloading potatoes to the Auckland markets. The spuds came up in the middle of the night if you get my drift.

“I was trying to run the truck, feed the family, and save enough to buy a set of stock crates. As I got close, I went and worked for Barry Gordon at Nationwide Stock Crates, where I painted several sets of new stock crates, as well as help build my own.”

Amidst the heavy regulation, certain categories of goods were exempt, things like frozen and perishable goods, as was livestock.

An opportunity to buy several livestock transport licences covering an area that stretched from Taupo in the south to North Cape presented itself. The licence domicile was Tahuna, a tiny rural village tucked against the southern end of the Hapuakohe Range midway down the western edge of the Hauraki Plains.

“We rented a house in Tahuna and went into partnership with my brother John and his wife Margaret, carting livestock and freight

for Trailways Taupo, Kawerau, and Mount Maunganui. Ross Lyttle, Peter Smaile, and Stu Braithwait were all branch managers and we developed fantastic relationships with them all.”

Carting stock from the Waikato North forged connections with Silverdalebased Neville Brothers, resulting in the cartage of livestock south, as far afield as Waitara.

“Kelvin and Stuart Neville know how to work. They weren’t scared of the dark, that’s for sure.

“We even carted cattle to aeroplanes at Auckland Airport. Yearling Hereford heifers destined for Indonesia, loading 170 head at a time in old DC8s that had thirty-foot added to the fuselage. The airline was called Flying Tiger and was based out of the US.” Relationships with local carriers were also established with the likes of Graeme Wright General Carriers, and Wayne Hughes’ Whitikahu Transport.

“One night, Wayne and I went to load cattle out of the Herekino sale yards in the Far North. While loading Wayne’s truck, which was blocking the road, along came a chap in a car. He was tooting and screaming ‘move your f%$#ing truck’. I went

over to tell him we would only be a few minutes and he poked a double-barrel sawnoff shotgun under my chin.

Around about then I got very diplomatic, and set off to tell Wayne ‘we really did need to move the truck’.”

“Sink or swim” After the test of character that was the ‘70s, the ‘80s were simply sink or swim.

That was a mindset the pair had learned a lot about, one they knew how to act on. You swim…relentlessly. Sinking is never an option.

In 1980 at a cost of $97,000, the ERF gave way to a brand-new Scania LB141, the truck that would help facilitate ‘swimming’.

Whispering Breeze, the machine mentioned at the top of the story, housed a Scania 375hp V8 engine, with a 10-speed synchromesh transmission tucked up behind. An 8x4 with single steer and rear tri-set, it started life with a two-deck three-deck crate set-up, progressing to a three and three when the balance sheet allowed. It didn’t have a sleeper, but neither did it need one. This was not the time in the business’ history for sleeping, with the bulk of the next 10 years spent carting cattle from the Waikato, and as far north as Whangarei, to

A typical Sunday at Strait Shipping in 2000. By now Normans Transport was a regular inter-island participant, and significant customer for the young shipping line.

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 43

the Hellaby’s freezing works in Otahuhu, or sheep to Taumarunui.

“Tahuna to Gisborne, load, back to Auckland, then home was a regular Sunday drive,” Charlie says. “I remember doing 20 back-to-back loads from Gisborne to Kereone in the Waikato one time. One a day.”

Live cattle exports were added to the list of regular missions also, with Normans hiring local carriers to lend assistance.

When ‘Gypsy Week’, the annual share milker shift in early June each year arrived on the calendar, outside trucks were also hired in.

While some were again local carriers, his old friends at Trailways in Tokoroa supplied most, a reflection of wellestablished relationships and goodwill.

Charlie had the trailer behind Whispering Breeze altered to a one-front and three-rear axle set-up with the rear axle an airlift. “It made turning in places like the East Coast hill country much easier. You could lift the rear axle and it would pivot on the lead axle of the tri. The 141 was a good machine and the only reason it wasn’t replaced with a 142 was Scania’s unwillingness to trade back then.”

Dalhof and King would, so for Viking fans, the first Volvo arrived in the fleet in 1984, the legendary F12 Intercooler

model with its 385hp motor and 12-speed synchromesh transmission.

“Yes, I had a sleeper cab again, at last. The F Series were good trucks. Simple trucks that were easy to fix on the side of the road if you needed. That was my first dealing with salesman Leo Radovancich.

“I’ve always said any truck is only as good as the people selling it, and Leo was tops.”

Supplementing the stock work with loads of milk powder from the Morrinsville Dairy Co-operative to Mt Maunganui became an everincreasing job towards the mid-1980s.

“Sandy had company by now too, Matthew and Corey had arrived, and Marie would come out to the yard in Tahuna at night with three sleeping kids in the back of the car and help take the crates off and wash decks.”

The freight work expanded steadily and carting empty pallets from Brimco Holdings Hamilton to various dairy companies in the Waikato, plus regular loads for Harvey Farms were also added to the roster.

“Jeff Brimley at Brimco helped our business significantly, as did Jeff Landsdown at Harvey Farms.

Sadly they’ve both passed away now.”

After 13 years in the game, in 1986 the decision to sell out of livestock was taken.

Driven not just by the rise of a new work profile, but also by changes in farming practices.

Seasonal work that had once run for eight months in the year fell to four as beef and sheep farms gave way to dairy conversions. In a way, you could say Normans was moving to more consistent work at the other end of the dairy production supply chain.

But again, there was another storm to weather brewing just over the horizon. Charlie and Marie were approached by a local carrier to cart packaging on their behalf from Auckland to Hastings and Nelson.

The Normans bought a secondhand Volvo tractor and built a brand-new B-train for the work.

“It was a three-year term that ended abruptly at the 18-month mark when the other party put a truck on himself. There was ‘no more work for Normans trucks’,” says Charlie. “I’m a handshake bloke, and that hurt us. Turnover plummeted from $70,000 per month to $20,000, and as anyone who lived through the ‘80s will remember, interest rates hovering around 26.25% had a significant impact on fixed costs. Our repayments were sitting at $11,000 per month.”

The Normans had one full-time driver who was hired out to local livestock carriers when there was no other work. In order to stay

afloat, Charlie himself drove a bulldozer hired from a local farmer at times. Fourth-born Adam had also arrived, and Marie took on whatever work she could amidst the demands of a four-child household.

Although shockwaves rocked the business with the abrupt and unexpected end of the agreement, the South Island work had also served to open the door of opportunity. While carting south, Charlie was approached by the late Rob Lewis at the New Zealand

Delivering vats has been a part of the business for well over 30 of the 50 years. Right: A classic modern Normans Transport look, taken in 2017 leaving the Mystery Creek Expo.

Container side-loaders. A line of work that contributed significantly to altering the business’ course in the 80s remains a key component today.

Dairy Board (NZDB) about carting casein from the Golden Bay Dairy at Takaka to the Tatua Dairy Co-operative in the Waikato. “This was the start of our relationship with Tatua,” says Charlie.

“The NZDB then asked if we could cart pallets of paper bags successfully by road to Takaka. The rail had it, but damages were an issue. It was tricky stuff to cart. If it wasn’t properly secured the bags would slide and end up in a hell of state.

“I was unloading at Takaka one day and chief engineer at

the time Don Harwood asked if we could cart new milk vats to Takaka, again, ‘without damaging them’. Don has passed away now also, but this was the start of the milk vat cartage that we still do today 34 years later.”

Then came something new and innovative for the company, a Lees 20’ container side-loader.

“Rob Lewis asked me about putting a side-loader on to cart containers from the Morrinsville rail to the Morrinsville factory and return. This went well and

soon we picked up work at Tatua also, uplifting containers and crossing the road to the local rail siding and placing them on wagons. This was previously done by the dairy company, transporting the bags on pallets by truck to the rail siding and then hand-stacking them into the appropriate containers.”

Shortly after, along came the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy site just up the road at Waitoa, with sideloader requirements also.

Eleven kilometres of near straight road separated three

NZDB sites and each was a stone’s throw from the railway.

“The side loader was a significant piece of equipment in terms of the company’s future direction.

“Some days there were 60 containers between the three, and the side-loader wasn’t like the ones of today. It was operated by hand levers on one side, and the donkey engine was on the opposite side, so you were running all day.” Charlie shakes his head. “They were bloody long days.”

Packaging work to the

Always a soft spot for logs that harks back to the very start. The driver of the Volvo FH (left), Don Mckay, Charlie attributes as one of the key figures in saving his life in the 2012 accident. Photo: Grant Schofield.

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 45

In 2012, celebrating 40 years in business at Morrinsville.

South Island for the Dairy Board continued as did the casein home, and aside from the service levels Charlie was providing, that Norman innovate streak reared its head again.

“I had John Mudgeway at Dawson Engineering at Netherton build a B-train that had a lot of aluminium components. When everyone else was carting 22 tonnes, I was carting 31 tonnes legally, although I was right up to my tolerances.

“I was set up at one point.

The cops were waiting for me near Nelson. They’d been tipped off, no question. They

46 New Zealand Trucking

weighed and weighed, and eventually, as I drove off, they simply stood there shaking their heads.

“The guys at Takaka, in particular, loved it. They even asked me to do some loads of butter! I was reluctant, but they assured me if they froze it down hard and I doublecovered it, we’d be right.

They were right – it was fine.

Carted on a flatdeck under tarps. Imagine an RMP [Risk Management Programme] auditor of today seeing that,” he chuckles. “Because of this, tarping’s rapidly becoming a dying art nowadays.”

The 1980s. A decade of September 2022

continued challenge and resilience testing for sure, but also one where the pair were not afraid to open the door when opportunity knocked, resulting in the shift of focus from livestock to general cartage and containerised freight.

Breathe, and full steam ahead The 1990s were more settled… well, sort of.

“We went into it with consistent work, which always helps,” said Charlie.

The first big move in the decade was in fact… a big move, into Murray Road, on

the outskirts of Morrinsville.

It was situated pretty much equidistant between Morrinsville and Tatua, which was ideal, far better suited to the changing nature of the business. But there were other, very 1990s reasons also.

“Road-user charges were bought from the post office and paid for by cheque. They were bought in 1000km lots at a weight you specified for the vehicle type. The nearest post office to Tahuna was 15 minutes away in Morrinsville and Marie was making multiple trips per day at times.

“Murray Road was a

The facility at Arthur Porter Drive in Te Rapa was opened in 2014.

10-acre greenfield site and we built a workshop, a kitchen lunchroom that was shared with the drivers, an office that was in the tyre bay and a small flat above with two rooms where the family lived for eight months while a house was built.”

‘Build it and they will come’. It applies to trucking as much as any other industry or discipline. The ‘it’ in trucking is more often than not reputation, and for that reason alone Normans Transport was flat out in a post-deregulation transport world. The company had the cartage of all packaging for the NZDB South Island sites.

Imbued with the ‘Never say ‘No’’ service approach of so many of his era, Charlie’s efforts on one-off jobs like a ‘red-eye’ from Tahuna to Dargaville to Edendale over a weekend (to ensure the factory had stocks of the right packaging for the coming week) had contributed in no small part to the position they now found themselves in.

Rye straw was carted out of Canterbury back to Golden Bay, and there were loads of fresh fruit ex-Otago to the Auckland markets for Fulton Hogan Central. “They were on a tight timeframe,” Charlie recalls.

Of course, for any interisland operation, the great bottleneck is the Cook Strait

ferries. But they were more of an issue for Normans Transport than others. The reason was, of course, irritation within the railways over the loss of packaging work to the upstart blue and white fleet from the Waikato.

As a consequence, making bookings was never an easy task.

Relief came, of course, in the form of Strait Shipping when it steamed onto the scene in 1992.

“The venture was launched

by Tony Johnson, Doug Smith, Derrick Bouys, and Jim Barker to provide an alternative Cook Strait crossing,” says Charlie.

“They bought a little ship called the Straitsman that had carted cattle and freight from Tasmania to its offshore islands and return. The cattle were carted below and above deck, and in heavy seas, the stock in the top pens certainly got a bath. They had the cattle ready to go from the start, but we were the first freight customer.

“They got laughed at in the beginning and battled the government, unions, and the Rail Ferry crews, but they had the guts to give it a go and persevere.

“The trouble with the Straitsman for us was the stern door at only 3.85m high. By that time we’d begun moving into curtain-side units

and they wouldn’t fit. It meant we had to go cap-in-hand back to the Rail Ferries.”

There’s one Rail Ferry North to South crossing in that time Charlie recalls vividly. “There were 8.5m swells in the Strait and they couldn’t be bothered tying the unit down properly.

As a result, it fell on its side and flattened a camper van.

The whole mess slid across the deck three times, crashing into bulk-heads. In those days you could stay inside the truck and I was hanging on for all I was worth in the sleeper. I got out by kicking the windscreen out, only to be confronted with the deck at 38° and a giant coil of mooring rope sliding towards me. I dived back in just as it passed. The truck and B-train were buggered. It’s testament to the strength of those Scandinavian cabs…the pain it took. One of my nine lives went that day.

“Kiwi Rail didn’t even offer to bring the wreck back to the North Island, but Strait Shipping did.

“I had the B-train rebuilt at Dawson Engineering and put a new cab on the tractor. Initially, the insurance company wanted to repair it, so I told them if that was the case, I’d send them the ownership papers and they could just pay me out… it was absolutely stuffed.

“Once the Suilven arrived

at Strait Shipping in 1995 we were right. At one point we were their biggest freight customer with 30 crossings per week on the inter-island work.”

In 1993, the company had built its first Dairy Boardapproved warehouse covering 1100m2, and the first office staff member was also hired to assist Marie with administration and dispatch.

Change was rampant throughout the business.

Back in the Tahuna days, the closest thing Charlie and Marie had to a computer was an adding machine that printed and a calculator, both located on that key piece of small-business office equipment, the kitchen table.

Once daughter Alice had arrived, the accounts was a job that commenced once all five children were tucked up in bed.

“Evidently, the staff at the Dairy Board had quite a chuckle when our handwritten accounts arrived,” smiles Charlie.

But this was now the 1990s and fax machines, an answerphone, and cell phones with batteries half the size of the suitcase and questionable service – nothing’s changed there – had arrived. There was also an accounts computer, and even a road-user charges machine.

Tech was arriving in-cab

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 47

Left: A new generation accepting the helm and a new-look livery. Right: A special R660 to celebrate half a century of endeavour. too, and again the Normans ‘read the room’ impeccably.

RTs gave way to cellphones, an essential given the size of the fleet footprint; likewise, fax machines were fitted to all South Island trucks so road users could be sent direct, and timesheets, waybills etc. back.

“One step forward, two back, two forward.”

Growing pains. The first decade of the millennium was one of huge change as the transport and storage business grew significantly.

“A large portion of the cartage in this period was focused on the South Island. It was only five years since we’d built the Murray Road warehouse, yet we’d outgrown that site. We were at 15 trucks by that stage.

It was then that Marie and I purchased the site at Avenue Road in Morrinsville for the new depot and head office.

We moved in there in 2001.”

The demise of the Dairy Board and arrival of its successor Fonterra in 2001 saw a logistics management cell formed and contracted to the new entity. Normans

48 New Zealand Trucking

Transport and Storage chose not to join Fonterra’s logistics group, and although that resulted in downsizing for a spell, it certainly didn’t mean the end of servicing the dairy industry, or the South Island.

The Dairy Board South Island packaging work had meant Charlie crossed paths with Westland Co-op CEO Hugh Little.

Hugh had asked Charlie why their carriers couldn’t get milk powder from Hokitika to Nelson without spilling it along the road, and could he do a better job?

“I knew straight away why; I’d seen them securing it, and I’d seen where it ended up.

He gave me a trial load, which I did. Then he asked me if I could stay down and carry on for a week? I rang Marie and said ‘I’ll be a bit late home’.

“We ended up carting to Christchurch over the Arthurs Pass, and back to our Morrinsville store for distribution. Hugh was someone I had great respect for.

“When the Fonterra thing happened, Tatua and Westland Dairy Co-op remained independent, so we just happily carried on.”

September 2022

Over the next three to four years, the South Island work continued to grow again, considerably.

“General freight, agricultural machinery, dairy products, they were all in there,” says Charlie. “There was a real mixture. We carted wine barrels, even yacht masts and an engine shroud for a 747 amongst other freight.

We went as far south as Invercargill and usually backloaded dairy product from Westland Milk Products at Rolleston.”

As a result, the fleet again expanded to 26, clawing back much of the ground lost with the Fonterra decision.

In 2002 Adam Norman joined the business sweeping the floors, helping in the workshop, and moving on to working in the warehouse.

In the years following, he worked in all facets of the company, and at 37, is now the manager and a shareholder in the business.

After 15 years servicing the inter-island freight scene, the decision was made to sell that side of the business to the late Jim Barker’s Freight Lines in 2006. “Jim was a shrewd businessman, but we always

got on well,” says Charlie.

“Over the years, we learned that not many carriers could be trusted to keep their word, and do a good job. There are the exceptions of course, and I’ve talked about them, but I want to mention John and Cheryl of Opzeeland Transport also. Great people that we continue to work with to this day.”

With the sale of the interisland work to Jim, the fleet again reduced back to 21 trucks but there was a plan at play. Freight Lines was building its inter-island business, and the Normans could see their Morrinsville location, in the heart of the Mt Maunganui/Hamilton/ Auckland ‘golden-triangle’, had huge potential.

They were right of course.

The depot at Avenue Road developed rapidly and the company’s storage arm expanded to include four separate RMP-accredited food-grade stores covering 6000m2.

“As the warehousing capacity increased we were able to pursue new opportunities connected to container transportation and distribution, including

our first MPI bioecurity approved transitional facility for the devanning of import containers. Both container and general transport soon required additional units, again resulting in expansion.”

Milestones, mishaps, and miracles In 2012, Charlie and Marie celebrated 40 years in business. The fleet was assembled and there were events held to mark the occasion. Little did the family know what lay just around the corner.

“Yeah, I’ve always had a thing for logging. It goes all the way back to 1972 and the Pepe Valley days. But in March 2012 I was logging a private block of land and suffered a mishap that almost killed me. I was left with no feeling below the waist and partial paralysis. It was certainly life-changing for both myself and Marie.”

Charlie attributes the fast and professional response from driver Don Mckay, his mate Trevor Newport, the Tahuna Volunteer Fire Brigade, a local nurse, and the Waikato Westpac Rescue

The head office on Avenue Road, Morrinsville.

Helicopter with his survival at the scene.

“Then there’s the Emergency Department at Waikato Hospital. Without all of them, I wouldn’t be here. Myself, Marie, and the whole family are forever grateful to everyone for their help that day. Each year, we support the Tahuna Volunteer Fire Brigade and the rescue helicopter. It’s something we can give back.”

It would be fair to say setbacks were nothing new for the Norman family, neither was overcoming them. Despite the accident, the business remained full steam ahead and the decision to focus on the country’s logistical hotbed was paying off.

Avenue Road was no

longer able to contain the requirement and in 2014 a brand-new 14,000m2 warehouse was opened in Te Rapa, dramatically expanding the company’s capability. The facility incorporated foodgrade storage, and a further Biosecurity transitional facility.

Avenue Road didn’t miss out on all the goodies though, gaining an additional warehouse and load-out canopy, increasing that site’s footprint by 1650m2. This addition now took facilities at the 6.5-hectare Morrinsville site to five warehouses, three loading canopies (12,000m2), a three-bay workshop, the administration complex, and parking for 35 trucks.

New buildings and additions to Avenue Road weren’t the only story in 2014.

Expansion in all areas meant Marie needed help with the Food Grade Compliance required by MPI, so Alice Norman stepped in and joined the business that same year, and today sees to all the regulations and audits.

Today there are 80 staff employed across the various divisions. It’s all a long way from the humble yard at Tahuna, eons from a 2624 Mercedes-Benz and 24’ caravan in the Richmond Motorcamp ground near Nelson, and unfathomable if you hark back to a TS3 Commer called Black Pete heading for the Mount with a load of logs and a tea-tree stick jammed in the twospeed. Or is it?

Spend a couple of hours with Charlie and Marie and

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 49

NORMANS TRANSPORT AND STORAGE AT 50 YEARS - 2022 Staff 80 Sites • Avenue Rd, Morrinsville • Arthur Porter Dr, Te Rapa Fleet 10 skelly trucks 6 side-loaders 16 freight units 4 flat decks 3 crane trucks 2 log trucks Marie and Charlie, all dolled up for the 50th do: the epitome of partnership, tenacity and humility, and an epic story in the history of New Zealand road transport. what resonates the most is never, ever forget where you came from, and the toil so many both inside and outside the family have put into getting the business to where it is today.

“You must never take anything for granted,” says Charlie. “I hear people talk about being in hard times and I say, ‘I have a cure for that’.

‘Do you?’ they say. ‘Yep. Go to bed an hour later, get up an hour earlier, and get stuck in.

It’s always worked for me’.”

Change. It’s the only real constant in life, and Normans Transport and Storage in 2022 is testimony to the fact that if you’ve got the right mix of ambition, energy, and malleability, then crisis, change, and opportunity often appear as one and the same.

However, philosophy, culture, and principle are ours to keep just as they are – in perpetuity if we want. Build the company you want on the foundations of culture and principle you decide.

Principled flexibility. In 2022 it’s as rare as the proverbial rocking horse… Yet it’s exactly what is required to

50 New Zealand Trucking

get a start-up going and have it looking like Normans Transport and Storage half a century later. The customer base today reflects the respect the Norman name has, and some have been on the ledger for more than 30 of the 50 years to date.

Likewise, suppliers. Business in the Norman sphere is about the lasting principles of commercial relationships.

Charlie Norman is renowned for an uncompromising attitude to service and customers, and everyone who knows him well will tell you he’s a great bloke, with gun barrels as straight as they come. As more than one party told us in the process of gathering and chatting about this piece, “You won’t be left wondering with Charlie.” You know that from the moment you meet him, before he’s uttered a word. And in the end, isn’t that the only type of person we actually want on our contact list?

Of course, no man lives forever; many have died trying. For an enterprise such as Normans to see out the next 50 years, the September 2022

big question at this juncture is always succession. Any number of great businesses, both local and overseas, have fallen on the sword of succession. In this story, that question appears wellanswered.

At 70, Charlie still works everyday either at the office, from home, or on the road in his ute. Likewise, Marie isn’t far away either, and that might be attending meetings, helping with the grandchildren, and running their 30-acre lifestyle block.

Adam’s a bit scary, to be honest. He’s tall and of slender build and as he approaches you down the hall his piercing eyes have you pegged 10m prior to shaking hands. He has time for what you are there for. Somewhere here there’s a chip off an old block, maybe?

In truth, handing on the reins takes bucket loads of humility on the part of the founders. It is, at the end of the day, the greatest measure of who they are. It is the final testament that you really didn’t forget where you came from; the same humility that

fuelled Charlie’s reluctance to have the half-century marked in the magazine. “…but they tell me we should mark the occasion,” were again, his words.

When you’ve grown something so worthwhile that’s helped put the food on not only your table, but the tables of so many households over five decades, it’s okay to cut yourself a bit of slack and celebrate with those who shared the journey and helped make it happen.

The truth is, not everyone has what it takes to grow a business, to make sacrifices albeit with the family; to put the customer first and get the job done… because if you take too long, someone else will.

DON’T MISS PODCAST EP11 – CHARLIE NORMAN

AM D A , E I R A M LIE, R A H C O T FOR NS O I M T A A E L T U S T N A MA R O CONGR N E H T T OF S E R E S S H E T N I S U AND B N 50 YEARS I

THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED BY

0922-01T

THAT INCLUDES: THAT INCLUDES: THAT INCLUDES: THAT INCLUDES:

SL9 AIR SUSPENSION TRUCK AND FORGED ALLOY SL9 AIR SUSPENSION SL9 AIR SUSPENSION TRUCK AND FORGED ALLOY SL9 AIR SUSPENSION TRUCK AND FORGED ALLOY TRUCK AND FORGED ALLOY CS9 & SL9 AIR DISC BRAKE AND DISC BRAKED TRAILER E55 SERIES TRAILER HOIST, WHEELS WITH TIRE SUSPENSION AND DISC BRAKE AND DISC BRAKED E55 SERIES DISC BRAKE AND DISC BRAKED E55 SERIES DISC BRAKE TRAILER HOIST, WHEELS WITH AND DISC BRAKED E55 SERIES TRAILER HOIST, WHEELS WITH TRAILER HOIST, WHEELS WITH ACTUATORS TRAILER AXLES 50mm COUPLING HYFIX BODY LOCK CERAMIC COATING INFLATION DISC BRAKED TRAILER AXLES COUPLING ACTUATORS CERAMIC TRAILER AXLES HYFIX 50mm COUPLING ACTUATORS ACTUATORS BODY LOCK COATING 50mm COUPLING TRAILER AXLES HYFIX BODY LOCK 50mm CERAMIC COATING HYFIX BODY LOCK CERAMIC COATING SYSTEM TRAILER AXLES

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

Normans Transport are long standing loyal supporters oftaken T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD, Theirs (and other customers) continued patronage is is never taken forfor granted.

Theirs (and other customers) continued patronage is never never taken for granted.

Theirs (and other customers) continued patronage granted.

Thank you Peter and Ian. is never taken for granted.

Theirs (and other customers) continued patronage Thank you Peter and Ian. Thank you Peter and Ian. Thank you Peter and Ian. From the Management and staff at T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD From the Management and staff at T.A.T.E.S LTD From the Management and staff at T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD(NZ) LTD From the Management and staff at T.A.T.E.S (NZ) LTD Thank you from the management and staff at (NZ) T.A.T.E.S

REPLICAS

From left: Graeme Wright, Jeremy Welsh and Wayne Williams.

WORTH THE WAIT It’s been a journey for sure, but all good things are worth the wait. In July, Kiwi Replicas launched the first 1/64th diecast models in its New Zealand Stock Truck Series.

Story by Dave McCoid Photos by Alyson Hood Video by Carl Kirkbeck 52 New Zealand Trucking

I

f the weather gods count for anything, then Kiwi Replicas owner and Model Barn co-owner Jeremy Welsh can be confident of the future. After a horrid week of weather, Saturday, 2 July saw the clouds roll back and the sun shine on the 70 or so guests gathered at the Model Barn premises at Orongo on the Hauraki Plains. They were there for the launch of the first two 1/64th scale diecast model trucks in the Kiwi Replicas New Zealand Stock Truck series.

“After such a journey to

September 2022

get to this day, I didn’t want the models just arriving and then filtering out. I wanted to mark the occasion, something simple that we can replicate to make each release a thing of its own,” said Jeremy.

The first 10 models in the nine-axle stock truck series are based on the Volvo FH Globetrotter chassis, with five from each island planned in the liveries of actual Volvo FH Globetrotter stock trucks.

As readers will know (New Zealand Trucking May 2022, Not-so Stock Units), the first two cabs off the rank

were Graeme Wright General Carriers of Puriri in the Thames Valley, and Transport Services Ltd (TSL) based in the Southland hamlet of Nightcaps.

“It is just so good to have Graeme Wright and TSL co-owner Wayne Williams here for the launch,” said Jeremy. “It’s a long way to come for Wayne. In fact, it’s as far away as is possible, so he’s set the bar high for future owners.”

None of the models had left the model barn before the event. “It’s only right the first

Graeme and Wayne were kept busy on signing duties. two should go to the owners,” said Jeremy.

At 1pm, with the actual Graeme Wright General Carriers FH16 Globetrotter sitting majestically on-site, Graeme and Wayne were both presented with the first two models, opening the floodgate for sales to commence. As refreshments were served, both owners were available to autograph the boxes, and in some cases the actual models 1/64 Volvo FH16-700 2020 No 305 Midlands Rural Transport

Taking Orders Now Due late 2022

Midlands Rural Transport

of those who had secured theirs on the day.

At 3pm, Jeremy then announced who the next two in the series would be via a poster reveal.

“It was a great little ceremony, and so rewarding to see the looks on the faces of people as they took delivery of their model. At last, we have a proper nine-axle Kiwi diecast truck.”

1/64 Volvo FH16-700 2021 No 100 Frews Transport

Taking Orders Now Due late 2022

Frews Transport

There was no shortage of trucking firepower in attendance.

JUST TRUCKING AROUND www.trt.co.nz

Keiran Craig Ken Bell caught up with Keiran Craig at Woodlands on a cold Southland morning just after he had taken an early load of ewes to the weekly Lorneville livestock market, winter providing a little more time for such duties. Keiran was about to flush out and clean the Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3258 he drives for Phillips Transport at Woodlands, 17km east of Invercargill.

Southland-born Keiran lives in Wyndham and has worked for Phillips Transport for 18 months. Before that, he worked for nearby Herberts Transport, piloting a Kenworth K200. The Arocs is a dedicated truck carrying Valley Crates stock crates with a matching trailer. It can be seen on the southern roads as far north as Christchurch.

When asked his preference of red or blue, he replied with a sideways grin: “Blue all day long.”

Jono Murray Jono grew up loving trucks. When asked which truck he loves most, he answered “904s”! Jono’s daughter Amelia won the Little Truckers’ Club logo draw (see page 92), and Rochelle Thomas had arranged to meet them at the yard to give Amelia a prize and get a photo. Jono had been busy cleaning his truck, so Rochelle seized the opportunity to do a quick interview.

Jono has been driving trucks for 13 years.

He’s been with Foxpine Haulage for the past four years and loves it – not surprising as he gets to drive the 2008 Kenworth T904. He was parked up at the yard in Feilding for the weekend, loaded with pruned logs to take to a Taupo mill early Monday morning.

If he could change anything in the transport industry, Jono said it would be the condition of the roads. When asked if he would choose Maccas or mac and cheese, he said Maccas, although Amelia says Dad makes mac and cheese at home.

54 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

NZ-Truc

SERIES

SAFETY Advanced Emergency Brake System Lane Departure Warning System Electronic Vehicle Stability Control Distance Warning System Headlight Shape Change LED Low Beam Headlights Automatic Headlamps

CALISUZU.CO.NZ | 0800 266 628

TOP TRUCK

LATEST IN A LONG LINE It hasn’t been long in our market, but we didn’t have to look hard to find candidates for our first Series 5 Volvo FH Top Truck. The overall fit out of Bulk Lines’ new FH16 700 made it a standout choice.

Story and photos by Gavin Myers

I

n the early 1990s, Bulk Lines had not yet emerged as its own entity from within the Freight Lines inter-island transport business. In 1992 Strait Shipping was formed, and expanded with Freight Lines a year later. At about the same time, the relationship with Volvo accelerated, and its owners – the Barker family – introduced some of New Zealand’s first FH Volvos to the fleet.

As time passed the business changed, but Volvos have remained a fleet mainstay. To continue the legacy, Bulk Lines has commissioned one of the first of the latest Series 5 FH16s.

The FH16 700 and Patchell Stainless 3SM B-train tanker set are the pride of driver Bruce McGillivray. Bruce came off a two-and-a-halfyear-old FH16 600 and is chuffed with his new charge.

“The difference between the 600 and the 700 is amazing.

At 58 tonnes, I’m a gear up on the Kaimais. I find the new 700’s cab is a lot more solid. The old 600 had more roll through the bends (which

56 New Zealand Trucking

wasn’t a bad thing, you know the road is there), but both are really sure-footed trucks.”

Bruce started working for the Barker family in May 2002, and at Christmas 2019, he decided it was time to hang up the keys. How did he land back in the driver’s seat?

“I had been off for about six or seven weeks deciding what to do next. Pete Barker and I kept in touch, and one day, I rang him out of the blue.

He was out in the paddock spraying weeds, I was sitting at home having a beer, and he said we’d better meet up. He had this new run coming on.

So I walked into the office and was told I was the new tanker driver, and I didn’t even know what the job entailed,” Bruce says with a laugh.

The run was carting foodgrade tallow from Taranaki up to Tauranga and Napier. And that’s where the Volvo’s big horsepower, and particularly the Patchell tankers, come in.

“One of the reasons we built them was for more capacity and to take advantage of the HPMV rules,” says Jon Kyle, Bulk Lines CEO. The tanks are September 2022

single-compartment units with four baffles in the front 24,000-litre unit and three in the rear 21,000-litre one. The total capacity is 45,000 litres.

The most noticeable feature of the trailer units is the 11mm full insulation covers. “I

can load at 65°C to 70°C, and it’ll only cool by about 5°C by the time I discharge at the Mount. You’d only have about six hours without the covers before you’d start panicking,” says Bruce.

To prevent the tallow

The refreshed cab in the latest FH is as comfy as ever. freezing in the tanks’ exposed drain pipe during winter, Patchell added a double-tap system, meaning no product enters the pipe when it shouldn’t. Yes, there’s only one pipe per trailer, which is mounted to a central

pivot point by a food-grade turntable seal. Bruce simply needs to unlatch it and position it on whichever side of the truck he’s offloading.

Stainless airline wash pipes running up each unit further improve useability. They allow

Bruce to connect air and water hoses at each end so he can wash the tanks from the top without having to drag hoses over the covers. While he’s up there, pneumatic air rails with lights mean he can work safely and efficiently day

and night.

“Patchell made it real simple. Nothing was a problem for them,” says Bruce.

“It’s the first of these tankers Patchell has done for us, and Wayne Gardner

Centre left: Bruce McGillivray (left) and Jon Kyle – pleased as punch with their latest addition to the fleet.

and his team did a fantastic job. We’re really happy with their product and can’t speak highly enough about the quality,” says Jon. Likewise, Bulk Lines’ long-time relationship with Volvo central North Island account manager Todd Martin: “Todd does an excellent job for us. We’re really happy dealing with him and with the Volvo product.”

The FH16 700 is suitably subtle, not overly adorned with unnecessary bling. The factory stainless work on the exhaust cover on the right side of the chassis is matched with an optional shroud around the DEF tank on the left side. Here, a stainless Roadrunner toolbox adds a bit of practicality, while Patchell also added

58 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

a nifty box between the guards on the left of the lead trailer. Green Rhino plastic mudguards with stainless inserts add some styling continuity along the full length of the B-train. Rounding it off is a set of Alcoa Dura-Brights with Volvo chrome wheel nuts and centres on the truck.

The truck was factorypainted, and Truck Signs in Mount Maunganui applied the Bulk Lines livery and a touch of class with some neat pinstriping and the unique Viking depiction at the side of the cab.

“Truck Signs gave the 600 that little touch. It looked good, so I asked them to carry it over to the 700. I didn’t want to lose it,” says Bruce.

Nifty features built in by Patchell make the job easier for driver Bruce.

PATCH HE ELLLL PATC STAINLESS The Patchell team did a fantastic job.

"We’re really happy with their product and can’t speak highly enough about the quality.”

Jon Kyle - Bulk Lines CEO

Proudly built by Patchell Stainless for Bulk Lines Ltd 6 axle Tanker B-Train Front semi - 24,000 litre single compartment tank Rear semi - 21,000 litre single compartment tank Running on SAF Intradisc braked axles and Alcoa alloy wheels. Top Manway entry

NEW ZEALANDS' LEADING TRAILER MANUFACTURER Contact us for further information ALL ENQUIRIES: Wayne Gardner 021 741 042 | waynegardnerpatchell.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

CLASSIC CLIP

CREATING THE SPARK Do you have a newspaper clipping of something cool that happened in transport in years gone by? Send us a scan with a covering note so we can all enjoy great tucking moments of the past. Email editor@ nztrucking.co.nz

Following our story in the June 2022 issue, Express Charging 40 Years Ago, about NZ Express carting cathode pots and buzz bars from Christchurch to the Tiwai aluminium smelter expansion in the 1980s, our own Ken Bell sent in this clip from the The Southland Times of the same thing happening when the smelter was first built in 1970.

Anderson Engineering’s Kevin Lockhart talks with NZE driver Pat Shields. Pat’s N12 Volvo, bought new for the contract, is loaded ready to leave for Tiwai with two cathode pots in 1982.

EXPRESS CHARGING 40 YEARS AGO Story by Dave Ching, Geoff Carpenter and Pat Shields Photos supplied by Geoff Carpenter and Pat Shields Caption

Caption

Caption

Caption

The expansion of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter in the early 1980s called for innovative engineering and transport. As always, Kiwis were up to the job, none more so than the team at NZ Express Transport in Christchurch. Forty years on, even with today’s equipment, achieving the same result would be just as impressive.

N

ew Zealand Aluminium Smelters at Tiwai Point, Bluff, decided to increase production of highgrade aluminium in the early

40

New Zealand Trucking

1980s by installing a third pot line. The new line would be housed in a building 600m long and contain 208 cathode pots.

The National government of the day, led by Prime Minister Rob Muldoon, supported this decision, and it ended up part of the massive fiscal policy programme of the era known as Think Big. In late 1980, tenders were called to construct the additional pot line over two years, starting in 1981.

Andersons Foundry in Christchurch won the contract to manufacture the cathode pots and related steelwork, while CWF Hamilton & Co, also in Christchurch, won the contract to make the anode and cathode buzz bars.

Tenders then went out to transport all manufactured components for the smelter

from Christchurch to Tiwai Point. NZ Express Transport Christchurch (NZE) was awarded the contract.

Each cathode pot was 9.6m long, 3.8m wide, and 1.2m high. They were made from 25mm and 30mm plate steel and weighed 9.4 tonnes each.

NZ Express designed and made special ‘H’-shaped yokes that were spaced at four intervals along the top side of each bottom pot, with the second pot located and loaded onto the H yolk.

The load was then secured in preparation for the 615km journey south to Tiwai Point.

Jigs were attached at each end of the pots for both loading and unloading, and these were also used for load security when securing the load to the semi-trailer.

On 17 August 1981, the first of 104 loads left Christchurch

for Tiwai Point.

The steelwork associated with the pots comprised 208 deck plates, each one 10.8m long, 4.3m wide, 25mm thick, and weighing three tonnes.

These were carted six at a time on two jigs manufactured from 150mm x 150mm RHS, 4.3m in length, with an internal upright at each end. Using strengthened semi-trailers, they secured onto twist locks, and during loading, the uprights guided each deck plate onto the jigs. The six plates were then uniformly positioned for the journey, overhanging the semi-trailers on each side.

The transport of the deck plates began on 17 September 1981, concluding 12 months and 35 loads later.

Considering the work ahead of them, NZE purchased two new Volvo N12 tractor units, operated by Pat Shields and Murray Glen. A Volvo N10 tractor unit in the care of Graham Forbes was also on hand to help out, along with other existing trucks from the fleet that included a Volvo G88 driven by Dick Horgen and a Hino HH V8 with either Trevor McLintock or Grenville Beri behind the wheel.

The Murray Glen machine was changed over to the CWF Hamilton buzz bar work two months later once that production had started.

Every load required a Class II pilot. NZE staff of the time Jim Carey, Ian White, Stu Ford, Bill Salt, Reade Cassin, Phil Timehau and Ken McQuilken, were joined by general manager Peter Boyd, operations manager Kevin Richards, and transport manager Geoff Carpenter, to to fulfil this requirement.

During one of the loads, an overzealous Dunedinbased traffic cop stopped the convoy and measured things up. He declared the load was over width by the diameter of the chain securing it, and each load would require the ‘assistance’ of a

full MoT escort from then on.

Obviously, this additional cost had not been budgeted for, so the next load that went down was piloted by Peter Boyd, who “sorted the cop and the situation out”.

During this time, with so many staff and units from the Christchurch fleet out of town, local jobs started piling up, causing stress and anxiety to the rest of the local dispatch team. However, as it was in the day, everybody pulled together to ensure things were kept running smoothly from the customers’ point of view.

Evidently, the old analogy of a duck looking calm on the surface but paddling furiously underneath was the best way to describe it.

Along with the NZE trucks carrying the components south, NZ Railways was also roped in to help. They carried a total of 3744 cradles, each measuring 4.8m long, 1.6m high and 0.25m wide, weighing in at 911kg. The cradles were carried on UN type railway wagons and loaded at the Andersons Foundry siding by NZE staff. Once the wagons got to Invercargill, they were unloaded by Southland Freight Haulage operations manager John King, after which the cradles were then trucked 27km to Tiwai Point.

Maximum loading on the railway wagons was achieved by inverting two rows of cradles onto the uprights of the lower ones, which meant each wagon carried 45 cradles weighing a total of 41 tonnes.

John King was also great at finding backloads to Christchurch for the NZE trucks.

Each of the cathode pots positioned at the smelter is supported by 18 cradles with each deck plate bolted onto the cradle tops. The cathode buzzbars were manufactured from 99.98% pure aluminium billet railed from Invercargill to the CWF Hamilton & Co

1 1) Steelbro design of the semi used for carrying the buzzbars.

2 & 3) Driving his N12 Volvo, Murray Glen completed 104 buzzbar moves without incident between November 1981 and 1982. He’s seen here on SH1 at Shag Point north of Dunedin.

4) Securing cathode pots at Andersons Engineering with steel for cradles in the foreground (1982). rail siding in Christchurch.

The metal was pure and therefore very soft and could easily be damaged during transportation.

Steel Bros of Christchurch was employed to design and build two dedicated semitrailers for this job (see the attached plan for the trailer).

The semis were essentially a chassis with support frames to load the buzzbars onto.

Staff from CWF Hamilton & Co loaded and secured the loads, and while one trailer was being unloaded at Tiwai, the second trailer was being loaded in Christchurch. The loaded dimensions of these units were 3.0m wide, 4.8m high, and weighed 22.7 tonnes each. The loaded height of 4.8m was the maximum that could pass under Watermans Bridge on the Dunedin motorway. Even so, the rear buzzbars had to

2

3

4

June 2022

Pages 40-43, June 2022.

The caption back in the day read, ‘A big freighting operation is under way, transporting massive buzz-bars from Christchurch to the aluminium smelter site at Tiwai Point.’ The buzz bars are big conductors used in the potlines. These vehicles are programmed to cover more than 100,000 miles a year, transporting the big components, manufactured

by CWF Hamilton Ltd, Christchurch. The larger of the two Japanese vehicle’s loads is fully insulated as the conductors pick up heavy electrical charges from powerlines along the roadside. The height of the load is 16ft, the maximum width is 10ft, and the gross weight of each truck and trailer, including the load, is 36 tons’. Photo: The Southland Times, 1970.

TRUCK & TRAILER WHEEL ALIGNMENTS SPECIALISTS • Truck & Trailer Wheel Alignments • Long wheel base vans / heavy vans and motorhome wheel alignments • Tyre sales and fitting • Induction heating and straightening of bent trailer axles and diff housings • On & off truck wheel balancing • Axle Camber Corrections

D T

Ph: 09 250 4286 | 8 Mepal place Papatoetoe Auckland www.akltruckalign.co.nz

NZT 22

Company Lakeland Transport Ltd Trailer manufacturer: Patchell Industries Ltd

Wokatu Holdings Ltd Trailer manufacturer: Trout River Holdings NZ

FOR SALE contact Cable Price Trailer manufacturer: Mills Tui

Don’t let your payload weigh on your mind!

Tipping Units, Bulk Haulage, Logging and Weighbridges

DT King Transport Ltd Trailer manufacturer: MTT Invercargil

House and Heavy Haulage Canterbury Ltd

Rotorua and Christchurch Phone: 07 349 4700

www.silodec.co.nz NZT 22040 SI Lodec FP August NZT.indd 1

17/08/22 4:28 PM

CLASSICS LOCKER

THE HULK In 1984, at the Motor Truck Distributors production line in Palmerston North, the wireless would have been playing Kenny Loggins singing about his loose feet while the team added the finishing touches to LW2193. Twelve owners later and no less than 10 coats of paint, we catch up with ‘The Hulk’.

Story by Carl Kirkbeck

Photos as credited

1

4

2

5

3

6

1) 1984 and brand new for RW Tupe of Whangarei on contract to Mobil on fuel deliveries. 2) Second owners GL & SC McCormack with LW2193 adorned in the famous blue and white of Mainfreight. 3) Murray Brown with LW2193 on contract to Irvines Freightlines of Invercargill. Here, the name ‘The Hulk’ found its way onto the bug deflector and is still there. Photos: Ed Mansell. 4, 5 & 6) Bevan’s tear-down and rebuild begin. Photos: Satherley Collection.

A

t the right place at the right time and at the front of the queue was where Bevan Satherley found himself when he stumbled across ‘The Hulk’ for sale on Trade Me. A few phone calls and some negotiating skills later, the deal was done.

For Bevan, the search for a clean Super-Liner had been simmering for a while.

“We were after one that was original with some history, as well as not too far gone – a

truck we could rebuild as a workable classic/hobby show truck,” explains Bevan.

LW2193 ticked that box abundantly. Ordered new and custom built for RW Tupe of Whangarei, the 440hp V8 Econodyne-powered R722RS Super-Liner was put to work servicing a Mobil fuelsdelivery contract. Known at the time as ‘Eagle Eater’, it mostly pulled a spread-axle tri-set tanker trailer, typical of the era.

From here, it was

purchased by well-known Mainfreight contractor GL & SC McCormack. A solid coat of Mainfreight blue and white paint was applied, and a matching five-axle flat-deck B-train was hooked up to the fifth wheel. The name was also changed to ‘Angel of Darkness’.

Murray Brown was the next proud owner. Contracted to Freightways Express out of Invercargill, LW2193 received a fresh coat of white paint to the cab, as

well as a splash of sky blue to the chassis. In Murray’s care, LW2193 also ended up in Irvines Freightlines teal green, white and yellow livery when Murray contracted to the organisation. At this time, ‘The Hulk’ showed up for the first time on the bug deflector, a name that the rig has proudly carried to this day.

A stint with Farmer & Dabinett based in Stoke was next, contracting to Rail Freight. LA Schreiber

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 63

TRAN

1

2 3

4

5 1 & 2) Interior as fresh today as it was in 1984. 3) Making music, the E9 V8. 4 & 5) It’s all in the detail.

64 New Zealand Trucking

again, but this time it was G & C.A Daley Partnership grabbing the keys and hooking up a tri-axle Reefer to the turntable. Next up was LB Landon Contractors, with LW2193 connected to

September 2022

a tandem-axle tipulator. And finally, ‘The Hulk’ had a burst with R Vincent of Wiri.

For 38 years, LW2193 has had a working career of which it can be extremely proud. And with the birthday

rebuild recently administered

by Bevan and his workshop team at Satherley Logging in Hawke’s Bay, ‘The Hulk’ will likely ply the highways for at least another 38.

FL FI

166-0922

of New Plymouth was then next to have LW2193 wear its livery, and again on all manner of general freight duties. After a brief time in Motor Truck Distributors’ care, it was back out to work

TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE

THE RIGHT PARTS…THE RIGHT PRICES…RIGHT HERE! TRANSPORT, DIESEL &NATIONAL MARINE TRANSPORT, DIESEL SEATS & MARINE HI & LOW BASE

POA

SPRING BRAKE CHAMBERS CLUTCHES

POA

EATON 9 SPEED RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE TRANSMISSIONS + GENUINE PARTS

2424 / 2430 /3030

POA

GENUINE PARTS

FLEETGUARD FILTERS

HUBO’S

FIVE YEAR/ 500,000KM WARRANTY

RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE TRANSMISSIONS + GENUINE PARTS

CONTACT US TODAY FOR ALL ENQUIRIES

GENUINE PARTS CAN’T FIND THE PARTS YOU NEED? LET US FIND THEM FOR YOU

Ph: 0800 501 133 Specials valid while stocks last.

8 Prescott Street, Penrose, Auckland

166-0922

Email: ray@tdm.co.nz | john@tdm.co.nz CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE WWW.TDM.CO.NZ

RUST IN PEACE

New Zealand is littered with trucks that have long since had their glory day. Some lay hidden in dusty back lots on the outskirts of town. Some stand in the middle of the nation’s paddocks, covered in moss, almost blending into the scenery. But each has a story to tell; each was once a valued partner on the road, someone’s first truck, someone’s million-miler. Rust in Peace gives these forgotten heroes one more moment in the limelight and, when possible, shares their stories.

BEDFORD TK SPREADER

R

egular readers will remember that we followed Aaron Tait deep into the Hakataramea Valley for our February 2022 cover feature on the Rural Transport DAF CF530. Heading out of Rural Transport’s home base of Kurow via Hakataramea Valley Road is a spectacular experience, with rolling hills and farmland hemmed in by snow-capped mountains.

This Bedford TK spreader is bound to catch your eye as you head away from civilisation into the south Canterbury hinterland, not far out of town at the south end of the valley.

Sitting beside the road in an idyllic farm setting, the Bedford is still in impressively good nick. A bit of surface

66 New Zealand Trucking

rust colours the bin and chassis, but the cab could certainly be considered salvageable. Its Hampden Transport 1968 livery and fleet number are still proudly on display. John McCone, son of the Oamaru company’s founder, Donald, explains the TK came from Southland and was probably one of Titiroa’s, from what he remembers. “It would’ve been a stock truck.

Dad took the deck off and put the Haman bin on it to convert it to a spreader. We only used it for about three years as we needed a fourwheel drive truck to handle the conditions down here.”

The Bedford was sold off in the late 1970s to a (different) farm in the Haka Valley and has spent its life in the area since.

September 2022

“It had the Leyland 400 motor in it, which was a good old lugger back in the day. It had a real sloppy box, though,” recalls John. As it happens, it was also the truck in which John learnt to drive.

Hakataramea Valley

Story and photos by Gavin Myers

C

P

H

HOT DEALS PROUDLY NZ OWNED & OPERATED

Rhino Guards

Stemco Bearings

Huge range available

Wide range available

20% OFF

25% OFF

DECK PADS Dangerous Goods Flip Sign

Large Wear Pad Small Wear Pad 450x 100x 20mm

350x 80x 22mm

AMFLIPSIGN-TRT

PDRS22

PDRS22S

105.00

$

SAVE OVER 20%

Run Out Stock!

61.50

$

EA SAVE OVER 33%

57.60

$

EA SAVE OVER 33%

SERVICE EXCHANGE SAVE TIME & GET BACK ON THE ROAD FASTER WITH REMANNED PARTS! We take your old worn or damaged parts and send you back quality remanufactured product from stock.

· · ·

We offer a wide range of service exchange parts and rebuild kits.

You have the option to exchange parts for either remanned or new.

We offer a 12-month warranty* on all service exchange workmanship.

GET TRADE DEALS with a TRT TRADE ACCOUNT!

Apply Online @ trt.co.nz or scan the QR code for easy application

CALL US TODAY to talk with our parts team!

Prices shown exclude GST and freight and are valid from 1st June to 31st July 2022. *Terms and conditions apply.

Ham: 07 849 4839

Akl: 09 262 0683

Chch: 03 741 2261

www.trt.co.nz

AUSSIE ANGLES

68 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

IMPROVING TRUCKING IN AUSTRALIA Story by Mike Williams Photos by Mike Williams and Rod Pilon With truckers increasingly choosing to overnight in their trucks, the need for better, safer roads and rest areas is ever more important. Australian truckie Rod Hannifey is leading the charge.

L

ike many interstate drivers, I spend most of my time in a truck when I head off for the week. I don’t spend it in road houses or service centres.

For increasing drivers, me included, truckstops are about fuel and a shower.

That’s about it.

The cost of living on the road has gone through the roof, and the overall quality and availability of a good feed has taken a turn for the worse. The old ma-and-pa roadhouses, where they knew your name and how you like your eggs, have pretty much disappeared, either because they’ve been bypassed or their owners retired.

These days, my other half prepares my meals, which I keep in the fridge and reheat in a microwave. I’m lucky enough to drive the same truck all the time. I don’t share with others so for me an inverter is an easy choice, a microwave a must-have. The truck is set up to suit my life on the road.

It’s the choice many of us make. There’s nothing wrong with a portable 12V oven, though. A little research is all it takes to find an amazing array of 12V appliances suitable for trucks.

It’s become even more important to have quality rest

areas and safe places to park.

And it’s nice to know there are people in our industry who take the need for better, safer roads and rest areas seriously.

Rod Hannifey is a leader in the fight and probably one of the best-known drivers in Australia. He works for Rod Pilon Transport Dubbo, running all over Australia carting general freight. He’s been a tireless campaigner for improving roads, rest areas and road safety in general for as long as I can remember.

Now as president of the National Road Freighters Association, Rod is pushing that agenda hard.

He is now on the third iteration of the TIV – the Truckright Industry Vehicle.

He’s said it would probably be his last. It’s a huge project.

Rod Hannifey is a driver all should look up to.

TIV trucks in their first (below) and second (above) iterations.

70 New Zealand Trucking

Simple, effective and appreciated by drivers.

adopted the Queensland model. Victoria joined along the way, and only last year, South Australia joined the party. The Northern Territory and Western Australia are yet to take part officially. There are still lots of places to be marked all over the country.

What is this Green Reflector programme? “The most simple, best bang for the buck, road-safety programme in the world,” according to Adam Gibson, risk assessment engineer for National Transport

Insurance. Simply, six green reflectors are displayed on three road marker posts in a 3, 2, 1 layout leading up to a stopping place. Drivers, therefore, have a bit of warning in time to slow down and pull over. It’s not rocket science, and it saves lives.

There’s anecdotal evidence that the marked sites are used, and drivers are grateful for the initiative.

Rod has always made a huge personal commitment to trucking. He’s made submissions to every inquiry

that’s come around. He’s worked with all sorts of interest groups, such as caravan and road tripping people as well as the trucking industry. He’s made ads for television and the Truck That YouTube videos. He writes a regular blog and the “eyes on the road” column for Owner Driver magazine. He also appears on the nationwide Triple M night show with Luke Bona, and random trucking podcasts. I don’t know how he finds time to actually drive a truck.

Mike would love to interact with readers and get your feedback.

You can contact him via Twitter (@theoztrucker), Facebook (On The Road Podcast – @otrpodcastaus), or direct via email (mike@ontheroadpodcast.com.au).

Visit ontheroadpodcast.com.au to find his show.

Catch Mike’s Aussie Update on Trucking Radio 24/7!

September 2022

19-0922-T

Rod takes politicians, road managers and representatives out for ride-alongs to see the state of the roads and other infrastructure. The truck also collects data on the road surface, lumps and bumps, and so on, which Rod uses to lobby road managers for repairs and improvements. It’s also a rolling billboard, with a road-safety message or information on every surface.

The rig appears at truck shows and events far and wide. It’s all done with the co-operation of his employer Rod Pilon, but it’s in Rod Hannifey’s own time and for no financial reward.

The first came about when Ken Wilkie supplied Rod with a Kenworth K104 Prime Mover in 2008. Rod Pilon provided the trailers.

The curtains, with all the supporting information, came along, and the TIV was born. Many of the original supporters are still along for the ride. The latest rig, a K200 big cab, is a bit of a change.

There are some new trailers and curtains on the way.

Organising it all must be like herding cats. It’s interesting to know where all the ideas and drive comes from.

In 1999, Rod was driving fuel tankers for Ron Finemore Transport. One night, while not on his usual run, he found himself towing a single trailer west out of Sydney, feeling like he needed to pull up but struggling to find a spot. Regular drivers would have known the spots to use and after sailing past several suitable areas, he thought wouldn’t it be nice if they’d been marked with a bit of warning so he could stop?

The reflector idea was born.

Fast-forward over the years, and Rod is still working on getting what has become the Green Reflector programme adopted across the country.

In 2005, procedures for a Queensland programme were set up, winning Rod a roadsafety award. In 2008, NSW Roads and Maritime Service

This unit is available for sale now

Kraft Engineering Limited 5 Wikaraka Street, Ngongotaha, Rotorua | Phone: +64 77 357 4597

19-0922-T

Colin King: Ph: 027 539 0075 | E: colin@kraftgroup.co.nz James Worsnop: Ph: 027 572 2642 | E: james@kraftgroup.co.nz

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

ROAD TRANSPORT EXPO 2022 Story and photos by Will Shires

An exciting new industry event burst onto the British truck scene this year.

L

ike any self-respecting journalist, I spent considerable time at this summer’s Road Transport Expo (30 June to 2 July) hunting down free booze. But then, I felt like I

72 New Zealand Trucking

deserved it. After all, Britain’s newest and largest truck trade show was partly my idea and helping to plan it resulted in a rather stressful 18 months.

With 185 exhibitor stands, including no less than 10 different truck manufacturers, it was a complete success.

So I reckoned that justified several glasses of celebratory free gin and tonic (thanks Smart Witness), champagne (thanks Volvo), beer (thanks MV Commercial) and

September 2022

Guinness (thanks Van Hool)!

However, you’ll be pleased to hear that I did manage to have a good look around the show. Here are a few of the highlights.

DAF Trucks On the DAF Trucks stand were examples of its New Generation range. The XF, XG and XG+ were crowned International Truck of the Year 2022, and as the UK jury member, I took the

opportunity to officially hand over the trophy to DAF’s UK marketing manager Phil Moon.

DAF will no doubt be hoping to do the double with its XD (CF replacement), which will get its official launch at the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, Germany, in September.

Dennis Eagle British refuse truck-maker

Dennis Eagle has embraced the move to electrification.

With 62 of its 27-tonne 6x2 eCollect wagons already finding buyers, it is Britain’s best-selling zero-tailpipeemissions truck by far. At the show, it launched a 4x2 narrow-track version, which is expected to account for 25% of its electric truck sales.

The 18-tonner is fitted with three battery packs, instead of five in the 6x2 version. This provides it with 180kWh of power, giving it a range of about 130km, which the manufacturer says is comfortable for a full day’s work. It can be charged from 15% to 100% in just 3.5 hours. Dennis Eagle says it expects the new truck to account for roughly 25% of its electric truck sales.

Fuso This was Britain’s first public showing of Fuso’s new 7.5tonne narrow cab Canter.

It is 300mm skinnier than the regular version, which has enhanced the vehicle’s manoeuvrability and is likely

to boost its popularity with companies operating in sectors that require access to areas with restricted space, such as scaffolders. The truck features a revised front end, with new LED headlights and optional Sideguard Assist.

The one pictured had a factory-fitted Scattolini threeway tipper body.

was this rather tasty 395kW (530hp) S-Way. This toppower rating was announced last year, and this was its UK show preview. It also featured new aerodynamic A-pillar covers, which with other efficiency enhancements, contribute to a claimed reduction in fuel consumption by up to 3%.

Isuzu Truck

Mercedes-Benz

Isuzu Truck UK, which last year celebrated 25 years in Blighty, said its F135.240 attracted a lot of attention at the show. The 13.5-tonner, its highest GVW offering over here, has a 7.4-tonne payload. Also featuring on its stand was a pair of N75 7.5-tonners. Isuzu is currently the UK market leader in all 7.5-tonne sectors, excluding boxes and curtainsiders.

One of the big stories from the show was the British launch of the Mercedes-Benz eActros, which could be found with numerous other zero-tailpipe-emissions trucks in the show’s Urban Zone.

The three-axle rigid on display was a 400 model, fitted with four 112kWh lithium-ion batteries and having a maximum range of 400km. The 300 version has three batteries and does 100km less on a charge. All eActros feature MercedesBenz’s electric axles, twin electric motors (330kW), and 2-speed transmissions. Both models have a maximum power of 330kW, the

Iveco Iveco is beating the gas drum loudly in the UK and offers CNG- and LNG-powered trucks. And while it showed examples of both, the vehicle that grabbed my attention

equivalent of about 440hp.

I recently drove one in Germany and reckon it’s the best battery-powered truck so far. But then, this market is moving at an incredible pace.

Renault Trucks Probably the best electric truck in the world? Renault Trucks certainly believes so. But I would have been more impressed if Renault had taken a leaf from tanker manufacturer Van Hool’s book, which was serving draught Guinness next to the Irish brewer’s tanker on its stand. I am rather partial to a drop of Carlsberg on a warm summer’s day!

The 18-tonne dray, which is about to go on the road, is one of two battery-electric (BEV) Renaults ordered by the brewer, the other being a 26-tonner. Renault also showed an 18-tonne Hyvabodied skiploader BEV, one of two trucks ordered by Recycling Lives last (northern) autumn.

Renault is really going for it with its range of eTech electric

several Volvo FMX Electric eight-wheel Tridem tippers.

Seminars

trucks, and reckons 50% of everything it sells in Britain will be battery-powered by 2030.

Scania Scania demonstrated its broad range of alternativefuelled vehicles, showcasing examples of CNG, LNG, battery electric, and plug-in hybrid trucks.

“We have a range of fuels to support a range of applications,” explained sales engineer Rupert Barnard.

“As the technology develops, you’ll see customers moving across in different ways, but it has to be right for them.

That’s why we are here with the full range.

“Customers are looking to the future and where they’re going in their road maps.

It’s a case of aligning what we’re doing with what they’re doing, working together and collaborating to move forwards. At the end of the

day, we all have the same aims.”

Delegates wanting to experience Scania’s hybrid could do so on the road in the Ride & Drive Zone, but by far the most popular vehicle here was its mighty 770S.

Volvo Fox Group MD Paul Fox arrived at Road Transport Expo by helicopter to officially take delivery of his two Volvo FE Electric tippers.

“Our industry is looked at as a dirty industry, but the technology that is out there is fantastic,” he told me. “We have a fleet of electric plant; dumpers, excavators and a loading shovel, and this was a natural progression for us.

The days of the dirty muckshifter, and fossil fuel getting burned, are on the way out.”

The trucks have been spec’d to do a 40km journey seven or eight times a day.

Fox has also committed to

Amid three days of highbrow business seminars in the Knowledge Zone, which included talks by traffic commissioners and senior accident investigators, was ‘Talking Trucks with Volvo and Scania’. Hosted by myself, this was light-hearted banter between demo drivers from both Swedish truck manufacturers. While Scania ultimately won the willywaving competition (770hp v 750hp), Volvo’s Kawasaki green, ‘slammed’ FM tractor that pulls its hospitality trailer certainly won the Iron Mark some points!

Best question from the audience went to the man who asked whether Scania would be mounting the batteries on its most powerful electric trucks in a V formation!

Will Shires Road Transport Expo, held in Stoneleigh Park NAEC, Warwickshire, England, will be back next (northern) summer.

It’s a stone’s throw from William Shakespeare’s birth town of Stratfordupon-Avon, so if you fancy seeing some pommy trucks, you can always leave any nontruck-enthusiastic family members travelling with you there to do some sight-seeing. I hope to see you at Road Transport Expo in 2023 – including your esteemed editor.

Tevva unveiled the first hydrogen fuel-cell truck to be designed and mass-produced in Britain. It will have a range of up to 496km and goes into production in 2023.

Du Middle: Sean Taylor’s F1-themed Scania R580 had a starring role on BBC’s Top Gear. Right: Probably the most photographed truck at the show, this humble Scania P450 XT is owned by social media-sensation Daniel Louisy of Ashville Aggregates.

WE HAVE YOUR SEASON SORTED!

EQUIPMENT & TRANSPORT LEASING

07 849 3007

etladmin@modtrans.co.nz

etlhire.co.nz

6624 Te Rapa Rd, Hamilton

Graders

Excavators

Loaders

Bulldozers

Rollers

Compactors

Dump Trucks

Tractors

Tippers

Trucks

Trailers

Water Carts

THE MODERN TRANSPORT GROUP

CRAIG’S TRUCKIN’ SNAPSHOT

This Midlands Volvo FH16 600 was captured on a recent winter’s morning, dropping into Boundary Stream on SH7.

Technology with Vision

ENHANCE YOUR VEHICLE LED Light Bar 470 with front position light

For the first time, striking LED light pipe technology has been used to create an innovative position light integrated with a powerful high beam light bar.

➔ High beam with integrated front position light

Must be mounted according to local installation regulations for high beam and position lamps

➔ 5 year warranty

0800 4 HELLA (0800 443 552) for your nearest HELLA stockist Hella NZT LIGHT BAR PO 210X144 2020 - Copy.indd 1

➔ Approved for use in New Zealand and Australia with ECE compliance (Two Lamps) ➔ Maximum luminous intensity of 113,000 candela

www.hella.co.nz 13-Nov-20 11:45:26 AM

NZT 22

45:26 AM

LEADERS IN TRAILER MANUFACTURING

Innovative Road Transport Equipment, Repairs & Maintenance

FRUEHAUF NZ LTD BRANCHES: 21 Hobill Ave, Manukau, Auckland | Phone +64 9 267 3679 MANUFACTURING PLANT: 10 Mahinui Street, Feilding, New Zealand | Phone +64 6 323 4299 HEAD OFFICE: 21 Hobill Avenue Wiri, Auckland, New Zealand | Phone +64 9 267 3679

NZT 22030 Fruehauf FP - A4.indd 1

8/07/22 4:20 PM

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

OPERATOR: DPS Haulage, LM Marino Transport, Gisborne ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 448kW (600hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor RT

46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: Airliner 46,000lb BRAKES: Drum. EBS, ABS BODY/TRAILER: Patchell log gear on truck, and 5-axle billet log trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: TRT TractionAir CTI. SI-Lodec

Western Star 4884FXC 8x4 rigid onboard scale. Twin exhaust stacks and stencilled shrouds.

Stainless steel air cleaners, bug deflectors, lower cab trim, and headlight surrounds.

Polished alloy bumper, toolbox, and polished diesel Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels with offset fronts

‘WINTER SOLDIER’ Kenworth K200 6x4 tractor – 2.8m sleeper OPERATOR: Bascik Transport, Jae Haulage (Craig and Debbie Pearson), Christchurch ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B 18-speed manual transmission REAR AXLES: Meritor RT21-165GP REAR SUSPENSION: KW Airglide 460 BRAKES: Drum. ABS, EBS RIGGED/SET-UP: Southpac Engineering/HDPS Engineering, Christchurch FEATURES/EXTRAS: All boxes ticked. Kentweld bumper. Icepack. Full cupboard package PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Timaru Signs Graphix OPERATION: General freight, nationwide DRIVER: Jaden Pearson SALES: Chris Gray COOL FACT: The truck is named after Craig’s father, Snow Pearson

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

September 2022

PAINT: Haddock Spray Painters 2003, Whakatane SIGNAGE: Signs Direct, Whakatane OPERATION: Export logs, East Coast DRIVER: Darcy Marino SALES: Mark Ellerington

Photo: Andrew Geddes

ANOTHER STAR IN THE EAST

Volvo FH16 700 8x4 rigid – Globetrotter

‘NIGHT PROWLER’ OPERATOR: Hog Haulage, Taupo ENGINE: Volvo D16G 16.1-litre 522kW (700hp) 3150Nm (2323lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift AT03112F 12-speed AMT transmission REAR AXLES: Volvo RTS2370A REAR SUSPENSION: Volvo RADD-GR 23 tonne air bag suspension

BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: ACC, FCA, LCS, LDW, DA, Passenger corner blind-spot camera BODY/TRAILER: Roadmaster hightensile curtain-side body and five-axle trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Alloy cab roof bar, additional marker lights, JOST offset front

rims. Load indicator, fridge, TV PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Speedy Signs, Palmerston North OPERATION: General freight, nationwide DRIVER: Tim Brown SALES: Todd Martin

ASMOOTH LINES International 9870 R8 8x4 rigid – sleeper OPERATOR: ACM Metal Supply and Cartage, Stephen Ward Ltd, Napier ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger 20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160GP FRONT SUSPENSION: Parabolic springs front and ECAS second REAR SUSPENSION: International IROS BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBSS BODY/TRAILER: Transport and General Transport Trailers body and five-axle trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Bigfoot central tyre inflation, SI-Lodec scales, Power Tarps covers. Ali Arc bumper.

Stainless-steel drop visor, headlight surrounds, second steer guard. Chrome mirrors. Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels, stoneguard. Tinted windows, under bunk fridge, monsoon shields PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Truck Signs, Mt Maunganui OPERATION: Bulk aggregate, North Island DRIVER: Stephen ‘Chub’ Ward SALES: Hugh Green

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

79

NEW RI GS ON THE R OAD

Volvo FH16 600 8x4 rigid – sleeper

PALLETS AND BINS IN WONDERFUL THINGS OPERATOR: Tumu Transport, Hastings ENGINE: Volvo D16G 16-litre 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: RTS2370A hypoid single reduction

REAR SUSPENSION: Volvo RADD-G2 BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: ACC, FCA, ESC, LCS, DA BODY/TRAILER: Domett body and five-axle trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Roof-

mounted aero kit. Stainlesssteel drop guards and toolbox doors. JOST offset alloy wheels (front), Alcoa DuraBright alloy wheels rest of unit.

Aero kit and skirts. Custom fuel tank. Under-bunk fridge PAINT: Ex-factory

“THE WHITE KNIGHT’ Scania S620 B8x4NZ – Highline sleeper OPERATOR: Harrison Transport, Napier ENGINE: Scania DC16 16-litre 463kW (620hp) 3000Nm (2213lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise GRSO905R 12-speed AMT with 4100D retarder REAR AXLES: Scania RB662 rear axles REAR SUSPENSION: Scania Air Suspension front and rear (builtin scales) BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: ACC, AEB BODY/TRAILER: Roadmaster body and five-axle trailer. Full mezzanine floors FEATURES/EXTRAS: Broshmik-style drop visor and stoneguard. V8 interior, fridge, microwave.

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Nelson Signs, Napier OPERATION: General freight and pallet cartage, North Island DRIVER: Rob Jowers, Gagan Singh SALES: Callan Short

w w w. t r g r o u p. c o . n z 80 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

SIGNAGE: Wrapped Auto Signs, Tauranga OPERATION: Tumu Timber products, nationwide DRIVER: James Hislop SALES: Simon Wilson

Kenworth K200 8x4 rigid – 2.3m Aerodyne sleeper

SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE OPERATOR: Laurent Contractors, Waharoa ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO 20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160

with full cross-locks REAR SUSPENSION: Hendrickson PRIMAAX air suspension BRAKES: Drum. ABS, EBSS BODY/TRAILER: Domett, truck body and trailer, nationwide – crates FEATURES/EXTRAS:

Bigfoot CTI. Twin 6” air intakes, painted drop visor, Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels, stainless-steel tool-box doors, headlight surrounds, and monogrammed cab skirts.

Polished entry steps. Double bunks, microwave, cab night heater

PAINT: Ex-factory with stripes applied by Fleet Image, Te Awamutu SIGNAGE: Tonz Signs & Graphics, Matamata OPERATION: Livestock cartage, North Island DRIVER: Joc Temm SALES: Adam McIntosh

TRIED, TRUSTED, AND TRUE ACROSS THE BOARD

DAF CF530 Euro-6 8x4 rigid OPERATOR: Taylor Brothers, Tauranga ENGINE: PACCAR MX-13 12.9-litre 390kW (530hp) 2600Nm (1920lb/ft) TRANSMISSION: ZF TraXon 16TX2620 16-speed AMT transmission REAR AXLES: PACCAR SR1360T dual diff locks REAR SUSPENSION: PACCAR eight-bag air suspension BRAKES: Disc. ABS, EBS SAFETY: ACC, FCW, AEBS, LDW, VSC, AB BODY/TRAILER: Transfleet Trailers, body and four-axle trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit. Additional marker lights. Polished alloy wheels. Right Weigh load scales PAINT: Fleet Image, Te Awamutu SIGNAGE: Fleet Image, Te Awamutu OPERATION: Bulk cartage, Auckland, Waikato, Taupo – based at Kerepehi depot DRIVER: Adam Speir SALES: Tim Finlay

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

81

NEW RI GS N

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 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 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

In association with

NZ largest resource of truck drivers

In association with

Are you a contractor with a small fleet who doesn’t have time to recruit drivers? Speak to us.

We market roles to 1000s of drivers and filter through the drivers who meet your requirements. It’s hassle free and saves you time and money. Join some of New Zealand’s leading transport companies who hire through us time and again.

WE CAN HELP WITH ALL TRANSPORT RECRUITMENT CALL ME SO WE CAN DISCUSS MORE!

Yates 027 573 2005 • Manager | NZ Transport Jobs NEWChris ZEALAND TRANSPORT JOBS the specialist in the trucking, logistics and transport industry. Due to the success of NZTJ, we are now extending our service to you find the @NZTransportjobs.co.nz right candidate for all management positions in the transport www.nztransportjobs.co.nz • help FACEBOOK industry. You concentrate on your business. We will concentrate on finding you the right person to fit well into your team.

NO UPFRONT COSTS, HASSLE FREE Email Chris now chris@nztransportjobs.co.nz or call Chris on 027 573 2005 to resolve your staffing needs

NZT 19

NZ Owned, NZ Operated, OEM Approved

www.nzblue.co.nz | 0800 ADBLUE ® = registered trademark of the Ver-band der Automobilindustrie e.V. (VDA)

NZT 1922 AdBlue Ad A4 V2.indd 1

21/08/19 10:03 AM

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

Bin laden One of the most recognisable liveries in our modern transport history has to be that of Tokoroa’s Rob Dahm Ltd. Coal is ensuring wood is the new diamond, so collecting the bits of wood laying around is more important than ever. Rob Dahm has been doing that for some time, and here is its latest addition, fresh from the craftspeople at Mills-Tui. Mounted on a Scania R620, the steel billet-wood tipping bin is equipped with a Breveni BW5200 winch and hydraulically operated tailgate. The winch allows the truck to carry its own trailer by sleeving it into the truck’s body.

The five-axle ‘bin-in’, bin-wood trailer is built slightly narrower using Mills-Tui’s LowRider chassis. It, too, has a hydraulically operated tailgate. The unit was painted by Priceright Parts & Machinery in Rotorua and lit via Hella’s illumination technology.

Features: (Trailer) Narrowed ROR axles with air suspension.

Mills-Tui WABCO EBS.

A matching pair Based in idyllic Queenstown, NZ Post contractor TW McBride has set up its Volvo with a brand-new body and five-axle trailer supplied

by TMC in Christchurch.

Dressed in the swanky new NZ Post livery the combination is built for courier cage work. The stainless-steel toolbox doors, alloy drop-guards and Alux polished alloy wheels will certainly make the unit’s reflection in the snow something to behold.

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

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 84 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

KIWI 175

Here, there, in fact… anywhere With the delivery of this beauty, Taupo House Removals is the latest recipient of TRT’s groundbreaking ESS trailer technology.

It joins another TRT house trailer and is equipped with a fully proportional remote, torsional design trombone, king-pin sideshift and the Quick Connect hitch on the rear if more capacity is required. Load restraints specific to Taupo House Removals’ line of work are included on the top and main decks.

Features: TRT ESS (electronic steering system).

TRT

Features: ROR 22.5” disc-brakes axles and air suspension.

TMC

No nonsense BCB Contracting from Dunedin has a new asset to enhance productivity, and there’s plenty of space on this 15.2m flatdeck quad-steer semi to do just that. Set up for the cartage of containers and everything else, the big boy comes with all the necessaries in the form of east/west enclosed

dunnage bin, deck pins, full circumference tie-rail, ferryhooks and a sparkling stainless-steel-doored toolbox.

And the shine doesn’t end there either, with drop-guards, rear infills, and Alux polished alloy wheels all reflecting a trailer of which BCB can be rightly proud.

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

September 2022 85

Still looking every bit the part, Eden Haulage’s ‘04 Cat-powered Argosy. Photo: Andrew Geddes.

CAT IN THE GARDEN

L

ike Oruanui Linehaul in the north, Eden Haulage in the far south proves the point that wellmaintained trucks owned by passionate truck people never grow old – just cooler.

Eden’s owner Phil Collinson says he has a soft spot for this hard-working beauty. The Freightliner Argosy is one of only 47 trucks of its kind in New Zealand, with Cat’s big banger of the era providing the propulsion.

Still running hard, the truck was

purchased in 2013 from SCS Transport primarily as a back-up, but in a rapidly growing business… Well, you know how that goes.

“With a 101” cab, twin ISRI seats, the C16 under the floor and a Meritor rear end, she was well spec’d for the day back in ’04,” says Phil. “In her 2,750,000km, she’s had a wee issue with dropped liners – there’ve been four. She’s also not not the easiest on fuel, I’d have to say. But when you’re driving it, it’s

certainly all there!”

In the safe hands of regular driver Craig ‘Woozel’ Porter, the big Freighty occupies her time carting inter-island sea product, produce and packaging.

As far as full-on deployment goes, ‘D-day’ is approaching with a replacement in the wings. Phil’s plan for the truck is “take two” on his original intention, being the back-up unit.

Hmmmm, ya reckon? We think that’s just a Tui ad waiting to happen.

CALLING ALL TRUCKS ON OR OVER 1 MILLION MILES (1.6M KILOMETRES)

86 New Zealand Trucking September 2022

SMURF’S MACHINE

A

t last, another Euro has arrived on the Bridgestone New Zealand Trucking Media Million Mile Club pages.

Thank you, Tony Willitts from Otago Moving, for submitting

your pride and joy – this 2001 Scania 124 currently with 1,670,000km under her wheels.

Tony drives the 350kW (470hp) unit himself, with the grand old Griffin still gainfully

employed from her home base in Dunedin. The to-do list that comes with each new day includes side-loader container operations in and around the region’s capital, or skele work into the stunning

lower South Island. The latter assignment must be a tough gig, but as they say, someone has to do it.

Keep your eye out and give them both a big wave.

Still on the wing: Tony’s grand old Griffin doing what needs to get done.

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 September 87

WHEELS AT WANAKA MEMORIES

We bring you a pictorial memory from the phenomenal 2021 Wheels at Wanaka event – to keep the embers well and truly lit on the run-up to 2023!

Nothing warms the heart like a nice serving of ‘T’… as in ‘Line’, not ‘ea’. They were a truck with a ‘thing’, and they instantly evoke great memories for anyone who lived that time, when ‘T-buckets’ ran hot on the tail of big boys. Many an aspiring Kenworth and Mack owner got there courtesy of a T-Line’s graft. This beauty, a later model T-2700 owned by Tim Craw from Prebbleton on Christchurch’s South West fringe, powers into the show along SH8A, loaded with goodies.

No wonder it’s the world’s favourite forklift.

Our 100 year history proves that when you do everything with heart, nothing is too heavy.

Mitsubishi Forklift trucks from Centra, moving New Zealand forward.

NZT 22014 Centra Forklifts 1/2 Page Ad.indd 1

Auckland - 32 Hastie Avenue, Māngere Bridge, Ph: 09 634 8500 Hamilton - 38 Maui Street, Ph: 07 849 5128 Palmerston North - 25 Bisley Street, Ph: 06 355 9033 Christchurch - 38a Parkhouse Road, Ph: 03 343 6814

11/03/22 1:02 PM

DAVID DIDSBURY 027 403 2035 National Fleet Manager – Light Commercial Vehicles

TREVOR WILLS 021 237 118 Light Commercial Vehicle Sales – Auckland

PIETER THERON 021 347 992 Truck Sales – Auckland

HAS YOU COVERED FROM NORTH TO SOUTH Meet the nationwide team Iveco NZ has a long rich history in New Zealand and its team has seen many miles as well. Iveco is a proud manufacturer and importer of commercial vehicles spanning the light, medium and heavy duty truck segments, and also offers a range of small to large buses.

ROBBIE GREENHALGH 022 1234 626 Sales - Waikato

ELLIOT BARNARD 021 347 869 Sales – Lower North Island

STRAUN SYME 027 434 0846 Sales – South Island

Ph 0800 FORIVECO

NZT 22033 Iveco - FP NZT V2.indd 1

www.iveco.co.nz

18/07/22 3:28 PM

MINI BIG RIGS

The basis of our build for Pin, No.9 in the Thames Freightlines fleet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PIN Now and again, a special occasion requires a special gift, something that has a bit of meaning to the person receiving it, something you cannot go to the store and grab off the shelf.

A

few weeks ago our good mate Pin Te Huia’s wife Melissa (a.k.a ‘Chick’) was on the hunt for a birthday present worthy of the milestone Pin was about to celebrate. Knowing his history within Thames Freightlines through his father Wally, as

well as his own employment later with TFL, the decision was automatic – we needed to build Pin a model that would pay homage to those great memories.

Our first move was a trip out to see our good mates at the Model Barn at Orongo Road just south of Thames.

Here, we purchased the basis of our build, a 1:64th scale Mack R-model by DCP First Gear, and a matching scale Highway Replicas five-axle flat-deck road-train trailer.

These two pieces would speed up the build process by significantly reducing the amount of scratch-building required.

Those of you following Mini Big Rigs will notice I have used the same build techniques used on the

By Carl Kirkbeck

nine-axle HPMV Scania project in the March and April 2021 issues of New Zealand Trucking.

This was a rewarding assignment. Not only was it a gift for a friend, but it is also always nice to see old fleet colours come to life again on a model, bringing back many fond memories.

Happy birthday, Pin. We hope you have many happy hours looking at the mighty Mack.

1/50 KW C509 & Drake 2x8 & “Centurion” at $649.50 Spe

New Zealand’s largest stockist of quality models and vintage toys 1/64th CAT CT660 Concrete Truck or Tipper Truck $49.50 each

C509 & Drake 2x8 & 5x8 Low Loader n” at $649.50 Special Combo Deal!

Happy birthday, Pin. Enjoy the awesome memories, mate.

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 91

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

Blue, Roch

Well done, Eden!

elle’s little

HI LITTLE TRUCKERS! Spring is here, and things should be warming up real soon. I have got myself a wee lamb. He is so cute and follows me everywhere.

His name is Blue because he got some of my blue paint on his face the day I found him.

Congratulations to five-year-old Eden Kireka, who found the Little Truckers’ Club logo on page 13 of the August issue. Well done also to 11-yearold Alexia Ogle from Normanby, who won the missing word draw.

The missing word was Mitsubishi. Keep an eye out on your mailboxes – something cool is coming your way.

I got to meet the July ‘find the logo’ winner, Amelia, and give her an awesome New Zealand Trucking cap. We even got a cool photo of her in front of her dad’s truck.

Don’t forget, if you would like to see yourself here in Little Truckers’ Club, all you need to do is 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.

sent in Jamie Sinclair s boys hi this photo of ck. tru s playing in hi ish is m Ha One-year-old rea -y ur fo driving and g in ay pl old Ewan is looks like dispatcher. It on their l they are wel ing in Dad’s w way to follo footsteps!

Amelia in front of her dad’s truck.

COLOURING COMPETITION

Korban Peterson’s Scania in the colours of Taranaki-based Sandfords Rural Carriers.

Thank you all for your amazing entries to our Scania colouring competition. It wasn’t easy to choose from so many talented lil’ truckers!

Congratulations to Grace Cook-Kreft (9), Korban Peterson (13), and Harrison McCormack (10). Great work, and well done on the extra detail you put into your pictures. Your prizes are in the post. I must give a special mention to five-year-old Harvey Galt – I love the colours you used, they are so vibrant.

We have another couple of colouring packs to give away. If you would like to be in with a chance to win one, all you need to do is draw or make a truck. Take a photo of your art and send it to me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz along with your name, age and location. Get creating, kids!

ALSO check out the model competition on page 86 of the August issue for your chance to win an Italeri model truck kitset.

Grace Cook-Kreft’s Scania proudly bears her name.

Harvey Galt’s super-colourful Scania.

th Joke of the mr on gets a ticket?

r neve What kind of drive re A sc wdriver!

92 New Zealand Trucking

lamb.

September 2022

The Little Truckers’ Club logo is hidden somewhere in this issue − find it and let me know where it is, and you may win a prize. You can email me at rochelle@ nztrucking.co.nz Harrison McCormack’s neat Scania with Alexander Group livery and a cool ‘CHUR’ rego.

VARTA ProMotive AGM is designed to optimally support drivers and their trucks during their time on the road. Since the demand for nonstop transportation services requires trucks to be on the road every day, drivers spend more time in the cabin than ever before. The Varta A1 AGM truck battery leads with high vibration resistance, excellent charge acceptance, extended cycle life and increased depth of charge, allowing fleets to equip drivers’ cabins with hoteling functions without draining the battery, avoid downtime and maximise productivity.

It all starts with

Visit our portal to find your local supplier. www.varta-automotive.com/en-nz Proudly Distributed By

HCB TECHNOLOGIES New Zealand's Battery Specialists

NZ-Trucking_Varta_Commercial-A1.indd 1

17/11/2020 12:35:42 pm

Future Truck Driver

OVER AND OUT

Trucking all day every day trucks are life

because badass is’nt an offical job title

SPRING 2022 IS HERE!

The spring 2022 edition of Little Trucker Down Under is a seriously jam-packed trucking extravaganza!

We have posters, we have giveaways, we have competitions, and we have heaps of really cool pics of kids in trucks!

T

his issue, we talk to Andrew Geddes of Timaru Signs and learn all about the art of sign writing. We took an inside look at the fleet at Invercargill’s Eden Haulage, and we headed across the Tasman to learn all about telemetry.

Our junior reporters were kept busy gathering some awesome trucking content!

• Dustin heads out in a Kenworth with Steve Martin Contracting • Thomas shares some tips on how to take a great truck photo • Blake does a Q&A • Isabella spends time with her dad at Swanson Transport • Reid heads out in a Scania to cart some grain And there’s so much more! Make sure you pick up your copy of Little Trucker Down Under, spring 2022.

Room 14 from Auckland’s Summerland Primary enjoying Little Trucker Down Under.

On the road with Milly

MEET MY FLEET

ng up wit tchi h Ca

e Wash Tim Scrubbing bin. down the

Story and Photographs by Milly McCauley With trucks all over New Zealand taking a battering from winter weather conditions, keeping your truck clean is important, not only because it looks nice and positively represents the industry, but also it can make spotting any maintenance issues easier than if it’s plastered in mud, dirt and grime.

H

i Little Truckers, I hope everybody is well and you are all keeping warm over winter. I have had a busy few months and there has been no opportunity to do a truck trip with Dad unfortunately.

However, I jumped at the chance to head over to Sollys Richmond Depot recently to meet up with Dad and help him wash the winter’s grime off the Scania.

Mum drove me across to Richmond, I caught up with Dad and after being shown the controls and what to do I was able to drive the Scania onto the wash pad.....what a thrill!

We wet the truck down, then sprayed it with detergent from the

foam gun, before sponging the cab and wheels and scrubbing the rest of the unit with a soft brush.

Dad and I then had ‘turn-about’ using the water blaster to clean off the loosened dirt. As we worked our way around the truck and trailer, I asked Dad if he liked washing his truck.

He said, “It’s certainly not my favourite part of the job but I like the finished result”.

I think he secretly hopes I will offer to clean it each week!

We left the Scania to dry in the sun and headed to the smoko room where Dad said he ‘would shout me a cup of tea’ for helping with the washing.

On our way across the yard, I saw Leighton using an

Water blasting the bin.

Leighton using the RimShine wheel polishing machine.

interesting- looking machine to shine the alloy wheels on the trailer behind his Iveco.

It’s called a Rim Shine machine and has three rotating arms with soft pads on them.

They fit inside of the alloy wheel rims on a truck or trailer. After putting some polish on them, you roll the machine inside the rim and turn it on, it spins and gives them a brilliant shine, without having to do it by hand,

a Kenworth K200 Aerodyne.

Washing down the ladd er.

using polishing rags.

Talking of shiny things, I hope many of you Little Trucker readers get to the TMC Trucking Industry Show, being held at the Canterbury Park Showgrounds in Christchurch on 25 and 26 November.

There will be hundreds of trucks to gush over and heaps of other trucking-related activities. I look forward to seeing you there!

Story By Milly McCauley The gold Eden Haulage trucks from Invercargill in the deep south with their bright graphics will be familiar to many Little Trucker readers.

Milly McCauley catches up with owner Phil Collinson to find out more.

did the Q: What to broom say ? uum the vac

ANSWER A garbage truck!

Spraying the bin with cleaning foam.

6

Little trucker down under

does a Q: What do superhero an? cle if they

tired of A: “I’m so us pushing people around.”

94 New Zealand Trucking

Turn to page 22 for answer

Images by Craig McCauley

Who owns Eden Haulage?

Phil: Eden Haulage is owned by me, Phil Collinson and my family.

How long has Eden Haulage been in business?

Phil: Eden Haulage commenced in 2005 with one truck, it then expanded in 2008 into four trucks. The company progressively got

bigger from 2012, by adding a truck each year.

Where do you have trucks based?

Phil: 12 of the 13 trucks run

by Eden Haulage are based at the Invercargill depot, and one truck is based in Canterbury.

How many trucks does Eden Haulage operate?

Phil: Eden Haulage operates 13 trucks. Of those, 12 work every day and one older truck helps do any local jobs.

Two trucks in the fleet are double shifted (when two drivers share one truck at different times of the day, allowing it to run for up to 24 hours a day).

What makes of trucks do you have and how many of each?

Phil: Eden Haulage has two International’s, two DAFs, two Freightliner Argosys, six Kenworths and one small Nissan Diesel delivery truck.

How many people do Eden Haulage employ?

Phil: The company has 16 staff all together.

What type of loads do you cart?

Phil: A large part of the company’s work is fresh

RIDDLE Why did the kid throw his clock out the window?

produce (vegetables and fruit). The remainder is cardboard packaging, seafood, groceries, timber and some general freight.

Where are the main areas you operate in around New Zealand?

Phil: Eden Haulage trucks operate mainly between Invercargill, Central Otago and Christchurch, however some of our trucks travel each week to Nelson, Blenheim, Tauranga and Auckland.

What is your title at Eden Haulage and what are your responsibilities?

Phil: I am the director of Eden Haulage; I do everything from relief driving to dispatching. I try to do everything I can to support the business, from something as little as changing a light bulb, to meeting with customers to find out how we can assist them better.

A pair of Kenworth Aerodynes travelling through Central Otago.

do Q: What when you get ss a you cro h a wit Potato ? race car

do Q: What a l you cal d? lazy spu

Turn to page 58 for answers

from Question on page 53

Spring - issue 4

7

56

Little trucker down under

Spring - issue 4

57

September 2022

19353 -

OUT

because badass is’nt an offical job title

FIRESTONE FD644

PROVEN ALL-ROUND PERFORMER Key features • It’s rugged and larger tread blocks provide strong traction both on and off road • The wider grooves provide good water evacuation to maintain an effective contact patch with the road in all conditions.

• Increased wear life and better irregular wear resistance • The design of the FD664 has led to mileage improvement

Firestone FD664 available sizes Size

Load/Speed Index

275/70R22.5

148/145 M

11R22.5

148/145 L

Your Local Expert Auckland Central, Auckland North and Northland Johan Oosthuizen 021 220 2466 johan.oosthuizen@bridgestone.co.nz Auckland South and Waikato Rodney Morkel 027 216 3734 rodney.morkel@bridgestone.co.nz

Bay of Plenty and Gisborne Trevor Bunyan 021 718 861 trevor.bunyan@bridgestone.co.nz Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki Justin Smith 021 452 858 justin.smith@bridgestone.co.nz

Christchurch, Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Peter Taylor 027 405 3504 peter.taylor@bridgestone.co.nz Canterbury, Otago and Southland Tom Porteous 027 582 0682 tom.porteous@bridgestone.co.nz

bridgestone.co.nz

19353 - BDS FD664 Trucking Magazine Ad-v1.indd 1

10/08/22 12:18 PM

2022 ROAD AHEAD CONFERENCE

Contact: Fiona Reid, 06 329 6009 reidstransport@xtra.co.nz

28 and 29 September Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill Contact: conference.transporting.nz, info@transporting.nz

MOTOR TRUCK DISTRIBUTORS’ 50-YEAR CELEBRATION

MOBIL DELVAC ROAD TRANSPORT HALL OF FAME

22 October At the Manawatu Car Club Octoberfest Manfield Park, Feilding Contact: 50years.macktrucks.co.nz

30 September Bill Richardson Transport World Contact: roadtransporthalloffame.co.nz, events@twevents.nz

NORTHERN CLASSIC COMMERCIALS LONG LAP North Island 9 - 22 October

TMC TRAILERS TRUCKING INDUSTRY SHOW 25 and 26 November Canterbury Agricultural Park Contact: truckingindustryshow.co.nz, info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

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.

96 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

Safety alert:

Changes to CoFalert: requirements Safety

Cardan shaft park brake failures

Cardan shaft park brake failures

The current certificate of fitness stall test Read our safety alert: nzta.govt.nz/safetydoes not adequately assess parking brake alert-cardan-shaft-park-brake-failures performance. It wil be replaced by a more Read more information about Cardan rigorous roller brake machine test from shaft park brakes at: 1 October 2022 for most classes of vehicle nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes wi t h Cardan shaft park brakes.

Waka Kotahi has issued a safety alert because there have been several incidents where the

where the Waka Kotahi has issued a safety alert because there have been several incidents where the Cardan shaft park brake has failed and the vehicle has rolled away.

The key points of the alert are:

• Due to the design of the brake, the vehicle may roll away when parked on a slope, especially if the load is changing and/or the vehicle is parked on an unstable surface.

Cardan shaft park brake assembly

• Avoid parking on slopes or use wheel chocks when parked on a slope and when the vehicle is jacked.

• You need to understand the brake mechanism and its limitations.

Cardan shaft park brakes (also known as driveshaft park • Vehicle owners are responsible for riveshaft park brakes) are fitted to many small to medium trucks and trucks and ensuring the brake is serviced regularly a small number of passenger service vehicles. They are es. They to maintain performance. are designed to hold the vehicle and its load but have limitations t have limitations which can lead to the vehicle rolling away.

Cardan shaft park brake has failed and the vehicle has rolled away.

Changes to CoF requirements

The current certificate of fitness stall test nz / safetydoes not adequately assess parking brake failures performance. It will be replaced by a more ardan rigorous roller brake machine test from 1 October 2022 for most classes of vehicle k-brakes with Cardan shaft park brakes.

The key points of the alert are:

• Due to the design of the brake, the vehicle may roll away when parked on a slope, especial y if the load is changing

Read our safety alert: nzta.govt.nz/safetyalert-cardan-shaft-park-brake-failures Read more information about Cardan shaft park brakes at: nzta.govt.nz/cardan-shaft-park-brakes

Cardan shaft park brake assembly

SMART DASHCAM

A new approach to reduce risk by using video AI to coach your drivers

The Smart Dashcam brings artificial intelligence, data and footage together to turn video into meaningful insight, empowering you to drive change through coaching & rewards.

Video AI uses in-built sensors to provide real-time insights into behaviours via audible alerts to the driver.

Digitised coaching & training via a dedicated driver app to help focus on improving performance.

Create a balanced program that rewards positive actions and communicates areas for improvement.

Helps to reduce costs through improved behaviour by managing areas of harsh usage and efficiency.

0800 447 735 TeletracNavman.co.nz

100 Moving Metrics 104 Person of Interest – Niko Verstockt 106 Product Profile – NAPA 108 EROAD Fleet Day 110 Trucking Industry Summit 116 Carriers’ Corner 118 Truckers’ Health 120 Health & Safety 122 Legal Lines 124 Business Together 126 NZ Trucking Association 128 Transporting New Zealand 130 The Last Mile BROU GH T TO Y OU B Y

MOVING METRICS

THE SALES

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

First registration of NB and NC class vehicles for July, by major manufacturer

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers first registered in July 2022.

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.

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

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

Vehicle class

Description

NB

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

(mediumgoods vehicle)

NC (heavy-goods vehicle)

TD (heavy trailer)

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

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

A table of all vehicle classes can be found in Table A of the Land Transport Rule Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2016 Rule 41001/2016 https://www. nzta.govt.nz/assets/resources/rules/docs/vehicledimensions-and-mass-2016-as-at-1-July-2019.pdf Note: Vehicle classes are not the same as RUC vehicle types or driver licence classes.

100 New Zealand Trucking

September 2021

First registration of TD class heavy trailers for July, 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

September 2021 101

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 by purchase year

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

In July 2022 there were 48 different types of RUC purchased for a total distance of 1,439,616,336km at a value of $118,663,200.

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

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at https://www.nzta.govt. nz/vehicles/licensing-rego/road-usercharges/ruc-rates-and-transactionfees/

1 Jan 2022 – 31 July 2022

11,000,819,784

$1,149,847,030

RUC purchase for July 2022, all RUC types

RUC distance purchased for RUC type 1 vehicles

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 July 2022

7,961,132,688

1,137,304,670

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

102 New Zealand Trucking

September 2021

The top eight RUC type purchases, other than type 1 in descending order RUC Type Description 2

Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle

6

Powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles)

43

Unpowered vehicles with four axles

14

Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 or type 499 vehicles)

951

Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles

H94

Towing vehicle that is part of an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a type 14 RUC vehicle towing a type 951 RUC vehicle with a permit weight of not more than 50,000kg

33

Unpowered vehicles with three twin-tyred, or single large-tyred, close axles (except vehicle type 939)

408

Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of a combination vehicle with a total of at least eight axles

Average monthly RUC purchases by year (all RUC types)

RUC purchases July 2022 for selected types RUC distance purchased year to date for selected RUC 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

September 2021 103

PERSON OF INTEREST

FAITHFUL FOLLOWING Story by Dave McCoid

Photos supplied

Thousands have trusted their livelihoods – and probably lives – to the Ringfeder brand over the decades. We were lucky to nab VBG Group commercial director Niko Verstockt, recently in New Zealand on a whirlwind visit, for a relaxed and chatty 20 minutes.

H

e’s your typical tall, immaculate, welleducated European business figure, but like so many from his neck of the woods, Niko Verstockt welcomes a low-key and jovial chat. Fifty-eight year old Niko is VBG Group’s commercial director, and he was in our neck of the woods to celebrate the brand’s 100 years in existence and launch its latest and greatest coupling.

“I’ve not done much travelling for the past two years, as you can imagine.

In fact, this is my first big trip since Covid. I’ve been on the road since 1 July, and it’s now mid-July. The European airports are very stressed, but everyone here is far more accepting of the delays – and just calm.”

Niko has spent the past 17 years with VBG Group but began his journey at Iveco, spending seven years at the company after gaining tertiary qualifications in Holland, majoring in truck-specific industrial automotive. From there, it was another seven years at commercial vehicle transport solutions giant HYVA Group, working in the loader crane division, before coming to VBG Group.

“I live in Belgium. I’m

104 New Zealand Trucking

Belgian by birth. Our head office is in Vänersborg, Sweden, our international commercial office and R&D is in Krefeld, Germany, and I am also responsible for the international warehouse in Beringen, near my home in Belgium.

“It’s an interesting time in history to be involved.

When I started, there wasn’t the international sense and feel there is now. The world has become a village, and I see similar strategies and developments everywhere I go.”

100 years in business In 1922, an engineer named Ernst Kressig, working at Waggonfabrik AG, developed a spring consisting of rings, which the company patented.

In fact, the name Ringfeder translates to exactly that, with ‘ring’ meaning ring and ‘feder’, spring – therefore, ‘ring spring’.

Back then, R&D work was all about railway wagon buffers – trucks towing trailers weren’t really a ‘thing’. Of course, the next logical step for someone dealing with the wagon’s buffers, were the couplers, and the rest as they say… By the time trucks boomed, Ringfeder was well

in the coupling game.

Coupling in the broader sense expanded also, and it eventually supplied all manner of solutions, not just in transport but also in general industry – “anywhere a driving unit needed coupling to a driven unit with the need to eliminate vibration and shock – windmills, generators etc”.

In 1997 Ringfeder was bought out by rival VBG Group. “It was truly a case of the midget buying the giant, but they had money to spend, so bought Ringfeder.

“VBG was concentrated on the Nordic, Scandinavian, and UK markets – it still is in many ways. It is the market leader in those regions.

“The company has three divisions: Industrial Couplings, MCC or Mobile Climate Control, and VBG Truck Equipment. MCC manufactures HVAC units with significant market share in the United States school-bus and military industries, as well as contracts with Volvo Group.

“We say that VBG Truck Equipment takes care of everything between the chassis of the towing vehicle and the chassis of the towed vehicle.

“Having said that, our automatic snow chains are gaining huge popularity in Northern Europe and America, especially the school-bus market.”

At this point, it’s worth

a quick look at automatic snow chains. A horizontal wheel with eight short chains engages with the drive wheel, deploying the snow chains via centrifugal force beneath the drive wheels.”

“It’s a really great system that does not require anyone to leave the cab. I’m surprised they’re not a standard fit in places like the ones mentioned above.”

What’s new?

“The other reason I am here is the ongoing launch of the new couplers – in particular, for New Zealand, the NZ 50 BNZ MSD, with B designating long handle for this market; NZ is obvious, and MSD, manual safety device. New Zealand and Australia are the only markets in the world with the manual second-safety device being the little wheel that seats and must be pulled out to lift the handle.

“There’s nothing worse than crawling deep under the rear of the truck with rain and mud dripping down your shirt. On the new coupler, the second safety is a kind of flip switch located on the same side as the handle. It’s still a twostage process but one you can do with one hand – just flick the safety and pull the handle. It’s also maintenancefree.”

“We are also aware of more and more female drivers coming to the industry, so

September 2022

NZT 21

with no disrespect at all, we have to try and reduce the heavy, physically demanding tasks.”

The NZ 50 BNZ MSD has been through a twoyear field-test programme here and in Australia.

“We were enthusiastic about our original prototype, but drivers not so much. So we went back and made alterations until they all gave us a tick.

“It’s a completely redesigned product. The top bushing is redesigned, and on the bottom, a completely new spring design with only two bolts for taking off the mount.

The springs themselves are a cassette arrangement.

Plus, the spring works negative, so it gets smaller in jack-knife situations, making it harder for stones to get caught.

“Also, the mouth [guiding funnel] is stronger and can be replaced without taking the top and bottom bushes apart.”

Here and there – global differences “New Zealand’s big difference is the truck and trailer dominance, with some units having long drawbars, whereas most other markets run centreaxle trailers [semi trailers].

“You have big noses and cabins and lots of axles. Your truck and trailer tippers jack-knife also, and that all requires a stronger coupling.

“New Zealand also has so many brands – Japanese, European, and American. We’ve been very focused on the European brands, and that needs

to change, in my opinion.

Oceania is the biggest international market for us outside of Europe.

“Also, gravel roads and roads that are much rougher. The product must be much stronger.”

Our D-value has been increased from 200 to 320 for all applications and uses.” (D-value is a performancevalue measure of a product’s suitability to an application.)

“Friends and family are always jealous with my travelling. But I say I only see industrial areas, workshops, and the underneath of trucks.

But driving around New Zealand is very peaceful and clean. It’s a nice environment to do your job.”

PTEK LTD 5559 PEKAPEKA RD KEREPEHI

•D ust seal and dam specific to New Zealand continues • D-Value has been upgraded from 200kN to 320kN. Increased D-Value does not mean the coupling is necessarily stronger or last longer. It measures suitability to application • Maintenance free manual secondary lock. Zero greasing required • Lighter by 2.6kg than previous 5050BNZ model • New upgraded and reinforced guide funnel with easy serviceability. Funnel can be replaced without taking the top and bottom bushes apart • Solid handle is replaced with tubed • 40mm coupling with have similar manual secondary lock and guiding funnel benefits

PH GENE 027 476 6161 EMAIL SALES@PTEK.CO.NZ WWW.PTEK.CO.NZ

NZ LEADER IN HEAVY TRANSPORT WIRING LOOMS

• • • • •

Wireless applications Custom PTEK Heavy Transport High Grade cable Weigh System installation and repairs Custom made wiring loom Plugs, Sockets, Joiners and Heat shrink

NZT 21003 PTEK 1/2 Page NZT Ad.indd 1

20/01/21 4:04 PM

PRODUCT PROFILE

TACKLE TOUGH CLEANING JOBS WITHOUT THE WASTE Parts cleaning is an essential task for every workshop. However, the process can involve hazardous materials that can be detrimental to employees’ health and the environment.

T

he CRC SmartWasher is a bioremediating parts washing system designed to clean parts and equipment during repair and maintenance. It is as effective as solvent cleaners without the need to dispose of hazardous waste.

The washer is engineered to clean without hazardous chemicals, is non-toxic and non-flammable, and built with durable materials.

Ideal for home and professional applications including mobile work trucks, small engine repairs and household equipment, the cleaning power of bioremediation, combined with solid construction and a portable and storable design, makes this the ultimate partswashing tool.

What is bioremediation technology?

Bioremediation is an environmentally friendly way to process hazardous

SW-4 and SW-X1 degreasing solutions are designed for heavy-duty cleaning.

106 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

CRC SmartWashers are available to suit all applications.

waste into harmless byproducts using naturally occurring microbes.

The bioremediation technology in the CRC SmartWasher breaks down grease, oil, and carbon-based contaminants, converting them to byproducts of carbon dioxide and water.

Cost savings A CRC SmartWasher can deliver cost savings compared to traditional parts washers. There is no ongoing purchase of solvent cleaners, waste is minimised, and there are no contracts – eliminating hazardous waste removal contracts. Using the SmartWasher also reduces compliance costs – there are no hazardousgoods or environmental storage requirements.

How does it work?

Oil contaminants enter the solution as parts are washed. The surfactant in the OzzyJuice solution emulsifies the oils, and then the emulsified oil is eaten by the Ozzy microbes. Oil is converted into water and carbon dioxide. The SmartWasher heats and circulates the OzzyJuice, and the OzzyJuice cleans the parts. The OzzyMat releases microbes into the cleaning fluid to break down and eat oil, grease and carbon-based contaminants, creating a selfcleaning system.

Models to suit all applications The SW-23 is the most popular model. It is small enough that it doesn’t take up much space but large enough to suit most workshops. It offers a 180kg weight capacity and is mobile.

The SW-25 is a fixed location model, offering a higher weight capacity at 227kg, ideal for transmission specialists. The SW-28 is also a fixed location model, with a weight capacity of 227kg. Twin wash brushes allow two people to work at the same time.

The SW-37 is a portable heavyweight model, handling up to 454kg. It offers an oversized sink to accommodate larger parts.

There are also specific degreasing products to suit workshop requirements, including the SW-4 – for general-purpose heavy duty, and the SW-X1 for heavy diesel applications, which suits the removal of DEF (AdBlue), burnt-on carbon and tacky HD greases.

CRC Smartwashers are available at NAPA Auto Parts. Contact your local team with the know-how to find the right SmartWasher to suit your business on 0800 800 073 or at napa.co.nz

Open

VALID 1ST SEPTEMBER - 16TH OCTOBER 2022

SIMPLY MEET THE MINIMUM SPENDS ON SELECTED BRANDS AND GO INTO THE DRAW TO WIN • Every $500 spend on selected brands puts you in the draw to win • Every $250 spend on selected brands via PROLink puts you in the draw to win Prizes: • 2x NAPA arcade games with built-in fridge and loaded with over 50 games • 20x pairs of NAPA bar stools

Open to NAPA Auto Parts Trade Account customers operating within New Zealand only. Promotion starts 12:01am on 1 September 2022 and ends at 11:59pm on 16 October 2022. Every $500 spend on selected brands during the promotional period gives 1 entry into the draw. Every $250 spend via PROLink on selected brands during the promotional period gives one entry into the draw.

Spend is cumulative across invoices. Images for illustration purposes only and may differ slightly. The selected brands are: Kelpro, Black Tips, Drivetech4x4, FloKool, NAPA, OEX, ProSelect, Fuelmiser, Great Whites, RDA Brakes, Thunder and Tru-Flow. Promotion excludes Cash Sale account purchases. Customers must have an up-to-date Trade Account to claim their prize.

Prize includes x2 NAPA Branded Arcade Games and x20 pairs of NAPA bar stools.

EROAD FLEET DAY

SPOTLIGHT ON

INDUSTRY ISSUES The 2022 EROAD Fleet Day on 20 July at Hamilton’s Claudlands Events Centre shone the spotlight on heavy transport – undoubtedly a positive move. The content was more targeted and covered the main industry issues. Here are some highlights.

I

a Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett kicked off the heavy-transport stage by giving an overview of the industry’s significant issues and what the association is doing about them.

He started with a comment on the recent Grant Thornton Cost Index, which revealed a 23% increase in CPK over the past year. “One in five operators can’t pass on their increases to their customers. This is serious – if truckers can’t pass on the costs, they could go broke.”

Another finding was that 80% of businesses had increased wages, and the median for drivers has risen from $26 two years ago to more than $31. “That’s important because we’ve been regarded as being a low-wage industry.

Operators have realised it’s needed in order to attract people. It’s a good story to tell.”

In relation, Leggett alluded to the association’s Road to Success traineeship. “It’s not necessarily

16-year-olds we need to appeal to. It could be people in their 30s or 40s. We have to take all comers and diversities. Recognition of that is dawning for operators.”

Leggett said that the industry needed to confront its responsibilities with emissions.

Transporting New Zealand has adopted a Green Compact, laying out what industry can start doing now. “Demands around our emissions footprint are changing. It will not come all at once, and it will be expensive. But we have to face it positively and be open.”

On the subject of roads, Leggett commented: “We’re feeling the lack of maintenance. The wear and tear on gear is appalling – we have evidence of that. It’s a health and safety issue as well – with tyres blowing on really bad roads.

There’s going to be more of it unless we continue to stand up.”

Leggett warned against the government’s Fair Pay Agreement

Nick Leggett.

costs are and what you must watch out for. Know your fleet – trucks have been able to talk to us for years, the problem is we’re not listening. Know and understand your drivers – lots of companies don’t engage often enough. Know your customers and understand their goals. The sooner you find out, the sooner you can plan.

Finally, start thinking and planning for the longer term.”

Regarding decarbonisation, Smith suggested operators pragmatically

adjust their businesses and squeeze value from existing ecosystems. “Don’t wait until your customer demands it – have a plan for when the conversation happens,” he said.

“We’ve still got people who won’t wear seatbelts,” Smith said as he spoke about road safety, adding that trucks were highly visible and the industry needed to reduce its exposure.

He said distractions needed to be eliminated. “We need to be

Bill. “This is going to reduce the flexibility of the industry to respond to its requirements. We’re going ‘back to the future’ like we did things over 30 years ago. We don’t have the resources for it, and the legislation doesn’t provide for it.

Transport might be affected early on, and the industry needs to be as prepared as possible. The reality will be stark. Strong and consistent advocacy is needed.”

…and more issues With a shrinking workforce, degrading infrastructure, rising costs, regulatory uncertainty and a lumpy global supply chain, operators need to realise things aren’t going to get back to normal… that was the sentiment of James Smith, National Road Carriers Association COO. Smith used the platform to offer delegates guidance on navigating some of the most pressing issues – starting with understanding their own businesses. “Know what your

108 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

careful with what we put in the cabs because we’re adding to the distraction task. There’s no need to ring drivers to see where they are – look at the map. Stop annoying the driver, stop distracting them.”

Regarding fatigue, Smith commented much of it was caused outside the workplace. “It’s not about logbooks and work time.

Much fatigue has nothing to do with the job – that goes back to understanding your drivers.

“The industry is under lots of pressure to optimise, but allow enough time in your schedules for slippage.”

Smith suggested driver training was another area for consideration.

“There are huge differences between trucks and between old and new; experience on old trucks can mean little on new trucks. Slow down the onboarding process to get drivers up to speed.”

Finally, Smith updated delegates on what the NRC was currently lobbying for. “We’re pushing for safer roads. People will always make mistakes, and we can’t just drop speed limits; we need more passing lanes, centre barriers, and so on.

“Early adopters need appropriate incentives. We’re also discussing changes to VDAM limits and pushing for productivity improvements. Transport is more expensive and we’re running out of drivers. But what can the network cope with?

“There’s lots happening in career development. Every sector of the economy is currently struggling for staff. It’s a global problem.

“Fair and consistent regulation and enforcement is a constant battle. We need a level playing field.

“Finally, diesel will still be around

James Smith.

for a long time. So what can be done for it while we undertake alternative fuel development and testing?”

Low carbon learnings Genesis Energy fleet engineering and reliability manager Brad Phillips imparted some of the lessons learnt by the company in a year of operating an electric truck (New Zealand Trucking August 2021).

“We have two now, but it’s not been easy,” Phillips said. “For us, it’s about energising New Zealand’s sustainable future.

Dangerous goods are really difficult for EVs – if we can do it, anyone can. It’s been a rapid learning journey, providing us with a solid understanding on what is required for a LPG-fleet EV transition.”

“When we put the first one on the road, I listed what I thought would go really well and what I thought would be a challenge… and I was 100% wrong,” Phillips quipped.

Useable range has been one area of learning. “The range as advertised was 150km but the actual range in our operation is 90km. However, we’re operating

Brad Phillips.

at max weight.”

The EV also has a tare weight penalty of 500kg over a diesel equivalent. “We’ve had to drop the number of cylinders we can carry on the truck,” said Phillips.

Despite the EV’s strong torque, gradeability has proved to be only half that of a diesel equivalent’s 40% to 50%. “That caught us out, and we removed a further 500kg and changed routes to manage this.”

The inability to charge with the LPG onboard is a challenge specific to the Genesis operation.

“We’ve had to change depot processes, but the team has been

excellent. Moulding the business around it is painful but the right thing to do. We need to consider what our infrastructure looks like going forward.”

Phillips said there had been positives, too. In the year of operation, Genesis saved 25.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions. “It’s not a big number, but we’re on the board,” he said.

“There’s also been huge value for us and information sharing with intercompany engagement.

Driver feedback has otherwise been positive, and it’s a conversation starter with our clients.”

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 109

Trucking Industry Summit 2022 Michael Wood

Minister of Transport, Immigration, Workplace Relations and Safety “You are the people who day in and day out do the work to get the goods moving around our country, which is so important for our economy and for our communities,” was how Minister Wood kicked off his address.

He expressed his enjoyment in working with a sector with a practical and direct approach, saying that although the industry and the government might not always see eye to eye, understanding each other made working together easier.

Covid-19 was cited as the reason the government’s focus had largely been week to week/day to day for the past couple of years. But Minister Wood said it could now refocus and consider the strategic challenges existing in the freight sector, noting that the weekend of the summit (30/31 July) was when the country’s borders were again open.

He said the government’s commitment lay in a safer, cleaner, more efficient and resilient transport sector. The pandemic, the global fuel crisis, the decarbonisation of the economy and the transport sector itself were huge challenges, and the key to overcoming them lay in working together.

He said pressures were persisting longer than the government had hoped and, to date, the cost of the concession to the government was $1 billion. He stressed the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) budgets had not been impacted and that the government had underwritten the shortfall.

Resilience “One of the things that surprised me somewhat when I came into this role is that New Zealand doesn’t have an integrated freight and supply chain strategy.”

Minister Wood said that although the transport sector was adaptable and pragmatic, Covid-19 had demonstrated there was work to do in terms of resilience, with the flow of freight at times “dicey” during the height of the crisis.

The Ministry of Transport has been leading work on addressing that, he said, and it was important there was a coherent strategy across all modes, linked by clear workforce, infrastructure and decarbonisation strategies. He pointed out that if the government and industry worked together, the government, local authority, and the private sector could be guided on investment as we move forward.

Fuel

Issues

Minister Wood said supply-chain constraints and the war in Ukraine were the roots of the fuel-pricing issues. “That’s why in March this year, we did move decisively to do what we could as government through the 36% reduction across all legislated rates of road-user charges.”

He acknowledged that the government didn’t remove all of the impacts, but it did help, saying concessions would remain until 31 January.

“We launched the issues paper for the freight supply-chain paper earlier this year and we’ve had strong feedback from your sector and other parts of the freight sector. That feedback is now closed. I think we had 83 substantial submissions.”

He said the next stage would be analysing and developing a draft supply-chain strategy for release later this year, intending to finalise in early 2023.

The key issues are:

110 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

Michael Wood.

• Need to develop a resilient

workforce • Need to decarbonise • Need to make sure the supply

chain is well integrated.

Minister Wood acknowledged road freight would continue to carry the lion’s share of the freight task, but the supply chain would be more robust if all modes were optimised. Recent investments in shipping and hubs such as Ruakura and Bunnythorpe were all about allowing modes to better integrate. “We see an important role for government in getting that co-ordination working well.

“The government recognises that one of the biggest strategic – and I would say moral – challenges we face is the need to take action on climate change. This isn’t a future problem,” he said, citing unprecedented, repeated, extreme weather events both here and overseas. “Our heavy-vehicle fleet does have an important role to play here, making up about 3.5% of our total transport fleet. But it currently contributes about 25% of total road transport emissions, and that percentage is forecast to increase as the light-vehicle fleet electrifies in the coming years.”

He continued that although roads carried 92.8% of freight volumes,

there were real opportunities – cleaner air, reduced reliance on foreign fuel and improved efficiency. He congratulated the sector on its proactive stance during the consultation phase of the ERP (Emissions Reduction Plan) in May 2022, voluntarily increasing the freight emissions reduction target from 30% by 2035 to 35%. “I encourage everyone to be thinking creatively; to be getting on board.

“Government has a role to play as well. In Budget 2022, recognising the challenge in freight decarbonisation, we allocated $20 million from the climate emergency response fund to set up and accelerate responses to the challenges and opportunities in freight transport.” He said the money would go to set up a dedicated unit to address the freight decarbonising issues, and to funding via EECA (Energy, Efficiency and Conservation Authority) for specific lowemissions projects.

Minister Wood acknowledged the sector’s interest in pursuing Euro-6 emissions and said he was working with officials on that, as well as an appropriate incentive regime for low-emissions heavy vehicles.

Infrastructure and maintenance “We also know ongoing investment in a safe and efficient infrastructure network is enormously important for the sector. Road safety is of paramount importance to our government as well, and it’s reflected in our Road to Zero strategy.”

He continued, saying that no one could be satisfied with current road toll and injury statistics, and safe roads were a key part of Road to Zero, which also included provision for safer speeds and drivers. He said the government was investing $10 billion in the next decade through Road to Zero to ensure

progress in the key areas, including investment in safe roads and road maintenance. He said there were 24,000 lane kilometres in the state highway network, up by 10% since 2009/10.

“Our government is committed to investing in high-quality and wellthought-through roading projects that increase resilience and safety across network,” he said, citing Penlink, Takatimu North Link, Manawatu/Tararua and the Mt Messenger bypass as examples, as well as the $1.5 billion invested in the Otaki to North of Levin project.

He did recognise maintenance was an important subject for the sector. On current and impending improvements and maintenance, he cited SH5 Rotorua, SH2 Waihi to Omokoroa, and the Omokoroa Interchange projects, as well as continued targeting of additional median barriers, passing lanes and corner correction across the network. He blamed the previous government for contributing to the current infrastructure and maintenance deficit, saying project completion and looking after the network was essential to meet safety outcomes and the needs of future population growth.

He said the government had increased spending on road maintenance by 46% since coming to office, and the inherited $4.8 billion GPS (Government Policy Statement) on land transport over three years had been increased to $7 billion over the current threeyear period.

He acknowledged there was more to do and said the cost of maintaining a kilometre of state highway had increased by 30% in the past three to four years.

“It’s a combination of labour and material costs, but it’s also the increased safety and environmental standards we all expect these days.”

Over the next three months, we will summarise the key addresses from the Trucking Industry Summit 2022 – so if you weren’t there, don’t worry. This month, we focus on the two leading political parties.

Careers “The final area I want to talk about is the need to build up a sustainable career pipeline for the sector. I know that across all of your companies, you’ll be feeling this pressure at the moment, getting enough skilled drivers to be able to do the job and meet the needs you have.”

The minister said the government recognised a driver’s licence was a basic requirement for New Zealanders to access work and get into the sector. Currently, many young New Zealanders, especially Maori, Pacifica and those in remote rural locations, had trouble accessing a driver’s licence. He said in Budget 2022, the government allocated $80 million to get an additional 64,000 into the driver’s licencing system via clinics and testing programmes in schools, marae and mobile units in the communities.

He said he wanted to see a clearer pipeline of people into the industry, working with the industry on targeted measures that promoted road transport as a good career option, one that was safe, well remunerated, and attractive.

He noted that immigration had a role but effort had to go into the domestic labour force. New immigration settings would ensure appropriate pathways for criticalneed skillets such as mechanics and auto electricians – two roles the sector indicated were vital.

These appeared on the new green list, which is a fast track to residency.

“I reaffirm our government’s commitment to you, working with you, for a freight sector that’s safe, efficient, resilient, and that meets the needs of all New Zealanders.”

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 111

Simeon Brown

National’s Transport Spokesperson “Thank you for the role you have played in keeping New Zealand moving in the past two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you for keeping our goods moving, our supply chains operating, and making sure we have had food on our shelves, and the pharmaceuticals in our pharmacies, and for making sure that those people, particularly in Auckland where I’m from, have been able to stay connected despite having one of the longest lock-downs in the entire world.”

That was National’s transport spokesperson Simeon Brown’s salutation to the summit.

He also acknowledged the cost pressures the industry was under, saying National supported the government’s reduction in roaduser charges. He said that while it had positively impacted cost pressures, it did not address the underlying issues.

Cost pressures and inflation

to take control of the agency, refocusing on core purposes rather than an ever-growing remit of things.

He said the country needed its potholes fixed and for the government to stop wasting our petrol taxes and road user charges.

In Labour’s time in office, Brown said the Waka Kotahi NZTA had taken on 1000 additional staff and a growing backroom bureaucracy.

Perception and actuality

“The government needs to tackle the underlying causes of domestic inflation and not continue to pour fuel on the fire with its wasteful spending and budget giveaway,” he said. “The government needs to stop adding costs to businesses – they need to remove bottlenecks in the economy and get government spending back under control. They need to ensure there is tax relief for hard-working Kiwis, and they need to ensure the Reserve Bank has a sole focus on inflation. And also, they need to make sure we have an immigration policy and organisation that actually supports businesses rather than putting red tape in the way.”

Brown said that under Michael Wood, Waka Kotahi NZTA has spent $25 million on an office refurbishment during a cost-ofliving crisis, and that sent all the wrong messages. Continuing to spend thousands of dollars on the giant red zeros campaign was a waste of money, he said. Michael Wood and the government needed

112 New Zealand Trucking

Simeon Brown.

September 2022

“The trucking industry is often criticised for many things – whether it’s people who think there are too many trucks on the road, or the people who say they simply want everything to go on the trains.

However, the reality is, 93% of freight in New Zealand is moved by trucks on the road, and that statistic is not going to change any time soon, regardless of how much money the government decides to spend on railways.”

He said trucks were the lifeblood of logistics in New Zealand – and National understood that. “We will be 100% focused on supporting your industry and helping it tackle the challenges ahead,” he said, acknowledging there were big challenges that wouldn’t be solved by spending millions on cancelled cycle bridges, or a $29 billion lightrail system in Auckland that might never get built. Brown emphasised the challenges would be solved by infrastructure that made a difference, citing Transmission Gully and the Waikato Expressway, roads he attributed to the National

governments of the past, as examples. National would get back to building infrastructure that made a difference, he said.

“National is listening, engaging, and preparing policy for the 2023 election.

We want to make sure our policies have a vision of taking New Zealand forward, growing our economy and finding practical solutions to the problems we are facing as a country.”

He said he was engaging with councils, representative bodies, and operators to understand what was important. Although not in a position to state particular policies at present, he highlighted three key areas.

The National Land Transport Fund should focus on the best and most efficient infrastructure rather than meeting political goals, and ensure roading receives due maintenance.

Brown said while rail was important, it was not the purpose of the NLTF. It should be funded appropriately via a system that delivered high-quality rail projects, rather than rail receiving a $150 million cheque from the Waka Kotahi NZTA each year. He added that to date, rail had contributed only $7.2 million in track-user charges – the system established late last year.

He said the sector needed to ensure the focus was on the delivery of maintenance and renewals, not just funding, adding Minister Wood had admitted maintenance spend with reduced outcomes.

Resilient regional connections.

Brown said the following RNS (Roads of National Significance) projects had been cancelled under Labour; Whangarei to Port Marsden, Mill Road in South Auckland, the East-West Link in Auckland, Tauranga Northern Link, Otaki to Levin, and Christchurch to Ashburton. “What Labour did was not only short-sighted, but they’ve left a massive infrastructure hole for New Zealand.”

He said lockdowns, ballooning

construction costs, and shortages as skilled labour left the country meant Labour’s “Backfill”, New Zealand upgrade programme was also falling significantly short on promised outcomes.

Brown emphasised the importance of the sector in moving freight around the country and to ports, adding that congestion and inefficiency had a direct impact on economic productivity, also implicating the government’s speed reduction programme. “We will have an ambitious policy focused on improving New Zealand’s productivity creating better regional connections with a particular focus on improving regional freight connections around our country.

“While we all agree that we need to be focused on reducing emissions from the transport sector, we can’t let an ideological approach drive our policy.”

He said National and Labour

“While we all agree that we need to be focused on reducing emissions from the transport sector, we can’t let an ideological approach drive our policy.” both agreed on reducing emissions and the net-zero 2050 target.

But National’s pathway there was significantly different, relying less on ideology and more on practicality. Brown said Labour’s emissions reduction plan required a 20% reduction in kilometres travelled by 2035, and that it would soon be sending bureaucrats out to the regions to establish regional plans. “While we have to reduce emissions, that is primarily driven by the industry and technology, rather than simply by driving less.

“National is fully supportive of measures being taken by the transport sector to invest in new green hydrogen, electrification,

and other measures to reduce emissions.”

He said Labour’s ERP contained higher thresholds for new roading infrastructure, requiring them to be consistent with emissions-reduction objectives. “The minister himself has said New Zealanders can expect fewer new roads to be built under this plan.

“Cutting emissions will happen through technology improvements, sensible investments, and industry making the big decisions, not the government.”

Brown said policies must incentivise without making it difficult to continue in business.

In his closing comments, he said: “We are working with the transport sector to ensure we are finding the solutions we need for our country to move forward, to have a worldclass transport connection, and to ensure we have a funding model that supports it.”

TM

Trucking Industry Show Poster September Mag Final.pdf 2 16/08/2022 11:51:08 am

Proud Organisers

Canterbury Agricultural Park

C

C

M

M

Y

Y

CM

CM

MY

MY

CY

CY

CMY

CMY

K

K

MULTISPARES

TRUCK PARTS

114 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

nztruckingassn.co.nz/trucking-industry-show

Careers Transport Poster NZ Trucking Mag 17.08.pdf 1 17/08/2022 12:00:20 pm

Park

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?...

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

show

FRI 25th NOVEMBER 2022 9am-1pm FRee entry CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL PARK CHRISTCHURCH COME ALONG AND EXPLORE THE OPPORTUNITIES TRANSPORT OPERATOR TELEMATICS & TECHNOLOGY LOGISTICS & WAREHOUSING FORKLIFT OPERATOR

MECHANICS & ENGINEERING CRANE OPERATOR SALES & MARKETING AND SO MUCH MORE....

Everyone WELCOME, REGISTER NOW to receive the careers guidebook info@TRUCKING.nz 0800 338 338 03 349 8070

www.nztruckingassn.co.nz/careers-showcase

IN CONJUNCTION WITH New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 115

CARRIERS’ CORNER

HURDLES AND ROADBLOCKS There’s never been a better time to reference the adage: “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.”

T

he transport sector is beyond challenging, even at the best of times. Now, however, it feels like we’re being hit from all sides and that, despite the pressure, we will just find another way to keep the wheels turning.

It’s not like the challenges we’re encountering are new. But their magnitude, speed, and “lumpiness” make it difficult to draw a comparison with another time.

I could call on a plethora of well-worn quotes to describe the situation: the perfect storm, a case of Murphy’s law, be careful what you wish for, and on it goes.

The industry faces a chronic labour shortage and its impact on labour rates, surging fuel prices, and an uncanny rate reduction the minute the government asks a few questions. There is also the heightened cost of capital and rising equipment and parts prices (and related increases in the cost of fitting them). And that’s before we’ve even turned into Passing on Our Fair and Reasonable Costs Street, and the subsequent pricing sensitivity that’s emerged in many corners of the economy as demand flattens. Whichever way we turn, it’s definitely a character-building time!

It turns out it’s exactly the right time to remind ourselves that we’re only human. The scope of the challenges we face while coping with day-to-day operations will likely wear us down more than we realise and affect other parts of our lives.

I know first-hand that it can be easy to feel as if you’re the only one lodged down a certain hole,

116 New Zealand Trucking

and that no one else could possibly understand. But the reality is most of us have myriad individuals who are only a message or phone call away who are likely to have the right experience, knowledge, connections – or simply listening ability – to help us quash the beast currently consuming us.

If you have a financial challenge, it might be reaching out to your accountant – those numbers you’re spending your waking (and sleeping) hours squirming about might look completely different through someone else’s bifocals!

Perhaps it’s a funding partner or bank you need to connect with; what tools do they have to crack that nut you’re not trying to break?

They might not hold the solution themselves, but chances are they’ll know someone that does.

Perhaps it’s making a connection with another transport operator, someone else who’s got some skin in the game and is likely feeling or has at some point felt that same pain you’re grappling with. And don’t fret if you don’t know any operators yourself – that’s where our industry associations can play

an invaluable part in linking you up. The chances are that looking at another operator’s front lawn might help you realise that your grass isn’t looking so parched after all.

Regarding industry associations, the resource and support that these organisations can provide, whatever the circumstances may be, can’t be underestimated. Perhaps it’s a check-in around your cost model or pricing structure, maybe some HR guidance, financial planning direction, or simply connecting you with a relevant service provider you never knew existed. The teams at the NZ Trucking Association, National Road Carriers, or Transporting New Zealand deal with operators day-in, day-out and the chances are you won’t be the first to call with a particular query or challenge.

I started with one adage, so I figure I’ll wrap up with another; “A problem shared is a problem halved.” Reach out – you’re not alone. nztruckingassn.co.nz / natroad.co.nz / transporting.nz

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.

September 2022

TWL 22

RF50 B NZ MSD RF40 B MSD

NZ’S BIGGEST SELLING TOW COUPLING JUST GOT AN UPGRADE! IMPROVING PERFORMANCE – ADDING VALUE The new generation high-quality Ringfeder trailer couplings are designed for improved operation and reduced maintenance costs, while providing unsurpassed reliability and extended product life. It’s no wonder Kiwis choose Ringfeder couplings above the rest!

Contact the Transpecs team to enquire about the new range of Ringfeder tow couplings.

0800 875 669 TRANSPECS.CO.NZ TWL 22043 Ringfeder A4 Flyer V3 TRANSPEC.indd 1

New Zealand Trucking

September 2022 117

22/06/22 1:22 PM

TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

FINDING YOUR It may seem obvious why you want to improve your health and wellbeing, but sometimes having broad and generic reasons to change your lifestyle may not be compelling or motivating enough to make that change. Here are some simple ways to find your why – the reason you want to make changes.

1. F rame your goals in a positive light Starting any health journey with a negative motivator can be debilitating. Some motivators have underlying negative connotations – for example, if you completely change your eating habits because you ‘don’t want to be fat’.

Instead, you could reframe it and say, ‘I want to feel confident in myself.’ That way, you create a new lifestyle for positive and healthy reasons rather than basing your reasoning on something superficial or negative.

2. Be specific in your goals It’s good to want to feel better about yourself and be healthy and fit, but sometimes it can be helpful to set yourself a more specific and, therefore, more measurable goal. Many of my clients will pick a specific event or milestone they want to reach as a short-term motivator.

For example, signing up for an event like a 10km walk or focusing on a special family occasion, such as a wedding. Although I am always focused on the bigger picture and overall health, it doesn’t hurt to have short-term stepping stones along the way to keep us on track.

3. T ell people about your goals It can be helpful to enlist the help of friends and family. If the people around you know what you’re trying to achieve, they can be more supportive and encouraging.

If they have no idea where you are at with your health and fitness process, they may not understand why you’ve suddenly changed what you’re eating or have swapped leisurely activities for exercise.

Getting the people around you on board in your journey to success is important.

4. D on’t get lost in the daily grind It’s often easy to be hard on yourself and be critical about missed workouts or eating takeaways. But it is essential to praise your efforts along the way – rather than at the end of your journey. Write down one small thing you’ve done each day that has been a step toward your big goal.

For example, ‘I made a healthy meal for dinner when I felt like getting fish and chips.’ Or ‘I didn’t feel like going for a walk tonight, but I pushed through and did it anyway, and now I feel great.’

WHY 6. Be realistic If you’ve never set foot in a gym, maybe don’t set a goal to go seven days a week. It’s okay to start small and build up. Start with three sessions a week of your chosen exercise. Let your body and yourself get used to that routine. If and when you feel comfortable, you can always increase your sessions to four times.

One of the biggest mistakes I see with clients is creating unrealistic expectations, feeling disheartened if you don’t meet those expectations and then giving up.

S

7. Reflect on your WHY Before setting any health and fitness goals, it is critical to understand why you are setting them. Ask yourself these questions; how will I benefit from achieving these goals – why am I doing this?

What am I willing to do to achieve these goals?

Write down your answers somewhere where you can reflect on them often. When you’re feeling off track or have lost your way, refer to your why and how you committed to achieve it. It’s like a contract with yourself; you are your own CEO, checking up on your progress.

5. T hink about how you will feel when you reach your goal Whether your goal is large or small, it’s important to attach feelings and emotions to it. For example, ‘I am going to feel so proud when I complete my 10km walk in two months’ time.’ It’s not about ‘I will be happy when I’m 10kg lighter’ because that is a negative way to frame things. Instead, ‘I will feel so confident when I’ve become healthier.’

Laura Hulley Personal trainer

W 118 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

SERVICE • KNOWLEDGE

QUALITY • LATEST RANGES

DRUM ROLLER MOUNTS

• BITELLI • BOMAG

• DYNAPAC • HAMM

• SAKAI • IR

• KOMATSU • PNUEVIBE

• VIBROMAX

WHANGAREI . HENDERSON . PENROSE . HAMILTON . PALMERSTON NORTH . LOWER HUTT . CHRISTCHURCH

HEALTH AND SAFETY

HOW TO HANDLE

NON-COMPLIANCE Are your team members genuinely doing what’s required of them – or just what’s needed to keep you off their backs?

I

think most business owners and managers are control freaks.

Let’s face it, how could we create successful businesses, managing staff and customers without having a firm handle on everything?

When it comes to health and safety, we put in place processes and procedures and train staff on how to follow them. There is a strong crossover with quality here. If we have good control and sound management systems, we review the outcomes. Often, if the outcomes are what we expect, we stop looking.

Sometimes the outcomes are not what we expect. At this point, many owners and managers revert to the old stick control method. We have all been here – ordering our staff to follow the rules, to do things the way we want them done. But pause for a moment and consider how successful that approach has been.

I was visiting an organisation this week. They said that nearmiss reporting was lower than they would like. They gave the staff a bit of a talk and said the reporting will pick up now – it always does, after

23031 DANI1 TRUCKING AD.pdf

27/5/10

a talking to.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Notice the comment about how reporting always picks up. That tells me that the staff are just keeping the manager off their backs by reporting more – for a while. The underlying problem has not been fixed.

So, what is the underlying problem? In this case, I don’t know; the managers don’t know.

The people who do know are the staff. It could be a training issue, an ease-of-access issue, a gettingin-trouble-for-reporting issue or a nothing-changes-when-theydo-report issue. The list is almost endless.

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

The most effective method of solving non-compliance is to talk with and listen to the people involved. Generally, you will be able to identify the problem and resolve it to the satisfaction of management and staff.

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.

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

120 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

“Are you done with little tippy?”

LEGAL LINES

TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION STRIKES DEAL WITH UBER A landmark agreement in Australia has levelled the playing field for gig workers.

T

he Australian branch of Uber appears to be embracing the idea of self-regulation by signing an agreement with the Transport Workers Union (“the TWU”) in Australia. This is a landmark agreement as the deal marks the first time a platform company in Australia has dealt with a union across both the rideshare and food-delivery industries, and it signifies a major shift in industrial relations in the gig economy.

It provides a more level playing field for the industry by protecting the flexibility of gig workers and supporting the creation of minimum baseline standards for those working in the on-demand section of the transport industry.

What is the gig economy?

A gig worker is a professional who, instead of receiving a regular income, receives wages based on the one-time projects, or ‘gigs’, that they complete. This makes for a flexible work environment, where employers can offer payment for only the work available for a gig worker to perform. The gig economy is the work and career environment in which these professionals work.

What does the agreement change?

Previously Uber and its rival platforms have treated their drivers and delivery partners as independent contractors. As a result, these workers do not enjoy

122 New Zealand Trucking

employee benefits such as sick leave, minimum wages, union representation or the recourse to address grievances. The TWU national secretary, Michael Kaine, sees the agreement as “a significant and positive development in the years-long campaign led by gig economy workers to modernise out-of-date industrial laws”.

The deal comes with industrywide standards, including minimum enforceable earnings and conditions for platform workers, a cost-effective dispute-resolution method, the rights of platform workers to join and be represented by registered organisations and an appropriate enforcement to meet standards. The agreement also outlines a commitment to continue holding discussions about applying the principles while developing industry standards that satisfy the rideshare and delivery industries.

What are the main objectives?

A statement of principles has been developed, setting out four key objectives: • An enforceable floor regarding earnings to give transparency to drivers and ensure platforms don’t seek to compete by driving down labour costs.

• Enhanced and low-cost opportunities for workers

to resolve disputes via an independent umpire, potentially as part of the Fair Work Commission, to apply minimum standards and practices across the industry.

• The right for workers to collectively organise and be represented by a union.

• The effective enforcement of these and other standards, including occupational health and safety compliance.

An end to classification debates?

This voluntary union-platform agreement to pursue improved working conditions may mean that classification debates battled out in the Fair Work Commission and the Australian courts will cease.

No longer will there need to be complex arguments formulated about whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor.

It is hoped that this agreement signals a different approach, resulting in better outcomes for partners and the platforms who will avoid the cost and reputational damage that comes with ongoing litigation. The agreement also helps unions know where they stand because it implicitly acknowledges the union’s right to recruit, organise and represent gig workers.

• 2 • 1

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

September 2022

NZT 22

NEW ZEALAND ROADS NEED KIWI TYRES.

KIWI24

• 275/70R22.5 • 11R22.5

KIWI20 SUPER

• 385/55R22.5 • 385/65R22.5

KIWI20

• 275/70R22.5 • 11R22.5 • 295/80R22.5

KIWI16/17

• 215/75R17.5 • 235/75R17.5 • 265/70R19.5

KIWI23

KIWI175

• 275/70R22.5 • 11R22.5

• 265/70R19.5

BLE NZ W ILA ID VA

EXTRA DEEP TREAD

EXCEPTIONAL MILEAGE

BLE NZ W ILA ID VA

UNIQUE COMPOUND

A

E

E

A

New tyres designed specifically for NZ’s harsh conditions

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

NZT 22011 Kiwi Truck Tyres Ad 2.indd 1

9/05/22 7:51 AM

BUSINESS, TOGETHER

ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT The question I hear from every business I visit (no matter the industry) is, ‘How do I get good staff?’

T

he talent shortage has put a massive strain on businesses. So how do you attract and retain good staff?

I visited one business so scared of losing valuable staff members that they gave them pay increases up to four times a year. While I am sure the employees would have loved it, it is not sustainable. It doesn’t help with future staff and may not even be what drives the employees’ contentedness in their role.

We now have five generations on the global workforce, and they all want different things. The tables below outline the different attributes of each of the generations.

If you are a baby boomer and employ a millennial, you need to know that the same things do not drive them. You worked long and hard to establish your place in your career and were driven by salary.

Millennials need constant feedback and personal relationships to strive.

They will not leave a position simply because they will get paid $5000 more somewhere else.

An environment that gives them flexibility and knowledge across several facets of the business will encourage them to stay. When given the right tools to succeed, they will

work smarter (not necessarily harder), which can have a big impact on your business.

Another big shift in the labour market is the number of careers a person will have in their working lifetime. A baby boomer would generally have 1-2 careers in their working life, whereas now we are seeing a shift of 3-8 careers. You should expect that younger staff will leave. Therefore, businesses must create the right processes to bring in new people.

Also, be open to taking someone from a different career path initially – they are out there and looking to make a change. They are also incredibly smart and technologically savvy and can help take your business further if given the opportunity.

There are a few points that you can think about actioning to help with retaining staff in a new and different labour market: • Give adequate training and access – 40% of employees will leave their jobs in the first year if they don’t receive the necessary training to be effective in their roles.

• Be aware and accept the new realities of the labour force.

• Create purpose – It is more

important than paycheques.

• Ensure flexibility and agility in

working conditions.

• Provide opportunities for

continuous learning.

• Coach rather than be a boss.

• Have ongoing discussions about

performance and development – don’t just leave this for annual reviews (if you even do this).

• Focus on strengths, not weaknesses.

• Maintain and encourage a healthy work-life balance.

Leaders need to shift from control as a leader to mentoring as a leader.

Richard Branson put it perfectly when he said, “Train people well enough so they can leave; treat them well enough, so they don’t want to.”

Roylance Watson is a chartered accountant and associate at Vazey Child Chartered Accountants in Hamilton.

Email: roylancew@vazeychild.co.nz Phone: (07) 838 5988 Website: vazeychild.co.nz

Generation

Born

Attributes

Career Goals

Mentoring

Retention

Workplace

Traditionalists

19251945

Loyal, obedient, dedicated, sacrifice

Build legacy, one company

Not required

Loyalty

Office only

Baby boomers

19461964

Optimism, work ethic, team orientation

Build a single career

No negative feedback

Salary

Long hours – office only

Generation X

19651981

Positive attitude, goal orientation, Transferrable multi-tasking, think globally career

Think globally

Security, salary

Office/home – desires flexibility

Generation Y (Millennials)

19821994

Confidence, sociability, morality, diversity, technology savvy

Multiple careers, multiple industries

Generation Z (Digital

19952012

Diversity, social responsibility, global connectivity, technology sophistication

Prefers communicating through social networks and instant messaging and considers email to be ‘yesterday’. Just starting to enter the workforce.

Natives)

124 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

Constant feedback

Personal Office/home relationship flexibility

Got your ears on?

LIVE NOW!!

DOWNLOAD NOW!!

NZ’s first transport-dedicated radio with music, roading information transport news, interviews and more.

With you on the road 24/7

NZ Trucking Association can be Carol McGeady contacted on 0800 338 338 or general manager NZ Trucking Association info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

TRUCKING INDUSTRY SUMMIT SUCCESS

M

ore than 360 transport operators, industry representatives and government officials descended upon the newly opened Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in Christchurch on 30 July.

The NZ Trucking Association and National Road Carriers Association joined forces to show the industry it’s better to work together and organise the 2022 Trucking Industry Summit.

A discussion document was established and circulated, setting the tone for the presenters to focus their presentations. Over the next few years, the industry’s big issues include a workforce shortage, decarbonisation, safe roads, Road to Zero and productivity. The under-investment in roading and increasing compliance costs were a focus, but there was recognition that finding solutions would not come quickly.

Conversations were had around infrastructure and regulation – all of which need to work hand-in-hand to ensure that the New Zealand economy can prosper now and in the future. Looming large is the fact that New Zealand has a target to reduce emissions from freight transport by 35% by 2035, while at the same time, the national freight task is set to increase by 40% by 2052.

Industry and the government recognise that the status quo is not working. Despite increased investment and funding, the roads are in an increasing state of disrepair – mainly because the capacity to deliver the work is just not there. And this is being exacerbated by global issues, such as inflation forcing the cost of everything up and significant labour shortages. There is no silver bullet to solving the degrading transport infrastructure across New Zealand.

A collaborative public-private

126 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

partnership approach is needed to solve these significant challenges, and the National Road Carriers Association and NZ Trucking Association are working together on behalf of the industry to help make that happen.

It was great to hear from the Minister of Transport Michael Wood that he recognised some of the industry’s challenges, especially regarding some of the supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic. In terms of climate change, it’s recognised that New Zealand is always going to be shaped by the response of other countries, that we have a growing population and competition for land use, and the international and geopolitical landscape is increasingly difficult.

“The theme of collaboration remained with discussion around the regulatory ownership of solutions sitting with industry, especially in terms of harmprevention programmes and compliance monitoring.

Empowering thoughts for the industry,” said Simon Bridges.

Brett Aldridge from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said: “Commercial transport must be successful for New Zealand to be successful,” which was closely followed by “the only way we will achieve the outcomes we all need is by working closely together in partnership”. Powerful words that are 100% on the money.

The summit allowed the associations to showcase some initiatives on which they are working together. Updating the Road Safety Truck to install the SafeT360 virtual-reality road-safety programme and refurbishing the graphics and interactive activities are coming together and will soon be on the road. The new Careers Transport programme is coming

together and will launch later in the year with proposed pilots of the scheme in early 2023. The Careers Trucking showcase event at the TMC Trucking Industry Show in November is a great opportunity for companies to get involved.

Rebecca Dinmore gave an update on the TMC Trucking Industry Show and explained that a record number had booked space for the show. Further display space has been added for exhibitors.

TR Group Driving Competition heats in Auckland are happening on 15 October, and there are steady bookings. And the Palfinger truck-mounted crane competition has attracted a lot of entries.

This will be the first time this competition has taken place. The NZ Forklift Association has joined in and is holding a national forklift competition. Rebecca urged people to make sure they purchase their tickets for the Teletrac Navman prize-giving and the awards function on Saturday night or they might miss out.

Kelly McLuckie from Success Formula (NTI) announced an exciting new initiative. She has been part of a collaborative group that includes the associations, Autosense and Fit for Duty, to design and implement a transport health and wellbeing programme.

An announcement is pending.

The Trucking Industry Summit was designed to connect people with regulators and government and start conversations. It achieved all that and more.

The sponsors enabled some very enjoyable networking, including the Teletrac Navman Legends lunch, Mito morning tea, Z Energy networking function and the Marsh/ BP/Castrol pre-summit social event. Also, thank you to Summit sponsors TR Group, Hiringa Energy and Waka Kotahi.

The best trucking weekend of the year...

Truck yeaH! EARTHMOVING PRACTICE DAY: Friday 7 April

MAIN SHOW: Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 April

If you like something old and you like something new, and if you’ve got diesel in your blood, then it’s so much fun.”

Maarten Durent, CEO, Southpac Trucks

Proud Platinum Media Partners of the Southpac Truck Show Wheels at Wanaka 2023

DISTRIBUTORS OF

Buy tickets, register your rigs in the Southpac Truck Show and learn more at www.wheelsatwanaka.co.nz

™ New Zealand can be contacted on (04) 472 3877 Nick Leggett chief executive officer or info@transporting.nz

INVERCARGILL AT THE CENTRE OF

NZ ROAD TRANSPORT

A

lready a significant centre for road transport as the headquarters of the HW Richardson Group, Invercargill will become the undisputed focus of our industry between 28 and 30 September. Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand’s ‘The Road Ahead’ Conference and the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame are being held back-toback in the world’s southernmost city.

Both events will attract the big names and movers and shakers of our industry, and I recommend you get in quick to register your attendance and secure the necessary accommodation.

Held at the Ascot Park Hotel, the conference is back after a two-year break due to the pandemic and presents a long-awaited networking opportunity for transport operators countrywide. We know how hard everyone has been working to keep New Zealand’s critical supply chains moving and businesses operating during extremely tough times, so we are determined to provide an informative, entertaining, fun event to reflect that. We have also designed the programme so that delegates can consider what’s ahead for the industry as we react to the significant political, economic and environmental challenges ahead.

Influential and thought-provoking speakers will focus on themes about how we shape the future of our industry in uncertain times, how we can best look after the valuable people in our businesses, and how we must continue to lead the way

128 New Zealand Trucking

on safety.

The conference will also focus on the changing labour market and what that means for our future workforce, the sustainability and environmental requirements of doing business, possible future fuel sources, supply chain issues, and digital and other disruptors.

Speakers will include leading economist Cameron Bagrie; Waka Kotāhi NZ Transport Agency chief executive Nicole Rosie; Potatoes New Zealand chief executive Chris Claridge; Datacom head of supply chain Dave Ffowcs Williams; Transport Minister Michael Wood; managing director of Retyna Liz Yeaman; and television graphics entrepreneur and former television presenter Sir Ian Taylor.

Rebbecca Lilley, a senior research fellow at Otago University, will present an overview of roadaccident data and culture in the transport industry, and Kelly McLuckie will present trends and data on trucking industry workforce engagement. The director of the HW Richardson Group, Joc O’Donnell, will also talk to delegates about what makes that company tick and its significant involvement in the Southland economy and community.

While there are plenty of meaty issues to sink our teeth into, the conference will be punctuated by social events such as two nights of pre-dinner drinks, sponsored by Teletrac Navman and Bluebridge, the IVCS Dinner and the VINZ Breakfast.

The conference will also allow

us to celebrate outstanding contributions over the past couple of years through the Transporting New Zealand Road Transport Industry Awards. These awards will be presented at a gala dinner and provide a fitting closing to the event.

Nominations are still open, and I would encourage all those that work with or alongside an organisation or individual they believe is deserving of recognition to get a nomination in as soon as possible. Entry guidelines and the nomination form can be found at transporting.nz/our-events/industryawards.

For partners who are keen to attend the social events but otherwise wish to experience a bit more of what Southland has to offer, there is a two-day partner’s programme. This includes the option of a trip to Rakiura/Stewart Island, a tour of the Seriously Good Chocolate Company and a visit to the He Waka Tuia Museum.

Registration for Transporting New Zealand’s ‘The Road Ahead’ Conference is available at conference.transporting.nz.

After the conference wraps up, I encourage delegates to stay another day or two and attend the NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame on Friday, 30 September. The Hall of Fame honours the trailblazers and legends of the road transport industry and has developed into a real celebration of the industry’s contribution to the country. Visit roadtransporthalloffame.co.nz/ contact to find out more.

September 2022

NZT 19 20

O

HE ES T SU ET IS G ES 11 D SU Y AN B U $ 89 1 I S LY TH1 ON O R

N

1F 2

9 $ 9 EE

LY R F

SUBSCRIBE T R U C K I N G NOW TRUCKING OUR TOP TRUC

FEBRUARY 201 9

K – Modern dro ver – Big blue M NEW ZEAL erc is a star AND FEBRUARY 201 9

SUN, SURF AND A SLICK SAR

APRIL 2022

NEW ZEALAND

APRIL 2022

INCLUDING

SUBSCRIBE AND

SAVE

NZ Trucking is New Zealand’s leading magazine for both the industry and the enthusiast, featuring the latest heavy truck and light commercial road tests, product news, NZ is personalities.

New Zealand’s leading magazine for andTrucking trucking both the industry and the enthusiast, featuring the latest heavy truck and light commercial road tests, You will also get access to NZ Trucking product news, and trucking personalities.

Magazine on ISSUU. You will be emailed a login when next issue available.

You will also the get access to NZisTrucking Magazine

on ISSUU. You will be emailed a login when the Pricing foris subscriptions include postage and next issue available.

GST. Postage included.

Pricing for subscriptions include postage and GST. Postage included.

k Trader

including Truc

including Truck Trader

Trucking

STAND

BY ME New Zealand Trucking

New Zealand

0800 878 256 or phPhone: 0800 878 256 or visit NZtrucking.co.nz/subscriptions visit: NZTrucking.co.nz/Shop

MIRROR IMAGE PINK HART GETS THE GOLD Official magazine of the

LEVEL 4 – A date for destiny PVALUE UKETIPPER K OHE TO THE SHINETEST S $9.50

Includes

gst

$8.50

Includes

gst

9 413000 047578 Long Haul Publications

Official suppor ter

9 415775 4876 27

Long Haul Pub lications

NZT 1902 2075 Subscription Ad 210x297.indd 1

30/11/20 8:56 18/04/19 8:37 AM

THE LAST MILE

THE MORALITY OF GOVERNMENT

W

hat is happening to our country under the facade of ‘we know best’ is immoral.

Few days pass now when we don’t hear of yet more of our money – tax or rates – being committed by either national or local government to one or another project that could be loosely described as based upon ideological fantasy or vanity. While this is going on, we see and hear more and more about the increasing number of people without adequate housing; food banks that are struggling to meet demand; a crime rate that is increasing, the police stretched beyond belief and unable to attend many crimes such as house burglary; a health system on the verge of collapsing; freshwater and waste-disposal systems that need billions of dollars to bring them up to standard; children who are leaving the education system with minimal – if any – literacy ability; and, of course, ‘roads’ that are rapidly deteriorating to the point they would not look out of place in many thirdworld countries.

On top of this, organisations such as Starship Hospital are now relying on public donations to provide comforts to our sick kids and I hear that Plunket also has to reduce some of its services because its resources are stretched. Wellington Hospital is again appealing for children’s winter pyjamas for in-patients.

We learn that the NZTA now has 88 people employed in its comms team, up from 32 in 2017, and 65 of the 88 get paid more than $100,000 a year.

Then I read that the Greater Wellington Regional Council is having to stump up with close to $500,000 in legal costs for a loss in the Environment Court. It seems they wanted the court to put protection orders on some wetlands, but the court found the wetlands did not exist.

Why is this happening? What has happened to this country that our elected representatives, either at the national or local level, can continue to argue that what they are doing is for the good of us all? How can they justify spending large amounts of taxpayers’ and ratepayers’ money on things such as cycleways, while running up huge debt – debt will be an albatross around the necks of future generations, when the very fabric that used to make New Zealand society a model for the world is collapsing around us?

As citizens of this country, our expectations must be that our elected representatives, who exercise the power that is given to them by the office they hold, will not abuse the privilege that we have given them. Yet morality in decision-making seems to have disappeared, gone the same way as the dodo bird and common sense.

Is our New Zealand approaching the ultimate stage of absurdity? Thomas Sowell, an American economist, historian and social theorist born in June 1930 is quoted as saying: “Have we reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while other people are not held responsible for what they themselves are doing to today?”

The Accidental Trucker

F ARE YOUR STAF

?

K R O W T A E SAF

DOES YOUR BUSINESS MEET LEGAL REQUIREMENTS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAVE MONEY? Safewise has many services to help with your health and safety needs.

Let us help you protect your people, process, property and your profit: 4 Meet your legal compliance requirements.

4 Save money by reducing downtime and damage.

4 Earn discounts on levies from ACC. Visit www.safewise.co.nz to find out more, or call:

0800 SAFEWISE 0800 723 394

130 New Zealand Trucking

September 2022

From inside the halls of power I hear that as part of the refurbishment of Parliament grounds, they are going to install a sand pit for MPs. Apparently, in the drive to improve the working efficiency of MPs, a review found that a considerable amount of time is spent travelling to and from some of Wellington’s beaches – so the MPs can stick their heads in the sand. It’s been determined that having a sandpit on the grounds of Parliament will eliminate the need to travel. Consideration was given to supplying buckets of sand in each office.

But this has been highlighted as a health and safety issue in that the size of heads of some of those in Parliament could result in said heads getting stuck in the buckets. For privacy reasons and to stop it from becoming an attraction to the stray animals in the area, not to mention the odd duck, the sand pit will have a fence around it but will be open to the public when Parliament is in recess.

AVAILABLE NOW! CALL ROBBIE 027 566 3025

I ROBBIE@MODTRANS.CO.NZ

SINOTRUK C7H 6X4 CONCRETE TRUCK • • • • •

540HP. ZF AMT transmission.

TWS made bowl.

TWS wired with plug in remote controller.

5.5m3 capacity.

• • • •

Pressurised water system.

Extendable chute, bucket and scraper holder.

Work and safety lights.

Leading safety features include a built in crumple zone, ABS and EBS.

07 595 0574

sales@sinotruk.co.nz

www.sinotruknz.co.nz

THE MODERN TRANSPORT GROUP

92 The Blvd, Hamilton

MADE FOR NEW ZEALAND

scania.co.nz