New Zealand Trucking, March Issue

GOOD LOOKS AND HARD WORK DOWN SOUTH

MARCH 2021

TRUCKING

NEW ZEALAND

MARCH 2021

MAKING DREAMS COME

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CONTENTS

46

To Stand – Bennett’s Next Chapter

56

Off to a Good Start – Dunedin Truck Show

Official Sponsor

Fun for a Good Cause – Kamo Touch-a-Truck Show

MAGAZINE O IAL

HE FT

OFF IC

28

WATCH T HE V IDEO IN TH E DIGITAL EDIT ION

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

EDITOR

Dave McCoid ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers

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

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

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

Pav Warren

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

SUB EDITOR

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Tracey Strange

Georgi George

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

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

Long Haul Publications Ltd

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ricky Harris

OFFICE

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

68

Europe Trials the Super EcoCombi

ART DIRECTOR

John Berkley

THE REST

DIGITAL IMAGING

Willie Coyle DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

Louise Stowell

10

Road Noise – Industry news

94

Incoming Cargo – Daimler’s big moves

50

Top Truck – Good looks and hard work

96

Person of Interest – A Kiwi in Sweden

54

Just Truckin’ Around

98

60

Good on ya mate – Making friends, fulfilling dreams

Talking Fuel – Biodiesel

100 What’s My Rate Report

64

6 months

Aussie Angles – Pilbara’s star

102 IRTENZ – Turbocompound engines

(6 issues) ................... $45

71

Gallery – Cantanbrian!

104 Truckers’ Health

One year

72

New Rigs

106 Health and Safety

Two years

76

New Bodies and Trailers

108 Legal Lines

78

Rhino Photo Comp – Export-driven

80

Mini Big Rigs – Budget bonanza

82

Little Truckers’ Club

84

What’s On/Cartoon

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NZ Trucking Association Summit – Peter Connors

Editorial

This magazine is subject to the New Zealand Press Council.

Subscribe online: magstore.nz

Moving Metrics

92

08

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

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

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

110 NZ Trucking Association 112 Road Transport Forum 114 The Last Mile B R OUG HT TO Y OU B Y

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EDITORIAL

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

A WELL OVERDUE

DOWNLOAD I t’s a great time to be a truck driver. Late February saw the Road Transport Forum and Truck and Driver magazine’s Truck Driver Appreciation Week campaign and the launch of our Trucking Toward a Better Future competition.

We’re excited about the competition and what might be in store.

Some time ago, I was chatting with Lindsay Wood, founder of Resilienz Ltd, a company working in the climate and sustainable building sectors. The upshot of our discussion was Trucking Toward a Better Future.

Truck drivers see more of the wider economy than any other industry sector. Every day they’re delivering to and picking up from businesses servicing a kaleidoscope

of markets. They see and experience equally broad spectra of processes. And let’s not forget the interaction with all the individuals and worksite cultures therein.

Then they have the unique opportunity of being able to ponder what it is they’ve seen while being productive themselves.

Our comp is designed to tap into the ‘truck-a-net’, that vast intellectual pool of knowledge amassed in the cabs of trucks, and ask the questions, ‘What is it you’ve seen? How can things be done better?’

We’re looking for anything that could be done smarter, better, with sustainability lurking as the backdrop theme. We do not at all want the competition to be swamped in ‘greenwash’; nine times out of 10, any

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improvement in efficiency will likely yield a positive environmental outcome.

However, because it’s the planet’s No1 issue for at least the next three generations, it needs to be well in the mix at the pointy end of thinking.

Holding the environmental train of thought for a moment, the other key outcome we want to achieve is to convey to the broader public that truck drivers are as invested in the future as any community subset. Since the competition started, I’ve already experienced, ‘Oh, really? I thought because they were truck drivers, they wouldn’t be as invested.’

Mindlessness.

My response was simply that truck drivers bridge the gap between society’s ideology and greed. “What you say you want and what

you actually want are poles apart.”

All the details on how to enter are on page 10, and I urge every one of you to tap into your vast experience and see what’s there that might be a hidden gem.

There’s no greater truck driver advocate than me, and I can assure you Lindsay, too, is a great believer in the premise that practical on-thejob solutions harboured by those who live the reality are often overlooked.

My whole working life, and much of my prework life, has been in the cabs of trucks and around drivers, listening to the anecdotes of improved practice. Many of those drivers have ended up in senior management roles or are now running their own gig. One thing I’ll never be guilty of is underestimating the power of the truck-a-net.

It’s worth noting that in terms of the judging panel, among others, we’ve secured the services of Rod Oram, one of the country’s foremost business journalists and commentators, and I can tell you he’s excited at the thought of the concept.

Another believer in the worth of on the job IP, believe me.

All we need now is you.

So turn to page 10, go onto our website nztrucking.co.nz or visit us on Facebook, and let’s hear what you have to say.

Dave McCoid Editor

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE – GET YOUR ENTRIES IN THE HUNT IS ON The 2022 New Zealand Truck Driving Championships will be held at the 2022 TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show on 11 and 12 March 2022, at Canterbury Agricultural Park.

The competition showcases the enormous amount of skill and passion amongst the truck drivers. It is the only truck driving competition where industry can get together and support the competitors, at the same time as enjoying New Zealand’s largest industry show.

The TR Group New Zealand Trucking Driving Championships is open to anyone who has the appropriate license for the category. There are five competition categories. Naming sponsorships are available for the categories.

• TR Group – New Zealand Truck Driver of the Year • TR Group – Young Driver of the Year • Women Driver of the Year • Tractor Semi Driver of the Year • Truck & Trailer Driver of the Year • Class 2 Driver of the Year “We know how essential and skilled New Zealand truck drivers are and this competition gives us a chance to celebrate and showcase the industry’s professionalism to the public.

Individuals or company drivers can enter. Company truck driver competition packs will be available soon; this will give details on how to hold an in-house competition so that the company can put forward their winners,” says Carol McGeady, New Zealand Trucking Association.

Last time the spaces filled up quickly, so it’s advisable to register your interest now. Email rebecca. dinmore@nztruckingassn.co.nz to register your interest.

10

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

O

n Tuesday 16 February, New Zealand Trucking Media and Resilienz Ltd launched the Trucking Toward a Better Future competition, and already the response has been promising.

In case you missed the announcement, the competition provides a forum for truck drivers to share their thoughts on how the world can be made ‘better’ and more efficient, especially from a supply chain and general business process perspective.

While trucking and transport might be a driver’s natural frame of reference, there are no limits to what can be suggested. Have more than one idea? No problem, enter as many times as you like. Entry is free and open to anyone actively engaged in the trucking sector.

“We want to tap into what we call the ‘truck-a-net’ – the vast pool of knowledge in truck cabs currently roaming New Zealand. Daily, you see more of the ‘economy at work’ than any other profession. You must have seen things done in one place better than another. You must have had thoughts and ideas about how the world can be better,” says New Zealand Trucking editor Dave McCoid.

“Climate change is the single biggest issue facing future generations. I know you

listen to podcasts, read, think, and ponder.

I know truckers and truck people are as invested in our children’s future as anyone else. We have the broadest potential view of the economy and no one’s asking what we see and think.”

You can enter in two ways: Mail: Trucking Toward a Better Future C/o New Zealand Trucking Media, PO Box 35, Thames 3540 Or email: climatecompetition@nztrucking.co.nz SUBJECT – Trucking Toward a Better Future – ENTRY The competition runs until the end of April, and there is a prize pool of $2000.

Entries will be judged by a panel that includes acclaimed business and climate commentator Rod Oram and well-known transport leader Chris Carr of Carr & Haslam Ltd.

TRUCKING TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

To get all the details and access the full terms and conditions of this competition, scan here:

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

BEAT ROLLOVERS KEITH ANDREWS OPENS IN PALMERSTON NORTH AND NAPIER

A

Following the announcement in November that Keith Andrews had agreed to purchase First Commercials Limited, it is now confirmed that Palmerston North will operate as a sales, parts and service dealership for MercedesBenz trucks, Fuso trucks and buses and Freightliner. Napier will continue operating as a sales, parts and service dealership for Fuso trucks and buses.

The unveiling of these two new Keith Andrews dealerships follows those in Seaview (Wellington) and Porirua in late 2020, as the business consolidates on its appointment as the MercedesBenz and Freightliner dealer for the lower North Island.

“First Commercials is a widely respected business in the lower North Island and we are looking forward to working with Ben Tacon [sales manager], Andrew John [operations manager] and the team to build on the strong relationships in the region,” said Keith Andrews managing director Aaron Smith.

“Keith Andrews has a long association with Daimler truck and light commercial vehicle brands, and with Fuso in particular. We are very proud of the opportunity to represent these highly respected marques across the North Island.

“We look forward to combining our skills and knowledge with those of the First Commercials team to support transport operators through Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu and Hawkes Bay, and the remainder of the lower North Island.”

12

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

round a third of heavy vehicle crashes in New Zealand involve a rollover and more than half of these involve a truck and trailer. Rollovers are typically caused by excess speed, poor vehicle stability and shifting loads.

Knowing how to prevent a roll over is a skill all truck drivers should have in their toolbox and TR Driver Training has announced dates for its 2021 Roll Prevention Heavy Vehicle Stability & Control Driver Training Programme.

TR Driver Training has New Zealand’s only heavy commercial training vehicle, explicitly designed to address the causes of rollovers and reduce the risk for drivers and all road users. The course applies to drivers of all combinations in any application. They will experience how easily a rollover can occur, then learn the skills, and understand the available technology, to avoid it.

“I have spoken to a lot of drivers after these courses, and I am yet to find a driver – no matter how experienced they are – who has said they didn’t learn something from the course. Many drivers mentioned to me that before completing the course they thought that because the trailer is a tanker that the course is designed solely for tanker operators. But the course is relevant to every area of the transport industry,” says TR Group’s Geoff Wright.

The driver training truck is fitted with WABCO electronic braking systems and the WABCO Intelligent Trailer Programme, supplied by Transpecs which has been involved with TR Driver Training for more than 15 years. A WABCO braking specialist from Transpecs educates attendees at each of the nationwide courses on the system.

“This technology has a vast range of safety and operational benefits for the operator. It combines the very best in EBS to optimise trailer performance while maintaining control and stability under all operating conditions,” says Craig Hunter, national manager OEM and Fleet, TWL & Transpecs.

The course is unique because it offers both the theory and practical experience of heavy vehicle stability and rollover dynamics.

“Technology in trucks is constantly being upgraded, and it is hard for drivers to keep up. We are finding that many issues with newer trucks and trailers are caused by the driver’s lack of understanding of the technology within the vehicle. The more we can help educate drivers, the safer our roads will be and the more efficient the vehicles will be for transport company owners and their bottom lines,” Wright says.

This invaluable course will be running at the following venues throughout 2021: Hampton Downs – 29 March; 3, 4 May; 9, 10 August; 8, 9 September.

Manfeild – 29, 30 April; 11 June; 22, 23 July.

Ruapuna – 14, 15, 16 June; 5 July.

Teretonga – 22, 23 June.

Costs per person per half-day course: One person – $695 + GST Four people or more from one company – $645p/p + GST Eight people or more from one company – $595p/p + GST Bookings can be made with the TR Driver Training admin team on 0800 637 000 or admin@trdrivertraining.co.nz.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

BREAKTHROUGH IN HPMV RECOVERY

G

ood news for transport companies operating HPMVs and Class 1 vehicles stranded requiring recovery. Appropriately equipped and certified heavysalvage operators concerned about over-dimensional issues can now apply for Over-Dimensional permits through the Waka-Kotahi NZTA permitting office to accompany the required overweight permits.

Although section 3.14.11 of the 2016 VDAM gives clear direction on the dimension issue for towing companies, interpretation is often inconsistent when it comes to enforcement. ACE Towing & Heavy Haulage owner and

28 year industry veteran, Che Bartle, can trace his quest to clear up inconsistencies in the compliance framework back for eight years.

“It’s been a journey I can tell you, and it predates the 2016 VDAM, which we thought would sort it and didn’t. Heavy salvage in 2021 is a specialist, highly professional industry sub-set, and all we’ve ever wanted is to do our job – with safety and compliance as our key pillars. It shouldn’t have been as hard as it has or cost me as much in legal costs.

But we think we’ve got there at last.”

Che sounds a word of caution to all those looking to have their HPMVs recovered.

ACE Towing & Heavy Haulage owner Che Bartle has fought to clear up inconsistencies in the legal framework surrounding the recovery of HPMV and Class 1 vehicles.

“This is not about me; this is a win for all compliant operators. If you’re getting towed, you need to satisfy yourself that whoever is coming to recover your asset complies in terms of licencing, gear certification and permission to operate. With the Health & Safety chain of responsibility as it stands today, a mishap under tow or catastrophic gear failure

caused by under-rated tow equipment will leave you with serious consequences.

“There are very few who can legally recover HPMVs hundreds of kilometres from the point of breakdown, and provide the customer peace of mind”.

New Zealand Trucking magazine will publish a full account of Che’s quest in an upcoming issue.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

HIRINGA AND HYZON READY FOR FCEV LAUNCH

H

yzon Motors Inc. and New Zealand’s Hiringa Energy have signed a vehicle supply agreement, with Hyzon commissioned to build and supply Hiringa with zero-emission heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), the first of which are expected to enter service in New Zealand by the end of 2021.

The hydrogen fuel cellpowered trucks will be assembled at Hyzon’s facility in Winschoten,

The Netherlands, to full compliance with local New Zealand requirements. They are designed to meet New Zealand road requirements and the demands of heavy freight applications. Hyzon plans to have up to 1500 fuel cell trucks on the road in New Zealand by 2026 as part of the agreement with Hiringa.

The vehicle supply agreement builds on the signing of a Heads of Agreement between the two

companies in August 2020. As part of the agreement, Hiringa will build a nationwide green hydrogen refuelling network, to establish New Zealand as the global benchmark in fuel cell-powered logistics.

The network is on track to commence refuelling operations in 2021, expanding to eight hydrogen stations across New Zealand’s North and South Islands in 2022, servicing 100% of the North Island and 82% of the South

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

ISUZU TRUCKS TOPS FOR 21ST YEAR Isuzu Trucks has claimed the title as the leading brand of new truck sold in New Zealand, for an incredible 21st consecutive year.

“We certainly realised that during challenging times, such as we’ve all experienced last year due largely to Covid-19, qualities relating to trust and dependability become so important,” said Dave Ballantyne, general manager of Isuzu Trucks New Zealand.

Despite market pressures throughout the year, Isuzu Trucks maintained a healthy overall share across light, medium and heavy segments, achieving a combined total of 22.4%.

“This result was an improvement of 0.2% compared with what we achieved in 2019, which is remarkable considering the general uncertainty present for a good portion of 2020,” said Ballantyne.

Sales of light duty Isuzu N-Series trucks to FMCG suppliers, as well as home delivery service operators, were a feature of the final sales result, complemented by strong sales of medium-duty F-Series models in the general freight sector and healthy demand from fleet customers.

“The surge in inquiry and sales of these types of models is attributable, in part, to changes in consumer buying patterns as a result of Covid-19 lockdown requirements, where people were doing supermarket shopping from home as well as ordering parcel delivery online.”

The nationwide network of Isuzu Master Truck dealerships and authorised Service Centres also played their part in helping to keep wheels moving throughout the trying 12-month period.

Excitingly, a new N-Series will touch down in New Zealand later this year. “The new model will offer users of this lightduty vehicle enhanced safety, improved technology and increased specification levels,” said Ballantyne.

18

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

FUSO AND HYUNDAI GET LEVCF FUNDING

T

he Government is giving more support to clean up how New Zealanders move around with approval for 22 new low-emission transport projects.

Two of these include funding to Fuso and Hyundai Motors New Zealand, for electric and hydrogen demonstration trucks, respectively.

Fuso New Zealand will purchase and fit out a 100% electric truck for extended test drives by potential customers. It will also carry out a one-year e-truck trial of five electric trucks and chargers with major transport companies in the proposed Auckland Transport Queen Valley Zero Emissions Area.

Hyundai New Zealand will purchase and deploy five zeroemission hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks.

The purpose of the Contestable Fund is to encourage innovation and investment that will accelerate the uptake of low emission vehicles in New Zealand. In 2020/21, up to $6.5

million in grant funding is available across two funding rounds.

The Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund (LEVCF) will contribute $3.7 million to the projects, with the 22 recipients contributing a total of $9.4 million.

The fund is administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

One of the Fuso eCanters will be used to build transport industry awareness and wider acceptance of electric trucks. The other five will be used by transport operators in Auckland Transport’s Queen Street Valley Zero Emissions Area. The ZEA trial will be used to develop a clearer understanding of how the integration of electric trucks will affect transport and delivery systems.

“Demonstrating and proving the potential for electric heavy vehicles is important, as heavy freight has an outsized impact on transport emissions,” noted Energy and Resources Minister, Megan Woods.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

CAUTION NEEDED ON CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY FOR HEAVY TRANSPORT

N

ick Leggett, CEO of the Road Transport Forum, has congratulated the Climate Change Commission for holding to its clarity and purpose in its draft report that was released at the beginning of February.

However, he warns that for the heavy transport industry things aren’t that clear. “Our industry cannot accept the development of policy on a wing and a prayer. We can’t proceed into a future where the technology that powers our vehicles is imagined, rather than real. Policy should be about the possible, not the probable and frankly, too much is unknown about the kinds of future energy that will

power heavy vehicles.

“I was pleased the commission acknowledged that the vast majority of the freight task will remain on the road. Road currently has 93% of the freight task in New Zealand because it meets the challenges of our particular market,” said Leggett.

The path the commission has recommended includes a modal shift of freight from road to rail and coastal shipping.

“However, their assumptions are that around only 4% of freight tonne kilometres can switch by 2030. That is a far more realistic position than what we hear from many political commentators and anti-road lobbyists.

“I was also impressed

with the commission’s acknowledgement that in the push for the decarbonisation of transport, medium and heavy trucks will be slower to electrify than our light vehicle fleet. Commissioners obviously recognise that current battery technology does not provide the range to deal with longhaul road transport.

“The commission accepts that they can’t predict what the eventual solution for powering heavy transport will be. That won’t stop some others though, and we must guard against people who think they can lock in a solution for us so far in advance,” commented Leggett.

“Our focus must be high

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level; a focus on reducing our emissions as a country and as a world – net zero by 2050.

“The means to the end we seek have not totally revealed themselves for the heavy transport industry. We must assist road transport businesses to be more sustainable and efficient.”

Leggett says the RTF will comment soon on its submission to the commission’s report.

“This is an ongoing discussion that will require operator and wider industry input indefinitely, so it’s important everyone starts considering their businesses’ part in the decarbonisation path,” he said.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

SCANIA AND CABLEPRICE PART SOONER THAN EXPECTED

S

cania New Zealand has advised a revised termination date of its commercial relationship with CablePrice. A two-year notice period was announced in August 2020, and this is being brought forward to make an effective new termination date of 19 March 2021.

Scania New Zealand managing director Mattias Lundholm says Scania will maintain an ongoing serviceworkshop presence across all of the affected locations throughout the transition.

“We will be making a

further announcement very soon regarding plans and timelines around Scania’s future presence in the specific locations of Whangarei, Gisborne and Hastings.”

CablePrice chairman David Harvey says the company’s equipment divisions and its South Island Daimler dealerships will not be affected. He says te company is in a strong position in the South Island, where it has been experiencing significant growth through new agreements with

Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Fuso and Detroit.

“Our business is going through a period of change as we exit our Scania agreement, manage impacts from the end of our dealer agreement with John Deere Forestry and Construction, deal with the ongoing effects from Covid19 and optimise our operating costs.”

Harvey says CablePrice is proposing to close its branches in Whangarei and Gisborne, close its North Shore site, and close its commercial vehicle

operations in Auckland, Rotorua, Palmerston North and Hastings. It is proposing to establish local service dealer agents in Whangarei and Gisborne to support customers there, and to focus its North Island operations on expanding its construction machinery retail business.

“Our Japanese owners, Hitachi Machinery Construction Company, are supportive of our plans and are backing us to turn the company around and secure new business growth and opportunities.”

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March 2021

This is Japan’s most advanced truck.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

KENWORTH US LAUNCHES MOST EFFICIENT TRUCK EVER

K

enworth has launched its new T680 Next Generation on-highway flagship that offers key technology and aerodynamic advancements.

Kenworth especially focussed on developing a highly effective aerodynamic package to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. It says the T680 Next Gen is the most aerodynamic truck in the company’s history, surpassing the fuel efficiency of the current T680. There is up to an estimated 6% overall fuel economy increase for a T680 Next Gen 76” sleeper compared with a similarly spec’d T680 with an EPA 2017 PACCAR MX-13 engine.

The aero enhancements include a new aero bumper and hood, turning vanes, durable lower fairing extensions, chassis fairings, wheel-well closeouts, 28” side extenders, tandem drive-axle fairings, and wheel covers.

The restyled, aerodynamic bumper maintains the same approach angle and ground clearance as the classic Kenworth T680. The bumper has an improved profile to direct air past the wheel openings, improving aerodynamics. The unique air-dam design guides and

24

New Zealand Trucking

controls airflow under the chassis while providing protective coverage under the cooling module. A sleek new aerodynamic hood includes a bold air-intake system design, hood air vent for aero benefit, narrower grille, and highvisibility side turn indicators.

The hood is available in two sizes – 125” BBC (standard) or 119” BBC (MX) – with fairings or a split fender set-up.

Kenworth has improved chassis packaging, creating a shorter wheelbase and a reduced trailer gap of between 38” and 42”. Sleeper side extenders are designed to open to allow for frame access with the tighter trailer gap. While the team created even more new aerodynamic touches from the cab back, it also redesigned the cab’s steps with a more stair-like entry.

Up-front are full LED headlamps and a built-in infrared heater to clear ice and snow quickly. A new, LED side turn indicator offers increased visibility to surrounding traffic and is standard with all hood options.

The T680 Next Gen is powered by the EPA 2021 PACCAR MX-13 12.9-litre engine, which features enhanced durability, reduced

March 2021

complexity, performance upgrades, increased downspeeding capability and more efficient combustion.

The MX-13 is integrated with the PACCAR 12-speed transmission and PACCAR 40K tandem rear axles.

Cab options include day cab and 40”, 52” and 76” sleeper configurations. The T680 Next Gen with 76” high-roof sleepers can be spec’d with the optional Kenworth Cargo Shelf – a 5.5” storage shelf with multiple secure tie-down points.

The cab features a new 15” high-definition, fully digital display – the largest available as standard in any North American truck. The design is easily adjustable to enable drivers to match their preferences, while also automatically displaying critical content. The display is controlled via the Kenworth

SmartWheel. The new digital instrumentation system allows seamless viewing selection between two Minimised Views, Basic View, Maximised View and even a drivercustomisable Favourites View.

A new Bluetooth microphone is located near the CB tray in the header.

The T680 Next Gen offers a suite of advanced driverassistance systems (ADAS) and introduces camera-aided Lane Keeping Assist and Torque Assisted Steering as options for the first time in the Kenworth line-up. It also includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Collision Mitigation and Side Object Detection.

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FASTER, EASIER LIFTING FLEXIBILITY

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ew Zealand workshops now have greater ability and flexibility with the new Rotary Machflex wireless mobile column lift. This versatile, mobile, remote-controlled lifting system offers increased capacity. Because it’s mobile

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The Matchflex remotecontrol technology with exclusive software means faster set-up and easy operation; not waiting for each column to sync before moving to the next saves critical

set-up time. The ergonomic handheld controller allows the user to move around the vehicle and observe the entire bay during operation. The controller’s many features include an info screen, 2-speed joystick control for up/down movement, E-stop

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control, convenient autoresume, and Press Protect which eliminates accidental button presses and preserves battery life. The controller is compatible with the commercially available Tile Technology application, which helps locate and recover a missing remote.

The new Machflex includes column capacities at 7500kg and height and weight digital display gauges. Ninetynine system IDs eliminate

communication interference, and software upgrades can be made wirelessly.

Key features of the Matchflex lifts are: • battery-operated with on-board charger – meaning there are no power cords to clutter up the service bay • protected hydraulic cylinder rod – extending the life of the column and reduces maintenance frequency and cost • easy-to-use adjustable

forks – improves set-up time without the need to install reducer sleeves – adjustment range from 235 to 559mm • spring-loaded steering and braking system – no need to manually operate the jacks to raise and move columns saving set-up time and also preventing movement on sloped floors • forklift pockets – provides a fast and convenient way to relocate columns within the shop

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COVER FEATURE

TO STAND Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and video by Gavin Myers and Dave McCoid

Forget the logs they’ve hauled; if you had a dollar for every time a Bennett opened the door of a log truck and climbed in, you’d more than likely make the rich list. Kane Bennett is the latest generation of this esteemed Bay of Plenty log hauling and trucking family. He recently took delivery of ‘Tumai’, the truck with which he will write the next chapter in the family’s story.

H

e’s like his Uncle Wayne, eh?” reflects Russell Bennett, and for an instant, you can see in his eyes that memories of his late brother Wayne fill his heart and mind. “A thinker.

He thinks about things, won’t say much, takes it in. But he knows what he wants, and he backs himself. Yeah, he’s more like Wayne than me, really.” Then he bursts into laughter, “I just shoot from the lip.

“Na, but that truck’s bloody nice. It’s a beautiful machine;

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

he’s done well. We’re proud of him.”

‘He’ is Russell and Tina Bennett’s son Kane. One of the current generation of Bennetts in the famous Bay of Plenty trucking family.

Then, of course, there’s Uncle Murray, equally as well-known as his brothers in the New Zealand truck driving scene; he’s here with us also, pouring over photos, laughing, and reminiscing.

The reason we’ve all come together isn’t here; it’s parked all by itself down the road in RMD’s Mount Maunganui yard on Aerodrome Road.

It’s Kane’s brand-new Kenworth T909 6x4 log truck and equally brand-spanking Koromiko Low-Boy four-axle log trailer. An absolute Kiwi classic in terms of log truck configuration and brands.

Like all Bennett-owned machines, it’s more than just a truck; it’s the next intergenerational symbol. Its name ‘Tumai’, drawn from Kane’s grandfather and Uncle Wayne, means ‘to stand’, and there’s a dedication to Wayne on both air cleaners.

“Yeah, it’s all come together as I’d hoped,” says Kane.

“The culmination of a dream,

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

29

Cathedral of cool.

I guess, dedicated to Uncle Wayne, the next truck in the family line, and having it blessed by Tipi Oholson before it went on the road, that was a really special moment.”

Yes, he is a thinker.

Let’s go loggin’ Bennett trucks are working trucks. There’s no room for excess technological dross hanging from machines that purport to enhance efficiency and productivity yet may end

up the reason you’re stranded on the roadside somewhere.

It takes a lot of ‘efficiency’ to make up for a lost load or two and a repair call-out. Put logs on trucks, and get them to where they need to go, driving so the truck lasts a long time — that means steady and safe. Press ‘Repeat’. It’s as simple as that.

We meet Kane and Tumai at RMD’s yard at a most respectable 8.00am.

“G’day,” Kane says as he appears from around the

corner of the bonnet and extends a hand. “I was up until late giving it a polish, hoping this weather would be kind to us.”

Tumai is a visual festival, eye candy in the extreme.

The T909 Kenworth is a big machine, and as we said in last year’s ‘Truck of the Decades’ competition, it is the current baton holder of the traditional classic squarebonnet W-Model look … and we have to say it does indeed carry the baton well. It’s high,

Typical narrow rural access road.

30

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

commanding frontal presence came about for reasons of cooling requirements in the EGR era. Interestingly, the modern Cummins family would be quite happy behind a smaller frontal area as SCR systems don’t get quite so hot under the collar. That’s essentially what has allowed Kenworth’s heritage series trucks to come about.

In we get and as Kane sorts the administration, we find where everything we want to take along for the ride can

the gate. Right-hand-down and the big snout cuts one of the most famous arcs in all of trucking as Kane snaps through the gears.

Cathedral of cool

happily sit.

It’s an amazing job, this one, when you think from month to month how much our world changes. Jarrod in the November IVECO X-Way, Owen in the Christmas edition’s Scania, and Garry in last month’s Volvo, could all raise the tare of the trucks they drive by a tonne if they weren’t careful about the amount of stuff they filled their cabs with. Not so, Kane. As huge as the T909 might be, it’s all truck. There’s a fridge

between the seats that Kane rates as invaluable in terms of accommodating better food choices but, generally speaking, you have to be picky about what comes in.

The reality is, though, Kane’s is a different world.

Carting logs back from the Central North Island, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, and Waikato into the Mount or to local sawmills doesn’t require a stay-away home. Kane’s farthest regular pick-up would be lower King Country, about

three and half hours from his Mount Maunganui base, so this’ll do fine. Besides, big high-maintenance cabs and log trucking – in terms of cleaning – never cohabitate well. Hoe into a T909 cab for an hour on a Saturday morning with the ‘vaccy’ and a wet cloth, and she’ll look like new.

Kane dips the clutch, let’s the stick find its first slot for the day, release, and the Swan on the end of the bonnet moves slowly toward

We roll out of town, west over the Kaimais, aiming for a skid site nestled in the hills behind Ngaruawahia. The drop visor and bonnet frame the view top and bottom and the high-rise air cleaners and mirrors side to side. It’s hard to fault, really, if you’re a child of the era, and if you are, the capsule you’re in is a cathartic place that takes you from a crazy mucked-up world back to one far simpler and way more understandable.

Summer skid sites can be high, baron, and airless, or conversely, as in the case of G and S Logging’s perch just off the Waingaro Road, picturesque. A light skiff of rain had been through just before we arrived, settling the dust on both road and landing. The surrounding trees were still in the upright position, so the light was just right with no shadows.

As Tumai backed up under the loader, the full scene was surely a Cathedral of cool, no question.

We asked Kane about the Kentweld bumper and its proximity to Mother Earth on the lower edge?

“Yeah, I’ve nicked the light bar once and given it a tweak, but I have a winter-bumper to go on shortly that’ll give us more clearance. I’ll just put

Left: Trailer up, trailer down.

Tumai is an easy truck to operate.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

31

Tumai blasts through Te Hoe.

this on in summer months.”

Gotta love this man’s style.

The unit has a balanced look front to back, which isn’t always easy on a log truck. Often the spartan rear quarters mean too many adornments at the other end can make them look out of kilter visually. Not so here.

The 7” stacks, stainless-steel

step, door in-fills, and air cleaner light bars aren’t overbearing. Even the ‘visual’ weight of the nine bullet lights on the roof are offset by the lack of air-horns and the painted RedDOT unit helps draw the eye up beyond them. With no stainless bonnet flashes or name badge, the paint up-front is

allowed to ‘breathe’ – again aiding in creating the front to back balance of the overall look.

“Darryn Caulfield sign wrote it, and one thing I was particular about was the scroll work on the side of the guards. We had a couple of goes at those,” said Kane.

“He’s bloody great at what

he does, there’s no doubt about that.”

The bling on the truck came courtesy of Willy Malcolm’s genius hand, and aside from the additional lights and things, there’s so many lovely yet practical touches.

The locker built into the driver’s step and the fuel tank toolbox on the left-hand side

Pine Logging Ltd’s gnarly little skid behind an orchard in Te Puke.

32

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

Not much room for anything else on that dash. keep practicality high and aesthetics on point.

The fit-out on the truck was also done at Koromiko Engineering, and managing director Derek Haywood said his crew was excited to work on the Bennett project.

“Kane likes customised units, and he had input to the build, especially around the stainless and ‘bling’. We made the whole thing look as cool as we could.

Everyone’s happy.”

“Jarvis Harrison in the Hawke’s Bay was doing his at the same time,” said Kane.

“We’re mates and often chatted about them. People think they’re alike, but they are actually very different.

We’ve done our own thing totally, and they’ve both come out great. We’re both rapt.”

It’s what’s inside….

Tumai has one of the ‘fullest’ dashes we’ve seen for a while, even on a Kenworth. Kane spec’d the full gauge suite in silver bezels, with silver switchgear to boot. He also put a big red cross through the smartwheel option.

“Bloody smart wheels!

No, not me at all,” he says.

“Steering wheels are for steering. Chasing buttons around a steering wheel on a narrow winding bush track does nothing for me. Those switches are always right there,” he says, pointing to the dash.

“Evidently, it’s not that common spec’ing the full gauge pack, the data screen, and no Smart Wheel.

It caused a bit of headscratching at the factory, they reckon.” (Yes, you did read right, there’s a data screen in a 909… more in a mo.)

It’s no standard ‘buttonless’ tiller either, or shifter-head for that matter. Tumai’s steering and cog-swapping furniture are aftermarket mother-ofpearl jobbies courtesy of Pearl Craft in Australia. We have to say they’re just delightful against Kenworth’s Charcoal trim interior. Like the outside, there’s a lot of thought gone into how this office looks.

For us, what sets it all off in terms of looks and lineage is such a simple wee touch.

Kane got rid of the normal red Kenworth badge on the dash in front of the passenger, and replaced it with the coolest wooden ‘custom built for’ plaque. Designed by Darryn Caulfield – who else? – and etched in Rotorua, it in itself speaks to so much – the family profession, trucks of the past... .

We’re not going to say much about ride and ambience. Firstly, if you complain about the ride in a long-wheelbase 6x4 bonneted truck, you’ll complain about anything. Secondly, it’s a Kenworth T909 cab. You either are, or you aren’t, and nothing that we or anyone else can say will make you

The glove compartment built into the driver’s step and (below), the blank diesel tank configured as a toolbox. Superb touches.

The wooden name plate is just so on point.

It took a couple of attempts to get these scrolls just how Kane wanted them.

change camps. Noise? Yes, it makes noise, a fantastic noise – 74dB of it, in fact.

This truck is not your tool, it’s your workmate. Trucks like Tumai aren’t somewhere you’re paid to be, they’re somewhere you’ve paid to be.

The long and winding road Trailer off and hooked up, the height of the bolster beds – or lack thereof – on the Koromiko trolley became apparent.

“I wanted to keep it low

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

33

WHAT A PEARLER!

T

he moment we climbed into Tumai’s cab the Pearl Craft steering wheel and shifter head stole the visual impact show.

Pearl Craft is owned today by Pat and Sam Cawfield from Rowville in Victoria, Australia, but its roots go back over 70 years to the late 40s world of post-war cars and trucks. The original owner Bill Clarke sold to Wayne Basinski on a handshake in the 70s, and he focused on the cars of the post war to 60s era as the trucks of the time took on a spongier type steering wheel.

Just over seven years ago Wayne was looking to retire but was keen to see the process and craft handed on and not lost.

Enter Pat and Sam. “We could see most trucks were nowadays running a VIP or polyurethane wheel (smart wheel), and they are suited to our process.”

“For trucks we offer a supply and pearl option using quality wheels like VIP. We can also pearl the Kenworth Smart Wheel including the new T610 smart wheel.

“A matching Eaton shifter sets off the interior nicely with dash panels and knobs also an option.” pearlcraft.com.au

34

New Zealand Trucking

Caption

and stable. I notice it when I’m chaining up though, you have to bend down to get to everything,” laughs Kane.

Built with Hendrickson INTRAAX AANL ZMD 19.5” disc brake shockless axles, the underside of the trailer seems incredibly clean. Errant sticks and bits of slash are going to have a hard time finding something to annoy.

Being a Low-Boy, it’s two inches lower than the standard Koromiko build.

Stanchion height on the rear three is 2.1m meaning Kane didn’t have to worry about extension pins. All this simplicity makes using the unit so quick.

Load on, it was time for Tumai to get to work properly. Coming down of the skid, it was textbook Kenworth, Cummins, Jacobs, Roadranger, with the full in-cab sensory experience.

A proven combo for tree extraction in New Zealand.

“I honestly didn’t discount March 2021

an auto without a second thought, and I wouldn’t discount it again, I’d always have a think and then decide.

I drove one at Linfox in the Argosy, and hey, it probably wasn’t me, but it wasn’t all bad either. When the time came to spec this though, I just ticked ‘manual’, done.

But they’re coming further all the time, and yeah, I’d still have a think. If I were buying it again tomorrow, I know I’d tick manual, but down the track, you’d have to consider all options.”

It was a short trot down the hill from the skid and out onto the road. If there’s a weak point in the Kenworth’s log truck armoury, it’s the turning circle – which appears to resemble a frigate more than a truck, not aided to be fair by Tumai’s 6.6m wheelbase.

“The old Western Star would run rings around it, and it was an 8x4. It would almost turn inside it,” said Kane.

Off the track and it was

out onto Waingaro road, a typical North Island rural, shoulderless, hilly, and winding affair that log truck drivers have to deal with every day. Poutu in the North, Flat Point in the Wairarapa, or here in the guts of the Waikato, they’re all the same, and with a second’s inattention, lethal!

As such, a log truck must be sure-footed and feed back to the driver exactly where they are and what they’re doing. Kenworth in this configuration probably sets the standard here, and Kane knows exactly where the truck is every second. Predictable and stable with no surprises.

According to Kane, Tumai’s stability is aided by the Hendrickson PRIMAAX 462 in the back end, suggested by Southpac’s Scotty Haberfield.

“I bought it through Scotty.

He said the Hendrickson for a truck of this wheelbase, saying it’ll offer increased stability. I found him great to work with; he knows the

He finally got there.

GREEN

FOR

GO

L

ike his dad, 32-year-old Kane grew up in Bethlehem in the Bay of Plenty (See Pathway and passage further on). He went to Bethlehem Primary, Tauranga Intermediate and

then Tauranga Boys College.

And like his dad, Russell, he too started an apprenticeship in an attempt by his parents to demonstrate opportunities beyond the truck cab. This time it was plumbing. But like

his dad and uncles, the desire beneath the surface was to get behind the wheel. When the GFC started to bite, his employer couldn’t keep him on and the apprenticeship ended, releasing Kane to the industry he really wanted to be in.

“You’d be on the plumbing job and hear a Jacobs brake or engine and you’d look up.

It was always going to be trucks,” Kane says.

His parents wanted him to get some work and life experience in other firms, so his first job was with Bay of Plenty Asphalts on four- and six-wheelers.

“Like all young fellas, I wanted to get on the big gear, but you end up a better driver starting on the smaller stuff.”

Once he had his trailer licence in hand, he started looking beyond truck-only

work, eventually taking a position at Taylor Brothers Ltd in Katikati driving a Mitsubishi Shogun chip liner truck and trailer. It was all precious experience.

Then a first big break. Then operations manager at Linfox Bulk, Pin Te Huia, offered Kane a berth on a Freightliner Argosy Bi-fold.

“That was great experience, and the fittest I’ve ever been,” he laughs. “Covering was a daily part of the job. I was pretty lucky to be in a truck like that at 22 years old. They kept the work up to you and I made real good money for my age.”

Following the log-deck came a tractor and flat-deck quad. After three years at Linfox, it was time to move on and he took a position with Ray Lincoln in Tokoroa.

With a couple of years under his belt there driving a Western Star truck and trailer, the plan was for he and partner Simone to do an OE in Europe for three years. That became four months when Ray offered a new Kenworth T409 truck and trailer on chip and bulk tip work.

But then came the call from home. Russell needed surgery on a shoulder that wasn’t co-operating, and so Kane jumped on the Western Star, Matariki.

“That was supposed to be temporary until Dad got better.

We had intentions to go to

If you dream and work for it, it will come. (Gotta love the stance in the first pic. It’s all there, c’mon – Ed)

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

35

Aussie for a while after that, but the shoulder was so buggered the surgery wasn’t going to work.

“I started driving for Dad in 2016 and we began discussions about succession soon after that.”

In 2017, Kane took over Matariki, transitioning at that time from Challenge Carrying Company, which his parents had been part of, to AZTEC Forestry Transport Developments.

“The Challenge work had a lot of short leads and I was looking for more.”

A friend who was contracted to AZTEC pointed Kane in their direction.

“There seemed to be better opportunities and my mates there [AZTEC] spoke very highly of the place.”

He discussed it with his parents, and applied for a position.

“Man, it was the right decision to make. I mean Challenge is gone now, and AZTEC have been everything I was told. It’s got a great culture, very energised and keen people, keen to work.

“Plenty of variation too, we go to lots of different places. I can’t fault them, and the growth in the place over the time I’ve been there is testament. Peter [Phillips], Ken [Angus], and Steve [Segeten] have all been and done it, you know? That makes a difference.”

It’s the old story over again. Hard work and energy yields results. Kane and partner Simone have a brand new asset in Tumai that will serve them well, and Simone herself is completing a law degree; suffice to say, two-year-old Isla will not be short on work ethic.

I wonder if they’ll make her do an apprenticeship before she starts driving?

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New Zealand Trucking

The Kaimais are almost a daily visit for Tumai.

product so well. He said, ‘we’ll build you the truck I’d build for myself doing this work’, and I can’t fault it.”

Obviously, the power to weight ratio is great in this set-up. With 448kW (600hp) on tap, that’s 10kW/tonne (13.3hp/tonne), it’s in the same league as the Talley’s Scania in the Dec 20/Jan 21 issue.

Torque comes in at 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) between 1200rpm and 1600rpm.

On road, all that means

great progress, handy when the Kaimais are a regular call on Kane’s weekly – if not daily – work schedule. The tightest pinch on the western climb was rounded up in 5th high, at 1800rpm and 35kph.

Kane’s style is akin to Craig Kelly on the Uhlenberg T610 we went for a strop in back in April 2019, suffice to say when it’s game on, Tumai is kept spinning north of 1600rpm.

The downside of all that climbing … meaning the

The classic look of a Kenworth log-skid departure.

March 2021

roller-coaster eastern flanks of the Kaimai range, was kept well in check by ‘Mr Jacob’s’ famous engine brake. Tumai glided down happily with the engine able to deliver as much ‘whoa’ as ‘go’ at a hearty 447kW (600hp). Kane’s need to intervene with service brake input was minimal.

No, it’s not in the league of the modern retarders, but then he might just be able to stop for the stranded car in the middle of the lane around the blind corner.

Fuel burn in the truck’s short 40,000km life sits at around 1.92kpl, which sets it up well for a better than 2.00kpl as things settle in.

How did we get that number from a Kenworth not fitted with a data interface like that T610 or 410? Glad you asked.

Tumai has a Cummins Data Display. A fantastic piece of kit developed to replace the Road Relay 5. The unit fits right in aesthetically and delivers everything from realtime engine stats, fuel burn,

faults, fuel and DEF levels, trip times, engine-life operational numbers, as well as service information based on user parameters set by the owner.

The unit will also go into the 9870 International.

“It’s great,” said Kane. “I have it showing speed and RPM gauges most of the time, it’s more accurate than the main gauges.”

With the load off at the Mount, it was a quick dash out to Pine Logging Ltd who

were clearing a small woodlot in the bottom of a nasty wee gully behind an orchard in Te Puke. Yes, it was a steep access road, but it wasn’t settling down either, and a few of the trucks had needed a hand getting out. Being the classic configuration with the appropriate locks engaged and the drive tyres in climb mode, Tumai had no trouble.

Open country Such is the diversity of Kane’s work, the next day we find

ourselves high on a hill above Mercer, on another farm woodlot loading out of the Kreuz Logging operation. We discuss the purchase and set up of Tumai.

“The Star was getting on.

It hadn’t missed a beat and I’d had the engine opened up and looked at because I was getting paranoid that something must be going to happen. It was mint and the guys doing it said there was nothing wrong. But AZTEC also have a 10-year age limit

ISO’s new, highly automated tally base.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

37

Night life.

Access to Big Red is possibly unmatched in the marketplace.

on the contractor trucks, and that’s fair enough. I thought long and hard. There’s a lot of cost that comes with 9-axle HPMVs and there’s still an element of work trucks like this are ideal for; woodlots on secondary roads, that sort of thing. I put a proposal together for what I thought would be productive and affordable. Ken Angus [AZTEC Forestry Transport Developments co-founder and director] was great. He supported my case, and it was approved.”

Kane’s right. In this line of work not all roads lead to HPMV nirvana and a 6x4

38

New Zealand Trucking

and 4-axle can be the gnarly woodlot king, heading up ‘Whereever Road’, leaving HPMVs to do their thing.

Anyway, HPMV is open to interpretation. If you have a 9-axle truck carting out of a road that prevents it loading to capacity and another truck built to optimise payload on such a road, who’s the HPMV? Running at 45 tonnes with a tare of 16,300kg gives Tumai a 28,700kg payload. That’s handy considering there’s nothing special needed on the paperwork front, two fewer axles, and six fewer tyres.

With the right permitting, the

March 2021

unit could go to 51,000kg, but routes become an issue again.

Aside from one gateway, the skid wasn’t difficult to get to and another superb grapple operator had the unit loaded in no time. Kane pulled away across the farm, had a bit of jiggle at the tight gateway, and progressed toward the road.

Life is a highway... …and we don’t doubt, given his pedigree, that Kane Bennett is going to ‘ride it’ for a long time indeed. Many of those kilometres over the next few years at least will

be spent looking down the bonnet of the T909 Kenworth he’s bought and dedicated to his late uncle.

Harking back to the start of this part of the story, his Dad Russell commented on Kane’s inner side, a thinking man’s man, and while he’s built a machine that in artistic terms is an expression of his love of the industry, it’s also a truck that makes sense.

No configuration has ever proved itself in the bush to the extent a 6x4 and 4-axle trailer has. No powertrain has ever proved itself beyond Cummins, Roadranger, Meritor, and Hendrickson,

Specifications

Kenworth T909 6x4 rigid

Clean as a whistle under here!

especially when it comes to bang for buck. And in terms of chassis, Kenworth has nothing to prove when it comes to negotiating a truce between longevity and torturous.

Built to cart as many logs as possible, from anywhere, with minimal fuss, and as cost-effectively as possible … yep, this man’s definitely the next generation of the Bennett legacy in every way.

Specifications

Koromiko – 4-axle Low Boy Tare weight:

5,200kg

Bolster/stanceon:

2.1m high. No pins

Axles / suspension:

Hendrickson INTRAAX AANL ZMD 19.5” AA: Axle and air suspension N: Narrow pivot bush (Slim hanger) L: Low ride ZMD: Zero Maintenance Damping (Shockless) 12” ride height front 7.5” ride height rear

Brakes:

Disc / WABCO EBS system

Tyres:

265/70 R19.5

Wheels

Alcoa Dura-Bright

The next generation carries the Bennett log hauling legacy forward, while at the same time honouring and acknowledging how they got there. What it’s all about, really.

Tare:

11,100kg (With 450L fuel)

GVM:

97,000kg

GCM:

30,000kg

Wheelbase:

6,600mm

Engine:

Cummins X-15

Capacity:

15.4 litre

Power:

448kW (600hp)

Torque:

2779Nm 2050lb/ft

Emissions:

Euro-5

Transmission:

Eaton Roadranger RTLO 22918B 18-speed manual

Clutch:

Spicer 2250lb/ft Ezy Pedal Advantage 3-VCT+clutch (Manual Adjust)

Front axle:

Meritor MFS73

Front-axle rating:

7.3 tonne

Front suspension:

Taper leaf parabolic (7.2 tonne)

Rear axle:

Meritor RT46-160GP dual diff locks and interaxle lock

Rear axle rating:

20,900kg

Rear suspension:

Hendrickson PAX 462 10” tandem air suspension

Brakes:

Drum, auto slack adjustors

Auxiliary braking:

Jacobs engine brakes

Additional safety:

ABS (Anti-lock Braking), (EBSS Electronic Brake Safety System), ATC (Automatic Traction Control), DTC (Drag Torque Control)

Fuel:

2 x 450 Litre

DEF tank:

170 Litre

Wheels:

Alcoa Dura-Bright

Tyres:

Front: Michelin 385/65 R22.5 XZY3 Rear: Michelin 11R 22.5 XDY3

Electrical:

12V

Cab exterior:

Steel and aluminium huck-bolted frame, steel, aluminium, fibreglass construction. Single piece windscreen.

Cab-mate rear air suspension. External air cleaners. Mirror mounted LED Loading Lights, Flat Mirrors-heated with Moto mirror LHS and RHS with Spotter Mirrors

Cab interior:

RedDOT air conditioning. Charcoal interior trim. Pearl Craft shifter-head and steering wheel, Silver bezels and The next generation carrys the Bennett log switchgear.

Extras:

hauling legacy forward, while same Kentweld front bumper, twin at 7”the stacks, time honouring and acknowledging how they stainless drop-visor, high-rise air intakes with Air all Ram tops.

Stainless got Donaldson there. What it’s about really. air cleaner shrouds (Elephant ears).

Grille bars. Additional roof lights and light bars, stainless-steel step and door trims. Custom driver’s step toolbox, and 170L fuel tank as tool-box LHR.

Sign and Custom:

Sign: Caulfield Signs & Graphics

Custom work:

Malcolm Cab Solutions.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

39

Te Potiki, the youngest.

D N A Y A W H T PA

E G A S S A P

H

e was born into it’, ‘he was only ever going to be one thing’, you hear it often in trucking, and like fishing, farming, and forestry, it’s a vocation not a job.

Looking at the family photo album, there’s not a shadow of doubt the Bennett driving legacy was alive and well in Kane. Through the pages, as each truck pops up, there’s Kane, growing bigger and bigger, proudly standing beside each new arrival.

As is often the case, it’s history repeating itself.

Kane’s grandfather Gerald Bennett drove for Norm Andersen’s Andersen Transport at Mount Maunganui. He and his wife Hera had 12 children, including five truck-crazed boys.

40

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

“Dad didn’t want us to be truck drivers,” says Russell.

“As kids, me, Murray, and Michael would meet the trucks after school when they were transferring stock at the old council depot after the Wednesday sale. We’d pair up with the drivers and go to Auckland and back, hose out, then straight to school again, smelling like stock trucks! We’d drive the trucks home sometimes while the drivers slept.

“Charlie, Wayne, Michael, me, we all worked at Andersens, it was only Murray who didn’t. He went to Jack Shaw Ltd.” Russell started a timber machinist apprenticeship for CA Odlin out of school but that only lasted until he was 18; heavy traffic licence in hand, he was gone!

“I got my HT on a Friday afternoon and was in a truck Saturday morning.”

It was 1970, and he got his first driving job for Kirk and Graham driving a D-Series Ford delivering metal and building supplies around the Mount and Tauranga. From there, he went to Bitumen Distributors driving KH Bedfords and Commer ‘knockers’ before landing the job he wanted, on the stock trucks at Andersens.

“I loved the stock, it was all I wanted to do.

Absolutely loved it. The trucks and the people, talking with the farmers, everything about it I just loved. Even now, if I go to the sale with a farmer mate of mine, they still remember me. It’s a great industry.”

But his brothers’ careers were also fanning out in all directions. Murray was working the big gear, a W-Model Kenworth at Jack Shaw Ltd, and Wayne had found his way to the Hawkes Bay, accepted into the first intake of Pan Pac company drivers in 1971.

“You couldn’t start at Pan Pac until you were 25. Wayne gave me an application when he was home for Christmas in ‘77 and I applied and got a job! I’d never been over the Napier Taupo or anything,” he laughs. “I started in early 1978. Alby Porteous interviewed me at his office located at on the 60/8 weighbridge on the Napier/ Taupo road. You spent two weeks with an experienced driver, and then a chap

Te Rehua, the truck

that got them back

named Gordon Duff rode with you and gave you your ‘wings’ as they said.

I’d only driven 5-speed/2speeds and I still wasn’t really confident with the Roadranger, or the road for that matter. When Gordon came on my assessment, I turned the heater off and wound the window down.

In those old LW Kenworths the wind would come in, go behind the seat and freeze the passenger. Every time he commented, I’d just say, ‘No, don’t like heaters.’ Truth is, I was numb, and couldn’t feel my fingers or toes either.

But he was so cold he couldn’t hear or concentrate on anything. He signed me off just to get out.

“It was an amazing place.

Heavily unionised. You got all your gear, boots, gloves, the lot. Taxis or buses picked you up and took you to work. Two a day, Kaingaroa back to the Bay, day in day out.

“Talking about heaters, the Kenworths had rubbish

in business.

heaters; they were useless.

There was a clever bloke in the workshop and he put Simca car heaters in them.

Mate, they were amazing!”

In 1985 he came back to the Bay of Plenty and started with Alf Walling driving an R-Model Mack, carting similar routes to what Kane does now. In time Walling’s was brought out by Mike Lambert Ltd. “There was a lot of rivalry between the Lambert and Wallings drivers. Macks and Kenworths and all that. Lambert was always interested in comparing the two. One day he told me what my truck was earning, and I thought, ‘Hmmm? If I can do that for you, I can do it for myself’.”

It was on a run to the Hawke’s Bay doing a trial load in a Mack Super Liner towing an Evans folding bailey-bridge semi that Russell saw a Pan Pac White Road Boss parked behind the Whirinaki mill with a for sale sign on it. The

price was $65,000 and it had a fresh motor.

He and Tina took the plunge and Te Potiki came home. Of course, at this point, the origins of the famous Bennett Bronze and orange colour scheme have to be raised.

“I had a Ford F100 pickup, and it came from that.

Ford Flair is the colour, and the orange’s code is KC48.

“The big players didn’t like the upstarts coming in, but there were people in Forest Corp at the time who believed there was room for an element of smaller operators just to keep the balance right.

“There was a lot on the line and I received encouragement from many people. My first load was for Fletchers from ‘Kuri’ to Napier, and Robbie Caulfield put my first tank of fuel in at 60/8. I’ll never forget that.

“Soon as we started though the port reform strikes happened and we were parked up for

six-weeks. That’s character building, I can tell you!”

Things were trucking along nicely but continued manoeuvrings and murmuring in the background resulted in restructuring at Forest Corp and Russell and Tina were laid off. They had to sell their beloved Te Potiki.

All was not lost though.

Long-time contractor Bruce King was wanting to exit his business and offered the Bennetts’ his R-Model Mack. Enter the scene Te Rehua. They were back in business. “One afternoon I had no job, half an hour later we were away again.”

Logging found itself in a slow patch in 1996 and with strength always in numbers, Russell and Tina were one of the 18 independents who formed Challenge Carrying Company. The next year the R-Model was replaced with a brand new V8 MH Mack, Te Wero, which means, ‘Challenge’.

The industry remained

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

41

a difficult proposition with export markets in a depressed state. Russell and two other Challenge contractors were assigned to Trevor Masters Ltd on a daily basis helping with pulp overflow off the Coromandel Peninsular to Kawerau.

“In time, the other two dropped off and I stayed on up there for 12 years — an experience I’ll never forget and wouldn’t trade. I loved every day of it. That road, the whole thing. I used to do one into Thames Timber,

and then a pulp to Kawerau.

I did that day in, day out.”

In early 2003, Russell’s brother Wayne came on board. Wayne’s journey had seen him take on a truck when Pan Pac changed from a fleet to an owner-driver model. In time he transferred to Forest Corp in the central North Island to be closer to family in the Bay of Plenty.

Following restructuring at Forest Corp, he sold the truck and began working for Colin Sargison’s Rotorua Forest Haulage.

Taku Kai Tiaki, the truck Russell bought for his brother Wayne to drive.

Ko Mauao Te Maunga – “Mauao is my mountain.”

Ko Wairoa Te Awa – “Wairoa is my river.”

Ko Ngati Kahu Te Hapu – “Ngati Kahu is my tribe.”

Above is the Bennett family Mangopare (crest). The Hammerhead shark pattern means strength. In this instance the concept of strength relates to the family bonds that have drawn people together.

The centre part in Kowhaiwhai terms, is called the Manawa line (blood line) and provides the backbone of the pattern. This incorporates nga Whanau Te Whereo and Te Keeti, mother and grandmother to Russell. The Manawa line is also representative of the Wairoa River. In all cultures water is known as a central element, a life giving force. The Bald Eagle represents the American ancestry, Henry Bennett, who with our kuia Matire Pokiha of Ngati Kahu began the whakapapa of the Bennett Whanau of Tauranga Moana.

Design and translation: James Tapiata

42

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

The story goes that Wayne, not driving at the time and recovering from ankle surgery, was having a beer at the Coroglen Tavern on the Eastern Coromandel with his mate Rex Colson, when they heard the unmistakeable thump thump of a V8 Mack approaching.

Wayne commented on the beautiful sound, only to witness Te Wero blast on past with little brother at the helm. That was it! He wanted back in, right then.

Russell commissioned a Caterpillar powered Kenworth K104 for Wayne to drive, Taku Kai Tiaki, but within months tragedy struck with the untimely passing of Wayne at home in July of the same year.

“Wayne’s death hit me hard and I went into a really down state. Old Maori people would say I lost my mana. I sold the Kenworth and I guess you could say I just battled on and worked through it. It was a bloody hard time.

“Then in 2009, we bought the Cummins Signature powered Western Star 4884 FXI, Matariki. What a machine! Salesman Wayne Taia gave me a good price for the Mack; no one else would trade it. Today everyone wants them, back then when they were a dime-a-dozen, no one

From left: Russell, Kane and Russell’s brother Murray Bennett. would touch them.

“They were keen to raise the profile of the model at the time and Matariki certainly helped do that.

“Logging also took off about then. In hindsight, we should have bought three Stars knowing what we know now, but hey, hindsight and all that stuff.”

The family kept the truck busy with Russell

working weekdays and nephew Duane the weekends. They’d feed Matariki the work and it was well up to the task.

“We turned the shells at a million kilometres and the mechanic then said ‘this thing is like new, it’s been driven well and had good oil. ‘Valvoline’ I said. That’s all I’ll run in my trucks, right from day one. You can’t beat

it. That was a bit of a feather in the cap I thought. Kane had a look inside again at 1.4 million and same thing.

Didn’t need anything doing.

“In 2017, the old body started to break down and Kane jumped in to help out, and eventually took over.”

Russell starts to laugh and says, “I said ‘You talk to your mother, her price will be different to mine’.”

That brings us to today.

Kane and Murray’s son Duane, who drives for Raymond Transport Ltd, are carrying the Bennett driving legacy into the next generation. It’s an amazing legacy and one that must be shown due respect, for it’s made up of great men and great machines in the heyday of an exploding road transport industry. From

Te Wero, the challenge.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

43

what we witnessed, the legacy is in safe hands.

Interesting questions When asked the questions most profitable truck and most reliable truck, Russell answers “Western Star the most reliable by a country mile. Just great machines.

“Tina will know the numbers side of things, she’s kept her finger on every dollar right from the beginning. She’s knows where every cent has gone.”

“Te Potiki was the best earner,” says Tina. “And yes then Matariki the most reliable.

When logging was in the doldrums and there were all the rollovers going on in the 90s, earnings were down and insurance premiums almost unaffordable. Thank goodness times have changed, but it’s still a hard game. Right through our 30 years turnover has remained pretty static, it’s costs that have risen.”

Gratitude Reflecting on his time at Pan Pac, Russell asked if we could thank the following men. Maurice Jeffares, Robbie Caulfied, Percy Campbell, Alec Tautau, Damon Mako, Jethro O’Dywer, Peter Ebbett, and Barry Sinton.

“These blokes had my back and were so supportive of me in my fledgeling career. They taught me well.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME? EVERYTHING All Bennettt trucks are meaningfully named, each marking a place in the family’s passage.

Russell and Tina started in business with the White Road Boss brought from Pan Pac, its name Te Potiki means ‘the youngest’, signifying its place as the first truck.

Te Potiki was followed by the ex-Bruce King Mack R-Model which was named Te Rehua, Russell’s given Maori name, but also apt considering the truck’s time in history as it also means lively and quick-witted – like a Fox. The formation of the Challenge Carrying Group occurred just before Te Wero’s arrival, and that is exactly what the big MH Mack’s name meant, Challenge. “Eighteen owner drivers taking on the big-boys of the time. It was a challenge alright.”

The depth of meaning in the K104

Kenworth’s name is worthy of a story on its own. Taku Kai Tiaki, the truck’s name, means mentor. The registration plate on the truck was Tumai, Russell’s dad’s name, which means ‘to stand’, and the trailer’s number plate was Hui, Russell’s uncle’s name, meaning ‘to meet’. Both men had been significant mentors in Russell’s life.

By the time the Western Star came along a lot had happened, and it started work right on Matariki, the Maori New Year. Russell had by then lost Gerald and Hera his dad and mum, and five siblings, Charlie, Graham, Shirley, Beverley, and Wayne. Seven stars in the constellation, and the new truck a new beginning, it was always going to run 1.4 million trouble-free kilometres really, wasn’t it?

And now Tumai again, as the next generation stands.

Acknowledgements We would like to thank Russell, Tina, Kane, and the Bennett family sincerely for allowing us to tell this story; for their time and access to Tumai, and family records. Thanks also Keiran Whittington, transport manager at AZTEC Forestry Transport Developments for all your help, and thanks to Scotty Haberfiled, Southpac; Derek Haywood, Koromiko Engineering; Eric Carswell, Cummins NZ; Dave Jarrett, Hendrickson NZ; and Pat and Sam Cawfield at Pearl Craft.

44

New Zealand Trucking

Matariki was a truck that lived up to everything its name implied.

March 2021

“Shockless”

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ZERO MAINTENANCE DAMPING™ Technology

• Eliminates conventional shock absorbers by integrating the damping function into the air springs • As the axle moves up and down, pressurised air is exchanged between the bellows and the piston, meaning there are no moving parts or hydraulic fluid • Ideal for general freight applications • Available as a premium option on selected INTRAAX® integrated air suspension models • Tare weights as low as 370 kg

Benefits of ZMD™ • Reduced maintenance costs • Great driver comfort • Increased cargo protection

HXL5®

Extended-life wheel bearing package

TIREMAAX PRO

with a five-year 800,000 km on-highway warranty*

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Advanced tyre pressure control system

that automatically inflates and deflates tyres using the trailer air supply

*Contact your local Hendrickson representative for complete warranty terms, conditions and limitations.

Check out: www.SHOCKLESS-ZMD.com.au

For more information, email: nz-sales@hendrickson.co.nz Hendrickson Asia Pacific Pty Ltd 24/P Allright Place Mt Wellington, Auckland, NZ Tel: +64 9 570 4721 www.hendrickson.com.au Actual product performance may vary depending upon vehicle configuration, operation, service and other factors. ©2021 Hendrickson USA, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks shown are owned by Hendrickson USA, L.L.C., or one of its affiliates, in one or more countries.

DUNEDIN TRUCK SHOW

Best Fleet and fair enough. Karl Scott with most of his fleet of Kenworth loggers.

OFF TO A GOOD START The 2021 truck show circus got off to a speeding start way down south.

Story and photos

by Craig Andrews

T

he Dunedin Truck Show, the first show of 2021, kicked off late January at the A&P showgrounds on the outskirts of Mosgiel. Still in its infancy, the show is put together by a dedicated team and shows plenty of signs of being a significant event on the trucking calendar.

It was a day for Kenworth operators and fans, with all the major awards being taken

home by that marque. Shane Pearson from STL received the King Rig accolade with his K104 Big Cab Kenworth, and the People’s Choice also went to STL, with Jessy Shane Collins taking away that award.

Best Fleet was a tough one, but the team from Scott Transport with its impressive range of Kenworths loaded with logs won that prize.

The Sponsors’ Choice was

taken away by one of Terry Hucklebridge’s near-perfect K200s in Mainfreight livery.

A huge thanks to all the sponsors, particularly to the main sponsor, Dave and “Fridge” from City Auto Glass Dunedin, and major prize sponsors, Monarch Wildlife Cruises Dunedin and Helicopters Otago.

Onwards and upwards for a buoyant 2022.

A trifecta of winners: Joint winner of Furthest Travelled, Andrew Lusty from Hog Haulage with his SAR; Jessy Shane Collins with his T904 winning Sponsors’ Choice; and Shane Pearson taking away King Rig with his K104 – adding to an already bulging trophy cabinet.

46

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

Classic conventional: Jim Bates Contracting Peterbilt.

Resplendent in blue were new Paccar products in the form of a couple of T410s and a CF DAF for Icon Logistics.

Super Swedes: Coombes Contracting’s impressive Scania pairing.

Both Kara Transport Hinos took home awards – Best Hino and Best Delivery Unit/Flea.

Titan Bulk Haulage turned up with several imposing units.

K200 Kenworths running with Mainfreight for Terry Hucklebridge. Fleet number 8194 on the left took away the Sponsors’ Choice award.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

47

A freshly restored Austin by Alex McLellan and his latest K200 in McLellan Freight livery.

This 143 Streamline Scania from MD Engineering of Balclutha turned plenty of heads.

RESULTS

Dunedin Truck Show 2021 Furthest Travelled Best Delivery Unit/Flea Best Logger Best Classic 0 – 500,000km 500,000 – 1,000,000km Over 1,000,000km Best Rigid Best Tractor Unit Best Chrome Best Western Star Best Freightliner Best Mitsubishi/Fuso Best Nissan/UD Best DAF Best Scania Best Hino Best Volvo Best Mack

Muffler and Mikey James Hayden Lennon Mark Chalmers Isaiah McLellan Conrad Williams Carlos Bates Tait Robertson Corey Price Mark Chalmers Shaun McBride Jake Rohan Thomas Damian Rowe Graham Hunter Corbyn Cook Craig Bower Mark Fegan Andy Davie Contracting

Waikato Kara Transport Scott Transport Dynes Transport McLellan Freight McLellan Freight Bates Contracting Dynes Transport Jim Bates Contracting Dynes Transport Titan Bulk Haulage Rohan Haulage STL Fairfield Transport Icon Logistics Combes Contracting Kara Transport Blair Wellsford (K and S)

This incredible restoration of an LW924 in Dynes Transport livery by Mark Chalmers won Best Classic.

Fairfield Transport with its impressive fleet of crane trucks.

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TOP TRUCK

GOES GOOD N LOOKS GOOD SOUNDS GOOD Trucking on the mainland has been Steve Martin’s life.

But the roads have not just been his workplace, they’ve been the canvas on which he’s demonstrated his love of big rigs. His latest addition proves that good looks and hard work are not mutually exclusive.

Story by Dave McCoid Poster shot by Andrew Geddes Story photos by Andrew Geddes, Craig McCauley, Dave McCoid

o, that headline isn’t just us indulging in a bit of adulation, that’s a quote from the man who owns this month’s Kenworth T610 top truck. A list of the South Island’s significant trucking sons of the modern era would see Steve Martin near the top without a doubt.

A native of Dunedin, 59-year-old Steve grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s – the golden era of modern trucking – when the trucks were big and accessible to wide-eyed, enthusiastic youth.

He got his license at 18, kicking off his career with R A Little carting frozen goods from cool stores in the local freezing works back to PPCS (Primary Producers

Co-operative Society) in Dunedin.

He transitioned to Samson Transport when they bought Little’s and was moved onto one of the toughest gigs in trucking — a hanging-meat delivery round ex-Dunedin to butcher shops throughout Central Otago.

In the late 1980s, he was promoted to a full-on line haul job when Samsons won additional work in the wake of Transpac’s collapse. That resulted in Steve regularly driving SH1 between Invercargill and Christchurch, roads that today he probably knows better than the back of his hand.

Twenty-five odd years ago, Steve took a position at Quality Bakers as an

Steve Martin: a life filled with a love of trucks and still happily walking toward the driver’s door on a rainy Monday. And it shows in what he builds.

Keeping the Martin machines mobile requires a team. The T610’s other helmsmen, Matt Brown (left), and Reece Martin.

The Steve Martin Contracting T610 loaded and ready to roll.

Time to earn a crust.

employed driver and a decade later, he snapped up the opportunity to become a contractor. Steve Martin Contracting was born.

The new Kenworth joins a Mercedes-Benz Actros on the front line of the operation.

It replaces a loyal Freightliner Argosy that’s amassed a trouble-free 750,000km servicing Steve’s bulk flour and grain distribution contract with Quality Bakers parent Goodman Fielder.

Asked why he went the way of the bug in the wake of the ‘Freighty’, Steve says: “I looked at the new Cascadia, but the bonnet length didn’t work with the big engine

option. Also, the engine brake in the Actros is a bit light, and essentially, they’re the same running gear.

The Kenworth addressed both those things. I’ve had Kenworths before so it’s nothing new, but this thing is so smooth, so beautiful to operate. You don’t want to get out of it. It goes good, looks good, and it sounds good,” he says with a grin.

“I’ll keep the Argosy, it’s still a bloody good machine, and it’s kitted up with all the equipment to jump back on the tanks if needed.”

Steve sourced the Kenworth through Southpac’s Chris Gray and says Chris

was great to deal with throughout.

The maestros at Timaru Signs applied the signwriting, and the fit-out and aesthetic embellishments came via Heavy Diesel Parts and Services (HDPS) in Christchurch.

“Matt at HDPS couldn’t do enough for us. And look at the result. It’s not bad, is it?

The only thing we’ve done since she hit the road is lift the lower side-light stainless strips, just to make it that little bit easier getting on the ferry.”

The truck and 6-axle Convair B-train is beautifully balanced visually, with

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51

The T610’s lines are nicely in sync with the trailer.

the slick, smooth lines of the T610 complementing the trailer’s curvaceous presence. Australian the T610 may be, but the lessis-more approach to the rig’s visual splendour means it would be equally at home in California as in Canterbury.

Big, impactful items such as the Superchrome wheels, Kentweld bumper and twinshooters are supported by the clever use of coded paint, stainless steel, lights, and even more subtle additions like the snazzy black monsoons. It all contributes

to an impactful yet practical, custom rig.

And practical it has to be.

One of the trademarks of a Steve Martin machine is uptime. The Actros Steve runs is just on two-and-a-quarter years old and has recently nudged past the 900,000km mark servicing its finished product distribution contract, again for Goodman Fielder.

The T610 will likely rack up 1.5 million kilometres in just under 60 months plying the highways between Dunedin, Christchurch and Nelson, with a fortnightly hop over the

Cook Strait to the Capital.

Uptime like that means there’s little time for delays, so the unit is set up with SI-Lodec onboard scales for accuracy of loading.

These days, Steve floats between his trucks, covering holidays, sickness, and additional shifts as required, but he can rest easy because his new baby is in the best of hands. Nephew Reece Martin and Matt Brown man the Kenworth, both are truckers to the core.

Reece (31) rode with his uncle as a young fella and has

QUICK SPECS

Kenworth T610 600mm Aero Sleeper Engine:

Cummins X-15 459kW (615hp) 2779Nm (2050ft/lb)

Transmission:

Eaton Roadranger RTLO22918B manual

Front axle:

Meritor MFS73 front axle

Rear axle:

Meritor RT46-160GP

Rear suspension:

Kenworth Airglide 460

Features/extras:

Super Chrome rims; Kentweld front bumper; twin stacks; grille bars; additional lights and stainlesssteel light strips; coded paint.

Paint:

Timaru Signs

Fit-out/set-up:

Heavy Diesel Parts and Services (HDPS)

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

12 years under his belt having worked for Fulton Hogan Central, ATL, and Burnell & Son before coming on board three years ago.

Matt (38) has done 20 years at the wheel, beginning at Summerland Express Freight, moving onto Northern Southland Transport Holdings, before two stints at Halls split by a seven-year trucking OE in the big red land driving road and power trains. He’s been with Steve just on two years.

You’d have to say that’s quite a team.

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Just Truckin’

Around

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Greg Russo A.K.A. ‘Chops’ Alison Verran caught up with Greg ‘Chops’ Russo when he was refuelling in Tokoroa. Greg loves being behind the wheel of his Kenworth T409 SAR with a 459kW (615hp) Cummins ISXe5 motor and 18-speed Eaton Roadranger manual gearbox. Greg carts fertiliser and stockfood for Dibble Transport 1997 Ltd, based in Te Awamutu.

“My old man had fert trucks. I always wanted to drive. I did a welding apprenticeship, got my licence, went to drive for Dibbles, and I’ve been there ever since.” Greg’s driving career has spanned 13 years so far, and he’s enjoyed two new Kenworths that were added to the Dibble fleet in that time.

Greg’s day was taking him to Kinleith to load compost for a trip to Auckland.

The highlight of being a truck driver for Greg is being able to cruise around New Zealand, seeing our beautiful countryside.

Greg had recently been to Kaitaia, passing Doubtless Bay, which he describes as “just beautiful”. Although he loves being on the road, he finds the biggest downside is “dealing with the dumb asses”.

When asked the vexing question: Coke or Pepsi? Greg had no hesitation in answering “Coke, but definitely with a Jack Daniels!”

Mitchell Lewis Mitchell Lewis had only been driving for Austin Transport from Nelson for three months when Faye Lougher caught up with him in late December 2020.

He was driving a 2017 Kenworth K200 with an 18-speed manual Eaton Roadranger.

Mitchell is based in Christchurch and was on his way to Wellington and then on to Nelson and back to Christchurch. His job involves moving general freight countrywide.

Mitchell is the third generation in his family to drive trucks, and it was going for rides with his father that made it easy for him to decide what he wanted to do when he left school.

He’s been driving for about nine years now and really enjoys the life.

“I love being out on the road. I get to go all over the place, listening to the radio.”

A lack of younger drivers coming through the ranks was one issue Mitchell raised.

“It’s also the number of overseas drivers

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

coming in who are prepared to do the job for lower wages.”

Ford or Holden was the vexing question, and it was met with an emphatic: “Holden!

Just Truckin’

Around

www.trt.co.nz

Just truckin’ around – overseas Victor Slomp Victor Slomp from Pergine Valsugana, in the northern Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol, had been directed off the Autostrada A4 connecting Turin with Venice by the traffic police. It was there he encountered our roaming Irishman, Paul O’Callaghan.

There had been heavy snowfall the night before, causing delays, with even the service area becoming difficult to negotiate. The Italian trucking veteran simply smiled as his Scania R500 spun its wheels in the deep snow until a shovel was produced to help it into a park next to a Spanish Iveco Stralis 570.

Victor has been driving for the legendary Italian company Autotrasporti Multipli Arcese for the past 39 years, which is quite a feat since the company was founded in Trento, close to his home, in 1978. The family man has

travelled throughout Europe and loves his job as much now as when he began.

His German-built Krone Euroliner trailer carries everything and anything, and today he was loaded with steel

destined for Como, Italy. There wasn’t anything he said he disliked about the job before insisting Paul joined him for a traditional, strong Italian coffee sipped from a tiny cup.

KAMO TOUCH A TRUCK SHOW

FUN FOR A GOOD CAUSE Kids and the community come together at the large annual Kamo truck show to celebrate all things trucking.

T

he premise of the Kamo Touch a Truck Show is simple – to enable the public, particularly kids, to have fun in and around trucks and other big rigs and raise funds for charity.

And fun they had at this year’s event, held at a packed-out Hurupaki School sports grounds in Kamo, just north of Whangarei, with kids swarming over

Story and photos by Michael Isle trucks, earthmovers, fire appliances and even police vehicles.

It was the sixth annual show organised by the Kamo and Ngunguru volunteer fire brigades. It is among the most interactive shows on the trucking calendar, and you could certainly hear it before you saw it. A cacophony of horns, sirens, revving motors and PA systems split the air and were testament to something big

Mini ‘Mack’ on the move.

This was one of the most interactive truck shows on the calendar.

St John New Zealand joined the emergency services’ support of the show.

Sketchley Contractors’ Mack Super Liner: a deserved winner of the People’s Choice Truck of the Show.

happening in the usually quiet suburb.

The 2021 show, the biggest yet, attracted 75 vehicles, 33 of which travelled in a dramatic convoy through Whangarei before the event.

The competition section attracted 37 registered entries. Unusually for shows of this type, all competition categories were judged by popular vote, including a special and keenly sought-after Drivers’ Choice category.

One of the organisers, Kamo senior fire officer and local police sergeant Andrew Ivey, said that while the show’s primary purpose was to let the public get up close and personal with the trucking community, the event also had its serious side.

The Truck of the Show (Drivers’ Choice) was Onroad Transport’s Scania.

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March 2021

57

Mirrorless Actros demanded its fair share of attention.

The Produce Connection’s Scania R520 was voted Best Curtain Sider.

Impressive display by Northern Rural Haulage; with one of the DAFs voted Best Specialty Rig.

PTS’s Mack Titan was voted Best Tractor Unit.

There are few things cooler than a tri-drive Kenworth recovery rig.

The organising fire brigades will donate all proceeds to the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge 2021 supporting Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand.

Andrew estimated the event had raised $8000, although a final amount was still to be calculated at time of publication.

He paid tribute to the scores of volunteers who contributed to the event’s success, the emergency services who put on displays, and the sponsors and prize donors: Fulton Hogan, Keith Andrews Trucks, Transport Wholesale, Les Graham from Get Delivered, Hirepool, and New Zealand Trucking magazine.

LIST OF WINNERS TRUCK OF THE SHOW (People’s Choice) Sketchley Contractors’ Mack Super Liner TRUCK OF THE SHOW (Drivers’ Choice) On Road Transport’s Scania BEST LOGGER Tegan Stewart’s Kenworth BEST CURTAIN SIDER The Produce Connection’s Scania BEST SPECIALTY RIG Northern Rural Haulage’s DAF BEST TRACTOR UNIT PTS’s Mack Titan

This Sinotruk logger is a different piece of kit.

A big blue Coronado moving some yellow metal.

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GOOD ON YA MATE

YOU HAVE A FRIEND IN ME Story by Dave McCoid

e; The girls check From left: Departure tim

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New Zealand Trucking

Photos and video by Carl Kirkbeck and Dave McCoid

in: “What’s it like?”; Ca

March 2021

ptain Smooth, what an

ambassador.

Old friends and new friends.

It started with a friend reaching out to an industry she knew little about and ended with one happy birthday girl putting a big tick on her bucket list.

“Hey, can you guys help here?” said New Zealand Trucking Association’s Rebecca Dinmore. “I’ve been contacted by this lady in Auckland trying to put a birthday surprise together for her best friend who

loves trucks. It would be so cool if you guys could do something.”

We delved into Rebecca’s email and discovered a little more going on than met the eye. Auckland-based Kim Lucas, Gillian Cowie and Diane Moffitt are ‘besties’.

They’ve known each other forever, in the case of Gillian and Diane it’s almost true – we’re talking primary school.

Di recently had a 60th birthday, and Kim and Gill wanted to do something special for their friend.

“As long as I can remember, she’s loved trucks,” said Kim. “I can’t tell you how serious I am. Even when we were young, she was fascinated by them, and she’s always longed to go for a ride in one.”

“Had her life taken another path, she’d have driven one,” said Gill.

The problem was neither Di nor her girlfriends had a connection to the industry.

Trucks were just big, beautiful machines they saw, and the silhouettes behind their

tinted driver’s windows as mysterious as ghosts.

Taking onboard the adage, ‘if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen’, Kim decided to act and executed an internet search that led her to Rebecca, who pointed her at New Zealand Trucking.

Connection made.

“Easy,” we said, but we wanted to do this right. It would have been so simple to grab a truck from someone, whip over to Di’s place in Remuera, chuck her in, blatt around the block a couple of times and up the motorway, toot the horn, drop her off…done!

Nope, that wasn’t the wish as we saw it. We wanted to put Di in a real truck with a real load, going to a real place, with a real driver; be part of actual ‘truckin’. What we needed was an industry ambassador who would make big trucks live up to Di’s dream. We needed a passion for trucks, energy, enthusiasm, and we needed spectacular.

“G’day. Is that you Leif?”

Capt ‘K’ (Carl Kirkbeck) rang that stalwart of everything big-truck ‘positive’, Leif Blair. As you might have guessed Leif was in boots

Cruising up Wiri Station Road.

Yes, a good day in the life book for sure.

and all and assigned Earl Thompson and his baby, fleet No39, a Kenworth T909 AeroSleeper and 5-axle B-Train to the task. We have to say right now that you would never find a better ambassador for our industry in 10 lifetimes.

The three friends turned up at Leif Blair Transport’s Tacoma Street yard in Wiri late on a pristine early summer evening. Although Di’s slightly-belated birthday present was a surprise, she had convinced herself she was on her way to a pottery lesson through a process of deduction. Not exactly.

When Kim slowed, indicated, turned in, and parked her Suzuki Swift facing the waiting No39, she said, “You’re going for a ride in that.”

Di was dumbstruck and a

lifetime’s ambition welled up.

“She’s overwhelmed, believe me,” said Kim. “I know her well – she’s just trying to take it all in.”

Following her introduction to the immaculately presented Mr Thompson, a tour of the truck commenced while we waited for trailers to arrive.

Di was about to leap in a real truck with a real load going to a real place – Nelson.

“If you just keep sitting there, you’ll end up in Nelson,” laughed Capt K – and he wasn’t joking.

Earl’s trailers rolled in at that moment, and Di was able to witness the hook-up and text-book pre-check – this guy’s a pro through and through. And then it was up, up and away.

Earl rolled the K’dub through the streets and

The vision Di was greeted with on arrival. This ain’t no pottery lesson.

Earl Thompson. What an incredible job he did representing all of us. Give this lovely bloke a wave and a thanks when you pass him. Oh, and No39, you did great too! out onto the motorway southbound. The gear lever was a hot knife in margarine, and he put on an exemplary show from a cab that you could eat off the floor in.

They’re a lot to take in the first time up, the 909: the bonnet size and projection, the dash, gear lever, mirrors, expanse of machine, confinement of quarters, and general ambience.

As the ‘nine-O’ rolled down the motorway, Di had the cell phone out recording key moments, waving to her mates, taking it all in and just living her dream.

Earl stopped the glorious No39 on top of the Bombays,

and a reluctant Di climbed out. The ride was everything she’d imagined, and she also had a new friend for life, a trucker mate.

“If you want another ride, just yell out,” said Earl. “All good.”

True mates are the ones who spend time trying to make your life better, and Kim and Gill were as excited about connecting the dots to make their friend’s dream come true as Di was to climb aboard a big rig.

From our perspective, you simply can’t put a value on what Leif, Earl, and the team at Leif Blair Transport did for the social licence of trucking that day. There’s no question that Di, Kim, and Gill are out there somewhere with an opinion of the trucking industry we’d love to see replicated five million times.

WITH THE UTMOST THANKS Thanks so much to Leif, Earl, and the team at Leif Blair Transport for taking the time to help us put this together. The warmth they showed a visitor to our world was fantastic and incredibly humbling.

Thanks so much, everyone. Job done!

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New Zealand Trucking

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Vehicles, plant and equipment no strain for the 6900.

PILBARA’S STAR I

At the conclusion of last month’s Cat-powered Mack Titan review, Richo offered us a 6900FX Western Star for another used-truck report. This week, he’d arranged a few journeys out into the desert to collect plant and equipment, as well as a few ironore runs.

t’s mid-November in Australia’s Pilbara region and hints of the wet season’s arrival are showing regularly in the night sky. For Richo, this signals the start of the busy season.

Along with his regular iron-ore cartage contract, he and other operators will urgently try to move plant and equipment from the desert before the roads become impassable due to the weather.

In the desert, the mercury soars over 40°C; at night, the temperatures plummet into the single digits. In the hot red dust of Western Australia’s

remote Pilbara, it takes all of 600+ horsepower to pull this 170-tonne payload.

Travelling this close to the wet season provides additional hazards for truck operators. Away from the main highways, the bitumen roads are often only 3m wide, and the shoulders very soft.

Meanwhile, long stretches of dirt turn into slushy mud, with deep wheel ruts.

Riverbeds, normally dry for most of the year, can suddenly rise metres with raging water without warning.

“You ready for a big couple of weeks?” Richo said with a

Story and photos by Howard Shanks

grin when he met me at the airport earlier. “We’ll get you settled in; and then go and check over the Western Star and its trailers.”

Glancing at the Western Star 6900FX 6x4 specifications over a coffee in the crib room, it’s quickly apparent that it packs some heavy-duty equipment.

Upfront, a Cummins Signature, rated at 462kW (620hp), runs through an Eaton RTLO22918B, which sends the power through Meritor RT52-185G final drives with a 4.88:1 ratio. On top of that, it’s rated for road

Howard summons his inner bush mechanic to bodge the coolant-level sensor.

The 6900’s dash layout is arguably one of the better arrangements to hit the market, reckons Howard. train work up to 170 tonnes.

The interior is extremely well appointed. For longhaul outback operations, the inclusion of the large 68” Stratosphere sleeper was more than adequate.

It certainly provided all the creature comforts of home, with an assortment of cabinets, allowing all my freshly ironed clothes to hang neatly. There was also space in the lower cabinets for enough groceries to last more than a week in the bush.

Meanwhile, the bed included a decent-quality innerspring mattress. However, the pièce de resistance was the inclusion of the Ecowind bunk air-conditioner.

By sunset, I’d connected the quad and tested the

operations of all the tippers, checked over the truck and neatly stowed my tools and that spare parts kit I’d used in the old Titan on the last swing. Finally, I made the bed and then detailed the interior.

A couple of hours before sunrise, I turned the key, and the Cummins under the hood leapt to life. I walked around the road train, checking the couplings and lights while the system built up air pressure.

Half an hour later, the big 6900 Western Star was well on its way to the Iron Valley Mine site to load iron ore.

Twelve and a half hours later, I’d tipped 109.62 tonnes of iron ore into bunker No9 at Finucane Island, pulled up next to the fuel bowser back at the depot and topped up

the two front tanks with 585 litres of diesel. For an EGR Cummins, I was surprised with the economy, which worked out at 1.16km/l for the 679km round trip.

The next day, roughly 90km into the trip, the check engine light and buzzer came on. Luckily, there was a parking bay not too far away.

After some investigation, I discovered that the warning was signalling low engine coolant. Thankfully, the big Western Star has the header tank conveniently located on the firewall. The tank had plenty of coolant in it, and the fan belt was in good condition so, in theory, the engine should operate correctly. It took me another half an hour, using a process of elimination,

Almost 110 tonnes in the quad tippers; the 6900 averaged 1.16km/l on a 679km round trip.

to discover that the coolant sensor had failed.

I’d stowed my breakdown kit in the bunk toolbox. I disconnected the wire to the failed sensor and used a split pin to complete the circuit, wrapped a generous amount of insulation tape around it, then secured it with a cable tie. After packing up my tools, I lowered the bonnet and fired the Cummins once more.

Thankfully, my fix worked, and I continued onto the mine for another load of iron ore.

Richo met me at the fuel bowser and enquired how my run was and how I liked the 6900 Western Star. He added that he had some bush work for me the next day. “Once you’ve unhooked the quad set and run the Star over the pit, Rob’s expecting you,” he said. “He has a new sensor, and the boys will grease and check it over for you. Grab my work ute and head into town and get yourself plenty of tucker and water; you’ll be out bush for a good week or so if everything goes well.”

At daylight the next morning, I set about finding the drop-deck, flat top and dolly Richo had asked me to take. He had a rather extensive list of vehicles, plant and equipment that needed to be collected, returned to Port Hedland and de-hired from worksites dotted along the Roy Hill rail line.

Not too far from the Newman T-junction, I veered left and headed east on a well-used dirt road that loosely followed the Roy Hill rail line. As the road deteriorated, it became apparent just how well these big 6900 Western Stars ride.

In fact, this truck handles better than most of the used trucks I’ve tested recently; its road manners are impressive.

Because the cabin on the 6900 model sits 85mm higher than a typical highway model, it opens up the area for air to flow around the driveline components. It also means that the cab’s air conditioner

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

65

USED-TRUCK

GUIDE

doesn’t have to work as hard to remove all that additional heat and, up here in the stifling heat of the Pilbara, that’s a significant asset. In the meantime, a 1570-squareinch, heavy-duty copper/

brass radiator core keeps the 6900 cool, especially when working hard at 100% engine load.

This truck only had an oil cooler fitted to the front diff, but even out here pulling 170

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

2013 Western Star 6900 6x4 Engine:

Cummins Signature

Horsepower:

462kW (620hp) at 1600rpm

Torque:

2779Nm (2050lb/ft) at 1100rpm

Gearbox:

Eaton RTLO22918B 18-speed

Front axle:

Meritor FG-941 6.5t

Front suspension:

Taper leaf 7.5t

Steering:

TWR TA85

Rear axles:

Meritor RT-52-185G

Rear-axle ratio:

4.88:1

Rear suspension:

Neway AD252

Main driveline:

Meritor RPL25SD

Interaxle driveline:

Meritor RPL20

Brakes:

WABCO ABS with traction control

Fuel tank:

Alloy 5 x 473l

Hydraulic tank:

Alloy 1 x 473l

Cabin:

Steel conventional cab, E-coated

Interior:

Vinyl trim with diamond stitching on door and back panels

Seats:

Premium driver’s seat with armrests

Bumper:

King Bullbar “Warrego” Alloy painted silver

Extras: 68” Stratosphere ‘walk-through’ sleeper; twin CR turbo 2000 air dryer with heater; chassis checker plate; Ecowind bunk aircon; dolly pull to rear of chassis; freshwater tank; stiff bar.

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March 2021

tonnes, the diffs only run at about 45°C to 50°C. That’s terrific especially when you consider that the same diffs on other trucks in the fleet sometimes run up around 90°C to 100°C. I suspect Western Star knew this when it raised the cabin that 85mm.

When it comes to cockpit design, the dash layout in the Western Star is arguably one of the better arrangements to hit the market. Gauges are clearly visible and arranged in a configuration that allows you to see them all at a glance.

The switchgear in the 6900 Constellation is another well thought out and functional design addition. The rocker-style LED switches illuminate with active LED indicators when turned on.

The LEDs provide improved reliability over conventional incandescent bulbs, which only have a life of 4000 hours compared to the LED’s 100,000. Each switch uses single multi-pin pushon connectors and integral locking tabs, ensuring secure, fool-proof connections.

Complementing the lavish interior on this 6900 is the increased access to the sleeper. The distance between the seats gives the driver the space required to fit in a large fridge and still have ease of access to the bunk.

These heavy-duty 6900 Western Stars are indeed built for harsh conditions and come standard with two CR Turbo

At the time of writing, this truck had 809,501km on the clock with only a mid-life on the engine. It was still running fine, and the engine oil samples were returning normalwear results.

You’d expect to pay between AU$120,000 and AU$190,000 (NZ$127,300 and NZ$201,500) for a big road train 6900 Western Star with 68’’ sleeper.

However, trucks like this working on minehaul operations typically have high utilisation, mostly double-shifted.

Their maintenance generally is of a high standard to meet all the compliance requirements for hauling mine products. But be aware that haul road grime gets into every component and is time-consuming to clean off. At the end of their life on mine haul, these trucks often require an extensive rebuild to get them back to an as-new condition.

2000 air dryers with heaters, and a Cummins 37.4 CFM twin-cylinder compressor.

Other standard features on the 6900 include dual 330mm (13”) external stainless-steel Donaldson air cleaners with water-resistant elements, and 152mm (6”) diameter raised ducting and intakes that feed the big 16-litre Cummins plenty of air.

It certainly was an exciting couple of weeks roaming around the Pilbara collecting machinery, but what made it so enjoyable was the luxury of the 6900 Western Star and its large 68’’ Stratosphere sleeper.

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INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

EUROPE TRIALS THE SUPER

ECOCOMBI Story and photos by Niels Jansen

Increasing transport efficiency reduces emissions and streamlines logistics operations.

That much is proved by the raw numbers shown in the European pilot programmes of Super EcoCombi rigs.

L

onger Heavier Vehicles (LHVs), or EcoCombis, have become a regular sight on some European roads. In the Netherlands, LHVs of 25.25m with a maximum gross weight of 60 tonnes have been in use for 25 years. More than 2200 units are now on the road, and nobody has filed any complaints. On the contrary, the transport industry and the European Commission are convinced that longer and heavier goods vehicles are helping to reduce CO2 emissions considerably.

However, these 25.25m-long combinations are hampered by different regulations in the various EU

member states. Historically, Sweden and Finland have been among the forerunners in permitting longer and heavier truck and trailer units.

Making good progress Currently, Sweden allows 74-tonne gross combination rigs of 25.25m, as well as pilot combinations with a similar Gross Combined Weight (GCW) up to 34m. Loads carried on the latter consist mostly of general cargo, parcels, automotive parts and waste. All this transport takes place along designated routes of between 50 and 600km.

The frontrunner in this field has been Finland,

which allows 76-tonne HighCapacity Transport (HCT), or Super EcoCombi (SEC), combinations with a length of 34.5m on all major highways, and even 36m-long and 105tonne gross timber trucks on specified forestry roads.

Over-length combinations are only permitted in the northern countries if they operate as a modular system (EMS). In Finland, most cargo is made up of forestry, mining and ore, cokes and petroleum, and chemical products. HCT units are now responsible for taking care of nearly 50% of all road transport in the country.

Denmark and Norway are also looking at testing whether SEC combinations

Spain has invested heavily in new toll roads and recently permitted three hauliers to use 70-tonne GCW twin-trailer SECs.

Several Dutch operators are ready to start linehaul work with 32m combinations in 2021.

can benefit cargo haulage on long-distance work. Since 2014, both already permit LHVs of 25.25m length with a GCW of 60 tonnes on all major roads.

In the south, Spain has been experimenting with longer and heavier trucks since 2016. The first pilot programmes centred on the 25.25m B-double and rigid-plus dolly-trailer units, with a maximum GCW of 60 tonnes. From 2018 on, logistics provider XPO and car manufacturer Seat have run pilot SEC combinations of 70-tonne GCM and 31.70m length.

Freight carried is automotive related (for Seat)

between the production plant and parts suppliers, and general cargo (for XPO) between various distribution centres and warehouses.

These run on a designated route from the Barcelona area to Madrid and to three other inland points. The distances covered range between 50 and 600km.

A third carrier that recently got the green light to operate extra-long vehicles is Grupo Disfrimur of Murcia, Spain.

The company is committed to reducing the environmental footprint and has used 25.25m, 60-tonne GCW trucks since 2018. It has now invested in a new MAN tractor that pulls two 13.6m

COMPARION OF VEHICLES IN SWEDISH TEST

refrigerated trailers. These are what it calls ‘Euromodular System’ combinations, which haul mainly agricultural products and supermarket goods to various destinations.

Impressive results A Super EcoCombi is an over-length A-double combination, made up of a standard tractor-semitrailer with a second 13.6m trailer attached to the first by a fixed dolly. Thus, using standard components, a road train of nearly 32m is created with only three pivot points. In some countries, the 32m rigs are also known as Eco Duo or A-double.

An SEC can transport in

Results on the route between Gothenburg and Malmö.

Transportation of 600m3 of goods with a weight of 150kg/m3.

Standard EU combination

Vehicles Drivers Vehicle length Cargo per vehicle CO2 emissions Space on the road

x6

EcoCombi

x4 x6

100m3 100%

x4

150m3 85% = -15%

499m

Super EcoCombi

x3

25.5m

16.5m

one journey the volume of two standard semi rigs, so only one driver is needed.

Research has shown that far fewer accidents have happened with maximumlength trucks than with other forms of haulage vehicles.

Also, congestion on the road is reduced because the much larger single vehicle occupies 40% less space than two standard semi-trailer rigs.

Not surprisingly, such a set-up also makes it possible to reduce fuel costs by up to 25%. In Scandinavia and the Low Lands, the EcoCombi has proved to emit 15% less CO2 than a conventional tractor-semitrailer or truck and trailer. The SEC makes a

368m = -26%

x3 32m 200m3 73% = -27% 296m = -40%

Source: Cider L, HCT Duo2-project Gothenburg-Malmö in Sweden

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Forerunner Finland has allowed 34.5m-long, 76-tonne GVW vehicles on all major roads since 2019.

27% reduction of emissions possible. The new permissible length would also benefit hauliers of sea containers because two 40’ containers could now be transported on one rig.

For example, take the first pilot programmes of 32m combinations in the Netherlands, which are held on A-roads between the Port of Rotterdam and the German border at Venlo. Suppose one of the world’s largest container ships, the MSC Febe, drops its entire load at the Rotterdam terminal — to transport this lot with SECs would save no less than 5939 journeys.

Harmony for efficiency Within its so-called Green Deal, the European Commission wants to speed

up the reduction of CO2 emissions, among others, by setting increasingly strict requirements for commercial vehicles. Making regulations for the operation of longer and heavier trucks easier should take precedence across Europe.

However, some countries such as France, Italy, Britain and the Alpine countries don’t want to allow even 25.25m EcoCombis on their roads.

Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic are only now, reluctantly, giving the green light for operation of LHVs on some designated highways.

The problem is that every country sets its own rules, which limits the use of larger goods vehicles and hence transport efficiency.

Harmonising this is definitely a task for the EU — the sooner, the better.

With special permission, timber hauliers in Scandinavia can operate 12-axle multiple trailer rigs of up to 105 tonnes.

The Super EcoCombi is made up of standard components and has only three pivot points.

Spanish logistics firm Disfrimur is committed to reducing its environmental footprint with new MAN Super EcoCombis.

8x4 tractor units were rare back in the mid1980s. This Christchurch-based F12 Volvo did heavy haulage work for New Zealand Express.

BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT

The late Dave Bennett contracted this stunning Mack Super Liner to Tranzealand out of Christchurch.

GARDEN CITY ESCAPADES

D

ean Middleton is a superb example of where a love of trucks can take you – and the different places truck-mad kids end up. If you’re in the Garden City, at a truck show, or even just somewhere on the South Island roadside, the friendly guy taking truck photos you’re chatting to might just be Dean Middleton, general manager of Christchurch’s slick Charter Transport. Oh, and there’s every chance his son, Benny, will be right there with him.

Dean has made a wonderful career around the machines he loves, not just in senior management but as an accomplished freelancer to multiple publications.

So, how did it all begin for you, Dean?

“I vividly remember how I got hit with the truck bug.

It was the late 1970s. I was

about six years old and was at a Canterbury A&P Show.

There were full-size gloss posters for sale of a local March Construction W-Model Kenworth for five bucks, and I just knew I had to have one.

“Within weeks of putting the new poster on the bedroom wall, a new series called BJ and the Bear came on the TV and, from that first episode, my passion for trucks was completely ignited.

“I started getting into taking photos when I was about 12 during the mid-1980s. The only challenge was that I lived on the east side of Christchurch and most of the transport yards were across the other side of town. During the weekends and school holidays, I would throw my 35mm Pentax film camera in my backpack and do a circuit that would cover more than 50km and take most of the day.

That was on a pretty basic 10-speed push bike, not a flash soft-tail mountain bike kids ride these days. Needless to say, the backend was more than a little sore at the end of those days, but by crikey, it was

worth it when I picked up my developed truck photos from the local chemist a few days later!

“Here are a few favourites from those epic bike-riding days.”

“This was one of those wow moments where I dropped the bike and stood in awe of the first new K100E Kenworth I had ever seen up close, and with such an Iconic carrier, Regan Carriers.”

A classic looking F-Model Mack from Alexandra Transport loading up in Hornby in 1984.

The March Construction Kenworth, the poster truck that ignited the passion. This image was taken several years later.

N E W RI GS O N THE R OAD NO1 SUPER DOG Mack Super Liner 6x4 tractor OPERATOR: CODA operations LP (Priority Logistics), Mt Maunganui ENGINE: Mack MP10 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Mack mDRIVE 12-speed REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: Hendrickson PRIMAAX SET-UP: MTD Modification centre – wheelbase shorten, fuel tank change, beacon, mirror lights, pre cleaner covers, Garry Douglas Engineering – Turntable, guards, light bar, chassis cover FEATURES/EXTRAS: Mid-height stacks, stainless steel pre-cleaners, additional mirror, additional LED lights PAINT/SIGN: Signage – Marty’s High Performance Signs OPERATION: Varied; curtain-side, flat-deck, skeletal semis, B-trains, central North Island DRIVER: Bevan Davy SALES: Glen Keane

CONTAINMENT’S A PRO’S JOB International ProStar T8 8x4 tractor OPERATOR: Freshways Transport, Gisborne ENGINE: Cummins X-15 459kW (615hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton UltraShift MXP 18-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: IROS FEATURES/EXTRAS: Ali Arc bumper, disc brakes, premium trim package OPERATION: Container cartage, nationwide SALES: Hugh Green

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MAN ON A MISSION TGM 18.320 4x4 C-cab OPERATOR: Brent Graham Groundspread Ltd, Pokeno ENGINE: MAN D0836LFL88 235kW (320hp) TRANSMISSION: ZF 9 S 1310 OD 9-speed REAR AXLES: MAN HP-1333 Hub reduction REAR SUSPENSION: MAN parabolic springs TYRES: 445/65 22.5 FEATURES/EXTRAS: Bigfoot CTI BODY/TRAILER: Built by Paul Hoyle Mid Island Spreading PAINT/SIGNAGE: Signwriting – Stuart Howard, Terence Howard & Sons Ltd, Pukekohe OPERATION: Spreading South Auckland and Waikato DRIVER: Brent Graham SALES: Brent Landers

RUBBLE ROUSER OPERATOR: Constructing Contracting, Christchurch ENGINE: PACCAR MX-13 Euro-6 390kW (530hp) TRANSMISSION: ZF TraXon 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: DAF SR1360T single reduction REAR SUSPENSION: DAF 8-bag ECAS BODY/TRAILER: TMC body and 4-axle trailer OPERATION: Construction-site work, South Island

DAF Euro-6 CF530 6x4 rigid DRIVER: Allan Boyd SALES: Mike Gillespie

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

73

N E W RI GS O N THE R OAD

A GALAXY OF GRIFFINS OPERATOR: Southern Milk Supplies, Invercargill ENGINE: Scania DC13 Euro-6 403kW (540hp) TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise G33CM 14-speed REAR AXLES: Scania RPB785 hub reduction REAR SUSPENSION: Scania air suspension BODY/TRAILER: Trailer set up in own workshops by Peter Sutherland. Trailer built by Transport Engineering Southland FEATURES/EXTRAS: Full safety suite

JOB’S ON!

Scania G540 8x4 rigid OPERATION: Milk collection and distribution, Southland SALES: Kere Menzies

Kenworth T610 6x4 tractor

OPERATOR: Tranzliquid Logistics Ltd, Mt Maunganui ENGINE: Cummins X-15 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLP20918 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor RT46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: KW Airglide 400 FEATURES/EXTRAS: Disc brakes, Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels, LED headlights with DRL

FIT-OUT: Clarke Engineering and Southpac Trucks (Custom Division) SAFETY: Bendix Fusion – Lane Departure, Active Cruise with Braking, TRM, ESP, EBSS PAINT/SIGNAGE: Signage – Mackie Signs OPERATION: Fuel cartage, North Island DRIVER: Lawton Job SALES: Scotty Haberfield

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HOUNDS AT SUNRISE

Mack Super Liner 8x4 rigid

OPERATOR: Rewi Haulage Ltd, Tikitiki ENGINE: Mack MP10 511kW (685hp) TRANSMISSION: Mack mDRIVE 12-speed REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160 REAR SUSPENSION: Hendrickson PRIMAAX BODY/TRAILER: Patchell truck gear and 5-axle EVO4 billet multi trailer FEATURES/EXTRAS: Bigfoot CTI, SI Lodec scales, mid-

height stacks, stainless-steel air rams, stone guard, King Bars Warrego bull bar, Hella LED lights.

PAINT/SIGNAGE: Paint – Haddock Spray Painters / Signage – Caulfield Signs & Graphics OPERATION: Log cartage, East Coast to Gisborne Port DRIVER: ‘Chubby’ Rewi SALES: Glen Keanea

‘REDDING’ BETWEEN THE LINES Kenworth K200 8x4 tractor 2.3m Aerodyne OPERATOR: Northchill Ltd, Pukekohe ENGINE: Cummins X-15 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger RTLO20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor RT46-160 GP REAR SUSPENSION: KW AirGlide 460 BODY/TRAILER: Fairfax 4-axle quad refer FEATURES/EXTRAS: TV, painted fuel tanks, twin exhaust stacks, stainless-steel work by Chris Stanley OPERATION: Food distribution AucklandPalmerston North return, ex-Palmerston North DRIVER: Stephen Gunning SALES: Steve Herring

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

75

new kiwi bodies & trailers New Zealand Trucking brings you New Kiwi Bodies & Trailers. Bodies and trailers are expected to last twice as long as trucks. What’s more, there’s new technology and advanced design features showing up almost every month.

New Zealand has a rich heritage of body and trailer building and we’re proud to showcase some recent examples of Kiwi craftsmanship every month. If you want a body or trailer included on these pages, send a photo, features and the manufacturer’s name to trailers@nztrucking.co.nz

‘Elasti-trailer!’

No, it’s not the next member of the Incredibles. It is, in fact, the next super-cool creation from that house of cool creations, Mills-Tui. This time a 3-axle trombone dog trailer – model code F143. Is that wicked or what?

This fab wee fella belongs to Stone Transport & Hiab in Gisborne and was built so it could piggy-back on the prime mover.

ExTe bolsters can also be fitted for carting long pipe and even logs out of the bush when required.

It is a treat for the eyes, fitted out with stainless-steel guard bracketing, toolbox, Mills-Tui alloy wheels, and

safety mesh on the draw-bar A-frame.

Features: Hendrickson ZMD disc-brake axles, Knorr-Bremse EBS. Mills-Tui

‘Warren will be there, right on 1.08’ You bet he will! Waharoa Transport has just fitted out a refurbed Kenworth K108 with a Warren Auger Bins

(NZ) 6.09m open-top truck body, and hooked up a brand-new 5-axle monocoque 8.53m open-top trailer with a Deutz oil-cooled power pack.

Bulk-feed trucks are to good looks what the General Lee is to muscle cars, but add Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels, off-sets at the front, polished bumper, tanks, guard, and inserts in the Rhinos, then chuck in a dropvisor and Air Rams, and this ‘ole’ girl looks next-level in all her new finery.

Features: SAF INTRADISC disc-brake axles and air suspension, WABCO braking.

Warren Auger Bins (NZ)

KIWI 16/17

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

0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz 76

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

KIWI 175

We know where you’re going Cruise the streets of the Manawatu’s capital and it won’t be long before a Helenbak Haulage rig induces a neck spasm as you attempt a second, third, and fourth take.

even when a skele’s involved, with stainless-steel light bars, filler panel in the rear under-rider, fulllength rear flap, polished guard brackets, and Alux alloy wheels.

TMC recently sent this 6-axle skeletal B-train north to enhance the stunning line-up even further. It proves yet again that there’s plenty to work with

Features: ROR Widetrack disc brake axle and air suspension.

TMC

White and bright will light up the night Domett has just released this crisp 6-axle HPMV B-train, complete with insulated curtains, to Fitchett Line Haul. Its pristine looks are enhanced with mirrored-finished lightbars, toolboxes, guard inserts, and wheels. Additional lights in cool places, like the toolbox lower sill, add up to the look you would expect from the wizards of Tauriko.

The front unit sports a half-mezzanine floor, and the precious cargo is protected

by Structureflex-certified double-skinned curtains.

Features: ROR Widetrack disc-brake axles and air suspension,WABCO EBS braking.

DOMETT

Spec your trailer on KIWIs – the new tyre of choice for KIWIs KIWI 16

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

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

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

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

265/70R19.5

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

265/70R19.5

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

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RHINO PHOTO OF THE MONTH COMPETITION

EXPORT-DRIVEN This month’s entry from Kris Pike in the Manawatu, chalks up the first win for North Islanders.

The experts often describe the economy as – or liken it to – an engine.

That being the case, Kris’ image

represents one of the pistons of that ‘engine’ mid-power stroke. A truck loading an export container for shipment is surely at the heart of it all?

Kris operates out of Palmerston North driving this Western Star 4884 for TIL

Freight, one of the nation’s largest and most well-known logistics entities.

A fantastic photo – right on the mark in terms of what we’re looking for in the competition, Kris is this month’s Rhino Rig of the Month winner!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Email pics to editor@nztrucking.co.nz

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

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MINI BIG RIGS Story and photos by Carl Kirkbeck

MODEL TRUCKING ON A BUDGET – CONT’D

L

ast month we investigated budgetfriendly model trucking options, looking over a 1:64th scale diecast Mack Super Liner project I have on the go. Over the next two months, I want to demonstrate just how easy it is to take a simple toy and transform it into a one-off

model truck for the absolute minimum of cash.

On a recent visit to The Warehouse, I purchased three Siku 6x4 Scania fire appliances intending to morph them into a typical modern 9-axle Kiwi truck and trailer unit. The Scanias retailed for $9 each, so I paid $27 to get the required cab and the nine

axles and wheelsets needed for the project. I’ve been slowly acquiring the rest of the materials when visiting hobby stores and keeping an eye on the rubbish and recycling bins both at home and work.

I find these smaller diecast modification projects just as rewarding as constructing

The tools of the trade for this project. In terms of plastic, ‘Evergreen’ product is available at all good hobby stores and offers a comprehensive range of sheet and mouldings.

Fire appliance or line-haul combination?

We are about to find out.

Using a 3mm drill bit, remove the heads from the rivets that hold the model together.

The disassembled fire appliances will reveal all the goodies required.

Using an ‘Xacto Razor Saw’ or similar, cut off the chassis’ rear in front of the drive axles.

Before starting the build, sketch a scale layout of your project. You will find typing ‘truck axle spacings NZ’ into a Google image search helpful with obtaining the correct measurements.

By overlaying the cab and axles onto the sketch, you get a feel for the proportions. This model is 1:87th scale, so 1mm of model truck represents 87mm of the real truck.

Using 2mm sheet plastic and the dimensions from the sketch, cut out a new chassis. I laminated 2 x 2mm strips for this model, giving a good solid 4mm backbone to the model. Notching the end of the new chassis allows us to overlap onto the diecast chassis of the model, clean away the paint and bond the plastic to the diecast with a good super glue.

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the bigger 1:25th- and 1:24th-scale plastic kit sets.

As well the low cost, there are other advantages: they are great for beginners, with faster construction, and the finished rig takes up a lot less room in the display cabinet.

In this month’s issue, we will take the model from 6x4 fire appliance through to 8x4 rigid dry-goods truck ready for the paint shop. Next month, we will look at how to scratch-build a matching 5-axle trailer to complete the combination.

Using the ride-height position of the existing front axle, measure (remember to add an extra 3mm of drop for the axle grooves), cut and glue into place up-stands from the chassis at the new axle locations as shown on the drawing.

Once the glue holding the up-stands has dried, using a fine file cut into the up-stands the axle grooves to the same ride height as the existing front axle. This is where the extra 3mm of drop we added when measuring is needed to accommodate these grooves.

Again, using the drawing as a reference, cut out of 1.5mm sheet plastic the pieces required to assemble the two van bodies needed for the truck and the trailer.

The assembled van bodies – note the extra underhang at the rear of the two bodies. This is to imitate the light bar/bump stop commonly seen on this style of truck body.

To hide the fact that this was a fire engine, I used super glue to secure offcuts of old kitset sprue into the holes where the beacons were located. Now, we can glue the cut sheet plastic into place to represent an air deflector kit using the sprue as a brace. Remember to use super glue where fixing plastic to diecast metal and standard plastic cement when fixing plastic to plastic. Also, remember to remove any paint from all glue contact points. A test fit of the body helps calculate the heights for the air deflector.

Using a file and fine sandpaper, shape the rounded edges of the air deflector.

Here, we show how a simple diesel tank can be constructed by gluing ends onto a piece of tube. Then, once the glue is dry, file off the surplus and round the ends. Again, old kitset sprue is helpful for shaping a pair of air tanks to hang under the battery box.

The completed and readyfor-paint-shop Scania 8x4 line-haul rig, with details such as corner finishes (Evergreen 293 2.5mm angle) added to the van body as well as mudguards.

The finished rear end of the van body, sporting a pair of door locks and the under-run bar.

The last detail to add before painting is a tow hook.

First, glue a plastic block to resemble a draw beam.

Once that has dried, use a 1.5mm drill to place a small hole into the draw beam to accept a small piece of 1.5mm copper wire, held with a drop of super glue. Ask your local electrician for an offcut or two of copper wire – handy to have in the modelbuilding kit.

Fresh from the paint shop. Next month, the trolley!

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LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

2

1 4

PUZZLE All the blocks with truck names fit the grid to form a perfect square. You can either cut this grid out or use a pen to fill it in.

V

O

V

O

L

O H

I

K E N W O R T H D A F

E

R

C

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F O D E N S N

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T E E

M S

A A

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ds: a truck I have two frienas aut. driver and an tron iver most I like the truck dr down to re mo is he e becaus earth!

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

I S U Z U 82

Thanks to cleaner diesel technology, it now takes 60 modern-day trucks to emit the equivalent greenhouse gases (carbon gases that to affect global warming and climate change) as a single truck in 1955! WOW!

JOKE OF : THE MONTH

C I

E

Fun fact: W H I

M A C K

N

1) Wade hanging out with dad having fun with the wheel loader. 2) Elise and her favourite mag. 3) Wade helping Dad clean the Alcoa wheel stand at Transpecs in Auckland. 4) Elise reading New Zealand Trucking.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

3

HI LITTLE TRUCKERS! Hi there to all you little truckers. I hope you have had a fantastic start to your year, and are all settled back into school.

Summer was great and now autumn is upon us. I think I may have mentioned it before, but I do love this time of year. Not only is it so pretty, but I get to go to a couple of cool shows. The Taranaki and Toki Truck Shows are both on this month. If you are not busy, ask Mum and Dad to take you. Maybe I will see you there?

Congratulations to Oakley Thompson, age nine, for winning our end-of-year Fun Facts Quiz! Keep an eye on the post – a cool prize is on its way to you.

Five-year-old Wade McAuliffe sent us some awesome photos of him and his dad, Sam. Wade loves all aspects of transportation – machines, trucks, trailers, and cars. He loves a good day at work with his dad and will tag along at every opportunity.

Also, we have two-year-old Elise from Palmerston North looking through her favourite magazine. Elise loves trucks and diggers and can be seen down her grandma’s drive regularly doing the arm pump and waving at the trucks. She loves it when they toot their horns.

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

Don’t forget to get your February Mack colouring-in competition entries to me, too.

Once you have coloured in your picture, take a photo or ask a grown-up to scan it and email it to me with your name, age and address. I have had some great entries already and look forward to seeing more.

WHAT’S ON Toki Truck Show

Wheels at Wanaka

NZ Model Truck National Show

Brisbane Truck Show

28 March 2021 Tui Brewery, SH2, Mangatainoka, Wairarapa Contact: www.tuihq.co.nz

3 and 4 April 2021 Barber Hall, Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North Contact: Nick Zwart, 021 267 2118, nic_135@hotmail.com Jamie Larn, 027 442 8006, jamie_larn@hotmail.com Facebook: NZMTA All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc. Please check the websites above before setting out.

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3 and 4 April 2021 Three Parks, Ballantyne Road, Wanaka Contact: Colleen Nisbet, 021 780 674, www.wheelsatwanaka.co.nz

13 to 16 May 2021 Brisbane Convention Centre Contact: 0061 7 3376 6266, admin@brisbanetruckshow.com.au

RTF Conference

25 and 26 September 2021 Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill Contact: forum@rtf.nz Show organisers – please send your event details at least eight weeks in advance to editor@ nztrucking.co.nz for a free listing on this page.

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Moving Metrics

92

NZ Trucking Association Summit – Peter Connors

94

Incoming Cargo – Daimler’s big moves

96

Person of Interest – A Kiwi in Sweden

98

Talking Fuel – Biodiesel

100 What’s My Rate Report 102 IRTENZ – Turbocompound engines 104 Truckers’ Health 106 Health and Safety 108 Legal Lines 110 NZ Trucking Association 112 Road Transport Forum 114 The Last Mile B R OUG HT T O Y OU B Y

MOVING METRICS

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

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

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

Vehicle class

Description

NB (medium goods vehicle)

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

NC (heavy goods vehicle)

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

TD (heavy trailer)

A trailer that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 10 tonnes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First registration of NC class vehicles year to date 2018 – 2021 by manufacturer

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

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

ROAD USER CHARGES

RUC purchase for January 2021, all RUC types While the total distance purchased has dropped compared to 2019, the value of the RUC purchases has increased, no doubt due to the price increase mid-year.

Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 31 January 2021 by purchase year Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

Monthly average (km)

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1,311,379,872

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1,347,202,842

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020 1 Jan 2021 – 31 Jan 2021

15,421,400,378 1,291,870,814

$2,069,615,049 $173,958,041

1,285,116,698 1,291,870,814

Rolling trend month-on-month purchase of RUC during 2020 – 2021

RUC distance purchased for RUC type 1 vehicles 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.

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 Jan 2021

938,501,997

938,501,997

RUC distance purchased year to date for selected RUC types

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

The red dots represent the cost of RUC purchased for that RUC type for the year to date January 2021 only, thus for RUC type 6 vehicles, powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles), the higher value results from the high cost of RUC for these type vehicles above 12 tonne.

RUC purchases Janaury 2021 for selected RUC types

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New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

91

NZTA INDUSTRY SUMMIT

Peter Connors: the stance says it all.

OPEN ROAD ADMISSIONS The 2020 New Zealand Trucking Association Industry Summit took place on Saturday 21 November at Riccarton Racecourse, Christchurch.

P

eter Connors, central South Island system manager at the New Zealand Transport Agency, was plainly nervous when he took to the podium at the recent NTA summit. What he was about to share with delegates would confirm the agency’s budgetary constraints, lack of maintenance undertakings, and expected obstacles to

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future activities.

His presentation came as the NZTA put forward its investment proposal “for a state highway maintenance programme that targets sustainable delivery of safe and reliable access on state highways”, as the 2021/24 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) undergoes development. The NLTP will be adopted in mid-2021, and the NZTA’s proposal responds to the service-level expectations of the state highway network, current load and forecast demands, and the trends in the network’s condition.

In brief, explained Connors, the investment proposal reflects significant March 2021

investments funded other than through the NLTP, being transparent about the potential impact of all transport activities. It also proposes projects to be considered by Regional Transport Committees and then for the NLTP, which: • Augment investment through the New Zealand Upgrade Programme to deliver a greater benefit by, for example, extending the HOV lanes towards the Tauranga CBD. • Deliver on the speed management and infrastructure components of the Road to Zero programme for state highways.

• Reflect the state highway

contribution to the ATAP and Let’s Get Wellington Moving programmes.

• Continue a programme of low-cost low-risk activities across New Zealand that addresses localised issues.

With this setting the background, Connors delved into the nitty-gritty of state highway maintenance, budgets and expenditure, and affordability.

Between 2003 and 2009, maintenance expenditure increased at about 6% per annum but, in response to recommendations by the road management task force, the government held expenditure at a constant rate between 2009 and 2017. It did this

by constraining growth in the funding range for state highway maintenance in the government policy statement (GPS).

“We developed what we called the one network road classification, where the investment was deliberately targeted to the higher volume roads. So, it does mean that on some lower-classified roads, we see deterioration,” said Connors.

A further impact on the national network came with the Covid-19 lockdown when the NZTA could not undertake its usual heavy maintenance work. However, the renewal programme has been able to ramp up, and Connors took the opportunity to thank the industry for its patience, especially considering the increased temporary traffic management measures at worksites. “It’s hugely inconvenient for you, and there’s just been an acceptance from the industry which has just made our job a lot easier,” he said.

Quality down, budgets stretched The quality of maintenance work has also taken a hit, conceded Connors, but the agency is conscious of doing better. “We’re going to introduce independent monitoring; an Australian quality system which we hope will improve some of the outcomes, particularly in the maintenance space.”

While maintenance spend has been increasing, emergency works in the four or five years following the Kaikoura earthquake has had a significant effect on budgetary constraints – about a billion dollars in expenditure, said Connors. “While there’s Crown funding for some emergency work, most of it outside that is not [Crownfunded]. And with climate change, a lot of structures we used to build have suffered

particularly with coastal erosion – and that is now three or four times the cost of the work we usually do.

It’s not going to go away, and that’s going to be a pressing demand on budgets going forward.”

Then Connors quoted NZTA CEO Nicole Rosie on some numbers. Following the challenges brought about

by Covid-19, investment in the NLTP for 2021-24 across Crown funding, local share and the NLTF is expected to increase from $18.5 billion (2018-21) to more than $20.8 billion. However, quoted Connors, more than 90% of the anticipated revenue from the NLTF for 2021-24 will be required to meet existing commitments to projects underway, and the continuous programmes to maintain existing levels of service.

“The biggest restraint we face through the NLTF currently is in new improvement projects.”

Connors added that revenue through the NLTF is expected to reduce during 2021-24 from pre-Covid-19 levels due to the pandemic’s ongoing impact. The final impact will depend on the recovery of the economy and is yet to be seen. “Lockdown reduced NLTF revenue by $325 million and it increased land transport costs by several hundred million,” he noted.

100,000km takes some maintenance Worse still, it seems as though the agency cannot meet all commitments in the next funding period. “The NLTF cannot afford to fund activities in any activity class above the lower limit. We expect combined commitments in three activity classes (public transport services, local road maintenance and state highway maintenance) for 2021-24 to exceed the lower limits by more than $500 million. Without additional

funding above the lower limit, there will be particular issues for state highway maintenance and public transport services, both of which require funding above the minimum range that the forecast allows.”

The GPS directs where expenditure goes across a range of activities. “We are working hard to make sure our needs in the maintenance space [are met]. We need that money, we need to do more renewals,” said Connors. He then admitted: “Some of the practices we’ve been getting away with over the last 20 or 30 years we’re not getting away with now…”

Of the 100 000km roading network a large proportion is flexible pavement, chip seal that requires significant maintenance.

“We are finding in places that flexible pavement is not working and so we’re getting onto more structural type renewals, which are extremely expensive – probably three or four times the cost.

But there are areas where we just have to bite the bullet and do those treatments, because the standard treatment that we’ve put up with is not lasting. That is another challenge for us,” Connors said.

Upgrades and safety In closing, Connors touched on the Road to Zero programme and the agency’s role in upgrading road infrastructure to reduce crashes, deaths and serious injuries.

“There is some deserved criticism of our role. But it’s not easy when we start putting medians down the middle of the road over long necks of the network.

“It’s easy to do a greenfields new job, but it’s a lot harder to treat a section of road, there’s a lot of opposition to it.”

“Some of the practices we’ve been getting away with over the last 20 or 30 years we’re not getting away with now…”

However, said Connors, the success of median barriers, such as the one on Wellington’s Centennial Highway, one of the first to be installed and to admittedly low standards, is stark compared with areas where these are not present. “One of the biggest disruptors, I believe, in the rural network particularly, is closing roads for accidents. If we can treat a lot of roads to stop that, I believe it’ll be a game-changer in terms of efficiency,” he said.

With 352 road deaths in 2019, the social cost totalled $1.54 billion. Connors said that 82% of people die on roads that have a medium or high infrastructure risk rating; 73% die in rural areas.

About 50% of deaths (177) occurred on state highways.

Vehicles hitting roadside objects accounted for 182 deaths, head-on collisions 114. Sixty-seven people died in crashes involving a truck, 10 more than those involving a motorcycle.

Regarding speed, 72% died on roads with limits set higher than the safe and appropriate speed for that road. “We believe that 100kph is not a safe speed on a lot of our roads. Some 55% of deaths occurred on roads in the top 10% requiring speed management,” Connors said.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

93

INCOMING CARGO

DRAMATIC CHANGES AT DA I M L E R A N D MERCEDES-BENZ

Daimler has announced plans to separate into two pure-play companies as it readies to accelerate into a zero-emission and softwaredriven future.

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D

aimler is planning a fundamental change to its structure, designed to “unlock the full potential of its businesses in a zero-emissions, softwaredriven future”.

The supervisory board and management of Daimler have agreed to evaluate a spin-off of its Truck and Bus business and begin preparations for a separate Daimler Truck listing. The new business will have fully independent management and standalone corporate governance, including an independent chairman of the supervisory board.

March 2021

Daimler also intends to rename itself as MercedesBenz at the appropriate time.

Why the split?

Ola Källenius, board chairman of Daimler and MercedesBenz, says now is a historic time for Daimler. “It represents the start of a profound reshaping of the company.”

The need has come about because the industries and customers between its passenger and vocational divisions are more divergent than ever.

“Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans and Daimler Trucks & Buses are different businesses with specific

customer groups, technology paths and capital needs.

Both companies operate in industries that are facing major technological and structural changes. Given this context, we believe they will be able to operate most effectively as independent entities, equipped with strong net liquidity and free from the constraints of a conglomerate structure,” explains Källenius.

As part of a more focussed corporate structure, both Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Truck will also be supported by dedicated captive financial and mobility service entities.

These will drive sales with tailor-made financing, leasing

and mobility solutions, increasing retention and building customer loyalty.

Accelerating growth and new technologies According to the company, Daimler Truck intends to generate value for its shareholders by accelerating the execution of its strategic plans, raising its profitability and moving forward with its development of emissionsfree technologies for trucks and buses.

“This is a pivotal moment for Daimler Truck. With independence comes greater opportunity, greater visibility and transparency,” says Martin Daum, member of the Daimler board of management and Daimler Truck chairman of the board of management.

“We have already defined the future of our business with battery-electric and fuel-cell trucks, as well as strong positions in autonomous driving. With targeted partnerships, we will accelerate the development of key technologies rapidly to bring best-in-class

products to our customers.”

Daum says that Daimler Truck has a solid financial basis and robust business model. The company has clear strategies to raise its financial performance and accelerate its execution. “We will use our strong and wellknown global brands, our scale and our exceptional technology to deliver industryleading return,” he says.

Keeping pace with the industry A €1.5 billion fund, in addition to current financial plans, will be set up for Daimler Truck to encourage bold and quick investment in innovation so the companies can keep pace with the rapid transformation of the industry.

Michael Brecht, chairman of Daimler’s General Works Council, says that this will enable investment in new products and technologies and provide additional support for the company’s branches, helping to secure employment. “In addition, collective bargaining deals such as our labour agreements will continue to

apply until the end of the decade.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to uphold the interests of our colleagues. We have the unique opportunity to proactively and sustainably shape our commercial vehicle sites – from production to the service business – to help write the next chapter of the Daimler Truck success story,” Brecht says.

Making even stronger companies Manfred Bischoff, chairman of Daimler’s supervisory board, says Mercedes-Benz and Daimler Truck enter this transformation with significant strengths, and the company is convinced they will emerge even stronger, serving their respective customers as independent companies.

“With their different return profiles and capital needs, the rationale for two independent entities is evident. We are convinced that the capital markets will appreciate the opportunity to invest in more clearly focussed, pure-play

businesses,” Bischoff says.

The intended structure of the transaction would involve Daimler transferring the majority of Daimler Truck to its shareholders on a prorata basis in accordance with existing shareholdings, but it intends to retain a minority shareholding. Representation of Daimler on the Daimler Truck supervisory board will be in line with the intended deconsolidation.

The target is that the business will qualify as a DAX company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. (The transaction and the listing of Daimler Truck on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange is expected to be complete before the end of 2021.)

The process to finalise the planned transaction has only just begun, so Daimler is providing no other details at this time. All further information and the final decision on the spin-off has to be made at an extraordinary shareholder meeting of Daimler, planned for the third quarter of 2021. Mandatory approval is required for the plan to go ahead.

New Zealand Trucking

March 2021

95

PERSON OF INTEREST

FROM SANDPITS TO

SCANIA

Kiwi Hamish Bennett is the vice-president of product management, Trucks, at Scania Group, building his way up through the organisation over the past 20 years. New Zealand Trucking finds out about his journey from Hamilton to Stockholm – okay, the nearby town of Södertälje, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it – and learns about his role in developing every new Scania truck this century.

H

amish Bennett has fond memories of making engine noises while playing with toy trucks as a kid – and he knew his fascination with trucks wasn’t just a phase.

Growing up in Huntley and Hamilton (he attended St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton), Hamish’s truck obsession was also influenced by his father and role model, Maurice Bennett, who worked for Fuso distributor/dealer Keith Andrews.

While completing an engineering and commerce degree at Auckland University, he was awarded a ‘dream’ three-month scholarship with Scania’s product development team in vehicle dynamics. A three-year offer from Scania at the end of his scholarship was the kickstart to his so-far 20-year career with the Swedish truck-maker.

Today, Hamish is in charge of a team shaping the future of truck design and development at Scania. In some capacity, he’s played a role in every new Scania truck design for the past 20 years. There have been plenty of highlights.

From ‘living his dream’ of vehicle-testing prototype trucks, Hamish’s role morphed into product

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New Zealand Trucking

strategy and design. “My responsibilities included everything from identifying and setting trends in R&D to customer/market demand and vehicle technology,” he says.

With typical project development spanning three to five years, the results of some of Hamish’s more recent work is set to hit New Zealand roads soon — the Scania 770 S-line. This rangetopping V8 is his all-time personal favourite Scania truck, too. “It’s the most powerful, factory-built truck engine in production today,” he says proudly.

Where to next? Future electrified transport solutions are also at the top of Scania’s agenda, and Hamish has had a hand in the new E-range that’s rolling out in Europe next year. Work is underway to get the range to New Zealand as soon as possible.

“New Zealand might be a small market on the global scale for Scania, but it is a very important one,” he says.

“It’s quite cool that I also get to hear on a regular basis — all the way over here at Scania HQ — about the impressive journey Scania New Zealand is on.

“I know Scania HQ has made significant long-term investments there to grow March 2021

relationships with Kiwi customers even further and develop additional business opportunities.”

Hamish likes to think of the result of his efforts being enjoyed in New Zealand because he hasn’t had many other Kiwi connections

Hamish Bennett outside Scania HQ in Sweden with his favourite truck design, the Scania 770 S.

during his time at Scania.

“I remember, soon after I arrived — in about 2001 — bumping into a Maori guy who was working as a mechanic at Scania HQ. I think he was here as part of his OE, but there’s been no other Kiwis at all since then.

“Just Aussies,” he says, “which helps with the banter during rugby season … depending on results.”

Sure, he misses New Zealand’s climate, nature and beaches, and of course his Kiwi family and friends.

But with a young family in Sweden, his time away from Scania involves playing taxi driver for his children, tackling DIY projects at home, and tapping into his outdoorsy Kiwi roots by enjoying lots of water sports during the short Scandinavian summer.

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TALKING FUEL

BIODIESEL here and now Story by Gavin Myers

There’s no silver bullet replacement for fossil fuels – there could be a range of options depending on application, technology and infrastructure. But one of the simplest, easiest and most immediate gains can be found in biofuels. We spoke to Tina Frew, Z Energy’s fuels strategy and product manager, about biodiesel.

I

n December 2020, Z Energy announced that it was to begin sales of Z Bio D, the company’s biodiesel brand, at its Highbrook truck stop in Auckland. The decision was taken as the next step in Z’s plan to roll out a range of sustainable, alternative fuel options, which started in 2018 when Z Bio D was offered to commercial customers with private truck stops and tanks.

The primary benefit of biodiesel? It can work with the existing infrastructure of liquid fuels and fleets and is an immediately available step to lowering emissions across the value chain, from refinery to pump to tailpipe. Z claims a nett carbon reduction of

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about 4%, relative to mineral diesel, with a 5% biodiesel blend. The carbon reduction increases with higher blends.

According to Frew, 5% is a commonly mandated blend rate worldwide and is accepted by all light and heavy diesel vehicle manufacturers in New Zealand. “That means is we’re supplying a blend that meets the same specs as mineral diesel,” she says.

According to figures quoted by OEMs, some heavy vehicles in this market can accept up to a 30% blend. “We do have some commercial customers that are interested in higher blends but doing so requires a conversation with them and

March 2021

their vehicle manufacturer,” Frew adds.

About Z Bio D The bio part of Z Bio D is achieved by blending biodiesel with the mineral diesel. The Z biodiesel product is manufactured from inedible tallow and meets the New Zealand biodiesel specifications as well as the European biodiesel specifications (EN14214).

Inedible tallow was chosen as the feedstock to produce Z biodiesel because it offers numerous advantages: • it is locally sourced and so doesn’t create a bigger carbon impact in its supply.

• Opting for tallow creates a

value stream for something that is otherwise a by-product.

• It achieves the same result without impacting on land use for food production, such as with palm oil.

Frew says that product quality and carbon abatement change depending on what the biodiesel is made of and what technologies are used. The quoted 4% carbon reduction (conservative, according to Frew) is based on a tallow-based feedstock in the New Zealand operation.

Since 2018, Z has been slowly building up production capability at its Te Kora Hou plant, which it built from

scratch. However, about the time markets were affected

by Covid-19, the plant was put into hibernation. To ensure supply to contracted customers, Z partnered with an Australian company which produces a tallow-based biodiesel similar to Z Bio D.

Obstacles to widespread adoption According to Frew, tallow is globally in demand as a biofuel feedstock. That includes tallow sourced from New Zealand, which is supplied to companies selling into subsidised markets, affecting the local price. And therein lies the biggest obstacle locally, a lack of enabling policy to make biodiesel – regardless of what it’s made from – commercially competitive with conventional fuels. Put another way, there’s no incentive to use it.

“That’s one of the most critical barriers to uptake and scale,” says Frew. “One of the things we’ve learnt is it’s very difficult to design a market without a policy landscape that supports a change. To close the gap, you need a strong customer demand, and for that, you need the policy shift. We really need that private sector to public sector collaboration to take any lowcarbon fuel market forward.”

In this regard, Z has engaged directly with the government, last year briefing Minister of Transport Michael Wood about the company’s stance on policy change. In short, the company suggested

a range of immediate, short to medium-term, and medium to long-term policy options.

These included: • Biofuels Sales Obligation (short to medium-term) “In the medium term, a biofuels sales obligation/ mandate would complement other existing policies that target specific technically proven decarbonisation options, such as the excise exemption on ethanol and funding through the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund. Biodiesel policy support has previously been introduced by the Clark Labour government before it was repealed by the incoming government. It is common globally as part of a broader decarbonisation portfolio, yet in New Zealand biodiesel has no direct support, despite being proven as technically viable.”

• Low Carbon Fuel Standard (medium to long-term) “A multi-pathway lowcarbon fuel policy, such as the California Low Carbon Fuels Standard, which is based on a sinking cap on the carbon intensity of fuel.

All fuel sold over the cap must pay credits. All fuel sold under the cap receives credits (including electricity).

Multiple low-carbon pathways are supported including renewable liquid fuels, electrification and hydrogen.”

“Looking across the full spectrum, we see biofuels as

a way to do something urgent today and hit some specificuse cases,” Frew says. To this point, in its briefing the company notes: “The longer we wait to decarbonise, the harder and faster we will need to go to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees.”

Biodiesel not the only way forward ‘Technology agnostic’ is how Frew describes Z’s approach to moving away from fossil fuels. That means biodiesel is only the first step in a journey that includes other options such as hydrogen and electricity.

“The approach we take is thinking about what the practical ways are to decarbonise all of the different transport-use cases. We are really committed to creating options for our customers around how we’re going to move away from fossil fuels,” says Frew.

“It’s very important to avoid ‘picking a winner’ and rather incentivise the best fuel for the use case. In chasing a silver bullet, you might miss key opportunities.”

She says Z is actively looking at some other advanced biofuel options – fuels that could be ‘dropped in’ to replace fossil fuels immediately. Globally, production technologies exist that could create a pathway to more scale and production potential for these ‘drop-in fuels’ here in New Zealand.

“But we’d struggle to make that viable without some local policy change – that would be

critical,” Frew reiterates.

An urgent need In its briefing to the minister, Z claims: “Between us selling fuel and our customers buying it, our products emit around 10 million tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere every year. That’s about 9% of this country’s total emissions.”

The company says it’s “on a mission to reduce our operational emissions by 30% from a 2017 baseline and offset what we can’t reduce through permanent forestry”.

Z Bio D is among the many initiatives. “We need to walk before we can run and ensure an orderly – and just – energy transition that allows our big transport emitters to decarbonise their current fleets without passing on undue costs to the consumer.

Biodiesel can help us achieve that,” says the company.

In Z Bio D, Frew says that a lot has been learnt along the way, one of the biggest lessons being that suppliers and customers can work together collaboratively to kick-start bold moves forward.

“It’s great that there are customers who are really committed to decarbonisation in their fleet. The likes of New Zealand Post and Dempsey Wood are committed and currently working with us on Z Bio D – because it’s urgent for them. But there might be some wondering how they even start – we’re always open to discuss how Z Bio D can help those seeking immediate decarbonisation.”

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WHAT’S MY RATE REPORT

KIWIS WORKING HARDER

LESS HAPPY

The annual OneStaff 2021 What’s My Rate? New Zealand Industrial and Trades Wage Report reveals attitudes among waged industrial-sector workers on sick leave, mental health, and earnings.

F

or the third consecutive year, the industrial sector specialist and staffing solutions provider, OneStaff, has sought trends in the country’s core industrial sectors: commercial and hospitality, construction and infrastructure, engineering,

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New Zealand Trucking

manufacturing, production and logistics, and trades and services.

More than 6000 bluecollar workers participated in the survey, which gauges work attitudes, experiences, and remuneration, creating a cross-section of demographics that cover a broad range of roles from entry-level positions to highly technical skills.

Covid-19 caused a lot of disruption in 2020. The 2020/21 report shows wage stagnation, limited people movement and a slight backsliding in gender disparities compared with the two previous reviews.

Happiness decreased almost universally, with a corresponding increase in willingness to resign. For the March 2021

first time, the researchers asked questions about health, wellbeing, and trust in others.

It was interesting to note that trust decreased with age, and women were more trusting than men.

Perhaps the biggest red flag in this report concerns sick leave, with more than 70% of respondents indicating they either didn’t know if they would, or already knew they would not, take time off if they felt ill. The report suggests Kiwis aren’t just working too hard but are working too hard potentially at the expense of themselves, their colleagues and customers.

“The hesitancy to take sick leave was quite surprising, especially as there’s been so much public health messaging around staying home when

unwell. However, the reasons cited for not taking sick leave were due to staffing shortages and heavy workloads, which shows that Kiwi workers are very dedicated to the success of their workplaces and to their colleagues,” said Jonathan Ives, OneStaff CEO. “From a business-owner perspective, these results show that it’s really important to have some contingency planning in place for staff leave — and to make sure you can provide cover for vital jobs to keep your operations going.”

The three largest workplace factors that impacted people’s mental health were: bad relationships at work (37%), too many hours at work (29%), and respondents’ immediate

Nationally, transport-related median remuneration stacked up as follows: 2019/20

2020/21

Change

CONSTRUCTION & INFRASTRUCTURE Class 2 driver

22.00

22.00

0.00%

Class 4 driver

23.00

23.00

0.00%

Class 5 driver

25.00

25.50

2.00%

Pilot driver

30.00

23.50

-21.67%

22.00

22.00

0.00%

MANUFACTURING, PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS Class 2 driver Class 4 driver

23.00

24.00

4.35%

Class 5 driver

26.00

26.00

0.00%

Auto electrician

29.00

30.00

3.45%

Mechanic

26.00

27.00

3.85%

Diesel mechanic

30.00

32.00

6.67%

TRADES & SERVICES

bosses or managers (25%).

“When relationships turn sour, they top the list of mental-health impacts. For employers, this means that greater care should be taken to discover, mediate and deal with poor relationships between staff to ensure

they don’t have wider negative consequences.

For employees, especially managers, putting effort into your work relationships will pay dividends in your own and your team’s happiness,” says Ives.

More than half of all Kiwis

regularly work overtime, but less than a third are compensated for their extra hours. Job satisfaction and earning more money are intrinsically linked — the more satisfied a worker, the more likely they are to attract a higher wage.

Across sectors, Northland continues to offer the highest average wage in the country at $27 per hour, primarily due to the strong on-site engineering

sector in Northland. Auckland and Christchurch remained stationary at $25 per hour.

Wellington and the West Coast showed stronger-than-average wage growth, bringing them both to $26 per hour.

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Volvo’s D13TC is one of the most modern turbocompound engines, and had an update in 2019.

energy is used. Another is using it to drive a turbine that can increase the engine’s power output, a turbocompound engine.

History

ENERGY POWER EFFICIENCY There is increasing interest in the use of TurboCompound Engines (TCEs) for trucks. Here, we explain the principle behind these engines, their history and use in heavy vehicles.

Story for IRTENZ by Russell Walsh (life member IRTENZ)

R

udolf Diesel (18581913), the inventor of the compression engine we now know as the diesel engine, said: “The automobile engine will come, and then I will consider my life’s work complete.”

Rudolf’s early engines only used about 26% of the energy content of the fuel they burnt. Research suggests that less than 50% of the potential energy in a

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New Zealand Trucking

diesel engine’s fuel is used to power the vehicle.

Energy losses In 2010, Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Revue d’IFP Energies Nouvelles published the article, Energy and Exergy Balances for Modern Diesel and Gasoline Engines. This suggested only approximately 30% of the energy content of the fuel burnt in a diesel engine was used for work, i.e.

March 2021

to move a vehicle. In 2013, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) suggested that 43 to 44% of the energy in diesel fuel was used for useful work.

For many years, engineers have been striving to use this wasted energy to improve the overall efficiency of the engine and the vehicles they are fitted to. Turbochargers, using the energy in the exhaust gases, is one way this otherwise-wasted

The need to increase the power output of internal combustion engines, particularly in aircraft, was highlighted during World War 2. Several aircraft engine manufacturers developed prototypes, including RollsRoyce in 1941, but none went into serious production.

Post-war, some development continued with Napier producing the Napier Nomad in 1949 and a variation, the Wright DuplexCyclone, used in many commercial passenger and military aircraft, such as the Lockheed Super Constellation and Boeing B29. However, the rapid development of pure jet and jet turbine engines resulted in the development of TCEs for aircraft all but ceasing.

In 1987, Scania announced it was producing a TCE variant of its popular 11-litre engine.

Scania claimed that this engine would have a power output of 298kW (400hp) compared with 265kW (356hp) from a similar engine without turbo-compounding. Scania also claimed that efficiency of the TCE was 2% greater than the non-turbo-compound engine, with a resulting

New Zealand Trucking

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35

A cutaway of the D13TC turbocompound system. reduction in fuel consumption of about 5%.

In 2007, Detroit Diesel announced a TCE engine, the DD15, also claiming approximately 5% improvement in fuel consumption.

In 2017, Volvo launched its TCE, the D13TC. The claim was that this engine could deliver 6.5% fuel savings

over a similar engine without turbo-compounding. In 2019, a second generation of this engine was launched, delivering a potential for a further 3% in fuel savings.

How does a turbocompound engine work?

A typical TCE uses some of the energy content present

in the exhaust gases after combustion is completed to drive a turbine. This turbine is connected by a gear train to the engine’s crankshaft, supplementing the energy produced by the combustion process at the crankshaft to power the vehicle.

Instead of connecting directly to the engine’s crankshaft, some

turbo-compound engines use the energy to power an alternator, producing electrical energy that can charge batteries and/or power on-board auxiliary equipment.

Although positioned in-line of the exhaust system, TCEs have shown not to increase exhaust-system back pressure. There is a marginal increase in engine weight, however.

Why turbocompound engines?

During development, and in-field testing, TCEs have shown to increase the energy produced by a diesel engine that is used to drive a vehicle and its accessories. These same tests have also shown that a TCE truck can use approximately 5% less fuel for the same task, compared with a similar engine truck that does not have a TCE.

SUPPORTING NZ TRUCKING FOR THE LONG HAUL Whether you’re an owner driver or a business operating an entire fleet, we’re ready and waiting with hassle-free finance to help with your transport needs.

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

My diet starts on Monday “I’ll start my diet on Monday.”

“I won’t eat any junk whatsoever.”

“I’ll give up alcohol and takeaways.”

“I’ll lose heaps of weight in one month.”

D

o any of these statements sound familiar? If so, you are definitely not alone. Many people, including myself, have embarked on an epic and gruelling journey to find a healthier lifestyle and a slimmer self, only to end up with a gutsful (not literally). Then we binge on all of the foods we’ve missed out on, and end out worse than where we begun.

The question I ask my clients when they are attempting to create a healthy lifestyle for themselves is: “Can you see yourself still doing this in two years’ time?” If the answer is no, don’t even bother starting.

Being fit and healthy shouldn’t feel like a constant chore because if you don’t enjoy something, you won’t continue it if you have the choice. I propose that you work with the foods that you are currently eating and enjoying, and make small tweaks to ensure that you are improving your health and nutrition slowly but surely.

It’s all very well to want a quick transformation, e.g. “drop 10kg for your sister’s wedding in three weeks”, but in the long run, what have you really done for your health other than lost a bit of weight that one time back in 2013? Deep down, what we are trying and wanting to do is to feel better about ourselves, have self-confidence and feel as though we are taking care of our health and wellbeing.

Here are some simple, baby steps to improve your current eating regime without feeling like you have to give up your social life and sanity just to lose a few pounds.

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1. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner

It sounds silly, but having structure in your day can help prevent binges or lash-outs when you skip meals and become starving.

2. What am I eating too much of?

Acknowledge and identify your weaknesses and what you may be overindulging on. For example, if you’re having a chocolate bar every day, try to reduce that to every second day. Simple.

3. Be organised with your food.

If you plan and prep your meals, you are more likely to make better food choices. Whereas, if you’re just winging it and grabbing random bits and pieces throughout the day, you can end up eating too much/too little or not quite eating the right foods. For example, grabbing a pie from the local bakery instead of eating a homemade wrap or sandwich.

Living a healthy lifestyle should be a well-balanced blend of eating nutritious foods and moving your body while enjoying meals out, special occasions and ‘treats’ along the way.

Give my three steps and go and see how they can help you to smoothly move towards a healthier you.

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

ROAD SAFETY TRUCK PAPANUI HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR STUDENTS attended the Road Safety Truck recently. Year 10 and 11 visited the truck througout the day. Jess Johns from Pacific Fuel Haulage and Leghton Hill from Penske came along to help the team out for the day. Having the two extra trucks along meant the team could spend more time in the truck cab with the senior students. Not only did the students learn some valuable tips on how to share the road safely with big trucks but they also leant about careers.

Jess showed the students how to handle the hoses from the tanker and encouraged them to have a go. Some cheaky questions kept the team on their toes for the day. It made the team realise the need for more engaging career inspiration programs, largely to suit this audience, as it was obvious these senior students knew very little about the opportunities in the transport industry.

Some students offered to help set up the Road Safety Truck’s instagram page, which the older people in the team found very handy, so everyone learnt something new. The other great thing about this age group is they love to share photos, so that spreads the information out to a much wider audience.

HEALTHY TRUCK DRIVER TOP TIP

As an industry we must do more of this engagement to inspire the younger people and encourage them to think about trucking as a top career choice, not a last resort.

You can keep up with the journey of the Road Safety Truck by visiting the website www.roadsafetytruck.co.nz

Become a supporter of the Road Safety Truck today - you can join the New Zealand Trucking Assoication or make a donation Join us today! 0800 338 338 www.nztruckingassn.co.nz

WWW.ROADSAFETYTRUCK.CO.NZ

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Managing crazy weather

S

ummer is the best season for most of us. We love the long days, the hot weather and the chance to be outside. Whether we are socialising or working in the garden, summer is usually fun.

But, this year, the weather has been particularly crazy, with some areas experiencing record-breaking, scorching hot days and others snow, hail and cold.

These extremes have similar impacts on people, with different causes. Heat makes us weary. The sunlight dazzles us and makes it hard to see the road.

The cold also fatigues us, and fog, snow, and hail make driving difficult. Over the holiday break, the weather ranged hugely in temperature, wind and rain, often in the same locations.

As persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), we need to protect our workers from hazards and risks. This includes the weather.

Make sure employees are protected from the weather. This includes

encouraging the use of sunscreen and sun hats, but also ensuring that they are hydrated. Make cold water available to them. Consider whether the work can be planned so that they are not outside or making complex decisions in the hottest part of the day.

In adverse conditions, make sure the workers have appropriate clothing and shelter. They also need to drink plenty of water to remain hydrated. Ensure their vehicles are in good condition, including tyre tread, windscreen wipers, washer fluid, and other items critical to safety in wet weather.

Depending on the organisation’s size, some of this work will be part of the officers’ normal duties. In larger organisations, officers must have systems to manage these and other hazards. In either case, they must be comfortable identifying and managing all reasonably known hazards and risks.

They should be able to verify that these things are done. 

How can Safewise help?

We work with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge, or more time, than they have in-house.

For more information, check the website www.safewise.co.nz.

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About Tracey Murphy Tracey is the owner and director of the health and safety consultancy, Safewise. She has more than 12 years’ experience working with organisations from many different industries and holds a diploma in health and safety management and a graduate diploma in occupational safety and health. She is a graduate member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and is on the HASANZ register.

3:12:58 PM

Danielle L. Beston Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: 64 9 379 7658

mobile: 021 326 642

danielle.beston@hobsonchambers.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

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Ayna Amina – Angel Transport

Leaving her nursing career at the age of 19 to start up Angel Transport with her father was a leap of faith for Ayna Amina, but she never doubted her decision.

From small beginnings with three trucks in 2005, today Angel Transport is an Auckland-wide freight company and operates a fleet of 38 vehicles, from vans through to truck and trailer units and hiab flat-decks.

Ayna was recognised for her passion and commitment with the ‘Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry’ award in 2019 at the New Zealand Road Transport Industry Awards.

As a third party logistics operator, Angel Transport services the Auckland region and also undertakes urgent deliveries throughout the North Island.

Favourite truck?

I don’t drive trucks but from talking to my dad, we prefer Mitsubishi, all day, every day! We started with a Mitsubishi truck and you can’t go wrong.

Favourite place to get a pie?

The local bakeries.

Favourite MyTrucking feature?

Being able to log in anywhere, anytime, it’s the best.

Favourite gearbox?

100% Roadrangers, nobody likes autos.

Favourite way to acknowledge a truckie?

We acknowledge them by promotion, helping drivers to achieve a higher level of class license, and putting them in that truck.

Personally, if I wanted to acknowledge a driver of another company I’d note the rego and give the feedback to the company. At the end of the day, driving trucks is not easy – the heat, pressure and stress. Just a little comment to the dispatcher is great.

Favourite saying or catchphrase?

In life - everything happens for a reason. In business – we commit, we deliver.

“The specialty of our business it that we are not signed into contracts with customers. Every day is a new day and we don’t know what will happen. All the trucks run on an hourly rate,” Ayna explains.

In her role as General Manager, Ayna handles dispatch, payroll, accounts, customer service and queries, and even drives.

It’s taken time to convince them, but all of her siblings (two brothers and one sister) have now joined the family-owned and operated business.

“When I was 19 dad came to me and said he wanted to start his own business. I didn’t know a thing about trucks at that moment, so he sent me out with the drivers to learn about freight.

“It was a personal decision, I couldn’t say no to my father! Of his four kids he chose me and the thought he had the confidence to start a new venture with me, I said hey, I’ll do it. I had faith in my dad. He was a businessman back in Fiji and had the attitude he wanted to own what he was doing.”

Angel Transport takes pride in living up to its name and providing quality service. “I had a customer last week say the name Angel goes with the service provided. We are not bound by contracts and work around all of our customers’ expectations.”

Using MyTrucking, in conjunction with EROAD, has enhanced the efficiency and capability of the business, she says.

Being able to pre-load jobs is a massive benefit, along with making sure no jobs are missed and are entered quickly into the system.

“The flexibility of being able to log into the system from anywhere is the beauty of it. I’m driving, I park up and load up a job immediately. The simplicity of MyTrucking has given us a lot of freedom and time to work on other parts of the business. I can send a POD from my phone in my lounge, that’s how simple it is.”

Even the drivers love MyTrucking, she says. “The driver’s app is amazing. PODs are crucial with freighting companies. We get paid through PODs – no POD, no pay. Now the drivers can take a photo and upload it as soon as a job is complete.”

Ayna enjoys the relationships she has built with the MyTrucking team, and the service provided. “They are only a phone call away, always there. We really appreciate Sara and the team.”

my trucking www.mytrucking.com

LEGAL LINES

Lane splitting I

f you have ever seen a motorcyclist travelling between queued traffic on a busy road during peak commuter traffic times, you’ve probably wondered whether this is legal.

This practice, known as lane splitting, is permitted in some circumstances as it falls within the overtaking rules found in the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004.

Rule 2.6: General Requirements About Passing Other Vehicles Overtaking can be completed at any time provided you don’t impede oncoming traffic; have a 100m-clear view of traffic throughout the manoeuvre; don’t cut off the vehicle being overtaken when you pull back into the lane; and can complete the movement safely with consideration for other road users. The speed limit for the area must also be complied with.

When travelling in separate lanes, you may overtake on either the left or right, provided you remain in your lane throughout the passing movement.

Rule 2.7: Passing On The Right

What are the benefits?

Proponents of lane splitting believe it allows motorcyclists to save time by bypassing traffic congestion and may also be safer than stopping behind stationary vehicles as it reduces the chances of rear-end crashes. In a May 2015 study, researchers from UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center found that lane splitting is relatively safe if traffic is moving at 80kph or less and if motorcyclists do not exceed the speed of other vehicles by more than 24kph.

The report also found that compared with other motorcyclists involved in a collision in California, lane-splitting riders were less likely to be rearended than other non-lane-splitting riders (6% versus 4.6%). They also were less likely to suffer head injury (9% versus 17%), torso injury (19% versus 29%) and fatal injury (1.2% versus 3%). However, lane-splitting riders involved in collisions were also more than twice as likely to rear-end another vehicle (38.4% versus 15.7%).

In a May 2015 study, researchers from UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center found that lane splitting is relatively safe if traffic is moving at 80kph or less and if motorcyclists do not exceed the speed of other vehicles by more than 24kph.

Overtaking approaching an intersection may only be performed if the manoeuvre can be made without entering lanes available for oncoming traffic and can be made safely with consideration for other road users. On roads marked with a flush median, the median is not available as an overtaking lane. Flush medians can only be driven on if you intend turning into a side road or driveway or have pulled out from a side road and are using the flush median to merge with traffic. You may overtake on the right if you remain completely in your lane. That means that a motorcycle can overtake while sharing a lane with a car if it stays on the right-hand side of the vehicle.

Safety considerations

Motorcycles are easy to miss, especially in busy traffic situations as they can get into positions in which a commuter wouldn’t usually expect to see another vehicle. Being aware of your blind-spot is important when keeping a good lookout for vehicles changing lanes. Driving requires concentration as there is much to do and observe to navigate safely to your destination. Provided that a motorcyclist elects to travel at a sensible speed, you will have a chance to see and make room for them. 

Rule 2.8: Passing On The Left

You may overtake on the left if travelling in separate lanes.

You may overtake on the left if the vehicles being overtaken are stationary or are indicating a right-hand turn. In other words, a motorcycle can only overtake on the left-hand side while sharing a lane with a car provided that the car is stationary or indicting a right-hand turn.

Danielle Beston

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Please note that this article is not a substitute for legal advice and if you have a particular matter that needs to be addressed, you should consult with a lawyer. Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law and she can be contacted on (09) 379 7658 or 021 326 642.

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NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Attracting the new generation

– it’s all about business culture

R

ecent employee satisfaction surveys increasingly show younger generations are less driven by job security and remuneration, although both are important considerations. Instead, they are more driven by job satisfaction and the culture of the business employing them.

This is especially so for highly skilled employees who are very sought after in the current labour market. Competition from other industries and employers for these talented individuals is ramping up.

Our industry has a reputation for long hours, time away from home and a maledominated image that is not particularly welcoming for women. Younger people looking at trucking as a career choice are being put off by the perception of an unhealthy lifestyle. The cost of licencing and training is also discouraging potential candidates.

One good test of this perception is to ask your own family and friends, “Would you like your children to work in the trucking industry?”

As an industry, it’s time we gave this image a makeover. As an individual business within the trucking industry, you can’t change the entire industry’s image, but what you can do can certainly help the collective.

Your business culture is your brand; it drives the public perception of your operation.

Every business has a culture – unfortunately, not all are great. For many, culture reflects a lack of management skills, poor decision-making, poor planning, a lack of employee engagement, and acceptance of poor behaviours. Your business culture is the personality of your company. It defines the environment in which employees work, and customers interact.

Successful businesses have developed high-performance cultures through planning, engagement and sharing a common mission and vision with their teams. Employees are loyal to your business culture, not to your business strategy.

Business culture is also important to employers because employees who fit in with it are likely to be happier and more productive. When an employee fits with the culture, they are also likely to want to work for that company longer. Thus, employers can improve productivity and employee retention.

Building a strong team that is focussed on collaboration is a key element. Teams that take ownership of their contributions and how they work together will have a strong, shared vision and will continuously search for ways to improve.

Building a great business culture can become your business’ competitive advantage.

To be a successful business in today’s ultra-competitive environment, you need a great team behind you to achieve your goals. A team that is efficient, productive, and working to a common goal, where everyone enjoys their job, does not just happen by accident. It requires effective leadership on your part – led by your example. You need to define your business vision and purpose clearly. Show employees that the success of the business depends on them and will benefit them as individuals.

If you do not know how to put a successful plan in place, seek professional advice and/or mentoring. It is up to you to provide your team with the inspiration.

If you want the best employees, you also need to be prepared to pay a premium, provide a lifestyle balance, offer training and a career plan, and sell them your positive business culture to attract them in the first place.

You need to provide your employees with the skills and knowledge to perform at their best. As a trucking operator, you will be quick to invest in your equipment, but do not forget to invest in your most important asset – the people who work for you. This is the face of your business, and you will be judged by it.

Give your staff some flexibility to achieve the goals that you have set. Encourage them to analyse what works, what doesn’t, and make suggestions for improvements based on their experiences. When they can see that you have listened and have implemented some of their ideas, they will be encouraged to participate further.

To keep your employees engaged, it is essential to provide them with feedback. They need to know how they are going against the business goals; celebrate their successes. Show them what is working and what is not. Highlight people who have been pivotal to the company’s success. 

Your business culture is your brand; it drives the public perception of your operation.

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NZ Trucking Association can be contacted on 0800 338 338 or Dave Boyce info@nztruckingassn. chief executive co.nz officer

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ROAD TRANSPORT FORUM

Owner-drivers key to industry’s success

T

he 21st century is about having more options when it comes to work. Owner-drivers in the road transport industry are no different. They want choices about how and when they work and enjoy the variety that can come from carting different types of freight around different parts of the country for different organisations. They also want a job that they can fit around their personal and home lives.

The flexibility, responsiveness and efficiency that ownerdrivers provide road transport companies are also some of our industry’s greatest strengths. This is why the Road Transport Forum (RTF) has been so concerned about government proposals to change the way contracting relationships work.

Broadly, what was proposed in a discussion document from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) last year was a suite of changes regarding how workers are defined and who employees are under the law.

The government’s stated objective is to tidy up the grey area between independent contractors and employees, commonly labelled ‘dependent contractors’, by extending employee protections to a large swathe of contractors perceived to be at risk of exploitation. Several cases concerning the treatment of courier drivers and workers in the film industry shone the spotlight on this issue three or four years ago, and unions have been pushing it along ever since.

Unfortunately, what the government has proposed goes much further than what is necessary and could completely change contracting arrangements in the trucking industry by redefining the owner-driver/principal relationship to something much closer to a standard employment contract.

This, the government argues, will provide contractors with added employment protections. Inevitably, it will also have unintended consequences, not only for those working in our industry but in much higher costs across the consumer market and New Zealand’s export-driven economy.

In the wake of Covid-19, the last thing we need is misdirected new labour law that seeks to reduce the costeffectiveness and efficiency of our freight system and make road transport less competitive in the modern labour market.

The potential impact of the proposed changes would be massive. Information from Stats NZ shows that more than 3300 owner-driver units represent more than 65% of the country’s transport service licence (TSL) road freight businesses.

Business New Zealand, which like the RTF submitted in opposition to the government, challenged the basic assumptions behind its proposals: “It [the discussion document] does not examine the extent to which either independent or dependent contractors are ‘vulnerable’, focussing instead on options that would affect both categories across a spectrum that is largely commercial in reality. Thus, the options risk negatively affecting genuine commercial contracting across the economy in the name of protecting

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instances which are already arguably unlawful under current law.”

This really gets to the heart of the issue. The government, determined to deal with perceived issues regarding the vulnerability of ‘dependent contractors’, is under pressure from unions, which fundamentally oppose modern contracting arrangements. Therefore, instead of dealing with specific issues in some sectors, they are pursuing a one-size-fits-all solution that will impact the entire economy. As the RTF’s submission makes clear, that directly threatens the operation of road transport businesses, which rely on the flexibility provided by contract drivers.

“Deregulation, enabling the growth of the independent contractor, has resulted in transport-cost benefits across the economy, fostering business growth for a lot of transport companies. This has occurred without the need to have unnecessary inventories of trucks and equipment, or having to find and pay drivers for downtime in what can be a very fickle and cyclic service market. The additional transport service to keep the transport chain fully functional in a cyclic market has been taken up by owner-driver contractors.”

The RTF will continue to fight to protect present ownerdriver arrangements for the road transport sector. Most ownerdrivers want the lifestyle choices and the chance to ‘be their own boss’ that contracting provides, while the flexibility that this model offers has also proved to be extremely effective for the demand-driven nature of New Zealand’s domestic freight task. 

Save the dates The Road Transport Forum is pleased to announce that the RTF Conference is back for 2021 (Covid-19 restrictions permitting). This year we are heading to our southernmost city, Invercargill.

After a tumultuous 2020 that once again illustrated the road transport sector’s strength and adaptability, the RTF looks forward to gathering the industry together to reflect on its recent challenges and discuss the opportunities we have to shape the country’s transport future. This year we are coordinating with the NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame, giving delegates the chance to attend both events during the one trip.

So, gather your team and join us in the deep south on 24, 25 and 26 September 2021. We look forward to seeing you there.

Nick Leggett chief executive officer

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THE LAST MILE

What will 2021 hold?

N

obody should have been surprised at the outcome of the election, regardless of political persuasion.

Having some certainty about the government’s shape for the next three years must be good thing; there should be no surprises. No doubt events will happen that we will not like as an industry or personally but, given its mandate, whatever the government decides to do, it can do – with one eye, of course, towards 2023.

The new Minister of Transport, Michael Wood, will have his hands full with transport and his other portfolio, Workplace Relations and Safety, so it will be interesting to see the influence that each of these has on the other. No doubt he will have his own views on what should happen – but we should never forget that while ministers may change, the ‘officials’ – those faceless people who advise ministers – typically don’t. They provide continuity between one administration and the next. Something we can be sure of, though, is that some groups will be looking for payback for their support of the Labour Party.

In the Dominion Post of 4 November 2020, the minister

is reported as saying, “unions must build membership” but indicates that he is not keen to bolster them through law changes; he stopped short of suggesting compulsory union membership. But sitting in the background is the Labour Party’s Fair Pay Agreement policy, which got blocked during the government’s first term. That blockage is no longer there and I suspect we can expect to see some action on this quite quickly.

As an industry, our biggest concern must be the state of the road network and the amount of work required to bring it back to anywhere near First World standard. Perhaps the minister will draw the link between the Crown’s responsibility for workplace safety and the condition of the roads, which, after all, are our industry’s workplace? The government should listen to our concerns; whether it will or simply go through the motions is another thing. But it will have to balance the cost of road maintenance against the cost of many of the other promises made and the growing mountain of debt New Zealand is running up; there is no bank of mum and dad to bail out the country if need be.

One thing I have learnt is that governments spend a lot of time and our money telling us what they will do but generally fall well short of producing the goods. They will have to deliver this time around, however, or risk having to look for new jobs in the later part of 2023.

Just as Covid-19 emerged to dominate our lives in 2020, so it will in 2021 and beyond. This year is unlikely to be a good one as the reality of the events since March 2020 hit home. For some, there will be opportunities; others may not be around at the end of the year. This is the reality of the world in which we now live. In some respects, it will be like going back to the primaeval world from which we came, where only the fittest and most agile survive.

Change is inevitable, and in 2021 we can expect to see a lot of it. Our industry has always been nimble at adapting to change, especially when we can see benefits such as HPMV. Still, we should never forget one of the fundamentals of any business – adapt or fail. We have a fundamental right to expect our government – red or blue – to provide safe and well-maintained roads. Goodness knows we pay enough towards them.

In other things, though, the industry will have to take the lead and make change within ourselves. What may have served us well in the past, such as the structure and style of our industry representation, may not be so good for the future.

Adapt or fail may well become our strategy for 2021. 

For some, there will be opportunities; others may not be around at the end of the year.

This is the reality of the world in which we now live.

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